Tom Coughlin said the Giants practiced for the first time Thursday as if preparing for a game. The session included extensive work on two-minute drills. Most of the time, backup quarterbacks Jared Lorenzen, Tim Hasselbeck and Anthony Wright ran the offense, since starter Eli Manning figures to be long out of the game before a two-minute drill opportunity arises. "We did a lot of mixing people in today," Coughlin said. Coughlin said the order of the quarterbacks Saturday will be Manning, followed by Lorenzen and Wright. Hasselbeck will play if time allows; otherwise he will wait for the second game. Coughlin would not say how long Manning will play.

Steve Smith and Sinorice Moss have been two of the early stars of training camp and they will get a huge stage tomorrow night when they start across from each other in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers at Giants Stadium. With Toomer limited while recovering from knee surgery and Plaxico Burress hobbled by two problematic ankles, Moss and Smith both know this is their moment. Moss, a 5-8, 185-pounder out of Miami, has more to prove than Smith.
There was plenty of hype surrounding Moss when the Giants traded up in the second round to draft him in 2006. But he missed all of last year's camp with a quad injury that lingered throughout the season, limiting him to cameos in six games and just five catches for 25 yards. The Giants even admitted that if Moss had been healthy, they wouldn't have felt the need to draft Smith.
Amani Toomer was rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee and Plaxico Burress wasn't in attendance when David Tyree looked around at a meeting of the Giants' wide receivers this offseason and thought, "I'm the oldest guy in the room." Just like that, Tyree, who joined the team as a sixth-round draft choice in 2003, made the turn from youngster to veteran. "I'm no longer a younger guy," Tyree said this week at the University at Albany. "I'm in year five, the fourth year with this coaching staff. It's time for me to show myself in a different light."
That can be difficult at times. Speed is a valued commodity at wide receiver, and Tyree is not blessed with it in abundance. The Giants have several young, talented receivers who could beat Tyree in a footrace, including second-round draft choices Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith, as well as Michael Jennings. Tyree said he is able to compensate for his relative lack of speed thanks to the experience he's gained.

Thirteen days down. Thirteen days left. Giants camp touches the midpoint today. Through 18 practices and seven two-a-day sessions, the Giants managed to begin answering most of their pertinent questions. Of course the biggest -- does Michael Strahan ever plan to show up at the University at Albany -- remains unanswered. But that doesn't mean it's been an unproductive two weeks. Here's offer a recap, with highlights and lowlights, as well as some things to look for before camp breaks Aug. 23.

Derrick Ward sees a lot of similarities between himself and Reuben Droughns. "Me and him are exact replicas of each other," the Giants' third-string running back said the other day. "Same size, same weight, same everything." Well, almost. "But he's old," Ward said with a laugh after a long pause. "We call him 'Uncle Rube' now because he's the old guy."
Droughns, who turns 29 (the equivalent of late middle age for NFL running backs) in 11 days, might be the old guy. But he's also the new guy after arriving in a trade with the Browns in March. Despite two seasons of more than 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns on his resume, Droughns is the one learning from Ward and Brandon Jacobs, who have a combined zero career starts. Droughns said it has been Jacobs who has taken up the role of instructor, often imparting tidbits and advice he picked up from the retired Tiki Barber.

Of all the players gearing up for their first taste of live NFL action, Kevin Boss may find himself feeling the greatest culture shock. Boss, the Giants' rookie tight end, played at Western Oregon, a Division II school that does not have any sort of pipeline into professional football. "A tremendous leap now from where he was and what he's going to see in these pre-season games," tight ends coach Mike Pope said yesterday. "It's going to be a real learning experience, and hopefully he doesn't hyperventilate."

David Diehl skipped his summer vacation and turned to basketball drills to help him prepare to play left tackle for the Giants. "I have never been a guy to shy away from a challenge, and this is another challenge," said Diehl, who has been the team's most versatile offensive lineman. Now entering his fifth season with the Giants, the 26-year-old Diehl has started all 66 games in his career. He was a right guard as a rookie, a right tackle the following year and the left guard for most of the past two seasons, which included one start at right tackle and two more at left tackle at the end of last season.
With the release of veteran left tackle Luke Petitgout in the offseason, the Giants asked Diehl to move again - from left guard to left tackle. He had played the position in college, but doing it in the NFL is different. The left tackle normally defends against the opposing team's best and quickest pass rusher.

James Butler came out of nowhere -- actually, a tiny Georgia town called Climax and Georgia Tech -- to grab a roster spot with the .Giants in 2005 after going undrafted. He was supposed to learn the safety position and be a contributor on special teams. That rookie season, Butler did a little bit of both. He had two interceptions and started a game as the third safety in dime packages. The 6-3, 215-pound Butler has already earned the starting spot at strong safety. Gibril Wilson moved from strong to free safety in the offseason and Will Demps, third on the team with 116 tackles last year, is Wilson's backup.

If the Giants' kicking derby is based on experience, Josh Huston might as well go on home now and leave the job to Lawrence Tynes. A quick exit, though, is not on Huston's mind; he's intent on sticking around as the Giants' place-kicker. Huston said he hopes the battle is decided on the field and not by comparing resumes. The flip-side is Tynes' take on the situation. He was a solid kicker for the Chiefs the past three years as the NFL's first Scottish-born player, hitting 78.2 percent (68 of 87) of his field goal attempts. He has a track record to lean on, must be considered the favorite and sounds completely self-assured that the Giants did not send a conditional seventh-round draft pick to Kansas City just to cut him this summer.

Robert Douglas will play the first half. He has taken the vast majority of fullback snaps in camp, but Coughlin is not worried about overburdening him. "He is a really well-conditioned, very strong athlete," Coughlin said. "By virtue of the number of personnel combinations we have going, he gets a natural break. He would take, I would imagine, about 70 percent of the [practice] snaps at fullback." "This is my opportunity of a lifetime so I just have to suck it up," said Douglas, who has had basically practice squad stints with the Titans, Texans and Bucs.

If Michael Strahan retires, Marquise Gunn's chances of making the final roster as a rookie increase. When asked about that possibility, Gunn didn't take the bait. "Pass," he said. A veteran move. "I'm learning," he said with a chuckle. Gunn is also learning on the field. The undrafted free agent from Auburn has gotten off to a quick start at camp and has shown an ability to come off the edge. Earlier this week, with Strahan absent and Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck limited, Gunn got a chance to work with the first-team defense and recorded a sack. "Marquise Gunn is a nice, young free agent," DL coach Mike Waufle said. Gunn's decision to join a team with tremendous depth at defensive end might pay off if he continues to impress in camp.

Aug 9 - The Giants expect to be without their top two receivers Saturday in their first preseason game, against the Carolina Panthers at Giants Stadium. Plaxico Burress, nursing a sore ankle, said he feels better but doesn't expect to return to practice until Monday. Amani Toomer, still practicing once a day because of knee surgery he underwent in November, also will be held out. Tight end Jeremy Shockey, who returned to practice Wednesday after sitting out a day earlier with leg soreness, is questionable.
"It's a long season," Burress said. "We definitely have time to get back out there, getting our timing down." Other players likely to miss Saturday's game include linebacker Gerris Wilkinson (knee) and offensive lineman Todd Londot (ankle). Defensive tackle Fred Robbins (calf) also will be held out if he isn't feeling better by Saturday.

In the past three years, there has been much talk about coach Tom Coughlin being tough on his players -- especially from retired RB Tiki Barber. But Coughlin's training camps have actually been easier than many others around the league. Yesterday morning, the trend continued when Coughlin held a pads-free practice with a tempo that was little more than a walk-through. "I wanted to have a real good practice (last night)," Coughlin said of his decision to give the players a break in the first of the two-a-day sessions.
"I wanted to take some of the younger guys and some of the injured guys, get them involved in things they can do so they know exactly where they stand from a learning standpoint." Over the previous few days, several players suffered minor injuries. That's why Coughlin wanted to back off a bit yesterday. "We've had pretty much a guy every practice come out with a strain in the leg area," Coughlin said. "I'd like to get some of those guys back so we can start to count on who's going to be ready this Saturday night (against the Panthers)."

Coach Tom Coughlin all but officially announced Wednesday what everyone knew all along: Diehl will be the starting left tackle. The times when Whimper gets to run with the first unit, often with Diehl shifting to left guard and Rich Seubert moving to center, will be all but eliminated. "Diehl has played more steadily – obviously," Coughlin said. "He's the veteran player who has been out there and he's done a good job that way. Guy still has his moments, there's certain things that he's got to learn." So while Diehl's shortcomings are magnified by Umenyiora's speed, he generally has done a decent job. "I haven't been running around him at will," said Umenyiora, who added Diehl will get more help against speed rushers once the games begin.

Reuben Droughns is the veteran presence in the Giants' backfield. He's in his eighth NFL season, with more experience than all the other running backs in training camp combined. But Droughns has been taking a back seat to Brandon Jacobs. "I'm just letting him flow," Droughns said yesterday between practices. "He's got that type of mentality that he wants to be the guy you can count on. Right now, he's the starting running back." Jacobs, in the spotlight after two seasons as the short-yardage back, will try to fill the void left by Tiki Barber's retirement. He gets his first chance Saturday, when the Giants host the Panthers in the preseason opener.
After two seasons as Barber's seldom-used understudy, Jacobs is ready to step out of the shadows and carry the heaviest load in the Giants' backfield. But he won't work alone. On March 9, the Giants traded wide receiver Tim Carter to the Cleveland Browns to acquire Reuben Droughns, who has twice rushed for more than 1,200 yards in a season. In Jacobs and Droughns, the Giants believe they have two strong and powerful backs that can provide much of the production that was lost when Barber, the franchise’s career rushing leader, retired.

The Giants aren't asking Robert Douglas to be the greatest fullback of all time. They'll settle for a physical blocker cleaning out the congestion for Brandon Jacobs and a capable pass-catcher to serve as a safety-valve for Eli Manning. For the past four years, Jim Finn handled this specialized role, but he likely wasn't going to retain a roster spot this summer, even before shoulder surgery put him on season-ending injured reserve.
Upper management believed Douglas would win a camp battle and beat Finn out. It's not as if the Giants did not make their intentions known. During the offseason they signed Vonta Leach to an offer sheet, but the Texans matched and retained their fullback. Douglas never has taken a snap in an NFL game, but here he is, vying for a spot, with his chief competition unseen and unknown.

