For New York Giants fans who started following the team during the Bill Parcells Era, the linebacker position is something they've valued a great deal for many years. In those days, the leaders of a championship defense were Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, and Carl Banks. Then Harry Carson retired after the 1988 season, and Pepper Johnson stepped up and filled in as a leader at inside linebacker for another championship defense. There was also Gary Reasons, another trustworthy inside linebacker who will always be remembered for his launching, bone-rattling hit on Bobby Humphrey during a 1989 classic regular-season duel in the snow with the Denver Broncos. Even the backups—Johnie Cooks, Steve DeOssie, and Andy Headen—probably could have started for a handful of other teams in the NFL.
Watch Reasons’ hit on Humphrey here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehSmLq9J4yc
After LT retired at the end of the 1993 season, Dan Reeves switched the Giants’ base defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and it took a few years for another stud to emerge at linebacker. That man was outside linebacker Jessie Armstead, and he, along with middle linebacker Michael Barrow, who was signed in free agency before the 2000 season, provided exactly what the Giants needed from the position: athleticism, intensity, a great passion for the game, and, most importantly, superior tackling skills.
After the 2001 season, former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi decided to let go of Armstead, opting to replace him with Brandon Short, who was joined by Barrow in the middle and Dhani Jones on the strong side. Ever since then, the Giants’ linebacking core has left something to be desired, to put it kindly.
Since the 2002 offseason, the Giants’ front office has signed one Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker—Antonio Pierce in 2005. But even calling Pierce a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker is a stretch. He was actually more of an Alternate Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, to be honest, and probably the fattest middle linebacker in the NFL during his final three years with the Giants. That beer gut he sported from 2007 through 2009 was almost as bad as Jim Belushi’s, but I digress.
Over the last eight years Accorsi and current general manager Jerry Reese have signed linebacker busts like Carlos Emmons and Barrett Green, washed-up players like LaVar Arrington and Keith Bulluck, and stopgaps like Kawika Mitchell and Danny Clark. Even the 2009 offseason signing of weakside linebacker Michael Boley hasn’t panned out the way it was planned, as Boley’s been slightly above average, at best.
The opportunities to acquire a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker have been there, but for whatever reason, the Giants’ front office has never taken advantage. Accorsi could have signed either Takeo Spikes or Rosevelt Colvin during the 2003 offseason. Instead, Ernie felt it was more important to spend the dough on running back Dorsey Levens, kick/punt returner Brian Mitchell, and punter Jeff Feagles. Although Feagles was a great signing, Levens and Mitchell were total disasters who failed to make strong contributions during the miserable 2003 season that ended with a record of 4-12. And just last year, Reese could have pursued Karlos Dansby to fill the need at middle linebacker. For whatever reason, though, he didn’t, and decided to give the job to Jonathan Goff.
To make matters even worse, the Giants have been absolutely atrocious when it comes to drafting linebackers over the last 18 years. Coming off a torn ACL injury, Armstead was selected in the eighth round of the 1992 NFL draft. That was the last time the Giants drafted a Pro Bowl linebacker. Ever since that point, the team has mostly picked mediocre talents or total scrubs in the mid-to-late rounds: Marcus Buckley (third round, 1993), Tommy Thigpen (fifth round, 1993), Ben Talley (fourth round, 1995), Doug Colman (sixth round, 1996), Scott Galyon (sixth round, 1996), Ryan Phillips (third round, 1997), Pete Monty (fourth round, 1997), O.J. Childress (seventh round, 1999), Brandon Short (fourth round, 2000), Dhani Jones (sixth round, 2000), Nick Greisen (fifth round, 2002), Wesly Mallard (sixth round, 2002), Quincy Monk (seventh round, 2002), Reggie Torbor (fourth round, 2004), Gerris Wilkinson (third round, 2006), Zak DeOssie (fourth round, 2007), Bryan Kehl (fourth round, 2008), Jonathan Goff (fifth round, 2008), and Philip Dillard (fourth round, 2010).
If you didn’t count, that’s 19 linebackers drafted in the mid-to-late rounds by the Giants since 1992. The only linebacker the Giants picked in the early rounds during that time was Clint Sintim, who was taken 45th overall in the 2009 draft. Sintim, who should really be a rush linebacker in a 3-4 defense, lost his starting job at the strong-side spot last season to Keith Bulluck, who played like he belonged in a retirement home.
