In a surprise development, the Giants hit the practice field yesterday with all 53 players on the roster participating.
“We have room enough on the field to accommodate that,” a pleased coach Tom Coughlin said.
The perfect attendance record became official when running back Ahmad Bradshaw shed his protective boot. Bradshaw usually sits out two days each week because of the cracked bone in his right foot, but he got on the field a day earlier than usual. This, of course, was what the Giants hoped for as they limped into their late bye week riding a four-game losing streak. After a full training camp followed by four preseason games and nine regular-season games, the Giants are finally healthy.
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Coughlin said cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring) participated in less than half of the practice “but he works good when he is in there.”
Coughlin continues to be non-committal about Ross playing for the first time this season on Sunday against the Falcons, but Ross is convinced he’ll play — he even fielded a few punts early in practice — and so is defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan.
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Sheridan confirmed rookie Clint Sintim will continue to share the strong-side linebacker job with veteran Danny Clark. That was the case last week for the first time when Sintim played 11 snaps on defense in place of Clark. . . . Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for fired Dick Jauron as head coach in Buffalo. Gilbride worked for the Bills in 2002-03.
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Last week, running back coach Jerald Ingram said the loss in free agency of RB Derrick Ward and the early-season elbow injury to RB Danny Ware has hurt Brandon Jacobs because the Giants have asked Jacobs to run plays more suited to Ward and Ware. Many of those plays have come on third down and are not the downhill runs that Jacobs is more effective running. More recently, Ingram said, Jacobs has been more effective because he’s running plays more suited to his own style.