Jul 242014
 
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants (July 22, 2014)

Tom Coughlin held a shortened practice. But why?– © USA TODAY Sports Images

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The New York Giants tried something a bit different in the team’s third training camp practice.

When the team first gathered on Monday, three players were carted off of the field due to heat-related issues. As a counter, New York held a ‘water break’ 15 minutes into yesterday’s two-minute drill.

Today, there was no water break. Instead, a shortened and rep-reduced practice followed by an extended post-practice stretch.

Why? Because the “GPS” told them to.

“That was a recovery stretch,” Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin said after practice. “Again, trying to enhance this soft muscle business.”

On the back of each of the Giants’ players sits a ‘GPS’ tracking device. The device registers how far each player runs, how fast and a player’s heart rate. It can even measure every step a player takes during the practice’s duration.

After studying the readings from the past two days, it was suggested that the Giants have a lighter practice. Instead of going for the normal two hour duration, camp broke after roughly an hour.

Then, the team stretched for thirty minutes. Coaches included.

“The GPS information tries to help us structure the practice and let us know when we should be doing things like this,” Coughlin said. “The purpose is to come back and have a full-speed practice tomorrow.”

While the device seems to be working, the question now remains how Coughlin is understanding all of it. When Chris Snee retired, the 67-year-old coach talked about how he “group texts” his family. Yesterday, he mentioned how understanding the Giants’ new offense was like “learning a foreign language.”

Group texting and language memorization is one thing, but GPS health navigation?

“I’m doing the best I can,” Coughlin said with a smile.

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Connor Hughes/BBI

Connor Hughes has been working in both the broadcasting and journalism fields for the last seven years. His work has been heard on WMCX, WBZC and Lenape District Television, while read on the pages of The Star-Ledger and The Burlington County Times. Connor can be reached via email ([email protected]) or on twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes)

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