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Chris Snee underwent elbow surgery last week but expects to be ready for Giants offseason training activities.

The team's best offensive lineman told reporters about the procedure at an appearance to promote the NFL's pop-up store at 41st Street and Sixth Avenue. Snee's surgery was a clean-out procedure, according to a source.

"I didn't let anyone know," Snee said of playing through the injury, according to the New York Daily News. "We're tough guys. We're supposed to play through things. I don't feel it's anyone's business what I'm dealing with. The only people that hear about it are the training staff and my wife."

Snee described the surgery as "something that had to be done."

"It already feels better than it did before surgery," Snee told reporters.

"I have full intention on being out there in OTAs," he added.

Snee also talked about the likelihood of having to play this season without right tackle Kareem McKenzie next to him. McKenzie is a free agent and not expected to return. David Diehl could move to right tackle this coming season. Diehl recently said that he is open to playing right tackle if the team needs him there.

"That's what you'd think would happen," Snee said. "Kareem and I have had a great, very productive seven years together. We're similar in many ways, in the way we've handled the game. We're quiet. We're film junkies. I'll miss the guy if he's not back.

"I'm hoping he'll get a call here shortly. I don't know what the plan is. It would be similar to last year when Shaun [O'Hara] and Richie [Seubert] left. The bond that Kareem and I have is special. We've worked a lot of hours together."

Snee will also miss Brandon Jacobs, who joined Mario Manningham and signed with the 49ers on Wednesday. Snee called Jacobs "one of the toughest guys" he's played with.

He also was asked about coach Tom Coughlin's pending contract extension and how long Coughlin -- Snee's father-in-law -- will coach.

"It's just a yearly battle with him," Snee said. "I've said this over and over again, but I feel bad for him because all he's done is win football games and make this team a bunch of class guys, but I don't think he gets appreciated. I still think that, even after winning [the Super Bowl], if we go through a rough patch this year or the year after someone will be calling for him again."

"But I'm certainly happy for him," he added. "He’ll be coaching until they take him out of here. He'll be coaching here longer than I'll be playing here, I'll tell you that."

Devin Thomas may not have gotten much of a chance to show what he can do at wide receiver, but he certainly made an impact on special teams with the Giants.

Thomas played a part in helping the Giants get to the Super Bowl last season with two key fumble recoveries on punts in the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco. On Wednesday night, Thomas agreed to a one-year deal with the Bears, according to the team's website.

Thomas leaves the Giants only having caught three receptions for 37 yards in his nearly two seasons with the team. He played primarily on special teams as a returner and on the coverage team, where he made his biggest contribution, which included a fumble recovery on a punt return that helped set up the game-winning field goal in overtime of the NFC title game.

Thomas joins Mario Manningham and Aaron Ross as Giants free agents to depart via free agency. Brandon Jacobs, who was released by the Giants, also signed with San Francisco on Wednesday.

Here is the updated list of Giants free agents and a column on the Giants' approach to free agency thus far.

The Bears will now see how to best use the 25-year-old former second-round pick of the Redskins. As for the Giants, they eventually look for a little more depth at receiver and another player to help on special teams.

Brandon Jacobs is now a 49er, joining Mario Manningham in San Francisco.

So the Giants still have a 6-4, 264-pound hole to fill in the backfield. Ahmad Bradshaw currently has D.J. Ware, Da'Rel Scott and Andre Brown behind him on the depth chart.

The Giants still could add a veteran running back in free agency or via trade or the draft. The name that a ton of fans have been asking about is Carolina's Jonathan Stewart now that Mike Tolbert is a Panther.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted on Tuesday that the Panthers are "adamant this week that they're not trading Stewart." And some NFL reporters have speculated that if the Panthers do trade a running back, the sensible trade partner could be the Broncos and former Panthers head coach John Fox.

Stewart, of course, would seem to be a great fit for the Giants, who will probably want a bigger back to fill Jacobs' role. But Stewart's price tag could be too steep for the Giants if he becomes available. How much would a team have to give up if the Panthers were willing to make a deal? And how much would Stewart cost financially to keep later down the road? Remember, the Giants have several young players they will have to take care of eventually, such as Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre-Paul, just to name a few.

Still, Tom Coughlin has said he would like to stick to the same formula he had with Bradshaw and Jacobs when asked about the possibility of Jacobs leaving back in February at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"There's a hallmark that we stick to by position," Coughlin said. "Brandon is very rare, very rare. We would stick to what's been good for the Giants."

