SB Nation - DeAndre Wright

Vikings Kick Tires on Cornerbacks

Gonzo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:24:27 -0000

With Antoine Winfield's status for this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers up in the air at this point, the Vikings have brought in some cornerbacks to potentially sign. It's not a replacement for Winfield, mind you, but more than likely for a spot on the practice squad, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The three players that the Vikings brought in today were DeAndre Wright, who was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2009 draft, Trae Williams, a 2008 fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles that spent last season on the Jaguars' practice squad, and Mark Parson, who spend the pre-season with the Houston Texans after going undrafted out of Ohio University.

According to Sean Jensen, the Vikings are expected to sign Wright to the practice squad in the very near future.

If Winfield is out this Sunday, it's likely that third-round pick Asher Allen would see his first NFL action for the Beloved Purple at the House that Ketchup Built this weekend. Or, at least, one would hope so. . .because if I see Karl Paymah out there playing anything but special teams on Sunday, I'm going to be significantly disappointed.

Lions Re-Sign Chuck Darby, Release Marcus McCauley, and Shake Up Practice Squad

Sean Yuille — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:25:22 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

5 months ago: Detroit Lions defensive tackle Chuck Darby reaches for a football during the NFL team's minicamp Tuesday, June 23, 2009, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Browse more photos »

The Lions no longer hold the top waiver priority in the league, so they have to start doing their homework to get a list of possible players that are worth signing should injuries pop up. To do that, they held a mass tryout today, bringing in a total of 11 players (including some familiar faces).

Per a league source, they were running back Aveion Cason, cornerback Travis Daniels, defensive tackle Chuck Darby, cornerback Demarcus Faggins, defensive back Isaiah Gardner, receiver Taurus Johnson, safety Stuart Schweigert, receiver Derek Stanley, running back Kenny Watson, cornerback DeAngelo Willingham, and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

The Lions ended up re-signing defensive tackle Chuck Darby and releasing cornerback Marcus McCauley. Darby was released during the final round of roster cuts, and McCauley was claimed a day later.

Tight end Carson Butler and wide receiver John Broussard, members of the practice squad, were also released. Taking their spots are wide receiver Taurus Johnson and cornerback DeAndre Wright.

Green Bay Trades In A Safety

Mitchell_M — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:12:17 -0000

More photos » by Mike Roemer - AP

From right to left: Jarrett Bush (sucks), Aaron Rouse (cut), Chad Ochocinco (crazy).

Browse more photos »

Green Bay addressed it's need at safety by signing Matt Giordano today. Giordano was one of the three players the Packers brought in to shore up the lack of depth in the defensive backfield. Giordano, a five-year NFL veteran, was best known for his special teams contributions with the Colts, along with his amazing open-field speed.

This is a great move; it helps reinforce the glaring hole at safety, especially since Atari Bigby and Nick Collins are hurt. That means that Giordano will be competing with Jarrett Bush and Derrick Martin for the starting spot alongside Aaron Ro...

Wait a minute...

...

In a related move, the Packers cut safety Aaron Rouse to make room on the 53-man roster.

Let me type that sentence again, because I'm frankly not sure if it makes any sense.

The Packers cut Aaron Rouse to make room on the 53-man roster.

Cut him. Let him go. Released him. Asked him to clean out his locker, gave him a cardboard box, and sent him along his merry way. No matter how you spin it, Green Bay cut a safety to make room for...another safety.

Please, if you have small children that are of reading age, cover their ears.

* * *

TED THOMPSON, YOU SLACK-JAWED, CROSS-EYED, IN-BRED, TWO-BIT, LOOKING HIGH-ALL-THE-TIME, RIDICULOUSLY RIDICULOUS MORON! WHAT THE HELL?! WHY WOULD YOU RELEASE THE MOST ATHLETIC PLAYER LEFT AT THE SAFETY POSITION IN ORDER TO PICK SOMEONE ELSE UP? YOUR TWO STARTERS ARE HURT, SO HOW IS THE NEXT LOGICAL MOVE TO CUT THE PLAYER WITH THE MOST RELEVANT EXPERIENCE?!

* * *

Ahem. I'm back. I'm sorry to use my big boy voice in here, but I just can't help myself.

The last week or so has really made me question Thompson's plan for 2009 and beyond. Our quarterback got killed in Week 1 because Allen Barbre (one of his guys) was playing like garbage. OK, I understand the need for continuity on the line, and he should have gotten a chance to redeem himself, and he did. Then, our quarterback gets killed in Week 2 because a) Chad Clifton is far further on the decline than we care to admit, b) Clifton got hurt after giving up 2 sacks, and c) Daryn Colledge (another Thompson pick) was forced to move to LT and got demolished.

And you know what, I was okay with that too, because Colledge has practical experience at left tackle and, before Sunday, was one of our best linemen in terms of blocking assignments. But why did it even get to that point? Because Thompson decided to release the only player he brought in to compete for the backup LT spot (Jamon Meredith). And I was even okay with that, because Meredith had a poor showing in preseason and training camp against second- and third-stringers. Besides, he managed to stash him on the practice squad, so the chances that Meredith would stick around for 2010 were pretty good.

And where's Meredith now? Buffalo. So now what's the plan to fix the offensive line while Clifton is out with a sprained ankle?

That's one issue. The other issue, of course, is what to do at safety while Atari Bigby (sprained knee) and Nick Collins (sprained clavicle (you can sprain your clavicle?)) are on the sideline. Obviously, it would behoove Thompson to sign somebody as to avoid playing Derrick Martin before he's ready or playing Jarrett Bush at all. And when I heard that they were bringing in the aforementioned Giordano, Nate Ness, and DeAndre Wright, I said to myself, "Self, this is a good sign, because Thompson usually doesn't sign veterans mid-season. He recognizes a problem and is trying to fix it."

Then he releases Aaron Rouse.

And I'm not even a huge Aaron Rouse fan, but when you're missing your top two players at a position, why release the third guy to pick up somebody who may or may not even contribute anywhere but special teams? Maybe it's because this week's opponent doesn't have a decent passing game (I was actually doing research for my weekly preview before learning of this news). Does Thompson think that Martin will be able to step into the starting role while Bigby and Collins heal? Maybe. Does he think that Jarrett Bush will avoid failing in spectacular fashion against one of the worst teams in the league? God, I hope not.

This might work out eventually. Shoot, we don't know how long Collins is going to be out, so it might even be a moot point if Derrick Martin can contribute. And Giordano, as Brandon said, looked like the most worthwhile player to invest in, even for this season. So, hey, what do I know, I'm just a writer.

But what I do know is this: The offensive line is currently in shambles, and with our top LT injured and therefore shuffling around the starting five, pass protection is going to be an even bigger problem. Simultaneously, our defensive backfield has a huge hole in the middle of the field, and we might be putting the worst player on the roster in one of those spots. Why are we in that position? Because Thompson decided it was more important to carry three fullbacks than keep a player who started six games last year (plus one game the year before and one game in 2009) and was second on the team in tackles against Cincinnati. Does he have weaknesses? Absolutely, but he's the best option to start at safety, and now he's on the street.

In the short term, I'm unsure of how this will work out. With no decent safeties, Green Bay is liable to give up several big plays, probably for scores. That means the team will be behind early and often, and Mike McCarthy (the genius playcaller he is) will likely abandon the run and lean on Aaron Rodgers to carry the offense, even though Rodgers' protection is below-average at best. In the long term, after these injuries pass, the team might be able to regain its form. But who knows when that will happen?

I have always been a supporter of Thompson's vision for building a championship contender, and up until two weeks ago, I thought his vision was manifesting itself on the football field. But looking at his history of drafting offensive linemen (which one could argue is either remarkable or terrible), the amount of players he's kept at a fringe position (seriously, THREE fullbacks!), and now releasing a starting-caliber player to make room for a special teams guy? Let's just say I'm not seeing what he's doing there.

Poll

Will this move work out?

