Ahmad Bradshaw: The biggest scare came in the first quarter when Bradshaw left with an apparent hand injury, but those fears were assuaged after the game. According to Bradshaw, he left as a result of popping a cyst in his left hand. “There was a little pain in it” he said, “It feels good. We’re just being precautious about it.” Bradshaw is the main ground option on an offense that had the fewest rushing yards in the league last year, and so an injury to him would be devastating. He may be the most important player on the offense outside of Eli Manning, so it’s very comforting to hear that his injury wasn’t serious.

Jayron Hosley: Hosley made a splash with his 77-yard interception return in the second quarter, but the story after the game was a toe injury that had him in a walking boot on his right foot. According to Coach Coughlin, Hosley suffered a “turf-toe type” of injury and it’s unclear how serious it will turn out to be. Turf-toe generally sidelines a player for about four weeks, so it’s possible that the injury will keep him off of the field into the regular season. This is a blow for the Giants, considering the uncertainty surrounding their cornerback situation in the wake of the injury to Terrell Thomas and how good Hosley had looked thus far. His injury means that, for now, Antrel Rolle is the Giants’ nickel cornerback. The team doesn’t have a choice at this point, but having the Giants’ leading tackler from a year ago playing out of position significantly weakens the defense.

Mark Herzlich: Herzlich suffered a hip pointer in the third quarter, but the injury does not appear to jeopardize his availability for the season opener. “Right now it’s not too bad,” he said of the injury. “I think getting ice on it right away was helpful. The swelling stayed low.” Herzlich may miss some practice time, however, which is important for a young player who is competing with Chase Blackburn for the starting middle linebacker position.

Adrian Tracy: Tracy was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury, but he is not expected to miss any playing time as a result.

They lost Kevin Boss and Steve Smith to free agency. They lost Domenik Hixon and Terrell Thomas to injury. Prince Amukamara held out and proceeded to get injured on his first full practice day. Things looked to be a mess in Big Blue Nation.

This offseason, the hysterics are far from that of last year given the results, but their is still a cause for concern. The Giants lost wide receiver Mario Manningham, cornerback Aaron Ross, and running back Brandon Jacobs to free agency this year

They are also in danger of losing Super Bowl hero Chase Blackburn, defensive end Dave Tollefson, and long-time o-lineman Kareem McKenzie. The average fan may fret over this, but their are comparable players already on the roster who can step in and produce equally, if not better.

The Giants will also look to the draft to improve their roster, as they have done in year’s past. This year, I see Reese and co. taking much talked about wide receiver, Alshon Jeffery, with the 32nd pick. Jeffery would add a different dynamic to the Giants receiving corps and would fit in great with Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. According to Todd Mcshay’s latest mock draft, Jeffery will be available when the Giants pick in the 1st round. Jerry Reese loves to go best available, and Jeffery would certainly be a valuable pick late in the first round.

March 28, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Alshon Jeffery participates in drills during the South Carolina pro day at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-US PRESSWIRE

The Giants will most likely look to their offensive line, running back and defensive tackle with their later round picks.

With Jeffery taking the hurt out of the Mannigham departure, a healthy cornerback on both sides in Webster and Thomas, experienced sophomores in Herzlich, Paysinger, Sash, and Hynoski, and the tight end corral returning by mid-season— the Giants should be in just fine shape for the upcoming season.

For more news, updates, and analysis… Follow me on Twitter (@ERobertsNY):

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Jerry Reese has always been good with these middle round picks, and this only adds to his ammunition in this April’s NFL Draft.  Reese also made a few statements on Monday.  He said at this time the competition for the MLB spot is an open one, and that Greg Jones, Mark Herzlich, and Michael Boley are among the players on the current roster that would be part of the competition.  He also stated that the Giants are “not finished” in Free Agency, although currently they are just 2.5 million under the cap.  That number could change in many different scenarios.

The New York Football Giants practiced today for their upcoming appearance in the NFC Championship game this Sunday in San Francisco, and except for the standard resting of Ahmad Bradshaw, ALL players were in pads and participated. Mark Herzlich practiced for the first time since he hurt his ankle in the Saints game on November 28th.  Coach Coughlin must have a big smile on his face.

