Tag Archives: New York Giants News

DT Markus Kuhn was held out of practice with a leg laceration of unknown origin.

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The Giants hit the field for Day Two of rookie minicamp this morning. There were several developments….

Jamaal Jackson, the former Eagle veteran OL, decided to retire. He had said that he wanted to give the NFL one more shot. He did, and found that it was no longer for him.

“He came in, he was very nice,” Tom Coughlin said. “He just said, “Coach, I just don’t feel like my heart is in it.””

DT Markus Kuhn, the team’s seventh-round draft pick, did not participate in drills due to a non-football related leg laceration.

“They looked at him and he has a laceration on his leg and they wouldn’t let him go,” Coughlin explained when asked about Kuhn. He later went on to elaborate that Kuhn’s absence had not tarnished his chances of making the roster:

“I can’t say much because I haven’t seen practice. But he is a very, very interesting young man.  We studied him on tape and we thought that he would be an outstanding prospect for us.  He is a thick body; powerful young man who I think will put some more weight on and he will be able to squat in there and do a nice job inside.  He has a very, very interesting story.  It was nice to talk to him a little about that in terms of – he has played club football in Germany – small teams – 20 guys on a team and that kind of thing.  He certainly did an outstanding job at N.C, State.  We are excited about him.  I just wish we could have gotten to see him a little bit out here.”

Coughlin said he did not believe the Giants had safety Janzen Jackson (pictured) on their draft radar.  He was asked why Jackson, who has had legal issues in his past, was being given an opportunity by the team:

“Because the scouting department felt he was a talented guy who had the same old deal – transferred out of one place – was a starter at one time at Tennessee.  They felt good about him but I don’t believe he was ever in the discussion.  I could be wrong.”

Rutgers RB Joe Martinek comes in with glowing reviews from both GM Jerry Reese and Director of Scouting Marc Ross. Coughlin seemed to like him as well, calling him “very steady and “versatile”. He believes Martinek can play both RB and FB and possibly get some receptions out of the backfield.

“He caught it well,” Coughlin said. “I think he learns well and I think he is very motivated and I think he has some position versatility.”

 

Tagged New York Giants News |

There are several backstories that may interest Giant fans this weekend. Of the 59 players and hopefuls invited to rookie minicamp, there are a few seeking to redeem and resume their NFL careers.

Former Texas star WR Limas Sweed, a former second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is at TIMEX this week to try to catch on with the Giants. He is built along the same line as Ramses Barden (6’4″, 220) and may just be the guy to put the pressure on the underachieving fourth-year receiver.

Sweed is available after a few years of underachieving himself in Pittsburgh. Some personal issues and a torn Achilles tendon have kept him on the sidelines since 2009. He may finally be ready to fulfill some of that potential.

“I’ve been playing football all my life,” Sweed said yesterday as per Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News. “And when you’ve lost something like football, you don’t let it go. You do what you have to do. That’s putting the work in, overtime, being here at a rookie minicamp and just having fun and starting all over again…..By whatever means it takes to get back, I’m willing to do it.”

OC Kevin Gilbride seems to like what he sees of Sweed: “…a big, tall guy that you can see maybe physically why people thought enough of him a few years ago to draft him as highly as they did. He looks like he’s a little bit rusty. He’s got a ways to go in terms of sharpening some of the things he was doing in the expression of his routes, but he’s a big guy that looks like he can catch it.”

Some other names on the veteran list include former Eagles’ OL Jamaal Jackson, CB Dante Hughes – a former 3rd round pick of the Colts who last played in San Diego, LB Nathan Triplett and OL Rich Ohmberger.

Tagged New York Giants News |

Minicamp dominates the Giants headlines today, but it comes with more than just the normal hollow praises. The team inked all of their seven draft picks before they hit the field yesterday, a by-product of the new CBA and rookie wage scale.

“That’s one of the true advantages right there,” Tom Coughlin said after the morning session yesterday. “They’re all signed as of right now as far as I know.”

The rookies were eager according to Coughlin and that is a good sign. 59 players, including all seven draftees and the recently signed eight UDFAs, are all hopeful of landing a spot on the Big Blue roster.

“It was a great experience being out there for the Super Bowl champs,” said OL Matt McCants. “We just took it as an opportunity to get better each day. I’m trying to show I’m able to get better, I’m able to learn fast and be very tough. That’s it. I just want to get better.”

Some observations from the beat pool….

