Giant Football Blog

Vinny in Giant backup plans

Doug Flutie spurned the Giants yesterday so he could return home and play with the New England Patriots. And that may have opened up the door for Vinny Testaverde to return home, too. The Giants are expected to speak with the 41-year-old Testaverde, possibly next week, about replacing Jim Miller as their backup quarterback. Miller had surgery to repair a torn hip labrum on Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined 3-to-4 months.

Flutie was the Giants' first choice to become Eli Manning's new backup, which is why they brought him in Thursday to take a physical and meet with Tom Coughlin. But the 42-year-old quarterback said, "My ultimate goal was to get to New England," which his why he signed with the Pats. Continue

Shockey cuts things short

Jeremy Shockey blew into Giants Stadium like a (Miami) hurricane, and will be blowing out of town almost as quickly. The tight end's much-anticipated return to the Giants' voluntary offseason training program turned out to be a brief one that included two days of workouts and 45 minutes on the field. And after his only throwing session with quarterback Eli Manning yesterday, Shockey said he'd be returning to his own workouts at the University of Miami because "I'm just trying to do what's best for me.

"I want to be the best player I can be and in order for me to do that I think I've got to be pushed by people that I know can push me," Shockey said. "I'm not trying to cause any controversies. I'm trying to do what's best for my physical body. I could've taken the easy way and come back here and do the workouts here and just been OK, or I could've went there and accepted the challenge and made it tough on myself every day." Continue

Giants consider Flutie as backup

Doug Flutie is old enough to be Eli Manning's father, but the Giants are strongly considering Flutie as Manning's backup. The 42-year-old veteran of 11 NFL seasons, eight CFL seasons and one USFL season visited Giants Stadium yesterday for a physical and could sign to replace Jim Miller, who signed as a free agent March 9.The stunning development is believed to reflect the Giants' concern about Miller's health. Miller, 34, has had shoulder problems in the recent past. He was the Patriots' No. 3 quarterback last season and did not throw a pass.

Miller was not present yesterday when Manning, 24, Jesse Palmer and Jared Lorenzen threw to Jeremy Shockey and others at the stadium. Cutting Miller would have minimal salary-cap impact; he got only a $25,000 bonus for signing. The Giants lauded Miller as a perfect backup because he had no designs on the starting job. Continue

Giants await 'Mr. Big'

He says he's not prone to exaggeration, but Jerry Kill can hardly wait until Brandon Jacobs arrives on the scene at Giants Stadium and everyone takes a gander at just about the biggest running back in captivity. "There is nobody in the NFL who is going to look like this cat," Kill, Jacobs' coach at Southern Illinois, told The Post. "When you see him, you're not gonna believe it."

It might be hard to believe that a 6-41/2, 267-pound mountain of a man with no discernable body fat can thrive running with the ball in the NFL, where large targets frequently get toppled in their tracks. The Giants, though, are convinced that in Jacobs, selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, they have not only solved their short-yardage problems but also imported a massive youngster capable of one day handling a full load in the backfield. Continue

Shockey will join Giants' workouts

Jeremy Shockey ended his month-long retreat in Miami yesterday and headed north to join the Giants' offseason training program.

The tight end, who has been absent from the program since it began in March despite the wishes of his coach and quarterback, is expected to be at Giants Stadium today or tomorrow, according to a report on ESPN.com. It is not clear how long he will remain with the team, though he'll be here at least through May 7, when he's scheduled to make a promotional appearance in Manhattan. It's also not clear why Shockey has decided to return. He has been privately lobbied by Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning almost non-stop since the program opened. Three weeks ago, Manning went public with his efforts, apparently to Shockey's dismay. Continue

Shockey treatment

For Jeremy Shockey, skipping the Giants' offseason workout to do his training here is not about bucking the authority of Tom Coughlin or the team. It is about drinking from the Fountain of Youth, and chugging the potion that helped turn him into the rampaging Big Blue Blond Bad Boy who electrocuted defenders in his path and electrified Giants Stadium as the most hyped Oklahoma rookie since Mickey Mantle.

