--An oddity to the Giants' 2008 schedule is that they are going to play the Cleveland Browns twice, and both times on Monday night. The catch? The first is an ESPN summertime adventure at Giants Stadium on Aug. 18; the second is for real, in Cleveland on Oct. 13.

--The Giants, who already had five quarterbacks on the roster (Eli Manning, Jared Lorenzen, David Carr, Anthony Wright and the draft choice Andre Woodson) have added yet a sixth -- free agent rookie Willie Copeland of Valdosta State (Ga.). They haven't actually signed him -- he was invited to the rookie minicamp that will be held this weekend. In fact, he was in a similar camp last weekend in Miami but the Dolphins allowed him to walk.

--Latest indications are that veteran DE Michael Strahan, who has spent his entire 15-year career with the Giants, is going to retire. He almost did last year, took one more shot at a Super Bowl ring and, lo and behold, it worked. He is said to be the favorite to join the FOX network if he walks away from the game.

--Reports say that OLT Guy Whimper, a three-year veteran, has made "tremendous strides" and is ready to compete with David Diehl for the position. If he wins, Diehl will go back to left guard, where he would be an improvement over reliable journeyman Rich Seubert.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"Why did (Andre) Woodson last so long (sixth round)? Why did Tom Brady? You never know. A lot of guys get overlooked. How many guys in this league were free agents and they are really good players?" -- Giants' GM Jerry Reese on the inexact science of the draft selection process.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.