Well, that was pleasant…
-
- July
- 20
Had a great vacation, and now it’s back to work. Let’s see. What did I miss when I was away?
Well, Tom Coughlin went to Iraq and came back, fully awed by the servicemen he met over there. Oh, and he got back just in time to celebrate the birth of his seventh grandchild.
Third-round tight end Travis Beckum signed his contract.
I guess that’s about it. The players are still off until the Aug. 2 report date for camp. But until then, we’re going to be talking a bit about what issues await the Giants in Albany. Here’s a few things to keep in mind.
1. WIDE RECEIVERS: An old story that’s been retold countless times during the offseason, but looming large just the same. The Giants never did get that experienced pass-catcher through free agency, and it’ll be a huge surprise if they pull off a trade for one of them at this point. So, unless something strange happens, they’re going into camp with a bunch of young, mostly untested players. Sinorice Moss is the veteran of the group, which can’t be good news, especially after he ended minicamp with a nasty hamstring strain. Domenik Hixon stands as their Plaxico Burress-like downfield threat, and Steve Smith could be looking at filling the Amani Toomer role. Then there’s last year’s third-rounder, Mario Manningham, coming off a very productive minicamp, and first and third-round rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, both of whom showed ability in minicamp but whose true potential should come out once the pads go on in the upstate heat.
2. WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER: Free agent pickup Michael Boley was supposed to be the answer to their problems over there, but now he’s had hip surgery and will miss at least half the camp, if not the whole thing. And he definitely won’t be there for the regular-season opener as he sits out a one-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. That means Gerris Wilkinson, Jonathan Goff and Chase Blackburn will get plenty of time over there. Have to see how long it’ll take Boley to come back from missing all that work in a system he was just starting to learn and enjoy.
3. DEFENSIVE LINE: There’s all kinds of talent up there, with free-agent newcomers Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard joining, on paper, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Dave Tollefson, Jay Alford, Fred Robbins, and Barry Cofield. Problem is, Bernard didn’t do a thing in minicamp because of a shoulder injury. Cofield sat after microfracture surgery and may be very limited during camp. And there’s a good possibility Robbins, also a microfracture guy, may wind up on PUP. It’ll be interesting to see how Coughlin and new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan plug that middle.
4. SAFETY: Michael Johnson could be the breakout star this year, but all eyes will be on strong safety and Kenny Phillips. He’s a starter now, and appeared to be getting more comfortable with his assignments after a rookie year in which he looked a bit lost at times. If he gets it all down, the missile-like hitter is going to become a terror.
5. Tight End: They’re expecting Kevin Boss to take the next step. He’ll have injury-prone Darcy Johnson breathing down his neck the whole time. The real question, though, is how they’ll use Beckum. He’s more of a move guy, and they could turn him into an H-back. Makes for a lot of interesting personnel packages if he shows any quality at all.
We’re still two weeks away from camp, but it’s never too early to comment on any of these things. So let’s start talking.
EP
This entry was posted
on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 9:21 am by Ernie Palladino. 
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Ernie Palladino
Mario was a third rounder, fyi.
Good catch. Duly corrected. Thanks.