I promised you guys I would try to get to an occasional session during training camp, and Sunday I was able to get to UAlbany for most of the afternoon session.
Here are some observations.
• Rookie wide receiver Steve Smith is a player. The second-round pick from USC catches everything. During various drills he made leaping catches, a one-hand catch on a ball thrown behind him and, most impressively, a leaping, twisting catch on a long, slightly underthrown Jared Lorenzen pass while tightly covered by Corey Webster.
• Rookie tight end Kevin Boss had a tough day. He had a Lorenzen pass bang off his helmet when he failed to get his hands up quickly enough, and his blocking is a work in progress. He is a nice target, though, and did make one nice catch in traffic.
• Lorenzen looked sharp. He ran the second unit and threw crisp passes of various lengths. He doesn't look like a quarterback -- until he throws the ball. Right now, he seems ahead of Anthony Wright in the competition for the backup QB job. Tim Hasselbeck barely got any reps.
• A reader asked the other day about the placekicking competition between Lawrence Tynes and Josh Huston. Both got the opportunity to try about a half-dozen field goals of 30-40 yards under live conditions. Huston made all of his kicks, while Tynes missed twice, clanging the right upright on one kick. It's not hard to see that Huston has a stronger leg. When he kicks the ball, there is carry on it. When Tynes kicks the ball you see more arc, and you clearly see the ball begin to die toward the end. This might be a more interesting competition than I thought.
• James Butler again ran with the first unit at safety while Will Demps, a starter last season, was with the second group. That could be an interesting situation to watch.
• Ahmad Bradshaw has a real chance. The seventh-round pick from Marshall, a running back, has speed, catches the ball easily and displays some shifty moves.
• Mathias Kiwanuka, making the transition from defensive end to linebacker, struggled in pass coverage. That's to be expected at this point, though, as mastering that will be the hardest part of his position switch.
• Brandon Jacobs talks all the time. After beating rookie linebacker Zak DeOssie on one pass play, Jacobs playfully let the rookie have it even telling him basically that he'd need to do better to make his dad -- an ex-Giant -- proud.
Jacobs, by the way, is an excellent pass receiver. In a one-on-one drill he blew past Antonio Pierce so quickly it made Pierce look like a tackling dummy and ended up with a long reception.
That's all for today. Hopefully, I can get back over to camp soon but I can't promise anything.