NFC East: TIDBIT: Coughlin Discusses Arrington

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There were a lot of reports that teams shied away from linebacker LaVar Arrington for two reasons. One was the condition of his knees, the other was that he was considered a player who freelanced a lot with the Redskins. Some teams worried his knees would degenerate over the next couple of years, which scared them away. They thought he'd be good to go for two or three years, but the risk wasn't worth a mega-deal. The Giants thought his knees good enough to give him a seven-year, $49 million deal that is loaded with incentives. As for the freelancing, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said that has been overblown. "I didn't see it," Coughlin said. A head coach from one other team backed that up. Coughlin is excited about what he has seen from Arrington, who is playing the strong-side linebacker position. "He hasn't done any of that (freelancing)," Coughlin said. "He's been in the weight room since he's been here. He brings vitality and a personality to the locker room. He's a big, strong man. He's under 260 with low, low, body fat. He's a physical guy we really needed." With end Mike Strahan and Osi Umenyiora in the pass rush up front, look for Arrington to bring it from the linebacker spot. If he stays true to the defense, he can make an impact like he did in the Redskins NFC playoff game victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January. "He had a heck of a game," Coughlin said. "We think he's going to be able to do those types of things for our defense."