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JULY 27, 2014 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…

For the first time this season, the New York Giants dressed in full pads following yesterday’s day off. Another first? The Giants’ offense showed signs of life.

There was Eli Manning firing long balls and connecting, while looking poised in the pocket. There was a developed pocket, time to throw and holes to run through. Victor Cruz heard his signature chant bellowed from the crowd after a sliding catch. And linebacker Devon Kennard continued to flash on defense.

Overall, you could say it was an eventful day in East Rutherford.

Below you will find our complete practice report from today’s camp.

SETTING THE STAGE…
As is the case with each report, here’s a your scene setter. Xavier Grimble sat out the practice’s duration with a ‘slight’ hamstring issue. Speaking after practice, coach Tom Coughlin didn’t seem too worried. Odell Beckham Jr. was out again today aside from fielding punts and catching balls from the jugs machine. Unlike Grimble, Coughlin seems worried about Beckham. Trindon Holliday sat out the positional and team portion of practice because he “tweaked a leg” during a punt return. There were 3,552 fans in attendance and a crew of referees to keep the players on their toes.

THE WALK THROUGH…
I very rarely mention the walk-through in the training camp report, mainly because the media isn’t allowed to watch. If anything, we catch the final five minutes or so of the special teams. Either way, some eventful note-worthy action took place.

• With the returners simply fielding the ball, it looked like Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. had a little competition going on between them. Cruz started it by fielding a ball one handed. Beckham Jr. responded by – I kid you not – palming the ball from the jugs machine as if he was an outfielder catching a fly ball. He made this look insanely easy. He simply put his hand up, grabbed the ball over his head and pulled it in.

• During the team stretch, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Pierre-Paul and Damontre Moore decided to race each other. Moore just beat JPP by about a step.

SPECIAL TEAMS…
The Giants opened up practice as they always do with special teams drills. Each day it’s a different starting unit that spends some time together. Some days it’s the punt team, others punt coverage. Same with kick returns and kickoff coverage.

• Returners were as follows and in this specific order: Trindon Holliday, Rueben Randle, Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz. Preston Parker and David Wilson also fielded punts.

• Starting gunners are no change from organized team activities. Zack Bowman is on the right and Bennett Jackson on the left. Second unit featured Charles James II on the right and Ross Weaver on the left.

• On a punt return, Jerrel Jernigan – who had a very, very nice practice – made quite a few people miss.

• Kendall Gaskins and Cooper Taylor got into a pushing match on a return. Gaskins blocked Taylor to the ground, Taylor didn’t like that and came up with a few shoves.

• It was Josh Brown’s day to kick field goals. He went 3-of-4. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 6/8 for Brown and 8/8 for Brandon McManus.

INDIVIDUALS…
I stuck with the offense today. I will turn my attention to defense tomorrow. The ‘O’ ran a few different variations of drills we hadn’t seen in camp yet. It started with the quarterbacks, running backs and fullbacks working through drills. The wide receivers and tight ends then joined the group for a full offense (minus line) drill.

• It looks like the fullback position may be Henry Hynoski’s to lose. He was the first man on the field today.

• A couple times during the QB/RB/FB drill we saw a shotgun draw to the fullback. Both Hynoski and John Conner got reps here.

• Andre Williams made a very nice catch out of the backfield on a swing pass. Ryan Nassib – which is becoming a regular occurrence – threw one low on a swing route. Williams reached down and pulled in a shoe-string catch. The impressive part was Williams didn’t lose his balance.

• When the offense came together, it looked like Andre Williams got himself confused a bit and didn’t know what to do. Just before the snap, Williams motioned to a coach who came over and moved his hands in a motion that looked to be outlining a route. Williams shook his head once he was reminded and the play went on.

• Interesting formation displayed: With three wide receivers and a tight end already lined up, Ryan Nassib motioned David Wilson into the slot. Wilson then ran a quick out. It looks like Ben McAdoo is thinking of ways to get Wilson the ball in space.

TWO MINUTE DRILL…
While every reporter in attendance generally has a difference in opinion at some point in time, it seems like everyone agreed on one thing: The Giants’ offense had its best practice of camp. When the starters were in, the Giants moved up and down the field in the no-huddle offense. It was impressive to see, and for the first time, displayed what Ben McAdoo’s offense is capable of when everyone is clicking.

• Victor Cruz heard his named chanted by the home crowd when he made a diving grab. It looked like he came from the complete other side of the field and Eli Manning hit him with a pass in between two defenders. It was a bit out in front so Cruz dove and hauled it in before stepping out. Cruz made another grab when he freed himself with a double move to get by Antrel Rolle and I believe Walter Thurmond III. We’ll get to it later, but Thurmond didn’t have the best practice.

• As much criticism as Nassib takes, the one thing he does do well is extend plays. He’s deceptively mobile and is pretty good at throwing on the run. With that being said, he did not have a very good practice again. Passes were bounced or thrown high, and that was before the defense joined the offense. He gives up on plays and gets flustered in the pocket pretty quickly.

• Marcus Harris continues to have a very, very nice training camp. The second-year wideout catches everything thrown his way and today hauled in a 20-yard touchdown from Nassib on a double move.

• After Harris’ touchdown, Eli Manning came in for Nassib and proceeded to find Jerrel Jernigan for a touchdown on an in-route. Jernigan had his best practice of the camp, coming down with a second touchdown in one-on-one’s later in the afternoon.

