Newcomer Baas adapting on Giants O-line

Like the rest of the Giants offense, the offensive line looked much improved Monday night over its first preseason game nine days earlier.

The line is an area of concern with a pair of new players, center David Baas and left tackle Will Beatty, and those two got off to a rocky start on the Giants' first drive against the Bears.

Baas got manhandled by Bears tackle Matt Toeaina, blowing up a rush by Ahmad Bradshaw on second-and-1 that became a 4-yard loss; on the next play, Beatty jumped early for a 5-yard penalty, helping to squash that drive.

Beatty, though, held Bears defensive end Julius Peppers at bay, with the only pressure Peppers had in his 20 or so minutes of work coming when he lined up at left defensive end and blew by veteran Kareem McKenzie.

And Baas, the only true new addition -- Beatty has been a reserve and occasional starter in his three seasons as a Giant -- showed his chemistry with Eli Manning and the veterans around him is indeed getting better by the day. "I'm reacting a lot better, so I can focus on a lot of different things, like my footwork, my technique, instead of thinking, 'What's this call again?' " Baas said on Saturday. "Now that I've got a lot of that down, it's easier to focus on getting my job done and giving the confidence to the guys next to me that I'll be there with the right steps."

He knew where to be on a third-and-10 screen pass to Bradshaw. Baas kicked out to the right and leveled Bears linebacker Brian Iwuh, helping Bradshaw's path to a first down as the first quarter ended.

Baas also adjusted well to Manning's audible at the line early in the second quarter, picking up a block as Brandon Jacobs sprung through the line and barreled 18 yards into the end zone for the first unit's first touchdown of the preseason.

"I think everyone didn't expect it to happen in a day or two," guard Chris Snee said before the game. "It takes time, it takes game reps. Preseason -- we only got a handful of snaps against Carolina and they weren't as productive as we'd like. It's going to have to come in the next two games, because you know we're not going to play much in the last game. Which I'm fine with. But these next two games are critical."

Baas played through half a dozen quarterbacks and a handful of offensive coordinators and head coaches in six seasons in San Francisco, so he's finding the transition to a team with mainstays at quarterback and on either side of him, with Snee and David Diehl at guard.

"You know it's short, with the whole lockout situation, so you have to make due with the time we do have," Baas said. "Things have gone good with the building process. I feel like it's getting smoother."