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A glance at Giants' receiver battle
Domenik Hixon (Photo by Getty Images) It’s one of the burning questions heading into training camp: Who will emerge as the Giants’ starting wide receivers?
Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are now gone, leaving five wideouts legitimately vying for two starting jobs.
Here’s a quick look at what is sure to be one of the league's more intriguing position battles this summer. Camp opens Aug. 3 at the University of Albany.
Steve Smith
The third-year player caught 57 passes last season, albeit for only 574 yards and one touchdown. This possession receiver has probably the best chance of any wideout to land a spot in the starting lineup – but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll end up as the Giants’ leading receiver.
amNY odds to start: 2-to-1Domenik Hixon
If the season began today, Hixon would likely line up as a starter. While he is the early front-runner to replace Burress, he also must stave off Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss and first-round draft pick Hakeem Nicks.
amNY odds to start: 3-to-1
Hakeem Nicks
As the new guy in the mix, the rookie will be watched closely in training camp. Nicks is 6-foot-2 and runs decent speed (4.49 in the 40-yard dash). However, few rookies deliver in their first seasons. It might be unfair to expect big things out of Nicks this year.
amNY odds to start: 8-to-1
Sinorice Moss
Many Giants fans have already labeled the former second-round pick a bust. But Santana Moss’ little brother reportedly impressed coaches in offseason practices. The third-year player is most likely in competition for the No. 3 job.
amNY odds to start: 20-to-1
Mario Manningham
He’s the sleeper in this competition. The second-year player is a big-play threat who put up huge numbers at the University of Michigan.
amNY odds to start: 30-to-1
Tags: nfl, clavicle, domenik hixon, plaxico burress, steve smith, amani toomer, sinorice moss, hakeem nicks, mario manningham, giants
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Amani Toomer speaks up, shows concern for his future with the Giants
Photo by Getty Amani Toomer has never been one to speak out against the Giants. But after Big Blue's dismal end to the season, Toomer chimed in, offering his two cents on why the Giant's couldn't recover after Plaxico Burress was removed from the lineup.
"The last couple of games I wasn't a big part of the offense and we lost a big percentage of the games [four of the last five]," Toomer said. "I feel like you can't tell me [that] didn't play a big role in [the losing]. I think it did."
But not wanting to seem too hasty, the 13-year veteran receiver decided to clear the air a little on his Web site, posting a few interview excerpts about the previous day's comments.“I absolutely did not intend to criticize nor did I criticize the coaching staff’s game plans," Toomer said in the posted interview. "What I did say was that I thought the team as a whole had less focus this year than they did last year and that I almost could see this [Eagles] loss coming.”
However, on a new Giants deal, Toomer spoke frankly about his future.
“Based on how my role declined near the end of the season, I just don’t know how the Giants view my role ... If I were to come back and not really have a chance to compete, then I’d rather go someplace else where I would have a chance to compete. So, I guess it’s fair to say I am conflicted.”
— amNY
Tags: amani toomer, plaxico burress, giants, nfl