Yes

161 votes

No

390 votes

Not sure

197 votes

748 votes | Poll has closed

Three Defensive Backs Who Could Be Signed

Brandon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Browse more photos »

Depth at safety has become a major problem for the Green Bay Packers. S Atari Bigby is out. S Nick Collins and S Aaron Rouse were injured against the Bengals, and Mike McCarthy didn't confirm on Monday that either would be available next Sunday. They should be OK with S Jarrett Bush starting, although the other possible starter is S Derrick Martin, who was acquired in a trade just a couple weeks ago. Since there is literally no depth behind Bush and Martin, the Packers brought in a couple free agent safeties for workouts. From the Press-Gazette:

With both their starting safeties injuried this week, the Packers worked out three defensive backs Tuesday, including five-year NFL veteran Matt Giordano...

The other player the Packers worked out, according to the NFL transactions wire, were Nate Ness, an undrafted rookie from Arizona who was cut by Seattle during training camp; and DeAndre Wright, a sixth-round draft pick of the New York Giants this year who was cut at the end of training camp...

Of that group, it sounds like Giordano might be worth signing. From Stamp ede Blue:

The last few seasons, one of the best special teams players on the Colts was safety Matt Giordano. Giordano was also one of the fastest players on the team PERIOD, and he had a knack for delivering big hits (like the one he placed on a Bears tight end in the Super Bowl).

Nate Ness was in Seattle for about a minute. From NFL Draft Scout: He's an undrafted free agent who was generally unknown until he ran a 4.46 in the 40 at his pro day, and he's been signed and released by three NFL teams in the last six months. I don't like combine stars who didn't do enough make a name for themselves in college.

DeAndre Wright might be a good candidate for the practice squad, but not for the active roster. NFL Draft Scout called him "very raw and unpolished" and Big Blue View described an ugly play he was involved in this preseason:

DeAndre Wright: The rookie sixth-round pick got himself all turned around, then fell on the field in a heap on Erik Ainge 70-yard touchdown pass to Aundrae Allison late in the fourth quarter. Probably appropriate, though, since I think Wright's chance to make the team crashed to the ground as soon as he did.

The big problem with signing someone like Giordano is that someone else would have to be released to make room for him. If disaster strikes and Collins's season is over, they could place him on I.R. Otherwise someone like CB Brandon Underwood would have to be released.

New York Giants Cuts: UPDATED Tyree, Evans, Matthews, Wright, Rashad, Woodson, Ingram, Bomar, Thompson, cut

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:00:22 -0000

More photos » by Gene Puskar - AP

The Giants have cut SB 42 hero David Tyree

Browse more photos »

Last year, on the day of final cuts, when the first victims were announced, I posted them on Big Blue View, and wound up sitting in front of the computer all day long as the cuts just kept flowing in.

So here we go again.

We'll leave this thread up all day, and I'll just post the cuts here as the day goes on. If there are any big names cut around the NFL, I will post them here as well.

Beware "The Turk"!

UPDATE:10:30 First cut is in guys, and as we all suspected, its David Tyree. Thanks for the greatest memory David

UPDATE: 10:45 S Sha'reff Rashad cut, may go to the practice squad

UPDATE: 10:50 DE Maurice Evans cut, this one is a surprise

UPDATE: 11:22: Andre Woodson cut, Vacchiano reporting Giants may only carry 2 QB's

UPDATE: 11:25 Michael Matthews and CB DeAndre Wright have been cut

UPDATE: 11:38: DE Robert Henderson has been cut

UPDATE: 11:52: LB Kenny Ingram has been waived, probably to go to the practice squad

UPDATE: 12:00: Ralph Vacchiano and MIke Garafolo are reporting Bomar has been cut, and will go to the practice squad if he clears waivers

UPDATE: 12:00 OL Orrin Thompson is reporting his own cut on his Facebook page. "Cut like a Thanksgiving turkey"

UPDATE: 12:02 S Travonti Johnson has been cut

UPDATE: 12:13 S Vince Anderson waived

UPDATE: 12:40 DT's Jeremy Clark and Antonio Bryant have been cut

UPDATE: 12:41 WR Shaun Bodiford has been cut

UPDATE: 1:50 PM: DL Tommie Hill , FB Dwayne Wright, OL Terrance Pennington have been cut. At least Hill will always have the amazing preseason play to remember.