My guess is that unless the Giants find a veteran running back on the cheap in free agency, they'll draft a running back. Stewart would be great, but I just wonder how much the Panthers would want if they were to entertain offers. And drafting and developing a running back would be a cheaper option.

Tell us what you want to see the Giants do now that Jacobs is gone.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Giants are only two months removed from winning the Super Bowl, but they've been overshadowed in New York by Tebow-mania.

That's fine by Tom Coughlin. As far as he's concerned, the Jets can have the headlines, he's got the Lombardi Trophy. He doesn't think the fans have forgotten what they accomplished.

"You know who won the Super Bowl, you know who the world champions are," Coughlin told reporters Wednesday morning at the NFL meetings. "Whether we’re on the front page every day or not, it’s not that important. New Yorkers know."

This came three days after Giants co-owner John Mara mocked the Jets' acquisition of Tim Tebow, saying they were planning to have a news conference for their recently-signed backup, David Carr.

Coughlin didn't want to comment on the Tebow trade -- "That's their business," he said -- but he praised Tebow as a football player, calling him "physically tough ... a guy that's going to be a force in your locker room."

Asked if he'd ever consider removing his "guy" for 20 snaps per game, as the Jets have suggested they might do with Mark Sanchez so Tebow could run the wildcat, Coughlin looked increduously at the questioner.

"Our guy?" he asked, referring to Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.

In a one-hour sitdown with reporters, Coughlin touched on a variety of topics:

• On this week's annoucement that the Giants will face the Cowboys in the NFL opener: Coughlin said he wasn't surprised because "the league always does a great job of making it a very attractive." That the game will be played on a Wednesday night, he admitted, will be a challenge in terms of the training-camp and practice schedule.

• On re-signing RB Brandon Jacobs: "I think it’s a possibility. Brandon wanted the opportunity to go out into the marketplace and see what he could do with the opportunity, and it was granted. We'll just see." The Giants are looking for a backup to Ahmad Bradshaw. UPDATE: Jacobs has agreed to a deal with the 49ers, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.



Coughlin said it's hard to cut players that contribute to a championship, adding, "There is some sentiment involved in it, but we don’t say goodbye, we say, 'Next time.'"

• On the future of DE Osi Umenyiora: Coughlin said he has no plans to part ways with Umenyiora, who staged a training-camp holdout last summer. He wants Osi back. "I'm not thinking of anything else," he said.

• On a contract extension. Coughlin, entering the final year of his contract, expressed confidence a deal will get done shortly. He also discussed the joy of winning a title in New York.

• His hysterical recollection of his post-game hug with rap star Flavor Flav: "I finished (an interview with the NFL Network) and I get up. This guy is waiting for me with these glasses, big glasses, and a clock on his chest. He's kind of right in front of me. I walk by. I mean, I'm hugging sign posts at that time. He grabbed me and hugged me. I walked away and one of my kids says, 'Dad, you know who that was?' I said, 'No, I don't know who that was.' They said, 'Fava Flav' -- a rap singer. Then we're at the parade and (Brandon) Jacobs reaches down, grabs him by the hand, pulls him up and he's on the float. I'm on one of the floats with him, too!"

The Dave Tollefson free agency tour continues this week with a stop in Green Bay on Thursday, a source confirmed.

The defensive end visited with the Seahawks last week. Tollefson is looking to see what he can get on the market. Tollefson was drafted by the Packers in the seventh round in 2006 but was waived and signed to the practice squad in September of that season. Tampa Bay and Oakland also expressed an interest in Tollefson according to a source.

Tollefson is one of a few Giants free agents who are testing their value on the market. Here's the updated list of Giants free agents.

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants will open the 2012 NFL season -- and their title defense -- against the division rival Dallas Cowboys.

The NFL on Tuesday announced that the season-opening kickoff game will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium.

This is the ninth consecutive season in which the defending Super Bowl champion will host the kickoff game. Usually, the opening game is held on a Thursday night, but the Giants-Cowboys game will be on a Wednesday because President Barack Obama will deliver his Democratic National Convention speech on Thursday, Sept. 6.

The Giants would have missed the playoffs last season, if not for two critical victories over the Cowboys in the span of a month.

They won 37-34 in Dallas after Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a potential overtime-forcing field goal on Dec. 11. Then the Giants swept the Cowboys with a 31-14 victory in the regular-season finale on Jan. 1, with the NFC East division title and playoff berth at stake. That was one of the Giants' six straight victories en route to the Super Bowl title.

