SB Nation - Zak DeOssie

Land of the Giants: Nicks is feeling fine

Ed Valentine — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:13 -0000

As I mentioned Monday evening, the work done by No. 1 pick Hakeem Nicks in the afternoon session had everyone buzzing. Well, Giants.com managed to catch up with Nicks after practice.

"It was fun," he said. "Every day is fun, this is football. A lot earlier in the practices, the hamstring (injury) came and that was a setback. It's just a football injury, but it was a lot to think about. I was thinking too much at the beginning and now I feel like I'm playing within the team and within the system and playing my game.

"I know what I'm doing and I'm good with the sight adjustments. I'm good on every play now, so I am just me out there now. It's a lot off me now; I feel like I can play within the team and just contribute the best way possible."

"I wouldn't say that I had been frustrated, because I knew that it was going to come sooner or later," Nicks said. "It's just a matter of me getting comfortable. The hamstring set me back awhile and I just had to work my way back. It affected me on the depth chart and I got mental reps, but I couldn't do it physically so therefore the plays weren't really sticking with me. They were moving a lot faster and I'm a type to learn by getting reps. It was just a matter of me being patient and waiting until this passed by and the man upstairs has got a plan for me. Now I feel like I'm right where I need to be, so I'm ready to go."

Quarterback Andre Woodson could not believe the catch Nicks made when Woodson tossed him a fade route in the end zone.

"Oh man, remarkable catch," Woodson said. "That was amazing. I think that shows right there why he was the first pick for us in the first round. He has a lot of potential, he really does. The big thing for him is learning the playbook, finding the hot (reads) and adjustments and he'll be fine. But he's pretty nice to watch. To see him go up there one-handed and the defensive back really doesn't know where the ball is, he just did a wonderful job of going up there and getting it at its highest point."

Plaxico Burress has spoken for the first time about what happened the night he shot himself. Ralph Vacchiano has the sad details.

"It wasn’t like I was trying to hide (the gun) or go into this place and go through security," Burress said. "They knew I had it, they pat me down and they said OK. They let me in, with it.

"I’m there for maybe five minutes. It was getting so crowded, everybody coming over, so the VIPs, they said ‘I’ll take you upstairs so you can relax and no one will bother you.’ I’m walking up the stairs and I miss a step, and my gun slides down my pants. So, it’s getting ready to hit the ground. I don’t want it to hit the ground, when it slides down my jeans, and I go to stop it from hitting the ground.

"I don’t think you could do it a million times. Through your pants you can try to stop it from hitting the ground and my finger hit right on the trigger. What are the odds in that happening?"

The offensive line has been the foundation of the Giants' offense the past several seasons. Yahoo! Sports is wondering if that foundation is beginning to crack.

There are signs that indicate the group is faltering.

For instance, left tackle David Diehl, a more natural guard, has held on to the position for two seasons because the Giants like to run the ball, and he is nothing if not a world-class road-grader as a run-blocker. But he lacks quick feet and a sense of awareness of the on-rushing defensive end to be a truly proficient left tackle. Despite the team’s denials, there has been effort to find one.

The right tackle, Kareem McKenzie, is an "old" 30, a man troubled by recurring back spasms. Whether he lasts the entire season is argumentative, but even more disturbing is the fact that there isn’t much depth behind the two tackles.

We have talked a lot about how jittery backup quarterback David Carr has been throughout training camp. Well, when asked about him Monday quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer was unusually candid in his assessment of Carr's camp performance.

I’m not pleased with David right now. I think he’s got to be more consistent. He’s a quarterback, he’s got to prove he’s a winning quarterback and I think there are certain things that he has to improve on, and I’ve told him that. He has the ability to play in this league, he’s a very, very talented player, but he’s got to do the things the way we want them done.

Zak DeOssie will now handle all of the special teams snapping duties with Jay Alford injured. DeOssie told the Star-Ledger's Jenny Vrentas that he expects a 'smooth transition.'