UPDATE: 2:39 PM RB Allen Patrick has been cut

'Kudos & Wet Willies:' Wide receiver edition

Ed Valentine — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:03:21 -0000

More photos » by Tim Larsen - AP

New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks runs past New York Jets cornerback James Ihedigbo for a 71-yard touchdown during the second half Saturday night.

Browse more photos »

If you watched last night's 27-25 loss by our New York Giants to the New York Jets you should be able to guess that today's 'Kudos & Wet Willies' will be dominated by two things.

Discussion of wide receivers, both good and bad.
How easily you can be misled by simply looking at the box score.

So, with that little preamble out of the way let's get to the good stuff. And, since we like good news before bad we will hand out 'Kudos' first.

Kudos to ...

Hakeem Nicks: Unquestionably the star of the game for the Giants. Just about the time you thought a Giants' wide receiver was NEVER going to make a play, the No. 1 draft pick showed up. He hauled in fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 22 yards (an amazing diving, left-handed grab in the back of the end zone while well covered), and 71 yards from David Carr. He made four other catches and finished his night with six grabs for 144 yards. Nicks' numbers don't lie -- he had a terrific game.
David Carr: Carr has not had a great pre-season, but he looked solid Saturday night. Twelve-for-21 for 181 yards and two TDs, including an impressive late scoring drive. He also ran for a pair of first downs. Carr, most impressively to me, fought his instincts to bail out of the pocket, stayed in there and made some plays. After that performance I feel better about him.
Eli Manning: Look at his numbers (9-for-21, 91 yards, one touchdown, one interception, a 51.9 rating) and you would think I was nuts putting him here. If you watched the game you know better. His day looks a lot different if Steve Smith doesn't drop a 90-yard touchdown pass, and Domenik Hixon hangs on to an easy catch that turned into a game-changing interception. Even Eli's misses were thrown properly, out of the reach of defenders. He threw the ball well. His receivers, though, didn't catch it well.
Lawrence Tynes: Made a 38-yard field goal and missed just short from 51. Can't kill him for a miss from tha distance. Tynes gets 'kudos,' primarily for his kickoffs, though. I don't remember any that weren't inside the 5-yard line, and he did get at least one kickoff into the end zone. Hopefully, he can continue that.
Danny Ware: This kid is a player. He had nine carries for 43 yards, a lot of that gained on his own, The most impressive thing he did all night was a great fourth-quarter blitz pickup to save Carr from annihilation. Don't know who Ware picked up, but he stopped the guy in his tracks.
Ahmad Bradshaw: The guy just looks dangerous. He had eight carries for 47 yards, including a 27-yarder.
Mathias Kiwanuka: His sack of Mark Sanchez was a thing of beauty, chasing him down from behind and swallowing him up like a certain No. 56 used to do. Kiwi will have a huge season spelling Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck.
Jonathan Goff: Five solo tackles for the second-year middle linebacker. That is two impressive games in a row for him.
Kevin Dockery: Played well starting at right corner for the injured Aaron Ross. Three tackles for Dockery and two passes defensed.
Derek Hagan: Two catches, both on wide receiver screens. Hagan showed the ability to get some yards after catch on both plays, ending up with 25 yards. He also worked hard to get out of bounds on one catch as the Giants were trying to rally for a late score. Finally, Hagan flashed a little of what he has been showing during practice in a real game.
Fred Robbins: Four tackles for the big defensive tackle, who looks like he is rounding into form nicely after micro-fracture knee surgery in the off season.
The first-team offensive line: Good work by that group, keeping Manning protected and opening some running lanes. Nice to see Rich Seubert and Chris Snee back on the field.

OK, now that we have gone through the good we have to get to the bad. If you watched the game, you know there was plenty of ugly stuff. Let's get to it.

Wet Willies to ...