• On the goal line, Rashad Jennings took it in from five-ish yards out. He ran through a gaping hole between Brandon Mosley and Justin Pugh.

ONE-ON-ONE’S…
With how much money the Giants invested in the cornerback position this offseason, the one-on-one drill may be the most interesting of camp. The concept is simply this: Get open.

• Friday, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie talked about how he sometimes ‘baits’ quarterbacks into throwing his way. He’ll play a step or two off a wide receiver so the quarterback throws the ball; he then breaks on it and makes a play. We saw that in the one-on-one’s. Rodgers-Cromartie played two steps off of Rueben Randle, Manning threw the ball and Rodgers-Cromartie hit a second gear to bat the ball away, nearly intercepting it.

• Jerrel Jernigan’s fine practice continued when he beat Walter Thurmond for a touchdown on a streak. Ryan Nassib threw a nice ball to the back corner of the endzone and Jernigan outran Thurmond to it.

• Preston Parker jumped in the air and pulled in a toe-tapping sideline catch. He beat Ross Weaver.

• Corey Washington beat Jayron Hosley off of the line, then beat him again coming back to the ball on the curl and made the catch. Knowing he was beat, Hosley held on as Washington was coming back to the ball. Washington still made the catch and the ref threw a flag. The penalty was the second on Hosley today.

• Charles James II intercepted Ryan Nassib when Marcus Harris fell down. The offense was looking for a flag, saying James pushed Harris, but none was thrown.

Side note…While this was happening, the offensive line, backs, linebackers and defensive line were having a full-contact running drill. From what I gathered from BBI friends Conor Orr and Art Stapleton, the highlight of practice took place:

David Wilson just got popped by Devon Kennard in the open field after an inside run. Another wow moment for the rookie LB from USC #NYG

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) July 27, 2014

Curtis Painter getting first team reps, because why not? They've been all runs. Kennard just laid out Wilson. #nyg

— Conor Orr (@ConorTOrr) July 27, 2014

SEVEN-ON-SEVEN’S…
There wasn’t too much going on of note in the seven-on-seven portion of practice. Either way, a few highlight are worthy of mention:

• Eli Manning had his choice of two wide receivers, both of whom ran streaks. Marcus Harris beat Walter Thurmond and Preston Parker beat Prince Amukamara. Manning went to Parker down the sideline. Manning came back later to Harris who once again beat Thurmond. Again, Harris continues to shine.

• Devon Kennard got beat badly by Daniel Fells down the seam.

• Dan Fox jumped up high in the air from his zone coverage position to bat down a pass intended for Julian Talley. Fox has been working a lot with the No. 2 linebacking unit. He’s flashed a few times and if he doesn’t make the Giants’ final 53, expect him to be a prime candidate for the practice squad.

ELEVEN-ON-ELEVEN…
Practice ended the same as it always does with a full-team, full-contact 11-on-11. Here are the highlights:

• I saw a different formation from the defensive line. Jason Pierre-Paul lined up as a defensive tackle, Cullen Jenkins moved to defensive end and Devon Kennard put his hand in the dirt as an end.

• David Wilson continues to take shots, this time it was from Jacquian Williams on a stretch play.

• Mario Manningham beat Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on a comeback route, but dropped a perfectly thrown ball form Eli Manning. Manningham rebounded later in practice with a really nice run slant route.

• Back shoulder completion from Ryan Nassib to Kellen Davis who beat Nat Berhe. Nassib makes some very, very nice passes at times, but they’re overshadowed by terribly inaccurate ones.

• Another Devon Kennard sighting. This time he had a would-be sack on Nassib when the quarterback tried to roll out.

• 

  A full crowd was on hand to watch the Giants first practice in pads – Photo by Connor Hughes

  Little interesting note, J.D. Walton fist-bumps each of his offensive lineman before each huddle. Looks like the group is trying to build some chemistry. It’s something so small, but seems pretty cool.

• Adrien Robinson dropped one in the flat. He did come back and make a sliding catch later in practice.

• First long-bomb of practice. Eli Manning let one fly to Rueben Randle who got past Rodgers-Cromartie up the right sideline. No catching up this time from DRC.

• There were three big hits to break down, depending on how you look at it. The first came on a run play when Devon Kennard came up and met Henry Hynoski head-on in the backfield. Did Kennard make the tackle? No. But he ate up Hynoski in the backfield allowing a fellow linebacker (I believe McClain) to come up and make the tackle. The way I view that? A win for Kennard.  John Conner had his own big block when he took on Justin Anderson. Both fullbacks looked good today.

• Andre Williams had one of the more interesting runs I’ve seen all camp. It started when he knocked/ran over Johnathan Hankins, but then as he got three yards down the field he was lit up by Markus Kuhn. The funny thing, Kuhn didn’t help Williams up. He simply walked back to the defensive huddle.

The Giants will once again hold another full-pad practice open to the public on Monday. Players will talk to the media from 11:15am-12:15pm and practice from 1:20-3:30pm. Miss anything from today’s practice? Recap it all with our LIVE blog. 

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JULY 25, 2014 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
With the three-day acclimation period in the rear view mirror, the New York Giants began the transition to contact football. For the first time, shoulder pads were strapped on, the players hit each other and the ‘crunching’ sound of helmets smacking each other filled the air.

Below you will find our complete practice report. Wanna recap any of the days events? Be sure to check out our Live Updates from camp practice No. 4.

