Rookies had a lot thrown at them over the past month. Now it's time to see what stuck – and what didn't.
Today marks the beginning of the Giants' three-day veteran minicamp held at the Timex Performance Center, which will provide the newcomers an opportunity to show what they retained from rookie camp through OTA practices. It will also be the last chance to feel out areas of improvement as the team goes behind closed doors, not returning to the field until training camp in Albany at the end of July.
Eli Manning is ready to see what the potential he's working with, especially with offensive draft picks David Wilson and Rueben Randle.
"Usually what we do with a lot of the young guys, a lot has been thrown out at them in these last three weeks, a lot practice-wise," Manning said, according to ESPNNewYork.com, at an appearance at the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Golf Classic at Mt. Kisco (N.Y.) Country Club. "Minicamp is one last time to start from the get-go, review a lot, so they have one more time to hear everything introduced and they can really start to understand our offense and learn what we are trying to do and what the rules are on certain things.
"We can throw it all at them one more time for a few days and then give them a little break and then come back in training camp and start all fresh. And they will have some sort of idea of what we are trying to do."
Meanwhile, the three consecutive days of practice aren't there to benefit just the rookies. For Manning, it's another step in addressing and solving problems from last season as the Giants defend the title.
"I think our third down has to be better than what it has been," Manning added. "We can be a little more consistent throughout the whole game. We have a lot of fourth-quarter victories, come from behind, which is nice to have. But it also means you didn't play real well the first three quarters. So we can be a little consistent."
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QUICK HITS
Two current coaches resemble Vince Lombardi. [Gregg Rosenthaal, NFL.com]
Tom Coughlin: It's not just the ties to the New York Giants, the team with which Lombardi initially emerged as an offensive coordinator. Coughlin is that rare coach who can be known as a disciplinarian yet inspire devotion from players. He doesn't let the players get too close, but they all want to please him. It doesn't hurt that he loves the power running game.
Before meeting President Obama, Giants visit with wounded warriors. [Paul Schwartz, New York Post]
"Anytime we have an opportunity to thank the men and women of the armed services for what they do for us, the sacrifices that they make so we can enjoy and celebrate the freedoms that we have, we try to take advantage of it," defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "We understand that freedom comes at a price. They offer themselves to pay that price, and we're eternally grateful."
Super Bowl champ Giants feel comfortable in White House. [Mike Garafolo, The Star-Ledger]
*"I'm starting to figure it out a little bit. I kinda know, 'Take a right, take a left,' " said Eli Manning, who filmed a public service message about preventing domestic violence with Vice President Joe Biden. "It's just special to be here and have an opportunity to come to the White House, explore around, meet the people who work here and just hear some of the stories, just little things you'd never know unless you were here and someone told you."
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