Mr. P Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Interesting Battle By Michael Eisen, Giants.com Take this story to go! - RSS | Podcast | Mobile JUNE 29, 2009 EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - One of the most interesting job battles in the Giants’ training camp this summer will be for a position that didn’t exist last year. QB Andre Woodson who was drafted in 2008 will compete with 2009 draft pick QB Rhett Bomar First-year pro Andre’ Woodson and rookie Rhett Bomar will compete to be the team’s No. 3 quarterback behind Eli Manning and David Carr. The Giants did not have a third quarterback on their roster in 2008, largely because they carried two kickers in Lawrence Tynes and John Carney. Assuming Tynes stays healthy and is the team’s sole placekicker, the Giants will likely return to the NFL norm and keep three quarterbacks, which will pit Woodson against Bomar for one job. “We have given them a lot of snaps,” Coach Tom Coughlin said at last week’s minicamp. “Woodson (threw) the deep ball really well. He is a big, strong guy. Bomar is learning as he goes. Andre’ has the asset of having been here, having not been under pressure, having been coached. He has been here most of the time this offseason. He has studied a lot, studied on his own. And he is starting to understand things better and I think it shows. It shows that he is certainly very much improved this year. We will see.” Quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer quickly noticed a difference in Woodson in the offseason workouts and in two minicamps (Woodson participated in the rookie camp two weeks after the draft). “It was like night and day,” said Palmer, who has worked extensively with Woodson on his delivery and footwork. “He was much more relaxed. His mechanics were better. His delivery - a year ago he wound up and brought the ball and twisted it around his ear. He reverts back to that every once in a while. It is like being on the driving range as a golfer. You look pretty good there, and then it is a long walk to the first tee. But … we were very, very pleased and it is going to be an interesting battle between the two quarterbacks.” Woodson looked uncomfortable at times last summer, when he completed only three of nine passes and threw an interception in preseason play and was released on Aug. 30. Woodson was signed the next day to the Giants’ practice squad, where he spent all but one week of the regular season. But he seldom took snaps at quarterback. Instead, Woodson lined up wherever the Giants needed him – at tight end one week, wide receiver the next and perhaps at safety the week after that. He also played on numerous special teams in practice. “It was very frustrating at times,” Woodson said. “It’s something I just learned to deal with. I think it helped me become a lot stronger and more focused on what I have to do this upcoming season.” This spring, he has played only quarterback and he has a far greater understanding of the offense, he is more comfortable around his teammates and coaches and he is confident on the field, which he believes will help earn him a job this season. “I feel I have a great chance (to make the roster),” Woodson said. “I’m just positive about everything right now and working really hard. I know what it’s going to take to make the squad. I’ve been showing that throughout the minicamps and the entire offseason and with the way I’ve been working out and helping them and doing whatever they ask me to do, I think they’ve seen that and noticed that. I think they feel really pleased about what they’re seeing so far.” In one sense, the Giants see less of Woodson than they did a year ago. He has lost more than 20 pounds since he was drafted, dropping from 242 to approximately 220. “They wanted me to lose a lot of weight and become really light on my feet,” Woodson said. “So I tried to bulk up and also lose weight. I’ve been really trying to do whatever they ask me to do. Right now, they’re just asking me to continue to lose some more weight and get more light on my feet and at the same time continue to learn the playbook and show that I’m capable of leading the team.” Woodson, the 198th overall selection of the 2008 draft, posted some eye-popping numbers at the University of Kentucky, where he started 38 games. He completed 791 of 1,278 passes (61.9 percent) for 9,360 yards, 79 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The attempts, passing yards and 8,870 yards of total offense all rank second in Kentucky history, behind former Giant Jared Lorenzen. His 791 pass completions rank third in school history (trailing Lorenzen and Tim Couch). But he admits joining the Giants and the NFL was like traveling overseas and learning a new language. “Last year, I was walking in without having a clue of what was going on,” Woodson said. “The complexity of the playbook is completely different here. It was really difficult for me to learn everything with audibles and alerts to checks and having a good sense of the entire playbook. In the preseason I really couldn’t take many snaps, because I didn’t have a good sense of what was going on. For our system, the quarterback has to know pretty much everything that’s going on. “This year, I have a good comfort level. I’m feeling really confident about it. I have the playbook down pretty well now. I have a good sense of everything and I think it’s showing.” Now Bomar is feeling his way through his first few months as an NFL quarterback. The 151st overall selection in this year’s draft, he started his collegiate career at Oklahoma, where he started 11 games as a freshman in 2005 and threw for 2,018 yards and 10 touchdowns. He transferred to Sam Houston