Aug 112019
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (July 25, 2019)

Eli Manning – © USA TODAY Sports

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AUGUST 11, 2019 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
The New York Giants held their twelfth full-team summer training camp practice on Sunday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The complete public training camp schedule is available at Giants.com.

INJURY REPORT…
Running back Jon Hilliman (concussion), offensive tackle George Asafo-Adjei (concussion), offensive tackle Brian Mihalik (burner), linebacker Alec Ogletree (calf), cornerback Deandre Baker (knee), and cornerback Sam Beal (hamstring) did not practice on Sunday.

“Just in his individual warmup type stuff, something with (Baker’s) knee,” said Head Coach Pat Shurmur. “We’re just checking it out (with) an MRI. I have no information on that right now. (It happened) just kind of in the warmup drills. He just felt something so he’s getting that checked out.”

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard (thumb) and cornerback Grant Haley (shoulder) participated with non-contact jerseys. Wide receiver Darius Slayton (hamstring) saw some reps but was limited.

TRAINING CAMP OBSERVATIONS FROM SY’56…
Today was a “top 5” day of the year when it comes down to weather. Sunny and a very comfortable 80 degrees.

-There was a lot more action with the 1’s and 2’s today. Eli Manning and Daniel Jones took ALL of the meaningful snaps in both team and 7-on-7 drills. Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta stood by and watched.

-Manning and the first-team offense were VERY sharp. Timing was on, accuracy was on, and they were connecting on all three levels. Manning had a nice string of plays where he completed a deep ball to Saquon Barkley down the right sideline for a 60+ yard TD and two nice sideline connections with one being to Golden Tate who leapt high into the air and Evan Engram came down with a catch in traffic with Jabrill Peppers on top of him. Some were saying this was Manning’s best day of the summer so far.

-Jones took one of his rookie-year lumps today. He threw the ball into traffic multiple times and had a hard time adjusting off his initial read. He ended up throwing a pick and then another that luckily wasn’t intercepted. Also another play where the overall arm power doesn’t seem to be there. He was in a crowded pocket, trying to get the ball downfield. He was able to about half-step into the toss but the ball was probably 7-10 yards shy of where it needed to be. Again, his arm is strong enough. But I do think there are some limitations with his downfield passing, that’s all.

-I watched a lot of Kevin Zeitler today. Other than just looking like a fire hydrant in relation to his build and ability to anchor, he is as involved as any player on the team after each play. Constant communication with teammates and coaches. Very emotional and demonstrative (whether it be positive or negative). Getting the guys back to the huddle. He is the leader of this line, no doubt.

-Speaking of the line, Chad Slade was running with the first-team offensive line at RT. Not sure if there is a report on Remmers? Although I am pretty sure Remmers was out there between team sessions, as he and Golden Tate managed to trip over each other during the “install” period where they are moving at half speed. Curious to see if Slade is in the running out there.

-Got to speak with Jordan Ranaan today after practice. We share a similar (and I’m sure many of you agree) worry that the amount of touches Saquon Barkley is going to have to get in this offense if they are ever going to move the ball. Personally, I would like to see him split out wide more often like we saw today. He really does run routes like a WR and he is usually matched up against a LB, sometimes a S. I understand he still needs to get his touches, but I think the team may be better off throwing him the ball more, running him less. I am thinking 15-20 carries per week and 7-10 targets per week. I think it can preserve him a tad while also maintaining the upside he brings to the table as a playmaker.

-My favorite defensive front was out there with the ones. Lorenzo Carter-Dexter Lawrence-Dalvin Tomlinson-B.J. Hill-Markus Golden. The question will be pass rush, but when it comes to run defense and controlling the point-of-attack, that group has enormous upside. It’s going to be hard to move those guys.

-With Alec Ogletree out, Ryan Connelly was running with the first team defense next to Tae Davis. That is noteworthy because it confirms where he stands with the coaching staff and same with B.J. Goodson, who continues to play with the backups.

Tae Davis had a really hard time covering Barkley and Engram in coverage. I think that will be the case for any linebacker trying to move with those two, but Davis doesn’t seem to react as well as a former safety should. He can run, but that initial separation he allows is concerning. This guy needs to be the athlete of the group and it has to go further than just pursuing the football sideline-to-sideline.

Corey Ballentine was out there with the ones. I put a lot of attention on him, as I said a couple weeks ago there is simply something about him. And like I said before, I think he ends up being a big piece to the puzzle this year. Hoping it is not at the expense of a Deandre Baker injury. Anyway, Ballentine was visibly beat twice. Once by Cody Latimer for a touchdown on a fade-type route and on another one by Golden Tate, although not for TD. He was (literally) a half second too late and/or a couple inches short. He and the coaches knew it. They were half praising him and half-getting on him for not being more physical at the point-of-attack. Once this kid can make the subtle nuances to the position second nature, I think he is going to be a player.

Jabrill Peppers showed some blue-collar toughness today, and I loved it. This kid loves to practice and brings the heat every play. He came down hard on his left hand/wrist and was in obvious pain. He didn’t motion to the sideline, he didn’t come out. The very next play he was sent through line on a blitz that, in my opinion, would have resulted in a sack. He didn’t favor it at all. He ended up getting it taped between sessions and was right back out there soon after. He had a really nice pass break up intended for Engram later in practice.

Janoris Jenkins was solid in underneath coverage. Not an easy role but he stuck with Sterling Shepard well and had a nice pass break up. His tackling has been inconsistent in recent years but he is a really good player at a position that is hard to find OK players.

MEDIA PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • Rookies LB Ryan Connelly and CB Corey Ballentine lined up with the first-team defense.
  • Chris Slade received some first-team reps at right tackle.
  • RB Saquon Barkley made an over-the-shoulder catch on a deep pass from QB Eli Manning against the blitz for a 60+ yard touchdown. Barkley was lined up wide on the play.
  • RB Wayne Gallman picked up a blitz on a play where QB Eli Manning fired a pass to TE Evan Engram, who made a sliding catch.
  • QB Eli Manning threw another touchdown to RB Saquon Barkley on a wheel route in the redzone. Barkley beat LB Tae Davis, who had decent coverage.
  • Giants’ linebackers and safeties had issues covering RB Saquon Barkley.
  • QB Eli Manning threw a touchdown pass to WR Cody Latimer in the left corner of the end zone against CB Corey Ballentine. At this point in practice, Eli was 11-of-12 with three touchdowns.
  • S Sean Chandler intercepted a pass from QB Daniel Jones in the back of the end zone intended for WR Da’Mari Scott, who was double-covered.
  • QB Eli Manning hit WR Cody Latimer on a long pass down the left sideline.
  • RB Rod Smith and QB Daniel Jones mishandled an exchange, leading to a fumble recovered by DL John Jenkins.
  • S Jabrill Peppers knocked away a pass from QB Eli Manning to TE Evan Engram on an out-route.
  • WR Alex Wesley made a juggling catch on a pass from QB Daniel Jones that S/CB Julian Love tried to break up.

HEAD COACH PAT SHURMUR…
The transcript of Pat Shurmur’s press conference on Sunday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

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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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