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Giants: Camp report | 
Judge
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Observations from New York Giants camp:
1. Rookie safety Kenny Phillips, the team's first-round draft choice, is the real deal. The hit of training camp, Phillips made nifty interceptions in practices Friday and Saturday and looks like a starter waiting to happen. The only question is: When will that be? Some persons believe he could win Michael Johnson's job by the season opener, and that's an awfully fast track for a rookie. But he will start this season and probably sooner rather than later. He's too good to keep off the field; some already compare him to Philadelphia's Brian Dawkins. Yes, the Giants lost a steadying influence when former starter Gibril Wilson left as a free agent for Oakland, but they may have upgraded themselves with Phillips. Trust me, seeing is believing.
2. Finally, the Giants are getting a look at a healthy Sinorice Moss. That's good. What isn't is the rash of injuries that claimed virtually every other wide receiver of consequence, including rookie Mario Manningham. He missed all but four practices this summer with a quad injury, and there is no indication when the Giants expect him to return. "We just don't see anything," said coach Tom Coughlin. "He can't practice, so you go on everything you understood about him when you drafted him. He's in every meeting. He does all that, but he doesn't get to 'rep' it. Young guys need to do it." Moss is one of those young guys. A disappointment since the team made him a second-round draft pick in 2006, he is playing when Manningham, Plaxico Burress (ankle), Amani Toomer (knee), Steve Smith (groin) and David Tyree (knee) cannot -- and he is doing OK. Also doing just fine is Domenik Hixon, who will make the club on his return ability alone. Hixon set a team record with 290 yards in returns in last season's playoffs.
3. Look for Tyree to open the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He hasn't practiced since undergoing off-season knee surgery and is expected to miss part, if not all, of the season. Tyree, who was going to have trouble making the 53-man roster with the raft of talent the Giants have at wide receiver, is a candidate -- and maybe a likely one -- for injured reserve.
4. Injuries have claimed the team's kicker, Lawrence Tynes, too. He hurt his left leg when he slipped on a wet practice field last week and hasn't practiced since. The club signed free-agent Josh Huston, whom Tynes outkicked in last summer's competition, and Huston will kick in Monday's game against Cleveland. Tynes is expected to hold his spot on the 53-man roster, provided he recovers quickly from his injury. "I'm not worried about my job," said Tynes, who hit the game-winning kick in the NFC Championship Game.
5. The loss of Jeremy Shockey leaves the Giants with a tangle of tight ends, with Kevin Boss the logical replacement. Boss stepped in last season and was the starter when the Giants won Super Bowl XLII. The guy is money as a receiver, but it's his blocking that needs polishing. A lot of polishing. "One of the things I struggle with is that I'm tall," said the 6-foot-6 Boss. "I have to continue to work on my pad level. A lot of times I will be standing up too high when I'm trying to block someone. I have to continue to work on the technique stuff. I got away in college with not using great technique because of the competition I was playing against. But you can't get away with it at this level."
