Rookies arrive at Minicamp!

[Lubeck]

go on giants.com for videos of our rookies!

 

They all came across really well. Sintim did get a bit confused twice though...overall they seemed confident but aware of what they need to do.

[Storm]

Geeez....Beatty looks like a man-beast.

 

Barden is like a full head above Nicks, that's nuts.

 

[Mr. P]

Rookie WRs catch Coughlin's eye

 

Tom Coughlin got his first up-close look at his two newest receivers today and, at first glance, he liked what he saw.

 

“They caught the ball,” Coughlin said. “This morning they caught the ball well.”

 

Consider that high praise from a coach who would rather not add to the hype of any of his rookies, particularly that of receivers Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden. The expectations of those two are already pretty huge, considering how thin the Giants are at their position. Both of them have a chance to contribute right away.

 

Can they? Well, if you’re crazy enough to judge anything from a few plays in the first practice of rookie mini-camp, Nicks certainly looks as polished as advertised. He had little trouble putting a move on CB Vince Anderson, an undrafted free agent out of Weber International, to get open near the sidelines. And he even showed some speed, flying by seventh-round CB Stoney Woodson (and several other defensive backs) on a deep route.

 

On that deep route, I got a good look at those hands that North Carolina coach Butch Davis said were “as good a set of hands catching the ball as anybody I’ve ever been around. The ball from quarterback Andre’ Woodson was underthrown by just a hair, so Nicks ended up catching it directly above his head, rather than down by his chest in stride. But not only did he make the finger-tip grab, he may have tipped it into his own hands, and then flawlessly tucked it away and never missed a stride.

 

“That’s in my job description,” Nicks said. “A wide receiver has to catch the ball. That’s what I do.”

 

Nicks said he didn’t drop a single pass in practice, and I certainly didn’t see him drop any. I actually didn’t see Barden drop any either, but the 6-6 ex-Cal Poly star looked a little slow out of the blocks at first. By the time they got in 7 on 7 drills, though, he showed an unexpected second gear and at least once was able to get beyond the secondary to haul in a long pass from quarterback Rhett Bomar.

 

But again - and I can’t stress this enough — it’s only rookie camp. And if you don’t believe me, take it from Tom Coughlin:

 

“You can find out a lot (about these rookies this weekend) but you have to keep it in perspective,” Coughlin said. “It’s rookies against rookies.”

 

In other words, it’s great that Nicks beat Anderson deep, but let’s see how he does against Corey Webster in mid-June.

 

***

 

Bomar looked pretty good in his first day in the NFL. He showed off a strong arm and definitely has a quick release — something that his competition for the third spot, Andre’ Woodson, definitely doesn’t have. In fact, on a day when Woodson seemed a little shaky, Bomar looked more like the guy who had already been in the league for a year.

 

“I think it went well,” Bomar said. “I was probably a little jumpy at first. Coach had to calm me down a little bit. But I got more comfortable as the day went on.”

 

***

 

Bomar, by the way, played in the Senior Bowl on the same team as Rames Barden so he’s pretty familiar with the Cal Poly receiver. And like Barden, Bomar is also trying to make the jump from Division I-AA.

 

“A lot of people think that you have to make a huge jump just because you’re coming from I-AA,” Bomar said. “But I don’t buy into that. Yeah, it’s a little bit different, but once you get used to the speed here and you get around these guys I think you’ll get adjusted pretty well if you’re a great player, like he is.

 

“There is a little bit of difference (down at I-AA). What I always tell everybody is there’s athletes that can play at that level. The main difference is the lines. Guys aren’t as big and as fast. But you’ve still got guys who can play.”

 

***

 

Not long after he was drafted in the fourth round by the Giants, running back Andre Brown’s cell phone rang and a number came up that he didn’t recognize.

 

“Who is this?” Brown asked.

 

“It’s Brandon,” the deep voice on the other end said.

 

Said Brown: “Brandon who?”

 

It turns out, of course, that it was Brandon Jacobs who - - in a classy move by the veteran running back - - was calling to welcome the rookie to the NFL

 

“It made me feel a part of the team,” Brown said. “He told me that (he was a fourth-rounder, too). He said ‘Don’t worry about being a fourth-round pick. Just come in and get ready to work.’”

 

***

 

LB Clint Sintim (second round) didn’t get a great feel for how the Giants intend to use him during his first rookie camp practice. But he has a grasp of what he think they’re going to ask him to do. And while there’s a difference between playing the “elephant linebacker” in Virginia’s 3-4 and the strong-side linebacker in the Giants’ 4-3, he said it’s not as different as everybody seems to think.

 

“Playing in the bubble (in coverage) is something I didn’t do in Virginia as much,” Sintim said. “But the concept of football remains the same. Really, it’s just going to be a matter of getting in there, studying, looking at the film and really trying to adapt to the system as quickly as possible.”

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/20...0EwxhgkNH&B

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/20...ghlins-eye.html

[Mr. P]

oops double post

[Mr. P]

THE DRAFT PICKS

I promised I'd keep an eye on LB Clint Sintim this afternoon and I did. He looked pretty good on his drops, which was interesting because all the scouting reports have suggested he struggles in space and that he's best at playing downhill and over the tight end. From what I saw, he had what scouts would call a "smooth pedal."

 

Ruh-roh. Dropped ball by TE Travis Beckum "on air," meaning no defense. Double ruh-roh: Beckum left the field early in practice and went to the locker room. Relax - just cramps. Still, he didn't return.

 

In a matchup of UConn alums, LT William Beatty got beat off the ball by DT Dan Davis, who made a stop in the backfield.

 

We've been talking about the quickness off the line being a big thing for WR Ramses Barden and he showed it on one play during 1-on-1s. He beat a jam attempt by CB DeAndre Wright and then got the legs pumping to get a step. As I mentioned earlier, once he gets 10 to 15 yards into a go route, he really starts moving. So when he had a step on Wright, you knew he was going to be open and he was for another deep completion. And in 7-on-7s, he did it again past Wright, who struggled this afternoon.

 

Great play by CB Stoney Woodson during 1-on-1s when WR Hakeem Nicks ran a comeback. Woodson didn't bite when Nicks tried to sell the go route and broke back with him to knock the ball away. With Nicks' ability to create space today, that's a good job by Woodson of staying with him.

 

Nicks made a diving catch near the sideline on a rollout by QB Andre' Woodson. It was the far sideline, so none of us in the media were positive he made the catch, but I'm pretty sure he did.

 

QB Rhett Bomar had one ball slip out of his hands and later overshot WR Shaun Bodiford on a deep ball. Pretty uneventful afternoon for Bomar.

 

THE UNDRAFTEDS

S Sha'reff Rashad had the first INT of camp. (Nice play. See below for the description.)

 

Much better coverage by CB Vince Anderson this afternoon.

 

THE VETERANS

Another up-and-down session for Andre' Woodson. I mean, he badly - and I mean BADLY - threw behind Beckum on a crossing pattern in 1-on-1s. But just a few plays earlier, he had thrown a great ball to WR Daniel Polk on a slant and hit Barden on the go past Wright. Later, he showed nice touch on a ball over Sintim and under Wright.

 

And then, Woodson threw the first INT of camp on a deep ball to WR Otis Lewis. Rashad tracked the ball nicely from centerfield, got in position and leaped in front of Lewis to make the play. (If you're wondering who Lewis is, he's from Hofstra and he was here this afternoon in place of WR Maurice Covington, who was apparently sent home after one practice.)

 

You can always tell which guys are the veterans because they always look so much smoother. That was WR Micah Rucker on a leaping catch on a crossing patter.

 

THE TRYOUTS

S Trimane Goddard, who dropped 2 balls in individual INT drills, dropped another one this afternoon. Okay, so catching isn't his thing.

 

During individuals, Lewis was running a nice crossing route over the middle ... and then the pass clanked off his face mask.

 

TE Jeff Postell beat LB Kevin Akins on a crossing route. Akins yelled at himself before the ball even arrived. Postell later limped off the field with an undisclosed injury.