“At 5-feet-10, 205 pounds, (RB David) Wilson is no Brandon Jacobs. But he is fast and explosive. He runs through tackles. He’s tough to bring down. And he can catch the football. In short, he might be just what the Giants need to resuscitate the league’s 32nd-ranked running game that didn’t wake up until it was nearly too late last season.” - Clark Judge, CBS Sports 

“(TE Adrien) Robinson needs to work on his blocking form and got plenty of instruction from tight ends coach Mike Pope on throwing his hips into his blocks on the sled. But receiving-wise, there have been few issues so far.

This morning, Robinson made a nifty catch on which he showed his reflexes. This afternoon, he had a juggling grab in 7-on-7 passing drills and easily beat undrafted free agent safety Jojo Nicolas on a “seven” route (i.e. a “flag” or “corner” route) when Nicolas failed to maintain outside leverage, to the chagrin of safeties coach David Merritt.” – Mike Garafolo, The Star-Ledger 

 

Tagged New York Giants News |

Day One of Giants Rookie Minicamp is in the books and the early returns are rolling in. Although it’s too soon to make a determination, the Giants could actually be better than they were last season when they won, uh, the Super Bowl. RB David Wilson flashed his speed, WR Rueben Randle showed some polish and TE Adrien Robinson opened some eyes with his athleticism….our insider Mike Garafolo was over at TIMEX yesterday….

OC Kevin Gilbride on Wilson: “He looks very fast, which we knew going in. But to actually see it on the field, it was – I’m trying to think of the right word – encouraging, exciting. Both of those things seem to come to mind. He looks like if he has a hole, he’ll hit it and has a chance to do some damage….”

Perhaps the key pick in this year’s draft was Randle, the second-rounder. The Giants would like him to establish himself on the outside, so they can keep Victor Cruz in the slot, maintaining that huge mismatch over defenses.

“Certainly Hakeem (Nicks) can go deep, but you need that third component so that when people start skewing and clamping down on Cruz and Nicks, you got a guy that, if it’s one-on-one, has the ability to get over the top and hurt people like Manningham did,” Gilbride said. “Whether it’s JJ Jernigan, whether it’s Ramses Barden or whether it’s Reuben Randle, we need somebody to be able to do that. He looks, between his size and what looked like the speed he had on film, that he has the potential to do that. I have my fingers crossed. Hopefully somebody does.”

Robinson displayed his potential on several plays yesterday and the Giants could be right about him being the JPP of tight ends if he develops.

“That’s quite an endorsement. I’m not sure I’m ready,” Gilbride said when asked of the comparison. “I know [Jerry Reese] just said that and I’ll live by his critique, but he does look like he’s got a lot of physical ability. But he’s just real, real raw.”

Gilbride pointed out that Robinson did as many things wrong as he did right yesterday, such as running wrong routes, but feels he can grasp the game at this level.

“The good thing is you just like to see a guy that has the physical potential to do some things. He looks like he has that. How quickly he can assimilate our offense, how quickly he can recognize what defenses are doing and make the appropriate and correct adjustments, that’s a long way off. I don’t expect that to happen. But I did want to see a guy that could run a little bit. He looks like he can do that.”

Day Two should show us a little more. Stay tuned.

Tagged Giants Rookie Mini Camp, New York Giants News |

Tom Coughlin is the NFL’s oldest head coach and has two Super Bowl victories under his belt, but continues to work harder than every coach in the league.

Today at TIMEX, he stood steward over the Giants’ newest crop of young faces, a process that never seems to get old to him. He met the media after the group worked out as Giants for the first time…..

(more…)

Tagged New York Giants News, Tom Coughlin |

The Giants got the financials in order by signing their remaining three draft picks today, just in time for the rookie minicamp this weekend.

The team’s top two picks: RB David Wilson of VT and LSU WR Rueben Randle were reeled in by Jerry Reese along with seventh-rounder, DT Markus Kuhn. There will be no distractions in camp salary-wise for this group, who the Giants hope can hit the ground running.

The team also officially announced the signing of eight UDFAs: WR David Douglas (Arizona), WR Julien Talley (UMass), FB Joe Martinek (Rutgers), G Stephen Goodin (Nebraska-Kearney), DE Adewale Ojomo (Miami) DE Matt Broha (Louisiana Tech), S Jojo Nicolas (Miami) and S Janzen Jackson of McNeese State.

Tagged Giants Rookie Minicamp, New York Giants News |

Here is the official list of players in attendance at this weekend’s Giants rookie minicamp: 59 players in all….

