ALBANY — It is rare to see Hakeem Nicks put the ball on the ground; the Giants wide receiver catches almost everything thrown his way. That’s why the sight of him dropping two passing during Monday’s afternoon practice was a bit surprising.
Nicks early in the session wasn’t able to hold onto a Jim Sorgi throw on the left sideline. Nicks hauled one in over the middle in the 7 on 7 period but then allowed a bullet pass from Eli Manning to slip through his hands. The Giants aren’t accustomed to dealing with that from Nicks and he recovered nicely to finish out strongly. On a circle route, he came back for the ball on a nice grab but safety Antrel Rolle was on the scene and felt he was in prime position to level Nicks had this been a real game. His teammates must have agreed, as they showered Rolle with shouts and praise after the play.
As promised, Ahmad Bradshaw was on the field and practiced for the second time of the day coming off his off-season surgeries on his feet and ankle. TE Kevin Boss, DE Osi Umenyiora and LB Keith Bulluck all sat out the morning session but were on the field in the afternoon.
The highlights:
Steve Smith deep downfield turned his body to face his quarterback and the excellent body positioning helped secure Eli Manning’s pass for a 40-yard gain, despite decent coverage from CB Corey Webster.
Pint-sized WR Tim Brown from Rutgers is a long shot to make the roster but there’s no denying his speed, as he shifts into a higher gear than most with his hands on the ball.
Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell early in the practice wasn’t happy with the pace of his unit. How do we know this? He screamed “Let’s set the [bleeping] tempo!” loudly enough for all to hear.
Rookie DE Jason Pierre-Paul ran over guard Jacob Bender on one play. Pierre-Paul’s wingspan is going to be a factor when he’s on the field.
DT Jay Alford missed the entire 2009 season following knee surgery but he’s back and looked good on one play when he filled the hole to stop RB Andre Brown.
Rookie punter Matt Dodge was more consistent the second day than he was the first. He started off with a couple of ordinary kicks then started hitting longer shots.
Rookie LB Adrian Tracy was active late in the practice.
Recently retired safety Marlon McCree, who played for Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville, is working at this camp with the Giants safeties.