Steve Smith: Steve, I luv ya baby, but you cannot drop perfectly thrown potential 90-yard touchdown passes when you are two steps beyond the defense. Especially not when you have been clamoring for chances to get out of the slot, and be given the opportunity to run some deep routes. Smith has shown great hands for two seasons now, but I saw him drop a couple of deep balls during camp at UAlbany. Steve, if you want the opportunity to run those routes when it counts you have to make those plays.
Domenik Hixon: A bad drop on a quick in that turned into an interception deep in Giants' territory and led to a Jets' touchdown. The miscues by the two starting receivers turned what should have been a 14-0 Giants' lead into a 7-7 tie.
Mario Manningham: I have said it before, but he has a split personality. Manningham did have four catches for 41 yards, ran some nice routes and made some nice plays. But he dropped a beautiful pass from Carr that hit him right in the numbers and should have been a 30-40-yard gain, and nearly misjudged a punt he had to make an awkward catch. Mario seems to be a 'kwillie,' player -- a thrill-a-minute guy who can keep both teams in the game at the same time.
C.C. Brown: Can we please, please, PRETTY PLEASE Uncle Coughlin, find a way to get this guy off the team? For the love of good defense. And my blood pressure! This guy is AWFUL! Sure, he had five tackles. If he had made all the tackles he should have, however, he would have had eight or nine. On top of which, he is clueless in pass coverage. Brown was waaayyy out of position on Mark Sanchez' 31-yard touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey, leaving him wide open. Then, of course, missing the tackle when he finally did get there. Paging Sha'reef Rashad. Or Vince Anderson. Or anyone else, for that matter.
DeAndre Wright: The rookie sixth-round pick got himself all turned around, then fell on the field in a heap on Erik Ainge 70-yard touchdown pass to Aundrae Allison late in the fourth quarter. Probably appropriate, though, since I think Wright's chance to make the team crashed to the ground as soon as he did.
Sinorice Moss: I don't remember him doing anything well. I do remember him failing to catch a punt at the 20-yard line that ended up rolling dead at the 1.

-- Jets vs Giants recap

New York Giants training camp: Monday afternoon practice report

Ed Valentine — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:42:51 -0000

Here is your Monday afternoon practice report from New York Giants training camp at UAlbany.

Let's just say it was brutally obvious that the intensity was ratcheted up a few notches this afternoon, the first full practice since Saturday's embarrassing pre-season loss to Chicago. There was heavy hitting, and more pad-popping than at any time in camp.

Oh, and two fights. Or near fights. The first involved cornerback Bruce Johnson and wide receiver Shaun Bodiford when they got tangled up, went to the ground and came up mauling each other WWE style.

The second also involved Bruce Johnson. I didn't see what started it, but I did see tight end Darcy Johnson take a couple of swings at him, which drew a lot of players before Brandon Jacobs stepped in to play peacemaker.

Bruce Johnson, who is fighting for a roster spot, was obviously testy today. After the two fights, he knocked a pass away from David Tyree and gave the 'throat-slash' sign, which immediately drew the ire of the offense -- and the coaching staff.

Here are some other highlights of Monday's practice.

No 1 pick Hakeem Nicks has had a mostly quiet camp, fighting through a hamstring issue. Nothing quiet about Nicks' work Monday, though. He was, quite simply, the most dominant player on the field. Nicks made two leaping, one-handed catches Monday. One on a long ball down the right sideline from Rhett Bomar when he was well-covered by, who else, Bruce Johnson. The second was a red zone fade from Andre Woodson when he hauled in a pass in the corner of the end zone. Nicks also caught a long ball down the left sideline from Woodson when he ran by DeAndre Wright. Pretty obvious the coaches noticed Nicks' work. He ran with the first team in three-wide sets during the two-minute drill near the end of practice.
Mathias Kiwanuka made what is probably the defensive play of camp during 11-on-11 work. Lined up at left end, Kiwanuka picked off a bubble screen for Mario Manningham for what would have been a touchdown. Kiwanuka practically took the ball out of Eli Manning's hands. I don't know if Kiwi made a fabulous move, or Kareem McKenzie made a horrendous block, but it was an awesome athletic play.
Eli had three passes picked off today, incidentally. Oh, and there was a fumble on a handoff from Eli to Ahmad Bradshaw. Yuck! Not what you want to see this far into camp.
Derek Hagan, the Giants' practice superstar, made several nice grabs today. Now if he could only translate that to a game he might actually make the team.
Very few opportunities for Rhett Bomar, but he threw a few nice balls. A good sideline out to Taye Biddle was probably his best throw.
Rocky Bernard provided some good news on the defensive tackle front, making a couple of nice stops, including getting into the backfield to drop Danny Ware for a loss.
Dave Tollefson had what would have been a sack of David Carr when he beat William Beatty.
INJURY NOTES: Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, Chris Snee and Rich Seubert all worked today. Ross was limitied a bit, but the rest went fully. Antonio Pierce, Michael Boley and Danny Clark just did a few individual drills.

