T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

And the last day of Newsday's able interns contributing. Here is Katie Strang's report from this morning:

With the lack of depth at the fullback position, tight ends Jeremy Shockey and his rookie understudy Kevin Boss have become even more crucial to the development of the identity of the Giants’ offense.

In camp today, Shockey pretty much caught everything thrown his way and provided Eli with at least 50% of his completions for the day.

His extra 15 pounds of bulk and blocking capability will undoubtedly come in handy when looking to provide some physicality wherever the fullback position is lacking.

According to Tom Coughlin, Boss has certainly demonstrated his ability to use his hands and provide a big target, but will be tested once the pads arrive to see how his blocking has developed.

Boss said the biggest difference coming from the D-II college level to the pros, from a blocking perspective, is learning to use his legs as driving power. In college, Boss said, “it was all hands,” but Pope, who came out to Western Oregon to help Boss work out before the season, has used drills such as the lift-the-other-guy-up-by-the-armpit to improve his technique.

Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride commended Pope’s job working with him, and said Boss has “made as much improvement as anyone.”

Boss added that Shockey has also been instrumental in his progress, giving him pointers in practice and when watching film.

“Shockey’s great,” Boss said. “I couldn’t ask for a better mentor.”

The latest dispatch from Stephen Haynes, who already has written more relevant, insightful blogs than Blauber:

Eli Manning has thrown poorly the last two practices. Now in his fourth year, the QB continues to struggle with accuracy and consistency. He’s made several errant throws and forced open receivers to adjust on some of his completions. He’s also thrown three interceptions since yesterday afternoon (and two sure picks that were dropped by Sam Madison and Gibril Wilson). This morning he was picked off by Will Demps after overthrowing Michael Jennings on a seam route to the weak side.
Manning’s accuracy has been an issue his entire career. Last season he completed over 67 percent of his attempts through week 4 but ended up completing 57.7 percent of his passes.
He blamed the mid- through late-season swoon on his own inconsistency, injuries and opposing defenses using more zone coverage. Following today’s practice, which he descried as “strong,” he said that he needed to work more on his mechanics, which quarterback coach Chris Palmer has been on him about.
“I have to get better at decision-making, not force stuff or look for a certain receiver,” Manning said. “[Palmer] and I have been working a lot, going over a lot of film. Personally, I’ve been doing a lot of drills with bags, moving around and trying to get better at throwing on the move then being able to stop and still get the ball out accurately. And I’m still working with coach [Kevin] Gilbride on footwork and things like that.”

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Yesterday, Jim Finn’s season ended before it started and today, the head coach and players hinted that undrafted, unheralded second-year fullback Robert Douglas is the favorite to line up in front of Brandon Jacobs.
Maybe that’s because Douglas, a converted RB, is the only FB on the roster right now.
He admitted that he sometimes has difficulty getting low for leverage when blocking because of his height (at 6-foot-2, he’s taller than the average fullback), but he was quick to point out that he’s had success at the position before. At the Universiy of Memphis, he blocked for NCAA all-time leading rusher DeAngelo Williams, who was drafted in the first round by the Panthers last year. And the Giants coaches think he’s capable.
“I’ve been impressed with what (Douglas) been able to do,” said Tom Coughlin after practice. “But of course, we don’t have any pads on yet.”
In addition to blocking for Tiki Barber, Finn caught 42 passes as a Giant, mostly on swing passes to the flat. Douglas wasn’t too sure he’d be able to chip in as a receiver, though.
“I catch…decent,” he said with a grin. “I’m decent at it.”

Yes, it's back to boring old me for now -- though Stephen Haynes is with us again today, so he'll have a few good items to post in a bit. For now, I'll run down some on-field stuff from this AM:

-- Again, the defense looked far, far better than the offense. Excellent plays by E.J. Underwood (on a Tim Hasselbeck pass for David Tyree) and Kawika Mitchell (on an Eli throw for Kevin Boss). Mitchell has looked athletic so far... Though, as always, you have to add the "it's only June" part. But still, with some of the guys who got insane money around the league, it's still a head-scratcher why Mitchell got no offers and signed for basically a veteran minimum.

As for Underwood, he's got skills. Prediction: He makes the team and plays more than just on special teams.

-- Jared Lorenzen had a poor morning, only making one strong, on-target throw, to Marco Thomas. Travonti Johnson picked off a bad Lorenzen pass and a few others missed target. But Anthony Wright hasn't really impressed with his throwing skills either.

-- Still no Plaxico Burress or Amani Toomer, and unlike yesterday, their replacements on the first unit, Michael Jennings and Sinorice Moss, did not have a great practice. Each dropped balls from Manning that were on target, though Jennings faked Sam Madison out of his cleats for a TD in the goal-line drill.

