New York Giants Training Camp: 3 Things We Learned This Week

Today, the New York Giants celebrate one week in camp. Only 11 days to go.

In case you missed it yesterday, we took a look at what kind of first impressions the Big Blue rookies have made so far. Today, we'll take a broader look at coverage from the first week of camp in order to draw three concrete conclusions.

It would be easy to go far beyond that, but we're doing our best not to overreact to each good or bad play. Twitter makes it easier to track camp, but the drawback of instant coverage via social media is that the media and fans seem to be reacting in knee-jerk fashion more than ever.

Here's a chance to focus on three trends that have overcome 140-character barriers.

Jerrel Jernigan Appears Ready to Grab the Reins as a No. 3 Receiver

Training camp all-stars don't always become regular-season studs, but Giants fans have to be thrilled to see that Jerrel Jernigan is putting on a show thus far in Albany. 

The undersized 2011 third-round pick out of Troy failed to catch a pass as a rookie and was thought to be more of a special-teams contributor going forward. But with Mario Manningham gone and Hakeem Nicks hurt, Jernigan has emerged as the team's top performing wide receiver not named Victor.

From our boys at Big Blue View:

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Throughout four days of practice Jernigan had made noticeable plays each day on a variety of routes. Deep balls, short balls and some catches in traffic. His quarterback has noticed.

"I think JJ's done well," said Eli Manning. "We've seen some flashes of brilliance and really good things."

Manning also said Jernigan was "playing at a faster speed because he has an understanding of what's going on and what all the options are, and the things he can do."

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Remember, Jernigan didn't have an offseason to prepare for his rookie year, which is why I found it odd hearing a lot of people write him off this spring. The competition is stiff, but Domenik Hixon has barely played in two years, Rueben Randle is a rookie and Ramses Barden has failed to seize similar opportunities in the past.

A lot can change between now and Sept. 5, but if I had to bet, I'd put my money on Jernigan starting the season as Eli Manning's No. 3 target.

The Giants Are Confident in the Secondary as Is

With Terrell Thomas out indefinitely, I expressed some concern about the defensive backfield earlier in the week. The departed Aaron Ross wasn't much better than average, but there are no proven cornerbacks beyond Corey Webster and, in this division, that's scary.

But after Thomas went down, the Giants didn't panic. Deon Grant is still waiting for a call—one that simply might not come. I mean, with Thomas out and safety Tyler Sash suspended for the first four games, I don't know what the front office is waiting for. 

Status quo despite the injuries means the Giants might be OK with Antrel Rolle chipping in at corner. Rolle's a versatile player who played the position at the University of Miami, but he generally struggled in coverage last season.

The primary reason why the G-men seem satisfied despite being down a Thomas, a Sash and a Ross is the fact that it appears second-year corner Prince Amukamara has improved quite a bit. The 2011 first round pick's rookie season was ruined by the lockout and a foot injury, but he's performed quite well thus far in camp.

To boot, safety Will Hill has looked very good. The Giants might believe he can actually be an upgrade over Grant.

The Middle Linebacker Competition Isn't Close to over

Chase Blackburn started camp as the the Giants' first-team middle linebacker, but second-year man Mark Herzlich has looked great. So great, in fact, that the observers from Big Blue View think Herzlich has outplayed Blackburn. 

And then there's the possibility that the extremely talented Keith Rivers moves inside and leapfrogs both. 

From ESPN.com's Dan Graziano:

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It looks as though Chase Blackburn will begin the season as the starting middle linebacker, though newcomer Keith Rivers could overtake him if he shows the ability to play the middle. The second-team middle linebacker right now is Mark Herzlich, who also could overtake Blackburn if healthy and leave Rivers in a utility linebacker role. This is suddenly a position of great depth for the Giants, who have four second-year linebackers they like as well as Rivers and starting outside linebackers Michael Boley and Mathias Kiwanuka.

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All three have great stories. Blackburn was out of the game until midway through last season, Herzlich is a cancer survivor who became untouchable in the draft and Rivers is a former top-10 pick who's trying to revive his career in blue. 

It's impossible to have too much depth, but the Giants have one of the deepest groups of linebackers in football, which surely delights Perry Fewell, even if he's going to have a hell of a time trying to decide where to put everybody.