T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

Burress announced that there will be a fight in the first evening workout tonight, due to the rising temps, the fatigue (already? It's been three days of practices) and the fact that the team will work out in full pads.

A reporter tried to goad Eli Manning into talking about Plax's prediction. "I doubt I'll be in it," Manning deadpanned, giving maybe his best quote in three seasons.

There was plenty of talk about Jeremy Shockey's remarks about his coach -- "I've been called worse," was one of Coughlin's responses -- and Burress said he hopes his coach will learn to laugh and joke a little more. Not yesterday morning though.

Coughlin rightly exploded on free-agent Nick McNeil after the third-unit MLB leveled RB James Sims with the players still in shoulder pads and shorts. It was a heck of a hit, but not appropriate. "Don't be stupid!" Coughlin screamed, among other unblogable remarks.

The morning's star was CB Curtis DeLoatch, who definitely needs some big days to stay relevant after fading down the stretch last season, which he began as a starter. He had two passes defensed and one near-interception, a leaping catch along the sideline in front of WR Willie Ponder on a deep throw by QB Jared Lorenzen.

Veteran CB Sam Madison got burned badly -- twice -- by Burress, and one was on a ball thrown behind Burress by Manning. Madison should have closed the gap but still let Burress snatch the ball away.

S Will Demps and WR Sinorice Moss sat the morning session, though Demps said he'd be in full pads tonight. Moss has a strained quadriceps and will miss a day or two -- that can only help Tim Carter, who has played the first five workouts like a man possessed. And a healthy, possessed man at that.

And now... The MJMD (Michael Jennings Moment of the Day).

Our man rolled up in his Caprice Classic blasting some Bob Marley and sporting his famous t-shirt -- the one that implores Coughlin to "Put Me In, Coach!"

He also closed the morning workout with a neat shoestring catch from Rob Johnson. "I'm almost 100 percent," MJ said about his sore hammy. "You'll see."

Tiki Barber chimed in yesterday. "You know why the music's so loud from his car, don't you? He's got speakers on the outside."

I'm taking the MJMD up a notch on Wednesday, when I'm riding in the Caprice back from lunch with our man One Five.

Which is just the way Coach Coughlin wants it. After rain most of yesterday, especially in the afternoon, the Giants baked in the heat yesterday morning and the coach wants more. "I hope it gets a little warmer," he said. You can insert your own devilish laugh here.

Manning-to-Toomer worked again to open the 11-on-11 drills, though Toomer caught this one over the middle in a seam between LB Antonio Pierce and CB Corey Webster. The first- and second-unit defenses had some better penetration and coverage this morning; standouts were second-unit WLB Reggie Torbor and second-unit LDE Justin Tuck, who absolutely manhandled rookie OT Guy Whimper on three occasions. Tuck would have appeared to be the odd man out when the Giants drafted Mathias Kiwanuka, but I'm not buying it. Tuck was too good (remember he was stealing snaps from Osi Umenyiora early on last season) in too many roles as a rookie to be shunted aside, and he's already showing in camp how much potential he has.

With the heat came some mental mistakes, and the coaches were ready to holler some, uh, "constructive" criticism. third-unit OG Matthew Lentz jumped offsides in 11-on-11s and Coughlin got his first chance to bellow. "There's a concentration lapse right there! Wake up, Lentz!"

I would pay any amount to hear Coughlin say, "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning."

Tim Lewis has a kinder, gentler tone, and he chided Corey Webster after Harry Williams caught a pass in front of Webster with lots of cushion. "You've got to choke him, right?" Not literally, mind you, but too much cushion was one of Webster's problems (and not his alone) last season.

I'll get in an afternoon update today.

And now... Your Michael Jennings Moment of the Day. I'm hopeful that Dave Pokress' photo essay of MJ's stroll into the cafeteria today can be posted here soon, so you can all see the personality that is "One Five", aka Jennings.

MJ caught his first pass of camp this morning, a nice grab from Rob Johnson. He's moved to the 'Z' receiver spot, which is a challenge for him; he's been the 'X,' the wideout on the line who just zooms down the field, for a long while. "There's a lot of thinking involved, but if I get my reps, I'll be OK," he said.

