There was a time far too long ago that the Pro Bowl roster would not be complete without a Giants linebacker on it.
From Brad Van Pelt in 1976 to Pepper Johnson in 1990, every Pro Bowl featured at least one of them. And, sure, for most of those years it was Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson repping Big Blue, but right beside them stood guys such as Carl Banks, who made it in '87, and other solid players, including Byron Hunt, Brian Kelley and Gary Reasons, who never really got their due.
Then came a gap until 1997, when Jessie Armstead came along and made it five straight years before Antonio Pierce broke another drought in 2006.
Since then, though, the true strength of the Giants' defense has come from the front -- the Michael Strahans, Justin Tucks, Osi Umenyioras and, more recently, the Jason Pierre-Pauls, Olivier Vernons and Damon Harrisons.
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The search for leadership and productivity in back of that has become a never-ending and often futile search. Remember Clint Sintim? Phillip Dillard? Greg Jones? Jaquian Williams? All were drafted. Most had high expectations that never worked out either because of injury or they just couldn't play.
Same with the acquisitions like Jon Beason, who enjoyed initial success until his body betrayed him.
Too long. Too many years with that big gap in the middle unit. But perhaps the new eyes of general manager Dave Gettleman have taken a first step to resolving that problem with his trade with the Los Angeles Rams for Alec Ogletree.
Come next Wednesday, the official start of the new league year, Ogletree will officially become the next big hope for that group for just a fourth- and sixth-round pick. Cheap enough, especially considering what the sixth-year veteran offers a depth chart that also includes a riser in B.J. Goodson.
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They will probably never equal the pure fear of The Crunch Bunch -- the Taylor, Carson, Van Pelt and Kelley quartet that terrorized quarterbacks and running backs from 1981-83 -- or the Big Blue Wrecking Crew of Taylor, Carson, Banks and Reasons that brought the first of four Lombardi trophies to East Rutherford.
But it could be a start.
For now, Gettleman isn't shooting that high.
Just a good, solid unit is all they need right now. Someone to cover a tight end or plug up a running game.
Someone to lead.
Ogletree, Gettleman hopes, will fit that need just fine. At an athletic 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, he's fast enough to execute new defensive coordinator James Bettcher's blitz-heavy schemes. Best of all, he'll provide leadership in the middle, having captained the Rams for two years.
Durability? He started all 16 games in three of his five years since the Rams drafted him in the first round (30th overall) in 2013. He started 15 last year, and was clearly one of the team's top defenders with 95 tackles, an interception, a touchdown, a forced fumble and two sacks.
He doesn't come cheap financially. Unless Gettleman works a little contract magic by converting some salary into bonuses, the Giants just took on an $11.6 million hit to a $23.5 million salary cap ceiling. But that's what a proven commodity costs in this day and age.
And, let's face it, after the luck they've had in recent drafts -- when former general manager Jerry Reese even deigned to draft a linebacker -- getting a much-acclaimed veteran beats drafting a question mark.
Ogletree doesn't represent the means to an end. He's a means to a beginning. Maybe just the beginning of a beginning.
But considering the current state of Giants linebackers and their far-too-distant history of success, Gettleman has at least taken a step in the right direction with Ogletree.
They don't need another Crunch Bunch. They don't need another Wrecking Crew.
Good, sturdy and reliable would be plenty.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
