Good morning, New York Giants' fans. I am trying a little bit of an expanded notebook for you this morning. Let's see how this works out.
Kevin Boss misses team-supplied food - NFC East Blog - ESPN
"Unfortunately, Eli wasn't serving any meals, so we were all on our own," Boss said, later adding of offseason workouts at the team facility that he misses "everything about it -- serving us breakfast when we come in, serving us lunch after we work out, access to the cold tubs after the workouts ... It's different, so hopefully we can get back to work soon."
Pretty funny stuff from the Bossman in regards to what he is missing out on because of the NFL Lockout. I can tell you first-hand that when the Giants have been at UAlbany for training camp the food in the dining hall is outstanding. I'm getting bummed, though, thinking about missing out on that this year.
Players doing the best they can to work out - Damon Hack - SI.com
Terrell Thomas, who had five interceptions for the Giants last season, has joined several NFL players at Athletes' Performance Institute in Los Angeles, where he trained in advance of the NFL combine three years ago.
"I think a lot of guys are starting to pump up their workouts so whenever the lockout ends we'll be ready to go," Thomas said. "It's not the same [intensity] as Justin Tuck against David Diehl [in practice] or me against Steve Smith, but you can still work on your backpedal or your press technique."
Giants defensive end Chris Canty: "You would like the opportunity to prepare, to get in the facility with your teammates and improve your football team and give yourself the best opportunity to put a quality product on the field come September. Guys just have to do the best they can right now and wait for the situation to sort itself out."
Former Giants teammates have different views on Tiki’s return | ProFootballTalk
Antonio Pierce never did have much love for Tiki Barber, and is warning teams that he is divisive in the locker room. Michael Strahan, on the other hand, says Barber "can still help a team."
NFL Lockout
NFL Coaches Association Files Brief Against NFL Lockout - SB Nation New York
"New coaches especially need time with players, which is why league rules normally permit new coaching staffs to organize two additional minicamps with players over the summer. This offseason, NFL teams hired an unusually large number of new head coaches with no previous head coaching experience, each of whom-along with their assistants-face a steep learning curve and desperately need this time to prepare their teams."
Roger Goodell Acknowledges Fans' Unrest over Labor Dispute - SB Nation New York
Politicians, Business Owners File Brief Supporting Players - NFLLockout.com
Rosters could expand if lockout drags on - Extra Points - Boston.com
"I do believe that the uncertainty is something we have to consider as it relates to getting players ready to play," Goodell said. "Obviously, one, from an injury standpoint but two, from making the proper evaluations. We have talked about different concepts that, depending on how long (the lockout) goes, we may have to implement."
If training camp is only two weeks or less, many rookies will not be up to speed by the time the season begins. Expanding the roster would allow teams to keep rookies on the roster who would otherwise be cut because of their ineffectiveness.
Around the NFC East
Vinny and the Ochocinco Trade That Almost Was - Hogs Haven
Chad Ochocinco almost wound up in Washington.
NFL Rookie Survival Rates In The NFC East - Blogging The Boys
A look at the last two drafts for the NFC East teams and how many draft picks remain on the roster.
Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones gets 'special permission' to attend Tony Romo's wedding - ESPN Dallas
The NFL lockout won't prevent Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from going to the wedding of star quarterback Tony Romo.
Around the NFL
LaMarr Woodley: 'Football is turning soft now' | National Football Post
"Man, they’re getting ridiculous," Woodley told Sirius XM Radio. "Football is turning soft now. Too many fines. Too many penalties protecting the quarterback every single play. Defensive guys can’t be defensive guys no more. That’s what Pittsburgh, that’s what we’re built on, playing aggressive football, attacking, hitting people hard, you know, making quarterbacks shake. ..
"Man, I think it’s so stupid. I mean, it’s football. I mean, that’s what you signed up for. You signed up, when you played football you knew it was going to be an aggressive game. There’s a chance of you getting hurt and having serious injuries. So that’s what you signed up for. So I think having all the fines and penalties is stupid because it is taking away from the game. We knew what we were signing up for when we started playing football. We knew that. Everybody knows that. Every quarterback knows that. Roger Goodell knew that. I don’t know if he ever played football so maybe he don’t really understand the hard hitting of the sport."
Woodley's teammate, James Harrison, is also not impressed with the 'Steelers Rule.'
Next for Ochocinco: Snake wrangling | ProFootballTalk
When Bengals owner Mike Brown said this week that Chad Ochocinco should focus on football, Brown threw in a line that he intended as a joke. "Next maybe he’ll be a snake wrangler and we’ll watch to see if he gets bit," Brown told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He’s always up to some stunt. But now Ochocinco says Brown gave him a great idea when he mentioned snake wrangling. And he’s serious.
Kicker Stover to retire after 20 seasons, 2,004 points - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning underwent 2nd surgery on neck - ESPN
Peyton Manning underwent neck surgery Monday for the second time in the past 15 months, the Colts quarterback told The Indianapolis Star on Tuesday.
Buffalo Bills' top pick Marcell Dareus joins players for workout - ESPN
First-round draft pick Marcell Dareus wasn't going to pass up a chance to join his new Buffalo Bills teammates for informal workouts this week -- even if it meant arriving a few days late and spending most of Wednesday's session watching from the sideline