Over the last 18 drafts the Giants have had opportunities to pick a stud linebacker, only to squander many of the selections.
In the 1996 draft George Young, the Giants’ general manager from 1979 through 1997, selected Oklahoma defensive end Cedric Jones with the fifth overall pick. Twenty-one selections later University of Miami linebacker Ray Lewis was taken by the Baltimore Ravens. Jones, it was later learned, was blind in one eye, and he played just five years with the Giants, posting a whopping 15 sacks. Lewis, on the other hand, is still going strong, and will probably go down as the best middle linebacker in NFL history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZhiem5Qv7w&feature=related
Young made a lot of great picks for the Giants (Phil Simms, LT, Banks, etc.), but the Cedric Jones selection was so bad it was rated by ESPN as one of the 100 worst draft choices in the history of all sports: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=schoenfield/060427
Ten years later, in the 2006 draft, the Giants had the 32nd overall pick after Accorsi orchestrated a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans was sitting right there for Accorsi, but the general manager with the vacuum wig chose Boston College defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka instead. Although Kiwanuka has proven to be a decent defensive end, posting 24 sacks in a mostly backup role over 61 games, Ryans was defensive rookie of the year in 2006, made Second-Team All-Pro in 2007, and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007 and 2009. But, hey, you can never have enough pass-rushers, right?
In the 2007 draft the Giants had the 20th overall selection. University of Miami linebacker Jon Beason was sitting right there for Reese, who was running his first draft as Giants general manager. But even though linebacker was considered a huge need, Reese decided that Texas cornerback Aaron Ross was the better pick. Although Ross was a key player in the Giants’ Super Bowl run in 2007, and then started for all of 2008, his last two seasons have been disappointing, as he’s suffered through injuries, played poorly at times, and lost his starting job to Terrell Thomas. Beason, meanwhile, has been a beast for the Carolina Panthers, making the Pro Bowl in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2008 and Second-Team All-Pro in 2010. Do you think Reese would like to have that one back?
Reese also had a few linebackers to choose from in the first three rounds of last year’s draft, most notably Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the #19 pick. Instead, Reese took another defensive end, South Florida's Jason Pierre-Paul, at the #15 pick and then waited until the fourth round to select a linebacker, Nebraska’s Philip Dillard.
Before suffering ankle and knee injuries in Weeks 4 and 5, which sidelined him for five games and limited him when he returned to action late in the season, Weatherspoon was on pace to record 117 solo tackles as a rookie from the strong-side position for the Falcons. Meanwhile, with 4.5 sacks Pierre-Paul showed much more promise than was expected from him in his rookie year, but he's still set up to be a backup until Osi Umenyiora is finished, which doesn't appear to be anytime soon, considering Umenyiora led the team with 12 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in 2010.
So here we are in 2011, and for the umpteenth year in a row Giants fans are hoping their general manager signs a big-time linebacker in free agency or drafts one in April. That begs the question: Who should they target? Well, we have some ideas.
Free agency
It’s a little tricky this offseason, since there may not even be a free agent period, due to the lockout that’s coming. But if there is free agency this March, here are two linebackers who could fulfill the Giants’ needs at the position:
Tennessee Titans middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch
2010 stats: 159 tackles, one sack, one interception, six passes defended
Tulloch is a versatile linebacker who can play in the middle or on the outside. He is short (5-11) but weighs 240 pounds and doesn’t miss many tackles. While there are doubts about him making enough impact plays in the backfield, if the Giants sign him, he’ll most likely be the first linebacker to record 100 tackles for the team since 2007.
Buffalo Bills inside linebacker Paul Posluszny
2010 stats: 151 tackles, three sacks, four passes defended.
Posluszny is another linebacker Reese declined to pick in the 2007 draft. The former Penn State Nittany Lion isn’t as good as Beason, but he has recorded 110+ tackles for three straight seasons and is a very cerebral player. The problems with him are he is injury-prone, as he’s missed 17 games in four years, and has been labeled as a slower linebacker who doesn’t handle his coverage responsibilities nearly as well as the Ray Lewises, Patrick Willises, and Beasons of the league. But, like Tulloch, it's a safe bet that Posluszny would record 100 tackles for the G-Men. He also played for Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell from 2007 through 2009, when Fewell held the same job for the Bills.
