August 14, 2009 New York Giants Training Camp Report (Morning Practice)

August 14, 2009 New York Giants Training Camp Report (Morning Practice)

by BigBlueInteractive.com Contributor JohnF

Hazy morning, cloudy with the sun coming out later in practice. A touch muggy, but not too bad. Great camp weather, so here we go.

All the talk earlier in camp was who was going to be the #3…was it going to be Moss or Manningham? Well, it’s not official, but the way they are working Barden in the slot (and he got a ton of reps at the slot today), it looks like Barden has that locked down, at least going into the pre-season.

Barden was better today, seemed to run better routes than yesterday. This kid seems to be really paying attention to the coaching (and he’s getting a lot of it on the field, almost after every play). I’m getting the impression he’s being force fed, but he’s handling it well. He’s still learning, but he had some nice catches today.

Hixon had a spectacular leaping catch on the right sideline, skying up in the air. He had a nice day as well. Mario looked fine, got more work, and looks more active. Hagan continues to make catches look routine. He also is getting separation most of the time, and he’s running good, sharp routes. To compare him to D.J. Hall (who ran lousy routes) is a joke. I know about his problems with the Dolphins, but whatever issues he’s had, they are gone…there is NO way this guy does not make the roster.

Moss missed practice with a hamstring injury. I really think this is huge…he cannot afford to miss practices, and I’m not sure he plays against Carolina. He’s going to have to light up camp to have a chance to make the team. Tyree looked good today, along with Nicks, who got a lot more work than the last few practices.

CB Bruce Johnson had a spectacular, athletic int today. I’m sure Marty in Albany will have more details on the line play (I had a lousy view behind the fence, we were at the Western Avenue side again).Jacobs had multiple catches again today. I think he gets a bad rap for his hands…I’ve watched him in camp since he was a rookie, and he’s caught the ball well in camp. The difference to me is the way Eli throws him a ball in camp vs regular season…Eli throws a touch pass to the backs in camp; however, he throws a LOT harder during real games. If Eli just takes a bit off his throws, I think Jacobs can really shine.

The last 10 minutes were spent on…you got it…Wildcat! David Carr went to wideout, and lining up at the QB spot was none other than Andre Brown! I’m guessing this was more for the defense, to give them a look at it; they ran sweeps and runs, the one pass they tried was intercepted. I’m sure we’ll see it in pre-season too, every team will throw it out there even if they won’t run it in the regular season.