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| Sept 8
Chris
Canty is optimistic about being on the field for the Giants Sunday when they
open their season against the Redskins. He said he had to work on making sure
his timing and explosiveness are where they need to be, and of course, he's also
monitoring his hamstring. The
way Tom Coughlin sees it, Andre Woodson wasn't signed to the Redskins' practice
squad on the strength of his 28.0 passer rating in the preseason finale. "That's
pretty obvious why he is there," Coughlin said, implying that the Redskins picked
him up off waivers to shake him down for information leading up to Sunday's opener
at Giants Stadium. Sept 7 Six of the players the Giants’ cut didn’t go very far at all. QB Rhett Bomar, DT Anthony Bryant, CB DeAndre Wright, S Sha’reff Rashad, S Vince Anderson and RB Allen Patrick all cleared waivers today and were immediately re-signed to the Giants’ pracitce squad. According to a report, TE Jason Pociask, formerly of Tampa Bay, was also signed to what will eventually be an eight-man squad. Also of note: The Washington Redskins claimed QB Andre’ Woodson off waivers. I wonder if that’s just a one-week thing to get a peek at the Giants’ offense before opening day. Now that the Giants know who is on the roster, the next step is to begin true preparation for the games that count. That starts today when the Giants gather for their first practice fully separated from preseason mode. The heavy lifting for Sunday's season opener against the Redskins begins Wednesday; consider today a primer. The Giants open up with not one but two NFC East opponents. When the Giants' schedule came out in April, it brought a dose of deja vu. Four of the weeks were identical to last season -- including hosting Washington for the season opener. And they'll need to get off to a good start, because what follows the opener Sunday is a testing first month for the team. The Giants have three straight road games in Weeks 2 through 4: at Dallas, at Tampa Bay and at Kansas City. Giants GM Jerry Reese has maintained his faith in the Giants' current group of receivers. He's pointed out that most of the "blue-goose one" receivers around the league - like Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and Terrell Owens - are still searching for their first Super Bowl ring. And he's reminded everyone that the New England Patriots began their dynasty with a group of unheralded, unknown wide receivers. His point is that teams don't need a true No. 1 receiver to win a championship. And he continues to say it with conviction, even though if the Giants' passing attack fails he knows that failure will be pegged on him. Get used to watching Eli Manning deliver some of the Giants' plays through hand signals and body gesticulations this season. The offense has been fiddling with a no-huddle system - it was used at several points in the preseason game against the Jets, including the opening touchdown drive - and is looking forward to trying it out once the regular season begins. "I think it's a good thing to have in your arsenal," Manning said. "If you want to change the tempo of the game or get something going offensively, it's something you can go to." Sept
6 David
Tyree will always hold a special place in Giants history. But if he still
has a place in the NFL, it's going to have to be with another team. To no one's
surprise, the Giants parted ways with the hero of Super Bowl XLII Saturday, 19
months and one day after his spectacular, one-handed, helmet-aided catch helped
them win a championship. He was one of 20 players the Giants released Saturday
as they trimmed their roster to the NFL limit of 53. A sixth-round draft pick out of Syracuse, Tyree was lacking as a receiver and his only way onto the roster was if he lived up to the special teams reputation he cultivated in college. Tyree did that, and more. He developed into a special teams demon and made the Pro Bowl in 2005 for his work on special teams. He burst onto the national stage and took his place in NFL history in Super Bowl XLII. He scored the Giants first touchdown on a 5-yard reception from Eli Manning, which was stunning by itself, considering Tyree had just four catches and no touchdowns all season. Then, in the closing minutes with the Giants trailing 14-10, Tyree teamed with Manning for what is widely considered the greatest play in Super Bowl history.
David
Tyree wasn't the only prominent player the Giants whittled
to get to 53. They also traded tight end Michael Matthews to the Patriots for
a conditional 2011 draft pick and put defensive tackle Jay Alford on injured reserve
after his knee surgery Friday. Defensive tackle Jeremy Clark was waived/injured.
The other 17 players waived by the Giants were quarterbacks Andre' Woodson and
Rhett Bomar, running backs Allen Patrick and Dwayne Wright, offensive linemen
Terrence Pennington, Orrin Thompson and Cliff Louis, receiver Shaun Bodiford,
defensive linemen Maurice Evans, Tommie Hill, Robert Henderson and Anthony Bryant,
linebacker Kenny Ingram, cornerback DeAndre Wright, and safeties Travonti Johnson,
Vince Anderson and Sha'reff Rashad. Cornerback Bruce Johnson was the only undrafted
rookie to make this year's team. For
the second straight year, Coughlin will go with only two quarterbacks on his
active roster, waiving Rhett Bomar and Andre Woodson. Bomar probably will be brought
back on the practice squad if he clears waivers. With linebacker Michael Boley
on the suspended list for the first game and defensive tackle Jay Alford (knee
surgery) placed on injured reserve, the Giants had to cut 20 players. Serby's
sunday Q & A with Hakeem Nicks Sept
5 The
Giants for the past few years sought to groom a young quarterback into a serviceable
backup, as it's doubtful David Carr in 2010 will be satisfied to sit behind Eli
Manning for a third year. So, the door was open, but neither Woodson nor Bomar
stepped through. That means, just like last season, it appears the Giants will
go with Manning and Carr on the roster and one quarterback on the practice squad.