With Strahan sitting at home thinking about retiring, Amani Toomer is the only Giant in camp who played in the Super Bowl in January 2001. While all his old teammates are with other teams or moving on to life after football, Toomer has unfinished business. The 12th-year veteran feels he has plenty of football left in him and he does not want to go out after last season, when a partial tear of his left ACL ended his season after eight weeks. "It is real strange," Toomer said yesterday of being at camp at the University at Albany without Strahan and Barber. "But I have held on so long and if I get another shot at that ring, that is what I want." "I haven't achieved my goals, going to a Pro Bowl and winning a Super Bowl."
Amani Toomer remains on a once-a-day practice schedule and will miss this Saturday's exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers. But strong practices Tuesday, during which he made a one-handed catch along the sideline, and Wednesday suggest that Toomer is inching closer to full strength. He said he feels "about 90 percent." Indeed, how Toomer's knee feels figures to go a long way toward determining the success of the Giants' offense. Last year, with Toomer out for the last eight games, opponents shackled fellow receiver Plaxico Burress and tight end Jeremy Shockey with double-teams. The offense stalled, and the Giants, who started 6-2, finished with an 8-8 record.

Gerris Wilkinson spoke to reporters yesterday for the first time since being injured and said another player fell onto the side of his right knee while he was engaged with a blocker. "It's disappointing, especially because I usually never get hurt," he said. "It's just something to deal with, something to come back from."
With Wilkinson's expected recovery time set at about a month, it's safe to say Kawika Mitchell will be the opening-game starter against the Cowboys on Sept. 9. It will be his 43rd consecutive regular-season start, albeit at a different position and with a different team after signing with the Giants in the spring. "It's too far to look back," Mitchell said when asked if he made the right decision in accepting the Giants' one-year offer. "I'm happy with where I am. I'm never satisfied, but I'm definitely pleased with this situation, being on this team and in this spot."

Mathias Kiwanuka sees Saturday night's preseason opener against Carolina as a testing ground of sorts. After absorbing Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey's general abuse in pass coverage since training camp started, the Giants' new strong-side linebacker will welcome seeing someone like Michael Gaines, who was the Panthers' starting tight end last season. If Kiwanuka can show some command of coverage against an opposing starter in a game situation, he'll put some real peace in the mind of Tom Coughlin. And Coughlin could use a little of that now. The continued absence of Michael Strahan as he mulls retirement, plus the injury to Gerris Wilkinson's right knee have all but removed any flexibility of moving Kiwanuka back to defensive end.
During his rookie season, Kiwanuka started nine games, had 55 total tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Everyone still remembers the play he didn't make, letting Tennessee quarterback Vince Young go on what would have been a game-clinching sack against the Titans because he was worried about getting a roughing penalty. With Strahan's holdout now in its 13th day, there is the possibility that Kiwanuka might be moved back to defensive end if Strahan decides to retire after 14 seasons. Kiwanuka isn't thinking that way. He sees himself as a linebacker now.

Barry Cofield, the Giants fourth-round selection, seemingly came out of nowhere to start all 17 games at nose tackle. Only four rookie defensive linemen started every game in the 2006 NFL season. Three of the four were first-round selections - Mario Williams, drafted first overall by Houston, Haloti Ngata, taken 12th overall by Baltimore, and Tamba Hali, who was the 20th pick by Kansas City. The fourth player was selected 104 picks later. "Being a second day pick, a lot of those guys don't even make the team," said Cofield, the 6-4 306-pounder out of Northwestern. "A lot of them are on the practice squad or getting released, so to start 17 games for a team that went to the playoffs is something no one could have expected."

Jared Lorenzen knows the deal. He could certainly throw out some old chestnuts about wanting to be the best, wanting to push Eli Manning for the starting job and how wanting anything less (or admitting as much) would be career suicide for an NFL player. But Lorenzen is different, just as his 6-4, 275-pound build is different from most quarterbacks. "I want to push Eli, but I do that knowing full well there's no possibility of me starting," said Lorenzen, who will back up Manning tomorrow night against the Panthers in the Giants' first preseason game.
"I know if I have to play, it's a big leap down to me. I'm just trying to make the leap a little smaller." The third-year lefthander is already No. 2 on the depth chart, ahead of Anthony Wright and Tim Hasselbeck. Lorenzen has shown very good arm strength and accuracy, attributes that made him the backup last season.

Aug 8 - Brandon Jacobs saw a hole in the left side of the line and hit it. A split second later, the big halfback was stopped cold by Kawika Mitchell, the New York Giants' new linebacker. Less than two weeks into training camp, Mitchell has shown he isn't afraid to hit anyone -- and that he's having no problems making the adjustment from middle to weakside linebacker. "It's been pretty easy, to tell you the truth. I don't have to worry about all the responsibilities," Mitchell said Tuesday. "It's been nice. It's a lot of pressure off of me. I can just go out and make plays."

Just as the Giants' defensive backs and linebackers are excited about new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's more aggressive defense, the tackles are also looking forward to making things happen. Even the big guys in the thankless middle of the defensive line are eager to initiate rather than react to what the offense brings, as the Giants defense did the last three seasons under Tim Lewis. "I was back on my heels a lot of times, and by the time I saw it was a pass, there was a long way to go," Barry Cofield said. "What we're doing this year should help us in the passing game as well as against the run."

When Osi Umenyiora was asked what effect on him the possible retirement of Michael Strahan would have, he contributed the following headline-making material. "It doesn't matter," Umenyiora said. Don't bother to stop the presses. This was not a backlash against Strahan. Entering his fifth season, Umenyiora believes the resume he's already put together with the Giants has earned him special attention from opposing coaches in the form of constant double-teams and star-player treatment from the guys on the other side. Whether Strahan is here or not.

Mathias Kiwanuka probably thought that letting go of Vince Young prematurely was the hardest thing he would experience as a Giant. That was before he entered a three-month crash course on how to become a linebacker, studying films and learning to become comfortable in his new space a few yards behind where he used to line up with one hand in the grass at defensive end. But the toughest task in the new position is covering tight ends such as Jeremy Shockey.

Who's Hot? - WR Amani Toomer looks like he's getting better with age. He and QB Eli Manning continue to hook up for short and long completions. ... S Michael Johnson, who laid a huge hit on former Don Bosco Prep RB Ryan Grant on Monday night, jumped a route by TE Darcy Johnson to intercept a pass from QB Anthony Wright. ... DE Marquise Gunn continues to come free off the edge.

Surveying six prominent NFL preview publications, three pre dicted the Giants would finish third in the NFC East, and three picked them to finish last. The crystal balls through which they prophetize have historically proven murky. When Amani Toomer played at Michigan, the college football preview magazines he read puzzled him. "They used to have Michigan ranked No. 1 every year, a one or two, or in the top 10, and I was like, I don't think we're that good," Toomer said. "That's when I started thinking I don't know if these guys really know what they're talking about." He's right, of course. Many of the preview magazines predicted last year that the Carolina Panthers would make the Super Bowl, but few if any foresaw the New Orleans Saints' remarkable revival.

The fact that Ryan Grant was still standing yesterday proved the Nyack native belonged at Giants training camp. Whether he belongs on the final roster of running backs will remain undecided until coach Tom Coughlin starts paring down that crowded field on Aug. 28. But the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder out of Notre Dame, here in his second training camp in three years, made quite the impression at the end of a live goal-line drill Monday evening. It happened on the first and last plays of the drill.
First, he was stopped short of the end zone when the fullback missed a block on rookie safety Michael Johnson, who came wide-open and blew up Grant. Two plays later, Grant shook off a big slam in the side from fourth-year linebacker James Davis and plowed through as big defensive tackle Jonas Seawright drove him into the ground. But is he good enough to earn a spot among a backfield headed by Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns, and supported by Derrick Ward and seventh-round rookie Ahmad Bradshaw?
The Giants probably will keep four runners, with rookie Ahmad Bradshaw, because of his speed, shiftiness and kick return potential, the fourth. That leaves Ward, who has been hampered by injuries in three previous seasons, and Grant vying for the No. 3 spot. Grant got most of the work Tuesday as Ward watched from the sidelines. "He's a little sore," coach Tom Coughlin said of Ward, "but he's been having a good camp." The job in contention will entail a few runs from scrimmage, but also could encompass the third-down duties. The Giants' coaches have yet to address, in depth-chart manner, the need to replace Tiki Barber in the shotgun. They will have to do so by Saturday night's opening exhibition game against Carolina at Giants Stadium.

Watch any Giants practice here or hang around outside the team cafeteria and before long, Rich Seubert will catch your attention. Training camp is no favorite of any player, but just try dragging him away. Seubert will be barking in the huddle, making menacing gestures toward the defense, maybe even instigating a scuffle and then shrugging it off a few minutes later. He makes fun of himself, plans pranks on unsuspecting teammates. He shows how much he appreciates all this with every move he makes.

As the cornerback in a Cover 2 defensive call, Aaron Ross had two options: Sprint forward to cover the running back in the flat, or turn and run toward tight end Kevin Boss, who was running a flag route behind him. Ross took too long to decide. By the time he started to break for Boss, Jared Lorenzen's pass was on its way. Ross leapt while falling backward, the ball sailing a few centimeters above his outstretched right hand and into Boss' hands for a deep completion.

Dedicated and astute Giants fans who travel here to attend training camp practices might spend as much time watching David Diehl as they do focusing on more publicized stars like Eli Manning and Jeremy Shockey. With good reason. Diehl is the Giants' new left tackle, and his performance will go a long way in determining the team's offensive efficiency this season. "I know it's a position that people highly look at," Diehl said prior to practice at the University at Albany.
"You're protecting the blind side of the quarterback and I understand that. I'm an offensive lineman, so of course I know how important it is to have a good left tackle and be a guy who is solid and protects Eli's blind side." Diehl inherited the position when the Giants released Luke Petitgout in January. Although second-year pro Guy Whimper has also taken first-team snaps at left tackle, Diehl is pretty well entrenched.

Numerous NFL kickers have played into their 40s. They have the game experience coaches crave when choosing a kicker. So how does a young, unproven kicker break into the league? They keep trying until they finally catch a break. This is something that Josh Huston, the Giants' first-year kicker out of Ohio State, knows very well. "This league is in love with vets," said Huston, who is competing in training camp with veteran Lawrence Tynes to be the Giants' kicker. "It doesn't matter how many years, as long as you have that year. The NFL loves experience, especially at a specialized position. It's tough to break in, get a game here or there and get that year. So hopefully, this is where I can get that year and just continue to play."

Former Giants
Former Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead owns two car dealerships in New Jersey and another in Westchester County but cannot separate himself from football. That's why he's here at training camp, working as a volunteer assistant coach, with the hope of one day soon breaking into the NFL coaching ranks.

Aug 7 - Tom Coughlin has demanded more playing and less predicting from his Giants, but this was no running back or pass rusher spitting out his mouthpiece to violate the code Monday. This was Coughlin's new boss talking about winning the Super Bowl, and no, Jerry Reese was not referring to next year or the year after that. His cap pulled low over his eyes, his tone growing more definitive with every word, the 40-something general manager leaned against a car in his training camp parking lot and said his team is good enough to take Super Bowl XLII next February in the Arizona desert.
"I think we have as good a chance as anyone else in the NFC East, really in the National Football League, period, to win the whole thing," Reese said. The whole thing? "There's no question in my mind," the GM confirmed. The 8-8 Giants finished 2-6 last season, then went one-and-done in the playoffs. They lost Tiki Barber, only the best offensive player the Giants ever dressed. They may have lost Michael Strahan, among the best defensive players in team history, right there in the group behind LT. Reese said he wasn't driven to make any major off-season acquisitions because he didn't see the opportunity or the need. Truth is, he figures Coughlin can win and win big with the current roster of Reese's pieces.