Somewhere along the way, Shockey lost his swagger, and here, in the 90 degree heat, with fellow pros and hungry collegiate players from his University of Miami alma mater, he ignores pleas from Coughlin and Eli Manning to come north for the sake of team unity and join his teammates in the voluntary offseason program and tortures his aching body in a maniacal obsession to be The Best Damn Sports Show period. Continue

Big Blue earn 'B'

The Giants had just four picks in this weekend's NFL draft, thanks to last season's acquisition of Eli Manning. They drafted for need on all four of them, and still managed to get value on every single one. That's not quite a great weekend, but it's plenty good enough. Big Blue needed help at cornerback, defensive end, and running back, and got all three. They didn't have the quantity of the Eagles' draft or the quality of those of the Cowboys or Vikings, but they made enough savvy choices to earn a grade of "B" from The Post.

They drafted LSU cornerback Corey Webster with the 11th pick in Round 2, a player who might've been a Top 20 pick if not for a slew of injuries as a senior. In the third they took defensive end Justin Tuck, Notre Dame's all-time sack leader whom Ourlads had graded an 8.8 — a near-first rounder and ahead of Erasmus James. "We didn't think we'd have a chance to get them both," said coach Tom Coughlin. "We said if could get those two on the first day, we'd be very happy." Continue

Shockey's absence irks coach

Tom Coughlin had been silent on Jeremy Shockey's conspicuous absence from the Giants' offseason workout program. As a matter of fact, no Giant — other than quarterback Eli Manning — had commented on the tight end staying in Miami instead of New York. Until yesterday, that is.

Big Blue's offseason program started on March 21, but the wayward Pro Bowl tight end decided to work out and rehabilitate his back injury at his alma mater, the University of Miami. And even though the program isn't mandatory, Coughlin wants every player to attend, and the workouts are "optional" in name only. Continue

In short, Giants think big

Five years of watching Ron Dayne stumble out of the backfield in short-yardage situations taught the Giants an important lesson: Size doesn't matter. Short-yardage rushing is about attitude and determination. And they needed a running back more determined than Dayne.

But size doesn't hurt, either. And yesterday, in the fourth round of the NFL draft, they may have found a good combination of both. They selected Brandon Jacobs, a super-sized running back (6-4, 267) from Southern Illinois. And after he was drafted, when a team official told him the Giants had been a disaster in short-yardage situations recently, he replied, in effect: Not anymore. Continue

Webster drops to Giants

The Giants had been eyeing LSU cornerback Corey Webster for more than a year, ever since their scouts started writing up glowing reports during his junior season. But on March 31, when he had his workout in Baton Rouge, La., the Giants were sure he would never play for them. "When I left the workout I had my head down," said Jerry Reese, the Giants director of player personnel. "I was like, 'There's no way the guy's going to be there when we pick,' because the guy was brilliant."

So it was a surprised and happy Giants draft room yesterday when Webster was there in the second round when they made the 43rd pick in the NFL draft at the Javits Center. The Giants had no first-round pick since they traded it to San Diego in the Eli Manning deal last April, but they got a player who they believe would've been a first-rounder had he left LSU after his junior year. Continue

Corner market

For the first time since 1993, the Giants didn't have a first-round pick in the NFL draft. But they've done well in the second round - Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber and Amani Toomer - and were hoping to get either a cornerback or defensive end. Yesterday they got both.

In second-round pick Corey Webster of LSU, they're convinced they have not only another gem, but the best corner in the entire draft. And after choosing the national champ over Justin Tuck in the second round, Big Blue was stunned to see the Notre Dame defensive end fall right in their collective laps in Round 3. Continue

Giants Draft 2005

Round 2   Corey Webster CB LSU

Round 3   Justin Tuck  DE Notre Dame

Round 4   Brandon Jacobs RB Southern Illinois

Round 6   Eric Moore DE Florida state

Round 2 still first-rate to Giants

Chris Snee remembers the moment it happened. He had a house full of people gathered for a draft-day party last April. He was in the kitchen, getting himself something to eat. "Everyone just stopped for a second and got quiet," the Giants' second-year guard recalled. "It was a little bit of a letdown." The moment came right after the New England Patriots made the 32nd pick in the 2004 NFL draft - signaling the official end of the first round. Continue

Jints content to stay at 43

The calls are infrequent, especially compared with a year ago at this time, and usually not long in duration. Other teams ask Giants GM Ernie Accorsi if he wants to deal, and Accorsi politely says no. This may seem strange, as the Giants do not own a first-round choice in today's NFL Draft and won't make a selection until the 43rd overall pick. Yet so many teams are interested in moving down in this draft.

