For healthy Ross, life's a beach

The man of Sanya Richards’ dreams was living a nightmare last year, and she wasn’t used to seeing Aaron Ross look so down. He called his 2009 season with the Giants “torture”.

She said “It was my first time seeing Aaron really just kind of in a slump.”

But that was several months ago when Ross, the Giants’ cornerback, was still dealing with a lost season thanks to three separate injuries to his left hamstring - - and before their lavish wedding in Austin, Tex., on Feb. 26. Now Ross is healthy enough that he’s been running and training with his track-star wife nearly every day during their honeymoon in the Middle East.

He also says his troublesome hamstring is back to 100 percent and he’s eager to join the Giants’ offseason workout program when it opens on Monday. “With guns blazing,” he said. “I’m ready.”

“I just wanted (the hamstring) to heal on its own and get back to 100 percent, and I feel like that’s where I’m at right now,” Ross told the Daily News from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where he and his new wife were attending the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony. “I’ve been running on the beach. The sand is a true test for the hamstring because your leg is sinking in the dirt. I feel like I’m 100 percent and ready to go again.”

Ross played in only four games for the Giants last season after first tearing his hamstring in early August. Three times he tried to come back from the injury, only to end up making it worse. The Giants finally placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 31, though the last game he played was on Dec. 13.

He said the experience “was horrible. I hated every minute of it going to meetings every day knowing that I’m not going to play. Going to practice, seeing the guys having fun and not being able to do what you love and do what you’re making your living at. It was like torture.”

Making it worse, Terrell Thomas did “a tremendous job” as Ross’ replacement in the words of GM Jerry Reese, picking off a team-high five passes. He played so well, that when Ross did play last season it was mostly at safety. And heading into camp this year there’s no guarantee Ross - - the Giants’ first-round pick in 2007 - - will reclaim his old starting job.

“I always look at it as a battle,” Ross said. “Every year they tell us that coming in you’re not a starter. You have to work for that spot. So it’s going to be a battle. (Thomas) had a tremendous year last year. It’s up in the air on who’s the starter and who’s not.”

At least he has his health, though, after months of much-needed rest. Ross said he didn’t have any offseason surgery, nor did he have another round of the platelet-rich-plasma therapy treatment he had back in September. He said he’s just been lifting weights, doing strengthening exercises, and running up hills or along some sandy beaches.

So far his recovery has been going better than expected. And his new bride insists “He’s in great spirits now.”

“I’m feeling great,” Ross said. “I can’t wait to get started again. I keep telling everybody, it’s been a year since I played football. I’m very excited about this upcoming year and really can’t wait to get it going again.”

***

A couple of other notes from my conversation with Ross …

• Yes, they get news about American Football in the Middle East, too, so Ross knows the Giants just signed safety Antrel Rolle for $37 million.

“That was a great addition for us,” Ross said. “Antrel, he’s a Pro Bowler. He’s a great player. All the way since he was in college in Miami he was one of my favorite players when he was at corner. Now he’s at safety. He did a tremendous job when he was with the Cardinals. So … Welcome!”

• This might not go over too big in the Giants’ offices, but Ross said that he and his wife “checked one thing off our agenda” on Tuesday when they took a ride in a Formula 1 race car at an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix track, courtesy of Mercedes Benz.

“We got in the car and went up to 220,” Ross said. “Sonya almost had a heart attack. But it was really fun. They took us around the track about two laps. Our hearts were beating (fast). They were close to hitting walls. It was pretty thrilling.”

***

S Kenny Phillips, whom I talked to earlier in the week, said he plans to be in New Jersey sometime this week for the start of the offseason training program, too. However, he will spend much of the next few months splitting his time between New Jersey and Miami, where he said he’s more comfortable doing his rehab work on his knee.

RB Brandon Jacobs said earlier this week that he wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to join the offseason workout program when it starts on Monday. But he has a good excuse. His wife was scheduled to give birth to his son sometime today.

Participation in the program is, technically, “voluntary” - - though no players see it that way. Most Giants players are expected to attend, though they are not required to “volunteer” to attend on the first day.

Publ.Date : Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:06:07 -0500

Reversal of fortune: Sorgi signs with Giants

UPDATED: 1:28 p.m.

One day after the Giants’ doctors expressed concern over quarterback Jim Sorgi’s shoulder, the team decided to sign him anyway.

Sorgi, who spent the last six years as Peyton Manning’s backup in Indianapolis, will now be Eli Manning’s backup in New York. He signed the deal late last night, according to a team source, despite worries that a torn labrum in his shoulder probably needed surgery.

“I thought my workout was excellent and my shoulder felt great,” Sorgi said in a statement released by the Giants. “I just need to continue to work on maintenance with it, but I want to be a player the Giants can count on to get the job done if need be.”

The move is somewhat surprising, because as I told you yesterday, his agent, Matt Brei, sounded like the Giants had serious concerns about Sorgi’s health. But, he was telling the truth when he said “the door is not closed, by any means.”

The 29-year-old Sorgi went on injured reserve last December with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. Brei said he has been throwing since January and has had no further problems. He also said that Sorgi’s shoulder was examined by two noted orthopedic surgeons - - Dr. James Andrews in Alabama and Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles - - and both have cleared him to play.

Sorgi spent six years as Peyton’s caddy with the Colts and never started a single game. In fact, he’s only played in 16 games in that span, attempting 156 passes, completing 99 (63.5 percent) for 929 yards, with six touchdowns and an interception. He doesn’t have nearly the game experience that I was told the Giants were looking for in a backup quarterback, but the market for veterans was pretty thin. Plus, he comes highly recommended by the Manning family, which carries some weight in the Giants’ organization.

“Jim demonstrated in the meeting room with our coaches that he is very sharp and a very good student of the game, which you would expect after spending six years backing up Peyton,” Tom Coughlin said. “He is used to spending the amount of time that is necessary in preparation. He was involved in the study and preparation and everything that Peyton does, so he will be outstanding in the meeting room with Eli.”

“Both (Peyton and Eli) are elite players,” Sorgi added. “I am as excited about working with Eli as I am sad about leaving Peyton, and I look forward to working with Eli and helping him any way I can. I have been fortunate to work with Peyton, who has one of the greatest minds in the game.”

Sorgi will almost certainly be the No. 2 quarterback behind Manning, with second-year pro Rhett Bomar as the No. 3. The Giants always prefer to have a veteran as the immediate backup along with a young, developmental player as the emergency third.

Publ.Date : Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:57:38 -0500