Two pressing questions through three workouts: Who's been the best player so far? And who (besides MJ) has the nicest ride?

1. "I'd have to say Amani. Ever since I've been here, every practice, every day, he comes in and works hard. He's such a professional."

2. "Michael Strahan. He's got that old-school Bentley. I told him one day I'm going to buy it from him and put my 26-inchers (rims) on it, then it'll look perfect."

The t-shirt today was one of Jennings' first prints -- of him shaking Plaxico Burress' hand after a TD catch against the Rams last season. "I'm bringing a new one up here every day," he said. I can't wait. I mean that. After three hours in the hot sun, I need my Michael Jennings Moment almost as much you do.

No surprise, really, that the morning's round of 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills featured many more positive moments for the first-unit offense than the defense -- Eli Manning has all 10 starters back, while yesterday's first-unit D had four returning starters from January's playoff loss.

Eli Manning looked very good from the first play, a deep post pass to Amani Toomer that went for a TD -- Toomer burned past Sam Madison in single coverage. Manning followed that with a nice rollout to his left and completion to TE Visanthe Shiancoe and a dump-off to RB Brandon Jacobs. Manning went 4-for-6 in the first wave of 7-on-7 plays, only missing connection with Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey. Shockey did catch another thrown to him though.

Even the second-, third- and fourth-unit offenses were humming. Tim Carter, who needs a strong camp now that rookie Sinorice Moss is here to provide speed (and health), had a very good morning. He shook off the patella tendonitis he's been battling since the spring to make a couple of a good catches, including one from Tim Hasselbeck while DB Curtis DeLoatch hung on Carter.

As for that first-unit defense, it is veteran-heavy. Fred Robbins, who was the 3-gap tackle (not the nose tackle) during his time as a Giant, materialized yesterday as the new nose tackle alongside William Joseph. Guess Tom Coughlin decided an experienced tackle like Robbins, who has dropped 15 pounds to 315, can pick up the nose spot better to start than any of the young, untested candidates.

That first unit -- Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora at the ends; Robbins and Joseph at the tackles; LaVar Arrington, Antonio Pierce and Carlos Emmons at LB; Corey Webster and Madison at corner and Will Demps and Gibril Wilson at safety -- has the kind of experience that should offset the unfamiliarity.

And now for what will be a regular blog feature... The Michael Jennings Moment of the Day.

MJ gave us the quick rundown on the morning's workout: "Overall, it was pretty good," he said. "I think for the team and for me, it's about getting the kinks out." He had two balls thrown his way and didn't catch either of them, but he has been nursing a sore hamstring.

He also told me that the t-shirt he had printed up -- the one that says, "Put me in, Coach" -- was a big hit with Coughlin.

"I showed it to him and he loved it," MJ said. "But I also had a serious message. I wanted him to know I am ready to be a full member of the Giants. There's no more practice squad for me."

And he walked back to his souped-up Chevy, flashing the No. 15 shaved into the back of his head. I also noticed another of my favorite things about him -- he didn't just shave the "15" into his head, he shaved a number sign (#) too.

The Giants had to report to Albany today, which basically means myself and my colleagues stand around in front of the players' dorms, watch them drive up in nice cars, unload their stuff and give us some platitudes about how excited they are.

That couldn't possibly be true once I saw the conditioning drill -- 10 sprints back and forth across the width of a practice field in the high afternoon heat. William Joseph cramped up, TE Boo Williams doubled over a few times and QB Jared Lorenzen -- "The Pillsbury Throwboy" -- had some trouble too. Williams had insult added to injury when LaVar Arrington called out, "Come on, Boo!" as the poor tight end was on the verge of puking. Arrington did so from the stationary bike, no less, as he was excused from running due to his Achilles tendonitis.

Some highlights from two hours of watching the guys unload their stuff:

Best Entrance: Michael Jennings. The diminutive WR rolled up in his "Pimp My Ride" Chevy that features 26-inch rims and a very, very, very solid stereo system. He posed for pictures as he drove through, flashing his gold teeth. I'm quite pleased that he's back for a second camp, even if his chances of making the active roster are slim.

