Canty happy to be part of 'tremendous defense’ in New York

After spending four seasons with Dallas, Chris Canty said it "wasn’t particularly hard [to leave]."

By Chareen Williams - Star-Telegram

Annual Golf Outing a Success

QB Eli Manning was one of many participants in the Giants annual Golf Outin

By Michael Eiser - Giants.com 5/29/09

NFC East loaded with unheralded linebackers

By Steve Wyche - NFL.com 5/29/09

Die Hard's Running Back Preview

With the loss of the Giants starting receivers of the past many years, the Giants are going to look to what has carried them to the playoffs over the past 4 seasons, the running game. Brandon Jacobs will be the man to carry the offensive load without any other proven players on offense outside of Eli Manning and Steve Smith. Eli Manning might be the captain of the Giants but Brandon Jacobs is going to looked to carry the load on the offense this season.

Even though no one really has been talking about it, the Giants are going to have a very different look to their backfield in 2009. The loss of Derrick Ward is a lot bigger than people have been speculating. Everyone seems to think that the Giants won't lose a step by putting in Ahmad Bradshaw as the backup to Brandon Jacobs. I think it will be a much harder transition than everyone realizes. Bradshaw is a very different player than Ward. Ward was a great 3rd down back that could not only play on 3rd and long but also make the tough yard on 3rd and 1 . Bradshaw is a big time home run threat. On any given play, he can break through the hole and be off the races. Right now the Giants need a backup who can come in and be an every down back in case Brandon gets worn down. At this point, we have no idea if Bradshaw will excel in this role. I happen to think Danny Ware is a better fit to come in for Brandon. Bradshaw seems like the perfect 3rd down running back to come in a make a play. I don't know if he is the right player to be the backup to Brandon. I hope I am wrong.

1. Brandon Jacobs: There are two words that come to mind when I say his name, THE BEAST. When healthy (keyword 'healthy'), Brandon is as good as any running back in the NFL. No one can compare to his size or strength. How many running backs can say that they are taller and weigh more than the starting Linebackers on the opposite team? Only The Beast himself. Now that Brandon has his long term deal, expect him to be one of the top rushers in the NFL this year.

2. Ahmad Bradshaw: This small and feisty running back has made a big name for himself over his first two seasons in the NFL. In his rookie season, Bradshaw helped start the run that took the Giants to the Super Bowl, when he broke for the 88 yard touchdown run in Buffalo. He has a lot on his shoulders this season. Bradshaw needs to show the Giants that he isn't just a backup player anymore. He needs to step up and become the next in line after Brandon Jacobs.

3. Danny Ware: One of my favorite players on the Giants is set to begin the 2009 season with as an x-factor and set to take on a new role with the Giants. He isn't going to be sitting on the bench or the practice squad any longer. Ware has the chance to prove to the Giants why they kept him on the roster for 2 seasons, while only playing as a special teams player. Training camp will show if Ware has taken that next step to challenge Bradshaw as the backup to Brandon Jacobs.

4. Andre Brown: The new kid on the block. Andre Brown was drafted to solidify an already fantastic running back core. The former NC State running back, was a very solid runner in college and has a great first step to fly past defenders. I can't wait to see what he has to offer when training camp comes around. He reminds me a lot of Ryan Grant, when Grant was in training camp with the Giants. I can only hope he can produce the way Grant has for the Green Bay Packers. He will be able to use his rookie season to learn from a fantastic core and develop as a reliable backup in the latter half of the season.

Gholston, others looking to rebound

"Safety Kenny Phillips started just three games for the Giants but played extensively in nickel and dime packages, and had 67 tackles and an interception."
By Len Pasquarelli - ESPN.com 5/29/09

Rookies from Jersey, the New York Giants and Jets participate in trading card photoshoot

Giants wide receiver is one of the rookies who was at Upper Deck's 2009 NFL Rookie Premiere Photo Shoot.
Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 5/29/09

NEW AGENT LIKELY FOR BOLDIN

By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 5/29/09

Details from Steve Smith on Sirius 5/28/09

Smith says "Don't be surprised if you see us airing it out this season."  Even with the loss of their two starting receivers, it seems like the Giants are not looking to miss a beat.  It should be a very interesting training camp this summer.

Plaxico Burress Update

Plaxico Burress' next court date is June 15. He is facing 3 1/2 years minimum if convicted. It is very hard to imagine that he will be able to plead to absolutely no jail time at all. 5/28/09

Kevin Gilbride Interview on Giants.com 5/28/09

Meet Tom Coughlin & Kevin Boss

New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and tight end Kevin Boss will be attending the Nassau County Strawberry Festival this Saturday afternoon (5/30/09). They’ll be at Verizon’s booth helping to promote the My FiOS Home video contest. Everyone is welcome to get autographs and/or pictures with the two New York Giants. More details are below.

My FiOS Home: Ultimate Upgrade Comes to Nassau County Strawberry Festival

Meet New York Giants and American Idol Celebrities

WHAT:

Verizon’s asking New Yorkers to create their most compelling 90-second video answering the question: “What’s your ultimate FiOS entertainment fantasy, and why do you deserve to win Verizon’s Ultimate Home Upgrade?” Winning entries will win technology prizes – including HDTVs and laptop computers – and a chance to appear in their own reality TV home makeover show.

WHEN:

May 30^th and 31^st

WHERE:

Nassau County Strawberry Festival

Newbridge Road at Southern State Parkway, North Bellmore, NY

WHO:

May 30^th - Tom Coughlin (New York Giants head coach)

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm

May 30^th - Kevin Boss (New York Giants tight end)

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

May 31^st - Justin Guarini (American Idol)

2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Bob Papa reports that Plaxico Burress is deathly afraid of going to jail

ProFootballTalk.com 5/28/09

MANNING PASSES TIME WITH GIANTS

By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 5/28/09

Coughlin retires from family to spend more time with team

Tom Coughlin Retires From Family To Spend More Time With Team

Official Website of Antonio Pierce

ESPN NFL Power Rankings Breakdown 5/27/09

Official Website of Danny Clark

Official Website of David Diehl

Official Website of Fred Robbins

Official Site of Sinorice Moss

Boldin Update

According to Ralph Vacchiano, Boldin isn't going to the Giants -- or anywhere -- unless both he and the Cards drop their asking price. That won't happen. 5/27/09

Giants Talk

More Giants talk: Tomorrow night, around 8:30 p.m., Giants WR Steve Smith joins Ralph Vacchiano and Gil Brandt on Sirius NFL Radio's Late Hits.

New York Giants' defensive end Osi Umenyiora back on field as organized team activities begin

Osi Umenyiora was back on the field on Wednesday for the first time since he was carted off in August.
By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 5/27/09

OTA Sessions Begin

QB Eli Manning will use the OTA's to work on improving his timing with the WR's
By Michael Eisen - Giants.com

Defensive Outlook with DC Bill Sheridan

5/27/09

GIANT STEP? BOLDIN FIRES HIS AGENT

By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 5/27/09

College Coach: Nicks Can Be Real Special

Charlie Williams is expecting big things from Hakeem Nicks. And he should know. As Nicks’ wide receivers coach at the University of North Carolina for the last two years, Williams has seen up close just how dominating Nicks can be.

By Ken Palmer - GiantsInsider.com 5/26/09

Ranking best backfields in the NFL

By John Mullin - SI.com

Offseason Report with Danny Clark

These impressive rookies have careers off on right foot

Hakeem Nicks has Giants coaches optimistic he can make a significant contribution this fall.

By Rob Rang - NFLDraftScout.com 5/21/09

The Giant Leader

Scott Hanson sits down with Tom Coughlin to discuss the outlook for the 2009 New York Giants.

