New York Giants: 2011 Training Camp Update

July 8, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants have officially cancelled their annual training camp at the University of Albany in favor of holding it at the Timex Performance Center in East Rutherford. This is not surprising news at all and I actually expected this type of press release sometime this week. The Giants have to make their plans now and cannot afford to wait any longer for the lockout to give them answers. I’m sure this must have been a very difficult decision to make but at the end of the day, they made the correct choice. I applaud them for waiting right up to the last minute to try and salvage their agreement with Albany but ultimately they need to take care of business and they have done so with this decision.

The G-Men have spent the past 15 years up at the University of Albany and have helped support local business’ there during that entire time. The influx of Giants fans to that area during training camp cannot be understated. The biggest question fans have now is about the possibility of being locked out of the practices due to a lack of space. Attendance for these training camps generally bring out tens of thousands of fans annually. I’m not sure how much money the team makes during these summer sessions but I can tell you that they have a ton of Giants merchandise for sale up at Albany. The team has to be losing money by making this choice. However, there was really no other choice that could have been made when you sit back and think about it.

There hasn’t been much reaction from the players or coaches yet because this news is still very new. I’m sure fans will learn more about the team plans and if they will be able to attend a session or two this year. I’m sure that head coach Tom Coughlin isn’t happy about the situation but he will adapt and overcome as always. We are less then a month away from the Hall of Fame game, so getting the players in proper football shape has become the top priority. The 2011 NFL lockout has now reached 119 days and has affected tens of thousands of people during the worst economic crisis in American history.

What do you think about the Giants having to hold camp in East Rutherford this year?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please Support The Wounded Warrior Project by Clicking Here, You Are Not Forgotten!!


New York Giants: The State of the NFL in 2011

July 3, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants are exactly 70 days away from their first scheduled regular season game on September 11, 2011 against the Washington Redskins. The Giants are also about 40 days away from their first scheduled preseason game against the Carolina Panthers with the game date yet TBA (to be announced) but will occur between August 11, 2011 and August 14, 2011. The 2011 NFL lockout has now reached 114 days and there is still no end in sight. Minicamp will be lost this season. The NFL rookie symposium has been cancelled and teams are changing their regular training camp plans. Free agency has been deeply effected and although team leaders such as QB Eli Manning take it upon themselves to organize player practices, there can be no exception for the real thing. These player practices should add to the shame of this NFL lockout.

Players are literally risking their careers to get in some work. This is absolutely unacceptable. What a sad state we find the NFL in these days. Here we are on this 4th of July weekend and besides talking about baseball, fans have to discuss the stupid lockout and try to guess when it will end or if there will even be a season. You know that things are bad when fans care more about the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog eating contest then they do about football. Still, Giants fans remain loyal because of how John Mara and the organization are handling the situation. The Giants front office have clearly been the most vocal and have taken the lead on more then one occasion during these discussions.

Sports fans will also have a new countdown to endure since the NBA has now started it’s own lockout. When does it end? These deals and new contracts are issues that should have been worked out months before the due date, so the fans don’t have to suffer. The only thing these lockouts accomplish is locking out the fans from their favorite teams and causing a ton of resentment. I think Ray Lewis was right when he said that crime would go up due to these lockouts. The boredom that could take over the minds of our sports society might be too much to handle. Think of a world without sports and then consider what those tens of millions of fans would be doing otherwise. The idle mind is the devils playground. End this lockout and get back to work before things get ugly.

What do you think about the current state of the NFL?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please visit www.hampscamp.com and donate/contribute to Rodney Hampton’s charity for the kids!


New York Giants 2010 Camp Photo Album Vol.03

August 20, 2010

Hello Giants Fans,

This will be the final installment of photos for the 2010 Giants training camp. I hope that our readers enjoyed the photos we have posted in our Camp Photo Album. If some of you were unable to attend camp yourselves, I hope we were able to bring you a little closer with the visuals.

If you have a Giants website of your own and would like to use the photos we took at camp, please send us an email with your request.

We here at the nygreporter understand how difficult it can be to have good pics to use with your articles. We had the very same issues when we started this site and would like to offer some help. Although it is not very much, it will at least be a few photos that can accompany your stories. Enjoy!

Let’s take a look at the final installment of photos for the 2010 New York Giants training camp.

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!


New York Giants Training Camp Report 8/20/10

August 20, 2010

Hello Giants Fans,

Today was the final day of the 2010 New York Giants training camp. Twenty days have come and gone and we’ve learned some interesting facts about the players. The Giants beat the Jets in their first preseason game and will now face the Steelers tomorrow night at New Meadowlands stadium at 7 PM EST.

Fans will get an opportunity to see QB Rhett Bomar lead the offense for most of the game. Bomar was taking mostly second and third string reps at training camp. QB Eli Manning will sit this one out as he heals up from the head laceration he received on Monday night. QB Jim Sorgi is also banged up and expect to miss some playing time. Now that camp is over, I expect to see a lot of player movement.

The 2010 New York Giants training camp is officially over but that doesn’t mean that Big Blue is done practicing. I expect the coaches to ramp up the intensity to prepare the team for the new season. Tom Coughlin has his lists and OC Kevin Gilbride is drawing up plays somewhere in the facility. New DC Perry Fewell is working on strategies like a mad scientist. Special teams coach Tom Quinn is facing one of the toughest challenges of the 2010 NFL season. There isn’t much time left before the first regular season game. Fans can expect to see things moving much more rapidly now.

I’m actually surprised by how many negative comments I have seen from sports “experts” about the Giants. Maybe they can’t see what the rest of us can see or maybe they are right and yet to be vindicated. I simply have to believe that the 2010 team will be much better then the injury plagued 2009 season. There have already been a few injuries in 2010 that have had fans shaking their heads. The injury list simply can’t get out of hand this season or they will have no shot.

Let’s take a look at some of the news from this week about the New York Giants.

– QB Eli Manning was cut in the Monday night game and required 12 stitches.

– QB Eli Manning will not play in the Giants second preseason game tomorrow night versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

– The New York Giants will play their first ever home opener at the new stadium.

– Backup QB Jim Sorgi will miss 2-3 weeks with a shoulder injury he got from a hit he took against the Jets.

– The Giants cut OL Cliff Louis, who they recently signed to bolster the offensive line.

– The Giants cut TE Jake Ballard to make room for QB Dominic Randolph.

– The Giants signed OL Shawn Andrews who is a former two-time pro bowler for the Philadelphia Eagles.

– Backup QB Rhett Bomar will play almost the entire game against Pittsburgh.

– WR Ramses Barden is banged up and will sit out a few practices.

– The Giants signed QB Dominic Randolph as a backup due to all of the injuries at QB.

– Rookie punter Matt Dodge seems to be having a rough time adjusting and may need more work then originally expected.

– OL William Beatty appears to be the man at left tackle, something Giants fans might see for the next eight or nine years straight.

– Rookie DE Jason Pierre-Paul has reportedly already put on 12 pounds of muscle weighing in at 282 pounds.

– Safety Kenny Phillips seems to be doing very well thus far. Fans are praying that Phillips can remain healthy all season.

– 39,875 total Giants fans attended the training camp in Albany this year. It was the fifth best year since they began fifteen years ago upstate.

– Rookie WR Victor Cruz emerged and made a name for himself Monday night. This kid has star written all over him.

– LB Keith Bulluck and S Kenny Phillips are set to make their Giants debut tomorrow night versus the Steelers.

– LB Chase Blackburn and OL Chris Snee are still banged up and sidelined. Not to mention OL Rich Seubert.

Who do you think is going to win the game between the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers?

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!


New York Giants QB Eli Manning Update, Status Unknown

August 18, 2010

Hello Giants Fans,

New York Giants QB Eli Manning suffered a head laceration on Monday night, requiring twelve stitches to close up the three inch gash near his left temple. He was checked for a concussion and the results came back negative, so that is a good thing. You do not need your Super Bowl MVP QB having cerebral issues before the season even starts. I see absolutely no reason why Eli Manning would play in the Pittsburgh Steelers game this Saturday night. The Giants will hold their home opener this Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 7 PM EST in New Meadowlands stadium. The team announced that Manning will be going through some additional tests as a precaution but Manning has said he feels fine and is just sore.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin said that Manning’s status is up in the air for the preseason game against the Steelers on Saturday. I hope they give Manning the night off and let him work the game from the sidelines on the headset. The obvious concern for the team is the cut continuing to open up because of the fact that Eli needs to wear a helmet. It would be smart to allow that cut time to heal before Manning puts on a helmet again. Quite frankly, Manning could run the practices at training camp without a helmet. I would rest him until the fourth preseason game if it were up to me and give that cut a couple of weeks to heal, it’s a long season and you don’t want that thing opening up every weekend.

These are all preseason games mind you but it is still a football game. Without these games on TV, fans would probably never see the likes of WR Victor Cruz (6’1″ 200 pounds) burst onto the NFL scene. Cruz, who is a local New Jersey kid, made a million new fans (including me) on Monday and became the NFL leader in scoring and receiving yards overnight. If this kid does not make the team, I am going to be in awe and will say in public that the team made a big mistake. I’m sure this comment will be redundant by the time the season starts but I still felt it needed to be said. It’s time to shake thing up a little bit, even though I like all of the guys we have at WR now. Whichever receivers do not make the final cut, I wish them well in their journey and they will be a Giant forever.

All of the preseason games should be aired for free on local television stations. It is a travesty that the networks do not work something out that allows fans the opportunity to watch the games that “mean nothing”. The Giants vs. Jets game might not have meant anything in the standings but it sure was a fun game to watch. After eight months without Giants football, I’m sure I am not the only one who felt excited to watch that game.

Do you think New York Giants QB Eli Manning should play against the Steelers this Saturday night?

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!


New York Giants 2010 Camp Photo Album Vol.02

August 14, 2010

Hello Giants Fans,

Here are some more photo’s from the New York Giants training camp. I hope you enjoyed the first batch we put up last week in Volume one. I have a few more I would like to show you, including one of my favorites of the rookie DE Jason Pierre-Paul and the Super Bowl MVP QB Eli Manning. I still can’t believe that I got a photo of head coach Tom Coughlin smiling during his walk around the players doing stretches (that is how they end every practice).

If you still haven’t gone out to see a Giants training camp practice yet this year, you better hurry because time is running out and Big Blue will only be in Albany until August 20, 2010. I highly recommend each Giants fan go at least once to see it for themselves. I want to be clear once again, all of the photo’s below were taken by me personally and they are the property of the nygreporter.com. We only use pics that we have taken ourselves here to avoid any conflicts with others. If someone would like to use our pictures, please send us a request via email and we would be happy to get right back to you.

Let’s stop with the chitter chatter and take a look at some more photo’s now. Enjoy!

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!


New York Giants Training Camp Report 8/14/10

August 14, 2010

Hello Giants Fans,

It feels good to be back from vacation and I’m ready to get back to work! The Giants had a good week of practice and now only have six days left until training camp is completed. Fans (including me) have been anxiously waiting for the Monday Night Football game against the Jets and now it is only two days away. Even though fans know the preseason games don’t really mean anything, other then being a glorified scrimmage, I still enjoy watching the second string guys and rookies play. You have an opportunity to witness the future in my opinion.

Giants fans lucky enough to get tickets to the Monday night game will be a part of history forever. This will be the first football game ever played in the new stadium. There has been a lot of trash talk coming from the Giants little brother, the Jets, about who rules the house in New York. It’s quite funny to see the Jets rambling on about things and complaining, as the steadfast Giants continue to remain classy and not engage in such childish behavior. I’m glad that I’m a Giants fan.

Let’s take a look at some of the recent news about the New York Giants this past week.

– QB Eli Manning continues to have a solid training camp and seems to have an unshakable confidence for 2010.

– WR Derek Hagan has been turning some heads with a surge in productivity lately at practice.

– OL Chris Snee has been held out of practice with a knee issue. It is nothing serious according to the coaches.

– Rookie OL Mitch Petrus has been impressing coaches with his physical play on the field.

– The team still hasn’t made a decision on who will handle the return duties.

– Safety Kenny Phillips has been working his way back into football shape after returning to practice this week. He hasn’t had any setbacks thus far.

– OL Ruben Riley was cut from the team and OL Cliff Louis was signed to the team.

– CB Aaron Ross appears to be fully healthy this year and has been making plays in camp.

– The G-men will honor WR Amani Toomer with the Giants Alumni Man of the Year award.

– Former Giants great Leonard Marshall is attending practice today in Albany and signing autographs.

– The Giants continue to give RB Ahmad Bradshaw a ton of work at the number one RB spot.

– By the end of today, over 30,000 Giants fans will have attended training camp this year so far.

– OL Rich Seubert returned to practice despite wearing a cast on his left arm. The man wants to play.

– WR Ramses Barden continues to get praise from Coughlin and might end up surprising a lot of teams in 2010.

– Wide receivers Steve Smith and Sinorice Moss continue to be hampered with groin injuries.

– Tom Coughlin has said that the starters will play about a quarter of football Monday before being yanked.

Who do you think will win the Giants vs. Jets preseason game Monday night? Final score predictions?

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!


Giants Waive WR Adam Jennings, Sign WR Nyan Boateng

August 6, 2010

The New York Giants made some roster moves today by waiving newly signed WR Adam Jennings. Jennings would have primarily played on special teams and would have been used as a backup WR if the team found itself in a jam. He was not on the team for very long (almost 3 weeks), just like his predecessor WR Chris Davis, who failed the physical.

The Giants also signed rookie WR Nyan Boateng (6’2″ 211 pounds) today. Nyan attended the Giants minicamp and was no doubt signed to bolster a shaky special teams squad. The 23 year old Boateng played college ball with the California Golden Bears. He also attended the legendary Lincoln high school in Brooklyn, New York.

It is amazing to me how often the New York Giants special teams have popped up in the news lately. This has become a legitimate area of concern for me now. I’m not sure how Coach Quinn will be able to put together this puzzle before the season starts. This going to be a huge task in my opinion and the man has his work cut out for him. The Giants are going to have to figure out this situation very quickly because their first preseason game is in ten days.

