New York Giants: Recapping the Latest Buzz Heading into Training Camp

This was supposed to be the “downtime” in the NFL calendar, the period where the only ripple of news was about a player starting a new foundation, getting married, welcoming a new child, catching a fish or holding a football camp.

Yeah, well so much for head coaches' good intentions and wishes everywhere who, when they send their players off for the break prior to training camp, hope those players don’t generate any kind of bad news.

Unfortunately for the New York Giants, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul's unfortunate Independence Day accident involving the handling of fireworks has not only put him in the news for all the wrong reasons, it has cast a shadow over last year’s 29th-ranked defense that was looking to rejuvenate under returning defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

For the sake of everyone’s sanity, this slideshow isn’t all about Pierre-Paul. Some of his teammates have been in the news for the right reasons.

So with that said, let’s recap the latest buzz and determine what it potentially means moving forward.

Giants Being “Kept in the Dark” Regarding Jason Pierre-Paul’s Injuries

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

The Buzz

Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted that Giants team officials have been in South Florida since Monday evening, a little more than 24 hours after defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s fireworks accident occurred, but they had not yet been able to visit with the defensive end.

Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post, quoting an unnamed Giants team source, described the whole lack of information as being “disconcerting.”

What It Means

Anyone who has suffered a traumatic injury that has warranted immediate surgery, as what Pierre-Paul is reported to have had, according to Justin Tasch of  the New York Daily News, is probably not going to be up to having any visitors other than family and maybe close friends. 

Pierre-Paul also could have been tied up with medical tests and procedures to where there simply wasn't time to meet with team officials, as Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported.

Although Pierre-Paul hasn’t signed the franchise tag tender, at the very least, some sort of information should have been disseminated by his camp to the Giants, especially if they are looking to offer to help take care of Pierre-Paul’s medical bills.

Victor Cruz Remains Determined to Avoid Starting on the PUP List

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Buzz

Receiver Victor Cruz has not wavered one bit from insisting that he would be ready to begin training camp on July 30, when the rest of his teammates report for their annual conditioning test on July 30.

In an interview with SiriusXM Radio earlier this week, Cruz reiterated that sentiment, though he did admit that the team will likely limit his reps in the beginning.

What It Means

It’s hard to fault Cruz for being optimistic and for having an end date in sight to what has certainly been a nightmarish turn of events for him.

However, despite all the advancement that sports medicine has made, in the end, the body will do its own thing and will send a clear signal when the injured area is truly 100 percent.

That’s probably why head coach Tom Coughlin, when asked by reporters on the last day of the minicamp, left the door open just a crack regarding the possibility of Cruz landing on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

“It is my understanding that he will be ready to participate [in training camp],” Coughlin told reporters. “How limited, I can’t tell you. We aren’t going to throw him right out there, I can tell you that.”

When asked point blank if the PUP list was an option, Coughlin said, “I’m not going to say. That is not the intent.”

It might not be the intent, but it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants try to buy a little more time by using the PUP designation for a few weeks. Cruz probably isn’t going to play in any of the preseason games even if he does start camp on schedule, and although he hasn’t played the game since October of last year, he’s not a rookie who needs to start from scratch.

Cruz’s game is all about quickness and that sudden burst. To have that, he’ll need to make sure all of the surrounding muscles in his legs are firing on all cylinders.

If he needs to start training camp on the PUP list, that isn’t a setback; it’s just being smart, which is what they have pledged to be all along.

Jason Pierre-Paul Reportedly Has His Finger Amputated

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

The Buzz

In perhaps what is the biggest blockbuster of the tragic tale of Jason Pierre-Paul’s Independence Day celebration gone astray, ESPN’s Adam Schefter came pretty close to breaking Twitter with his report that the 26-year old defensive end had his right index finger amputated on Wednesday.

Schefter somehow obtained a screen shot of Pierre-Paul’s private medical records from the hospital that’s been treating him and shared that picture on Twitter.

In addition to the amputation, ESPN's Ed Werder reported that Pierre-Paul also suffered fractures of his right thumb, which will heal in about six weeks, while B/R's Jason Cole reported that Pierre-Paul might have suffered additional fractures in his hand.  

What It Means

According to Schefter, the Giants team officials who came to South Florida to meet with Pierre-Paul were rebuked in their attempts and hence left to return to New Jersey on Wednesday.

Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported that the Giants wanted to offer assistance to Pierre-Paul but that the defensive end, who is not under contract to the team, declined their offer. Pierre-Paul made the decision to proceed with the amputation, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

If that isn’t bizarre enough, Nick Powell of NJ Advance Media reported that the Giants were unaware of Pierre-Paul needing an amputation procedure until Schefter’s report hit the airwaves.

What does all this mean? First, since Pierre-Paul isn’t under contract to the Giants, he theoretically didn’t owe them anything as far as information.

The question now becomes whether the Giants, who, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport's report (via NFL.com's Kevin Patra), were not planning to rescind the franchise tag currently placed on Pierre-Paul, have a change of heart.

The good news is they don’t have to make any decisions now, and they shouldn't if emotions are running the gamut.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out that Pierre-Paul’s best option at this point would be to refrain from signing the franchise tender (assuming it’s not yanked by the team) until he’s ready to play because that way, they can circumvent the six-week waiting rule required if Pierre-Paul lands on the non-football injury (NFI) list.

Will Pierre-Paul be able to play again this season? According to Rapaport, Pierre-Paul could be back in two months, though it’s not clear if that time frame is just for the recovery from his surgery or if it includes the surgical recovery and the time necessary to get himself back into football shape.

Eli Manning’s Agent Not Concerned About Quarterback’s Next Contract

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Buzz

Eli Manning's agent, Tom Condon, mirrored his client’s cool and calm demeanor regarding the upcoming contract negotiations with the Giants, expressing confidence to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News that the deal will get done eventually.

"

The interesting part about it is, since 1993, the inception of free agency, has there ever been an elite quarterback hit the open market? Peyton(Manning, 2012), but he had four neck surgeries and no idea if he would ever be well enough to play. 

Drew Brees, when he went to New Orleans (in 2006), he had 15 studs in his shoulder, in his throwing arm. There's nobody else that's ever come up. They just re-do you.

"

What It Means

Normally, Manning and his camp are very guarded with what goes on behind the scenes. That Condon provided a little bit of perspective will hopefully calm those worried about the future of the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

The last time Manning’s contract needed to be extended, it was quietly done during the downtime before the start of training camp in 2009 and announced within the first few days of that year’s camp. It would not be surprising if the Giants and Condon quietly had discussions about an extension to his current deal after this last minicamp ended.

The bottom line is that the Giants are going to have enough of a distraction thanks to the Jason Pierre-Paul news. If Manning goes into his final year as a lame duck, it’s sure to be a topic that reporters will ask about, and it could be one that could ultimately create a distraction for a team that already has its hands full.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes, observations and information were obtained firsthand. Follow me on Twitter.