Though so many questions surround this year's Giants - will Michael Strahan actually retire, will coach Tom Coughlin survive his lame-duck status - Amani Toomer is a believer. For him, the mere ability to cut and sprint after missing the second half of last season for ACL surgery on his left knee is enough to fuel his endless tank of optimism. "He really seems to be getting in and out of his breaks well and he looks comfortable," said quarterback Eli Manning, whose offense went into its final tailspin last season after Toomer's injury.
Going into his 12th NFL season, the former second-round pick holds franchise records with 8,157 receiving yards and 22 100-yard games. He needs only six receptions to pass Tiki Barber as the team's all-time leader, and needs only one more touchdown to pass Kyle Rote's team-best 48. His best season came in 2002 when he finished third in the league with 1,343 receiving yards, but the Giants landed with a thud in the infamous San Francisco first-round playoff collapse.

Plaxico Burress doesn't mind if he's perceived as lackadaisical on the field, or as a player who takes plays off. He knows it isn't true, and the tapes don't lie, either. Burress' most underrated ability is blocking. He learned how to block rather unwillingly, spending his first five seasons with the run-heavy Steelers. He would have preferred to be a pass-catching dynamo, but instead he learned the art of holding a cornerback in check while the running back tries to find room along the sideline or outside the tackles.
He also learned by watching Hines Ward, widely considered to be the best blocking receiver in the NFL. "I don't stop running my route until the ball hits the ground and I don't stop blocking until the whistle blows. If people say I'm lackadaisical, maybe it just looks that way," Burress said. "If I make things look easy or like I'm not trying hard, well, that's just the talent I'm blessed with. I don't have to be making a whole lot of faces, and straining and all that. I'm playing hard."
Plaxico Burress said he expects great things out of himself and the offense this season mostly because new offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who filled that position for the Steelers when Burress was a rookie in 2000. Gilbride's best attribute, Burress said, is that he listens to players more than the fired John Hufnagel ever did. "I can actually talk to him during the game," Burress said. "I don't have to be throwing my helmet or throwing a fit because I can walk over and talk to him. We kind of tried (with Hufnagel) but it wasn't a really open relationship." Another thing Burress expects Gilbride will do, that Hufnagel often didn't, is make sure to call plays that put the ball in Burress' hands.

Cornerbacks play on the outside of the defense, but today they were in the center of the news coming out of the Giants training camp at the University at Albany. Kevin Dockery returned to work, first-round draft choice Aaron Ross missed practice for the first time and Corey Webster was given the okay to practice twice a day. Dockery was on the field for the first time since suffering a concussion in the very first camp practice nine days ago.
Dockery, who said he was "bored out of my mind" sitting in his dorm room, stood on the field and watched Saturday’s practices. This morning, he was in the center of the action. "It feels great to be back out there," Dockery said. "I just have to get my legs back and take it day-to-day, but the first practice went pretty good." Dockery is a smallish player at 5-8 and 188 pounds who made the team as a rookie free agent last year after first joining the team on a tryout basis. He played in 14 games and was one of seven players on the team with two interceptions. Only Dockery, however, returned one 96 yards for a touchdown, which he did in a victory at Dallas. He continued to impress the coaches with his strong play throughout the spring camps. Dockery is competing with Ross, Webster, E.J. Underwood and Gerrick McPhearson for playing time at corner behind Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters.

Antonio Pierce didn't need to read Michael Strahan's "letter to the fans" to know the defensive end's holdout isn't about the money. Now he thinks it's time for everyone else to start believing Strahan, too. "I think he thought he needed to (write that letter) for the fans because people have been ripping him and treated him, I feel, a little bit unfairly," Pierce said yesterday after practice at the University at Albany. "He just wanted to reach out to the fans because they can't have a chance to speak to him."
"The only way the fans get information is through the media. So Mike just felt that he needed to get his point across and let fans know, 'Everything you're hearing wasn't true.' As teammates we knew that." Meanwhile, the Giants continued to fine Strahan $14,288 per day, bringing his total to $157,168. The Giants have yet to give the 35-year-old a deadline or publicly say when they need to have his decision. But they are getting closer to a point where they'll have to begin making plans to move on without him. "We're not there yet," Tom Coughlin said. "But there may be (a point)."
Antonio Pierce, an only child growing up, said he took his cues from his mother Mary and grandmother Evelyn on how to deal with criticism. When he got to the NFL, he learned from former Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead, his teammate in Washington. "Even today, he keeps it fresh in my mind," Pierce said. "He says, 'You think you're good now, but you could do this better' or 'I did this when I played.' It's a competition, not only for myself but hearing it from somebody I respect." Armstead, who is serving as a coaching intern during camp, said of Pierce, "He's the one guy I've seen who comes closest to playing the game the way I did. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. We see the game the same way. I always told him to remember those guys who were drafted and that if he worked hard, he could be a Pro Bowl player."

Backup defensive end Tommy Davis went right around Guy Whimper on two consecutive plays yesterday. That's not a good sign for the 2006 fourth-round pick whom the Giants are trying to mold into a starting left tackle. But Whimper contends his play should be evaluated during his limited reps with the first-team offense. "It's a real big help," he said. "I'm in there with a lot of veterans. They know the schemes, they know a lot of stuff and can pick up the blitzes a lot better than when I work with the other group."
"It helps me focus on what I need to do, stay calm and have more confidence in myself. The communication is a whole lot better." Still, there's no arguing Whimper needs to improve his footwork and find a nasty streak necessary for the position. But perhaps these areas for the former East Carolina defensive end wouldn't be an issue if the team wasn't looking at him as a possible replacement for the released Luke Petitgout.

Hours before Lawrence Tynes was to leave for the Giants' minicamp in mid-June, his wife, Amanda, went into premature labor with their first children. Tynes, acquired from Chiefs in the off-season, called coach Tom Coughlin and was told to stay in Kansas City as long as needed. With his wife bedridden, he never left. His sons were born on July 6, nearly two months premature. They spent nearly three weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit, a precious time that Tynes got to hold and feed his infants. It's a memory he cherishes because the day they were discharged, he hopped on a plane for training camp, knowing he wasn't ready to compete for a job. Tynes is finally starting to hit the ball the way the Giants expected when they acquired the four-year veteran.

Former Giants
Visanthe Shiancoe may be starting his fifth season in the NFL, but he says he feels like a rookie all over again. When Shiancoe signed a five-year, $18 million deal in March, it was met with a collective “Who’s that?” from fans.

NFC East News
Eagles - Donovan McNabb turns 31 in November, and he is coming off his second season-ending injury in as many seasons. He leads a team with veterans at several key positions and believes the team is poised to take the next step. With McNabb, the Eagles lost three straight NFC title games before breaking through and eventually losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2005. McNabb went down with a knee injury and missed the final six games of last season. But the Birds staged a miraculous turnaround and fell a victory shy of reaching the NFC championship game.

Aug 6 - Shortly after 9 p.m. last night, Michael Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone, e-mailed a message from the Giants' all-time sack co-leader to several media outlets. But really, it was intended for the fans. In the statement, Strahan -- who caught the Giants by surprise the day players were to report to training camp by deciding not to show up -- said a few things about his current absence from training camp. But he didn't say when it would end.
Facing down more than a week of bad publicity and mounting frustration heaped on him for a situation of his own making, Michael Strahan has finally spoken - sort of. The star and very absent defensive end wants Giants fans to know that his holdout has nothing to do with money and everything to do with trying to figure out if he ever wants to play again.
Strahan's absence has been the focal point of Giants' training camp since the team reported to the University at Albany on July 27. He has missed 10 days and the team has fined him $14,288 daily. Strahan, who is to make $4 million this season, said the belief that he is holding out for more money is "nonsense." He said that football has been good to him and he is set for life financially. Strahan said his current decision is one of the biggest of his football career. He said he knew he would face it one day, but admitted he never realized how impactful and painful it would be.
He also vowed to "try to make the correct decision as quickly as possible" and begged for "patience so that I might arrive at my decision on my own terms. "I was hoping to make this personal decision quietly and without much hoopla," read the statement, which was released by Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone. "But given the recent torrent of erroneous media reports and totally inaccurate assumptions, I feel that I have to come forward and publicly set the record straight with those for whom I have toiled the last 14 years - you fans.

Sam Madison has played man-to-man defense for as long as he can remember. Corey Webster played it all through high school and college. They have both excelled in that scheme and struggled when they dropped into a zone. So why did the Giants' defense run mostly out of a zone last year? "It was the scheme that we were running at the time," Madison said. "I have no idea," Webster added. "I can't answer that question. I just know this year we'll do a lot more of man-to-man."
It was one of the first changes, and likely the most important one that new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo made when he took over for the fired Tim Lewis in January. He brought smiles to the faces of Madison, Webster and the rest of the Giants' secondary by installing an aggressive scheme that will line up the corners at the line of scrimmage. And he scrubbed Lewis' read-and-react zone in favor of an in-your-face man-to-man formation.
This year, with a new defensive coordinator in charge and an aggressive scheme in place, Gibril Wilson is expecting a return to his rookie form. "This is a big-play defense," he said the other day. "This is a defense where, if you do your job and play fast, there's not that much read. You have your initial read and after that, you just go. "I think that's going to free up guys to make big hits and make big plays." Make big plays -- as opposed to being worried about giving them up. Too worried, in fact. Under former coordinator Tim Lewis, Wilson and the rest of the defensive backs were coached to play more cautiously. It was one in which they had multiple checks to make during the course of a play and they were often instructed to stay off the receiver instead of challenging him and the quarterback. .

You search for a nice way to put it, a way that might not offend Jared Lorenzen. But he knows what you're getting at. "Novelty?" said the Giants' backup who knows that's pretty much what he's been -- a 280-pound quarterback, left-handed no less, who looks like he lost his way to the offensive linemen huddle and stumbled in with the QBs instead. Lorenzen is looking to change that. He needs an opportunity, and with Eli Manning around that won't come easily. But he knows he'll get plenty of snaps in the Giants' four preseason games, the first of which is Saturday night against Carolina at Giants Stadium.

Amani Toomer has been asked about a few other Giants - Michael Strahan, his longtime teammate, and young receivers Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith. Toomer is accustomed to being overlooked. But he's not ready to talk retirement, like Strahan, or about the future of the Giants' receiving corps, as with Moss and Smith. Toomer, as of now the longest-tenured Giant as he enters his 12th season, is only looking to prove his surgically repaired left knee is healthy enough for him to consistently contribute.

