More On Jones

Here's a story from The Advocate of Baton Rouge, that was obviously written before news of Chad Jones' transport to New York Presbyterian Hospital became public. Interesting to note that cops did not take a breathalyzer or a blood test, but have no reason to believe alcohol had any role in the third-round safety's car accident early Friday morning.

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Coming to NY

The Giants announced today that third-round safety Chad Jones, who underwent eight hours of surgery on his left leg and ankle following a car accident in New Orleans Friday morning, is being transfered to Manhattan's New York Presbyterian-Cornell Weill Medical Center.

Jones had been in the LSU Public Hospital, where doctors worked to restore blood flow to his shattered leg and ankle. He is now expected to undergo other cosmetic and orthopedic procedures in New York.

"Chad has received outstanding medical care from the doctors and nurses in New Orleans since his accident. They've shown great compassion," said Giants vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes. "After consulting with our doctors, Chad's doctors at LSU and his family felt like this move to New York was the next logical step in his care and recovery."

Jones is being moved via MedJet Assist of Birmingham, Ala. He will be accompanied by his girlfriend on the flight, and his parents will follow on a commercial flight shortly thereafter. Director of Player Development Charles Way, who has been with Jones and his family since Saturday, will accompany the safety's parents.

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Waived Goodbye

The Chris Davis era of kick returning came to an end today, just six days after he was signed, when the Giants waived him because of a failed physical.

Davis was waived by the Bengals last Tuesday and was signed the following day. He missed the 2009 season when, with the Titans, he pulled his hamstring during the Hall-of-Fame preseason game with Buffalo.

Davis' departure leaves the Giants with Ahmad Bradshaw, Sinorice Moss, and Andre Brown to compete for the kickoff return job left vacant by the absence of Domenik Hixon, who tore his ACL in minicamp. Mario Manningham, Moss, and Aaron Ross will probably vie for Hixon's punt return job, with Ross a real possibility if he stays as an extra defensive back.

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More Details

Here's a story from the New Orleans Times-Picayune with a couple of more details about third-round safety Chad Jones' car accident that very nearly cost him his left leg.

I'm sure more details are going to come out over the next few days and weeks, including the results of the toxicology tests that were done when Jones got to the hospital. The good news is that the blood seems to be flowing well throughout his leg, and he's awake and alert. Under the circumstances, can't ask for much better than that.

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Out Of Surgery

Mikey G. reported a few minutes ago that doctors have completed seven hours worth of surgery on Chad Jones and, although it's way too early for a long-term prognosis, the operation went well.

Jones' agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said Jones is now in recovery and the immediate prognosis is positive. In our language, given the severity of the accident, that may well mean that he'll be able to walk after he recovers. Nobody appears to be talking about a future in football, which is understandable.

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Chad Jones In Accident

Sorry. Been busy all day and just catching up. But here's a link to the tragic Chad Jones accident. A football career appears to be the least of the 21-year-old LSU star safety and pitcher's concerns right now, as doctors list him in guarded condition after breaking his left leg and ankle in an early morning car crash.

While doctors fought to save his leg, teammates sent out their thoughts on Twitter.

"Pray for my teammate," wrote cornerback Terrell Thomas.

"Thoughts n prayers go out to my new teammate, Chad Jones," wrote wide receiver Steve Smith.

It's nothing short of ironic that Jones' accident should come just a couple of weeks after Mathias Kiwanuka barely escaped a motorcycle crash unhurt. The accident did put his brother in the critical care unit for a week, however. Jones was not riding a motorcycle. He supposedly lost control of his SUV.

On a far less important note, the Giants waived undrafted quarterback Riley Skinner, leaving them with Eli Manning, Jim Sorgi, and Rhett Bomar.

Also, fifth-round guard Mitch Petrus and seventh-round punter Matt Dodge signed their contracts, leaving only first-round defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and second-round defensive tackle Linval Joseph unsigned. Bet that they'll make an on-time arrival at training camp Aug. 1, though.

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LT Indicted

Yep. The grand jury in Lawrence Taylor's rape case indicted him today. His lawyer said the Hall-of-Fame linebacker will plead not guilty to having sexual relations with a 16-year-old prostitute when he appears in court July 13.

Wonder if he'll steal OJ's "Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty, your honor." That's a good defense. But if I were LT, I'd say, "I double-dog dare you to throw this case out." Can't dodge a double-dog dare, ya know. It's in the law books.

