Feagles Coming Back

Super Bowl champion GM Jerry Reese and his staff have one less free agent to worry about. The Giants signed punter Jeff Feagles to a two-year extension on Tuesday.

Feagles, whose appearance in the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII victory over New England made him the oldest player in the game’s history (at 41 years, 333 days), will return for a 21st NFL season and sixth with the Giants.

"I still have some years left in me and I think I proved it this year," Feagles said. "And I just love being on this team now. I can’t say enough about the organization, either. The decision was really a matter of if the team wanted to sign me back, and they did, and I wanted to play, and then it was just a matter of getting together, working some numbers, and then doing it."

Feagles said his negotiations with assistant general manager Kevin Abrams were completed "in about a half-hour." He had said throughout the latter part of the season that he still enjoyed playing and wanted to remain in a Giants uniform. Feagles discussed his options with his wife, Michelle, and their four sons, all of whom were happy that he wanted to play.

"It made it so much easier with everybody living here," said Feagles, whose family briefly returned to Arizona when he almost retired following the 2005 season. "I think that has a huge part in this, where this is just my job.

"What I have been reliving the most (about the Super Bowl) is how special it was to have my family there and experience that. I can’t tell you, the words… I can’t express it. The game itself was a game, it was very nerve-wracking, but I wasn’t nervous at all in the game."

Feagles had another solid season in 2007. He punted 71 times in the regular season and had a 40.4-yard gross average and a 36.0-yard net average. Feagles placed 25 punts inside the 20. His consistency never wavered in the postseason, when he had 19 punts and his gross average was an impressive 40.4 yards. His net average climbed to 37.8 yards and he punted five balls inside the 20. Feagles was also flawless as the holder for Lawrence Tynes’ placekicks. He worked all season with two rookie snappers in Jay Alford and Zak DeOssie.

It’s that steadiness and reliability that makes him so attractive to the Giants.

"We are happy to have Jeff back for a couple more years," Reese said. "He is a tremendous person and football player. Jeff is the captain of our special teams and has great leadership ability. He really did a special job handling the two rookie snappers and the young kicker."