Aug 5 - Sunday on FOX 5 - Giants Training Camp 30 mins. A look at the team's preparations for the upcoming campaign. Included: preseason highlights and player features. (11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m).

Giants Day in Camp - LB Mathias Kiwanuka reached up to knock away a pass from QB Eli Manning in red-zone drills. ... TE Jeremy Shockey made a nice sliding catch on a low throw from Manning. ... WR Kevin McMahan and TE Kevin Boss made catches near the sideline and kept both feet in bounds. WR Michael Jennings did the same, though his morning was soured when he blocked on a called screen pass intended for him. The ball bounced off his back and resulted in an irate coach Tom Coughlin.

Osi Umenyiora enjoyed this first week of training camp. Despite not having good friend Michael Strahan around, Umenyiora is healthy and happy, especially after blowing past David Diehl for a "sack" of Eli Manning in practice. That's happened a lot so far, and it means nothing. Not simply because Diehl is still learning the left tackle position, or that statistics probably are kept only in players' heads during drills in pads and shorts.
David Diehl played two games at that spot late last season, after Bob Whitfield was benched for head-butting too many opponents. The fifth-year pro out of Illinois also has played left guard, right guard and right tackle. The Giants made a run at free agent Leonard Davis (who signed with Dallas) and tried to trade for Cleveland's Kevin Shaffer. They're impressed with the development of Guy Whimper, last year's fourth-round pick. But they kept coming back to Diehl, a fifth-round pick in 2003 who hasn't missed a game in his NFL career.
This is training camp where David Diehl, who has played right guard, right tackle and left guard in his five NFL seasons, is adjusting to life as the protector of Eli Manning's blindside. With second-year tackle Guy Whimper -- an admitted long-term project when he was drafted -- still struggling to learn the position, Diehl is by far the best bet to open the season at left tackle. That's why the urgency is evident with each mistake he makes. And for the record, every one of Umenyiora's sacks causes him to groan as well.

The ball came out of the large and meaty hand of Jared Lorenzen, cutting through the stillness of another overheated morning yesterday, a perfect spiral to the right sideline. Rookie cornerback Aaron Ross was in position to make a play but could not, as the placement and velocity of the football was in such synch that all Ross could to was reach upward in futility then whip his neck around to see another rookie, towering tight end Kevin Boss, make the grab in full stride before sliding to the grass. Check off another brilliant throw by Lorenzen.

Now Tiki Barber is gone and Brandon Jacobs has been elevated to the feature back role. Reuben Droughns was brought in from Cleveland to support him. Together they will form a different style running game minus the dash and splash of Barber. "We are definitely similar, although he's going to be a little tougher to bring down than me," said Droughns. "We're both aggressive, we both have some type of elusive skills and I know we can both catch the ball out of the backfield. "Basically we're two pound-it-out kind of guys."

Only a week remains before the Giants open their preseason schedule against Carolina, and head coach Tom Coughlin likes most of what he's seen on the practice field. "I like our attitude," Coughlin said yesterday after the team's morning workout. "There are obviously a lot of things I don't like, but I do like the way they come to work and I think they obviously get better every time they come out here. I mean, it's training camp. Some things are good, some things aren't so good." One of the things that definitely isn't so good is the status of defensive end Michael Strahan, who has said he is mulling retirement and has yet to make an appearance at training camp at the University at Albany.

Back in February of 2002, the Giants had a seven-year, $56 million contract on the table for Michael Strahan. The Giants wanted a two-tiered salary structure that would guarantee only about $17 million of that money, but Wellington Mara assured Strahan that was simply so the team could make sure to sign key free agents - notably kicker Morten Anderson - that offseason. Mara’s word was plenty good enough for generation after generation of Giants players. It wasn’t good enough for Strahan. So that original offer was rescinded, and replaced a few months later with one that guaranteed more money in front and about $10 million less overall. In the bargain, it meant the Giants couldn’t keep Andersen, which would prove to be haunting throughout the ill-fated 2002 season.
Michael Strahan has received plenty of TV exposure. In 2003, he was a member of ABC Sports' Super Bowl pregame crew. Strahan has also been a regular on Fox's "Best Damn Sports Show." Of course, there is his memorable deodorant commercial. None of these TV moments should have anyone - at least anyone with half a brain - running to hire him. Frankly, Strahan's most riveting TV performance came last season in the Giants locker room when he spit sandwich particles in a reporter's face.

Mathias Kiwanuka is now is as promising a prospect at linebacker as he was at defensive end when the Giants drafted him on the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Kiwanuka played impressively as a rookie, starting 10 games (including the NFC Wild Card Game) and registering 55 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions. But with an apparent surplus of players at end and a shortage at linebacker, the Giants switched Kiwanuka to fill the hole on the strong side left by the offseason releases of LaVar Arrington and Carlos Emmons. Kiwanuka is 6-5 and 265 pounds and has the speed, athleticism and instincts to make the transition. The early returns suggest the coaches have perfectly positioned Kiwanuka, so much so they have not considered moving him back to end despite Michael Strahan’s now nine-day holdout.

Kevin Boss is adjusting to life in the NFL and has opened some eyes too. In the fifth round, the Giants chose a tight end from the state of Oregon - but he played at neither of the state’s premier football schools. He is Kevin Boss, a 6-6, 253-pound tight end and former varsity basketball player from Division II Western Oregon University.

Aug 4 - Giants defensive end Michael Strahan will release a statement probably within the next two days, his agent told The Associated Press yesterday. Strahan, who is contemplating retirement, is unlikely to reveal a final decision in the statement. Rather, he will likely provide some insight into what he is thinking as he ponders whether to return for a 15th NFL season.
Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone, yesterday told The Post that Strahan will make a statement to explain himself to Big Blue loyalists in the coming days. "He's trying to decide if, emotionally and mentally, he can go through 24 weeks to try to bring the Giants a championship," Agnone said. "People are going to tell you it's about the money. It has nothing to do with money."

So you want to know if this will be Tom Coughlin's last year at the helm of the Giants? Leave it to Kenny to jump ahead to the final act when the curtain has barely gone up for the start of training camp. I know you're absolutely, positively, completely, 100 percent certain that Coughlin will crash and burn during a terrible season and he'll be sent packing.

It was 92 degrees here when the Giants took the field for practice at the University at Albany. The humidity made it feel even hotter, as did the pads and helmets the players wore to the fast-paced workout. The thunder and lightning that hit the area an hour into practice exacerbated the tropical feel of the afternoon. For many players, the conditions made it seem like they'd been sent to purgatory. But for Sinorice Moss, it was another little slice of heaven.

When the Giants drafted Steve Smith in April, it marked the second time in as many years they took a wide receiver with their second pick. Sinorice Moss didn't have the impact as a rookie last season that Smith hopes to have this year. Like Smith, Moss came in with high expectations to provide a speedy, young, pass-catching option besides veterans Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and tight end Jeremy Shockey. But a strained quadriceps in the first week of training camp hampered Moss all year, forcing him to miss all but six games. Moss smiles when he hears talk that he's behind Smith on the depth chart as the No. 3 receiver.
Second-round draft pick Steve Smith, the rookie from Southern California, put together a highlight reel of catches this week and convinced many he will make a big contribution this season. "He is amazing," backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen said. "His potential is just amazing, to come out there and play and to know what he already knows and we're still in the first week of camp is just incredible."
Incredible would be a great way to describe the catch Smith made on an Eli Manning pass along the right sideline during the evening practice Thursday. From the moment the ball left Manning's hand and traveled 20 yards downfield, it appeared headed right for starting cornerback R.W. McQuarters and a certain interception.

The Giants and quality linebackers haven't exactly gone together the last decade or so. The draft has been a relative wasteland for them at the position, and aside from Antonio Pierce, the free-agent talent brought in hasn't had enough of an impact. There's a good chance that could change this season. Mathias Kiwanuka is learning the strong-side position slowly, but his natural skills are promising. Pierce is entrenched in the middle as the defensive leader. Reggie Torbor, Chase Blackburn and Gerris Wilkinson, along with rookie Zak DeOssie, could give the Giants real depth. But maybe the biggest reason for optimism is Kawika Mitchell, who slipped in quietly as a free agent after four solid seasons with the Chiefs.

NFL News
Jeff Bergman was part of a group of officials who attended Giants training camp at the University at Albany this week to brief the players, coaches and media on rules changes and "points of emphasis" for the upcoming season. He said he was in Dallas at the NFL's annual officials' clinic when the Donaghy scandal broke, and said the news "was shocking for us."

Aug 3 - FOX 5 will kick off coverage with the "Giants Training Camp Report," beginning Sunday, August 5th from 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (EST). Continuing weekly through September 2nd, the half-hour series will bring viewers all the latest news and behind the scenes excitement from training camp through the preseason.
FOX 5 will air "Giants Game Plan" from September 9th throughout the season on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. (EST) Hosted by Bob Papa, Carl Banks and Harry Carson, the program will include interviews with Coach Tom Coughlin, players and legends, a preview and breakdown of the upcoming game, along with expert analysis and roundtable debates featuring writers and broadcasters and moderated by Papa and Pat Hanlon.
On My9, "Giants Access Blue" begins Saturday, September 8th at 10:30-11:00 p.m. (EST) Continuing for 52 consecutive weeks, "Giants Access Blue" is an all-access pass inside the lifestyles of the Giants players and coaches. The magazine style program includes interviews on topics such as personal passions, music, entertainment and pop culture, as well as exclusive videos and bloopers, showing the team as they have never been seen before. In addition, My9 will air four special broadcasts throughout the football season.

Michael Strahan has a signed contract to appear on Fox's NFL pregame show this season. But there's a catch - he can't retire. According to TV sources, the 35-year-old Strahan, who is holding out of training camp while contemplating retirement, has agreed to do a "player diary" once a month on "Fox NFL Sunday" - similar to what Eric Byrnes has done on Fox's baseball pregame show. But if Strahan isn't playing, the deal will fall through. That is the only deal Strahan currently has with Fox, according to one source. Regardless, sources close to Strahan continue to insist he has multimillion-dollar TV offers waiting for him if he decides to retire. Strahan has made regular appearances on Fox's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
Michael Strahan's agent contacted several teams in the offseason to determine their interest in either trading for the Giants defensive end or signing him if he were to be released, two sources told the Daily News yesterday. Agent Tony Agnone, with Strahan's blessing, placed calls, mainly in March and April, to teams they believed were in position to make a Super Bowl run, one source said. The idea was that new surroundings would rejuvenate Strahan. Certainly, Agnone felt he could also do better than the $4 million Strahan is scheduled to make this year with the Giants.

