**
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –** Eli Manning is nervous and Tom Coughlin couldn't be happier.
"It is different and you come into the season a little nervous," Manning said. "You just don't have… you have a good feel for it but not to where I want it to be. That just comes with repetition and more plays. It is, it's a different feeling at this time of year than in previous years. Still have a lot of work to do, a lot to improve on to get comfortable myself and get comfortable with my teammates and everything that goes on with being successful in an offense. I know we have a lot of work to do, but I'm excited about that challenge."
That's exactly how Coughlin wants him to feel.
"It is a good thing," Coughlin said today, moments after the team's first training camp practice. "That is what (the offensive changes) were done for, to make him a little nervous and excited about studying and getting back at it, and the (rest of the team), too. I think that is a good response. I read one of the responses where he said he was a little uncomfortable, and that is the position I have taken since day one. We do not want anyone around here comfortable. That is a good thing."
Coughlin has also been challenged by learning the new system.
"I like that part of it," he said. "I have to study it, too. The difference that I make is it's a language, it's a foreign language. When you look at it from what we have tried to do with our previous offense to kind of paper down all of the verbiage and this offense has a lot of verbiage. That's the issue that keeps us on our toes, a lot of verbiage."
- Manning had what appeared to be a typical first practice, releasing the ball quickly and firing some passes with pinpoint accuracy and others a bit off the mark.
Asked about Manning's performance, Coughlin said, "Good. He looked okay. First day back."
- Several players, including guard Brandon Mosley, linebacker Spencer Adkins and tackle Charles Brown, left practice for what Coughlin said were heat-related reasons.
Jameel McClain, who has stepped in at middle linebacker in the injured Jon Beason's absence, also departed early.
"He thought it was a shoe issue, an irritation in his foot, but it was over one of the metatarsals so (the medical staff) brought him in to look at that," Coughlin said. "He is the one guy right now that other than heat (related absences) that it will be interesting to see what the discussion is inside. … I'm hoping that this is just a matter of a sore foot with Jameel, so we'll see."
Beason hurt his foot last month in an organized team activity and is currently unable to practice. But Coughlin said he has been impressed with the veteran linebacker's progress.
"We were obviously disappointed about Jon when he got hurt, but we are really excited about the fact that he seems to be doing really well," Coughlin said. "I watched his treatment the other day, and boy if he has a tender foot, he's hiding it well. I think he is making really good progress."
- The offense moved at quicker-than-customary pace between plays in practice.
"We emphasized that in the spring," Coughlin said. "We did a lot of that. It is good for both the offense and the defense. We came right back on the field and resumed where we left off. From that standpoint and the communication and the signals, that type of thing, that was fine. The execution was not where it should be. As far as the mental part and the communication and getting right back into it, there are various tempos, as you know, in the no-huddle, and the tempo part of it was pretty good."
- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted a Manning pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr., who seemed to pull up on the route…With Beason and McClain both out, Mark Herzlich stepped in as the first-team middle linebacker…Giants treasurer Jonathan Tisch watched practice with team president John Mara…One day after being cleared to practice, running back David Wilson demonstrated his speed and quickness while working mostly with the second team.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Eli Manning is nervous and Tom Coughlin couldn't be happier.
In his introductory training camp news conference yesterday, Manning, entering his 11th season as the Giants' quarterback, was asked about the challenge of learning a new offense for the first time since he was a rookie.
"It is different and you come into the season a little nervous," Manning said. "You just don't have… you have a good feel for it but not to where I want it to be. That just comes with repetition and more plays. It is, it's a different feeling at this time of year than in previous years. Still have a lot of work to do, a lot to improve on to get comfortable myself and get comfortable with my teammates and everything that goes on with being successful in an offense. I know we have a lot of work to do, but I'm excited about that challenge."
That's exactly how Coughlin wants him to feel.
"It is a good thing," Coughlin said today, moments after the team's first training camp practice. "That is what (the offensive changes) were done for, to make him a little nervous and excited about studying and getting back at it, and the (rest of the team), too. I think that is a good response. I read one of the responses where he said he was a little uncomfortable, and that is the position I have taken since day one. We do not want anyone around here comfortable. That is a good thing."
Coughlin has also been challenged by learning the new system.
"I like that part of it," he said. "I have to study it, too. The difference that I make is it's a language, it's a foreign language. When you look at it from what we have tried to do with our previous offense to kind of paper down all of the verbiage and this offense has a lot of verbiage. That's the issue that keeps us on our toes, a lot of verbiage."
*Manning had what appeared to be a typical first practice, releasing the ball quickly and firing some passes with pinpoint accuracy and others a bit off the mark.
Asked about Manning's performance, Coughlin said, "Good. He looked okay. First day back."
*Several players, including guard Brandon Mosley, linebacker Spencer Adkins and tackle Charles Brown, left practice for what Coughlin said were heat-related reasons.
Jameel McClain, who has stepped in at middle linebacker in the injured Jon Beason's absence, also departed early.
"He thought it was a shoe issue, an irritation in his foot, but it was over one of the metatarsals so (the medical staff) brought him in to look at that," Coughlin said. "He is the one guy right now that other than heat (related absences) that it will be interesting to see what the discussion is inside. … I'm hoping that this is just a matter of a sore foot with Jameel, so we'll see."
Beason hurt his foot last month in an organized team activity and is currently unable to practice. But Coughlin said he has been impressed with the veteran linebacker's progress.
"We were obviously disappointed about Jon when he got hurt, but we are really excited about the fact that he seems to be doing really well," Coughlin said. "I watched his treatment the other day, and boy if he has a tender foot, he's hiding it well. I think he is making really good progress."
*The offense moved at quicker-than-customary pace between plays in practice.
"We emphasized that in the spring," Coughlin said. "We did a lot of that. It is good for both the offense and the defense. We came right back on the field and resumed where we left off. From that standpoint and the communication and the signals, that type of thing, that was fine. The execution was not where it should be. As far as the mental part and the communication and getting right back into it, there are various tempos, as you know, in the no-huddle, and the tempo part of it was pretty good."
*Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted a Manning pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr., who seemed to pull up on the route…With Beason and McClain both out, Mark Herzlich stepped in as the first-team middle linebacker…Giants treasurer Jonathan Tisch watched practice with team president John Mara…One day after being cleared to practice, running back David Wilson demonstrated his speed and quickness while working mostly with the second team.
