Plaxico Burress looked strong in his running drills, but they were under the watchful eye of a trainer, not WRs coach Mike Sullivan. Plax isn't worried about missing too much time -- I'm betting he also doesn't worry about Al-qaeda, global warming or whether Lindsay Lohan will ever be a viable Hollywood star again -- but TC is, now that we're at 12 days and counting.
Also out for the morning: TE Kevin Boss (shoulder), WR Marco Thomas (groin), K Lawrence Tynes (calf), LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee), CB Travonti Johnson (quad), LB Barry Robertson (don't know) and DEs Osi Umyniora and Justin Tuck, who will both work this evening.
And yes, yes -- E.J. Underwood was back yesterday. My apologies.
As for practice this morning, lots of missed connections deep by all three QBs. Eli attributed his misfires to a well-rested arm. "Their legs are tired and my arm's fresh. Not the greatest combination," he joked.
Jared Lorenzen hurt his knee, not his ankle, in yesterday's collision with Kevin Dockery, and he almost added an arm injury today when Tommy Davis bull-rushed Guy Whimper straight into Lorenzen's throwing motion. Whimper was not good again today, and neither was Adam Koets, who went missing on a special teams drill and got bawled out by TC.
Best catches of the session went to Anthony Mix, who dove to snatch a ball from the middle of three defenders -- if only the 6-4 Mix could do that more consistently -- and Mike Jennings, who got Corey Webster coming in and caught a nicely floated throw by Eli with room to scamper 20 yards for the score in a two-minute drill.
On D, Will Demps earned more snaps with the 1s, at FS and SS, spelling Gibril Wilson and James Butler on occasion. Webster worked both corners with the 1s as well. Marcus Bell, who did not have a good game on Saturday as a starter, dropped to the 3s, with Jay Alford taking DT snaps alongside Jonas Seawright. TC mentioned again how poor the interior run defense was, and Barry Cofield and Bell were the starters there.
Best overhead coaching moment: Assistant O-line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, a fellow Boston U. alum, to an unnamed lineman during a footwork drill: "Finish with a burst! Don't go ruining my drill with that stuff!" With the Boston accent it sounds bettah. Trust me.
Back with more from the evening.
Comments (4)
Nobody should be worried about whether or not Lindsy Lohan will ever be a viable Hollywood star again.
Sounds like Demps may get a chance to earn a starting spot with the reps got today.
Any word on the severity of Tynes calf injury?
Thanks Arthur...I enjoy your writing. Question, re: Demps. He looked very fast and strong on Saturday night. Although many people consider him a bust, I felt he played much better, and stouter, at the end of last season What's your take on how much injury played a factor in what he did and didn't accomplish last season, and do you know if he feels completely healthy this season? If so, how dramatic a change in his play should we look for?
Arthur, I don't believe I have asked you anything thus far, but I want to ask you this:
Gerard Warren, a defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos, is supposedly to be released or traded. Is there a possibility that the Giants might be one of those teams looking to go after him?
What a great comparison done in a Newsday article the other day b/t Peyton and Eli at the same point in their careers:
Here is where each stood after three years: Peyton: 26-22 record as starter, 0-2 in playoffs; Eli: 20-19 record, 0-2 in the playoffs. Peyton: 1,014 of 1,679 (60.4%) for 12,287 yards, 85 TDs, 58 INTs; Eli: 690 of 1,276 (54.1%) for 8,049 yards, 54 TDs, 44 INTs.
Then, in his fourth season, Peyton Manning's Colts didn't make the playoffs and after his fifth season lost 41-0 to the Jets in the wild-card round. It wasn't until his sixth year in the league that he won a playoff game.