Posted by Craig J. Santucci | Managing Editor
The Giants have a habit of taking the cheap way out of everything and often it does not work out. They favor letting a contributor go to replace him with two borderline players that never work out. I can see this happening with Antrel Rolle.
NY Giants “free agent” safety and defensive team leader, Antrel Rolle was interviewed today on WFAN Radio. He was very clear that he would like to come back and retire a New York Giant. He was also very clear that he thought he was still one of the top safeties in the game and he puts the work in to keep his body in great shape that allows him to play at a high level.
“The skills are there, I am very honest with myself if I didn’t think the skills were there I would know it, but that is not the case.”
Rolle is getting better everyday at the “interview” process because even though he says alot…he has learned not to be brutally honest. His interviews are not useless like Eli Manning, who talks in circles attempting to avoid a direct answer to a question.
The defensive captain addressed the over all play from his squad and alluded to certain players not being comfortable playing with newer (backup) players…purely from a chemistry standpoint when a starter became injured. And without throwing anyone under the bus, it was evident that he knew his play has suffered because he was either doing too much in order to make up for the substitutions or teaching on the fly.
I completely believe this to be true because Antrel Rolle disappeared after mid-season. The loss Walter Thurmond, Prince Amukamara and Trumaine McBride was devastating to the defensive backfield. Jerry Reese also decided not to pay safety Ryan Mundy in favor of Will Demps. This looks to be a bigger loss than expected.
Rolle has accepted any assignment the Giants have given him from playing down in the box to shadowing receivers…playing spy to playing both safety positions and covering the slot like a nickel corner.
The Giants want Rolle to return if “the price is right”. Every time the Giants and Jerry Reese decide not to pay a player…it creates a bigger hole on the team. This is exactly the case with Martellus Bennett, Ryan Mundy, Kevin Boothe, Chase Blackburn and Justin Tuck. All these players were let go and their replacement sucked.
ie: Brandon Myers, John Jerry, Will Demps, Keith Rivers…Robert Ayers was a nice pick up if he was healthy.
Suck it up Giants…Antrel Rolle can not be replaced with some cast off. Rolle has led the team in tackles 3 of the 5 years he has worn Giants blue. Two years he came in second place and always makes a true tackle in the open field.
Antrel Rolle deserves to be paid.