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Da'Rel Scott
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hleY7FV8Lhk[/ame]
Kid is a burner.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hleY7FV8Lhk[/ame]
Kid is a burner.
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^WOW looking forward to seeing him on some screens and draws!
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYBQ9Gl_FXQ[/ame]
Thought this was pretty cool, he definitely has a lot of potential and upside, very fast and athletic.
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Outside The Lines with Marvin Austin
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Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks in top shape after injury-plagued season
The winds were sweeping across Hoboken High School’s football field this morning, knocking down Eli Manning’s deep sideline passes, even when he reached back and fired as hard as he could.
It was as if the Giants’ passing workout was being held, well, where they’re usually held: East Rutherford.
“That’s what we were joking about,” wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said.
These workouts are about getting back into the groove of things and simulating game situations, so the wind served a purpose, as did the receivers getting to run their routes with Manning and backup Sage Rosenfels for the first time since January.
“I feel like we’re getting our timing back down. It’s our first week linking up a little bit,” Nicks said. “I think guys are just trying to get back in the groove of things and get that connection back. … Extra time is always good. I always try to put in extra time whenever I can.”
Nicks said he isn’t frustrated by the fact the players are forced to work out at a high school because of the lockout. He’s merely focusing on what he can control, and part of that is maintaining his conditioning. Unlike last offseason when he had surgery on his toe, Nicks is completely healthy and is therefore going through a full workout schedule.
“I’ve put on a little bit more muscle weight. I’ve just been training,” he said, adding: “A month after the season I got right back into it. I’ve been training ever since.”
Nicks, who had 79 receptions for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, says he usually plays at about 212 pounds and isn’t far above that right now, though the added bulk could help him "lower that shoulder a little bit" to take on defenders. He believes any excess weight might wind up falling off during training camp anyway.
You know, if there is a training camp.
“I feel healthy,” said Nicks, who battled leg, ankle and toe injuries last year. “I feel like I could go right now if we needed to.”
If only that were the case.
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Manning and 8 Giants start week 2 of passing camp
HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP)—Being a free agent, Michael Clayton(notes) isn’t overly concerned about taking part in Eli Manning’s(notes) lockout passing camp without a shred of injury insurance.
Quite the contrary. The 28-year-old who spent part of last season in the UFL before joining the New York Giants sees the 90-minute sessions as an opportunity to get a jump on things once the NFL and its players reach agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Call it an edge, something Clayton probably will need to make the Giants (10-6) if there is a season.
Clayton has been a constant at the passing camp arranged by Manning at Hoboken High School. Nine players attended Tuesday’s workout, the first this week and the fourth overall since the lockout was reinstated by a federal appeals court ruling on April 29.
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Clayton said. “I just focus on the task at hand. When it (football) comes back, hopefully we’ll all be ready for it.”
Despite having no defenders to compete against, Clayton said the workouts are valuable. The patterns being run are the same ones the players would use in offseason optional team activity. It also gives him more repetitions than he would get if the entire team was assembled.
Working with Manning is another plus. During a normal camp, Manning would be throwing balls to Hakeem Nicks(notes), Mario Manningham(notes) and Steve Smith. Clayton would be lucky to get one from the 2008 Super Bowl MVP.
There are frustrations, though, the primary one being the uncertainty about the upcoming season.
“It is a little bit scary,” Clayton said. “This is our livelihood. Not just for the players, but for many people. Yeah, football players, but also stadium workers and people who get involved with the games.”
Clayton has not taken out any insurance to cover himself in the event he is hurt during the passing camp, noting his insurance is being provided “by the man upstairs.” His health insurance and that for his wife and three children comes from a COBRA policy.
The hardest thing now is being patient with the negotiations being handled by the players’ legal team.
A first-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2004, Clayton said the owners have an agenda and “they are going for it.”
“Everybody is going to suffer,” Clayton said. “They have the power. This is a league created by them, so at the end of the day you have to respect what they do, and you have to respect that we are trying to defend ourselves. It’s a battle and, unfortunately, a lot of people are affected.
“At the end of the day, I think that the powers that be will never let this game go away,” he added. “Whether it’s (the season) late or whether it’s delayed, it’s going to come back, and when it does, the world will be more excited about football than it was before it left.”
Clayton and Manning were joined at the passing camp by backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels(notes); tight end Kevin Boss(notes); receivers Darius Reynaud(notes), Duke Calhoun(notes), Samuel Giguere and Victor Cruz(notes); and offensive tackle David Diehl(notes), the 311-pounder who surprised many with his pass-catching ability.
“I’ll tell you what, Diehl has some pretty smooth hands,” Cruz said. “For a big guy, he has smooth hands and smooth feet. I won’t want him to be a tight end. I’ll keep him at tackle.”
Cruz, who is coming off a hamstring injury, said Manning’s tutelage has been huge.
“He let’s me know not only where to be on certain routes but where he’s looking to put the ball, and the depth of the routes,” said Cruz, who lives only 10 minutes from the high school in a trendy town across the Hudson River from New York City. “It’s coming along. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the playbook and our offense.”
Cruz also isn’t worried about being hurt in the passing camp, noting he is young enough to still be covered under his mother’s insurance policy. His approach to the lockout is to remain positive.
“The fan in me tells me it’s too much money involved for this not to get done,” Cruz said. “The athlete in me prays that something gets done because I want to get back out there. I want to test the field. I haven’t had a helmet on my head in months. I’m just dying to get that back on. Hopefully this comes to an end and we can get out there and play some football again.”
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Good for Michael Clayton, I like to see that even if he won't end up as a Giant.Comment
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1986 Giants set to reunite 25 years after Super Bowl
Harry Carson feels like a player again.
No, not in the sense he could man the middle of the Giants defense, fill a hole and take down a running back. The increasing number of gray hairs he sees each morning in the mirror reminds him his days of buckling a chin strap are long behind him.
Rather, Carson is once again handling the political side of things by taking charge in arranging the reunion of the Giants’ 1986 Super Bowl championship team on the 25th anniversary of their 14-2 season and victory over the Broncos in Pasadena.
“It’s been like being back on the team, massaging the egos of some individuals and trying to manage the expectations and excitement of some of the other players,” the Hall of Fame linebacker said by phone yesterday.
“You have some guys who might say, ‘Eh, I don’t know, I have something to do.’ But I think for the most part everyone has been very excited about the prospect of coming back together one more time.”
That’s been the selling point for Carson as he has wrangled the likes of Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms and others for a gathering at the Meadowlands Expo Center on June 12 that includes a breakfast, a Q&A session and an autograph signing.
Carson expects 48-50 players as well as eight members of the coaching staff for the event, which is being organized through the team’s official provider, Big Blue Travel.
With the next milestone anniversary another 25 years away, the players and coaches realize there will never be as many of them in the same room again.
So Carson expects plenty of playful banter, as if the teammates had been transported back to the Giants Stadium locker room of the mid-’80s.
It has already begun, as Carson playfully substituted the term “OMG” for the “4XL” size of the shirts he ordered for the players who will participate in the Giants’ annual golf outing.
“I’m sad to say I got one response with an OMG,” he said, declining to name the hefty former player. “We’re going to have to do an intervention if that OMG guy is there.”
Mostly, Carson is looking forward to talking about the days when they all were playing. But he also can’t wait to touch base and reminisce with fans.
“It was an important moment in their life they shared,” Carson said, “so it’s an important thing not just for us but also the fans.”
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Manning camp draws six players, five Giants
HOBOKEN, N.J. - Eli Manning's(notes) lockout passing camp ended much like the last two seasons for the New York Giants. It ran out of gas.
The workout Thursday drew Manning, four other Giants and free agent hopeful Dan DePalma for roughly 90 minutes of agility drills, running and throwing at Hoboken High School.
There seems to be some question whether Manning and company will be back next week. Receiver Michael Clayton(notes) said the players are scheduled to return for three days early next week. Tight end Kevin Boss(notes) said nothing was planned.
AdChoices
Manning again was unavailable to clarify things. The Super Bowl MVP refused to be interviewed on any of the first five days of the passing camp and nothing changed on the sixth day.
He waved to the media driving in and drove out without even rolling down the window of his SUV.
Over the two weeks, twelve Giants participated in at least one day of the camp along with DePalma, who played last season at West Chester University.
Clayton wasn't disappointed with the turnout, which is small compared to some other teams around the league.
"This is a time right now where they are on their own schedules," Clayton said. "Obviously a lot of things are going on in the world and a lot of guys have to take care of family.
"That is totally understandable. This is strictly for guys who can get away and need to get with their quarterback and other things. It's a plus to be there. If not, I know the guys who aren't here still have their regimen in their own hometown, so that is good.''
Boss also said not to make too much of the attendance, noting the workouts can't be compared to a practice. He said it's just players getting together during the lockout to throw the ball around and have some fun. No big deal for a team that blew playoffs chances the past two seasons with weak finishes.
"If this continues to go on, we might put together a few more workouts and ask the defense to get involved, the offensive line," Boss said. "It depends on how long it goes.
"For now, it's good to get among the quarterbacks and wide receivers. If this keeps going we might get more guys involved."
The biggest beneficiaries of the workouts are fringe players such as Samuel Giguere of Sherbrooke, Que., and DePalma, who hopes to get an invitation to a training camp after not being drafted.
Giguere, a former first-round pick of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats, spent most of last season on the Giants' practice squad.
"Last year, during the season, I was doing mostly scout teams," Giguere said. "I never got a chance to take reps with Eli and do the Giants' offensive plays.
"I am getting a chance to get a feel for the plays and to ask Eli how he wants the routes to be run, and since we're not in a hurry I have all the time in the world to ask him questions."
Boss, Clayton, DePalma and Giguere were the only receivers for Manning and backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels(notes) on Thursday. The workout ended with most of the players wearing sweaty T-shirts.
The final throws by Manning and Rosenfels were roughly 30-yard passes directed at Clayton as he sat on an ice chest.
While tired after the workout, Giguere wasn't complaining.
"There weren't many of us," the Montreal resident said. "It's too bad, but for me it's a great opportunity."
Giguere said the Giants were able to give players a copy of the off-season workout program and he has been following it.
After attending all six days of the camp, Boss was satisfied, noting Manning did a good job of leading the players through drills and getting them used to hearing football terminology again. He wasn't expecting anything more.
What he would like is a new collective bargaining agreement.
"It's been frustrating, not something we expected to go this long," Boss said. "Hopefully, we can get back to work sooner than later."
The other Giants who attended the camp over the two weeks were receivers Hakeem Nicks(notes), Duke Calhoun(notes), Victor Cruz(notes) and Ramses Barden(notes), tackle David Diehl(notes), return man/receiver Darius Reynaud(notes), and running back DJ Ware(notes).
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Let's start a chain, theme: Things you would like to see improved next year:
I'll start.
I'd like to see Boss catch the ball.Comment
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I'd like to see the defense play an entire game without wilting when playoff hopes are on the line.
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