FanHouse Rich Seubert

Even though we've been hearing rumors about Jeremy Shockey relocating south, I really didn't expect it to actually happen because, well, players are forever bellyaching about their current situations, and often, the organizations pay them some lip service through the media, but inevitably, nothing changes.

Everything changed in Shockey's case. The Giants got a second- and fifth-round pick, and the Saints got one of the league's best pass-catching tight ends. They also got a player coming off a broken leg who's sporting a ginormous chip on his shoulder. So, um, WATCH OUT GIANTS FRONT OFFICE! JEREMY'S GUNNING FOR YOU!

Well, sorta. According to Newsday's Tom Rock, even before Shockey was traded -- but after he made it clear that's exactly what he wanted -- he guaranteed retribution. Or some such.

"If the team trades me, I promise you I'm going to make them pay," Shockey told the youngsters during a promotional appearance in Queens in early June. "If I ever get a chance to play against a team that trades me, it's not going to be a pretty sight."

Jeremy Shockey, motivational speaker to youths everywhere. Giants guard Rich Seubert hardly seemed affected by the threat of reprisal: "It's the business of football, it's what happens ... You have to move on. We'll be fine without him and best of luck to him wherever he goes." Whatever, Rich. You might be ready to move on, but Shockey's going to make the whole team PAY! You've been warned. Jerks.

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

The key players in the play that changed the Super Bowl were, of course, Giants quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver David Tyree. But there was a third Giant who showed off the never-say-die spirit of these Giants: guard Rich Seubert.

Seubert was lined up at left guard, and at the start of the play he was blown off the ball. That allowed the Patriots to collapse the middle of the pocket, so when Manning stepped forward to avoid the blind-side rush from Adalius Thomas, he didn't have anywhere to go. Patriots defensive linemen Jarvis Green (#97) and Richard Seymour (whose helmet you can see behind Green's right shoulder) seemed to have Manning locked up for a sack.

But Seubert would have none of it. He got back into position and blocked Green, pushing him into Seymour and allowing Manning to make his great escape.

Previous: Giants' pass protection breaks down
Next: Eli Pulls Away

Examining Manning to Tyree, the play that changed the Super Bowl.

The four Patriots you see in the above photo all had a chance to sack Giants quarterback Eli Manning on his 32-yard pass to David Tyree in the waning moments of Super Bowl XLII. The two in the middle, defensive linemen Jarvis Green and Richard Seymour, had more than just a chance: They should have had him.

But thanks to good blocking by Rich Seubert, and thanks to Manning's own strength, Manning got out of the grasp of Seymour, who practically ripped his jersey off.

If there's one trait Manning doesn't get enough credit for, it's his physical strength. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Manning doesn't break tackles often, but he's not an easy guy to bring down, either. Seymour is a strong guy, and a lot of quarterbacks would have gone down with Seymour grabbing them, but Manning broke free.

Previous: Seubert Doesn't Quit
Next: Mike Carey in Position

It's vacation time for the New York football Giants, but that's the last thing on their minds. Only two days after a sloppy win in London against the now 0-8 Miami Dolphins, the Giants are focusing on their November 11th showdown with those dreaded Dallas Cowboys.

"We got a bye week coming up and then we got a big one," added guard Rich Seubert. "Everyone knows what we got coming up next. It seems like this year things are kind of falling our way. We just got to keep on rolling, we don't want to get off the horse, we just want to keep on going."

Things certainly are falling the Giants way for a change, but that's bound to end soon. If history is any indication, then things are about to get quite rough for those New Yorkers. Under Tom Coughlin, the Giants, and Eli Manning specifically, have struggled immensely in the second half of the season. Only once, in 2005, have they ended a season with more than two wins over the final eight games.

But fear not, Giants fans. There's something different about this team. New York is notorious for playing down to their opponents, and while they did just that this past Sunday, they've continued to win games they should -- avoiding that huge upset which has defined their season each of the last three years. Something tells me the second half of this season will mimic more of 2005 than 2004 and 2006.

If you're not familiar with Mark Roberts, allow me to fill you in. He's an internationally known streaker who began strutting his stuff back in 1993 at the Hong Kong Sevens after losing a bet at a local bar. To date, Roberts has gone nude over 380 times at events including the Miss World contest, the Ashes Series, the UEFA Cup Final, Super Bowl XXXVII and most recently, yesterday at the Giants/Dolphins game in London.

