Are you seeing a pattern here?

Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard, 29, has agreed to a deal with the Giants. No terms yet. After seven years in Seattle, he’s coming here to provide backup/insurance for Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield, who are both coming off knee surgery.

This is an interior lineman who pushes ahead.

Bernard had 55 tackles and four sacks last season for the Seahawks, and no matter where he lands in the rotation, will keep the middle of a noteworthy front a lot fresher late in the season. It’s probably a good idea to have talent on hand from the start, too, in case the incumbents are slow coming back from the surgery.

See where the Giants are going?

They are spending money feeling a Super Bowl runs is within reach if the defense stays on its toes. Getting deeper is the only way to make certain that happens.

“He’s a veteran defensive tackle with skins on the wall,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “He plays hard, he’s stout against the run and he has to be accounted for as a pass rusher. We’re happy to have Rocky on board in our defensive tackle rotation.”

Bernard obviously didn’t want to wait around for Seattle to rebuild.

“I was looking for a fresh start,” he said. “Last year was really rough – it was so frustrating. I thought a change of scenery would be good. I’m really, really excited to be coming to the Giants. I wanted to go to a team that has had a lot of success and has a really good defense. That’s what the Giants have. It feels good to be part of a great organization. They’re a good football team.”

Michael Boley was limited to playing on passing downs for the Atlanta Falcons when the season ended, but he’s considered an upgrade.

The deal was just announced officially.

Boley, 26, is down for $25 million over five seasons. He’s not exactly a bargain, so the Giants undoubtedly believe he can help. If nothing else, Boley is a linebacker who can effortlessly cover ground against the likes of Brian Westbrook.

And don’t think other teams aren’t going to employ similar tactics next season.

“We see him as a WIL,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “With Michael Boley, we’ve addressed a position of need. We feel we have brought to the New York Giants an athletic, versatile linebacker. He’s a guy that has not been used a lot in blitzing or pressure, because they’ve used him in coverage. He can cover, but we think we can take advantage of his speed. He is fast and athletic. I think we can call upon him to be involved in coverage and to be a pressure linebacker. He’s also a special teams player. He played on the punt team and the punt return team, so we know we can get good value out of that.”

That doesn’t say a lot about the prospects of Bryan Kehl, Gerris Wilkinson or Chase Blackburn does it? All of them started on the weak side last season. Whatever progress they and Jonathan Goff make will add to the overall depth.

“It’s a different feel,” Boley said of the attacking style he’s about to step in to. “I did a lot of blitzing in college. In Atlanta, I played the WIL in our sub package. I think it’s going to be great for me. If the coaches want me to blitz, I’ll blitz. If they want me to cover, I’ll cover. Doing all those different things is going to be great.”

So were you in front of the computer at 12:01 this morning, looking to see whether the Giants were on the verge of closing any free agent deals?

I see Gisele Bundchen is no longer on the open market.

Can you believe Washington, grabbing Albert Haynesworth for seven years at $100 million and re-signing Deangelo Hall for six years at $54 million? Is the recession over? Did the Redskins get some kind of stimulus package we don’t know about?

Are you on board with Jerry Reese going after Michael Boley, a versatile outside linebacker with enough quickness and closing speed to contend with Brian Westbrook? Peter King is saying $5 million per season on SI.com.

I’m not sure what to make of reports that Seattle defensive tackle Rocky Bernard is also coming by for a visit. Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield were really good last season. Does this mean the Giants are worried they might be losing a step after both underwent knee surgery?

Antonio Smith is the other name dropped in a report, but the Arizona defensive end seems a little cost prohibitive. Still, adding somebody like that allows the Giants to open a roster spot by dropping two of the reserve ends on the roster—Dave Tollefson, Jerome McDougle and Renaldo Wynn.

Giants free agent James Butler was scheduled to pay Steve Spagnuolo a visit in St. Louis today. Running back Derrick Ward is reportedly getting interest from Denver, Cincinnati, Detroit, Tampa and the Rams.

Did you see any wide receivers mentioned? Me neither. Maybe the Giants really like what’s in place already, or perhaps they’re planning to make a move up in the draft.

Stay tuned.

I’m sure they instructed Brandon Jacobs not to spend all of his $25 million contract in one place, but he’s heading off to Disney.

Hey, it’s only money.

He took part in a conference call before departing and seems pleased with the four-year contract that will guarantee $13 million. Jacobs doesn’t believe he left too much on the negotiating table, and spoke a lot about being fair.

And it didn’t take long for the conversation to include Plaxico Burress.

“Since he left the Giants with some cap space to pursue more bargains when free agency goes into hyper drive tomorrow, Jacobs was asked what the Giants need to make another Super Bowl run.

