The Day at Camp

First the big news, of sorts is the addition of DT Manuel Wright, the former USC standout whose claim to fame so far as a NFL player is his misadventures with the Miami Dolphins, where after joining the team following the 2005 supplemental draft, he never really quite fit in with then head coach Nick Saban.

Wright was caught on camera crying after getting into a row with Saban, and then decided his heart wasn’t in the game so he sat out last season as he dealt with depression. He did get picked up briefly by Buffalo, but they let him go on May 10 of this year after he had some problems with his weight, a problem which head coach Tom Coughlin said isn’t an issue now.

“He has done a pretty good job of getting his weight down and so we would like to take a look at him,” the coach said. But when asked if Wright kept himself in optimal football shape, he admitted, “No, I do not think he is completely in shape.  He has come down from being a little bit heavy, so I think he can go down some more.  Obviously two-a-days will help him a lot.  He will not get many of those now. “

Wright will wear number 77, by the way.

Too soon to speculate what the move means for Big Blue, but one thought that crossed our mind was that maybe this means the Giants are not counting on having holdout DE Michael Strahan back and that maybe they’ll be leaving William Joseph, who’s worked at both DT and DE, on the outside for  the season. Just a thought though.

Anyway, there were more roster moves. TE Darcy Johnson, who hurt his knee yesterday, will require surgery so he’ll be placed on injured reserve. DE Dek Bake (back) and CB Travonti Johnson (quad) were waived injured. And OL Chris Patrick, who last month was signed to a two-year contract after not being selected in the supplemental draft, was flat out waived. Patrick, from what we understand, has been having trouble adjusting to life in the NFL and has had difficulty grasping his assignments.

Also new to the Giants roster are OL Dan Parrish and Myniya Smith, who was in camp with the Giants last year.  

In a fitting tribute, the University of Albany is dedicating one of its new practice fields to the late Giants co-owners, Wellington Mara and Preston R. Tisch. Mr. Mara, who passed away after a battle with cancer, would have been 91 this month while Mr. Tisch succumbed to his own battle with cancer about a month after the death of Mr. Mara.

“I think that is a wonderful idea to recognize those two gentlemen who are pillars of the National Football League and the community,” Coughlin said.  “They are both great men in their own right.  For the University at Albany to recognize those gentlemen and their contributions is a wonderful thing.  We are all proud of the fact that the University will do that.  Just one more thing in the name of those two gentlemen will help leave their legacy.”

Who’s Hot
Jared Lorenzen. After looking a little shaky the last few days, the Hefty Lefty looked the sharpest out of the quarterbacks, connecting with WR Anthony Mix and Marco Thomas on two timing plays.

Sam Madison. We've been hard on the veteran, so we'll throw some kudos his way for a gorgeous leaping interception he made of an Eli Manning pass intended for Sinorice Moss.

E.J. Underwood. He's trying desperately to make up for some lost ground when he was absent with an injury for a few days, and today he did a good job stating his case by jumpong routes and breaking up passes.

Who's Not
Guy Whimper. He continues to be abused like a human turnstile, this time letting Adrian Awasom (whom we thought had a sharp practice today, by the way)have his way in drills getting to the quarterback. Whimper just couldn't seem to do anything right and was getting a lot of, um, instruction, from the coaches.

Matt Lentz. Let's see, two more botched snaps and a fumble get added to Lentz' rather troublesome training camp. The only question now is when will the Giants coaches will realize that his gig at center just isn't working out.

The Kickers. Both Josh Huston and Lawrence Tynes missed field goals wide right. Tynes missed a 44 yarder while Huston's was only 38 yards. Not to make excuses, but Tynes has had a calf injury, but still, if you can't count on your kickers to make the big kicks in practice, what will you do come game time when it counts? But seriously, for the sake of Coughlin's sanity, let's hope that this was just an exception rather than a preview of what's to come during the season.

Quote-worthy
“When you put the pads on and go out and play, it doesn't matter if you are a starter or not, it's just going out there and playing football like you're a little kid."

— safety Will Demps explaining his renewed energy shown thus far this summer

Medical Watch
WR Plaxico Burress is inching his way back to action – slowly, though. He did some light work early in practice and then sat out the rest of the workout.  CB Corey Webster, who a couple weeks ago was cleared to return to two-a-days, might have overdid it a bit as hip flexor tightened up after last night’s evening practice, so he was sidelined. Others not taking part in the single practice session were safety Michael Stone (hip), linebacker  Gerris Wilkinson (knee), defensive end Charrod Taylor (toe), safety Craig Dahl (groin) and cornerback Gerrick McPhearson (groin).

Up Next

It will be another doubleheader tomorrow, with practices at 8:40 and 6:10.

See Also

• Head Coach Tom Coughlin's Media Session Transcript
• Player Perspective: OG Chris Snee

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