Giants general manager Jerry Reese is faced with two opposite conundrums. He has way too many draft picks (10 for sure, perhaps 11 depending on compensatory assignments) and he has a team strong and young enough at most positions so that a flood of new blood isn't exactly mandatory.
The Giants received an additional second and fifth from New Orleans in the trade of tight end Jeremy Shockey last summer, and will certainly receive one for running back Derrick Ward, who signed in Tampa Bay. Pending other UFA developments (such as strong safety James Butler, who is flirting with several teams but at this writing hasn't signed a contract), there might be a total of 11.
So Reese dropped a minor bombshell the other day. "Maybe we won't have that many picks by the time the draft arrives," he said, cryptically.
That opened the door to the expected wave of speculation, and shortly thereafter rumors wafted by the team's offices concerning wide receivers Braylon Edwards of Cleveland and Torry Holt of St. Louis. The Giants appear desperate in their need of an impact wideout to replace Plaxico Burress, who might be back but must negotiate through a legal morass first. He has a March 31 hearing stemming from gun changes last Nov. 29.
Without Burress, as well as the probable departure of 34-year-old veteran Amani Toomer, both starters who opened the season will be gone. There simply isn't a proven, accomplished replacement on the roster, and the Giants will have to do one (or more) of three things: make do with the likes of Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham and a few others; spend a first-round draft pick (and probably another one later on) to find a replacement; or make a trade.
"You know we don't talk about trades," said Reese. "Things like that are always so speculative and we don't even announce a player signing until we have an official contract in our hands."
But his remarks about having fewer picks when the April 25-26 draft rolls around begs the consideration of a major deal. Add to that the sudden availability of Terrell Owens, who was surprisingly released by the Dallas Cowboys, and the Giants might have choices in what used to be a bare cupboard.
While T.O. is far too dramatic and troublesome for such as head coach Tom Coughlin, the 35-year-old is a dynamic performer and now realizes that his next team will be his last. He can no longer command the kind of salary he has received and might be an addition the Giants will at least contemplate. The Giants' front office folks insist they are not interested in T.O., not under any circumstances even if Plaxico goes to the slammer. But Reese said, just the other day: "Never say never."
Plaxico and T.O. on the same team? The mind recoils.
