With Antonio Pierce gone from the Giants and newly acquired Keith Bulluck to take a chance at becoming the starting middle linebacker, only a psychic can predict the future for the starting linebacking core. Last season the Giants had a mix n match time with their linebackers and it seems like its starting over again during the pre-season. Its been said that the coaches have a new set of three linebackers every practice to see which they feel most comfortable with. The Giants are looking for their best three-man lineup at linebacker, which could mean moving Bulluck to outside linebacker as opposed to backing up Goff. The experiment could be an indication of the coaching staff’s confidence that Goff will be the starting middle linebacker. All I have to say is that the season is starting in a few weeks and they need to get situated so players can get accustom to playing with each other. Everyone has their own playing style and tendencies and flipping players screws up the team’s chemistry. The Giants need to settle on their starters and get their defense going.

By: Ryan O’Reilly

With three regular season games under their belt, the New Jersey Irish are undefeated and have outscored opponents 123-20 with two shutouts in the books.

An explosive first half led the New Jersey Irish to a 38-0 victory over the Long Island Tribe Saturday night in Wayne, as the defense once again held stout and showed an ability to make the big play. The scoring began with none other than star return man Rashid Darrisaw taking a punt 92 yards to the end zone to give the Irish a 7-0 lead before the offense even took the field. As the defense held the Tribe to negative yardage on the first four series, the offense finally clicked on all levels.

Led by quarterback John DiGiloramo’s 320 yards passing, coordinator Lou Mascola’s unit scored on four of its first five series. Kicker Phil Marfuggi nailed a 27 yard field goal on the first series before DiGiloramo showed why he could be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the league. First, he found Stacey Jackson on a 44 yard connection down the sideline to set up the Marfuggi field goal. Then on the next series he hit running back Lou Aboyoun for a 29 yard touchdown. The third Irish series and first play of the second quarter led to another six points and an early candidate for play of the year as DiGiloramo hit Stephen Machiorolla for a spectacular 54 yard touchdown pass and catch.

As DiGiloramo dropped back, Machiorolla ran a 15 yard hitch route but slipped on his turn. The quarterback had already released the ball and the defender jumped the route but only could tip the football. Machiorolla then caught the ball while sitting down and jumped up to scamper down the sidelines to give the Irish a 24-0 lead. DiGiloramo went on to rush for a two yard touchdown on fourth down at the end of the half to give the Irish a 31-0 lead.

Head coach Keith Correal said his quarterback looks to be poised for a big season. “The rust is off John’s arm for sure,” Correal said. “He’s hitting midseason form and I think he’s going to have a great season.” The second half saw the play get chippy as both teams were warned and a couple players ejected. The flow of the Irish play stuttered after this and the only points would come on a DiGiloramo 11 yard pass to Jackson. Jackson wowed with three catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. Aboyoun also provided a huge lift to the offense with seven receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown to go along with his 18 rushing yards. “Lou does three things extremely well,” Correal said. “He can run the ball and be maybe one of top running backs in the league. He can read your defense and sit in underneath zones and kill you, and then he can get vertical down the field like last night on his touchdown reception. It’s rare to find a guy that has the athletic ability and football IQ to be able to do all three things so well.”

Receiver Derek DePascale played on a bad knee but still managed to record four receptions for 32 yards. DePascale moved the chains on three of his four catches. It was the defense, however, that continued its dominance, making Correal a very happy coach with the way the players have meshed. “The defense plays well as an 11 man unit,” he said. “Sometimes you see teams with a lot of great players on their defense but they just have problems stopping people. We have not had that problem as I truly believe the defense is completely unselfish and just want to stop the opponent and get off the field.”

The Irish secondary was led by Darrisaw, cornerback Sean Griffin and safety Lamar Askew to record an interception each. Linebacker Russ Commune also had a pick to end the game. DaShawn Frazier continued his impressive play on the defensive line with four tackles, two of which were for loss. Troy Frazier and Taron McBride recorded just two tackles apiece, but their presence was felt often as they plugged the few holes the Tribe opened. The defense forced five turnovers with the four interceptions and a fumble recovery. Darrisaw’s interception was returned 85 yards for a touchdown but a questionable clipping penalty brought the touchdown back. Next week brings an extremely formidable challenge to the Irish with an away game against the New York City Falcons. Correal said if his team can play well next week, the season can go places a first year team usually does not go.

