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Dallas Cowboys

The dysfunction continued in Dallas this week with the hullabaloo over who would call the plays for the Dallas offense. Owner Jerry Jones said that would be Bill Callahan and not head coach Jason Garrett. Which seemed to be news to Callahan, and a decision Garrett's comments left you believing he was not exactly on board with, even though he said he was.


Philadelphia Eagles

The big story around the Eagles this week is that quarterback Michael Vick apparently isn't thrilled about shuffling in and out and sharing snaps with Nick Foles during the team's OTAs and mini-camp.


Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III continues to sound convinced he will be ready to go from Day 1 this season despite his offseason knee surgery.

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At the start of every day, New York Giants cornerback Charles James, a 5-9, 179 lb. undrafted free agent out of Charleston Southern who is hoping to earn a roster spot with the team this summer, sends out the following tweet to his growing list of followers: "Blessed to be alive to see another day. #GodisGood"

While that phrase, which in "Twitterverse," is about as common as "LOL" (laugh out loud) or "ICYMI" (in case you missed it), it defines the resilient James' young life as he continues his quest to earn a spot on the Giants 53-man roster.

Humbled Beginnings

Every year, there are talented college football players who, for whatever the reason, go undrafted. Those players end up in a massive talent pool from which NFL teams pick with a dream of finding the next Victor Cruz, a guy that people passed over but who comes out of nowhere to capture the hearts and imaginations of the team's fan base.

So when James signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent, he did so with the humblest of hearts, knowing that once again, he would have to rely on the resiliency that helped him overcome enough setbacks that might have otherwise caused others to give up.

Born to Tanya Conner, James was named after his father, Charles, Sr., a man who decided early in his son's life that he didn't want to witness the boy's growth from childhood to adulthood.

Faced with having to raise her son on her own, James' mother did the best she could to provide a structure that kept her son out of trouble. To her credit she managed to do just that, her son reflecting on the job she did and praising her for what was certainly no easy task.

"My mom did a great job of playing both roles," James said. "She picked up all the slack, from disciplining us to just showing the right way with love and care. I'm very grateful for her, and I love her with all my heart."

Eventually, James' mother found someone who would take over the father figure role in her son's life. That someone was her husband, Ricky Conner, a man who came at a time in James' life when a young boy is on the brink of turning into a man.

"My step father played a really big part in my life," James said. "He's taught me all the right things to do in order to go far in life, so he's been a big part of my success."

One of the things that Conner helped foster was his stepson's love of football, as James was a kid who, as early as the first grade, aspired to follow the same career path as his childhood hero, former NFL cornerback and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

A Quest for Greatness

To achieve his goal, James took advantage of every structured football league in his hometown of Jacksonville, working his way up from Pop Warner to Mandarin High School, all the while keeping an eye on earning a scholarship from a major college program.

While James was an above-average athlete as a youth and someone who dominated his competition in high school, he would soon discover that college scholarships weren't coming his way.

Never one to become discouraged, James decided to walk on at Charleston Southern at the advice of a friend playing on the football team. But before James could continue in his quest to launch his college career, he learned that he would have to sit out a season in order to improve his grades to earn academic eligibility to play football.

He did just that, and in a matter of time, he was ready to get back to the gridiron. With his focus clearer than it ever had been in his young life, James would have to endure yet another setback, one that very nearly cost him everything he had.

A Sign from Above

In 2008 James and two friends were riding in a car when suddenly, tragedy struck.

"I was taking a friend of mine to work," he recalled. "My other friend was driving the car and our friend was in the backseat. My friend who was driving went to turn the corner and just lost control of the car. I don't remember what happened after that, other than I hit the dashboard and passed out as I saw my life flash before my eyes."

When he regained consciousness in a local hospital, James recalled the blood on his shirt. But as it turned out, he escaped relatively unscathed save for some superficial wounds.

When he reflected on his near misfortune, James soon came to realize that God had been testing his resolve, this latest test being one that proved to James that if he could fight for his life and win that battle, he could win anything he set his mind to.

Resilient

Despite the car being completely totaled, James quickly healed from the injuries and was right back on the field the following season trying to make the roster.

