05-04-2004, 11:35 AM
Doesn't say much about Ben...those Ohio U alumni still hate the Miami (OH) folks.
Three-quarterback monte
Peter King, SI.com
One of the strangest things in NFL Draft history happened Saturday afternoon around 12:45 in East Rutherford, N.J. I'm not sure that even everyone in the New York Giants draft room knows exactly what happened to make this incredible thing happen.
Within a span of about eight minutes, Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi had his tentacles into all three of the marquee quarterbacks in this draft.
He quite literally had the fate of each one -- Mississippi's Eli Manning, North Carolina State's Philip Rivers and Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger -- in his hands midway through the 15-minute period the Giants had to make the fourth overall choice Saturday.
Now the story can be told. Accorsi, with 10 minutes left in the period, had an offer he liked on the table with Cleveland to trade the Giants' first-round pick down three spots to the Browns, in exchange for the Browns' seventh overall choice, plus Cleveland's second-rounder. With that pick, the Giants would take Roethlisberger, the cannon-armed passer whose right wing could cut through the overly brisk late-autumn winds at the Meadowlands. Then, with about eight minutes left in the Giants' period, San Diego GM A.J. Smith called, trying to get the Giants to up their offer for Manning, who'd already been picked by San Diego. Accorsi was very interested. Before the deal could have all the I's dotted and T's crossed, the period would have expired, and so Accorsi had to pick Rivers. He had a verbal deal, and he was pretty sure it would get done, but you never know how these things might turn out. Then, the correct paperwork was filed with the league, and the trade got done.
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The Giants went from a solid deal that would have left them with Roethlisberger, to drafting Rivers, to trading for Manning -- all in about half the time it takes to watch a Seinfeld rerun.
"You know," Accorsi said last night, "it all happened so fast that I didn't realize it at the time. But you're right. It's amazing. It's one of those things you'll remember for a long time."
To tell this tale, let's go back to the night before the draft. Accorsi got two interesting phone calls Friday night. One, from the Chargers' Smith, was San Diego's latest proposal to try to get this deal done. To this point, the Giants' best offer to acquire San Diego's top pick was their first- and third-rounds picks this year and their second next year. They modeled this deal after the Chargers' trade of the pick that ended up being Michael Vick to Atlanta three years ago. The only thing missing was a player; Atlanta had traded middling wideout Tim Dwight to San Diego as part of the 2001 Vick haul. The Giants were willing to give an OK player, but the Chargers were asking for defensive end Osi Umenyiora -- a fact first reported by Gary Myers in the New York Daily News yesterday and confirmed by a source close to the talks.
Who is Umenyiora, you ask? He's a second-round pick last year, from Troy State in Alabama, with good pass-rush potential. So now Smith asked Accorsi for their first-, second- and third-round picks this year, their first next year and Umenyiora. It's not even close, Accorsi told him. The second call came from an Accorsi acquaintance, someone Accorsi felt was reliable, who told him the Chargers were planning to draft Manning and then try to trade him to the Giants in a package for Rivers as the first round progressed. Surprised at the revelation, Accorsi began thinking that he might have to act quickly if indeed that's the way the deal would transpire.
But he went to bed in his Manhattan apartment Friday night thinking there was no way the bridge would be built, no way the Chargers would tone down their offer enough to get a deal done. And as the time ticked away Saturday morning and Smith didn't call back, Accorsi just assumed that either the deal was dead or the Chargers maybe would call after the Manning pick. The draft began. San Diego picked Manning. No phone call. The Giants were up.
The phone rang. It was Cleveland's capologist, Lal Heneghan. The Browns, who had called two weeks before the draft wanting to move to the Giants' spot, confirmed that they'd still give the Giants their first- and second-round picks in exchange for New York's top pick. The Giants would have to think about it. Accorsi was tempted, really tempted, but he worried that maybe Cleveland might then use the fourth pick to deal to San Diego to get either Manning or tackle Robert Gallery. And if that happened, Oakland, at two, would simply take the guy the first team didn't take -- Manning or Gallery.
Roethlisberger was looking mighty appealing, and that other pick from Cleveland, the 37th overall, might be a nice way to buttress a weak offensive line -- say, with center Jake Grove from Virginia Tech.
Tick, tick, tick.
Less than eight minutes to go. Phone rang. It was Smith. "You haven't called," the Charger GM said. "You still interested?" Accorsi was, and they started dueling over the phone. ("We were both playing poker," Accorsi said later.) For the Giants, including this year's second-rounder was out; they simply had to bolster that offensive line with a highly rated player. For the Chargers, the Giants had to include next year's first-round pick.
Four minutes. Three minutes.
"I knew we had one more play to make," Accorsi said last night. "I was holding back next year's one as the trump card." And now it came out: the one and three this year and the one next year. But Smith still wanted Umenyiora. A deal-breaker, Accorsi said. Smith said he had to have something. Accorsi offered a six in next year's draft. Smith wanted a four. They met in the middle. A five.
With the clock almost expired, the Giants had to take a leap of faith. The deal was done, but it hadn't been turned into the league office. So they picked Rivers. When the ESPN cameras flashed to Rivers, he had the look of a 12-year-old watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Giants didn't even call Rivers, sitting at home in North Carolina, to say the fix was in. A few minutes later, when the deal was official, the league announced it.