"The only calls we've gotten are from teams ahead of us that want to move down, want to move out of the first round," Accorsi said yesterday. "First of all, we're not giving any more choices up and, secondly, I don't want to be up there any more than they want to be there." Continue

First, they will have to wait

There will be precious few people in the Giants' draft room Saturday who were there 12 years ago, the last time the team was without a first-round pick. The 2005 draft will mark only the second time since 1975 that has happened. One man who was there in 1993, executive vice president John Mara, recalled it as a strange experience. "It is different," he said. "It's not as exciting, and the wait is interminable. It's frustrating, because you watch all these players picked and you have to wait maybe five or six hours."

Many fans will feel the same way Saturday. Like Mara, they will try to console themselves with the hope that Eli Manning proves worth the price of watching 42 players come off the board before the Giants' turn. Continue

Eli gets back on Jeremy's good side

Apparently, Jeremy Shockey did not take kindly to Eli Manning's seemingly-innocent suggestion that the missing tight end make his way to Giants Stadium to participate in off-season passing drills. Manning made the comments last week and soon afterward had a conversation with Shockey, who is training in Miami and eschewing the team's workout program.

"He didn't say a whole lot, he said 'if you got a problem just come to me,' " Manning said yesterday. "I talked to him about it. I wasn't trying to call him out or do anything. I understand what his thought process is. His rookie year he was there and came in and had a great season, he felt he trained the best in Miami working there. Continue

Eli still would pass on S.D.

A year ago on draft day, Eli Manning was sitting backstage at Madison Square Garden when he got a call from San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer. The quarterback had already asked the Chargers not to draft him, but they were about to do it anyway. And Schottenheimer told him a plane to take him to San Diego was being arranged. "Um, I don't know," Manning recalls telling the coach. "We'll see what happens.

" Forty-five minutes later everyone saw what happened. The Chargers granted Manning's wish by trading him to the Giants and the plane trip was obviously canceled. A year later, Manning still believes things couldn't have worked out better, even though he still sounds uncomfortable about the firestorm his predraft actions caused. Continue

Big Blue eyeing Green

Eric Green knows he won't be the first one of the group selected, says that's a mistake and is eager to prove wrong any team that needs a cornerback and does not scoop him up.

Green is a proven talent out of Virginia Tech and at the very least will be a second-round choice in Saturday's NFL Draft. The Giants are in the market for a corner and getting Green with the 43rd overall selection would be excellent value. That would be fine with Green, but at the same time he's preparing to take names of those who get the call first. Continue

GM still gets Charge out of Manning trade

One year after their blockbuster trade for Eli Manning, the Giants are still giddy over how well the deal worked out. They wouldn't change a thing about their swap with San Diego. Of course, the Chargers are pretty happy with it, too. "We are very pleased with it," San Diego GM A.J. Smith said yesterday. "The two weeks leading into it were unpleasant. Then we resolved the situation and everybody moved on with their lives."

The week before last year's draft was pretty miserable for Smith. He had the first pick, but three days before the draft, agent Tom Condon told him Manning didn't want to be a Charger. That set in motion the trade to the Giants that eventually brought quarterback Philip Rivers and three picks, including the 12th pick this year, to San Diego. Continue

Giants happy to sit one out

The initial reaction to the Giants' blockbuster deal for Eli Manning last April was that maybe they overpaid a bit when they sent the San Diego Chargers this year's first-round pick. Then again, maybe Giants GM Ernie Accorsi knew exactly what he was doing. This sure seems the perfect year not to have a pick in the first round.

No doubt the Giants would have gotten a better player at No. 12 - the pick they sent to San Diego - than where they are currently picking, 11 picks into Round 2 (43rd overall). But it's not clear how much better. The general impression of this year's draft seems to be that it flattens out after the top six or seven players, and that the difference between the players taken in the mid-to-late first round and those selected early in the second won't be great at all. Continue

More value in second round?

It takes 59 pages of graphs, mind-numbing equations and dense academic language to make the case. But the co-author of a paper on the NFL draft yesterday used simple language to comfort fans fretting over the Giants' lack of a first-round pick Saturday.