Draft
Unfortunately, there appears to be just one 4-3 linebacker expected to be picked in the first round this April—UCLA’s Akeem Ayers.
Even that opinion is a little shaky, since there are those, including us, who believe Ayers would be a better fit in a 3-4 defense—and the last thing the Giants need is another Clint Sintim. But at 6-4, 255 pounds some think Ayers’ best position is strong-side linebacker in a 4-3, so he may be a good choice for Reese in the first round. To be honest, while playing different positions for the Bruins, Ayers showed a lot more athleticism than Sintim did at the University of Virginia. In 2010 Ayers had 68 tackles, 10 of which came in the backfield, and four sacks. He also had two interceptions.
In its latest mock draft WalterFootball.com actually has Ayers going to the Giants with the 19th pick. Here’s what it has to say:
Keith Bulluck is a 34-year-old free agent. The Giants are in need of an upgrade at strongside linebacker.
Akeem Ayers reminds me a lot of Manny Lawson. He's a really versatile player who figures to excel in Perry Fewell's defense.
Akeem Ayers reminds me a lot of Manny Lawson. He's a really versatile player who figures to excel in Perry Fewell's defense.
North Carolina’s Bruce Carter
Heading into the 2010 season, Carter seemed like a lock to be a first-round pick this April. He had a rough year, though, culminating in him tearing his ACL in a game against North Carolina State on November 20. Now he probably won’t be able to work out at UNC’s Pro Day, and forget the combine in two weeks.
Even before his injury, Carter didn’t put up great numbers from the weakside linebacker position in Butch Davis’s defense last fall: 57 tackles, only 3.5 of which were in the backfield, and 2.5 sacks. There has to be a good explanation for the lack of production, however, because as a sophomore in 2008 Carter had 68 tackles, 11 of which came in the backfield, and five sacks. So, it’s obvious that he’s capable of dominating, and at 6-3, 235 pounds, Carter has shown he has the speed and athleticism to run down the faster running backs in the open field. He’s also lined up to cover wide receivers in UNC’s defense, which could actually explain why his numbers were down in 2010.
Carter is also a great special teams player, something the Giants are in desperate need of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPeEI-BEXCY&feature=related
Watch this Pick-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdwiwCVK2AE&feature=related
Michigan State’s Greg Jones
It’s tough to figure out why the 6-1, 240-pound Jones isn’t discussed more as one of the top linebackers in this draft. Most of the mock drafts out there have him going in the third round or later.
At Michigan State, Jones was a four-year starter at middle linebacker and led the team in tackles in each of those seasons. He was also a team captain, and made First-Team All-Big Ten in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and First-Team All-American in 2009 and 2010. He had over 100 tackles in each of his final three seasons as a Spartan, but his best year was in 2009, in which he had 154 tackles, 14 of them coming in the backfield, and nine sacks. In 2010 he had 106 tackles, 10 of which were in the backfield, a sack, and two interceptions.
According to Scott Wright of NFL Draft Countdown, Jones is “athletic with good speed, quickness, agility and burst.” He has “excellent instincts and awareness with a nose for the ball,” and is a “very reliable tackler in the hole, as well as in space.” He also has “outstanding range and can flow sideline-to-sideline” and “shows the ability to work through trash and traffic.” To cap it off, he has a “top work ethic” and is “a demonstrative, respected leader.”
Wright does mention some negatives about Jones, most notably a lack of strength, power and ability to “take on and shed blocks.” But the positives far outweigh the negatives: http://www.draftcountdown.com/ScoutingReports/ILB/Greg-Jones.php
Greg Jones highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EwgT6dtWpo&playnext=1&list=PL6E51D27FCCB2E129
The Giants play in a division with mobile quarterbacks (Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, and Michael Vick), running backs who are great receivers out of the backfield (Felix Jones and LeSean McCoy), and superb tight ends (Martellus Bennett, Brent Celek, Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, and Jason Witten). These players, along with others from the past (Brian Westbrook, most notably), have embarrassed the Giants’ linebackers repeatedly since Jessie Armstead was let go. Acquiring an elite linebacker is way overdue.
So, will Jerry Reese finally end the impact linebacker drought this offseason? Or will he continue on with the likes of Boley, Goff, and Sintim?
Hopefully, for the sake of Giants fans, the next great linebacker will be arriving shortly.
-Maz Burrito
