1) Details of Mario Manningham's deal were disclosed late last week.  In the grand scheme of things, the amount of money (and the length of the contract) is not that large.  Or, to put it another way, I would not have had a problem with Reese paying that amount to keep Mario Manningham. And his departure from the Giants is getting more touches.  As Giants' fans, we saw first hand the 49ers do not have enough weapons at the wide out position.  In the NFC Championship game, 49ers wideouts caught ONE pass. One of the ways that I can articulate a defense of that view is that when I watched a replay of the Giants' season on the XLVI DVD, I was struck with how many TDs were scored by MM.  During the regular season, when teams had not yet started rotating their coverage to Victor Cruz, MM pulled down 4 TDs.  By the playoffs, that had changed- MM had 3 TDs, second only to Hakeem Nicks' 4.  Victor Cruz had 1 playoff TD (vs NE).  What we all know is that Manningham was an integral part of this Super Bowl run, and those TDs remind us that it will be important for others to step up.

For Manningham going forward from here, the first thing the 49ers are going to see is how slowly Mario picks up the offense.  MM was in the league for 4 years and he could barely go a game without being on the wrong page with is QB on a route tree.  SF was well-coached last season in the first year of Jim Harbaugh.  We would expect them to simplify the routes of MM, for the sake of both WR and QB. Needless to say, MM will not have a problem picking up their offense because most of Smith's drop backs are one read throws. 

2) A while back we discussed QB-led 4th Quarter comebacks.  Here is a list of where every NFL QB ranks historically in that category.  There are many takeaways to be gleaned from this list. 

The top 8 on the list are all in the Hall of Fame or going there. (Sorry Vinny.)

I have always said that Kerry Collins is underappreciated.  Showing up at #11 all-time does nothing but remind us that he was a gamer.

Eli Manning, at his current rate, is on a path to join those Top 8 if he stays healthy.

A player like Joe Montana is punished statistically when you look at this criteria because the defenses he played with were simply better than Marino's.  (If you were/are a great QB, you just want to show up somewhere relatively high.)  

Eli, Brees and Roethlisberger are all on trajectories to go to the Hall of Fame as long as they stay healthy.

Being a Giants fan is pretty great these days.  As usual all is quiet over at the Timex Center, just the way we like it. Of course you’ll have your usual suspects (that buddy of yours who thinks that they can do a better job than the GM)  who will complain about Reese’s lack of activity, because that is what they do. Let them be, because we know that the world championship isn't won in the offseason.

Oh yeah… and they won their fourth Super Bowl. Business as usual.

For those who want a bit more off-season entertainment may I recommend that you take the 20-minute drive from the stadium over to Florham Park, where things are also business as usual.

Tannenbaum once again looks set on spending his offseason trying to catch lightning in a bottle. God forbid the man made a few moves that gave the impression that he was trying to BUILD a winner. Instead, he went out and did what has become the trademark of the Jets organization since they acquired Favre; make a splash in the media. SMH Mike, SMH.

Let us first thank Tannenbaum. Without you to serve as a contrast, we probably would never be able to appreciate just how great Jerry Reese has been over these last few years. 

So on to Tebow…

Listen, I know there are those out there who really get on Tebow. And while it still puzzles me as to why people are so adamant against him, they are entitled to their opinion. So the purpose of this isn’t to be a debate about whether or not he is any good. People are pretty set in their ways on this guy so there really isn’t much more to say in that sense. 

Just for the sake of getting it out there, I myself enjoy watching Tebow. And I do know this--there are far worse guys you can support. And while he flat out sucks at throwing the football (really no need to sugarcoat it), who knows, maybe, just maybe, this guy will improve. I’ve heard he works pretty hard….

Within a few years we will know the fate of Tebow’s NFL career path and there will certainly be some eating some crow, one way or another.

Until then let’s talk about what we do know. He isn’t a good passer, yet. No matter what though, he righted the Broncos ship and got them to the divisional round in what seemed to be like a lost season. Sure some of those wins were hard to explain and you can’t sustain success like that at this level. But at the end of the day, Tebow quarterbacked teams have won much more than they have lost and there is something to be said for that.

So what is his effect on the Jets going to be?

1. Locker Room Presence- Tim Tebow will help ease some of those concerns with the Jets locker room. People may think his arrival means even more chaos in the Jets locker room, but I disagree. His attitude is contagious. The guy is going to work, keep wokring, and then work some more. Others will surely take notice.
Of course you’ll still have your bushel of bad apples who will remain nameless. Hint: his name rhymes with Hantonio Solmes. The hope is though that the good will outweigh the bad. That the positive influence will take over the Jets locker room like it did in Denver, where it changed the culture last season. 

Brian Dawkins, a leader in Denver’s locker room had this to say on his twitter: @TimTebow, I wanna thank u, 4 wht u helped us do last year. On the field & off! I have NO doubt that u will B a blessing 4 the Jets!