"It's not the end of the world," said Cade Massey, assistant professor of management at Duke's Fuqua School of Business. "In fact, they have a more valuable pick. We know that sounds kind of crazy." The paper, not yet published and written with Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago, makes the argument that NFL officials routinely overestimate their ability to predict performance. That, along with the high cost of early first-round picks in salary and trade value, means the cost-benefit ratio peaks far from the big names at the top of the draft. Continue

Giants love round 2

Among the many aspects of the process Tim Carter did not understand was that teams lie. If not lie, at least lead-on to the point of, well, not being entirely truthful. Carter was a top wide receiver prospect entering the 2002 NFL Draft but he knew his uninspiring production as a senior at Auburn likely would drop him out of the first round. Still, as that first round progressed Carter fielded calls from a handful of teams. He believed he was on the verge of being picked.

"I wasn't informed that teams will call you but they might not draft you," Carter recalled recently. "They'll call you, hold you on the phone and talk to you and then [say], 'Oh, we decided to go with a defensive tackle,' and you're like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' I had that situation a couple of times." Continue

It's a family affair for Snee, Coughlin

While Chris Snee was hospitalized last season with a strange and rare glandular infection, Tom Coughlin would phone each morning, providing a crack-of-dawn wakeup call, and again each night, his interest clearly accentuated by the fact that Snee was not only a prize rookie guard, but also his son-in-law.

For the first time, Coughlin had to juggle feelings for a player he needed and a young man who was married to his daughter and father to his grandson. "I knew he was concerned," Snee said recently after an offseason workout. "I could definitely sense that." Continue

Free agents take pressure off Giants

Two years ago, the Giants were stuck. They were desperate to add a defensive lineman with the 25th pick in the draft, but they watched helplessly as nine were taken in the first 18 selections. Left with no other choice, they were forced to take a player - William Joseph - who was rated 10th at his position on their board. That's exactly what might have happened to the Giants on Saturday if they hadn't signed free-agent receiver Plaxico Burress.

The signing of Burress on March 17 changed everything about the Giants' draft strategy for this weekend. With Ike Hilliard gone and Amani Toomer, Tim Carter and Jamaal Taylor all coming off injuries, the Giants were desperate to add a big-play receiver at some point during this offseason. And if Burress hadn't changed agents and come back to the Giants to sign his six-year, $25 million contract, they would've had to do it early in the draft. Continue

Now, it's wish-draft

It would not be inappropriate for anyone sitting inside the Giants draft room on Saturday to pay special attention when the Chargers make their selection with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft. After all, that's the choice the Giants would have owned had they not traded a bevy of valuable picks a year ago in order to obtain Eli Manning.

Instead, the Giants will not make a move until 42 players have already been taken; they own the 43rd overall pick, which arrives only after 10 picks are off the board in the second round. It's the first time since 1993 the Giants don't own a first-round pick and it's the price a team pays for investing so much in one athlete — even if that athlete is supposed to be the franchise's savior. Continue

Giants' new home won't burden state

Just before lunchtime, John Mara made a prediction at the conclusion of a press conference he'd long awaited. "I expect," the Giants executive vice president said yesterday, "by the time I get back to my office I will have phone calls from numerous bankers and people looking to loan money."

No kidding. Rarely has an ownership group looked so gleeful after committing $750 million dollars of its own money, but the Giants, owned by the Mara and Tisch families, view the agreement of their new 80,000-seat stadium at the Meadowlands as a banner day in the history of the franchise. Continue

Giants content to play pick 4

Never before in the Giants' 81-year history have they entered an NFL Draft with only four picks. That's what awaits the team on April 23 and no one is overly concerned about the lack of selections. The Giants have choices in the second (the 43rd overall pick), third, fourth and sixth rounds. They traded their first- and fifth-round picks to the Chargers in the mega-deal that landed Eli Manning and gave away their seventh-round pick last year for guard Jason Whittle.

GM Ernie Accorsi yesterday said it's quite likely the Giants will sit tight, believing they have already helped their team immensely with the free-agent signings of linebacker Antonio Pierce, receiver Plaxico Burress and right tackle Kareem McKenzie, relieving the need to recoup the lost picks. Continue

Giants, N.J. agree on stadium

The Jets can take Manhattan and their controversial West Side Stadium. The Giants are staying in the New Jersey swamp. After months of on-again, off-again negotiations and several threatened lawsuits, the Giants and the state of New Jersey reached an agreement last night that will allow the team to build a new home right next to their old one. They are expected to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. today to announce the details of a $750 million, privately financed stadium that could be ready for play by 2008.

