The Opening of New York Giants OTAs
Football is in the Air: The Giants began their quest for the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl championship today, and they were greeted by two players who appeared to be way ahead of schedule in their respective rehabs.
The Giants kicked off their summer program with a familiar no. 10 taking snaps from JD Walton. This is noteworthy since Giants GM Jerry Reese said that Manning (SIA Profile) would most likely be unavailable for the first sessions. However, thanks to a proactive trip under the knife in April, Manning was able to “put in a full day” of snaps under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system.
The most encouraging development of the day had to be David Wilson (SIA Profile), who is working his way back from neck surgery. With drills being (*ahem*) “non-contact,” the Giants felt safe with allowing Wilson to participate in special-teams drills, as well as a few hand-offs with the offense. The Giants are rightfully taking it slow with their former top-pick, but today’s showing is an important step in Wilson’s hopes that his career can continue.
First-round pick Odell Beckham, Jr. spent most of his day fielding punts. Second-rounder Weston Richburg has said that he’ll be playing at guard, so it appears the Walton/Richburg center battle is put on hold for the time being.
Former Giant Hixon Calls it a Career: Dominik Hixon was never a star. Chances are you wouldn’t have recognized him walking down the street without a jersey name plate in view, but Hixon was one of those “glue” players who was willing to do the dirty work in any capacity to get the “W.” Hixon fought back from two ACL injuries (SIA Profile). He was in the Bears camp when his knee betrayed him for a third time. He announced his retirement on Facebook yesterday.
“I tore my ACL today for the 3rd time today! I’m disappointed that I won’t be playing for a [B]ears team that has the players and coaches to WIN the Super Bowl. I thank God for letting me live my dream of playing in the NFL for 8 years plus. It has truly been FUN!”
Big Dave Gets a Big Gig: Recently retired lineman David Diehl is well on his way to becoming a known quantity on Sundays. Diehl is going to be a color analyst for FOX this season. He posted the press release earlier on his Instagram account. So look for him this fall.
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