SETTING THE SCENE…
Odell Beckham Jr. did not practice, he caught some balls from a jug machine in the distance. William Beatty, Jameel McClain, David Wilson and Mario Manningham all seemed to be full participants. Manningham at one point did hop on the bike, but it looks like that was just because it was a special teams drill taking place at the time. Also, Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin held another ‘water break.’

SPECIAL TEAMS…
The Giants wasted no time in getting the contact juices flowing on Friday, opening up with a full-contact punt return blocking drill. Essentially here’s what happened: Two players lined up roughly seven yards apart facing the same direction. When the whistle was blown, each player ran in the same direction towards a box set up with four cones. When the front player got inside the box, he instantly turned around and attempted to block the player coming at him. As can be expected…there was some hitting.

• Jacquian Williams made the first loud ‘pop’ of camp when he engaged with I believe Kendall Gaskins. The two matched up two additional times and each time it was a show. Looks like Williams came out on top both times.

• Peyton Hills and Terrell Manning hit each other pretty good in the drill. Hillis came up on the winning side and the two went at it a bit after the whistle.

• Devon Kennard made the ‘Play of Camp’ when he pancaked Kyle Sebetic. The hit brought on a screaming and jumping reaction from  several of Kennard’s defensive teammates. BBI’s friend Art Stapleton got it on tape:

The #NYG camp legend of Devon Kennard continues http://t.co/eoaLc6KfBW

— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) July 25, 2014

• Dan Fox, acting as the behind man looking to avoid the blocker, did so but lost his balance. As he was falling he grabbed a hold of someone to regain control. That person? Giants’ general manager Jerry Reese. The scene got a laughing reaction out of both parties.

• Brandon McManus went 4-for-4 on field goals today. He’s now a perfect 8-for-8 in camp.

ONE-ON-ONE…
For the first time in camp, the Giants matched up the wide receivers and tight ends with the corners and safeties in a full-contact, one-on-one matchup. Essentially the receiver either got open, or the defender broke up the pass. The defense held a strong advantage.

• Prince Amukamara undercut a pass intended for Rueben Randle and disrupted it perfectly. Real nice instincts for Prince displayed on the play.

• Highly anticipated matchup saw Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie go up against Victor Cruz. Rodgers-Cromartie came out on top, batting one away. The Giants’ coveted free agent made another physical stop when going up against Julian Talley. Talley had Rodgers-Cromartie fooled on a curl, but the corner cut up the field and ran through Talley as the ball was delivered. The result? An incompletion.

• Mario Manningham beat Walter Thurmond III on a slant, but then Thurmond punched the ball out of Manningham’s hands. Mario had already made a ‘football’ move, so that was a fumble.

• Charles James read a slant perfectly by Trindon Holliday, but fell as he went to make the interception. James bounced back though. He made a great pass defense on one intended for Rueben Randle.

• Cooper Taylor batted the ball out of Kellen Davis’ hands. Taylor had nice coverage on the play.

• Daniel Fells beat Antrel Rolle badly for a touchdown. Rolle jumped the route, thinking it was a slant, then Fells cut up the field and turned it into a deep post. Nice double-move from the big man.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL…
Let’s get this one out of the way early, neither Eli Manning or Ryan Nassib had very good practices today. Manning missed a few throws deep and bounced others. Ryan Nassib, on the other hand, missed far more than he connected on while also throwing a pick-six to Charles James. It was a rough outing for Nassib, his second in a row. The same tendencies displayed during the offseason conditioning program were on display again. When in the pocket, Nassib looks flustered. Once he gets flustered, he makes bad decisions.

• Bennett Jackson had a very good practice, his best of the summer. The corner made a diving deflection on a Jerrel Jernigan comeback route, then jumped in the air to bat down a streak later on the same drive.

• Rueben Randle made a jumping grab over the head of Charles James down the far sideline. Manning threw it high and had Randle go up and get it.

• Tom Coughlin blew a fuse when Kendall Gaskins fumbled the ball. The coach was irate screaming up-and-down the sideline.

• Robert Ayers batted down a pass in Eli Manning’s face. We’ve seen that a few times from Ayers in camp.

• Manning hit Victor Cruz for a touchdown on a fade route to end this portion of practice.

11-ON-11…
This is where things got interesting. No quarterback looked good and the defense dominated. Two interceptions, several bat downs and a few sacks. Full readout below.

• Victor Cruz beat Prince Amukamara badly on a streak, but Manning overthrew him by about five yards. Nice move by Cruz to leave Amukamara behind him.

• The Giants blitzed the middle pretty hard and Jameel McClain ran over Charles Brown. Nice display of power by McClain. Could also say ‘physical.’ Something the Giants are trying desperately to establish.

• Damontre Moore continues to have a very strong camp. He came in from his defensive end spot to stop a running back dive. He also recorded two sacks on Nassib and had another pressure. All sacks came against James Brewer.

• On a Michael Cox run, the back bounced it to the outside which did not make Ben McAdoo very happy. The coordinator was livid that the Giants gave up on the ‘A Gap’ so easily.

• Marcus Harris continues to flash. He made back-to-back catches that had his teammates yelling.

• Charles James recorded an interception on Nassib who overthrew his intended receiver. Highlight below:

WATCH: CB Charles James picks off Ryan Nassib PLUS breakdown by @schmeelk #GiantsCamp http://t.co/8NQ5zL8Euk

— New York Giants (@Giants) July 25, 2014

•  Mark Herzlich had a very nice one-handed interceptions when he deflected the pass to himself. He also took it back for a score. This one Curtis Painter threw.

