T-Rock's Take on the Giants

Coughlin said Daniels is not on the practice squad. He was actually claimed by the Eagles. Right now they have seven players on the practice squad.

Speaking of the Eagles, the Giants have in fact signed McDougle. To make room for him they had the awkward job of cutting Rodney Leisle who thought he'd made the team. Rodney don't get no respect, I tell ya.

On McDougle, Coughlin said the Giants liked that hasn't missed any time in the preseason and he looked sharp in the games. He said that in long passing downs McDougle, Tuck or Wynn could move to the inside.

I spoke with Terrell Thomas about his uniform number change. He said he never liked the 30 he was issued and thought he was going to be moved to safety when he got it. "30 isn't a number for a cornerback," he said. So he waited for something in the 20s to open up. He had his eye on Danny Ware's 28, the number he wore at USC, but settled on 24. He said he wore 4 in high school, so this is close enough.

Speaking of numbers, McDougle wore 95 in Philly. Wallace Gilberry on the practice squad has been wearing that number here for the summer. He'll most likely have to forfeit it. Sorry Wallace. But it could be worse. Just ask Leisle.

Still haven't gotten official word on the practice squad, but the mysterious eighth player could be Tank Daniels. Despite being among those cut yesterday, he had a locker in place in the locker room today. And he had been moved to the row with other practice squadders. Pretty good hint.

Of course, the Giants still have to cut someone from their 53 to make room for McDougle. There's a report that he's signed with the Giants, adding depth at DE. Coughlin speaks in a few minutes, so I'm sure we'll have everything ironed out by the time he leaves the podium.

That's Jim Zorn, head coach of the Redskins and as far as I know, no relation to the poultry and potato empire on Long Island (sorry, J.P.!). The remark came after he spoke about coming in as a first-time head coach and presenting the players with organization and a plan. What is that plan? "Our plan is to win," he said.

He also called the NFC East a "violent division."

"Looking at it from top to bottom is just extremely hard," he said of the division. "It is a very physical division, I think it is a violent division, and there is a lot of pride in having that kind of reputation. I think all the teams that we are going to face in the division this year have that reputation."

As for Redskins injuries, Zorn said Jason Taylor was doing some footwork drills, jogging straight ahead, and that is about it during a morning session. "Hopefully as the week goes on, Jason will continue to improve," he said. LaRon Landry practiced.

Terrell Thomas (hamstring) missed practice again, but this time he did so wearing a No. 24 jersey. He had been donning No. 30 throughout the summer, but 24 became available when they waived ... somebody. Just kidding. It was FB Robert Douglas. Seriously, I hope no one out there already ordered a Terrell Thomas jersey. He wore 28 at USC, as far as I can tell from some photographs. But the Giants cut Douglas and kept Danny Ware, so now he's 24.

Also on the sideline for practice were Goff and Hixon (backs), Tyree (PUP) and Tynes (knee). John Carney was on the field for practice, but left with Jeff Feagles early. Maybe they were going to work on kicking inside the stadium. Maybe there's a rule giving guys over 40 a break.

No sign (or signing) of Jerome McDougle. D.C. Steve Spagnuolo was running out to the practice field this morning and appeared to be a little late. It's fun to speculate that he was held up while catching up with McDougle, isn't it?

WR Brandon London was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins. Funny, he said that Miami was one of the places he hoped to land if he didn't stick in NY. Good for him. I hear the scouts in the area were very high on the guy.

There were a few casualties who rose from the waiver wire and appear to have been signed as practice squadders: Wallace Gilberry, Geoffrey Pope, Na'Shan Goddard, Kurt Quarterman, Andre Woodson, Jeremy Clark and Marcus Monk were all spotted on the field for practice today. That leaves them with one spot -- thanks to London being claimed -- on the practice squad. They might fill that soon with someone who thought he was a 53er if they do indeed sign McDougle.

Forgive me, but I'll be posting this or a similar message each day this week:

Thursday night’s game has the potential to be a traffic and parking nightmare because it is a weeknight and kickoff is at the unorthodox time of 7 p.m. The best way to beat the traffic is to car pool, arrive early, and remember that parking on the Meadowlands complex is by pre-paid permit only. All others should follow the directional signage to the satellite parking lots in Lyndhurst.

And if you live or work in the area but aren't planning to attend Thursday's game, well, God speed. You might want to consider an alternate route on Thursday.

