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Charlie Sheen may have been the winning bidder for Lawrence Taylor's Super Bowl ring -- emphasis on the may.

Sheen was the buyer, as far as Taylor's representative, Mark Lepselter, understood, but he hadn't gotten solid confirmation as of Thursday.

But the actor -- famous for his manic catchphrase "Winning!" as for his roles in "Two and a Half Men" and "Platoon" -- is now saying otherwise. “As much as I would be honored to own such an important artifact," Sheen told TMZ on Friday, "I had nothing to do with the acquisition."

When Taylor was informed of the potential identity of the winning bid, "Lawrence was intrigued," Lepselter said.

Taylor's Super Bowl XXV ring was put up for auction through SCP Auctions, and sold for $230,401. Lepselter said Taylor gave the ring to his son T.J. and was fine with his decision to sell it.

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora offered to buy the ring and return it to Taylor if he could get 500,000 followers, but Umenyiora fell well short of the goal.

Until the winning bid becomes official, the best way to put it may be: Stay tuned!

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks fractured his right foot Thursday during the Giants' second organized team activity of the offseason, the team announced.

Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot while running a route during individual drills at the team's practice facility. He will have surgery Friday and the approximate expected recovery time for the injury is 12 weeks.

The procedure will be performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C.

Nicks is coming off a career season for the defending Super Bowl champions, catching 76 passes for 1,192 yards and seven touchdowns.

It's the second major injury the Giants have suffered in two days of OTAs. On Wednesday, cornerback Brian Witherspoon reinjured his ACL and was carted off the field. Witherspoon was waived Thursday and the team signed defensive back Dante Hughes to replace him.

In 2010, Nicks missed the last four games of the season with a broken toe in his left foot.

The fifth metatarsal generally takes a long time to heal because there isn't a lot of blood flow to the area.

Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez was limited to five games this past NBA season after breaking his fifth metatarsal in training camp. He returned after missing 33 games of the league's shortened season, and then sprained an ankle on the same foot and never came back.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara, the Giants' first-round draft pick in 2011, broke his fifth metatarsal in training camp on Aug. 6. He did not play in a game until Nov. 20 and he never looked 100 percent in his rookie season as the Giants won a Super Bowl.

The Giants will have a total of nine OTAs before mandatory minicamp June 12-14. They report to training camp at the University at Albany on July 26.

Information from ESPNNewYork.com's Jane McManus and The Associated Press was used in this report.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With the first OTA of the 2012 season, it was officially time to put away the Super Bowl celebration. Kicker Lawrence Tynes said the team was taking that directive in a more literal way after learning from their rebound season following the a Super Bowl victory four years ago.

“I think we’ve moved on from it which is a sign of maturity,” Tynes said. “I think last time we held onto it a little too long but this time, we got our rings, we hung out and wore them all week and through the weekend -- and we put them away. I think the maturity level of the guys that have been around twice, ‘Put it up and put it away,’ I think we’ve moved on and I feel like last time we hung on a little too long.”

Tynes and teammates attended a function for coach Tom Coughlin in Florida over the weekend.

The team still has a trip to the White House planned for June 8, as Coughlin announced on Wednesday after practice was completed, but before and after, the Giants are championing the concept of business as usual.

“I think we must raise the bar for our own performance, whether it be in the meetings, on the practice field, on the game field,” Coughlin said. “That’s what I’d like to see. I’d like to see everyone come in here -- the young players, the new players -- understand the New York Giants' championship culture, which is over the door to the locker room, and try to raise the level of how we do everything so that it is championship level.”

Tynes said he told some of the younger Giants that a Super Bowl brings a lot of perks; a parade, possible endorsements, rings and a day with the President of the United States. If you want to get back there, you have to get back to work.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Giants were able to win a Super Bowl last season despite losing one of their key players before the even regular season even began: starting cornerback Terrell Thomas.

Thomas was lost for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

But the Giants re-signed the 27-year-old Thomas in March, and he was present for the team's first organized workout of the offseason on Wednesday, taking part in individual drills.

"In training camp, I’ll be full go, without a doubt," said Thomas. "The way my knee’s feeling right now, I should be able to do everything by that time. Probably no contact, but I’ll be able to do seven on seven."

When asked about the injury and his year away from the game, Thomas said, "It was a blessing. I learned a lot as a father, as a young man, and as a football player."