The Giants will have off tomorrow and return for practice on Sunday.

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JULY 24, 2014 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…
While reduced via GPS request, the New York Giants held their third (and final) practice of the mandatory ‘acclimation period.’ When the team reports tomorrow, each player will be in shoulder pads. Sunday will be the first practice in full uniform.

After practicing for two hours each of the past two days, the Giants began stretching after just over one hour on Thursday. It was a different routine as well and very different from the previous two.

Below you will find our complete practice recap. Be sure to recap our LIVE updates.

SETTING THE STAGE…
Not much to break down here. Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring) sat out for the second day in a row. Will Beatty (knee) and Jameel McClain (foot) practiced fully. Xavier Grimble and Brandon Mosley seem to be cured from the ‘heat related’ issues they went through on Tuesday.

SPECIAL TEAMS…
The Giants’ released their first ‘unofficial’ depth chart of the season about 15 minutes before practice was scheduled. As a result, I missed the early stretch and initial special teams portion of practice. From what I gather, not too much took place. Either way, here’s some tidbits from the sporadic special teams portions of the rest of practice.

• I got a good look at the starting gunners for the punt team. First up: Bennett Jackson on the left and Zack Bowman on the right. Second team features Travis Howard on the left and Charles James on the right.

• After Brandon McManus kicked yesterday, it was Josh Brown’s turn today. The veteran went 4-for-5. His one miss bounced off of the far right cross bar.

DEFENSE…
The Giants practiced on ‘Field 3,’ or the side field for the main portion of practice. When the team split for offense- and defense-specific drills, the offense went to the furthest field away. Thus, I stuck with the defense for the second day in a row. I’ll be sure to watch the offense tomorrow. Heck, maybe you can help.

• After being limited yesterday, Jameel McClain was a full participant in practice today. I kept an eye on him during a linebacking drill where the backers were required to drop back into hypothetical coverage, then sprint forward. He participated in every rep, but he just looked a little off when he had to switch and drive. It’s not a serious injury and he’s not being held out. I truly believe this is just an example of McClain not being completely 100 precent yet.

• For 320 pounds, Johnathan Hankins has some quick feet. The linemen worked a drill where three tackling dummies lay on the ground. Each had to high step sideways over them one way, then back, then back the other way before running forward between a bag and hitting another dummy. Hankins moved really well between them and looked pretty agile for a big man.

TWO MINUTE DRILL…
As has been the case in every practice this offseason, the first ‘team-joined’ practice function is always the two-minute drill. But after talking to Rashad Jennings, who said the entire playbook can be run in the hurry up, I’m beginning to think this is more just offense-defense. Mathias Kiwanuka even said he hasn’t seen the offense huddle yet. I assumed it was two-minute because the offense was in the hurry up; maybe this is just the way they run now?

• Your ‘unofficial’ starting tight end, Larry Donnell, was the first tight end on the field. William Beatty was at left tackle and Brandon Mosley at right guard.

• Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz twice on the opening drive. In between, he found Rueben Randle on a curl that Manning released before Randle made his break.

• It looks like the offense is starting to open up a bit more with deep passes. Manning went to Jerrel Jernigan but overshot him. Jernigan responded later by catching a fade route touchdown over Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the left corner of the endzone. He had possession and it looked like he got his feet down. In mini-camp, Manning tried the same play versus Walter Thurmond and it came up incomplete. Timing may be starting to come together.

• After Manning hit Jernigan for the touchdown, the Giants kept the offense near the goal line and gave David Wilson a carry. He took it around the outside and would have scored again.

• Damontre Moore had a really nice practice. The second-year defensive end had a few pressures and batted down a Ryan Nassib pass that was nearly intercepted. In the same drill, Moore had a would-be sack on Nassib. That would be a sack in each practice so far.

• Not the best practice for Ryan Nassib. He missed a few throws, threw a near interception and was sacked. There was one play where Nassib rolled out and had a wide open Mario Manningham in front of him. Instead of throwing it, Nassib held on to the ball and then at the last second had to rush a throw. He did make a really nice pass later in practice in the 11-on-11s. More on that later.

• A tight end sighting: Larry Donnell down the seam made a leaping grab. It was impressive.

• Mathias Kiwanuka had a bat down. Also another note on the defense, with McClain in at linebacker there is a lot more communication. The former Raven is constantly chirping and talking. Also, the huddle-break scream/chant returned.

• Dan Fox was working with the No. 2 linebackers.

7-ON-7
The Giants worked a 7-on-7 drill after some special teams work that was already outlined. A few nice plays were made, but nothing too extravagant.

• Victor Cruz ran a real nice route to gain a step on Walter Thurmond on an in on the first play. Side note, ‘unofficial’ fifth-string tight end Adrien Robinson was the first tight end out during this drill.

• I didn’t see the receiver, but Walter Thurmond got very physical on a quick out the Giants attempted to run. Thurmond jammed the receiver, didn’t allow him off the line and followed him the entire way across the field.

• Devon Kennard made a very nice play on a pass intended for Adrien Robinson down the seam. Kennard had good coverage, but also reached his hand up to bat the ball away. Coverage wasn’t one of Kennard’s ‘strong’ points coming out of college, yet he looked pretty good at it here.

