Q: You caught some balls from Eli today.
A: Yeah. I’m just trying to get better each and every day and trying to work on my craft. That’s all.

Q: When you have guys like Cruz, Nicks and Randle, are you confident you can contribute to this receiving corps?
A: Yeah. You’ve just got to come in with your confidence and come ready to play ball, ready to compete and just play ball.

Q: How different is this offense from what you’ve worked with in the past?
A: It’s a little different, but we’ve been studying the plays for about six weeks now without going out there. It just felt good to actually get out there and run through the plays. It’s definitely a little different, but I like it a lot. It does a lot of different things that works to my benefit.

Q: You can stretch the field.
A: Yeah. That’s what I like to do. I can do a lot of things. I can go inside, play outside. I can do it all. But they do like to stretch the field and I like doing that.

Q: When you got to go to the Manning Passing Camp, you were with Victor, Hakeem and Eli. How much did that help you?
A: That helped out a lot with getting the play calls, watching film with Eli, going through the plays, walking through and then doing two-a-days. So that was good to get down there with him and it was just learning how to catch the ball from him. Every quarterback throws the ball different and he throws a really nice ball, a great ball.

Q: I would imagine catching a ball from a Super Bowl MVP is good.
A: Yeah. He’s deceptive, too. It looks like it’s coming in easy, but it has some zip behind it. It’s good just learning that, too, just building that chemistry, too.

Q: That can probably do things for a receiver who is looking to progress in his career.
A: For sure. I’m just here just to make plays. Come in and help the team win. That’s my main goal.

Source: New York Giants Media

Yeguete had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, his second in the last four months. Both were to clear out loose bodies.

The school says Yeguete’s recovery will take about four months, meaning he should be cleared by the time preseason practice begins in October.

Yeguete, a 6-foot-7 senior from Bordeaux, France, had the same knee scoped in February after dealing with tendinitis all season. He missed six games following that surgery, and then had swelling after the Gators beat Minnesota to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. Coach Billy Donovan said after the season that another surgery for Yeguete could be the best long-term option.

Yeguete averaged 5.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last season.

Source: Associated Press

Q: Was it surprising not seeing Hakeem out there?
A: Right now I’m just worrying about myself going out there executing, the guys who are here, trying to make everybody better, up to speed on what we’re trying to do and get the young guys involved and get them caught up to speed on everything going on and try to get better. That’s all we’re working on.

Q: You got to throw with Murphy, Jernigan and Randle. Did you like what you saw from them?
A: Yeah. I hit Louis on a deep one. I got Rueben in there. I got Jernigan some catches. We’re getting everybody in there getting them a lot of reps, getting on time with them. We’re always going to get better. Whoever is on the field, we’re going to expect them to go out there and play at a high level. So I think the more guys you have who are experienced and ready to play different positions, the better off we’re going to be.

Q: Is there a part of you that would like to take it slow with Hakeem?
A: You want to make sure your guys are healthy at the start of the year and that’s always the number one thing, but you’ve also got to get some work. We need to improve. We’ve got to rep things. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure we’re playing at our best. That involves being healthy and also involves practice and getting reps.

Q: Did you expect Hakeem to be here?
A: There was no reason to think he wasn’t going to be here.

Q: Are you disappointed he isn’t here?
A: No. I’m going to go about my business and working and so hopefully we’ll have as many of our guys who are going to be playing for us this season out there working and trying to get better.

Q: How much of the new season’s offense has already been installed and how much tweaking do you expect from the basic offense that you’ve run?
A: It doesn’t sound like there’s going to be a whole lot of tweaking. We kind of have our offense and we’ve had success. We’ve done a lot of good things. There will always be new plays. There will always be plays that you put in each week for specific teams or some base plays that you kind of run more, but it’s really more about ‘let’s get better at the things that we do.’ Last year: What plays are working? What plays were not working? Sometimes you’ll have a play that you kind of look on paper and you say we didn’t have very good success with this play, but you watch it on film and you say we had an opportunity. We had guys open and maybe there was a protection or maybe there was a drop or maybe I threw a bad ball. So you have to kind of see the reasons why you didn’t have success in certain things. The concept is still good, we’ve just got to execute a little bit better.

Q: Is that what you guys get out of OTAs?
A: OTAs are really about just getting back into my rhythm and working on my mechanics, making sure everything is sharp. Making sure all of the guys have a great feel of the concepts of what we’re doing, really kind of slow things down, talk to them, watch the film with them and make sure everything is where it needs to be. The routes are at the right depths, the right angles. Kind of working on the little things and make sure all of those things are sharp and being done perfectly because at the beginning we’re running our basic plays that are always in every year that we’re not trying to overload things. It’s just trying to get everybody up to date with all the rookies and guys who have been here one year. Kind of make sure they re-learn everything, kind of hear it from the beginning and make sure they have a great understanding of what we’re trying to do.

