Die Hard Sports Fan

The Giants had to go back to work today, unfortunately. Below you will find a bunch of notes and reports assembled by a variety of beat writers. The Giants play their first game on Thursday so make sure you watch it.

The Star-Ledger

• Since Plaxico Burress has been unable to practice, he is contributing as an adviser to the Giants’ young receivers. Plax is taking on the mentor role even if the young guys don’t ask for it.
• Mike Garafolo assembled an in-depth 8/3 morning practice report worth checking out. Below is a sample of the entire report. There’s much more where that came from so go check out the source.
  • DEs Justin Tuck (foot) and Osi Umenyiora (hip), WRs Plaxico Burress (ankle), Amani Toomer (leg), Mario Manningham (groin) and David Tyree (knee/PUP), LBs Zak DeOssie (back) and Gerris Wilkinson (knee/PUP), CB Sam Madison (sports hernia), RT Shane Olivea and S Craig Dahl (knee) did not practice.
  • There we go again: first play of team drills was a bomb. Again from QB Eli Manning to WR Domenik Hixon. Great tackle on the play by CB Aaron Ross. Too bad it was way before the ball got there. That’s a 40-yard pass interference penalty on Ross.
  • QB Anthony Wright and WR Michael Jennings hooked up for deep in.
  • WR Craphonso Thorpe got the crowd excited with a spinning, toe-tapping catch on a fade to the left side from Wright. Dockery was in coverage on the play.
  • Hall ran a nice route to catch a hook from QB Andre’ Woodson in front of Webster. Hall later went deep on Pope, but the ball from Wright was overthrown and out of bounds.
• Mike Garafolo assembled an in-depth 8/3 evening practice report also worth checking out. Below is a sample of the entire report. There’s much more where that came from so go check out the source.
  • WRs Plaxico Burress (ankle), Steve Smith (groin), David Tyree (knee/PUP) and Mario Manninghan (groin), LBs Gerris Wilkinson (knee/PUP) and Danny Clark (sports hernia), CB Sam Madison (sports hernia) and OT Shane Olivea (back) did not practice..
  • CB Corey Webster would have none of WR Domenik Hixon catching a fade on the left side. He stayed all over Hixon and knocked the ball away. Webster also stayed stride for stride on a go from QB David Carr to WR Sinorice Moss. Webster had such good position it almost looked like he was the intended receiver. Webster knocked it away for a PD.
  • Hixon ran a perfect comeback to get separation from CB R.W. McQuarters and make a diving catch. McQuarters bounced back with a PD a few plays later when WR Craphonso Thorpe ran the same pattern.
  • LB Chase Blackburn keeps making plays. I mean, this guy couldn’t get a job after the draft a few years ago and now he’s a steady backup in my mind. Tonight, he stayed with Boss on a post into the end zone and wrestled with him to grab a ball from Wright for an INT.
  • WR Brandon London made his first nice grab in a few days on a skinny post over CB Kevin Dockery. Not a bad ball at all from Woodson. London then did a great job of accelerating to at least get his hands on a deep incompletion from Manning. The ball was overcooked and I didn’t think London had a prayer of getting there, but he dove and almost made the catch after getting past CB Terrell Thomas.
• Plaxico Burress did some light running for the first time since training camp.

Big Blue Blog

• Paul Schwartz assembled his own morning practice notes. Below is a sample of his notes, but there are not too many more.
  • On Manning’s second pass, Ross made another aggressive play, storming in to bat away a pass in the flat. Unfortunately for Ross, the ball was picked out of the air by RB Derrick Ward for a completion.
  • David Carr could not have thrown a better pass on a deep toss to Sinorice Moss, who had a step on two rookies, S Kenny Phillips and CB Terrell Thomas. The ball floated down perfectly to Moss … who watched as it slid right through his arms and to the grass. Moss looked up to the sky in bewilderment.
  • TE Kevin Boss, who has caught virtually everything thus far in camp, could not make the grab on a lunging attempt from Manning over the middle.

Inside the Giants

• Tom Rock believes that Sinorice Moss is basically playing for his Giants career in this camp so he’s been under the microscope this first week and a half. That means every drop is written about, and to be fair, there have been a lot of them. Moss had a pretty good practice tonight.

The Blue Screen

• Mike Garafolo put together another morning report and another evening report.

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Boy, I love it when Phessional writes a post out of nowhere.  Don’t you love that attitude?  I miss the energy that he brings to blogging.  It’s quotes like this that make me want to go watch the Divisional Round Playoffs again, “We are still being categorized under the Cowboys and can’t wait to turn these knuckleheads’s brains around.”  I hope the Big Blue Wrecking Crew can find a way in ‘08 to get Jerry Jones’ face the same way as it was after the Giants beat the ‘Girls in the Playoffs.  And make T.O. cry again…And continue to not allow Tony Romo to get a Playoff win.  That was priceless, can it happen again?

Now back to the Giants, Phessional wrote that he heard that Jeremy Shockey may be traded for Ray Lewis.  I cannot find anything supporting that, but rumors are rumors.  Some are real and some are not.  I hope that’s not the case.  I do not want Shockey because he whines like a girl, and he practices with his college squad rather than his NFL team.  Shockey has expressed that he wants to play with an offense like New Orleans because he played under Sean Payton when Payton was the Offensive Coordinator under Jim Fassel.  Shockey preferred to have 1,000 receiving yards, without blocking, when the Giants were 4-12 than have 600 yards when the team won the Super Bowl.  The Shockey news is old already, and he is still on the roster.  This Lewis rumor is new, and I’ve never heard it before.  If I don’t want Shockey for whining, then you know I don’t want a murderer.  Strahan, and his wife beating, is more than enough for a Giants fan to stomach.  It’s like I said last summer, I wish that Strahan would retire before the Giants won the Super Bowl because I don’t want to have to root for scum.  I want to root for classy guys to win the Super Bowl.  The Giants put us fans in an awkward situation by putting these guys out on the field.  The good thing is the Giants only have one mistake.  If I was a Bengals fan or a Cowboys fan, then half of the team is a mistake.  So I hope the Ravens offer Lewis an offer he can’t refuse so no more rumors even surface about him.

Giants.com:

Roster Moves - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants today announced the signing of seven players who attended rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis.

Additions:

• DT Brian Soi of Utah
• DT Nate Robinson of Akron
• DE Alex Morrow of USC
• DB Miguel Scott of North Carolina State
• DB Terrance Stringer of Tuskegee
• Long Snapper Nick Leeson of Virginia Tech
• OL Jacob Hobbs of the University at Albany.

Waived:

• LB Rory Johnson of Mississippi
• DT Joshua Muse of Louisiana Tech
• Punter Owen Tolson of Army

Terminated Contracts:

• TE Eric Butler of Mississippi State
• Guard Carnell Stewart of LSU.

Fans Take - A Giants fan expresses his thoughts on the Giants’ improbable 2007 season.

Newsday:

Rookie Giants DB Thomas is pro system friendly - Tom Rock wrote up an article about the Giants 63rd pick: DB Terrell Thomas of USC.

Shockey, Strahan status not definite - Tom Rock wrote, “The two most talked about players this offseason were talked about again Saturday. While Giants offensive and defensive coordinators Kevin Gilbride and Steve Spagnuolo spent some time discussing the rookies they are mentoring at this minicamp, questions inevitably turned to Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey.”  Multiple stories have been written about this story already.

New York Daily News:

Andre’ Woodson miffed by Giant drop - Ralph Vacchiano pointed out that Andre’ Woodson was supposed to be selected in the second round, but the Giants picked him in the sixth round.  Vacchiano found out what Woodson thought after falling well below expecations.

New York Post:

KNOCK ON WOOD - Paul Schwartz stated that the Giants want to develop Andre’ Woodson into a solid backup QB.

The Star-Ledger:

Giants add 7 rookie FAs, cut 5

Safety first at Miami - Mike Garafolo pointed out how successful the Safeties at Miami who went pro have been, historically.  One should conclude that Kenny Phillips sould be able to live up to the hype.

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According to Mike Florio over at ProFootballTalk.com, the Cowboys got their eye on the Lions WR Roy Williams.  In order to obtain Williams, the Cowboys might have to give up their Safety Roy Williams.  How many times has a player been traded for a player with the same name?  I hope Jerry Jones keeps his Safety because he can’t tackle, the NFL implemented a penalty called the Horsecollar because he misses the first tackle and has to get the guy down to the ground somehow.

Giants.com:

Transcript: WR Mario Manningham - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Mario Manningham.

Transcript: CB Terrell Thomas - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Terrell Thomas.

Transcript: Coach Tom Coughlin - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Tom Coughlin.

Transcript: Safety Kenny Phillips - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Kenny Phillips.

Pair of Giants Honored - Michael Eisen pointed out that GM Jerry Reese and MLB Antonio Pierce received the 2008 Man of the Year awards from MAN (Minority Athletes Networking).  Eisen described MAN as,

A not-for-profit organization co-founded by former Giants Ron Johnson and George Martin in 1989, is dedicated to positively influencing the lives of disadvantaged youth in the tri-state area. The MAN scholarship/mentorship program has awarded more than $800,000 to more than 200 students.

Congrats to JR and AP.

Roster Moves - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants added two more rookie free agents yesterday:

• TE Eric Butler of Mississippi State
• Punter Owen Tolson of Army

Newsday:

Giants rookies Kehl, Goff are athletic, and smart - Tom Rock wrote up an article about Bryan Kehl and Jonathan Goff.  The Giants selected Kehl in the 4th round and Goff in the 5th round.  Rock noted how both players went to prestigious schools, and they should have no problem learning the playbooks.

New York Daily News:

Rookies ‘all over the place’ at Giants mini-camp

New York Post:

JINTS GET FEELING OF SAFETY WITH ROOKIE - Paul Schwartz pointed out that Kenny Phillips has his first chance to make an impression today during the start of the two-day rookie mini-camp at Giants Stadium.  Here’s what Coach Coughlin thinks of Phillips, “I think that he will compete. Obviously he is a young player with a lot to learn. He is going to come in and he is going to be humble and try to learn as much as he possibly can, but there is no doubt he has to be excited because of the opportunity.”

The Star-Ledger:

Rookie camp morning practice report - Mike Garafolo lets us know what type of day the rookie’s are having today at the mini-camp.

Giants announce two more rookie signings

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At the end of the NFL Draft, here’s the list of the players that the New York Giants selected (click on the player’s name to view the NFL.com Draft Player Profile):

• Round 1, Pick 31 (31): Miami FS Kenny Phillips
• Round 2, Pick 32 (63): Southern Cal CB Terrell Thomas
• Round 3, Pick 32 (95): Michigan WR Mario Manningham
• Round 4, Pick 24 (123) (From Steelers): BYU OLB Bryan Kehl
• Round 5, Pick 30 (165): Vanderbilt LB Jonathan Goff
• Round 6, Pick 32 (198): Kentucky QB Andre’ Woodson
• Round 6, Pick 33 (199) (Compensatory selection): Southern Miss DE Robert Henderson

According to Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Eagles are suing Terrell Owens “in an attempt to recover the bonus money Owens never paid after being suspended for the final seven games of the 2005 season.”  The Eagles and their fans have never given up messing around with T.O.  It keeps going on and on.

New York Daily News:

Former coach Lloyd Carr says Mario Manningham is Giant bargain - Ralph Vacchiano found out what former Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr thinks of Mario Manningham being drafted by the Giants.  Here’s what Coach Carr had to say about Manningham.

I think Mario is a good person and he’s made some choices that he has apologized for. I believe him. I’m confident that he’s going to have a very good career.

He went to the combine without much preparation because he had a problem with his agent. He’s made some mistakes. Yet I think he’s with an organization that will give him good support. I think the biggest thing is, I’m sure and I’m confident that he’s learned some things in this process. He’s a young guy.

The biggest thing is that he has an opportunity now to go to a great organization in a very, very difficult environment, where the expectations are big, the media and scrutiny in New York certainly is as intense as it gets. But he’s got an opportunity to go in with a great young quarterback, an organization that’s coming off of a Super Bowl, so he couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. And I think we’re all confident that he’s going to take advantage of that.

New York Post:

NO GIANT SHOCK-ER - Paul Schwartz explains why he believes that keeping Jeremy Shockey in New York was the right move.

JINTS GIVE DT A SHOT - Paul Schwartz wrote an article about the undrafted free agents that the Giants are interested in.  Like Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger wrote yesterday, Paul pointed out that one of the undrafted free agents named Nate Robinson came out of Irvington, NJ.  Schwartz lets us know what Robsinson has been up to since graduating from Irvington.  At the bottom of the article, Paul wrote, “Some of the free agents expected to sign with the Giants or be invited to next month’s rookie mini-camp include:”

• S Nehemiah Warrick (Michigan State)
• DE Wallace Gillberry (Alabama)
• DE Antonio Reynolds (Tennessee)
• OL Glenn Bujnoch (Cincinnati)
• G-C Andrew Bain (Miami)
• OT Dylan Thiry (Northwestern)
• WR D.J. Hill (Alabama)
• OT Carnell Stewart (LSU)

The Star-Ledger:

Moss (genuinely) excited about Manningham - Mike Garafolo found out what Sinorice Moss thinks about the Jints drafting Manningham.

Giants sign Irvington’s Robinson - Mike Garafolo reported that the Giants signed defensive tackle Nate Robinson as an undrafted free agent.

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I got back from South Carolina around midnight.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get anything done down there.  I also wasn’t able to check out what happened in the NFL Draft, MLB, or NHL.  I apologize to all of you for that.

A few Mock Drafts had the Giants picking Kenny Phillips in the first round.  That turned out to be accurate.  From what I’ve read, the Giants are very happy with that pick.  I never heard of Phillips until he starting appearing in the Mock Drafts.  The Giants signed Terrell Thomas in the second round, and I never heard of him before.  Out of the players that the Giants signed, I’ve only seen Mario Manningham play and he’s the real deal.  Overall, the Giants stated that they are happy with who they selected.  I hope that turns out to be accurate.  It makes me feel better when the team says they are content with how it all played out.

Giants.com:

Something to prove - Thomas George pointed out that the Giants sixth round draft choice, Kentucky QB Andre’ Woodson will have time to develop.

Transcript: Post-Draft Coach Tom Coughlin

Transcript: Post-Draft GM Jerry Reese

Giants wrap up NFL Draft - Michael Eisen summarized all of the Giants selections.

Vanderbilt LB Jonathan Goff - Giants.com put together a Bio about Jonathan Goff.

QB Andre’ Woodson - Giants.com put together a Bio about Andre’ Woodson.

BYU LB Bryan Kehl - Giants.com put together a Bio about Bryan Kehl.

Michigan WR Mario Manningham Bio

Transcript: GM Jerry Reese - Michael Eisen had a Q&A Session with Reese regarding Manningham.

Giants select WR Mario Manningham - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants selected Michigan WR Mario Manningham in the third round.  Eisen captured the Reese’s thoughts of Manningham,

We did our homework on him. Yesterday you guys talked about (first-round choice) Kenny Phillips and why didn’t we bring him in. There really wasn’t a lot to bring him in for. We brought this young man in. Our coaches spent a lot of time with him. We interviewed him at the combine. We did our homework on him. He has tremendous value right now where we are picking. We think he will be okay.

He convinced me, he convinced our coaches – and it’s well documented – that he made a couple of mistakes. He is a young kid. He is a junior. So hopefully he learned from his mistakes and he will come in here and he will give us a big play threat on the outside. This guy has got the production you want. He has got a big strike on the outside. He gets big strikes on the outside. And that was attractive for us.

Talent-wise, I think the guy could have really gone in the first row,” Reese said. “But at this point at the bottom of the third row, we think this is a guy that has great value and he is talented. He is really talented. And again, we did our homework on him. We have a couple of different testing agencies, psychological testing and stuff that we did with him. We are satisfied that he will be okay. And obviously when he comes in, probably kind of like Ahmad (Bradshaw) last year, we will bring him in and say, ‘Look, this is what it is going to be and we expect you to do that.’ And hopefully he will do that.

Bradshaw also had some collegiate issues off the field and was told told he would be on a short leash after being drafted in the seventh round by the Giants. Bradshaw became an important contributor late in the season and in the playoffs.

If you are screwing up, we are not going to spend a lot of time on you. You are on a short leash, just like Ahmad last year – I don’t care if you are seventh round or third round (choice). If you come in here and do the wrong things, we are not going to tolerate that. We don’t think he will do that.

Terrell Thomas Bio

Kenny Phillips Bio

Giants select CB Terrell Thomas - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants selected USC CB Terrell Thomas in the second round.  Eisen found out what Ross thought of the pick, and he wrote up a Bio about Thomas.  Ross stated that,

We don’t draft like that, by need. I think that is when you get hurt, when you say, ‘We need this, we need to take a corner, we need to take this.’ How the board falls and how we have them stacked, that is how we take them. I wouldn’t classify them as need picks.

We are happy we got two good football players. We didn’t go in saying we have to take two defensive guys or two offensive guys. We went in and stuck with our board and took two football players we really like. We didn’t have a game plan in mind of what positions or what side of the ball. We just wanted to get good football players.

2008 Draft Blog - John Schmeelk covered the first round of the Draft.

Giants select safety Kenny Phillips - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants took University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips with the first round pick.  Eisen captured the thoughts of Reese and Coughlin about this regarding this pick, and he put together a Bio about Phillips.  Jerry Reese stated had this to say,

We got nice value and we got a need position as well. That’s what we like to do in the draft. We don’t want to reach for guys. We got what we wanted. We got need and value with this pick.

Tom Coughlin stated that,

We were pleased to have the opportunity to draft a player of Kenny Phillips’ ability when we did in the bottom of the first round. We had him ranked high. We had him as the best safety on the board. It is a need position for us. He is an excellent football player. He is a guy that will come down in the box and tackle and can play in coverage. He has played over wide receivers during his career. He has a career which gives you the balance and the versatility of a player of his ability with his interceptions, his tackles, etcetera. We are excited to have an opportunity to draft this player. There is great value in this pick and it is a need position, so we have been able to accomplish a bunch of things here with Kenny Phillips.

Transcript: Dir. of College Scouting Marc Ross - On Friday, Michael Eisen asked Marc Ross about the upcoming Draft.

Transcript: GM Jerry Reese - On Friday, Michael Eisen asked Jerry Reese about the upcoming Draft.

2008 Draft Preview

Talent Evaluator - Michael Eisen sits down with VP of Player Evaluation Chris Mara.

Newsday:

Giants take chance on Michigan receiver Manningham - Tom Rock expresses his concerns on Manningham.

Reese takes a gamble on Manningham - Bob Glauber is also concerned about Manningham.

Giants don’t do deal for Shockey

Still a Giant, Shockey is the talk of the draft

Giants loved No. 31 pick Phillips from beginning

NFL Draft - Newsday pointed out where the Giants and the Jets will pick in the Draft.

“Good chance” Shockey could be traded - On Saturday, Tom Rock wrote that Jeremy Shockey could be traded over the weekend.

New York Daily News:

Giants select talented but troubled WR Mario Manningham in third round

Deja Blue all over again

Giants get their man, draft Miami safety Kenny Phillips with 31st pick

Michael Strahan to Giants: Don’t trade Jeremy Shockey

Live Blog: Behind the scenes at the 2008 NFL Draft

Will Giants trade Jeremy Shockey to the Saints?

New York Post:

SUPER MARIO - Paul Schwartz believes that Manningham was a steal in the third round.  I have been waiting for someone to put this spin on it because that’s what I believe.  I’ve watched him for years at Michigan, and he is much better than a third round pick.  So off the field issues dropped him down two rounds.  The Giants are paying third round money for first round talent which is much better than drafting first round talent for first round money with off the field issues.

GRABBING BARGAINS IN THE LATER ROUNDS

LOCALS HAVE AVERAGE DRAFT - Steve Serby graded the Giants and the Jets, and he gave them each a B.

THE CHAMP’S PICKS

GIANT RISK

GIANTS AND JETS: DRAFT DAY TWO

A TRADE OFF - Paul Schwartz reported that the Giants didn’t trade Shockey and they drafted Phillips.

MEET THE NEW GIANTS

GIANTS PLAY IT SAFE - Paul Schwartz likes that the Giants drafted Kenny Phillips.

DRAFT SHOCK-ER - Paul Schwartz believed that a Shockey deal could be a huge factor of the Draft.

New York Times:

Giants See Potential and Take a Chance

At Round’s End, Giants Find What They Need

The Star-Ledger:

Irvington grad Nate Robinson headed to Giants - Mike Garafolo reported that the Giants signed Nate Robinson to a free agent contract.

Big Blue drafts insurance behind Manning

Giants hope gamble pays off once again

A few undrafted free agents - Mike Garafolo reported that Big Blue signed two undrafted free agents last night: Cincinnati OL Glenn “Digger” Bujnoch and Alabama DE Wallace Gilberry.

A QB and a DE in sixth round - Mike Garafolo reported that, “With picks No. 198 and 199, the Giants selected QB Andre’ Woodson and Southern Miss DE Robert Henderson.”

Another LB in the fifth round - Mike Garafolo reported, “In the fifth round, with the 165th overall pick, the Giants selected LB Jonathan Goff from Vanderbilt.”

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