Well, I'm told it's a Sunday. But it's Sunday of a three-day weekend, so it's more like a Saturday. But then in terms of an NFL schedule, it's a Wednesday. It's all very confusing.

Here's what you need to know if you are checking this blog today (whatever day it is):

We'll have a conference call with the Redskins at noon. The Giants practice at 12:40. We get the players in the locker room at 2:30 and Tom Coughlin here at the podium at 3:50.

Finally, there's a report out of Philly that the Giants are all over Jerome McDougle. Heck, he might even make an appearance here today. We'll be on the lookout on the practice field and in the locker room.

Who could have thought that the possibility exists of Patrick Ewking Jr. playing for the Knicks and Chris Simms playing for the Giants? Simms was axed by the Bucs today, and while I haven't heard anything concrete relating to the related to, it sure sounded as if the Giants would be looking to grab a third QB once they can trim down to one kicker.

If only Darryl Strawberry's kid had stuck to baseball instead of basketball, we could have redone the entire second half of the 1980s in New York.

Just saw that the Colts waived Jared Lorenzen.

In case anyone is interested.

The Eagles also parted ways with former first-round DE Jerome McDougle.

Again, in case anyone is interested.

Here are a few quotes from Tom Coughlin regarding the roster decisions made today (or at least made public today):

Tom Coughlin on waiving 19 players: “This is a very tough day. When you look into the eyes of the players you see three or four different reactions. On the one hand, there will be the guy who had no idea he was going to be released and he’s in a state of shock. Another is the guy who desperately wanted to make the team and probably did a pretty good job of camouflaging it a lot of times, but now there’s no camouflage whatsoever. He’s devastated. Then there are the eyes of the individual who kind of knew it was coming, is very gracious about it and wants to thank everybody for the opportunity that he’s had. Then there are the young guys who you can encourage and perhaps offer a practice squad position to. Those guys seem to come back off the floor once they know that there is going to be a practice squad opportunity for them should they clear waivers.

“You have a lot of emotions and you have a lot of people that are anxious about this day. You have some guys that come to the building here and it hasn’t sunk in why they’re here, so when they come up to you they’re in a state of shock. It’s an anxious day for the player. And it’s not a happy day for all of us here, because you’ve had so many people that have played and tried so hard and they’re not going to be a part of our team. That’s the unfortunate nature of the process.”

Continue reading "Coughlin's thoughts" »

All sealed and official from the Giants:

Offense
Quarterback (2): Eli Manning, David Carr.
Running Back (5): Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Ahmad Bradshaw, Reuben Droughns, Danny Ware.
Fullback (1): Madison Hedgecock.
Wide Receiver (6): Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, Sinorice Moss.
Tight End: (3): Kevin Boss, Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson.
Offensive Line: (8): Shaun O’Hara, Rich Seubert, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie, David Diehl, Kevin Boothe, Adam Koets, Grey Ruegamer.

Defense
Defensive Line (8): Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, Renaldo Wynn, Dave Tollefson, Jay Alford, Rodney Leisle.
Linebackers (7): Antonio Pierce, Gerris Wilkinson, Danny Clark, Chase Blackburn, Zak DeOssie, Bryan Kehl, Jonathan Goff.
Defensive Backs: (10): Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, James Butler, Michael Johnson, Kevin Dockery, Sam Madison, R.W. McQuarters, Sammy Knight, Kenny Phillips, Terrell Thomas.

Specialists
Punter (1): Jeff Feagles
Kickers (2): Lawrence Tynes, John Carney

Just got off a conference call chat with Coughlin, Manning and Pierce. Manning said he was just given the night off last night and there was no medical issue that kept him from playing (one can never be too sure about these things without asking). A more realistic concern was Pierce, who has missed a few practices and the last two games with a balky back. He said he's 100 percent and looking forward to practicing on Sunday in prep for the Redskins game.

Tom Coughlin did not mention how he was feeling, but did say that Dave Tollefson suffered a stinger and will be fine, they are expecting Domenik Hixon to shake his back spasms, and Guy Whimper and Digger Bujnoch are both undergoing MRIs. Sadly, those results may have a lot to do with deciding roster spots.

Coughlin also said the team has to make decisions on the status of Lawrence Tynes. "I think that's ongoing," he said. "Fortunately we do have a day here when we continue that progress, and from that decision from our medical people we have to make the right decision for our team. We'll see how that goes.

"Whatever they tell me in terms of where he is, that's what we'll act with," Coughlin said. "He obviously has not had the green light yet."