Just got this little tidbit about a possible trade for Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall. The Giants are certainly interested, but would be uncomfortable giving up much more than the 31st pick in the draft for the outspoken cover guy. To me, that indicates that if the Falcons want the pot expanded, they’d have to settle for a sixth or seventh-round pick, and that a much-discussed unloading of tight end Jeremy Shockey would not be part of this thing.

The Giants’ picking position—either last or slightly lower in terms of the sixth round because of the Ryan Grant trade to Green Bay—isn’t a particularly appetizing spot for anyone, especially since they’ll be up against other teams with more advantageous spots like Washington. So one shouldn’t get their hopes up.

Then again, anything can happen with these things, and the Giants have a week before the trading period starts to revise and review their position. It’s a situation worth watching.

Ciao for now.

Here’s a few snippets from the informal meeting DeAngelo Hall had with about 10 media people out in Indy, thanks to my guys Mike and Ralph.

The most interesting thing in regards to the Giants’ interest in trading for him would be his attitude. As we said, Hall had a major blowup with then-coach Bobby Petrino, so any team trading for him would probably want to delve into that a little. On top of that, Hall is outspoken by nature, which could grate on a few nerves in what some perceive as an already mouthy locker room with Antonio Pierce and Jeremy Shockey, Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress.

But Hall said he’d welcome a sitdown with anyone who is interested.

“Oh, definitely,” Hall said. “I’d love to. I’d love to sit down with any coach who wants to listen. But that was just a freakish situation. That whole season, from the Michael Vick thing to Bobby Petrino coming in with all those military type demands, to him quitting. I mean, it was just a plethora of demands. It was just a bad situation. If we had to script something to be bad, I don’t think it could have gotten worse than it did.

“So that’s over.”

Hall didn’t confirm any interest on the Giants’ part. But he did say if they are, it’s a compliment.

“We were 4-12 and they were Super Bowl champs, so it’s definitely a compliment,” Hall said.

He also said he wanted no part of Atlanta anymore, especially after new general manager Tom Dimitroff told him they’d entertain trade offers.

“It’s a little bit of a betrayal,” Hall said. “I feel like these guys kind of stabbed me in the back.”

One wonders how he’d fit in with a Tom Coughlin-coached unit.

Also, be aware that the start of trading coincides with the beginning of free agency, which is next Friday. So even though teams can throw around terms and conditions before then, they can’t actually make the trade until then.

Ciao for now.

Tom Coughlin spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this morning and said he really hasn’t gotten over the whirlwind that comes with winning a Super Bowl title.

“I’m trying to make sure that all the things along the way that you don’t read about or see on TV or whatever, the interviews and that type of thing, I don’t want to miss out on anything that was really good,” Coughlin said. “Hopefully, that’s not going to happen, but it’s a blur the way that goes. But it’s wonderful to hear people say ‘Super Bowl champions’ and ‘champions of the world.’ It’s kind of nice to get here and be back in the football environment and see so many friends from years gone by, people that have been in the league for a long time. It’s just a nice thought.”

And on whether he’s had a chance to really rest up, save for the short vacation he took last week: “You really don’t ever stop. We got back (from the Super Bowl) on a Monday night, we had our exit meetings, et cetera, on Tuesday morning, we had a magnificent experience in the Canyon of (Heroes) over there in New York and we had a great session when we came back to the Meadowlands with the fans being there.

“Then, all of a sudden, the next day we had to do rankings and evaluations and write-ups and needs and things of that nature. So we went right ahead and did that. And then, as soon as we got back (from vacation), we continued along those lines with the information coming about the combine and free agency and started the evaluation of free agents, started our cut-ups. So we jumped right back into it.”

Coughlin made no comments about his pending contract extension, which still isn’t done at this point. Nor did he address the possibility that the Giants would trade their first-round pick (No. 31 overall) for Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. But he did admit to having one concern during the combine.

“You know I’m nervous about … our running back position was probably our strongest and I’m still nervous about it,” he said.

That sort of makes me think Jerry Reese will go to great lengths to maintain the depth they have in the backfield, even if it means overpaying the oft-injured Derrick Ward to re-sign before free agency. I’m also thinking that Reuben Droughns, rumored to be headed for release because of salary cap reasons, will be retained.

Unless, of course, Reese finds himself another diamond like last year’s seventh-rounder Ahmad Bradshaw.

“Well, he’s quite a football player,” Coughlin said of Bradshaw. “Extremely productive football player. Marshall plays an excellent schedule and really has many, many times reached out and played anybody in the country. So they have an excellent program and Ahmad was so highly productive.

“Really, the interesting thing about Ahmad is that he, again, was one of those young guys that literally just wanted a chance to play, felt like he could play, felt like he could contribute right away. And when given the opportunity, he certainly did.”

As for Super Bowl surprises, Coughlin joked that he knew a Lombardi Trophy was in store for the Giants last year at the combine.

“I had it all mapped out. I knew this would be taking place,” he said.

Yep. That’s how it went.

Ciao for now.

Newark Star-Legder is reporting the Giants might be willing to send the 31st pick in the draft to Atlanta for cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Believe it or not, that wouldn’t be a surprise, since GM Jerry Reese showed himself as a bit of a trader last year in swaps for Reuben Droughns and Lawrence Tynes.

