Fresh off their second Super Bowl victory in a four-year span, you would think all the hoopla surrounding NFL training camps would be about the reigning champs. But alas, we are all drowning in Tebow talk. He has taken over our sports pages and yeah, pretty much our lives. Meanwhile, flying under the radar in Albany, New York, the New York Giants open up their camp trying to repeat as Super Bowl champs. A task that is not often seen in pro football.
The two hot topics of camp are the status of the oft-injured CB Terrell Thomas (who is recovering from a torn ACL) and reaction to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ brash comments on the Cowboys kicking the Giants a— when they meet in Dallas halfway thru the season in week eight. I assume I am also supposed to believe that Mr. Jones has temporary amnesia, forgetting his team’s 0-3 record versus the Giants in his shiny new mega stadium.
A concerned Coughlin didn’t hide his disappointment about Terrell. Terrell has since gone to San Francisco to see the same specialist who performed surgery on his knee last year. Justin Tuck was clearly distraught while talking about the injury stating, “I’ve never seen a man work so hard as he did to get back, and for this to happen; it’s heart breaking.”
The answer to Jones’s comment that the Giants gave was pretty much the same, first laughter then “we don’t care” came out of their mouths. Tuck put it perfectly when he said, “Talk is cheap, play the game”. Most of the so called “experts” have not even picked the Giants to win their own division this year and some even have them finishing third.
But the Giants are full of veterans who are unfazed by the lack of attention and most quite simply like it that way. Big Blue’s focus is on shoring up last year’s weaknesses and getting ready for the start of the 2012 season.
With only one week until the preseason, players are really showing off their skills at camp because as we all know many of roster cuts are made before September. Antrell Rolle was without a doubt the cheerleader for the team. During stretches and drills, he kept shouting “Here we go” and “Come on boys” over a hundred times.
Here is an inside look at all of the Giants who are competing for the starting postions:
With Jacobs going to the 49ers, the Giants need to find a back up for Bradshaw. Watch out for first round draft pick and rookie David Wilson from Virginia Tech. Saying he can run is a huge understatement. He’s extremely explosive. Victor Cruz has been boasting that the rookie is already showing not only the speed but the ability to read routes and go from inside to outside at the drop of a dime. For those wondering about Bradshaw’s feet, no need to worry. He’s taking all of the snaps and his feet are not an issue.
With the possibility of Thomas being out, the Giants need fill that corner position and Prince Amukamara has the inside track. Jerry Reese has also prodded Prince to play with more urgency and confidence..
The last position that I paid close attention to was the wide receivers. As coach Coughlin said when asked about the potential third wide out spot he said, “We knew coming into camp there were many people vying for that open spot vacated by the departed Manningham. Coach Coughlin even pointed out that David Douglas looked really good. Douglas is not a household name, not even to some Giants fans, so that’s another example of how open this spot is.
The rookie out of LSU, Rueben Randle got a lot of snaps and good catches, however Jerrel Jernigan appears to be making a strong case for a bigger role. Eli threw different routes to him and each time and whether it was the deep ball, short ball, or with full coverage he comes out with the ball in his hands. Again don’t sleep on second round value pick Rueben Randle who could make it a tight race.
