ALBANY, N.Y. – The Giants opened training camp today with a spirited, fast-paced practice and a flurry of roster moves as Tom Coughlin and Co. began the summer countdown toward the 2004 NFL season.

The opening practices had virtually no down time. The players completed their drills with quickness and intensity. They moved from one drill to another as if they were running on hot sand.

“We started out in typical fashion with some illegal procedures, a couple balls on the ground, and got better as we went along,” Coughlin said. “We watched some things fundamentally that we had to remind people about, finishing the play, defense being in pursuit, ballcarriers being allowed to run, receivers running 40 yards, ballcarrier going 25, all kinds of little things that we brought to their attention. As the practice went along, we picked the pace up better.”

Coughlin, clearly enjoying his first training camp practice in almost two years, was a ubiquitous presence. He was in the middle of a punt drill, instructing the up backs to hold their positions. Coughlin ran after the punt returners who pulled up before he thought they should. “Go, Tiki, go, keep running,” he yelled at Tiki Barber. Coughlin didn’t hide his displeasure when several members of the offense moved before the snap. As the players spread out after a team period to drill by position, Coughlin said, “Let’s go men, the clock’s running.”

The players are wearing shells for the four practices today and tomorrow. After Sunday’s full day of meetings, the team will wear full pads for the first time Monday morning.

Coughlin’s reputation as a stern disciplinarian has everyone wondering what this camp will be like and how it will differ from past Giants training camps. But to the veterans who have endured their share of NFL summertime fun, they know that a successful training camp is physically and mentally demanding.

“We had a good start,” said Barber, who is beginning his eighth season. “I think it will be like any other training camp. After a while you get numb to it and you try to find ways to learn and get better. The physical pain, fatigue and the lactic acid build up and all that is guaranteed to come. It doesn’t change whether we’re in pads or hitting. It gets you ready for the season.”

“I’m having fun,” said defensive end Michael Strahan, a 12-year veteran. “It’s like I’m on a new team. I’m very excited and I’m out there yapping and talking and having fun. It’s all business, but camp is always all business. To be honest with you, I don’t think coach’s camp is going to be any different than any other camp anybody else is going through. All camps are hard. That’s what they’re intended to be.

“He has a plan and he knows what he’s doing. I’m actually interested to see how it’s going to go. We heard all the things about the legend of coach Coughlin and his tough camps. I’m sure we’ll find out that that’s probably very true.”

Notes

• Bryant was the most well-known player cut. He was the Giants’ kicker each of the last two seasons. In 2002, Bryant led all NFL rookies with 108 points, the second-highest total by a kicker in Giants history. He missed five games last season with a pulled hamstring and finished with a team-high 50 points.

  The Giants signed former Arizona Cardinals kicker Bill Gramatica on May 14 and have been impressed by the leg strength of Todd France, a free agent who was in the Minnesota Vikings’ camp in 2002 and 2003, but has never kicked in an NFL game.

  Coughlin believed having three kickers in camp was unwieldy, so Bryant was released.

  “It was based on our continuous evaluation,” Coughlin said. “We did have to make a couple of roster moves. Lorenzen not reporting ended up being one of them, but we still had one more to make when Chris Snee signed. It was a decision we had made and it was a difficult decision. We went back over it a number of times and decided we were going to go ahead with it.”

  Bryant’s departure makes Gramatica the current favorite to win the kicking job.

  “It’s a relief to know there are just two guys and I’ll get more reps,” said Gramatica, who made 34 of 45 field goal attempts and all 60 of his extra point tries in three seasons with the Cards. “It’s tough – Matt’s a good guy. But I know if I don’t make my kicks I’m not going to be here, either.”

• The Giants continue to look at defensive tackles. Offseason acquisitions Norman Hand and Fred Robbins are working with the first team, and two other new Giants, Martin Chase and Mario Monds, are competing for playing time.

  Cowsette played 16 games as a reserve defensive tackle in both 2001 and 2002 for the Redskins and totaled 28 tackles (17 solo) and two sacks. He recorded his first career tackle against the Giants on Oct. 7, 2001.

  A product of the University of Maryland, Cowsette was a seventh-round draft choice (the 216th overall pick) by the Redskins in 2000. He was on Washington’s practice squad from Aug. 29, 2001 to Nov. 13, when he was released. Four days later, Cowsette was signed to the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad, where he remained until Washington re-signed him on Dec. 19.