-- Osi Umenyiora sat out the morning with his undisclosed injury, though I did see him with an ice wrap on his left knee between sessions yesterday. No Strahan again either, so the first-unit DEs were William Joseph and Tommy Davis -- and Davis went down with a left-arm injury late in the morning.

-- Also out was first-round pick Aaron Ross, who fell on his head during the afternoon workout yesterday and was held out this morning for precautionary reasons. Kevin Dockery was the first-unit nickel CB.

That's all for now. Stephen will check in with some stuff in a bit.

This is another dispatch from Stephen Haynes:

During the morning practice in which Tom Coughlin told his team “talk is cheap,” Michael Strahan did more schmoozing than sweating.

The loquacious lineman was present but didn’t participate in any of the drills until the afternoon session.

Nevertheless, Strahan agreed with the head coach’s new “let your play do the talking” edict.

“We don’t need to be doing all that yapping because it does nothing,” said Strahan, who along with Umenyiora started the “Ballin’” jump shot sack celebration last season. “It doesn’t help us win games, saying we’re going to do this and that, so we don’t need it.”

Of his laissez-faire practice, Strahan smirked at the importance of June practices.

“This is mini-camp No. 2,010 for me,” he joked. “It’s early. The coaches have made it easier on me; they know I’ll be ready come training camp. [Mini-camp] is good for coming in and seeing the guys and saying, ‘Hey, I’m still alive.’”

Strahan said that although he’s contemplated retirement since his first season, he isn’t ready to call it a career yet.

“Reggie Torbor asked me if I played with Steve DeOssie and I did,” said the 36-year-old. “Then he said that you know it’s time to go when you’ve been teammates with the father and son. But I’m feeling good right now.”

Whew! Big day to catch up, with our two interns checking in and Blauber on hand... Next time, bring your laptop, Sparky.

The news has been out for a few hours, but we'll get it in here. The warm, fuzzy move to sign Jessie Armstead so he could retire as a Giant required a player to be dropped from the roster. It was Jim Finn, the team's fullback for the last four seasons, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Monday and went on injured reserve, ending his season.

The way the Giants searched high and low for a new fullback means that a) that search may recommence, and b) that Finn has likely played his last game for the Giants. No way they'll want him back in 2008, I say.

Speaking of ex-Giants, had a long convo with Luke Petitgout today. He's getting settled in Tampa, but he's still a little steamed at the way he was let go by the Giants. Story should be up on the web shortly.

I'll post another short story from one of our capable interns in a few, about the always-chatty Michael Strahan. He was cordial with the big group of reporters today and downright eloquent when he spoke at Armstead's press conference. Hope he keeps it up.

Editor's note: Newsday's sports interns were at Giants camp today, and Arthur Staple was kind enough to allow them a little space on his blog.
Katie Strang, who went to Michigan State University and has a master's degree from Columbia, shares some of her insights....

BY KATIE STRANG

Although the most pressing topic du jour among reporters at Giants mini-camp today is undoubtedly the Sopranos season finale letdown, another popular talking point has been the transition to outside linebacker by Mathias Kiwanuka, who had 55 tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 interceptions as a defensive end last season.

Unlike Sopranos writer David Chase, who left loyal watchers livid (That blackout was cheap! That urgent look on Meadow’s face…what the hell was that?), Kiwanuka is doing his best not to disappoint. He is looking at the transition as a challenge and is making improvements every practice.

His footspeed and agility were evident today in drills and his athletic ability is unquestioned, but coach Tom Coughlin said Kiwanuka is "still trying to catch up" with learning the demands of his new position.

Kiwanuka has done extra studying in preparation for his role as OLB, which he describes as a position with "more reads and more responsibilities." Kiwanuka said both positions require a lot of rushing and dropping, but he is getting acclimated to less rushing and more dropping, a skill which will prove especially vital in pass-defense situations this season.

Kiwanuka also has some valuable mentors by his side. Antonio Pierce can answer pretty much any defensive question, according to Kiwanuka, and assuming Strahan is healthy, they make up a pretty formidable opposition to any offense.

Asked if he thinks the Giants linebackers will get worthy attention from the league’s quarterbacks, Kiwanuka laughed and said, "You know someone’s going to get there."

Editor's note: Newsday's sports interns were at Giants camp today, and Arthur Staple was kind enough to allow them a little space on his blog.
Stephen Haynes, a graduate of Brooklyn College who lives in the Bronx, had these observations....

