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It’s a make-or-break year for Austin, the former second round draft pick who has been unable to stay on the field. Here he speaks about his progress from the spring and how he has fought back against the obstacles that have gotten in his way.

Q: What progress have you made since the end of last year?
A: Just being healthy. I feel a lot stronger, and I’ve been a lot stronger than I’ve been since I’ve been in the league. The competition is just going to make you better. We have some elite D-tackles in the room. I feel like I’m more mature, and I know the game a lot more, and my hands are a lot stronger, so I think I’m in a better place to compete.

Q: One thing that I think gets overlooked is how injuries tend to interrupt a guy’s progress. When you look at your injury history, is it safe to say that it maybe interrupted your learning curve a bit more than you would have liked?
A: Without question. It definitely interrupted my momentum if just from a mental standpoint. When I was in college, I was never injured. When I came here, my first two seasons I can’t perform and go out there and play like I know I can because I’m not a 100 percent. It definitely curtailed my learning curve a bit and I have a golden opportunity here and no more excuses.

Q: When you talk about not being injured in college and then suddenly having that problem when you came to this level, why do you think that has been the case?
A: I think it’s a number of things–just being caught in bad positions and not being caught in the best positions– and it all goes back to using the proper technique. I think it was a lot of stuff – stuff happens. I had a knee lock up in the middle of a game and I try to grow and learn from it. I’ve been working my tail off in the weight room to make sure I get stronger and to make sure my body is as strong as it possibly can be.

Q: So you’ve changed your approach to working out this offseason to make sure you have better durability going forward?
A: Well, not really changed how I worked out. What I’m doing now is paying more attention to the smaller muscle groups rather than just focusing on the larger groups. I’ve also been focusing more on my core and making sure I have a clean diet.

Q: What about the mental part of the game? Coach has said that when you’re  out there doing what you see in the classroom, that’s one thing, but when you can’t apply what you learn, maybe the impact of learning in the classroom isn’t as great. How have you learned to compensate for missing practice time going forward if that should happen again?
A: For the most part, you have to watch and learn from others, especially those guys who are out there and who have been successful — try to mimic some of the things they’re having success with. At the same time, we have different body types and styles, so you have to find what makes you special and that’s what I’m still trying to find.

Q: Of the veterans on this team, has there been anyone in particular that you’ve latched on to as far as picking up some of the little known tricks and tips for success?
A: I’ve watched film with Cullen (Jenkins) and Mike Patterson. They’re very quick and good guys and I feel like I can play in that same mode as them. But one of the vets who has helped me and kept me honest, per say, has been Shaun Rogers. He always checks me out, looks at my technique and tries to help me with different stuff.

Q: Has he given any specific advice that’s been an eye opener for you?
A: Just some of the stuff we talk about like using the space and proximity of the linemen and knowing certain plays and where the offense is going to slide the protection and stuff like that is really helpful.

Q: Going forward, what do you want to show the world that you haven’t so far?
A: That I’m definitely a hell of a football player and that I can play in this league. I just want to go out there and get the respect of all the guys in this league. That’s my number one goal.

Q: Besides the back that you had last season, did you have any other issues that were slowing you down toward the end of the season?
A: Yeah, I had a torn meniscus (in his left knee), and I had surgery for that in January. My knee kept locking up so I got it fixed. But I’m fine and don’t anticipate that being a problem going forward.

Q: You seem to have a resiliency about you and haven’t really gotten down on yourself despite all the obstacles you’ve faced so far.
A: I’ve been there before. At first it might have an effect on you, but at the end of the day, it’s what you do after that. What do you do to get stronger and to get back on the field as quickly as you can? If you sit there and dwell on it and be negative, you’re not going to help yourself. You have to put in the work to get healthy if you’re injured. You’re either going to stand up or sit down. You can be a man about it or a coward. That’s all it is. And this game is a man’s game.

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Can Eric Herman show enough to crack the 53-man roster? The rookie guard certainly appears to have the nastiness.



Eric Herman was drafted by the New York Giants in the seventh round this past April. Can he make the roster? We look at that today as we continue our player-by-player look at the 90-man roster the Giants will bring to training camp.

2012 Season In Review

Herman completed an impressive career at Ohio University by cementing his reputation as a player Ohio offensive line coach Kevin Lightner called "a pure brawler and masher'" with 131 pancake blocks. He finished his collegiate career with 335.5 pancakes. Herman was named to the All-MAC Team twice.

2013 Outlook

The Giants selected Herman in the seventh round and GM Jerry Reese called him "a big, tough, nasty guard" who will create some competition at the guard spot. Kevin Boothe and Chris Snee are the starting guards, with second-year man Brandon Mosley, James Brewer, David Diehl, Jim Cordle and Selvish Capers as possible backups. Herman will likely have to impress during the preseason to make the squad, but he seems like a logical practice squad candidate if he can't crack the season-opening 53-man roster.

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Mark Herzlich heads to training camp as the Giants starting middle linebacker. Can he keep the job?


We have talked about Mark Herzlich and the middle linebacker job many times during the offseason. Today we get to do it again as Herzlich is next up in our player-by-player look at the 90-man roster the New York Giants will bring to training camp.

