Sending a strong signal that a youth movement is coming, the Giants shook up their roster yesterday by releasing veteran tackle Luke Petitgout and linebackers LaVar Arrington and Carlos Emmons.

The timing of these roster moves is almost as surprising as the moves themselves. Mid-February is usually slow in the NFL, as teams wait until later into the off-season to cut veteran players. These were the first major personnel moves of new general manager Jerry Reese, who apparently wants to act quickly in reshaping the Giants’ roster.

“Luke has been a valuable performer for our team,” Reese said in a statement on the Giants’ Web site. “Throughout his career he showed his versatility and toughness. Because of that, this was a difficult decision, but it was one we felt we had to make to take the first steps in improving our team for 2007. Carlos has had a tough time staying on the field consistently because of injuries the past couple years. LaVar’s situation is unfortunate because he was just starting to really become a factor in our defense at the time of his injury.”

The release of Petitgout came as a major surprise. The Giants’ firstround pick in the 1999 NFL draft, Petitgout has been the team’s best all-around offensive lineman for several years. He played left guard as a rookie, started every game at right tackle in his second and third seasons and has started at left tackle, the most important position on the line, since 2002.

A broken leg ended Petitgout’s 2006 season after just nine games, but his leg should heal in plenty of time for him to play effectively in 2007. The decision to release him doesn’t mean the Giants think Petitgout is finished, but it does mean they think he’s worth less than the $5 million he would have made for the 2007 season. It’s still possible that the Giants will try to re-sign Petitgout, but if they do, they’ll face competition for his services, as left tackles are always sought after in the NFL. The Giants will also likely try to re-sign Shaun O’Hara, their starting center for the last three seasons, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next month.

With Petitgout gone, the Giants will likely fill the hole at left tackle through either the draft or free agency. It’s possible that a lineman already on the roster, such as veteran backup Bob Whitfield or starting left guard David Diehl, could take Petitgout’s place, but either of them would represent a big step down, and as the Giants try to develop Eli Manning into a top-flight quarterback, it would be foolish to have a second-tier tackle protecting his blind side. Manning lost his best safety valve when Tiki Barber made his retirement official yesterday, and he’ll need good pass protection next year.

Teams rarely sign top-notch left tackles as free agents. The best available this year will be Leonard Davis of the Arizona Cardinals and Damion McIntosh of the Miami Dolphins. There’s no guarantee either of them would be an upgrade over Petitgout. Taking a left tackle in the draft is a crapshoot. Although some, like the Jets’ D’Brickashaw Ferguson, are ready to start as rookies, many others take time to develop, and the Giants don’t have that kind of time if they want to keep Manning in one piece.

The Giants signed Arrington, a free agent from the Washington Redskins, to a contract last year that was announced as a sevenyear, $49 million deal. Now Arrington’s Giants career has ended after just six games. Arrington’s 2006 season ended when he suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon against the Dallas Cowboys.

By cutting Emmons and Arrington, the Giants got rid of the two outside linebackers who entered the 2006 season as starters. The move indicates that new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo envisions an overhaul of the defense. Spagnuolo, who has been the Philadelphia Eagles’ linebackers coach for the last eight seasons, has a background in defensive schemes in which the linebackers’ primary role is to rush the quarterback. That contrasts sharply with Tim Lewis, the Giants’ defensive coordinator for the last three seasons, who preferred to drop the linebackers into pass coverage. Emmons and Arrington are better in coverage than they are as pass rushers, so the hiring of Spagnuolo may have made them obsolete.

If the Giants are willing to spend heavily in free agency, they might be able to sign one of the two top linebackers available, Adalius Thomas of the Baltimore Ravens or Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears. Of the two, Thomas is more of a pass rusher and therefore a better fit for Spagnuolo.

No matter how the Giants replace the three players they cut, they’ll be a younger team next year. Emmons is 33 years old and Petitgout is 30. Arrington is only 28, but he’s had several knee injuries in his sevenyear NFL career, and even if his Achilles’ tendon fully heals, he seems unlikely ever to regain the speed and explosiveness that once made him an elite linebacker. Reese will look for younger and healthier players to take their places.

Youth movements help in the long run, but they usually lead to teams taking a step back in the short term. Giants coach Tom Coughlin’s job is on the line in 2007, and yesterday’s moves will make his job more difficult.

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.