BY STEPHEN HAYNES

Second-year wide receiver Sinorice Moss was impressive in the morning practice, showing no ill effects of the quad and hamstring injuries that hampered what was expected to be a productive rookie season. He made sharp cuts in his routes, caught a pass in traffic on a shallow crossing route, and demonstrated excellent burst after catches and on his kick returns. He also scored a “green zone” touchdown near the end of the scrimmage. Jeremy Shockey ran a 5-yard out and drew double coverage, which left Moss, who ran a quick curl route, wide open in the middle of the end zone. After hauling in the pass, Moss demonstrated the 40-inch vertical on a leaping high-five with Shockey.

Jonas Seawright, the mammoth defensive tackle who turned heads and drew praise from teammates last year in training camp before struggling in pre-season, has lost 40 pounds and says he is now focused on football.

"I was fat and out of shape," said Seawright, who offensive guard Rich Seubert had described as unblockable a year ago. “I had just had a kid and I didn’t have my mind where it needed to be, so I didn’t get anything done. I barely played.”

He spent this offseason working out and dieting in hopes of improving his speed and stamina. Now 305 pounds, the streamlined Seawright said he is prepared to compete for playing time with Barry Cofield and Jay Alford, both of whom are expected to get more snaps than him.

It's not breaking news on the field, but it's certainly a nice touch and a typically class move by the Giants. We've learned that Jessie Armstead, the Giants' heart-and-soul linebacker for nine seasons, will sign with the team tomorrow so he can officially retire a Giant.

Armstead was an eighth-round pick out of Miami in 1993 and, much like his protege, Antonio Pierce, fought his way onto the field and hardly left. Armstead went to the Redskins in 2002 and spent two seasons there, then one on injured reserve with the Panthers in 2004. He worked out for the LB-depleted Giants around Christmas in 2005, but hasn't played a down in three-plus years.

"This is the perfect opportunity," Armstead told me today. "You see certain guys get to do this, like Emmitt Smith did with Dallas. You always think of Emmitt as a Cowboy. I wanted to do that with the Giants... It's real special to know it wasn't a one-way street either."

Armstead owns a couple of car dealerships in the tri-state area and splits his time between Dallas and here. He had a suite at Giants Stadium last season but "I was never in it. I was always down on the field. I'm still there."

I'll have some more in a story later.

So, No. 80 is back, having joined his teammates yesterday for the Organized Team Activities. He'll be here through next week's mini-camp.

Oh, and he's huge. Says he's 265 pounds, 11 pounds more than he's weighed at any point in his career. He looks jacked -- stronger shoulders, greasier hair.

Here's what he said, unfiltered:

"I thought I’d come in, work out as much as possible with the team. I thought it went great, same stuff we’ve been doing the last couple years, nothing new.

"It is only June, our first game is still a long way away. What you do now and how much hard work you put in now can only benefit you in the future. It’s good to see a bunch of the guys I haven’t seen in a long time, good to see how these guys work out. Guys have kids already that I haven’t seen in a long time.

"I intend, every year when I leave, to work hard. In order to do that, I need to be in a very intense, very hot environment – in that aspect, you gain an edge, because you’re working outside, in the heat. It’s that much harder.

"(The extra weight) is for power. I’m faster than I was last year. It’s not to be a better blocker, though it’ll help me on my blocking. I think I’m a lot more explosive than I was last year. It has more to do with my diet – what I eat is all organic, all natural, not much red meat.

"If (being here) was such a big deal I think Ernie Accorsi would have put in my contract a bonus, or a clause, (requiring me) to be here 50 percent of the time, or 100 percent. That right there should tell you it’s not a big deal. He was one of the best general managers in the game. Off-season workouts (with the team) are about keeping guys in shape that don’t want to be in shape. Guys kind of stray off, eat the wrong food.

"Of course (TC and Eli) want guys here. Why wouldn’t they? But when I was getting flak for not being here, it was still raining out and they were working inside the bubble.

"I’m not trying to change anybody’s opinions, I got a close group of friends. If you don’t like me because I don’t work out here, or if you think I’m not doing this to help the team, so be it. I do it because it’s on natural surfaces, it’s not below 40 degrees and I work out with college kids, kids who are trying to make it, not with guys who have to be here to receive a $25,000 bonus.

"I’m glad I came, I’ll be here for 10-15 days. I hope people get used to it, because next year it’s going to be the issue again, and the year after that.

"Leaders are made in-season, not in the off-season. That’s just how I feel. If we played a game next week, I’d be here. If it benefited me that much, I’d be here. I’d be the first person here in the morning and the last to leave if it benefited me that much.