The Giants have won five of their last six meetings against the Cowboys. This will be the second time the Giants have played in the NFL kickoff game. They opened their Super Bowl title defense in 2008 by beating Washington 16-7 at home.

During an interview earlier this week, Jerry Reese was asked about defensive tackle Marvin Austin.

And the general manager expressed concern about last year's second-round pick.

"We’re worried about him a little bit," Reese said in an interview on SiriusXM NFL radio on Monday. "He hasn't played in a long time now. He has been out for such a long time."

Austin did not play in 2010 because of the agent NCAA scandal at North Carolina. And he missed his rookie season last year due to a torn pectoral injury suffered during the preseason. He has been rehabbing and says he will be ready for training camp and hopes to participate in offseason training activities.

"This offseason is going to be big for him to get going again and get acclimated to playing football if nothing else," Reese said. "And playing at this level, which is going to be shocking to him because he hasn’t played for such a long time and to go in and tussle with those big guys, it is going to be tougher than he thinks it is. But he is a talented kid and we hope he can get in there with Linval Joseph and Chris Canty and some other guys inside."

The New York Giants will have eight draft picks in the 2012 NFL Draft and the draft order was released on Tuesday.

The Super Bowl champs will be picking last in the first round and here's the draft order of their eight picks, including the fourth-round compensatory pick they were awarded on Monday.

ROUND: OVERALL PICK
1st rd: 32
2nd rd: 63
3rd rd: 94
4th rd: 127
4th rd: 131 (compensatory)
5th rd: 167
6th rd: 201
7th rd: 239

Jerry Reese says there is still work to do and that the Giants aren't done in free agency.

The Giants are waiting to see how the free agency market shakes out and what becomes available. One player they could be waiting on is their free agent middle linebacker Jon Goff. Tom Coughlin has said that Goff is a part of his plan for the upcoming season. Goff recently visited with Cleveland and is seeing what else he can get on the market.

During an interview with SiriusXM NFL radio, Reese was asked who would play middle linebacker if the Giants had to play tomorrow.

"If we had to play tomorrow the MIKE backer, I’m not sure because we have some interesting candidates for that job," Reese said. "We have some young players that we think can step in and do the job."

Reese then mentioned Mark Herzlich and Greg Jones as two players the Giants are high on. Jones was a sixth-round pick last year and was rushed into the starting lineup in the season opener after Goff went down. Herzlich started two games later in the season before suffering an ankle injury.

"Obviously Herzlich is a guy we like and we like Greg Jones," Reese said. "Those two kids played a lot for us last year until Mark got hurt… [Michael] Boley… we have linebackers. We do.”

It's one of your favorite topics so tell us what you think the Giants should do in the middle below.

Jerry Reese and the Giants have remained relatively quiet since the first week of free agency but there’s definitely a reason why.

As expected, the Giants are waiting to see what becomes available on the cheap in the free agency market.

“There’s still some things to do in free agency for us I think,” Reese said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Just kind of slow play it and see who is out there and what is available for us and what our needs are as we continue the offseason process and look at the draft and look down the road. But we have things to do still.”

Hosts Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan mentioned that the Giants currently have $2.5 million in cap space. That’s largely why the Giants have not made a ton of moves in free agency. It’s also why guys like Jonathan Goff, Dave Tollefson and Chase Blackburn are testing the market to see what else they can get and why Mario Manningham and Aaron Ross departed. (Here's the full updated list of Giants free agents and their moves so far).

“The salary cap rules the world,” Reese said. “If you have a lot of good players, you just can’t retain them all. We feel like we have some players on the roster that can come in and step up.”

Reese again mentioned Ramses Barden and Jerrel Jernigan as guys who can help offset the loss of Manningham.

“We expect those guys to step out of the shadows," Reese said. "Ramses Barden has been hurt a little bit ever since he has been in the league. We hope he can stay healthy and prove to us that he was worth a third-round pick. We expect those guys to play. Jernigan is the same thing, a young kid trying to learn the offense, he should have a better grasp of what is going on and be a slot type. Ramses has that length that you like.”

Jerry Reese will have an extra draft pick to find another gem. The Giants were awarded a fourth-round compensatory pick by the NFL on Monday.

The pick, which will be the 131st choice overall in the 2012 draft, was given to the Giants for losing free agents Kevin Boss, Barry Cofield and Steve Smith. The Giants signed only two free agents -- David Baas and Steve Weatherford last summer.

The Giants' pick was the fifth-highest compensatory pick given out by the NFL.

