Steve Spagnuolo left the Giants to become head coach of the St Louis Rams. Any true Giant fan wishes this guy the best of success. He took a talented group of players and showed them how to play defense. Spags was a big part in the Super Bowl run last year, and while it would have been great to see him succeed Coughlin one day as the head coach, the truth is you have to jump when given this type of chance. Many people are skeptical of the Rams, but as we’ve seen it doesn’t take a lot to turn a franchise around (see Miami and Atlanta). He’s seen first hand with the Eagles and Giants that building your teams from the inside-out is the way to succeed. He’s got talent at QB, RB, and WR. Spags will make it a priority to build the trenches first.
With Spags gone, the Giants made a smart move in promoting Bill Sheridan from linebacker’s coach to defensive coordinator. Staying in-house was the way to go. The players know him and he knows the system, having worked closely with Spags. I don’t see the Giants defense taking a hit with this change because this defense has young talent across the board. Three good corners. Three blue chip defensive ends. I’m hoping that Sheridan, having coached the LB’s, now will have a say in the team finally spending a high pick at that position in April.
There’s been plenty of debate about Kurt Warner being a Hall of Famer. I’ve gone on record as saying he isn’t. But after Warner’s great day in the NFC Championship game versus Philadelphia (and the entire playoffs for that matter), I think he may have just stamped his ticket to Canton. Three Super Bowl appearances and two NFL MVP’s is an impressive resume. The thing with Warner is, his career has been so disjoint. He literally came out of no where to lead what I believe is the best offense I ever saw for a single season in the 1999 Rams. A second Super Bowl berth seemingly had Warner destined for greatness, but then a thumb injury caused him to become erratic throwing and handling the ball and he eventually lose his starting job 2002. From there, he was unable to secure a starting role in the NFL until just last year. And here he is again, leading this time a underdog Cardinals team to their first Super Bowl appearance ever. Some will make the case he’s played with two of the best receiving corps of all time in an era where the rules favor the passing game. Still, there’s no denying what he has accomplished. A win versus the Steelers and any debate of his belonging ends.