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Davis Claimed

Remember when we talked about rehabbing running back Andre Brown potentially returning kickoffs. Well, he's got company now. The Giants were awarded former Cincinnati wide receiver/kick returner Chris Davis off waivers.

Davis, out of Florida State, was Tennessee's fourth-round pick in 2007. The fact that the guy catches passes, too, could be bad news for Sinorice Moss, who is trying to stick around for a fifth season despite doing, oh, zero notable things over his first four seasons.

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Mikey's Got It

Thanks to Mikey G. for getting fourth-rounder Phillip Dillard's deal: Four years, $2.28 million, with a $493,000 signing bonus.

Adrian Tracy, sixth-rounder, got four years, $1.895 million, and a $105,000 signing bonus.

Nothing outlandish there. Players at that level -- in fact all draft picks -- are slotted for the most part.

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Tracy And Dillard In

A day after clearing out some roster space for rookie signings, the Giants brought two of their draftees into the fold by signing sixth-round linebacker Adrian Tracy and agreeing to terms with fourth-round linebacker Phillip Dillard.

Tracy, the 184th overall pick, signed a four-year deal that is believed worth slightly more than the four-year, $1.895 million contract than the 185th pick received. That would be Seahawks TE Anthony McCoy, who received a $105,000 signing bonus.

The terms of Dillard's deal are not known, though it, too, is likely for four years. The players drafted on either side of Dillard signed three-year deals.

At any rate, with third-round safety Chad Jones signing before minicamp, that makes three draft picks in, with four remaining.

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One Punter

Unless the Giants go out of the organization for a punter, it looks like they are giving the job to seventh-round draft pick Matt Dodge. Jy Bond, the Australian Rules transplant, was released today, along with four other players to clear space for when the Giants begin signing their draft choices.

Kicker Sam Swank had already been shown the door when third-round safety Chad Jones signed last week. Today, they released Bond, DB Vince Anderson, TE Carson Butler, and LBs Lee Campbell and Micah Johnson.

Johnson had been a much-ballyhooed undrafted pickup on this blog, and he solid rookie minicamp tryout earned him a contract and a shot at last week's full-team minicamp. But he was all but invisible in the three-day workouts.

They'll still need to release one more player to accommodate all six remaining draftees.

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Brown To Challenge?

To the naked eye, last year's fourth-round running back Andre Brown looked ready to challenge DJ Ware and Gartrell Johnson for the third spot behind Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

He appeared to move well during minicamp, both north-south and toward the perimeters. He flared out and looped over the middle for passes, which he caught with assurance. They even let him throw an option pass that, with any luck given its rather ugly outcome, will never see the light of day during the season. Still, he got out there pretty well for a guy coming off a torn Achilles tendon.

That's the problem, though. On the surface, he looked like he was all the way back. But behind the scenes, there have been struggles. And that's not to mention that no running back in recent memory has ever come back from a blown Achilles to make a significant contribution. Brown, however, is confident he can be the first.

"Other than getting my football legs back under me, everything's fine," Brown said at last week's minicamp.

Well, that's his opinion, anyway. There have been some setbacks, such as a fall in the shower in November that cost him 2 1/2 weeks of rehab. And there has been residual soreness and swelling at various points in the offseason program.

So one can easily understand if offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride isn't necessarily counting on Brown to unseat either Ware or Johnson, even though Brown may well be the best pass-catcher out of the backfield right now.

"It's hard for me to tell physically," Gilbride said of Brown's progress. "Soreness-wise and everything else, I think he'll tell you he's still got a ways to go. It's more of the fact that he missed the whole season. It's like starting over. So right now, he's making a few more mistakes."

Brown blew out the tendon in early training camp, before he even had a chance to take a snap in a preseason game. So, he is more like what Brown describes as a "Super Rookie." Given last year's experience, he said he'll just be happy making it through the preseason this year. He'll have plenty of opportunities for reps, since Jacobs and Bradshaw will probably be one-practice per day guys throughout camp. And there will be chances at kickoff return, where Brown worked in minicamp.

It's all a matter of his Achilles standing up to the beating, and being able to absorb a system he studied, but never really played in.

"I just want to get back and get comfortable playing football," Brown said. "Being able to play in my first NFL game, that's a big goal."

Being able to throw in the 6-foot, 224-pound Brown in as a change of pace over the quick Bradshaw and powerful Jacobs would certainly help the cause. Jacobs called him a tweener -- "quick with good moves."

But Brown has a lot to prove before that happens.