In his absence, the Giants elevated Aaron Ross to a starting cornerback slot, along with Corey Webster.

Ross signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the offseason, so that starting position is up for grabs again.

The Giants have high hopes for Prince Amukamara, their first-round draft pick from a year ago, who missed most of last season with a broken left foot.

Amukamara was also in attendance on Wednesday, but is still limited by the injury.

Speaking of injuries, the Giants lost fellow cornerback Brian Witherspoon on Wednesday. Witherspoon, who missed all of last season with an ACL tear, suffered the same injury, in the same knee, in the first workout of the offseason.

"It was heartbreaking," said Thomas. "Just a basic Cover 2 drill, seemed like the knee just gave out."

Thomas said he is being as careful as he can be to come back healthy and stay that way. "I’m in no rush," Thomas said. "I’m ahead of schedule, and I’m gonna do what I can, and I’m gonna keep pushing it, but I’m not gonna rush it at all."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This will be a very different spring and summer for Victor Cruz.

Instead of being a guy fighting for a job in OTAs and training camp, Cruz is a given, after his remarkable 2011 season when he caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.

"It’s a unique situation," said Cruz, following the Giants' first organized team workout of the offseason on Wednesday. "Coming into this year, I was like, 'Wow, I’m kind of one of the older guys now. I gotta keep these young guys in mind.'"

Cruz is still only 25 years old, but he is one of the key cogs in the Giants' offense. He said Wednesday that he expects to continue to play in the slot position in 2012, where had so much success a year ago.

As for talk about a new contract? "I don’t have any information on contract stuff," Cruz said.

The Giants will be depending on Cruz to duplicate his success from 2011, especially now that fellow wideout Mario Manningham has moved on to San Francisco.

Cruz said he still feels like he has something to prove, considering he came out of nowhere and emerged as a star last season, after being undrafted out of UMass in 2010.

"I think every time I step on the field I want to show that I’m the same player I was last year," Cruz said. "The same type of hunger, the same type of intensity that you saw last year, I try to bring that on the field each and every time."

He also thinks there are areas he can improve on -- specifically mentioning "getting to the right depth on a certain route consistently," and also "understanding what your route opens up for other people."

One of the candidates to replace Manningham as Eli Manning's third option at wide receiver (after Cruz and Hakeem Nicks) is Rueben Randle, the team's second-round draft pick out of LSU.

Randle and the other rookies joined the veterans on the practice field for the first time on Wednesday.

"He’s good, he’s tall, he’s lengthy, he covers a lot of ground when he runs," said Cruz, when asked about the 6-foot-2 Randle. "For him, it’s just a matter of getting the offense and getting comfortable to the point where he doesn’t have to think so much, and it’s just natural. So we’re working with him, and he looks pretty good."

Cruz hopes to become more of a leader this season, now that he has defied the odds and is an established veteran.

"I’d like to think I could have an impression on some of the young guys," Cruz said, "and just let them know that through hard work you can reach your dreams."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The defending Super Bowl champions were back on the practice field for the first time this offseason on Wednesday, taking part in the team's first OTA (Organized Team Activity) workout.

Almost every player on the roster was in attendance, despite the fact that OTAs are technically optional -- Osi Umenyiora being the most notable exception. Fellow defensive lineman Justin Tuck was present though, and afterwards he defended the "dynasty" talk that he started last week at the Giants' ring ceremony.

"Why wouldn’t I feel that way," Tuck said. "I don’t need to be playing the game if I’m not thinking about winning a championship every year.

"I feel very confident in this team’s talents and this coaching staff, and I believe we have that shot [at being a dynasty]. Me saying it, is that gonna make it happen? Absolutely not, but we do have a shot at it."

In general, the Giants seemed excited to be back in action, going through a spirited practice (without pads) that lasted a little more than an hour.

"It’s just great to be back on the field, practicing," said quarterback Eli Manning. "Wear a helmet. And competing against a defense a little bit."

"I’m glad to be back out here on this field," said wide receiver Victor Cruz. "Glad to be having this helmet back on, and these gloves, and getting back out there and catching some footballs."

Neither Manning nor Cruz spoke quite as strongly when asked about Tuck's "dynasty" comments, but both sounded confident about the upcoming year.

"I think of trying to get better for next year, that’s the mindset," Manning said. "The season ended up well, but if you look at our regular season, we still lost seven games. There’s a lot of room for improvement."

