Justin Tuck plans to be on the practice field shortly. He did not participate yesterday evening because of a sore foot. Apparently it’s not an issue.

“It’s all good,” he said after lunch.

So what happened?

“I’m a vet now, they gave me a couple of days off,” he said.

And when he was asked whether he was on the Michael Strahan Plan, a smiling Tuck showed incredible foot speed.

“It’s not that plan,” he said. “Not at all. Not even close. I got maybe 10 more years before I get on that plan.”

Practice starts in about 30 minutes. It was pouring here a short time ago, but it’s beginning to get brighter.

A report in the Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier is citing sources that say Ahmad Bradshaw got preferential treatment while serving a month in jail earlier this summer for violating probation. It also indicated he might have to return and serve another 30 days after the season. Bradshaw still has not addressed the incident here, on the advice of counsel, of course.

(AP Photo/Tim Roske)

I’ll share a humorous note from defensive line coach Mike Waufle before I head back over to practice for a quick look at who’s on the field and who’s not.

We got confirmation that Michael Strahan wants to be here.

“He called me,” Waufle said. “He was driving down the freeway, and he was going, ‘I want to be at training camp.’ I said, ‘You weren’t here last year, so what’s the problem.’ He goes, ‘You know, I’d really like to hit somebody right now.’ So I said, ‘Just don’t hit anybody in the car, OK?”

After spending the last few days cramming all things Giants into my brain, I woke up early this morning and headed up to camp for a first look around. The deer were just going to bed.

I’ve found the cafeteria.

What a spread. The jar full of gummy bears at the dessert station was a nice touch. I’m guessing the students up here don’t eat like this. Either way, I packed in enough carbohydrates to get through a couple of hours in front of the computer.

What else have I discovered?

Wide receiver Amani Toomer was back on the practice field this morning after sitting out yesterday with a swollen leg, and he made a couple more nifty grabs.

After waking up dizzy on Tuesday, offensive tackle Adam Koets did not practice.

Wide receiver Steve Smith was out with what is being labeled a strained groin.

“That’s day to day or practice to practice,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

Safety Craig Dahl was re-signed this morning. He was a long-shot member of last year’s team, who played in nine games and suffered a Week 17 knee injury against the Patriots. Dahl was released in February after failing a physical.

“We have been monitoring his progress all along,” Coughlin said. “We brought him in last weekend and we had a workout. He is in excellent shape and he demonstrated that he is ready. He is a guy who has been in our system for a year, a good special teams player and a good player for us and we had the opportunity to bring him back.”

Safety Terrance Stringer, a rookie who suffered a hamstring injury yesterday, was released.

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress is still holding his helmet on the sideline.

The enthusiasm and range saftey Kenny Phillips is displaying so far is very impressive, but it sounds like Coughlin might be asking the rookie to dial it down a little. In a limited-contact practice this morning Phillips was one step away from leveling a couple of teammates.

I’m going to be hanging around the Giants a couple of days a week, and I welcome any input from those of you who’ve been following along. Fire away.

(AP Photo/Tim Roske)

Plaxico Burress missed the first training camp practice on today with an ankle injury while his agent spoke with the Super Bowl champions about renegotiating his contract.

“There is no connection,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press when asked if Burress was sitting out because of the contract problems.

Burress, who caught a late game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, refused to practice during a minicamp in June until the team gave him a new contract. He was fined about $25,000.

He has three years remaining his six-year, $25 million deal. He will earn $3.25 million this year, $3.5 million in 2009 and $3.75 million in 2010.

Burress refused to comment after the morning practice at the University at Albany.

Coach Tom Coughlin had said on Thursday that Burress would be limited to one practice a day because of an ankle injury but the team’s leading receiver told him this morning that he would not be able to practice.

Greetings from Albany, where it’s gray and awful outside. Perfect football weather, no?