State and was ineligible in 2006. Playing for the Bearkats the last two years, Bomar completed 417 of 727 passes (57.4 percent) for 5,564 yards and 37 touchdowns. In 2008, he threw for 3,355 yards and 27 scores. Bomar passed for more than 300 yards eight times in 10 games, including a career-high 506 yards vs. Southeastern Louisiana. But as he did with Woodson, Palmer must ignore the numbers and improve his pupil’s mechanics. “He has a short, quick release that is a little bit low,” Palmer said of Bomar. “But I thought he improved as the camp went along and did a nice job. I will say this to you, it goes from Point A to Point B very, very quickly.” Bomar believe once he gets to training camp, the fuss over his release will dissipate. “Nobody up here has ever seen me play,” he said. “When I went down to Sam Houston, we weren’t on T.V. that much. I guess it’s new and different. It’s always been quick. Sometimes I get lazy and throw off my back foot a little bit, not step in on my throws. Coach Coughlin mentioned that a few times to me, going to my left. I kind of flick it sometimes and just rely on arm strength. You can’t do that all the time. You can’t get lazy with it. That’s something we’ll work on. Coach Palmer’s talked about working on getting over the top. The quickness is always good. It’s always good to have that.” Bomar agrees with Woodson on one point – going from a college playbook to the Giants is like skipping from basic math to advanced trigonometry. “It’s 10 times more complicated,” Bomar said. “But coming into the NFL with these coaches, it’s the best of the best. You have to be able to learn this stuff. You have to pick it up fast. Defense is getting more complicated every year and they throw more stuff at you. The offense is getting like that, too. It’s just like anything else. You have to put the work in and try to learn it. I do that.” Woodson played for four years in the Southeastern Conference, arguably the nation’s best college football league. Bomar spent just one season at top-shelf Oklahoma before moving to a lower level of competition at Sam Houston. But he said the switch won’t hurt his chances to stick with the Giants. “You missed out on having fun playing for national championships and that whole deal,” Bomar said. “But, like I always told people when I dropped down, it wasn’t like my talent went away. I just had to go down a level. It’s competitive down there. I had fun. The coaches were good there, too. I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage.” Despite playing for a smaller school, Bomar expected to get selected in the draft before the fifth round. He plans to turn his disappointment into positive energy. “I honestly thought I would go a little higher,” Bomar said. “Beside that fact, I have a chip on my shoulder from the whole OU thing. People casted me off from that, not thinking I’d do anything, badmouthing me, things like that. I wanted to prove everybody wrong these last two years. That will continue now. I come in with a chip on my shoulder.” Two young quarterbacks, each with something to prove. Assuming the Giants do carry a third quarterback, he will seldom if ever play in 2009. But once the team starts training camp in Albany, the competition for that job will be fun to watch. http://www.giants.com/news/headlines/story...?story_id=37885 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I think Bomar could pan out to be a sensational QB in the NFL. Woodson (in my opinion) could go either way and be good or bad....but Bomar is a champion waiting to get his chance to show off his stuff. My prediction: In two years, Bomar will be Eli's primary backup and there will be debates about which one should be starting once they see what Bomar can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Well you see....I see more in Woodson than Bomar....at least Woodson realizes that you can't get by in the NFL with stuff like poor mechanics that you did in College....Bomar has that wait till they get a load of me attitude that will earn him some egg on his face going up against pro defenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Well you see....I see more in Woodson than Bomar....at least Woodson realizes that you can't get by in the NFL with stuff like poor mechanics that you did in College....Bomar has that wait till they get a load of me attitude that will earn him some egg on his face going up against pro defenses. where do you get that impression of bomar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 where he talks about the fuss over his release will dissipate. Hardly....it will dissipate when there is no question about his release.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 hahahah do you want him to say "yeah my release is horrible" id laugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Ah more future color analysts for the NFL network. Here we develop the QB of yesterday into the commentator of tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 hahahah do you want him to say "yeah my release is horrible" id laugh True that....reminds me of Kent Graham...too much I guess....a legend in his own mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Ah more future color analysts for the NFL network. Here we develop the QB of yesterday into the commentator of tomorrow. Good pun...lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 i dont remember grahams personality just his sub par play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 i dont remember grahams personality just his sub par play Cocky as all get out....legend in his own mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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