Just a few notes of interest to New York Giants' fans today.
- Former New York Giants' backup quarterback Andre Woodson, a 2008 sixth-round draft pick, has seen his once-promising career take a UFL detour. Woodson has signed with the Hartford Colonials, joining former Giants' offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, currently head coach of the Colonials.
"Coach Palmer told me that if nothing worked out he wanted me to come play for him," Woodson said. "He's running the same offense he ran in New York, and I know that offense very well."
This is not the career path Woodson envisioned while starring at the University of Kentucky."It's been a tough road for me," Woodson admitted. "I thought I'd be going in the top 15 of the first round at one point, and when the draft came, I was sure I'd go no later than the third round."
An ill-fated trip to the Senior Bowl that raised questions about Woodson's throwing motion and mechanics hurt his stock more than he even realized, and he ended up dropping all the way to the sixth round, where the Giants picked him up.
But the Giants situation was less than ideal. Eli Manning was firmly entrenched as the starter, and the team had invested money in former No. 1 pick David Carr. Another veteran, Anthony Wright, was also in camp, as was Woodson's former UK teammate Jared Lorenzen.
"Everybody was telling me that my mechanics weren't great and I was basically starting from scratch," Woodson said. "In the NFL, they don't really want to deal with players they have to start from scratch. The NFL is such a business. When teams have millions invested in one guy, he's allowed so many mistakes. But a player who gets drafted in the sixth round and is barely making anything, if he makes one mistake, the mindset is, we're not paying him that much so we can move on. It's not fair, but that's business. It took me awhile to understand that."
The NFC East rival Washington Redskins have beefed up their leaky offensive line by acquiring two-time tackle Jammal Brown from the New Orleans Saints. Brown missed the 2009 season due to injury. The Redskins' faithful at Hogs Haven are pretty happy about this development.
Tight end Kevin Boss told Mike Garafolo he was 'really glad' he had surgery on his ankle a few weeks ago.
"It’s one of those things where I was kind of second-guessing doing the surgery until now when I feel the way it does now and I’m like, ‘I’m really glad I went ahead and did it,’" said Boss, whose ankle issues dated back to a sprain he suffered in Week 4 last season. "As a competitor you don’t want to miss practice. I didn’t want to miss just the time working out. But you know, looking back at it, I’m extremely pleased that I went ahead with it."
Clark Judge of CBS Sports says just how much improvement can be expected of the Giants' defense this season depends on the health of Kenny Phillips' arthritic knee.
"Kenny's a playmaker," said cornerback Aaron Ross. "Anytime he's back there, and the ball is in the air you feel like he's going to be there to protect you. Having 'KP' back and healthy is a huge deal."
First things first. He's back. We won't know how healthy he is until August when he intends to return to the field for the first time since last September. Phillips insists there are no problems, saying, "I can run, cut and cover ... everything." Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell the other day said he expects him in the lineup when the Giants show up at their Albany training camp.
Nevertheless, he still must get out there and demonstrate he's the same guy we watched last season -- a task he said he is ready to embrace.
"Do I have something to prove?" he said, repeating a question. "I do: That you can come back from this injury. A lot of people counted me out and said my career was over. I'm only in the league two years, and they're trying to get rid of me. There are a lot of people who say I won't be the same, but I'm going to prove those people wrong.
"When I was back there last year I made a lot of plays, not only in games but in practice, and guys kind of fed off my energy. And it just made us that much better. I think I bring the whole package. I'll be a leader when I have to be, and I'Il speak when I have to speak. Mostly, though, I'll just let my playing do the talking for me."
This is hardly a new topic, but what is true is that if he is healthy KP is a better player than Antrel Rolle or Deon Grant. That would be a huge boost.
(E-mail Ed at bigblueview@gmail.com. Follow Big Blue View on Twitter.)