The players were filtering in this morning and will be taking their conditioning tests this afternoon. A large group of reporters waited outside the dorms where the players will be staying on the campus of SUNY-Albany, and Rich Seubert got the proceedings off to a nice start by dropping his cell phone as he got out of his truck, sending the battery flying.

Most players stopped to take questions, but one player who didn’t, however, was Plaxico Burress. With Jeremy Shockey gone, Burress’ contract situation is now the biggest off-field distraction hanging over camp; after explaining his feelings on the matter last month at mini-camp, the wide receiver wasn’t interested in an interview today.

After getting out of his SUV, Burress opened the trunk and began unpacking his stuff … which was stuffed into several large trash bags. Seriously. Burress carried the bags inside to his room (dropping a few items along the way), and it’s not entirely clear why he chose to use plastic instead, say, a regular suitcase.

Maybe he’s trying to make a statement about how his contract is so bad that he can’t afford to buy regular luggage? Burress has three years and about $10.5 million left on his current deal and, while I know Tumi is expensive, you’d figure he could at least pick up a second-hand TravelPro or something …

In other news, Brandon Jacobs said he’s done negotiating for a new contract and is content to play out the rest of his current deal. Jacobs wants to show he’s healthy enough to play 16 games this season and knows that if he does, a big payday could be waiting for him at the end of the year. “It is a very motivating thing, for sure,” he said. “I had 1,000 yards in 11 games (last year), if I play 16 games, I’ll lead the league, that’s my take on it.”

Other players who stopped were Eli Manning, TE Kevin Boss, David Tyree, Justin Tuck and Sean O’Hara. Michael Jennings rolled up in his smoothly-detailed Chevy Caprice with 22-inch rims. He also had No. 15 shaved into his head. Looked good.

One theme that several players harped on was how they relish the notion that it will be difficult to repeat, particularly since the Cowboys have spent so much money this offseason in upgrading their roster. When asked why observers would write off the defending champs (some people are picking the Giants as low as third in the division for this season), Tuck said, “Maybe because Dallas tried to buy a Super Bowl this year. Maybe because everyone’s made these blockbuster deals moves. I guess we’re not that flashy team everyone thinks we should be.”

A moment later, Tuck was asked if he felt the Giants were still the best team anyway. He smiled and said, quite simply, “Yes.”

Giants were in Albany today in preparation for the start of training camp, and the coaches took questions. Here is a selective Q & A.

Is it harder to sell team over self after the team has won the Super Bowl and now everybody is looking for credit and/or more money?

Head coach Tom Coughlin: … Team over self was why we won. … one of the things that I was most proud of, and I have told you this, was that we were not a team that ever really looked backwards, we constantly looked forward and that was in the good times and the bad.

I think that attitude will permeate the position that we find ourselves in this year and I think that with the quality of the individuals that we have, the character of our team, that they certainly are going to realize that the attitude about believing in one another, about supporting one another, about the idea of taking the names off the back of the jerseys, that is what served us best last year.

Are you disappointed about what Jeremy Shockey’s situation turned into?

I think as an organization the decision was made that it was in the best interest of Jeremy Shockey and the New York Giants to start anew, start fresh.

How is it going to be without two strong personalities in the locker room with the absence of Michael Strahan and Shockey?

I think that I would use the quote that Michael used at his retirement press conference when he said that he chose to retire and move on believing that there were others ready to move into his position, not only from a playing standpoint but from a standpoint of team leadership. …We wish Jeremy Shockey nothing but the best. Jeremy Shockey is an excellent football player. He is an individual who loved the game, loved to play the game, was a good physical blocker, as I said, and a guy when he caught the ball and had it in his hands could make things happen. His time here… certainly we enjoyed coaching him and we wish Jeremy nothing but the best.

Have you been studying any other Super Bowl championship teams and how they fared the next season?

Yeah, I know all the numbers and that will be the first lecture.  I know in particular what happened here, I am just speculating on some of the other teams, but we have looked at them, we have studied the numbers, and we do know some of the facts that we will use.