Giants defensive line coach Mike Waufle is in contact often - very often - with Michael Strahan. Via text message. The message is always the same: "Come back." "I feel he is too young to retire," Waufle said yesterday. This is Waufle's fourth year with the Giants and he doesn't want it to transpire without Strahan, who continues to stay away from camp. "There is nobody better in my 10 years in the league on Sundays," Waufle said. "He can just get it going, he has that spark where he can spark others.
Soon after Mike Waufle was named the Giants' defensive line coach in 2004, Michael Strahan sought out veteran lineman Dana Stubblefield, who played for Waufle in Oakland. He wanted a scouting report on his new position coach. "All he did was show us tapes of you," Stubblefield told Strahan. Waufle admired Strahan's work ethic, techniques, leverage and fire from afar before he joined the Giants. He admits he is very fortunate to have had the chance to coach his favorite defensive lineman ever, and hopes he will continue to get that chance. The seven-time Pro Bowl end will be 36 in November, but Waufle went to Super Bowl XXXVII with a team laden with players older than that. "I tell him, 'You are still a rookie compared to the Raider team that I had when Jerry Rice was 41, Rich Gannon and Tim Brown were 39, and Bill Romanowski and Trace Armstrong were 38,' " Waufle said. "You're still a young pup."

Defensive end Simeon Rice came and went this week with no contract signed, though he and the Giants kept the door open to a possible deal in the near future. According to someone involved in the negotiations, the Giants are interested in Rice, 33, though the team is taking a wait-and-see approach to his situation and have not yet made a contract offer. The person, who requested anonymity because negotiations could pick up in the future, said the Giants want to see how Michael Strahan's holdout plays out while waiting for Rice's injured shoulder to heal enough so he's available to play immediately.

There are moments on the field when Antonio Pierce can feel Michael Strahan's absence. When things aren't going well for the defense, he can feel everyone's eyes on him. "Guys are kind of looking to me like, 'Hey, say something. Let's get a word,'" Pierce said. "I've always had that feeling, so it's something I would do naturally. But now if I don't do it, it's kind of like, 'Uhhh.... ' Before, if I didn't do it, Strahan would definitely be right there."

Play after play, the ball was flung in the direction of Aaron Ross, the Giants first-round draft pick, a cornerback who surely will have better days. First, Jared Lorenzen threw one of his fastballs at David Tyree, who made a diving catch in front of Ross. Next, Sinorice Moss lost Ross on a fake and hauled in an Eli Manning pass. Finally, Ross failed to stick with Michael Jennings, who broke free but dropped a ball thrown directly into his hands by Manning.
If this were a fight, Ross would have been disqualified. "You're being tested today, Aaron Ross!" shouted secondary coach David Merritt. The Giants took Ross with the 20th overall pick in the NFL Draft, hoping that as early as next season he and Webster will supplant McQuarters and Sam Madison as the starting corners.

TE Jeremy Shockey did not practice at all yesterday because of what coach Tom Coughlin termed "upper leg soreness." Someone who spoke to Shockey said it's his left knee that is sore. The person, who requested anonymity because all injury information is supposed to come from coach Tom Coughlin, said it's soreness typically experienced by many players at the start of camp and won't keep Shockey out of action for long.

Wide receiver Steve Smith was selected by the Giants in the second-round of The 2007 NFL Draft. At 5-11 and 195 pounds, Smith provides the team's offense with a young, energetic and sure-handed receiver who is expected to be a key part of the team's attack this season. Smith has agreed to document his first NFL training camp with an exclusive diary you'll find only at Giants.com.
Great, great catch by rookie WR Steve Smith, who was boxed out by CB R.W. McQuarters, but still managed to rip the ball away from him and land in bounds along the sideline. As Tom Coughlin said this morning, "Steve has continued to catch the ball if it is possible to catch it."

Things have not gone smoothly for the Giants as they make the transition from two years with kicker Jay Feely, who signed with the Miami Dolphins. Kicker, Josh Huston, missed several weeks of workouts after an emergency appendectomy. Lawrence Tynes missed a minicamp when his wife went into preterm labor as he prepared to catch a flight bound for New Jersey. The biggest blow to the kicking game came Tuesday night when snapper Ryan Kuehl crumpled to the ground with a severely strained left calf.
Coach Tom Coughlin said Kuehl will be out several weeks at least, making it unlikely Kuehl will be available when the season begins in Dallas on Sept. 9. The Giants have nobody else who has snapped in a regular-season N.F.L. game. The backup lineman Grey Ruegamer slid into Kuehl's position Tuesday, but his snaps in practice drills came a split-second slower than they normally do from Kuehl. "All those kicks would have been blocked," Tynes said.

Aug 2 - Special Report - If Eli Manning isn't an enigma they need to change the definition of the word. He is everything that makes up the meaning of the word. He is at once brilliant and disappointing, competent and clumsy, more than promising and more than disappointing. He has thrown thousands of passes since last season ended, and in case you were overwhelmed by the fact that the Giants made the playoffs, their final record for the 2006 season was 8-9.
That's kind of an enigma, too. Well, this is going to be Eli's year -- one way or another.Either he is going to turn the pro football world on its head and become the next coming of, well, his big brother, or he is going to live in the annals of this often troubled franchise as a major disappointment. It should sort out this season, for one astounding reason -- the Giants just can't wait much longer.

The day Jeremy Shockey first speaks publicly in training camp is one that is usually eagerly anticipated by reporters who cover the Giants. The team's stellar tight end is usually controversial, humorous and provocative, and his occasional shots have kept tape recorders rolling and headline writers busy since he joined the Giants in 2002. But it was a different Shockey who stood before the media today at the University at Albany. He was quiet and careful, refusing to discuss some subjects and saying little about others that normally would elicit a memorable comment or two.
Coughlin's prayer for this Giants training camp, and the season for that matter, is for less chatter and more action. Players have been wearing T-shirts that read, "Talk is cheap, play the game." Shockey apparently will adhere to those wishes -- or at least has started his season more low-key than in the past. "I don't want to talk about that," Shockey replied Wednesday when asked about the overriding story at the University at Albany, the absence of defensive end Michael Strahan. "That's Mike's business, I respect him, he's a Hall of Fame player. What he's doing is none of my business." When asked about past frustrations about his role in the offense, he just said: "I don't want to talk about that. Other teams read it and maybe pick something up."
Shockey was later presented with an opportunity to talk about a topic he's rarely dodged -- coach Tom Coughlin. But again, he said nothing of note almost a year to the day after saying Coughlin "can be (a pain) but that's what you want your head coach to be" stirred up a few days' worth of headlines. "Tom has been the same Tom," Shockey said. "He's definitely the same coach who wants the best for the team. I haven't really seen a different side of him."
This is clearly a different side of Shockey. Of course, it will take a year of his consistently refraining from inflammatory remarks to begin to offset almost five seasons of his consistently putting his foot in his mouth. But Shockey's most bland interview in recent memory is good news for Coughlin. It means that, quite possibly, the least likeliest candidate is abiding by the coach's shut-up-and-play mantra this season.
Strange as it may seem, Shockey qualifies as the old guard when it comes to life with the Giants. With his flowing blond hair, tattoo-strewn arms, type-A personality, and ability to create a buzz whenever he opens his mouth, Shockey is not a leader in the traditional sense. He is, however, entering his sixth year with the Giants, and only Strahan (15 seasons if he returns), Amani Toomer (12) and Rich Seubert (seven) have been on the scene longer.

Simeon Rice admits his whole deal is unusual, him coming here to meet with the Giants, possibly taking the place of Michael Strahan. After all, it wasn't long ago that the two sack-master defensive ends engaged in a war of words over who was the better player.
Rice -- released last week by Tampa Bay because of a shoulder injury that cut his 2006 season short and after the Buccaneers had signed defensive end Gaines Adams, their first-round draft pick -- underwent a physical in Manhattan earlier in the day. Rice wouldn't reveal the results of the exam, nor would he say if the Giants had spoken to him or his agent about a contract. But one thing is clear: Rice doesn't believe he's bait to lure holdout Michael Strahan back into camp.
"Hey, I flew in," Rice said when asked if he felt the Giants were serious about signing him. "That's all I can say." While getting into the limo, Rice was asked if he'd be staying in town. "Nah, I'm out," he said as a Giants employee closed the car door. Actually, he was headed to dinner with Reese and a few other team officials. There were reports that he was to visit the Titans.
There was no immediate word on whether Rice, who is No. 2 in sacks among active players behind Strahan, would be offered a contract. Mara downplayed a report that Strahan felt betrayed because the Giants were fining him $14,288 for each day of his holdout. "He hasn't expressed that to us," said Mara, who said the team had no choice but to dock Strahan. "I'm not sure I believe that."
The team knew the recently divorced veteran was looking for more money, but was stunned when his agent said he was mulling retirement. Had the Giants known that the NFL single-season sack record holder was considering retirement, they might have made moves in the free agent market or drafted differently in April. "We would have liked to have gotten a little more notice," Mara said. "I understand the fact that he is just undecided about what he wants to do. Sometimes these things happen.

The Giants have already gone as far as they plan to go to convince Michael Strahan to emerge from hibernation and resume his NFL career. They will not renegotiate his contract and will not keep asking him to come back. The next move is up to him. "We're not going to beg him to come in," co-owner John Mara said yesterday. "I think we've expressed to him pretty clearly we want him to come in. We're a better team with him on the field. But he's got to make this decision, ultimately."
Giants president John Mara and chairman Steve Tisch expressed optimism that Michael Strahan will play this season. But Mara said the team will not renegotiate Strahan's contract to entice him to he come here. And both owners said Strahan must decide if he wants to play a 15th season with the Giants or retire.
Giants fans are almost universally in favor of the team's hard-line stance against Strahan, and a lot of folks probably wouldn't be unhappy if he disappeared. But Giants fans should also remember the contract squabbles and distractions of many veterans before Strahan. Lawrence Taylor held out. Phil Simms griped about money. So did Harry Carson, who threatened to retire a handful of times. Joe Morris once walked out on the team the night before the 1986 regular-season opener in a contract dispute. So no one should act as if Strahan's indecision is anything new. But like it or not, Strahan is one of the most important players on the Giants. Consider: Since 2004, the Giants are 22-12 with Strahan in the lineup, and 3-13 without him.

Giants need a healthy Toomer to win. The Giants' receiver was back to practice after rehabbing his reconstructed left knee all off-season, and that was good. But he's not back to his old, reliable self -- still unable to participate in more than one practice per day. Both he and Plaxico Burress, who underwent some cleanup surgery on his ankle during the off-season, are on a one-practice schedule. But it is Toomer who really needs to make the leaps. When he went down last year against the Texans in Game 8, the passing game had been a vital piece of a 6-2 start. After he went down, so, too, did the air game. Manning's performance fell off the shelf under a constant double-teaming of Burress and Jeremy Shockey.

