Baas looked lost, but Giants see positive

The Giants believe that David Baas can develop into a Pro Bowl center for them. They certainly paid him at that level when he came to the team as a free agent last month. But on Saturday night, in his first performance with his new team, there were times when Baas looked just as lost and confused as some of the rookies who were getting their first taste of the NFL.

Plopped into the middle of a once-tight offensive line that now is trying to find its soul, Baas struggled at times to make the correct block or adjustment. The most dangerous one was on a quick screen to receiver Mario Manningham. Guard Chris Snee pulled out to block for Manningham but Baas did not slide over to his right to pick up Panthers defensive tackle Sione Fua. The Carolina rookie came in untouched and drilled Eli Manning.

"There's things all around," Baas said of the mistakes on the line, one of the main reasons the offense was so unimpressive in the Giants' 20-10 loss in their preseason opener. "I had two myself that I can think of right off the bat. There's no excuses, there's just room for improvement. That's all it is. You can sit there on the sideline and know exactly what you did wrong. You just have to fix it in practice and keep getting better."

It might have been unfair to believe that the reconstituted offensive line could become a cohesive unit after only seven practices together. Baas had no offseason to work with the Giants and couldn't even practice until Aug. 4. The Giants also moved David Diehl to guard from tackle and put Will Beatty at left tackle.

"A lot has been said about the amount of time it takes just for the offensive line to communicate with each other," Tom Coughlin said. "David Baas is going to be a good player for us. There is no doubt in my mind. We do have some growing pains to experience there before we do have that kind of verbal or nonverbal communication that takes place when people have played with each other for a considerable amount of time."

Baas said he's not using the fast-forward training camp as an excuse.

"It doesn't matter if you've had 1,000 reps or had one rep, you have to be able to go out there and do it," he said. "Yeah, it makes it a little harder, but it's good that we still have three preseason games left and time to work together to get this thing right."

After the game Saturday, Coughlin said he thought Baas has "a way to go" before feeling comfortable with his new system and teammates. Baas didn't dispute that. But both believe that eventually things will click, even if it means Manning has to take a few more thumps this preseason. Said Coughlin, "I think good things take time."

Notes & quotes An MRI on K Lawrence Tynes revealed no knee damage and only a right thigh bruise. While it's not the disastrous injury it appeared to be when his leg buckled after being hit by Panthers linebacker Sean Ware on a blocked field-goal attempt, it might be enough to sideline Tynes for the foreseeable future. "I'm not going to predict how long he'll be out," Coughlin said. "He'll be a full-time participant in the training room, that's for sure." As for signing another kicker, Coughlin said the team is exploring internal options but might add a player early this week . . . The Giants could have P Matt Dodge handle kickoffs and perhaps even field goals and extra points, but Coughlin said he does not want to "interfere right now with the competition at the punting position" between Dodge and Steve Weatherford . . . As for Tynes' assertion that a penalty should have been called on the hit that sent him to the ground, Coughlin said it was the right no-call. "Ball was blocked," he said, calling it a "technique mistake by a young player" that allowed Ware in. It appeared that rookie James Brewer did not block down on Ware . . . Coughlin said he is growing frustrated that WR Ramses Barden (ankle) and C Adam Koets (knee) are not making much progress in coming off the PUP list.