Here's some things I'll be watching for from the Giants' perspective in tonight's game vs Pittsburgh.

Offense

The Giants have been have having some heated practices the past two weeks in preparation for tonight's preseason debut vs Buffalo in the Hall of Fame game.

As a Giant fan, you should be watching for the following...

From Lou Musto of Giants Rush

The New York Giants kick off their 2013 preseason schedule on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A season ago, the Steelers dropped the Giants in a heart-wrenching 24-20 game that included a 147-yard rushing performance by third-string running back Isaac Redman.

Camp will begin on?Friday, July 26, when all players report for physicals, meetings and conditioning testing. The first practice session will be held on?Saturday, July 27 at 1:30 p.m.?The normal training camp schedule has the team on the practice field from?1:30 p.m.?to approximately 3:40 p.m.?There will be no practice on?July 31 and Aug. 6, 9, 11, 12, 17 and 19. Practice is closed to the public on?Sunday, Aug. 4. The public portion of training camp is scheduled to end onWednesday, Aug. 21, three days prior to the Giants? annual preseason game vs. the Jets.

Practice squads can be formed beginning Saturday at noon after the waiver period closes. Teams may sign any available player - not just players dropped form their rosters - as long as they are eligible (see below). Of the 75 players the Giants have on their roster, we see 22 eligible names.

All rookies are eligible for the practice squad. RB David Wilson, WR Rueben Randle and CB Jayron Mosely are assured roster spots, so forget them. DT Markus Kuhn, OT Matt McCants, TE Adrien Robinson, DE Matt Broha, OL Stephen Goodin, DE Adewale Ojomo, WR David Douglas, DB Laron Scott, LB Jake Muasau, DE Craig Marshall and TE Larry Donnell are all bubble players eligible for practice squad duty.

The game had no bearing in the standings, so we can laugh about the comical ongoings we've seen thus far. But as the regular season nears, I fear we may be in for more moments like the one below.

Last night in the second quarter, the officials showed their ineptitude and inexperience during a punt play in which several penalties were called. Only problem was they had no idea what they were, which team they were on and the players who committed them. It took approximately five minutes for them to sort it all out.

"We wanted to get him the ball on something, get him a catch.? I was conscious of it, if there were certain plays that I could go his way, I was going to try and do that, but he only got a number of pass plays in there, but we got him one catch, which was good." - Eli Manning on the plan to get WR Hakeem Nicks a catch last night.

"My game has evolved since college. Watching?Osi Umenyiora and those guys, I just pay close attention to what those guys do, and try to model my game after those guys.? Those guys are the best defensive linemen in the NFL, so it?s hard not to take from those guys and make plays." - DE Adewale Ojomo on his?ability to make things happen on defense

Nicks dips beak in final tuneup vs Patriots?

Ojomo playing like he's already on roster?

CBs?Prince Amukamara (ankle), Terrell Thomas (knee), Bruce Johnson (shoulder) and?Jayron Hosley (toe)

DEs Justin Tuck (shoulder), Osi Umenyiora (knee), Adrian Tracy (hamstring) and Jason Pierre-Paul (back)

"I don?t think it?s frustrating at all. I?m not discouraged by no means. I?m thankful nothing?s broken and it?s all apart of football. You get banged up and I know the saying is you can?t make the club in the tub. I?ve been in the tub pretty often, so I just have to hurry up and get out and do everything I can to help this team. " - CB Prince Amukamara on dealing with his second injury in two years.

"The coaches prepare everybody to be a starter. We have a slogan, ?always work like a champion." Coach Pete (Giunta) always tells all the DBs to always prepare like a starter. You can?t be shocked to be out there. You always have to prepare like that. Coach Coughlin and all the staff prepare us well for that every week. I think all the guys out here, regardless of where you are on the depth chart, we prepare like a starter." - CB Michael Coe on being named the starter in Prince's absence.

Offensive starters: ?QB - Manning, RB - Wilson, HB - Hynoski, TE - Bennett, WRs - Cruz and Hixon, LT - Locklear, LG - Boothe, C - Baas, RG - Snee, RT - Diehl

Defensive starters: LE - Tuck, LDT - Joseph, RDT - Bernard, RE- Umenyiora, SLB - Kiwanuka, MLB - Blackburn, WLB - Rivers, LCB - Webster, RCB - Amukamara, SS- Phillips, FS - Rolle

Prince Amukamara was carted off with a right leg injury. X-rays were negative.

Ramses Barden has finally learned to use his size. He has 3 catches for 46 yds and a TD.

Running Back: Earth, Wind and Fire is dead. Are the Giants looking to resurrect "Thunder and Lightning" with Henry Hynoski and David Wilson? Tune in tonight....

