By Norb Pendergast - InReeseWeTrust.com 8/17/11
As we all know this is a critical week of practice for the New York Giants. After last week’s preseason game against the Carolina Panthers it was obvious that the defense was far in front of the offense in terms of clicking and their playing level. This week of practice is important for the offense to come together and gel as a unit and for young players to step up and new players learn the schemes a little better. Unfortunately, from today’s practice it is obvious the offense still has a lot of work to do.
On a positive note, Mario Manningham had a couple of catches during team and 7 on 7 drills today from the slot. This is the position that Steve Smith used to occupy and the Giants are looking for a player who can excel in that position on third down. Manningham lined up in the slot a couple of times during practice. Sometimes Nicks and Manningham were on the same side with Mario in the slot, and another time Nicks was isolated on the opposite side of the field and Travis Beckum was split out wide with Mario in the slot. The running backs looked good today, Ahmad looked quick and used his vision to create a couple of nice runs. Andre Brown also looked good today and seems to be taking advantage of his second opportunity with the Giants. Another positive sign was Will Beatty, from my standpoint he did a solid job against Osi Umenyiora for the majority of the day. Backup quarterback David Carr also looked very sharp today.
On the Defensive side of the ball the first team secondary did an exceptional job today. Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, Antrel Rolle, and Kenny Phillips all did a good job keeping the ball in front of them and making some plays. To end practice during a two minute drill Corey Webster intercepted a pass from Eli Manning that hit off Victor Cruz’s hands. Rookie Linebacker Spencer Paysinger also was playing with the first team defense today and seemed to do a good job stepping in for Boley who was out with back tightness. On one play he stopped Ahmad for a loss and then pressured Eli for a would be sack. Kenny Phillips made a nice play on a quick hitch to Nicks, forcing Eli to throw high for an incompletion (he would have had a pick-6 if it was a good throw). That play was right after Eli threw a deep post to Victor Cruz and the ball was broken up by Terrell Thomas for what should have been an interception but he dropped it.
The Young Guys….
· Jerrel Jernigan had a solid day today as a slot receiver making a couple catches with both the first and second team offenses. He is battling for the third receiver position and seems to be getting more comfortable with the offense.
· Marvin Austin looked great on one play, blowing through the line for a would be sack during team drills.
· Greg Jones made a great stop on a direct snap to DJ Ware. The rest of the defense made some noise after Jones made the play.
· Jake Ballard made a nice catch on a deep corner route showing some nice hands
· Travis Beckum had a nice day with a couple of catches, the giants really need him to stay healthy and provide a receiving threat from the tight-end position.
· Prince Amukamara looks like he is being missed on the practice field. The one player who constantly seems to be getting beat is Aaron Ross and the Giants need a strong nickel corner. Prince’s injury has practically given that spot to Ross, and once he comes back from foot surgery he should push Ross for that position.
Injuries:
--Michael Boley missed practice today and was nowhere to be found on the field.
--JPP felt some stiffness in his back during practice and did not participate in team drills today
--Hixon was on the bike today, taking his day off which is part of his scheduled recovery
Transactions:
Today the Giants signed Deon Grant, who was a key reserve last year and played a ton of snaps in the three-safety set.
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