by By VINNY DiTRANI, Staff Writer, North Jersey Media Group , Herald News

The cornerback takes over that honor after the off-season departures of veteran corners Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters as well as safety James Butler. Madison and McQuarters had been excellent teachers to Webster and the Giants' other young corners the past few years.

"Those guys coached me up pretty well," said third-year corner Aaron Ross on Wednesday after the morning practice at the team's mandatory minicamp. "But now it's time to move on and take things to another level."

Ross said he and Webster are looking to become the new leaders of the cornerback group.

"Corey is more like Sam; he talks to the guys on the field," he said. "Me, I'm more like R.W. I'll take a guy aside to tell him something."

Meanwhile the entire secondary will miss Butler, who was not the most athletically gifted safety in the league but certainly one of the smartest. It was no surprise former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo signed Butler as a free agent to coordinate his secondary with the St. Louis Rams.

"James was a real 'brainster,' he could break down defenses," said Ross.

Now that job will fall to the young safety duo of third-year man Michael Johnson and Kenny Phillips, last year's No. 1 draft pick who moves into the starting free safety position. Coach Tom Coughlin is looking to Phillips in particular to provide some leadership in the final line of defense.

Though Ross concedes Phillips has yet to acquire the wherewithal of a James Butler, "His ability to make plays more than makes up for it."

Indeed the Giants are looking for Phillips to become the big playmaker they hoped for when they drafted him with the 31st and final pick of the opening round in 2008. He showed signs of that in his first training camp, making at least one big play in nearly every practice. Once the season started, however, he became a solid but not spectacular contributor in nickel packages.

"In training camp the offense tended to do the same things," Phillips said of the quick impression he made last summer. "But there were so many new things once we got into the real game. I was getting 14, maybe 15 plays per game, and that limited my opportunities to make plays."

Coughlin says he has seen a Phillips more aware of things during the organized team activities and minicamp so far ? a safety who covers a lot of ground and demonstrates great range.

"I see better recognition," Coughlin said. "I see him getting a jump on the ball, believing in what he sees and letting his ability take him to literally where the ball is."

"I can tell now when a receiver [looks like he's] going to run a 'seven,' " Phillips said, referring to an out route on the receivers' route tree, "but he's really going to run a post. And I'm able to beat him to the spot where the ball is coming."

Phillips says he has put on a few pounds of muscle that has not cut down on his speed.

"If I feel like I'm slowing down, I'll take the weight off," he said in realizing that speed and range are the most important aspects of his game.

He also says he feels more at ease with his teammates, having put in a full season with them. He and Johnson have become the best of friends, and spend much of their time together on and off the field.

The only sadness this year is that he was the final link in the University of Miami's 14-year string of NFL first-round draft picks. The Hurricanes did not have one this spring.

"At least I kept it going one more year," he said.

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