Jerry Reese spoke with Mike Francesa Monday on WFAN.  Here is the audio link.

In trying to review the Super Bowl XLVI run, we laid out 10 things that we observed. 

"3) THE GIANTS GOT LUCKY. LUCK IS 20% OF FOOTBALL."

Reese and Francesa both acknowledged the "LUCK" needed in winning this title.

Reese: "We got a little bit lucky, got hot at the right time... rather be lucky than good ... Some times you get lucky like that.  We were very fortunate. We got lucky with Victor (Cruz).  He deserves most of the credit, Tom Coughlin and his coaching staff deserve a lot credit as well.... We are very fortunate... Again, you have to have a little bit of luck."

In a relatively short interview, General Manager Jerry Reese mentioned being lucky and fortunate a total of seven times.  There are more than a few takeaways from this. Reese demonstrated tremendous humility and gratitude.  This is the mark of a professional who is willing to acknowledge that he was not solely responsible for this.  He cited numerous times the efforts of the players, the efforts of the coaching staff and also gave a lot of credit to Marc Ross and the player development unit.  I have faulted Reese in the past for not owning up and taking responsibility for when personnel inadequacies went bad (ie preseason 2009 at Safety, which led to the subsequent CC Brown debacle), but it is a tremendous sign of his character to deflect praise and acknowledge the good fortune this franchise definitely had in getting this title. 

Remember, we also said in the same post nearly the exact words of Reese:

"4) It is better to be lucky and good than unlucky and great."

The Giants were lucky and good.  Do you want to know what unlucky and great is? It is when Sheldon White gets called for pass interference, the real horror that sets up the Flipper Anderson TD two plays later that beats us in the 1989 (1990) playoffs.  Luck evens out in the long run.  This title the Giants have collected is payback for the shafting we got elsewhere.  Madden: "I don't think that's interference... You can't make that kind of call..."

Reese reviewed the 7 Draft Picks: 

Wilson- Hard-nosed, tough. Reese echoes Wonder's sentiment that he is very well rounded and can do many things.

There were not any "elite" pass rushers in the 2012 draft.

Randle- did not benefit from a good LSU QB. Reese says Randle has the route tree experience. Separately, Wonder disagrees with this, which is why he had Randle rated lower.

"We thought it was a WR draft. There's always enough players." This confirms what we said when reviewing the WRs earlier in the month, that Mario Manningham was let go because the Giants were confident the Draft would generate a WR.

Hosley- if a couple of inches taller and a few more lbs, that he'd be a R1 player. Plays with confidence. 'He's going to make noise in the secondary.'

Why didn't Fleener get drafted at the end of R1? Reese did not have him rated as a R1 player. Reese also made reference to the hyperbole of Graham and the NE Tight Ends, that the media and the mocks were probably caught up in the recent draft successes of 2010, but that it was now 2012.  When we reviewed the TE's before the draft, we noted this as well, urging against Fleener or a high TE pick. 

Robinson- the R4 pick. Big weight, height, speed 4.57, long arms. Late bloomer, the sky is the limit for him.  Freakish physical assets that JPP has.

Mosley- can play RT or Guard, big tough, hard-nosed, like Diehl. 

McCants- really long. Strictly a Tackle. "Smart and tough" attribute important for your Offensive Tackle.

Kuhn- DT, gym rat, tough also.

The Giants have begun signing UFAs who were not drafted from Thursday- Saturday. "These siignings are not official yet."

DE Matt Broha
FB Joe Martinek
WR David Douglas
WR Julian Talley
DE Adewale Ojomo
S Jojo Nicolas
S Janzen Jackson
RB Joe Martinek

WR Damien Davis
OL Stephen Goodwin
G D'Angelo McCray

Of those mentioned, Wonder had Janzen Jackson rated 135th in the draft. 

Here is the NFL transaction tracker for keeping tabs on these UFA signings.

Day 3 of the NFL 2012 Draft is officially over.  Now teams are busy as we read and write, scrambling to lock up UFAs that were not drafted.  It is Day 3 when you can really make your draft, contrary to all of the media hype of Day 1.  Yes, in Day 1 you are talking about much higher probabilities for these players being in the NFL for multiple seasons.  Day 3 picks and UFAs can be gone within a year. But every now and then you can get a David Diehl in Round 5.  Or Jake Ballard as a UFA. So do not belittle these fringe players. One big hit here can be the difference between a good draft and a great one. 

Let's review the Day 3 picks:

R4 TE Adrien Robinson.  Wonder did not have this player on his board. "He has some potential.  For me, I saw James Hanna and Deangelo Peterson still available at TE, so that was where I would have gone first before Robinson."  According to Garafolo, the Giants picked up a TE two days later than many had projected.  Considering that Bennett was acquired in FA, it was better to (address other needs and) wait until Day 3 for this position.  Jerry Reese is sky high on Robinson's potential, calling him the JPP of tight ends.  Considering that Reese has drafted Boss and picked up Ballard, he certainly deserves a healthy amount of latitude in his TE evaluations.

