August 6, 2005 New York Giants Training Camp Report (Both Practices)

August 6, 2005 New York Giants Training Camp Report (Both Practices)

by BigBlueInteractive.com Contributor ttb

I didn’t watch the defense throughout the morning session, but CB Will Peterson was simply dominant in coverage a number of times when he went up against the Jets receivers one-on-one. He played his man perfectly and had blanket coverage. We all already know he is good, but it’s important to appreciate what we have in him and to know that he’s getting nothing but better. DE Osi Umenyiora was impressive as well, and CB Curtis Deloatch also looked good.

On the other hand, I was surprised at how badly and easily CB Corey Webster could be beat. A simple fake or a sharp cut by a receiver and Webster would be off his man by yards and the receiver would be wide open. His hands in drills, as advertised, were excellent and of course he’s only a rookie a mere few days into his first ever NFL camp.

HB Brandon Jacobs was the crowd favorite today. His size and confrontational attitude when it comes to contact are endearing him quickly to Giants fans. (He ran over a defensive back this morning). What impressed me was his work as a receiver out of the backfield. He ran routes and caught and ran with the ball well (making one outstanding catch-and-run this afternoon), and could be a quite a special weapon. We’ll have to wait for the games to see how effective a runner he truly is, but he has the attitude and versatility element. HB Mike Cloud, on the other hand, firstly just looked small (even slow or less intense) compared to Jacobs, and also struggled to run the ball, while looking awkward when he caught the ball; unimpressive day.

It’s easy to understand why coaches and players talk about WR Tim Carter so much. I have seen him practice and play before and I have long considered him to be a great talent, yet today I was impressed anew by Tim Carter. In my view, his explosiveness and the ease with which he cut made him stand out from every other receiver on the field, and he stood out to me on short-to-intermediate routes, not deep routes, where he quickly got open for the QB thanks to his speed and sharp cuts. He’s an impact player if he can stay healthy for a season. As for the others, WR Amani Toomer looks better (and more passionate about football, though the Jets helped in that regard) than he did last year in camp, WR David Tyree seemed to get a good amount of quality playing time today, WR Mark Jones made some good plays, and the teens (WR Ataveus Cash, 13, and WR Michael Jennings, 15) were active down the field. Also, the Giants were adjusting their formations and the placement of the receivers a good deal more than usual it seemed.

QB Eli Manning had a mixed day. For stretches, he was not connecting with receivers. A few times he looked hesitant about where to go and what to do with the ball. But he made some sharp throws as well. On a side note, I worry a little bit about our offensive coaching staff (OC and QB) much.

The Jets’ defense was knocking our receivers down and not giving our backs room to run. Herm Edwards yelled “Let ‘em run” to his defense after several run plays in a row, but his defensive line and linebackers didn’t change and didn’t listen to him. I saw the play on which WR Willie Ponder was injured, and what happened was completely unnecessary. In the afternoon, an open Toomer was knocked down by a Jet before the ball thrown to him had even arrived. We don’t need to practice with them if they can’t follow basic guidelines. And do we want hundreds of Jets fans at our camp?