NFC East Notes: Giants sign LB Aaron Curry

Matt Barkley doesn't plan on taking it easy in his rookie year. The Eagles' fourth-round pick is ready to compete with Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Dennis Dixon for the starting quarterback job (see story).

Eagles top pick Lane Johnson isn't rushing to experience early success or even sign a contract. Instead, Johnson wants to focus on getting through minicamp (see story).

Here are some notes around the NFC East:

Giants sign LB Aaron Curry
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants are giving linebacker Aaron Curry a second chance at making it in the NFL.

The Giants on Friday signed Curry to a one-year contract, hoping the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft can reinvent himself after showing little while playing with Seattle and Oakland in what has been a disappointing career.

"We're always looking for players and we like giving guys second opportunities," general manager Jerry Reese said after the Giants finished the first session of a two-day minicamp for rookies and free agents. "He's worked hard to get back and he worked out well for us. If he didn't work out well for us we wouldn't be fooling around with this. But he worked out for us well. He was the fourth pick in the draft a few years ago, so obviously we think he has some talent. We had him rated high back then.

"We'll see what happens this spring with him."

New York wanted to draft a linebacker last month after it lost middle linebacker Chase Blackburn to free agency and released weakside linebacker Michael Boley. However, the Giants never found the value when they picked.

Curry wasn't immediately available for comment, but he tweeted: "Excited to be a Giant!!!"

-The Associated Press

Cowboys’ Frederick out to prove doubters wrong
Travis Frederick wasn’t the sexiest pick for the Cowboys at No. 31 in last month’s NFL draft.

With Eddie Lacy still on the board, many Dallas fans wanted Jerry Jones to pick the Alabama running back, who happened to fall to the second round, but Dallas opted to fill a position of need with Frederick.

While some pundits thought Frederick was a mid-round pick, the Cowboys saw him as a first-round talent. At the opening of the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp (via ProFootballTalk), Frederick made it clear he’s ready to prove those doubters wrong.

“I can prove some people wrong,” Frederick said. “The first thing I need to do is establish myself, establish myself as a worker, someone the guys can trust, somebody they believe in the weight room and somebody they believe in on the practice field. After that, I think things start to come into place.”

Frederick is expected to start for the Cowboys.

Skins’ Rambo ready for clean slate
Bacarri Rambo was once projected to go in the third or fourth round. But off-the-field problems dropped his draft stock.

Enter the Redskins. Washington selected Rambo in the sixth round in last month’s NFL draft and the 22-year-old safety is ready for a clean slate. Rambo served two drug-related suspensions while at Georgia, which he says are behind him.

“I’ve moved on from that,” Rambo said (via CSN Washington). “I’m not worried about that. That’s my past and I can’t really do nothing about that.”

Rambo had 16 career interceptions -- three returned for touchdowns -- in 36 starts at Georgia. He wasn’t the only safety the Redskins picked in the draft.

Two rounds earlier, the Redskins took Phillip Thomas out of Fresno State, who likely is ahead of Rambo to start at free safety.

But that’s not going to deter Rambo.

“Every job is open; this is business,” Rambo said, when told 21 of last year’s 22 starters are returning. “Every job is open. You have to go out there and do your best every day. You can’t take a day off.”