Assuming there are no other obstacles - never a sure thing in the New York stadium wars - the new Giants' stadium would be the first new stadium or arena built for one of the New York area's nine professional sports teams since Brendan Byrne Arena (now Continental Airlines Arena) was built next door to Giants Stadium in 1981. Continue

Preferring Eli to 1st-rounder

Three hundred sixty-four days after they maxed out their draft credit card, the Giants' bill comes due April 23. The front office and coaches will have many hours to ponder the cost. While the rest of the NFL makes first-round selections that day, the Giants will watch and wait, and wait, and wait before making their initial pick early in the evening, 43rd overall.

Might Ernie Accorsi catch himself considering what might have been when the Chargers use the pick - No. 12 overall - they got from the Giants in the Eli Manning trade? "No," the general manager said yesterday during his annual, predraft media briefing. "I catch myself and think about, 'Gee, we could've possibly not had Eli Manning."' The official take from Accorsi, coach Tom Coughlin and team ownership is that as dear as first-round picks are, the security of having a potential franchise quarterback makes losing one worthwhile. Continue

NY Giants 2005 Schedule

9/11 Arizona 4:15pm Won 42-19

9/19 at New Orleans (Giants stadium) 7:30pm Won 27-10

9/25 at San Diego 8:30pm Lost 45-23

10/2 St Louis 1:00pm Won 44-24

10/9 Bye

10/16 at Dallas 1:00pm Lost 16-13

10/23 Denver 4:15pm Won 24-23

10/30 Washington 1:00pm Won 36-0

11/06 at San Francisco 4:05pm Won 24-6

11/13 Minnesota 1:00pm Lost 24-21

11/20 Philadelphia 1:00pm Won 27-17

11/27 at Seattle 4:15pm Lost 24-21

12/04 Dallas 1:00pm Won 17-10

12/11 at Philadelphia 4:05pm Won 26-23

12/17 Kansas City 5:00pm Won 27-17

12/24 at Washington 1:00pm Lost 35-20

12/31 at Oakland 8:00pm Won 30-21

1/8    Carolina 1:00pm Lost 23-0

Chargers awaiting Manning

The NFL schedule will be unveiled today and there's a good chance the Giants-Chargers game in San Diego will be a nationally televised affair, possibly even a Monday night game. Look no further than Eli Manning for the reason why.

Manning, of course, last year insisted he would not play for the Chargers after they made him the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. It was Manning's famous father, Archie, who met with Chargers officials and later feared his son might languish in San Diego — the way he had during his own career in New Orleans. Finally, the Manning family all but forced the trade to the Giants, leaving an array of ill feelings back in San Diego. Continue

Shockey wins as Coughlin loses nerve

Supposed Giants tough guy Tom Coughlin continues to let no-show tight end Jeremy Shockey do what he wants, which is often the absolute minimum. Coughlin never takes on Shockey, who's skipped the first three weeks of the offseason program without a note. When your team wins 10 games in two seasons and you score 10 touchdowns in three, you're set, I guess. Why lift a finger? Why practice with the team? Why get accustomed to Eli Manning's passes?

It's obvious by now, Shockey cares more about hooking up with Tara Reid than Manning. While Manning publicly voiced disappointment over Shockey's extended absence, Coughlin has stayed silent. He's the classic bully. He picks on media members, backups and deposed coaches, not on stars like Shockey. Continue

Manning wants Shock in system

In keeping with his new role as the unquestioned starting quarterback from Day 1, Eli Manning has taken it upon himself to call Jeremy Shockey, the missing tight end who has stayed away from Giants Stadium during the first three weeks of the off-season workout program.

Assuming a leadership role, Manning last week dialed up Shockey, who is working out at the University of Miami, intent on getting in prime shape away from the watchful eyes of his Giants teammates and coaches. Although he's soft-spoken, Manning in no uncertain terms made it clear he wants Shockey back, and soon. Continue

Eli disturbed that Shockey hasn't shown

Three weeks into the Giants' offseason program, there still has been no sign of Jeremy Shockey, and his quarterback is beginning to get antsy. Eli Manning said yesterday that he called the tight end last week and urged him to show up soon to give them a chance to work on timing. Shockey apparently did not commit, but Manning is hopeful.

