August 4, 2005 New York Giants Training Camp Report (Evening Practice)

August 4, 2005 New York Giants Training Camp Report (Evening Practice)

by BigBlueInteractive.com Contributor Marty in Albany

This was one of the hotter days in Albany, so having an evening practice was a lot easier for the players and fans alike. The players were in full pads, except for the mounting number of nicked-up players.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe was not on the field. I was told that S Curry Burns sustained a concussion during the morning practice. RG Chris Snee watched from the sidelines. Rich Seubert filled in at right guard for Snee. Snee is so broad in the shoulders and upper back that BB’56 could not believe the he was not wearing shoulder pads. DE Eric Moore watched on crutches. In slightly better news, OC/OG Wayne Lucier was riding the bike and walking around without a “boot” or anything else on his leg.

There was some punting by Jeff Feagles. Wide receivers Mark Jones, Michael Jennings and Ataveus Cash, and cornerbacks Corey Webster and Curtis Deloatch did the catching. Ataveus Cash had a big day catching passes in the absence of wide receivers Jamaar Taylor and Plaxico Burress, both who are injured.

Ataveus collected two TDs in the red zone drill at the end of the practice and had a bunch more receptions. There was one kickoff. Jay Feely kicked it down to the goal line and WR Willie Ponder returned it. Willie continues to look good and caught a pass or two this evening.

Jeremy Shockey caught a bunch of passes – even when he was heavily covered. He gave S Gibril Wilson fits and got “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd for a spinning one-handed catch. He also got “oohs” and “aahs” for a pass that he caught sliding to his knees. He had an excellent practice.

PK David Kimball made 6-of-6 field goals and Jay Feely made 4-of-5. The one he missed was deflected, I believe–perhaps byDE Osi Umenyiora.

Many of the defensive backs covered very well in one-on-one coverage. They were often helped by the fact that many of the passes were poorly thrown. In some cases, it appeared that the receivers were not adjusting to the ball properly.

CB Ahmad Treaudo had a nice pass defense. CB Will Peterson had a pick. CB Frank Walker had a pick on a ball where the intended receiver failed to turn around. Walker got another pick on a pass that was intended for Amani Toomer that was either deflected or bounced off Toomer. Toomer had his share of catches as well. Watching Toomer catch passes over the middle from his flanker position seems very strange because I am so accustomed to watching him catch eye-popping sideline “out” passes from Kerry Collins.

WR Brandon Smith made an impressive catch. He flashed over the middle, and caught the ball in stride. TE Chris Luzar continues to impress. On one play he did a nice job of separating himself from S Diamond Ferri to get open for a pass. On another, he noticed that nobody was open for QB Jesse Palmer, so he broke into the open and took the pass. Ferri is not having a great camp. The only discouraging word that I have heard about S James Butler was a coach yelling at him for being out of position.

In order to make sure that all of the rules are obeyed and to give the practice greater verisimilitude, Coach Caughlin brought in two refs to oversee the play. The zebras flagged a number of plays, but I could not detect who the culprits were.

DT William Joseph took a good many snaps with the first team today. DT Damane Duckett blocked a pass from Jared Lorenzen. DE Justin Tuck had an up-and-down practice. He made a pretty spin move on the right tackle, and promptly landed face down in the grass. Justin is remarkably quick. Give him that at least.

RB Brandon Jacobs continues to impress with his pass catching, the determined way he runs into the line, and his speed once he breaks into the clear. I also had a chance to get a closer look at of Mike Jemison. He and RB Ryan Grant are listed at 6-1, but Jemison looks at least an inch or two shorter and at 225 to Grant’s 218, Jemison is much broader and more ruggedly built. I am anxious to see these two in a preseason game.

A final word about Eli Manning. His passing is somewhat erratic so far. You might have expected Eli to just pick up where he left off last year. That has not happened yet. Can I explain it? No. Can I speculate about it? Yes. My guess is that even when Eli runs a play that he learned last year, he now knows so much more about what his teammates are supposed to do and so much more about what to watch out for on defense, that it is virtually like learning a new play. Thus, he has to think about every play and relearn every play based upon all his newly acquired knowledge. That is my guess.