"There was some question there whether or not I was going to do it or Jay, because Jay is a really good D-tackle" DeOssie said. "But now the decision is easy for the coaches because unfortunately Jay got hurt, and I've got to step in there."

DeOssie did both snaps at Brown. He also got experience at the pro level during February's Pro Bowl, when he was selected as the NFC's "need" player to short snap for John Carney's field goals/extra points and long snap for Jeff Feagles' punts.

DeOssie is right-handed, while Alford is left-handed, but Feagles -- who is the holder for field goals -- said that just changes the spin on the ball. Feagles is used to that spin from DeOssie's snaps on punts. The only other difference is that DeOssie (6-4, 249) is smaller than Alford (6-3, 304), which can easily be adjusted for.

"He's not as big as Jay, but he's certainly as good as Jay," Feagles said. "We just have to give him a little bit more protection in the middle because of his size. But that shouldn't be a problem. As far as our operation and stuff goes, we've been working pretty diligently with both of them."

DeOssie has practiced short snaps daily for the past two seasons in case Alford got injured. Feagles said center Shaun O'Hara is the emergency snapper, and tight end Lee Vickers has also been working as a backup to DeOssie on the punt unit.

"I'm sure it will be a smooth transition," DeOssie said. "We won't miss a step."

New York Giants training camp: Thursday morning practice report

Ed Valentine — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:00:07 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree (85) blocks teammate DeAndre Wright during NFL football training camp in Albany Thursday.

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The intensity was turned up -- way up -- during Thursday morning's practice session at New York Giants training camp.

The Giants went with shoulder pads for the first time, and there was some intense hitting.

Coach Tom Coughlin was still not happy with his offense, even though it looked a little better.

"The defense played well this morning. The quickness of our front was obvious ... saw some strong penetrating moves on the part of three or four different guys.

I'm disappointed in the fact that when we put the pads on it's time to put the pads on and you don't expect people to come clean ... but, it'll pick up. It's always that way early. Defense has been playing well, and the offense has gotta get in tune with it and catch up."

Here are some highlights.

Linebacker Kenny Ingram laid the first big hit of camp on rookie running back Andre Brown, most definitely signaling that things were getting serious. Ingram introduced himself to Brown again later in the camp with another nasty open-field hit.
Brown had a nice practice, popping through a couple of holes, including a nice bounce outside on one run. Not to be outdone, Danny Ware also ran the ball well this morning, including a nifty cut back run on a pitch out. NIce little competition between the two of them developing.

Here are some other defensive highlights.

Kenny Phillips made a couple of excellent run stops.
Chris Canty stuffed Ahmad Bradshaw on a run up the middle.
Aaron Ross came clean on a corner blitz and would have destroyed Eli Manning in live action.
Zak DeOssie had a couple of nice plays, including a highlight stop when he straightened up tackle Cliff Louis, and stopped Brown in the backfield.

Here are a few other offensive highlights.

Sinorice Moss caught the one long ball of the day from Manning, getting behind Aaron Ross. The Giants also ran a reverse to Moss that looked like it could have gained a good chunk of yardage. Someone on the sidelines yelled 'Mr. August' when Moss hauled in the ball.
Pretty good morning for Hakeem Nicks, who made a couple of good catches over the middle in traffic. Nicks missed a chance for a couple of big plays downfield, though. On one, he was behind his defender and Andre Woodson overthrew him. On another, Woodson badly underthrew him and Nicks attempted to adjust but could not haul in the ball. That one was in the end zone.
The other rookie receivers -- Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum -- each caught a handful of balls this morning.

Couple of lowlights.

These would, of course, involved center to quarterback exchanges. Kevin Boothe and Andre Woodson messed up one, it looked like Adam Koets and David Carr messed up another. There was also a third, but I couldn't see who snapped it. Veteran Tutan Reyes ended up taking a few turns at center. Who woulda thought Grey Reugamer would be the biggest off-season loss on this team? My guess is the backup center is someone who is not currently on the roster because right now if Shaun O'Hara is injured the Giants are in a world of hurt.
The other lowlight was a dropped pass by Brandon Jacobs. Please, please Kevin Gilbride -- do not call plays where Jacobs has to catch the ball.