Today's Transcripts

Antonio Pierce
Running backs coach Jerald ingram
Quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer

New York Giants training camp: Wednesday evening practice report

Ed Valentine — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:14:21 -0000

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Browse more photos »

Here is your Wednesday evening practice report from New York Giants training camp at UAlbany.

Let's start with this. Eli Manning has talked all through camp about the Giants needing to get the ball deep for big plays. Tonight, the deep ball was on full display and Eli threw the ball as well or better than he has the entire camp.

During 1-on-1 drills Eli hit Derek Hagan deep down the right side. Hagan leaped over DeAndre Wright for a spectacular grab.
In 11-on-11 action, Eli ran play action and hit Sinorice Moss in stride deep after Moss had blown past Michael Johnson.
Andre Woodson then hit Ramses Barden on a nicely thrown deep ball. Barden beat fellow rookie Stoney Woodson on the play. By the way, those two have been matched up most of camp and have to be tired of looking at each other by now.
Manning hit Mario Manningham on a deep corner route near the end of practice. This was a beautifully thrown ball over Terrell Thomas.

There were several other well-thrown balls by Eli.

A softly thrown ball to Darcy Johnson over the linebackers and in front of the safeties.
A floater to Moss down the left sideline that Thomas could not stop.
A zinger to Michael Matthews down the right seam in 7-on7 action.

Here are some other observations from Wednesday evening's action.

The split personality that is Manningham was again on display. After a morning session in which he did both great and God-awful things, Mario was at it again in the evening. He caught that long ball from Manning. But, earlier, he had dropped a back shoulder throw from Eli. A drop that earned him a sideline lecture -- apparently for not properly running the route.
David Carr scares the daylights out of me. Every time his first option isn't there he gets fidgety and starts moving around. As good as Eli was tonight, Carr was just as bad. On one throw, he scrambled out of the pocket and fired the ball into the crowd standing on the sideline. Moss, one of the receivers on the play, reacted by muttering "what the hell was that?" Hey, Sinorice, don't feel bad. I was wondering the same thing.
Lawrence Tynes went 3-for-4 in field goals, hitting from 20, 29 and 30 yards. He missed right from 35.
David Tyree had a bad drop, failing to hold a deep out from Woodson when he had clearly gotten open.

New York Giants training camp: Wednesday morning practice report

Ed Valentine — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:06:54 -0000

Here is your Wednesday morning practice as New York Giants training camp rolls merrily along here in Albany.

