Report: Giants Sign McDougle
The New York Daily News reports the Eagles' 2003 first-round pick, who was cut Saturday despite having his best training camp, has signed a 1-year, $1 million contract with the Giants.
Report: Giants Sign McDougle
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
OK, the chances of Jerome McDougle playing a huge role in beating the Eagles this season for the Giants aren't that great. But it sure looks as if the downside of cutting McDougle Saturday is going to be exactly what a lot of us thought it was going to be -- helping out a hated divisional rival at its biggest position of need.
The New York Daily News reported Sunday that McDougle has signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Giants, who lost defensive end Osi Umenyiora for the season with a knee injury. McDougle will make about double what he would have made with the Eagles, after accepting a salary cut they forced on him in the spring.
Contrary to what you might have heard elsewhere, the Eagles' 2003 first-round draft choice, 15th overall, did not have to pass through waivers, as a veteran with more than 4 years pension credit. Presumably, the Eagles tried to get a conditional draft choice for him in a trade before releasing him, so they could keep him from the Giants, but that didn't happen. So here we are.
Yeah, given McDougle's injury history, he might not be healthy by Nov. 9, when the defending Super Bowl champs visit the Linc for their first 2008 encounter with the Birds. And his 2.5 sacks and consistently strong pass-rush pressure this preseason came mostly against other backups, and way too late (33 career Eagles games, three career sacks).
But here's what your humble Eagletarian wonders about, just a little: Eagles coaches say it took McDougle until 2005 to get the grasp of things, that he was ready that year to be a starter. Then he got shot in the stomach just before training camp. Lost that year, came back the next year in kind of a funk, just happy to be alive, not real ambitious, not real aggressive. Tore a triceps in 2007, missed last season.
Then, somehow, he showed up this year healed, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Different guy on the practice field and in games. Maybe it would have all petered out eventually, and he would have become Jerome the huge draft bust again, but maybe not. We'll never know.
It wouldn't have been that hard to find out. Also contrary to what you might have heard elsewhere, the idea posited here a few days ago of keeping 7 d-ends on the 53-man roster was not ridiculous. Two of them, Victor Abiamiri and Chris Clemons, are on the shelf, and even if Clemons is almost back, he seemed nowhere close to grasping Jim Johnson's defense when he went down. The Eagles really have four game-ready defensive ends, without McDougle, and one of them is Darren Howard.
Think the Giants would be in a rush to sign Darren Howard, if he had been cut? I don't. Yeah, he finally came to camp in shape this year. What did he do in the preseason games? Did you ever notice him on the field?
But hey, he plays both d-line positions. He's equally invisible at tackle and at end. Gotta keep a guy like that.
And you couldn't go with two tight ends, pick up a third for the practice squad?
You absolutely have to have six linebackers, when most downs, you don't even have three on the field? Rocky Boiman had that good a camp? Update: Apparently, he didn't. The Eagles announced Sunday evening they have released Boiman after claiming on waivers LB Tank Daniels, an ex-Eagle the Giants cut Saturday. Daniels was a special teams cog in the Giants' Super Bowl run, forcing a key fumble on a kickoff return in their playoff victory over the Bucs. More on that later.
End of rant. BTW, the Eagles haven't announced their practice squad yet, as of this posting.
Update on the practice squad: Agent Ken Sarnoff confirms CB Trae Williams, from South Florida, will be joining the Birds for practice Monday. Williams, who played alongside Cowboys first-round pick Mike Jenkins in college last season, was initially seen as a second-round-type prospect, but this was a deep cornerback draft, and Williams measured in at the combine at 5-10, while struggling to break 4.5 in the 40. Jacksonville drafted him in the fifth round, then released him Saturday. It's unclear what this might mean for CB Kyle Arrington, the undrafted rookie from Hofstra who had a strong camp with the Eagles and seemed bound for the practice squad after his release Saturday.
