Giants, Steelers Clash Saturday; Who Will Suit Up?

Friday marks two weeks since the start of Giants training camp and the eve of their first preseason game. The Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers face off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh. Hakeem Nicks, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and others have already had injury issues and are questionable for the preseason opener.

Here is what you can expect from Giants' camp on a daily basis:

• Monday – Quarterbacks, Offensive Line
• Tuesday – Running Backs, Line Backers
• Wednesday – Defenesive Line, Wide Receivers
• Thursday – Tight Ends, Defensive Backs
• Friday – Injury Updates, Preseason Game Preview 

Injury Updates

Chris Snee started camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list during his recovery from hip surgery. Snee was activated Tuesday. The offensive guard, who is entering his 11th NFL season, didn’t practice with the team but he did some work with trainers. “It felt good to be out there and working a little bit,” Snee said of Tuesday’s workout.

Terrell Thomas has not played a game since the 2010 season after suffering a torn ACL prior to the 2011 and 2012 campaigns. The team plans to start him off slowly and increase his reps from day to day in hopes to have him ready for the opener. “There’s no rush. Last year we wanted to get back there right away. This year we’re going to take a slower approach,” said Thomas.

Cory Webster and Hakeem Nicks both missed time in camp due to groin strains. Both players returned to practice Tuesday and seem to be past those issues. Webster has looked a bit shaky in camp and we really just haven’t seen a lot from Nicks yet.

Justin Pugh suffered a mild concussion on Thursday, Aug. 1 and missed a few days of practice. Pugh was back out there on Wednesday, Aug. 7 to participate but the rookie didn’t appear to take part in any heavy contact drills.

Jason Pierre-Paul, also on the PUP list, is recovering from back surgery he had on June 4. The Giants have indicated that they expect Pierre-Paul to be back for the season opener but JPP doesn’t want to rush anything.

Henry Hynoski is on the PUP list and Sept. 8, the Giants’ season opener against Dallas, has been circled as the return date ever since. Hynoski hasn’t practiced with the team and is no lock to play week 1. Bear Pascoe has been taking his reps in practice.

Preseason Game Preview

Preseason games in any sport are more about loosening up and coming away healthy than wins and losses. In the NFL your regular season starters will start the preseason games but will usually be pulled around the end of the first quarter.

Eli Manning and the first team offense will take the field and see what they can do for a few drives against the Pittsburgh defense. This will be a good chance to get a look at Rueben Randle and David Wilson, who are both expected to receive increased playing time this season. It will also be a chance to see how well newly acquired tight end Brandon Myers knows the offense.

Justin Tuck is dealing with a tight back and missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Tuck had looked good in camp to that point but his status for Saturday’s game is up in the air.

Keep an eye on the quarterbacks who play after Eli. David Carr and rookie Ryan Nassib, a Syracuse graduate, are competing for the backup position. A big performance by either one will go a long way toward earning that spot. 

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