Roethlisberger to Rivers to Manning. In minutes.
Three-quarterback monte
Peter King, SI.com
One of the strangest things in NFL Draft history happened Saturday afternoon around 12:45 in East Rutherford, N.J. I'm not sure that even everyone in the New York Giants draft room knows exactly what happened to make this incredible thing happen.
Within a span of about eight minutes, Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi had his tentacles into all three of the marquee quarterbacks in this draft.
He quite literally had the fate of each one -- Mississippi's Eli Manning, North Carolina State's Philip Rivers and Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger -- in his hands midway through the 15-minute period the Giants had to make the fourth overall choice Saturday.
Now the story can be told. Accorsi, with 10 minutes left in the period, had an offer he liked on the table with Cleveland to trade the Giants' first-round pick down three spots to the Browns, in exchange for the Browns' seventh overall choice, plus Cleveland's second-rounder. With that pick, the Giants would take Roethlisberger, the cannon-armed passer whose right wing could cut through the overly brisk late-autumn winds at the Meadowlands. Then, with about eight minutes left in the Giants' period, San Diego GM A.J. Smith called, trying to get the Giants to up their offer for Manning, who'd already been picked by San Diego. Accorsi was very interested. Before the deal could have all the I's dotted and T's crossed, the period would have expired, and so Accorsi had to pick Rivers. He had a verbal deal, and he was pretty sure it would get done, but you never know how these things might turn out. Then, the correct paperwork was filed with the league, and the trade got done.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Giants went from a solid deal that would have left them with Roethlisberger, to drafting Rivers, to trading for Manning -- all in about half the time it takes to watch a Seinfeld rerun.
"You know," Accorsi said last night, "it all happened so fast that I didn't realize it at the time. But you're right. It's amazing. It's one of those things you'll remember for a long time."
To tell this tale, let's go back to the night before the draft. Accorsi got two interesting phone calls Friday night. One, from the Chargers' Smith, was San Diego's latest proposal to try to get this deal done. To this point, the Giants' best offer to acquire San Diego's top pick was their first- and third-rounds picks this year and their second next year. They modeled this deal after the Chargers' trade of the pick that ended up being Michael Vick to Atlanta three years ago. The only thing missing was a player; Atlanta had traded middling wideout Tim Dwight to San Diego as part of the 2001 Vick haul. The Giants were willing to give an OK player, but the Chargers were asking for defensive end Osi Umenyiora -- a fact first reported by Gary Myers in the New York Daily News yesterday and confirmed by a source close to the talks.
Who is Umenyiora, you ask? He's a second-round pick last year, from Troy State in Alabama, with good pass-rush potential. So now Smith asked Accorsi for their first-, second- and third-round picks this year, their first next year and Umenyiora. It's not even close, Accorsi told him. The second call came from an Accorsi acquaintance, someone Accorsi felt was reliable, who told him the Chargers were planning to draft Manning and then try to trade him to the Giants in a package for Rivers as the first round progressed. Surprised at the revelation, Accorsi began thinking that he might have to act quickly if indeed that's the way the deal would transpire.
But he went to bed in his Manhattan apartment Friday night thinking there was no way the bridge would be built, no way the Chargers would tone down their offer enough to get a deal done. And as the time ticked away Saturday morning and Smith didn't call back, Accorsi just assumed that either the deal was dead or the Chargers maybe would call after the Manning pick. The draft began. San Diego picked Manning. No phone call. The Giants were up.
The phone rang. It was Cleveland's capologist, Lal Heneghan. The Browns, who had called two weeks before the draft wanting to move to the Giants' spot, confirmed that they'd still give the Giants their first- and second-round picks in exchange for New York's top pick. The Giants would have to think about it. Accorsi was tempted, really tempted, but he worried that maybe Cleveland might then use the fourth pick to deal to San Diego to get either Manning or tackle Robert Gallery. And if that happened, Oakland, at two, would simply take the guy the first team didn't take -- Manning or Gallery.
Roethlisberger was looking mighty appealing, and that other pick from Cleveland, the 37th overall, might be a nice way to buttress a weak offensive line -- say, with center Jake Grove from Virginia Tech.
Tick, tick, tick.
Less than eight minutes to go. Phone rang. It was Smith. "You haven't called," the Charger GM said. "You still interested?" Accorsi was, and they started dueling over the phone. ("We were both playing poker," Accorsi said later.) For the Giants, including this year's second-rounder was out; they simply had to bolster that offensive line with a highly rated player. For the Chargers, the Giants had to include next year's first-round pick.
Four minutes. Three minutes.
"I knew we had one more play to make," Accorsi said last night. "I was holding back next year's one as the trump card." And now it came out: the one and three this year and the one next year. But Smith still wanted Umenyiora. A deal-breaker, Accorsi said. Smith said he had to have something. Accorsi offered a six in next year's draft. Smith wanted a four. They met in the middle. A five.
With the clock almost expired, the Giants had to take a leap of faith. The deal was done, but it hadn't been turned into the league office. So they picked Rivers. When the ESPN cameras flashed to Rivers, he had the look of a 12-year-old watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Giants didn't even call Rivers, sitting at home in North Carolina, to say the fix was in. A few minutes later, when the deal was official, the league announced it.
Roethlisberger to Rivers to Manning. In minutes.