What to Watch for Tonight!

     As many of you know, tonight is the first preseason game for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, who will be playing the Jacksonville Jaguars. This game will be all about backup players and position battles, as starters won't likely be on the field for more than 10-20 plays. That means we'll get to see more of our backups and rookies, who might become starters some day. So here are the best positions to watch for tonight.

1. Wide Receivers. This position will probably be the most scrutinized by coaches because of the importance of it. As of now, nobody has been named the 3rd wide receiver, but many have talked about Hixon taking over that spot. Unfortunately for Hixon, he's unlikely to play tonight due to a hamstring injury! This is interesting due to the fact that he wasn't listed on the injury report I wrote about yesterday. With Hixon gone, guys like Ramses Barden (who'll be the starter opposite Cruz), Reuben Randle, and Jerrel Jernigan can prove to the coaches that they belong in the 3rd wide receiver slot. Pay close attention to this position, as our next Victor Cruz might come out of it. LOL.
2. Running Back. This position will also be heavily scrutinized because of the importance of having a number 2 running back. David Wilson is looking to be the guy who backs up Bradshaw, although he'll have some competition with guys like Danny Ware and Andre Brown. Pay close attention to all of these guys during their quarterback protection plays, as the coaching staff likes that skill in a running back.
3. Linebackers. This is a position I am really excited to see. With the addition of Kieth Rivers (who'll start in place of the injured Michael Boley), our linebacker crew got extremely better. I'd like to see guys like Blackburn and Herzlich fight it out for the middle linebacker position. If these guys play really well, we might have fixed a whole in our defense that has been present for a couple of years.
4. Cornerbacks. This position is especially important due to the fact that we lost guys like Ross to free agency, and Terrell Thomas to injury. I have no more doubts about Webster, but what about another shut-down corner? We now turn to guys like Prince Amukamara to fill in the spots where Ross used to be. We also don't want to have to play Rolle in five different position like we did last year, so these guys have to step it up this year. Hopefully, we can finally get a great defensive unit.

Finally, here's an updated injury report for the Giants!
CB Terrell Thomas (knee)
WR Douglas (quad)
WR Hixon (hamstring)
RB Da'Rel Scott (thigh)
LB Jake Muasau (hamstring)
LB Boley (hamstring)
LB Jacquian Williams (hip)
LB Clint Sintim (knee)
TE Travis Beckum (knee)
DT Chris Canty (knee)
DT Bernard (knee)
WR Hakeem Nicks (foot)
DE Justin Trattou (ankle)
LT Beatty (back)

Unfortunately, I will not be able to watch this game live due to the location I am currently living, but I will tape the re-airing on NFL Network tomorrow at 12 pm, and analyze the game for you guys. Tune in tomorrow for that analysis and recap of tonight's game! Until then, watch these positions, and  GO GIANTS!

Quick Video to Start Your Day

     If your interested in an early morning laugh, Giants.com has posted an Exclusive: Sights & Sounds video that you should check out. It shows clips from all of training camp!

Clay Matthews and the Green Bay Saga

     If you haven't heard of it yet, Clay Matthews has decided to comment about the 37-20 loss against the Giants in last year's Divisional round of the playoffs. He believes that the Packers beat themselves in loss, and any other day they would have beat the Giants. He even went as far as to say that the Packers "handed them the game." Not only has Clay Matthews spoken about this issue, but allmost the entire Packers team has said that they believed that they lost the game, and the Giants didn't beat them. The only exception to this has been WR Greg Jennings, who acknowledged that the Giants were definitely that better team, and they should have won.

     These comments have made me lose a lot of respect for the Green Bay Packers and their players. You want to know why weren't playing the best football? Because you were playing the Giants. I mean, imagine if a commander for a losing army said that they just weren't fighting their best during the war, and that's why they lost. A loss is a loss no matter how it occurs. In fact, the definition of lost is, "(a game or contest) in which a defeat has been sustained." Just like the Falcons, the 49ers, and the Patriots, the Packers lost to the better team in all four games. Justin Tuck has even gotten fed up about the issue.

"Thank you for giving us the game, Clay," Tuck deadpanned. "I appreciate it a lot."

"Did they play their best ball?" Tuck continued. "I don't know. But we won the football game. I don't think they gave us anything."

     Totally agree Tuck.... Totally agree. That's all I've got for today. No practice reports due to the fact that the Giants were on a plane today, heading to Jacksonville in preparation for their Friday night preseason game against the Jaguars. Check back here tomorrow, for some information about what to watch for in tomorrow's game, as well as an analysis of their first preseason game.

Giants Injury News for Preseason Week 1

     Tom Coughlin has released the names of 11 players that will not play in the Giants' first preseason game Friday night against Jacksonville. LT Will Beatty (back), LB Michael Boley (hamstring), LB Jacquian Williams (hip), RB Da'Rel Scott (thigh), LB Jake Muasau (hamstring), CB Terrell Thomas (knee), DE Justin Trattou (ankle) and PUP list players WR Hakeem Nicks (foot), DT Chris Canty (knee), LB Clint Sintim (knee) and TE Travis Beckum (knee) all did not practice on Wednesday. In addition to these 11 players, Rocky Bernard went down in practice today with a knee injury and is listed as questionable for Friday night.