Allow me to warn you before hand, the following video is not safe for work ... or at home with children around.



Oddly enough, many of the Giants got a kick out of Roberts' antics. In fact, running back Brandon Jacobs went as far as to say he enjoyed it.

"I enjoyed every bit of it. That doesn't happen across the water (in the U.S.)," Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said. "It was funny as hell and that actually sparked me (in the second half)."

"(Coach Coughlin) looked at him like, 'You have got to be kidding me.'"

Giants prankster Rich Seubert also got a kick out of the stunt.

"It kind of looked like my Uncle Ned," Seubert added.

There you have it; Mark Roberts is bringing joy to the world one football thong at a time.

The Giants Jeremy Shockey had a little surprise waiting for him when he put on his practice gloves yesterday. No, it wasn't anything disgusting or in poor taste, but it was enough to send the hot-tempered tight end off the deep end.

"Dead man walking," Shockey warned.

So, what in the world could it have been? If you guessed unwashable purple dye that banks use to mark their money, then you'd be right. And the fact that Shockey won't be able to get it off for days make it that much funnier.

The question now becomes, who is going to pay the consequences for a few days worth of chuckles? The usual suspect is guard Rich Seubert, who spends training camp fighting with people on the field and playing pranks on them off of it.

"Everyone thinks it's me," said Seubert, who offered "a cash reward" to anyone who revealed the mastermind behind the purple hand. "I think it was the ballboys. They're all getting dumped in the cold tub."

Shockey may be mad now, but when he cools off, hopefully he'll be able to admit that it was a good prank. Kudos to the unnamed Giant for doing something so hilarious, yet so daring.

Yet another edition of Giants Training Camp Notebook:

- Another day, more Eli Manning inconsistency. This time, however, the team reacted to his inconsistency. After missing a wide open Sinorice Moss, the team turned around and began quacking in his general direction. While the entire episode is rather funny, it's sad to hear that Eli is still struggling to make easy passes.

- Surprise, surprise; Rich Seubert got into another training camp fight. When was the last time he wasn't in a scrum with someone? This time his unfortunate opponent came in the form of second-year linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. To spare Kiwi additional shame, I will only tell you that he ended up on the ground.

- The injury bug refuses to leave the Giants alone. This time, long snapper Ryan Kuehl was bitten. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow on his injured (lower) leg. I really hate to sound negative, but the Giants are already two-for-two with season ending injuries this year.

Day number two has just ended and I was so excited about some of the news that I decided to make this an evening thing rather than a morning thing. If you'd like to keep up on all "Giants Training Camp Notebook" updates, just click the link and bookmark that bad boy.

- Ralph Vacchiano of "The Blue Screen" says the Giants have no intentions of sitting around and waiting for Michael Strahan. Although the scheduled meeting with Simeon Rice has been postponed until Tuesday, New York will pursue a contract when he arrives.

- Will Demps has been "demoted" and he's not exactly happy with it. James Butler has been practicing with the first team in his place.

"My track record speaks for itself," Demps said. "It's real early. I'm not going to say, 'OK, he's the starter,' because we haven't played any games. I'm healthy and I'm in the best shape I've been in. This is the guy I felt I should've been last year."

- Sam Madison missed a few plays today due to cramping, but it's nothing serious.

With Giants training camp right around the corner, I decided to sit down with Inside Football's Pat Traina. For a brief background on Inside Football and Pat, please check out a previous interview that was conducted in early February.

Dan: "For the fans that have never attended Giants training camp, what's the experience like? Obviously it's different for you than the regular every day fans, but what kinds of things can they expect if they head to Albany?"

Pat: "It's quite a rewarding and interesting experience which I think offers a behind-the-scenes look at how a pro team prepares. You'll see a lot of drill work which will give you an opportunity to see who has improved mechanics and who doesn't. And you'll also get to see seven-on-seven work and 11-on-11 work, both of which pits offense vs. defense. You will also be ale to see the team work on different aspects of their game, such as goal-line, two-minute drill, short yardage, etc.

If you're looking to take photos and/or get autographs, this is probably the best time to do so. The players are very accommodating for the most part if you get them after practice. You'll have to be patient; if you hang in there, there's no reason why you can't walk away with a ball or helmet full of signatures, or a few memorable snapshots with your favorite players."

Dan: "What are some battles that you plan to keep a close eye on throughout training camp?