Q: Is it almost a good thing not having Nicks or Cruz here because other people get more work?
A: You’ve still got to work on your timing. You’ve still got to work on the basics and everybody needs it. I need the basics. How many times have I thrown a hitch in my life? Or a curl route? I’ve still got to do it. I’ve still got to get those things and work them, but it is good to have other guys in there running routes and getting your timing down with other guys. That’s how you look at it, but you’d still like to have all your guys out there. We all need to work. We all need to practice. We all need to improve on things.

Q: When you look at the new tight ends, what challenges does that pose for you to bring so many guys up to speed?
A: Each year, you’re going to have challenges. Each year you’re going to have new guys in there you’re trying to get up to speed or you’re trying to get them to perform and throw as much at them and see how quickly they can adapt and grasp things and that’s what makes it exciting. That’s what makes it challenging. That’s what keeps me going every year. There’s not a new guy who doesn’t have something to work on and something to challenge someone else and challenge myself. It wouldn’t make it as fun. I enjoy the challenges. I enjoy teaching our offense to new guys and getting them to when it finally starts to kick in and get them understanding and you start making plays. They kind of learn one part of it and then you kind of go into the next part and you get more advanced. Those are things I enjoy doing.

Q: What did you see when Hynoski went down?
A: I didn’t see it. I handed the ball off and just saw him on the ground after. I don’t know exactly what happened. I haven’t seen the film yet. I don’t know how severe the injury is, so hopefully it’s not too bad and he can be back either for the spring or at least for training camp. I don’t know the results yet.

Q: It’s crazy how these things can happen.
A: You hope they don’t happen, but that’s just football. It wasn’t a hit. No one was going down, but you’re running around and making cuts and unfortunately sometimes you have some injuries. Hopefully it’s a minor one.

Source: New York Giants Media

Q: What is Hakeem Nick’s status?
A: I don’t know. He should be here.

Q: Were you expecting him here today?
A: Yeah, sure I did. I expect everybody here. We’re trying to get our team better.

Q: Is he not our here due to his physical status?
A: No, but he would have some kind of limitations, I’m sure. Not right away, but that is not the reason.

Q: What is your level of optimism on getting Victor Cruz in here at some point?
A: I’m always optimistic. I’m always looking forward to thinking that when it happens he will be in here and we’ll have time to get some work in right now.

Q: Do you think it is going to happen sooner rather than later?
A: You just asked me and I said that I am optimistic. That is all I can tell you.

Q: What happened to Henry Hynoski?
A: He kind of got (his leg rolled up on) and so we are taking a look at that. I said a few prayers and I’ll continue until I hear what it is.

Q: What is the secret to bringing in new tight ends? This is going to be the fourth tight end in basically four years. They keep producing, though – every one you bring in. What is the key to that?
A: It is a big part of our offense, obviously. There is no enlightenment about that. But get them in here, get them in the offseason program, get them on the field right now. Let them learn the offense and then work with the quarterback. And that is what we continue to try to do. We have a couple of young kids that it is time for them to get going. And that would help us a lot. It is unfortunate that (Larry) Donnell has the injury and can’t go right now, because this would be incredibly valuable time for him.

Q: Is there something that you tie in with all of them – the kind of pieces that you say they all share in common with each other and that is why you choose them in the first place?
A: Well, you would like to think that, yeah. That is why the ones that are drafted are chosen and sometimes in free agency. A certain part of what you are looking for is there, whether it be the universal approach – like it is with Brandon (Myers); so, yeah.

Q: Could you offer any first impressions of (Aaron) Curry?
A: I haven’t seen enough, really. I think he is learning and that has kind of got him a little bit under control.

Q: How much opportunity is there at the linebacker position in terms of jobs?
A: There are plenty of opportunities; everybody has got a great opportunity. There is nothing in concrete there. Matter of fact, I speak about that all of the time. I think it is a great opportunity.

Q: What would you say is the primary mission of the OTAs? Is it familiarity with some of the new guys working? What is the number one mission?
A: Get better; improve; improvement. There is always improvement. Yeah, there are young guys that have to come along, but there are veteran players that there may be one aspect of their game that needs to be improved upon. And we need to get better as a team. We need to get focused again as a team. We have had an awful lot of time away from each other. Now we have a chance to be together again and to get our thinking exactly the same and be on the same page. That is what this is all about is get yourself ready so that coaches can work with the players; get a feel for that. The personnel people can evaluate and see where there may be a need to help a certain area here or there. And allow that the individuals involved in the timing aspect of the game can work together.

Q: What did you think of what you saw from (Jerrel) Jernigan and (Louis) Murphy?
A: Well, I saw a flash play here or there. So that is a good thing.