So it’s very likely that Tebow’s presence can be a positive step on the road to repairing a fractured group. At the same time, his mere presence has the ability to create an uncomfortable situation for the Jets' fourth-year QB

2. Good Pressure?- I’m not really sure this is the type of pressure that the Jets really wanted to put on Sanchez. Don’t get me wrong, they needed to put a boot up his ass. But this is the wrong kind of boot.

Perhaps Sanchez is ready to make the jump to a consistent, productive quarterback and maybe what he needed was a veteran passer who could put some heat on him and help him along the way. This move feels like quite the opposite.

With Tebow as his backup, Sanchez better be on his game because the burden will be on Sanchez to perform. Greater than it has ever been.

The problem is the pressure should be coming from a guy who is truly pushing Sanchez. An established quarterback who has proven that he can play some QB at the NFL level. Kyle Orton, David Garrard, Jason Campbell. All three of these guys were free agents this off-season who could have been serviceable backups had at an affordable rate. 

In Tebow’s case, the heat will most likely be coming from the media and the fans, not from what the coaches are seeing in practice reps. What is Sanchez going to think when there are calls for him to be replaced by a guy LESS accomplished than him?

So....

I just don’t see the juice being worth the squeeze.

Nothing against Tebow, but the Jets should have used this off-season to right the ship after being knocked down to a low point after back to back appearances in the AFC title game. They had an opportunity to take the spotlight off of them, something they desperately needed to get back to winning. Out of the limelight they could have focused on things that matter like getting back to the playoffs.

Instead, the Jets have positioned themself to once again be the focus of the NFL, all season long. They managed to do so without being any closer to a world championship. If you ask me, this is literally the last thing that the Jets needed. I'm not going to come out here and say this move can't and won't work because quite frankly, it can and plus, who am I to say that?

What I do know is that the Jets are right back under the microscope, probably moreso then ever before. And no matter how they try to spin it, the Jets will be using two quarterbacks this season. Not the most supportive move for your quarterback who won four road playoff games in his first two seasons.

So as usual the Giants will continue to build a franchise that will hopefully keep them as close as possible to the NFL summit.

And as they do best the Jets continue to look to make a splash that will win them their version of a championship… a second appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks.

Let the debate commence.

Roger Goodell lowered the sonic boom on the Saints yesterday.  The Saints got hit hard with the loss of 2 second round picks in 2012 and 2013, $500k, Payton 1 year suspension and 6 8 game suspension of their GM.  Was this a power play by the commissioner of the most powerful organized sports league in the world, or a justified action?  We have heard a lot from the Commish’s office over the last couple of years about player safety with severe public fines such as his poster boy Steelers’ Harrison.  The League is undergoing pressure with a slew of lawsuits from former/retired NFL veterans on concussion related injuries including one recently from Jim McMahon.  But, why was the levy so harsh?  Let’s not be naive, as we all know that bounties are not uncommon in the NFL.  One has only to infer that the Saints lied through their teeth to interfere with the investigation in order to get levied in this way. 

In other related news, the snitch has been speculated to be none other than former TE Jeremy Shockey.  The alpha male has been singled out by Warren Sapp, which makes sense in terms of a) what we’ve experienced with his outbursts on being out-coached and b) his exact tenure with the Saints.  Yet, Pro Football Talk questions Sapp’s source.

Team Tebow has landed in our shared building.  It makes a lot of sense to the Jets, whose current OC (Toney Sparano) started the ‘wildcat’ scheme with the Dolphins.  Expect Tebow to be utilized solely in that role, but knowing Jet fans you might see a billboard on the Jersey Turnpike soon lobbying for Tebow as their starting QB.  Broncos, how did that work out for you 2 years later?  Tebow was a 1^st rounder in 2010 and traded away for a 4^th rounder in 2012.  By the way, how many are you peeved with the Texans giving up DeMeco Ryans for a 4^th rounder to the Igles?

On a sad note, the late Ron Erhardt passed away yesterday at the age of 80.  We honor Erhardt for bringing us 2 Super Bowl rings.  He had a conservative offensive game plan, but with great defense, he delivered the bottom line with 2 trophies that we celebrate up there on the banner.  Besides the Lombardi trophies, I respected how he utilized Bavaro in his system and I give credit to him for the development of Phil Simms.  An interesting historical note, Erhardt gave Bill Parcells his second NFL job as LB coach with the Patriots in 1980 in between stints with Perkins.  R.I.P. Ron Erhardt.

Yesterday, Aaron Ross signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Ross has been a stable but unspectacular CB for the NY Giants.  We have rated him the prototypical "4," a replaceable starter.  And considering that Jerry Reese let him walk without much of a fight, the 'replaceable' description is appropriate. 

Ross played well down the stretch.  But less obvious to most is that the Giants did not face a highly rated set of WRs in the playoffs, with the exception of the Packers.

We need to also remember a key play in the GB game in Q3, where Ross is beat but Rodgers gets sack-stripped by Osi Umenyiora.  The point here is that the Giants had great matchups in 3 of the 4 games.  Ross is a competent but very average CB who helped the Giants to a title but will not be missed if Amukamara (first true camp), TT (ACL) and a few others (Tryon, etc.) can plug the holes. 