THE GIANTS ARE INDEED ALL IN!

Plan remains the same…No Herzlich, No Ballard.  Everyone else says they are ALL IN!

Here is the rather short and promising Giants early injury report.  The thought is the only players who will miss the game are Herzlich and Ballard.

Defensively, the Giants came out of the game banged up a little, with Osi and Michael Herzlich sporting sprained ankles. Generally, the G-Men got little to no pressure on the QB, falied to cover the receivers, and the result was a number of big plays for the Saints offense. Special Teams were OK, and we can’t blame Steve Weatherford for failing to pick up the first down. The snap was low, and the effort to generate some offense was necessary.

From the standpoint of preparation, Kevin Gilbride appears to be unable to establisha running game, Perry Fewell seems to be unable to come up with a solid defense, and Tom Coughlin will again be forced to deal with the prospect of another late season collapse. The Giants are now a game behind Dallas, with five games to go. The only positive is that two of the games are against the Cowboys, but Dallas has been playing very well of late. Next up: the undefeated Packers are coming to town. Once again, a tough opponent looms, and the Giants are behind the eight ball.

Just like last week against the 49ers, they had us all on the edge of our seats, anticipating another miraculous fourth quarter comeback from Eli Manning and company, and once again, they came up just short. The 17-10 loss to the Eagles means the Giants dropped to 6-4 and 1-2 in division games. They’re now second in the NFC East behind Dallas.

A few observations from the game:

-One of the first things my father taught me about football was that it starts and ends at the line of scrimmage, and tonight’s game against the Eagles showed me how right he was. The Giants offensive and defensive lines alike were outmanned by the Eagles throughout the game. Eli Manning was given very little time to throw and had to scramble most of the night. Brandon Jacobs and DJ Ware had few holes with which to work. And the defensive line got next to no pressure on Vince Young, giving him time to throw and get comfortable. Frankly, I was amazed they even managed the one sack they did get.

Chris Canty did play a good game though.

-Speaking of the defensive line, I have to admit that I was looking forward to see Osi Umenyiora get to suit up against Philadelphia. He traditionally plays well against them (who can forget his glorious six sack game back in 2007?) so to see him as a non-factor all evening was a bit of a disappointment.

-One more thing about the defensive line- has anyone else noticed that almost all of their pressure seems to come from the outside? When they’re effective at getting to the quarterback it’s not that a big deal but if they miss, it leaves the middle open, allowing opposing quaterbacks to either step up and throw or scramble for some yardage. That was definitely evident tonight, especially with Umenyiora being shutdown by the left tackle all game.

-Congratulations to Prince Amukamara on his first career interception! It had be a big confidence-booster for a rookie to get his first pick less than seven minute into his NFL career. I was overall pretty pleased with Amukamara’s first game and it benefits the Giants to have another cornerback in rotation.

-Mark Herzlich was decent overall in his first career start at linebacker. He had a few spectacular plays against the run but his pass coverage needs some work.

-Actually, that statement about Herzlich applies to all the Giants linebackers. Just look at how Kiwanuka got smoked on Steve Smith’s touchdown. As they did last week, the Giants did a great job of shutting down the run but the linebackers kept leaving guys open. That’s the one area where they really miss Michael Boley.

-The poor play of the offensive line was partially to blame for the poor run game, but how much do the Giants miss Ahmad Bradshaw?

-The Giants now have a defensive takeaway in 23 straight games, dating back to last season.

-I guess Jake Ballard is human after all. He had three pretty significant drops that could’ve been difference-makers. But it’s hard to complain after what he’s done for them at tight end this year and he came back and had a big catch after leaving the game to get his elbow examined. (Thankfully the x-rays came back negative.)

-On the bright side, I think it’s become more evident each week that Victor Cruz is the real deal and not just a fluke. He still needs a little work when it comes to dropping passes but he’s been extremely clutch for New York all season and helped the Giants set up another potential comeback. New York’s depth at wide receiver is astonishing.