Wondering what Reese can do with a fourth-round pick? Last year, he selected tackle James Brewer out of Indiana. It is possible that Brewer could be considered for the starting right tackle job this season although the bet here is David Diehl at right tackle. Brewer was drafted as a future project.

Here's a look at Reese's fourth-round selections:

2007 -- LS Zak DeOssie
2008 -- LB Bryan Kehl
2009 -- RB Andre Brown
2010 -- LB Phillip Dillard
2011 -- T James Brewer

How do you think Reese has done with his fourth-rounders and what position do you want to see the Giants draft with their new fourth-round pick? Tell us below.

Tim Tebow has dominated the news in New York lately and even John Mara couldn't stop himself from making a little crack about the Jets' big move.

While meeting with reporters at the NFL meetings in Palm Beach, Mara was asked by reporters if New York is big enough for the Giants and Tebowmania.

"I don't know, but the David Carr press conference will be tomorrow, too," Mara joked to reporters according to tweet by ESPN's Rachel Nichols.

The Giants signed their backup quarterback Carr shortly after Tebow was traded to the Jets. Of course, unlike Tebow, who will be welcomed with a press conference by the Jets on Monday, Carr's signing was announced on a story by the Giants' team website.

Nichols then relayed that comment to Jets owner Woody Johnson.

"Well, that's pretty interesting," Johnson told Nichols.

Nichols later tweeted, "(He) did not look pleased."

In non-Tebow news, Mara also discussed the salary cap penalties imposed on the Redskins and Cowboys.

Mara, who is the chairman of the NFL Management Committee, said "the penalties were proper."

"Quite frankly, I think they're lucky they didn't lose draft picks," Mara said according to ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano.

Graziano has the rest of what Mara said about the Redskins and Cowboys here.

There are many who have been wondering how much Mario Manningham signed for with the 49ers.

According to Matt Maiocco of Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area, Manningham agreed to a two-year, $7.375 million contract, including a $2 million signing bonus and an additional $2.45 million in salary guarantees.

Manningham's base salary will be $1.2 million this season and $3.6 million next year as the New York Daily News pointed out earlier on Friday.

The Giants didn't have a ton of cap space and they needed to factor in that they will have to pay Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks down the road as well. They'll probably sit and wait and see how the free agency market shakes out and what veterans they can sign on the cheap.

What do you guys think of what Mario got?

Andrew Luck may have stolen all the headlines at the Stanford Pro Day on Thursday but tight end Coby Fleener reportedly impressed by clocking an unofficial 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Fleener's stock is on the rise and ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay had the Giants taking Fleener in their previous mock drafts prior to the Pro Day.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Luck said he threw a few "less than perfect" passes so that his Stanford receivers could show their abilities. Luck said his favorite throw was a "slightly-off-the-mark fade" pass to Fleener near the end of the session according to the Chronicle.

at 6-6, 250-pounds, Fleener is expected to be the first tight end selected in the draft. And he may not be available at 32 where the Giants pick. My opinion has been that the Giants will go best player available over need when they draft.

While the Giants signed Martellus Bennett in free agency to go with Bear Pascoe and Christian Hopkins at tight end, they can always use another with both Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum recovering from torn ACL injuries.

What do you guys think of Fleener's Pro Day and what the Giants may do at 32?

The new ESPN pre-draft power rankings are out and guess who's on top of the world... the New York Giants.

The power ranking rulers (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, NFC West blogger Mike Sando and AFC East blogger James Walker) voted for the defending Super Bowl champs as the top team, up from No. 9 in the previous installment.

Here's Ashley's argument for the Giants being first: "The Giants have lost significant pieces from their Super Bowl team and won only nine regular-season games in 2011, but they are the defending champs. They will be the team to beat."

My take is that the Giants do deserve to be the top team after winning the Super Bowl. And as Ashley points out, they have lost two valuable contributors to the Super Bowl run in Mario Manningham and Aaron Ross in free agency and likely will lose a few more in free agency.

While the main core of playmakers remain intact, the Giants will need some young, unproven players to step up. There will be a new third wide receiver, perhaps a new backup running back if Brandon Jacobs signs elsewhere, likely a new right tackle (David Diehl?) and Terrell Thomas will be returning from a torn ACL. Those are all question marks and on top of all that, the Giants' schedule is expected to be brutal again. It will be difficult repeating. We have to see how Jerry Reese tinkers with the roster (here's the updated list of Giants' free agents).

But for now, the Giants sit atop the throne. Here's the power rankings. Tell us what you think of the Giants being first and how you feel about the team going into their title defense below.