Re-signed Grant has it in for Eagles

Deon Grant re-signed with the Giants, but it sounded like he came back more because of the Eagles.

Calling this team "home" and saying he always felt he would wind up back in Blue, Grant, who played a vital role as the third safety in the secondary last season, was spitting fire at Philly shortly after signing his new deal.

"I felt like we started something here last year and we didn't finish it," Grant said, a reference to the 10-6 season that was not good enough to make the playoffs but also a hint at the defining loss to the Eagles in Week 15. "When I have something like that in my hands, I like to finish and I think this year we can finish.

"And then with all the things going on in Philly right now, that's the type of team I love to face," he added. "I'm a competitive guy so with them making all the additions they made I wanted to be on the other side of the ball to go against that."

The Eagles have, of course, loaded up during this truncated offseason. They even lured former Giant Steve Smith down the turnpike with a one-year contract. Grant hinted that the Eagles might have even expressed some interest in him while he was a free agent. Whether that is factual or not, Grant clearly has positioned himself as the anti-Smith, the one who appreciates the Giants and whatever they have to offer him.

"In the back of my mind, I knew I would be back here," he said, despite having expressed a desire to find a starting job elsewhere in the league. "This is where I wanted to be."

Tom Coughlin said he did not like what he saw from the depth at safety in the first preseason game. Rookie Tyler Sash was burned for a touchdown, but Coughlin said he was one of the young defensive backs who played well.

Grant, 32, will allow the Giants to go back to their three-safety look with Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips. Grant lined up at linebacker with nickel personnel on the field, giving them six defensive backs without giving up size or strength at linebacker.

Rolle said the group played well together last year but was slowed at times by learning a new system and new personalities, something he bundled together and called "mental gymnastics." This year, Rolle said, there won't be any tumbling.

"I think it's going to be a great fit for us," he said of the Grant signing for which he lobbied both the team and the player. "This is definitely going to be a better unit."

Notes & quotes:GM Jerry Reese clarified last week's statement that the Giants will make the playoffs and make a run in them, insisting that it was not a guarantee. "I'm giving my team a vote of confidence," he said on 1050 ESPN Radio Tuesday. "I never said 'promise.' I never said 'guarantee.' But when you read the paper, Jerry Reese said 'guarantee,' so that's what you get around here." . . . LB Michael Boley (back) did not practice and was replaced by Spencer Paysinger on the first unit. DE Jason Pierre-Paul (back) and WR Darius Reynaud (hamstring) had to come out of practice early . . . With K Lawrence Tynes (thigh) hurt, the Giants signed kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd.