FanHouse Reggie Torbor

Forget a fancy introduction to this post; there's no need for it anymore. Every time the Giants play, they suffer a significant injury; it's that simple. So, really, how many times can I rehash the same old "how does this continue to happen" nonsense?

This week, the unfortunate victim of the Giants injury curse was rookie wide receiver Steve Smith. Although the team originally referred to it as a "scapula bruise," Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News just revealed that he actually suffered a fractured shoulder blade (scapula) and could miss significant time. However, and on the bright side, it may not be for the entire year, which has become a regular diagnosis for team doctors.

In addition to Smith, a few other Giants left the game with injuries. Here is a quick list:

Plaxico Burress - Re-injury of his right ankle.
Reggie Torbor - Elbow (left in a sling.)
Ahmad Bradshaw - Elbow (left in a sling.)
Adrian Awasom - Stinger (left in a sling and neck brace.)
Jared Lorenzen - Sprained left ankle.

Unreal.

Forget about everything that happened tonight; this game was all about one play. On a 33 yard run by Reuben Droughns, one of the New York Giants was hustling unlike anyone I'd ever seen before. They shot up the field so fast that they literally passed Droughns on the way. So, who was this extremely intense player? It was none other than back-up quarterback J-Load, Jared Lorenzen! If you didn't see the game, I kid you not; Lorenzen sprinted up the field in effort to make a lead block for the very man he had just handed the ball to. What more can you say? It was very inspiring to see -- it's obvious Lorenzen is constantly giving his all.

Unfortunately, that was the only highlight of the night for Lorenzen. Although he's had a rather impressive preseason to date, his weak points were made abundantly clear tonight. He seems to struggle under pressure and holds onto the ball entirely too long. Many people will probably attribute that to the substitute offensive lineman, but J-Load certainly didn't help his case.

On the other hand, Eli Manning ended his preseason on a high note. He only played the first series, but was able to go five of eight (two drops) for 58 yards and led the Giants down the field for a touchdown. Manning really appears to be primed for that breakout season everyone says they are waiting for.

Giants Training Camp Notebook is a cliff notes style article aimed at informing Giants fans about the ongoings of the day. It combines reports from both the morning and afternoon practices.

- As I mentioned yesterday when long snapper Ryan Kuehl suffered a leg injury, the Giants can't seem to escape the injury bug. Unfortunately, it sunk its fangs into another one today. Defensive back Kevin Dockery went down in the morning practice with a concussion that was so bad he couldn't even attend team meetings. Tom Coughlin claimed he was "real concerned" about it.

- Brandon Jacobs has come exactly as advertised so far. He appears to be very quick and quite decisive. He hits the holes hard without hesitation and has been bowling people over. That theme continued today when he completely demolished Gibril Wilson (or Antonio Pierce depending on what you read) in route to a score.

- Osi Umenyiora continued his dominance of Guy Whimper and David Diehl today. That's both good and bad for a variety of reasons. It's great to hear that Umenyiora is looking like a pro bowler, but it's bad to hear that Whimper is terrible and Diehl is struggling.

It took quite some time, but restricted free agents Gibril Wilson and Reggie Torbor have finally signed their respective one-year tenders. Wilson will now be due a salary of $1.3 million, while Torbor will be reeling in $850,000.

Neither of the restricted free agents received an offer sheet from another team and when April 20th rolled around, it was almost a certainty they would remain with the Giants. It's a good thing too; both fill important roles for a team struggling with depth issues at linebacker and cornerback.

Wilson is the projected starting strong safety, while Reggie Torbor will serve as a reserve outside linebacker.

As of noon Eastern Time today, the deadline for signing restricted free agents to offer sheets had passed. Safety Gibril Wilson, running back Derrick Ward and linebacker Reggie Torbor were the remaining restricted free agents on the Giants and none were signed to an offer sheet elsewhere. Because of that, they will all remains in New York for at least one more year.

The Giants would have been hurting in a bad way had Wilson signed elsewhere. Despite the knocks against him last year, he still finished with 100 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes defended. While he may have had a down year, he is still an above average safety and a heavy hitter.

Torbor could eventually become some trade bait but is currently considered a valuable backup. I, personally, have always been a fan of Torbor. I think he plays with great desire and has the tools to be a very good linebacker. If the Giants fail to add more than one linebacker from now until the start of the season, he'll get a legitimate chance to prove himself next year.

Finally, Ward may be on his way out of town one way or another. With the addition of Reuben Droughns and the possibility of the Giants drafting another running back, he may end up the odd man out. That's not to say he won't get a fair shot. He'll most certainly have the chance to win the third roster spot during the offseason and into the preseason.