July 28, 2017 New York Giants Training Camp Report

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Jul 282017
 
Robert Thomas, New York Giants (July 28, 2017)

Robert Thomas – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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JULY 28, 2017 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.

INJURY REPORT…
Linebacker J.T. Thomas (knee) has been officially placed on the Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List. He joins running back Shaun Draughn (ankle).

“We are playing it smart with (Thomas),” said Head Coach Ben McAdoo. “We’ll see how it goes. He is making progress. He is not where we want him to be yet. Hopefully it is not anything that takes too long.”

Defensive tackle Damon Harrison (soreness) did not practice. “We are starting slow with Snacks,” said McAdoo. “He came in in good shape. He was a little bit sore, but we are starting slow with him.”

SY’56 PRACTICE REPORT…
Pretty uneventful practice today, even according to Coach McAdoo. A lot of attention was put towards special teams and their formations, responsibilities…etc. In terms of Offense/Defense, there isn’t too much to report just yet but it is a good opportunity to compare size and movement of guys, as they are physically next to each other in the same conditions. Hot and humid today, but not unbearable.

  • The first thing that jumps out is the sheer size of wide receiver Brandon Marshall. He looks like a dad playing with his sons when standing next to the rest of the WR group. Tall and strong from head to toe.
  • D.J. Fluker in there at 2nd-team right guard. Moves the same he did in my evaluation of him last year with San Diego. His game is power though, and we won’t see the impact there until next week.
  • Eli Manning and the pitch count that has been discussed…it isn’t anything new. He’s been on a pitch count of sorts since McAdoo’s been here.
  • Landon Collins is the leader of this defense. Always the one running to the next station or drill in front of everyone. Doing the dirty work special teams drills with all of the rooks and roster hopefuls. Very interactive with those guys.
  • Damon Harrison was on the bike today. McAdoo said he was “sore”…if I heard that right. No injury, just taking it slow. Jay Bromley and Robert Thomas were running with the first string for what its worth…which isn’t much. Speaking of Thomas, I am overly impressed with his foot speed when it comes to the frame he works with. He looks very stout, powerful, quick. If I had to say now, I think this team is looking at him as Harrison’s primary backup with Bromley (the biggest of them all) being the starter next to Harrison. Very impressed with the specimen Corbin Bryant is.
  • The team offense drills seem to have a very basic, fundamental approach to it with the running game being the focus. Running games and blocking schemes tie in together via timing, and I think that was today’s purpose. Get these backs to take the ball and diagnose where these guys are to make their cuts.

Rookie Report:

  • Evan Engram, as fully expected, really stands out as the smallest but most athletic tight end on the field. He can change direction and burst as fast as the WRs, no question. He was moved around in the limited team offensive snaps. He lined up in the slot, in the backfield, and with his hand in the dirt. I expect him to be all over the place.
  • Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson appears to be in the mix among the other veterans in regard to the depth chart. I can notice his step-behind status when it comes to hand and foot placement. That is always expected…the technique details are far greater in the league than in college…and you could see the difference between him and Corbin Bryant/Robert Thomas when it came to hand accuracy and power.
  • Quarterback Davis Webb…not much on him today. During the short team period, he received very few snaps. 2nd/3rd string snaps were obviously given to Josh Johnson and Geno Smith, respectively. All of the QBs were NOT throwing during team sessions…very little interaction between them and the pass catchers today.
  • Running back Wayne Gallman is noticeably thinner, leaner than the rest of the backs. He got some looks with the 3rd offense, nothing was done at full speed and I expect it to be that way until next week. We’ll see though.
  • Defensive end Avery Moss looks very athletic, much more agile and quick footed than what I have down from his college scouting reports. These guys don’t have pads on so it’s not really notable, but I am curious to see if he is a guy that simply loses some movement ability when having to diagnose blockers and plays. That would give me the impression his upside is even higher, as he was moving quicker through the bags than all of the defensive ends.
  • Adam Bisnowaty was getting 2nd team reps at left tackle. We know this, but his frame is very slight. He doesn’t have the look of an NFL OT just yet. On the right side was Chad Wheeler. His frame looks great and easily capable of adding weight. Athletic ability won’t be an issue for him either, but basing my evaluation on his college tapes from 2016, he isn’t ready quite yet either. But I do like having these two young guys in the wings…2017 offensive tackles will be about Ereck Flowers/Bobby Hart/possibly D.J. Fluker. If they don’t perform, we’ll see what these two guys have to offer. Really looking forward to seeing them in pads next week.
  • Notable UDFAs: Wide receiver Travis Rudolph is just a smooth, quick, efficient mover. He gets in to his route as fast as anyone. He doesn’t have long speed but most of the NFL prefers quickness as much as speed…so I think he has an opportunity here because he is so well advanced elsewhere when it comes to the WR skill set. Offensive guard Jessamen Dunker is an impressive looking athlete. With the instability along the depth of the OL, his upside is going to be a draw to coaches. He was discussed by Ben McAdoo, Marc Ross, and Jerry Reese post draft.

3 Random Standouts:

  • Tight end Matt LaCosse. As a specimen, LaCosse looks legit and the few times he got out in to intermediate crossing routes, he moved much better than I was expecting. Great foot speed and straight line burst. Tight end is a crowded position all of the sudden, and he will be fighting uphill, but I think he can make a case for himself.
  • Linebacker B.J. Goodson is another general on the field next to Collins. He is max effort, all the time. He is taking his opportunity very seriously and you can tell by the attention he puts on the fine details of lateral movement, movement through traffic, and coverage. He does not look tight hipped at all but we wont know for sure until the pads are on.
  • Cornerback Eli Apple…I wrote down on three separate occasions that he was notably moving better than everyone in the position group. He really is a physical gem and you can see why he was a high draft pick. He oozes potential. Can he maintain that athletic prowess in game situations where movements are adjustments, not planned?

Overall a good day for a football diehard, but boring for the traditional fan. I don’t think we are gonna see things tick up until next week.

PRACTICE NOTES…
Some snippets from various media sources:

  • The first practice was very light, almost a jog-thru.
  • As expected, the first-team skill position players were quarterback Eli Manning, running back Paul Perkins, tight end Rhett Ellison, and wide receivers Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard.
  • Josh Johnson was the second-team quarterback.
  • First-team defense included ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon; tackles Robert Thomas and Jay Bromley; linebackers Devon Kennard, B.J. Goodson, Jonathan Casillas; cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple; and safeties Landon Collins and Darian Thompson.

NEW YORK GIANTS TEAM PRESIDENT/CEO JOHN MARA…
The transcript of John Mara’s press conference on Friday is available in The Corner Forum.

HEAD COACH BEN MCADOO…
The transcript of Ben McAdoo’s press conference on Friday 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:

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The second training camp practice will be held on Saturday, starting at 10:55AM. The training camp schedule is available 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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