Jerome Cunningham and Bennett Jackson – © USA TODAY Sports Images
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JULY 31, 2015 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
The New York Giants held their first summer training camp practice on Friday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The full training camp schedule is available at Giants.com.
JAMES JONES ON THE WAY…
Head Coach Tom Coughlin confirmed that the Giants will sign unrestricted free agent wide receiver James Jones once he arrives at the facility tonight. “He’s a veteran receiver, outstanding hands, been in this system, knows the system well, should fit in well, and should compete,” said Coughlin.
BEN EDWARDS WAIVED, WILL BEATTY TO THE PUP…
The Giants have waived/injured wide receiver Ben Edwards, who pulled his hamstring during the June mini-camp. The Giants officially placed left tackle Will Beatty on the Active/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List. The Giants also terminated the contract of offensive tackle Troy Kropog from the Reserve/PUP.
INJURY REPORT AND ABSENTEES…
Offensive tackle Will Beatty (PUP – recovering from pectoral surgery) did not practice.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham (hamstring), wide receiver Victor Cruz (recovering from knee surgery), safety Nat Berhe (calf), and safety Mykkele Thompson (hamstring) were held to a limited number of snaps. The Giants want to work them back in slowly.
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (hand/arm) still has not signed his 1-year Franchise tender and has not reported to training camp.
PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:
- Wide receiver Victor Cruz looked sharp in his first practice since suffering the knee injury in October 2014.
- The starting offensive line continues to be left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, right guard Geoff Schwartz, and right tackle Marshall Newhouse.
- The starting defensive line had George Selvie and Robert Ayers at defensive end and Johnathan Hankins and Cullen Jenkins at defensive tackle.
- The starting linebackers were Jon Beason inside with J.T. Thomas and Devon Kennard outside.
- Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor were the first-team safeties.
- The first touchdown of training camp was a quarterback Eli Manning slant to wide receiver Odell Beckham. (Video) Manning later hit Beckham again on a 60-yard catch-and run for a touchdown.
- Wide receiver Geremy Davis made two acrobatic catches from quarterback Ryan Nassib. (Video) Nassib also connected with wide receiver Dwayne Harris. (Video)
- Tight end Jerome Cunningham received a lot of work with the first team. He made a really nice one-handed catch on a seam pass. Larry Donnell also worked at tight end with the first team.
HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
Tom Coughlin addressed the media after the afternoon practice (video is available at Giants.com):
Q: How does Victor Cruz look?
A: He actually went on the ground one time and actually felt good about doing that. That’s one hurdle. He was out there and working and enjoying himself. So there’s more to come.
Q: They (Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr.) didn’t start the first period but they were in like the second, it’s just…?
A: It’s just going to be a kind of rotation. They have a pitch count, they have a work load. One guy is watching one thing and coaches counting the other.
Q: I don’t know about you, but whenever Victor or Odell were on the field, I just wanted to see them finish the play and what they did when they walked back. Were you that cognizant and thinking, ‘hey, are they okay?’
A: Well, I watch what everybody else watches. When something good happened and I saw it breakout, I listen for the whistle to blow and then I move my eyes somewhere else.
Q: We talked to the guys before practice and all the offensive guys kept saying this is going to be an explosive offense. Did you see that today when you were watching?
A: Well, it’s the first day. We’ve got a ways to go.
Q: Is Nat Berhe another one who is on a pitch count as well? I didn’t see him in that much.
A: Yeah, he is and so is (Mykkele) Thompson, but so far, so good.
Q: Is that one of the positions you would consider the most up for grabs? Those safety spots?
A: You hope there are a bunch that are competitive. That is what you hope for. That certainly is one.
Q: Are you bringing in a wide receiver, James Jones?
A: Yes and he will be in here tonight, hopefully, for meetings.
Q: Obviously Ben (McAdoo) knows a lot about him, what do you like about him? What do you see there?
A: I remember the great year he had and then last year he caught a number of balls, he led the Oakland team. He’s a veteran receiver, outstanding hands, been in this system, knows the system well, should fit in well, and should compete.
Q: That’s one of the positions that you have some proven players, guys that have already played at this level and done well. Do you sense any problems fitting a guy like that in? I mean you’re talking about a veteran who…
A: Well, there are a number of guys there that have played and played a lot. You’re always looking for competition and he certainly will provide it.
Q: What did you think of the play where Odell took that quick pass from Eli (Manning) and pinballed his was down the field?
A: I liked it and I’d like to see a lot more of it.
Q: Play to play, do you worry or watch that Odell and Victor are physically okay?
A: You can’t do that. The players are going to play. They’ve got to go play the game. That’s the name of the game. We want to do everything we can to make sure that all the necessary precautions are made but when they do take the field for the required number of plays, they’ve got to play the game and they wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t mention half the stuff that you’re asking about because I wouldn’t—you watch those guys in a meeting and they’re as intense and anxious as anybody just to play the game.
Q: I know you did it in the spring a lot with Ereck Flowers taking reps with both the first team and second team. Is that something you want to continue through camp?
A: Well, really what we’d like to see him do is just take off in this circumstance and become the player that we know he can be and grasp things as fast as he can and move from all the spring’s work and the experience that he had, quickly move past that into what we’re doing and what we’re going to face right now. It’s not as much about, sure he’ll take snaps with both, but in reality we want him to just take off at that spot.
Q: Is the hour and 10 minute practice just slowly working your way into it?
A: That was 14 mods. That is exactly what was planned on. It’ll be a little bit more tomorrow and the whole practice, the whole nature of all of this work, is to a certain extent, we’re going to push them real hard, we’re going to back off it and we’re going to push them real hard again, sometimes two days in a row or three and then back off it. So it’s going to be a series of that kind of thing.
Q: How much did you sense that guys were amped up?
A: It’s always the first practice.
Q: Did you have to hold them back at all in any way?
A: No, but you have to remind them about all the things that you’re trying to do. You want to practice hard, you want to give great effort, you want to play full speed but you want to be smart about it. You certainly don’t want to put somebody in a bad light and you always tell them certain things about being around the quarterback and try to keep people on their feet so you don’t get piles. Piles can be a dangerous thing.
Q: Is it too early to see how the offensive line is progressing?
A: It’s too early. They need to work. Those guys, there is only one way with them and they’ve just got to work and work and work. Lots of times it’s not pretty, but they need to keep working and working and they need to—as these practices extend themselves, get fatigued and play through it, all those things. It all has to happen.
Q: Is that how you gel as a unit? Is that how five people become one?
A: That certainly is one of the ways it works. The number of circumstances that they end up in together, the real tough circumstances, that helps.
Q: Last year you had to flip it around on the offensive line pretty late in camp—I think it was after the third preseason game you had to get two new guards in there. Is there a point where you feel you need to have those five guys set during training camp?
A: There will be. There will be. It’s not quite there. It’s a ways off.
Q: Is the third preseason game usually that point where you want to have it set?
A: Not necessarily, but the third preseason game usually becomes a little more significant because you do put your players through something like a game plan week where as in other games we don’t. It’s nice to say that but whenever it happens, hopefully sooner the better.
Q: Photos were released of JPP today in Florida and his hand is basically completely covered in a cast. Have you seen the photos?
A: No, I haven’t seen them. I haven’t seen them. I’ve heard there was such a picture but I haven’t seen it.
THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video clips of player media Q&As are available at BigBlueInteractive.com and Giants.com:
The audio of WFAN Radio interviews with RB Shane Vereen, RB Andre Williams, LT Ereck Flowers, S Landon Collins, WR Rueben Randle, CB Prince Amukamara, OC Weston Richburg, LB Jon Beason, RB Rashad Jennings, WR Victor Cruz, and P Steve Weatherford is available at CBS New York.
RELATED ARTICLES…
- The unheralded safety Giants counting on to fill in for veterans by Zach Braziller of The New York Post
- Jason Pierre-Paul sports heavy bandages, has arm in sling in first photos following fireworks accident by Bernie Augustine of The New York Daily News
- Giants must come down hard on JPP: Report or be gone by George Willis of The New York Post
- Where is furious Giants’ breaking point with Jason Pierre-Paul? by Jordan Raanan for NJ.com
WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The second training camp practice will be held on Saturday from 2:30-4:30PM. For a complete listing of training camp practices as well as a handy fan Q&A about training camp, see our Training Camp section of the website. Only eight remaining training camp practices at Quest Diagnostics Training Center will be open to the public this year:
- Saturday, August 1: 2:30 – 4:30PM
- Sunday, August 2: 2:30 – 4:30PM
- Monday, August 3: 2:30 – 4:30PM
- Thursday, August 6: 2:30 – 4:30PM
- Sunday, August 16: 5:50 – 7:50PM
- Wednesday, August 19: 5:50 – 7:50PM
- Thursday, August 20: 5:50 – 7:50PM
- Tuesday, August 25: 2:30 – 4:30PM
Eric Kennedy
Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.
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