-While we’re on the topic of Cruz, am I the only one who gets nervous when I see him returning punts over Aaron Ross? I just keep thinking about how Domenik Hixon’s back-to-back season ending injuries came from returning punts and I’d hate to see the Giants lose Cruz that way too.

-When DeSean Jackson negated his own 50 yard reception by taunting defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, I found myself wondering how he can expect the Eagles to pay him the big bucks when he keeps pulling stunts like that.

-The Giants continue to struggle on third downs. Once again, they had trouble converting third downs on offense and the defense gave up six third downs on the Eagles game-winning drive. That’s one problem that definitely needs addressing.

MetLife Stadium, Time to make good memories

history to fortify that abhorrence. No, I think a dispensing with all the statistics is in order, for this game will come down to who makes fewer mistakes and imposes their will over the other. Let’s try to isolate some of the questions regarding this game.

The Eagles run the ball better than anyone else, gaining almost 173 yards on the ground. Simply because Michael Vick is not expected to play does not negate the Eagles ability to move the ball on the ground. Vince Young is a capable runner and poses a physical presence. LeSean McCoy is one of the most exciting running backs in football. He runs with a style reminiscent of Barry Sanders which raises big red flags when imagining the challenge the Giants will have in stopping him. Couple McCoy’s outstanding running ability with the undermanned linebacker unit and it is time to pour a double for yourself. It will be interesting to see if Mark Herzlich is ready for prime time, for the speed of the game may be more than he is currently able to match. I remember watching A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews in their first few games some years ago and they struggled. They also were not coming off a life threatening disease that robbed their bodies of muscle and substance. So in view of these facts I invoke the Michel Jordan Doctrine: You can’t stop him you can only hope to contain him. And containing McCoy will be key if the Giants are to ostensibly end the season for these dirty birds from 90 miles down the turnpike.

The offense:  Michael Vick appears to be out for the game tomorrow night, as does WR Jeremy Maclin.  In steps Vince Young who has thrown a total of one pass this season, and that was intercepted.  Which Vince Young do you get?  The one that can break open a game at any moment with his strength and speed?  The one that doesn’t go down so easy when hit?  Or the depressed, once great, washed up, indecisive Qb that was shipped out of Tennessee?  I believe the Giants will see both Vince Young and Mike Kafka tomorrow night if Vick indeed is inactive.  That leaves LeSean McCoy as the main weapon for the Eagles, and he is a formidable one.  On a team with Vick, DeSean Jackson, Maclin, Avant, and Celek, McCoy has managed to rush for 900 yards and 10 TD’s.  The Eagles LEAD the league in rushing averaging over 170 yards per game.  The Eagles are 3rd in total yards, but only 11th in scoring with a Net Point Differential of only 17. (more…)

Chase Blackburn, a Giant since 2005, was elected special teams captain in 2010 after leading all Giants special teamers in tackles. Whenever Larry Tynes kicked off to start a game, you could count on Blackburn running full speed to try and force a fumble. If Blackburn did not have this work ethic, he would most likely be in the CFL rather than the NFL.

Undrafted from the University of Akron, Jerry Reese and company gave Blackburn a shot to prove himself to all the critics. He did not let down after filling in admirably for Antonio Pierce towards the end of the 2005 season.

Turn the clock forward 6 years, and Chase Blackburn is a free agent with no home. The Giants are known to be the least cut-throat of all the NFL franchises and have the most “family like” feel. If this is the case then why is Blackburn, a favorite of the players, not currently on the roster. In fact Blackburn is nowhere to be seen. No rumors, rumblings, interviews, etc.

Blackburn may seem like just a blip on the radar to a normal Giants fan, but diehard fans know that he brought it every night. Blackburn could have been an excellent mentor to Mark Herzlich — another undrafted free agent out to prove the naysayers wrong.

One would guess that Blackburn latches on with a team before the start of training camp, but if not, he can leave the game knowing he was a Super Bowl champion, a captain, and a true leader.