"Winning the Super Bowl last year, everybody kinda looked around and understood that we have the pieces in place to be a very good team for a very long time," Cruz said. "Dynasty? Too early to tell, but we’ll see what happens as the years come along."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin has high expectations. "I think we’ve kind of raised the bar for our own performance," Coughlin said, "whether it be in meetings, on the practice field, on the game field -- that’s what I want to see."

Several rookies who could play key roles this season got their first taste of action with the veterans on Wednesday, including running back David Wilson and wide receiver Rueben Randle, the team's first- and second-round draft picks.

"The development of these young guys is real important," said Coughlin. "Just to learn the new language is really critical."

Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka believes the team's relative youth will serve it well in 2012.

"We’re a very motivated team," Kiwanuka said. "There are a lot of guys that even though they’ve had success, they have a lot left to accomplish in their careers. I think that’s gonna work in our favor.

"From the coaching staff on down, everybody’s just hungry to win another one. It doesn’t matter how many we win, we’re always gonna want another one. We’re in a good spot. Yeah, we enjoyed the championship -- we have the rings, and they look nice -- but we’re ready to move on."

Mark Sanchez has received a lot of criticism this offseason, the latest coming from an unlikely source -- the punter.

Wait, make that the ex-punter.

New York Giant Steve Weatherford, whose 15 minutes of fame have lasted five months, questioned Sanchez's maturity this week during an NFL.com podcast.

"I like Mark -- I think he's a very talented quarterback -- but from my standpoint, I haven't seen a lot of maturation," said Weatherford, making the media rounds this week because the Giants received their Super Bowl rings. "When you're a quarterback and you come in, and you're expected to be the face of the franchise, and you're expected to lead the team.

"That's a lot to take on as a rookie. But as the years go on, I think you're expected to mature, skill-wise, and also mature as a leader, and to be honest with you, as much as I like the guy, I just haven't seen that."

Weatherford has been removed from the Jets for a year. He was Sanchez's teammate in 2009 and 2010, when they reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games, but the Jets decided not to re-sign Weatherford last offseason. He landed with the Giants and, lo and behold, he was a pivotal player in their championship run, landing a new contract.

Weatherford also was critical of Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff at various points during the season.

The New York Giants' ring ceremony on Wednesday night at Tiffany & Co. included several former Giants.

Oakland defensive end Dave Tollefson, Chicago wide receiver Devin Thomas, Redskins linebacker Jonathan Goff and unsigned free agents like tackle Kareem McKenzie, defensive tackle Rocky Bernard and safeties Deon Grant and Derrick Martin attended the celebration.

Afterward, Justin Tuck said the Giants' goal now is to be a dynasty.

Three former Giants who were not able to attend were Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham and Aaron Ross, who is now in Jacksonville. Jacobs and Manningham are now with San Francisco and, according to the 49ers' website, (check out Jacobs in his new threads), the two former Giants remained on the West Coast to work with their new teammates.

Jacobs' wife, Kim, went to the ring ceremony in his place.

"I decided not to partake in getting the ring," Jacobs said on the 49ers' team website. "I think my goal here is pretty clear on what I'm trying to achieve as an individual player and as a team."

Jacobs said he will return to the East Coast once this week's work with the Niners concludes. Good friend Ahmad Bradshaw said he was looking forward to seeing Jacobs again.

But Jacobs said it was important for him to remain with his new teammates to help set a tone for the season.

"I think winning a championship is important. Not many people have one and not many people have had a chance to play in a Super Bowl," Jacobs said. "I respect that, but right now, I'm working towards the same goal with a new team."

"I want to be with my teammates as much as I can, learn about them as much as I can, get to know my coaches and get in some championship work," Jacobs added.

Jacobs has joined a crowded backfield led by Frank Gore. But he hopes to show that he still has plenty left in the tank.

And Jacobs and Manningham are looking forward to their new start with the Niners.

"I talk to Mario every day," Jacobs said. "We love being here. The work is something special. I'm glad I'm here with Mario and vice versa. It's a special thing. This football team, this coaching staff and this whole organization is great. I'm happy to be a part of it and just ready to go."

"I have a lot of things I want to accomplish before it gets real," Jacobs added. "I have to be around here and not miss anything and soak it up. I want to be here to take advantage of my opportunity."

The New York Giants receive their rings tonight at Tiffany & Co. and here's the official look at what the front of the ring will look like.

It appears that the design Steve Weatherford tweeted yesterday is indeed the ring designed with input from team ownership, general manager Jerry Reese, head coach Tom Coughlin and captains Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Zak DeOssie.

"After a few meetings, Tiffany came up with several different options that they showed us and you kind of picked from there," Manning said in a news release by the team. "We wanted it to be little different than the last ring."

The captains also gathered input from teammates to come up with the white gold ring which has blue in it. The top is covered in round diamonds that are pave set and there are four Vince Lombardi trophies for the Giants' four Super Bowl victories. Each is set with a marquis diamond representing the football.

The four trophies surround a Giants NY logo set with round diamonds that includes an outline of blue enamel. There are also 37 blue sapphires channel set on the outer bezel of the top of the ring. It says "2011 WORLD CHAMPIONS NEW YORK GIANTS" around the bezel.

"I think all of us wanted to have some blue in the ring, from the ownership down," Tuck said. "We wanted to make the ring different from the ring we had earlier. The '08 ring had no color in it -- it was just white diamonds. We wanted those to sparkle a little bit more and stand out a little bit more. We talked to guys on the team and the consensus was a lot of guys wanted to see more color in the ring."

On one side of the ring, there's the Giants logo, the Lombardi Trophy, the NFL shield and "Super Bowl XLVI" with the final score "NYG 21 NE 17." The opposite side has the player's name, the Giants' circular logo with the player's number in the center and the year 1925 (when the franchise was founded). The lower palm side of the ring lists the four seasons the Giants won the Super Bowl in 1986, 1990, 2007 and 2011.

And engraved on the inside of the ring are the words "Finish" and "All In" which were the team's inspirational mottos this past season.

"We kept our teammates' best interests in mind, so we wanted something that would appeal to everybody in the locker room," DeOssie said. "We gave some thoughts on the design and then Tiffany came in with five or six models. They were beautiful."

"We wanted something a little more modest, but at the same time you can't help but notice it is a championship ring," DeOssie added. "The owners deferred to us as the players and we got everything we wanted. We went back and forth three or four times in an email chain. I think everyone was on board with the one we picked and couldn't be happier about it."

Manning likes the blue in the ring.

"The blue makes it a little different," Manning said. “We wanted some blue -- the Giants are Big Blue. We definitely wanted to get a little blue to spark it up a little bit."

"We wanted to get a few things that were significant to this season –- 'Finish' on the inside," Manning added. "Things like that make the ring special."

The Giants will receive their rings tonight at Tiffany & Co. as they walk on a blue carpet as they did in 2008.

"[Michael Strahan] talked about the 10-table ring," Tuck said of the ring from Super Bowl XLII. "He wanted a ring you could see from 10 tables away. I talked about the restaurant ring. I wanted one that was big enough to see throughout whatever restaurant you go in and see it from each corner."

The New York Giants finished their second day of practices at rookie camp.

If this was the last chance for undrafted players to make an impression on the Giants, some players made favorable ones.

Let's start with some of the Giants' draft picks first. The Giants saw glimpses of some big-play ability out of first-round running back David Wilson and second-round wide receiver Rueben Randle.

Wilson showed nice burst and was shifty on cuts during the non-contact practices. He also showed an ability to catch out of the backfield, but has to continue to learn how to pass protect.

Randle dropped some passes but also made big catches like a deep reception he had on Friday against third-round corner Jayron Hosley.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell thinks Hosley has talent to work with. Hosley also was the main punt returner during rookie camp.

"Jayron Hosley still has a lot to learn," Fewell said. "We see some athletic ability and talent there. He has got to progress with the speed of the game in the NFL and the pace of practice. But I think there is a lot to work with there."

Tight end Adrien Robinson predictably had some ups and downs during rookie camp. He can make a sensational high catch over the middle in traffic but also drop a routine catch, like he did on Saturday afternoon.

As for some of the players who weren't drafted, running back/fullback Joe Martinek from Rutgers left a good impression on head coach Tom Coughlin.

Martinek, one of the eight undrafted rookie free agents signed by the Giants, displayed versatility and quickness.

"He has been pretty good the whole camp, to be honest with you. Very steady," Coughlin said. "I think probably he can play both spots. That would be good."

Rutgers cornerback Brandon Bing, who was on the team's practice squad last year, also impressed by breaking up a few passes.

