Injuries Mar Camp

Two of the players everyone was most excited to see didn't even make it through New York's two-day rookie minicamp.

WR Mario Manningham and QB Andre' Woodson both suffered what head coach Tom Coughlin called "soft-tissue" injuries and weren't able to participate on Saturday, the second and final day of workouts.

Manningham went first, with a hip flexor, followed by Woodson with a strained quad. Neither injury is serious, but they gave the players insight into the demands of the NFL.

“The big lesson for these young guys is it is not just straight ahead running,” Coughlin said. “You do have to work side-to-side and we had about four soft-tissue injuries (including one to free agent running back Jerome Messam and another that did not force the player off the field) that are going to be frustrating, but are going to take time. It is going to reduce their practice opportunities. It is unfortunate, but hopefully it is a good lesson for these guys. The twisting, the turning, the stopping, and the starting, that is what this game is about. You do have to have cardiovascular conditioning, but you do have to also work in the short bursts and the change of direction and all those kinds of things so that you don’t have that kind of (injuries). Each one of them is a little different case. Woodson was just running really across the field, Manningham made a quick jerk for a ball. It is unfortunate, but that is what it is.”

Manningham said he was not frustrated by the temporary setback.

“It’s all a part of the game,” he said. “I just came out of my break wrong and tweaked my hip flexor a little bit. I’ll be out of there in no time. It’s nothing serious. This isn’t going to set me back. I’m still in the meeting room, writing so many notes. I just have to go out there and do what I do best.”

“(He was) running what we call a pivot route, just going straight down the field 14 yards and turning inside,” Gilbride said. “You are trying to give the impression that you are going deep and then you stop quickly and when he did he just kind of tweaked something.” Manningham caught 137 passes in three seasons for the Wolverines, including a career-high 72 in 2007. He is the latest candidate to be the speedy downfield threat the Giants have long sought.

“We are hoping - that is why we drafted him,” Gilbride said. “We thought that he not only had quickness that reminded us of some of the guys - Steve Smith-type quickness - but we thought that he has been labeled as a guy with great speed. Obviously, that is something we thought we needed so we are looking forward to seeing what he can do. Unfortunately this afternoon we had the routes in where we would have been able to see if he could do those things and he is not going to be able to participate.”

Nor will Woodson, who threw 79 touchdown passes for the Wildcats, including 40 as a senior last year. He took off from the pocket and was running to his left when he suddenly pulled up and grabbed his leg.

“I’m disappointed I’m not out there in the first mini-camp,” Woodson said. “I can’t wait to get back out there and hopefully do some good things.”