Giants Look for Consistent Offense After Preseason Game Shows Holes Don Wright/Associated Press Andre Brown fumbled in the second quarter of the Giants' preseason opener on Saturday. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - After practice Monday, Giants Coach Tom Coughlin quickly pointed out that there were only nine workout days remaining before the regular season. "Can you imagine that?" he asked. Nine practices. It's ridiculous. There is rarely enough practice time to satisfy Coughlin, but his distress indicated that he thought this Giants group still had a sizable distance to cover before it passed his eye test for Week 1. As they did last season, the Giants expect to rely on their offensive explosiveness, and Saturday's preseason opener, an 18-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, certainly presented a few optimistic flashes of potential. It also exposed some noticeable pitfalls, particularly among the running backs, both in blocking and in holding onto the ball. There was Andre Brown's second-quarter fumble, a particular irritant for Coughlin. After David Wilson lost a fumble in the opener last season, he stayed in Coughlin's doghouse for months. And there were some missed connections, sloppy blocks and offensive sluggishness, all of which is to be expected in early August, but nonetheless did not leave the offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride particularly cheery after he reviewed the video. "As a coach, you're never happy," Gilbride said, by way of laying out a disclaimer to reporters Monday. "I thought we were very inconsistent," Gilbride added. When they started moving, we didn't react nearly as quickly as you need to, to be an efficient, consistent offense. That was disappointing. Consistency was something that dogged the Giants throughout last season, and tellingly they finished in the middle of the pack in the N.F.L. in passing yards (12th), rushing yards (14th) and total yards (14th). One thing they did excel at was making big plays, particularly passing the ball, and Saturday's game showed that their potential in that department still exists. Quarterback Eli Manning connected with wide receiver Victor Cruz for a 57-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 10-3 lead in the first quarter - a lightning strike in a rather ho-hum performance by Manning. "We're working on our timing," Cruz said. I've been working on my routes, crisp and clean, and that was just another step towards that. Likewise, Gilbride said he had been impressed with the second-year receiver Rueben Randle, who has looked good as the third option this training camp. Gilbride said he felt Randle was "light years" ahead of where he was last year. "His work ethic, his leadership has been phenomenal, and he's always had great hands," Gilbride said, adding, "I'll be very surprised if he doesn't continue to play at a high level." On paper, the Giants" receiving corps - including a handful of young tight ends - appears as dangerous as any in Gilbride's tenure. Manning said he could overlook the fits and starts of Saturday's game and feel confident in how the team should be capable of moving the football during the regular season. "Your best game of the year is not supposed to be the first preseason game," Manning said. There's going to be a lot of areas where you have new guys, and there's things you can improve. The biggest offensive hurdle figures to be replacing the veteran running back Ahmad Bradshaw with Wilson and Brown, two young players still adjusting to the rigors of the league. Wilson has shown bursts in practice, but managed just 16 yards on five carries Saturday. As a team, the Giants rushed for 84 yards on 33 carries. After the game, Coughlin grumbled mostly about his team's inability to move the ball on the ground consistently, as well as the offensive line's performance picking up the Steelers" blitz packages and the unit's two turnovers. But with three more preseason games and nine practices remaining, the Giants believe there is time to iron out the wrinkles. "I'm happy with the guys we have," Gilbride said. You just hope you stay healthy and anybody that's coming back from injury comes back all the way. If we do that, we should have a good group. Safety Antrel Rolle was carted off the practice field Monday after rolling his right ankle in pass coverage during a drill. Coach Tom Coughlin said Rolle would undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test to determine the extent of his injury. The Giants were already practicing without cornerback Corey Webster, who has a groin strain. ... Justin Pugh (concussion) and Justin Tuck (back) returned to practice after missing time last week. Pugh said his head had cleared and he expected to be ready to play in Sunday's preseason game against Indianapolis.