"I call him 'Bada,'" Fewell said. "He is not a surprise because he worked and he is enthusiastic. He is showing what he can do. We are excited about him competing for one of those jobs this spring as well as this fall."

One player who struggled on the second day was former Steelers second-rounder Limas Sweed. The 6-4 wide receiver, attempting a comeback after suffering an Achilles injury in 2010, dropped several passes in the afternoon session on Saturday.

Sweed said he has a few more tryouts lined up with other teams after this one with the Giants.

Former Southern Mississippi linebacker Korey Williams had a nice interception on Saturday while dropping back into coverage, but former Florida safety Will Hill was not where he needed to be on that play, drawing the ire of safeties coach Dave Merritt.

SPACE EATERS: Fewell sounded excited about the addition of veteran defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

The Giants recently signed the 12-year veteran for depth behind Chris Canty and Linval Joseph. Fewell is hoping the 350-pound Rogers will force teams to commit two offensive linemen to Rogers.

"I have watched him throughout his career," Fewell said. "I thought he ran well [last year with New Orleans]. I thought he was a load in there; a big man that can push the pocket in the pass game. You better put two people on him. And that helps our defensive ends. And then a big anchor as far as the run game is concerned. He can swallow up a hole.

"So he has got to get himself into football shape. We really like what we evaluated and we hope he is motivated enough to come in and provide us with that dominant guy up front."

The Giants also have last year's second-round pick, Marvin Austin, at defensive tackle. Austin has not played in a football game in more than two years due to the NCAA scandal at North Carolina and a season-ending pectoral muscle suffered last preseason.

Fewell said he is not worried about Austin being out of the game for the last two years.

"I think that drives him a little bit more, because Marvin is a very hungry young player," Fewell said. "Now, the concern is, 'Wow, he hasn't seen this block or that block, or experienced this in such a long time that he is rusty.' But we are going to try to give him as many reps as we possibly can in the preseason to knock that rust off. I think Marvin is a good football player."

HAPPY TRAILS: Veteran center Jamaal Jackson left rookie camp on Saturday, telling Coughlin that his heart was no longer into it.

"He retired," Coughlin said. "He came in, he was very nice. He just said, 'Coach, I just don't feel like my heart is in it.'"

Jackson started 72 games for the Eagles before trying out at rookie camp for the Giants.

Markus Kuhn's first NFL experience is bittersweet.

While the German defensive tackle is ecstatic to be a Giant, the seventh-round pick has to wait before getting onto the field for his new team and showing what he can do.

Kuhn suffered a laceration on his right leg while moving some boxes about a week ago, accidentally slicing himself with a knife that was sticking out of a box. He needed stitches and was held out of action this weekend.

"I can't say much because I haven't seen him practice," said coach Tom Coughlin. "But he is a very, very interesting young man. We studied him on tape and we thought that he would be an outstanding prospect for us. He is a thick body; powerful young man who I think will put some more weight on and he will be able to squat in there and do a nice job inside."

Kuhn, 26, is only the third European-trained player drafted by an NFL team, joining fellow German Sebastian Vollmer (New England, 2009) and Romeo Brandison (Washington, 1994) of the Netherlands, according to the NFL.

Kuhn didn't start playing football until he was 15, when he began playing for a German club. Kuhn didn't play football in the United States until 21 after he and his father took a tour of universities, hoping to find a school that would offer him a scholarship.

"My dad and I flew over to the East Coast in 2006 and we just showed up at a bunch of different schools and walked in with a highlight DVD," Kuhn said. "I pretty much said, 'I am Markus and I can play American football, too.' A lot of coaches liked what I did and offered me a scholarship."

He landed a scholarship from North Carolina State and remembers how vastly different his first Wolfpack practice was compared to his club practices in Germany.

"Sometimes we had 15 to 20 guys in practice [in Germany], so we couldn't have a whole defense or whole offense," Kuhn said. "So I played quarterback, linebacker and defensive line. If I played quarterback, it probably can tell you what the level of competition was over there."

"Then, when you come to the States, each practice at each university you have 120 guys at practice," he added. "It definitely shocks you at the beginning."

Kuhn watched the two days of rookie camp practices and took mental reps while diving into the playbook. He might be in for a shock, like most rookies are once they finally get to practice against NFL veterans. But he is looking forward to that day and witnessing his first live NFL game.

