Insider Scoop: All Hands on Deck

Looks like it’ll be all hands on deck Friday morning when Giants players report to Albany for the start of training camp.

The club’s top two picks – CB Aaron Ross and WR Steve Smith – both agreed to contract terms on Thursday and will sign their new contracts when they arrive in Albany. Tom Coughlin also stated that he fully expects Michael Strahan to show up on time, despite some loosely-supported reports that he would hold out.

Coughlin said he’s expecting big things from Strahan this season.

“I think he can perform at a very high level,” he said. “Michael has such great pride. He was not pleased at all with being unable to perform last year and I think that because of that he is really looking forward to this year.”

As for his injured players, Coughlin said he expected that Strahan, along with WR Amani Toomer and DE Justin Tuck, would be limited to one practice a day.

“Toomer, we are going to have to see exactly where he is,” Coughlin explained. “He is coming off an ACL. He has made good progress. I saw him the other day. He is scheduled to go once a day and I hope it is a full-fledged one, but I think we are going to have to work our way into that. We would not just throw him out there and let him go. Michael will go once a day, more by my design than anything else. Tuck will have to go once a day.”

Coughlin also stated his hopes that two of his highest-profile players will be able to hit the ground running.

“We are going to have some guys that we are going to have to check on to see what their status is,” he said. “Osi (Umenyiora) came off an injury, Plaxico coming off an injury; we are going to have to see exactly how they are. Hopefully they will come in and they will be just ready to go, period.” On Thursday, there was no doubt that Coughlin was.

Please check out TGI’s newest feature “Live From the Sidelines!” in the lower left column of our site for up-to-the minute news reports from Albany.