R4  T Brandon Mosley. Wonder had him on his board at 156, as a 5 backup.  "I did have him rated. He's a big body. Will have possibilities at RT. He has problems with the speed rush but may be able to become a road grader."  Reese thinks of Diehl when he thinks of Mosley.

I saw from his bio that Mosley was a JUCO who played DE and TE before getting moved over to T. The Giants likely see some raw athletic potential that they can work with. Given how little time he has played at Tackle, it may explain why he has not gotten much attention. Looks like the Giants think there is something that can be developed over time.  

R6  T Matt McCants Long arms (36"), can grow into body.

R7 DT Markus Kuhn I asked friend and Draft Project participant Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting for his review of Kuhn: "Well built, just one year wonder with mediocre ability. Plays too high, not overly explosive, stiff in rushes in my opinion."  The Giants are obviously more upbeat, noting that even though he is (a project that is) still learning, he is a "buzz saw."

Here are the full remarks from Reese and Coughlin after Day 3 was over.  You have to read everything that is said, knowing that every GM feels this way about ALL of their picks.  Given that the Giants have a better track record in the Draft than many other teams, we'll just hope that they can hit on 3-4 guys total.  That is all it takes, 3 guys, to have a solid draft.

Separately, the Giants extended Kiwi's contract 3 years to 2015 and Osi is evaluating what the Giants are willing to do. ESON reports the "Giants have made Umenyiora offers"

With the 63rd pick in R2, the Giants drafted WR Reuben Randle.

With the 94th pick in R3, the Giants drafted CB Jayron Hosley.

Reuben Randle is reasonable value at the end of R2. He is not a potential game-breaking WR like Hill. He is an okay WR. He has routine size and routine speed. This was why Wonder had him 80th in the draft. The Giants picked him 63rd and had him rated in R1.  I hope the Giants are right!

Jayron Hosley is another story. On this pick, Wonder was in complete agreement. From his draft board: "All he does is makes plays and intercept the ball.  Smaller guy, but quick, perfect slot or nickel back.  9 INTs at Va Tech.  In today's NFL, he's your slot guy.  Not physically strong enough for outside CB."

Wonder adds more color on Hosley: "Smooth hips. Great transition.  Good backpedal. Quick."  Considering he was 51st on the board and taken at 94, that is tremendous value.

It was a very interesting second day in the draft. When Offensive Tackle Bobby Massie fell to 63, I felt that that was the pick, to protect Eli, especially with McKenzie gone.  The Giants went with a WR. Was this acute need? The way the NY media has been talking for the last two days, WR was imminent in R1 and again in R2, so don't tell me this was BPA, it was based on a perceived need to replace Mario Manningham VERY EARLY.  But as we saw in the SF playoff game, you have to keep Eli upright.  When Eli is comfortable in the pocket, he is lethal.  Massie fell again and was there in R3, and he was passed on again. By this point it was obvious that there was something wrong with the player.  The NFL will release investigative reports on players, so the fact that every single team laid off of him thru 3 rounds means he must have some kind of baggage. We do not spread rumors on this site, this is just a somewhat reasonable guess/conclusion.

Massie or no Massie, let's talk about the simple elements of football.  Eli took a quantum leap last year. He was simply awesome, playing at a high level consistently all season. He carried the team on his back in many games. It was not a fluke either. He'll be able to play at this level for the next 5 years, assuming he remains healthy.  With that kind of QB, all he needs is time. If he is kept clean, there is little that can hold him OR THE GIANTS back.

Seubert is gone. O'Hara is gone. McKenzie is gone.

How many of you are you going to argue with the statement that ELI MANNING IS THE FRANCHISE...?

Protect his health. Protect his lanes. Protect the franchise. Who is going to do this reliably- Diehl? Beatty? Brewer? Aldon Smith was a young rookie beast (14 sacks) for the 49ers last season and he is coming back for more this next season. We face SF during the regular season and we may very well face SF again in the playoffs. You have to protect Eli in these games and you have to protect his career as well.

Two years ago (if LBer wasn't there) we wanted Iupati or Pouncey. Last year we wanted Castonzo. This year we wanted Glenn in R1 and then Massie in R2. I really do not care if one is good or not. It is about priorities. WR is candy.  These toys named Wilson and Randle joining Nicks, Cruz and Bradshaw... it is great. Believe me, I love the toys just like anyone else. I just want to have the time and ability to play with them, and an OL is what allows you to do that. Will I feel better with Petrus at LG and Boothe at Center? Yes. That way I know we can run the ball.  But in pass protection, our Tackles are not consistent. Maybe Beatty improves. But isn't it Reese who says that he wants competition in camp?

Defense wins championships. With Eli playing at such a high level now, the mantra is: Protect Eli and win the game.  I am optimistic that Wilson, Randle and Hosley are going to contribute meaningfully. At this point, I would say that Beatty and Diehl are the two most important players, because we know where everything else is.