Giant Football Blog

Barden developing highlight reel

Pictures from a variety of angles exist and have already been circulated on the internet, showing Ramses Barden in full extension, his right arm seemingly scraping the clouds as he reached up, up, up for a one-handed catch during a one-on-one drill against another rookie, cornerback Stoney Woodson.

That Woodson jumped into the air was irrelevant; he is 5-foot-10 and needed an elevator to rise up where the 6-foot-6 Barden resides. Barden is aware of the evidence in cyberspace of one of his highlights in his first training camp with the Giants.

"I've seen a couple of them," Barden said, flashing a sheepish smile. "That day I liked them, but [the next day's] a new day and I'd like to continue to make plays, continue to make my teammates feel that I'm working as hard as they are and that I'm part of this team." Continue

Giants' Ross expecting rebound

Players are not supposed to face a career crossroads after their first season, especially if that season ended with significant individual success and a remarkable Super Bowl triumph.

Looking back, Aaron Ross still isn't sure why he was so miserable last season, why he barely recognized himself on the field, why with so much going for him as a young starting cornerback for the Giants he was having crazy thoughts.

"I didn't even like playing football, to tell you the truth," Ross revealed to The Post recently from training camp. "Going to the games I wasn't excited. Coming to practice I wasn't excited. I wasn't happy." Continue

Phillips to be let loose

Kenny Phillips knew what was coming his way and he relied on his instincts.

It was midway through the first practice of Giants training camp, and Phillips determined that Eli Manning was locked in on receiver Domenik Hixon and would unquestionably throw the ball his way. Phillips sniffed out the route before it was run and told cornerback Corey Webster, "Man, get my back, I'm just gonna go."

Phillips could not believe his good fortune.

"I didn't think he was going to throw it," he said. "When he did I was like, 'Oh wow, let's go.'"The "wow" that followed was all Phillips. He surged forward from his safety position, raced in front of Hixon, dove and intercepted Manning's pass before it hit the ground. It was a superior play. Continue

Now or never for Sinorice Moss

The Giants' defensive players were raving about receiver Sinorice Moss in the spring, how fast he was and how difficult he was to cover. They never told him that, of course.

"No, but they tell me to slow down half the time I talk to them," Moss said. "But I can't do that, man. I'm out here on a mission."

Moss, the 5-8 speedster entering his fourth NFL season, is on a mission to prove his critics wrong and to once and for all show he can play in this league. His first three seasons have been a mess of injuries, lack of opportunities and failure to meet expectations. He's heard the word "bust" far too many times. CContinue

Barden is the tall threat for Giants

The Giants coaches teach their wide receiver to go get the ball at the highest point a player can first reach it.

Ramses Barden's highest point, as he proved late last week, is significantly above anyone else's.

During Saturday's one-on-one end-zone drills, Barden ran a fade to the left side of the end zone while being covered by rookie cornerback Stoney Woodson. A few plays earlier, backup quarterback David Carr didn't throw it high enough and Woodson knocked it away. This time, Rhett Bomar lobbed it high and at Barden's back shoulder, trusting (or perhaps daring) the 6-6 rookie to make the play.

Barden pivoted, separated from Woodson, jumped and reached his right hand about 10 feet into the air -- while Woodson could only remain on the ground and watch. With only his right hand, Barden snatched the ball and came down in bounds for a touchdown.Continue

Can RB Bradshaw fill Derrick Ward's shoes

No telling how Ahmad Bradshaw feels about his new responsibilities, because, irresponsibly, he is not talking.

On the eighth day of Giants camp, Bradshaw went 8-for-8 blowing off media requests yesterday, for reasons more unclear than his new role.

The Giants' three-headed running-back machine of Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward is down to two, with Ward a salary-cap casualty and a Buccaneer, signing a four-year $17 million contract with Tampa Bay.

That has re-made Bradshaw into part of a one-two-punch with the pounding Jacobs.

"This is Ahmad's chance -- I think this excites him," said running-backs coach Jerald Ingram, so we'll just have to take his word for it. Continue

WR Nicks has tightness in hamstring

The loudest cheers generated after one week of training camp came Friday afternoon after Hakeem Nicks ran a deep post, leaped over veteran safety C.C. Brown and rookie cornerback Stoney Woodson and hauled in a 35-yard pass from David Carr.

It was the first downfield grab by Nicks, the first-round draft pick out of North Carolina. It was just the sort of play that titillates the imagination and allows the Giants to believe that this rookie won't be like so many other rookie receivers, that he'll be able to break the mold and make a serious contribution right away. Continue

Big hits at Giants camp

For the first time in training camp the Giants yesterday morning put on what linebacker Bryan Kehl called "the big- boy pads." That triggered the most physical practice to date and, predictably, the defensive side of the ball benefited from the increased aggression.

There were plenty of big hits, most notably from lesser-known players. Rookie linebacker Kenny Ingram, a converted safety from Florida State, smacked fellow rookie Andre Brown on one running play. Second-round pick Clint Sintim put a big hit on Brown, linebacker Jonathan Goff was in the backfield and would have dropped Brown for a loss but instead had to settle for simply being in position to make the tackle. Defensive tackle Anthony Bryant showed a nice pass-rush move to apply pressure on Andre Woodson. Kehl also had a productive session. Continue

Secondary stands out at camp

The Giants' defensive front, with the additions the team made through free agency, is supposed to be the dominant force that will carry the unit through the 2009 season.

While that may very well end up being the case when the hitting becomes live in the preseason, it's the secondary that's making all the plays so far in training camp.

Tuesday, the defensive backs picked off a handful of passes to up the defense's total in the first four practices to 11. And they could have had a bunch more if they hadn't dropped five or so easy passes.

"We've always tried to be aggressive with the secondary," coach Tom Coughlin said. "We do play a lot of press (coverage), so we've got to teach that because we're bringing the safeties down a lot. It's been a good start." Continue

Giants have high expectations heading into camp

 As November gave way to December, there was no doubt in the minds of the Giants that they were headed to a second consecutive Super Bowl.

Acknowledged as the best team in the NFL, they forcefully were stamping the legitimacy of their stunning Super Bowl XLII victory and also making a declaration that even more glory was to come. Then the music stopped and the magnificence of an 11-1 record devolved into the free-fall of a 1-4 finish, including an abrupt one-and-done playoff ouster.

 "We had an opportunity last year and we got to make sure if we get that same opportunity, we don't let that slip away," Eli Manning said. Continue