It’s ‘Valentine’s Views’ on a handful of important Giants topi

cs"With the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror and the immediate attention of NFL teams turning quickly to free agency let’s offer a few takeaways touching on both in this week’s ‘Valentine’s Views.’Landon Collins and the game of tagBefore the Combine Kareem Martin Color Rush Jersey , best guess was that the Giants would sit down with Collins’ agent, David Mulugheta, during the Combine and try to hammer out the framework of a long-term deal. If that didn’t look likely, it seemed almost unfathomable that the Giants would decide not to tag Collins and risk losing him to free agency.Yet, here we are.I have to be honest. I don’t get this one. The Giants say they need more defensive play-makers. Well, Collins is one. He may not be a deep safety, but he’s a really good player when used to his strengths near the line of scrimmage. He is just 25 and can be part of the in-house core co-owner John Mara has complained for years the Giants have been missing.GM Dave Gettleman knows Collins is a good player and says “you always want good players on your team.”BBV RadioYet, Gettleman also doesn’t want distractions. He knows he will have an unhappy player and that the media will keep hammering away at the Collins story if he uses the tag. He is also adamant about trying to get the salary cap situation under control.Gettleman seems to believe the $11.15 million franchise tag is too much for Collins. The transition tag would cost $9.531 million, allow Collins to shop for free agent offers and give the Giants the option to match. They don’t appear willing to do that, either. There are only four safeties making at least $10 million annually. It appears Gettleman and the Giants don’t believe Collins should be the fifth.I get all that, but something is off here.There is something that isn’t right in the relationship between Collins and the Giants. I’m not sure what it is, but there is something. I have had that feeling since before last season’s trade deadline, when Collins was available if teams would meet the Giants’ asking price.The Collins’ situation was part of the discussion with Patricia Traina on Monday’s ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast. Please give that a listen. Quarterback at No. 6?We know that Gettleman wants to find the Giants a franchise quarterback to follow Eli Manning. We know the Giants would like to follow the “Kansas City model,” finding a quarterback this offseason who they would hope to have spend the season learning from Manning before eventually taking the reigns.What we don’t know is whether or not Gettleman can find that in the 2019 draft class.The GM can be pretty transparent Robert Thomas Color Rush Jersey , and he’s not hiding that he would like to check that off his bucket list this time around.“I think at the end of the day you can’t say to yourself ‘I’m gonna get ’em next year.’ You evaluate the Qs, and you take the guy when the time is -- when you believe he’s the guy and it’s at the right spot,” Gettleman said. “You can’t worry about the future, because ya know, now someone else is gonna say well now in two years there are a couple college quarterbacks coming out that are really amazing. Who knows?“ ... at the end of the day, if the right guy is there at the right time who we think is the right guy, we’ll pull the plug.”There are reports today that Dwayne Haskins impressed the Giants during their private meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine. When media spoke to Gettleman on Wednesday the GM didn’t seem to be overly excited about any of the quarterbacks in the upcoming draft class. We will have to wait and see if Haskins changed Gettleman’s mind. I still have my doubts.There will be new hog molliesGettleman and Shurmur have been consistent about the idea that each year a team has to supplement its talent on both the offensive and defensive line. That didn’t change at the Combine, and Gettleman couldn’t hide his enthusiasm about the “mollies” on both side of the ball.“This is a really strong draft for hogs on both sides of the ball,” Gettleman said. “It’s obviously a very important need. You guys sat and watched us and saw our inability to close out games. We had three games the second half of the year we make stops we finish the season 7-1. A stop.”I continue to believe the Giants will look for an experienced right tackle in free agency, with Daryl Williams of the Carolina Panthers the primary target. If the pick at No. 6 isn’t a quarterback, I believe it will be an edge rusher. One player I have been told the Giants have been high on for quite some time is Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat, who lit up the Combine. The divisional round of the 2019 NFL playoffs kicks off Saturday. Here is a look at the Saturday matchups.Indianapolis Colts (11-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (12-4)Game time: 4:35 p.m. ETWhere: Arrowhead StadiumTV Channel: NBCAnnouncers:Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya Radio: WESTWOOD ONE: Ryan Radtke Cody Latimer Color Rush Jersey , Trent Green, Laura Okmin | SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 82 (Ind), 83 (KC) | XM: 88 (WW1), 226 (Ind), 225 (NE)Referee: John Hussey Odds: Chiefs -5SB Nation Websites: Colts: Stampede Blue | Chiefs: Arrowhead Pride Coming off a dominant 21-7 victory over the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts face off against the AFC’s No.1 seed, the Kansas City Chiefs. Andrew Luck threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Houston. Running back Marlon Mack rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown. The Colts have been hot over the course of the last five weeks, going 5-0 in that span. Kansas City is led by MVP front runner and second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Bursting onto the scene, Mahomes became the second player ever to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Along with the help of receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, Mahomes paved the way for the Chiefs to lead the NFL in total offense per game (425.6). Dallas Cowboys (11-6) at Los Angeles Rams (13-3)Game time: 8:15 p.m. ET Where: LA Memorial Coliseum TV Channel: FOXAnnouncers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews Evan Engram Color Rush Jersey , Chris MyersRadio: WESTWOOD ONE: Kevin Kugler, Kurt Warner, Scott Kaplan | SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 82 (Dal), 83 (LAR) | XM: 88 (WW1), 226 (Dal), 225 (LAR)Referee: John ParryOdds: Rams -7SB Nation Websites: Cowboys: Blogging the Boys | Rams: Turf Show TimesAmerica’s Team takes on the explosive Los Angeles Rams, a matchup that features two of the NFL’s best running backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley. The Dallas Cowboys outlasted the Seattle Seahawks in the the Wild Card round with a 24-22 win. Elliott led the NFL in rushing yards in 2019 with 1,434. Dallas also boasts one of the most stout run defenses in the league. Guiding his team to the playoffs in his first two years, head coach Sean McVay orchestrated an offense that led the NFC in total offense with 421.1 yards per game. The Rams have won the NFC West two years in a row.