Giants Re-Sign HB Derrick Ward: The Giants have re-signed restricted free agent HB Derrick Ward to his 1-year, $850,000 tender.
Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress Skipping the OTAs: TE Jeremy Shockey and WR Plaxico Burress were not in attendance at yesterday’s Organized Team Activity (OTA) day, the third of nine OTA days the Giants will have before the offseason program ends on June 15. And both missed the first two OTA practices as well. Apparently, both showed for about a week and a half of pre-OTA drills and then left the team again. This was after Burress had told the media earlier this month that he was committed to working with Manning the rest of the off-season. Basically, he lied.
“I think you always need to work on things and you need your rhythm and timing back before mini-camp and everything starts back up,” said QB Eli Manning. “I don’t know when (Shockey and Burress are) here or not. You have to ask them…(I) accept it. I have to do what I have to do. I have to be positive and make the best of every workout with whoever’s out there and wants to come out to practice and work. So those are the guys I’ll work with and try to get as good as we can get with them.”
Also missing from yesterday’s OTA practice were DE Michael Strahan and FB Jim Finn. No reason was provided for their absences. The Daily News is reporting that 84 of the 88 players on the roster attended the voluntary OTA practice. “We’ll talk about the guys that are here,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin.
The first two OTA days were devoted to individual and special teams drills. The Giants have another OTA practice on Friday, four next week, and one on June 11. Then there is a mandatory three-day mini-camp on June 13-15. Speaking of yesterday’s OTA practice, Coughlin said, “We worked against each other for the first time. That’s always good, to see some people in different positions and to get the young guys out there. They get a lot of stuff thrown at them and we see how they handle it.”
Injury Report: Not practicing yesterday were WR Amani Toomer (knee), DE Osi Umenyiora (unknown injury), and DE Justin Tuck (foot). CB R.J. Cobbs recently had a knee scoped and will be sidelined one more week according to The Star-Ledger.
Diehl and Whimper Split Time at Left Tackle with First Unit: LT/LG David Diehl and LT Guy Whimper split time at left tackle with the first-team offensive line at practice yesterday during team drills. Diehl also saw action at left guard. However, Diehl’s individual drill work was at left tackle.
“I’m getting work at both (tackle and guard),” Diehl said. “I’m doing whatever it takes during our individual drills and watching film to be prepared to play both. Time will tell. It’s still early. We’re still not fully into it. But I’m working hard to get my technique right at left tackle and doing whatever it takes to prepare to play the position. I’m still getting reps at left guard which I figured would happen.”
“(Diehl) plays left tackle and he plays left guard,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “We’re going to evaluate everyone that’s out here. We’re going to try to come up with the best combination. I’ve been pleased with David at left guard and David at left tackle. As we get into this, we’ll see more about Whimper. But he’s handled everything we’ve thrown at him well.”
“I still have more work to do, but I feel myself getting better every day,” Whimper said. “I do a little extra work every day. It goes a long way when you do the little stuff that they ask you to do or they don’t ask you to do. I’ve gotten a whole lot better from this time last year. I was a lost puppy dog. I didn’t know about anything. But now I have a better understanding.”
Madison and McQuarters Starting at Cornerback: Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters were the first-team cornerbacks at practice yesterday. Corey Webster worked with the second team.
Article on PK Lawrence Tynes: Tynes Sets Sights on Making the Giants by The Associated Press
Notes and Quotes: Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is having the defensive players practice picking up loose footballs and returning them for possible scores.
“We call it scoop and score,” said CB R.W. McQuarters. “We don’t get enough work during practice, because the offense does a good job catching the ball and securing it and tucking it away. We figured if it’s an incomplete pass or however the ball is on the ground, we’ll pick it up as if it were a fumble or somebody knocked it out. It’s another level of conditioning. It gets guys running to the football. Even though you’re on the backside and it’s an incomplete pass, or you’re on the right or the left and it’s an incomplete pass in the middle of the field, when you see the ball hit the ground you think, ‘Run, go get it, pick it up and go.’ Even if it’s incomplete, you keep going because you’re going for the scoop and score.”
With Strahan, Umenyiora, and Tuck not practicing yesterday and Mathias Kiwanuka at linebacker, William Joseph was forced to play defensive end.