Aug 30, 2008 - 6:39 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The New York Giants on Saturday trimmed their roster to 53 players by removing 23 players and signing one - veteran kicker John Carney.
Carney, 44, who split the 2007 campaign between Kansas City and Jacksonville, provides the defending Super Bowl champions with insurance for Lawrence Tynes, who has been unable to kick due to a knee injury suffered during training camp.
This will mark the 21st NFL season for Carney, who ranks fifth on the all-time list with 1,812 points. He has a success rate of 81.9 percent (425 of 519) in the regular season and has connected on 537 of 545 extra point attempts.
Carney connecting on 12-of-14 field goal attempts and 27-of-28 extra points for 63 points in 2007.
"I haven't found anything better to do yet," Carney said of continuing his career in football. "I've been training and I feel good. I feel strong and healthy. I'm motivated to continue my career.
"I felt good about the way things worked out last year, when I filled in for an injured kicker down in Jacksonville. Then I finished the season with Kansas City and things worked out well. I felt confident if I continued to train and hope, I would get some more opportunities here in 2008."
With Tynes still sidelined, general manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin grabbed the most reliable kicker available.
"We went with experience," Reese said.