Die Hard's breakout players for the upcoming season

1. Kenny Phillips: He is the first person that comes to mind. As some of you may know, Phillips was by far my favorite draft pick of the New York Giants over the past 5 seasons. Phillips came from one of the perennial power houses in college football at the University of Miami and was by far the best safety in college football during his 3 year tenure. Phillips will be taking over a role that recently departed, James Butler has had for 3 seasons. As a 1st round pick and a solid contributor in his rookie season, Phillips will be expected to come in and make a major contribution. He possesses all of the necessary skills to become an elite safety in the NFL. Like former Miami Hurricane safeties, Sean Taylor and Ed Reed, Phillips has all the abilities to become just as good, if not better than these two pro-bowlers if he develops like we think he can. I expect Philips to be a regular on Sports Center highlights for his major hits that he will put on the rest of the NFL.

2. Steve Smith: Eli Manning's most reliable target is going to get every chance to become the go to receiver for the New York Giants for many years to come as a starting wideout this season. If he can show that Giants that he is as reliable as the X or Z receiver, like he is in the slot, he will have one hell of a season. Steve Smith is starting to remind me of one of the most reliable receivers in NFL history in Marvin Harrison. This season is the time for Smith to take his game to the next level and show the world that he is not just a slot receiver in the NFL.

3. Ahmad Bradshaw: The potential replacement to Derrick Ward needs to be ready to take on a role that was a HUGE part of the Giants offense last season. Bradshaw has the power and speed to become a fantastic 1-2 punch with Brandon Jacobs but needs to hold onto the ball and be a more consistent downhill runner to be able to take on this new role. I think Bradshaw has all of the skills to be what Derrick Ward was for the Giants but he needs to be mentally ready and must put his past run-ins with the law behind him once and for all.

4. Aaron Ross: The 2007 1st round pick had a fantastic rookie season followed by a mediocre sophomore season at best. Ross has all the skills to be an elite cornerback in the NFL but he cannot let himself get beat deep like he did last season. Ross is a fantastic cover corner but he seems to take 1 or 2 plays off every game where he lets up a big play. If he can become more consistent, he can take that step to the next level and follow in Corey Webster's footsteps.

SPRINGSTEEN PROCLAIMS RETURN TO NJ AS FINAL MAJOR MUSICAL ACT TO PLAY GIANTS STADIUM SEPT 30, OCT 2, & OCT 3

Bruce Springsteen announced from the stage tonight at his Izod Center concert in East Rutherford, NJ that he and the "legendary" E Street Band will return as the final major musical act to play Giants Stadium on September 30, October 2, and October 3. Tickets go on sale June 1 at 10am Eastern. Springsteen holds the record as the number one selling artist at the Meadowlands (which includes Giants Stadium) in New Jersey, having sold out 56 concerts to date with the E Street Band.

The Working on a Dream tour has earned rave reviews, with Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford Courant proclaiming, "It just got better and better... perfect, simply perfect." Rolling Stone Online proclaimed of a rehearsal concert, "Springsteen seemed to offer a renewed sense of purpose and optimism onstage... rejuvenating and uniting a people in danger of losing their faith."

"He's the best there is," exclaimed Melissa Baron of SF Weekly, "Springsteen played so hard that sweat dripped off his whole body." Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post wrote, "Springsteen is a better showman today than in 1984," while Mike Ragogna said in the Huffington Post, "If you haven't been to one of Springsteen's shows in a while, you need to catch this tour." Meanwhile Sarah Rodman of the Boston Globe writes, "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band don't have to play for two hours and 40 minutes. Nor, when they play, is it a requirement that Springsteen fall to his knees, shimmy and shake, attack his guitar like he's still discovering new sounds it can make, or take audience requests that he and his band don't know how to play... Springsteen and his band did all of that and more." Martin Cizmar of The Phoenix New Times had never seen Springsteen live. "I'm not from Jersey, I didn't grow up with The Boss and I'd never seen him play before," Cizmar admits, "but I will say that nearly everything you've heard or read about a Springsteen show is true. The fans are rabid, the set marathon, Springsteen a first-rate showman."

'Working on a Dream' (Columbia Records) debuted at #1 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and New Zealand and received exemplary reviews in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, People, and elsewhere.

Giants Can’t Sell PSLs

By Mike Florio - ProFootballTalk.com 5/22/09

New York Giants' David Diehl pokes fun at Brett Favre in comedy club debut

by Mike Garafolo/The Star-Ledger 5/21/09

A Giant Shift: Sintim adjusts to life as a professional athlete

Clint Sintim got his first taste of the NFL life during a mini-camp with the New York Giants. He’ll head back to East Rutherford, N.J., this weekend for the Giants’ offseason workout program.

By Dave Fawcett - InsideNova.com 5/15/09

Yet again another Braylon Edwards update: This time, Edwards wants to stay in Cleveland

By Tom Rock - Newsday 5/21/09

Giants add offensive lineman (Tutan Reyes)

By Tom Rock - Newsday 5/21/09

Eli Manning on Plax: "It's not like we need to have him"

By Bob Glauber - Newsday 5/21/09

NFL announces dates and times for preseason games

The Giants and Jets will face off in Week 3 of the preseason, at Giants Stadium, on August 29.
ByMichael J. Fensom/The Star-Ledger5/20/09

A GIANT TV STAR STRAHAN TO PLAY EX-NFLER IN SITCOM

BROTHERLY LOVE: Former Giants grid great Michael Strahan (right) and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell star in the new Fox show "Brothers."
By Michael Starr & Kate Sheehy - NY Post

Giants switch homes

By Paul Schwartz - NY Post - 5/19/09

Giants Training Facility Opens!

Gibril Wilson's long journey: Sierra Leone to South Florida

Article on former New York Giants Safety, Gibril Wilson who is currently playing with the Miami Dolphins
By Ethan J. Skolnick |South Florida Sun-Sentinel 5/18/09

Pat Kirwan of NFL.com releases his early Power Rankings for the upcoming Season

By Pat Kirwan - NFL.com

Drew Rosenhaus discusses Kenny Phillips on his Twitter page

Kenny Phillips, according to Drew Rosenhaus has gained 10lbs of muscle and now weighs 217lbs.

Photos from the new training facility

Giants move into new facility

By Michael Eisen - Giants.com

Comix New York: 12 Angry Mascots - NYC's Only Sports Comedy Variety Talk Show!

On Wednesday May 20th, David Diehl will be appearing LIVE to do some standup comedy at Comix NY. Tickets are available by clicking the title of this article.

Eisen's Mailbag

By Michael Eisen, Giants.com 5/17/09

Making a difference

C Shaun O' Hara has a won a Super Bowl but he is now making a bigger difference

By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

Giants' new tight end Travis Beckum a changed man

Travis Beckum is going to be a major weapon for the Giants at tight end this season.

By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews - 5/16/09

NFL Insider Video: New York Giants

Who is going to be Eli Manning's go-to wide receiver now that Plaxico Burress is gone? NFL.com analyst Pat Kirwan and Jason Horowitz talk about the Giants as they prepare for the new season.

N.Y. Giants’ Blackburn seizes opportunities

By RON MOSHIER - Observer-Dispatch

GREAT BLUE NORTH GIANTS DRAFT REPORT Vol 3, No 27

The last shall be first… we hope!!! The Giants were the final team in the entire NFL to announce their post-draft rookie free agent signing class as they came to terms with nine players passed over at last month‘s draft. Interestingly, after concentrating largely on offense at the actual draft with 6 of their 9 picks coming on that side of the ball, 8 of the Giants 9 rookie free agents play defense including DEs Maurice Evans of Penn State, Virginia‘s Alex Field, and Tommie Hill of Colorado State, Miami DT Dwayne Hendrix, Florida State LB/S Kenny Ingram, CBs Bruce Johnson of Miami and Webber International’s Vince Anderson, and DB Rashad Sha’reff of Central Florida. Meanwhile, former Temple C Alex Derenthal was the only offensive undrafted rookie free agent signed. At the same time, though, the Giants also added four veteran free agents including RB Allen Patrick, TE George Wrightster, WR Shaun Bodiford and LB Kelvin Smith.

