The New York Giants begin the preseason portion of their 2012 schedule Friday night when they travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to face the Jaguars at EverBank Field. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters this week that his starters will receive about 15 plays and the second team 20 to 25 before the third stringers finish the game.
Domenik Hixon will start at wide receiver for the rehabbing Hakeem Nicks (broken foot) alongside Victor Cruz. Expect Coughlin and his staff to keep a close eye on who will emerge as the third wideout and make the final roster. While Hixon seems to be the lead candidate once Hicks is ready, as expected, for the September 5 season opener, the Giants drafted Rueben Randle out of LSU with the hopes he'd replace Mario Manningham. Randle has impressed early in training camp and is anxious to take advantage of a golden opportunity.
"That means a lot," Randle said. "Be able to show the coaches what we’re capable of doing and I think they’ll gain more confidence in us, and more trust in the players around us."
[Related: Complete Giants Training Camp Coverage]
Another guy Coughlin and his staff are keeping a close eye on is rookie free agent David Douglas. The undrafted Douglas caught 151 passes for 1,542 yards and 11 touchdowns at the University of Arizona. If Douglas' practice performances translates to live action to where he plays well at wideout and on special teams, that could be enough to force the talented but often-injured Ramses Barden off the active roster.
In the secondary, Terrell Thomas esimates he will miss anywhere from three to eight weeks while rehabbing his knee, which means the Giants are counting on Prince Amukamara, last season's first-round pick, to make an immediate impact.
The big storyline in Jacksonville is the ongoing holdout of star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, which has opened the door Rashad Jennings. MoJo's backup the past few seasons is the Jaguars' current starter who during the team's first scrimmage gained 37 passing yards, rushed for 20 and returned a kickoff for 18.
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 10; 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
TV Schedule
New York: WWOR 9
TV Distribution Map: The506.com
Radio Schedule
Giants: WCBS 101
For more on the Giants head over to Big Blue View. For more on the Jaguars, visit Big Cat Country. Follow the rest of Week 11 preseason action at SB Nation NFL.
Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC