Aug 12 There was the initial mini-scuffle between Chris Snee and Phillip Dillard after the play. Nothing new or notable, just typical training camp frustrations. Then, just as it seemed the offense and defense would head to their respective huddles, Dillard said something that got Snee to charge him again -- this time with Giants coach Tom Coughlin in the middle to break it up before it boiled over.

"Superman is back". That’s what CB Aaron Ross yelled after the best play Giants S Kenny Phillips has made in 11 months. Playing deep centerfield, where he's lined up almost exclusively in his limited practice time, Phillips sprinted towards the sideline at practice tonight and broke up a Jim Sorgi pass intended for Victor Cruz.
There was a deep ball early in practice Wednesday evening that started out looking like the one safeties coach David Merritt was waiting to see: the long pass in Kenny Phillips' area. The one he could finally make a play on. The one that would test his knee and let everyone know it's okay. That ball never got there. But another one did later on. And Phillips made the play.

It was a strong overall performance from the entire secondary and they let their offensive counterparts know it. With nothing open over the top, the quarterbacks in the 7 on 7 drill were forced to flip the ball to running backs and receivers in safety-valve situations. That prompted CB Terrell Thomas to shout "Check down all day" to the offense.

It took one hand injury to get Rich Seubert to finally start speaking the truth about holding among offensive linemen. Well, almost. "You have to realize: we don't hold but we like to grab," the Giants' left guard said Wednesday after participating in individual drills for the first time since suffering a broken hand last week. "And obviously, with your whole hand in a cast, it kind of takes away from that."

If there’s anything that sours Tom Coughlin about training camp it’s injuries. Yet, when he was asked Wednesday about the absences of wide receivers Steve Smith and Sinorice Moss, he got uncharacteristically giddy. "Victor Cruz! What do we need anybody for? We’ve got Victor Cruz," he replied, referring to the free agent wideout from the University of Massachusetts and Paterson. "How about the plays he made this morning? I’m serious, he’s made some outstanding plays. [Tuesday] he was going by people out here."

Kevin Boss sat out again yesterday with a strained right hamstring, a new ailment that cropped up because he over-compensated by altering his running style coming off surgery on his right ankle. Itching to get back on the field, Boss joins Travis Beckum (hamstring), Scott Chandler (hip flexor) and Jake Ballard (hamstring) as tight ends on the shelf, leaving the Giants with only one healthy body to take part in one drill after another.
The worst part for Kevin Boss is that he was starting to feel good, and with him that can be rare. He thought the worst was over in his recovery from ankle surgery. Then he felt his hamstring pull. No matter what Boss does, it always seems to be something for the Giants' 26-year-old tight end. He battled ankle pain all last season. He was dazed by two brutal helmet-to-helmet hits. He needed surgery on his pinkie finger in January. Not surprisingly, Boss is feeling "frustrated at this point, I guess."

Bear Pascoe said he arrived at camp in optimal condition, so the increased workload hasn't overtaxed him physically. And the coaches, including Coughlin, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and tight ends coach Mike Pope, monitor Pascoe to ensure that he's not getting fatigued.
Bear Pascoe remains the only tight end able to practice, as four others are injured. Pascoe is helping strengthen his bid to stick on the roster by making catches and staying on the field. Victor Cruz, a rookie receiver from UMass by way of Patterson, N.J., was singled out for praise from Tom Coughlin. Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Sinorice Moss did not practice, giving Cruz more opportunity to show what he's got.

The Giants open their preseason schedule Monday night against the Jets. New stadium. Big rival. Sounds as if there will be more on the line than usual and that the Giants will not treat this as a regular first preseason game. Wrong. Tom Coughlin this morning after practice said "it wouldn't make sense'' to handle this game any differently than a preseason opener in any other year.

New Giants QB Jim Sorgi signed with the Giants in March, despite a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that the team thought might require surgery. In the third edition of Sorgi's "Postcards from Albany" feature for the Daily News, the backup QB discusses how his shoulder is holding up so far, and what lies ahead.

When Shaun O'Hara arrived for training camp, the New York Giants veteran center felt something was off. O'Hara quickly realized for the first time in six training camps, Antonio Pierce was missing. Gone was that brash and cocky swagger that oozed out of Pierce daily. "I texted Antonio the first day and said, 'Hey man, it feels weird to not have you here,'" O'Hara said. "That is one of the things that everybody misses on defense, his personality."

Stadium News
The last time the Giants played on the FieldTurf at the New Meadowlands Stadium they lost kick returner Domenik Hixon for the season in mid-June to a torn ACL. Several players were convinced the "soft" and "loose" turf caused the injury. But Tom Coughlin said he is convinced that when they return there for their preseason opener against the Jets on Monday night, the turf won't be a problem.
With the push of a button on Wednesday, new Meadowlands stadium chief executive Mark Lamping turned a Jets-themed retail store into a Giants-themed one -- yet a moment later, the vibe was decidedly neutral. Most of the displays in the new store also are designed so that they can easily be flipped around to show either a Jets or a Giants logo, depending on which team has a game that day.

Aug 11 The Giants' defense has dominated training-camp practices for so many days that I've been wondering when the offense would step up and string a few plays together. More than a week into camp, it's finally starting to happen. "It's been better," coach Tom Coughlin said of the passing game. "The past two days have been pretty good."
Ramses Barden put a second consecutive solid practice together, impressing Coughlin. Barden's best moment was a deep pattern in which he ran past CB Bruce Johnson and S Antrel Rolle and was in the right spot to catch Eli Manning's on-target toss. Hakeem Nicks made a nice grab on an over-the-shoulder catch, getting his head around quickly on a lob from Jim Sorgi.

On Monday night, Aaron Ross tracked a ball that was thrown up the left side for Ramses Barden. Early in training camp, the 6-1 Ross won a matchup with the 6-6 Barden on a similar pass, and he thought he had another deflected ball in his sights. But this time, Barden got his hands on the ball and made the juggling catch while falling over Ross.
The way Barden elevated over cornerback Aaron Ross - who had fine coverage and certainly got up off the grass to compete for the ball - is exactly what the Giants envisioned when they took a gamble on a statuesque target from Cal Poly, who looks like a prototype NBA shooting guard.

Linval Joseph made a quick move inside Mitch Petrus and could see nothing but quarterback. That’s when Petrus reached out and grabbed Joseph. A few plays later, it happened again. With the officials yet to arrive at Giants training camp, there was no flag and no indication any of the coaches had seen the holds. But Joseph knows those plays are on film for them to see later, and that an offensive lineman won’t try grasping like that with the refs around.

Tom Coughlin has had plenty to keep him awake each summer since he took over the Giants in 2004. There were always two things, however, that never robbed him of any sleep. Punter? Got Jeff Feagles. Holder? Got Jeff Feagles. Now that Feagles has retired, however, you can add two more things to Coughlin's sleep-depravation list. Seventh-round draft pick Matt Dodge from East Carolina is trying to replace one of the best punters in NFL history and a holder who always put the kicker at ease with his precise placements.
The rookie punter out of East Carolina has been working with a personal coach - just-retired Jeff Feagles - on honing his release. The idea is to develop consistency - something eluding him thus far in training camp. "Some times I get the right direction and distance, but it's the hang time," said Dodge, who at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds is built more like a safety than a punter. "I would rather get the hang time than the distance."

There is no doubt that rookie punter Matt Dodge has a remarkably strong leg. The only question is whether he can harness all that power. Right now that’s clearly a work in progress as the seventh-round pick attempts to fill the well-worn shoes of retired punter Jeff Feagles. He can certainly boom kicks down field - - yesterday he averaged 58.3 yards on four punts, including a 65- and 66-yarder. But his hang time isn’t great and his consistency is non-existent. That will have to change.
Dodge is trying to figure out the science of what makes a bad kick. It used to be he’d have to guess what the issue was. Now, with film as a teaching tool and Feagles by his side, Dodge is able to see exactly what the issue is - and sometimes how it can be as small as a one-inch miss on his drop to his foot. "I've thought about it but I’ve never watched it as many times as I have here," he said. "Before I’d hit a bad punt and I wouldn't really know what to do. Now, we watch it on tape and it's like it’s obvious why it was a bad punt."

Exactly halfway through training camp, Jonathan Goff remains the starting middle linebacker. He's on the first-team in every drill and has been a consistent, unspectacular contributor to a defense that has looked promising. How long Goff keeps the job is up for debate. Veteran Keith Bulluck was signed to move into a starting role, as soon as he shows his surgically repaired knee is ready for full-time action. Bulluck, after 10 years with the Titans, is established and vocal. A man of few words, Goff, a third-year player from Vanderbilt, insists he can direct the troops despite his reticence.
Keith Bulluck has had only a handful of practices and limited reps with the New York Giants' second-team defense as he makes his way back from ACL surgery. But the veteran middle linebacker is beaming with confidence and already has pronounced his surgically repaired left knee ready for a game. And Bulluck says it will be only a matter of time before he takes over as the starter.

Keith Bulluck feels no pain, and that's surprising. He never expected his left knee to feel this good less than eight months after tearing his ACL. That's what the Giants are counting on, since they intend to have Bulluck, the former Titan, as their starting middle linebacker when the season opens in a little more than a month. They gave the 33-year-old Bulluck a one-year, $2.5 million contract after working him out in late July, then crossed their fingers that his knee would hold up throughout camp.
Bulluck needed a team after surgery seven months ago on his left ACL. The Giants needed a middle linebacker. He doesn't think anymore about the knee. The Giants don't doubt he can make the transition from the outside, where six times he compiled 100-plus tackles. Neither does he. "For Coach Coughlin and his staff to give me this opportunity, I'm gonna run through the wall for this team," Bulluck said.

Brandon Jacobs has carved out a successful career as the biggest, strongest running back in the NFL. But after a disappointing 2009 season, he changed his tactics in an attempt to reach the lofty standards he sets for himself. Brute strength is out. Flexibility is in.

Aug 10 The new looks keep coming for the Giants defense. Last night, they unveiled something they called "NASCAR." Vroom, vroom. Get it? It's a speed-rush package that had four defensive ends, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Mathias Kiwanuka and Osi Umenyiora, all up on the line, all standing up, none in a three-point stance. At times, Umenyiora and Tuck dropped in coverage. Clearly, new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is taking a look at a great many things this summer.

Giants safety Kenny Phillips finally made it back to the practice field, 11 months after microfracture surgery on his left knee. Phillips has an arthritic condition in the knee, making his health situation a great cause for concern around the Giants. He's insisted he's feeling great and ready to return to the form that made him an up-and-coming star safety. This morning was a huge first step.
The Giants are going to take it slow with Phillips, who showed signs of being a dynamic player. He came off the physically unable to perform list after passing his physical over the weekend. Tom Coughlin said there is time for Phillips to earn back his starting safety spot, where he would team with free agent addition Antrel Rolle. "I have no swelling. I have no pain," Phillips said. "I am just playing football right now."
Phillips took 12 snaps in team drills - two at a time - and even snuck into the four-minute drill, which he was scheduled to sit out. Most of those plays were running plays in which he wasn't involved. The most action Phillips saw was a ball in his area. He dove for that one and got right back up, as he did after a pair of back-to-back slips. "It's those cleats," Phillips said with a laugh. "I'm just going to blame it on the cleats."

Wide receiver Ramses Barden has his best practice of Giants training camp. He opened team drills with a slant in front of a slipping CB Terrell Thomas. He then went to the right side of the field to catch a hook in front of Corey Webster. And then, he turned the hat trick by beating Aaron Ross.

Brandon Jacobs had two things on his mind Monday: Making no excuses about his poor numbers last year, and getting friend and former teammate Plaxico Burress out of jail. Jacobs, whose locker was right around the corner from Burress' at Giants Stadium, has stayed in touch since Burress was sent to jail in September.

Aug 9 Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said last week he can't point to one factor for why Brandon Jacobs' production dropped off last year. Jacobs, though, has one in mind. "I had fat last year, over 9 percent," the sixth-year running back said as he walked off the field following yesterday morning’s practice. "This year, I'm under six."

How can it be that Sinorice Moss has been with the Giants the longest of all the receivers, that at just 26 years old he is the oldest and has the most seniority? How can it be that the guy who has done so little -- and is so little -- is here so much? At a position where tenure is always a result of production Moss has made very few plays for the team.

Jim Sorgi, who was drafted 192 spots after Eli Manning in 2004, holds no grudge against the league’s foremost quarterback family. Instead, he enjoyed his time as Peyton’s backup with the Colts, earning a Super Bowl ring one year before Eli won his. And Sorgi finds the climate similar in his new spot with the Giants, with whom he signed March 9 as an unrestricted free agent.

Welcome to the world of Perry Fewell, the Giants' new defensive coordinator and the man charged with restoring the pride and confidence in the battered defense. In his first six months on the job and just one week into training camp, he's hit them like a fireball with his undying energy. He's lifted the sagging spirits that came from giving up 427 points last season - the second-worst total in franchise history.

With all of the talk about whether Terrell Thomas or Aaron Ross will win the starting spot across from Webster, perhaps it’s been prematurely assumed that Corey Webster will be a starter. For now, he doesn’t appear to be in any danger of getting benched and will surely be a starter come Week 1. But Reese indicated the team is keeping a close eye on the former second-round pick and hoping the last half of last season wasn’t the start of another prolonged mental slump - like the one he endured under former defensive coordinator Tim Lewis.

Aug 8 With no practice Sunday, you could tell the energy was high Saturday evening. Quite the night for the Giants' first- and second-round picks. DE Jason Pierre-Paul got some congrats on his hind quarters (you know what that means now) from Fewell after one stop. He later got a piece of the back after fighting off a blocker on a stretch run. And Pierre-Paul later bulled OL Jacob Bender into Sorgi's line of vision to disrupt a pass for WR Victor Cruz that was off-line. Pierre-Paul did get nudged to the ground by Bender a few plays after that, but it was only because he was first knocked off-balance when his right leg hit the lineman inside him. That play was Sorgi's bomb to Nicks up the middle.

For a week now, Ahmad Bradshaw has taken the first handoff of team drills, with Brandon Jacobs standing in the background. Coach Tom Coughlin has often cautioned about reading into such patterns during training camp. And today, when finally asked about the order of operations in the backfield so far, the Giants' coach characteristically said it wasn’t a manifestation of the depth chart. Still, it's starting to seem like Bradshaw could be leaned upon more than last year, especially after Jacobs wore down with another knee issue that required offseason surgery.
Bradshaw said it was his plan throughout the offseason to carry a full load once the team reported to the University at Albany. "I worked hard this offseason just to get used to the pounding and getting used to working my feet twice a day," Bradshaw said. "Just running twice a day. I felt that I was going to come out here and practice twice a day. I feel great about it. I feel 100 percent compared to last year."

It sounds like you can expect to see a little of Kiwanuka standing in the defensive backfield a few steps off the line of scrimmage throughout the 2010 season. He and defensive end Dave Tollefson have been sitting in on linebacker meetings and will take some snaps at that position during certain defensive sets. "We'll see how it goes," Kiwanuka said. "Perry (Fewell) said he's going to try to use everybody to their strengths, get a lot of different matchups, a lot of different looks. This should be just the beginning of it."
Kiwanuka is still a defensive end but in this unique package, he's a linebacker, with Michael Boley coming off the field. If it looks good in practice and in the preseason games, the Giants would use it in certain situations, such as when the opponent is leading and trying to run the ball. Kiwanuka prefers defensive end but what he wants most of all is to be on the field as much as possible.

The much-anticipated, long-awaited return of Kenny Phillips to the practice field comes Monday night and it comes as no surprise that he can’t wait. "It's been almost 11, 12 months since I played football so I'm really looking forward to it,'' Phillips said. Phillips, the dynamic safety the Giants believe has "star'' written all over him, hasn't played or practiced since the second game of last season. He needed microfracture knee surgery to help clear up an arthritic condition in his knee and no guarantees were given that Phillips would make a complete recovery.

After six seasons in Indianapolis, QB Jim Sorgi switched teams - and Manning brothers - and joined the Giants this spring to be the backup to Eli Manning. "Everybody asks me to compare (Peyton and Eli), and I really try not to get into that. I don't want to get into what Eli does that's like his brother and what he doesn't do like his brother. Each player is different. Each brother has his own game."

Kevin Boss, has been limited while recovering from off-season ankle surgery, and Bear Pascoe has played a number of snaps with the first team as a result. At 6 feet 5 inches and 251 pounds, Pascoe is useful mostly for his big body. The Giants hope that he can take some blocking responsibilities away from Boss and the backup Travis Beckum, allowing them to catch passes. "He's a tough guy, kind of a throwback," Mike Pope, the tight ends coach, said of Pascoe. "He's a rodeo-cowboy-type guy."

Although defensive coordinator Perry Fewell wants the defense to focus on where the quarterback is going with the ball, his system also allows for a great deal of flexibility. "We have the freedom to change it up depending on what we see as long as we’re doing well and using the right technique," Corey Webster said. "That way we can play off, play on, try to confuse the offense a little rather than tipping our hands on what we’re doing. Maybe we can confuse them and throw the timing off between the quarterback and the receiver."

Aug 7 With one interior lineman already sidelined, the Giants have lost another one. Starting left guard Rich Seubert broke a bone in his hand, the team announced. The Giants said Seubert will be reexamined on Saturday, when they'll have a better feel for the timetable for his return.
Seubert hurt himself pass-blocking during Thursday night's practice. Seubert stayed in for another play before exiting. Coach Tom Coughlin explained that the medical staff wants to wait a week or two to make sure the bone heals enough before allowing Seubert to return to the field with a protective cast.

Steve Smith, the Giants’ No. 1 receiver, left practice early this afternoon with a strained groin and will undergo an MRI later tonight. Smith, who caught 107 passes last year and became the first Giants receiver to make the Pro Bowl since 1968, pulled up lame early in practice while running a route. “(I was) just trying to make a normal move and I (felt) it kind of grab,” Smith said.
During the same drill in which Smith was injured, tight end Jake Ballard left with an apparent hamstring injury. Ballard was running a flag route and did a good job of getting a free release at the line. But as the pass from quarterback Rhett Bomar arrived, Ballard grabbed the back of his leg. Ballard is now the third injured tight end. Kevin Boss did not practice today because of his recovery from ankle surgery and Travis Beckum is still out with a hamstring issue.

This is how it started last year, too. One injury became two. A trickle of pulled muscles and broken bones became a flood. And before the Giants knew it, a season was ruined. Now, after just six days of training camp at the University at Albany, the Giants have to wonder if it's all happening again.
With starting center Shaun O'Hara already sidelined with a nagging ankle injury, guard/tackle Kevin Boothe out for another month or so and guard/center Rich Seubert now out for at least a week and probably closer to two, Koets is in line to take a lot more reps in front of Eli Manning and Jim Sorgi here at UAlbany. It's a blessing for the former sixth-round pick, who dressed for only three games in his first three NFL seasons.

For the first time in camp the Giants did some heavy hitting in the afternoon with full-pads live goal line drills, much to the pleasure of a large crowd on a sun-splashed autograph day. Let's just say at this stage of the game the defense is ahead of the offense. Far ahead.There were a total of eight plays run but actually six plays that counted, because two plays were do-overs because Tom Coughlin ruled the defense was offside. No matter. The ball was placed on the three-yard line and on none of the eight plays was the offense able to crack the end zone.

Eli Manning said he is thinking about "improving this team" and not about the Giants' 8-8 mark last season. The best statistical season of his career wasn't good enough to get to the playoffs, so Manning is using this training camp to find ways to improve his own game and follow coach Tom Coughlin's mandate to "take it to the next level," whatever that might be.

Chris Canty wasn't himself last year, not on the field and not off it. The performance and personality the Giants thought they were importing from the Cowboys never made it from Texas to New Jersey. There's an adjustment moving between fierce division rivals, but Canty seemed to be navigating it just fine, mixing with his new teammates.Then came the injuries and the disappointment, and Canty felt like an outsider knocking on the door but never allowed all the way in.

Aug 6 The temperatures cooled just a little bit before the Giants held their first full-pads practice of training camp. And if you had tonight in the “first fight” pool … well, you lost. The hitting was fierce, but tempers didn’t flare even though everyone - - including several players I talked to this afternoon - - thought the team was reaching a boiling point.
With the Giants being cautions with teammates Hakeem Nicks (toe/knee) and Mario Manningham (groin), Ramses Barden now has a good opportunity to show the coaches just how far he’s really come from his rookie season.
In full pads for the first time this camp, the defensive line dominated up front, which of course it great news for new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell but not such great news for offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.
The late practice concluded with a spirited two-minute drill pitting the first-team offense against the starting defense. The offense started at its 40-yard line with 1:12 on the clock and advanced as far as the defense's 38, where it faced a fourth-and-10 with 11 seconds to go. Eli Manning's pass for Kevin Boss was intercepted by Antrel Rolle.

Few players arrive in the NFL with less fundamental experience. This is the first training camp Jason Pierre-Paul ever attended on any level and thus far he doesn’t look out of place. During yesterday’s morning practice he burst into the backfield so quickly that D.J. Ware barely had time to secure the handoff before he would have been leveled. His first step to the quarterback is quick as advertised and at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds he’s not one of those rookies who needs to grow into his body.

Matt Dodge admitted that walking into the Giants' locker room for the first time was somewhat unsettling. He was not only a rookie - a punter, no less - he was also replacing the stalwart Jeff Feagles. But because of Dodge’s physique, he did not go unnoticed. "Yeah, he’s pretty jacked," receiver Sinorice Moss said. "It's probably the first time I've seen a punter that big."

Brandon Jacobs, the big and once-powerful Giants running back, suffered through a miserable year. Battling knee pain he said bothered him all season, he rushed for just 835 yards on a career-low 3.7 yards per carry. So is he fully healthy now? He's practiced every day, although Ahmad Bradshaw - who had surgery on both his feet and his right ankle this offseason - has notably taken the first snap in every practice so far. Jacobs hasn't talked to the media this summer so it's unclear how he's feeling.

The two words Hakeem Nicks used to describe his feelings about the right knee injury that he sustained and avoided were "blessed" and "happy." The Giants feel the same way. Nicks went down in the last minute of Tuesday evening's practice when he went up for a pass in the end zone working against cornerback Terrell Thomas.
This would have been a significant injury had Nicks been forced to miss time. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver could emerge as Eli Manning's deadliest threat. Nicks is looking to expand on his six touchdowns and 16.8 yard-per-catch average as a rookie. Despite playing with a toe injury that kept him out of two games, Nicks still broke off big plays, like his 68-yard touchdown against the Eagles on Dec. 13.

Shaun O'Hara was relieved when an MRI on his swollen left ankle didn't find any injury. Instead he is left with a chronic condition he'll likely have to monitor all year. The Giants center is likely out of practice until at least Monday with swelling and fluid in his ankle, which he says is the result of "wear and tear"..

Rich Seubert entered the NFL with the club as a rookie free agent in 2001 from Western Illinois, a school not exactly known for producing pro football players. Today, he is preparing for his 10th season as the longest-tenured Giants player. David Diehl and Osi Umenyiora are tied for second in team longevity and they're two years behind Seubert.

The Jets are a few hours away in Cortland, but the breaking news has made it in a hurry across upstate New York to Giants camp: There apparently has been a hostile takeover regarding which football team owns New York. Justin Tuck (91) says of Rex Ryan's Gang: "I wish the Jets all the success in the world. I hope they make it to the Super Bowl and lose to us."

Aug 5 Hakeem Nicks was telling people his knee was fine. He was correct. The Giants announced Wednesday afternoon a pair of MRIs -- one here and one in New York -- and an exam performed by team physician Russ Warren revealed no serious issues with Nicks' knee after he hyperextended the joint in practice on Tuesday night. Nicks is on his way back to UAlbany to rejoin his teammates. Already battling a toe issue, Nicks will have to monitor his knee as well.
Mario Manningham said Wednesday that his groin is just "a little sore and a little tight" and that's why he didn't practice on Tuesday. However he said he expects to be able to practice when the Giants return to the field Thursday. Manningham also had offseason surgery on his shoulder, but said that hasn't bothered him at all.

There was no practice for the Giants, but Osi Umenyiora had plenty to say as he declared he has been "very selfish" for demanding a trade unless he was returned to his starting job at defensive end. Umenyiora also expressed confidence that he will be able to manage a hip condition that eventually will require surgery and that the longest he can see playing in the NFL is four more years.
Umenyiora also said he won't use the hip as an excuse if he doesn't reach top form. "I've been playing with it since 2006 and I've done a couple of good things since then, so I'm not going to point to that as an excuse why maybe I didn't perform at as high a level as I wanted to," said Umenyiora, who claimed he was worried he'd miss Super Bowl XLII after the hip flared up.

Osi Umenyiora spoke for the first time this summer, touching on his playing time, his lingering hip injury and even the Collective Bargaining Agreement talks. He was upset when he lost his starting job to Mathias Kiwanuka last season and never appeared to hit it off with former defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan.
Osi Umenyiora spent the offseason telling everyone who would listen that he wanted, deserved and demanded his starting job back. He even threatened to retire if his wish wasn't granted. That, however, is old news. Now it appears everything has changed.
Osi Umenyiora was the team sack leader in four consecutive seasons with 7.0 in 2004, 14.5 in 2005, 6.0 in 2006 and 13.0 in 2007 and again with 7.0 in 2009 to become the first Giant to top the team in sacks four years in a row since Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor led the team in five consecutive seasons from 1986-90. Umenyiora, a Pro Bowler in 2005 and 2007, is the only player in Giants history with three touchdowns on fumble returns.

Jerry Reese says all jobs are on the line. "If you don't win, you suffer the consequences of not winning. If you are 8-8, for the New York Giants, that is not our standard. I feel like my job is on the line all the time. It's the National Football League. Everybody's job is on the line. You see coaches go 14-2 and get fired. There are really no honeymoons in this business. You don't get any passes in this business. You got to get it done every year, and if you don't, there are consequences."

Former Giants
Plaxico Burress' work release application pending, attorney calls report he'll be out 'premature'. Even if authorities approve Inmate No.09R3260's latest work-release application, there is no telling where Burress could be referred to, what work might be assigned or approved, and certainly no guarantees that he could once again pursue a football career before his earliest release date of June 6, 2011.
Plaxico Burress - Count former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan among those who believe the Giants should pursue re-signing Plaxico Burress when he is released from prison. "I think the Giants could use him," Strahan said yesterday when contacted by telephone. "I think the Giants and 31 other teams could use him."

Aug 4 What the Giants need out of their starting weakside linebacker is precisely what Michael Boley gave them in one brilliant play in the morning practice. Boley diagnosed what formation the offense was in, noticed that putting the running back in motion meant it was probably going to be a "snag" route and was waiting for Steve Smith when he came across the middle looking to haul in a short, quick throw from Eli Manning. Boley angled past Smith, snared the ball in his hands and held on to it for a superb interception that had his defensive mates hooting and hollering.

The sights and sounds of Kevin Gilbride shouting and displaying his disgust was a fitting symbol of what went on during today's morning Giants practice. The offensive rhythm and flow just wasn't there and as the offensive coordinator, Gilbride often showed and verbalized his displeasure.
Michael Boley would have had a sack on one of the first plays of team drills if hitting was live. That play continued with a catch for Hakeem Nicks after CB Terrell Thomas slipped out of Nicks' break. That would be the end of Thomas' struggles on what turned out to be a fine, fine afternoon for him. One play after he slipped, he picked off a pass by grabbing a ball from QB Eli Manning that died in the wind.

All three running backs with medical issues last year looked great at practice. Jacobs had a down hill run that burst into the second level of the defense -- no trouble with the hamstring. Ahmad Bradshaw had a stop and start run that forced him to change direction four times, and he still escaped the grasp of the defense. Andre Brown, a second-year runner who missed all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, moved around extremely well.

Hakeem Nicks, the Giants' dynamic second-year receiver, delivered the first injury scare of training camp when he hyperextended his right knee late Tuesday afternoon. Nicks, the Giants' first-round pick in 2009, suffered the injury late in the afternoon practice - his only one of the day since he is still recovering from offseason toe surgery. He was able to stand up and walk off the field, but then he was carted off to the locker room.
The results of the MRI on Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks' knee won't be known until the image is read by doctors on Wednesday morning, according to someone who spoke with Nicks Tuesday night about the injury. But the person, who requested anonymity because the Giants are waiting for final examination results before releasing the final diagnosis, said Nicks is telling friends and teammates his knee feels okay and that he doesn't believe he suffered a severe injury when he hyperextended the joint late in Tuesday afternoon's practice.

Shaun O'Hara, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman, is dealing with a left ankle injury that has kept him out of the last four practices and was apparently worrisome enough for the team to send him back to Manhattan to the Hospital for Special Surgery where he was to undergo a MRI and some other tests to determine the exact extent of his injury. While everyone is clearly holding their breath and hoping for the best, if O'Hara is lost for any significant amount of time, it could be an issue given the depth. The primary backup to O'Hara has been Adam Koets, originally drafted as a tackle in 2007 and a player who has only been activated from a handful of games in his NFL career.

The old adage about a player not losing his job to injury? That’s not always the case. Just ask Aaron Ross, whose season-long battle with a series of hamstring strains limited him to four games in 2009 while opening the door for Terrell Thomas to step into his spot, record a team-high five interceptions and secure a first-string position on the depth chart this offseason. Now, Ross is attempting to get his job back. So far, it's been a very interesting battle. Tuesday, Thomas had an interception and several passes defensed while Ross picked off a ball he tipped to himself.

Training camp can be an exercise in drudgery, but Chris Canty and Mike Boley are two of the few people in uniform who are smiling through it. The players put in long days of practice and meetings at the University at Albany, more than two hours from home, but these guys look as if there's no place they'd rather be. Both players are so excited about 2010 because if nothing else, it helps them permanently erase 2009. They were considered the Giants' key veteran offseason acquisitions after joining the team on consecutive days when the free agency signing period commenced last year. Canty was expected to bolster the defensive line at two positions, while Boley was going to be a productive fixture at weakside linebacker.

Former Giants.
Plaxico Burress - A person who has visited Burress at the Oneida Correctional Facility in Rome said Burress is expected to be released within "two or three weeks," his two-year sentence reduced for good behavior. It's suspected Burress will get out under a work-release program. It's unclear when he might be eligible to return to the NFL, as he most certainly faces disciplinary action by Commissioner Roger Goodell for shooting himself in the leg with an unregistered gun in 2008.

Aug 3 Special Report - Perry Fewell, the new defensive coordinator who runs all over the field during practice, who high-fives his guys when they knock down a pass, who absolutely loses his mind when there is an interception, has preached to the unit that the be-all and end-all of the intentions he has implanted can be summed up on one word: Turnovers. "That’s football at its best," he says.
"You strike the other side in the heart when you take away the ball. You put your offense in great position. You assert yourselves. The turnover is what defensive football is all about." Last season, when the Giants embarrassed themselves by losing eight of their last 11 games, they gave the ball away 31 times and created only 24 turnovers of their own. The minus-seven was head coach Tom Coughlin’s lowest in his six years with the team.

Corey Webster, working in man coverage, ran stride for stride with Mario Manningham and it appeared Manningham might have a step on Webster as Eli Manning uncorked a deep ball. Webster, though, had other plans, and skied into the air, reached up with his right arm and snatched the ball in his right hand for an impressive interception. Webster then took off downfield, with Fewell shouting "Go, go, I got this block!'' as he raced along the sideline.
For Tom Coughlin, the play was a good news/bad news proposition. He never wants his quarterback to get picked off. But truth be told, Coughlin was pleased to see Webster secure the ball. Coughlin and new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell have emphasized taking the ball away from the offense since the first spring practice and have ratcheted up the intensity in training camp.

It is rare to see Hakeem Nicks put the ball on the ground; the Giants wide receiver catches almost everything thrown his way. That's why the sight of him dropping two passing during Monday's afternoon practice was a bit surprising. As promised, Ahmad Bradshaw was on the field and practiced for the second time of the day coming off his off-season surgeries on his feet and ankle. TE Kevin Boss, DE Osi Umenyiora and LB Keith Bulluck all sat out the morning session but were on the field in the afternoon.
The Ramses Barden Show continued Monday morning with the wide receiver making nice catches in traffic. Manning has a lot more confidence in Barden at this point, but the second-year player still has to take it to the field. Coughlin and Reese seem convinced that Barden's on the verge of being something special. He was a big story in last year's camp, but in the two practices I've watched, I like how he's catching the ball on the run. There's none of that hesitation that some young receivers have.

The defensive backs seemed to play a lot more tight man coverage, the linemen got penetration and a few linebackers made plays as well in the Giants' Monday afternoon practice. C Shaun O'Hara (ankle) and the two players on the PUP list - S Kenny Phillips (knee) and OL Kevin Boothe - were the only ones out of action.
Kevin Boothe is three months into a four-month rehab process for a torn pectoral muscle that occurred while he was bench pressing in May. Boothe, who underwent surgery to repair the injury, said he’s doing pushups and lifting weights but is not back to benching yet. Boothe expects to resume football activities early next month.

It's way too soon to predict how much of an impact the 6-foot-5, 280-pound Pierre-Paul will have on the upcoming season. But if he manages to push for playing time, the Giants may face the prospect of having more defensive ends than they need. Right now, they are five strong for two positions, which is fine for training camp. Pass rushers are a precious commodity, yet many were surprised when general manager Jerry Reese used the 15th pick overall to take Pierre-Paul.
Since arriving in the spring, the player whose long build, excellent instincts and supreme physical gifts trumped his lack of experience in the Giants' eyes has been relying upon his talents. Two days into training camp, Pierre-Paul's energetic ways have continued. The former South Florida star who has only one year of major college football experience admits his mantra right now is "just go, just go to the play. If I make a mistake, I just run fast to the play."

There are exercises to improve strength and flexibility. There are drills to brush up on technique. And for the mental part of football, there are playbooks and film sessions. But when it comes to improving leadership, there’s not much that can be done, except allowing it to unfold. At least according to Justin Tuck, whom Giants coach Tom Coughlin and others have put on notice to step up as a leader this season.
The first time Justin Tuck was introduced to a defensive end rotation was when he arrived as a third-round draft pick with the Giants in 2005. Tuck was behind Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan and the rotation was simple. "I took all Strah's reps in practice," Tuck said. "And he took all the reps in the game." It's not nearly as simple this year, of course.
The biggest sacrifice will be made by either Kiwanuka or Umenyiora. Both are competing for the starting spot opposite Tuck, and both have made their intentions clear -- they want to start. Umenyiora is a former Pro Bowler who specializes in sacking quarterbacks, but he struggled last season coming off knee surgery and eventually lost his job to Kiwanuka. So far in the offseason and early in training camp, Kiwanuka has started with the first team while Umenyiora has spelled Kiwanuka and worked with the starters on some reps.

Until the Giants signed Keith Bulluck late last month, the linebackers might have been the league's worst as a unit. The likely starters alongside Bulluck are both looking to recover from poor seasons. Clint Sintim, now in his second year, has acknowledged not seizing his opportunities as a result of immaturity as a rookie. And Michael Boley, who missed time with injuries, said he was finally healthy. "I've seen the talent," Antonio Pierce, a former Giant and current ESPN analyst, said. "Now they’ve got to show it."

If there is a shuffle on the Giants' offensive line, the logical moves are David Diehl inside to left guard, Will Beatty off the bench into the vacated left-tackle spot and longtime left guard Rich Seubert to the bench or else to the curb. For this scenario to take hold, Beatty in his second season will have to take a quantum step forward and prove he's a better left tackle than Diehl, and Seubert will have to show that his battered body has no more to give.
Rich Seubert was never supposed to make it in the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Western Illinois in 2001. And he was never supposed to play again after his frightening leg injury in 2003. Yet here he is, in his 10th NFL season, feeling as young and as strong as ever. Yes, he’s facing a challenge to his starting job and could end up as a reserve player. But after all he’s been through in his warrior-like career, who’s going to count him out?
David Diehl made the team as a fifth-round draft pick out of Illinois in 2003, when he started at right guard. He moved to right tackle in 2004, to left guard in 2005 and to left tackle in the final regular-season game of 2006. He has never missed a game and took every snap (at right tackle) on a hot, sweltering night at last season’s Pro Bowl in Miami. The person who can most affect his deployment doesn’t think Diehl has anything to worry about. Seubert, 31, was troubled by his right shoulder all last season. He underwent surgery in the off-season and says he feels great.

Aaron Ross, a former first round draft pick, spent most of last season battling a painful hamstring problem that ultimately landed him on injured reserve. But in looking back at the injury, he said he's learned a few things about himself, his body, and his appreciation of the game that he didn't realize was there before. This year, a healthy Ross finds himself in the midst of two battles, for his old starting job at right cornerback, and as the punt returner. The cornerback job won’t be easy as Ross' main competition is Terrell Thomas, who last year had a breakout season.

Steve Smith is coming off the single greatest statistical season by a Giants receiver ever. He had a franchise-record 107 catches for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns last year. He was the first Giants receiver to make the Pro Bowl since 1968. And as a reward, the Giants are currently allowing him to play out the remainder of his rookie contract for a salary of $550,000. Is Smith happy about that? Not particularly. Does he want more money? Who doesn't?

Aug 2 Every year Tom Coughlin has the Giants report to training camp, do the conditioning run and then spend the majority of the day in meetings. The first practice does not come until the second day. Not this year. Coughlin did it all in one day, although today's first practice of camp was heavy on fundamentals on light on hitting or real drills.
The first shot at returning punts was split among five players: Antrel Rolle, Aaron Ross, Sinorice Moss, Adam Jennings and Mario Manningham. Rookie P Matt Dodge did not get the post-Feagles era off to a good start. His first three punts were ... well, they were not good. They were low and short and basically line drives. The fourth punt was better.

One of the highlights for the Giants' defense is coordinator Perry Fewell's kicking off training camp on a player-friendly note with a single-elimination "hot potato" contest. The players ran the drill in their positional groups with the winners advancing all the way to a final matchup between DE Mathias Kiwanuka and S Sha'reff Rashad. If you ask me, Kiwanuka won, but Fewell ruled he had thrown too high for Rashad.
The real work begins with today's first two-a-day session. Keith Bulluck and newly acquired defensive backs Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant have to meld into leadership roles. The health of Phillips' surgically repaired knee must be monitored, and players like Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora must return to the form that made them Super Bowl heroes instead of 2009 zeroes.

Training camp kicked off yesterday and what the Giants hope will be a reshaping of their defensive mindset has much to do with the additions of Antrel Rolle, Keith Bulluck and another safety, Deon Grant, all looking to fortify positions and help the unit return to its former glory.
Keith Bulluck did not participate in the morning conditioning test, as he was held out because the coaching staff wanted to make sure he was fine for this afternoon's first practice of training camp. Bulluck is coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL and only seven months removed from that procedure he has been cleared to practice once a day.

With 2009 long over and the 2010 season about to begin, Kevin Gilbride still isn't sure why Brandon Jacobs' production plummeted last season. "I don’t know, we don’t know. He wasn’t as effective," the Giants' offensive coordinator said Sunday at the start of training camp. "I’m going to say it was his knee. That’s the only way I can try to begin to explain it. But with anything, it’s never just the one thing."

Kenny Phillips, the third-year safety, expects to return to the practice field. He's just not saying what point that will be. "I kind of have an idea, but I’m tired of making predictions," Phillips said with a smile. "So I’m just going to leave it alone." By that, Phillips meant he's had enough of publicly setting - and missing - dates for his return to practice following microfracture surgery on his knee last September.
Kenny Phillips opened training camp Sunday on the physically unable to perform list after knee surgery in September, and his ability to recover is highly uncertain. The Giants have turned to Antrel Rolle to help form the foundation of their secondary -- and quickly. "It's going to take a lot of work from the coaching staff as well as the players," Rolle said. "This right now is a jelling period for everyone to get on the same page at the same time."

David Diehl doesn't mind having to prove himself again. It's what he did when he was an unheralded fifth-round draft pick in 2003. It's what he did again when he switched from guard to left tackle in 2007. So if he has to fight off a training camp challenge from young William Beatty ... well, what else is new? Diehl has started in all 112 games of his NFL career, went to the Pro Bowl last year, still doesn't have job security - and that's fine with him.

Keith Bulluck, and fellow newcomers like safeties Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant, have to get acclimated to their new teammates and new defense - which, of course, is undergoing its own transformation under new coordinator Perry Fewell. How well Rolle, Bulluck and everyone else picks up and performs in Fewell's system will go a long way in determining whether the Giants improve on their 427 points allowed - and 8-8.

Aug 1 The Giants will start training camp at full force, as last night they signed first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul to secure all their draft picks. Pierre-Paul, a pass-rushing defensive end from South Florida, got a five-year contract worth $20 million, including $11.6 million in guaranteed money. The Giants also came to terms with their second-round draft pick, Linval Joseph. Joseph this morning will sign his four-year deal, worth slightly more than $4 million. The space-eating defensive tackle from East Carolina is expected to push for playing time as a rookie.
Pierre-Paul, a 6-5, 270-pound defensive end from South Florida, was the 15th player taken in this year's NFL Draft. In his only season with the Bulls, Pierre-Paul recorded 45 tackles (27 solo) with 6.5 sacks for minus 29 yards, 16.5 stops for losses totaling 53 yards and a team-high 7 quarterback pressures. Linval Joseph is a 6-4, 318-pound defensive tackle from East Carolina. He was the 46th overall selection in the draft. A first-team All-Conference USA choice last year, Joseph played in 41 games with 27 starts - 18 at right defensive tackle and 9 at nose guard. He registered 143 tackles (57 solo) with 6.5 sacks for minus 47 yards, 29.5 stops for losses totaling 96 yards and 20 quarterback pressures.

Will the Giants have better health in 2010? That's just one of the many questions hanging over this rebounding unit as they get ready for the start of camp. When Jerry Reese surveyed the damage of 2009, he wasn't discouraged as much as he was disappointed. That Giants team, he insisted "was the best team that we've assembled since I've been a general manager." Startling praise, considering the first team he assembled won Super Bowl XLII.

Tom Coughlin arrived in town this past Friday for his seventh training camp as Giants coach. But his first visit to the University at Albany, where the Giants begin practice Sunday, came long before -- in October of 1970, while Coughlin coached Rochester Institute of Technology. It was then that Coughlin struck up a friendship with longtime UAlbany football coach Bob Ford, a friendship the two rekindle each time the Giants and Great Danes spend three weeks sharing facilities.

What does Tom Coughlin think, deep down, of the way his Giants unraveled in the second half of last season to bring shame to the franchise and result in no playoff berth for the first time in five years? "@#$#@%$#@%!" That’s what. "I have a little bit of trouble expressing myself," Coughlin admitted in an interview with The Post.

Is Tom Coughlin on the hot seat? Well, he’s still the Giants coach, so what does that tell you? Still, another disappointing season (especially if there’s another second-half meltdown) and you can bet the conversation will continue - perhaps in-house as well. Right now, the front office believes in Coughlin. Does the locker room?

The biggest, most expensive piece of the Giants’ offseason spending spree last year, Chris Canty missed half of his first season in East Rutherford. Not by choice, but because a combination of injuries kept him out of all of training camp, the entire preseason and eight regular-season games. It was the most frustrating of his five NFL seasons, but it led to a rededicated approach. Canty committed to staying healthy, developing better relationships with his teammates and making sure the Giants get what they paid for.

Players such as George Martin, Ottis Anderson, Stephen Baker and Perry Williams still bleed Giants blue. They and other former Giants came together Friday at Miami Mike's, a sports bar in East Hanover, N.J., for a charity event Anderson was hosting. They were all disappointed in the Giants' 8-8 season last year, when the defense gave up 85 points in its final two games.

Steve Serby chatted with Antrel Rolle, the former Cardinals Pro Bowl safety who signed a five-year, $37 million contract with the Giants this offseason. One question - Will this Giants defense remind you of your Miami Hurricane defenses? "(Laugh). I definitely think we have the potential to make that happen. We have playmakers all over the field -- more than what can be on the field at one time. It's gonna be dynamic, no doubt about it. We have to see our animal mentality once it comes time to take that ballfield."

Two-a-days and wind sprints. Lugging heavy playbooks and checking into dorms. As NFL teams get going this weekend, take a long, hard look. This might be the end of training camp as we know it. Next year a work stoppage might affect camps. Then by 2012 the league's owners hope for an 18-game regular season, which would throw off the traditional football math of late summer: two weeks of camp before the first exhibition, six before the opener. If the proposal to essentially turn the last two preseason games into regular-season contests becomes reality, teams could just start practicing two weeks earlier, right? Well, maybe not.

July 31 There didn't seem to be any way for the Giants of 2009 not to dominate on defense. It worked, until it didn't, until the injuries and the infectious ineptitude conspired to turn gold to tin and produce one of the worst defensive seasons in the proud history of the franchise. It was unfathomable failure and it cost Bill Sheridan -- the man entrusted to stir the mix -- his job.

One returning player the Giants are anxious to get back into action won't be there for Sunday's first practice of training camp in Albany, but a newcomer eager to make his Giants debut will be on the field. The good-news, bad-news scenario is that linebacker Keith Bulluck -- coming off a surgically repaired left knee -- is a go, but safety Kenny Phillips -- coming off microfracture left knee surgery -- hasn't yet been cleared to participate.

Former Giants
Antonio Pierce would normally be packing his bags for Albany. But instead Pierce, now an analyst with ESPN, talked about leaving football, his replacement and what the heck happened last year.
Ike Hilliard, the gritty receiver who for eight years with the Giants put his slight body through enormous strain, yesterday signed a one-day contract for the purpose of retiring as a Giant. David Tyree -- special teams ace turned Super Bowl hero -- did the same on Thursday.
Ike Hilliard, 34, who played for the Giants from 1997-2004, signed a one-day contract with the Giants Friday for the purpose of retiring with the team. He spoke to reporters Friday, along with Super Bowl XLII David Tyree, who signed a similar one-day contract on Thursday and announced his retirement, too.
Ike Hilliard still has nerve damage from a hit delivered by Seahawks safety Leroy Hill in October 2008. The blow resulted in a concussion and landed Hilliard in the hospital. One week later, Hilliard was on the field to grab three passes for 23 yards for the Buccaneers.
Ike Hilliard ranks fifth in team history with 368 receptions, eighth with 4,630 yards and is tied for 11th with 27 touchdowns catches. David Tyree was drafted out of Syracuse primarily for his special teams prowess and made the 2005 Pro Bowl on those talents.

July 30 The Giants claimed defensive end Alex Hall off waivers from Philly Thursday afternoon. The former 2008 seventh-round pick of the Browns was traded from Cleveland to Philly in April as part of the Sheldon Brown deal. The Eagles obviously didn't like what they saw from Hall in their defensive scheme this spring and therefore waived him before veterans reported to camp in Lehigh.

Keith Bulluck has no reservations about moving to the middle after playing weak-side linebacker for the Titans the past 10 years. Neither does Tom Coughlin, who has seen enough from Bulluck in Tennessee’s nickel and dime packages to be confident the newly signed linebacker can play the middle in the base defense. But here’s where it started to get interesting: Coughlin then began talking about Bulluck’s versatility.

Training camp will be an opportunity for the young Giants players and those deeper on the depth chart to work for jobs. And according to Tom Coughlin, even those with job security will be on notice. Coughlin said today he’s looking for veterans to step up as leaders on this team. And after last year’s second-half meltdown for a team that badly needed guidance, the coach is hoping to have his leaders in place by the time the team leaves Albany on Aug. 20.

When the Giants hit the field Sunday afternoon in Albany for the first practice of training camp safety Kenny Phillips will again be off on the side, working on his own. There was hope that perhaps Phillips would be ready to resume work with the team but the serious micro-fracture surgery on his left knee has left him needing more time to get back to full football activities.

Former Giants
David Tyree had a strong inkling his NFL career might be over. On Friday, he'll make it official. With the team he said has given him his "greatest memories." The Super Bowl XLII hero, whose miraculous catch with Patriots safety Rodney Harrison hanging all over him will remain the defining moment of his career, signed a one-day contract with the Giants so he can retire as a member of the organization, the team confirmed.
David Tyree will best be remembered, of course, for the remarkable, one-handed, helmet-aided catch he made during the final drive of Super Bowl XLII. It is widely considered the greatest catch in Super Bowl history, and it turned him from a respected role player to a legend in Giants lore.

July 29 Already, the early NFC East buzz is all agog about the defending-champion Cowboys, armed and aiming to become the first team to ever play the Super Bowl in its home stadium. With Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan joining forces, the Redskins possess the credibility they've lacked. The widespread belief from outside is the Giants are no better than third-best in their own division and merely second-best among teams sharing their new stadium.
Given the number of talented playoff-tested veterans on their roster, the Giants are expecting to return to the postseason for the fifth time in six years. They’ve tweaked the coaching staff and attempted to bolster their defense through the draft and free agency. Has GM Jerry Reese done enough to get the job done?

The doubters are everywhere and Kenny Phillips knows it. He also knows they'll be there until he proves them wrong. The Giants safety even knows they won't believe him even after he returns to practice. And he knows opposing teams are ready to target him as a weak link in the Giants' defense, until he can prove he's still as good as he was before.

Brandon Jacobs, the Giants' sixth-year running back, said he took a different approach to his workouts this year, stressing agility over strength and bulk in an attempt to remain healthy after struggling with knee issues the past two years.

July 28 Osi Umenyiora will be ready to go, full-speed, at practice on Sunday when the Giants open training camp in Albany, despite a nagging hip injury that will eventually require surgery. That’s what Giants GM Jerry Reese said today about the hip injury that has bothered Umenyiora since 2006.
Umenyiora conferred with the Giants medical staff and, according to a source, was told he could play with the hip issue by managing it the way he has the past few years. Any surgery can wait and there is no risk of further injury. The source also indicated no surgery was ever scheduled.

Chad Jones is going home, for now. The Giants rookie safety, who last month suffered a serious and career-threatening injury to his left leg, this morning was released from the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he'd been since June 29. He was expected to contribute on special teams and possibly as a kick returner in his first year but will miss the entire season as he recovers and faces many more months of rehab.

July 27 Osi Umenyiora tried to battle his way through a hip issue this offseason, as he figured it was simply another flare-up of a lingering injury that pops up annually during spring workouts. One month into summer, the pain is still there for the Giants' beleaguered defensive end. And one expert says it won't go away without surgery.

If you think the Giants plan on being The Other Team in Town . . . think again. "I think this season might go down in history as one of the best Giant seasons," Justin Tuck told The Post. Clearly, Tuck isn't losing any sleep over the hullabaloo over the media darling Jets. When I brought up The Other Team in Town notion, Tuck laughed, and loudly. "You heard what I said to it," Tuck said. "Write in quotations, 'He laughed.'" Except it's no laughing matter.

Keith Bulluck knows his new team has something to prove after last year's disaster. He just can't believe how so many people are dismissing it as a potential contender in the NFC East. "The (Giants) have talent, and they brought in talent," Bulluck, the newest Giant, said Monday on a conference call. "I know this team as a whole has something to prove. (But) for everyone to be talking about Dallas, Washington, and Philadelphia and not talking about Big Blue is absurd."
Coming off surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Bulluck likely will be held out of most or all of the contact drills when the Giants on Sunday open up training camp at the University at Albany. This is Bulluck's 11th NFL training camp but his first with the Giants; he spent the first 10 years of his career with the Titans, establishing himself as a top-notch linebacker and a strong leadership presence. Can he duplicate those traits with the Giants?
If anyone could make a smooth transition into the middle of the Giants' defense at this late date, it would seem to be Bulluck. But he knows there will be some bumps on the road to the regular season and beyond. And he's ready to navigate them. "I'm a linebacker that doesn't come off the field," said Bulluck, who turned 33 in April.

July 26 With the Titans, Keith Bulluck for the majority of his 10 seasons played mostly right outside linebacker in Tennessee's base defense, moving into the middle on third down. As the newest member of the Giants, Bulluck - signed Saturday to a one-year deal worth as much as $2.5 million - arrives as the starting middle linebacker as long as he proves his surgically-repaired left knee has healed.
That injury, coupled with his 33 years of age, is often a toxic mix. Bulluck scoffs at that talk. "You know what, everybody else is more concerned with my knee than me," he said. Bulluck said his knee is 90 percent, and if it's up to him, he will be on the field for Sunday's first camp practice. It won't be up to him, and it's unlikely he will be given the green light for full-speed-ahead work just yet. "I know they're going to bring me along gradually," he said. "It's not about getting me out there and running me into the ground."

July 25 Giants sign linebacker Keith Bulluck. He fit the mold of what the Giants needed to fill the void left by middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, who was cut after last season and subsequently retired due to a neck injury. Bulluck is a big-time leader, a high character guy from Suffern in Rockland County who played high school ball at Clarkstown North in New City. And he wanted to come back home after 10 seasons with the Titans, who picked him in the first round in 2000 out of Syracuse.
Bulluck, 33, played his entire 10-year career with the Titans but is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee suffered last Dec. 20. He missed the final two games of the 2009 season -- after starting an impressive 127 straight -- but the Giants are convinced he is ready to go, just seven months after reconstructive surgery.

A relatively quiet, orderly and low-key off-season for the Giants followed an astonishingly dreadful close to a 2009 swoon that resulted in no playoff appearance for the first time in five years. One week from today, the Giants open up another training camp at the University at Albany needing to wipe away the bitter taste of what they left behind.

GM Jerry Reese believes Big Blue will race back to top. Reese’s snapshot vision of the 2010 Giants: a peaking Eli Manning, bolstered by a healthy Brandon Jacobs, and a pass rush as feared as the one that hounded Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is expected to fuel the resurgence. "He brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to our defense," Reese said. "He holds everybody accountable. We expect our defense to be back." Reese said he expects a motivated Osi Umenyiora to return with a vengeance.

In his second year last season, cornerback Terrell Thomas was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal Giants secondary. This year, Thomas hopes to solidify himself as a leader on defense and earn a trip to the Pro Bowl. As far as the defensive unit is concerned, Thomas said that he anticipates a big year in the first season under coordinator Perry Fewell.

Former Giants
Ike Hilliard, former New York Giants wide receiver, catches on as UFL coach. He says he can still play, could still handle punt return duties and give an NFL squad prime field position. He could still be valuable as a third-down specialist, could still "catch 50 balls in my sleep." But for former Giant receiver Ike Hilliard, none of that matters. He hasn't filed his retirement papers yet, but he says his playing days are over, and he's moved on. Just two years ago, he was suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but these days, he's coaching.

July 22 Clint Sintim now understands he wasn’t mature enough during a rookie season that didn’t match his or the team’s expectations. Heading into his second season, the Giants’ starting strong-side linebacker says he’s done plenty of growing up over the past six months. He discusses his newfound maturity -- and his vow to still have plenty of fun on the field.

An interview with FB Madison Hedgecock - "When they throw it to me a lot of times they either let me out there because they’re cheating a little bit on defense and they’ll toss me one out there to keep them honest. I want them to throw it 15 yards downfield to a receiver that’s paid to catch the ball and not throw it three yards to me and make me have to break four tackles."

July 21 In less than two weeks Antrel Rolle will go to Albany for his first training camp with the Giants, and he'll arrive not merely as a high-priced safety ready to step into the starting lineup. The Giants are hopeful Rolle, in a relatively short period of time with his new team, will emerge as the leader of the secondary.

July 20 General Manager Jerry Reese knows this is essentially the same team that won a Super Bowl in ’07 and went 12-4 in ’08. He understands that most, if not all, of the ’09 problems will resolve themselves naturally.So Reese did not go into the off-season bent on upheaval. A big part of this strategy was letting running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw recover from operations. The poor health of these runners helped drop the rushing attack from No. 1 in 2008 to No. 17 last season. At least, that’s what Reese is betting.

Travis Beckum enters his sophomore season with a simple aim: be on the field. After a rookie season during which he caught just eight passes for 55 yards, the tight end hopes to add a dimension of versatility to the Giants offense with his speed and pass-catching ability, which is what both the Giants and Beckum anticipated last season.

Former Giants
C.C. Brown says his career is in a "rebuilding" mode after a rough season with the Giants. Brown was benched in early November after getting beat deep more than once during a three-game losing streak in which the Giants' defense twice allowed 40 or more points. The joke among Giants fans and in the New York tabloid media was that his initials stood for "Can't Cover." Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "We're not going to judge him on what happened last year. We're going to judge him on what happens this year."
To be fair, C.C. Brown was signed by the Giants to be an in-the-box safety, used in a reserve role and on special teams. When Kenny Phillips was lost for the season after only two games, Brown was pressed into starting duty. He was overmatched, even though he previously started for four years with the Texans. Brown lasted seven games as a starter before being yanked for Aaron Rouse.

July 19 Details surrounding Chad Jones accident remain murky. Nobody is really sure what happened when former LSU athlete and current New York Giants safety Chad Jones got in a single-vehicle accident June 25 on North Carrollton Avenue -- not even the two passengers with him. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said Friday he didn't have an update on Jones' condition. Jones, a third-round draft pick, is receiving treatment at a New York hospital, and Hanlon said Jones likely will go through rehab in Baton Rouge. Hanlon said he does not believe the accident will affect Jones' contract with the Giants. Jones signed his contract June 11 and has already received his signing bonus.

In early March, the Giants signed Antrel Rolle to one of the richest contracts ever for a safety, $37 million (with $15 million guaranteed) over five years. The cost of the former Cardinals safety, however, was necessary in order to plug a leaky secondary that had a calamitous 2009 season. Rolle's presence has helped transition the Giants defensive backfield from a liability into a strength, along with the signing of safety Deon Grant and the return from injury of Kenny Phillips. Rolle describes his adjustment to playing for the Giants and offers insight into his extraordinary athletic ability.

Former Giants
Brian Kelley was used to being the forgotten man of the Giants' vaunted linebacking quartet known as "The Crunch Bunch." Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson were future Hall of Famers, and Brad Van Pelt was a five-time Pro Bowler. Kelley, 58, had his moment on Saturday, however, when he entered the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

July 16 Once expected to be an explosive return man for the Giants, Domenik Hixon was waived by the team Thursday, just 10 days after undergoing surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament he tore in his right knee last month. The move was a prerequisite for the Giants to make if Hixon is going to be placed on injured reserve for the upcoming season.
The Giants replaced Hixon on the roster with Adam Jennings, a 2006 Atlanta Falcons draft pick who played last season and part of 2008 with the Detroit Lions. With only six career receptions (all in 2007 with the Falcons) the 5-9 Jennings primarily functions as a return specialist.
The 5-foot-9, 176-pound Jennings has averaged 22.4 yards on 25 kickoff returns in the NFL and 6.2 yards on 54 punt returns. Jennings played in only one game for the Lions last season before hurting his ankle and spending the remainder of the year on IR.

Michael Strahan says Tuck ready to fill 'D' void, "We talked about it last week," Strahan said. "Tuck's a smart guy, he's a logical guy to be the leader, one of the 'faces of the team' now. Whenever you're the face of the team that's one of the responsibilities. I have no doubt he can do it, I have no doubt he will do it."

There could be concern on the part of the team regarding the health of two of its interior defensive linemen and whether both will be able to carry a full workload during this summer’s training camp. DT Jay Alford, who is rehabbing from knee surgery he had last August, suffered a setback during the spring when he tripped over a teammate and ended up tweaking his MCL, an injury that caused him to miss the team’s entire minicamp. In addition, 31-year old DT Rocky Bernard, who signed a lucrative contract with the Giants in 2009, continues to rehab from offseason shoulder surgery."

Zak DeOssie was drafted by the Giants for his defensive skills, as a two-time FCS All-American at Brown. But after long snapper Ryan Kuehl went down midway through the 2007 season, DeOssie stepped in to help sure up the position. He’s also appeared in stints on defense.

Mathias Kiwanuka, the versatile defensive end/linebacker, says his coaches challenged him to get stronger in the offseason. Something the former Boston College standout says he took to heart.

NFC East News
Cowboys - The goal in Dallas next season is to become the first team to play in the Super Bowl without leaving town. The Cowboys would be the first team to play in a Super Bowl hosted in their own stadium. Nobody is shying away from those expectations. And owner Jerry Jones is making sure the players don’t forget about it.
Redskins - Albert Haynesworth, who skipped the offseason program after unsuccessfully lobbying for a trade, has said he will report to training camp on time on July 29. Haynesworth’s trainer told the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star that Haynesworth has lost 32 pounds since April 5. "I think he's going to open some eyes when he gets to camp," Tripp Smith told the newspaper.
Eagles - Coach Andy Reid has been impressed with the way Kevin Kolb has handled himself since inheriting the starting quarterback job from Donovan McNabb, who was traded in April. "He's got good command of the huddle and I think the players respect him," the coach said. “He’s thrown the ball a lot more than he has in previous offseasons and I think he’s handled that well".

July 13 Giants ownership released statements on the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner: Giants president John Mara: "The passing of George Steinbrenner leaves a significant void in the fabric of the sports world and New York City. The thoughts and prayers of our organization are with the Steinbrenner and Yankees families." Giants chairman Steve Tisch: "George Steinbrenner was a dynamic personality in sports and in business. He was the ultimate competitor in both worlds."

July 12 After spending six seasons with the Colts backing up Manning the elder, Jim Sorgi signed with the Giants this offseason to serve as younger brother Eli's backup. Sorgi talks about the differences between the Giants and Colts organizations as well as the Manning boys.

Longtime New York Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard died early Sunday morning. Sheppard died at his Baldwin, N.Y., home. He was 99. He was also the stadium announcer for the NFL's New York Giants, who played at Yankee Stadium before moving to Giants Stadium, from 1956 through 2006. Sheppard never signed a contract with the Giants. For 50 years, he and Wellington Mara operated on handshake agreements.

July 9 Antonio Pierce, whose NFL career ended in February when he was released by the Giants, has officially announced his retirement and is joining ESPN as an NFL analyst. He will appear today on ESPN's NFL Live at 4 p.m. to discuss his new job, which will include on-air analysis, as well as a weekly column for ESPN's New York website.
Pierce, 31, wasn't drafted, but played nine years in the NFL -- the first four with the Redskins before signing with the Giants in 2005. He immediately became the starting middle linebacker, a fixture and leader within the defense, a team captain and a member of coach Tom Coughlin's leadership council.
Kenny Phillips on Antonio Pierce retiring - "We were pretty tight, and as soon as I got there, we really connected. It was tough to see him go. It was really tough, but I understand it's a business. He feels he made the right decision, so I support him in what he wants to do. He was much more than a football player in our locker room. He was the general. He was special."
Small and speedy, former Rutgers standout Tim Brown is hoping to catch on farther up the Turnpike as a wide receiver and special teamer with the Giants. The undrafted free agent's chances of making the team were buoyed by Domenik Hixon's injury, which will knock him out for the year and open up a roster spot at wide out. Brown talked about his transition to the pros and why so many former Rutgers players are earning their way onto NFL rosters.

July 8 Steve Smith is adamant but not militant in his desire to secure a new deal. He's scheduled to make $550,000 this season, which doesn't cut it for a player who shattered the franchise's single-season record for receptions with 107. He was the first Giant to lead the conference in catches since Bob Tucker in 1971. Smith was third in the NFC with 1,220 receiving yards and led all Giants receivers with seven touchdowns.
In 37 regular-season games with the Giants, linebacker Gerris Wilkinson has started just seven times. It's no surprise, then, that entering his fifth year with the team, Wilkinson is looking to solidify himself as a starter. With two linebacker positions open, to door is open for Wilkinson to do just that.

July 7 Deon Grant came over from Seattle to add a veteran presence to the Giants secondary. He said the fact that he’s yet to win a Super Bowl in his 10 seasons makes him want to become a team leader, something he remembers learning from the late Reggie White. "I want to go out there and lead by example -- be the leader they brought me here to be and do what I have to do to get to that Super Bowl, and win one."

July 5 Rookie safety Chad Jones, a former LSU standout, faces a series of surgical procedures this week after a single-car accident last week. Dr. Russell Warren, surgeon-in-chief at HSS and the Giants' team physician, said in a release by the team that Jones faces additional orthopedic, neurological, vascular and orthopedic surgery over the next several weeks, adding, "Since he will undergo several additional procedures over the next few weeks, no prognosis has been given."

July 3 Last year WR Steve Smith made it a point to work as much as he could with QB Eli Manning during the offseason. The results paid off as Smith became Smith’s "go-to" guy and the Giants’ leading receiver. Now another Giants receiver is hoping to take a page out of that book. Hakeem Nicks, who's entering his second season, told the coaches that he's planning on working out with Manning during the down time in order to get a jumpstart on perfecting their timing and chemistry, especially since Nicks was limited during the spring as he recovered from toe surgery.

Former Giants
Plaxico Burress has applied again for work release. The former Super Bowl hero, who is nine months into a two-year sentence on gun charges, originally applied in November and was shot down. He appealed and lost. He resubmitted his application Friday - the earliest date allowed under the rules of work release, prison officials said. No decision will be made for several weeks.

July 2 Shaun O'Hara, a Rutgers alum and native of Hillsborough, has been one of the most influential voices on the Giants' offensive line since joining the team from Cleveland in 2004. O'Hara talked about how important it's going to be to re-energize the Giants' rushing attack this season in order to consider it a success. "We want to get everybody talking about our running backs again. If everyone's talking about our running backs and how good they are, that's a complement to us as a unit."

The biggest question mark for offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is the offensive line. The average age of the starters is just over 30, and though their experience and time working together as a unit have been hailed as a key to their success, their age has started to slow them down and missed time is almost a given for the crew.

July 1 Rich Seubert isn't giving up his left guard spot without a fight. And David Diehl doesn't plan on surrendering his job to William Beatty either. The Giants' left tackle reiterates his intention to remain a fixture, not a utility man, on the offensive line. When asked about Individual goals for this upcoming season his reply was, "Start every game, like I always have, and be a Pro Bowler like last year." Next question - At any position? "No. Left tackle."

June 30 Special Report - The Giants, proving that all NFL teams aren't heartless, are transferring Jones to New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical Center. He will be transported through MedJet Assist of Birmingham, Ala., accompanied by his girlfriend, Jade Newman. His parents, Patti and Al Jones, will be accompanied on another flight - all arranged by the Giants - with Charles Way, the team's Director of Player Development.
Jones was only days away from attending the NFL's rookie symposium in Carlsbad, Calif., when disaster struck. He was the driver in a serious accident early last Friday morning when his Range Rover slammed into a street-car pole in New Orleans. The two passengers in the vehicle escaped with minor injuries but Jones suffered multiple fractures to his left leg and underwent eight hours of surgery to improve the blood flow in his left foot.

Linebacker Bryan Kehl says he's trying to "make as many plays as possible" to get the attention of new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. What do he need to show? "I wish I knew. I mean, you have to get better in every area, so just all-around improvement. I like Perry Fewell and the things he says. He talks about making plays, so I’ll just try to do that. I’m trying to make as many plays as I can so he wants me on the field."

June 29 Chris Davis, a wide receiver and return man who the Giants claimed off waivers from Cincinnati last week, has been waived after failing a physical. Davis was brought in as a potential supporting piece after receiver Domenik Hixon was lost for the season due to a torn ligament in his right knee.

A few thoughts from linebacker Phillip Dillard, a rookie with an opportunity to go from fourth-round pick to on-field defensive leader if he can beat out Jonathan Goff for the starting spot in the middle, "It's cool to be out there running around, calling plays. Its what you love to do. The first time was weird though, being out there with guys you see on TV and some of them are doing Subway commercials and some of them are on Cribs and stuff. It was a little weird looking at everyone with a Giants helmet on and you're thinking, 'It's crazy to be out here. I'm blessed."

June 28 Encouraging medical reports caused the agent for Chad Jones to say the Giants' stricken draft pick could return to football as soon as the 2011 season -- but Jones might opt for baseball instead. However, agent Rocky Arceneaux said Jones has not ruled out abandoning football altogether in favor of a baseball career because baseball would be less stressful on the leg. Jones was a 50th-round pick by the Brewers in this year's player draft after doubling as a pitcher and outfielder at LSU.
It's unclear how much longer Jones will remain in the hospital, but the severity of the injuries and the risk of post-operation infection will likely keep him there for a while. But again, at least he can see his way out of the facility and -- perhaps -- onto the field in once again. Jones has signed his contract. He received a four-year, $2.615-million deal that included a signing bonus of $825,965. That bonus is guaranteed and his to keep. Could the Giants ever go after any portion of that figure? It's highly unlikely -- as is the possibility they would even try to do so.

June 27 Charles Way, the former Giants fullback and at present the director of player development, arrived at the LSU Trauma Center and was able to visit with Chad Jones and his family. Jones also was alert enough to speak over the phone with coach Tom Coughlin and general manager Jerry Reese.
His father, Al, told reporters that they appreciated the outpouring of support. Former LSU teammates have also appeared. No timetable has been set for Jones' recovery, and it is not yet clear whether Jones, who lost blood and fractured his left leg, will be able to resume his career.
Al Jones said doctors confirmed yesterday that there was sufficient blood flow to his son's mangled foot and ankle that they will not have to amputate. Chad Jones, critically injured in a Friday car accident, has gone from possibly losing his leg to amputation to optimistically planning a return to the gridiron.

June 26 Chad Jones, a two-sport star at LSU who was drafted by the New York Giants, underwent surgery for a broken left leg and ankle Friday following a dawn wreck in which his SUV smashed into a pole.
His agent, Rocky Arceneaux guessed that because the surgery was successful, Jones should be able to walk again and that the leg will not need to be amputated.
An NFL doctor told The Post the next 24 to 36 hours will determine the extent of the trauma to Chad Jones' left foot. If he sustained extensive soft tissue damage, his blood flow could be compromised.
The Giants avoided tragedy on the roads earlier this offseason when defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and his brother Benedict crashed their motorcycles in Indianapolis last month. Mathias Kiwanuka was uninjured, while Benedict was initially listed in critical condition but is now expected to make a full recovery.

June 24 With Domenik Hixon lost for the 2010 season long before it began, the Giants have been looking for contingency plans in the punt return game. Today, they added another. The team was awarded Chris Davis off waivers from the Bengals, who had signed him in March. The former fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2007 missed last season after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason and was recently let go by Cincinnati.

With a little more than a month to go until training camp opens, the Giants now have five of their seven draft picks locked up and ready to go. The Giants added four more to the mix in the last two days. On Tuesday they announced they had agreed to terms with linebacker Phillip Dillard (their fourth-round pick) and linebacker Adrian Tracy (sixth). And then today they announced they had come to agreements with guard Mitch Petrus (fifth) and punter Matt Dodge (seventh).

Adrian Tracy has had to adjust to play "in space" as a linebacker, after playing defensive end in college. "I just want to contribute. Just be a positive influence on the team. I was drafted so they see the potential that I have and I want to maximize that potential they see and in some ways surpass that. My bottom line goal is to contribute to the team in any way I can."

Former Giants
Lawrence Taylor was indicted Wednesday for raping a 16-year-old prostitute who was dragged to his Rockland County hotel room by a man cops called a "bad ass" pimp.
Lawrence Taylor has been indicted on charges of statutory rape, endangering the welfare of a child and patronizing a prostitute, among other charges, authorities said Wednesday.

June 23 Only minutes after the signing on Adrian Tracy was made official, the Giants came to an agreement on a deal with the other linebacker they drafted in April: Phillip Dillard. The fourth-round pick, who made a big comeback from when he was benched late in his career at Nebraska, is a candidate to start in the middle on opening day. To do so, he'll have to beat out Jonathan Goff, Chase Blackburn, Gerris Wilkinson and the waiver wire.

June 22 The Giants waived the following: DB Vince Anderson, P Jy Bond, TE Carson Butler and LBs Lee Campbell and Micah Johnson. Those moves were made to clear room for the signing of the team's draft picks, though no contracts were finalized today. The release of Bond means rookie Matt Dodge is likely in line to be the punter this year, barring the signing of a veteran.

June 20 Old guy quiet, new guy loud. Old guy stoic, new guy animated. Old guy bad, new guy good. That's the simplistic and sometimes even accurate analysis of most every coaching change in the NFL, where importing the opposite of whoever failed is the norm. The Giants stuck to that premise when at defensive coordinator they replaced the painfully ill-suited Bill Sheridan with Perry Fewell, a night-and-day adjustment that, for now, has the Giants thinking they've got it right.

June 19 The Vikings might have known that the Giants would lose Domenik Hixon for the season. Court documents filed by the team in a lawsuit involving the Metrodome cite "an NFL study that found the rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries is 88 percent higher in games played on FieldTurf than in games played on grass." Hixon tore his ACL without contact in the first football practice on the FieldTurf at New Meadowlands Stadium. He is out for the season.

For several years, Rich Seubert has been involved in more fights at Giants practices than any other player. And for several years -- three to be exact -- he has been the team’s starting left guard since battling back from a ghastly broken leg in 2003. This year, Seubert, 31, is trying to cling to that starting job with a pair of young players lurking.

In 2007 the Giants' motto was "Talk is cheap, play the game." Last year, at times, it seemed like the motto was "Oh, ouch, my hamstring!" This year they don't have a motto as much as they have a word - - a word Justin Tuck hopes his teammates remember for the next few weeks. "The word for me is 'redemption,'" Tuck said a few minutes after the Giants ended mini-camp and their offseason program.

Kevin Boss was trying to fight through the pain in his ankle. Not to prove his toughness, not because he was worried about surgery, but because he didn’t want to miss any time this spring. Nearly month later, he’s glad he opted for surgery.

June 18 The Giants' spring program is over. For the next six weeks, they'll have plenty of time to ponder the upcoming season on their own. Justin Tuck hopes his teammates mull one theme. "The word for me today is redemption," the starting defensive end said. "We've got a lot to come back and redeem ourselves from last year. I hope they keep that in mind."
New defensive coordinator Perry Fewell says he thinks his unit accomplished some basic fundamentals and established some evaluations during the OTAs and the mandatory minicamp, which concluded Thursday at the Giants’ Timex Complex. "They know who I am and I know who they are," he said. He says the three prime competitors at middle linebacker, Jonathan Goff, Gerris Wilkinson and rookie Phillip Dillard, all competed well during the no-pad session.
Assessing the work of Clint Sintim this offseason, new Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell yesterday was ebullient when he said, "We thought he grew from Day One to this practice tremendously. We thought he made good leaps and bounds."

New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle believes the turf at the New Meadowlands Stadium is the reason why wide receiver and returner Domenik Hixon is out for the year. "I thought maybe it was just me and my cleats," Rolle said. "But everyone's feet were burning, guys had a hard time gripping, they were getting caught a lot." Tom Coughlin said Domenik Hixon was wearing the proper, recommended cleats for the turf.

Tom Coughlin and special teams coordinator Tom Quinn went through the litany of potential kickoff and punt return replacements for Domenik Hixon, starting with wide receivers Mario Manningham and Sinorice Moss, cornerback Aaron Ross and possibly rookie safety Chad Jones on punts; and Manningham, Moss plus running backs Andre Brown and D.J. Ware on kickoffs.
This isn’t the way Aaron Ross wanted to get it, but it’s definitely the opportunity he’s been seeking for several years. He’s been itching to take his shot at being an NFL punt returner. Now, with Domenik Hixon lost for the season, he’s going to get his chance.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride yesterday confirmed Will Beatty, in his second NFL season, is definitely competing with David Diehl for the starting left tackle job when training camp starts Aug 1 at the University of Albany. If Beatty proves he can handle the assignment, Diehl -- though he believes he has found a home at tackle -- would move inside to right guard, supplanting Seubert, the 10-year veteran coming off shoulder surgery but determined to hang on to his spot.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said he loves Beatty's athletic ability but his technique sometimes leaves something to be desired. "He finds himself in some of the most awkward positions you can conceive of,'' Gilbride said.

The NFL is seriously considering expanding the regular season to 18 games, a plan that Giants players overwhelmingly despise. The main gripe from the players is that a longer regular season will increase injuries. Even if the preseason is reduced from four games to two, players argue that with two preseason games, coaches will need to see more of their starting players, increasing the wear-and-tear on the bodies of athletes already stretched to the limit."

Former Giants
Amani Toomer had 668 receptions for 9,497 yards and 54 touchdowns in 198 regular-season games with the Giants. And while Burress made the game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLII, Toomer's outstanding performance in the playoffs, which included several spectacular sideline grabs, should never be forgotten."

June 17 What at first was believed to be nothing more than painful but manageable hyperextended knee turned into a devastating blow to Domenik Hixon. Hixon, their best kickoff and punt returner, will miss the entire 2010 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, an injury suffered Tuesday afternoon at New Meadowlands Stadium.
And now the Giants are missing a key contributor, who last season caught 15 passes for 187 yards and a 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Eagles. For the loss of Hixon, who averaged 15.1 yards on punt returns last year and had a 79-yard touchdown on a return against the Cowboys, the Giants can thank the turf that a few players said is soft and needs to be broken in.
Although Hixon signed a $1.684 million, non-guaranteed tender as a restricted free agent, the Giants must honour the contract because he was injured. Hixon's injury hurts the Giants in three spots -- wide receiver, kickoff return, and punt return.

The Giants on Wednesday used Ross, wide receiver Sinorice Moss and safety Antrel Rolle as punt returners. Running backs Andre Brown, coming off an Achilles injury, and D.J. Ware have kickoff return experience. So does running back Ahmad Bradshaw, but his tender ankles make him a risk. Rookie Tim Brown had kick return experience at Rutgers.
Jerry Reese has seen enough injuries happen in games, in practice, on turf and on grass to know they can happen anywhere at any time. That’s why the Giants' general manager is reluctant to blame the turf in the New Meadowlands Stadium for Domenik Hixon's season-ending knee injury.
In fact, Reese said he walked the stadium field again Wednesday with some of those "turf people" and spoke with stadium officials about some of his concerns. His biggest one appeared to be seams near midfield where the removable Giants and Jets logos will go, and "low" or soft spots in the new turf that some of his players complained about Wednesday.

Mathias Kiwanuka knows exactly what the Jets' Darrelle Revis and Nick Mangold are feeling right now. He knows because he's in a similar situation, so he understands why they're criticizing their team and taking a hard stance on negotiations. It's an approach Kiwanuka does not believe is in his best interests. At least not yet.
It's not personal. It's only business. That's the way Mathias Kiwanuka feels, and that's the way he expects it will be no matter how long he and Osi Umenyiora do battle for one starting spot along the Giants' defensive line.

Former Giants
Amani Toomer is planning on running in the 2010 ING New York City Marathon for Team Timex. He will start dead last and Timex will donate $1 to New York Road Runner's youth programs for every runner he passes.

June 17 What at first was believed to be nothing more than painful but manageable hyperextended knee turned into a devastating blow to Domenik Hixon. Hixon, their best kickoff and punt returner, will miss the entire 2010 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, an injury suffered Tuesday afternoon at New Meadowlands Stadium.
And now the Giants are missing a key contributor, who last season caught 15 passes for 187 yards and a 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Eagles. For the loss of Hixon, who averaged 15.1 yards on punt returns last year and had a 79-yard touchdown on a return against the Cowboys, the Giants can thank the turf that a few players said is soft and needs to be broken in.
Although Hixon signed a $1.684 million, non-guaranteed tender as a restricted free agent, the Giants must honour the contract because he was injured. Hixon's injury hurts the Giants in three spots -- wide receiver, kickoff return, and punt return.

The Giants on Wednesday used Ross, wide receiver Sinorice Moss and safety Antrel Rolle as punt returners. Running backs Andre Brown, coming off an Achilles injury, and D.J. Ware have kickoff return experience. So does running back Ahmad Bradshaw, but his tender ankles make him a risk. Rookie Tim Brown had kick return experience at Rutgers.
Jerry Reese has seen enough injuries happen in games, in practice, on turf and on grass to know they can happen anywhere at any time. That’s why the Giants' general manager is reluctant to blame the turf in the New Meadowlands Stadium for Domenik Hixon's season-ending knee injury.
In fact, Reese said he walked the stadium field again Wednesday with some of those "turf people" and spoke with stadium officials about some of his concerns. His biggest one appeared to be seams near midfield where the removable Giants and Jets logos will go, and "low" or soft spots in the new turf that some of his players complained about Wednesday.

Mathias Kiwanuka knows exactly what the Jets' Darrelle Revis and Nick Mangold are feeling right now. He knows because he's in a similar situation, so he understands why they're criticizing their team and taking a hard stance on negotiations. It's an approach Kiwanuka does not believe is in his best interests. At least not yet.
It's not personal. It's only business. That's the way Mathias Kiwanuka feels, and that's the way he expects it will be no matter how long he and Osi Umenyiora do battle for one starting spot along the Giants' defensive line.

Former Giants
Amani Toomer is planning on running in the 2010 ING New York City Marathon for Team Timex. He will start dead last and Timex will donate $1 to New York Road Runner's youth programs for every runner he passes.

June 16 The day couldn’t have been nicer, the crowd could have been bigger. And Tom Coughlin was ecstatic about his Giants’ first venture into the New Meadowlands stadium for Tuesday afternoon’s minicamp practice.
A gathering of roughly 10,000 fans helped welcome the team, and spent the one hour forty-five minute session cheering for the players. "It’s great to be out here with our fans," said defensive end Justin Tuck. "Our fans love us and we love them, too."
It was at 2:25 p.m. when New Giants Stadium was officially christened. "It is with great honor that I introduce your 2010 New York Football Giants!" Bob Papa shouted, and a roar went up, and here came the Giants, emerging from the tunnel onto the green, green Field Turf of home.
Coughlin wanted the players to work once in the stadium before playing a game there, which they will do for the first time in the preseason opener against the Jets on Aug. 16. At the same time, it was a rare opportunity for the fans to watch a practice that was not part of training camp in Albany.

It took only one practice for the New Meadowlands Stadium to claim its first victim. Domenik Hixon, the Giants’ receiver and kick returner, injured his right knee during the team’s afternoon practice - - their first inside their new $1.7 billion palace. He caught his left foot on the brand new FieldTurf while fielding a punt, causing the injury. That left the Giants holding their breath hoping it doesn’t turn out to be serious at all.

It was "a little different and a little difficult" for Osi Umenyiora when he opened Giants minicamp Tuesday as a second-team defensive end. For the moment, though, he's willing to deal with the demotion. He says that he won't be happy if he has to deal with it for long, however.
"If I truly, truly was not the best player, then I'd be cool with that," Umenyiora said when asked if he'd welcome a rotation of defensive ends with Mathias Kiwanuka, adding: "The minute in my mind I'm playing the way I'm capable of playing and I'm not on the field, then of course it's going to be a problem. But you know, I don't think that’s going to happen."
His lowest moment, Umenyiora said, was after the final game at Giants Stadium, a 41-9 thrashing by the Panthers. He hadn't played much and bitterly stated he believed he had played his last game for the Giants. Looking back, he called it "the absolute low point of, I would say my career" -- but not because of his professional fall from grace. He revealed to The Post he had befriended the family of a little girl named Jackie who was battling bone cancer. Prior to the game, Umenyiora called the girl's family and learned she had died. Umenyiora wrote her name on his wristband and on his shoes "So all that factored in. I just exploded, you understand?" Now he's saying he needs to pipe down and play ball -- but also that he needs to start.

Jeff Feagles was at the start of Giants minicamp as a special instructor for punters Matt Dodge and Jy Bond, who have a combined zero games of NFL experience. Realizing his retirement will result in a downgrade at the punting position this season, Feagles is trying his best to help Dodge and Bond progress as quickly as possible.

June 15 Eli Manning should be confident with an array of players returning to a Giants offense that performed better than last year's 8-8 record indicates. There's a good chance the quarterback will have every starter from his 2009 attack. But that doesn't mean he'll be in a comfort zone today, when the Giants open a three-day mandatory mini-camp. The morning practice, as usual, will be held on the Timex Performance Center fields, where the recently completed OTAs took place. But in the afternoon, Manning and the Giants get their first opportunity to practice at the new Meadowlands Stadium in a workout that is open to the public. The Giants expect upwards of 20,000 to attend the first-ever football activity in the $1.7 billion stadium.

Giants linebacker Jonathan Goff has spent the offseason studying Perry Fewell's defense, trying to learn every nuance of the new defensive coordinator's schemes. As the orchestrator of the defense, Goff's job is to make sure his teammates are lined up in the correct spots while making snap decisions and reacting to what the offense is doing. Perhaps the most important aspect of the middle linebacker's job is to do all of this with the personality of a natural-born leader, commanding the defense by barking out directions in a loud, clear voice and with purpose.

One of the team’s objectives is to return to the hard-nosed, physical style of power football on offense that helped them dominate their competition in 2007 and 2008. While the anticipated return to health by Brandon Jacobs(notes), Ahmad Bradshaw(notes), fullback Madison Hedgecock(notes), and the offensive line should contribute toward that goal, one key element of the running game that is still unresolved is the identity of the third down back.

June 13 Eli Manning has proven to be as durable as Peyton Manning, starting a team-record 87 consecutive games, the third-longest active NFL streak behind Brett Favre (285) and Peyton (192). David Carr learned that No. 2 quarterback on the Giants is a non-playing position as long as Eli is on the scene, and all concerned want to keep it that way with Jim Sorgi on board.

Last year things happened faster than Ramses Barden ever experienced at Cal Poly, where he was a dominant receiver in an offense that wasn't difficult to master. It wasn't easy for him to pick up the Giants' complicated offense, which requires receivers to adjust their routes based on where the secondary lines up and possibly again based on how the coverage reacts once the ball is snapped. As a result, while Barden was processing all that, he looked slow to react at times, especially off the line when the ball was snapped. During the Giants' 12 organized team activity (OTA) sessions in May and June, he looked noticeably quicker with his first step.

The Giants allowed 31 touchdown passes, and opposing quarterbacks compiled a rating of 95.1 against them. It all went very wrong once Phillips needed left knee surgery after the second game of the season. His replacement, free-agent pickup C.C. Brown, was a disaster. Returning starter Michael Johnson regressed badly, and Packers castoff Aaron Rouse was not the answer, as the patchwork approach became a tattered mess. Brown and Rouse are gone, and the Giants are anxious to get Phillips back on the field during summer training camp.

Teammates came up to cornerback Terrell Thomas and warned him to lock up his rings "because the repo man is coming." It was good-natured ribbing but as a proud former USC player, Thomas didn't find it all that funny. "People are making jokes," Thomas yesterday said with a sigh. Thomas and teammate Steve Smith arrived at USC in 2003 and together they won the 2004 national championship. In the wake of a four-year investigation, though, the NCAA threw the book at USC because of improper payments and benefits to former Trojan Reggie Bush.UT .

June 12 The team announced Friday they agreed to terms with third-round pick, safety Chad Jones on an undisclosed contract. Jones, the team's third-round pick (No. 76 overall), will soon sign the deal, which will be worth slightly less than the four-year, $2.638-million contract the Bears gave safety Major Wright, who was selected one slot before Jones. Wright received a signing bonus of $848,000.

Former Giants
David Tyree is "not officially" retired, but he knows it's "very likely" he's at the end of his NFL career. The 30-year-old free receiver admitted that Friday when he stopped by to see his former team practice.
David Tyree played in 10 games with Baltimore last year after being released by the Giants when the team made final cuts in September. Those 10 games were the final 10 of the season for the Ravens, who also dressed Tyree for both of their playoff games.

June 11 Tuesday's open minicamp practice at new stadium will run from 2:50 to 4:30 p.m. on the new stadium field Parking for the practice session is free of charge, and the parking lots will open at noon, almost three hours prior to the scheduled start of the practice. Fans are asked to enter the stadium through the Pepsi Gate, which will open at 1 pm. There is no assigned seating for the minicamp practice. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. To attend the practice, fans are simply asked to fill out the complimentary registration form and bring their printed invitation to the entry gate.

Stadium News
The Giants - - and the Jets - - have received a $25 million offer for naming rights to their new stadium from a dating website that targets people interested in committing adultery. According to TMZ.com, the site - - AshleyMadison.com - - offered to pay that sum for a five-year deal, which would carry them through the New York Super Bowl in 2014.

June 9 Giants will hold camp at Albany again. The three-week camp - slightly shorter than usual - concludes Aug. 20. There will be five evening practices (starting at 6:05 p.m.) during camp: Aug. 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13. The Giants have trained in Albany since 1996 and have averaged 33,000 fans per summer, with a high attendance mark of 46,960 set last year.
With an agreement in place, the New York Giants are traveling to UAlbany for the fifteenth consecutive summer, the longest period at one site in the team's training camp history.
Full 2010 New York Giants Training Camp Schedule.

June 8 Both the Giants and Jets next week will hold mandatory veteran mini-camps and fans will be able to see their favorite teams on the field at the new Meadowlands stadium. The Giants will hold an open practice on June 15 from 2:50 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. and the Jets will do the same on June 16 at 11:30 a.m. (gates open at 9:30). Tickets for both practices are free and available on the teams' websites.

The sight of his brother being thrown 100 feet in the air from a motorcycle was life-changing for Mathias Kiwanuka. The Giants' defensive end used to love the "risk" that came with riding. Now he knows the risk just isn't worth it anymore.
"You’re on a motorcycle, you have no room for error," Kiwanuka said. "Somebody cuts you off - think about how many times you’ve been in a car and somebody cuts you off. If you’re on a bike and somebody cuts you off, the consequences are a lot greater."
Kiwanuka said he has been riding a motorcycle for about two years and believes the Giants did not know about a hobby most teams frown upon. Shortly after the accident he met with coach Tom Coughlin and said the Giants never said he must stop riding. "It wasn't something that anybody had to tell me." Kiwanuka said.