Arguably, the intriguing undrafted rookie signed by the Giants is DE Maurice Evans. At this time last year, Evans was being considered as a a potential top 15 pick at this year’s draft after a dominating sophomore campaign in 2007 when he had 12.5 sacks, 9 other tackles for loss, broke up 3 other passes and forced 5 fumbles. Evans, though, was suspended for the first three games of the past season after he was arrested when marijuana was found in his apartment. By the time he got back in uniform, Evans had been supplanted in the PSU starting line-up by an up-and-coming Aaron Maybin, who ultimately was an early pick this April, going 11th overall to Buffalo. Once re-instated, Evans got limited playing time and finished the 2008 season with just 3 sacks. As such, it was a major surprise that Evans declared for the draft even though he had a year of eligibility left. And his stock literally fall off the charts when he had a horrible combine workout at which he barely broke the 5.00 second mark for the 40.

Evans, though, ran much better at the PSU pro day where he reportedly clocked in the 4.75 range for the 40, a much more respectable time for a tweener type DE, but the damage had been done. Go back to the 2007 tapes, though, and one sees a tough pass-rushing warrior with an explosive first step off the snap who was relentless in pursuit. Evans was also more than adequate defending the run as he did a nice job getting off blocks, finding the ball, and moving laterally to make the tackle.

Evans was reportedly the best of the Giants’ undrafted rookies at last weekend’s mini-camp as he was simply too quick for the young OTs to handle. It is still a long-shot for Evans to make the Giants roster, which already has as many as 8 solid veteran defensive linemen. Evans certainly should challenge Dave Tollefson for a possible back-up DE spot, although at this time, Tollefson also looks like a long-shot to make the roster himself. Meanwhile, Evans’ chances also aren’t going to be helped by the fact that rookie LB Clint Sintim, the team’s second round pick this past April, will also be in the DL mix as a 3rd down pass-rush specialist when camp opens in July. The Giants, though, have been known to aways be willing to try and find a spot for a guy who can rush the passer.

Evans was one of two players signed by the Giants on our very unofficial ranking of the top undrafted players in the 2009 draft class. To be specific, Evans was #61 on that list. In fact, the highest rated - at least on our list - undrafted player signed by the Giants was former Miami CB Bruce Johnson who we actually had as the 15th best undrafted player this year. (Of note, the Giants actually had two other top rated undrafted free agents - safeties Derek Pegues of Mississippi State and North Carolina’s Trimane Goddard - in for tryouts at last weekend’s minicamp, but signed neither. The fact that Pegues, who we had rated as the 7th best undrafted player this year, wasn’t signed by the Giants - or anybody for that matter - was a particular surprise, although he was a tweener DB who isn’t real big or fast.)

At this time last year, Miami’s Johnson had been considered to be a solid mid-round prospect. At barely 5-9, 170, Johnson isn’t very big, but he is quick and fluid and with 4.45 speed covers a lot of ground. Indeed, Johnson is probably better suited to man coverage than either Deandre Wright or Stoney Woodson, the Giants’ 6th and 7th round picks this year, whom he reportedly outplayed in this weekend‘s minicamp. And while the top 4 CB slots on the roster already appear to be locked up, there are openings for a 5th and very likely a 6th CB, and Johnson would appear to have a decent shot of sticking when the season opens. What may hurt Johnson, though, is the fact that he is never going to be much in run support and may lack the versatility to play in more than sub-packages.

Meanwhile, the Giants were also able to sign one of this year’s drafts top sleepers when they inked CB Vince Anderson from tiny Webber International, which is not to be confused with D1AA Weber State. While he played largely at the NAIA level - Anderson actually played at D1AA Nicholls State early in his career, but ended up at Webber after getting caught up in some academic shenanigans at Nicholls - and is very unpolished, Anderson, in fact, is a terrific athlete who was a state high jump champion as a prepster in Florida. Anderson also has nice size at 6-2, 205 and is versatile having played both corner and safety in college. Indeed, the Giants have already indicated that Anderson will get some looks at safety at camp this summer.

