Herzlich, who survived cancer, says he's signed with Giants

Mark Herzlich, the Boston College linebacker who survived cancer, has signed with the New York Giants as a free agent.

Herzlich announced his decision Tuesday morning via his official Twitter account.

"Decision is made I will be a #GIANT can't wait to get to #NYC. Thank you for everything." Herzlich wrote.

Herzlich was ranked No. 1 on NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwan's list of top undrafted free agents this week.

Speaking to NFL Network on Tuesday, Herzlich said the decision to sign with the Giants boiled down to two things.

"It's all about opportunity and fit," Herzlich said. "I felt like this was the best opportunity to not only make a team but grow, get a job, go from there, get great coaching."

Herzlich said he also considered two other teams.

"Two other teams I was high on were the Eagles and the Ravens," Herzlich said. "I talked a lot with the coaches and the staffs. Both are great organizations as well."

Herzlich was chosen ACC defensive player of the year after his sophomore season at BC. He was diagnosed with bone cancer and missed the 2009 season. He returned in 2010 and started all 13 games for the Eagles. He had 65 tackles, forced two fumbles and intercepted four passes.

"We are excited to give him the opportunity to see if he can make it in this league," said Giants chief executive and co-owner John Mara. "He's a great kid who had obviously been through a lot. I'm in favor of the signing and, in fact, I suggested it. We think of him as being a prospect."

Herzlich was struck by the condensed period in which to make his decision.

"The phone has been crazy, starting 7:30, 8 o'clock last night," he said Tuesday. "Different teams were contacting myself directly as well as my agent, just getting information out there that they were interested.

"Three months of recruiting wound down to 12 hours."

Herzlich, 23, was on everybody's watch list after his big season in 2008, when he had 97 tackles, including 12 tackles for losses, 1.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

However, he was diagnosed during the following offseason with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Doctors said he might never play football again.

After hours of wondering "why," he said he focused on the future in a telephone interview with The Associated Press before April's NFL draft.

"You have to look past that and see that you have something that you want to live for, you want to beat the cancer for," Herzlich said. "That was my focus the whole time. You can't really look back over your shoulder and think what could have been. You have to kind of just push forward and see where I'm going to get to."

He had a tumor removed from his left leg and a titanium rod inserted. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here