03/12 Training Camp Updates

[Mr. P]

 

After day off, NY Giants defense picks up right where it left off in morning practice

 

by Mike Garafolo/The Star-Ledger

Wednesday August 12, 2009, 11:21 AM

Associated Press

 

 

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The defense looked a lot more rested than the guys in the white jerseys after the Giants' day off. Lots of penetration from the defensive line and even the LBs and CBs, plus plenty of batted balls. Here's your rundown:

 

INJURIES

 

WR Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) was out once again Wednesday. So was WR Steve Smith (knee). Coach Tom Coughlin said he had hoped to get one of those guys back Wednesday but that it hasn't been that way yet.

 

WR David Tyree (knee) was back in action and had a good day. Caught a few slants and quick ins in stride. DE Maurice Evans was also back and had a good practice, as well.

 

Still out: CBs Corey Webster (hip) and Aaron Ross (leg), DTs Barry Cofield (knee) and Rocky Bernard (hamstring), DE Justin Tuck (foot), RG Chris Snee (leg), OL Cliff Louis (foot) and LB Michael Boley (hip).

 

CB DeAndre Wright was carted off. I've been told it's a knee injury, though that hasn't been made official. Coughlin said Wright is undergoing X-rays and other tests. We'll wait to hear more on him.

 

1 p.m. UPDATE Wright said he hyperextended his knee and went for tests to make sure he didn't do any damage. Said he had hyperextended it before so wanted to be sure. Said no damage and that he might be back as soon as tonight.

 

THE STARTERS

 

LB Danny Clark opened team drills with a sack past RB Brandon Jacobs, who got an earful from the coaches.

 

Not sure what LB Antonio Pierce saw on one play, but he started yelling, "Red! Red! Red!" Then, he yelled, "Stay red, Osi!" and followed in behind Umenyiora for a stop in the backfield on Jacobs.

 

WR Domenik Hixon and QB Eli Manning connected a bunch of times. Details in the next section.

 

DE Mathias Kiwanuka got his long arm up to bat down a pass. He then used his reach to keep TE Kevin Boss an arm's length away as Boss was trying to block him. Kiwanuka made the stop about two yards off the ball.

 

 

THE BACKUPS

 

CB Terrell Thomas batted down Manning's first pass of team drills with an aggressive jam on Hixon. Hixon got off the ball later and ran a 15-yard in cut inside Thomas to catch a dart from Manning.

 

Real nice PD by CB Kevin Dockery on a hook from Manning to WR Sinorice Moss to start 7-on-7s.

 

Excellent catch by WR Derek Hagan to outjump Thomas for a ball from Manning up the left sideline. He got up high for that one.

 

QB David Carr held off on the snap on one play because he saw the defense was short a LB. I would think he'd be better served not telling anyone and just throwing to the open part of the zone. But I guess this is training camp, which is a time to team build, not be selfish.

 

Tyree, who struggled a bit on Monday, was hot Wednesday morning. He made a handful of catches and even had a heckuva block on one play.

 

DE Dave Tollefson made a great swim move past somebody (not sure exactly which lineman it was, so not gonna guess, though it was a starter) for a sack. DT Jeremy Clark was obviously taking notes because he did the same thing on the next play. Since the play was allowed to continue, Evans got an opportunity to bat away a pass. He added another later. Nice return to practice for him.

 

DT Jay Alford came right through untouched to make a stop on RB Danny Ware in the backfield.

 

LB Bryan Kehl added to the sack parade when he slipped past Jacobs to get to Manning.

 

And more from Thomas: he went through Moss for a stop in the backfield and then came over WR Mario Manningham's back (without making contact) to knock away a pass.

 

 

THE YOUNG GUYS

 

WR Ramses Barden is already a wily veteran. What I mean is he obviously realizes the officials have left camp. He gave Wright a shove with his left hand and made the leaping catch near the sideline on a ball from Carr. No ref equals no flag. Barden later had a sweet catch on a ball he had to reach back for. Very smooth.

 

Real, real good practice by CB Stoney Woodson, who's looking more comfortable every day. First, he did a great job of staying close enough to WR Shaun Bodiford on a quick hook to knock the ball from QB Andre' Woodson away. Woodson (Stoney, that is) later stayed on Manningham's hip up the right sideline. Manning was eyeing Manningham the whole time and clearly thought he was going to be able to get separation. He was wrong and had to go elsewhere with the ball. One more Woodson highlight: he was absolutely in Hagan's pocket on a 10-yard comeback. Coughlin on Woodson: "He's been very noticeable, and that's a good thing. We'd like to see that improve."

