The Giants.com crew members discuss what they’re seeing and hearing at training camp so far:
John Schmeelk: Training camp has been open for seven days, which has featured six practices with the last two being in pads. Players are going against each other without full tackling, but there’s been a lot to learn and take in from what we have seen so far.
Before I get to the offensive line, I want to point out that broadly I don’t think either side of the ball has been dominant for any prolonged part of camp. Both the offense and defense have made plays on different days, in both team and 1-on-1 drills. There has been a base level where it looks like everyone can hold their own. I think it’s a good thing that there are no flashing red lights going off right now that could indicate a long-term problem. We’ll learn more as we see joint practices against the Jets and the preseason games, but early returns are positive.
This is especially the case for the offensive line since. They have been facing the Giants’ most talented position groups: the defensive line and edge rushers. Even without Andrew Thomas, the offensive line has held its own in 1-on-1 and team drills against a group featuring Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Chauncey Golston, Roy Robertson-Harris, Darius Alexander and Dexter Lawrence (though he has been limited in his reps so far) in both run and pass situations.
Evan Neal has flashed some real potential at guard with his strength. John Michael Schmitz has held up well, as has Jermaine Eluemunor against very talented pass rushers. James Hudson III has proven a fiery competitor in some back-and-forth matchups with Thibodeaux and the other rushers. The backups have also played well enough where there might be some tough decisions to make filling out the 53-man roster on the offensive line. It has not been perfect, but especially in team drills, the offensive line has not allowed many free runners and the quarterbacks have been able to go through their progressions as they needed without being put under quick duress.
We aren’t going to know anything until we see the starting unit in a real game against a team with live pass rushers using their full repertoire of moves and games (something Dan Quinn will use plenty of in Week 1), but the early returns have been positive.
Dan Salomone: I’m not sure how many youngsters read Cover 3, but I’ll keep this clean just to be safe. The Giants’ defense hasn’t done anything yet – and they are practicing with that edge. The leaders set the tone from the jump after hearing the hype all offseason, which featured the addition of No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter to a defensive front that already included multiple players with multiple Pro Bowls under their belts.
One of them is Dexter Lawrence. The longest-tenured Giant on defense didn’t hold back in challenging the group on the eve of training camp.
“They want to talk about our D-line and all this, but we haven’t done anything yet,” Lawrence said. “We have to come out here every day and improve and get better and challenge each other and just work and be critical and be coachable.”
That’s where Brian Burns comes into the picture. The veteran was involved in the biggest collision of training camp so far, an unintentional consequence of an intentional decision to chase down a long catch-and-run by tight end Greg Dulcich. Burns, who crashed into wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson at the end of the hustle play, can laugh about it now. But he admitted it was “a bit of a scare” and “a bit of a shock,” especially since a defensive lineman isn’t normally spotted that far down the field.
“If I’m going to run the ball, you better run to the ball,” Burns said. “So, I can’t sit here and preach ‘run to the ball’ and get on people’s cases if I’m not doing it. There’s going to be times where I’m not going to do it and I need them to get on me, but you can’t get on me if you aren’t doing it. It’s holding each other accountable and I’ve got to be – me, Bobby [Okereke], Jevón [Holland], all the leaders of the defense, Dex, all the leaders of the defense got to set the standard and be held to it. So, I can’t say nothing unless I’m doing it.”
Matt Citak: It’s no secret that the biggest storyline surrounding the Giants heading into training camp was the team’s revamped quarterback room. Despite the nearly complete overhaul, coach Brian Daboll has made it clear for months now that there is no competition for the starting spot – Russell Wilson is QB1. After watching him up close at training camp for the last week, not to mention throughout the spring, it’s quite easy to see why.
Let’s start on the field, where Wilson has been showing off a strong arm throughout the first week of camp. I’ve spoken in the past about Wilson’s moonball, which was on full display throughout OTAs. Well, the veteran quarterback picked up right where he left off in the spring. It seems like at least once a day, Wilson connects with a pass-catcher 30+ yards down the field. And it’s not just Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt on the receiving end of these deep passes. Wilson has found other pass-catchers, such as Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Theo Johnson and even Tyrone Tracy Jr, on some passes downfield. On just about every one of these occasions, Wilson has hit his receiver perfectly in stride, which has resulted in some big touchdowns. Wilson’s deep passing alone represents a big step up from what the Giants were getting in that department last season. But the 36-year-old’s success at the start of camp goes beyond just that. Wilson has also done a great job of fitting passes through traffic into some tight windows, especially with his passing over the middle. Perhaps most importantly, Wilson has done well at leading his pass-catchers, allowing them to make the catch and continue up field without breaking stride. This may not seem like much, but this is going to be significant once the regular season begins.
When you add Russell Wilson to your team, you don’t just get a good quarterback on the field; you also get a superb leader off the field. Every single person that has been asked about Wilson, from players to coaches on both sides of the ball, has raved about the veteran’s leadership. From his work ethic to his relationships with all of his teammates, it is abundantly clear that Wilson has already had a positive impact on the locker room. I cannot stress how important that is for a team, especially during this time of year. Training camp is the time for the locker room to really start building some chemistry, and Wilson has been doing that with seemingly everyone on the roster. His leadership off the field seems to rival that of Eli Manning. And as we all know, if you’re being compared to Eli in any sort of way, that is typically a pretty good thing.
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