Jerrel Jernigan reports to his second NFL training camp tomorrow knowing he has very little to show for his rookie season with the Giants. In some cases, he has nothing to show.
“I’m not used to that, not having a catch in a year,’’ Jernigan said.
No, he didn’t have a single catch. The Giants didn’t expect miracles from their 2011 third-round draft pick, but they figured Jernigan would get his hands on the ball once in a while. Heck, as a senior at Troy he caught 84 passes, ran the ball 45 times, returned 25 kickoffs and 23 punts. Jernigan was a one-man wrecking crew in college but last season he played in only eight games during the regular season, got in all four during the postseason and is still looking for his first NFL reception.
“I’m not used to that, coming from Troy, where they pretty much threw the ball around every single down,’’ Jernigan said. “I was pretty much upset by it. I learned a lot last season.’’
The Giants hope those lessons have sunk in. They had a prolific passing attack last season without utilizing Jernigan, but there’s a need for one of the “other’’ receivers to make a move now that Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham will be getting those yards after the catch in San Francisco with the 49ers. Jernigan heads into camp knowing the No. 3 receiver job behind starters Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz is wide open, and the coaching staff wouldn’t mind at all if he fills it.
“I’m always confident, I’m never down on myself,’’ Jernigan said. “I go in expecting that spot. You’ve got other guys competing, too. I’m looking forward to the competition.’’
The fight to move up the depth chart at receiver figures to be one of the key stories of training camp at the University at Albany, with players of different sizes, skill-sets and histories all vying for playing time and roster spots. With Nicks likely set to miss most or all of camp recovering from a broken foot, the practice reps will be coming fast and furious for Jernigan, Domenik Hixon, Ramses Barden and rookie Rueben Randle.
Jernigan, at 5-foot-8 and 189 pounds, is the smallest and quickest of the group and should be a prototype slot receiver. Of course, he needs to get the ball in his hands, which thus far has proven to be problematic. He dropped a few punts last summer, and just like that, coach Tom Coughlin’s trust was shattered.
Jernigan ended up with eight kickoff returns during the season and three more in Super Bowl XLVI, including a 34-yard return in the third quarter to help set up the offense for a field goal drive.
“You see flashes with Jerrel Jernigan,’’ said offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who last season once referred to Jernigan as “One-play J.J.” — a description Jernigan didn’t appreciate.
Those flashes never included a single reception, which is a bit hard to believe on a team that produced 359 of them in the regular season and 106 more in the postseason. Jernigan at times had a deer-in-the-headlights look and was not helped at all by the lockout, which cost him the entire offseason and leaving him raw and unprepared for his first pro camp.
“For me last year, coming in without OTAs, the offseason was even tougher for me, coming right in, just throw me in the fire coming from a spread offense,’’ Jernigan said. “This offseason helped me a lot,” he said. “I’m understanding more than I did last year and I’m more comfortable out there. I’m just feeling better in the offense, understanding the concepts more. I’m not thinking any more, I’m going out and just reacting to the coverages as I see them.’’