Fred Robbins uptick, Peter King on Shockey's exit

Vinny DiTrani Wed Morning Camp Report

Garafolo passes along an item of note- Brandon Jacobs went out of his way to praise the yoy improvement of Fred Robbins. I have to agree with Garafolo here that these are the items that are information on the margin. All the players are busy trying to survive camp, so when your starting RB notices the improved line play of a defender, it is noteworthy.

Peter King's recounting of the way the Shockey left dovetails with how this blog opined. The key was that this was a steady erosion- the Giants did not wake up one day and go from happy with #80 to wanting to move him. His disenchantment rose progressively through the offseason. The Giants' hand was pressured in April and it was forced after minicamp. This point is important- the Giants did NOT trade Shockey because of any perception that he was "addition by subtraction" in the Super Bowl run.

Marvelous color on the NY Giants

We have not seen a single preseason game, let alone the regular season, but Marvelous is willing to share his first impressions:

1) Lawrence, Long Island, NY roots of Shane Olivea make him well known to Marvelous, who says the Giants got lucky here and if the guy can stay clean he will be a GREAT pickup. "I really believe he will be a fixture on the team for years to come. Does not matter whether he is a second stringer or what, the Giants STOLE HIM. The Giants were good for him and he will reward them."
2) Manningham reminds him of Toomer. Does not run great routes, the future lies ahead of him, all in his hands (literally and figuratively). "He could become a very good player, a steady member of our offensive arsenal, all up to him."
3) "I think Phillips will start, he is terrific, he has the goods, will be very important to us. If he doesn't start at the first snap of the season he will not be far behind."
4) The injuries (so early) are making things tougher to put into perspective... annoying more than anything else.
5) "Kiwanuka will be an excellent player at LB. Very smart. He will not be a DE. More confidence, stability, long arms, long steps, he will okay, a winner, he may surprise a lot of people." He is very concerned about the LBers and this is why Kiwi is CRITICAL to the Giants this season. "Wilkinson bothers me with all his injuries."
6) Concerned about defensive backs gelling. "Madison at his age? ..Injury prone. Makes up for it with his smarts."
7) Concerned about Jacobs. Injury prone, also "slowed up at the end of the year, hit the hole like an old man. I lost confidence in him at the end of the season and was shocked that the Giants did not use Bradshaw more. The 4th and 1 play call (Patriots final drive) to Jacobs was an abomination- he looked very slow and very tired."
8) Toomer is no youngster but he is very important, always the escape valve for Manning.
9) Offensive line is cohesive. "Snee is the best on the line. McKenzie showing some wear, will be a problem this year, he played out of his skull the past season and it will catch up to us. This guy (Olivea) from SD is going to help us here, since he plays RT. Very strong, a motor that does not stop, I am telling you we stole him."
10) O'Hara has the smarts, important.
11) Dallas is the team to beat, no contest. All Stars everywhere.
12) "Let's see if Bradshaw can improve his game. I am hearing he is in great shape, he can give us that extra energy to put us over the top."
13) Last but not least, "my faith in Eli Manning is enormous. I absolutely feel he will be clutch when it counts. His resolve is enormous, he finds ways to win games. He is the Giants, he is the man, God forbid he gets hurt."

I will not pin a prediction on Marvelous until the end of preseason, but he definitely supplied us with plenty of color here, thanks Marvelous.

Puff piece on Phillips from NFL.COM

They have had what, like 4 days of camp? So this hype on Phillips means very little. But it could be worse. He could be wallpaper too. So we will take it for what it is worth. All I know is that we have 4 guys competing for spots so that can't be bad. And it sounds like Phillips can cover ground with speed that is slightly better than Butler, so this is a good thing.

Monday Camp Reports

Mon Morning Practice

Training Camp Video Update

Mon Afternoon Practice

Kiwanuka: "Football's a lot more fun now ... than it was when I was learning from the beginning." Whether this experiment works or not, whether it is justified or not, Kiwi is a total professional and has done whatever the Giants have asked of him. He is articulate and takes the high road every time.

Wonder comments on Favre and a possible Jets landing

Late last week Wonder had the opportunity to discuss the possibility of the Jets going after Favre: "If they're smart, they make a STRAIGHT UP TRADE FOR PENNINGTON...given GB's lack of QB depth/exp., he would be perfect for Rodgers, etc...the Jets would prob have to throw in a mid-range draft pick..but would make a LOT of sense...Pennington should be mentor/backup at this point...Penn. would prob have to take a pay cut..but what are his alternatives ?? OR trade him to the BEST team for him- VIKINGS...no wind, great record in dome, great running game and DEF,...and if Jackson slips at all, they' ve got CP to start...so give GB a 2nd or 3rd, and get a 4th or 5th for CP. Make Favre a TWO year deal/offer that's incentive laden with a caveat that he MUST complete the second year ($$ penalties etc)"

Excellent Bob Popa compilation by NFL.COM

Bob Popa calls the Giants charge to a championship. Still just as sweet.

Training Camp Hype and Reporting

Every year it is the same parade. The same beat writers get fed the same stories and quotables from mostly the same sources. If you don't have a VIP Pass, word from more than a few attendees at camp is that you can't see s***. If you are attending camp and have posted to this site in the past, you can email us and we will get your comments on the blog. I am sure you can give us better info than these beat writers because your perspective and agenda and are not clouded.

The things we look for in training camp are the following: where is the competition for jobs, who is on the bubble, who is having a standout camp, which rookie/s is making an impact, significant injuries/loss of playing time, second string depth (especially in preseason games).

The things we do not look for in training camp are the following: creampuff beat writer canned pr positive pieces on individual players, one unit's superiority over another unit from one practice to the next, how wonderful the team is doing. (Unless it is 0-4 in camp it is always doing wonderfully.)

There were two things I remembered from last year's camp: we had depth and there was a kid named Bradshaw who looked really good. Everything else was the usual bs, worried about Strahan getting injured (I was sure he was going to, but nonetheless, he took a while to get in the flow anyway, which just meant he was smart enough to go slower and not overdue it and THEN get injured), watching Manning's accuracy. So the point is that if you can find ONE player who is going to make a difference and one macro theme, that is pretty good for takeaways from this circus sideshow they call training camp.

New York Giants Training Camp Day #2

New York Giants Training Camp Report Day #2

items of note>
1) competition at Safety going exactly as anticipated with Johnson and Butler fending off Phillips and Knight early on because of their familiarity with the system, but the latter doing well and projecting a very tight race for starting jobs
2) Manning threw a lot of picks
3) McQuarters, Pierce, Tollefson, Webster and Thomas all mentioned for individual plays
4) Kiwinuka mentioned for sliding in at DE. Can you say 5-1-5 nickel? Now that is a TRUE double nickel. Coughlin went out of his way to praise his attitude and work ethic.
5) Hixon played well on offense. He is taking advantage of the extra time coming from Burress being inactive.
6) With Clark and Wilkinson limited, Kehl and Blackburn getting a lot of work.

ALSO:
Moss on the bubble... this time for real
Coughlin says Burress IS hurting, ankle is sore
Nate Robinson was cut
Jessie Armstead is a volunteer coach
Derek Brown (!) sighting
Asante Samuel strained his hamstring in Eagles camp

Bob Glauber on the Giants

First day of camp

Sound bytes from morning practice on the ultimatenyg NY Giants blog.... Garafolo on the afternoon report from camp.

Eli Manning is the leader of the offense. He is simply more relaxed, now he is talking about receivers getting reps, TEs getting reps. He is focused on improving, and if he does the Giants are in very good shape.

Michael Jennings?!! I believe it was Sinorice Moss who mentioned that Jennings was making plays and looking very good out there. Remember, Jennings was making a lot of plays in preseason and was looking good until he got hurt last summer. We go from full to loaded at WR if Jennings is healthy.

Right now Ward, Bradshaw and Jacobs are sharing snaps with the first stringers.

Plaxico Burress was in camp but did not practice. He was on the sidelines on the bike and in meetings. Coughlin on him not practicing: "his ankle." Others are speculating it is all about the holdout, that he is not practicing because of the contract dispute. On the surface that is not true, but at this point this is what we are fed and it might still be part of a work 'slowdown.' Garafolo chronicles all the ongoings...

Coughlin singled out a nice play by Kenny Phillips in morning practice.

Wilkinson on PUP List

The news that Wilkinson is on the PUP list is not good. I THINK THIS IS JUST A SMOKE SCREEN FOR THE NEW RULES FOR 2008 LIMITING THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS THAT CAN PRACTICE AT TRAINING CAMP. This guy needed the reps, he has the speed, this is supposed to be his breakout year with lots of playing time and possibly some impact. A setback for the LBing corps, which was already the weakest unit on the team. I think it is just the latest NFL technique to keep as many bodies on the squad as possible for as long as possible.

Jared Lorenzen lands in Indianapolis.

Osi highlights

Tyree will be put on physically unable to perform list.

Jacobs to play out the last year on his contract. This is a good move for everyone. The Giants have plenty of RBs, so why not make Jacobs earn his next contract in this year. He has only played one season as a starter and was injured multiple times. I hope he plays great, stays healthy this season and the Giants have to pay up for his services in 2009.

Shockey speaks to the Saints media, and NY listens in.

Pre-camp ideas and things to watch for

1) Safety? Butler. Johnson. Knight. Phillips. Pick 2. At this point people are saying that Knight and Phillips have the best shot to be the starters this season, but this position is WIDE OPEN. I hope there is enough depth so that Butler is cut. But in a strange way, I would not be surprised if he started! This is because all 4 are imperfect. They each have strengths and weaknesses.

Butler (see previous post's remarks from Spags) is a good tackler who knows the system but is freaking slow.

Johnson is entering his sophomore year and he should rate to grow with a nice jump in comfort in Spags' system. He has the starts (5) from last year to put him incontention for a lot of playing time.