“The Falcons are 3-1 and also coming off an impressive shutout,” he said. “They have only lost to the (NY) Bandits this year and it was a close 12-6 game. If we can be as successful this week against them as we have been against our previous opponents, I think we will solidify ourselves as the team to beat in this league.”

Anthony, to the Nuggets dismay, has not jumped at the $65 million three-year contract extension offered to him over a month ago. With a new CBA looming that could be the best contract Mello gets, so by leaving the offer on the table Anthony is giving a big indication to the Nuggets that he will not re-sign with them.

The Nuggets seem to have gotten the message and, in trying to avoid what happened to Cleveland this summer, the Nuggets are starting to shop their star small forward.

It is widely believed that Mello’s top destination would be New York. He grew up in the area, recently got married there, and would love to play with Stoudemire in the big market.

While the decision isn’t up to him, the Knicks have the assets to get him. It has been reported that the Knicks will offer Danillo Gallinari, Eddy Curry and his expiring contract, and a 2014 first round pick. It might take a little more than that to get him, perhaps Bill Walker or Wilson Chandler, but that should not be a problem for New York.

If they are able to work out this trade they would have completed their goal of acquiring two superstars and, alongside the additions of Raymond Felton and Anthony Randolph, should be able to compete with the top teams in the league.

In addition, granted they make no additional moves, they will have the cap room to add a max contract in 2012 such as Chris Paul or Deron Williams to complete their big three.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

With Chris Paul “demanding a trade” (who knows the real truth), many Knicks fans were hoping to land the superstar point guard. However, this would not be a good idea.

Right now, the only all-star on the team is Amare Stoudemire. They have an overlooked, solid point guard in Raymond Felton. Danilo Gallinari and Anthony Randolph are both very young, and both have all-star potential. Add Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas, and the Knicks have a solid core. But to get Chris Paul, most of those pieces would have to be traded. So New York would be left with Paul, Stoudemire, and not much else.

If the Knicks really wanted Paul, they would get him in the 2012 off-season. Before then, there is the 2011 off-season, where New York will surely target Carmelo Anthony, the top free agent. Imagine if they signed Carmelo, and then had him, Stoudemire, Gallinari, and Randolph. The Knicks could either trade Felton to attempt to sign Tony Parker, or they could outright just wait for Paul to become a free agent.

Either way, an immediate lineup with Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, and a bunch of nothing does not compare to a lineup of Tony Parker or Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph, and Amare Stoudemire. It has been a tough wait Knicks fans, but that wait should continue.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

It seems like a strong possibility. New Orleans is a team in transition. They have a new GM, a new head coach and no great talent next to Paul. They have a lot of bad contracts and Paul realizes they will not be able to compete for a title any time soon. He saw LeBron leave and form his big three and now he wants one of his own. The Hornets are a small market team, and while keeping Paul helps their ticket sales, he can also hurt them if he isn’t buying into the system. The new guys don’t need someone questioning their system, and they don’t need a player constantly telling their fans the team will never be successful. In addition the Hornets could pick up a lot by trading Paul. There are a lot of young players available to them, and you bet they are going to be able to unload a bad contract or two. They are a team that is not going to compete now. With a new coach and GM why not start a rebuilding project.

For the Knicks they have the players to acquire Paul. Anthony Randolph, Danillo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas, and Bill Walker are young players with a lot of upside. Package any of those guys with a few 2nd round draft picks or a 2014 first round pick, in addition to taking on a bad contract like an Emeka Okefor or a James Posey, and the Knicks have an attractive offer. Definitely competitive with the other teams on Paul’s list, the Mavericks, Magic, and Trail Blazers.

