Low on the list of things affected by this year’s NFL lockout — and I mean looooooow on that list — is my ability to do practice reports the way I like to do them.

You see, since free agency is happening during training camp, which means everything that was supposed to happen from March through now is happening now. So while I’m on the practice field, instead of watching each drill play and personnel package closely, I’m looking down at my phone to check emails, texts and tweets for the latest news.

So which linebackers were working with the second-string defense? Uh, Phillip Dillard, um, Kenny Ingram and, er, Spencer Paysinger maybe? I'm not sure, frankly, because I'm not paying close enough attention due to all the stuff going on right now. And Saturday night, I couldn't even do a practice report because I spent half of the session on the phone and inside the media room writing my Plaxico Burress story.

Like many of you, I’d love nothing more than to focus on the field, not the waiver wire. But that’s the nature of the beast right now, and I’d rather have it this way than the lockout still be going on.

So with all of that said, here’s my best effort at a roundup of Sunday evening’s practice:

* * * *

INJURIES

DE Osi Umenyiora removed from the reserve/did not report list but didn't practice. He rode the bike for the first part of the workout. The team did not provide an update on his injury status.

OL Adam Koets (knee) was added to the physically-unable-to-perform list as he works his way back from a torn ACL. He's suffering from patella tendinitis related to the recovery.

* * * *

THE STARTERS

It's not training camp until you hear safeties coach David Merritt's voice over the din as he praises one of his guys. We heard it early in practice Sunday when S Kenny Phillips, playing the middle of the field in a single-high-safety look, read QB Eli Manning's eyes and knew he was looking toward the defensive right. Phillips drifted that way and forced Manning to forget about WR Victor Cruz on that side of the field and take the check-down the other way. "There you go, KP!" Merritt yelled. Merritt later screeched as he ran up to Phillips after he came up to sniff out an end around to Cruz.

It was old times again when WR Domenik Hixon returned the first kickoff. Looked very good, too. He's Tom Coughlin's kind of returner, too, because he finds the seam and hits it. No wasted movement at all. The next returner was rookie WR Jerrel Jernigan, who looked hesitant in comparison to the veteran Hixon, followed by WR Devin Thomas (see below). The fourth returner was TE Travis Beckum … who recovered a surprise onside kick.

Beckum's hands weren't so hot on a short out route he dropped later on.

CB Terrell Thomas had a pick on the first play of team drills when he undercut a route to nab a pass from Manning. Thomas later dropped an interception on a deep corner route from Manning to WR Mario Manningham, but credit him for being there after making a heckuva recovery to close the gap.

The one guy who solved Thomas Sunday was Hixon. He got great separation on a deep in cut to make a grab. That’s a great sign for Hixon as he tries to prove he’s 100 percent healthy. Looked it on that play.

In 7-on-7s, RB D.J. Ware (yes, he's the starter right now) caught a swing pass and got his head right upfield. No lost momentum. A good look there for a guy who believes he's got a shot to be the team's third-down back.

LB Clint Sintim made defensive coordinator Perry Fewell happy when he pursued well to chase down Ware on a pitch play. Sintim's knee looked just fine there.

C Chris Snee (working at that spot until C David Baas is eligible to practice on Aug. 4) was low with a shotgun snap and had a botched exchange later, after which he was very upset with himself. It was an expected hiccup after Saturday's impressive practice when he "looked like he played there all his life," according to Coughlin.

Oh, and on that low shotgun snap, the timing of the play was thrown off and Manning threw high on a quick screen for Ware. No problem, though, as Ware made a nifty one-handed grab to keep the play alive.

* * * *

THE BACKUPS

Devin Thomas looked pretty good out there. On a kick return, he had a nice, long stride going and was moving really well. Thomas probably should've had two more catches with better passes from QBs Sage Rosenfels and Ryan Perrilloux on in cuts. One of them was behind him was behind him and the other one was a tough throw into tight coverage. CB Bruce Johnson was there in decent coverage and S Brian Jackson came over the top and would have absolutely annihilated Thomas in a live game.

Jackson was often in the right spot out there and seemed pretty confident in his assignments. He drew praise from Merritt for one of his run fits on an off-tackle play.

Johnson played beautiful coverage on a deep go up the left sideline from Rosenfels to Cruz. Johnson was right with Cruz and got up to knock the ball away. Johnson later stayed with Jernigan on a deep go and went high again to get the pass defensed.

Rosenfels, by the way, remains the holder for K Lawrence Tynes. But that might only be due to the fact P Steve Weatherford can't practice until Aug. 4. If Weatherford takes over that role, it could be trouble for Rosenfels, considering the Giants re-signed QB David Carr.

Tynes appeared to hit all five of his field goals. Was tough to tell based on our angle, but they looked good to me. Also couldn’t tell the distance because of the angle. Sorry.

WR Hakeem Nicks made a great play to catch a TD on a fade in the red zone. Or at least it sounded that way. The view was blocked from where we were standing. Good ball from Manning to Nicks, who beat Thomas on the play. Hixon later had a touchdown on a well-run out cut.

* * * *

THE YOUNG GUYS

Ingram has the makeup and the tools to be on an NFL roster. I've said and written this before and I'm saying and writing it again. The 6-5, 239-pound Ingram had a couple of really nice moments on Sunday, including one early on when he beat a pulling LG David Diehl to the edge to make a stop on RB Charles Scott on a pitch play. Ingram later added a nice pass defensed on a quick slant from Rosenfels to TE Christian Hopkins.

OT James Brewer, the team's fourth-round pick in April, flinched early on one play for a false start. This came after Coughlin was saying he was pleased with how clean the first practice of camp was. He hoped he hadn't jinxed himself; perhaps he did.

I wasn't really watching him from the snap, so I don't know if it was a matter of being unblocked or getting off the ball quickly, but DT Martin Parker kept showing up in the backfield. He got real good penetration on a stretch play, went right through a blocker to stop RB Martell Mallett and shot the gap one more time in red-zone drills. I'll start keeping my eye on him to see if that was a fluke or if he's got some serious skills.

Paysinger and LB Greg Jones both shot a gap on a counter play and would have made a nice combo tackle in a real game. Also, it looked like Paysinger knew he had help on the inside in Jones so he made sure to maintain outside contain to force Mallet to cut between him and Jones.

I tweeted Saturday Perrilloux certainly looks the part, and he does. Very good arm and a real sweet release. But his accuracy wasn't so hot on Sunday, as he threw behind Thomas and WR Duke Calhoun.

Jernigan fumbled on an end around. The play was well over by then, but he was still running through defenders. He’ll hear about that one if he hasn’t already.

DT Marvin Austin was praised by Fewell when he sniffed out a draw play to RB Da'Rel Scott to make the stop in the backfield. Good recognition by Austin.

And finally, the young guy showing some serious guts tonight was undrafted OT Jarriel King, who got into a shoving match with DE Justin Tuck. I saw King's hand get into Tuck's facemask as Tuck tried to turn the corner on an edge rush, but then they disappeared from our view. Our photographer, Aristide Economopoulos, later told me King got into Tuck's face, and the photographic evidence proved it. (See above.) Good for you, Spider! Don't take no stuff off nobody!

For more Giants coverage, follow Mike Garafolo on Twitter at twitter.com/MikeGarafolo

Mike Garafolo: mgarafolo@starledger.com

More coverage:

• Complete Giants coverage on NJ.com