New York Giants' news, 4/23: NFL schedule release, Walter Thurmond fallout, more

Good morning, New York Giants' fans! The NFL schedule will be released Wednesday night and, of course, the league will make a spectacle of it with an 8 p.m. ET schedule release show on NFL Network. While you wait breathlessly for that riveting television, here are some Giants' headlines for you.

Walter Thurmond's boast on Tuesday that he was the league's best slot corner not only drew a response from Brandon Boykin of the Philadelphia Eagles, it got the attention of Chris Harris of the Denver Broncos. Harris tweeted: "I almost got Thurmond career #'s my rookie year lol I'm done now"

Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said Tuesday that he believes he can return to the All-Pro form he showed in 2011:

"I think I have a job to do. It's not showing people what player I can be. I know what player I am and what I bring to the team," Pierre-Paul said. "I just have to go out there and do what I do best. That's play football. "I'm going to go out there and play the game like I was 21 again. This whole offseason I've just been training and thinking that I want to get back on the football field. It's coming."

As we noted Tuesday, Pierre-Paul is down from 285 pounds a season ago to 270.

The Giants signed Rashad Jennings hoping he would be their primary running back. Jennings hopes to be just that:

"Something I always pride myself on is being a complete back. That's never having to come off the field. First down, second down, third down, fourth-and-short, goal line, pass protection ... just molding and perfecting my craft of becoming a complete back is something that I'm going to continue to strive for as long as I'm in the NFL," Jennings said.

Giants' safety Antrel Rolle said Tuesday that new Giants' cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is "the best corner in the league." Here is Rolle's full quote:

"I think he's the best corner in the league, hands down. He's a phenomenal talent, one of the most gifted corners I've ever seen and the sky's the limit for DRC. He can be as great as he wants to be. I think right now with him entering his seventh year, I think his maturity level is where it needs to be. I think his work ethic is where it needs to be and more importantly he wants to win. He's been to two Super Bowls, he's lost them both. One, I was a teammate of his, so he's hungry. He wants to win and he wants to be the best," Rolle said.

Josh Freeman is trying to look forward, not back at the awful 2013 season he spent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings:

"It's not really about proving [I can still play] to people," said Freeman, who will compete with Ryan Nassib and Curtis Painter for the Giants' backup job. "It's about proving it to myself and really my teammates."

"I still view myself as a starting-caliber quarterback," Freeman said. "I love the situation [playing behind Manning] because I have the opportunity to be around a guy that really had a lot of success, year after year and continues to win and get his team to the playoffs consistently."

Prince Amukamara said Tuesday he hopes the Giants pick up his fifth-year option.