11-ON-11
I’m guessing as will be the case throughout all practices, the Giants ended with a full-team 11-on-11. Contrary to previous practices, we had our ‘Play of Camp’ take place during this drill.

• A little trickery from offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was displayed early on. Coming out in the I-Formation, the Giants ran an end-around to Jerrel Jernigan. It looked like he had some serious daylight, too.

• The Giants spent a lot of money this offseason on the secondary. For the first time, it was on complete display. Eli Manning ran a traditional play fake and had all day to throw, but no one to get the ball to. Manning must have held on to the ball for five seconds before rolling out and throwing the ball away.

• Ryan Nassib made a very impressive pass to Preston Parker down the sideline. Nassib threw it over a linebacker and just in front of the corner to perfectly beat the zone. Had Nassib put too little, or too much, on the ball, it would have been an easy interception.

• John Jerry continues to spell Brandon Mosley. Can’t tell who has an edge until the pads are put on.

• Finally, the Play of the Day: Curtis Painter lofted a deep one down the field for Corey Washington who ripped it away from Bennett Jackson and Kyle Sebetic. First long-bomb we’ve seen connected on since Manning hit Rueben Randle in mini-camp. Jackson had a little defensive pass interference on the pay, too.  Giants.com had the highlight:

Here you go RT @Giants: WATCH: QB Curtis Painter completes a deep pass to WR Corey Washington #GiantsCamp http://t.co/N7zFV6LYDt

— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 24, 2014

ON ANOTHER NOTE…
After Tom Coughlin finished his post-practice presser, media got their first look at the Coughlin his family talks about all tof he time. Brandon Mosley, J.D. Walton and Larry Donnell had their families attend practice and their kids were on the field playing with them. Tom Coughlin walked by Walton’s child and started talking and smiling like I haven’t seen him yet. Then, Coughlin turned to Larry Donnell’s daughter and said a few words before letting her blow his whistle. Donnell’s wife yelled to her daughter who then turned and said ‘He let me!’ Coughlin walked away smiling and laughing.

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JULY 23, 2014 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…

Practice No. 2 is officially in the books for the New York Giants. It came and went without a single player being carted off the field…seriously! Below you will find a few quick hits and observations from the day’s events. Remember, this report focuses strictly on the on-field aspect of practice. Click here for updates on William Beatty and Jameel McClain, along with here for news on the re-injured Odell Beckham Jr.

SETTING THE STAGE…
As will be the case with each practice, we’ll set the stage with some key facts before diving into the report. Basically, throw at you what we know is on your mind:

• The three Giants who were carted off the field yesterday (Jameel McClain, Xavier Grimble, Brandon Mosley) were all on the field today. Grimble and Mosley looked to be full participants. McClain was limited.

• Unlike yesterday, not one player was carted back to the locker room. This could be because Tom Coughlin gave his team a ‘water break’ midway through practice. During the two-minute drill, Coughlin sent everyone back to the field house. Coughlin didn’t credit this for the lack of heat-related injuries, but it couldn’t have hurt.

• It was a hot, hot one.

SPECIAL TEAMS…
Yesterday, the team worked on punt returns. Today it was kickoff returns. At different points throughout practice, the Giants worked on field goals, coverage and kick returns.

• 

  Brandon McManus – © USA TODAY Sports Images

  The Giants worked through a couple different guys at kick return. Jerrel Jernigan, David Wilson, Corey Washington, Trindon Holliday and Quintin Demps all got reps at some point or another. It looked as if it was Demps first, followed by Holliday and Wilson.

• Wilson’s agility was again on display. During a drill focused primarily on kickoff coverage, Wilson returned the kick as gunners ran at him. He bobbed, weaved, juked and cut his way throughout the incoming defenders with ease. He can be deadly with the ball in space.

• Some notable names on the Giants return unit: John  Conner and Henry Hynoski were both featured as up-men.

• Notable names on kick-off coverage unit: Walter Thurmond III, Devon Kennard, Spencer Paysinger, Jacquian Williams, and Bennett Jackson.

• I wrote a feature article yesterday on Giants K Brandon McManus. Today, everyone saw the leg strength he talked about. The kid has an unbelievable leg. He was a perfect 5-of-5 on his field goal attempts and sent two 40+ yarders over the crane behind the field goal.

THE DEFENSE…
After spending most of my time with the offense yesterday, I turned my attention to the defense today during the individual portion of practice. In particular, I focused on the linebackers.

• The linebackers performed a drill where they set up just a few feet from a blocking sled. On the coaches command, the backers looped around and exploded into the bag, extending their arms and shedding the bag. The drill itself wasn’t that impressive; the strength displayed by both Mark Herzlich and Devon Kennard was. Both players made the bag (which is not light) look like a rag doll. Kennard nearly threw the thing on its side. Really impressive display of strength.

• The more I watch Kennard, the more I’m amazed at how much faith the coaching staff is giving the rookie. It’s rare that first round picks get this much attention, but a fifth? Kennard ran with the one’s in McClain’s absence in the middle after running with the one’s at SAM yesterday. It’s a lot to throw at one player, but Kennard is handling it remarkably well.

• McClain took part in this portion of the drill, but struggled a bit. He exploded, but not with much strength. It could be he couldn’t drive off of his foot.

• The defense then came together and practiced a bit more of its three-safety package. The safeties remained the same in Quintin Demps, Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown, but the linebackers were a little different. Spencer Paysinger joined Devon Kennard while Jacquian Williams practiced with the two’s opposite Mark Herzlich.