"You’d have to ask Eli. I was out at practice today, I maybe caught two passes the whole practice, so it’s nothing new for me. The offense seems the same, I miss the guys, but my off-season home is in Florida, and it seems every year people don’t understand why.

"I think it’s a slap in my face that people question me about trying to better myself. I have to take care of myself first in order to better this team. I’m not drinking every night, out every night; if I do go, I guarantee I’m going to work out the next day. Just the fact that people question how hard I work… I play hurt, I’ve played with broken bones in my body and I’m going to continue to play like that.

"It seems like no matter what I do, it’s not good enough for the people in this area. But I feel like I’m the same player I was at Miami. I’m 26 years old and I know the window’s closing, so I want to win a championship. A couple of key guys have left, but if everyone works as hard in the season as they’re working now, we have a chance."

Plaxico Burress was not on hand, nor was Jim Finn, Michael Strahan or Kawika Mitchell. TC revealed that Finn injured his shoulder at some point recently and is having that checked out. Other tidbits:

-- TC said that Amani Toomer and Strahan would do individual work during next week's mini-camp, but likely no team drills or "bumping and grinding," as the coach called it. Justin Tuck will be held out of everything until training camp.

-- Corey Webster stood and watched most of the team work again today and TC said that's due to Webster's January hip surgery, not any demotion.

-- Zach Piller was out working with the O-line. TC sees him as a "sixth or seventh guy," but hasn't ruled out Piller beating out Rich Seubert for the starting right guard spot.

Guess they felt like the O-line depth could use a veteran boost. Piller, 31, is an eight-year vet, all with the Titans. He signed with the Lions on Mar. 26 and was waived on May 2. He missed all but three games in 2006 with an ankle injury and all of 2004 with a torn left biceps tendon.

This doesn't necessarily mean that David Diehl is permanently moved to left tackle... But adding an exclusively interior lineman doesn't help Guy Whimper's prospects to be the starter.

The Giants also cut DT Sir Henry Anderson and CB R.J. Cobbs.

A person who knows a thing or two about the front-office operations told me today that there any talk about former Giant DT Kendrick Clancy, who was cut by the Cardinals earlier this week. Clancy had a terrific year in 2005 with the Giants, then cut out for Arizona, where he had an injury-plagued '06.

And Clancy just signed with the Saints... So the Giants' interest is moot now. Carry on.

Oh, and Craig: If Newsday were looking to replace me, I'd like to think I'd still show for a meeting with the bosses. I still work here, as Jim Finn still works for the Giants. Apples and oranges though. Newsday's not paying me $720,000 to block for Blauber (our version of Tiki) and I don't have nearly as many concussions as Finn has.

And the Blauber-Tiki comparison isn't based on talent... More to do with the guy who talks too much.

A few items to toss out from a couple weeks off:

-- Attended today's OTA session, which didn't produce much in terms of concrete news, but certainly some tidbits. Amani Toomer (ACL surgery) spent the day jogging around the indoor field while his teammates worked out, and TC said that Toomer would be a one-a-day practice player in training camp.

-- Missing from the OTAs were Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress and Jim Finn. Burress and Shockey spent a little over a week running routes with Eli Manning and dusted out before the OTAs began; is that enough? Who knows? Strahan has always been in and out of these things. And Finn -- can't speculate there, but if it's a show of unhappiness with the way the team has sought a new FB this offseason, it's not the way to show it.

-- First unit defense today was Adrian Awasom and Osi Umenyiora at DE (Justin Tuck is still rehabbing his Lisfranc joint sprain), Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins at DT, Mathias Kiwanuka, Antonio Pierce and Kawika Mitchell at LB, R.W. McQuarters and Sam Madison at CB and Will Demps and Gibril Wilson at S. McQuarters, by the way, shaved off his trademark dreads. Maybe he needs the speed. Rookie CB Aaron Ross stepped in at LCB and McQuarters slid into the nickel slot in that package.

-- David Diehl worked at LT with the first unit the whole day. Rich Seubert, the starting LG, recounted a chat with a fan at a charity event over the weekend. The fan asked Seubert if Diehl would be the tackle this season. "I hope so," Seubert says he told the fan. "That means I get to play more."

-- While on vacation, the Giants sent out a copy of a letter to season-ticket holders informing them of a new parking policy: With construction of the new stadium beginning, the Giants are losing 5,000 parking spots on the complex site. So every spot at the Meadowlands will be pre-paid, $150 per permit for every five season tickets held.

I doubt this sits well with everyone who comes to the games. Please write in to let me know your reaction.

OK, that's all for now. Miller's Crossing is on. Gotta split.