"Physically, he's back," Jacobs said. "But he got hurt so early, he never had a chance to grasp everything mentally that you've just got to understand if you're going to play.

"But he listens. He's a great classroom guy. But when the bullets start flying, you forget. But I think he's done a lot better than people thought he'd do."

He's not far enough along to make his offensive coordinator comfortable, however.

"There are a few more mistakes right now than we could afford if we had to put him in," Gilbride said. "We couldn't afford to put him in right now. Hopefully, as the training camp goes and the exhibitions go, those things will disappear."

Given that running backs tend not to come back from Brown's type of injury at all, the fact that he's this far along is a good sign. It's up to the player now to keep the arrow pointing up.

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Have A Great Day

We wouldn't wish anybody anything today if we were in Rome, which probably has fallen into mourning over Italy's 1-1 tie with lightly-regarded New Zealand.

But we're in the United States, and this is an American football blog. And it's a great, beautiful day to go golfing or enjoy some other kind of outdoor sport. So, to all the dads out there, Happy Father's Day. Hope all your little draft picks give you something nice.

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Bulluck Coming Home?

Former Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck grew up in New City of Rockland County and attended Clarkstown North High. So coming to the Giants as opposed to, say, the Detroit Lions as a veteran free agent would certainly be more appealing to him.

He said as much on Sirius Radio to hosts Adam Schein and Jim Miller. But that may just be wishful thinking on his part. Right now, the Lions have an opening at weakside linebacker. And while the Giants would appear to have spots ripe for the taking in the middle and on the strongside, one would certainly wonder if they'd have any interest in bringing in a 33-year-old just six months out of ACL surgery.

He might fit better with the Lions, whose coach, Jim Schwartz, loves Bullock from Schwartz' days as the Titans' defensive coordinator. But Bulluck, who said he's not going to make any free agent visits for the next couple of weeks, mentioned the Giants in particular as a potential landing spot.

"The New York Giants is what's up," Bulluck said. "I'll stay right here (in Rockland County). I'm right down the turnpike."

But he said Detroit and the Titans are also possible. Just as well. It'd be hard to believe the Giants would be interested in old, damaged goods when they seem to be committed to developing youngsters like Jonathan Goff, Phillip Dillard, Clint Sintim, and Bryan Kehl in the middle and strong side.

What do you guys think?

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A Little Something To Chew On

After watching rookie punters Matt Dodge and Jy Bond in minicamp, I must say I'm a bit concerned about that situation. But what concerns me even more is something special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said yesterday.

Seems he has lower expectations for both men. Not that either will show the directional deadliness of the retired Jeff Feagles for some time. But I don't think getting a punt on or just outside the numbers is too much to ask of even a rookie. However, Quinn said he's not even looking for that much.

"Really, the thing we'll ask them is, Jeff was putting it outside the numbers. These guys may put it inside the numbers. But they will at least give us some direction and allow us to cover the kick."

Bet the return guys around the NFC East will be delighted to hear that. Here's something else that might put a smile on their faces. Neither Dodge nor Bond showed much consistency during minicamp. Bond, especially, boomed a couple of beautiful, spiraling kicks, but later knocked a couple end over end short. Dodge exhibited some leg, too, but also shanked his share.

Feagles worked with them the whole minicamp on both the punting and holding aspects of the job. He's not ready to become a fulltime coach yet, but if the Giants are smart, they'll bring him up to Albany and let him keep coaching these guys up. If Quinn is to be believed, there are no plans for bringing in a veteran punter from the outside. When asked if he believes the punter is on the roster now, he replied, "Oh, yes."

If that's truly the case, fourth down in 2010 could turn into a real adventure.

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Some Practice Video

Here's some video from the last practice at minicamp. Note that Aaron Ross, Sinorice Moss, Antrel Rolle, and Derek Hagan were taking punt returns.

This team won't convene again until Aug. 1, when training camp opens at the University at Albany for the 15th consecutive season. In between, several players including Kenny Phillips, Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Justin Tuck will be trying to get themselves healthy after missing all or part of the three-day minicamp.

Among the bigger issues facing the Giants heading into training camp is finding a suitable replacement for Domenik Hixon. Not only did he play on punt and kickoff returns and punt and kickoff coverage, but he also took part in the passing game.

But many of his teammates said they'll miss the man more than the player.

"It's not fair, but life isn't fair," said Tuck, who sat out the last two days with a sore foot. "I didn't see anything that went wrong. I've seen him run past hundreds of people, it's just that this time something went wrong."