"He's equally invisible at tackle and at end." Ouch!I agree we didnt see much from Howard and Mac was all over the place.— TomEBoy- Forget McDougle - no matter what he does, it will always pale in comparison to Derrick Burgess.— AllDawk_AllTheTime
Comment removed.- Les...another astute column....thanks....and scary.....and yes, how 'bout that Derrick Burgess debacle...he had only 36 sacks over the last 3 yrs....— JimCC
- Yeah, Howards ability to play 3 positions certainly makes him indispensable. With L.J. Smiths stellar injury history, sure you could get away with 2 TE's. Eagles fans whined and cried about ST's all offseason, including you Les. Why was Boiman brought here? Oh that right special teams... Get real Les. Those were some really weak points.— MikeQuick
- Just asking but if Andy confronts you do you think he will say that you have to do a better job putting your words in a better position to be more successful? And that you have to do a better job at that? And that......never mind— MIKE IN NY
- AJ Feeley, Greg Lewis, Winston Justice, Darren Howard, Matt Schobel, Rocky Boiman and Chris Clemons all made the team. I don't even know what to say. Here's hoping it pays off.— coatesvillain
- are we seriously complaining about McD being cut? no, honestly...is that what we are doing? i bet one year salary that losing McD will not come back to bite us ONE BIT...hate to jinx the guy but Jerome will either get hurt, get shot, or do nothing; in that order.— gress79
- oh yeah and the derrick burgess garbage angers me almost as much as the WR chatter...per wikipedia, enjoy: "Burgess appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and had 6 quarterback sacks. In 2002, however, he broke his foot in the first game of the season and missed the rest of the year. He then missed all of 2003 due to a torn achilles tendon. He returned healthy in 2004 and started 12 regular season games for the Eagles, recording 2 1/2 sacks. He had more success in the postseason, where he recorded 3 quarterback sacks, including the Eagles' only sack in Super Bowl XXXIX." With an injury history like that an a very average sack total, I wouldnt have thought twice about letting him go to the Raiders. I bet he is having a fun time in football hell.— gress79
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- Ha. McDougle has been a major bust since day one people. He's not even going to get on the field that much. Remember, he was playing against 2nd and 3rd stringers all pre-season.— DirtyBirds
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- You had to know this story was coming sooner or later...Come on les...4 weeks ago he was a bust, and now you paint him to be a savior...— phigglesfan75
- So I was wrong about McDougle to the Gints. Didn't know he was exempt from the waiver rule. But the reason Howard wasn't heard from in preseason was b/c he didn't play all that much. McDougle played all 4 quarters of every game. Prob cause the Eagles were trying to showcase him in hopes of a trade. That didn't happen but I think we'll be ok. Don't panic.— shmu65
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- Andy screwed up Don't help the opposition jeez— jonnyB
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- Yeah, its great. Keep a guy who plays three positions and none of them well. Just great!
- i am saying he will have an impact, he might, but the point is they should of kept him and tried to trade him for a 6th/7th round pick, he goes to the G-man was Spags as the D-Coor. Don't like it. Wake up Andy and Heckertt— eagles2010
- The Eagles could have kept McDougle and let him be in the line-up for a few games to see if his pre-season was an aberration. Who cares if someone scoops up Boiman or if you have to put someone on IR (we have some banged up players)? The Giants need at DE was migraine apparent and they just provided them with aspirin. I thought the Eagles allowed players to come in each year and compete and perform and be rewarded for their effort by making the squad.............after this pre-season obviously this is not the case. That is not smart football because they are going to allow players to fall through the cracks that could help this team. I just can't get excited about Tank Daniels and Akeen Jordan, but I could really have been excited to see a fresh McDougle off the bench late in the third quarter demonstrating the same speed off the edge he displayed in the pre-season. And against first string competition like last years starting right tackle in the SB, Kaczur who McDougle beat on almost every play the matched up.— rockinrob
- Howard should be gone, that guy las an egg every season. McDougle has had bad luck, should have kept him....he got shot for crying-out- loud.....tearing a triceps is just bad luck too, is not like he was feigning a hamstring injury like a bum.— Cant Climb
- 3 and 1/2 sacks in 5 years. Really, i'm not worried who he plays for. I wasn't worried about the Giants this year and this certainly didn't change my mind.— ynot716
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- HELPING OUR DIVISION RIVAL? OR HURTING THEM? ASK JON RUNYON.— JACK V
- McDougle will be on IR after week 1. Everyone relax!— 2Parm
McDougle will turn out to be for real. He may not be the second coming of Reggie, but he will be productive and possibly top 10 if given a chance. Bad breaks are a bad reason to cut a legit first rounder. Parker is mediocre and Howard is a flat out stiff. McDougle could have gotten into the rotation this year and made some noise. He may have even won the job outright.