“Well, No.1 we’ve got to hope Plaxico Burress gets out of all of the issues he has going on legally,” Jacobs said. “If he can get out of that and we bring him back, that’s basically all we need to be honest with you.”

Jacobs believes the Giants will need help at receiver if jail time or a lengthy suspension prevents the missing red zone threat from getting back on the field this season, but he reversed quickly and began pumping up teammates.

“I think we got a lot of young talent,” he said. “Steve Smith is very good. We’ve got Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon. We’ve got Sinorice Moss. I mean, we have a lot of explosive guys who can come out and play for you. They just have to get in their mind, locked and loaded, they’re going to be the guys, they are the guys. With Amani (Toomer) gone, that’s a big blow too. I don’t think it’s much of a problem that we (can’t fill). We need to get No. 17 back, though.”

Jacobs says he and Burress have been texting back and forth, and since Drew Rosenhaus informed general managers around the league Burress might be available via trade, Jacobs was asked whether Burress wants to come back to the Giants.

“Yes, he do,” Jacobs said. “If he can get out of this situation he’s in, everybody pray and hope he doesn’t go to jail, the sky’s the limit for him. He’s cleaned up. No organizational problems, no off the field problems will be happening with him again. I don’t see anything like that happening again because he knows how close he came to losing everything he’s got. I think his mind is right now, and he’s ready to get out there and perform like he’s been doing.”

Jacobs also noted he received a call of congratulations from Derrick Ward last night, and he expects his fellow 1,000-yard rusher to wind up elsewhere.

“With the nature of the business, I don’t expect to see him back, but with the way things can go, I think they’re going to take a crack at it,” Jacobs said. “No question, I think they’re going to give it a shot. I don’t know what he’s asking for. That all depends on him. If it’s fair they may be able to (re-sign him). If they can’t do it, they can’t do it. I would love to see him back here.”

It would appear Brandon Jacobs got just about everything he asked for.

His long-term deal is done. The over-sized running back signed a four-year contract today worth $25 million, which is slightly less than he was looking for when talks began. To make sure Jacobs didn’t slip away in the middle of the conversation, the the Giants placed the franchise tag on him, but there are no bad feelings.

“I was confident all along that this was going to get done,” Jacobs said in a statement. “I didn’t panic one bit. “I know the reason we did it the way we did; I knew I was going to be here. I was super-confident and I am here. I’m happy about it.

“This team is full of young talent. We brought some great talent in here the last two years and those guys are still learning and getting better. Our offensive line is great and will continue to be great. There are a lot of young guys on our team that are still playing great, great football. I’m looking for big things out of our football team next year.”

Getting paid was clearly the first priority, but staying in New York was very also important.

“Both parties are happy to get a long-term deal done,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “Now Brandon can totally concentrate on the offseason program and get himself ready to go this fall.”

There’s few things in life more enjoyable than spending other people’s money. Free agents will be eligible to sign on Friday, so let’s get a wish list together.

What do the Giants need?

Since it’s unlikely Plaxico Burress will be free and clear to suit up and help, we’ve all been focusing on a wide receiver who’s capable of creating a mismatch and winning jump balls in the end zone. I’m not sure that player will be on the open market.

He’s not likely to be available to the Giants via the draft, either.

Naturally, the focus is on T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who is probably the next best option. The level of interest on both sides of the equation seems to vary from report to report. Don’t worry about it being an issue, though. Poker faces are common during any negotiation. Still, this is a possession receiver, meaning he’s better suited to replace Amani Toomer in the lineup.

I’ll throw some other names out, and I want you to do the same.

Channing Crowder (Dolphins) Linebacker—He’s not a marquee name, but the 25-year-old covers a lot of ground and makes tackles. Crowder is younger than Bart Scott, who’s probably going to demand two or three more bags of money. We still don’t know what Gerris Wilkinson or Bryan Kehl might become. The question is, can the Giants afford to wait?

Keith Davis (Cowboys) Safety—Based on the week-to-week changes, Tom Coughlin was never happy with the kick coverage. Why not bring in a special teams standout? Davis ran through the traffic and had a team-leading 20 tackles for Dallas last season. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have somebody on hand in case James Butler gets away. Davis would have to agree not to go clubbing with Burress, though.

L.J. Smith (Eagles) Tight end—I know, the guy can’t stay on the field long enough to earn a long-term contract. Would he jump ahead of Mike Matthews or Darcy Johnson on the depth chart? I think so. Smith is good in the red zone and he caught 11 passes against the Giants last season. With so many formations utilizing a pair of tight ends, it wouldn’t hurt to put a second threat on the field.

So give me three or four names you believe should be considered, but keep in mind, there’s not a lot of cap space to deal with.

It’s going to be a while until the Giants pack up and go to Albany for training camp, so I found you a diversion. Golf. Hey, we all need an offseason hobby.

And if you happen to be in the market for a rooting interest, here she is, Meaghan Francella. The native of Port Chester, N.Y. won for the first time in 2007. There were some health and confidence issues last year, resulting in an up and down season.

You can read more about her in a story I did prior to the LPGA’s first event of the season.

Flip on the Golf Channel at some point next month and you will probably see Francella in a Giants cap. She plans to wear it until somebody pays her to wear something else.

“I don’t have any sponsors for this year,” she said. “I’m a really big Giants fan and I’m friendly with the Mara family, so I asked for permission to wear the hats.”

And the Giants came through.

Francella tied for 26th in the first event of the season, the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, and is down in Florida working on the offseason adjustments she made until the LPGA schedule picks up next month. She usually makes one local stop, the Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club May 14-17.

(Note: It’s an old photo. I don’t have anything with the Giants cap yet.)

I’m back. No postcards went out because I spent a week at home with the kids and ventured no further than Chuck E. Cheese.

Did I miss anything?

I heard the Giants are preparing to play next season with or without Plaxico Burress, which is becoming kind of a tired story line. Don’t take what Jerry Reese said at the combine as gospel at this point. He’s got to play the game until the legal process is complete and the league weighs in.

Until then, a smart general manager prepares for the worst.

Reese simply cannot say the Giants are cutting ties with Burress since nobody is giving up a piece of the future to land a controversial wide receiver that’s heading for waivers.

I saw that Eric Mangini is interested in Derrick Ward.

Does that drive up the price, Cleveland expressing interest? Not so long ago in the NBA, agents notoriously leaked information about the Knicks chasing their clients because it allegedly drove up the price. Do you suppose Drew Rosenhaus would do something like that?

I noticed Tom Coughlin stated Mathias Kiwanuka is a defensive end, so look for the Giants to keep looking for an outside linebacker in the draft.

Go check out this cooperative mock draft that Aaron Weinberg has on Next Season Sports when you get a second. Round 1 is here. Round 2 is here. Yeah, the first pick is a major reach, but it’s all in fun. And the reason I’m bringing this up is the name I threw out in the second round: Connor Barwin of Cincinnati.

Look him up.

Barwin really doesn’t have an NFL position, but he played tight end for three seasons and switched over to defensive end, registering 11 sacks. The kid also played basketball in college for two seasons. I have to speak with a couple of people around the league to see if he’s for real, but think about it, could the Giants use another impact player on special teams?

I suppose Ahmad Bradshaw is a regular at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail fitness center by now.

The passing of Brad Van Pelt was sad. It’s remarkable how those guys who go 100 mph for lousy teams win the hearts of the fans.

I have screens and screens of e-mails to read, phone calls to return and plenty of news to catch up on, so that’s it for now.

Brad Van Pelt, a great linebacker on a lot of bad Giants teams, has died of an apparent heart attack, the Giants announced today. He was 57.

Van Pelt starred as a safety at Michigan State. He was chosen by the Giants in the second round of the 1973 NFL draft and went on to make the Pro Bowl five years in a row from 1976-1980.

I remember watching the Giants as a kid and for a while it seemed like the only good players were Van Pelt, fellow linebacker Brian Kelley, defensive lineman George Martin, punter Dave Jennings and kicker Joe Danelo. In fact, I remember on CBS when Jimmy the Greek would do his comparison between the two teams in each game, the Giants would usually get the check mark for kicking game and nothing else.

It wasn’t Van Pelt’s fault, though, and it was good to see him and Kelley still there when the Giants made the playoff in 1981 under Ray Perkins. When the Giants drafted Lawrence Taylor in 1981, he along with Van Pelt, Kelley and Harry Carson formed one of the league’s most feared linebacking units.

“Brad was a very good friend,” Carson told The Associated Press. “Obviously he was a great teammate, but I consider him more of a very good friend and very much like a brother. Having played together for a number of years … but then the relationship after football and the things that we did as a group of linebackers after football, those things really bonded us together.”

After leaving the Giants in 1983, Van Pelt played two seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders and one with the Cleveland Browns.

What are your memories of Brad Van Pelt?

I’m burning a timeout, so don’t be too concerned when you see that I’m not posting anything here this week.

We’ll let the kind folks in the office drop in any news they see fit.

I’ll turn on the computer next Monday and start dialing up agents to see where things stand as far as free agents. Maybe by then Brandon Jacobs will be playing hardball in hopes of getting back the money the Giants are potentially taking by using the franchise tag.

Eli Manning could have a new contract, too.

It makes sense the Giants would get that done sooner than later since it could alter the game plan this year and well into the future.

Have a good week. Talk amongst yourselves.