Just a quick little update on the injuries for the New York Giants. Stay tuned for more information on the Giants preseason opener!
     

Today's Wrap-Up

     Today was a pretty uneventful day in Giants Camp, although there were some pretty awesome plays that were made, which can be seen here. But there were a few interesting things that occured.

     Terrell Thomas spoke with the media today about his injured ACL and and a timetable for his return. He says that there was no pain or loss in strength when he aggravated the ACL, which is extremely weird for an injury like this. Also, when asked about a timetable for his return, mention that it should take between 3-8 weeks, adding "An ACL is either working or it’s not. Mines working… Thank God it’s working." That media session can be seen here.

     Running back coach Jerald Ingram and Tight End coach Mike Pope also spoke with the media. Jerald Ingram talked about the rookie running back David Wilson's progress, along with Andre Brown and Da'Rel Scott's chances at becoming the backup running back. "We want to make sure that he [Wilson] is secure with the ball, he's protecting the quarterback. We'll find the right plays where we can utilize his speed," Ingram said. "If he's not ready ... we'll do some other things to find out what he can do and not worry about what he can't do. He is going to be an integral part of what we do this year, somehow, someway." The Giants are looking forward to seeing Andre Brown's work in the preseason, where they'll be able to gauge how far he has come in the offense. Ingram expressed some concern towards Da'Rel Scotts inability to protect the quarterback, but he's dealing with an injury that has kept him sidelined for some camp time. "He hasn't been on the field an awful lot. We haven't played him in a game. Hopefully, we can get him in the game and see what he can do. I want, and we want to see an every-down kind of guy who has some size, who has some quickness, who has some finish speed, who can catch the ball out of the backfield, but can he be a continuous playmaker? Can he take care of our quarterback? That's what we want to see out of him."

     Mike Pope spoke about Martellus Bennett's progress in camp. Pope likes his blocking ability and believes that Bennett could become a great addition to the Giant's offense. "He made a lot of plays for [Dallas], he's a good blocker. He's a huge, big, powerful man and they did use him in more secondary pass games roles," Pope said. "He did catch some screens and do some things like that, but he didn't play a tremendous numbers of snaps for them. ... Bennett has the opportunity to not be somebody's younger brother and he can move into that tight end role." The only thing that's slowing him down is the transfer of play calling verbiage from Dallas to New York. Pope also spoke about how Bear Pascoe could become another Jake Ballard. "A year ago at this time we didn't know any more about Jake Ballard than we really know about Bear Pascoe in that role right now. If Bear can do what Jake was able to do and be a good player at the point of attack and be someone that the quarterback can trust and have chemistry with, then anything can happen." Fourth-Round pick Adrian Robinson hasn't been able to make as much progress as he would have liked due to his late graduation date at Cincinnati, so hopefully he'll be able to get into the swing of things as the Giants finish their last practice before their first preseason game Friday night against Jacksonville.

That's about all I have for now! Have a great night, and come back here tomorrow morning for more news about the New York Giants!

Terrell Thomas Injury Update: Possible Return This Season?

     Last week, there was some shocking injury news that came out of Giants camp: veteran corner back Terrell Thomas re-injured his ACL. This would be his third injury to the ACL area within three years, which is very concerning for this corner back who was once thought to be the best corner on the Giants' roster.Questions were beginning to form, not only asking if he'll play this season, but also if his career was in jeopardy.  Many Giants fans (including myself) were worried that it was.

     But Tom Coughlin was smiling after practice today, as he had received some GREAT news. According to Coughlin, Thomas was cleared by noted orthopedist James Andrews to start rehabilitating his ACL injury. To the relief of many, he will not need surgery on that ligament for the third time, and has already started his rehab in his home. The officially injury report that was agreed upon between Andrews and the Giant's medical staff states that Thomas “stretched” and “aggravated” the ligament but did not tear it completely.
“He’ll jump into a rehab program,” Coughlin said. “We’ll watch him very, very closely, we’ll hopefully accelerate the strengthening of the knee and see how soon he can join us and we’ll hope for the very best.”
The only concern Coughlin and the doctors have about Thomas' injured ACL is that it might swell. If that's the case, it will set back the rehabilitating stage by multiple months, which could be devastating to Thomas and the Giants. After multiple questions about the time frame for Thomas' return, Coughlin expressed some realities, “It would be wonderful if he went out there and did all these zigzags and came off and had no swelling and felt great and said, ‘Okay, what’s next?’ But I can’t tell you what the answer’s going to be when he does all of that.” The hope of some doctors close to James Andrews is that Thomas will experience no setbacks, and be back to practice within 3-5 weeks. That is REALLY great news. This would allow him to be on the roster for opening day, and soon play thereafter. Even though this is some really great news, there's always a possibility for a setback, and we need to keep up hopes that we'll see Thomas on the field again.