Boley suspension clouds Giants' situation at WLB

Giants MLB Michael Boley has been suspended for the team's regular-season opener for violating the league's Personal Conduct Policy, with the New York Daily News reporting it to be for a May 2008 arrested and charge of battery. The paper also reported that the Giants new of the potential suspension when they signed Boley as a free agent during the spring.

Boley underwent hip surgery to repair a torn labrum in late June and will be out for eight to 10 weeks. He apparently suffered the injury in an early OTA workout but kept going, even to the extent of fully participating in the recently held mandatory minicamp June 16-18, but had to succumb to the arthroscopic procedure June 24.

Boley, who spent the first four years of his NFL career with Atlanta, was expected to win the starting weak-side job, but since he might not be healthy until just prior to the start of the season and is now suspended for Week 1 anyway, so his status on the depth chart becomes more and more uncertain. Weak-side linebacker was a problem for the Giants in 2008 with three players starting at various points of the season -- Chase Blackburn, rookie Bryan Kehl and Gerris Wilkinson. Since Boley's surgery took place prior to the start of camp, he can be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and thus free up a roster spot for one of the as-yet unsigned draft choices.

Giants' swift move could pay big dividends

With names like Shaun Alexander, Kevin Jones and Ron Dayne still dangling on the unemployment line, it still came as no surprise that general managers took immediate notice when Shane Olivea's four-game suspension was rescinded.

The former starting right tackle for the Chargers was generating interest from multiple teams after he was released Feb. 28. San Francisco was among the known suitors, but interest waned when Olivea was suspended June 20, meaning he would miss the first four games of the 2008 season.

When that decision was overturned Thursday, it only took the Giants a matter of hours to scoop him up with a one-year deal. Olivea lost his job in San Diego in large part because he tends to be streaky, but he does play with a nasty streak. And 26-year-old right tackles who have started 57 of 60 career regular-season games aren't easy to come by in July.

It was a no-brainer for the Giants, who had only inexperienced youngsters Guy Whimper and Adam Koets behind starters David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie. If Diehl or McKenzie went down, Whimper has only limited playing time in two seasons and Koets has yet to see regular-season action. Now the Giants have an outstanding insurance policy in Olivea, a former seventh-round pick who is in his prime.

Jobs of any kind are proving difficult for the trio of running backs to come by. Alexander clearly lost a step -- or two -- during his final two injury-plagued seasons in Seattle, and he and Dayne will have to accept backup roles if they're going to be in the league in 2008.
Jones has been diligently rehabbing from ACL surgery five months ago, and recently held a workout in front of representatives from Miami, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Detroit. He ran the shuttle and cones and caught some passes. If he can prove he is healthy enough to at least participate in non-contact drills by early August, he should end up in someone's camp early enough to compete for significant carries.

Lions & Giants NFC's paper tigers

A couple of NFC "contenders" got handed a heavy dose of reality Sunday.

The Lions and Giants, who entered Week 10 with 6-2 records, still have beaten a combined two teams that currently have winning records -- Detroit taking down Tampa Bay (5-4) and New York handling Washington (5-4).

Neither team's resume is particularly impressive, especially after Detroit was routed in Arizona and the Giants succumbed to Dallas for the second time this season. However, as the Cowboys and Packers continue to assert themselves as the only real class of the conference, the Lions and Giants exit the week still holding wild card spots.

The next litmus test comes when the Giants travel to Detroit next Sunday. But as two of only six NFC teams with winning records, even the loser at Ford Field has plenty of time to regroup for a playoff run.

"We know how good Detroit is," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, "and we know that as the season gets shorter, all the games are tough. We have no excuses. We had our chances, our opportunities, and we just didn't play well enough to win. Not tonight. We were ineffective with the ball in the second half, we didn't get the quarterback pressure we wanted and it was a big game in our stadium and we couldn't control it."

There are a few quarterback situations worth keeping an eye on this week.

• Rex Grossman took over for injured Brian Griese and threw a game-winning touchdown for Chicago. Even if Griese's shoulder injury isn't serious, it will be interesting to see if coach Lovie Smith stick with Grossman.
• As the Ravens' season has unraveled, so has the play of Steve McNair. Coach Brian Billick declined to give him a strong vote of confidence, as he has in recent weeks. There's a good chance the Ravens make the switch to Kyle Boller this week.
• Getting knocked out of Sunday's lost to Denver was the only thing that kept the Chiefs' Damon Huard from being bench. Coach Herm Edwards is mulling starting Brodie Croyle in an attempt to spark his passing game averaging just 207.9 yards per game while throwing nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

"Contenders" In Early Trouble

Nearly a third of the league is winless heading into Week 3, and many are hardly the usual suspects.