"Never seen any NFL game other than on TV," Kuhn said. "But when I played in college, the first college game I played in was actually the first college game I actually really saw. Never been to one before and never been to an NFL game. Hopefully the first NFL game I see live is the one I play in, as well."

Perry Fewell is in the process of figuring out how many linebackers he will play and who will be in his main middle linebacker this season.

Michael Boley, Chase Blackburn, Greg Jones and Mark Herzlich all are in the mix at middle linebacker. Fewell said typically he is looking for a two-down middle linebacker and then perhaps another middle linebacker to play on third downs or passing downs. Boley was the team's middle linebacker on passing situations.

As for who could be that two-down middle linebacker on first and second downs, Fewell pointed first to Blackburn.

"Chase goes back to that role," Fewell said. "Or Herzlich will have an opportunity to compete for that role. Greg Jones will have an opportunity to compete for that role. And Keith Rivers, we are giving him an opportunity to compete for that role also. So there's going to be competition."

The addition of Rivers, another athletic outside linebacker, gives Fewell more flexibility and options. But the defensive coordinator says he is looking for somebody to take control and step up as his middle linebacker.

"That is going to be an area of emphasis for us this year," Fewell said. "I sense that we are going to put it up for grabs. Whoever can take the bull by the horns and lead us will have the opportunity to step up and play."

GM Jerry Reese mentioned Boley as a candidate for the middle earlier in the offseason. Fewell said Boley can do it, but wondered if it was best for Boley and the team.

"Is that his best position?" Fewell asked. "I don’t think that is his best position in the long run, but he has the ability to do that."

Fewell is looking for a middle linebacker to take control in the classroom and become a leader. In the meantime, he and his coaching staff will have to figure out how to utilize their linebackers. He also has his wildcard linebacker/defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka in the arsenal as well.

"A lot of these teams are one-back spread teams and they throw the ball all over the place," Fewell said. "We talk in terms of being a two-down MIKE and then having a third-down middle linebacker. But what is a two-down MIKE? So we might have to redefine that a little bit as we continue to evaluate what offenses are doing in the National Football League."

Fewell could potentially play more lineups with three traditional linebackers and fewer three-safety packages. But the defensive coordinator likes his three-safety looks and said he wants to keep that in his defensive arsenal, even with Deon Grant remaining an unsigned free agent.

"We have talked about that," Fewell said when asked if he could potentially use fewer than three safeties with the addition of Rivers. "We are just going to wait and see. Obviously we like that particular package and we don't want to lose that particular package. That is valuable for us."

"But with the addition of the linebackers that we have, we can be a little bit more creative," he added. "We just have to figure out who goes where, who can learn the best and we will take it from there."

We just got the roster for the Giants' rookie camp and the first name that jumps out at me is wide receiver Limas Sweed, the former 53rd overall pick by the Steelers. He hasn't played in a regular season game since late 2009 due to Achilles and shoulder injuries.

Some other veterans in camp listed as a veteran tryout by the Giants are center Jamaal Jackson, quarterback Dan LeFevour, safety Will Hill, tackle Renardo Foster, guard Rich Ornberger, linebacker Nathan Triplett, punter Jy Bond, long snapper Scott Albritton, defensive end Lindsey Witten, defensive tackle Dexter Larimore, cornerback E.J. Whitley, running back Shawnbrey McNeal, cornerback Maurice Rolle, cornerback Dante Hughes and kicker Clint Stitser.

Some of the undrafted rookie free agents include UMass wide receiver Julian Talley, Arizona wide receiver David Douglas, Rutgers fullback Joe Martinek, Miami safety Jojo Nicolas, McNeese State safety Janzen Jackson, Louisiana Tech defensive end Matt Broha, Miami defensive end Adewale Ojomo and Nebraska-Kearney guard Stephen Goodin.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants have agreed to terms with running back David Wilson.

A source confirmed the Giants' first-round pick out of Virginia Tech agreed to his rookie deal, which was first reported by ProFootballTalk.com.

The Giants have now reportedly agreed to terms with five of their seven draft picks, including cornerback Jayron Hosley, tight end Adrien Robinson and offensive linemen Brandon Mosley and Matt McCants.

Wilson was drafted with the final pick in the first round by the Giants, who need somebody to replace Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs was released during the offseason and signed with the 49ers.