Which one? It looks like Bomar. The decision comes this afternoon, when rosters
must be pared to the 53-man limit. This is likely the last day David Tyree will be employed by the Giants. If that is the case, Eli Manning will miss him. "David is a guy who really conducts himself on a true professional level,'' Manning said. "Obviously he'll always have a special place in my heart, not only because of the great play he made in the Super Bowl but just the person he is and the friend he's been for me. I don't know what's going to happen with his situation but he's been a great teammate and we'll just have to see what's going to happen.'' Sept 4 Special Report There was one magical moment during the telephone press conference with Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin. He was asked if any of the younger players helped themselves - even saved their jobs - with their performances Thursday night in New England, and he agreed that there were "maybe three or four" who did that. The follow-up question: "Do you ever wonder, when they play so well so suddenly, what the hell they were thinking all during training camp?" And he actually chuckled. "That’s a good question," he said. Sept 4 Giants lose to the Patriots 38-27
ESPN - Patriots 38, Giants 27. Giants.com - Giants fall to Patriots, 38-27. StarLedger - Moss catches 2 TDs as push to make team continues. StarLedger - Giants' first-team defense puts on show in 38-27 preseason loss to Patriots. Newsday - Moss makes statement with two TD catches. Newsday - Giants at Patriots: The Morning After. NYDailyNews - Sinorice Moss scores twice in Giants' 38-27 loss to Pats in preseason finale. NYDailyNews - Nicks, Thomas both fine. NYPost - Manning sees Giants ready for season. NYPost - Woodson on QB bubble. TheRecord- Thanks to Moss, it’s not a total Giants loss. Boston.com - In ‘meaningless’ game, skills were exhibited. Sept 3 Eli Manning, who sat out last year's finale, probably will take a few series tonight. The inconsistencies so far of his offensive and defensive units may force Coughlin to put his regulars on the field -- with fingers crossed for no injuries. One spot up for grabs is the third quarterback -- if Coughlin decides to keep one. "Good and bad," Coughlin said of Andre Woodson's preseason play this summer. "He has had some good plays. His practices, by and large, have been good. I think that's the solid impression that we have." Rhett Bomar, however, has more raw talent with his rifle arm and quick release. However, he needs to improve upon his techniques before he can be considered for even a backup spot. With final cuts looming on Saturday, there's a chance both Sinorice Moss and David Tyree could be in their final days with the Giants. If the team keeps six receivers, as it has for each of the first five seasons of the Tom Coughlin era, at least one of the two figures to be cut. The first five slots are pretty much guaranteed to go to Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and the two rookie receivers Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. That seemingly leaves one spot for Moss, Tyree or Derek Hagan, who had an impressive training camp. It would have been poetic for David Tyree - an almost certain casualty of the cutdowns when the team goes to 53 players this weekend - to make his final Giants appearance against the Patriots. But a hamstring injury that popped up late last week will keep him from doing that. Instead, Tom Coughlin said, Tyree will not even make the trip to Foxborough and not get to look into the faces of the Patriots fans whose hearts he broke. "The medical people have decided that he's not ready," Coughlin said. Tyree told people he was looking at the Pats game as a "last hurrah," a final chance to run onto the field in the only NFL uniform he's ever worn. Even with his optimism, Tyree was all but conceding his future with the team. With David Tyree sidelined with a hamstring injury, it's likely down to a matchup between Sinorice Moss and Derek Hagan for the final roster spot. Both impressed during training camp, but neither has done much in the preseason games. Hagan has three catches for 31 yards and Moss has grabbed two passes for only 10 yards. They'll both get extended playing time Thursday night and the one who has the better game might very well wind up being the one who's still a Giant come Sunday. Sinorice Moss didn't know what to think Saturday night when he was sitting on the bench, being ignored by the coaches, while the rest of his teammates played in the first half against the Jets. He was sure he had earned an opportunity with an outstanding spring and summer. Now he's forced to wonder if his opportunity might be somewhere else. The final cut-down to 53 comes Saturday and the Giants coming off a 12-4 season aren't exactly overhauling their roster. Five of their nine draft picks are locks to stick and four veterans were signed in free agency to refortify the defense. At most, there are 10 spots to fill and probably not even that many. Read more about players on the fringe.
Sept
2 Well,
on the bright side, nobody was talking about the wide receivers dropping passes
for a day. Osi Umenyiora said he was wrong for walking out on the Giants on Monday
-- and he was. He called it a "very bad moral decision on my part and an even
worse financial decision" and vowed never to do it again -- and, considering his
shock over the fallout, you can bank on that. "Everyone is allowed one mistake,"
the defensive end told reporters. David
Tyree isn't going to get a chance to make another catch against the New England
Patriots on Thursday night. The Giants wide receiver will not be able to play
in the preseason finale against the Patriots in New England on Thursday night
because of a hamstring injury. Giants tackle David Diehl said yesterday's practice seemed like the longest he had seen in his life. That's because Diehl, one of the NFL's ironmen, was watching, not practicing. In an effort to give Diehl, who is suffering from patella tendinitis in his knee, as much rest as possible going into the season, the Giants have effectively shut him down. He will not play in tomorrow night's final preseason game against the Patriots and isn't even sure if he'll make the trip to New England. Former
Giants Sept
1 David
Tyree stood in front of his locker on Monday and flashed a big smile, answering
questions about his future with the New York Giants. For the man who made "The
Catch" in the dramatic Super Bowl win over the previously unbeaten New England
Patriots in February 2008, there is a growing sense that his days with the Giants
are nearing an end. Defensive
end Osi Umenyiora temporarily went AWOL on the Giants Monday, apparently because
of a dispute he had with new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. Umenyiora caused
quite an afternoon firestorm after he stormed out of the Giants' practice facility
Monday morning and later was a no-show at practice. He didn't return until later
in the afternoon, when he met with Sheridan, Tom Coughlin and defensive line coach
Mike Waufle to apologize for his behavior. Osi
Umenyiora may have come under scrutiny for the lack of a pass rush generated
by the vaunted front seven in the past two exhibition games. The Giants had just
three sacks in those losses, and the lack of pressure on the quarterback might
have fueled the situation that led to his departure. "I have no problem with
our defensive coordinator, Bill Sheridan, or any of our coaches. That’s the end
of it, as far as I am concerned." While the pass rushers are working on the
collective product, they also are experimenting on their own with moves and techniques.
The preseason is the only chance to do that. Michael
Boley has been bored. He won't be anymore. The linebacker who had spent the
entire preseason standing around watching his new teammates prepare for the upcoming
season was cleared to return to action yesterday. Ten weeks after surgery to repair
a torn hip labrum, Boley passed a physical, was taken off the PUP list and participated
in individual drills. Now he's got a lot of catching up to do. "It's good to get
off that list," Boley said. "It's been kind of frustrating, to be honest, but
I'm really excited to be back." Aug 31 With the regular-season opener fewer than two weeks away, you would think the young Giants wide receiver corps would have straightened itself out by now. The work in progress remains just that heading into that usually meaningless final exhibition Thursday night against New England. "Overall, we have to get better in the passing game," quarterback Eli Manning conceded. "There are too many mistakes here and there and too many missed opportunities and drops. After
an uneven first NFL training camp and nondescript outings in his first two
games, Hakeem Nicks showed why he was the Giants' first-round draft pick in April.
