EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tom Coughlin expects Hakeem Nicks to attend next week's mandatory veterans minicamp. Nicks, along with Victor Cruz, did not attend Thursday’s voluntary organized team activities session.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Giants held their eighth OTA of the spring on Thursday, the final one reporters were allowed to watch, before next week's mandatory minicamp. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul wasn't present following his back surgery earlier this week, but he was still a hot topic of conversation.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Giants' starting defensive line, even without the injured Jason Pierre-Paul, is essentially set in stone. Same goes for the secondary. The linebacker corps is a whole 'nother story.
Continuing our team-by-team look at Matt Williamson's offseason grades for NFC East teams, let's look at his review of the New York Giants, who got a "B-minus." Matt has looked at the Giants' activity in free agency and the draft and concluded, as we have discussed here a few times, that it's been a typical Giants offseason in many ways.
PHILADELPHIA -- It's an ugly, undignified rite of NFL spring, this taking of attendance at voluntary workouts, and it really needs to stop. Last week, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin expressed his frustration over the absence of star wide receiver Hakeem Nicks from the team's voluntary OTAs.
Antrel Rolle is looking forward to getting a healthy and 100 percent Jason Pierre-Paul back. Pierre-Paul underwent back surgery on Tuesday after laboring with back pain. "I called [our agent] Drew Rosenhaus to get updated with Jason Pierre-Paul’s injury," Rolle said on NFL Network.
With Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul absent from a voluntary OTA last week, Adrian Tracy was elevated to the first team. And Tracy was happy for the opportunity to work with Mathias Kiwanuka as the starting defensive ends in practice last Thursday.
Justin Tuck was standing on the red carpet posing for pictures with celebrities when an old friend gave him a big bear hug. Osi Umenyiora came out to attend Tuck's charity billiards event at Slate last week, and the two quickly caught up and shared some laughs.
Like the rest of the NFL world, Michael Strahan mourned the passing of David "Deacon" Jones on Tuesday. Strahan considered Jones a close friend and mentor. Jones died on Monday night at 74. "I was shocked, because he was one of those guys you never thought would die," Strahan told Giants.
Jason Pierre-Paul underwent back surgery Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. The defensive end underwent a microdiscectomy to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. Dr. Robert Watkins performed the procedure at Marina Del Rey Hospital in California.
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