Defensive Line: Will Chris Canty start the season on PUP? If he does, who takes his place on the line? Will Marvin Austin ever play a game for the Giants? Are the Giants serious about Markus Kuhn, or will he be cut? What will they do with all these young pass rushers?

Rookie RB Jayron Hosley (turf toe) will also miss the game but expects to resume practicing next week. "Hoping next week, early next week," Hosley said yesterday. "That?s what we?re shooting for so that?s what I?m working towards."

WR Hakeem Nicks returned to practice yesterday. Tom Coughlin said he will be bringing Nicks along slowly and did not know if he would play in the upcoming preseason games Friday vs Chicago or Wednesday vs New England.

Coughlin said he had very little information about the injury to RB Ahmad Bradshaw's hand, which suffered a contusion in the game vs the Jets last Saturday.Bradshaw practiced, but his participation was limited. Rookie RB David Wilson will begin seeing more time with the first team, Coughlin said.

"I still don?t know.? They?ll see how it goes this week in practice, and then let me go out this Friday, but I think it?s going to be based on team doctors and coach?s decision, and I?m all for whatever they decide. I know they?ll decide whatever is best for me," said Nicks when asked if he will play in the preseason.

Before today's workout several players spoke to the media about team chemistry...

It's early, and to be fair, the Giants were without their No. 1 receiver (Hakeem Nicks) and their top RB (Ahmad Bradshaw) left the game with a hand injury after gaining only two yards on three carries. They basically relied on Victor Cruz in the first half to move the ball. He was thrown at eight times, catching five for a total of 51 yards.

The first team could not muster an offensive TD, but give the Jets some credit here, too. Eli Manning was not particularly sharp (7-14, 62 yards and got picked on a deep overthrow) and the offensive line had issues firing off the ball. In the first half, they only had five possessions. The results: FG, FG, INT, Punt and End of Half. They gained only 19 yards rushing on 15 attempts. Ughhhh...

With the upstate portion of training camp officially over, the Giants are back in New Jersey where they can sleep tight in their own beds for the rest of the year. The mattresses at UAlbany were being blamed for just about everything, from being too small to even being the cause of back injuries.

?We?re big humans. Every bed is small,? TE Martellus Bennett told reporters yesterday. ?You can?t put a damn dinosaur in a twin-sized bed. ... A normal-sized human jumps into a regular-sized bed and it fits perfectly. Large, big humans jump in a regular-sized bed, the bed?s too small. My back doesn't hurt. My back feels great. I have a great back."

In the battle against a recent epidemic of back injuries, the Giants are going to the mattresses.

Okay, so I just wanted to get in a Godfather reference. But seriously, there?s been chatter up here the dorm-room beds at UAlbany are an issue for a bunch of overgrown NFL players...

Q: Do you feel like you?re ready to take on a larger role if your needed to?

A: Absolutely.? Whatever the coaches ask me to do, I try to do to the best of my ability.? I?m working hard every day and I know I have to improve on a lot of things.? The only thing I can do is work on them every day and hopefully, I get better and everything works out.

Will today be the last Albany sees of the Giants? Both CEO John Mara and head coach Tom Coughlin are proponents of getting the team away for camp and each has complimented UAlbany for their support and hospitality. But UAlbany does not have an indoor facility for the Giants to train in inclement weather, and with the growing number of teams opting to stay home for training camp, the Giants may just have to scrap the trip for logistical purposes.

Yesterday's practice had a few absences due to injury, but LB Michael Boley's hamstring is one that is beginning to wear on Coughlin:

LB Michael Boley (hamstring) did not practice again, and although head coach Tom Coughlin has not commented at length about Boley's condition we have to assume it's more serious than we've been led to believe. This week should tell us more.

LB Jacquain Williams (hip) also sat out again yesterday. He told reporters that his injury was "nothing serious" and that it just needed a little more time to heal up.

From SNYGiants columnist Jon Wagner:

After winning his second Super Bowl in five seasons with the New York Giants, head coach Tom Coughlin kicked off the defense of his team?s most recent world championship by returning to the place where he first made a name for himself as an NFL head coach, as the Giants lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 32-31 in the teams? preseason opener on Friday night.

As with all preseason games however, the final outcome didn?t really matter as much as the players? health and seeing how they performed. On that front, here is what the Giants? coaching staff probably took note of the most:

We posted some links below of what for to look for, which is all well and good, but I find watching the game as a fan is still the best approach. Sure, I write down who excels and who underperforms (so I don't forget) but you can miss a lot while trying to catch a little.

I do focus on a few things each week and tonight will be no different. When people ask me about the Giants and their drafts, I always tell them the same thing: wait until year two. So that means whatever a rookie does tonight - or this season - is a plus. It's last year's rookies that I'll be concentrating on this year.

About a dozen players will not be available for the game due to injury. OT Will Beatty (back) will sit, although he is scheduled to begin practicing next week. LBs Jacquian Williams (hip) and LBs Michael Boley and Jake Muasau (hamstrings) will not participate, either. DT Rocky Bernard (an old knee injury flared up) and RB Da'Rel Scott (thigh) are also scratches.

Those players will be joined on the sidelines by DE Justin Trattou (ankle),?Terrell Thomas (knee) and the four players still on PUP: DT Chris Canty, WR Hakeem Nicks, TE Travis Beckum and LB Clint Sintim.

The first OTA session begins today and runs through tomorrow. The second session is scheduled to be held on Thursday. Minicamp is scheduled for June 12-14.

The team will travel down to DC on Friday where they will be guests of President Obama - part of the ongoing Super Bowl XLVI experience.

"That?s one of the true advantages right there," Tom Coughlin said after the morning session yesterday. "They?re all signed as of right now as far as I know."

The rookies were eager according to Coughlin and that is a good sign. 59 players, including all seven draftees and the recently signed eight UDFAs, are all hopeful of landing a spot on the Big Blue roster.

The Giants had one of the league?s most prolific offenses last season, ranking ninth in points per game (24.6), fifth in pass yards per game (295.9) and eighth in total yards per game (385.1). These metrics are impressive, but let us not ignore Big Blue?s putrid rushing yards per game average (82.1), good for last in all of football.

The departure of Brandon Jacobs?and his accompanying 152 carries and 571 rushing yards?to the San Francisco 49ers only figured to further debilitate an already feeble ground game, leaving the Giants in danger of reclaiming their spot as the league?s worst rushing team. Help arrived at approximately 11:30 p.m. Thursday night in the form of 5-foot-9, 205-pound running back David Wilson, a shifty speedster from Virginia Tech who immediately slides into the No. 2 spot on the Giants running back depth chart.

The secondary struggled throughout most of the regular season, ranking 29^th in pass yards per game allowed with 225.1. Luckily, Eli Manning made a habit of putting up those same numbers?often better?against opposing pass defenses.

The Giants and Jets traditionally play one another the third week of every preseason with the teams alternating as the home team. This year, they will meet in Week Two of the preseason, giving Giants fan a peek at what has been going on under the tent at Florham Park.

The Giants are set to defend their second Lombardi trophy in five years while the Jets have turned into a a bizarre reality-TV venture. The Giants make incremental moves in the offseason to augment their roster while the Jets seem determined to keep newsrooms busy with controversial events that transcend NFL Football.

On franchise tags.....None of the free agents are franchise-worthy.

Will Eli restructure to help out?

Ranking Eli's best weapons:

1. WR - Hakeem Nicks - The 2009 1st round draft pick has come as advertised.? One could say he has been sniffing around pro bowl status during his two years in the NFL.? Nicks is 6' 1" and 215 lbs and his game is very similar to Michael Irvin the former Dallas Cowboy and now Hall of Fame inductee.

One less decision to be made will be at LB, where a position is now open as the luckless Clint Sintim was declared done for the season after blowing out his knee for the second year in a row. You may not like him as a player, but you have to feel sorry for this guy.

In his the wake of Sintim's injury comes the emergence of two excellent young OLBs: Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams.

The Giants have been known to find gems in the middle and late rounds. This year, they may have hit the jackpot. ?Yesterday morning, I wrote the following and was mocked by many a reader:

S Tyler Sash is in, as are LB Jacquian Williams and RB Da?Rel Scott. The Giants would be ill advised to cut any of them. They could ? COULD - just be looking at their new Jason Sehorn, Jesse Armstead and David Meggett in those three.

- Starters get the night off on offense and defense. Second unit has trouble with pass protection against the Patriots defensive line. The second team did run the ball effectively though.

- First play on offense results in a turnover. 2 fumbles, 1 lost, 1 Int in the first quarter alone. No matter what unit is on the field the Giants will continue to commit the same mistakes.

Tom Coughlin plans on keeping his key contributors healthy, so don't count on too many of the starters playing tonight. The Patriots may play some of their big names, but they will be limited, we think...

Bill Belichick plays every game to win. He has already been told by QB Tom Brady that Brady expects to play because of the truncated preseason, and no one would be surprised if that happens. Belichick uses every opportunity to scout and measure opponents...the Giants are scheduled to be back in Foxborough on Nov 6 for a regular season contest...

They do not throw the football over the middle of the field. They have no legitimate TE to handle that duty and only one WR (Domenik Hixon) who is capable of handling it. Hence, every pass is either over or around the defense.

Opponents will catch on to this (if they haven't already) real soon and adjust accordingly. The Giants will have nothing to counter with. They should have drafted a tight end.