Jennings also earned Best Exit for a similar departure -- more posing, more gold-plated grinning -- and Best Moment From 2005 That We Never Saw: He had a silk-screened t-shirt made up with himself in uniform on one side, Tom Coughlin on the other and a word bubble over his own head that says, "Put Me In Coach!" He wore this around the locker room during the season!

We're going to try and have a Michael Jennings Moment of the Day in every camp blog.

Best Entrance (runner-up): Arrington rolling up to his dorm... in a Segway, the electric personal scooter that failed miserably in its attempt to become a household item a few years back. "Gas prices are high," noted Arrington. Maybe there's an endorsement deal in there.

Worst Entrance: Sam Madison's Mercedes was in bad shape due to a run-in with a deer on the way up early this morning. Madison and Gibril Wilson drove together, got a little lost and bounced a deer to its demise before finding their way here. The front left bumper of Madison's car was crumpled, but both guys were fine.

Nicest car: Michael Strahan's black Bentley was impressive, standing out from the BMWs and Hummers.

Best Typo: In the daily clips the Giants' PR department prints out each day, there is a table of contents that lists each story and its author. In the list today was a Newsday story by "Bob Blauber." Always knew that guy talked too much. Now everyone else does. There's your new nickname, Sparky.

Fourth-round pick Guy Whimper and seventh-round pick Gerrick McPhearson both signed yesterday and were on hand, so the Giants have all of their picks under contract. Whimper was a close call though -- Accorsi told the Associated Press yesterday morning that "We've reached agreements with our top four picks, negotiating with some of the guys on the Mount Rushmore of agents -- Tom Condon, Drew Rosenhaus -- and this guy (agent Eric Metz) is going to hold out Guy Whimper. He's the second of two fourth round picks. It's amazing."

Within minutes, Whimper was signed.

Practice starts tomorrow. We'll have an update by 1 p.m.

The Giants' boss, Tom Coughlin, was willing to talk about the Super Bowl, as one of his team leaders, Tiki Barber, did to my esteemed colleague Bob (Cold Pizza) Glauber just a few days ago. Not surprising that Barber would -- he wants a ring to cap a stellar career. Big surprise that Coughlin would, even as he couched in his usual cloudy terms -- that for his team to even say the words "Super Bowl," they have to come in tomorrow ready to work every day from Friday on as if they belonged in the Super Bowl.

And, if they should lean back for a minute, the Giants can think back to Jan. 5 -- "the 17th game," as Coughlin put it yesterday. That 23-0 shameful shutout by the Panthers in Giants Stadium is gone but not forgotten. "I don't want to forget it," Coughlin said yesterday. "I want to rub a little salt in that wound."

Which brings us to my boss, whose orders were clear: Don't get hurt playing softball. Simple enough. So what do I do in the third inning of the media-coaches softball game today? Slide into third wearing shorts. So now I've got a bandage the size of downtown Albany on my leg and we still got smoked, 18-9. I did score a run after the slide though.

Highlight of the game (there were too many lowlights to mention) was receivers coach Mike Sullivan coming in, then jumping to make an awkward catch on a line drive to left field. Not the sort of technique you'd want from a receivers coach, but he did make the catch.

Coughlin mentioned that a few players will be limited when the first practice starts at 8:40 Friday morning -- safety Will Demps, still recovering from knee surgery; Tim Carter (no shock there), who has patella tendonitis; and LaVar Arrington, who missed two of the five mini-camp workouts in June with Achilles' tendonitis. Arrington's presence and joy for the game (and being free from the Redskins) are hot topics; if he can only go once a day from the outset, I'm betting his infectious joy will be somewhat diminished.

We'll check back in web-wise tomorrow, when the players arrive at their dorms. Anybody got any bacitracin?

Thibodaux, La. -- Dylan Kilfoil is 14, stands about 4-foot-10, and as he and I sweat and squint on the field at John L. Guidry Stadium, on the campus of Nicholls State University, in this steamy town an hour's drive southwest of New Orleans, we're both thinking the same thing:

What are we doing in Thibodaux?