Knight is the veteran with experience, intelligence and strong run stopping skills in the box. But he is weak in coverage and is new to the system.

Phillips is the classic wild card. Rookie #1 pick who everyone will be watching. The level of his play in camp and this season will not only dictate how strong we are at this position but how strong the entire defense is and by that comclusion how well the entire team plays. Remember that when rookie #1 Aaron Ross got inserted into the starting lineup (literally H2 of the Redksins game in W3), the tone of the defense accelerated and the team never looked back. So if Phillips hits the ground running, his presence can be felt QUICKLY.

2) ELI MANNING. Weakest link? Star QB who overshadowed the performances of 4 straight Pro Bowl QBs en route to the Super Bowl? If new Eli is with us in 2008 this team will be a bear. Eli has been talking exactly like what you want to be hearing this offseason- knowing full well about the games where he was weakest link and that he can do a lot to improve to get the team to be ultracompetitive this year. Eli never got too high and that works to his advantage in not coming crashing down to earth. Eli is not resting on his laurels.

3) Do we have any speed at LB?

4) Does Diehl's play at LT improve? We cannot afford to have the 2nd highest sacks allowed and expect (playoff) competitiveness this season again.

5) Can we get Woodson or Carr to become a credible backup? If I know the Giants they will probably cut Wright in deference to the promise/pedgiree of newest arrivals. Otherwise it would mean an immediate admission of error in the draft pick or reclamation project.

6) Do the rookies of 2007 ascend and make the dramatic impact in 2008 we are hoping for? This holds so much promise for the team.

7) How does the team shut down the run w/o Strahan?

Spags

Giants coaches spoke to the media yesterday.

Spags:
1) Linebacker is (parsing his words) the biggest weakness on the defense
2) he likes the secondary now because as a group there are a lot of bodies and a lot of competition
3) he singled out Butler's solid play from the end of last season, doing a lot of quiet/unnoticed things during games that were very important to helping the team win
4) happy he has all his positional coaches back in all the same spots
5) the elephant in the room- how will the run defense make up for losing Strahan?

New York Giants sign Kenny Phillips

New York Giants sign Kenny Phillips.

Now all the Giants need to do is get Plax in camp and this will be one happy family for preseason.

Jeremy Shockey traded to the New Orleans Saints, Part 2

John Mara: "I had a couple of long conversations with Jeremy this spring and summer. From those conversations, it was apparent to me that a fresh start was the best thing for us and for Jeremy."

READ BETWEEN THE LINES, the Giants wanted him because they were better WITH HIM. This was not their choice or their thinking that they were better without him. Their hand was forced.

NEXT. If the Giants are healthy, they can get the job done without Shockey. Gilbride you nitwit, wake up and USE your weapons. Spags had four tremendous pass rushers, he found ways to get ALL going north to the QB and (use Kiwi and Tuck for) wreaking havoc on guards and centers. With Gilbride we have Shockey in on every down... blocking. OMFG.

There once was a time when the Giants drafted a rookie phenom in the first round who immediately turned heads when he hit the field. He too was filled with all kinds of energy, and physically was a man amongst boys. His name was LT. And Parcells (first as his defensive coordinator and then as head coach) knew how to manage the man-child. Let him do what he did best. Give him his own set of rules. Keep him happy. Make no mistake, LT was a rogue too. Just like Shockey, LT was a party animal with the same unbounded energy. The only difference is that Parcells let his rogue sleep through meetings, and (for better AND for worse) looked the other way at times when it came to LT's drug use.

IS SHOCKEY A PEA BRAIN? Absolutely! He was unhappy because he felt he was being impeded FROM HELPING THIS TEAM. He simply needed coaches that could communicate with him and figure out ways to make him happy. They all knew the team was far stronger with this ballistic missile pointed at the opponents. By the end, he was pointed at the gmen and he had to go. This was NOT Shockey's fault. It was Coughlin and (specifically) Gilbride's. I have said it here before and I will say it again.. when you get a Maserati you do not put it in midtown traffic to collect fares. This was a wasted asset, plain and simple. (Ultimatenyg pointed out the day after he went down with a broken leg that the Giants would NOT miss Shockey because he already was being so underutilized that it did not matter. Sad indeed.) Smarter athletes would have channeled their drives to suit the needs of the team. In fact, the way I saw 2007, with how Shockey was a model citizen and on-field TEAM player, how could you complain? So the facts here are that he is gone and that we should stop looking just at Shockey and more at the Giants organization for why this failed. You get a player with his skills once or twice a generation, they often come with some asterisks, and if you can manage the asterisks you can win championships on their shoulders.

Gilbride still mismanages his talent. Try using Boss in pass patterns more if his hands are much better than his blocking. Get Bradshaw on the field more. Run him on screens in open space. (Despite Strahan and Umenyoira starting at DE) Spags found ways to get Tuck on the field all the time. So when we won the SB and everyone was talking up Spags for a head coaching job and no one was talking up Gilbride, were you surprised? When it came to this, that Shockey had to be traded, it should not have been a total surprise.