Giants draftee Amukamara left waiting

Prince Amukamara has barely been in the New York area since the Giants drafted him 19th overall two months ago. With the NFL lockout still in effect, Amukamara has had a few days' informal work with several teammates at Bergen Catholic High School in northern New Jersey; the rest of his time preparing for his rookie NFL season has been spent at the University of Nebraska, where Amukamara played four seasons at cornerback.

"I feel like I'm caught between whether I'm a Giant or a Husker," Amukamara said during the Hamptons Golf Classic at Hampton Hills Golf & Country Club in Westhampton Beach. "I'll be a Husker for life, though. Being drafted, it's still pretty surreal, because I haven't been around the players and the coaches yet."

Amukamara relished the chance to meet a few of his Giants teammates three weeks ago, when Eli Manning and some other veterans organized a group of 30-35 players for workouts. There weren't many defensive players there, since there is little for them to do without a coaching scheme except agility drills.

"For now, it's just sending some encouraging texts, keep grinding, things like that," Amukamara said. "Terrell Thomas hit me up a couple days ago, just checking in. It was good to be in Jersey with some of the guys, especially Eli, since he's considered a captain of the team. It was good to hear some of the play calls and build a little chemistry for the short time we had."

But after his quick visit to the area for the golf event, it's back to Lincoln for more workouts with his alma mater and strength coach James Dobson to prepare for whatever is to come next -- the end of the lockout and training camp or simply more working out with his old college teammates and waiting for word from the NFL.

"We're definitely not on a regular schedule," he said. "I guess we're all just doing what we can."