Giants hope Stokley can fill slot opening

It almost seems as if Brandon Stokley is Kevin Gilbride's rebound date, and all he can talk about is his ex.

Asked about the addition of Stokley to help the Giants in the slot, the offensive coordinator almost immediately spoke about the guy the team has been trying to replace -- at first temporarily, then permanently -- for almost 10 months. It was the second time in two weekly media sessions that Gilbride brought up the name of the former Giants receiver without prompting.

"We had wanted all along Steve Smith back and that was the objective, that was the hope and the expectation," Gilbride said.

"I feel pretty good about this particular guy because he is an intelligent guy who has shown the quickness that you need to react to all the different variables that they place inside and also to have the quickness to get some separation when they are playing Cover 2 or man. I think he will bring something to the table that we are looking forward to having and what we were really in need of since Steve Smith's injury."

Stokley is an experienced slot man, with an emphasis on experienced. He's been in the league for 13 years -- the other six receivers on the Giants' roster have a combined 19 seasons -- and was catching passes from Eli Manning when he was in college at Louisiana-Lafayette and Manning was a high schooler in New Orleans. At 35, Stokley is the oldest player on the roster.

When he didn't have a chance to compete in a training camp this summer, Stokley admitted he thought it might be the end of his career. But the Giants signed him Wednesday and expect him to be on the field Monday night against the Rams.

"We only had one day of practice," Gilbride said Thursday. "We asked him to do the things he had been doing his whole life. The things that would be unique to what we do, we will gradually expose him to."

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The addition of Stokley is a clear indication that the Giants were unhappy with the progress of the players they hoped would step up and play the position. Victor Cruz was given the first chance on Sunday against the Redskins and dropped a pass on a third-and-8 early in the game. Domenik Hixon was inserted there recently in practices and in the game, and he caught two passes against the Redskins, but the Giants seem to prefer him on the outside.

"They brought him in to do the slot deal and it looks like I'm not playing slot," said Hixon, who as recently as Wednesday was expressing his excitement about the opportunity to play the position. "I wanted to be there. I wanted to play. And it's looking like that's not going to happen."

Asked if he thought he was given enough of an opportunity to win the slot job, a clearly disappointed Hixon said: "No, I don't feel that way. That's a move that they made and time will tell."

What Stokley has that the other candidates do not is a background at the position. He's spent most of his career as a third receiver, and last season he didn't start a game for the Seahawks until the playoffs, when he started twice and caught two touchdown passes. Hixon, who was a teammate of Stokley's in Denver, said the veteran can bring "savvy" to the room that has been without a veteran presence since Amani Toomer left and Plaxico Burress was released.

Stokley's no Crash Davis, though. The Giants are looking for him to contribute and help resuscitate the passing game.

"Anytime you can have a person who can move the chains and keep the offense on the field, it's pretty valuable to the offense," Stokley said. "Hopefully, I can help here."

THE BRANDON STOKLEY FILE

POSITION: WR

COLLEGE: Louisiana-Lafayette

AGE: 35 HEIGHT: 6 feet WEIGHT: 192

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Had 38-yard TD catch for Ravens vs. Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Best season: 2004 with Colts (68 receptions, 1,077 yards, 10 TDs).

Started two playoff games for Seahawks last season and had 12 catches for 158 yards combined and a TD in each.

Will likely become second player to catch a pass from both Eli and Peyton Manning; FB Jim Finn is the only one to do so.