What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

10 impressions from Giants’ camp:

1. Michael Strahan is coming back. At least that’s the impression I get from the key decision-makers in the organization. They’d hoped Strahan would have been back by now, but understand that it might not happen until a week or more from now. If for some reason he's not back by then, the higher-ups might be getting a little tight as to what might happen. But until then, they're not blinking ... or calling ... or offering any more scratch to entice him back.

I asked Tom Coughlin about Strahan, and he said this: "Obviously Michael is a great football player, and we'd like him here. But I want the Michael Strahan that I know, the one that loves to play, the one that loves to practice with great pride. If your heart’s in the right place, you can accomplish anything. Anything other than that in our game, and you're going to get yourself hurt."

2. Eli Manning looks better. Sometimes you can just tell by the command a quarterback has on the field during practice, and Manning seems to have more of it now than at any time in his career. That’s to be expected, of course, given the fact he’s a year older. And it doesn’t mean he’ll automatically translate it into games. But he’s throwing passes more consistently and more on target. Monday afternoon, he looked positively brilliant, although he was a little off on his deep throws this morning.

3. Steve Smith doesn’t look good … he looks great. The rookie out of USC was catching everything thrown his way, and I’m talking leaping catches, lunging, catching passes slightly behind him. Everything. The scouts who said before the draft that he projects better than Dwayne Jarrett might be right.

4. Love the new T-shirts. Dark blue, Giants emblem on the front, and printed on the back: “Talk is cheap. Play the game.” After all the nonsense that has gone on with this team the last year, it’s the perfect catch-phrase for Tom Coughlin’s team.

5. Justin Tuck might be the silver lining in the Strahan holdout. No one is under any illusions that the Giants can replace Strahan in the event he decides to stay away this season. But third-year defensive end Justin Tuck is quietly having a solid camp after coming off Lisfranc surgery. They drafted him for the eventuality that Strahan would one day hang it up.

6. Man, is it quiet around here. Just not a lot of people watching practice this summer. Some of it has to do with the fact it’s Albany, but a lot has to do with the absence of Tiki and Strahan.

7. Amani Toomer is a mensch. All the guy does is show up and play. Coming off a torn ACL, he doesn’t look like he has the burst he did before getting hurt, but his route-running looks very precise, his hands are still as good as ever, and he can still be a solid possession receiver.

8. Sinorice Moss? I just don’t see it right now. Maybe as a return man, but Smith is having a better camp.

9. Cornerback’s an issue. If R.W. McQuarters and Sam Madison are your opening day starters, it’s a problem. They need Corey Webster and/or Aaron Ross to step up in a hurry. McQuarters is best suited as a nickel. Madison just doesn’t have the speed he once did.

10. Mathias Kiwanuka is a great athlete. Which is why I think the switch to linebacker can work. And if Tuck keeps progressing, I don’t see Kiwi moving back to end any time soon. He’ll still be a nickel pass rusher, so he’ll get his share of sacks.