Wilson will compete with D.J. Ware, Da'Rel Scott and Andre Brown to back up Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants will get their first extended look at Wilson during this weekend's rookie camp.

"We're looking at the fact that Brandon is no longer here and we do have to try to balance that out," head coach Tom Coughlin said shortly after the team drafted Wilson in April. "We believe that you do have to have multiple runners or at least two that can effectively take the field at any time, and this young man we thought was one of those that can be a big-play threat."

The defending Super Bowl champions get back to work this weekend, as the New York Giants hold their rookie minicamp in East Rutherford, N.J. Repeating is hard work, though, and there are good reasons why only one team this century has been able to do it.

You lose players. You lose coaches. You become the No. 1 target for teams that have identified you as the biggest obstacle standing in their way of getting what they want. The people who run the Giants, and many of the people who play for the Giants, were in this position four years ago, and they know all about the challenges that face the defending Super Bowl champs.

But this year's Giants are not your ordinary defending champ. They were, speaking strictly in terms of winning percentage, the weakest Super Bowl champion in history. They didn't even secure their playoff spot until the final game of the regular season. With two weeks to go, they were 7-7 and in real danger of finishing under .500.

All of these things are facts, just as much as the title they won. So as they get back to work this spring and summer, the Giants face the seemingly incongruous dual task of maintaining the magic that brought them their title while also improving a 9-7 team.

They have some things going for them, and I'm not just talking about Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants run their franchise as one that's perpetually in transition.

Rather than wait for problems to present themselves, or roster holes to open, the Giants constantly churn the middle and the back end of their roster, developing players in their system so they're ready to step in when need arises. There are running backs and wide receivers on the roster who have been waiting for the opportunity created by the free-agent defections of Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, and those players will get the chance to do what Cruz and Pierre-Paul did last year when presented with similar chances. The Giants never allow themselves to get so thin at any one position that they don't at least have options for replacing those who leave or get hurt or decide to sit out training camp.

That said, this Giants team does have holes to fill and problems to solve. They finished 32nd in the league in rushing offense -- a fact that, while mitigated by the improvements the run game showed in December and January -- didn't sit well with their running backs and their offensive linemen. They will need to get better there, and to do so they'll need Ahmad Bradshaw's feet to stay healthy for the first time in years. Plus, they must find someone to replace the 167 touches and eight touchdowns Jacobs contributed to last season's cause.

They'll need to shuffle the offensive line again. While Kareem McKenzie was not what he used to be, he was the starting right tackle on a team that won the Super Bowl, and they did not replace him. They hope that Will Beatty (a) comes back healthy from his eye injury and (b) plays better than he did at left tackle in the first 10 games of last season.

David Diehl isn't around to slide over and bail him out this time. Diehl's got to play right tackle in place of McKenzie. The Giants have some offensive linemen they like for the long-term, but this looks like another transition year on the line. While they have enough good veterans in place to pull it off, that's a tough tightrope act to try too many years in a row.

They have bodies at linebacker, with Keith Rivers brought in as a good veteran reinforcement and some of last year's promising rookies hopefully ready to take a next step, but they have no clear man for the middle. They have bodies at cornerback, but they have question marks there, too.

Corey Webster was awesome in 2011. Can he repeat that performance? Is Terrell Thomas fully recovered from the preseason knee injury that cost him the whole season? Will Prince Amukamara make more of a contribution?

Don't think for a second that GM Jerry Reese isn't concerned. He used each of his first three draft picks on positions at which he lost a player in free agency -- running back (David Wilson for Jacobs), wide receiver (Rueben Randle for Mario Manningham) and cornerback (Jayron Hosley for Aaron Ross). And he's smart to be concerned, because while these Giants rightfully consider themselves a championship team, they're also a team that won one less regular-season game in 2011 than it won in 2010. Had someone in the NFC East won 10 and the Giants missed the playoffs, their offseason narrative would have been that of a team moving in the wrong direction.

Instead, the Giants have a two-front problem to solve. They have a division and a conference and a league full of teams that saw what they did and now consider Super Bowl glory more attainable than ever. And they have an internal mandate to be better this year than 9-7, because they know first-hand that it's not usually good enough to get you the chance to make a Super Bowl run.

They're capable of doing it, and they'll deservedly enter the season among the favorites to win it all again. They have superstars at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive end, and in this day and age that can carry you a long way. But as far as defending Super Bowl champions go, these Giants have more issues than most -- and more work to do.