Here are your Wednesday morning New York Giants notes from around the Inter-Google.
- Mike Garafolo reports that the Giants worked out 11-year NFL veteran punter Hunter Smith on Tuesday. Here is some detail on Smith, and the workout, from MG.
Smith believed he had a solid workout but left without signing a contract. [Smith's agent Tom] Mills has yet to speak to the Giants about the workout but believes his client could be an option for the team moving forward.
Smith, 33, spent the first decade of his career with the Colts, who drafted him in the seventh round of the 1998 draft. Smith was a solid punter for Indianapolis all the way through the 2008 season when he recorded a career-best net average of 38.8 yards. Despite that solid figure and 23 punts inside the 20-yard line, the Colts did not attempt to re-sign Smith, who then joined the Redskins as a free agent. Smith played in 13 games with Washington last season, recording a gross average of 41.3 yards and a net of 36.8 yards on 57 punts.
Smith has also served as a holder for place kicks, which also makes him a threat to Dodge.
- Running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his 129-yard rushing effort against Chicago. I'm guessing head coach Tom Coughlin, who has been on Bradshaw's case about losing three fumbles already this season, is not thrilled with that development.
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Eli Manning was on the radio Tuesday, and the Giants quarterback showed his maturity by coming to the defense of Tiki Barber.
"You know if they’re asking him questions, he’s gonna say something and say whatever is on his mind. A few years ago, he made comments about me and I kinda fired back and went through the whole deal. Not that I feel bad for Tiki, but it’s unfortunate how everything has happened. My brother told me that when they introduced him last night there were a lot of boos. It’s just unfortunate because he was a great player for the Giants, had a great career, and was a great player in my first years here and helped us win a lot of games when I wasn’t playing particularly well. It’s unfortunate how it’s all happened, but I think he’s definitely deserving of making the Ring of Honor. It’s unfortunate how people view him now because he was a great player for the Giants, but things have happened that are unfortunate."
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The Football Scientist thinks Hakeem Nicks may soon be the best wide receiver in the NFL. He makes a compelling case, and I am not even going to try and argue.
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The Oakland Raiders have cut former Giant defensive tackle Jay Alford. Alford has too much NFL experience to be added to a practice squad, so don't even think about the Giants doing that.
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Some notable numbers from Football Outsiders. The Giants' impressive performance against Chicago moved them up FO's charts in the site's 'team efficiency' ratings. Using FO's Defense-adjusted Value over Average (DVOA) stat the Giants are 16th offensively, 3rd defensively and 30th on special teams in terms of efficiency. No numbers yet from Pro Football Focus for this week.