New York Giants: Training Camp Practices and the Preseason Opener

We’ve now had a preseason game of New York Giants football to examine more thoroughly the 2011 incarnation of Big Blue.

And so far, it’s clear that the Giants are a long, long way from where they want to be.

Their execution was lacking on offense, where they converted on only three third downs in the entire game.

Yet there were hopeful signs, even in the bogged down offense. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw each had good games, and the starting offensive line showed they can run-block well.

And the defensive line can get pressure, which is always something the Giants pride themselves on. Jason Pierre-Paul’s two sacks shows that he might be ready to start, which only further complicates the ongoing Osi Umenyiora situation.

I saw Giants training camp with my own eyes last week, and so coupled with last night's game in Carolina, I have some observations.

The Giants Are Never Short on Running Backs

Both Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs (whom the Giants have a considerable amount of money tied up in) look healthy and ready for the new season.

They each had good carries last night, so that is an encouraging bit of news for fans.

Yet as has become typical of the Giants in the last few seasons, they have tremendous depth at the running back position.

Andre Brown, as he showed last night in a flash, has fully recovered from any previous injuries that might have hindered him and, as Tom Coughlin noted at training camp, "looks faster."

Others, like Da'Rel Scott, may not have gotten a full opportunity last night but look good in practice. The Giants have a lot of talent at this position, something that seems to always happen.

The Wide Receiver Position Is Chalk Full

One of the first things that I noticed watching training camp practice was just how many wide receivers the Giants have.

A quick count revealed that 11 (yes 11) receivers were in uniform. And that doesn't even count Ramses Barden, who is hurt.

That's a large number of wideouts, even for training camp.

Some, like Dominick Hixon, appear to have already established an edge in the race to make the cut.

At most, the Giants will keep six of them but probably more like five. That means roughly half the players at that position will have to be cut. And soon.

My early prediction, both based on what I saw at camp and in the Panthers game.

Starters: Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham. Slot receiver Jerrel Jernigan.

Backups: Dominick Hixon, Victor Cruz and Devin Thomas (with Barden on the PUP list).

Perry Fewell Is Firmly in Charge of the Defense

The Giants are renowned for their history of great defensive coordinators, and in Perry Fewell they seem to have another one.

Everything I saw with him at camp was reassuring for fans. He commands respect of his players and is a vocal leader (cheering them vehemently during drills).

He even stretches with them, a source of unintentional comedy but endearing to the players nonetheless.

His ability to get more out of them could define whether the Giants win more games than they lose this season.

Watching him direct and oversee five different drills simultaneously (and not be left wanting for attention to detail) was impressive. I think they're in good hands.

Osi Umenyiora, in Camp, but Not?

The well-documented Osi Umenyiora situation has grabbed a lot of the headlines so far at Giants camp.

Obviously it was a sore subject with any Giant who was asked about it, especially Tom Coughlin.

I found Justin Tuck the most interesting though. You can tell that Tuck and Osi are friends, so Tuck is in an awkward spot right now. He's still very much a Giants player, but his friend is going head to head with their bosses.

He didn't actually say too much about it (smartly avoiding an answer on most questions) but did say that, "I have learned a lot" when asked whether he's learning from watching this situation.

It was a reference to the fact that he himself will be in this position soon enough. It was a foreboding statement.

The most bizarre part of the situation is that Umenyiora has been in camp, but he's just "injured." At practice, he simply rides the stationary bike and doesn't participate. It's a bizarre situation to say the least.

Osi may return soon, but as the Giants discovered last night, the loss of Umenyiora might not be as big as people think.

Jason Pierre-Paul, the 2010 first-round pick, has matured exponentially since walking into camp last year merely as the "guy who hasn't really played football too much but is really athletic."

With two sacks last night, JPP declared his candidacy to start for all to see. The interesting question will be if Osi saw it too.

Tyler Sash and Prince

The Giants drew a lot of attention at the draft for selecting a high profile defensive back who fell to them in the first round.

Yet it's the other DB they drafted that's been making noise at training camp.

That Prince Amukamara, a cornerback out of Nebraska, was the last first-round draft pick to sign was unfortunate for the Giants.

But it was music to the ears of sixth-round pick Tyler Sash, a safety from Iowa. He's perfectly happy to be the rookie DB making headlines.

Sash has impressed in camp and has drawn plaudits for his improving reads and unflinching toughness.

He had a rough early go of it in the game Saturday, being targeted a couple of times including the touchdown to Greg Olsen, but he also forced a fumble with a sledgehammer hit.

The Iowa born and bred safety could see more reps but will surely have to improve on pass defense.

As for Prince, his foot surgery will keep him out for the foreseeable future.

An ironic note. At the end of watching practice, I just happened to write Prince's name on a note page and then forgot to write anything else below, skipping to another page for other notes.

It's interesting though, symbolic that Prince's name was on an empty page, since that's what he frankly is at this point.