For a guy who many (including myself) thought would not be on the field at this point following microfracture surgery, Fred Robbins sure does look good. Robbins completely blew up three running plays during 11-on-11 drills, and would have sacked Eli Manning on the first play of the two-minute drill in live action. Pretty amazing!
If you are rooting for David Tyree to scratch his way on to the roster, today was a good day. Tyree won't go down without a fight, and he was sharp today. He made a variety of nice catches this morning.
Ramses Barden continues to look like a third-round steal. Barden made two spectacular catches this morning. The first, a long ball down the right sideline from David Carr, was a play in which he just used that huge body to fend off DeAndre Wright, then just jumped over him to haul the ball in. The second was a crossing route over the middle where Andre Woodson threw the ball behind him. Despite heavy traffic, Barden was able to adjust and pull the ball in.
Speaking of Wright, he left the field with an undetermined injury. Coach Tom Coughlin is getting concerned about his depth at cornerback heading into Monday night's exhibition opener. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster have spent the last few practices on the sidelines.
Other guys who did not work today included receivers Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks. Sinorice Moss took Smith's first-team reps.
Derek Hagan continued his impressive work. He made a tremendous catch on a fade from Manning, hauling the ball in over Terrell Thomas.
Andre Woodson and Rhett Bomar are locked in quite a duel for the third quarterback slot. Woodson threw a beautiful comeback to Domenik Hixon in traffic early in practice. Bomar responded with a perfectly thrown long ball to Taye Biddle, which Biddle dropped.
The defense continues to be well ahead of the offense. I don't think the Giants were successful on a running play all morning. Defensive highlights included passes batted down by Mathias Kiwanuka and Maurice Evans, and a near-interception of a screen pass by Clint Sintim. Jay Alford stuffed a couple of runs, and would have sacked Carr on another play.
Safeties coach Dave Merritt was all over rookie Vince Anderson for not knowing where he was supposed to be during a positioning drill.
Since the Giants can't have a practice without one, Adam Koets botched a shotgun snap, failing to reach Woodson with the ball.

If anything else happened that I missed I am blaming sideline ... umm ... distractions. Let's just say the view on the sidelines this morning was spectacular (sorry, ladies!). 'Kudos' to whoever doled out today's field passes.

Land of the Giants: Back to football, please

Ed Valentine — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:00:10 -0000

The first training camp practice is just two days away for our New York Giants. I am just as anxious as you guys are to get going, maybe more so.

You know, I spent 20 years working for newspapers. But, it's been more than a decade since I have stood on the sidelines playing the role of reporter. Admittedly, I will be a tad nervous Monday morning when practice starts.

Anyway, to pass the time while we wait for that first practice, let's check out stories making news today around the land of the Giants.

Antonio Pierce has finished his grand jury testimony in the Plaxico Burress gun case. AP's attorney, Michael Bachner, seems optimistic Pierce will not face charges.

"We're confident that the facts support the proposition that Mr. Pierce acted as any civilian in a similar circumstance would have acted," Bachner said.

Let's hope Bachner is right, and that he isn't just posturing. You know, lawyers never do that.

Scout.com wonders if the young Giants' secondary will be up to the task.

It really all depends on health. If the top seven guys on the depth chart can stay on the field, the Giants will be just fine, and probably even a little better than expected. However, if the depth of this secondary is forced into action, there’s really no way of knowing how it’ll play out. We’ll take the optimistic lean and say that the young vets will indeed get the job done in 2009.

Valentine's View: In general, I will agree with that assessment. I think the Giants are deep at cornerback, and I won't worry about that spot unless I start having to see a lot of Stoney Woodson or DeAndre Wright on the field. I have no worries about Michael Johnson or Kenny Phillips at safety, but an injury to one of those guys could be problematic. C.C. Brown is adequate at best, and there isn't another proven safety on the roster.

Keeping Eli Manning safe is always a priority for the Giants. With that in mind, I have to note a bit of a different story about Eli that I came across Friday. Seems Eli will be wearing a new type of helmet when he hits the field this season.

Valentine's View: Eli has never had concussion issues. As far as I'm concerned, whatever works as long as it keeps him healthy.

Here's one for the old-timers (are you reading, George?), and anyone who loves football history. Legendary Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle recently sat down for a Q&A with the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Here are a couple of snippets.

-- On the legendary 1964 photo of him on his knees, blood trickling down his face, near the end of a 27-24 loss to Pittsburgh.

I really don't remember the ballgame because I was knocked out. I didn't really regain consciousness until the end of the game. I missed a lot of the events. The picture ended up winning awards and getting a lot of attention. At first I didn't care to see it. But as the years have gone by, I'm sort of proud to be in it.

-- On falling short in three NFL championship games.

That hurts. I was a bit embarrassed to lose those championship games. I regret the fact that, in all three of the title games with the Giants, we had to play on an icy field. We were a passing team, so it handicapped us. You were forced to wear tennis shoes and you couldn't grip the football. No excuses, though. We got beat.