2012 Season In Review

Herzlich appeared to have a shot at taking the middle linebacker job away from Chase Blackburn a season ago, but that never happened. He ended up starting just two games and making 30 tackles while playing just 176 defensive snaps. His Pro Football Focus grade was -4.3.

2013 Outlook

With Blackburn gone to the Carolina Panthers via free agency, Herzlich has a chance to anchor the linebacking corps.As we have previously noted, Herzlich took snaps with the first unit during OTAs and mini-camp ahead of free-agent signee Dan Connor. That does not guarantee that he will hold down the job once training camp and the preseason roll around, but it does indicate that this could be Herzlich's best chance at becoming a key defensive player for the Giants rather than a spare part and just a nice story because of his battle with cancer.

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Will Hill should find a spot with the Giants as a reserve safety.



Let's continue our look at the 90-man roster the New York Giants will bring to training camp by focusing on reserve safety Will Hill, who played 12 games for the Giants in 2012.

2012 Season In Review

Hill made the Giants roster in his second attempt. The Giants gave him a tryout in 2011 but did not sign him. He played sparingly, finishing the season with 38 tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. Hill served a four-game suspension during the season for a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. He showed promise, however, as a 'box' type safety in the three-safety look the Giants like to employ. Hill was also a valuable member of the Giants special teams units.

2013 Outlook

Hill will compete for one of the backup spots behind Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown, and should be considered a pretty safe bet to make the roster. He will likely compete with Ryan Mundy for the third safety role. Tyler Sash and rookie Cooper Taylor are also in the mix, and there is always the possibility Terrell Thomas could play some safety.

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Jeremy Horne is trying to hook on with the Giants after spending a couple of seasons bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster for the Kansas City Chiefs.



Let's continue our player-by-player look at the 90-man roster the New York Giants will bring to training camp later this month at the Timex Performance Center. Here we look at Jeremy Horne, a fringe wide receiver trying to make it with the Giants after being out of the NFL a season ago.

2012 Season In Review

Horne was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of training camp last season and from what I can find did not hook on anywhere else. He played nine games for the Chiefs in 2010 and three in 2011 without catching a pass. He did rush once for 5 yards in 2011.

2013 Outlook

Horne, an Albany, N.Y. native, was signed as a free agent by the Giants in May. Horne is a 6-foot-2, 193-pound receiver who played for a year at Syracuse and three years at UMass, catching 84 passes for 1,338 yards (15.9 avg.) with 11 TDs. Horne is likely competing with Ramses Barden and Brandon Collins for the final wide receiver spot.

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Henry Hynoski's knee injury at the end of May caused the New York Giants to do a lot of roster shifting and potential deal making, especially since he needed surgery and could, possibly begin the 2013 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.


Because Hynoski has developed into one of the league's better fullbacks over the last two seasons, his injury in the offense is a tough pill for the Giants to swallow, but it hasn't had General Manager Jerry Reese panicking.

Instead, Reese currently has two options. The first is signing free agent fullback Vonta Leach, who the team is pursuing right now and are currently battling the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans for. Leach is likely to land with Miami because they have the salary cap space to sign him to a big-time deal, so the Giants would have to get creative in order to sign Leach, but they also need money to sign rookie draft picks Justin Pugh and Ryan Nassib.

Which leads into the second and current option: going with tight end Bear Pascoe as the fullback, which really isn't the worst solution that the Giants could have, especially since he can be a very productive player.

As a tight end, Pascoe is an extremely strong blocker who can catch the occasional pass and do some damage in the open field. In the past, he has been asked to play fullback for the Giants, even though it's not his natural position and he is better suited as the team's second tight end. But with Hynoski out, it's situations like that which call for Pascoe to step in.

If Pascoe goes to fullback, it allows Adrien Robinson to step in and be the second tight end for the Giants behind Brandon Myers and potentially get some early playing time that he wouldn't if Pascoe is the second tight end.

Now, the Giants are still looking at other options on the market, although there isn't a whole lot considering training camp is a little over three weeks away. Some of the remaining free agent options include Ovie Mughelli, Michael Cox, Peyton Hillis and Earnest Graham.

One other option that the Giants could potentially look at on the free agent market is former Tennessee Titans fullback Ahmard Hall, who was very pivotal to the emerging success of running back Chris Johnson when Hall lead the way for him. The 33-year-old sat out the 2012 season and was a former United State Marine from 1998-2002 before walking on to the University of Texas, where he was the starting fullback of the 2005 National Championship team before signing with the Titans as undrafted free agent in 2006.

These options could all become moot if Hynoski ends up defying the odds and returns ahead of time before Week 1 to start against the Dallas Cowboys, but that situation appears somewhat doubtful, especially with it being a knee injury.

For now, expect Pascoe to be penciled in as the guy at fullback on July 1. But on July 26, or September 8? That could be a completely different story, and something that develops once the Giants get into training camp.

Quote (xnozx. @ Jul 1 2013 03:35pm)

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6th.... feels good 

Quote (silent9 @ Jul 1 2013 04:57pm)

Damn.. 40 on vikes and bengals..