The Giants moved Jeremy Shockey Monday, and today made a minor headline as reports say they have come to terms with first round pick safety Kenny Phillips. The rookie could be a starter right away, as the team needs help in the secondary with the departure via free agency of Gibril Wilson, who left to go play for the Raiders this offseason.

Phillips was selected with the 31st pick of the draft out of the Univ of Miami. He comes to the team at 6-2, 210 pounds. He was the first safety chosen, and while director of college scouting Marc Ross refused to categorize him as a “need pick,” general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin did so. He is a big and strong safety looked at to play the free safety position, although according to Ross he has played strong safety and even some cornerback.

He’ll compete with Sammy Knight, who was signed in the offseason, at the strong safety spot, though long-term he is penciled in as the starter, and if he can impress his coaches, he may be able to be the opening day starter vs the Redskins.

I spent all of last night and this morning pondering the trade of Jeremy Shockey to the Saints, I for one am ecstatic. I, like many wanted the trade to happen back during the draft, and when it did not, I was a bit upset. But low and behold, Christmas has come early and Shockey is now a Saint.

Some say his attitude will be a distraction, I donʼt think it will be. Shockey has great respect for the man that gave him his best year, and helped him become rookie of the year. He plays with passion, and wears his emotions on his sleeve; some people take offense to that type of personality. I know this first hand. Yes, some of his comments in the past may have been a bit harsh, and bad timing, but no one is perfect.

With the injury last year, I believe he is both humbled, and will also play with a chip on his shoulder. I also know first hand, that a fresh start is sometimes needed. With Drew Brees cool leadership style, a hard nosed edge in the huddle will provide a boost when the Saints need it the most. I think he will work out fine. So with that, letʼs discuss how he will improve the Saints defense this year.

Itʼs not often that a offensive player can improve a defense, but Jeremy Shockey will be able to pull it off.

The Saints have had one of the best offensives the last 2 years, but there were times in 2007, that they were not able to sustain long drives, and became predictable, and with that left the defense with bad field position, and little rest in between series.

Shockey will make a defense scheme differently, now not only do they have to worry about were Bush lines up, they have to worry about Shockey, and in turn will free up Colston from double coverage. The running game will also open up. This will equate to longer sustained drives, time off the clock, and more scoring.

Just what a defense needs. Defense wins championships, just ask the Giants. But a great offense can make a mediocre defense better also. The more time they have to rest, making a team go the length of the field to score, and having the cushion to give up a touchdown, will pay dividends in the end.

If you look back on the 2007 season, what would 10 extra points per game have done for the record, The Saints would have went 10-6 again and who knows how the playoffs would have went. The stories would have been saying how the Saints pulled it out in the end, after a bad start.

Shockey is going to be the icing on the cake, to an already sweet offense, and we will see the Saints defense improve greatly in 2008.

Regarding the wailing and gnashing of teeth I’m reading about following the Jeremy Shockey trade:

Guy walks into a famous seafood restaurant, sits down and orders the brook tout. As the waiter starts to leave the guys yells, “Oh, yeah, and can you put some ice cream on it please?”

My point is; there are a lot of things in life that are very good in and of themselves; like ice cream and trout and Jeremy Shockey and the Giants. But they don’t always belong together. That doesn’t take anything away from the ice cream or the trout or Shockey or the Giants. They’re just not compatible.

So, maybe Kevin Boss isn’t ice cream. Maybe he’s a lemon. So what? In the final analysis, isn’t lemon more compatible with trout? So, lets not agonize over the loss of Jeremy Shockey. Lets just wish him well as a Saint and enjoy the meal Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin cooked. Besides, who needs ice cream? Yeah, it’s tasty but it’s also loaded with dairy fat which can cause some very serious internal problems … kind of like Jeremy Shockey.

Odds courtesy of Bodog, www.BodogLife.com.

Who will have more receiving yards in 2008?

Kevin Boss (NYG)                      +250 Receiving Yards

Jeremy Shockey (NO)                 -250 Receiving Yards

How many receiving yards will Jeremy Shockey have in 2008?

Over/Under                    699 Receiving Yards.

How many receptions will Jeremy Shockey have in 2008?

Over/Under                    68

How many receptions will Kevin Boss have in 2008?

Over/Under                    45

Fox Sports has just reported that the Saints and Giants have just made a deal that will send TE Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans, pending league approval. The report says that New Orleans has agreed to send over a 2nd round and 5th round pick in 2009 for Shockey, a similar deal offered to the Giants by the Saints just prior to the 2008 draft. The pick up of Shockey has been rumored by many to be the final peice of the puzzle for an already solid Saints offense.

According to today’s New York Daily News, the Giants and Brandon Jacobs still appear to be far apart on a contract extension, and it looks as if a deal will not get done by the opening of training camp on July 24th. The paper says that the two sides have been talking, but “nothing is close and nothing is expected to get done before camp starts.”

Jacobs, a fourth-round pick out of Southern Illinois back in 2005, rushed for a team high 1009 yards and four TD’s last season as the Giants made an historic run to win the Super Bowl. Last year was his first full year as a starter, as in two previous seasons he had only rushed for 99 yards in 2005 and 423 yards in 2006.

It is likely according to sources that the two sides will keep talking, and a deal may be reached into training camp or at some point during the season. Jacobs did get dinged up last year, as he missed five regular season games, but has proven durable otherwise playing in 31 of 32 games the previous two seasons.

Training camp is almost here and its time to take a look at the season ahead; particularly the competition in the NFC East. Several teams have made some key off-season additions. Let’s look at them team by team.

Dallas Cowboys – (13-3 in 2007)

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t go crazy this year, but did add two key players that could mean trouble for the rest of the NFC. (and maybe for the Cowboys themselves) They drafted RB Felix Jones in the first round, who looks to be a good complement to Marion Barber. (I hate to admit it, the dude is just a beast) We’ll see how he does in the NFL, but I would suspect that he will do fairly well, and will give Barber some rest; although I hope he doesn’t work out, and Barber is exhausted by the fourth quarter of every game. They also added troubled CB Adam “Pacman” Jones (I don’t care if he’s dropping the “Pacman,” its not going anywhere) We don’t even know if this guy is going to be able to play, although he probably will. Commissioner Roger Goodell temporarily lifted Jones’ suspension so that he could practice with the Cowboys, but he could still be suspended for the season. Again, I’m pretty confident he will be on the field. The good thing for Eagles fans is that Jones hasn’t played since 2006. We can hope he’s lost something in that time. I doubt it, but there’s always hope. With troubled players and draft picks, its always a risk. We’ll see if these players work out. If they do, the Cowboys could once again take the #1 seed in the NFC. They are the number one competition, not only for the Eagles, but the entire NFC.

New York Giants – (10-6 in 2007)

The Giants were relatively quiet this year as far as key acquisitions go. They did draft WR Mario Manningham, and S Kenny Phillips, but their off-season is more on what they lost. They lost three of their starters to free agency; S Gibril Wilson, LB Kawika Mitchell, and LB Reggie Torbor. The biggest loss to the Giants has to be the retirement of Michael Strahan. Strahan’s retirement was bitter sweet. As an Eagles’ fan I was glad to see him go. We won’t have to see that guy put McNabb on his back anymore. As a fan of the game, and an Eagles’ fan, I’m going to miss him. He’s a great guy (at least he’s going to be on Fox’s pregame show.) His battles with big Jon Runyan were great. I’m going to miss that feud. I would think with Giants’ fans, its going to be a wait-and-see mentality for the upcoming season. Which Manning will they get? 20 interceptions in a season, or the near perfect QB we saw during the playoffs? Can the defense repeat with all the losses? We’ll all find out soon enough. Dallas may be the biggest competition, but the Giants are the team to beat.

Washington Redskins – (10-6 in 2007)

Who knows what to think with this team? Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs retired from the game, again. Some say the game passed him by, and I have to agree. They made the playoffs twice, but also went 6-10 in 2004, and 5-11 in 2006. The Redskins made no huge splash in free-agency, seeing as how they were almost maxed out on their salary cap.

They did have a fairly good draft though. They picked two big receivers in the draft in Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas. Thomas is a high risk-high reward pick. He came out after a very productive junior year, but was relatively quiet in his other two seasons. We’ll see how he turns out. Kelly was most noted for his complaining about the turf he ran his forty on during his pro-day. After switching to a different turf, he still didn’t do all that hot, but when it comes to playing the game, does it really matter was his pro-day forty time was? I don’t know what to really expect from the Redskins. Honestly I don’t expect much, and I see them bringing up the rear in a tough division.

Philadelphia Eagles – (8-8 in 2007)

You would think after an 8-8 season it would be hard to get your hopes up. Not so for Philly fans. McNabb is back and healthy. We got little production from the tight ends, and you have to believe with L.J. Smith back to full health, and Brent Celek having a year under his belt, that this will change in 2008. The Eagles were not quiet during the off-season, especially on defense. I think they took it personally, and they should, that the Giants won a Super Bowl using their defensive scheme. The Eagles signed CB Asante Samuel, possibly the biggest name on the free agent market, and DE Chris Clemons, (a situational pass rusher for the Oakland Raiders), on the first and second day of free agency. Samuel has had 16 interceptions in his last two seasons. (The Eagles only had 11 last season as a defense) There are questions as to whether he was only productive because of New England’s system, or if he’s really just an outstanding playmaker. I’m going to have to go with the latter. I don’t care how good the system is, 16 interceptions in two seasons, 22 career, is just outstanding, and you have to be a special player to do that no matter what system you are in. Clemons only played about 35% of the snaps last season and was able to rack up 8.5 sacks. That’s pretty impressive in itself. You have to think he will be able to help our pass rush.

There wasn’t anything too exciting about the draft. The Eagles traded out of the first round, again. They did draft WR/PR Desean Jackson and DT Trevor Laws. Jackson is an immediate boost for special teams, and looks to actually get on the field as a receiver. Laws lead the nation last year in most tackles for a loss. He should be a great help to our run defense, and will give Bunkley and Patterson some rest.

Andy Reid was dealing with family issues last off-season. (his two sons were arrested on drug charges) You have to believe that was affecting him during the season. With this issue somewhat cleared up, Reid should be back to the great coach he has been for so many years here in Philadelphia.

The outlook for this team is high, and to answer the question, the Eagles are able to compete within the division and the NFC. Our defense should be even better than last year. With added pressure on the QBs, we should see turnovers go way up. Our run defense is solid and should be a top ten again this season. Our offense should look more like it did in 2006. We came up short on the big plays (plays over 20 yards) last year, unlike 2006 when we were tied with Saints for first. Things look good for 2008 and the Eagles should be contenders, not only in the NFC East and the NFC, but throughout the NFL.

A few days ago we threw out what we felt were going to be the five worst offenses in the NFL coming into 2008. Now on the positive side, we’re back to give you the other side of the ball - the defenses, and what five teams are going to have have top notch and the best defenses entering the season.

1. San Diego - The Chargers have a great blend of speed and power, and their three main parts of their defense - D-line, linebackers, and secondary all have playmakers. Shawne Merriman is a beast among linebackers, Antonio Cromartie is one of the most exciting corners in the league, and Jamal Williams, Luis Castillo and Igor Olshansky make up a solid front three. This team is going to be tough to move on in 2008.

2. New York Giants - The defending Super Bowl champs return with a solid defense that should again make life tough on QB’s in 08. Even losing Michael Strahan, they still have a solid front line with Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, LB core led by Mathias Kiwanuka, and good enough secondary to get the job done. The safety position has a few question marks, but overall this team is all about pressure, as their 53 sacks a year ago proved.

