The Giants are, quite obviously, on crack. I understand why they would want to get the Eli Manning contract situation dealt with so it isn’t a distraction. I just don’t understand why they had to break the bank like they did to do it. Just think about it for a second – Eli Manning is now the highest paid player in the league! Albert Haynesworth got a bit more guaranteed cash, but Eli annually makes the most. Do you believe for a single second that he deserves that? I admit to having a few problems with Eli that might color my opinion slightly, but come on. This Manning is hard pressed to be legitimately called a top ten QB in the league, so there is no question that he is overpaid with this deal. I wish them luck and all, but I have absolutely no faith in Manning, or that this deal is going to turn out well for the team. Frankly, I think it could all turn out badly.

I cringed when I read the latest Reggie Bush news this morning. He left practice briefly this morning and returned with his surgically repaired knee wrapped in ice. He took the ice off after a while, but he was walking with a limp and he didn’t participate in the rest of the drills. I don’t think I am overstating things at all when I say that Bush is at the end of the line – he needs to succeed this year or he will be an official bust. This small setback means nothing in real terms, but it is a bad omen, and a less than promising start. I really want to see Bush do what he looked like he could do in college, but if I were forced to bet on his chances of success this year I would have to bet against it.

I can’t decide what to think about Jay Cutler and the Bears. Cutler will have to face some reality this year – namely that he doesn’t have nearly the receiving talent that he was lucky enough to have in Denver. I’m also not convinced that he is going to enjoy quite as much protection as he had in Denver. On those counts it would seem like he is braced for an off year. On the other hand, though, you have to consider the impact that he is going to have on the team. It has been a long, long, long time since the Bears have had a quarterback who can reliably throw it around. Because of that the team has been frustratingly conservative offensively, and that has bled over into everything the team has done. The addition of a gunslinger like Cutler will be a total renaissance for the offensive veterans on the team, and the could reasonably be expected to be better than we have become used to seeing them pay. We could also see some guys come from nowhere to be a huge factor – like Eddie Royal did last year. They’ll need that.