And you ask why my excitment? I pushed for this guy back before free agency even started.
http://www.footballgiants.net/blog/2007/02/18/briggs-samuel-franchised/
This is a real nice move by Jerry Reese. He gets a fairly young LB (at 27) with some upside. Kawika Mitchell took a one year deal for just $1 million (more on that later) which works for both sides. If Mitchell excels halfway thru the season, both parties can think about an extension. If he bombs, the Giants aren’t on the hook for anything. And the Giants get a productive player who doesn’t miss games. The plan is probably to move him to either strong side or weak side with Pierce staying in the middle.
Now some odd things about this. How can the Giants get a player like Mitchell (productive, not great) for such a bargain price? When you see average players (case study: Visanthe Shiancoe) getting huge money from other teams, I had to really doubt the reports that Mitchell was going to sign for this. Then I read today that Mitchell hadn’t even met Tom Coughlin or DC Steve Spagnuolo yet. Not the usual signing procedure by either party. Still, I really like this move.
So right now the Giants will line up Gerris Wilkinson (last year’s number three pick), Pierce, and Mitchell. That versus Emmons, Pierce, and Arrington. The latter might seem more imposing, but only when healthy. And that’s the trap the Giants fell into last year. I believe they’ll be better off in 2007.
In a move that got less news, but not lacking importance, the Giants resigned Grey Ruegamer to a two year contract, keeping some much needed depth on the offensive line. Ruegamer can play center or guard and is a solid backup. Look for the Giants to either add a tackle in the draft, or pick up a veteran sometime in training camp for insurance if David Deihl gets hurt and/or Guy Whimper doesn’t cut it in August.