3. Dallas - Getting Adam “don’t call me Pacman” Jones will help a secondary that needs a boost, now the only question is will be eligible to play this year. Adding Zach Thomas brings some leadership to the defense as well as a guy that can still play. The LB tandem of Greg Ellis and DeMarcus Ware will give QB’s nightmares, and should result in turnovers and hurried throws that will play right in the hands of the secondary.

4. Pittsburgh - After DE Aaron Smith went down last season, the Steelers D was never the same. They get him back in 2008, and the team should be able to regain its early season form of 07. Dick LeBeau is a master at confusing QB’s, and with young studs at linebacker like Pro Bowler James Harrison and 2nd year player LaMarr Woodley, he will have two players that can make a QB’s day very long. The secondary has it’s issues, but if Troy Polamalu is back to 100 percent, the unit can make strides under coach Mike Tomlin.

5. Minnesota - Love what this team did in the offseason, snatching sack crazy Jared Allen from the Chiefs. His play, along with that of Kevin and Pat Williams will make offenses have some sleepless nights. E.J. Henderson is solid at MLB, and Chad Greenway and Ben Leber also had good seasons a year ago. The signing of Madieu Williams gives the secondary another weapon as well, and he’s better than Dwight Smith, who he replaces.

The New York Giants will be allowing fans to buy a seat licenses in the new stadium they are building with the New York Jets. This license will allow a fan to buy season tickets for that seat, and will cost between $1,000 and $20,000 depending on location.

The Jets haven’t commented on if they will be following suit.

This new stadium, will have 82,500 seats is slated to open in 2010. Most of those seats will have a license available. Only 5,000 of those seats will cost $20,000. They are a little worried about upsetting fans as each seat that a season ticket holder owns will carry the license charge, which can get pretty costly. The seat license isn’t a season ticket; the tickets would be purchased on top of the licenses.

Giants’ co-owner, John Mara, had this to say; “We tried hard to come up with a plan that guarantees everybody the opportunity to stay in the building.”

The cost of the new stadium which is being split down the middle between the two teams, is $1.6 billion. Mara also said that it would be “extremely difficult” to build this new stadium without these seat licenses because they will raise between $300 and $400 million.

Once a person buys the seat licenses, they are guaranteed that spot as long as the team plays at that stadium. That license however can be sold or transferred to anyone for however much they can get for them.

First now retired Giants DE Michael Strahan declared that his old team should give WR Plaxico Burress a new deal. Now, just a day later, the newest addition to the Fox NFL Studio show says the Giants should also do something else - dump TE Jeremy Shockey. “He doesn’t want to play here; that’s obvious with everything that’s going on,” Strahan told Newsday on Wednesday.

Shockey’s offseason issues have been well talked about around the league and with the Giants, but for now, he’s still on the team, and today’s Bergen Record says that the TE has been taken off the market by the team. The paper cites “a source that has been accurate much of the time,” saying the club has given up all trade efforts after dangling Shockey for presumably no less than a second-round pick.

There appeared to be a deal in place for Shockey with the Saints on draft day, but that fell through due to the greed of the Giants for wanting another pick thrown in. Back to Strahan, didn’t the Giants just go though this last season with a former player speaking his mind? Of course at least Tiki Barber waited a few months before he started throwing gas on the fire. Strahan has waited all of about 48 hours to let anyone and everyone know how he feels.

“I don’t think you gain much by keeping a guy around. Regardless of how well he plays for you, there’s always that tension, and that’s one thing you can’t have if you’re expected to go back and repeat,” Strahan said. “You don’t need that out of one of your leaders, so I think the best thing for them and for Shockey is if they have the opportunity, let him go.”

What’s next from Strahan - Eli Manning isn’t enough of a team leader?