"Keith Bulluck feels no pain, and that's surprising. He never expected his left knee to feel this good less than eight months after tearing his ACL.

"It's scary how good it feels," Bulluck said before practice Tuesday at the University at Albany. "I see myself out there, maybe inches away from making plays that I normally make. But I'm only seven months and two weeks out of surgery. I know I'm only going to keep getting better."

That's what the Giants are counting on, since they intend to have Bulluck, the former Titan, as their starting middle linebacker when the season opens in a little more than a month. They gave the 33-year-old Bulluck a one-year, $2.5 million contract after working him out in late July, then crossed their fingers that his knee would hold up throughout camp.

Ten days in, Bulluck is still limited to one practice per day and limited in his reps as he runs with the second team. But he insists his knee is not an issue. He needs extra rest and treatment and does extra quad-strengthening exercises every night. But other than that, Bulluck said, he's confident he's already been through the worst."