TWO-MINUTE, 11-On-11…
As has been the case throughout the entire offseason, after positional drills, the Giants come together for a full-team two-minute drill. One interesting note here, Newsday’s Tom Rock made a very poignant observation on the timing between snaps:

Was timing the tempo of the offense. Fastest time between snaps: 17 seconds. Slowest: 33.

— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) July 23, 2014

It seemed as if the Giants were moving at a much more constant pace. Now its confirmed. The offense is definitely up-tempo and should only get faster as camp progresses.

• Yesterday, Charles Brown opened as the team’s starting LT and Will Beatty relieved him. Today, it was Beatty first out of the gate.  Brandon Mosley got the first reps at guard.

• Linebackers with McClain absent: Jacquian Williams, Devon Kennard and Spencer Paysinger.

• Eli Manning missed a few passes today that were head-scratchers. It’s early in camp and he’s still looking to get on the same page with his wide outs, but it was noticeable. Manning overshot Victor Cruz over the middle, missed Rueben Randle on an in-route and Trindon Holliday on a deep pass.

• Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had blanket coverage on an out-route by Jerrel Jernigan. He jumped in front of the play and batted down the ball.

• Jason Pierre-Paul exploded off of the ball, but William Beatty handled him well. Beatty extended his hands with power and knocked Pierre-Paul off balance. The play gave Manning enough time to launch one down the field. Although, Manning’s pass did fall incomplete.

• With Odell Beckham Jr. out, Mario Manningham, Marcus Harris and Corey Washington were your second-team wide receivers.

• The tight ends were a lot more active today than yesterday. Adrien Robinson made a few impressive grabs, including one on an rollout where he was wide open. Larry Donnell caught one down the seam. Much better showing from the group.

• My pick for a player that is going to surprise some people is Andre Williams. The rookie continues to look very, very good and flashed again today. Williams scored on a stretch run that had his teammates ooh-ing and ah-ing at a cut. He has incredible speed once he gets to the second level and also runs with power. If he can learn to catch, he may be the complete package.

• We’ve been seeing a lot of motion from the tight ends. One particular play stood out where the Giants brought Larry Donnell from the slot and motioned him to the fullback position. The team then ran behind Donnell. The more I take note, the more I realize how often the tight end lines up at fullback for the Giants.

• As referenced above, Manning missed an open Trindon Holliday on a streak route. Holliday ran right past Walter Thurmond, but Manning couldn’t get him the ball.

• A Mario Manningham sighting. The wideout made a nice grab over the middle from Manning.

• The Giants offense looked to be getting in a pretty good rhythm after Manning hit Adrien Robinson and Mario Manningham in back-to-back passes. Then James Brewer jumped offsides. Not good from one who appears to be on the roster bubble.

• Mike Patterson continues to take every single rep with the first-team defense. A lot of people expect that spot to belong to Jonathan Hankins. I’m not so sure. It looks like it’s Patterson’s to lose and he’s done nothing to have it taken from him.

7-On-7…
After some special teams and field goal work (see above), the Giants went to a 7-on-7 drill. For those that don’t know, the drill works the receivers/tight ends/running backs versus the linebackers/corners/safeties.

• The first tight ends used were Adrien Robinson and Daniel Fells. Those two seem to be coming on the field a lot together.

• David Wilson caught a couple of passes out of the backfield and looks good as a receiver. If he can learn to block, he could be an excellent third-down back.

• Trindon Holliday dropped a curl route.

• Jacquian Williams made a great defensive play on a slant to Jerrel Jernigan. Jernigan got his hands on it but Williams instantly ripped the ball out.

• The tight ends stood out pretty well here, too. Adrien Robinson made a really nice grab on a deep curl when split out wide, beating Bennett Jackson. He had a good practice.

11-ON-11, FULL-TEAM… 
Maybe the team is tired, but once again today there wasn’t much excitement from the 11-on-11’s to close practice. Either way, here are a few notes.

• Two tight ends started on the field at once for the Giants: Larry Donnell and Adrien Robinson.

• There was a pretty nice catch from Rueben Randle on a come-back route. He fooled Prince Amukamara pretty bad. Randle has had two nice practices and has caught every catchable ball thrown his way.

• Yesterday, John Conner got the first reps at fullback; today it was Henry Hynoski. I saw a few running plays today with a tight end in the backfield.

• David Wilson made Devon Kennard look silly on a swing route. Wilson juked Kennard out of his shoes. Kennard didn’t do anything wrong; I am not sure anyone could have made the play.

• Damontre Moore had another would-be sack on Ryan Nassib. He chased Nassib out of the pocket before pulling up.

• It was only a matter of time. Ryan Nassib threw his first interception of camp right to C.J. Barnett. I think it was a miscommunication on someone’s part.

• John Jerry got some reps with the first team today. He relieved Brandon Mosley about four snaps into the first drive. Trumaine McBride also got work with the first-team defense.

Tomorrow’s practice will follow the same routine as the previous two. It will also be the last without pads. Players will be made available to the media from 11:15 am-12:15 pm. Practice begins at 1:20 pm. Be sure to check out our complete LIVE recap of today’s practice. 

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JULY 22, 2014 NEW YORK GIANTS TRAINING CAMP REPORT…

For the first time since the team broke mini-camp 32 days ago, the New York Giants put on their helmets, jerseys and cleats and trotted out of the locker room at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

Then, three took rides on the cart back in.

