New York Giants: Notes and Quotes from Week 1 of Training Camp

The New York Giants are back in action at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., as training camp for the 2015 season is in full swing.

If you need a recap on the latest news, this slideshow has you covered. The following slides will highlight the biggest notes and quotes to come from Giants camp since it opened last Friday.

The topics include injury updates, roster tweaks and the latest on New York's important contract situations and positional competitions.

Be sure to include your thoughts on each note and quote from Giants camp in the comment section below.

Mara on JPP: 'I Don't Know How Many Fingers He Has'

LM Otero/Associated Press

The Giants' communication with star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been minimal since his Fourth-of-July fireworks accident. That's frustrating for a franchise with nearly $15 million still sitting on the table in the form of an unsigned, one-year tender.

The uncertainty is unsettling for Giants co-owner and CEO John Mara, per Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media:

"

You say, 'This kind of injury.' We don't know how extensive the damage is right now. That is the problem. 

I don't know how many fingers he has. We know what we've read and what we've been told, but until we actually see him and the extent of the damage, it's hard to make any sort of prediction as to what kind of condition he's in.

"

With the top pass-rusher avoiding contact with the team, Robert Ayers and George Selvie have taken over the first-team reps at Giants training camp, according to Art Stapleton of The Record.

Ayers was signed in free agency last year. He was an efficient pass-rusher off the bench, collecting five sacks in 12 games played (only one start). The soon-to-be 30-year-old defensive end was a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2009 NFL draft (18th overall).

Selvie was signed in free agency this year. He's a former teammate of Pierre-Paul's from the University of South Florida, originally selected in the seventh round of the 2010 draft by the St. Louis Rams (the Giants picked JPP 15th overall). He became a full-time starter for the Dallas Cowboys in 2013 and has notched 10 sacks over the past two seasons.

Behind Ayers and Selvie, the Giants have third-year pro Damontre Moore, former undrafted free agent Kerry Wynn and third-round rookie Owamagbe Odighizuwa battling for reps at D-end.

Giants Add WR James Jones, Still Eyeing OL Jake Long

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Giants' roster is far from finished. On Friday, the team signed veteran wide receiver James Jones.

Jones has played eight NFL seasons, seven of which were in Green Bay when Ben McAdoo was an assistant on the Packers' coaching staff.

Year	Team	Rec.	Yards	TD
2007	GB	47	676	2
2008	GB	20	274	1
2009	GB	32	440	5
2010	GB	50	679	5
2011	GB	38	635	7
2012	GB	64	784	14
2013	GB	59	817	3
2014	OAK	73	666	6

Jones, 31, has been a productive tertiary receiving option throughout his career. He is a substantial upgrade over Ben Edwards—an undrafted Richmond product who was waived in order to make room for Jones, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media. His familiarity with McAdoo was "one of the main reasons" why he signed with the Giants.

More on Jones' place in the wide receiver competition later.

The Giants are also keeping their options open along the offensive line. Former first-overall draft pick Jake Long has visited the team twice, per Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media. The 30-year-old offensive tackle played his first five seasons with the Miami Dolphins and made the Pro Bowl from 2008-2011. He is coming off back-to-back ACL tears in the same knee with the St. Louis Rams.

Although the Giants haven't shown any interest in him yet, veteran tackle Gosder Cherilus is also on the open market after the Indianapolis Colts released him late last month. 

Eli on Wilson Deal: 'I'm Not into the Comparisons'

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Quarterback Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, is entering a contract year, so a lot of attention has been directed toward his future. Naturally, when Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Russell Wilson signed a four-year, $87.6 million contract with $60 million guaranteed last week, Manning was asked about it.

"I'm not into the comparisons about how much money you make," Manning said, via Tom Rock of Newsday. "That's not my concern."

Manning may not be willing to make the comparison, but there's a good chance his camp is asking for something close to the $21.9 million per year Wilson's slated to make. Mara said Manning's agent, Tom Condon, "asks for the moon" in contract negotiations, according to Lorenzo Reyes of USA TODAY.

Although little progress has been reported so far, Mara is confident the Giants will lock up Eli Manning at some point.

"We’d like to have it done before the season is over, but if it doesn’t happen, then I'm still confident it’ll get done at some point," Mara said, per Reyes. "We want him to be here and finish his career as a Giant. I’m sure he wants the same thing."

Manning's career slumped in the seasons following his most recent Super Bowl victory. However, with the hiring of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, the 34-year-old appears to be back on track. From 2013 to 2014, Manning's completion rate improved by more than 6.5 percentage points. He also flipped his touchdown-to-interception ratio from 18-to-27 to 30-to-14.

Now heading into his 12th NFL season, Manning looks to extend his league-leading consecutive starts streak of 167 by another 16 games this season. If his contract is extended beyond 2015, as Mara believes it will, the stalwart signal-caller will have a chance to extend it even longer.

Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz Avoid PUP List

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Some of the biggest news to come from Giants training camp so far involves the team's two biggest play-makers at the wide receiver position. Both Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. were able to avoid the physically unable to perform (PUP) list by passing physicals at the outset of camp.

This is particularly surprising in Cruz's case, since he is only 10 months removed from a serious knee injury that cost him 10 games last season. He claims to be "93 percent" recovered from the surgery he had to repair the torn patellar tendon in his right knee, according to John Munson of NJ Advance Media.

Beckham, one of the NFL's fastest-rising stars, has been slowed by hamstring issues. He was able to overcome them last season en-route to a Offensive Rookie of the Year honor. As long as his condition is closely monitored and managed this summer, the nagging hammies shouldn't be an issue again in 2015.

With Cruz and Beckham both on the field and at least nearing full strength, the Giants are taking a huge step toward fielding one of the NFL's best receiving corps.

In line to serve as the third receiving option is Rueben Randle, who's likely to man the sideline opposite Beckham while Cruz works out of the slot. Last year, the long pass-catcher put up a surprising 938 receiving yards. Although he has struggled with consistency early in his career, the former second-round pick could play with unforeseen focus in a contract year.

As mentioned earlier, the Giants have also added James Jones. His years of experience with McAdoo will come in handy while battling the likes of Preston Parker, Corey Washington and Dwayne Harris for practice reps during training camp.

The dark horse in the receiver competition is sixth-round rookie Geremy Davis out of Connecticut. He has already made some plays that have stood out, according to Dan Benton of Giants 101, providing him with an early leg up on Juron Criner, Julian Talley and Chris Harper.

Collins on Safety Competition: 'No Way to Know What's Going to Happen'

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Giants are taking a leap of faith at safety. Landon Collins, a second-round pick out of Alabama in this year's draft, is supposed to be a budding star in the secondary, but his inexperience is sure to shine through in the form of rookie mistakes.

Although he's leading the pack at the moment, Collins knows how quickly things can change.

"There's no way to know what's going to happen," Collins said, via ESPN's Dan Graziano. "One day you could be on the first team, the next day you could be on the second or third team. It's a real competition."

Bennett Jackson can attest to this fluctuation personally. In the spring, he was the dark horse—a seventh-round selection in last year's draft whose entire rookie season was spent on injured reserve. Now making a comeback from microfracture surgery on his knee and transitioning from his natural cornerback position to safety, Jackson is receiving first-team reps next to Collins at training camp practice, according to ESPN.

There are still a few fifth-round investments in the mix, too. 

Cooper Taylor (fifth-round pick, 2013) saw first-team reps in the spring and is New York's largest safety at 6'4" and 228 pounds. Nat Berhe (fifth round, 2014) showcased his athleticism on special teams as a rookie but was sidelined by a calf injury during early offseason workouts. Fifth-round rookie Mykkele Thompson, a versatile defensive back, will also push the pack for playing time.

All five of the aforementioned players lack starting experience, so the first-team safety pairing might be a flavor-of-the-week deal until the Giants find a duo that does well together.

Veteran free-agency acquisitions Josh Gordy and Jeromy Miles are the most seasoned safeties on the roster. However, they've combined to play 10 NFL seasons and only have 14 starts to show for it. 

Given all that's unknown and uncertain at the position, Collins aptly describes the Giants' safety competition as impossible to predict.

Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.