Q: On the deep one to Jernigan down the left side – could he have shielded the ball a little bit better on that pass?
A: Maybe. But it was a good competitive play. And I was just glad to see that they were both in relatively good position at the end of the play. And Prince made a play.

Q: Does a guy like Curry intrigue you just because of what he has done in the past – how highly regarded he was at one time?
A: No doubt. No doubt. He was very highly thought of and a highly evaluated player coming out of college.

Q: How did (Rueben) Randle do in your estimation today?
A: Okay. He did fine. We haven’t seen a whole lot. Check with me in about five or six practices.

Q: What is the feeling when you take a guy like Curry – about what you can do for him that somebody else didn’t?
A: The feeling is that maybe this time around the player has figured it out. Maybe he didn’t have it all in the proper perspective the first time around. Maybe we can cut right to the chase. He feels a little bit differently about having an opportunity to have a job.

Q: Have you been around him enough at this point to sense the hunger?
A: That is what we talked about when he decided to come here. So I’m thinking that he will do nothing but get better.

Q: Sometimes is it just putting him in a position to succeed?
A: I wouldn’t think that that was the reason. We’ll do whatever we have to do to get him in the spot that he needs to be where he can be his best.

Q: What is the sense that you get from the rookies now integrating with the veterans, even though it is early on?
A: We’ll see. They have only had a couple of days. They get it; they see what is in front of them.

Source: New York Giants Media

Dwyane Wade will play for the Miami Heat in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night. So reports Tim Reynolds of the AP and the rest of media at Heat shootaround, where wade went through drills.

Source: Kurt Helin, NBC Sports Pro Basketball Talk

Philadelphia Soul part owner Ron Jaworski says he’s serious about his offer to former New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow to join the AFL team.

Jaworski, a former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, reached out to Tebow a day after the Jets released him in April. Jaworski has yet to hear from Tebow, but expects to eventually.

Tebow was brought to New York to be a dynamic addition to the offense, a complement to Mark Sanchez and a merchandising touchdown for the Jets. Instead, he attempted just eight passes for 39 yards and rushed 32 times for 102 yards — and no touchdowns.

Jaworski says Tebow’s “in a funk” right now and needs to consider his career path back to the NFL.

Source: Associated Press

The network announced the Southeastern Conference game — on Saturday, Nov. 2 at EverBank Field — will be shown at 3:30 p.m. Georgia has won the last two meetings between the two SEC East teams.

CBS also announced it will open its SEC coverage with Alabama travelling to face Texas A&M at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 14.

The network will also televise the SEC Championship Game at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

CBS will announce the rest of its SEC lineup six-to-12 days prior to the contest.

Source: Hays Carlyon, Jacksonville.com

The Jaguars had two seventh-round picks last month and used them both on cornerbacks,

Now they have both of them under contract. Jeremy Harris signed earlier this week and the team announced Wednesday that Demetrius McCray has agreed to a contract as well.

McCray led the Southern Conference in interceptions in each of the last two seasons at Appalachian State and earned second-team All-America honors in the Football Championship Subdivision last season. Whether those ballhawking skills will translate into significant playing time on defense as a rookie is something to be determined during camp, but it’s pretty clear that the Jags want to overhaul their secondary.

Source: Josh Alper, NBC Sports Pro Football Talk

“We have Wilmington on Saturday and will be focusing on the Hammerheads,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath Tuesday night after his club defeated the Ocala Stampede 2-1 in US Open Cup competition. “We are turning our attention toward Wilmington and it will be a competitive match.”

The Hammerheads are led by Midfielder Paul Nicholson and Defender Jamel Wallace, who each have two goals through the middle of the 2013 USL PRO season. After Saturday’s match, Wilmington travels down I-4 to square off against VSI Tampa Bay Sunday, who’s last regular-season match resulted in a 3-1 win over Antigua Barracuda FC. Wilmington was the only team to top Orlando in the 2012 season, upsetting the Lions at home in league semifinals 4-3.

Orlando topped the PDL’s Ocala Stampede Tuesday night at Forest High School in Ocala, Fla., in Open Cup play- advancing the club to the third round of the knockout tournament. The Lions play host to Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids Tuesday, May 28, at Fifth Third Bank Field at the Florida Citrus Bowl. The game marks the first time Orlando has hosted an MLS team at home in the Open Cup, with the Lions traveling to opponent’s venues in the third round of the past two seasons.

Source: Orlando City Media

According to Mike Garafolo of USA Today, Crabtree tore his Achilles during a workout Tuesday, and will need surgery to repair the injury.

While players such as Terrell Suggs and Da’Quan Bowers have come back in the same season from such injuries, those cases are rare.

The 25-year-old Crabtree emerged as a threat last year, with 85 catches for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns, and an impressive postseason.

Source: Darin Gantt, NBC Sports Pro Football Talk