Below you will find our complete practice report for the Giants’ first training camp practice of the year. Earlier in the week, we asked you what you wanted observed. You’ll find answers to those questions at the conclusion of the report.

SETTING THE STAGE…

Before we dive too far into the camp report and details, just a little heads up on all the minor odds and ends. The team was without pads for the first of three practices, otherwise known as the ‘acclimation period.’

As was announced yesterday, the only player that was inactive for the start of camp was linebacker Jon Beason, who remains on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. Mario Manningham, David Wilson, John Jerry and William Beatty all participated in practice on a ‘limited basis.’

• Of the three, it appears Manningham did the most. The wide receiver took part in individual drills, 7-on-7, strictly offense and the final 11-on-11 drill. He didn’t stand out much in the team portion of practice, but the fact he’s out there is a good sign. When wide receivers did some work with the quarterbacks, Manningham did two rotations, took one off, then did the third.

• William Beatty split reps early with Charles Brown at left tackle. He took reps in all facets of practice.

• Former Dolphins guard John Jerry was more limited than the other two, but still saw reps. He spoke before and told the media his biggest issue is conditioning because he hasn’t run in some time.

• David Wilson took some reps with the No. 2’s and made a few really nice plays. More on that later.

SPECIAL TEAMS…

As will be the case most practices, the Giants start with a little special teams before transitioning into their team stretch. Today, it was the punt returners turn to draw the eye of reporters. The Giants had a make-shift punt team, no gunners, and while Steve Weatherford fielded snaps, a punt machine was used to send balls to the returners.

• The return rotation was very, very similar to the one displayed in OTAs and mini-camp. First Trindon Holliday, then Odell Beckham Jr., then Rueben Randle and Victor Cruz closed it out. Mario Manningham fielded one punt as well.

• It’s looking more and more like Trindon Holliday is going to make this team as a returner. He gets all reps there and flashed a few times on offense again. There’s been talk he may be cut or is on the bubble, I just don’t see it. In every practice the media has been at, he’s taken his first reps as a returner each time.

• Damontre Moore is sporting a brand new facemask that looks very, very nice. Does it meet the new regulations? Not sure. But it will look good until he’s told not to wear it anymore.

• Something shown in OTAs was again shown today in camp. The Giants practiced a ‘fake punt’ where they direct-snapped the ball to Quintin Demps. 

INDIVIDUAL…

With the Giants now having the full disposal of each practice field, it’s hard to keep an eye on everything. After the special teams portion of practice, the offense and defense split up. I ran with the offense today, will keep an eye on the defense tomorrow.

• With the defensive and offensive lines off in the distance, the Giants’ quarterbacks, running backs, fullbacks and tight ends came together to work. All players participated, including Mario Manningham, as each ran basic routes. Nothing traveled more than 15 yards or so.

• John Conner made a pretty nice grab on a quick screen-ish pass. It looked as if the pass slipped out of the hands of Curtis Painter. Conner reached up and pulled it down. Was it impressive as a catch by a tight end? Probably not. But to see the fullback pull the pass down was nice.

• Xavier Grimble and Adrien Robinson each dropped easy passes on curls. Both slapped their helmets and the ball when the passes bounced away. A coach yelled in the distance. I couldn’t completely make out what he said…but it wasn’t good.

• It didn’t take long for Grimble to bounce back. On the next rotation, he made a really nice grab extending away from his body to make a ‘hands’ catch. The crowd gave him an appreciative round of applause.

• Eli Manning didn’t look that sharp in this portion of practice. He missed a couple and bounced others. He regrouped later.

• Kellen Davis looks very, very slow coming in-and-out of his breaks. It really wasn’t pretty. None of the tight ends looked agile, but Davis stood out as being painful to watch.

• I took a keen look at Grimble in this portion as I know some fans were curious about him during OTAs. He has some good straight-ahead speed, but struggled a little stopping on a dime to get into a break or cut. Although, he is 6-4 and 261 pounds. Other than that he showed some good hands and ran a pretty nice route a few times. He’s just not very agile.

• Mario Manningham showed no signs of a knee injury in-and-out of breaks. He showed some good speed, didn’t hesitate and made a few hard cuts. He did drop one pass on a deep-in.

• Odell Beckham Jr. reminds me a bit of Hakeem Nicks in that he plays bigger than he is. A few times during this portion of practice he extended his body fully to make finger-tip grabs. If he can stay healthy, he can be explosive.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL…

Normal Giants routine running two-minute drill as the first ‘team’ portion of practice.

Before going into some highlights, here’s your starting line:
LT: Charles Brown, LG: Geoff Schwartz, C: J.D. Walton, RG: Brandon Mosley, RT: Justin Pugh. *William Beatty spelled Brown a few reps in.

And your back-ups:
RT- Troy Kropog, RG: Dallas Reynolds, C: Weston Richburg, LG: Jamaal Johnson-Webb, RT: James Brewer

• Just to start this off, the Giants’ offense was night-and-day better during the two-minute drill. Comparing how the team left off from mini-camp, and how they reported to camp, it was a big step. Manning was crisp and looked on the same page as his receivers. It was impressive.

• Being in a two-minute drill, the Giants ran with three wide receivers. Victor Cruz worked in the slot. Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan were outside. Jernigan made a nice grab on a deep-in from Eli Manning and Randle caught one in front of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the sideline.

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  Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

  The Giants offense drove inside the red zone and Manning tried a fade route to Jernigan. Jernigan made the grab, but failed to get his feet in. He jumped over Charles James (I think). It would have been some grab if he pulled it in. Two plays later, Manning hit Odell Beckham Jr. for a TD on a five-yard out.

• Marcus Harris continues to flash. He made a nice sliding grab on a deep-in. It offset an easy drop earlier.

• Andre Williams showed he may have some hands after all and made a nice grab. He also showed he really has a second gear when it comes to speed. He sprinted down the field after a running play and surprised with his speed.

• Wilson got a carry and sprinted down the sideline. He still has speed. The run may have meant a little more to him than most: it was his first in a team drill since injuring his neck versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

• Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted an Eli Manning pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr. Manning dropped back and heaved one down the field, his only shot of the day. The pass probably shouldn’t have been thrown as Rodgers-Cromartie had good coverage. The concerning thing here was that Beckham gave up on the route and stopped running allowing Rodgers-Cromartie to simply camp underneath for an easy interception. Beckham favored his leg a little running off of the field but it didn’t seem serious. The biggest concern was him giving up on the play, not the ‘injury.’

• Ryan Nassib hit Daniel Fells deep down the seam on a beautifully designed play. A few times we saw two tight ends in the game at once. One would line up traditionally, one in the slot. Speaking of the tight ends, no one really has a strangle hold on the top spot. Still a revolving door.

• Weston Richburg played right guard with the first team when Mosley left practice.

• Mike Patterson continues to take all reps with the first team defense. That includes nickel, dime and the base 4-3. From what I’ve seen this offseason, Johnathan Hankins is no guarantee to be the starter.

JUST THE OFFENSE…

The offense and defense again split up after the two-minute drill. As was illustrated before, I stuck with the offense today and I’ll turn my attention to the defense tomorrow.

• We didn’t see any fullback during the two-minute drill except for maybe one play. That should be expected…it was a two-minute drill. With just the offense practicing an ‘I-Formation,’ John Conner was the first fullback out. In fact, I don’t believe Henry Hynoski got any reps. I could be wrong, but I know the first two-three went to Conner.

• Beckham returned from his ‘injury’ to participate in this drill. He caught one over the middle fully-extending. It looked nice. Again, like Hakeem Nicks, he plays bigger than he is.

• While I was with the offense, Jason Pierre-Paul got his back checked out by trainers and Jameel McClain was carted off.

SEVEN-on-SEVEN…

The offensive and defensive lines split off as the linebackers/corners/safeties joined the quarterbacks/wide receivers/running backs/tight ends for 7-on-7’s.

• Rueben Randle made a nice grab, something he did a few times today. I don’t ever believe he’ll be a Top-5 receiver in the NFL, but he can play a long time. He runs good routes, has good hands and gets open pretty often.

• Mark Herzlich filled in for the recently-departed Jameel McClain. He joined Devon Kennard and Jacquian Williams as the linebackers.

• Cooper Taylor recorded an interception when a Curtis Painter pass bounced off the chest of Kellen Davis.

11-ON-11…

Not too much took place in the 11-on-11. It could have been because players were tired, but most of it was cut and dry. A few dump-off passes, screens and draws. No one really stood out as great, no one as bad. Either way, here are a few observations.

• Andre Williams’ speed was again on display. He has that second gear where if he gets in the open field, I’m not sure someone is going to catch him.

• David Wilson caught a pass out of the backfield and put on a show. The back made some ankle-breaking jukes and cuts that had some media wowed. It hasn’t been talked about much, but he could be a huge weapon out of the backfield in Ben McAdoo’s offense.

• Saw the first three-safety look. Quintin Demps came on the field to join Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle.

• Spencer Paysinger came in on a blitz and Eli Manning juked him out. It was a surprisingly athletic thing from Eli. Looked a little Vick-ish (I kid).

• Damontre Moore came off the edge and pressured Nassib on a roll-out.

That does it for today’s camp report. Tomorrow will follow an identical schedule as yesterday. Media will have access to players from 11:15am until 12:15pm. There will be an hour break before practice begins at 1:20pm. The practice is open to the public and players will sign autographs after. 

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

FROM REALE01: Projected availability for Wilson, Jerry, Beatty, Beason, and Snee.

• I know this was submitted before Snee’s retirement, but in case you didn’t know..he retired :) As far as the other three: Beatty worked a lot, so did Wilson. Jerry is limited while he builds his stamina
  

FROM BIG BLUE BLOGGER: Are there any packages where you don’t expect to run with the 1s? (Short yardage/goal line seems likely. Any others?) How’s Jon Beason’s foot?

• He saw action with the 1’s in the goal line. Worked with rotation on the most. If I had to guess, he’s third on the depth chart behind Jennings and Wilson. Coughlin spoke about Beason and said if he’s feeling pain he’s hiding it very well.

FROM REALE01: How does Will Beatty look? Also Jerry, Richburg, Walton?

• It’s very tough to say because there aren’t pads on yet. They all took part in practice, though.

FROM ED A: Ask Moore if he added some weight this off season and what he weighs now?

• He told me he’s right around the same weight. He added some muscle and lost some fat, but right around the same number.

FROM BOBBY EPPS: Any sighting of Conner or Hynoski in any formations or plays?

• They came in for the I-Formation. Nothing really in the team portion of practice. Fullback doesn’t seem to be used much, but most of the offense vs defense we’ve seen has been hurry-up.