Giants Waive DE Justin Trattou; WR Brandon Stokley Officially Signed: In order to make room for WR Brandon Stokley, who was officially signed yesterday, the Giants have waived DE Justin Trattou. It is believed that the Giants will re-sign Trattou to the Practice Squad if he clears waivers.
Commenting on Stokley, Head Coach Tom Coughlin said, “He worked out very well. We know his past, his record, the way he’s played in the league. We think he can be an excellent addition to our slot performers and I think the young guys are going to benefit greatly from just watching and studying him.”
“He worked out the best (of all the receivers we worked out),” said Coughlin. “He displayed very good hands. Movement. Good condition.”
“(Stokley) gives us an experienced guy to play inside so we are excited to see what he can do and how quickly he can learn our nomenclature and assimilate the offense,” said Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride. “We are excited about having him…I feel pretty good about this particular guy because he is an intelligent guy who has shown the quickness that you need to react to with all the different variables that they place inside and also to have the quickness to get some separation when they are playing cover two or man. I think he will bring something to the table that we are looking forward to having and what we were really in need of since Steve Smith’s injury.”
TE Ben Patrick Ends Retirement, But Giants Reportedly Cut Him: According to The Savannah Morning News, TE Ben Patrick has ended his retirement and been reinstated by the NFL. Patrick also told the paper that the Giants have cut him.
“(The Giants) had the rights to me, but upon my reinstatement they had to release their rights,” Patrick told the paper. Patrick said he has not ruled out playing for the Giants. It is not clear if the Giants have any interest in bringing him back.
Patrick was signed as unrestricted free agent by the Giants in early August but was placed on the Reserve/Retired list less than a week later when he left the Giants for undisclosed personal reasons.
Injury Report – Tuck Practices, Nicks Still Out: Not practicing yesterday were WR Hakeem Nicks (knee), H-Back Travis Beckum (hamstring), DE Osi Umenyiora (knee), CB Prince Amukamara (foot), WR Ramses Barden (PUP – ankle), and OC Adam Koets (PUP – knee).
Nicks let slip on Wednesday that he has more more than a bone bruise; he also has a hyper-extended knee.
“(Nicks has) made good progress,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin.
“(On Friday) I’m going to go out there and do some individual, see how I respond to that,” said Nicks. “Did a little bit of jogging yesterday. Decided not to do any today. It responded good from yesterday though. The swelling went down. It’s a matter of bearing the pain now. It’s not too bad…I don’t really feel as much pain. Fully extending now. I feel like I’m good…If I’m feeling good like the way I’m feeling, I feel like I can go out there and play.”
DE Justin Tuck (neck) practiced in full pads on a limited basis. “He worked,” said Coughlin. “He almost worked everything. We’re going to list him as limited.”
“Gut feeling is I’ll play,” said Tuck, who was more guarded about his responses. “My gut was wrong once. I hope I don’t make that a trend.”
Coach Media Q&As: The transcripts and video of yesterday’s media sessions with the following coaches are available at Giants.com:
- Head Coach Tom Coughlin (Video)
- Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride (Video)
- Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell (Video)
- Special Teams Coordinator Tom Quinn (Video)
Player Media Q&As: The transcripts and video of yesterday’s media Q&A sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:
- HB Ahmad Bradshaw (Video)
- WR Hakeem Nicks (Video)
- WR Brandon Stokley (Video)
- DE Justin Tuck (Video)
Articles on WR Brandon Stokley:
- Stokley Reunites with Manning on Giants by Tom Canavan of The Associated Press
- Giants’ Brandon Stokley Ready to Show He Has Something Left by Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger
ESPNNewYork.com‘s 50 Greatest Giants: This list is bound to start a good debate.
Quotes: CB Terrell Thomas posted the following on his website: “I have been away for a while; I was devastated after the injury. I had to get away to gather my thoughts…I truly appreciate all my fans and followers; I feel that I let everybody down…This is the biggest example of life doesn’t always goes as planned. God has a plan for you and sometimes you can’t question or understand it but you have to go with it and this is what God has planned for me…I finally got my surgery date; it is next Friday. I am excited to get my rehab started.”
Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo on Head Coach Tom Coughlin: “I know this much: Tom Coughlin is one of the premier elite head football coaches in this league. And anybody that sees it otherwise, I think, is wrong in what they’re seeing. He’s proven it time and time again.”