2012 GIANTS DRAFT CLASS
NO	LAST	FIRST	POS	EXP	COLLEGE
34	Wilson	David	RB	R	Virginia Tech
82	Randle	Rueben	WR	R	LSU
36	Hosley	Jayron	CB	R	Virginia Tech
67w	Mosley	Brandon	T	R	Auburn
81	Robinson	Adrien	TE	R	Cincinnati
71w	McCants	Matt	T	R	UAB
78b	Kuhn	Markus	DT	R	NC State
2011 FREE AGENTS
70b	Marshall	Craig	DE	1	South Florida
31b	Bing	Brandon	CB	1	Rutgers
60w	Capers	Selvish	OL	1	West Virginia
84	Hopkins	Christian	TE	1	Toledo
2012 FREE AGENTS
17r	Perrilloux	Ryan	QB	1	Jacksonville State
3w	Talley	Julian	WR	R	Massachusetts
19w	Douglas	David	WR	R	Arizona
38w	Martinek	Joe	RB	R	Rutgers
46w	Donnell	Larry	TE	1	Grambling
46b	Nicolas	Jojo	S	R	Miami (FL)
48	Jackson	Janzen	S	R	McNeese State
54	Broha	Matt	DE	R	Louisiana Tech
68w	Reinders	Joel	T	1	Waterloo (Canada)
71b	Ojomo	Adewale	DE	R	Miami (FL)
79	Goodin	Stephen	G	R	Nebraska-Kearney
ROOKIE TRYOUTS
2w	Edmond	Coleman	WR	R	California
6w	Davis	Damian	WR	R	Mary Hardin-Baylor
6r	Suozzo	J.R.	QB	R	Merrimack
8	Collins	Brandon	WR	R	SE Louisiana
9w	Howard	Jamar	WR	R	Central Missouri
13	Adeyemi	Al-Rilwan	CB	R	San Diego
15	Lott	Marcus	S	R	Coastal Carolina
17b	Young	Jerrell	S	R	South Florida
35	Dudley	Jay	LB	R	LSU
43	Houston	Ryan	RB	R	North Carolina
45	Williams	Korey	LB	R	Southern Miss.
47	Muasau	Jake	LB	R	Georgia State
49	Doty	Kevin	TE/LS	R	Lafayette
53	Campbell	Terrence	G	R	South Carolina
60b	Hudeen	Basim	LB	R	Idaho State
61	Skinner	Bobby	DT	R	Montclair State
62	Colling	Randy	DT	R	Gannon
63	Holloway	Max	LB	R	Boston College
68b	Wilson	Oren	DT	R	Akron
VETERAN TRYOUTS
74	Ruch	Caleb	G	R	Rutgers
2b	Bond	Jy	P	1	No College
3b	Stitser	Clint	K	1	Fresno State
5	Sweed	Limas	WR	3	Texas
12	Hughes	Dante	CB	5	California
18	Hill	Will	S	1	Florida
19r	LeFevour	Dan	QB	2	Central Michigan
19b	Rolle	Maurice	CB	1	Louisiana-Lafayette
31w	McNeal	Shawnbrey	RB	1	Southern Methodist
33	Whitley	E.J.	CB	1	Abilene Christian
38b	Triplett	Nathan	LB	3	Minnesota
58	Ohrnberger	Rich	G	3	Penn State
67b	Larimore	Dexter	DT	1	Ohio State
70w	Jackson	Jamaal	C	8	Delaware State
73	Witten	Lindsey	DE	1	Connecticut
75	Albritton	Scott	LS	1	Colorado State
78w	Foster	Renardo	T	3	Louisville

Tagged New York Giants News |

The Giants announced that they have come to terms with RB David Wilson, their top selection in this year’s NFL draft.

The deal is reportedly for four years with an optional fifth year thrown in…from Tom Rock of Newsday….

“The first-round pick signed his rookie contract this morning, just hours before he hits the practice field for the first time as a member of the Giants. It’s a four-year deal with a team option for a fifth, according to a source. He’s slotted for a signing bonus of about $3.3 million.”

This leaves only two of the team’s seven draft picks unsigned going into minicamp: WR Rueben Randle and DT Markus Kuhn.

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Update 10:45 – According to reports the Giants have also comes to contract terms with second-round selection Rueben Randle
…..more to come

Tagged New York Giants News |

Today is the day the rookies get their first taste of NFL life when the Giants open rookie camp ay their training facility at the Meadowlands. We will have the latest on all the fun, so stick with us all weekend.

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The Giants came to terms with their third-round selection last night: CB Jayron Hosley of Virginia Tech was inked to a four-year deal as per Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger:

“The team’s third-round pick will sign a four-year deal, according to someone informed of the progress of negotiations. The person requested anonymity because the Giants haven’t announced the contract yet…..Based on his slotting as the 94th overall pick, Hosley’s deal will include a signing bonus of $515,000.”

They also signed their second fourth-round selection – OL Brandon Mosely – to a four-year deal.

The Giants and fourth-round pick OT Brandon Mosley have agreed on a four-year deal, source confirmed. Should compete for job at RT in camp.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) May 11, 2012

 

Garafolo: “Mosley, the second of the team’s two fourth-round picks, will get a $300,584 signing bonus.”

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Scott Spratt of Pro Football Focus questions the Giants’ selection of Virginia Tech RB David Wilson in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.

“Wilson, in particular, strikes me as an odd choice. He is within an inch in height and ten pounds of Bradshaw and has a similar skill set. He provides no change of pace. He is depth. When Bradshaw is tired or hurt, Wilson will do Bradshaw things. And that realization sparked my own creativity. Why do the Giants believe they need more Ahmad Bradshaw?”

Spratt answered the question by explaining the Giants need to have a proper run/pass balance to ensure the safety of QB Eli Manning….

“With the increasing likelihood for a pass, defenses appear to have noticed. Eli was sacked merely 16 times in 2010. That number jumped to 39 times in 2011. Some of the blame can be placed in a diminished offensive line that fell from top-10 in 2010 at +2.9 in pass protection to dead last in 2011 at -99.3, almost twice as bad as the lamented Bears. However, some blame has to land on Brandon Jacobs, the lone Giants back who rated negatively as a blocker last season.

All of a sudden, Wilson makes a lot of sense. He can help the Giants as both a rusher and a blocker and could be the keystone to a return to a balanced offense. As such, I advise some tempering of expectations when it comes to the Giants’ passing game. Eli, Hakeem Nicks, and Victor Cruz will not stop being good, but they may not have quite as many opportunities to show you just how good in 2012 as they did in 2011.”

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One player who may open some eyes this weekend is WR David Douglas of Arizona. His pro day was very impressive but there were apparently no NFL GMs present to see it. He went undrafted and was signed by the Giants as a UDFA after the draft. The Giants don’t really have room for another WR, but you never know….

“The 6-1, 205 pound Douglas was overshadowed throughout his career by (Juron) Criner (who was taken in Round 5 by Oakland) but timed faster (4.40-4.46) and surprised scouts with his crisp route-running and soft hands despite the ugly weather. “The other receiver was pretty good. He had a strong workout. He may have moved himself into the 7th round Monday.” There were few big names among the scouts and coaches on hand for the workout. There were no general managers or head coaches present, though the Buffalo Bills’ Director of Scouting Chuck Cook did attend.” - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

“The speedy receiver turned scouts’ heads at Arizona’s pro day by running a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. Douglas also turned in impressive performances in the 225-pound bench press drill (20 repetitions), and demonstrated his 37-inch vertical jump. He is projected as a potential late-round draft pick.” – John Kreger, CBS Sports

Tagged Giants Rookie Mini Camp, New York Giants News |

The incredible comeback of safety Chad Jones, the 2010 third-round draft pick who nearly lost his leg in an auto wreck two years ago, will have to wait a bit longer.

The Giants have said that Jones will not be on the field at TIMEX this weekend for the team’s rookie minicamp. From Paul Schwartz of the Post:

“Though his presence at the Giants offseason workout program is uplifting for him and his teammates, Chad Jones is not close to making his NFL debut, and he will not participate in the three-day rookie mini-camp that begins Friday.”

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The Giants are expected to sign another of their draft choices today. Tuba-playing offensive tackle Matt McCants, the team’s sixth-round selection out if UAB, should be in the fold before rookie minicamp opens tomorrow. From Mike Garafolo:

“Offensive lineman Matt McCants and the team reached an agreement today on a four-year contract, according to McCants’ agent. The sixth-round pick is expected to sign on Thursday, one day before the start of rookie camp.

According to someone smart enough to do the math on this stuff (i.e. not me) McCants will receive a signing bonus of $88,232 on his deal. Though some are disagreeing with me on Twitter right now, I say that will buy him a lot of tubas.”

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One of the more-watched draftees this weekend will be fourth-round selection Brandon Mosley, the G/T out of Auburn. He could be another big hit for Jerry Reese an the Giants. From Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York:

“Giants believe Mosley is old school, tough-minded and versatile like David Diehl. Diehl could start at right tackle this season with Kevin Boothe at left guard and Will Beatty at left tackle. So Mosley could sit and learn this season and provide depth and perhaps compete for a starting spot next season. At best, perhaps Mosley can compete at right tackle this season.”

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