 

Great blitz pickup by RB Andre Brown, who came across Carr to pick up a rusher. That gave Carr time to hit Manningham up the left sideline. Manningham showed CB Bruce Johnson his quick moves to get off the line. Johnson later whiffed on a diving attempt at knocking away a comeback from Carr to Bodiford.

 

Manningham had what I'm ruling a drop, though it was a tough catch while drifting toward the sideline. Still, it hit enough of his hands that he should have caught it.

 

Wait, Johnson just redeemed himself with good coverage on a deep ball from Andre' Woodson to Hagan.

 

LB Jonathan Goff made a good stop on a run after fighting off OL Kevin Boothe.

 

QB Rhett Bomar threw an awesome ball (about 40 yards) to WR Taye Biddle, who had it go through his hands after getting separation from Dockery. Two plays later, Bomar saw a single safety high and press coverage across the board. When that happens, the guy that can beat the jam is open up top. In this case, that guy was TE Travis Beckum. Bomar saw him immediately and got it to him down the field.

 

And finally, we haven't had a lot of LB Clint Sintim highlights lately, but there was one Wednesday. He made a quick move around OL Terrance Pennington, got right in Andre' Woodson's face, batted the ball and nearly caught his own deflection. Great play.

 

Source: The Star-Ledger

[Mr. P]

August 12, 2009

Day off doesn't cure Giants pain

 

A day off from practice did wonders for me, but it doesn’t appear to have done much good for the Giants. The injury area and exercise bikes were just as crowded this morning as they were when we left them Monday night.

 

There was some good news. WR David Tyree (knee), LT Guy Whimper (toe) and DE Maurice Evans (leg) were back on the field. But there were still 11 players watching from the sidelines. The list included:

 

WR Steve Smith (knee), WR Hakeem Nicks (hamstring), CB Aaron Ross (leg), CB Corey Webster (hip), DT Barry Cofield (knee), DE Justin Tuck (foot), OL Cliff Louis (ankle), DT Chris Canty (hamstring), G Chis Snee (leg), LB Michael Boley (hip) and DT Rocky Bernard (hamstring).

 

There’s no reason to be alarmed on Aug. 12, but the list is starting to become a bit of a concern, especially for a guy like Nicks who soon will be in danger of missing the Giants’ preseason opener. And everytime I see him riding the exercise bike I’m reminded of the dreadful luck Giants have had with rookie receivers in, oh, the last 20 or so years.

 

Anyway, it’s all just something to keep an eye on. In the meantime, here’s the morning practice report:

 

• WR Ramses Barden is starting to really stand out among the receivers, though it pays to remember he’s running mostly against the second and third string. He had a nice catch running down the sidelines and jumping over CB DeAndre Wright to snare a David Carr pass. Later he made a terrific catch reaching behind him in traffic. The kid has outstanding hands.

 

• Nice catch by WR Domenik Hixon with … Osi Umenyiora in coverage? Don’t expect a lot of that. Remember, new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said less of that this year for his defensive linemen.

 

• Tyree, fresh off an ugly day on Monday, caught five passes without a drop today. Don’t count him out. I know the numbers are way against him, but he is a Tom Coughlin favorite and it’s still early.

 

• Derek Hagan, Tyree’s main competition for the last receiver spot, made a beautiful leaping catch over CB Terrell Thomas on the sidelines.

 

• Speaking of Thomas, he had an excellent practice, reaching around WR Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham for two terrific pass breakups. He also flashed his speed on a couple of blitzes where he would’ve probably nailed the quarterback.

 

• Good day overall for the defense. There were four passes batted at the line of scrimmage, including two by rookie DE Maurice Evans. There were also countless would-be sacks that would’ve stopped plays before they ever materialized.

 

• WR Taye Biddle, who is a practice squader at best, dropped a deep pass from QB Rhett Bomar that was dropped right into his arms.

 

• TE Travis Beckum made a nice play to blow by S Vince Anderson and streak up the middle to catch a Bomar pass. By the way, Tom Coughlin said Beckum has impressed with his blocking skills, too.

 

• DT Fred Robbins did some more drills with the team, including one where he burst up the middle and disrupted a draw play to RB Brandon Jacobs. That got Coughlin’s attention and he started screaming at the offense.

 

• The other two deflections at the line were by DE Mathias Kiwanuka and LB Clint Sintim, who probably should’ve caught the Andre’ Woodson pass he batted. He plucked it out of the air about a foot off Woodson’s arm, but let it drop down his body and onto the ground.

 

• A little thing to like about QB Eli Manning that doesn’t show up in the box score. Under quick pressure from a Thomas blitz, he made a quick dump off to Manningham. Maybe a 5-yard pass, if that, but it turned a negative play into a positive. Not all quarterbacks make that read.

