BROWN OUT
The Giants suffered their first training camp casualty as rookie fourth round pick André
Brown, the running back out of North Carolina State, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a jump ball thrown by QB David Carr. The rookie will have surgery on Tuesday and will be lost for the 2009 season, a tough, tough break given that he had done so well up until this point.
With Brown done, that leaves free agent Allen Patrick as the only other running back in camp unless Dwayne Wright, who had been taking his snaps at fullback, is shifted back to his original position. The Giants could still bring n another player to replace Brown once they officially place him on injured reserve.
Otherwise this evening’s practice was all about the receivers and how crisp they looked. Overall, we thought the Giants receivers, who looked outmatched earlier in camp, ran their best routes so far and were equally aggressive in terms of fighting off the press coverage and gaining separation down the field. We really like how the Giants are working more deep passes into their repertoire and we are excited about the prospect of seeing some bombs completed to this group of speedsters.
INJURIES
For the evening, receivers Sinorice Moss (hamstring), David Tyree (unknown), and Steve Smith (knee); corners CB Aaron Ross (leg) and CB Corey Webster (hip); DLs Chris Canty (hamstring), Justin Tuck (foot), DT Rocky Bernard (hamstring), and Fred Robbins (knee); and LB Michael Boley (hip/PUP) missed the practice due to injury.
PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
* Earlier today head coach Tom Coughlin said to not read too much into the fact that rookie LB Clint Sintim is taking snaps with the ones at SAM. Well, tonight marked the third practice in a row where Sintim played with the big boys. The rookie is really holding is own, and we think one of the most impressive things about him is that he doesn’t look lost in coverage.
* Nice job by our early pick for offensive MVP, Ramses Barden, who used his height to his advantage in getting behind Stoney Woodson and CC Brown to snag a pass from David Carr thrown down the middle. Barden, who has seem a bit of work out of the slot, rarely drops balls that are on the money and he’s really got us excited about the contributions he’ll likely make to this offense.
* Domenik! That Hixon kid continues to feel right at home in this offense as a starter, and one thing we’re seeing is that he has a knack of finding the soft spots in the zone coverage and exploiting them. Tonight one such instance of that was a catch from David Carr in which Hixon just slipped between two defenders to make the grab
* We’re starting to think that receiver Derek Hagan might, repeat, might have a chance of making this roster after all, especially since David Tyree can’t stay on the field and Sinorice Moss’ hamstring keeps flaring up at the worst possible times. Tonight, Hagan reeled in a pair of passes from Eli Manning.
* Hakeem Nicks, looking to make up for time lost due to an injury that kept him out of a few practices earlier in the week, showed no signs of wear or tear on a deep post route. He caught the ball from David Carr in stride and then came back on the following play with a sideline catch on a square out.
* Shaun Bodiford contributed to the receiver-fest by beating DeAndre Wright over the middle to snag a pass from Carr over the middle.
* Let’s not forget about Mario Manningham, whom is expected to see a lot of time as a returner Monday night if whispers are true, caught a deep ball from Carr as well, beating Terrell Thomas in coverage.
* The Giants tried a fake field goal in which holder Jeff Feagles, aquarterback in another era, tried to connect with Rich Seubert, a one-time tight end. DE Mathias Kiwanuka (did he also play offense as a youth?) knocked the ball away, which prompted Seubert to start moaning about pass interference that was never called.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS
It might have been a coincidence that today, the day Michael Vick was introduced as the newest member of the division rival Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants decided to practice against the Wildcat. But at least they’ll be ready should the Eagles look to try the versatile Vick in that formation.
“When he was in Atlanta, they explored a little bit of the run and shoot, they (were) pulling up the running back,” said Giants safeties coach David Merritt. “Now, he’s hungry… his ability to come back after being off, and wanting to show everybody what he can do in this division. He is the ultimate wildcat quarterback.”
Unlike in college, the NFL version of the Wildcat can take on many different looks that and throw a defense off balance. “There are a lot of different forms and variations of it, how they can line up the formations and so on and so forth, but we’ve been working all off-season expecting the Wildcat,” Merritt said. “Now, of course, with Philadelphia adding Michael Vick, it’s going to be interesting to see what they do.”
COMING UP
Correction on Pat’s preview – it will be ready on Saturday, as by then head coach Tom Coughlin should have a better idea as to who won’t play in Monday’s preseason opener. She’s also working on a weekend player feature – not sure who it’s on, but look for it either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Finally my apologies for being a bit late with this report. My wireless card decided to quit on me tonight and I had to find an internet café to send this report to the home office.
-- Reported by Jim Murphy