  Cowsette was released by the Redskins on Aug. 31, 2003 and did not play last season. He was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers briefly this spring.

  Steele was signed on May 20 after six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Blade, who started 14 games for the Dallas Cowboys last season, was cut just two days after the Giants signed him.

  G Chris Snee reported to camp in time for the first practice Friday morning.

• Snee is unique among Giants players. On July 2, he became Coughlin’s son-in-law when he married the coach’s daughter, Katie. The Snees have a young son named Dylan.

  Today – exactly four weeks later – he has signed his first pro contract and is in camp hoping to win a job as a starting guard.

  “It’s been a hectic month,” said Snee, who was an All-Big East selection at Boston College. “You know, not only getting married but then we also just moved into a house. I think my wife is actually closing today on the house. It’s been a busy month. And I’ve been trying to work out everyday and keep up on football stuff.”

  Snee said he and his wife will go on a honeymoon next year.

  Coughlin and Snee insist their personal relationship will cause no awkwardness on the football field.

  “The wedding took place July 2, which was a wonderful time for our family and the Snee family,” Coughlin said. “There was a very nice ceremony in Boston. Dylan was included in the ceremony, which was very, very important to all of us.

  “But I have been anticipating this from the spring. Your questions have all been the same and it’s no different now. The football is the football and the business part of it we’ll keep
  the business part. And the family part we’ll keep the family part.”

  Snee has an opportunity to win a starting job, particularly if the coaches decide later in camp to move David Diehl out to tackle. He said he hasn’t discussed with Coughlin the unusual situation of playing for his father-in-law.

  “That hasn’t even been addressed,” Snee said. “I know what he expects from me.”

  Snee certainly scored some points with Coughlin when he arrived here Thursday night.

  “The fact that he’s here is very important,” Coughlin said. “He was here last night and he had a chance to meet with the coaches this morning. He got caught up on all the information that was given yesterday. He did not get to look at the teaching tape, but he did get caught up on the Xs and Os. Therefore he had a chance to come out here relatively sure of the fundamental way in which we started practice. It’s good that he did not miss any practices. It’s important to his teammates that all the players are here and they’re working.”

  Snee said, “I’m trying to break into a starting position. I can’t afford to miss any practices.”

• The Giants were surprised Lorenzen chose not to report. He had participated in the Giants’ spring camps. He reportedly has told people in Kentucky that he had been released.

  “I haven’t talked to him and there’s no explanation for it,” Coughlin said. “The first thing I heard was that someone said he was having second thoughts. That’s all I heard.”

  Lorenzen was signed as a free agent on May 7 after starting for four years at the University of Kentucky, where he set school records for total yards (10,637), passing yardage (10,354), completions (862) and touchdowns passes (78). As a senior in 2003, he completed 191 of 336 passes (56.8 percent) for 2,221 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions and was second-team All-SEC (Eli Manning was first team).

  “We did not cut Lorenzen – I don’t know where that started,” general manager Ernie Accorsi said. “Lorenzen did not report and we put him on reserve/did not report. He supposedly told someone in Lexington (Ken.) that, but it’s not true. We never made that decision. He didn’t report and we heard he was not going to report so we put him on reserve/did not report.”

  Accorsi said he did not know why Lorenzen chose not to come to Albany.

  “The only word I heard – and this is second or third hand – is that he was having second thoughts,” Accorsi said. “But he’s still in our reserve system. We didn’t cut him. He signed after we drafted (Eli) Manning, which surprised me, frankly.”

• By being placed on the PUP/active list Seubert, Shockey and Peters can participate in meetings and other team functions, but cannot practice. They do not have to sit out a minimum amount of time before being fully activated. As soon as they are healthy, they can play.

  Of course, no one is certain when that will be. Seubert continues to rehab his right leg, which was broken in three places last Oct. 19. Shockey had surgery to insert a screw in his foot on June 22. And Peters is recovering from ankle surgery.

  “We’re going to try to keep Shockey involved – he’s chomping on the bit to be out here,” Coughlin said. “You have to keep him restrained, so we make sure he progresses according to the way the medical people want him progressing. His head is in the practice, he’s been in all the meetings. He reported Tuesday or Wednesday and the first thing he did was hit the weight room.”
  

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