Well, gang, I’m outta here for about a month, maybe a little more, while I take an extended, but necessary breather. Hey, stuff happens, right?

Don’t bail out of the blog, though. I’m setting things up so that whatever happens with the Giants in the meantime, my fleet of special guys and gals at the paper will be able to update you right here. My main man, Rick Carpiniello, will keep you informed on draft day, and he doesn’t miss a trick. So you’ll be well-taken care of, I promise.

Keep checking in. Honestly, I don’t believe much will happen between now and the draft, but as they say in the song, one never knows, do one?

Anyway, I’ll be back ASAP.

Ciao for now.

So, you were all wondering what a Super Bowl victory costs?

To you, plenty. The Giants just announced their ticket prices for 2008 today, and a couple of them were real whoppers. In fact, in two areas of the stadium, tickets will for the first time cost triple digits.

Mezzanine seats, which last year went for $95, went up to $105, and those fans seated in Sections 110, 111, 112, 130, 131 and 132 on the lower level sideline will now have the privilege of paying $100 for their seats, a whopping $15 increase from last year’s $85 rate.

Don’t worry, though. You guys aren’t alone. Sections 109, 113, 129 and 133 go up to $95, and Sections 108, 114, 128 and 134 go to $90. Sections 309-313 and 329-333, 101-107, 115-127, and 135-140 will go for $85. And Sections 303-308, 314-328, and 334-340, the end zone upper deck, goes to $80.

The net result is an average jump of $7.01, and the average price is $92.50, which is certainly getting deep into Broadway show territory. And it’s more than double the $45.90 average of 2000, their last Super Bowl season. Of course, they lost that one.

Oh, well. Might as well get used to it. These prices are going to look like a bake sale compared to what you’re going to see in that new, $1.3 billion stadium. Just think of it as transitioning into a new era.

Ciao for now.

I’ve been reading a lot of theories about how the Giants can strengthen their secondary. Of course, not that Sammy Knight isn’t a bad addition—he’ll probably start in place of the departed Gibril Wilson—but I just can’t see fiddling with Aaron Ross by moving him to safety, as some suggest.

Another theory offered is moving wide receiver and Super Bowl hero David Tyree to safety, which would be a totally new position for him. I’m not saying he wouldn’t try it—Tyree’s a team guy. And he certainly has the time on his hands to do it since, as a fourth receiver, he caught only about four passes the whole season. But he would, in effect, be a rookie back there.

Corey Webster’s name has also been thrown around for safety depth. And, of course, there’s always R.W. McQuarters, a guy who can play all over the place.

I’m a traditionalist. I say just draft another guy and develop him, ala Michael Johnson. But that’s just me. What do you say? How would you address the depth at safety. And are you comfortable going with a starting twosome of James Butler and Sammy Knight, as the depth chart appears to stack up right now?

Maybe you could throw in a name or two if you want to draft the guy. Whatever. We’re open to everything here.

Looking forward to your opinions.

Ciao for now.

What’s the advantage to being you as opposed to a Giants coach or scout? They’re all busy staking out Pro Days and won’t have a chance to get in on our FREE, FREE, FREE, NCAA brackets pool. You’ve got an hour and change left to fill one out at Lohud.com/brackets. Whoever fills them out perfectly gets $10,000. And you don’t have to pay a thing.

You gotta admit, that beats the heck out of timing some college kid, right?

Ciao for now.

It’s coming down to the wire for The Journal News NCAA brackets pool. Remember, it’s free to you, and $10,000 to us if you fill out your brackets perfectly. So get in on the action at Lohud.com/brackets.

Like, NOW!!!!!

Ciao for now.

In case you’ve been hoping against hope that the stalled trade between the Falcons and Raiders for Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall would fall through and the Giants would have a shot at him after all, forget it. Even Hall now is saying it’s a done deal, and Hall was the one holding it up in the first place.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that Hall said he’ll fly out to Oakland and put his name on the dotted line Thursday, adding that only a little bit of language needs to be worked out. “No dealbreakers,” he told the AJC. Looks like Al Davis will pay Hall the bazillion dollars he was looking for after all.

Hmmm. Wonder if the mute-like presence of former Giants defensive lineman William Joseph will have an effect on Hall’s tendancy to flap his yap.

Naaaaah!

So that appears to be that. Hall will finally land with a team where nobody can do anything wrong. There’s not a lot of free agent talent left at cornerback out there, so the Giants may have to draft for depth. And that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, especially if they could find another Aaron Ross. That’s not likely, but I’m sure they’ll unearth a couple of developmental possibilities for the later rounds. They’re good at that.

Ciao for now.

Now that the Giants have addressed safety, backup quarterback, and linebacker in free agency, what would you like to see them do next? Or, to flip it around, have they done enough, and should they re-stock the remainder of their needs and wants through the draft?

All theories, observations, and opinions welcome.

Also, don’t forget to enter our FREE, FREE, FREE NCAA brackets at Lohud.com/brackets. No money going out, $10,000 coming back to you if you fill out the brackets perfectly. Can’t beat that. So get picking!

Ciao for now.

Especially with The Journal News. We’re running a pool of sorts, and I say “of sorts” because it’s totally free for you, and will cost us a cool $10,000 if you fill it out perfectly.

So go to Lohud.com/brackets and get to work.

If you fill these things out like I do, it should take about a minute and a half of your time, assuming there’s no clashes with choices made by uniform color or mascot. And again—my kind of pool—it’s free! Can’t beat that.

Go ahead, give it a whirl! And if any reader of this blog wins the $10,000, remember, I’m in for a taste! Know what I mean?

Ciao for now.

Nothing about the Giants here, but pretty interesting. Dan Klecko, son of the great Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko and a pretty versatile DT and LB for the Pats and Colts, is going to make a go of it in Philadelphia as a fullback.

Now, that’s no surprise since Klecko was one of those guys who would switch over to fullback from defense in certain situations, anyway. In fact, he caught a touchdown pass from that position in the 2006 AFC Championship game for the Colts. But apparently his defensive days ended with the two-year deal he signed today. He’ll likely replace Thomas Tapeh, who the Eagles did not try to re-sign.

Here’s the impact for the Giants. At 5-11, 275, he was kind of small for a defensive tackle, but plenty big for a linebacker. As a fullback, he’ll pretty much be monstrous, certainly moreso than the 6-1, 243-pound Tapeh ever was. If he can handle the switchover, don’t be surprised to see a lot of two-back formations with Brian Westbrook, with Klecko trying to barrel over people as a lead blocker. Could make for even rougher going against the Eagles’ ground game.

Ciao for now.

According to ESPN, the Falcons and the free-spending Raiders have agreed to a trade for Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall, with the Raiders sending a second-rounder eastward. Of course, that trade won’t be completed until Hall and the Raiders agree upon a new contract that will pay Hall about $57 million over six years, similar to what Asante Samuel got from the Eagles.

The Giants had offered their first-round pick, the 31st overall. But the Giants were never going to play in Hall’s financial ballpark, and as I said a few days ago, I didn’t think that trade would ever happen. The Raiders trade isn’t complete yet, so I guess there’s still an outside chance. But as of now, it appears Al Davis will shell out once again after spending big bucks to lock in defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and land former Giants safety Gibril Wilson.

We’ll know soon enough if the Hall gambit is truly dead. It was on life-support, anyway, as far as the Giants’ end goes.

Ciao for now.