New York Giants Notes: Monday Gameday Edition

Good morning fellow Giants fans.  Monday night marks Game 2 of the preseason and the Giants' first home game of the 2011 exhibition campaign as the G-men renew pleasantries with the Chicago Bears.  Well, it wasn't pleasant for the Bears in 2010 when the two teams met--just ask Jay Cutler, who was pounded into the turf so hard and so often that nobody would have blamed him if he hadn't stepped on the field again.  But he did, and Cutler wound up leading the Bears to the NFC title game.  Still, everyone on both sides remembers that night--it was a must-win game for the Giants after two soul-crushing losses to Indy and Tennessee, respectively, and the Bears were 3-0 coming to New Meadowlands.  The rest is history--or at least was at the time.  Of course, this is the preseason and we don't expect to see the same kind of pressure on Cutler as we did in October 2010--but you know Cutler will remember what it felt like that night, and he's bound to have a few jitters.  Right?

NFL Preseason Preview - Chicago (1-0) at N.Y. Giants (0-1) - Football Wires - MiamiHerald.com
After leading the NFL with a troubling 56 sacks allowed a year ago, the Bears underwent some significant reshuffling across the offensive line this offseason. So far the results have been much of the same, however, with the revamped group surrendering nine sacks to Buffalo in last week's opener. Chicago still managed to come away with a 10-3 victory over the Bills, due in large part to a strong effort from the team's usually stout defense. The unit yielded a mere 190 total yards for the game, while Buffalo advanced into Bears' territory just twice on its 10 offensive possessions.

New York Giants won't have Osi Umenyiora against Chicago Bears but have plenty of talent on line - ESPN New York
If the preseason opener against Carolina is any indication, the Giants will be fine without Umenyiora for perhaps the next month or longer. And the hope is that not only will Pierre-Paul spread his wings in the next month but that Umenyiora will come back healthy and refreshed physically and, hopefully, mentally.

Amen to that.  And hey, here is something interesting I just came across--an article by Ralph Vacchiano of The Daily News from April 2010 when JPP was drafted, and what it meant for Osi at the time. Kind of interesting to read this now considering where JPP is now and where Osi is and has been.

Bears need Williams, Cutler to sizzle - DailyHerald.com
All the skill-position players will see much more action Monday than they did in the opener, and quarterback Jay Cutler is looking forward to building a working relationship with Williams.....With no off-season program this year, Williams and Cutler have had just two weeks on the field together to develop a rapport. But the rangy former first-round pick who caught 23 TD passes in his first three seasons says the relationship is coming along fine.

Hixon ready for FieldTurf reunion - Giants Blog - ESPN New York
No fear. That's what Giants WR Domenik Hixon insists he'll feel when he sets foot on the FieldTurf at MetLife Stadium on Monday against Chicago. Hixon suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury during the Giants' first practice at the new stadium last June.

Boy, it sure is good to have Hixon back, isn't it?  Let's hope he makes us forget about ol' No. 12.  Who?  Exactly.

Giants teaching quarterback Ryan Perrilloux with the aid of a little camera - The Washington Post
After most interceptions, there is usually a shot on television of a head coach or offensive coordinator walking up to a quarterback and asking him: "What did you see on the play." Most times, the words are a little spicier and the quarterbacks are forced to relive the throws and explain what went wrong.The New York Giants have been taking the onus off free agent quarterback Ryan Perrilloux in training camp by attaching a tiny camera to the front of his helmet during practice. The $300 "GoPro" helmet camera lets coaches not only see what the 24-year-old Perrilloux sees on each play, but also hear what he hears.

I bet Jay Cutler wishes he had one of tho--  Okay, I know.  Enough Cutler jokes.  It's just that he's do darned fun to make fun ot.

New York Giants to Ink Westchester's Kennedy | The Daily Harrison
Jimmy Kennedy, one of three Westchester natives playing in the National Football League, is expected to sign Tuesday to play defensive tackle for the New York Giants. During his high school career, he was mentored by Tony DeMatteo, now the varsity football coach in Somers. Kennedy became a free agent earlier this month when he was released by the Minnesota Vikings after the NFL lockout ended.