But once again, things wouldn't be easy, as when he began the year, he did so as the seventh of seven defensive backs on the team.

Rather than give up, James scratched and clawed his way to the top, earning a starting spot by the first week of the season, a game in which he and his teammates faced future NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, then of the University of Florida.

By the time his first season ended, the cornerback who came in without a scholarship, who overcame academic ineligibility, and who walked away from a major car accident, finished with 12 tackles, two interceptions and one interception returned for a touchdown.

As a sophomore, James sought to top his previous year's accomplishments. He did just that, setting a new school record with three interceptions in one game, against Liberty. His six interceptions on the season helped him nab 2010 AP All American honors.

As a senior, he suffered a wrist injury, but that didn't stop him from reaching for the brass ring, which was to catch the eye of NFL scouts.

Another Day, Another Challenge

When the 2013 NFL draft concluded, James found himself left out in the cold. However, he drew interest from a handful of teams who were looking to sign him as a free agent, and he ultimately chose the Giants after weighing his options.

After getting his indoctrination to the Giants way of life in the team's May rookie minicamp, James has quietly been making plays in the team's OTAs as he looks to convince the coaching staff that he's worthy of a spot on the roster.

His play has not gone unnoticed either, as after picking off a pass for what would have been a pick-six during an 11-on-11 matchup, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin praised the rookie.

"If you make a play like that," Coughlin said of James' interception for a touchdown, "you're going to get everybody's attention."

That play is only the beginning of what James hopes to show the coaching staff over the summer.

"I'm a guy who's going to fight, bite and scratch just to be a part of something that he really wants and that's a passion to him," he said, referencing football.

"Just me wanting to be in the NFL and around a team that who wins like the New York Giants, and experience everything that comes with being in the NFL, I want to show the coaches that I'm a player who appreciates where he is and is looking to go far."

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The Giants received a much-needed boost to several key positions today, as cornerback Terrell Thomas and linebacker Jacquain Williams returned to practice in a light capacity.

Though he did not do much, Thomas participated in the individual cornerback drills. The drills, which were non-contact, did allow Thomas to cut, accelerate, and leap for interceptions while he covered another cornerback acting as a receiver, all of which he looked very strong doing.

He sat out the rest of the practice, including 7-on-7’s and 11-on-11’s, but Thomas said he is confident in where he is now. “I’ve done everything to the extreme as far as jumping and cutting, so it’s more of just getting comfortable now,” he explained.

Thomas added that the mental aspect is not much of an issue, saying, “For the most part. It will be a challenge once I start guarding somebody, that’s the next step.”

He might be looking at a position change to safety later this summer, but Thomas is preparing to stay at corner. “Right now I’m at corner and that’s where I expect to be. I’m just trying to get myself back on the field,” he said.

Meanwhile Williams took part in his first team snaps in the OTAs, seeing some reps in the 11-on-11 drills. Previously, Williams, who is still mending a PCL injury that kept him out of six games last year, only did a few individual drills on the sidelines.

Today, however, Williams worked with his fellow linebackers in position drills, and saw the field for about ten plays in both the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

From the looks of it, he seems to be making progress with the injury. His assignment during the drills was mainly to cover the running back coming out of the backfield, and he did that exceptionally well for his first action all summer. In his time on the field, he ran without a noticeable limp and did not get beat once in coverage

Several times he was matched up with tailback Da’Rel Scott, and each time Scott was unable to break away from him. Williams even kept up with Scott down the sideline and into the corner of the end zone on a wheel route, but a perfect pass by Eli Manning and a tough catch by Scott made it all for naught.

Williams made up for it by blanketing newly signed tight end Chase Clement. In several plays, he chased him down the seam and forced an overthrow by Ryan Nassib and followed that up by forcing an erred pass in the flat by David Carr.

If today is an indication of how far along Williams really is in his recovery, then he should be ready to see full time snaps by the time training camp rolls around, July 26th.

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The old school New York Football Giants love players that can play multiple positions. Frank Gifford played on both sides of the line of scrimmage from 1952 to 1964. The eight-time Pro Bowler made there at three different positions: running back (34 career rushing touchdowns), defensive back, and wideout (43 career receiving touchdowns). He also played quarterback.



