Giants Offense Struggles Against Lions in First of Two Joint Practices
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll brought his team into Allen Park, Michigan, home of the Detroit Lions headquarters, with a specific objective in mind, which was to see how far along his team has progressed after ten training camp practices against each other.
"I think it’s kind of the next step for training camp when you practice against another team. I think there is competitive juices; the coaches have it, the players have it, but we are going to try to practice the right way against a really good team," Daboll said.
Alas, for the Giants, all those glowing reviews that had come out of East Rutherford about the offense and defense looking light years ahead were cut back down to size.
Despite the struggles, quarterback Daniel Jones seemed encouraged by the quality of work the team got.
"I thought it was good. Certainly, some things that we can sharpen up and clean up execution-wise, but overall, I thought we made some plays here and there," he said after practice. "(We’ve) just got to be more consistent and take advantage of some of those opportunities we had.
Jones, who has been sharp all summer, probably had his worst day of practice since camp started.
"Yeah, I just missed a couple of them that normally I feel pretty good about, so just got to be sharp with those and make sure we’re taking advantage of the opportunities that we have," he said.
Tight end Darren Waller, another player who had been having a fine camp, also hit a few struggles against the Lions defense.
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"Yeah, I mean, it’s a lot more physical out here," he said. "A lot more things to take into count. Somebody is going to come and put a forearm in your ribs when you run over the middle of the field, even though it’s just a 7-on-7. Just getting more acclimated to game-like situations and knowing that it’s a physical game at the end of the day. It’s not always going to be 7-on-7 and people tagging off on you. It’s a good acclimation.
But like Jones and Daboll, Waller felt that the team got a lot out of it against quality opposition.
"They’ve got a lot of talented guys like (defensive lineman Aidan) Hutchinson up front, trying to pass protect against him. He's real freaky up front," he said. "You’ve got (cornerback Emmanuel) Moseley and (cornerback Cam) Sutton, guys I’ve played against that have been solid corners. (Defensive back C.J.) Gardner-Johnson is a really good player; I’ve played against him as well. So, a lot of good guys.
"They're going to be a good team. They’ve got a great roster, they’ve got a lot of confidence, and it shows."
Injury/Participation Report
Giants right tackle Evan Neal (concussion), and defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (groin) were held out of practice. Both will also probably not play Friday night in the preseason game.
The Giants also held offensive lineman Marcus McKethan and defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, both of whom were activated from PUP yesterday, out of the team part of the practice. Both players are being slowly ramped up.
Quick Hits
Khalif Raymond had a quick cup of coffee with the Giants in 2018 but didn't land on the roster that year. He's found success with the Lions, whom he joined in 2021. Last season he posted career highs in receptions (47) and receiving yards (616).
In our opinion, Holmes, who is listed as the Giants "starter" at the slot cornerback position, has had a very uneven camp. Holmes remains aggressive in going after receivers, but as we have frequently seen with him, sometimes that aggressiveness works against him.
Last year it was no secret that the Giants run defense wasn't very good. Whether it was setting the edge or protecting the middle of the field, teams had far too much success running against them.
So far this summer, the Giants run defense has fared better when run at between the tackles. However, it's a different story with running at the edges, which remains a big reason why outside linebacker is among the chief concerns I still have about this Giants defense.
This is a minor dust-up by comparison, but it should be noted that the Giants did a good job keeping their cool even during the dog days of high humidity in their first ten summer practices. Daboll has stressed playing discipline to his players, and while this particular dust-up isn't a big deal, we're sure that keeping one's cool will be a continued point of emphasis.
For more on the first of two joint practices between the Giants and Lions, please check out the report by our colleagues over at All Lions.
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