Giants Stuff

The Giants finally announced Coach Ben McAdoo's first coaching staff yesterday, and it was exactly who we were seeing reported during the process.  The only mystery solved was the return of Lunda Wells as assistant OL Coach and he is, indeed, back.  There's plenty on it in Giants.com  as well as a refresher of the front page of BBI. So I won't paraphrase what everyone else is saying.

There are a couple of things to think about, though.  First, Spags did not get a AHC designation.  We thought an older coach with head coaching experience like Philbin might be brought in and given an AHC title, but he took one form the Colts.  Spags was an AHC with the Giants in `08, then and AHC with the Raven's before rejoining the Giants.  He is older than McAdoo, and has head coaching experience, but he didn't get his old title back.  So, though he is the DC, they want him as that only, and he probably has this season to show he's still got it.

Secondly, Frank Cignetti Jr. might be a sleeper agent.  In his comments, McAdoo mentioned that Cignetti had grown up in a version of this offense.  He is the son of College Hall of Fame Coach Frank Cignetti.  From a football history perspective Sr. must have been among the first East Coast coaches to employ the WCO, or was building his own off of the old Paul Brown system.  In any event, Cignetti probably knows this offense a hell of a lot better the Mike Sullivan does, and so I wouldn't be surprised if he is the play call (if it's not McAdoo) and if he doesn't replace Sullivan next year.

Beyond that, the NFL Combine is next week, and the NFL Free Agent Season starts in the second week of March.   The Giants will have around 60 or so million in cap space, plus 6 good picks, plus the UDFA, cut players, street FA, and trade markets to attempt to upgrade all of the postions, save QB, and most of the roster.

It's interesting that they are supposed to be the first of several teams who will try out two Euros, a WR and TE, to see if they have NFL measurables to compensate for the low level of competetion they played against.  Both are also older than 26.  But the Giants have to look everywhere and it seems they are.

Also, UDFA and priority cuts, might start picking the Giants again, because of the lack of competition around the roster.

Now that the staff is in place, and they don't have to hire anyone at the Combine, they can get down to cases.

UPDATE:  The Giants just re-signed Long Snapper Zak DeOssie.  His was a spot I thought might be calling for an upgrade, but, re-signing him does at least buy the Giants a year and doesn't force them to pick or overpay for a new one.