By the time TJ Brunson lowered the boom, the Giants defense had already sent a message worthy of an exclamation point.
The defense kept Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and a dangerous receiving corps in check for most of Friday’s intrasquad control. It’s rare to see tackle-to-the-ground on any NFL practice field today, and Brunson knocking receiver CJ Board off his feet only added to the shock value.
“Defensively, our boys did their homework, they stayed a little bit ahead,” coach Joe Judge said. “Obviously, they studied and knew what to expect in certain situations.”
Similar to how pitchers are often before hitters are early in the spring training session, NFL camps favor defense in the first week of contact practice.
“It went back and forth every day,” Judge said. ‘When you play a regular opponent who is currently intrasquad, you get a tendency towards your own teammates. Our offense ran plays that they installed all week. Our defense saw a lot of these. It was not carbon copies, but different versions. ”
Jones started slowly but came on strong, finishing 16-for-27 with touchdowns to Kaden Smith to make a long drive without end and to David Sills over the top, behind James Bradberry.
Darnay Holmes made an acrobatic interpretation of Jones ” Jones ‘bad decision’ about a double move by Golden Tate, and other imperfections were slapped down, high-sided or were somewhat behind the target.
“There were some things we had to work on, but that’s part of the reason we’re there,” Jones said. ‘When we got into some of the more play-it-out situations, I thought we got into a rhythm and made some plays. Overall, I was encouraged by what we could do – move the ball to the field and execute. ”
The Giants could have eight or nine returning starters from a defense that ranked No. 25 in yardage and no. 30 in score last season, so improvement will be based on development. Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence controlled the line of scrimmage.
“I thought our energy was nicely put on,” said safety Julian Love. ‘We set the tone kind of [Thursday] night itself. They don’t give us preseason game rehearsals, so we tried to take it really seriously and play with high focus. We wanted to fly around. ”
Judge stood behind the offensive huddle during the check to fill in the gaps that could not be recorded from film.
‘I was very happy with the tone [Jones] put in the huddle, ‘said judge. ‘He has good situational management. He knows how we use some of the variety of conversations and controls in our crime. “
Here are some other observations for controls:
• Holmes tried to reproduce his interpretation and was stripped-down by Andrew Thomas. “I was very pleased to see our offensive line in this situation,” Judge said. “It’s good that things you preach in class appear on the field.”
• With Corey Coleman sidelined, Sills and Alex Bachman took the opportunity at receiver.
Sills was the first Giant to be placed on the restricted / COVID-19 list and returned after one week: “This guy brushes his ass every day,” Judge said. ‘He has shown us a lot on misdemeanor. He’s in front of us in the kicking game. ‘
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Bachman took a passdown pass from Colt McCoy. “He’s productive in drills, he’s productive in team periods,” Judge said. “It’s no surprise to see him make plays.”
• The Giants will not make the same mistake as last year when they were caught short hand behind Saquon Barkley. Wayne Gallman broke off a few long runes while trying to keep veteran Dion Lewis for No. 2. And developed rookie Javon Leake, who averaged 9.1 yards per touch at Maryland, showed why he’s a big game threat when he tackles a sideline side.
“He’s a boy who’s really coming at the moment,” Judge said. “Very attuned to meetings. He has improved on a daily basis. Today he had the chance to just play, and that’s always how you want it to look. ”
• Jones and Nick Gates – a wait-and-see center for the first time in his career – have no abusive snaps. “He did a good job,” Jones said.
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