T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

Mid-vacation update

2008-07-07T02:07:19Z

So, I'm halfway through my alotted vacation time, which will wrap up later this month. Had a good Fourth (and fifth and sixth for that matter) and hope you did too.

Just a quick note: I'll be back with new reports and updates starting Monday July 21 and will be hosting a live chat at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday July 22, the day before I head up to Albany for training camp. I'll have more info on that as we get closer. For now, start formulating your questions in your mind. Or, if you care to, post them here so I'll have time to think about my answers!

Honestly, though, I don't plan on giving them much thought in the next two weeks.

Snee's official

2008-06-25T20:25:32Z

He's signed his six-year extension. And with that starters on the Giants' offensive line will be together until the year 5379 or thereabouts.

Next on line at the Jerry Reese Super Bowl Champion Bank of East Rutherford: Plaxico Burress.

Best and Strahan: Reunited and it feels so good

2008-06-25T14:23:13Z

Our man Neil Best went to the Michael Strahan press conference yesterday and came back to the basement with some pretty interesting items. You can read all about them here and here.

It's a big round world for Best, who covered Strahan during his playing days, probably thought he'd seen the last of him when he left the beat to watch TV, and now finds himself once again covering Strahan.

Quoth Best: Sigh.

Wanna bet if Shockey's at camp?

2008-06-24T13:40:45Z

It's almost a lock that he won't be. No, not according to him or the Giants or anyone else involved with the situation. But those are the chances posted by the folks at BetUS.com, which recently released their odds of NFL players either holding out or sitting out at the start of training camp for their teams. Shockey is getting 1-to-1 odds that he doesn't show.

Here are the players they are playing:

Titans DT Albert Haynesworth -- 3/1
Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs -- 2/1
Lions WR Roy Williams -- 10/1
Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin -- 5/1
Giants TE Jeremy Shockey -- 1/1
Dolphins DE Jason Taylor -- 2/1
Eagles CB Lito Sheppard -- 10/1
Rams RB Steven Jackson -- 15/1
Bears LB Brian Urlacher -- 15/1
Bucs QB Jeff Garcia -- 7/1

Carr in, Lorenzen (and others) out

2008-06-23T21:53:18Z

As he walked out of the stadium following the final workout of the minicamp last month, I asked David Carr is he was confident he'd be with the team in Albany. "Oh yeah, definitely," he said.

Despite not exactly tearing it up in the minicamp, Carr will in fact be among the Giants battling for roster sports in training camp. The Giants announced several roster moves today, including the release of Jared Lorenzen, the popular if not puffy third-string QB.

That means that four players -- Carr, Manning, Wright and Woodson -- will compete for three QB roster spots this summer.

The other players waived or released were WR Todd Lowber, long snapper Nick Leeson, DT Brian Soi and OL Jacobs Hobbs. Hobbs was going to be a feel-good story this summer, a former SUNY Albany player practicing with the big boys at Albany. Scratch that story off my list of things to cover during training camp.

The Giants have 81 players, including their six unsigned draft picks. They'll have to make at least one more move before camp to get to 80.

Oh, and click below for a transcript of my chat with Carr. I was going to write it for the paper, but, you know, stuff happens.

]]> Q: Obviously you're aware of the numbers at the quarterback position.

A: I’m just trying to get better as a player. All that other stuff I'm not too worried about. I’ve played long enough to realize that you cant do anything about that stuff.

Q: Do you feel like you've had enough of an opportunity to show what you can do?

A: Chris (Palmer, the Giants' QB coach) has seen me for a long time, he knows what I can do. This has been good work for me and I'm glad to get back here and get to working with him because he knows my mechanics probably, other than my dad, better than anybody else. It’s been good to get some work out here with him but he’s seen my work plenty of times.

Q: What was wrong with your mechanics?

A: I was out of whack. This is really the first time in the last couple years I’ve had someone actually work with it. Just trying to get down to it. I still feel like I haven’t begun to tap what I can do as far as playing, so I'm excited about it.

Q: But what was specifically out of whack?

A: It was just ball position, release, a lot of things, my feet. These three days have been good, the coaching sessions before this was good. Reps, I’m not really concerned about right now because I know how to play the game. It’s just about getting the ball coming off my hand right, and when that happens I won’t have a problem.

Q: Are you confident you'll be in Albany?

A: Oh yeah, definitely.

Pope off the hook

2008-06-23T21:42:33Z

Thanks to Monkberry for pointing out this PFT report on Geoffrey Pope apparently being cleared of charges from smashing a dude in the head with a champagne bottle. Someone else did it.

The report says that the Giants will issue a statement on the matter, but they haven't yet. They are waiting to get something from Pope's attorney or the Detroit authorities before issuing the statement.

And the hits just keep on comin'!

2008-06-23T16:53:00Z

I tried to casually point out that no Giants landed in jail on Friday. While technically I was correct at the time of the post -- about 6:15 p.m.-- I was a little early with the proclamation.

Geoffrey Pope wound up spending some time behind bars this weekend and could be charged with felonious assault. He was released on Saturday.

Maybe Miguel Scott, the DB the Giants waived on Friday, hasn't gone too far yet.

Never a dull moment.

Roster shuffled, pick signed

2008-06-20T22:14:16Z

The Giants have added a WR, signed a draft pick, and waived a DB. But nobody went to jail, as far as I know, so it was a good day.

NFL looking into Bradshaw's situation

2008-06-20T12:54:38Z

Ahmad Bradshaw is already spending 30 days in a Virginia jail for violating terms of his probation. It's that sorta thing that piques the interest of the NFL.