Dominating against Jets reserves who likely won't be employed in football for
much longer, Nicks made things interesting by breaking free for touchdown catches
of 22 and 71 yards on passes from David Carr. On both plays, Nicks showed the
explosive nature of his game, contributing the only real highlights for a passing
attack that desperately needed a spark. Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and Ramses Barden finished with one reception apiece. Derek Hagan had two and Sinorice Moss, who played very little, did not catch a pass. The performance likely did little to allay the fears of those who are concerned about the Giants' receiving corps. But the wideouts remain extremely confident in their ability to produce. "That's what we do - we catch the ball," Manningham said. "There's no reason to give up on us. We're going to come out and make plays and do what we've got to do. Whether it's blocking or whatever, we're going to come out and do what we have to do." Jeff Feagles watched with interest as Titans rookie punter A.J. Trapasso hit the gigantic $40 million digital video board hanging over the field at new Cowboys Stadium with a punt in a recent preseason game. Commissioner Roger Goodell came up with the unusual ruling that if a punter hits the Cowboys' video board, the result will be a do-over, with the game clock reverting back to the time before the punt. Antonio Pierce has missed two preseason games with a foot injury, and Tom Coughlin said he hopes he can practice this week. "I think that would be a very good starting point if he could do that," Coughlin said. "I won't know that until we actually get into a position where we can make that call, probably [Monday]." Aug 30 Giants lose to the Jets 27-25 | Photos
ESPN - Jets nip Giants in Sanchez's first game as starter. Giants.com - Giants fall to Jets, 27-25. StarLedger - Steve Smith's drop highlights NY Giants' questionable wide receiving corps. StarLedger - Mark Sanchez delivers a 27-25 win over the NY Giants in his first start as Jets' No. 1 QB. Newsday - Sanchez looks good; Giants' receivers have issues. Newsday - Jacobs OK after injuring forearm. Newsday - Sanchez's moxie proves Jets coach Ryan right. NYDailyNews - Steve Smith's dropped pass is bad reminder of Giants' reciveing woes. NYDailyNews - Giants' Hakeem Nicks delivers a dream performance against Jets. NYPost - Giants receive no laurels for lackluster loss. NYPost - Giants WR barely gets off the bench. NYPost - Sanchez gives Jets fans hope. TheRecord - Giants not passing fancy. Former
Giants Aug 29 All training camp long, Derek Hagan has been jumping over defenders to make catches and running around them after he's grabbed the ball. On Wednesday, he did both on one play when he out jumped rookie safety Sha'reff Rashad and then took off untouched down the sideline to close Giants practice by ending the two-minute drill as quickly as it started. The longest reception of his two-year NFL career is 30 yards, and when Steve Smith talks about his ability to go deep, he always recounts a similar sentiment. He knows he can do it, but also knows he hasn't done it yet for the Giants. The Giants, by Tom Coughlin's admission, were "embarrassed" in last Saturday's loss to the Bears. Coughlin lit into the team in the postgame locker room and stayed on the players in practices and meetings this week. His tone indicated he wants to see his team respond to a poor performance and give themselves a bit of hope in a few trouble spots heading into the season. Danny Ware was having a good second half, rushing for 57 yards and a touchdown. The free agent rookie from Georgia thought the performance would help him make the team. It did: not the team he was playing for - the Jets - but the team he was playing against - the Giants. It's often a huge burden for sixth-year veteran Eli Manning, so one can imagine what it's like for rookie Rhett Bomar, who played the last two seasons in a much simpler offense at Sam Houston State. "When you're going to the line, you're thinking too much: 'Which protection here? Who's coming here? What do I have to check?'" Bomar, the Giants' fifth-round pick in April, said the other day after practice. "And then, you're like, 'Okay, what's the play? What's the route? What's the coverage?'". Aug 28 Aaron Ross walked into the Giants' locker room Thursday without much of a noticeable limp. He also had a big smile on his face, which is definitely a positive sign considering the fact that just three days ago the cornerback was writhing on the ground in pain after injuring his left hamstring. Ross likened the pain to being shot in the leg. Aug 27 Eli Manning doesn't know what it's like to start the season opener as a rookie quarterback. But he does know what Mark Sanchez will go through. And Wednesday he had some advice for the Jets' newly minted starter. Defensive tackle Chris Canty was so frustrated that his torn hamstring wasn't improving after more than two weeks that he turned to a relatively new medical approach -- platelet rich plasma therapy. The treatment has gained notice in the past year after Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward used it on his sprained right knee to help him play in the Steelers' Super Bowl win over Arizona in February. The day after he had what Tom Coughlin described as his best practice of training camp, rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks yesterday contracted a case of the drops. He failed to haul in the first three passes thrown to him. Thursday night, Danny Clark will do something he's never done before: get on a stage in New York City and sure hope he's funny. Aug 26 The Giants arrived here 24 days ago with two major questions: Have they rejuvenated their defense? And are their receivers good enough? Tuesday, they left without answers to either one. Ross battled left hamstring issues most of the summer but appeared to be on the mend when he participated fully in Monday's workout. But on a deep pass from Eli Manning to Steve Smith, Ross made a sudden movement to try to stay with Smith and went down in a heap. Smith sped by to haul in the long pass as Ross was flat-out on the ground, clutching his left hamstring. He rolled around in discomfort and let out an expletive. The Giants broke training camp Tuesday -- their 14th in Albany, with a record total attendance of 46,960 -- but haven't yet announced where they'll be next summer. Their contract with UAlbany has expired, and they are deciding between returning next year or staying at home in their new practice facility in East Rutherford. Aug 25 Chris Palmer, the Giants' quarterbacks coach, said Monday he's "not pleased" with backup quarterback David Carr this summer. He lamented Carr's inconsistent performances, and said he's gotten back into some bad habits that nearly sunk his NFL career years before. Tom Coughlin made it clear the other day he feels his club is reading too many positive press clippings and buying too much of what he characterized as media hype about the mighty and deep roster. The second-year linebacker has been making his teammates laugh with his dry, sarcastic comments this summer. Never a man of many words, Goff seldom spoke as a rookie. The former New York Giants wide receiver, who grew up in Hampton Roads and starred at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty last week to a weapons charge stemming from the November incident and accepted a two-year prison term. Aug 24 There have been plenty of times in Tom Coughlin's five-plus years with the Giants when he's been hard on his team in a postgame press conference and then eased up in the following day's session with the media. After being carted off the field during Saturday's preseason game, defensive tackle Jay Alford learned Sunday he sustained a torn medial collateral ligament and a partial tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The news Tom Coughlin finally revealed about Chris Canty Sunday wasn't good. The news he got later about Jay Alford was even worse. Those two defensive tackles could be out for a while, and Alford could end up missing the entire 2009 season. Coughlin insisted his players need to "stop listening to the media" when it comes to assessing their talent, stressed that "you have to earn everything that's said about you" and verbalized a need "for people to come to grips with reality." Aug 23 Giants lose to Chicago 17-3 | Photos