I talked about some of the concerns in a previous article but to summarize once again, Feagles is retired, rookie punter Matt Dodge is starting, Chad Jones on IR, Domenik Hixon on IR, two special teams WR’s brought in and waived, kicker Lawrence Tynes needs redemption, who will become the kick returner? who will become the punt returner? who is the Giants best special teams player? how will rookie Matt Dodge handle the pressure?

Are you concerned about the state of the New York Giants special teams?

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!!


New York Giants Training Camp Report 8/2/10

August 2, 2010

Hello Giants Fans,

I had the pleasure of going to the New York Giants training camp today for the morning session. It was a cloudy morning but the rain never came. The Giants actually started their training camp yesterday but I was unable to attend because of a previous commitment I had made. But I was there today and it was a great experience. I suggest every single Giants fan within driving distance attend at least one and cross it off of your life list. If I were to guess, I would say there were between 500-750 fans at the morning practice today.

The day started in a pretty cool way too. A couple of buddies and I pulled into the parking lot and began walking towards the field, then we noticed a car pull in and park right next to us. Can you guess who it was? It was none other than Mr. John Mara himself. He looked like he was in a hurry, so I didn’t want to try and talk to him but it was cool to see him. So if you read this Mr. Mara, please except my belated hello and best wishes.

Next we walked to the fence surrounding the field, where we remained until the practice was over. Two things that I noticed about the practice was how vocal and involved new DC Perry Fewell is and the other was how natural LB Phillip Dillard appeared to be as a leader in the MLB spot. It was also good to see CB Aaron Ross and RB Andre Brown running around. The rest of the players who you expect to play well, did. I had a really clear idea of who I wanted to keep an eye on and those mentioned stood out the most. Kenny Phillips dressed for practice but did not participate.

The practice this morning was extremely loose and the coaches were in very good spirits. As elusive as the white rhinoceros, I may have captured a photo of Coach Coughlin smiling, I’m not sure yet. The players were practicing at a good pace that was set by the coaches and they hung out in the end zone while waiting their turns. The players were about 35 feet from where I was standing at one point during the practice, so I got a lot of good photo’s (No more concerns with using pictures on our site here, since I took them all myself) of the players and coaches close up. I took roughly 600 photo’s in all today. A lot of good action shots while the team worked on their drills.

Please be sure to come back and check out a new photo series, the first being posted is called “New York Giants 2010 Camp Photo Album”.

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!


Giants Training Camp Begins in Less Then 24 Hrs

July 31, 2010

The wait is almost over Giants fans. The 2010 training camp begins tomorrow in Albany. This is a very exciting time to be a football fan because you get to actually see what the players look like on the field. All of the number crunching and debates are over, it is now time for these guys to perform.

Training camp is extremely fan friendly and open free to the public. Do not bring camcorders (according to Pat Hanlon) but still photo cameras are fine. Be ready to pay $5 bucks to park your car or $15 for the full day parking during two a day practices. You can check out Giants.com (link in my blogroll to the right) for the full schedule and directions. They also sell team merchandise at the field but I would bring your own water and snacks.

I am going to take a look at three types of fans. I chose the number three because I could micro manage the personalities into dozens of categories but people have things to do on the weekends (including me) so I will make this brief. Here are three types of fans you may encounter in Albany.

There are cooks who cook to eat and then there are cooks who consider making a meal an art form. The same goes for the fans of the game. Some fans want to watch football on Sunday and root for their team to win and that’s it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these types of fans and I’m sure they make up a huge part of the television viewership that the front office is now accustomed to. This could be the guy you see on his cell phone at the stadium, watching a game his friend brought him to.

Then there are other types of fans who dig a little deeper into the team. They watch the sports shows and check out the sports sites. They go to a game when they can and watch their favorite team on TV every Sunday. These fans make up the largest portion of the fan pie or flow chart. These fans are the backbone of the organization and the ones who will not hesitate to purchase a team jersey or other merchandise.

Next you have the serious fan who we will call Type A. These are the ones wearing the authentic football jersey and cooking on a grill while tailgating at the stadium. Season tickets in hand and hanging out with other Type A fans. You will see both fan types above peppered into the group but the Type A fan does the planning and arrangements. These are the fans that have worked their favorite football team into the daily routine. They check the sites regularly, even multiple time per day and watch the shows, knowing what time they come on. They are the writers and bloggers and fans who attend training camp and preseason games. These are the 15,000 people who will show up to events outside of the game for the team such as a draft day party of charitable event. They are simply known as the die hard fan.

My point is that you will see all of these types of fans at training camp this year. The thing to remember is, we are all Giants fans and that is the one bond every Giants fan shares. I recommend going to a training camp at least once in your life for the experience and checking it off your life list for the true blue fan.

RD – nygreporter.com

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT!!