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ALBANY - Quite often, Brandon London says, he applauds his teammates for taking him all the way to the Super Bowl. It was quite a ride. Profitable, too.
London, you see, spent last season on the Giants practice squad, a tall and skinny receiver from the University of Massachusetts who helped the defensive backs during playoff practices by mimicking the skills of Joey Galloway, Terrell Owens, Donald Driver and Randy Moss.
It's a day-to-day existence on the practice squad and London said he took home about $3,400, after taxes, each week.
When the season ends, his paychecks stop. But the Giants season was extended to the absolute limit, and that enabled London to cash more than a few extra checks.
"We got paid for that bye week, too," London said yesterday. "I thank these guys all the time for that extra five weeks."
Pardon London if he wants more, but he's not asking as much as he's doing. With Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, David Tyree and rookie Mario Manningham all missing one or more days in training camp, London has benefited from increased work with inspired play.
At this time of the summer, when no one hits very hard and the pass rush never results in a sack, unheralded receivers often prance around the field, looking like the real deal, only to falter and eventually fade away when the preseason games arrive. London is hoping to avoid that fate, sign a real contract and stick on the real roster.
"I'm not settling for the practice squad this year, I told Coach [Tom] Coughlin that, I told [receivers coach Mike] Sullivan that," London said. "I told 'em I'm trying to be one of their guys this year, whether it's special teams or at receiver."
It could happen. London is eligible for the practice squad for a second year but he is performing as if he's thinking promotion. At 6-foot-4, he has ideal height and he has added 10 pounds to a still-lithe 215-pound frame. There's a logjam at his position, with Domenik Hixon seemingly ahead of him for what could be the fifth receiver spot.
There are many factors that could either help or hurt London's chances. Do the Giants pull the plug on Sinorice Moss if he does nothing in the preseason? Does Tyree's knee injury put him on the physically unable to perform list to start the season? Does London out-perform other hopefuls Michael Jennings and D.J. Hall? After a double session on Wednesday filled with catches by London, Coughlin said: "He has great endurance. That kid can go and go and go."
At present, London is working on the second-team kickoff return and coverage and punt return and coverage, and that could be his ticket to the team. He is a live personality, always upbeat, pointing at and saluting other receivers for praise. He is hard not to notice on the field.
"I'm a fierce competitor, I probably consider myself one of the biggest competitors in the history of sports, but at the same time, I'm not a hater," said London, who had 144 catches and 15 touchdowns at UMass. "If Domenik Hixon is out there and he makes a play that's only going to make me better and I want to congratulate him on that. I'm a team guy.
"I love football, I love to see another guy shine. I remember the other day D.J. Hall made a catch. He's been struggling on that route, getting inside on an in-route, and he put it all together and made that catch. I want to go congratulate him right away, because it's something he's been fighting for, it had him down and he went and made that play. Anything to lift his spirits up."
paul.schwartz@nypost.com
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