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Dear Michael,

For the last four years Jerry Reese has made astute draft picks and free agent signings, however this year he seems to be playing catch up with everyone else.  Each team in our division has made improvements while we have not made any significant free agent signings of note. In losing Kevin Boss, not signing Burress and now the Steve Smith defection has really depleted our receiving corps. Hopefully, the young guys can pick up the slack a little but to compete with the Eagles will be a tough road to travel.

Mario

Dear Mario:

As you can imagine, The Mailbag received many Steve Smith-related questions today. Most of the writers weren't as kid of Jerry Reese as you were. But as Reese told the media today (shameless plug: see the story on Giants.com), while he would liked to have kept Smith and Boss, the Giants are prepared to advance without them. Reese believes strongly in what the Giants have done and in the team's roster. Yes, other teams have made what Reese calls "sexy" moves. But games and championships are won on the field, not by who signs the most "big-name" players. It's far too early to be negative. The Giants still have a lot of talent. Let's play a few games before rendering a judgment.

Michael:

I'm a lifelong Giants fan who enjoyed the success of the Giants in the late '50s and early '60s, endured the two decades of rebuilding through the mid-'80s, and thrilled to the three Super Bowl Championships since.  For me, the transformation from league laughing stock to champion began with the leadership of George Young and Ray Perkins and blossomed under the coaching of Bill Parcells.  Two of the players responsible for returning the Giants to respectability (Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson) have been honored with induction into the Hall of Fame. Each year I keep waiting to hear if Phil Simms, who I feel meant as much to the Giants success and played on a level equal to many of his already inducted contemporaries, is even a Hall finalist.  For a guy who played the most important position on two championship teams (even though he was hurt prior to the '90 playoffs), was MVP in a Pro Bowl, and set records for perfection as the MVP in a Super Bowl, to be overlooked as he has been seems wrong.  Will Simms ever be considered a HOF player?

Tom

Dear Tom:

In all honesty, probably not. Simms has been on the preliminary ballot, but never made the list of finalists. To most voters, Simms belongs in the Hall of Very Good. Simms' candidacy would surely have received a boost had he quarterbacked the Giants in Super Bowl XXV. But he was hurt and Jeff Hostetler was the winning quarterback. And then there's Simms himself. He has been a guest on radio shows and argued that he doesn't belong in the Hall. I don't see him ever getting in.

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