ESPN - Cutler directs big drives early in Bears' victory. Giants.com - Giants fall to Bears, 17-3. Aug 23 It's a good thing for the Giants the calendar says it's still summer, as last night they looked nothing like a team ready to get on with their real season. "We had some penalties and some sacks that we just couldn't overcome" "Quite frankly," Tom Coughlin said, "we got embarrassed." Aug 22 It's been three seasons since the Giants selected Gerris Wilkinson in the third round of the 2006 draft. Three disappointing, injury-plagued years in which the outside linebacker has gotten plenty of chances to earn a starting job and establish himself as a key part of the team's future. So when Wilkinson recorded three tackles and a pass defensed that was nearly an interception for a touchdown in the preseason opener against the Panthers, there was little excitement or talk of this being his time to finally come around as a player. Domenik Hixon's goals are pretty simple. "Just trying to be perfect," he said. "Trying to have that perfect practice and the perfect game." Perfect timing. As the Giants prepare for their second preseason game, all of those questions about the wide receivers remain unresolved. In the nearly nine months since Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg, we've learned more about gun laws and plea bargains and the politics of pressing charges than we have about how the Giants plan to replace him. Judged strictly by his body of work in training camp in Albany, Derek Hagan is deserving of a spot on the Giants' roster. That sampling, though, is not enough, and for his own future employment, it is advisable for Hagan to make something happen tonight when the Giants face the Bears in a preseason game at Soldier Field. Hakeem Nicks looked tentative and a little awkward during his first NFL preseason game, making just one catch for nine yards on Monday night against the Carolina Panthers. It wasn't exactly the polished, ready-for-the spotlight look everyone was expecting from the Giants' first-round pick. Nicks, though, was still battling the aftereffects of his hamstring injury. Even though he said he's fully recovered, he knew he wasn't quite himself. Aug
21 Rocky
Bernard came through the offensive line and into the backfield a few times
for sacks on Wednesday evening. That's not a bad sign for the Giants' defensive
tackle in his first training camp practice after sitting out more than two weeks
with a hamstring injury. The biggest thing to come out of practice was the list of folks who did not participate. No one new: LB Antonio Pierce (foot), S Kenny Phillps (knee), CB Aaron Ross (hamstring), DT Chris Canty (hamstring), G Chris Snee (knee). Coughlin said the guys who have been on the sideline probably won't be playing on Saturday. But he didn;t specifically rule anyone out.. Plaxico
Burress pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted criminal possession
of a weapon, which will result in two years in prison with a minimum of 20 months
served. If he is released early on good behavior, he'll get out in May 2011, which
means he'll be 34 by the next time he's allowed to suit up for a game. (The NFL
announced Thursday Burress will not face a suspension once he's released. As Plaxico
Burress heads to prison, former NY Giants teammate Justin Tuck wonders if he missed
a chance to help him. Will Plaxico Burress have any football left in him by the time he's a free man of 34 for 2011 season? "I don't think we will hear from Plax ever again in football," one general manager said Thursday. "That's my bet. I could be wrong. But I think if he makes a comeback, it doesn't work. He's not a strong-minded guy. He won't do the little things to keep himself going. I really see him going in the tank and not doing the little things to keep his body right. I hope I'm wrong. I never thought he was a guy who loved the game. He let too many stupid things get in the way." For Corey Webster, the worst part of missing practice is what happens later in the meeting room. "It's hard to watch film, because you're not on any of the film," Webster said today. "You have two practices a day and you're not on any of the film, so it's hard to sit down there and focus and concentrate. Aug 20 The rookie linebacker the Giants took in the second round out of Virginia turned in a dazzling debut in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. He had four tackles and a sack and was credited with four quarterback hits. And here's the best part: As far as Sintim was concerned, the performance wasn't that special. With the first preseason game over and the second fast approaching, Giants cornerback Aaron Ross is getting frustrated. A starter most of his two NFL seasons, Ross has been forced to watch practice for about a week while dealing with a strained hamstring. The former first-round draft pick was given the OK to test the hamstring during a light workout Wednesday morning and came away disappointed. The hamstring not only wasn’t good, it was only about 80 percent healed - and that’s likely to hurt Ross’ chances of playing this weekend in Chicago. Total price tag: $83 million. Total guaranteed money: $35 million. Total production thus far: zero. The Giants failed to register a sack in any of their three meetings with the Eagles last year. Had none in a 36-31 win at the Linc in Week 10, none in a 20-14 Week 14 loss at Giants Stadium, and none in the playoff defeat. "We just wore down," said Tuck. "Osi got hurt right out of the gate, then other guys got banged up and we just weren't getting there [to the quarterback] like we were the year before or even earlier in the year." What powered the Giants on their miraculous run to Super Bowl XLII - a fierce pass rush that came at opposing quarterbacks in waves. David Tyree walked into the dining room Wednesday afternoon wearing a T-shirt with an illustration of his signature moment. Yes, the one in which, while falling backward, he pinned the ball to the side of his helmet on the winning drive in the Giants' colossal upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Just a reminder that Tyree is still on the team, a little more than 18 months since one of the most incredible plays in sports history. Aug 19 Mario Manningham was lined up wide right. On the snap, he came 3 yards off the ball and broke inside toward the right hash mark. That's right where he should have stayed. Instead, Manningham kept coming across the middle and the ball was thrown behind him -- too far behind him for the catch to be made. A bad throw by Eli Manning? No, a quick read of his lips as he said "zone" revealed it was a bad read by Manningham. Between the two of them, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer caught 1,173 NFL passes and scored 109 career touchdowns. But the Giants released Burress in the off-season as a result of a highly-publicized gun incident, and Toomer, at 34, became a salary-cap casualty. Now it will be on Manning to make his receivers. The 10 wideouts in camp have combined to start only 20 NFL games and catch a combined 262 passes . With a young group of receivers, none of whom has established himself as the new go-to guy, it stands to reason that the running backs will become a bigger part of the passing game. If the receivers can't always get open - and just yet there isn't that player who can consistently beat coverages the way Plaxico Burress did - then Manning will have no choice but to turn to the safety valves in the flanks. The focus on the running backs is to replace Derrick Ward's 1,025 rushing yards last season. Just as important may be replacing his 41 receptions for 384 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw is being counted on to be this year’s Derrick Ward -- the running mate to Brandon Jacobs who will keep defenses from breathing a sigh of relief when the big back is on the sideline. He ran five times for 35 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown burst that opened the scoring in the 24-17 Giants win. Allen Patrick looked like one of the odd men out in a backfield led by Brandon Jacobs. Ahmad Bradshaw moved into the No. 2 spot with the loss of Derrick Ward to free agency, and Danny Ware seems entrenched as the No. 3 back. Andre Brown was almost certain to be the fourth man in the backfield, simply because of his draft status. Now that spot is open, and Patrick, who might be the fastest back on the team, seems to be the front-runner to get the job. The
general perception during the Giants' first two weeks of training camp practices
was that the defense was ahead of the offense. That assessment has apparently
survived the first preseason game, a 24-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers
on Monday night. A lack of depth took a toll on the Giants last season. Robbins finished the season playing with two broken hands, and Cofield limped through December on a bad knee. Kiwanuka, starting 16 games for the first time in his career in place of the injured Umenyiora, ran out of gas. Depth won't be a problem this season. The quality of both the defensive line and the team was why Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty were willing to surrender their NFL starting positions to sign with the Giants as backups. "They told me we're going to be a dominant defensive line and we're going to come at offensive lines in waves," Canty said. "We're going to take advantage of mismatches and move guys around. Aug 18 Giants win the first Preseason game 24-17
ESPN - Hill returns fumble 18 yards for winning score as time runs out. Giants.com - Giants defeat Panthers, 24-17. StarLedger - Rookie defensive end Tommie Hill makes biggest play of night. StarLedger - Giants happy with offensive progress in 24-17 preseason victory. StarLedger - Running back Ahmad Bradshaw poised to deliver after fine performance. Newsday - Giants will get money's worth from Eli. Newsday - Eli's top target? Hard to tell. NYDailyNews - Giants beat Carolina Panthers 24-17 on last play of preseason opener. NYPost - Giant RBS carry load in victory. NYPost - Tyree receives no help to keep job. NYPost - Stoney rocks in pro debut. TheRecord - Eli, Osi look good in Giants' opener. Preseason
Game 1 Preview - Giants
vs Panthers Aug
17 For
Derek Hagan, the stakes are high. He's emerged as an early training camp standout,
coming up with tough catches and displaying a serious leaping ability -- not to
mention countering a pesky reputation for having the drops. But his performance
reinforces the tough decision awaiting the Giants at final roster cuts on Sept.
5. The team currently has 10 receivers on its roster and probably won't be able
to keep more than six. Battle Of The Week: Hakeem Nicks (first-round draft pick) vs. veteran Domenik Hixon) for a starting receiver spot. Nicks probably won’t win this, but he has served notice that his ascension continues and his emergence isn’t far off. He has size and speed, gigantic hands and a good understanding of the playbook. Hixon, acquired as a free agent via the waiver wire in September 2007, has the speed and moves but last year suffered through too many drops and missed routes. Also in the mix is third-round pick Ramses Barden (6-6, 230). Complicating an already deep (but inexperienced) receiver corps has been the hot summer of free agent Derek Hagan. He constantly makes difficult catches and gains separation when running routes, and there could be a trade announced before the season-perhaps for a reserve safety? The Giants have had nearly nine months to figure out how to run their passing game without Plaxico Burress, and they think they have a pretty good idea how they're going to do it. Monday night they put their theory to the test. Even though the starters won't see much action in the Giants' preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, it still figures to be a significant night at Giants Stadium for the team's unheralded receiver corps. With both starters, including Amani Toomer, gone from last year's team, Eli Manning has talked about using a "committee" of receivers. This is the team's first chance to see what that committee can do. Almost all of the receivers have gone deep since training camp opened, but they have to do it in game conditions. "There are a lot of guys, a lot of weapons that could do good things," said Manning, who will be playing for the first time since signing a six-year, $97 million contract extension. "I think it's going to be kind of by committee. I think we've got a lot of guys who can step in and play well for us." The Giants need at least one of the receivers to show the ability to go deep. The team didn't have that after losing Burress, and it cost them down the stretch as opposing defenses crowded the line of scrimmage to take away the running game. The
last anyone saw of Andre Woodson, he was fumbling away consecutive snaps in
last year's preseason finale against the Patriots, blunders that so triggered
the ire of Tom Coughlin that he immediately yanked the rookie quarterback from
the game. Woodson, at the Giants' urging, shed 22 pounds and worked to rid his
throwing motion of the hitch in his delivery. He's completed more deep throws
than any of the four quarterbacks in camp and has the edge over rookie Rhett Bomar,
who was selected in the fifth-round out of Sam Houston State. Former Giants NFC
East News Aug
16 Tom
Coughlin said the only players who won’t participate in the opener are WR
Steve Smith (knee), CB Corey Webster (hip), CB Aaron Ross (leg), DT Fred Robbins
(knee rehab) and DT Chris Canty (hamstring). WRs Sinorice Moss and David Tyree
returned to practice and should play. The other one-a-day defensive linemen, Justin
Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Barry Cofield, all will play, Coughlin said. He said the
regulars would go 12 to 15 plays, and he hoped to get all four quarterbacks into
the game. Andre Woodson, who has made remarkable improvement in one year, will
get a lot of snaps. The Giants ended last season without their No. 1 receiver, and they will begin their preseason tomorrow night without their No. 1 receiver as well. Steve Smith, who inherited that spot when Plaxico Burress was released and Amani Toomer wasn't re-signed, will miss the Giants' preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers with an injury to his knee. The loss of rookie running back Andre Brown -- who went down late in Friday night's practice with a season-ending ruptured Achilles' tendon -- opens the door for another first-year player, Allen Patrick, a speedster from Oklahoma. "I'm probably one of the fastest backs we got. I try to use that to my ability to go out there and contribute to the team," Patrick said. Lawrence Tynes is the lone kicker on the 80-man roster. He has made 22 of 26 field goals so far, including two of four on a wet field Monday night after he strained his groin. The injury kept him out for several days, but he intends to kick in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers tomorrow night..
Twice
this past week, Clint Sintim took reps with the first-team defense; Tom Coughlin
instantly cautioned not to read into anything. Sintim is behind 10-year vet Danny
Clark at strong-side linebacker, but when it's time to put the pass-rushers in
the game, Sintim -- who had 27 career sacks at Virginia -- could get the call.
