That player was former Giants and now current Vikings tight end, Visanthe Shiancoe. In another great move by GM Jerry Reese he refused to overpay for mediocre and backup type talent so he let Shiancoe test the free agency market.
All and I am mean all NFL fans were shocked and bewildered when the Vikings WAY OVERPAID for a backup tight end. The Vikings had signed him to a five year eighteen and half million, seven million guaranteed contract. This season he currently has 19 catches and if he plays the season out without injuries, will make 11 million of that contract this year.
If you break that down on a per game basis, that would mean he is making, $687,500 per game or in other words, $361,842 per rececption!! Lets not get into how much he is over paid for his touchdown production.
If you were to compare that to the likes of Dallas' Jason Whitten or the Giants' Jeremy Shockey, on a per catch basis, Shiancoe is making roughly $300,000 more per reception than that of the two players I just mentioned, who both are probably going to the pro bowl.
With new ownership for the Vikings, I thought the days of doing stupid things, like trading a thousand draft picks away for Herchel Walker, were over. Apparently not.
Regardless of the contract, he returns to the meadowlands this Sunday as the Giants take on the Vikings, in what I hope won't be a repeat of the game they stole from Big Blue a couple of seasons ago. This is a different Giants team now. They are relatively healthy, all three areas of the team are improving each week, and this season the Giants have been able to beat the lower echelon teams in the NFL.
The Vikings come in at 4 - 6, beating teams like the Chargers and in all but one of their losses, have been in every game, and have been a tough opponent. The Vikings currently have the #1 ranked rushing attack in the NFL, and it doesn't matter if it is Taylor or Peterson back there, both players get the job done. On the contrast side of that, they are abysmal in their passing game. In fact they rank tied for dead last. Meaning you should see the Giants defense stack the line, put 8 in the box, and force Jackson to beat them through the air.
Whatever the game plan, this is a game Big Blue should win, if anyone wants to take them seriously come post season time. It will also move them to 8 - 3 on the year, and put them sitting nicely in the driver's seat for a wild card spot.
NOTE: If the Giants win against the Vikings on Sunday, this will mark the third consecutive season with a 500 record or better. That hasn't happend since 1991 when Ray Handley took over for Bill Parcells. From 1988 to 1991 the Giants were 10 - 6, 12 - 4, 13 - 3, and 8 -8 respectively.
About the Author:
Michael C. Podlesny is the co-host of the Big Blue Review, a weekly podcast featuring the latest news on The New York Giants. The podcast can be downloaded from Michael's blog at http://BigBlueReviewPodcast.Blogspot.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment