Sept 10 Justin Tuck believes being elected a team captain won't change much for him. "It's just that you have a 'C' on your chest now," the Giants' defensive end said today after practice. "I’m still going to be the same old Justin, just trying my best to get everybody to understand what we need to do to win this football game."

After trying much of the offseason to replace Jonathan Goff, the Giants are now putting their faith in him. Not only is Goff expected to start at middle linebacker in Sunday's season opener against the Panthers, but the Giants said yesterday they designated the third-year pro to wear the lone headset helmet on defense and relay the calls.

The fact Steve Smith and the Giants set the bar so high at wide receiver will bring about a different challenge heading into Sunday’s season opener against Carolina. Perceived as its most glaring weakness a year ago, Eli Manning’s receivers are now a group that is widely considered one of the team’s greatest strengths.

Kevin Gilbride insisted that the Giants' running back rotation between Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs is more of a concern to those outside the team's locker room than those inside the locker room. They'll both play, the Giants' offensive coordinator said, and the hot hand will receive the carries.
Little brother has usurped big brother and Bradshaw is now the starting running back while Jacobs is the change of pace back who will come off the bench. The role reversal has been hard for the proud Jacobs to swallow.
One day after Jacobs stormed away from reporters for pressing him on his recent back-and-forth comments about losing the starting job, Bradshaw admitted Jacobs is feuding with Giants management. "It's a business," Bradshaw said after yesterday's workout. "Different people have different aspects on it, and obviously, [Jacobs] has a different aspect."
In the locker room, Bradshaw and Jacobs sit side-by-side. Thursday, they headed to the dining room to eat together. "It's going to be me and Brandon getting the ball," Bradshaw said. "We have the same responsibilities."

From the moment David Diehl took over as the Giants' left tackle, many wondered how long it would be before he was replaced. That was more than three years ago. "It's unbelievable that I played in the Pro Bowl last year," Diehl said Thursday, "and I'm not a good enough left tackle." Diehl is still good enough for the Giants.

Quarterback Eli Manning, defensive end Justin Tuck and linebacker Chase Blackburn have been elected 2010 team captains by their teammates. Manning will represent the offense, with Tuck leading the defense and Blackburn on special teams. Coach Tom Coughlin will name two additional captains each week.

Phil Simms said, "It is a tough division, but the Giants are worthy of it. "I see them just a slot below the Cowboys and above the Eagles and Redskins. The thing about the NFL -- it's hang in there, hang in there and hope the pieces come together at the right time. That's what it's about. Two years ago, the Giants were the best team in football the whole year and it didn't happen."

Just days before opening an important season, the Giants got a visit yesterday from someone who knows a thing or two about successful campaigns. Four-star Gen. Raymond Odierno, the last American commander in Iraq and one of the leaders credited with the "surge" strategy there, watched the Giants practice before giving them a brief -- but inspiring -- pep talk on the field.
Coughlin laughed when someone asked if the general ordered the Giants to win on Sunday. "I think he will," Coughlin said. "That would be a good thing."

Stadium News                 Photos - Inside New Meadowlands Stadium
Teams still waiting to see how wind will affect games at New Meadowlands Stadium.
Injuries no longer appear to be concern when it comes to New Meadowlands Stadium turf.
New Meadowlands Stadium features revolutionary fan-friendly technology.
Best fans in football will give bland New Meadowlands Stadium life.
At New Meadowlands Stadium, hot dog is still king but food options abound.
Good business idea brought Giants, Jets together in pursuit of New Meadowlands Stadium.

Sept 9 Kenny Phillips believed he was back to form after the third preseason game against the Ravens. The Giants' third year safety, almost a full year removed from microfracture surgery on his knee, was the starting safety opposite Antrel Rolle in the first practice to prepare for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Panthers.
Deon Grant, a 10-year veteran who played the last three seasons with the Seahawks and signed with the Giants in the spring, was admittedly surprised by the move and while he promised to support Phillips, he also said "I'm not going to sit up here like it's just all peaches and cream." When Grant signed, he knew he was just holding a spot for Phillips.
Grant has played for the Panthers, Jaguars and Seahawks and started every single game since 2001, a string of 144 consecutive regular-season starts, plus seven more in the post season. He knew when he signed with the Giants he might be keeping the seat warm for Phillips but he did not anticipate getting the hook this quickly.

The good news for the Giants as they started their on-field preparation for the season opener against the Panthers was that all 22 starters were able to participate and all 22 are expected to be in the lineup on Sunday.

Brandon Jacobs already made it clear he's unhappy with his role as the Giants' No. 2 running back. Now he's angry, too. Jacobs first stood in silence and then stormed away from reporters Wednesday when he was questioned about his comments about his new role after the preseason finale last week.

Carolina WR Steve Smith said during the off-season he would be "going after" Giants S Michael Johnson in Sunday’s opener because Johnson’s hit broke Smith’s arm in last year’s 41-9 Panthers’ win at Giants Stadium.
Smith called his offseason rants about Johnson "immature" and "ignorant." "A lot of times I walk around here and pump my chest out and (feeling) that I want the respect of players, but realistically I have the respect of the players," Smith said. "I just have to go out there and play."

Former Giants
Jay Alford, a former third-round draft pick by the New York Giants, has signed with the Raiders, according to Profootballtalk.com Alford’s position coach with the Giants is Raiders defensive line coach Mike Waufle. His signature play was a 10-yard sack of Tom Brady with 19 seconds to play in Super Bowl XLII, helping to secure a 17-14 win over the previous unbeaten Patriots.

Sept 8 The heat's on Tom Coughlin to avoid repeat of New York Giants disappointing 2009. The Giants' locker room was bracing for big changes after the way their miserable 2009 ended. Big Blue wasn't even competitive in its final two games. Their owner was furious. Management could've torn apart everything and nobody would've blinked. Yet as angry as he was, as embarrassed as he was, Jerry Reese refused to join the panic. "We were 8-8," the Giants GM said. "Not 1-15."

November 2008 seems so long ago, doesn't it? It's almost hard to believe that it was only 22 months ago that the Giants were still the defending Super Bowl champions and rolling along with an 11-1 record. It's been all - or at least mostly - downhill ever since. The Giants have lost 12 of their last 21 games. They were 8-8 last season, though as John Mara said, "It felt a lot more like 2-14 to me." And during their injury-plagued, sometimes-ugly preseason, they showed few signs that their downward spiral is about to end.

When the Carolina Panthers return to the scene of their big late-season win of 2009, they will find paradise paved and a parking lot put up. The last outing in Giants Stadium wound up a 41-9 thrashing at the hands of the Panthers, who, perhaps not accidentally, will be the opening day opponent Sunday in New Meadowlands Stadium. "I thought it was perfect the way the league set that up, that we open up against them," said cornerback Terrell Thomas, who was one of the embarrassed Giants after the first of back-to-back defensive nightmares that ended last season.

At 33 and entering his 11th NFL season, Keith Bulluck has for the most part kept to himself, kept a low profile and kept his personality under wraps, preferring to earn his keep before tooting his horn. It is game week, though, his Giants debut comes Sunday against the Panthers and he has heard that something bad happened at the end of last season to make this particular matchup enthralling.

The Giants don't yet know who will start on the offensive line for Sunday's opener against the Panthers, as center Shaun O'Hara battles tendonosis in his left Achilles tendon. But whether left guard Rich Seubert slides over to Mr. O'Hara's spot or Shawn Andrews eventually unseats Mr. Seubert, he's served notice he's not long for the bench. The Giants ran behind him constantly in last Thursday's game against the Patriots and the nimble footwork of the once 400-pound man was exceeded only by his strength..

Sage Rosenfels grabbed the headlines, but the bigger deal in the Giants-Vikings trade made on Friday night might turn out to be return man Darius Reynaud. The Giants had been desperate for a quality returner since Domenik Hixon tore an ACL during their June minicamp. Reynaud has already been installed as the Giants' punt returner and he may eventually return kickoffs too, since he did that while at West Virginia.
Reynaud was tied for 18th in the NFL last season with 10.3 yards per punt return. He only had four kick returns. His first career return was a 96-yard TD against Maryland while a junior with the Mountaineers. Reynaud initially bobbled that return, which has been an issue during his career. He fumbled three of his 30 returns last season, including two against the Giants. He said his problem has never been with fumbling while running, although he sometimes struggled catching in the lights of Minnesota’s dome.

Archie Manning knows bloody hit against Jets won't slow son Eli as Giants open against Panthers. It isn't the blood gushing from Eli Manning's forehead that concerned the Giants quarterback's father, Archie. It was the whiplash he was worried about.

Stadium News
The stadium has created more of a buzz than most new stadiums simply because of the hated PSLs that each team used to help finance the place. Every Giants seat has a PSL attached. The Jets exempted the 27,000 seats in the upper deck from PSLs.

Sept 7 The pain hasn't gone away, eight months later. Just the thought of what happened at the end of last year still stings. And yes, the Giants know that the Carolina Panthers team they'll play in the first game at their new stadium on Sunday is the same one that ended their tenure at Giants Stadium with an ugly beating last December. It may be a new year and there may be some new players, but the Giants' desire for revenge is the same.
In order to ensure no repeat of a horrid defensive meltdown, they have re-fortified the secondary, used their first two draft picks on defensive linemen and hired a new coordinator. Still, the Giants haven’t fostered many believers, as they’re a popular pick to finish no higher than second in the NFC East. From within, there’s a feeling that this could be a more talented roster than the one that surged to the Super Bowl title three years ago.
They had three pass-rushing ends in Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka, added a perennial starter from the Cowboys in Chris Canty and retained a capable run-stopper in Barry Cofield. Tuck is healthier after spending the last 14 games with a severe shoulder issue. Umenyiora is one more year removed from knee surgery. Canty is back after his first year with the Giants was ruined by an assortment of ailments. The newest addition, end Jason Pierre-Paul, is a physical marvel just skimming the surface of his potential.

For better or worse, everyone knows the defensive coordinator of the Giants. From the sublime of Tom Landry and Bill Belichick to John Fox and Steve Spagnuolo, to the ridiculousness of Rod Rust to Tim Lewis and most recently Bill Sheridan, the man who runs the Giants defense can’t hide. He’s either exalted or castigated. Love him or hate him. He goes on to do great things or gets banished. This summer, with the hiring of former Bills defensive guru and interim head coach Perry Fewell, there is curiosity from within and a buzz from outside.

Darius Reynaud was traded to the Giants along with backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who also was surprised the Vikings traded away Reynaud, the former West Virginia wideout. "He’s very talented," Rosenfels said. "He’s more of a slot receiver; he’s very strong, quick and a powerful player. I thought as a punt returner he was one of the better ones I’ve been around in my 10 years. I was surprised the team let him go because we got a lot of great drive-starts last year because of his punt returns."
Tom Coughlin has already announced Reynaud will be the No. 1 punt returner and might also be given a look on kickoffs. Rosenfels is the only insurance between Eli Manning and the Giants needing to insert safety Antrel Rolle into a Wildcat formation. Both newcomers admit coming aboard one week before a real game means there's a whole lot of catching up to do and not a lot of time to do it.
Sage Rosenfels has had success as a starter in the NFL - he's 6-6 in his career when starting and 6-4 with the Houston Texans - but has never received an opportunity to become a full-time starter. Minnesota originally acquired him with a quarterback challenge in mind, but New York is another situation where Rosenfels' role is clear: he's the backup to Eli Mannin.

Shaun O'Hara said he "felt good" at practice and he's hopeful of practicing again on Wednesday. But the reality seems to be that his strained Achilles will be something that makes his status "day to day" all year. The injury, according to the 33-year-old veteran, is tendinosis - - which, believe it or not, is different from tendinitis. It seems that tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon. O'Hara's injury is more chronic and involves a strain that simply doesn’t heal.

Duke Calhoun and Seth Williams made a pact: if and when they made the Giants' final roster, they'd both cut their dread locks. So this weekend, after Calhon perused a website and saw his name wasn't among the players cut, he told Williams to break out the scissors. Williams, a cornerback who was signed to the team's practice squad on Sunday, had Calhoun cut his hair.
Undrafted first year players always face long odds in trying to win a roster spot. But Cruz and Calhoun have supported each other since first meeting in May. Cruz, 6-1 and 200 pounds, and Calhoun, 6-4 and 205, were both productive receivers in college who have played well here since first stepping on the field at rookie minicamp.

What exactly did Brandon Jacobs mean when he told ESPN.com the NFL is a "cutthroat, backstabbing business" and that it's "almost hard to stay positive in a situation like this?" According to Jacobs, he was simply reacting to his not getting a carry in the game against the Patriots. "Those were about the game, the last preseason game, only having four reps," Jacobs said. "That's where that whole thing came from. I didn't have any carries at all, not one. I had a catch. I just wanted a few more snaps to try to get the ball." Jacobs had only 10 carries in the preseason -- three of which were consecutive dive plays at the goal line in the opener against the Jets.

Stadium News
Giants named in lawsuit by Patriots fan claiming family was attacked, harassed by Jets fans. A woman has filed a lawsuit claiming she was attacked by Jets fans and her family was harassed because her 14-year-old daughter held up a sign stating, "I Love Tom Brady."

Sept 6 Rhett Bomar, who was the Giants' No. 2 (and sometimes No. 1) quarterback for most of the summer, cleared waivers at noon Sunday and was quickly signed to the Giants' practice squad. Bomar, a second-year pro out of Sam Houston State, was one of eight players the Giants signed to the squad. One other player they wanted to sign was running back Andre Brown, their fourth-round pick from last year out of North Carolina State who was one of the most surprising cuts Saturday
Andre Brown never got past the Broncos. The Giants have begun signing players to their practice squad. These players have been added: DT Nate Collins, CB Seth Williams, OL Jim Cordle, TEs Bear Pascoe and Jake Ballard, QB Rhett Bomar and S Sha'reff Rashad. TE Scott Chandler, whom the Giants signed off the Cowboys' practice squad last year, will re-sign with Dallas' practice squad, according to his agent, Rick Smith. Chandler was waived by the Giants Saturday.

Giants rookie receiver Victor Cruz rewarded with roster spot following stellar preseason. He grew up just 15 minutes from Giants Stadium in Paterson, N.J., and starred at Paterson Catholic HS, scoring 19 touchdowns in an undefeated senior season in 2003. But hardly anyone noticed, the first slight in a career full of them.
There weren't many believers when Cruz arrived as an undrafted free agent out of UMass, facing extremely long odds. "During OTAs I was kind of tentative, just trying to learn the plays and get everything down pat," he said. "Halfway through training camp when I was really understanding the playbook and understanding the things they wanted out of me, that's when I knew I was fit for this league and fit for this offense."
Marcel Shipp is one of the few football players in America who knows exactly how Cruz feels after making the Giants' 53-man roster Saturday. Shipp was an undrafted University of Massachusetts star from Paterson in 2001, yet made the Arizona Cardinals' roster and played seven seasons as a tailback and special teams standout. "I take my hat off to him, because when you go in as a free agent, as an underdog, you're really not supposed to make the team," said Shipp, who's finishing up his second training camp with the UFL's Las Vegas Locomotives, led by former Giants coach Jim Fassel.

Hakeem Nicks claimed he doesn’t even remember the Panthers game from last December. "No, that was last season," the Giants wide receiver said. "This is a whole new season." True, but on Sunday it will begin in fitting style: with the Giants playing the first regular-season game in the New Meadowlands Stadium against the same team they faced to close out Giants Stadium.

Sept 5 The Giants cut a Super Bowl hero, the quarterback who took the most snaps for them this preseason, their second-string tight end, one of their best special-teams players from last season and a promising young running back they once compared to Derrick Ward. Meanwhile, they kept a pair of undrafted free agent wide receivers, including Paterson’s Victor Cruz.
Victor Cruz said he would probably cry if he made the Giants' active roster. Like the preseason opener against the Jets, he delivered. "Yeah, I cried. I definitely cried," the Paterson native and undrafted free agent from UMass said by phone Saturday after learning he was one of the 53 players who made the Giants’ final cuts. "I tried to fight it back, but it didn’t work."

Sage Rosenfels allows the Giants to enter the season with an experienced backup quarterback, a critical need considering the team had no other player on its roster who attempted a pass in a regular-season game. Coughlin said the team had been eyeing Darius Reynaud "for a while" and expects the 25-year-old West Virginia product to return both punts and kickoffs for the Giants. Reynaud will play wide receiver in emergency situations and learn two or three running plays to contribute on offense.

The Giants ended training camp two weeks ago without knowing the identity of their backup quarterback. They didn't know if anyone on the roster was capable of providing a spark in the return game. That's quite a bit not to know. That's too much not to know, which is why general manager Jerry Reese started checking off those questions by finding answers. Coach Tom Coughlin said the timing of the moves was "outstanding, in terms of our ability to solve a couple of problems and move forward.

Perry Fewell's defensive scheme - designed to create more turnovers - a work in progress for Giants. Perry Fewell's defense is made to bend, but don't break," Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas says. "We're going to give up underneath throws. That wasn't what the Giants' defense was known for the last couple of years. And I think that's going to be a hard adjustment for the fans and media to see. "But I think the overall objective is to create more turnovers." That's what's supposed to happen when the defensive scheme is a "Read and React."

During the preseason, Justin Tuck’s play was superb, a bright spot for a defense that needs the line to develop the consistent pressure that carried the Giants to a Super Bowl championship in the 2007 season. With Fewell mixing and matching players along the line, Tuck has been the disruptive force in the backfield he was in 2007 and 2008, when he had a total of 22 sacks.

Steve Serby talked with Giants defensive end Justin Tuck about the team's prospects this season and Super Bowl hype that's surrounding the rival Jets. - Can the Jets be a great defense without Darrelle Revis? Justin Tuck - "I don't think so. I think they can be a good defense, a solid defense. You can't blitz like they want to blitz if you can't cover consistently. He allows you to man up on guys normally you have to roll a safety over to."

Every NFL season offers a fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to create a new destiny. But the 2010 season means more than that for the Giants, Jets and their respective fans, more than what 0-0 usually represents. The Giants are entering their 86th season as a football franchise and the Jets their 52nd. Their fans have followed the teams from the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium. Fathers and mothers have passed on their loyalty to sons and daughters, who treasure the memories of past seasons together.

Sept 4 - UPDATE Rhett Bomar is out. Sage Rosenfels is in. And right now he's the only other quarterback besides Eli Manning on the roster. In other words, the 32-year-old Rosenfels better pick up the Giants' offense fast. If something happens to Manning, Rosenfels will have to run an offense he's never seen before Saturday.
Bomar is eligible for the practice squad and it's likely that's where the Giants want to stash him. Bomar, though, must clear waivers first, and it's certainly possible that some team will like him enough to sign him to their roster.
This roster is far from final. The Giants still have plenty of time to change their minds, make trades, or claim someone off waivers. We’ll know the waiver claims and, hopefully, the practice squad by sometime on Sunday.
The Giants concluded a significant two-day restructuring and reduction of their roster by releasing 24 players to reach the NFL regular season limit of 53 players. Among those players who were waived were Rhett Bomar, who threw more passes than any other Giants quarterback this preseason; defensive tackle Jay Alford; running backs Andre Brown and Gartrell Johnson; and tight end Bear Pascoe. The club terminated the contract of three veterans: wide receiver Derek Hagan, offensive lineman Guy Whimper and safety John Busing.

Sept 4 The Giants have begun to cut players to get down to the final number of 53 on the roster by 6 p.m. Saturday. So far, the most surprising name to hit the cutting room floor: Bear Pascoe. The second-year tight end, who played four games for the Giants last year, has been waived, his agent, Ken Staninger, confirmed Saturday morning. The following players have also been waived, according to their agents and various sources: DT Dwayne Hendricks, OL Jim Cordle, OL Dennis Landolt, S John Busing, QB Dominic Randolph and DE Tommie Hill. Cordle could land on the practice squad.

Rhett Bomar obviously didn't do enough this summer to convince the Giants that he should be their backup quarterback because they just went out and got somebody else.
For all the nice words the Giants had to say about Bomar, there was no way they were going to go into the season with him as the only backup insurance for Eli Manning. And for all the kick return candidates they have on the roster, there was no one who really brought much to the table.
The Giants acquired QB Sage Rosenfels and RB/RS Darius Reynaud from the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round draft choice in the 2011 NFL Draft and a conditional draft choice in the 2012 NFL Draft, according to someone informed of the terms of the deal.
The trade will become official today when Rosenfels passes his physical. Running back Darius Reynaud also is involved in the deal, and he could become a factor in the Giants’ search for a kick returner. The draft picks involved are a No. 5 in 2011 and a conditional choice in 2012, according to a league source.

Getting to 53 just got a lot harder. The good news for the Giants' coaching staff is that they don’t have many decisions to make in the next few hours. The bad news is that from what I can tell, those decisions won't be easy. And the really bad news is that their trade for QB Sage Rosenfels and RB Darius Reynaud on Friday night make the decisions even more painful than they were.
There’s nothing left for Victor Cruz to do except wait. After a month of a nearly daily effort to show that an undrafted wide receiver without enough interest to warrant a single dollar of a signing bonus can make his boyhood team, Cruz will learn Saturday whether he’s included on the Giants’ 53-man roster.

Two weeks ago, when Keith Bulluck was moved from middle linebacker to outside, the 11-year veteran was unsure about his role on the team. He played 10 years with the Tennessee Titans as an outside linebacker, but the Giants were interested in him playing the middle. Suddenly, he switched, and he did not know how the team planned to use him. Two weeks later, Bulluck has a better idea.

Brandon Jacobs is hurt again. Only this time, the injury isn't physical. The Giants' former No. 1 running back, who now has clearly been demoted to Ahmad Bradshaw's backup, finally expressed what everyone suspected: That he's not happy in his new, reduced role. His frustrations boiled over after he didn't get a single carry in the Giants' preseason finale.

Sept 3 Giants win over the Patriots 20-17    |    Photos

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On The Game: Preseason Game 4 Gamegirl "...You didn't get the usual preseason game fare from Bill Belichick's Patriots. You paid for your ticket and you got to see both Tom Brady and Eli Manning on the field. This was the first time they played in the same game since the Giants Super Bowl victory. Tom Brady didn't play in the last two preseason games and the teams haven't been matched in regular season. I know they had limited play and it's just preseason, but as a fan I got a little bit more excited to see them both out there. It brought back some memories and it also turned out to be a good game ...." Mikefan. "...The Giants obviously looked much better in this game than the last. The starting offense seemed to have it all together even though they didn't have regular Shaun O'Hara playing. The defense played strong and will be even better when cornerbacks Corey Webster and Aaron Ross are back... Rhett Bomar is likely a keeper, playing well and even if they did pick up a more experienced quarterback would you really want Bomar out there for the Eagles or Redskins to pick up? ...."

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ESPN - First team offenses efficient as Giants drop Patriots.
Giants.com - Giants Defeat Patriots, 20-17.
Giants.com - Giants Player Quotes.
Giants.com - New England Patriots Player Quotes.
StarLedger - Giants' offense clicks in 20-17 victory over Patriots in final preseason game.
StarLedger - Performance by special teams mixed in Giants' victory over Patriots.
StarLedger - Brandon Jacobs unhappy becoming Giants' No. 2 running back.
Star Ledger - Giants running back Andre Brown could miss season opener with turf toe.
NYDailyNews - Eli Manning throws first preseason touchdown pass in New York Giants 20-17 win over Patriots.
NYDailyNews - Game night: Patriots (2-1) at Giants (1-2).
NYPost - Giants' offense takes a step forward in preseason finale.
NYPost - 'Up and down' Bomar finishes on high note.
NYPost - In the middle, Goff looks like the answer.
Record - Eli Manning, Giants end preseason on a positive note.

Sept 2 Manning and the other starters in this last tune-up had better hit the ground running, because before they know it, they will be on the sideline watching the reserves in action. Given how miserable the first-teamers on both sides of the ball played in last Saturday's 24-10 loss to the Ravens, there's a greater sense of urgency to improve on that sorry showing. But it's only a slightly greater sense. "I'm happy with what we've shown in practice," defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said.

Rhett Bomar came into the Giants' training camp looking to win the backup quarterback job from veteran free agent Jim Sorgi. Tonight he will be looking to keep that job from whichever quarterback might become available in the next dew days. So far, Bomar has done well enough to earn a passing grade, but this will be the final exam. He can't afford an "F" and still maintain his spot on the depth chart.

William Beatty's first responsibility was to his left -- the inside gap. Once he saw there was no rusher there, it was time to turn outside to help out. Too late. The Ravens' Terrell Suggs was already past him and bearing down on Eli Manning. Allowing a pressure like that will frustrate Tom Coughlin every time.

Paterson's Victor Cruz likely will fill WR spot on Giants. The free agent rookie wideout from Paterson leads all NFL receivers with 241 yards and four touchdown catches after three exhibition games. Cruz is second in receptions with 12, one behind Cincinnati rookie Jordan Shipley.

Last year, Jonathan Goff started out of necessity when Antonio Pierce was injured -- but he did not win the job outright. As the draft got closer last spring, analysts were predicting the team would need a middle linebacker. Goff didn't listen to the pundits, thinking instead about the reps he got late in the season. "I definitely say that that experience was invaluable just finishing out the end of the season, getting those snaps under my belt," Goff said.

With rosters ready to be trimmed to 53 players this weekend, the Giants continued to explore all contingency plans for their backup quarterback position, including having a conversation with the Arizona Cardinals about trading for the disgruntled Matt Leinart.
The phone rang, the Giants answered, they talked, they hung up. And that’s about as close as Matt Leinart came to becoming the Giants backup quarterback on Wednesday. There apparently was nothing much more to it than that, according to a source familiar with the teams’ discussions. The Cardinals were the ones who called the Giants, the source said.
Coach Tom Coughlin will jump in a hot tub with Tiki Barber before Matt Leinart is traded to the Giants to serve as backup quarterback to Eli Manning. Reports yesterday surfaced that the Giants have engaged in talks with the Cardinals about trading for Leinart. Interesting, but not really true.

As much as Shaun O’Hara bridges the gap from the rare Rutgers NFL success story to a historic 2010 draft that saw two Scarlet Knights go in the first round, he just as much represents the progress Rutgers has made in the classroom.

The annual Giants Kickoff Luncheon is always an event geared to stoking the fans with inspirational speeches from the head coach and select players, all in one way or another promising that good times are coming for the upcoming season. Wednesday's event, held at the New Meadowlands Stadium, was no different, except that Osi Umenyiora, the defensive representative, took an unusual approach as he delivered his message.
The luncheon was attended by an impressive cast of former Giants, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Andy Robustelli and Harry Carson, as well as George Martin, Bart Oates, Bill Ard, Doug Van Horn, Howard Cross, Stephen Baker, Brian Kelly, Sean Landeta, Scott Brunner, Charles Way, Roman Oben, Brian Saxton and Phillippi Sparks.
Two years ago, Amani Toomer was the Giants' second-leading receiver, with 48 catches. He was honored the team's Alumni Man of the Year at the Giants' annual Kickoff Luncheon. How time flies. But then, so did Toomer. He wasn't the fastest receiver the Giants have ever had, but he was certainly the most productive.
They spend countless hours working in the community. For those efforts and for their devotion to helping others, Kareem McKenzie, Chris Snee, Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert and David Diehl were honored at the team's annual Kickoff Luncheon as the Giants' Men of the Year.

Preseason Game 4 Preview - Giants vs Patriots
Last week The score was a close one, but the game wasn't as Steve Spagnuolo's Rams beat the Patriots last week, 36-35. The time of possession was a lopsided 43:46 to 16:14. The Giants played last week with a patchwork offensive line and with a number of key players missing. They got the expected results from going up against a tough team like Baltimore and ended up with a 24-10 loss.
Patriots. Their last real game was against the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. You saw how explosive the Ravens can be last week when they played the Giants. Well they exploded all over the Patriots in that playoff game putting up 24 points in the 1st quarter and the Patriots were down and out 33-14. The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl.

Sept 1 Rhett Bomar wanted a chance to be the Giants' No. 2 quarterback -- now he is. Jim Sorgi, a veteran backup who the Giants signed during the offseason, was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a shoulder injury. Sorgi had been sidelined since the team’s first preseason game, but hoped as recently as Monday for patience in his return. That patience never came, and now Bomar has one final preseason game Thursday to prove capable as Manning’s insurance.
The move helped get the Giants below the 75-man roster limit, and it elevated the Bomar to second string. Rookie free agent Dominic Randolph, who was signed late in training camp, is No. 3. "Rhett is No. 2 on the staff right now," Tom Coughlin said. "He's talented. We'll see how far we can go with it."
The Giants still have Sorgi in their plans and have asked him to attend meetings, film sessions and practices. "Rhett is No. 2 right now," said Coughlin, who wouldn't say whether they're planning on bringing in another QB. "It depends on what the availability and what the cost is. I'm not saying we're doing that, but our people aren't caught by surprise by this; our guys have been working on this for a couple of weeks."

Moss likely done with Giants. Moss had surgery yesterday, performed by Dr. William Meyers at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, to repair a sports hernia. With his contract up after this season, it likely brings Moss' disappointing Giants career to a close. He had 39 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns in four seasons.

Domenik Hixon’s locker remains, filled with the bare essentials for a player on injured reserve. There is no need to replace it, but there is a need to find his replacement at kick returner and punt returner. Less than two weeks before the season begins, the Giants are still searching.

When the Giants play the New England Patriots on Thursday in their final preseason game, it will be the fourth game against a 3-4 defensive front. The Giants do not face a 3-4 in the regular season until the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7, which means they spend the six games of of the season playing against a defensive alignment they have not yet seen live.

Former Giants
Plaxico Burress' return to the NFL will have to wait, if it ever happens at all. The former Giants receiver's .application for an early "work release" from prison was denied for a second time Tuesday by the New York State Department of Correctional Services. And while Burress can appeal that decision, he cannot reapply for the program until June 6, 2011.
Derrick Ward cut by the Bucs. Last season, Ward rushed for 409 yards, with only one touchdown and a 3.6-yard average. He also caught 20 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 228-pound Ward ran for 1,025 yards with the New York Giants as a backup the season before signing with Tampa Bay.
Derrick Ward has been released. In a dismal preseason, he didn't score any points with the coaches by pouting. The Bucs have a healthy Williams, a promising prospect in Kareem Huggins and they always can fall back on Earnest Graham, who can play fullback or tailback.

Aug 31 The way the Ravens picked apart the Giants' defense on Saturday night was alarming, even if it was only a preseason game. It was too easy, and receivers were way too open. Just like last year, the secondary seemed to have some gaping holes.
After coach Tom Coughlin had ripped his team's effort and execution in Saturday's loss at Baltimore, a number of Giants admitted yesterday they were surprised at the mental mistakes and glaring gaffes. They cautioned they can't expect to sleepwalk through the preseason and hit the ground running in the regular-season.
Coughlin criticized his players' intensity after Saturday's 24-10 loss at Baltimore — the Giants trailed, 17-3, with their starters in. He was marginally more satisfied following Monday's practice. "I thought it was a little better," Coughlin said. "Our tempo was better. We created better tempo. We were on the clock the whole day."

Jim Sorgi hoped to be Eli Manning’s backup this season. Right now, even he knows that’s not looking so hot. The Giants’ seventh-year veteran quarterback is still out with a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason opener against the Jets.
Jim Sorgi is trying to stay positive about his injured right shoulder, but he knows his situation is grim. He probably won't practice at all this week. And because of that, he knows it might be his final week with the team.
Teams must reduce their roster to 75 by today and 53 by Saturday. "I'm happy the team has been this patient with me," said Sorgi, injured in the first preseason game against the Jets. "Hopefully, they can be a little bit more patient and wait until I get better."

Aug 30 Two different coaches. Two different philosophies. Both of them taking significant risks and playing with fire. Rex Ryan has decided to rest his starters Thursday night in Philadelphia so they will be fresh and "popping out of their skin'' two weeks from tonight against the Ravens. Tom Coughlin has decided to play his starters, possibly for one quarter, Thursday night against the Patriots. Ryan will have hell to pay if his Jets are rusty and lose to the Ravens. Coughlin will have hell to pay if he loses one of his key players -- imagine if something crazy happens, such as, oh, Eli Manning sustaining a freak 12-stitch wound -- for the opener against Carolina.
The Giants will have a short practice week before concluding their preseason at home Thursday vs. the New England Patriots. Coughlin said his starters will play, but in the past he has replaced them quickly in the summer finale. But the players believe they can make progress vs. the Patriots and use it as a springboard to the Carolina game. "The preseason is all about getting our rhythm back, and we'll be ready," said quarterback Eli Manning, who completed nine of 18 passes and admitted he was "rusty" after missing the previous game with a forehead injury.

If he did not see it live and in person Saturday night in Baltimore, Tom Coughlin could not have expected to see it Sunday on tape. And he didn’t. "I’m not going to change my tune from being disappointed in terms of the overall outcome of the game and the way the game was played," the Giants’ coach said after conceding there were some good individual plays in the lackluster 24-10 loss to the Ravens. "Overall I did not see the kind of execution I was anticipating and therefore I was disappointed."

It's beginning to feel like deja Blue: 2010 Giants look much like 2009's underachievers. Yes, the 2009 season easily could be explained away by an avalanche of injuries - something that's starting to afflict the '10 Giants, by the way. But it was always about more than that. It was about a lack of fire, a lack of intensity, a lack of aggressiveness, lack of effort ... Come to think of it, it was about a lack of everything the Giants seemed to lack on Saturday night.
No, said Barry Cofield. No, insisted Michael Boley. No, echoed Justin Tuck. The defensive crimes perpetrated by the Giants in the first half of their 24-10 preseason loss to the Ravens in no way, shape or form reminded any of them of the glaring lapses and gross ineptitude of last season's un-amusing defensive follies. Even though all the familiar failings were there -- lack of physical force, an inability to get off the field on third down, holes in the secondary, obvious lack of communication -- those involved are certain they have not picked off where last season's sorry unit left off.

Coaches coach, players play. But after the Giants were pushed around by the Ravens, 24-10, in their third preseason game this weekend, it may be time for the coaches to cede some freedom to the players. "Coach has done all the talking he can do," safety Deon Grant said. "We have a great coaching staff. You've got enough leaders in this locker room. You're going to instill what you want in your team. Now, let the leaders lead."

Justin Tuck was reluctant to talk about the positives after a bad team loss, even though it was only the preseason. Pushed on the issue and told he appears to have that "burst" back, he replied, "Well good. I have two shoulders this year."
The best news after a dismal Saturday night in Baltimore for the Giants was that Keith Bulluck and Kenny Phillips, both coming off knee surgery, experienced no physical setbacks after getting extensive playing time in the 24-10 preseason loss to the Ravens. Now comes the next stage in their comebacks: Getting them back to form.

The torn capsule in backup QB Jim Sorgi's shoulder will keep him out of practice Monday, and it could end up keeping him off the Giants' final roster. Tom Coughlin was noncommittal on the veteran's roster spot Sunday after he declared he would likely miss all the practices this week.
Wide receiver Sinorice Moss will undergo a second opinion on his groin injury tomorrow after continued soreness has sidelined the four-year veteran. Coach Tom Coughlin did not know whether the injury will last long-term, but the setback is a troubling sign for Moss. Rookie Victor Cruz has ascended on the depth chart with an impressive preseason, and Moss, who has played four seasons with the Giants, is in a roster battle to make it a fifth season.

Antrel Rolle was penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver in the second quarter of yesterday's 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, inflicting Mark Clayton with a mild concussion and costing what would have been a 15-yard penalty if it was not so close to the goal line. And if the same play happened again, Rolle would do the exact same thing.

Perhaps it was the passing by his old NFL home on the train ride Friday that got Shawn Andrews to thinking about the past. Or maybe it was just the strapping up of a different helmet. Whatever the case may be, Andrews couldn’t keep himself from making a comparison between his time as an Eagle and his debut as a Giant after Saturday night’s preseason loss to the Ravens - his first game action in almost two years.

As a snapper, Zak DeOssie has the chance to play more than a decade in the league. As a snapper/linebacker, his stay in the NFL might have been considerably shorter. But was there a moment DeOssie had to swallow some pride before making the adjustment to a full-time specialist role? "It was a little bit at first, yeah," he said. "But my value on this team is I can snap and I can do it well. That’s how I have a job, and that kind of justifies it for me.".

Aug 29 Giants lose to the Raves 24-10    |    Photos

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On The Game: Preseason Game 3 Gamegirl "...Usually when they say a team doesn't show up for a game, they're talking about the players not having intensity or drive. In this game the actual players were missing. We did have Eli Manning back, but the list of no-shows ran deep and of course it did effect the gameplay...." Mikefan. "...Brandon Jacobs looked bruising on some of his runs. It would have been nice to see what he would have done with those two passes tossed his way if he had caught them. Still, the group of running backs had totaled only 149 yards to date in two games, and they stayed at just about that same low average in this game...."

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ESPN - Joe Flacco tunes up Ravens' offense as Giants falter.
Giants.com - Giants fall to Ravens, 24-10.
Giants.com - Ready when needed.
StarLedger - Effort lacking in Giants' 24-10 preseason loss to Ravens.
StarLedger - Keith Bulluck plays before Clint Sintim in base defense, but still might not be starter.
StarLedger - Giants vs. Ravens: Three position battles to track.
NYDailyNews - Giants defense, offense overmatched in loss to Baltimore Ravens despite Eli Manning start.
NYDailyNews - Giants safety Antrel Rolle disagrees with NFL officials' enforcement of personal fouls.
NYPost - Nothing goes right for Giants in pivotal tuneup.
NYPost - Big Blue better get things going by opener.
NYPost - Short-yardage woes not long gone.
Record - Giants fail their final tune-up for regular season, 24-10.

Preseason Game 3 Preview - Giants vs Ravens
Last week the Redskins scored 3 points in the opening drive against the Ravens last week and that was it. The final score was 23-3 as Baltimore's defense ruled the game. They allowed only 25 yards on 14 carries to the Redskins. However, in the two games with their banged-up secondary, the Ravens have given up a lot of passing yards to the first string quarterbacks, but they still have yet to allow an offensive touchdown. The Giants offense will get a real test in this game going against a defense ranked at number 3 last year.

Aug 28 Luckily for Eli Manning, he will be able to wear his helmet tonight. The Giants' quarterback will need all the protection he can get at M&T Bank Stadium when he goes up against that Baltimore Ravens' defense. For that he also could use his No. 1 offensive line intact, but that will not happen. For the third straight game at least one key part of the veteran quintet will be missing.
Heading into the Giants' third - and theoretically most important - preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday night, Coughlin's team has apparently picked up right where it left off at the end of the disappointing 2009 season. Last year's team was ravaged by injuries. And so far this summer, it's been more of the same.
They amble into tonight's third preseason game against the Ravens with so many nagging pulls and strains that merely matching up players and their corresponding positions is a challenge. Dealing with many lingering health issues, though, is better than incurring a few devastating, season-ending injuries, a situation the Giants have thus far been able to avoid.

It cost Hakeem Nicks $10,000, the same amount Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor was fined by the NFL for their scuffle in the opening minute of last Saturday night's preseason game at New Meadowlands Stadium. Nicks was finishing off a block when he and Taylor began to scuffle. Taylor threw a punch, the normally mild-mannered Nicks retaliated with a punch and soon after they were separated both were ejected from the game.

Move to outside linebacker is working out well. Adrian Tracy never heard of Clint Sintim until last year, even though the two Giants linebackers grew up just one year apart in Northern Virginia and were sack artists at nearby colleges. Now, they share the same locker room, position meetings and, as it turns out, rookie experiences.

Aug 27 Giants center Shaun O'Hara says there is 'probably a good chance' that he'll sit out the rest of the preseason due to the nagging tendinitis in his left ankle. O'Hara's injury places the Giants' offensive line in flux again. Tom Coughlin said left guard Rich Seubert, who will be making his preseason debut this weekend, will start at center for O'Hara, splitting time with fourth-year lineman Adam Koets.
O'Hara said some teams might try to have him play through the problem. He says he's thankful the Giants have decided to go a different route. "With their experience and with their foresight, they're able to say 'Look, let's focus on what's important and let's see if this can't help us get you through into the future,'" he said. "I feel pretty good if all goes well, and as planned, it's something that I won't have to be concerned about when the season starts."

Chris Canty is again on the sideline and out of practice, this time with a groin strain suffered on Tuesday. Once more, it came at a time when the former Cowboy, who signed as a free agent last year, was starting to feel good about his progress. This time, Canty and the team hope it’s just a minor setback and a short stint on the injury list.

Giants defensive tackle Jay Alford said he decided this week to finally push his surgically repaired knee. The result was some soreness and "fatigue" but a boost in confidence because of how the knee responded. Alford said he saw a glimpse of his old self, the one who was shooting gaps multiple times in practice last preseason before he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Bears. "I went out there and it felt great," Alford said. "I was sore the next day, but I felt great."

Could a battle be brewing for the No. 2 QB job behind Eli Manning? Tom Coughlin didn't officially say that Thursday, but he did speak glowingly of third-string signal-caller Rhett Bomar and indicated that the former fifth-round pick has closed the gap between himself and injured No. 2 quarterback Jim Sorgi, who hasn't thrown a ball since suffering a torn right shoulder capsule in the preseason opener against the Jets.

Aug 26 Talking about injuries is starting to vex Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin said he expected Aaron Ross to be in the boot for 10 days. That would leave a week before the Sept. 12 opener, casting at least a question over that game. "Just as I said yesterday, they put a cast on him for about 10 days. Is there a chance that there's ever a question that doesn't begin "Who's not here, Who's hurt?" Coughlin groused. "Do the guys that practice ever get a question?"
Unfortunately, this time of year, with the regular season looming, training camp injuries take on greater importance. The timetables for a return become more meaningful as the opener nears. Take cornerback Aaron Ross, suffering from plantar fasciitis. Coughlin said Wednesday that Ross probably will have his right foot in a cast for about 10 days. That would leave him about a week to get ready for Carolina on Sept. 12, if everything goes right.

Ramses Barden is an optimist, so he thinks a quick return is possible from the stress fracture one of his transverse processes that sidelined him this week. The Giants’ second-year wide receiver suffered the injury before the team’s preseason opener, played in the game with the injury but has been out ever since.

Eli Manning wore a helmet in practice, his first time wearing one since last week’s preseason opener against the Jets when he suffered a three-inch gash on his forehead that required 12 stitches. Manning said the helmet has been modified slightly to keep his forehead free of irritation, but the quarterback said there’s nothing significantly different.
Manning did not play in Saturday's 24-17 loss to Pittsburgh, the first game he missed in five years. He felt a little weird standing on the sideline in shorts and a T-shirt. "It's not really what I'd like to be doing," he said. "I've missed some preseason games before. So if I'm going to miss a game, I think preseason is the way to go." Manning expects to start Saturday night in Baltimore.

Before training camp began, Jim Sorgi had a lock on the Giants' backup quarterback job. But the longer he stands on the sidelines, the less he feels secure. That's why Sorgi is planning a return from the torn capsule in his throwing shoulder on Monday, exactly two weeks after he first suffered the injury. He said he had been told he'd need 3-4 weeks to heal, but given what he feels is a tenuous place on the Giants' roster "In my mind," he said, "I feel I've got to play against New England."

It will be huge for the Giants if Umenyiora and Kiwanuka really can coexist on the defensive line this season, even though only one of them figures to be a starter. So far they've each started one preseason game, a pattern that's likely to continue over the final two. Making it easier is the fact that new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has done a masterful job of finding creative ways to use them both.

Stadium News
The Giants and Jets carry more debt than any other NFL squad: Forbes estimates that the Giants owe more than $650 million and the Jets owe around $750million, most of which was accumulated as both squads worked to secure funding for their new $1.6billion stadium at the Meadowlands.
Both Jets and Giants fans will need some time to get used to a new era of "cashless" parking, where only those with prepaid parking passes have access to the stadium's 28,000 spaces. Some fans are skipping the parking saga altogether: Up to 10,000 of them per game are now expected to use the year-old rail link that takes passengers from Secaucus Junction to the stadium plaza station in about 10 minutes.

NFL News
The NFL's push for an 18-game regular season moved a giant step closer to reality yesterday. League owners meeting in Atlanta did not hold a formal vote on the so-called "enhanced season," but commissioner Roger Goodell said a proposal to the NFL Players Association to make it happen would be made "rather quickly." If the players go along with it -- still a very big "if" -- two games would be cut from the preseason and two would be added to the regular season starting in 2012. The NFL has not altered the length of its schedule since 1978.

Aug 25 The Giants' injured list grew by two Tuesday when rookie defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul sat out practice and defensive tackle Chris Canty left early. Coach Tom Coughlin said both had groin issues. Pierre-Paul said his injury, which stemmed from the game against the Steelers on Saturday was "no big deal" and that he'd return to action soon. Canty didn't address his injury with reporters but was seen laughing with his teammates in the locker room.

Safety Kenny Phillips saw seven snaps in his preseason appearance against the Steelers last Saturday, but is expecting at least double that against the Ravens this week. "I hope I can play a whole game if they let me," Phillips said.
After being slowly worked onto the field in training camp, Phillips has received increased reps in practice. He feels there is nothing left for him to prove. "I showed 'em everything," he said. "Breaking on balls, coming up and making plays. I just have to test it out in a game, go out there and tackle someone. I'm not going to do that in practice."

When linebacker Keith Bulluck joined the Giants over the summer, he prepared to play a middle position. In his playbook, he did not read about the outside responsibilities. That was sufficient for camp in Albany. On Monday, though, he was told he would be taking some snaps on the outside - a role he played for 10 seasons with the Titans.
Combinations remain fluid every day. One day, Bulluck is lining up with the first team. The next day, it's Sintim. One day, Wilkinson is with the first team. The next day, it's Michael Boley. Jonathan Goff has been with the first team, although he entered camp behind Bulluck. All the moves left him with a sentiment about the rotation that remains a certainty among the Giants' linebackers. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said.
At the moment the coaching staff seems to feel Bulluck, Jonathan Goff and Michael Boley are the three best linebackers, and they needed to move Bulluck outside to get that trio on the field together. Goff, primarily a run-stopper, could be a starter who comes off the field on second down, as Coughlin explained the goal is "to try to find the best situational players for maybe a first-down run or something like that.
Boley is probably the Giants' best cover linebacker. (If you don't believe me, see the Chiefs game from last year. That's what he can do when healthy.) So it makes sense for him to cover the tight end, especially for a team in a division that has playmakers at that position.

Kevin Boss was noticeably more explosive on the field Monday. Coming out of breaks, sprinting straight ahead and going up for passes, Boss looked like his old self. The Giants' fourth-year tight end also felt like his old self. "I was telling (tight ends coach Michael) Pope that's the best I've felt since before I hurt my ankle last season," Boss said Tuesday. "It's definitely getting better and coming along."

Aug 24 While Eli Manning was the only Giants player to don a blue baseball cap during practice Monday, the rest for him was business as usual. First, he found receiver Steve Smith underneath. Later, he saw defensive end Justin Tuck rush him before pulling up and placing both hands on Manning's hips. Next, Manning handed off to tailback Brandon Jacobs.
Chris Snee said the swelling is gone from his knee and he'll be able to deal with the issues that crop up from time to time. Rich Seubert has been able to practice with his left hand padded up and said the broken bone hasn't shifted, meaning he's successfully avoided needing surgery to insert a screw.

The Giants signed Keith Bulluck to be their starting middle linebacker even though Bulluck spent the bulk of his 10-year career with the Titans at weakside linebacker. Bulluck in practice during training camp and in last Saturday night's preseason game lined up in the middle with the second-unit defense. Monday, though, Bulluck spent a great deal of time lining up as an outside linebacker, at times working with Jonathan Goff (in the middle) and Gerris Wilkinson (on the strong side). Bulluck also worked on the outside with Goff and Michael Boley alongside him.

On Friday night, we got a look at the numbers in Shawn Andrews' six-year "prove it" contract with the Giants. But those were the preliminary figures and didn't include several incentives that can make the deal worth much more. Up to $40 million, in fact.
The Monday practice results were mixed on Andrews. In a one-on-one pass blocking drill, he handled Dwayne Hendricks easily on his first snap, but completely whiffed against Chris Canty on try No. 2. He appeared to jump early on his third attempt against Dave Tollefson. "I liked what he did," said coach Tom Coughlin. "He set a couple of times with his partners when he was playing guard.

There's the prestige of being the guy who protects Eli Manning’s blind side and there's also a comfort level that had been fleeting for the first four years of Diehl's career. All of those factors are why he wasn't prepared to cede his spot to last year's second-round pick William Beatty and why David Diehl, ever the team player, isn't planning to step aside in the short- or long-term for Shawn Andrews.

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs' neck injury a result of his lifting weights without stretching. Brandon Jacobs tried to walk right into the weight room and do some shoulder shrugs without warming up. Two days later, he was on the sideline during the Giants’ game against the Steelers with a stiff neck.

Aaron Ross was complaining about the tape job on his ankles during Saturday night's preseason game against the Steelers. The next day, he had what Tom Coughlin termed a "big, swollen heel." The Giants' cornerback, who had his right foot propped up on a chair in the cafeteria while his teammates practiced Monday, has been diagnosed as plantar fasciitis.
Cornerback Aaron Ross, who suffered through three separate hamstring tears last season, now has plantar fasciitis, the same injury that hampered Eli Manning a year ago. "(Manning) got it under control and played with it," Tom Coughlin said, "but it's a different position."

Stadium News
The New York Giants and Jets showed off 2,200 HD video displays at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Monday as the teams look to improve digital signage and branding options.

Aug 23 Eli Manning will return to the practice field for the first time since suffering a three-inch gash on his head in the preseason opener against the Jets.
Manning had the stitches removed Friday, and, somewhat surprisingly, the Giants have cleared him to return, though he's not yet been cleared to wear a helmet. That clearance should come sometime this week.
He'll have only a baseball cap on his head, according to Tom Coughlin. Yet he's expected to participate in most drills - including the sometimes rough, full-team, 11-on-11 session.

Three is not company in the Giants' offensive backfield if the biggest and strongest of the bunch is not going to be the most reliable. Three is a necessity, especially if Brandon Jacobs is going to miss time and encounter difficulty recapturing the bruising style that made him such a unique running back. Three, as in the No. 3 back, is what Andre Brown is fast becoming more and more possibly an important cog in the machinery.

it was Kenny Phillips' return that held the most meaning for the Giants, 24-17 losers to the Steelers. He was in for only six plays, on a night the starters played only a quarter and a half. Six plays that moved him six steps closer to the starting lineup -- and quite possibly as soon as the regular-season opener against the Panthers.

After watching his offense go through a rather disjointed week leading into the Pittsburgh game, coach Tom Coughlin should get a better handle on things as his team prepares for that always important third exhibition Saturday night in Baltimore..

Giants center Shaun O'Hara said Rhett Bomar naturally became more comfortable as the game progressed in Bomar's first professional football starter, and the center remained complimentary of the quarterback pressed into full-game action.

Random observations from Giants-Steelers preseason game. After watching the tape of the game, some nuggets from the Giants' 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
Despite flaws, Coughlin's crew a contender. Every team has question marks at this time of the season. Who and what are the Giants?

Steve Serby's Q&A with Victor Cruz - If your father had been in the stands Monday night when you caught those three touchdown passes for your hometown team against the Jets, how would he have reacted? "Oh, God! He probably would have gotten arrested (laughs)! He would have tried jumping on the field. He would have been going crazy."

The Giants were unable to sell out their final 11,200 single-game tickets despite a four-day sale for PSL owners, former season-ticket holders and people on the now-defunct waiting list. So the general public will get its chance to buy up what's left starting Monday.
That sale to the general public, originally scheduled to start Monday morning, has been pushed back one day and will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday at ticketmaster.com.

Aug 22 Giants lose to the Steelers 24-17    |    Photos

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On The Game: Preseason Game 2 Gamegirl "...Last week was fine if you managed to get tickets to the Giants - Jets game, but seeing 'New Meadowlands Stadium' decked out in blue was way much better. Now you get to sit in your regular Giants designated seats....Hakeem Nicks gained the distinction of being the first Giant ever ejected from a game in the new stadium..." Mikefan. "...Bomar's competition on the Steelers offense was a combination of Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon, and they gave the Giants defense a good workout. Corey Webster had a nice interception. Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka made their presence known on passing and running plays..."

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ESPN - Backup QBs impressive as Steelers top Giants in Ben Roethlisberger's return.
Giants.com - Giants fall to Steelers, 24-17.
Giants.com - Postgame Coach Tom Coughlin.
StarLedger - Giants see signs of defensive improvement in 24-17 loss to Steelers.
StarLedger -Interception mars Rhett Bomar's start at quarterback for Giants.
StarLedger - Difficult return from back injury motivating Giants guard Shawn Andrews.
NYDailyNews - Giants lose to Steelers at New Meadowlands, 24-17, as Eli Manning sits and Big Ben plays.
NYDailyNews - One final update of the night on Brandon Jacobs and Eli Manning.
NYDailyNews - Antrel Rolle, Ahmad Bradshaw in Tom Coughlin's doghouse for being late to Giants meeting.
NYDailyNews - Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger debuts vs. Giants, presents fans with moral dilemma.
NYDailyNews - Time to move intense Giants-Jets preseason game to the regular season.
NYPost - Pittsburgh steals the show with Eli on Giants sideline.
NYPost - Big Ben glad to take heat on field.
NYPost - Stiff neck keeps Jacobs out of action.
NYPost - Comeback Kenny takes a Giant step.
Record - Rhett Bomar struggles as Giants fall to Steelers, 24-17.
SteelersGab - What We Learned From the Steelers 24-17 Win Over the Giants.

Preseason Game 2 Preview - Giants vs Steelers
This game. Call it 'quarterback roulette'. The Steelers are trying to figure out which quarterback will run their offense to start the season while still keeping Ben Roethlisberger sharp for his eventual return. Byron Leftwich completed only 6 of 10 passes for 43 yards before Dennis Dixon took over and came on strong.
The Giants will be trying to survive this game knowing that Eli Manning will be back, but Jim Sorgi has suddenly turned into a question mark in the number two spot with a second injury to his shoulder. They will really be evaluating Rhett Bomar for future potential. For insurance(?), the Giants have signed rookie Dominic Randolph, who was with them in their rookie minicamp in May, to be the fourth quarterback.

Aug 21 The coaching staff is prepared to give Rhett Bomar nearly a full-game audition, a rarity in the NFL's preseason. "There's a lot of pressure on him," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "Instead of looking at guys he's been on the scout team with, all of a sudden he's looking at starters, and they're expecting him to lead and do the things Eli would do, and it's not fair to expect that of him."

The Giants made a big move to shore up the battered interior of their offensive line early Friday, signing former Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews. The 6-4, 330-pound Andrews, who hasn't played since 2008, signed a six-year contract at about 1:45 in the morning, and it's a deal that will force the former Eagle to prove his worth on the field and offers little risk for the Giants.
Andrews has lost a great deal of weight and at 330 pounds appears fit. He said for the past 10 months he's been working out in California and believes his back is ready to be tested. He's had two diskectomies (the partial removal of disks in his back), the second as recently as December 2009.
Andrews' arrival Friday surely stirred a mix of emotions from those on the Giants' roster. Players who aren't in direct competition were obviously glad to have his potential on board, while guards and tackles looking to gain or hold onto playing time were perhaps secretly worried about their status with the team.
Considering Andrews is only 27 years old and will turn 33 late in the final year of the contract, it could be potentially great investment for the Giants. Yes, he’s had back issues and battled depression, but he’s also a three-time Pro Bowler who started almost every game for the Eagles from 2005-07. If can regain his old form, then he’ll be the perfect eventual replacement for 31-year-old right guard Rich Seubert.

The 20 days spent here produced a good-news, bad-news scenario that leaves the Giants off balance as they break training camp and head home. Their defense, so in need of repair, showed signs of evolving into a unit that can put quality athletes on the field and dominate segments of a game. Their offense -- filled with continuity and returning players but fragmented by nagging injuries and mishaps with quarterback Eli Manning and his backup, Jim Sorgi -- has lagged behind.
"Trying to get people playing together is what you are trying to do with your camp," Coughlin said of the offensive problems. "Now, you make adjustments, you do whatever you have to do. But the continuity of all these people having a chance to work together hasn’t worked out the way you’d like it."

Eli Manning, saddled with that stitched-up forehead, will watch Ben Roethlisberger's preseason debut from the Giant sidelines. The forever debate over which is the better quarterback seems silly right now. Roethlisberger won his two Super Bowls. Manning won his one, The Perfect Gentleman engineering the Perfect Drive, aided by the Perfect Catch by David Tyree, to ruin the Patriots' Perfect Season.

Giants backup quarterback Jim Sorgi is unable to make a throwing motion because of the injury to his right shoulder. He is taking anti-inflammatory medicines to reduce the swelling and hopes to be sidelined two to three weeks, though he’s unsure about a timetable for his return. The Giants open the season against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 12.

Scalping for Giants and Jets games now starts with your parking space. With both home teams requiring pre-paid parking passes at the New Meadowlands Stadium, a busy black market - with steep prices - was in mid-season form before Friday night's pre-season Steelers-Giants game.

Aug 20 Giants backup quarterback Jim Sorgi will be out two to three weeks with a shoulder injury sustained in Monday’s preseason victory over the Jets, according to someone informed of the results of an MRI performed on Sorgi this morning. Sorgi suffered the injury when he was hit by Jets linebacker Lance Laury while delivering his second touchdown pass to wide receiver Victor Cruz.
That’s not great news, but it’s better news than it could have been since Sorgi was already playing with a partially torn labrum in his shoulder. According to the source, this new injury is unrelated to that tear. If it had been, the Giants almost certainly would have insisted he have surgery, which probably would’ve ended his season, if not his Giants career.
Rhett Bomar has made fast progress, in part because of Manning and Sorgi's absence. He took every single snap during Wednesday's practice. Thursday, he took most of the snaps, and undrafted free agent rookie Dominic Randolph handled scout team duties. Bomar's performance was a mixed bag.

Tune in Saturday night for Giants vs. Steelers in the preseason, otherwise known as the Rhett Bomar Show. He'll be the beginning, middle and quite possibly the end at quarterback for the Giants, who will be without Eli Manning and Jim Sorgi. "I don’t remember going into a game with only one,'' offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "Technically we're gonna have two.'' Gilbride said he's also going to have safety Antrel Rolle "limbered up for a few plays.'' Rolle has an incredibly strong arm and with the Cardinals has taken snaps as a Wildcat quarterback.

But what can we expect from a Giants game in which Rhett Bomar takes the vast majority of the snaps? "Hopefully very efficient, very effective, and a lot of touchdowns," offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. That's what the Giants got from Bomar in Monday night's 31-16 defeat of the Jets. Bomar completed six of seven passes for 67 yards and led the Giants on a 10-play, 67-yard touchdown drive. He set up the score with a 23-yard run on third-and-17 and delivered it on the next play with a five-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz.

With Eli Manning unavailable for practice and this week's game against Pittsburgh and Jim Sorgi battling a sore shoulder, the Giants added a quarterback to their roster. They signed rookie Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross. Randolph was with the Giants in their rookie minicamp in May. He was waived after the camp when Riley Skinner was signed. Skinner was released on June 24.

Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said he instructed Eli Manning to change the call on the play he got hurt. But Gilbride was hoping Manning would alert everyone on offense before doing so. Everyone in blue would have liked to see Barden go 1-on-1 with Antonio Cromartie on that play.

Michael Boley, entering his second season with the Giants, is hoping to make the kind of impact he provided against the Chiefs in Week 4 last season. "That," Boley said as he turned near the top of the ramp, "is what I need to get back to."

Giants safety Kenny Phillips and linebacker Keith Bulluck will play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Phillips will return to the game action for the first time since Week 2 of last season. Bulluck is making his Giants debut, and is playing for the first time since ACL surgery seven months ago.

Giants' radio team gets thumbs up. Bob Papa is entering his 15th season as the play-by-play man for the team, and his talents as a broadcaster have been so recognized over the years that his plate is now full with opportunities. He recently started doing games on television for NFL Network on Thursday and Saturday nights. In addition, he has worked on NBC’s telecast of the Olympics since 1992 and has done boxing for many outlets, including ESPN and HBO.

Giants May Pass on Another Summer in Albany. there is uncertainty about whether the Giants will return here next summer. Their new practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J., could host training camp. In June, the Giants announced they would return to Albany for this year’s camp -- with a two-year option to train there through 2012.

Aug 19 Five years into his NFL career, Sinorice Moss, the former second-round pick has yet to reach the potential the team believed he had - and the ceiling he still sees for himself. And once again it's a numbers game. Now that rookie undrafted free agent Victor Cruz has emerged with his three-touchdown performance on Monday night, Moss is seemingly back on the verge of having his Giants career cut short.

Eli Manning will not play in Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach Tom Coughlin said today. The Giants' franchise quarterback has 12 stitches in his forehead after suffering a three-inch gash in the team’s preseason opener. He is not in pain and did not suffer a concussion, the quarterback said today, but the stitches inhibit Manning from wearing his helmet.
After a huge, bloody gash was opened on his forehead when he collided with Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and was then sandwiched between two Jets - defensive end Calvin Pace and safety Jim Leonhard. Manning was worried Monday night when he put his hand to his head after the collisions and saw blood running down his arm.

Missing the last few days of training camp and one preseason game is a small price to pay, Manning figures, considering the freak play last Monday night against the Jets that left him helmet-less and sandwiched between two defenders.
Manning, who wore a baseball cap over his bandages and declined to take it off, said the training staff will have to find a way to protect the cut when he does return to practice. Manning said he’s unsure if he’ll have to wait for the stitches to be removed before he’ll be cleared to practice.

Eli Manning has officially been ruled out of the Giants’ preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. Backup quarterback Jim Sorgi might miss that game too. And that has put the Giants in a bit of a bind - - with only one healthy quarterback on their roster. Rhett Bomar.
For the first time since he started wearing a whistle around his neck, Coughlin had only one quarterback available for practice. That quarterback, Rhett Bomar, took every practice snap and seems on track to start the Giants' preseason game Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, their first home game in the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Chase Blackburn relieved knee injury isn’t more serious. Blackburn said he's hoping to get into the Giants' final preseason game or be ready for the regular-season opener. "I definitely felt a pop,'' he said of the injury suffered Monday against the Jets. "On the field they examined it and they said it was probably not an ACL, that's all you want to hear when you're out there.

A knee injury suffered by Rueben Riley opened a spot on the Giants offensive line, and Giants assistant general manager Kevin Abrams thought Cliff Louis was the man to fill it-for the third time. The 6-foot-8, 300-pounder, who had done two previous stints with the Giants, called back around 5:30 p.m., and Abrams asked if he was still in shape. Louis said "absolutely" and packed his bags.

Stadium News
John Mara insisted Wednesday that the Giants never said they weren't going to sell individual, single-game tickets this season, even though most of their tickets can't be bought without an expensive Personal Seat License. And he said he was "surprised" by all the commotion caused by the start of the team's annual ticket sale.
After insisting for months they had no more non-premium PSLs available and fewer than 1,200 premium PSLs left, the Giants yesterday quietly announced plans to sell single-game tickets without PSLs through Ticketmaster.

Aug 18 Eli Manning, who always plays, doesn't think he'll play in Saturday night's preseason game against the Steelers, the Giants first-ever home game at New Meadowlands Stadium. Manning needed 12 stitches to close a three-inch gash in his forehead incurred in the second quarter of Monday night's 31-16 preseason victory over the Jets.
One concern is making sure not to reopen the wound. Coughlin admitted the initial reaction "with Eli being the kind of guy he is" was to try to figure out a way how to protect the stitches with padding in order to allow him to put on a helmet and take the field.
Tests appeared to be precautionary in nature, especially since the Giants were adamant that Manning didn't even suffer a concussion from the brutal series of hits. That seemed unlikely, of course, when Manning was hit by three separate players - - including his own running back - - and dropped to his knees after his first wobbly attempt to pick himself up.
Eli Manning said. "I don't know when I will be able to put a helmet on. I might have to bring out an old leather helmet to get some practice in this week because I don't want to be sitting around doing nothing when I feel I can play."

As stunning as Victor Cruz’s stats were Monday, they were even more impressive considering another number. His signing bonus: $0. That would be $25,000 less than the Giants gave another undrafted free agent - offensive lineman Dennis Landolt. Cruz’s bonus is the sign of a player who had zero leverage because he was hearing from only a few other teams that were merely offering him tryouts. "All of our scouts saw him the same way: very good natural hands and ball skills, quicker than fast and productive," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said. "A very good local free-agent shot."
"He's not a longshot any more," said Giants backup quarterback Jim Sorgi after Cruz caught six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns in the preseason-opening win over the Jets Monday night. "He's definitely an NFL player. He's a guy that's going to make plays for you. He knows what he's doing on the field. He's smart. He runs great routes, and he just gets open. "You got certain guys in the NFL that just have a knack for getting open, and he's one of those guys."
Think Big. That was just one of the 115 text messages Victor Cruz received on his phone soon after the Giants beat the Jets 31-16 at the new Meadowlands stadium Monday night. Cruz, a free-agent wide receiver out of Paterson Catholic and the University of Massachusetts, exploded onto the scene with three touchdown receptions, including a spectacular one-handed grab on a 64-yard TD. He knew the text was from his high-school coach, Benjie Wimberly.

Steelers Notebook: Roethlisberger will see action against Giants. Ben Roethlisberger will play a game for the first time since Jan. 3 when the Steelers visit the New York Giants Saturday night. While coach Mike Tomlin declined to reveal his plans for Roethlisberger, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians spilled the beans after practice Monday. "Ben's going to play this week," Arians announced.

Aug 17 Giants win over the Jets, 31-16    |    Photos

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On The Game: Preseason Game 1 Gamegirl "...The Giants defense came up big, just as they have been doing in training camp. Antrel Rolle was alert and he grabbed a tipped ball and returned it all the way back to the Jets 1 yard line. It did take three tries, but Brandon Jacobs ran it in and the Giants had the first touchdown scored at the new stadium....." Mikefan. "...Fewell has his guys looking out for opportunities. Overall they came up with three interceptions. The Giants starting offense might have done better if Steve Smith was able to play in this game. Also it didn't help the running game that Chris Snee and Rich Seubert were unavailable along with all the tight end injuries which includes missing tight end Kevin Boss...."

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ESPN - Jets' starters sharp, Eli Manning bloodied in opening of new Meadowlands Stadium.
Giants.com - Giants defeat Jets, 31-16.
StarLedger - Giants rookie Victor Cruz living a dream after catching three touchdowns against Jets.
StarLedger - Giants quarterback Eli Manning suffers gashed forehead against Jets.
StarLedger - Scenes, stories from New Meadowlands Stadium as Jets, Giants christen home.
NYDailyNews - Ahmad Bradshaw looks to be 100 percent; No love lost between 'Hard Knocks' Jets and Brandon Jacobs.
NYDailyNews - Giants quarterback Eli Manning feels 'fine' after brutal hit in 31-16 preseason win over Jets.
NYPost - 'Tough' Eli unfazed by Giant laceration.
NYPost - Giants escape bloody Monday.
NYPost - Undrafted Giants rookie on Cruz control after 3 TD catches.
Record - Giants' Eli Manning suffers three-inch cut to his head in win over Jets.

Preseason Game 1 Preview - Giants vs Jets
What's important. This is not just your ordinary preseason game, It will be the first time a football game will be played in the New Meadowlands Stadium. It is a 'home' game for the Jets who will be playing against the 'visiting' Giants. It will be the first time that most fans will get to try out their new seats and hopefully enjoy their view of the field. Maybe less important to the excited fans attending and those at home is the fact that this game will be the weakest played by both teams this season, just by the very nature of it being the very first preseason game.

Aug 16 New Meadowlands Stadium has been christened by concerts, international soccer and even lacrosse, but football season is here -- and the building’s owners are moving in for good tonight (Giants vs. Jets, 8 p.m., ESPN). Do expect to see a lot of green.This is a Jets home game, so the exterior steel will be lit up in green.
So, how new is the New Meadowlands Stadium? "We haven't even been in our own locker room yet," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. That's pretty new. the first quarter could be feisty with the starters on the field, given the nature of the unique Giants-Jets rivalry.
Yes, it's just a meaningless preseason game, and yes, quarterbacks Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez will play just a quarter or so, but Ryan (and Jets owner Woody Johnson) have changed the landscape around here, and rattled the Big Blue cage in the process.

There will be some things to be gained by the starters, however. "You get some new looks and see where you stand right now," said quarterback Eli Manning. "The Jets are a 3-4 [defense] team and we will have to play a couple of 3-4 teams [Dallas and Washington] in our division this year." However once those "ferocious 12" snaps have subsided, it will be preseason business as usual. The backups, led by quarterback Jim Sorgi on offense, will take over and try to show they either are more capable than just being backups, or capable enough just to be backups.
Both the Jets and Giants practiced once there during their June minicamps, but this will be the first time under game conditions for both. Jets right tackle Damien Woody added, "I’m looking forward to actually seeing the stadium filling up and kind of getting a sense of crowd noise, weather conditions, wind, all those type of things, all the different factors that could play out when the real games start."

Deon Grant spent his first 10 seasons with Seattle, Jacksonville and Carolina before signing with the Giants in April, and the veteran safety has seen something this summer that he has never before experienced. A lack of contact. "Over my years, we hit," Grant said. "We hit."
The last time the Giants' defense played a game, the results weren't pretty. They were humiliated at the end of their embarrassing season, giving up 85 points in their last two games. So it'll take more than one quarter of one preseason game to erase that miserable memory and restore their image.

For all of the talk about Brandon Jacobs’ knee, Ahmad Bradshaw’s lower legs, the loss of Derrick Ward and the struggles of the offensive line, perhaps an injured Madison Hedgecock was one of the more overlooked reasons for why the Giants’ running game dropped from top-ranked in 2008 to 17th in the league last season.

Aug 15 The Giants - who are charging all fans a PSL of at least $1,000 - reserved only three prime parking sections for suite and premium seat holders, while six other sections that are set aside by the Jets for PSL owners are designed as general parking for Giants games. Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team set aside about 7,500 spaces in its three VIP parking sections. Both teams are requiring that fans pre-purchase parking passes - at $25 per game - which they hand over as they drive into the lots. For the occasional fan who isn't aware of the requirement, Jets Vice President Thad Sheely said there is one satellite lot left, on Murray Hill Parkway.

As this is a preseason opener, starters on both sides won't be on the field very long. Tom Coughlin said his first team will play no more than the first quarter, while Rex Ryan said the Jets starters will play into the second quarter. Then it's on to the reserves on both sides.
The Jets got Terrell Thomas' "message." Then he got their message. And Saturday he sent them another one, just so everyone would be clear. "Plain and simple, when you get down to it, we hear what they're saying, how they're taking over New York," Thomas said. "And we're taking notes of that."
Tom Coughlin said he’s not aware of any trash talking going on between his team and the Jets. He also said the other day he’s unaware of "Hard Knocks." Both statements are tough to believe. But Coughlin's stance on how much yapping should be going on right now is very much believable. "I certainly don't encourage that," the Giants' coach said after practice Saturday.
"It’s the first preseason game, it’s a big game," Terrell Thomas said. "Not a big rivalry, but we’re opening up a stadium and there’s a lot going on right now. There’s a lot of hype around it making it a lot bigger than it is. It’s going to be a battle between our twos and threes (on the depth chart)."

New Giants QB Jim Sorgi says Monday's game vs. Jets is more than just another preseason game. Sorgi played in only 10 games as a quarterback during his six seasons sitting behind Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. Now that he's behind the equally durable Eli Manning, he doesn't figure to play much more. That's why Monday night, and the other three preseason games, are so important to the 29-year-old.

Benched late last season along with defensive tackle Fred Robbins, Osi Umenyiora has run the gamut of mindsets: embarrassed, enraged, spiteful, downtrodden and, after the Giants’ drafting of Jason Pierre-Paul, briefly confused about his future with the team. But sometime between the end of the offseason program in June and the start of training camp this month, Umenyiora adopted new attitude: motivated.

Justin Tuck says he’s healthy again, surgery has mended his injured shoulder, as the Giants prepare to open their preseason and their new stadium Monday night versus the Jets. He’s not only working on physically getting back to form but also on growing into that leadership role the coaches really want him to embrace. "It’s definitely not a burden, it’s a compliment," Tuck said of the added responsibilities.

The vision of a general manager in the spring and summer is not always the sight he sees in the fall and winter. Jerry Reese a year ago believed he assembled enough talent in the secondary to take full advantage of the ferocious pressure he expected up front. By now the injuries, ineptitude and ill-suited direction that degenerated into the 2009 Giants defense is better left to the harsh glare of history.

There was a time Lawrence Tynes would gripe about the length of the grass on the UAlbany fields. "I've just kind of learned to deal with it," the Giants' kicker said Saturday. Yeah, because he was told to pipe down about it. "Sure," Tynes said in agreement. So when asked how Matt Dodge’s holds so far in camp, guess what Tynes mentioned. "It's really hard to hold on those fields based on the length of the grass," he replied.

The check arrived at the Giants’ offensive linemen’s dinner table at a local steakhouse on Thursday, and the rookie was responsible for paying. Nearly a dozen 300-pounders would accumulate a big bill regardless of the night, but the veterans of the group played a prank on fifth-round pick Mitch Petrus. They asked the waitress to add $1,500 to a check that was already around $1,200.

Andre Brown has a secret. "I've never been to an NFL game," the Giants' running back said. That begs the question, why didn't he attend one last season since he was, well, being paid by an NFL team? "Since I was little, I had this little thing that my first NFL football game will be the first one I'm playing in," Brown said this week at the Giants' training camp.

Aug 14 For 34 years, pregame activities for Jets and Giants fans basically meant sitting on lawn chairs and grilling your own food in the parking lot. But starting with Monday night's Giants-Jets preseason football game, that will change radically -- the new $1.6 billion stadium was designed with a 350,000-square-foot plaza surrounding the building. For the first time, fans will be able to buy barbecue outside instead of grilling it themselves.

Friday evening’s practice was very light on the action, as the offense and defense went against scout-team looks of the Jets’ schemes. Of course, that didn’t stop LG Rich Seubert and DE Mathias Kiwanuka from nearly getting into a scrum. Still, there was plenty of stuff not even worth mentioning here because of the scout-team factor. And often, a DB would make a play against DE Dave Tollefson or S Michael Greco. Yeah, you read that right. Those two plus a few other defensive players were running as extra TEs and WRs on account of all the injured players at those positions. It was interesting and comical at times.
In all, five defensive players helped out the scout team by donning temporary tight end jerseys. Defensive ends Dave Tollefson and Tommie Hill took a few snaps there. Safeties John Busing and Michael Greco did double duty as tight ends and wide receivers. Greco even caught a Bomar pass on a short flare towards the sideline. This was all necessary, of course, because the Giants are down to the “Bear” minimum at tight end - - Bear Pascoe.

It looks as if the starting offensive line against the Jets will have Will Beatty at left tackle, David Diehl at left guard and Guy Whimper at right guard. The usual starting guards, Chris Snee and Rich Seubert, aren’t expected to play. Snee has a knee issue and Seubert has a broken left hand. Seubert last night worked some scout team stuff but that didn't stop him from engaging in a brief shoving match with DE Mathias Kiwanuka. There hasn’t been a real fight thus far in camp.

Mario Manningham has extreme talent but he has yet to put it all together. Case in point: He made a great stop-and-go move to completely shed Aaron Ross, a move noticed by Manning as he fired deep downfield. The pass was on the money but Manningham for some reason slowed down for a moment, which is all it took for the pass to sail over his reach.

This is certainly not the first time around for Aaron Ross as far as preseason openers, but Monday night's game against the Jets is a debut of sorts for the fourth-year cornerback. Ross will get his first chance to show the Giants he's trustworthy and skilled enough to be their punt returner. It's a role that opened up when Domenik Hixon back in the spring was lost for the season following knee surgery. The kickoff and punt return jobs are there for the taking and Ross wants to claim the punt return chores.
Following last season, Ross began rehabbing his leg to ensure he would be healthy this season. On Feb. 26, he married his longtime love, Olympic sprinter Sanya Richards. They flew almost 7,000 miles to their honeymoon destination, where Ross decided it was time to test his leg. With a chute providing resistance, Ross ran 10 40-yard sprints. Secondary/cornerbacks coach Peter Giunta said today the new Ross is an improved version of the pre-injury player.

Saturday marks one year since Andre Brown, a 2009 fourth-round pick out of North Carolina State, ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon during an evening practice in which he ran a routine pass pattern, collapsed to the ground and rolled several times in pain. After missing his entire rookie season, Brown insists he’s healthy, although he does not know of any running back who has returned from a ruptured Achilles’. Former Packers and Bears running Edgar Bennett once suffered a similar injury and returned to the NFL one season later. He was never as productive as before the injury but lasted two additional seasons.
One year later, Andre Brown is back healthy, feeling faster than ever. And, boy, is he looking forward to running onto the field Monday night when the Giants open the preseason against the Jets. If all goes well, this will be more than a cameo for the 23-year-old, 6-foot, 224-pound running back. Before the injury last year, the Giants were enamored with the dual-threat skill of a kid who had 3,511 all-purpose yards in 44 college games. They viewed Brown as a clone of Derrick Ward, who had left for Tampa Bay. And they still think he has the potential to fill Ward's old role.
Andre Brown figures to get a heavy dose of carries Monday night when the Giants and Jets debut in the New Meadowlands Stadium. The 2009 fourth-round draft pick from North Carolina State is competing with DJ Ware and Gartrell Johnson for the third running back slot. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw will get a few carries apiece before turning it over to the others. Brown and Ware each appear to have the talents to fill a role the Giants really never satisfied last season, that third-down back. They also are the first two choices to handle kickoff returns.

Terrell Thomas understands the dilemma: Monday’s meeting with the Jets is bigger than the average preseason game but it is just a preseason game. That’s why the Giants’ cornerback remains hopeful he’ll play through an undisclosed leg issue while also being realistic in how little the game means for the long-term. “It definitely would be (tough to watch),” Thomas said Friday in between practices at training camp. “I think it’s going to be a big game opening the stadium. Hopefully, I can (play).”

Aug 13 The starters figure to play only a series or two when the Giants face the Jets in the first preseason game ever at the New Meadowlands Stadium. And with little game-planning and only two weeks of practice behind both clubs, it won't be an all-out effort for either team to prove its point. But make no mistake about it, the stakes have undoubtedly been raised for the Giants after months of trash talking by the Jets.

The Giants are already trying not to focus on the hype and "rivalry" with the Jets heading into Monday's matchup. The fear is if they try to make a statement by playing harder than a typical preseason game, they'll unnecessarily risk injury. Well, there’s one more thing they'll have to ignore: the playing surface.
Giants GM Jerry Reese insisted again that he doesn't think the FieldTurf caused Domenik Hixon, Big Blue's best kick returner, to tear his ACL during a practice at the new stadium back in June. But he's walked the field several times since and discussed some concerns with the company that makes the surface.
General manager Jerry Reese said there's been an alteration to the FieldTurf in the middle of the field at New Meadowlands Stadium after complaints that the surface was too soft. "Instead of changing the logos every time the Jets play and the Giants play . . . we took those trays out and left the NFL logo so you don't have to change trays and pat it down every time you change it up," Reese said.

You would think that Tom Coughlin's day is ruined every morning when he sees the team's growing injury report. You'd think he wouldn't be able to get through his Cheerios and coffee before seeing something on the report that makes him cry. You'd be wrong, though. "It usually comes the night before," he said. "So I don't get any sleep."
Every summer, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin lays out his plan for training camp of what he hopes to accomplish. And every year, those plans seem to be tested to the limit when injuries start to make their way on the scene. "Injuries are injuries; it's all over the league," said general manger Jerry Reese. "Go to any of the 32 teams and you'll see a bunch of injuries on the injury list. It's just part of training camp."

So much attention each and every day at training camp is devoted to who is not available. The roll call of who's out is always a hot topic. It's a call that never includes Barry Cofield and David Diehl. "It's part of being a football player," Diehl said yesterday, "part of being an accountable guy, no matter what, you got little nicks, bumps, whatever, your job is to be out there."
The Giants have a laundry list of injured players this preseason, but Chris Canty isn't on the list. Training camp wasn't his only setback last year, however. The defensive lineman returned from the hamstring injury only to suffer a calf injury in the regular-season opener against the Washington Redskins.

Jason Pierre-Paul has become well known to football fans not only of the Giants but of the entire NFL as one of the most intriguing products of the 2010 NFL Draft. With just 13 major college games and only seven starts on his resume, he nevertheless became the 15th player selected in the draft when the Giants called his name last April.
Giants third-round draft pick Chad Jones was supposed to be Pierre-Paul's roommate just like he was during rookie minicamp. And Jones, Pierre-Paul and Dillard did everything together prior to the accident. If Jones were here, they'd probably take trips together to the local mall.

When Chase Blackburn joined the Giants five years ago, not even his agent tried to pump him up with false hope. "My agent told me, 'You're going in as a camp body,'" Blackburn said. '"You're the guy that has to do everything in your power to make this team - and hopefully to make the practice squad.'" He did look like a player brought in to take training camp reps so more prominent players wouldn't burn out. Despite those humble beginnings, Blackburn has carved out an impressive career.

It isn't easy playing quarterback in New York. It isn't easy when you are Peyton Manning's kid brother, even after you deliver a Super Bowl championship. New York never lowers expectations for the franchise quarterback. "I think a marriage, if you get the right one, it definitely works well 'cause you can stay focused on your job," Manning told The Post yesterday. "There's not distractions."

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