We Got Him!!!!!

Wow I'm feeling rather prolific today...three postings!!!

Christmas came early for the fans of Big Blue....from ESPN.com

NEW YORK -- LaVar Arrington signed with the New York Giants on Saturday, giving him a chance to play twice a year against his former team and helping fill a huge gap at linebacker for the NFC East champions.

Arrington agreed to a $49 million, seven-year deal late Friday, according to Kevin Poston, one of his agents. Poston didn't say how much was guaranteed but Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi indicated that it includes performance bonuses.

To get the $7 million-per-year, Arrington and the Giants agreed to load the deal with incentives, ESPN.com's John Clayton reported. Arrington, who will get a $5.25 million signing bonus, will receive a base salary worth around $3.7 million a year. With reachable incentives, Arrington can make $5 million a year and with maximum performance, he can take the deal to $49 million if he completes the seven years of his contract.

Arrington reportedly had been seeking as much as $18 million guaranteed and a $58 million deal, one reason Arrington stayed on the market while dozens of other players signed during the first few weeks of the free-agent period.

"We needed a big, power player to add to our defense and LaVar Arrington is that," Accorsi said. "He has a presence about him and he makes us a better football team.

"The agreement is a fair deal for the player and a fair deal for the organization."

Arrington, the third overall pick in the 2000 draft and a three-time Pro Bowler, bought his way out of Washington in March for $4.4 million after a tempestuous final two seasons in which he suffered from knee injuries and was benched by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for freelancing. He took a physical with the Giants on Thursday to ensure that his knees were healthy.

He joins a defense that features the defensive end tandem of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, who last year combined for 26 sacks. Both made the Pro Bowl and Umenyiora, in his third year, was an All-Pro.

Arrington also fills a huge hole for the Giants, who lost all three starting linebackers late last season to injuries and went into the playoffs with a backup and two recently signed free agents.

Last week, the Giants signed free agent Brandon Short, who played for them from 2000-2003. The addition of Arrington means the team could turn its attention to another position in the first round of next week's draft, perhaps cornerback or defensive tackle.

Poston said Green Bay, Jacksonville and Miami all were in the running for the 27-year-old Arrington. But in the end, he said, his client decided that he wanted to play against Washington twice a season and for Tim Lewis, New York's defensive coordinator.

"It came down to LaVar feeling most comfortable going to a good team in a familiar division with a defensive coordinator that he loves," Poston said.

This means we go from having one of the worst linebacking corps in recent Giants memory to one of the best since the days of LT, Banks and Carson.

And that's a good thing because take a look at this brutal friggin' schedule....

1 Sun, Sep 10 Indianapolis 8:15 PM
2 Sun, Sep 17 at Philadelphia 1:00 PM
3 Sun, Sep 24 at Seattle Tickets 4:15 PM
4 BYE WEEK
5 Sun, Oct 8 Washington 1:00 PM
6 Sun, Oct 15 at Atlanta 1:00 PM
7 Mon, Oct 23 at Dallas 8:30 PM
8 Sun, Oct 29 Tampa Bay 1:00 PM
9 Sun, Nov 5 Houston 1:00 PM
10 Sun, Nov 12 Chicago 1:00 PM
11 Mon, Nov 20 at Jacksonville 8:30 PM
12 Sun, Nov 26 at Tennessee 1:00 PM
13 Sun, Dec 3 Dallas 1:00 PM
14 Sun, Dec 10 at Carolina 1:00 PM
15 Sun, Dec 17 Philadelphia 1:00 PM
16 Sun, Dec 24 New Orleans 1:00 PM
17 Sat, Dec 30 at Washington

We don't have a cupcake game until week nine with Houston. That's the price of being in first place in the number one market with Football Royalty as your QB. Every game is going to be an event.

Still, I think this is going to be a great year for the NYG. I feel Eli is going to progress and with the additions on defense, the Giants are positioned to make a run for the whole thing.

I have some no idea what the Giants are going to do in the draft. Do they draft a defensive tackle or cornerback for depth on defense? Or do they draft a playmaker on offense? Or do they go with the best player available route? I have no idea.

Personally, I would to see them draft a defensive lineman because we're a little thin in that area. But with the Arrington signing, I wouldn't be against them drafting a running back if one becomes available. Tiki is 30 and anything can happen once an RB hits the other side of 29.

Yes, I will be rocking an Arrington jersey as soon as I can find one that doesn't require me to put my offspring in debt.