Tag: Antrel Rolle

Antrel Rolle: Things are a little too uptight with Tom Coughlin

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 4 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 3, 2010. The Giants defeated the Bears 17-3. UPI /John Angelillo

Antrel Rolle had a few interesting things to say about Tom Coughlin during a recent interview with Miami radio station WQAM, including how he feels things are a little too uptight around Giants headquarters.

From ESPN New York:

“As a person I don’t have any problem with coach Coughlin,” Rolle said. “We have a great relationship. When you’re talking about the coaching side of things, do I feel like things are a little too uptight? Yeah, I do.

“I feel like if he just loosened up just a little bit, still run the ship the way you want to run it, still run the program the way you want to run it but let us have a little fun … because at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.”

“And people like to talk about Rex Ryan and this that and the other. That team is going to war for him,” Rolle added.

Tom Coughlin also has a Super Bowl ring and Rex Ryan doesn’t (at least yet, anyway).

Before sharing his opinion on his head coach, Rolle went out of his way to say a few times how much he likes Coughlin as a person. Rolle has a right to express himself and say what’s on his mind but I’m wondering if he should have said anything at all.

Rolle isn’t the first person to point out that Coughlin is a little rigid. Before the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2007, Michael Strahan said that Coughlin needed to loosen up, too. But Rolle isn’t the player that Strahan was. His play is too inconsistent and considering he’s the highest paid safety in NFL history, he should be more productive than he was last season. (Especially if he’s going to criticize his head coach in the offseason.)

Again, Rolle was somewhat tactful with his comments but he should first look at his own game before questioning someone else’s.

Antrel Rolle is now the highest paid safety in the NFL…yikes.

I get it – it’s the nature of the beast. If a team wants to improve its roster by adding a premier free agent in the offseason, then they’re going to have to overpay.

But there’s something seriously wrong with the fact that Antrel Rolle is now the highest-paid safety in the NFL after agreeing to a five-year, $37 million deal with the Giants. I never blame the player (or his agent) for going out and signing the biggest deal they possibly can. Football is a violent game and if a player is lucky, he’ll play eight years in the league and make as much money as he possibly can during that time. So, good for Rolle for cashing in on his first free agent contract.

That said, this was the same man that was once benched for Rod Hood in Arizona. Rolle is an excellent athlete with great speed and is solid when he can locate the ball and make a play on it. But he’s a poor tackler, is inconsistent in coverage and he definitely benefited from playing next to Adrian Wilson in Arizona. He will often get abused against top passing offenses, as the Packers proved last season in the playoffs. I realize the Packers will make a lot of defensive backfields look bad, but if the Giants want to be a Super Bowl contender again then they can’t be worried about Rolle getting toasted in the playoffs by teams that can throw.

The Giants needed safety help with the uncertainty of Kenny Phillips’ playing status for next season. So they went out and spent a ton of money on the best safety on the market in Rolle, who is slightly above average in his prime. In an uncapped year, I understand that they had to spend big (they’re not the only ones overpaying) in order to address a glaring need but just because I understand it, doesn’t mean I think the system makes sense. In fact, free agency in the NFL makes as much sense sometimes as the rookie salary structure.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Cardinals starting to build momentum

Last season, all the Arizona Cardinals heard about was how they couldn’t win on the road, they couldn’t play defense in crunch time and they couldn’t win a game at night when the moon was in full view and there were precisely 50,139 visible stars in the sky and not 49,349.

On Sunday night, the Cardinals went into Giants Stadium and beat New York, 24-17. It was Arizona’s third road victory of the season in as many tries and its third straight win since its 1-2 start. The Cards won largely with defense, as they forced four turnovers, including three Eli Manning interceptions.

Down 24-17 with less than five minutes remaining, the Giants had two opportunities to tie the game. But Arizona’s defense stymied them twice — once after Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled at midfield and another when Antrel Rolle intercepted Manning along the sideline to end New York’s chances.

Pundits were ready to crown the 49ers the new NFC West champs after their 3-1 start, but they look awfully overrated these days after two straight losses. Suddenly, everyone is fixing their eyes on the Cardinals again.

They still can’t run the ball and their passing attack doesn’t seem as potent as it was last year, but the Cards currently have the best run defense in the league and their running game is starting to show signs of life with rookie Beanie Wells. If they can continue to play defense the way they did last night in East Rutherford, they’ll once again become the team to beat in the NFC West. (If they haven’t already.)

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