By Dave Klein
ALBANY, N.Y.-- Jerry Reese Sits Down To Answer Questions And Predicts "Win It All" In '09

It was early Wednesday morning in the players' cafeteria. Sounds of Billy Joel were bouncing off the nearly deserted room, as the Giants were either early for breakfast or slept in since they had the morning off. But an appointment made a while ago, too meet at 7:45 a.m., was kept by your reporter and Giants' general manager Jerry Reese. The tenor of the interview was this: "I will ask questions you may not want to answer, and that's fine, but anything you do answer will be on the record." He smiled, and responded: "What I say is always on the record, but in this case use some good judgment and common sense."

So here we go, the topic listed first, then the question, and finally his answer:

Q -- Do you feel you did your due diligence and added players at the right positions to strengthen the team?

A -- "We did the best we could, and I think we have enough to win, and win big, and win it all."


Q -- "Do you feel you left holes in any position, holes that might present a problem to the coaching staff as the season approaches?"

A -- You can't and don't have everything you want. No team in this league does. So that means we focus more intensely and strain harder. We never stop looking at the waiver wire, and we never ignore any possible trades that might be made. This is a 24-hour-a-day job, seven days a week."


Q -- If I list positions that seem to be not quite up to other levels of excellence, will you comment on them?

A -- "Yes, to the best that I can without bringing in names of other players on other teams."


Q -- The safety positions. It seems a little thin, doesn't it?

A -- "Kenny Phillips has some star stuff in his makeup, and he played a lot last year and got lots of experience. He is going to be a special player. Michael Johnson was a starter on a Super Bowl championship team as a rookie. He has a ton of experience. C.C. Brown, who we signed as a Restricted Free Agent, has been in the league for three seasons and he has started every game when he wasn't hurt. We think he can be a significant help, and while I don't think he's going to actually compete for a starting job, he'll be a great reserve."


Q -- What about the wide receivers? Not much experience there now.

A -- "We investigated other wide receivers, veterans from other teams, but we didn't feel we wanted to pay what the price was. Right now I feel we have at least six who can help us win, and that includes the two rookies we drafted. I think both of them, Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, will help right away and play right away."


Q -- Can one or both of them start?

A -- "Yes, eventually. They are special athletes."


Q -- All right, the linebackers appear to be in a state of flux. Thoughts?

A -- "I am relieved that A.P. [that's Antonio Pierce] got his good news yesterday, that he won't be indicted. We agreed with him that he didn't do anything wrong, that he was just trying to help a wounded teammate [Plaxico Burress, who is no longer a teammate] and that anybody would have done the same thing. He is in good shape and he should be able to resume his career. I still have confidence in Gerris Wilkinson and Jon Goff and Bryan Kehl, and the rookie we took, Clint Sintim, he can win a starting job right now. He is a full-grown man."


Q -- You are still confident that David Diehl is the answer at left tackle?

A -- "I can't tell you how many people were instant critics when we moved him there.'Oh, there goes the Giants' chances,' they said. 'Diehl can't play that position. He isn't quick enough. The thing is, David is big, tough, smart and experienced. He has the skill set of a right tackle but the mind-set of a left tackle. And people who complain that he gets beat by the extra-quick pass rushing defensive ends don't realize that all left tackles do. That's what those guys are all about. Look, DeMarcus Ware [Dallas] had, what?, 22 sacks last year? Do you think he got them all against Diehl? He's going to get past all the tackles one time or another. That's the nature of the game."


Q -- But wouldn't he make a better guard?

A -- "Actually, no. He's too big. You look in the dictionary under 'perfect guard' and you'll see a picture of Chris Snee. David is a pure tackle, and he likes left tackle, and so far I think we've done pretty well with him."


Q -- Big one here, Jerry. Why didn't you re-sign [veteran wide receiver] Amani Toomer?

A -- "That's the crappy part of my job. Amani is such a competitive animal that he just refused to admit he couldn't start any more. At least that was our assessment. Could we have kept him around to help the young kids? Sure, but that's not who he is. He wants to start. He's quiet, I don't think he would have had his heart in coaching them. He still thinks it's his job. I wish he would have agreed to retire. I told him there is no way we can every repay him for all his effort, all his accomplishments, but we felt the time had come for him to be a reserve."

Q -- He signed with Kansas City, so I guess even if an injury happened he wouldn't be in your plans now, right?

A -- "Obviously, and I'm happy for him. It's what he wanted and he got it. We would never have ruled him out, even at mid-season, if we needed him. It's just a lousy way for him to end a magnificent career. It was personally difficult for me to tell him how the team felt."


Q -- What is your assessment of this year's team compared to the teams of the past two seasons?

A -- "I think this team can be better than either of those. I honestly believe that."


Q -- Finally, there are reports that you have just signed Eli Manning to a contract extension at astronomic figures. Is that true?

A -- "We are probably close. A contract isn't a contract until both parties sign it, and we never announce contracts until they are signed. That's what makes them official. I'll say this about Eli, who takes a lot of criticism in this market area. He has had his highs and his lows and he is still ascending. He has won a Super Bowl in his fourth season. Didn't it take his brother [Peyton] nine years to win one? He is going to be a full-grown quarterback, but he isn't there yet, and that's probably outstanding news for Giant fans."