Dylan, who'll be a freshman at Sachem North High School in a couple months, wondered that when his father told him about a football camp he wanted Dylan to attend while Dad was in New Orleans on business. Now that he's been here a couple days, getting instruction on three- and five-step drops and proper throwing motions from a host of college players and coaches as well as Eli and Peyton Manning, the star attractions of this three-day camp, Dylan from Ronkonkoma has a whole new outlook on the Bayou. Him and nearly 900 other high-school football players.

"It's awesome," he said, without a trace of a 14-year-old's sarcasm.

I could see those "it's awesome" looks everywhere, even on the faces of the big kids, Eli and Peyton included. I came down here to prepare a story on the Manning boys as they head into training camp and then into that Sunday night season opener, Colts-Giants in the Meadowlands, and all the psychological baggage that comes with an unprecedented meeting. That piece will come out soon.

For now, I wanted to fire up the blog to give you some idea of what it's like down here, where sugar cane fields line the highways and black grasshoppers that make our New York City cockroaches look like cute little ladybugs fall from the trees.

Former NFL quarterback Tommy Hodson, who has been involved with the Manning camp for 10 of its 11 years, called Eli "a guy's guy, someone you want to have a beer with." And those of you -- and those on my side, with the notebooks and pens -- who don't see the comfortable side of Eli could have seen it here. He did some mock play-by-play during drills with one group, yelling almost as a group of young QBs threw deep post balls to receivers; one young pass-catcher laid out for a ball and nearly lost his shorts.

"If you do that every time," Eli said as the kid trotted back to the group, "it won't matter if you catch the ball."

Peyton's personality is strong and clear, and he was the one telling funny anecdotes to reporters about the Manning boys' youth. Eli, as usual, isn't too interested in wondering about what might happen on the Giants Stadium turf Sept. 10.

And both of them, along with oldest brother Cooper and father Archie, bunked in a dorm at Nicholls State for the camp. It's the second year for the camp here after several years at Southeast Louisiana Univ. in Hammond, and Tulane before that.

"And we don't just come in here, take pictures and head out," Archie said. "I'm very proud of the fact that all three of the boys and myself have been here for all 11 of these."

Eli started as a camper for four years with some of his friends from New Orleans, graduated up to counselor when he was at Ole Miss and is now a guest instructor like Peyton, hopping around to different groups of kids each of the four sessions.

Yesterday's showcase event was the Air It Out session, when Peyton, Eli and a host of college QBs -- among them Chris Leak of Florida, Drew Stanton of Michigan State, Will Proctor of Clemson and the biggest attraction, LSU's JaMarcus Russell -- threw passes to campers and college receivers in front of a few thousand fans and parents.

Peyton threw BBs, firing tight spirals everywhere; Eli had a few dying quails, but a high completion percentage (I think he hit five of seven, including a 50-yard skinny post). The 6-5, 250-pound Russell, whom Cooper (the day's emcee) dubbed "the largest man in America," wowed the crowd with his strong arm.

Afterwards, I tried to goad Proctor, a senior at Clemson who gets his chance to start for the first time this season, into a candid assessment of Eli's throws.

"A little wobbly on some of those, don't you think?"

He smiled. "As long as they catch 'em," he said. "As long as you win."

Archie Manning started the camp in 1996, after Peyton had attended Bobby Bowden's football camp in Tallahassee and saw the Florida State coach surrounded by his sons, spending time together and teaching kids the basics. "It's hard for everyone to find the time to just hang out, tell stories and give some instruction," Archie said. "We really cherish this thing every year."

Peyton -- who once shouted down his Dad's ideas of having swim or other recreation periods with, "It's a friggin' football camp!" -- knows that three days aren't enough to turn a kid into a Division I recruit. "But we give them some of the basics, some drills to take back with them to their high school and work on. We don't promise to make them stars. We want them to be the best high school players they can be."

It's good enough for Frank Gifford's son, Cody; for John Elway's two boys; and for Steelers president Dan Rooney's grandson, all of whom were among the campers this weekend. Elway, by the by, was sporting a Yankees hat as he watched the passing drills yesterday.

And, lastly, the only Giants hat in sight was on Cooper's head. Maybe that should tell you who the family's pulling for in the opener.