 

Source: NY Daily News

[Mr. P]

Tom Coughlin Q and A:

 

 

 

Q. What can you tell us about the competition for the third quarterback spot?

 

A. The thing that’s so important right there is that every snap is critical because there’s only so many. You know, (Andre) Woodson has done some good things and so has (Rhett) Bomar, he’s done a good job, too. But it’s been inconsistent, and that’s probably what we have to see. Now they’ll have some more opportunities in game situations.

 

Q. How do you balance getting ready for the season with getting ready for the first preseason game?

 

A. We need work, training camp work, to be honest with you. It’s not going to be easy to do that. I’ve got practices planned where we have them carded. I almost don’t want to do that, but I’m going to have to do it because we do need to have, in particular, all of these young guys see some of the things that are going to take place in the game, rather than just our training camp stuff. You know, it’s always a delicate balance and you don’t like to move in the first preseason game too early towards those kind of practices, and we’ll try to hold off for a least a couple of more…we’re going to have to do something.

 

Q. Now that you’ve had more time to see Travis Beckum, do you see the kind of ways he can be a versatile part of the offense?

 

A. I think it’s starting to develop. Yeah, he’s shown some things that have been real good for us to see. He’s done a nice job on special teams, he’s given us that receiving threat, he’s also blocked well, to be honest with you. I think he’s had one or two days when he hasn’t been as good as others. But he really has done a better job than we expected as a blocker.

 

Q. How did David Tyree look today? Are you judging him on a day-by-day basis?

 

A. I mean you’ve got to judge everybody…it’s an everyday thing for every player that’s out here. I don’t like to see anybody have a time when they can’t practice, but obviously when they come back, they’ve got just so many snaps to try to get themselves ready. So, we’ll do that, he’s going to pay the price to put himself in position. He knows exactly what he is doing, and he demands a lot of himself. Let’s just hope he can string some practices together.

 

Q. How do you feel about the defensive backfield’s performance so far?

 

A. I think they’ve done pretty well this preseason. We’ve got to put them in game situations, obviously, but they’ve had a pretty good camp. They’ve done well based on the fact that our pass rushers have been different so they’re taking advantage of that.

 

Q. What have you seen so far from Stoney Woodson?

 

A. He’s been doing well, and that’s a good thing. You like to see that in the preseason.

 

Q. Do you know what happened to DeAndre Wright yet?

 

A. I don’t know that, they haven’t done the x-rays yet. Hopefully, he’s not going to be gone for long. We’ve got the two starting corners (Webster and Ross) on the sidelines…that doesn’t help. You do have some very important practices to go here before you can even start thinking about the game on Monday night. We’ve got a lot a work to do…I hate to have to think about slowing ourselves down.

 

Q. If neither Rhett Bomar nor Andre Woodson stands out, would you be willing to go with only two quarterbacks?

 

A. It’s always an option. There’s nothing we’ve decided on just yet, but we did it last year. It’ll come down to how well these two young guys play in the preseason.

 

Q. With the intensity that he brings, what does Madison Hedgecock mean to this team?

 

A. Physical, physical blocking fullback. He takes his job very seriously, does really well with it, and it really sets the tone.

 

Q. How has Barry Cofield been working his way back, how long do you think it will take him to get back?

 

A. He needs to work, he needs to practice, but he’s done well and worked hard…you know he works once-a-day and he’s been working hard on his timing and quickness to try to get those things back. You know, he wants to do more…he’s doing okay, he feels like he has some work to do, but it’s good to have him out there.

 

Q. Have you been happy so far from what you’ve seen from the wide receivers?

 

A. Well, the thing that’s going on right now…you’d like to have them all out on the field, so you can see what you have. We go back and fourth between seven and eight, with a couple of guys being injured. So for the other guys that have to carry the burden, they’ve just got to do the best they can. In order to put in the perspective we want it, we obviously need them on the field.

 

Q. What’s the nature of Steve Smith’s knee injury?

 

A. He’s got soreness…that’s the extent of it right now.

 

Q. Do you have plans to restrict the players in terms of online social networking?

 

A. Well, we’ve had discussions…some things were said, we had a meeting last night and some issues were brought up and discussed. We do have rules in place about where the cell phones are in meetings and so on and so forth. At this point in time, we’ve stayed with those particular things…I think our players have good common sense. I think two or three of them are involved with that from what I understand, but they know what can and cannot be discussed.

[Treehugger]

Does that last question have anything to do with BB01's relationship with Beatty?

[NeMesiS]

thanks!!!!