You know he’s looking to shore up the secondary, and Hall is tough and has 17 interceptions in his career. His sideline dustup with Falcons coach Bobby Petrino was a bit troubling. But then, Petrino showed just what kind of person he is, anyway, when he ran off to Arkansas. So maybe Hall gets a pass on that.

We’ll see how this develops. Wouldn’t be a bad move if they can pull it off, since Marques Trufant and Nnamdi Asomugha got slapped with the franchise tag by Seattle and Oakland.

Ciao for now.

It’s official. The deadline for slapping a franchise tag on a player has passed, and the Giants did not use it on S Gibril Wilson.

That’s hardly unexpected, since they never use the thing, anyway. Besides, Jerry Reese said today he’s confident Wilson will give the Giants the last crack at making a deal if he does hit the open market next Friday.

Ciao for now.

Here’s a tidbit on the Tom Coughlin extension talks from my guy Mikey G. from the Star-Ledger out in Indy. John Mara and Coughlin’s rep, Gary O’Hagan, had a good talk yesterday and appear to be moving right along. He said they’re working on some details, one of which is whether the existing final year of Coughlin’s deal will be ripped up and replaced by some new terms.

They’re taking their time, since the Giants want Coughlin back and Coughlin wants to come back.

Mara, it should be noted, is also on the league’s competition committee, which recommends rules changes for the owners to vote on every year. Committee co-chair Rich McKay said there will be no changes offered to prevent another Spygate situation from happening. Some read that as a move by the committee to downplay the severity of Bill Belichick using video equipment to film the opposing sideline in order to steal coaching signals.

But here’s another way to look at it: It’s already on the books. It was already proved that Belichick’s Martin Scorcese wannabe was filming from an unauthorized position on the field. That means something was already in the books on where in the stadium teams were allowed to film, so no adjustment is necessary. It’s a matter of enforcement.

Also, the Giants are talking with local businesses on a deal to secure parking for the Thursday night season-opener. That would be the season’s only weekday home primetime game for the Giants.

Mara also said that, even though most of the assistant coaches are under contract through next season, they’re being offered new, two and three-year deals with raises. Ah, the sweet rewards of success. All are expected to sign on the dotted line.

Ciao for now.

In the interest of reportorial transparency (that’s a fancy way of saying I want to tell the truth) I will say right up front that I am not in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. However, I do have a telephone, and I do have numerous eyes and ears in the person of friends and associates who can keep me well informed. So I’ll update you on any Giants news that breaks just as soon as I get wind of it.

Nothing is happening yet, but it’s early. Still looking for that Tom Coughlin contract extension to happen, and it should happen quickly now that team president and CEO John Mara has finished up with the competition committee meetings that took up all his time at the beginning of the week. I’ll bet Coughlin has something by the time he addresses the media out there tomorrow morning.

As for the free agents, we’ll see. Kawika Mitchell could have a new deal by the time the combine finishes, and they’ll make a good push to sign Gibril Wilson, too. But they’re not going break the bank to keep him. Nor will they use the dreaded franchise tag on him. They have until 4 p.m. to make that decision, but bet they’ll keep things civilized and tuck it in their pocket, as they’ve done just about every year since free agency began.

They did cut Craig Dahl, the rookie free agent safety who started two games, did well, and then blew out his knee.

Ciao for now.

Still nothing much to report on the Tom Coughlin contract extension front. The deal isn’t done yet, though that should happen by the end of the week, maybe even tomorrow.

Also, you can expect that tomorrow’s 4 p.m. deadline for tagging a player with a franchise tag will pass without a Giants name being added to the list. They haven’t franchised anyone since tackle Jumbo Elliott in the early days of free agency, for good reason. For one thing, it’s expensive. For another, these days it’s considered a hostile act by management, and they’d rather keep things as friendly as possible. Makes negotiating a lot easier. Besides, other than safety Gibril Wilson and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, the Giants don’t really have any free agents worthy of a salary that averages the top five salaries of each position. Wilson would cost them $4.396 million, and Mitchell would cost them $8.065 million on a one-year deal, meaning they’d have to do it all over again next year, anyway.

So that’s that. With any luck, this Coughlin watch will be over by today. As has been reported here and elsewhere for weeks, figure four years, $20 million-plus.

Ciao for now.

For all you Tom Coughlin contract watchers, not yet. It’s getting close, and the Giants are hopeful that four-year, $20-plus million extension will happen in the next day or so. But it’s not done yet.

So stay tuned.

Ciao for now.

Just got done chatting with Giants GM Jerry Reese about the upcoming combine, and asked him if there was anything new with the Tom Coughlin extension or any of the team’s unrestricted free agents.

Reese said as far as the unrestricteds go, he’d like to have them back, meaning he’ll be continuing to formulate offers for folks like LB Kawika Mitchell, S Gibril Wilson, RB Derrick Ward, and LB Reggie Torbor to bring to the agents how normally show up at the combines. Talks do tend to heat up there, so it’s possible the Giants could get some signed pre-free agency.

Reese said he’s been in contact with all their agents over the last two weeks.

As for Coughlin, talks have begun and the Giants expect a deal could come down in the next couple of days, or by the end of the week. Doesn’t sound like this should be a prolonged thing.

As for the combine, Reese wouldn’t let out any names, but bet that he and his staff will be looking for any small-school gems ala Kevin Boss (Western Oregon) that could turn a late-round pick into a valuable contributor. My guess—and this is not from Reese, but just a feeling—they’ll be paying special attention to corners and safeties and outside linebackers.

Ciao for now.