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As of 12:01 am this morning the NFL's free agency period as begun. By 3:45 pm, two Giants' linebackers are now gone.

That is the nature of free agency in the NFL. One day they are here and the next they are being paid a lot of money.

Linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Reggie Torbor have been whisked away from the Giants with the lure of more cash. Mitchell signed a long term deal with the Bills and Torbor (who I am a fan of) was signed by the Miami Dolphins.

With a Superbowl ring in tow for both men it was a good move on their part as they more than likely would not have received the same offer from the Giants. Even worse Torbor would have probably been demoted back to the bench with the return of Kiwianuka to the lineup.

Now with Mitchell gone, the opportunity for 3rd year man out Georgia Tech Gerris Wilkenson has been placed in front of him. He played well last year in his substitution rolls when Mitchell went down, and because he did so it is probably the reason why Jerry Reese made no real effort to resign Mitchell.

With all that said however, it now leaves the depth at that position very low. Back about a month ago I told everyone this would be the position they would target in the draft on day #1. With two LBers down, it may be a position they fill within the first 2 rounds.

If his one year history serves us well, Reese has shown that he will let the frenzy of the free agency period affect other teams, and when it settles down, he will fill in gaps on this team with serviceable players. Last year he did it by signing the likes of Kawika Mitchell and Madison Hedgcock, 2 pieces of the Superbowl puzzle that were needed.

By: Michael C. Podlesny

About the Author:
Michael C. Podlesny is the co-host of the Big Blue Review, a weekly podcast featuring the latest news on The New York Giants. The podcast can be downloaded at http://bigbluereviewpodcast.blogspot.com/ or iTunes.

You can also view Mike's profile on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/mikes_new_york_giants

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