Good morning, Giants fans. Today I come to you with another lump in my throat after reading Sunday about first round pick Prince Amukamara breaking a bone in his foot. That followed the news of Kevin Boss' departure to Oakland, Ben Patrick suddenly retiring. Then, of course, there is Osi Umenyiora, who has not been practicing and is just disgruntled in general. It's not the way you like to start, but as coach Tom Coughlin said on Sunday,
"Well we're always going to juggle, we have other issues here, we've got issues and we have to keep some kind of balance so we can go ahead continue to practice like we want. To have the three teams, to be able to have that kind of depth and practice the way we are, you know our big guys are averaging about 21-22 plays a practice and there's still guys on the back end around 28 or 29."
When you continue to have bad news, it's hard to stay focused, but at least we know TC will do his best to make that happen. At least there are pockets of news that make you feel good, as this bit from the team did on Sunday:
Hakeem Nicks drew a big cheer from the crowd when he caught a long pass up the left side from Eli Manning.
If Nicks stays healthy, and I know that's a big if these days, he is going to be one of the best receivers in the NFC--just a hunch, but a strong hunch at that.
And at least the Eagles are going through their own camp difficulties, as DeSean Jackson is holding out and Jeremy Maclin is dealing with an "undisclosed illness."
Osi Umenyiora receives treatment on left knee in New York Giants training room on Sunday
The Giants announced about one hour into practice that Umenyiora was in the trainer's room getting treatment on his left knee. He had been at their facility all day. The knee issue was revealed Thursday when Umenyiora said that was the reason he was not practicing. It was met with some skepticism. Umenyiora reportedly has told the Giants he might need surgery for a torn meniscus in his knee.
I'm almost as tired of writing about this as I was covering the lockout. Almost.
For Raiders, Kevin Boss a quick fix - USATODAY.com
In case of tight end emergency, bring in Kevin Boss. As a rookie with the New York Giants in 2007, Boss took over late in the season for injured star Jeremy Shockey and helped the Giants to a Super Bowl title. Now, the Oakland Raiders are counting on him to fill a need.
That's nice. Now what about the Giants at the tight end position? Will Travis Beckum be the guy?
Eli Manning donates cleats to Smithville PeeWee team | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com
The PeeWee Football League in Smithville, Miss., a town heavily damaged in an April 27 tornado, will play with cleats donated by New York Giants and former Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning.
William Penn grad Will Beatty earns starting role with New York Giants - The York Daily Record
With life swirling and a breakout NFL season rushing close, Will Beatty still sounded relaxed and humbled as he took time away from dinner to talk about it all. He got engaged to his college sweetheart on June 1. Then the Renaissance man -- he already paints, cooks, sews -- began working on his new golf game every chance he got. Now this: The William Penn graduate will be preparing for a winter wedding as the new starting left tackle of the New York Giants. The third-year pro never had locked down a starting spot in the preseason.
I'm looking forward to Beatty being an everyday part of the Giants, and he has earned that spot. But he paints, cooks and sews? Really? I'm not even going to joke about that with a 6'6", 307 pound lineman who could squash me with his thumb.