While times have definitely changed, the Giants still have a strong affinity for players that can contribute in multiple facets of the game. One kid that definitely can fit multiple bills while in blue is safety Cooper Taylor. Several of the Big Blue Faithful have already voiced a very piqued curiosity about this draft pick. Recent OTA (organized team activities) comments from safeties coach Dave Merritt only intensify the interest.

    “I like his size. I like his mental. Cooper is a very intelligent young man. Right now we have him playing the Will position as well as a safety and so I really like his size and his mental capacity, but he is a rookie. He’s messing up just like normal rookies would do and so he’s running around, but he has a lot on his plate. But I really like his size. 6-4, running a 4.4 40, I mean that’s pretty good. God didn’t bless me with that type of size, even as a linebacker.”

Immediate assumptions came post-draft about making Taylor a bit of a hybrid safety/linebacker out in defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s scheme — especially the ones that call for more nickel and dime. Merritt’s statements, along with current depth at the safety position (Antrel Rolle, Stevie Brown, a transitioning Terrell Thomas, Ryan Mundy, Tyler Sash and Will Hill), suggest there could be some new (bigger at 6’5”, 230lbs.) blood in that backfield that can also drop down. The kid has one other Giants-like quality.

    “I’m willing to play injured, and I’ve been very productive when I have done that,” said Taylor, pre-draft.

As some of those three and four safety looks benefited the Giants in 2012, this new type of transitional player may help even more in the 2013 NFL season, provided the crossbreed can fulfill the NFL level task before him. The general consensus seems to be leaning towards the affirmative.

Cooper Taylor was drafted in the fifth-round of this year’s draft from the University of Richmond, but the feelings of his previous coaches says he’s worth more. His Richmond Spiders head coach Danny Rocco (who himself played linebacker) thought highly of him — to the point where he an injury to Taylor had Rocco feeling “dejected” at the possible loss of his player.

    "Cooper has the physical numbers to maybe be a linebacker, to play near the line of scrimmage, to rush the passer," Rocco said. "But he also has the range and speed and ball skills to play in the back end. The more he's fluid and moving around, the more he can give the offense different things to worry about and deal with."

Former coach (and current University of Richmond defensive coordinator) Bob Trott was also once with the New York Giants as a defensive assistant (’91-’92). He, too, has a strong and positive outlook for Taylor.

    “Quite frankly, some NFL teams like big safeties, and some of them don’t,” Trott said. “I would love to coach him in the NFL. My experiences, with the safeties I’ve had, I’ll take him any day. He’s going to get a chance if he gets drafted or he doesn’t get drafted. He has got the intangibles. He’ll do really, really well on (an NFL) team. Some teams have him rated really high, and some teams don’t even have him on the board. It just really depends on what that team likes.”

General Manager Jerry Reese gave his obligatory comments post-draft about the pick.

    “Cooper Taylor from Richmond is a transfer from Georgia Tech – big size-speed safety that we think has a really nice upside. I can envision him honestly on special teams with that size and speed. I can envision him being that third safety in some the three-safety looks that (defensive coordinator) Perry Fewell likes to use sometimes. A big, tough guy, we like his skill set. He’s got some redeeming qualities that we liked and he’ll create some competition in the backfield with our safety group.”

And one last tidbit spoke about the safety’s character, as Taylor spoke on Coughlin last month:

    “Coach Coughlin is a hard-nosed guy, a great football coach who demands perfection, and definitely a person who strives at getting his players to understand and focus on the details. It definitely helps, especially as rookies, because we’re trying to figure out the game. In order to be great, you have to do the little things right, and coach Coughlin definitely teaches that, professes that, and tries to instill that in the rookies.”

Cooper Taylor already sounds like he fits the Big Blue uniform; next is whether or not he righteously begets our curiosity (and hopes).

Quote (MustangMan @ Jun 10 2013 12:52am)

david wilson's ball security looking great!

http://www.giants.com/assets/images/imported/NYG/photos/david-wilson/wilson_article_060713.jpg

Quote (xnozx. @ Jun 10 2013 02:26pm)

He's going to put the leauge on notice this season.

His ability to take vivicious contact and still stay on his feet is most impressive.