An off-beat note.

Ever wonder what a placekicker does to keep himself busy during practice? Well, both Tuesday and today Lawrence Tynes took turns running pass routes during some defensive positioning drills. Tynes also took some turns playing quarterback during another set of cornerback drills. He can throw a little bit, by the way. Oh, the one disconcerting thing? The assistant coaches call Tynes 'LT.' Umm ... fellas, that's wrong.

New York Giants Training Camp: Afternoon practice report

Ed Valentine — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:27:17 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

New York Giants fans watch practice at the University at Albany during NFL football training camp in Albany Tuesday.

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When I tell you who I thought was the most impressive player on the field during Tuesday afternoon's workout during New York Giants training camp, you might rub your eyes, read it a couple of times and wonder, 'who the heck is that and what is Ed talking about? Maybe the sun has fried his brain.'

The best player on the field was safety Vince Anderson. Yes, Vince Anderson. Yes, the Vince Anderson who was signed as an undrafted free agent cornerback out of tiny Webber International, a school I had never heard of.

Anderson, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds has been moved to safety by the Giants. Anderson made a pair of interceptions Tuesday afternoon on poorly thrown balls by Rhett Bomar (yes, my fav Rhett). He also tipped away a long ball from David Carr that seemed destined to become Hakeem Nicks' first huge play of camp.

The Giants have three safeties they know they can depend on. Michael Johnson, Kenny Phillips and C.C. Brown will see most of the playing time.

There is a nice little battle shaping up for the fourth safety slot between Travonti Johnson, undrafted free agent Sha'reef Rashad and Anderson. Who knows? Anderson might not do a thing the rest of camp, but Tuesday afternoon he stamped himself as a contender for that last safety spot.

The other most notable thing about Tuesday afternoon's session was Tom Coughlin's foul mood. After expressing plenty of unhappiness with his offense in his morning press briefing, TC let his offense have it most of the afternoon. During the first set of 11-on-11 drills there were quite a few unprintable TC explosions when mistakes were made. To say the least the head coach is not happy with what he is seeing from his offense thus far.
Steve Smith rebounded from a sub-par morning with an excellent afternoon. Smith's highlight play was the first pass of the day, when he beat Aaron Ross deep and hauled in what would have been an 80-yard touchdown catch.
By the way, before I forget to mention it, the wind conditions at UAlbany this afternoon were good practice for Eli when it comes to handling Giants Stadium winds in December. It was very blustery, and Eli tossed a couple of wobblers. For the most part, though, he delivered the ball well.
Rookie receivers Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden both made a couple of nice grabs. The more I watch Barden the more I wonder how he got all the way to the tail end of the third round. With his size and strength he looks like one of those guys you can complete passes to even when you know he isn't open.
Bryan Kehl had an interception for the second straight day. He picked off Eli on a pass intended for Kevin Boss. Pretty obvious Eli never saw him. It's also pretty obvious to these eyes that Kehl is a better player than Gerris Wilkinson. Which leads to the question -- why is Wilkinson working with the first unit and Kehl the second?
Watched Lawrence Tynes kick off four times and nail three into the end zone. Of course, he did have the wind at his back. Tynes did not miss a field goal toward the end of practice, making something like 8-10 in a row (I stupidly didn't bother to count).
By the way, both Jay Alford and Zak DeOssie snapped during field goal drills. Every Alford snap was high, and Jeff Feagles had to pull it down. Every DeOssie snap was perfect. I am going to continue to ask. Why isn't DeOssie handling ALL of the snapping during games?
By the way, what does it tell you that Eli was the first non-kicker or snapper on the field this afternoon? By a wide margin. And yes, that means yours truly was the first reporter there -- early enough to notice.

New York Giants training camp: Practice 2

Ed Valentine — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:43:24 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

New York Giants defenders Terrell Thomas, left, and Travonti Johnson, right, converge on wide receiver Steve Smith during NFL football training camp in Albany Monday.

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Here are a few notes from the afternoon practice session during Day 1 of New York Giants training camp.

Ramses Barden continued to impress. After a terrific morning session, Barden caught several more balls this afternoon. He could be a real weapon in the short passing game.
Eli Manning threw the ball much better this afternoon than he had in the morning session. He had one pass intercepted by Kevin Dockery, but that was purely Sinorice Moss' fault. He dropped a ball that hit him right in the numbers, batting it right to Dockery.
Love watching Jeff Feagles work, even if he did drop a snap during punt drills. He punted this afternoon, and worked the ball sideline to sideline, consistently pinning returners outside the hash marks. Nobody does that better than he does.
Speaking of special teams, Ahmad Bradshaw had camp's first muffed punt.
Watched Zak DeOssie snap for field goals before practice had officially started. Every snap was perfect, and I'm hoping to see DeOssie do all the snapping this season. Conversely, I watched Jay Alford 'try' to snap for punts. It wasn't pretty. Out of maybe five snaps one was a total ground ball and another was a one-hopper to Feagles. Pray to God you never see Alford lined up to punt snap during a real game.
Steve Smith had a nice afternoon. A good sideline catch on a throw from Eli, and a long touchdown reception when he blew past Aaron Ross to catch a ball from Eli.
Andre Woodson threw the ball well this afternoon. Funny moment on a long ball from Woodson to Moss for a TD. Smith was also wide open deep on the sideline nearest to me, having smoked Terrell Thomas (a theme all day). When he realized he was open by 5 yards and still wasn't getting the ball he said "Oh my God." Moss, incidentally, had run right by Dockery.
Smith later showed he can get deep when he beat Aaron Ross down the left side to catch a touchdown throw from Eli.
Danny Clark and Corey Webster made the defensive plays of the afternoon. Clark was beaten down the seam by Lee Vickers, but slapped away Eli's pass at the last instant. Same for Webster, who was beaten deep by Smith but recovered to tip the ball away.
By the way, I can't point to one spectacular play, but Mario Manningham was impressive all day. No matter who he lined up against he seemed to get separation, and he caught everything.

That's it for me. Time to collapse for the evening.

This year's useless try at predicting the Giants' season-opening 53-man roster

Ed Valentine — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:00:11 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, left, runs a drill with Rhett Bomar (5) and Andre Woodson during mini-camp last month. The competition for a roster spot between Bomar and Woodson will be one of training camp's most interesting.

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OK, so with training camp only days away it is time to take a stab at predicting the season-opening 53-man roster. It's an exercise in complete futility. I mean, there is no way to predict injuries, and no guessing what veterans might get picked up right before the season starts.

But, I will take a stab at it anyway. Before Week 1 I will have to remember to look back and see how close I got.

Quarterbacks: Starter -- Eli Manning. Backup -- David Carr, Andre Woodson, Rhett Bomar.

The obvious fight here is between Bomar and Woodson for the third slot. Bomar, this year's fifth-round pick, was better than Woodson, last season's sixth-round pick, in the mini-camps. There is very little reason to think that won't still be the case in training camp. The Giants kept only two quarterbacks on the 53-man last season. Most teams keep three, and I am going to base this choice on Tom Coughlin keeping three.

The picks (3) -- Manning, Carr, Bomar

Running Backs: Starters -- RB Brandon Jacobs, FB Madison Hedgecock. Backup -- RB Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Danny Ware, RB Andre Brown, RB Allen Patrick, RB Dwayne Wright.

The roster spots here are easy to pick. The fight that will develop for carries behind Jacobs is not. I haven't got a clue who will emerge as the true backup behind Jacobs. I know, however, that between Bradshaw, Ware and the rookie Brown I'm not worried about it.

The picks (5) -- Jacobs, Hedgecock, Bradshaw, Ware, Brown.

Tight Ends: Starter -- Kevin Boss. Backup -- Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson, Lee Vickers, Travis Beckum.

Third-round pick Travis Beckum wasn't drafted to block. Kevin Boss can block, but he is a pass-catcher. That means the third tight end has to be a big-time blocker, and that's what Matthews is.

The picks (3) -- Boss, Beckum, Matthews.

Wide Receivers: Starters -- Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon. Backups -- Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree, Taye Biddle, Shaun Bodiford, Derek Hagan, Micah Rucker, Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden.

There are likely six roster spots to be had out of this group, and barring injury or trade it is pretty clear who will get them. That means a sad goodbye to Super Bowl 42 hero David Tyree. It also means cult hero Micah Rucker is likely playing for a spot on the practice squad.

The picks (6) -- Smith, Hixon, Manningham, Moss, Nicks, Barden.

Offensive Linemen: Starters -- LT David Diehl, LG Rich Seubert, C Shaun O’Hara, RG Chris Snee, RT Kareem McKenzie. Backups -- T Guy Whimper, T/C Adam Koets, T Andrew Carnahan, G/T Kevin Boothe, T Cliff Louis, G/T Terrance Pennington, G Tutan Reyes, G/T Orrin Thompson, T Will Beatty.

Each and every Giants' fan should pray that this starting offensive line, one of the league's best, continues to stay healthy. There isn't much in the way of dependable backups.

Second-round pick William Beatty should make the team. Veteran guard Tutan Reyes is likely in. The versatility of being able to play guard and tackle probably gets Kevin Boothe a slot. There has to be a backup center, so Adam Koets probably also sneaks onto the roster.

The picks (9) -- Diehl, Seubert, O'Hara, Snee, McKenzie, Beatty, Reyes, Boothe, Koets.

Defensive Linemen: Starters -- LE Justin Tuck, LT Barry Cofield, RT Fred Robbins, RE Osi Umenyiora. Backups -- DE Mathias Kiwanuka, DE/DT Chris Canty, DT Rocky Bernard, DT Jay Alford, DE Dave Tollefson, DE Maurice Evans, DT Anthony Bryant, DT Jeremy Clark, DT Leger Douzable, DE Robert Henderson, DE Tommie Hill.

If everyone gets through camp healthy, some very good football players will wind up being available to the NFL's other teams. I doubt there is another unit in the league that is this talented and this deep. The hardest cut out of this group will be Dave Tollefson, a popular player who has played well at times in sporadic opportunities. But with all this depth, with Jay Alford doubling as snapper on field goals and PATs, and with the talented Maurice Evans likely ending up on the practice squad I don't know how Tollefson sticks around.

The picks (8) -- Tuck, Cofield, Robbins, Umenyiora, Kiwanuka, Canty, Bernard, Alford.

Linebackers: Starter -- SLB Danny Clark , MLB Antonio Pierce , WLB Michael Boley. Backup -- MLB Chase Blackburn, MLB Jonathan Goff, WLB Bryan Kehl, WLB Gerris Wilkinson, SLB Zak DeOssie, SLB Kenny Ingram, SLB Clint Sintim, MLB Kelvin Smith.

The picks (8) -- Clark, Pierce, Boley, Blackburn, Goff, Kehl, DeOssie, Sintim

Defensive Backs: Starter -- LCB Aaron Ross, RCB Corey Webster, FS Michael Johnson, SS Kenny Phillips. Backup -- CB Vince Anderson, SS C.C. Brown, SS/FS Steve Cargile, CB Kevin Dockery, CB Bruce Johnson, CB Travonti Johnson, FS Sha’reff Rashad, CB Terrell Thomas, CB Stoney Woodson, CB DeAndre Wright.

The Giants are deep and talented at cornerback, a fact that is incredibly important in today's pass and blitz-happy NFL. They aren't so deep at safety, and I think that might leave room for undrafted free-agent Sha'reff Rashad to sneak onto the roster.

The picks (9) -- Ross, Webster, Johnson, Phillips, Brown, Dockery, Rashad, Thomas, Wright.

Kickers (2): P Jeff Feagles, K Lawrence Tynes

Feagles is the best in the business at what he does. Tynes makes many Giants' fans nervous, but he is a perfectly acceptable veteran kicker.

-- New York Giants schedule