Barden trying to perfect the little things

ALBANY - Ramses Barden has a knack for making the spectacular look routine. Now he's trying to make the routine spectacular.

The 6-6 receiver has been hauling in acrobatic catches in Albany for two summers now. On Monday night, he made an incredible one, hanging on to the ball after outjumping Aaron Ross for it and being flipped in the air by Ross. But he knows that if he wants to be a No. 1 receiver - his goal - it's not those catches that will get him there. Rather, it's the simple plays, the precise routes and the sound catches.

"I know what's in my mind," he said of his goal. "It's not going to come just by snapping my fingers, closing my eyes, and spinning around two or three times. It's going to come with work and time."

It's starting to pay off. Because of injuries, Barden took some reps with the starting group in the last week. Tom Coughlin noted that Barden has had several solid practices in a row and is starting to show the consistency he needs before the Giants put him on the field on Sundays.

Barden said he's focusing on the minutiae of his craft, but those circus catches will always be a part of his repertoire.

"That's why I came here," he said of the reason he was drafted. "That's all I used to do. Now it's about incorporating the other things - the reads, the adjustments, the precision and the route running."

Dodge refining his dropsSome players might feel insecure about having the man they are replacing hovering over their shoulder, but rookie punter Matt Dodge said he is grateful to have Jeff Feagles working with him in training camp. In fact, Dodge said he and Feagles have spent hours in the film room dissecting his kicks and have worked on improving Dodge's drop.

"I've thought about it, but I've never watched it as many times as I have here," he said of his form. "Before, I'd hit a bad punt and I wouldn't really know what to do. Now, we watch it on tape and it's like it's obvious why it was a bad punt."

Giant stepsCB Corey Webster was limited in yesterday's practice with a tight gluteus muscle . . . The Giants were down to one healthy tight end Tuesday - Bear Pascoe - and had to recruit OT Herb Taylor for the position on short notice. It must be a tackle's dream to run down the field on a go route the way Taylor did . . . S Kenny Phillips reported no swelling or pain from his return to the field Monday morning and was back out there yesterday. Once again, he was taking two reps at a time, then coming off the field.