New York Giants: Training Camp Practice News and Notes

There’s real live football action happening across all of America. Every day training e real football with real drama as many young players are hoping to make a N.F.L. team. I can’t be at a lot of the training camps, but I’ll try to get you the best information about what’s going on with the young players on each team from around the web.

I’ll also be in attendance for a few Buffalo Bills practices, as they practice less than 15 miles from my house. I’ll give you the info from there when I get out to a few. Right now as I write this my coeditor Sayre is out at the Denver Broncos training camp as well so I’m sure you’ll get some first hand accounts from him about what’s going on in Bronco land.

From Big Blueview.com

Victor Cruz isn’t impressing as much as he was last year:

Rough night for Victor Cruz, the star of the 2010 training camp. A pair of drops during practice by Cruz on perfectly thrown balls by Eli Manning.

Cruz has to show last year wasn’t a fluke. He has tremendous ball skills, but the Giants WR corps is deep. Devin Thomas has been very impressive, reportedly, as both a kick returner and reciever. The Giants also have Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, Jerrel jernigan locks to make the team. Steve Smith if he returns, Michael Clayton, Victor Cruz, Ramses Barde, and a healthy Domenik Hixon are all in play for the 2 or 3 WR spots the Giants will have available.

Ryan Perrilloux, the young quaterback the Giants signed out of the UFL before the lockout began, has a tremendous arm. He showed it off with a couple of great throws on deep outs, one to Beckum and one to Ballard. Of course, Perrilloux also threw the night’s only interception, a badly thrown ball intended for Jerrel Jernigan that Brian Witherspoon hauled in.

Again an uphill battle. The Giants have only carried two quarterbacks under Tom Coughlin. Eli Manning’s one and the other will likely be Sage Rosenfels or Jim Sorgi. Also, David Carr has a great shot at winning the backup spot.

Undrafted free agent fullback Henry Hynoski is getting all the reps at fullback right now with Bear Pascoe unable to practice yet due to the CBA not being finalized. He didn’t do anything special Wednesday night, but the reps have to help his chances.

From Inside Football about Henry Hynoski

FB Henry Hynoski continues to show impressive hands, catching nearly everything thrown his way out of the backfield. If Bear Pascoe is moved back to tight end, the Giants would appear to be in good shape with Hynoski handling the lead blocking role.

The Giants are clearly worried about their FB position as they pursued both John Kuhn and Vontay Leach, but Hynoski has a real shot to stand out and win a roster spot.

From NJ.com/giants’s Mike Garfolo (he writes the best practice reports and game recaps of any beat writer of any team I’ve read)

The linebackers are impressing.

Translation: there’s lots of playing time to be won for the Giants’ young linebackers. And some of them stated their case by making some big plays on Wednesday night in the first full-pads practice of camp.

“They’ve been aggressive and noteworthy in their play,” coach Tom Coughlin said after practice. “Sometimes they’re in the wrong spot or something, but they recover and they seem to be able to go and make some things happen. I like the way they’re running around.”

one of the players making the biggest impression is Kenny Ingram, a former 6’6 FSU Safety. Ingram spent last year on the practice squad as he transitioned to linebacker and from reports early seems to be impressing all over the field. He could be a player to keep an eye on for Giants fans as a final roster addition this year.

Ingram, a former safety, showed his athleticism by jamming the tight end and then crossing the middle of the field to quickly make a stop on WR Darius Reynaud as he caught a ball over the middle. (S Jarrard Tarrant was there and probably should have picked the pass off but whiffed completely.) And again, Ingram used his wheels to track down RB Charles Scott on a screen pass.

From a couple of days ago: LB Kenny Ingram flashed once tonight when he did a good job of avoiding traffic to make a stop on Scott up the middle.

Also making plays is Boston College LB Mark Herzlich, who apparently will have a 60 minutes special air in September. What happens if he doesn’t make the team?

Herzlich, who is being trailed by “60 Minutes” cameras for a feature to be aired in September (guess he’s making the team, huh?) came out of nowhere to make a stop on a run that looked like it was going to be a huge gainer. There was nobody in an enormous gap in the defensive line except OL Mitch Petrus, but Herzlich somehow got there to turn a big gasher into a short gainer

Lastly the Giants 2nd round pick Marvin Austin is showing why the Giants were so excited to get him in the second round.

promising signs from DT Marvin Austin, who absolutely rag dolled an OL on one play to throw the blocker out of the way on a run by Da’Rel Scott. He didn’t make the stop, but he blew up the play. And the way he shed the blocker was amazing. One play later, he beat OL Ike Ndukwe for a pressure on the quarterback. I’m rather sure it was Ndukwe on the play before as well, but I’m not positive because the blocker got lost in traffic and when Austin threw him to the side. Either way. Austin continues to impress, though he was drawn offside (along with DE Alex Hall) on Rosenfels’ hard count.
But who all in all has had the best training camp so far? It might be Travis Beckum.

When asked if Beckum would have a bigger role this year

Coughlin replied “Yeah, that’s the plan”.

Beckum has been all over the field catching everything thrown his way and blowing past coverage. Garafolo wrote that Beckum is more athletic as I’ve ever seen him so far in training camp. Beckum is expected to have- a major role this year, especially if the Giants lost Kevin Boss to the Oakland Raiders which seems possible.

I loved Beckum coming out of college, but thought he might not be the greatest fit in New York (in Indinapolis he could catch a 100 passes if he played a whole season), the Giants though might do more to get him invovled, especially if he improves his blocking.

The reason you’re not reading anything about Prince Amukamara is because he’s still one of the few remaining first picks that are usigned (thanks a lot, Adrian Clayborn’s agent).

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