112row2 Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/ny-spglauber0423,0,4578649.column?coll=ny-sports-headlines A good early take from the NY MEdia. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
112row2 Posted April 23, 2006 Author Share Posted April 23, 2006 LaVar is no Lawrence Taylor LaVar is no Lawrence Taylor Apr 23, 2006 April 23, 2006 He plays the same position, wears the same number and even looks a lot like the greatest linebacker in Giants history. But make no mistake: LaVar Arrington is no Lawrence Taylor. The Giants signed the former Redskins linebacker Saturday to a $49 million deal in hopes of bolstering a defense that fell apart at the linebacker position last year because of injuries. And while Arrington is certainly an upgrade, he is not necessarily the answer. Redskins coaches had grown weary of Arrington's incessant habit of playing outside the scheme, and head coach Joe Gibbs had repeated conversations about the problem. While Arrington did show some willingness to play within defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme as the season went along, it still wasn't enough to convince the Redskins to keep their former first-round pick. Arrington's free-lancing mentality goes back beyond that, to the point where you wonder if he'll ever really change. Even at Penn State, he infuriated coaches by making decisions on his own to rush the passer, even if the scheme called for him to drop back into coverage. While he often made spectacular plays, he also left others out of position because of his decisions. The same thing happened repeatedly with the Redskins. Arrington will certainly be on a tight leash with Tom Coughlin as his head coach and Tim Lewis as defensive coordinator. But the Giants' best hope for making him turn into a more productive, more reliable player, may lie with middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, Arrington's former Redskins teammate. Pierce lobbied hard for the Giants to sign Arrington, and the team listened. Now it's Pierce's job to make sure Arrington does what he's supposed to do, play-in and play-out. A tall order indeed. You can't ignore Arrington's track record. A guy who is used to playing his own way doesn't suddenly do what he's told. That's why you have to look at this signing in context: Arrington is better than what they had, but not as good he needs to be. He is not the second coming of L.T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgunner Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 LA is not LT???? Who is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgamesh Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom [Giants fan] Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Shotgunner, I'm glad someone said it. Who has been as good as LT? The Giants didn't sign Arrington thnking they were getting LT reincarnated. They signed him thinking they are getting a physically gifted athlete. They know there is work to be done with LA but they are confident that with Pierce by his side, Arrington will become the Pro Bowl LB'er he was with the Skins before his knee injury and problems with Gibbs. And for the money they signed him for (signing bonus under $6 million), I'll take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinstzar Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 ']Shotgunner' date='I'm glad someone said it. Who has been as good as LT? The Giants didn't sign Arrington thnking they were getting LT reincarnated. They signed him thinking they are getting a physically gifted athlete. They know there is work to be done with LA but they are confident that with Pierce by his side, Arrington will become the Pro Bowl LB'er he was with the Skins before his knee injury and problems with Gibbs. And for the money they signed him for (signing bonus under $6 million), I'll take it.[/quote'] Now that he is a Giant you get to see what Lavar Arrington has faced his entire career. Now that he is in NY the comparison will surely be blown way out of proportion. Like you said there is no other Lawrence Taylor. I think you guys are getting a very good linebacker and if you can ignore the BS about his freelancing and mistake prone tendencies you should see that you guys are getting a big addition to your team. Good luck 14 of 16 weeks this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tr1 Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 ']Shotgunner' date='I'm glad someone said it. Who has been as good as LT? The Giants didn't sign Arrington thnking they were getting LT reincarnated. They signed him thinking they are getting a physically gifted athlete. They know there is work to be done with LA but they are confident that with Pierce by his side, Arrington will become the Pro Bowl LB'er he was with the Skins before his knee injury and problems with Gibbs. And for the money they signed him for (signing bonus under $6 million), I'll take it.[/quote'] There's a reason he came cheap...I suspect he was getting a bit desperate by now. Decided to sign within the division to get 'revenge.' I'm anxious to exploit that weekness now...I'm sure the pukes and Eagles are smiling today, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
112row2 Posted April 23, 2006 Author Share Posted April 23, 2006 ']Shotgunner' date='I'm glad someone said it. Who has been as good as LT? The Giants didn't sign Arrington thnking they were getting LT reincarnated. They signed him thinking they are getting a physically gifted athlete. They know there is work to be done with LA but they are confident that with Pierce by his side, Arrington will become the Pro Bowl LB'er he was with the Skins before his knee injury and problems with Gibbs. And for the money they signed him for (signing bonus under $6 million), I'll take it.[/quote'] I think this is a good example of how even Lavar will be judged by the NY media. His triumphs and his mistakes will be magnified by the vast media outlets in NY. I think he will thrive in it, but he also takes all of the criticism to heart. Let's hope the 12/30/06 game's intensity is ratcheted up by this move. Deep down, I think all true fans hope for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
112row2 Posted April 23, 2006 Author Share Posted April 23, 2006 ...and the Coughlin factor has got to be mentioned. It'll be interesting to see how long the love affair lasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsGuy Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 ...and the Coughlin factor has got to be mentioned. It'll be interesting to see how long the love affair lasts. Very true. If Arrington, with his 'goes-his-own-way' style, couldn't handle the sometimes tough love of Coach Gibbs, how is he going to react over time to a strict disciplinarian like Coughlin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCsportsfan53 Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 ']Shotgunner' date='I'm glad someone said it. Who has been as good as LT? The Giants didn't sign Arrington thnking they were getting LT reincarnated. They signed him thinking they are getting a physically gifted athlete. They know there is work to be done with LA but they are confident that with Pierce by his side, Arrington will become the Pro Bowl LB'er he was with the Skins before his knee injury and problems with Gibbs. And for the money they signed him for (signing bonus under $6 million), I'll take it.[/quote'] I agree, no one should expect him to be LT (although he's probably just as pyshically talented). My thing is, you guys aren't going to be getting all you think even if he returns to pre-injury form. As a giants fan, I'm sure Jim Finn rumbling 30 yards completely uncovered in overtime is as burned into your brain as it is mine. That's what I'd worry about with Lavar. Hopefully, Pierce and Lewis and Coughlin can keep him in check but somehow I doubt it. He's always marched to the beat of his own drum and despite the plays he makes, the ones he misses usually come at the worst possible times. Like overtime. The more intense the situation, the more likely he is to go off on a tangent. It may bring some huge plays but they will go both ways and your coaching staff is going to have a few long nights trying to figure this guy out, if anyone can even do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanster Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 he will be so pumped up to prove himself, (not the team) against the REDSKINS that he should end up being our 54th man on our roster. I know for a fact that we will get some big plays on his side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPstretch Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 as the season went on in 2005, we saw lavar to less and less, as he adapted to the scheme. i hope he remains somewhat "invisible" in NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbuzz1962 Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 And it takes someone to write about it to know this?:doh: I'm sorry guys, there is no comparison other than good speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 To be fair, other than the first couple sentences, the piece isn't really a comparison between Lavar and LT as much as one aimed at pointing out Arrington's flaws. Therefore, the posts above the go on and on about how no one will fill LT's shoes (which is 100% true) don't really address the point of the article. The author even goes as far as to say that Arrington might not even be the answer to upgrading the Giants' linebacking corps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redz Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 I dont think that he even deserves to wear the same number. Dont get me wrong, he is a good LB but a LT he is not!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgamesh Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 Hey any comparisons to LT that LaVar gets are his own fault. All outside linebackers that play for the Giants will always live in LT's shadow....and the local media will never let him forget it. Better get used to it LaVar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted April 24, 2006 Share Posted April 24, 2006 "LA is not LT???? Who is?" exactly. neither is marcus washington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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