"Domenik has nothing but respect from everyone here," Tom Coughlin said. "He is an excellent teammate. He is a guy that we are all personally very fond of. He is completely reliable and dependable; just an outstanding young man; outstanding leader in the locker room; a stand tall guy; a guy who is very positive, always very re-enforcing for his unit as receivers and special teams.

"I saw Domenik this morning and told him that first and foremost our concern is for him. He assures me that he will get this taken care of and he will be here to support his teammates and looks forward to coming back."

Replacing him will be a major issue of camp now. Today, Aaron Ross, Sinorice Moss, and Antrel Rolle, and Derek Hagan took punts, as Mario Manningham missed the workout for personal reasons. Ahmad Bradshaw could work in there, too, as his surgically-repaired feet and ankle get better. Tiny Tim Brown, an undrafted wideout from Rutgers will also get a chance. And special teams coordinator Tom Quinn also counted third-round safety Chad Jones as a possibility because of his baseball background.

"Anybody with baseball experience tracks the ball very well," Quinn said. "He's always in good position."

That's a plus, since ball security is so important in today's punting game.

"How far they kick it these days, you've got to make sure you catch it," Quinn said.

Andre Brown and Bradshaw could be the front-runners for the kickoff return spot.

There's no doubt, however, that Hixon will be missed.

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One More Time

Last practice today before the team disperses until the Aug. 1 reporting date for training camp at UAlbany. Will have a little more video for you later on, along with the usual tidbits. So hang around.

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Jerry Says

General manager Jerry Reese said he's having the manufacturers of the new stadium's FieldTurf surface inspect it for potential problems with the seams. But he said that had nothing to do with the torn right ACL that has sidelined kick returner Domenik Hixon for the season.

"It could have happened right out here, on the grass," Reese said as the Giants worked on their natural grass practice field Wednesday afternoon. "Where Domenik went down (near the numbers), that had nothing to do with seams. Where he went down, there were no seams over there. It was just a freak thing to happen, and we’ll just have to deal with it."

Reese indicated there could be a problem with the tray system at midfield that holds the pellets of the field's crushed rubber base under the removable logos. He said alterations might be in order there.

The biggest problem as far as the Giants are concerned lies with the punt return game, where Hixon was adept at providing field position. Reese said Aaron Ross could be a candidate, since he returned punts in college, as well as Mario Manningham. But never has served in that role in the NFL, so the likeliest candidate may be Sinorice Moss. He's done both punts and kickoffs, but has not been impressive at either spot.

Reese said he'd also look into trade possibilities.

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Practice Notes And Video

Here's some video of the morning practice. You'll notice that Jeff Feagles is back trying to get some consistency into drafted punter Matt Dodge and Australian Rules transplant Jy Bond, with mixed and sometimes frustrating results.

Also, Corey Webster jammed the middle finger of his left hand while breaking up Eli Manning's pass to Steve Smith. He said nothing was broken, and he should be back tomorrow. RB Ahmad Bradshaw sat out with soreness in his surgically-repaired feet and left ankle, and TE Kevin Boss continued to sit out while rehabbing his cleanup ankle surgery from a few weeks ago. He said he should be ready for a full-go training camp.

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Hixon's Finished

When Domenik Hixon went down returning a punt on the new stadium's FieldTurf field, it was originally thought he had hyperextended his right now.

Well, downgrade that. Turns out Hixon blew out his right ACL. A visit to the doctor's office revealed the tear, and he has been scheduled for surgery in two to three weeks. His season is over.

So let the questions begin. Is the new field faulty in some manner? Tom Coughlin said after the morning practice, before he received news that Hixon was done, that he already has the turf people looking into it.

"Listen, you've got to go over there and go on it before you make any judgements about it," Coughlin said. "We'll be better served now by the shoes we recommend.

"He got his foot stuck in there. You can see it on tape; he's turning a little bit. We're aware of it. We're continuing to work with it. We're asking the turf people to take another look at the field and some of the thoughts we had about shoes. I think it's pretty much just because it's new."

Coughlin said all the players were wearing the recommended shoes for that particular style of FieldTurf. But that may have to change now, especially in light of Hixon's non-contact injury.

Shoes are the least of the problems, however. Hixon's injury now creates a hole at the third or fourth wide receiver spot, as well as on kickoff and punt returns. That may just have secured yet another spot for Sinorice Moss, who took punt returns today along with Antrel Rolle, Mario Manningham, and Aaron Ross.

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