Many things broke the right way for Ross and the Giants.  During the regular season, Ross was vulnerable to Braylon Edwards, but the Niners cut Edwards for disciplinary reasons before the playoffs (and hence their keen interest in improving at the WR position with Randy Moss and Mario Manningham).  The biggest break of all came when the Niners pulled off the miracle in the divisional round vs the Saints.  If the Giants had to face the Saints in the dome, how many of you feel we win that game?  This game is about matchups, and while I personally feel the Giants had a great deal of resolve in the XLVI run, that Saints offense was ALWAYS going to matchup well vs the Giants defense.  Considering that Vernon Davis took us for 2 TDs while the Giants keyed on him all game, how do the Giants manage superstar TE Jimmy Graham PLUS Colston, Henderson, Meachem, Moore and Sproles?  The bottomline is that the Saints are nasty to handle on a good day, but in the dome they are a nightmare. 

In the Superdome, the Saints were 8-0 this past season with an AVERAGE winning score of 41-18.  This was the game we are all grateful never happened.  This was the game where Aaron Ross would have been exposed and thankfully was not.  Instead, the Giants faced a pedestrian set of WRs in SF, Ross got another ring, and he cashed out with a nice contract courtesy of the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Good for the Giants, good for Ross, a very happy ending for all sides.

Mike Florio goes around the league, talking about Peyton Manning, Peyton Hillis etc..  Later, he and Amani Toomer talk about #81's comments on his former teammate, Jeremy Shockey. 

Amani Toomer: "After Jeremy Shockey in 2007 got injured, Eli's play went up because he didn't have that distraction in the huddle."  On twitter, bad teammate, worse person.  "When Jeremy first came he was the ultimate professional, and I was the first person singing his praises."

This whole topic of conversation got started because Shockey is a free agent.  Naturally, people consider whether the old team will have interest. 

Okay, folks, this may not be easy, but on a day when Shockey's stock price is collapsing, I am going to support this guy and take his side.

No, I am NOT advocating for the NY Giants to take Shockey back.  That ship has sailed.  But it goes back to what I have always said about Shockey- he was never managed properly by his coaching staff.  He was an alphamale Pro Bowl talent that could arguably be a Hall of Famer.  Instead he is a loudmouth and a bad teammate.  What happened?  As I have said before, when you have exceptional talent and a pea brain, it is a volatile cocktail.  Guys like Keyshawn Johnson come to mind.  And the next moment, my thoughts lead to Bill Parcells.  To watch a guy like Parcells manage Keyshawn Johnson was a thing of beauty.  How did that 1st rounder go from malcontent to thoroughbred warrior?  Because Parcells managed him.  Parcells knew how to get the most out of his alphas.  He set the bar high, gave them touches on offense (or in the case of LT, latitude on defense) and demanded they deliver on Sunday.  It was not THAT complicated. 

With Shockey, he was asked by Hufnagel, Gilbride and Coughlin to block.  And that is why you hear the stories of how he is a malcontent in the huddle, tugging on Eli, get me the ball, get me the ball.  NO F'G SH*T he wanted the ball!  He deserved it because he was one of the most potent offensive players in the league, yet he'd go games without more than a few receptions.  Good coaches coach to their personnel.  God gives you WRs, you throw to your WRs.  God gives you a RB in 1970, you run him.  God gives you a RB in 2011, you hand him the ball AND you throw the ball to him.  And if God gives you a Pro Bowl TE, you get that Pro Bowl TE the ball.  You play the hand you are dealt.

You think that maybe Shockey wouldn't be tugging on Eli's jersey if the coaches were willing to have him in the gameplan?!  You think maybe Shockey would be less of a problem if his coaches were feeding him the ball in the red zone, where his skills would be in even greater demand?! 

The reason why Shockey was dysfunctional was because the coaches were dysfunctional.  I remember games where a few of the WRs would be sidelined with injuries, and all of a sudden TE Shockey would explode with oodles of catches for 100+ yards.  Gilbride had no choice but to get the TE the ball, and shock-ey of shocks-ey, the passing game flourished through the TE.  Surprise surprise Sergeant Carter!  We always wondered aloud- why make Shockey block 1 player when he could take 2 into coverage?!!!  It made no sense then.  It still makes no sense now (when I think back to those days).

Shockey is now well past his prime.  His body is a shell of what it used to be.  We won't bother talking about the waste on that front again.

Amani Toomer can badmouth the 2007 Shockey all he wants.  He, as always, is 100% accurate in what he says.  By that point in 2007, absolutely, Shockey was a problem and Eli did not need that.  But Shockey did not come into the league a problem.  Toomer testified to that as well.  The progression from "ultimate professional" to "distraction in the huddle" happened because his tremendous talents were underutilized.  That his behavior devolved was a reminder that genes still need environment.  What a waste.