"I'm not looking too deep into it," said Sintim, who makes his debut tomorrow
night in the preseason opener against the Panthers. When the Giants drafted Travis Beckum, he was cast as the versatile H-back threat the team hadn't previously had in its repertoire. But while he's shown how he can be a lively pass catcher -- he drew cheers from the crowd Friday morning after catching a 15-yard floater from Andre Woodson over the middle -- being a sound blocker would only expand his usefulness. His progress there has pleased the coaches, who are excited about the ways in which they can use him. "I don't know who our top three receivers are going to be right now," Eli Manning admitted Saturday. He knows they won't be Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. They're gone and not coming back. "It's a little different," Manning said with a smile. "So many times you stepped into the huddle and you just knew they [Toomer and Burress] were going to be there for you to make a play in the fourth quarter." The candidates to replace them are Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, Derek Hagan, David Tyree, Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. David Carr knows what happens when an NFL starting quarterback is forced to the sideline with injury. "It's going to start a mass panic, no matter who's playing behind the guy," Carr said this week. Carr understands that sentiment better than most. He is beginning his second season playing behind that guy on the Giants - Eli Manning. To even suggest that Manning would have to sit out could cause - well, mass panic - among Giants fans. But not behind the center. Carr believes should the worst-case scenario unfold, he can keep leading the offense into the end zone and the team to victory. For an evening practice last week, the sinking sun offered a reddish light as mosquitoes began to bite. Overhead, geese formed a wedge. Time was measured not by a scoreboard clock but by coaches’ stopwatches and the chimes of a nearby bell tower.Fans listened and watched from bleachers, grassy slopes and fences. Some hollered encouragement - "Great catch, Ramses!" - and heckling was rare. Other fans staked out early positions along Autograph Alley and waited. Soon, they smelled the perspiration of players and saw the scabs on their knees. A final horn ended practice and cameras flashed as they processed by. Former
Giants Aug 15 Giants
running back Andre Brown's rookie season is already over. The fourth-round
pick, who was having an impressive training camp, suffered a ruptured left Achilles'
tendon in practice on Friday evening. He will undergo surgery next week for what
is a season-ending injury, according to the team's public-relations staff. With
the first preseason game arriving Monday night, it was no time for Eli Manning
to be waiting to sign the six-year, $97.5 million extension that contractually
binds him to the Giants through the 2015 season. Manning yesterday morning officially
signed the deal, making him, in terms of his annual average of $15.2 million,
the highest-paid NFL player. "I'm happy to be here. This is where I wanted to
be,"
On
the day the Giants officially signed Eli Manning to a six-year, $97.5 million
contract extension, general manager Jerry Reese spent more time answering questions
about Vick than he did about his own franchise quarterback. "I'm happy that he's
got a second chance to move on in his life and I wish him the best, except when
he plays us," Reese said. The
defense did a little work against a scout-team "Wildcat" offense. Before we
could jump to any Michael Vick-related conclusions, Giants Czar of communications
Pat Hanlon reminded everyone practice schedules are set in May. In other words,
the Giants had planned to defend the Wildcat well before their division rivals
signed Vick Thursday night. NFC
East News Aug
14 Ramses
Barden may be the biggest surprise of the New York Giants training camp, and
it involves much more than his height. The third-round draft pick from Cal Poly
is showing the Giants that he has the tools to help them replace veteran receivers
Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. The 6-foot-6 Barden has caught the short ball,
gone deep, hauled in passes over the middle and delighted fans with a couple of
spectacular catches in the first two weeks of training camp at the University
at Albany. David Tyree never has had more at stake than he does this preseason, when nearly every number-crunching scenario ends with him on the wrong side of the final roster's cut line. The Giants may not have one bona fide wide receiving star (having cut ties with Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer) but they do have depth. Eli Manning finally put his expensive signature on his even more expensive contract Friday morning, making his six-year, $97.5 million contract extension official. The signing insures that, barring injury, he'll be the Giants' franchise quarterback until 2015. Giants Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck can no longer hide in the shadows. A season-ending knee injury to Osi Umenyiora in last year's preseason forced Tuck to accept more of a leadership role, and it's one he's flourished in. On Wednesday, the shy (seriously) young man from the state of Alabama joked about how glad he was to see dozens of reporters surrounding Umenyiora early in this training camp. Tuck may have emerged as one of the best quotes on the team, but he's never minded sharing the attention. Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins have spent three seasons playing next to each other in the middle of the Giants' defensive front. But this spring, they found themselves in a much less appealing situation: next to each other on the sidelines. Both coming off arthroscopic knee procedures performed on the same day in February, the defensive tackles could only stand and watch the Giants' organized team activities and veteran minicamp. For Cofield, action will come as soon as Monday, when he said he'll play in the Giants' preseason opener against Carolina. Aaron Ross started 15 games last season and never felt like himself. "I didn't like my second year at all," Ross said. "I knew I'm more of a playmaker than I showed. I really think it was more about me not being happy. It really is hard for me to explain, because I'm a young guy and to be tired of something I just started is sort of disturbing." Entering his fourth season as a valuable member of the Giants' defense, Mathias Kiwanuka has come full circle. As a rookie he was a reserve end and after stints as a starter at linebacker and end, he is once again a backup at his original position. But his talent and growth as a player make him too valuable to stand on the sideline. NFC East News Aug 13 Brandon
Jacobs caught a pass out of the backfield again tonight. Why is that important?
Because, said Brandon Jacobs earlier today, “This ‘Brandon Jacobs can’t catch’
thing is killing me. It’s just killing me.” Only way to stop that kind of talk
is to, you know, catch the ball. At first, it might not have seemed like a compliment when coach Tom Coughlin mentioned Stoney Woodson "has been very noticeable" at Giants training camp lately. That's because cornerbacks are often noticed for bad plays, like when they get beat badly on deep balls. But then, Coughlin added this kicker: "And that's a good thing." That's what happens when a defensive back knocks away passes or intercepts them, which Woodson has done repeatedly the past couple of days. At
least 2,000 fans gathered on the mounds surrounding the lower practice fields
at the University at Albany on Wednesday morning. The Giants were coming back
from a day off, but the defense looked more refreshed than the offense. Tom
Coughlin is irritated that too many players are missing practices with bumps
and strains. He thought he might see Steve Smith or Hakeem Nicks return to practice
Wednesday, but it didn't work out that way. As he wrapped up his daily news conference,
Coughlin made a beeline for the locker room. There was a break in practice last week, and defensive line coach Mike Waufle likes to use those moments to test his rookies. So he fired a question about the Giants defense at Maurice Evans, who answered it correctly with no hesitation. Then he did it again...and again...and again. Eight questions in all. Eight correct answers. "I just kept firing and firing and firing," Waufle recalled. "He was right on them. He answered every one of them perfect. The D-line gave him a standing ovation." Giants-themed NJ Lottery Ticket coming soon. The lottery ticket, "Giants Football Fantasy," offers cash prizes ranging from $5 to $100,000, plus Giants merchandise packages, Experiential Prizes, and Grand Prizes ranging from traveling with the Giants team on a road trip to private football clinics with Giants players. Stadium
News Former Giants Aug 12 In the 78 consecutive regular-season and postseason games Manning has played since becoming the Giants' starter in November 2004, Amani Toomer or Plaxico Burress has been on the field for all but one. The two made 504 receptions during that time. This year, it's Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss, second-year player Mario Manningham and rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. The Giants' defensive players were raving about receiver Sinorice Moss in the spring, how fast he was and how difficult he was to cover. They never told him that, of course. "No, but they tell me to slow down half the time I talk to them," Moss said. "But I can't do that, man. I'm out here on a mission." Moss, the 5-8 speedster entering his fourth NFL season, is on a mission to prove his critics wrong and to once and for all show he can play in this league. His first three seasons have been a mess of injuries, lack of opportunities and failure to meet expectations. He's heard the word "bust" far too many times. Kenny Phillips is a starter this year, inheriting the strong safety job left vacant when James Butler signed with the Rams as a free agent. Phillips thought he would start in his first season after he was drafted out of Miami in the first round. Unwilling to break up a combination that worked, the Giants kept Butler and Michael Johnson in the starting lineup and relegated Phillips to third-down duty. There were moments last summer when Phillips looked as if he couldn't be kept off the field, but once the season started, Phillips says David Merritt, the defensive backs coach, pulled tightly on the reins and took away much of his aggressiveness. When Albert Haynesworth came into the draft in 2002, he was strongly considered by Tom Coughlin when he was coaching Jacksonville. A phone call from Coughlin the day before the draft left Haynesworth somewhat confused. "I spent three or four hours on the phone with him the day before the draft," Haynesworth said. "He kept asking me these questions that didn't quite make sense to me. He's like, 'OK, if I ask you to do something and you know it's the wrong thing to do, what are you going to do?' So I'm like, 'Well, I'll do the right thing.' And he said, 'No, do what I say.' We kind of clashed at the time. I said, 'Yeah, I don't need to go to Jacksonville.' " Haynesworth is aware Coughlin has mellowed over the years. Every couple of days, Danny Clark will sense it's time to chide Michael Boley a bit -- just to make sure he still feels like part of the team. "Boy, I'd sure love to see No. 52 out at practice," Clark, the Giants' starting strong-side linebacker, says. Clark's not alone. Obviously, No. 52 would sure love to see No. 52 out at practice. For now, however, all Boley can do when the Giants are on the field at camp is watch. And chances are he might be doing the same for the rest of the team's time up here.. NFC East News Aug 11 There
was a time when David Tyree used his helmet for making the most famous catch
in Super Bowl history, not for expressing his anger on a rainy summer day. But
it's been a tough spell for the 29-year-old receiver, who had "a lot of frustration"
building up. Something had to give. David
Tyree, who has not played in a game since the one that made him famous, is
trying to come back from injuries that cost him an entire season. He had knee
surgery after the Super Bowl and was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform
list when training camp opened in 2008. Now back on the field, the seven-year
veteran out of Syracuse isn't pleased with his own early returns. A
little rain wasn't enough to scare away the Giants Monday morning, though
some players were affected more than others. DE Justin Tuck did a good job of
not being faked out by a counter run. He was deep in the backfield but shallowed
out in time to make the stop on RB Brandon Jacobs. Great touch by QB Eli Manning
on a lob downfield to WR Sinorice Moss over CB Terrell Thomas. Manning used a
pump fake to draw S Kenny Phillips away. He did it later to free up TE Kevin Boss
for the second of back-to-back completions in 7-on-7s. In a little more than a week here at camp, Ramses Barden has adjusted to the NFL about as well as anyone could have expected of a rookie making the leap from Division 1-AA/FCS Cal Poly. The third-round pick has made plenty of catches over the top of smaller defenders, has used his big body well to create separation while grabbing a ball in traffic and has run some pretty smooth routes for a big guy. Eli
Manning said third-round draft pick Ramses Barden (6 feet 6) has been particularly
impressive to him. "He’s a big target, he’s made some plays, he looks like
he’s got a pretty good feel for what’s going on," he said. He also singled
out Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham for getting down the field, and is disappointed
first-round pick Hakeem Nicks has missed the past few days with a hamstring problem.
As far as his own well-being, Manning says he feels a little fresher and his arm
feels a little stronger than at this time in the past. He chalks that up to be
a grizzly old veteran at 28, now in his sixth season. When he first went down against the Jets, Osi Umenyiora was hopeful it wasn't serious. He had been having knee and neck pain for a year already. But when he tried to get up and couldn't straighten out his left knee, he knew he was in trouble. Now that he is healthy after having the torn lateral meniscus cartilage repaired, the Giants have the best defensive end rotation in the NFL. Aug
10 Ahmad
Bradshaw not only plans on stepping into the No. 2 running back role this
season for the Giants, he also wants to convince the coaches he can be a Tiki
Barber-like pass-catcher out of the backfield. Tiki Barber spoiled the Giants.
For 10 years he was a dangerous weapon as a receiver out of the backfield. When
he left it was as if he took that part of the offense with him. Now Ahmad Bradshaw
is hoping to bring it back. Having
Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora at opposite ends of the defensive line would
be enough to give any offense a migraine. Imagine putting them side by side on
the quarterback's blind side. The Giants' coaches have imagined it, and they've
been dreaming up plenty of other schemes and systems. On Sunday, the Giants unveiled
a 5-1-5 look, with five defensive backs and Antonio Pierce at linebacker. Then,
reading from left to right, as a quarterback would see them across the front,
were Umenyiora, Tuck, Barry Cofield, Jay Alford and Mathias Kiwanuka. That sound
you hear is the collective gulp of every offensive lineman in the NFL. Six
months after microfracture surgery on his knee, Giants DT Fred Robbins is
back at practice. The 32-year-old Robbins returned to the field today and did
individual drills for the first time since the surgery in February. Before he
did, the Giants removed him from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list that
he’s been on since the start of camp. And the news is even better, because Tom
Coughlin said the Robbins could be back in team drills as early as tomorrow. Derek Hagan ran a deep in-cut and had separation between himself and the defender. Andre' Woodson looked that way and fired, making it seem the offense was on its way to a big completion in the two-minute drill. Until the ball bounced off Hagan's hands. Last year at this time, a drop like that might have induced groans or eye rolls from onlookers. But on this occasion, there were some raised eyebrows. That's because it was Hagan's first drop of Giants camp. On
Saturday night, Bryan Kehl was on the phone with his wife of only a few months,
trying to explain why he got into a fight on the practice field. Jessica Kehl
couldn't quite understand why her usually mild-mannered husband had been a participant
in the first scrum of Giants training camp when he retaliated against Madison
Hedgecock a few plays after the fullback dropped him with a downfield block. "So,
wait, you don't tackle? You don't knock people down?" Jessica asked Bryan. "I
thought that's what football was all about." Former
Giants Aug
9 It
took nine practices, but tempers flared at Giants camp last night as three
fights broke out, leaving one lineman injured. FB Madison Hedgecock and LB Ryan
Kehl went at it twice. Then DE Dave Tollefson battled rookie LT William Beatty,
throwing the 307-pound tackle into OL Cliff Louis, who hurt his left ankle and
had to be carried off the field. With players yelling back and forth, Tom Coughlin
had to briefly stop practice to calm everybody down. For
almost a week now, the snaps from center at Giants camp have been bouncing
off quarterbacks' hands, diving to their ankles, whizzing to either side of them
and inevitably bouncing and rolling on the grass. There was even an imaginary
snap that sailed over coach Tom Coughlin's head. Giants backup quarterback David Carr took the snap from center, took a quick glance to the left sideline and fired a quick out. The tight pass spiraled through the air until second-year linebacker Bryan Kehl stuck his hands up, snared the ball and took off down the sideline with a convoy of defenders all yelling: "Don't stop! Keep going!" Kehl obliged. He needed no urging. The interception yesterday was his third in the opening week of training camp, and it has clearly put him in front of Gerris Wilkinson in the race to win the weak-side linebacker job, at least for the opening game of the regular season against Washington on Sept. 13. The
Giants are not going to kill the quarter back this season, they are going
to overkill the quarterback. They have a healthy Osi Umenyiora returning to a
defense that was fourth in the 2008 in sacks, and have spent $42 million to sign
defensive end Chris Canty away from the Cowboys and $16 million on defensive tackle
Rocky Bernard from the Seahawks. The
loudest cheers generated after one week of training camp came Friday afternoon
after Hakeem Nicks ran a deep post, leaped over veteran safety C.C. Brown and
rookie cornerback Stoney Woodson and hauled in a 35-yard pass from David Carr.
It was the first downfield grab by Nicks, the first-round draft pick out of North
Carolina. The big money always gets invested in the quarterbacks and that's where the Giants and Jets did a lot of spending in the last month. But they didn't make the required moves to make sure their investments have the best chance to pay big dividends. Where is the Giants' elite big-target replacement for Plaxico Burress? Former
Giants Aug 8 The young man went down after tight end Travis Beckum fell on top of him. His wrist was aching, but he didn't want to show the players or coaches he was hurt. So he popped right back up and got ready for the next play. Later, the training staff discovered he had a broken wrist. Friday, he was on the sidelines, out of action and with his arm in a sling. A player trying to make the Giants' roster? No, a 14-year-old ball boy who proved he's as tough as any of the hulking 300-pound players all around him. The
gloves were really off (and the pads were on) for the first time in training
camp today as the Giants ran their first live goal-line drills - - the first drills
of camp that feature not only live hitting, but live tackling. And as with the
rest of training camp, the early advantage went to the defense. The Giants ran
only two plays, both from 1 ½ yards out, and the Giants running backs got stopped
short of the goal line both times. Second-year
Giants linebacker Bryan Kehl is trying to earn the starting spot at weak-side
linebacker in place of free-agent signee Michael Boley, who is recovering from
hip surgery and suspended for the season opener. But Kehl knows he has to get
more physical. position in flux all of last season is again unsettled. Kehl and
oft-injured Gerris Wilkinson, entering his fourth season, are battling for the
starting job, with utility linebacker Chase Blackburn an option if the other two
falter. It has taken some professional athletes more than a year to completely recover from microfracture surgery. Some never fully recover. Fred Robbins believes he will buck that trend and expects to be back on the football field and at full strength by September, just seven months after undergoing that arthroscopic procedure on his knee. Robbins is on the Giants' physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and while he has started running and doing some "cone drills," no timetable has been set for his return to practice. While the Giants are hopeful about his recovery, he could be placed on PUP to start the season, meaning he'd be out until at least Week6. As
a captain of numerous football teams, Mathias Kiwanuka knows what it's like
talking to a teammate who has lost his starting job. The advice he offers is simple:
Make plays when the chance arises. In the opening week of training camp with the
Giants, Kiwanuka has been trying to remind himself of his own advice. Heading
into this season, Kiwanuka is no longer a starting defensive end, and the four-year
veteran is not thrilled about it, even if the guys he is playing behind are Pro
Bowlers Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. As he was getting into his truck, the first shot pierced his hand while another hit his leg. He recoiled backward into the seat -- a move that saved his life. He claims he saw and heard three bullets pass in front of his face, one of which he believes clipped a lock of his hair. "I was like, 'It's over. I'm not going to make it out of this car,' " Taye Biddle recalled. Months later, his physical recovery is not complete. As he tries to make the active roster at a position crowded with high draft picks, Biddle still has only limited flexibility in his middle finger. After seeing this and this, I can't take it anymore. I just can't. (TG Note - this and this Links) I have to add a few more questions to these equations in order to help everyone get a true picture of the value of Eli Manning's forthcoming contract. But I'm going to need help calculating these questions, such as: How much does Manning make per time he calms everyone else around him by being the "same old Eli" in a pressure situation? How much for each time he's responsible for half of the greatest play in Super Bowl history? How much for the big shiny ring - the generally accepted ultimate sign of a quarterback's worth? (That figure for the contracts for quarterbacks such as Carson Palmer, Donovan McNabb and Drew Brees can't be calculated because you can't divide by zero.). Former
Giants Aug
7 For
years now, Osi Umenyiora has been hiding a secret to figure out how to get
a jump off the snap. There's something upon which he keys that is a nearly flawless
indicator of when the play is coming. It's what allows him to start moving out
of his three-point stance while the other 21 players on the field are still motionless.
Umenyiora has perfected the art, giving an already fast, agile player a head start
against a left tackle. Frankly, it's almost unfair sometimes. "The secret is in
the eyes," was all Umenyiora would say about the key, though he added: "It's pretty
sweet." When
the first defensive unit has been called onto the field in each of the first
six practices of training camp, Mathias Kiwanuka has trotted out with his teammates.
That's nothing new for the defensive end who, when healthy, has been a starter
for most of his career with the Giants. The strange part for Kiwanuka will be
when the first unit heads out and he's left there, standing on the sideline. With
Pro Bowler Justin Tuck at one end position and Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora returning
from knee surgery at the other, Kiwanuka's role is changing. Again. It used to
be that he'd switch positions. Now he's switching status. "It's tough," he said
of being relegated to a backup. Is
it too late to cancel the check? Yes, I’m kidding. But... after holding the
ball forever and getting wrapped by at least one defender, he (Eli Manning) tossed
it out in the direction of CB Aaron Ross. Seriously, if there was an offensive
player in the vicinity, I couldn’t find him. Lucky for Manning, the ball just
bounced harmlessly to the ground. Last
season, Eli Manning completed 289 of 479 pass attempts for 3,238 yards and
21 touchdowns. His completion percentage was the best of his career but only ninth
best in the N.F.L. He ranked 10th in touchdown passes and 11th in total passing
yards. But Manning plays for a run-based offense in a stadium known for swirling
winds late in the season. His passes, even on calm days, have a tendency to wobble.
Some quarterbacks, O'Hara said, throw beautiful passes but do not win games. He
said Manning has the ability to win under pressure. "That’s an attribute
that can’t be calculated," O’Hara said. Eli
Manning signed a few autographs Thursday before he entered the dining hall
at the Giants’ training camp. "Did you sign anything else today?" he
was asked. "Nope," Manning replied before heading off to the chicken
Dijon, steak wraps and other goodies on the day’s menu. "Nothing to report,"
said general manager Jerry Reese before he sat down to lunch. Practice
Report - Tom Coughlin said he thought that putting on the shoulder pads would
help the offense, particular the blockers who would have a bigger surface to hit.
Turns out the pads just made the pass rush look all the more dominant. And Osi
Umenyiora wasn't even on the field.
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