Giants workouts end for 'Coach' O'Hara

ORADELL, N.J. -- Shaun O'Hara didn't think he'd have to be the one timing the team as it ran sprints, organizing the drills and providing coolers full of water and other sports drinks for his teammates. By this point, he figured the Giants would be taking care of that in a more formal minicamp setting and he'd just be one of the players participating.

But the lockout continues to drag on, so O'Hara, surprised to see it still in effect in mid-June, organized the week-long workouts at Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey.

"Personally, I didn't think we would get this far," said O'Hara, who was the Giants' player rep in the now decertified NFL Players' Association. "I thought that there would be some give from both sides, really, to get [a deal] done. But as everybody has seen, this is a business ? The business side of the game is never pretty for the players, it's never pretty for the fans. This is the ultimate definition of that."

He remains optimistic, however, that something will happen in the next few weeks that will allow the 2011 NFL season to be saved and he has been telling teammates to be prepared for a start to training camp in the last week of July. That's why there were a few dozen of them - upwards of 40 on some days earlier in the week, fewer than 30 on others such as Friday - on the high school field.

"It was good just to get in a stance," guard Chris Snee said of the workouts, which were primarily a vehicle for offensive players to stay sharp. "It wasn't physical by any means. It was all footwork and timing and things like that. It was good. This is all we can do, just keep preparing ourselves as if we're going to start on time."

As of now there are no plans for any further team workouts. If the lockout lingers into late July or August, though, the players said they might re-evaluate and try to set something up again.

O'Hara said the top priority of the workouts was to keep everyone safe, especially since these are not team-sanctioned events. Some players who are not under contract showed up - notably defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who might be an unrestricted free agent when all is settled, along with many of the 2011 draft class - along with others who are coming back from injury. One such player was Domenik Hixon, who tore his ACL in a minicamp last summer and missed the 2010 season. He said he feels 100 percent, but he was cautious not to push himself too hard in the drills to risk a setback or another injury.

"It was more about getting football on the brain, dusting off some of the play-calling," O'Hara said.

It was also a chance for the rookies to get a first taste of professional football, albeit served on a high school plate. Linebacker Greg Jones already forged a bond with starting middle linebacker Jonathan Goff as the two drove to workouts together and spent time studying the Giants' defense.

Those two could be competing for playing time if and when training camp opens. By that point, O'Hara will be relieved of his whistle and stopwatch and ck return to trying to come back from his own offseason surgeries. His coaching career will end with the lockout.

"I will say it's exhausting coaching professional athletes," O'Hara said. "They're very spoiled."