Giants' 10 rookies watch pace pick up

Not that he wanted to see any of his fellow rookies disappear. If he had his way, linebacker Spencer Paysinger said, he would have kept them all. But he didn't mind at least one difference now that the Giants have trimmed their roster from 90 at this time last week to 53.

It used to take him about a half-hour to order his turkey wrap at the cafeteria. On Monday, he walked right up and was served.

For many of the 10 rookies on the Giants' roster, this is the first time they have ever practiced in such small numbers. In college, teams can have upward of 100 players on the roster, and as fellow rookie Greg Jones (Michigan State) pointed out, coaches there liked to have as many bodies as possible, so they kept inflating the size of the squad.

Here in the NFL, though, 53 is the magic number.

It was just one of the changes that were obvious to the players who are preparing for their first NFL game Sunday.

"Everything picks up," linebacker Mark Herzlich said. "The speed picks up a little bit. You saw it even [in practice]. There was a little bit more of a sense of urgency in terms of getting things done right, getting things done fast. I think that just carries over . . . I think this week, it's all about business."

Safety Tyler Sash said: "We could tell as soon as we went out there that it's 'go' time. I know I'm excited."

Tom Coughlin chuckled ominously when asked if having 10 rookies will be beneficial or dangerous. "It's going to be a good thing. It's got to be a good thing," he said. "It's a good thing. They bring vitality, they bring energy and I just hope we can chain it all down and get it going in the right direction."

The rookies went to breakfast together Saturday before the cuts were announced and kept in contact throughout the rest of the day. It was only after about 6 p.m. that they started to realize they had made the roster.

"It was the most anticlimactic happy ending that you could think of," Herzlich said. "All right, my phone didn't ring, let's go celebrate!"

Herzlich overcame a rare bone cancer at Boston College to be signed as an undrafted free agent. He may be one of the NFL's most inspirational stories, but he doesn't seem all that impressed by it yet. "I've officially made it for a day," he said. "I don't think anybody tries to make the NFL for a day. So we'll see how the career goes."

Many people were watching to see if Herzlich would be able to play in the NFL after all he's been through. Making the Giants' roster would seem to be the conclusion of that story arc. But Herzlich doesn't look at it that way.

"Your story is never over," he said. "When you talk about the story, that's actually my life. Yeah, it's a story . . . but that's my life and that's going to keep on going. Lots of changes are going to happen whether related to football or what."

Now that he's on the team, Herzlich doesn't want to be known only as the guy who overcame cancer to play in the NFL.

"I want to try to go from being a feel-good story,'' he said, "to making an impact on the field."

The 10 Giants players who are in their rookie season in the NFL:

Jerrel Jernigan
WR, Troy, 3rd round
A speedster who will be in the mix as a punt returner.

Prince Amukamara
CB, Nebraska, 1st round
Fractured bone in foot; won’t be available until mid-October.

Da’Rel Scott
RB, Maryland, 7th round
Explosive runner who had TD runs of 97 and 65 yards in preseason.

Tyler Sash
S, Iowa, 6th round
Physical player who has a knack for getting the football.

Henry Hynoski
FB, Pittsburgh, UDFA
A heavy hitter with soft pass-catching hands and a likely starter.

Spencer Paysinger
LB, Oregon, UDFA
Good speed and athleticism, will contribute on special teams.

Greg Jones
LB, Michigan State, 6th round
A smart, intuitive middle linebacker and a natural leader.

Jacquian Williams
LB, South Florida, 6th round
A fast coverage linebacker who can get to the quarterback.

Mark Herzlich
LB, Boston College, UDFA
Will start on special teams, but should develop into an impact player on defense.

James Brewer
T, Indiana, 4th round
Tremendous size (6-6, 330) but still unpolished.