Domenik Hixon is really making the most of his opportunity this pre-season. As the top 3 Giants wideouts continue to sit, Hixon continues to impress. He was the star of the game against the Browns on Monday night. He finished the game with 4 receptions for 63 yards and two TDs. He also ran back a kickoff following a safety for 82 yards to the end zone. All his scoring action happened in the crazy first quarter and the Giants never looked back.
The starters looked head and shoulders above the Browns' starters on this night. Browns starting QB, Derek Anderson suffered a concussion and hurt his wrist after he was sacked by Osi Umenyiora in the 2nd Quarter.
Danny Ware also showed some nice flashes of talent throughout the second half as he racked up 97 yards on the ground on 10 carries. He had also made a 59 yard kick off return.
Eli, who struggled in the first quarter in the Lions game, finished 4 of 7 for 52 yards and two scores.
The Giants have had a full training camp and have not had their full wide receiver corps healthy at all. The majority of receivers have been struck with nagging injuries that haven't allowed them to practice much at all. This could create a chemistry problem with QB Eli Manning. Just when Eli and the receivers seemed like they were really starting to click during last year's post season, this injury issue happens. Plaxico Burress has barely practiced at all until recently taking part in walk throughs. Amani Toomer and Steve Smith have had persistent injuries that have sidelined them for much of camp and Rookie Mario Manningham has been slow in recovering from a quad injury, frustrating the coaching staff.
Eli has also began to speculate if this will lead to a little rustiness early on. Here's an article that delves further into this problem from the Daily News by Ralph Vacchiano:
Eli Manning wonders when receivers will take the field
Derrick Ward is in the midst of a pretty important training camp. He has to battle with backfield mates, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw for playing time this year. He proved last season that he could be more than just an insurance policy.
Ward is looking to show that he can be a an effective weapon despite being a part of a crowded backfield. He was almost a forgotten part of last year's team when he went down with a broken leg against the Bears. He made some big contributions when injuries struck the Giants backfield and made sure the offense didn't skip a beat. He hopes he can re-capture that short lived success and remind Giants fans that this could be a three headed monster rather than a two man show.
Mike Garafolo of The Newark Star-Ledger writes an article on Ward: New York Giants RB Derrick Ward Ready to Play
It was the first time all camp that you could catch Plaxico Burress wearing pads. After sitting out all of training camp so far due to a bum ankle, Plax finally hit the practice field yesterday. Burress seemingly hasn't practiced in about a full year as he didn't sniff the practice field since the very beginning of last year as he fought through injuries.
It was good to see Burress taking a step in the right direction, although he was only jogging some routes and participated in the walk throughs. The Giants got him back but did not have Toomer or Derrick Ward on the practice field. According to the Newark Star-Ledger, Tom Coughlin said, "We’re going to have to see with them, they both have sore knees and are going to have to see the doctor." The team is hopeful Ward will return to practice Thursday as there is no practice to be held today.
While there is a lot of hype and attention surrounding Giants rookie Saftey Kenny Phillips, Terrell Thomas is flying under the radar a bit but has still impressed the coaches to this point. Here's a good read on the second round pick out of USC by Tom Rock of Newsday:
Giants Rookie Thomas is First-Class Second Rounder
The Giants knew they had considerable depth at WR but they didn't expect to see some players rise to the occassion in training camp. Domenik Hixon, a special teamer for most of his NFL career, has really stepped up while many of the top Giants WRs are nursing injuries early in camp.
Hixon was signed last year after being cut by the Broncos early in the season. He served as the team's return man and showed very good speed and had a couple returns for touchdowns. He was given a chance to be looked at more closely as a true WR option when Burress, Toomer, Steve Smith, and Mario Manningham all suffered injuries in Albany.
He has continued to wow the coaching staff and they now envision him as a potential deep threat WR due to his blazing speed. But Hixon wants to become a viable option for Eli and not just a player who sees afew snaps a game. He has an uphill battle to climb to get more playing time but it should be interesting to see what his role will be come time for the regular season.
Here's a nice article from the Newark Star Ledger by Jenny Vrentas that focuses on Hixon and how he's learning from fellow WR, Amani Toomer:
Hixon Learns from One of the Best
The Giants only conducted a walk through indoors due to unfavorable weather conditions.Those who did not participate include:
WR Plaxico Burress (ankle), WR Mario Manningham (quad), WR David Tyree (PUP - knee), RT Shane Olivea (back), LB Jonathan Goff (back), and CB R.W. McQuarters (undisclosed personal issue)
Some good news on the Giants rookie LB, Jonathan Goff. He had suffered a fractured transverse process in his back in the pre-season opener and the early indication was that he would be out indefinitely and possibly miss of all his rookie year. But now GM Jerry Reese has said he is hopeful that Goff will return in time for the last pre-season game.
Also, rookie DE Robert Henderson was cut after he suffered a serious ankle injury. He was drafted in the 6th round.
Plaxico Burress has yet to practice during traing camp but don't think it's in relation to his off season contract demands. Burress has a bum ankle and doesn't want to play the season with a nagging injury like he did all of last year. We all know Burress does not need to practice to make an impact on Sundays but it would be nice to see him get some reps in with Eli soon so they can get their timing back down.
Burress comments on his current injury status after running some routes:
"I definitely want to be out there, but Plaxico Burress has to take care of Plaxico Burress. I’m going to make all the right judgments as far as my health, as far as my ankle before I go out there on the football field. When I get out there, I’m going to be running a hundred miles an hour with no restrictions."
Burress also watched as his agent, Drew Rosenhaus left Albany without a new contract. But Burress claims there won't be a problem if a deal was not reached by the start of the regular season. "For a guy like myself, when I’m on the football field, I’m concentrating on football," said Burress.
Jerry Reese still feels like a deal can get done soon but no real talks have been reported as of late.
Source: Newsday
The pre-season is officially underway for the Giants and things did not go as smoothly as they would have liked, especially with the first unit.
The run defense was great as the front line closed any running lanes and stuffed Lions Running Backs all night. The problem was limiting the big plays through the air. The Lions were able to put up 7 points on their first drive despite not gaining any significant yardage through the run game. There were missed tackles and blown assignments but it was still just the first pre-season game and it takes some time to shake off some of the rust.
MLB Antonio Pierce commented on the defensive play by saying, “Obviously, giving up seven points on the first drive is never a good thing. We did a good job against the run. With the big pass plays down the field, we have to work on that, but guys are running around and had a lot of energy. That’s a good thing. We’ve got more work to do. That’s why you play the preseason.”
The first team offense looked out of sync. Although Brandon Jacobs made a real pretty juke that faked out CB Brian Kelly and he busted out a 20 yard gain. Bradshaw and Ward were non-factors in their attempt to gain more carries.
There was indeed a Sinorice Moss sighting as he connected with Anthony Wright on a 46 yard bomb down the sideline to set up the Giants' first points of the night. WR Brandon London also made a very nice catch after the run and continues to impress the coaching staff.
Those who did not participate in the game were:
WR Plaxico Burress (ankle), WR Steve Smith (groin), WR Mario Manningham (quad), WR David Tyree (knee), OT Shane Olivea (back), LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee), CB Sam Madison (sports hernia), and S Craig Dahl (knee).