The Giants agreed to terms with first-round choice Kenny Phillips  and  will be heading to training camp with all their draft picks.
The safety from Miami will earn roughly $11 million over the next five years under terms of the deal, the Associated Press reported.

The Giants signed cornerback Terrell Thomas, their second-round choice, on Monday, the day they traded tight end Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans for two draft choices.

The Giants have big plans for Phillips, who was taken with the 31st and last pick of the first round. They lost starting free safety Gibril Wilson to Oakland in free agency. Veteran Sammy Knight was signed for the immediate future, but it still left the Giants with a future need, and Phillips more than fills it.

The 21-year-old Phillips started 33 of 34 games in three seasons with the Hurricanes, including all 12 this past season at free safety. He finished his career with 203 tackles, including 15 for losses. He also intercepted seven passes, forced three fumbles and recovered one.

Columnist Sam Borden writes that trading TE Jeremy Shockey was the right move. You can read the story here. Here is a taste:

“There was a time when it was thought that Shockey might end up being one of the great Giants, one of those Giants. He was a big-time player in the biggest city, a star among stars. Lately, though, it just felt like he was a train with one wheel loose, careening toward goodbye.”

And Alex Myers talked to local fans about what they thought about the move. This quote sums up those sentiments:

“I’m happy. I never liked him anyhow,” Garnerville’s Tim Hekl said. “He wasn’t happy anyway, so I think it’s better for the team.”

The above AP photo shows Shockey’s last moments as an active member of the Giants.

Update: 4:30, Here is what the Giants had to say regarding the Jeremy Shockey trade:

General manager Jerry Reese: “Jeremy Shockey was a great competitor and contributor during his years with the Giants. We wish him well in New Orleans.”

Head coach Tom Coughlin: “Jeremy is a very talented football player who always played with great enthusiasm and great effort. He was excited about playing. Jeremy always enjoyed being a physical football player and a tough football player.

“He’s an outstanding football player who plays the game full speed and plays the game the way it was meant to be played. He is a physical blocker who is a gifted athlete with the ball in his hands after receiving the ball down the field. I wish him the best.”

Team president John Mara: “Jeremy brought great energy to the game every time he stepped on the field. He had a close relationship with my father from the time we drafted him, and 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.”

Team chairman Steve Tisch: “I really appreciate the effort that Jeremy gave on behalf of our organization. We had a special relationship, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

In case you missed it, here’s what everyone’s talking about:

Tight end Jeremy Shockey has been traded to the New Orleans Saints for a second and a fifth-round draft pick in 2009. FoxSports.com first reported the story.

Shockey will be reunited with Saints head coach Sean Payton, who was Shockey’s offensive coordinator during his productive rookie season.

In his six years in New York, Shockey was a four-time Pro Bowler. He is fourth on the Giants’ all-time reception list.

This past season, Shockey battled an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final two games of the regular season and the Giants’ run to a Super Bowl title. Rookie Kevin Boss took over most of Shockey’s tight end duties.

The NFL must still approve the trade and Shockey needs to pass a physical for it to become official. If it does, the Big Blue career of one of the team’s most outspoken and talented players in recent memory will be over.

I just finished a column for The Journal News and LoHud.com tomorrow on the Giants’ personal seat license program.

I spoke with John Mara, and with some long-time fans who will have to pay a lot more if they want to go to Giants games in 2010.

 Jeff Gold provided the basics on the new seat prices and PSL costs.

The letters are going out tomorrow, Friday, in batches of 5,000 letters at a time. The Giants promise that they are doing it in batches so that they can handle the questions that season-ticket holders are sure to have, and that nobody will get any first-come, first-served priority until all of the current season-ticket holders have received their letters and everybody has had time to have questions answered and to return their forms and requests for 2010.

But, if you want an early preview on what to expect cost-wise, seat-wise, PSL-wise, stadium-wise in 2010, click here.