Turning 30 years old is scary enough for some people. Having a rookie say he loved playing you in video games while growing up can be downright terrifying. "I grew up watching Sam (Madison) and R.W. (McQuarters) and I'm a big fan of those guys," rookie first-round pick Aaron Ross said today. "I told them I've been watching them for a while. On the video games, I always made sure to get them on my team in a fantasy draft." Luckily for Ross, both players have good enough senses of humor to laugh at the statement.
Ross spends much of his down time at every practice talking to Madison and McQuarters and soaking up as much knowledge as he can. Both veterans are excited about playing with the highly-touted rookie. The development of their relationship will be key to improving a pass defense that ranked 28th in the NFL last season in yards allowed per game.

NFC East News
Dallas - Cowboys out to make the 'D' big in Dallas once again. With Wade Phillips implementing a more aggressive version of the 3-4 defensive scheme -- a style predicated on more blitzing -- this Dallas defense has a chance to be as stifling as Texas' humidity.

NFL News
Two-a-day practices in NFL training camps are like an endangered species. They are becoming fewer and farther between.

Aug 1 - Giants president and co-owner John Mara has given Michael Strahan plenty of money over the years and gotten plenty of good years in return. Mara believes his defensive star when Strahan said he's considering retirement and not looking for a raise. But Mara also believes this saga is unbecoming of someone with Strahan's legacy. "This is no way for his career to end," Mara said yesterday. "He should go out on a much better note than this. I still believe he's going to be in at some point, but who knows?" "There are repercussions for not being here," Jerry Reese said. And there are apparently repercussions for speaking out of turn. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora found that out when Coughlin scolded him after Umenyiora criticized free-agent defensive end Simeon Rice, who is scheduled to undergo a physical conducted by Giants doctors today.
Michael Strahan has told both Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese that he is considering retirement and the Giants are preparing for life without their seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end. "The bottom line is that he is still contemplating retirement," Reese said today. "I told him, 'Michael, we will move forward as if you are not going to be here. You haven't made a commitment that you are going to come.' It is still a possibility that he could be here."
"In a nutshell, he is contemplating retirement and he does have decisions to make," Coughlin said. "He knows that he needs to make those decisions in a timely fashion." Neither Coughlin nor Reese revealed many details about their discussions with Strahan, calling them private conversations. Coughlin revealed he did not attempt to coax Strahan into coming to camp.
Both sides came away a bit more pleased that there was communication. A person close to Strahan said that No. 92 finally believe that the Giants understand that this process is not about wanting more money. Strahan has incurred fines of $71,440 for missing the first five days of camp, but neither side gave a deadline for Strahan to make up his mind. Even with their interest in Simeon Rice, both Coughlin and Reese told Strahan they would like for him to return. And the person close to Strahan said that was noted, and appreciated.

If Rice is signed, Strahan could lose out. Asked if Strahan could end up without a roster spot, Reese conceded "it's always a possibility." Still, the GM stressed his first choice is to have Strahan back. Meanwhile, the Giants' stance continued. If Strahan retires, Reese said the Giants will "look at all our options" to see if they can recover some of the $6.4 million signing bonus Strahan got when he signed his seven-year, $46 million contract in 2002. Strahan is drawing $14,288 in fines every day, for a total of $71,440 so far. Those fines "don't matter," one source close to him said. In fact, the source added, they are only strengthening Strahan's resolve to take his time.
With former Tampa Bay sack artist Simeon Rice due in Manhattan last night and up in Albany today if his injured shoulder checks out, the timeline for Michael Strahan's contemplated retirement is quickly shortening. There's a good chance the Giants will pass on Rice because of price tag and personality, even if he pases his physical. The whole thing could be staged to tweak Strahan into making a quick decision. Or they could be serious about getting a replacement, even if it's someone other than Rice.
Michael Strahan needs to forget about contemplating retirement and just go ahead and retire. He has had a Hall of Fame career for the Giants and holds the NFL single-season record for sacks, even if Brett Favre hung an asterisk next to his name. But if he is not sure he wants to play, or not sure he wants to play for $4million, then he just shouldn't play. He had six months of the offseason to make up his mind. The Giants need to move on without him. It rarely ends up pretty in sports anymore, especially the NFL, unless it's John Elway.

Take it from Amani Toomer as he goes through camp with a rebuilt knee and a better appreciation for the life NFL players live, never mind how hot, exhausted and bored they are during Augusts. "Camp after camp gets monotonous if you're healthy," he said. "Stuff ordinarily you wouldn't like to do, I'm appreciating because the alternative I was living was not fun. It was killing me, seeing the person playing my position getting single coverage when they were doubling Plax [Burress] and Shockey," said Toomer. "There were opportunities to make plays." Failed opportunities with Toomer gone and the Eli Manning of Ernie Accorsi's dreams basically going, going, gone.

Though Eli Manning's success at Ole Miss may have overshadowed Jared Lorenzen's at Kentucky, the two were routinely considered the Southeastern Conference's two best quarterbacks during their tenures. Lorenzen was a four-year starter and set six NCAA records, four SEC records and 11 school records, including those for passing yards (10,354), completions (862) and touchdown passes (78). He was a two-year semi-finalist for the Davey O'Brien award and was the second-team All-SEC quarterback in 2004 (Manning made the first team).
He points to these facts when people question his desire or his ability to play football because of his size. Though training camp is only four days old, the third-year pro has been very impressive and has been electrifying the Albany crowds. "So far I am having my best camp yet," Lorenzen, Eli Manning's 26-year-old backup, said today. "I understand a lot more this year. I might not be throwing as well as I did, but I understand the offense a lot more and I now verbalize a lot more with other players and during meetings."

The late practice began badly when long-snapper Ryan Kuehl was carted off the field during an early punt team drill. The Giants said Kuehl suffered a lower-leg injury, the severity of which won't be known until he undergoes an MRI tomorrow morning... The Giants practiced in full pads for the first time. Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, Justin Tuck and Corey Webster, who sat out the morning session, were on the field this evening. Osi Umenyiora, also on a one-a-day schedule, worked only in the morning.

July 31 - The gamesmanship between Michael Strahan, the Giants and Simeon Rice now has a fourth player: Osi Umenyiora. The Giants' Pro Bowl right defensive end stuck by his current teammate -- Strahan -- yesterday when asked about a possible future one -- Simeon Rice, who will be visiting the team today through tomorrow.
Osi Umenyiora, one of Strahan's closest friends on the team, said yesterday that Rice has no future with the Giants. "There's nowhere for him to play," he said of former Bucs defensive end Rice, who has played his entire 12-year NFL career on the right side of the line, where Umenyiora plays.
Not only does Umenyiora, the Giants' right defensive end, believe Rice isn't good enough to fill Strahan's shoes on the left side, but he also says he will refuse to switch sides if the Giants want Rice on the right. "So we have a little bit of a situation here if they decide to bring him in," Umenyiora said yesterday. "That's the truth."

Every day the Giants have been in training camp, Umenyiora has spoken with missing Michael. The two are fast friends and have the same agent, Tony Agnone. Connect the dots. Much of what Strahan is thinking and feeling, Umenyiora yesterday was saying and revealing. "We're not talking about Julius Peppers," Umenyiora said, comparing Rice to the Panthers' stud defensive end. "Simeon Rice is an outstanding pass rusher, but that's what he is."
"He's not the best run player. You can't play him at left end because that's where teams run the ball. And they are not going to move me. I've been a right end, I've been successful at right end. To move me is crazy." What has made Strahan such a unique player during his 14 NFL seasons is his ability to play the run as well as rush the passer. That's why he made the transition from the right side to the left side under Dan Reeves in 1996.
The chances that seven-time Pro Bowler Michael Strahan will play for the Giants this season are a lot better than Osi Umenyiora moving from right end to left end to replace him. After chatting a couple of times with Strahan over the past few days, Umenyiora said yesterday that his 35-year-old friend's holdout wasn't a joke and that he was seriously considering retirement after 14 NFL season.
"I know what he is telling me, and it's still 50-50 whether he is going to come back," Umenyiora said. With the holdout now in its fourth day, the Giants informed Strahan through his agent, Tony Agnone, that he would be fined $14,288 for every day of camp he misses retroactive to Friday, the day the team reported to the University at Albany.
Justin Tuck was asked if he will be the starter if Strahan doesn’t suit up. "Absolutely, once I get back in shape," he said. "Luckily, I've had three years under him to really watch how he prepares for games - the same is true of Osi (Umenyiora). You really can learn from guys like that and I have." The Giants believe Tuck has the potential to be an outstanding defensive end.

As expected, Mathias Kiwanuka has struggled at his new strong side linebacker position, trying to keep up with Jeremy Shockey in pass coverage. Kiwanuka, though, did not anticipate being burned by guard Rich Seubert. "That's a tough one to swallow, but it happens, apparently," Kiwanuka said sheepishly. "It will not happen again." The Giants did not practice yesterday but Kiwanuka was still smarting about what transpired in Sunday's afternoon session.

"Talk is cheap," insists the coach of last year's Giants chatterbox-turned-tinderbox. As reminders, Tom Coughlin's players will wear those words on T-shirts until they play badly enough to get him fired. "Everybody thought we were going to come in here gloomy and talk about negative things going on around the league and our team," Antonio Pierce said yesterday, "Of course, you can't really get a feel [yet], but everybody is positive and looking forward to the season."

Tiki Barber is almost impossible to replace, as Giants general manager Jerry Reese explained when he told me, "You don't find Tiki Barber-type players very often." But after watching Brandon Jacobs practice and spending some time talking to him about the challenge he faces, I feel a lot better about the Giants' chances to have a legitimate running attack. Jacobs is the biggest back in the NFL and one of the fastest with 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash at 260 pounds. But it was his hands, route running and ability to understand pass protections that were more advanced than people realize.

July 30 - The Giants are getting ready to call Michael Strahan's bluff.
With many in the organization convinced that Strahan's training camp holdout is all about money, not a desire to retire, the Giants are making plans to begin this season without him. And if the 35-year-old defensive end thinks the Giants' flirtation with Simeon Rice is a bluff, he may be in for a rude awakening, according to Giants GM Jerry Reese.
"We're very serious (about moving on)," Reese told the Daily News during yesterday's afternoon practice. "We can't sit on our hands waiting to see if the guy is ready to return. "Do we want him here? Sure. But if he wants to retire, we'll wish him the best. We can win without him.
The plans are for Simeon Rice to arrive in New York on Tuesday night and the next day he will meet with Giants medical personnel for a physical. Later on Wednesday, he will be driven to training camp to meet with general manager Jerry Reese and other Giants officials. This is genuine interest, not a ploy to induce Strahan to return. Rice has a shoulder injury and did not pass a physical administered by the Buccaneers. Of course, the fact that Rice, 33, was scheduled to make $7.2 million likely played a larger role in his release last week by the Bucs. Rice might not be able to put on the pads and hit for a few more weeks, but it will be interesting to see how the Giants handle this situation. Can they be so bold as to offer Rice a contract before they get the Strahan matter resolved?
Most players hate training camp, the heat, the sweating, the cramps, the meetings, just being away from home. Justin Tuck, however, says it's a "joyous feeling" for him. That's because the Giants' third-year defensive lineman is back on the football field for the first time since undergoing surgery in November for a Lisfranc injury to his left foot. Tuck's return is particularly important to the Giants because of the Michael Strahan situation. The powerful former Notre Dame lineman could be the main force at defensive left end even if Strahan shows up or the team signs former Tampa Bay sack artist Simeon Rice.