So New Orleans have reasons to trade Paul, the Knicks have the means to get him, so will they get him and more importantly should they get him? For the first question I believe if the Knicks want Paul they will get him. Perhaps it is my NY bias, but there is a lot going in their favor. First, Paul has picked them above any of the other teams, and while New Orleans has the final say, I am sure it has some play. Second the Knicks can offer so much to the Hornets, with the Blazers the only team that can really match it.

So, yes I believe the Knicks will get Paul if they want him, but should they want him. Well it depends. If you can get Paul with keeping your flexibility open to get Mello later, that would be a no brainer. Imagine a big three in NY that could stick it to Pat Riley and those guys in South Beach. But my feeling is that to get Paul they would need to take on Okefor and Posey all while giving Curry’s expiring contract up. So depending on what young guys we have to give up, we could have a team with Stoudemire, Paul, and a lot of big contracts for guys that don’t exactly fit the system. We would lose all the flexibility we worked to get. While we might not be assured a player next offseason, I believe the Knicks could get either Tony Parker or Mello, even with a new CBA looming. They can achieve this and keep their young players and flexibility.

It is extremely tempting to want to get Paul, and if the deal makes sense I am sure the Knicks will make it. But if the deal costs too much the Knicks won’t and shouldn’t do it, and will instead wait till Dec 15 or next offseason.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

By Ryan O’Reilly

On any given Saturday, 40 North Jersey boys lace up to take on the best of Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey amateur football. There are no egos allowed, no big paychecks given. They just show up to play the game they love.

The New Jersey Irish semi-pro football team, based out of Wayne, hit the road Saturday, July 10 for their only exhibition game against the Long Island Hurricanes.

The grey skies and rain showers accompanying the team could not put a damper on a 21-6 Irish victory in the organizations first ever game.
Led by co-owners Keith Correal — also the head coach — and Nick Dilworth, the Irish began what they hope to be a successful campaign in the semi-pro Five Star Football League.

This is the inaugural season for the full-pads amateur football league as 16 teams from the tri-state area compete in a ten game regular season. The Irish roster is stocked with former New Jersey high school standouts from Clifton, Parsippany Hills and Dumont.

The first quarter breezed by as both teams exchanged possessions with nothing to show on the scoreboard. Defensive tackle Dashawn Frazier provided the only first quarter highlight when he overpowered the Hurricane offensive line to force a fumble in the backfield which was recovered by the Irish.

The second quarter, however, provided plenty of fireworks as 20 points were put up by both teams. It started when Irish quarterback John DiGirolamo, a graduate of Montclair State, rushed in from just one yard away for the first touchdown in Irish history.

After Frazier recorded a sack on a Hurricane fourth down, Digirolamo led the Irish on a 49 yard drive that ended with Louis Aboyoun on the receiving end of a three yard Digirolamo passing touchdown. The touchdowns on consecutive possessions showed the potential explosiveness of the Irish offense that otherwise struggled to find a rhythm for most of the afternoon.

Of the offensive struggle, Digirolamo said, “We moved the ball fine and completed passes but we just couldn’t finish when we got close.”
Finishing indeed proved to be a problem as the offense fumbled the ball twice inside the red zone and two more times outside the 20 yard line. Correal said he expected some sloppiness but also expressed some frustration with the number of mistakes. However, he did find a positive after the game. “The good thing is this was a wakeup call for the coaches, players and whole organization,” Correal said. “Now we have two weeks to correct our mistakes and practice the things we struggled with today.”

In contrast, the defense seemed to hold together against an offensive featuring a dangerous running back in Alton Lucas, a former starter at Hofstra University.

Lucas ripped off a long run on a draw play in the final two minutes of the first half. The played ended with a 15 yard personal foul penalty, bringing the Hurricanes to the Irish four yard line. The defense held stout until Long Island scored on a counter play. The extra point was no good and the six points were all the Hurricanes would muster.

After the half, the Irish received the kickoff and defensive back Rashid Darrisaw provided an electric 75 yard kick return to put another six on the board. After the successful extra point conversion, the Green and White led 21-6. That would be all the scoring on the afternoon, but Darrisaw continued to shine in the second half. The corner from Grambling State was in on several tipped passes and came close to two interceptions. Correal expressed his excitement for Darrisaw following the game. “Rashid was a great addition,” he said. “We got him from the New York Bandits and he was great today from the return to the pass break-ups. If it’s possible, he exceeded our expectations.”

