Sunday, August 22, 2010

Eli's Coming Back

Tom Coughlin said Eli Manning could be back at work as early as tomorrow, but he won't be wearing a helmet. He'll do whatever drills he does in a baseball cap to give that lovely 12-stitch gash more time to heal.

Could make for some interesting situations if he participates in team drills. Of course, all quarterbacks wear the red shirts in practice, which means hands off. But there are plenty of times where an errant hand comes across the facemask. Coughlin said he'll tell his defense to be especially careful about those things.

"Most of our guys are good at, if they do get free up the field, they get past the quarterback," Coughlin said. "The guys are pretty much aware. You have to be sharp, and I’m sure we’ll pick our spots in that first practice, anyway, as we get a feel for what’s best."

Coughlin said Manning should get some playing time against Baltimore next Saturday in the third preseason game, the contest that traditionally serves as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. Starters usually go three quarters or longer in that one, but it will be interesting to see how long Coughlin lets Manning work. Remember, those head gashes tend to stay raw for a while, and even with extra protection they could open easily if the helmet rubs it the wrong way.

The other good news is that guards Rich Seubert (hand) and Chris Snee (knee) are expected back, and that should give the offensive line a little more stability than the version that got Rhett Bomar sacked twice last night. That one had Will Beatty and David Diehl at left tackle and guard, and Guy Whimper at right guard. Diehl, by the way, will remain available for work at both tackle and guard.

Coughlin also said Kenny Phillips and Keith Bulluck should get significantly more than the six snaps each took against Pittsburgh. Bulluck has become especially important to this team, as the linebacking continued to be spotty. Also coming under the microscope is strongside backer Clint Sintim, as Coughlin described the strong side spot as having "a ways to go." Sintim made two tackles.

Brandon Jacobs is also expected to return after sitting out the game with a stiff neck. He was still suffering from what Coughlin described as "flexibility and movement issues" today, but he could be out on the field tomorrow. An MRI showed no structural damage, so the medical staff believes it's all a muscular thing caused by Jacobs doing shoulder shrugs in the weight room. "The expectation is he’ll be able to practice," Coughlin said. "Don’t ask me how this was provoked. This is the first time we’ve ever seen this."

EP

3 comments:

  1. Glad to hear Snee is back. He is concern numero uno for me. Seubert is about to lose his job one way or another.

    Maybe we'll see a cycle at LT and LG with Beatty, Diel, Seubert and Andrews this year. Keep fresh legs on Eli's blindside for dealing with Ware. = )

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  2. ggggg-men...in my opinion Snee is hurt badly and the upcoming game is a test of whether he goes out this season for surgery or not (just a hunch) but to me this is why the Giants took the risk of signing Andrews. Beatty's play is inconsistent.

    To say that the linebacking is "spotty" is perhaps a just term, but certainly a few players that have been highlighted as needing to "step it up" have not, Sintim being one of them. I felt he was a reach when they drafted him and still feel that this was not a strong pick. If you throw Barden and Beckum in the mix, it was not Jerry's best effort.

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  3. significant cuts or PUP lists coming:

    Moss, Barden, Ware, Beckum, Wilkinson, Tollefson. Tollefson showed very little in a situation when he should have dominated his man.

    I don't think Bomar is worth keeping around either. he resorts to the side arm throw, he completely missed wide open players. I worry about the backup QB situation, as this is not as strong an o-line as in the past and Eli might be out of action at some point

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