He tried to recruit both of them. He traveled to Big Stone Gap, Va., to get Thomas Jones and headed to Florence, Ky., to land Shaun Alexander. Only one of the visits proved to be successful for Ivy Williams, the running backs coach at Alabama.
“I think I got the better of the two,” Williams told The Post yesterday from his office in Tuscaloosa.
The player he got was Alexander, the same player he’s sending off to the NFL, the same runner who will be a first-round pick in Saturday’s NFL draft.
It’s the same player who could be the Giants’ selection with the 11th overall pick.
“Too good to be true,” Williams said of Alexander. “He’s got no glitches on him.”
That appears to be the consensus on Alexander. No glitches. Not on the field, where he performed at a high level for the Crimson Tide, playing his best the bigger the game. Not in personal workouts, where he dispelled doubts about his speed by clocking in at between 4.44 and 4.49 in the 40-yard dash. Not off the field, where he is the product of a solid, two-parent upbringing, where he graduated from college in four years, where he is so community-minded that he has already established a foundation to help educate children in need.
Sounds like the sort of player and person the Giants want to add to their locker room and backfield.
It seems possible the Giants will have a decision on their hands when they are on the clock with their first-round pick, as two of the draft’s top four running backs should still be available.
Most likely, Jones will be gone. Most likely, Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne of Wisconsin will still be on the board. Most likely, either Alexander or Jamal Lewis of Tennessee, but not both, will be there for the Giants.
It would shock many in the Giant organization if their first pick is not a running back. The only other position they would consider is linebacker, but there is excellent depth there and they probably can get a quality player in the second round. The Giants have not said much publicly about Alexander, while coach Jim Fassel has gushed about Dayne. But don’t read too much into that.
There are no issues with Alexander. Lewis has a major knee injury in his past, which has to be considered; Dayne has his uncommon size (260 pounds), which raises doubts about his long-term durability. Alexander comes with a clean slate. He’s a classic runner and a classy person, a combination the Giants will find difficult to pass up.
“This kid is a diamond in the rough,” said Richard Katz, Alexander’s agent. “He’s a great football player on the field and he’s probably a better person off the field.”
Alexander is looking to give back, even though he has not yet cashed in on his soon-to-be first-round selection. The Shaun Alexander Family Foundation has already been incorporated as a non-profit organization, designed to raise money for disadvantaged youngsters. The first fund-raiser is July 7 in Tuscaloosa.
“He’s going to be a great guy in the community,” Williams said. “What the football people want to know is what separates him from the other guys. I tell them you can’t give the guy nothing. The guy loves to be challenged. He knows exactly where he’s going and where he’s come from. I wish I had another two or three guys like him. He’ll have those people eating out of his hand up there in New York.”
If he gets to New York, it will be because the Giants love what he can do with the ball in his hands. As a red-shirt freshman, he gained 291 yards and scored four touchdowns in one game against LSU. He caught 25
passes as a senior, and his skill
as a receiver truly impresses the Giants. In his final game, he ran for 161 yards and three TDs in an Orange Bowl victory over Michigan.
“He has great vision, that is something you can’t coach,” Williams said. “He’s a great cutback runner. The thing he’s going to do in that league that a lot of guys can’t do, he can walk out in space and run a route and put some great demands on a linebacker trying to check him.”
Giants yesterday announced the signing of CB Dave Thomas, an unrestricted free agent from the Jaguars, and the re-signing of C Derek Engler. Thomas started 35 games in five years in Jacksonville and likely will fill a third-corner and special-teams role. Engler made four starts last season, replacing injured Brian Williams, and provides depth at center.