It appears, again on the basis of the very early going, that former Central Florida safety Rashad Sha’reff could also very much be in the mix to make one of the final spots on the roster in the secondary after he had a solid showing at last weekend‘s minicamp. Sha’reff is a somewhat smallish (6-0, 190) SS, but he is very physical nonetheless and led the Knights with 103 tackles in 2007 and added another 72 last fall. Sha‘reff is a good tackler who does a nice job avoiding the traffic near the line of scrimmage and finding the ball, although he is not known as a particularly instinctive blitzer. He also has good speed for a safety with a 40 time of under 4.6 seconds and can run with most backs and TEs, but lacks the agility to man-up with WRs coming over the middle. Sha‘reff, though, does read the play well in zone coverage, breaks well on the ball and has good ball skills posting 9 interceptions over the past couple of seasons. Sha’reff is also a very smart player who is already in graduate school so figure he has the smarts to pick up the defense quickly and ultimately develop into a leader in the secondary.

In fact, one of the themes of the Giants undrafted rookie class was ’go south young man’ as 5 of the 9 players signed were from schools in the state. Indeed, in addition to Miami’s Johnson, Sha’reff of Central Florida and Webber International’s Anderson, the Giants signed LB/DB Kenny Ingram from Florida State and Miami DT Dwayne Hendricks. Ingram, in particular, is another interesting pick who is long on physical potential, but short on experience. Ingram is a rangy 6-4.5, 232-pounder with 4.6 speed who was a safety most of his career before switching to OLB in 2008; in fact, Ingram likely still has the frame to add more weight. He’s also still just learning how to play LB, and lacks elite instincts and agility, but is a big hitter who can really run; Ingram, though, is already very good in coverage and has the potential to be a very good special teamer.

On the other hand, UM DT Dwayne Hendricks looks like a real longshot to make the roster. Hendricks has decent size at 6-3, 290 and actually has very good speed and quickness for an interior defensive lineman with a 40 time under 5.0 seconds, however, he’s not all that strong or instinctive and was never all that productive at Miami.

Meanwhile, if there is a potential surprise in this year‘s undrafted class it may be Virginia defensive lineman Alex Field. Field is a 6-7, 270-pound tweener who played as a 3-4 DE at Virginia - ironically as did recent Giants‘ signee Chris Canty - and has the potential to be a useful backup DE who can slide inside on 3rd downs to boost the pass rush. Field lacks Canty’s overall quickness and athleticism, however, he is a battler who goes all out on every play; needs to get stronger to better defend the run, but has the frame to add another 10-20 pounds.

If there was a second theme to this year’s Giants’ undrafted signing class it was ’rangy’ as a number of the players signed including Ingram and Field are long players with the frames to add bulk. Same story for 6-5.5 Colorado State DE Tommie Hill, a tweener with long arms and a long quick first step; still more of a bulked up linebacker at 255 pounds who lacks real pass rush strength and instincts; indeed, had just 3 sacks last fall. Meanwhile, former Temple C Alex Derenthal could end up taking some training camp snaps for the Giants as they currently don’t have a true back-up at the position, but looks like another real longshot to make the final roster. Derenthal, though, does have some initial quickness and plays hard, but isn’t particularly big (6-3, 301) or athletic.

So far, so good… Of course, one doesn’t want to read too much into what happens at rookie mini-camp; there’s no hitting at all as the action is all in shorts and shells, plus its just rooks against other inexperienced rooks. Still, the Giants had to be more than pleased with what they saw from their newcomers. In particular, WR Hakeem Nicks, the team’s #1 pick this year, had a very impressive weekend. Nicks caught just about everything that came his way and burned several overmatched corners with nifty moves; Nicks also showed some unexpected deep speed. Most importantly, though, Nicks reportedly really impressed the Giants with his ability to quickly pick up the offense, which in the end is the skill, or lack thereof, that more than anything keeps young receivers from producing early in their careers.

Meanwhile, neither of WR Ramses Barden nor TE Travis Beckum, the Giants two 3rd round picks, were quite as impressive as Nicks, although both did have their moments. Barden, for example, caught the ball well, but wasn’t as sharp funning routes, while Beckum, who is expected to shine as an H-back type player, worked almost exclusively inside at TE. It certainly didn’t help either player that both suffered hamstring strains that sidelined them for stretches this past weekend.