According to league spokesman Greg Aiello, Bradshaw's case is being reviewed to determine whether he is subject to discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policy. "Can't rule it out at this point," Aiello wrote in an email. So Bradshaw could be (stress COULD be) doing time on the sideline with a suspension after he's done with his time in Abingdon. According to just about everything we've learned in the last day regarding this sentencing, Bradshaw has done nothing illegal since being drafted by the Giants in April 2007. His lawyer issued a statement saying that the current incarceration stems from a juvenile offense in Bradshaw's hometown.

Aiello did say that the Giants will not be subject to fines in the matter.

Lost in translation

2008-06-19T22:40:38Z

ES asked for a translation of the statement by Charles A. Stacy, Ahmad Bradshaw's attorney. I'm sure he's not the only one confused, so here comes my understanding of the situation in plain English:

Bradshaw did something naughty when he was a kid (it's a sealed juvenile thing) and was sentenced to probation by Tazewell County which covers his hometown of Bluefield, Va. Then he went to college (at UVa) and pleaded guilty to the underage drinking thing in 2004. Then he went to another college (Marshall) and was tagged with the petty larceny in 2006. He was sentenced to probation in each of those instances, but apparently those arrests -- not sure if it's either one or the combination of the two -- violated the first probation agreement from when he was a juvenile in Bluefield.

Thus, 30 days behind bars in Abingdon.

Essentially, he's paying for the crimes of his past but has committed no new crimes.

Hope that clears things up.

Statement from Bradshaw's lawyer

2008-06-19T21:10:43Z

From Charles Stacy:

"Ahmad Bradshaw is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence in the Abingdon Regional Jail in Virginia on a probation violation charge out of the Tazewell County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

"The underlying charge in this matter stems from an offense which occurred while Mr. Bradshaw was a juvenile.

"Mr. Bradshaw has not been charged with any offense since being drafted by the New York Giants and is eager to put this matter behind him and begin training for next season."

Bradshaw behind bars

2008-06-19T19:13:01Z

Ahmad Bradshaw has been in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon, Va., since Sunday, serving time for violating terms of his probation according to the office of Stephen Clear, a deputy superintendent for the facility. The Giants running back, who is from Bluefield, Va., had some run-ins with the law before he was drafted by the Giants last spring. In 2006, while at Marshall University in West Virginia, he was arrested for petty larceny. In 2004 he was arrested in Virginia for underage alcohol possession and resisting arrest.

The Giants have issued a statement: “We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Ahmad's legal representative. This situation is not the result of any recent incident. It stems from an issue that occurred prior to Ahmad being drafted by the Giants. Beyond that, we have no further comment.”

Bradshaw’s attorney, Charlie Stacey, is expected to issue a press statement sometime this afternoon. His agent, Craig Domann, was unavailable for comment.

Camp schedule

2008-06-18T16:20:26Z

What better way to plunge into the deep offseason (free agency, the draft, OTAs and minicamps can't truly be called an OFFseason, can they?) than to post the training camp schedule. The Giants announced it this morning, though a few reports of it trickled out last night. They'll be in Albany for three and a half weeks, a pretty short time. Coughlin has said that the majority of the work will come between the first and second preseason games. They'll have 11 practices in 10 days during that span.

You can click below for the schedule.

]]> 2008 New York Giants Training Camp Schedule

July 25 (Fri.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 3:20-5:20 p.m.

July 26 (Sat.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 3:20-5:20 p.m.

July 27 (Sun.)
No Practice

July 28 (Mon.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

July 29 (Tues.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m..

July 30 (Wed.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

July 31 (Thurs.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m.

August 1 (Fri.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

August 2 (Sat.)
No Practice

August 3 (Sun.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

August 4 (Mon.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m.

August 5 (Tues.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

August 6 (Wed.)
Practice: 10:30-11:30 a.m. (Jog-Thru)

August 7 (Thurs.)
NFL Preseason Game @ Detroit, 7:00 p.m.

August 8 (Fri.)
No Practice

August 9 (Sat.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m.

August 10 (Sun.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

August 11 (Mon.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m.

August 12 (Tues.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

August 13 (Wed.)
No Practice

August 14 (Thurs.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m.

August 15 (Fri.)
Practice #1: 8:40-10:40 a.m.
Practice #2: 6:10-8:10 p.m.

August 16 (Sat.)
Practice: 2:40-4:50 p.m.

August 17 (Sun.)
Practice: 8:30-10:00 a.m. (Jog-Thru)
CAMP ENDS

Taylor hearts NY

2008-06-17T13:58:28Z

Last -- but not least -- I asked Jason Taylor about some very sketchy rumors that have him being traded to the Giants in exchange for Jeremy Shockey. More specifically, I asked him if he would welcome playing in New York, a town he has had a love-hate relationship with his entire career, especially when the Dolphins-Jets games roll around.

"New York is a great city, obviously the biggest city in our country," he said. "It’s a great city, great teams, and great people who get behind them. You never count anything out. You never know what’s going to happen."

Mario works the carpet

2008-06-17T13:54:29Z

Mario Manningham was at the event as well. The rookie WR looked a little overwhelmed. Welcome to the big city, Mario! He said it was his first red carpet. They don't have events like this in Ann Arbor.

Manningham said he spoke with both Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress during the minicamp and tried to pick their brains about being a receiver in the NFL.

I asked him if he felt weird with all those guys walking around with Super Bowl rings on and he's a bare-knuckled rookie.

"I came a year too late, but it’s cool," he said. "We’ll try to get back there this year."