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress said Eli Manning has been more accurate while throwing on the run lately, especially on throws into traffic when an errant pass could force a receiver to stretch out then get laid out by a defender. "When the guys are running into DBs, he's actually stopping the guys from taking a hit," Burress said. "He's putting the ball in good places where it needs to be. He's trying to protect his receivers.
" If Manning continues doing that when the hitting becomes live, he will gain the trust of all his targets. And perhaps that will lead Burress to go after a few balls he quit on last season. "Oh, you love it when you can catch the ball in stride and don't have to brace yourself for a hit," Burress said. "Everybody wants to do that."
The combination of new Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer and new Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride (he was elevated from QBs coach) will end up being a good thing for Eli Manning, he of the up-and-down results in his first three NFL seasons. Palmer and Gilbride worked together in Houston in the early '90s, and both had separate stints on Tom Coughlin's staff in Jacksonville later that decade. They're all very familiar with one another, and I think Manning will benefit from that ease of relationship.

Eli Manning has been encouraged to stop slumping his shoulders and looking at the ground after something goes wrong on the field. Instead of looking like a mope, he is being coached to look downfield after a broken play. The idea is to both give Manning a few more seconds to get a handle on what is going on and to bolster the perception that he is actually getting a handle on what is going on. "We've been working on some little things," Manning said of quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer.
Quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer has instituted a new drill this summer that has quickly become a favorite of fans attending the Giants' training camp practices at the University at Albany. While most of the players are engaged in special teams work, the quarterbacks retreat to a satellite field, where two large square nets are set up high off the ground. Within them are three smaller nets, each with a corresponding color.
As the quarterbacks drop back, Palmer yells out a color. The passer then tries to put the ball in the correct net. It is difficult, even for an NFL quarterback. When a ball hits a square, the fans cheer as if they've just seen a long touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Jeremy Shockey.

Your afternoon practice report for the 29th day of July, 2007:
Jared Lorenzen is awesome. A rough count of his completion percentage today finds him at 3,000%. Bump him up on the depth chart like James Butler, baby. All sarcasm aside, Lorenzen had another great session. One of his best passes was a seam to TE Darcy Johnson past S Will Demps. I'll tell you what, I wouldn't want to catch a pass from him. Serious hand stinging, if you know what I mean.

Steve Spagnuolo's defense is about attacking, from the line to the linebackers to the secondary. In four practices, it has shown a willingness to blitz from just about anywhere, and the aggressiveness has crossed up the offense. Sam Madison played the press, or man-to-man, coverage for the first nine seasons of his career in Miami. He, too, is a proponent of it rather than the "read-and-react" style preferred by Tim Lewis, the Giants' defensive coordinator the previous three years. Lewis was fired in January and is the Panthers' secondary coach.

The changes were made with no fanfare or publicity. But when the Giants' defense took the field for the first time at the University at Albany, James Butler had moved up to first-team strong safety, Gibril Wilson had slid over to free safety and Will Demps was running with the second team. It's a significant change, because in 2006 Demps started every game at free safety, Wilson all but one game at strong safety and Butler did not start any of the 15 games (including the NFC Wild Card Game) in which he played.
Will Demps might have figured that his running with the second unit as a free safety in the Giants' June minicamp was just temporary, designed to give James Butler some looks with the first unit. It's a fleeting situation no more. Demps has been the second-unit safety for the first two days of practice and is listed as such on the depth chart, with Butler and Gibril Wilson on the first unit.
In last month's minicamp, Butler and Demps alternated as first-team safeties. Once camp began on Saturday, Butler had overtaken the former Raven. The two safety positions are pretty much interchangeable in the Giants' defense, so any combination of Butler, Demps and Wilson is a possibility. "It's open competition," Butler said. "I think that makes the whole team better." Demps struggled in coverage last year and also missed key tackles on a pair of game-changing plays: a 26-yard, momentum-changing run for the Bears and a fourth-and-10 scramble for a first down by Titans quarterback Vince Young. Demps, who was recovering from a partially torn ACL, also gave up a long completion to Cowboys tight end Jason Witten that set up Dallas' winning field goal late in the season.

Brandon Jacobs is a monster for a back. He is 6-4 and weighs more than 260 pounds. Giants Pro Bowl middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, 6-1 and 238, said watching Jacobs coming through the line is akin to seeing an offensive lineman bearing down on you. "It's one of those things that you know he is just not big, but he is fast and he has a nasty attitude," Pierce said of Jacobs. "You talk about guys having a defensive mentality, but this guy truly has a nasty mentality. He looks to hurt people." Jacobs didn't get much of an opportunity to run as a rookie in 2005, gaining 99 yards on 38 carries as Barber led the Giants to the NFC East title.
Jacobs not only developed into the Giants' short-yardage back last year, he also showed flashes that labeled him a future No. 1 back. He carried 96 times for 423 yards, a 4.4 yard average, which is good in anyone's book. His nine rushing touchdowns and 11 receptions for a 13.5-yard average also showed he was ready to carry the load. If there is any question about Jacobs, it has to be his durability. His run-you-over style might not be the best way to stay on the field for a season.

July 29 - There is fire in Tom Coughlin's eyes now and passion in his voice. "I'm not a lame duck," Coughlin tells The Post in an exclusive interview. "All of my actions in the offseason, all of my energy, everything that I've put forth in terms of assembling this staff - I hired a new defensive coordinator, I promoted an offensive coordinator, I promoted a special-teams coordinator, I did some of the most difficult things that you do from inside an organization - it's not something you take great joy in doing, but it's something you have to do in this business."

Will Strahan show up? It's mostly up to the Giants, according to sources familiar with the defensive star's situation. One league source said the Giants can easily remedy the situation by showing a willingness to upgrade his contract, which has two years left at $4 million per. But the Giants have shown no interest in paying the 35-year-old Strahan a nickel more than he's scheduled to earn. This despite the megabucks deals signed in the offseason by several notable - and some downright mediocre - talent around the league.
Strahan is very much aware of the numbers floating around. One of his acquaintances said Strahan recently ticked off detailed contract figures of several players who struck new deals in the offseason, right down to the signing bonuses and total values of the contract. Another source said Strahan would "definitely play" if the team addressed his contract."
Michael Strahan still is off deciding his future, and he had no contact with anyone in the Giants' front office as of yesterday afternoon. He placed a call to coach Tom Coughlin at 7:40 p.m. Friday, 10 minutes into the daily team meeting that Coughlin has held each day of camp since he became coach. The timing of the call was noted, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, and Coughlin did not return the call. So Strahan's teammates were left to discuss his absence after the first of their two practices yesterday. All whom were asked supported Strahan and said they aren't worried about whether he'll show up."
Many of Strahan's teammates believe he'll be back in uniform before too long, that this holdout is related to unhappiness with his contract. They believe that it is a willingness to let the Giants squirm a bit, a desire to miss a week or two of the camp grind and/or a very public alert to the networks that he'll be available following a farewell football tour. Sure, there might be a shred of doubt in Strahan's mind whether or not he wants to return for a 15th season, but few believe they've seen the last of him as a sack-master.

You know what they say: If you don't laugh, you might cry. And thinking about this defense without Strahan is sure to bring a tear to any Giant fan's eye. But behind closed doors, the team is confident Strahan will play this season. A few players, who requested anonymity because they didn't want to publicly question their teammate, feel Strahan just wants an abbreviated camp.
Meanwhile, a member of the organization, who also asked not to be named, said coaches and members of the front office believe this is a ploy for a bigger contract. If so, the team's playing its own hand. According to an NFL Network report last night, former Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice will visit the team on Monday.
Simeon Rice has always insisted he's a better player than Michael Strahan. Soon, the Giants might find out for sure. Rice, 33, a defensive end who has had a running feud with Strahan for the last nine years, is scheduled to visit the Giants on Monday, according to two NFL sources. With Strahan, 35, threatening to retire, the Giants are exploring their options and want to see if Rice is healthy enough to take Strahan's place. Rice became available Thursday when he was cut by Tampa Bay. The Bucs said he failed a physical because of a shoulder injury that limited him to eight games last season. But Rice said he was waived when he refused to take a pay cut from the $7.25 million he was due this year.
For the past seven months, the Giants planned on having the NFL's active leader in sacks (132 1/2) line up at left end. They even moved second-year pro Mathias Kiwanuka from defensive end to strongside linebacker in April to get both of them on the field. A day into training camp, they are considering other options. For now, Kiwanuka is still a linebacker. William Joseph, the 2003 first-round draft pick who has never lived up to expectations, is starting for Strahan. "If Michael comes back, it will be a tremendous help to this team," Kiwanuka said. "If he doesn't, we still have talent to go ahead and be strong."

For the rest of the Giants, it was work as usual. They held a spirited first practice, highlighted by a noticeably aggressive defense and a strong performance by flanker Amani Toomer, who missed the second half of last season after undergoing knee surgery. Coughlin did not speak to the players about the Strahan situation, preferring instead to focus on the work he wants to accomplish. Coughlin and Strahan have exchanged several voice mails, but as of the start of this afternoon’s practice, had not spoken directly to each other. Coughlin said he was surprised by the news that Strahan might be contemplating retirement. "I fully expected that Michael would be here," Coughlin said.
If Michael Strahan does retire this season, one of his more prestigious titles will go to a worthy teammate. Entering his 12th season with the Giants, Amani Toomer would become the longest-tenured player on the roster. But for those who attended this morning's training camp opening practice, it appeared that Toomer's legs were fresher than ever. After not participating in the Giants' June mini-camp as he continued to rehab from knee surgery, Toomer appeared very quick and fluid while running routes and making cuts. "I felt pretty good," said Toomer, who will turn 33 on Sept. 8, the day before the Giants' season-opening game at Dallas. "A little rusty, but no pain, no swelling or anything like that, so I feel pretty good."
The rain stopped and the sun eventually poked through the clouds. And the players completed a fast-paced, productive practice that was an encouraging start to the four-week camp. "I liked the way we worked, I liked the attitude," Coughlin said. "Obviously, we have a long way to go in terms of our execution, but I liked what I saw in terms of the way the guys were working and the way they were hanging together. We seem to have a nice feel of work ethic."

NFC EAST News
Eagles - Donovan McNabb says he doesn't need to be completely healthy to be a force in the NFL. McNabb took part in the first practice of Eagles training camp Saturday, more than eight months after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Tennessee. "I'd say it's still about 75 percent," McNabb said of his knee.

NFL News
The NFL conducted a concussion study from 1996 to 2001 evaluating the neuropsychological testing of athletes who had mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). A new policy will allow any athlete, coach or team personnel to anonymously report to the league incidents in which a concussed player is pressured to return to the field too soon.