"I think he sees my point, so hopefully, we will get him back here in the next few weeks when we start throwing more," said Manning, who passed extensively to receivers for the first time Tuesday and will do so more often in the coming weeks. The offseason strength and conditioning program technically is voluntary, but coach Tom Coughlin expects players to participate. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Shockey has remained in South Florida to work out. He was frustrated with his role at times last season and was hampered by back problems. Continue

Giants file suit vs. Jersey

The battle for a new Giants Stadium went to the courts yesterday when the Giants sued the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority in an attempt to block construction of the $1.3 billion Xanadu project at the Meadowlands and force the NJSEA to provide the team a "state-of-the-art" home.

The suit, filed in Superior Court in Bergen County, claims the NJSEA has not fulfilled its contractual obligation to keep the stadium up to date with others around the NFL. According to Giants VP John Mara, the 30-year-old building needs up to $500 million in renovations, which the state was supposed to provide. Continue

Giants not moving up

Ernie Accorsi is not looking to trade up for a first round pick in this years draft. Accorsi also said He did not offer Will Allen to anyone for a 1st round pick. There was a rumor that the Giants were trying  to trade Allen to the Rams for a 1st rounder. Look for the Giants to stay low on draft day. (NY Post)

Shaun Williams restructures

Safety Shaun Williams, who has missed most of the last two seasons with knee injuries, signed a restructured contract. He was due $3 million this year plus a $900,000 bonus and would have been released today without the restructuring. (Newsday)

Giants hike '05 tix prices

The Giants, who haven't had a winning overall record or a winning record at home since 2002, announced yesterday they will be raising their ticket prices for 2005. The prices have been raised $5 throughout the stadium, according to the Giants, making tickets $70 for the upper and lower tiers of Giants Stadium and $80 for the mezzanine. That should leave the Giants around the middle of the pack of NFL ticket prices since, according to the team, their average price of $66.93 ranked 14th out of 32 NFL teams last season.

However, the Giants, who are coming off back-to-back losing seasons (6-10 last year, 4-12 in 2003), have been particularly bad at home recently. Their record at Giants Stadium was 3-5 last season and 1-7 in 2003. This year their home slate will have games against Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Arizona, Minnesota, St. Louis, Denver and Kansas City, as well as preseason games against Carolina and the Jets. The actual schedule will be released on April 13. (Daily News)

Burreak out

The controversial way he arrived (late), left (abruptly) and finally signed (surprisingly) made for interesting theater but will be long forgotten the first time Plaxico Burress steps on the field and delivers the goods. Then, his new teammates and Giants fans will want to know only one thing: How good is this guy? Burress believes he already knows. His five years in Pittsburgh are best characterized as unfulfilled potential, but the way he sees it, he did the best with that he could.

"You don't always get everything you want right away," Burress said yesterday after a workout at Giants Stadium. "Now is my time to go out and show everybody what I'm capable of doing. I don't know what it feels like to get the ball thrown at you 10, 12 times a game. That's how many times we threw the ball in a whole game. I've just waited for my time to come, and my time has arrived." Continue

Plaxico: I'll prove my worth to NFL

Plaxico Burress never had taken a beating like the one he took during his 2-1/2 weeks on the free-agent market. He thought he would be the subject of a bidding war as the top receiver on the market. Instead, his image was tarnished, he got only one offer and when he finally signed his excitement had turned into more of "a sigh of relief." Two weeks later, the 27-year-old Burress still isn't sure how it all happened. All he knows is this season he'll be playing for the Giants "with a chip on (my) shoulder," and he promised to prove his worth to everyone by doing "some unprecedented things."

"Now I get an opportunity to go out and show what type of person that I am, the type of player that I am, and everybody can sit back and kind of smirk a little bit," the newest Giant said yesterday. "I've got a new start to go out and do some unprecedented things as far as the ability that I have. I, for one, can't wait for it to happen." Continue

Jeremy's absence nothing Shock-ing

One Giants player yesterday said Jeremy Shockey's absence from the offseason workout program has nothing to do with being a malcontent and everything to do with Shockey's determination to improve on last year's disappointing results. "He wants to do his thing on his own; he thinks that's the best way to get ready for the season," the teammate said.

The offseason program is in its second week and Shockey remains a no-show. He's working out at the University of Miami, where for a few weeks one of his partners was Plaxico Burress. "He thinks he's more of a competitor than I am, he and I have been going at it the past two or three weeks," Burress said yesterday. "He was one of the reasons I wanted to play here. He's the type of people I want to be surrounded with, guys who want to compete and want to win. He's kind of the epitome of that." Continue