The Giants also reportedly really liked what they saw from LB Clint Sintim, the team’s second round pick. In particular, Sintim appeared to be both bigger and stronger than had been expected; he also showed really surprising agility running in space which was not thought to be a strength of his game. Meanwhile, 5th round QB Rhett Bomar has already reportedly taken a big lead over 2008 draftee Andre’ Woodson in the battle for the #3 QB job. Bomar is mechanically very much a work-in-progress, but he has good mobility and arm strength with a little bit of that intangible ’make-something-from-nothing’ skill. On the other hand, both Deandre Wright and Stoney Woodson struggled at times, especially on deep passes.

Second-time around… In addition to the eight undrafted free agents, the Giants signed four veteran free agents including RB Allen Patrick, WR Shaun Bodiford, TE George Wrighster, and LB Kelvin Smith. Patrick, a one-time back-up to star Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson at Oklahoma, was a 7th round pick by Baltimore at the 2008 draft, but was released prior to the start of the season; he was later signed by Cleveland and spent the year on Browns’ practice squad. Patrick isn’t all that big at 6-1, 200, but is very fast. Meanwhile, Bodiford was an undrafted free agent out of Portland State who has played with Detroit and Green Bay, but has one career reception; Bodiford did not play in 2008 because of a back injury. LB Kelvin Smith, a 7th round pick by Miami in 2007 also didn’t play in 2008 because of a knee injury, but did reportedly catch the eye of the coaching staff at last week’s mini-camp.

Wrighster is certainly the most interesting of the veteran additions. Wrighster was a 4th round pick by Jacksonville in 2003 and had 94 career receptions in 6 years with the Jaguars before being released just before the draft. Wrighster, in fact, was on the verge of emerging as one of the league’s better all-around TEs until he suffered a torn ACL late in the 2007 season; as a result, Wrighster missed the final five games of that season and the first 11 games of last season. If healthy again, though, could provide some interesting added competition at what is beginning to look like a crowded field at TE.

This and that… None of the undrafted and veteran free agents signed by the Giants will want to get too comfortable in their new digs. The Giants currently have 89 players on the roster, nine above the league limit of 80 that teams are allowed to take to camp. The difference are the draft picks none of whom have officially signed to date. Once any of the team’s nine draft picks signs, though, the Giants will have to release someone to create a roster space… Next up for the Giants are the OTAs - the organized team activities - that get underway the week of May 27th. Teams are allowed 12 days of non-contact workouts and related activities over a period of a month… For the record, the Giants won’t ten open camp until August 2nd; can’t ever remember camp not opening in July before… There were a couple of interesting comments when the Giants allowed their assistant coaches to talk to the media after the draft. Most noticeably, new defensive co-ordinator Bill Sheridan seemed to indicate that he was aware that MLB Antonio Pierce may not be the same player he used to be and that change could be coming at that position at some point sooner rather than later, although Sheridan also described having a coach on the field like Pierce as a ‘luxury.’ Meanwhile, one of the concerns expressed by a number of observers after the Giants drafted TE Travis Beckum of Wisconsin in the 3rd round of last month’s draft was that Tom Coughlin has never been all that innovative when it comes to the position. Indeed, it has appeared that in Coughlin’s offense that TEs are expected to block first, second and third and the maybe they can catch a pass or two. That led to the question just where Beckum, a bulked up WR who can’t block at all, might fit. Coughlin, though, has indicated that the team will have to rework the offense a bit for Beckum; said Coughlin "It'll be fun to do that, I just think it gives us another athletic player who's faster than other people that play the quote-unquote tight end position." Wonder if former Giants TE Jeremy Shockey has any thoughts on the subject.

Have a great weekend!!!

Rookie safety Sha'reff Rashad already impressing New York Giants

Although running back Andre Brown got past safety Sha'reff Rashad at one point during rookie minicamp last week, the Giants are high on Rashad, both for his abilities and his character.
By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 5/15/09

Center X Change with Shaun O'Hara 5/14/09

In with the new

The Giants are counting on CB Corey Webster to become a leader in the secondary
By Michael Eisen - Giants.com 5/14/09