July 28 - Special Report - Somehow the idea appeals to a sense of poetic justice. Of course Michael Strahan should retire. That way he finishes his career with the Giants in a flat tie with Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor for all-time team sacks. They would each have 132.5, and that would prevent him from taking the honor away from the man he has often mentioned as "my all-time favorite defensive player." What's this? Strahan retire?
Oh, that's why he didn't report to training camp yesterday in Albany, N.Y. And by the way, welcome to the funhouse. Quick survey here -- who believes it? On the other hand, who believes it is merely a ploy to renegotiate his contract, which is supposed to pay him $4 million this year, so that he can earn more than that?

The first camp practice is today and Tom Coughlin is hoping for a distraction-free summer. How's that working out right about now? All players were required to report for conditioning running yesterday at 1 p.m. and Strahan was not on the scene. General manager Jerry Reese said Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone, called him around 7 p.m. Thursday and said Strahan was contemplating retirement. That bombshell was all the Giants had to work with through the day.
Seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan is apparently considering retirement and did not report with the rest of the Giants players to training camp at the University at Albany. The Giants placed Strahan on the reserve/did not report list. It has been speculated in published reports recently that Strahan would hold out in an attempt to get a larger salary this season. Reese met with Strahan and Agnone in March, but the player’s contract remained the same. "I don't know," Reese said. "Until I talk to Michael, I won't know what it's about. I don't want to speculate. Maybe he is just tired and wants to retire. If that's what it is, we wish him Godspeed on it."
Michael Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone, has advised him to take a few days to think about his situation. Strahan is not expected into camp until sometime next week at the earliest, if he comes at all. The possibility of a holdout has been rumored since March when Strahan had a meeting with members of the Giants front office and asked for more money on a contract that will pay him $4 million this year and $4 million next year.
That was the last time he discussed money with the Giants, according to Reese. Since then, Strahan has become frustrated by the Giants lack of activity on the free agent market, according to a source close to the defensive end, and is worried that the Giants will be a bad team in his final season or two. He also received several offers from networks - - believed to be Fox and ABC/ESPN - that could pay him $2-3 million per year, the source said. He initially turned them down, but now he's reconsidering.

If Strahan was unhappy with the direction of the team, he should have said something long before the eve of training camp. If Strahan and his agent, Tony Agnone, think they can try to bully rookie GM Jerry Reese, they had better think again. Because Reese isn't blinking. Nor should he. "One person doesn't stop the whole team," Reese said.
Is Strahan bluffing? Maybe. "He absolutely wants to play this year," said someone who has spoken to Strahan in the past few days. The person who spoke to Strahan recently said Strahan feels Reese has "disrespected" him in his first few months on the job. In March, Reese and the rest of the front office refused to budge when Strahan demanded a new deal. So this might be a power play by Strahan to force Reese into showing him more respect -- or money. But if he's willing to stick with it all the way into retirement, it's unlikely he'll receive anything close to the $8 million in salary he's owed in the final two years of his contract.
Reese declined to say whether he will fine Strahan for missing Friday's arrival, saying only that Strahan is on the reserve/did not report list for now. Strahan's teammates heard this might happen, but they aren't upset. As of now, the Giants have Osi Umenyiora, who missed five games last season with a torn hip flexor; Justin Tuck, who missed 11 games with a Lisfranc sprain that required surgery, and several untested young players at defensive end.
Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants' first-round pick in 2006, has spent the offseason learning to play linebacker, but he easily could move back to defensive end, where he played while Strahan was out. "That's up to the coaches," Reese said of moving Kiwanuka back. "This is the NFL. You re-shuffle, play the hand you have and move forward."

Tom Coughlin has told his players to pretty much shut up and play this year. Plaxico Burress said the coach isn't being very realistic. "He wants it to be a quieter year; we want a lot of things," the veteran receiver said upon arriving at University at Albany for the start of training camp. "But I guess we'll try to abide by keeping it quiet. That's just not the character of some of the guys that we have on this team. But I guess we'll try."
Burress, who called Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens a "coward" last year and then questioned the coverage ability of the Bears cornerbacks, said he will continue to boast this year. "A little bit of trash-talking doesn't hurt anybody," Burress said. "It adds a little added incentive to the game for me. We'll see what happens."

Might Eli Manning finally develop that golden timing with his receivers? Will tough old Tom Coughlin finally turn into a kindly nurturer? Will the defense finally get somebody off the field after three downs? These are questions the Giants will answer, or at least try to answer, as the team heads into the first workouts of training camp today. For the next four weeks, the University at Albany will become a research and development area for a team looking to go deep into the playoffs and a coach whose employment status might well depend on just such a finish.
It will be important to note how well Manning works with Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey, two players who did not participate in most of the offseason conditioning program. More important, still, will be how David Diehl adapts to his new digs at left tackle - Manning's blind side - after excelling at left guard. Note well that Diehl has had only two starts at left tackle. Most important of all, however, will be how Coughlin finds a solution to those missing 1,662 yards Barber took with him into retirement.

July 27 - Michael Strahan will arrive on time this afternoon at Giants training camp -- only if he likes what he hears this morning. The Pro Bowl defensive end is unhappy with his contract and is still contemplating a holdout, according to someone who speaks to Giants management on a regular basis. The person, who requested anonymity because the situation has not been resolved yet, said the 15-year veteran wants to speak to general manager Jerry Reese before making a final decision.

Tom Coughlin can get excited about football at any hour of any day, but few events get him revved up like the opening of training camp. Coughlin, beginning his fourth season as the Giants' head coach, was noticeably energized today at his annual training camp-opening news conference at the University at Albany. "It is great to be at training camp again," Coughlin said. "This is a great time of the year. It is one of my favorite times of the year because of the opportunity to be with the players in this environment and to hold, to a certain extent, the distractions to a minimum and to focus totally on football."
Training camp is always important. And it's always about a team finding chemistry and coming together. Yet, camp might be more important for this Giants team than any other. With all the changes to the roster and the coaching staff, every member of Tom Coughlin's bunch must know who and what they are before they leave Albany late next month.

New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was diplomatic when asked about general manager Jerry Reese's concern about the Giants' secondary. "I hate to say that anything is a question mark, but certainly Jerry knows what he is talking about, so I am sure he has a feel, a better feel than me, for what these guys can do in games right now," Spagnuolo said. "I think the best way to put it, isn't that I am concerned about these positions, but rather I am anxious to find out about these positions.".

The change to the kinder, gentler Tom Coughlin actually started midway through the 2006 season, says the kinder, gentler Tom Coughlin. "To be honest with you, over the course of the last eight games, in order to keep our team going and that type of thing, a lot of my approach changed," Coughlin said Thursday as the Giants opened their 2007 camp at the University at Albany.

Tom Coughlin acknowledged that the best way for a team to come into training camp is without fanfare or any high expectations. But he didn't let his quarterbacks coach in on that philosophy. Chris Palmer is a former NFL head coach and has worked with several elite quarterbacks. In the six months he has worked with Eli Manning, he has seen enough to know his newest student can be one of the good ones. "He's ready to have a big year," Palmer said of Manning. "I think our team is ready for a big year.
The adjustment in Tom Coughlin’s coaching staff moves Kevin Gilbride from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and imports Chris Palmer, a respected veteran, as Manning’s tutor. Palmer is entering his 36th year in coaching and 19th in the NFL. His brief time spent with Manning has him convinced he’s working with the real deal."
Ever wonder why Eli Manning of the New York Giants doesn't play like older brother Peyton Manning of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts -- even for just a couple of plays? Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride doesn't go there. It's a waste of time -- and somewhat of an unfair question.
Palmer is a connoisseur of quarterbacks. He has spent many of his 18 years in the NFL coaching them. Drew Bledsoe, Mark Brunell and Tony Romo were all selected to the Pro Bowl while being tutored by Palmer. Last year, Palmer might have done his best work, turning Romo from an unknown who had never thrown an NFL pass into a Pro Bowler. Now he's working with Manning, who has been brilliant at times in his 39 games as a starter, but has been frustrated by inconsistency.

July 26 - Jerry Reese is keeping a countdown. He knows in 45 days, his Giants will open their 2007 season against the Dallas Cowboys. The first-year general manager also knows a lot can happen in those 45 days, most of which will be spent at the team's University at Albany training camp. Coaches arrive at the site today, with players scheduled to check in Friday. And so many of them will be arriving with the same mind-set. "A lot of people have something to prove," Reese said Wednesday, placing himself atop that list.
Tops on Reese's list of concerns is not left tackle, replacing RB Tiki Barber, or the continued development of QB Eli Manning. "The secondary is the most glaring spot for me," Reese said. "People are so worried about left tackle . . . I think that's so overrated," Reese said. "People act like Petitgout was the second coming. He never made the Pro Bowl, and I don't think he ever was a first alternate. Now all of a sudden he's the savior? That's ridiculous. I don't think we're that bad off without Luke Petitgout. He was not a star left tackle. He was a solid left tackle on some occasions and other times he wasn't. Luke has been a marginal player for a long time."

The Giants didn't give Tom Coughlin a huge vote of confidence when they gave him a one-year contract extension in January. That only increased speculation that he was facing a "must-win year." And he is, according to new Giants GM Jerry Reese - just like everybody else in the league. "It's a must-win for everybody, not only for Tom," Reese said.
"They don't give you a long grace period in the NFL. I don't care who you are. Marty Schottenheimer was (14-2 in San Diego) last year and that didn't work out for him. So it's not like Tom is the only one you can say 'It's a must-win season for him.' It's a must-win season for 32 coaches in the NFL."
That was neither a pledge of support nor an indictment of the embattled coach who will open training camp at the University at Albany with a speech at a barbecue on campus this afternoon. It was more of an acknowledgment that this is a critical season for Coughlin despite his back-to-back playoff years.

Brandon Jacobs is aware Giants fans will compare his productivity and versatility to that of retired Tiki Barber -- and the 6-4, 265-pounder must prove that he belongs somewhere other than the shadow of a former player half a foot shorter and 50 pounds lighter. He even said there "may be some question within the (Giants') organization" that he can be the team's true No. 1 running back.
But Jacobs has spent the off-season preparing for this opportunity -- retooling his running style and workout regimen, embracing the motivation provided by the arrival of Droughns, and inspired by the birth of his first child. All while remaining ever-confident and defiant. "I don't give a damn what people say," Jacobs said. "I have talent, I can catch the ball, I can run with it. I don't have to run somebody over all the time. I actually am a running back."
Running out of gas with Giants - Before we run, we pray, by Mike Garafolo.

The Giants haven't yet reported to training camp, but they've already lost two players to injuries for the entire season. The team today announced that reserve safety Jason Bell has been placed on injured reserve with a back injury that he aggravated during the offseason conditioning program. Bell joins fullback Jim Finn on I.R. Finn underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last month.