Philadelphia, New Orleans and both New York teams entered the season with high expectations for a run deep into January, but now find themselves in near must-win situations in September.

Their struggles aren't by coincidence -- all four have significant concerns that have contributed to their slow starts:

--Philadelphia: QB Donovan McNabb hasn't been sharp coming off knee surgery, and now RB Brian Westbrook, who has accounted for 47 percent of the team's offense, is battling a sore knee that could sideline him Sunday.
--New Orleans: RBs Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush are touching the ball on 39.3 percent of the snaps compared to 48.1 last season. The result is fewer passing lanes opening for QB Drew Brees. And then there's the secondary, which has allowed 11 pass plays of 20 yards or longer.
--N.Y. Giants: Injuries and a porous secondary threaten to derail the season before it starts. RB Derrick Ward has done a commendable job, but he doesn't bring the bruising presence of Brandon Jacobs. And the Giants have to run the ball and chew up the clock, because their secondary shows no promise of improving.
--N.Y. Jets: QB Chad Pennington returns from last week's game, but he's facing another dilemma with Jets fans pining for backup Kellen Clemens to take over after a solid performance last Sunday. The Jets have their own secondary issues as injuries have left the unit razor thin.

Deck Stacked Against Eli Manning

If the Giants go down in flames this season, there's no doubt throngs of fingers will be pointed at quarterback Eli Manning.

And the way things are shaping up, the stage is set for a trying season. Or perhaps it should be called a trap.

Even if Manning finally steps up and starts to fulfill his enormous potential, there are several factors working against the Giants emerging as a strong NFC contender.

The glaring issue is the absence of running back Tiki Barber. The Giants hope his slashing dimension can be replaced by the bruising package Brandon Jacobs brings. But it will be difficult for Jacobs to come anywhere close to matching what Barber brought to the offense as a receiver and big-play threat.

And even Barber might have had problems matching his typical numbers after left tackle Luke Petitgout was released. Yes, Petitgout is on the backside of his solid career, but the Giants chose not to bring in a veteran free agent or high draft pick. Instead, left guard David Diehl is being asked to slide to tackle, where he has precious little experience.

The good news for Manning is second-year wide receiver Sinorice Moss and rookie Steve Smith are coming off strong training camps, and starter Amani Toomer looks to be fully recovered from knee surgery. The bad news is the Giants' most physically gifted wideout, Plaxico Burress, has already dealt with knee, ankle and back issues leading up to the season opener.

That's just the offense. Consider the drama surrounding defensive end Michael Strahan, a subpar secondary and the superior talent in Dallas and Philadelphia within the division, and one has to begin to think Manning might be fighting an uphill battle -- but this time not of his own doing.

Strahan On the Fence

The Giants finally heard from AWOL DE Michael Strahan, who talked to GM Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin on Monday. So at least we know Strahan has made contact with the team, even if it was only to say he hasn't made up his mind about retirement.

Coughlin said Strahan apologized for the timing of the holdout, which has led to rampant speculation that his absence was money-related. Coughlin wouldn't comment on Strahan's reasons for thinking about retirement and said their is no timetable for a decision. However, he did stress that Osi Umenyiora will not be moved to Strahan's left end position. That would appear to make it less likely the team would sign free agent Simeon Rice, a pass-rushing specialist who plays the right side. However, Rice is visiting with the team today -- his first visit since being released by Tampa Bay last week.

Rice Simply a Smokescreen for Giants?

DE Simeon Rice is due to meet with the Giants today and take a physical on Wednesday before heading down to meet with Tennessee officials later in the week. Whether the Giants are trying to send a message to AWOL Michael Strahan or are legitimately interested in adding Rice remains to be seen.

Rice's 121 career sacks is second only to Strahan's 132.5 among active players, but Rice is not yet fully healed from a shoulder injury and he would be used mostly as a situational pass rusher. The Giants will need an every down end if Strahan decides to retire, and they would prefer not to move Mathias Kiwanuka back from the outside linebacker spot he has been working at all offseason. And the biggest issue could be where Rice would play. He is a right end, the same spot occupied on the Giants by Osi Umenyiora, who has made it clear he has not intention of switching to the left side.

The answer could already be on the roster. Third-year DE Justin Tuck appears healthy after spending 10 games on Injured Reserve with a foot injury last season. He has just one career sack, but at 6-feet-5 and 275 pounds, he is the type of physical presence the Giants need to hold up as an every-down player on the left side. However, it's a big gamble to take on an unproven player coming off a significant injury.