 

TE Cody Boyd made a nice grab with Akins hanging on his shoulder. Boyd, who's got tremendous size at 6-8, 264, caught a ball over the middle on the next play and then added a few more within the next couple of minutes. Impressive afternoon for Boyd.

 

And finally, RBs coach Jerald Ingram runs a drill every day in which the backs try to hold onto a ball at the end of a huge rubber-band type thing. Usually, the veterans are able to do this well and drag the player who's holding onto the other end. Well, RB Andre Hall wasn't ready for the slingshot action because he went flying backward on one rep when he reached the end of the rope while carrying the ball.

 

See you tomorrow.

 

MG

 

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2009/05...eport_from.html

[Mr. P]

Jacobs: Giants will win 13 without Braylon

 

Brandon Jacobs is going to do a weekly spot this season on The Brandon Tierney Show on ESPN Radio 1050 in New York, and it promises to be must-listen radio.

 

In a preview spot earlier today, Jacobs made it clear that he doesn’t want the Giants to continue their pursuit of veteran receiver Braylon Edwards. And without him Jacobs predicts the Giants will win 13 games this year.

 

“We are going to have a new identity, a new scheme,” Jacobs said. “Hopefully a piece of that puzzle doesn’t come missing in the middle of the season and we’ve got to make another adjustment. It’s just a fresh year. And I think that we’re going to have a great season and going on to win at least 13 games.

 

“I’m putting us in that big dance early and whoever’s listening to it, I really don’t care if they don’t like it or not.”

 

A few minutes later, Jacobs was asked if he thought the Giants still had a chance to land Edwards. “No,” he said. “I think that’s over.”

 

Then he made it clear that he’s glad it is.

 

“I love Braylon,” Jacobs said. “Braylon is a great guy and a great player. But I don’t think he’s New York. We don’t throw the ball enough for that.

 

“I don’t want him,” Jacobs added. “There’s great players in the league that I don’t want. I don’t know, I just think the chemistry between the teammates that I have now is great. We don’t need to add a new veteran to the whole group. I’m good with where we are. I’m glad that we didn’t go forward and get him or (Anquan) Boldin. And those guys are great guys (but) I’m not interested in that idea.”

 

***

 

And now back to rookie mini-camp …

 

• Hakeem Nicks proved he’s not a one-practice wonder with another terrific practice in the afternoon. He made two nice catches along the sideline (the far sideline from me, so the details aren’t completely clear). On the first, he seemed to tip toe right along the line as he caught the ball. On the second, he made a falling catch just before CB Vince Anderson cut in front of him.

 

• By the way, when Nicks arrived at Giants Stadium for the first time and the team started handing out equipment they didn’t have gloves big enough to fit his enormous hands. Apparently he wears Size XXXXL gloves - - and even those are a little tight.

 

• TE Travis Beckum was escorted off the field during the afternoon practice. According to Giants, he was suffering from cramps. TE Jeff Postell also walked off the field later, presumably with cramps. However, the Giants didn’t update his situation since he’s only a tryout player. It probably doesn’t matter. Leaving the field during your tryout is not a good thing.

 

• Sha’reff Rashad, an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida, made a nice leaping interception in front of Ottis Lewis, a 6-5 rookie out of Hofstra. Lewis, by the way, wasn’t here in the morning but showed up in the afternoon. He took the place of Maurice Covington, a receiver out of Virginia who was let go after his tryout in the morning.

 

• Another tryout player who had a terrific afternoon was Cody Boyd, a first-year TE out of Washington State. He made several nice catches, including one in which he stole the ball from a DB who had position in front of him.

 

***

 

Jacobs made it clear, as you read above, that he doesn’t want the Giants to trade for Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin. But somebody is going to trade for Boldin in the next 2 ½ months. So says his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who delivered this missive via Twitter earlier today:

 

“I still believe Anquan will be traded before training camp,” Rosenhaus said … or wrote … or Twitted … whatever. “I hope to work together with the Cardinals to resolve this situation by then.”

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/#ixzz0ExBkxsLQ&B

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/

[NeMesiS]

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/

Damn, some one has to tel Jacob to just STFU!!!!!!

[Mr. P]

Andre Brown found a few holes between the linebackers and then in the secondary, so he darted toward the end zone. His first couple of runs inside Giants Stadium were long ones.

 

An empty Giants Stadium on the first day of rookie camp, that is. And coach Tom Coughlin was waiting when Brown slowly jogged back toward his teammates.

 

"You're not used to getting that many carries," Coughlin said to Brown, who shared time in N.C. State's backfield with several running backs.

 

"I'm trying to get used to it," Brown shot back.

 

A sluggish Brown jogging back to the huddle is apparently something Coughlin should get used to seeing.

 

"When he touches the football, he runs for 40, 50 yards and you have to wait for him to come back to start the next play," Jason Swepson, Brown's position coach at N.C. State, said the other day by phone. "He has tremendous work ethic and I know that's something coach Coughlin is going to love."

 

Swepson would know because he played for Coughlin at Boston College during his senior season in 1991. The running backs coach under Coughlin that year was Jerald Ingram, who now holds the same position with the Giants.

 

So it's safe to say Brown knew exactly what he was stepping into when the Giants selected him in the fourth round of last month's draft. After all, he'd been playing under a similarly disciplined coach in Tom O'Brien, who arrived at N.C. State two years ago after 11 seasons as BC's head coach, and Brown had received plenty of information from Swepson about what Coughlin and Ingram expect from their players.

 

Swepson also knew what to expect from Brown in the NFL, so two weeks before the draft, he had a conversation with Ingram.

 

"I just told him he's your type of guy," Swepson said. "He loves to practice, he's going to work hard, give great effort and do everything you ask him to do."

 

The 6-0, 224-pound Brown, who rushed for a career-high 767 yards and seven touchdowns in 2008, wasn't among the most heralded backs leading up to the draft. But that's due to several factors, including being a part of a committee of running backs during his first three seasons, the adjustment to playing under two different head coaches and three different offensive coordinators, a foot injury that kept him out of four games as a junior, and the fact he played for a program that's been in a rebuilding mode the past two seasons.

 

"It was hectic down there," Brown said between practices Friday. "But I loved my experience down there and they helped produce the man you see before you today."

 

Said Swepson: "What he did last year was pretty much on his own. His longest run from scrimmage was just 22 yards. But he had the best 4-yard runs you'll ever see. I mean, he made people miss and people were bouncing off of him."

 

The Giants must have noticed because they liked what they saw from Brown and immediately compared him to Derrick Ward, who last year joined Brandon Jacobs as part of only the fifth duo in NFL history to each rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

 

"Thank you for the comparison," Brown said of Ward, who signed with the Buccaneers in free agency. "I'm just going to go out there and play the game I know how to play. If they want me to be that back, I can."

 

If the advice from Swepson on playing for Coughlin and Ingram, the experience of playing under O'Brien and the comparisons to Ward weren't enough to make Brown feel at home already, an unexpected draft-day call did the trick.

 

"I was like, 'Who is this?' 'This is Brandon,'" Brown said, lowering his already low-pitched voice to mimic Jacobs, who was also a fourth-round pick. "He just told me to come in here and get ready to work. ... It made me feel a part of the team. I'm just ready."

 

Friday, after the morning practice, Brown made a call of his own -- to Swepson, who reminded him not to quit on those practice handoffs.

 

"Just remember to keep finishing runs," Brown said Swepson told him. "Just when you think you gave them enough, give them more."

 

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2009/05...back_andre.html

[Lubeck]

If you have not heard it check out the Giants.com video of the Andre Brown interview. His retelling of Jacobs calling him is hilarious.

[BurnThePhilFans]

Great stuff.... Nicks had a good showing from what I heard. Gotta love the wingspan and hand size.

[Storm]

If you have not heard it check out the Giants.com video of the Andre Brown interview. His retelling of Jacobs calling him is hilarious.

 

"It's BRANDON"

 

"Brandon who?"

 

"BRANDON JACOBS, YOUR NEW TEAMMATE"