For Giants, the secondary was primary

By Darrell Laurant  |   Monday, March 20, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

New York Giants
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Few NFL teams went into the free agent market as focused as the New York Giants. They wanted help in their secondary, and they got it -- lots of it.

Of course, the team created part of the shortage by releasing safety Brent Alexander and allowing cornerback Will Allen to escape via free agency. The Giants had 17 interceptions last season, and four of those were by linebackers. Take away Alexander's four picks, and that just leaves seven interceptions among the returning DB's (Allen, who was largely avoided by opposing offenses, didn't have any).

The question is, are Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters -- the most prominent free agent DB's signed by the Giants so far in the free agent shopping spree -- the answer?

In an age of increasingly large wide receivers, neither Madison (5-10) nor McQuarters (5-11) seems to be a size upgrade for the Giants. Also, Madison is 31, McQuarters 29 -- probably an advantage in the short term in terms of experience, but older players tend to be more injury-prone.

Don't tell that to Madison, though.

"I can count on the fingers of one hand the practices I've missed in nine years," he said.

And to those who wondered whether he was cut loose by the Dolphins because of his declining interceptions. Madison replied: "There are those who say I've lost a step, but I don't see that. The offense tends to look for the weakest link on the football field. Obviously, it wasn't me."

Madison was given a signing bonus of $2 million and escalating salaries over the next four years, with a $250,000 incentive built in for seasons with more than four interceptions.

On the safety side, the New York Giants did add size and subtract age by signing Will Demps (6-0, 205) away from Baltimore. A part-time starter for the Ravens, Demps had 50 tackles and no interceptions. The Giants look for him to replace Alexander as the starter at free safety.

Saying he was anxious to establish his own identity after being overshadowed by Ed Reed, Chris McAlister and Deion Sanders in Baltimore, Demps noted upon his signing: "Tom Coughlin is a first-class guy. He has a disciplined team, and that's something that I love, because my dad was in the military."

But that wasn't all. The Giants also picked up safety Quentin Harris from Arizona and Jason Bell from Houston, both of whom played mostly on special teams. Others in the mix are young corners Corey Webster and Curtis Deloatch, both of whom struggled at times last season.

"I'm looking forward to helping them out," said Sam Madison, "the way I was helped when I was a young player."
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