Darrisaw also spoke about how he wanted to help the Irish. “I joined the team to make plays and help us win any way I can,” he said. “It could be returns or playing defense, I’m just trying to do whatever I can to win.”

The rest of the second half featured an Irish offense able to move the ball, but unable to finish. The Hurricanes could not do much of anything as the clock ticked away.

Although the play was sloppy at times, the Irish walked away happy with the victory, but aware of the work that needs to be done.
Correal said, “On offense, we need to focus on ball security and finishing plays. On defense, we need to work on tackling. The defense had no problems but workings as a unit for the first time. So, they need to just get chemistry because we definitely have the talent.”

Game Notes:
-
Digirolamo was 9-of-13 passing at one point in the second half, but finished the day 13/28 passing with 211 yards and the one passing touchdown. He also had the rushing touchdown in the second quarter.
-
Frazier was a force all afternoon as he outmuscled the Hurricane offensive line and found himself in the backfield breaking up plays all game long. He had one forced fumble and could have had two if not for a referees inadvertent whistle.
-
The Irish did not punt once in its first game and converted just 1-of-3 fourth down
conversions.
-
Star of the Game: Rashid Darrisaw: Darrisaw gets the nod for his touchdown on the kick return to open the second half where he was untouched and was a force in stopping the Long Island passing game.
-
Play of the game: To open the second half, Darrisaw ran 75 yards untouched with
the help of excellent blocking, giving the Irish a 21-6 lead. His electric playmaking
ability bodes well for special teams coach Drew Bertolotti and his impressive unit.
-
On the horizon: The Irish have two weeks to prepare for its regular season opener
at Kean University on July 31 at 7 p.m. against the New Jersey Bears.

For more information, visit www.njirishfootball.com.

I say as of right now the Knicks are around a 40-win team. That is not where we expected to be after this summer, but its a good start.

The Knicks did sign a superstar in Amar’e Stoudemire and added a true point guard in Raymond Felton. They also added another nice young piece in Anthony Randolph.

With expected improvements from some of the other guys (Gallinari, Chandler, Douglas) 40 wins is definitely attainable with a possible 7th or 8th seed in reach.

While Lebron would have been nice, just getting back into the playoffs will be a good first step.

Aside from Stoudemire none of the moves the Knicks made are long term and so they have room to bring in a max-type player next season if anyone wants to come, and be free to make moves in the future.

The rebuilding is not over, but it is pretty promising considering our worst-case scenario happened. It’s hard to continue to preach patience but the Knicks are one superstar away from being a true contender.

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This signing alone probably boosts the Knicks up to a playoff team in the weak East. While Stoudemire’s numbers do not look significantly better than what Lee had, nor is his defense an improvement, he brings something else to the table…star power. It might seem overrated, but it is very important to a team. Kobe makes the players around him better not just because of what he can do on the court, but his leadership off it. He is a guy that his teammates do not want to let down and his play forces everyone else to play better. It appears Stoudemire is ready to be the man and do this as well. In addition as well as Lee played he was not a player who could lead a team at the end of games, to get to the line and carry his team to a win when they need it most. Think of all the games the Knicks lost at the end of games or in overtime. Stoudemire will be the difference and lead the Knicks to their first playoff appearance in quite some time.

In addition the importance of this signing is it makes the Knicks a more attractive place for current and future free agents. If Bosh and Wade go to Miami, LeBron could see his best option in New York, or Wade could come if LeBron and Bosh go to Chicago. I do not think LeBron prefers to play with Bosh over Stoudemire and I don’t see Wade and LeBron teaming up. Even if New York misses out this year they have the cap to bring in a guy or two next year, a year they could get Carmello, Parker, or Paul.

While the ultimate prize was LeBron, the Knicks accomplished a lot already with the signing of Stoudemire. They have a star and a playoff team for the first time in a while. They now have more to offer players than the bright lights of NYC and either this off-season or the next the Knicks will be able to acquire the players to make them championship contenders once again.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network