New York Giants Mandatory Minicamp Report Day 1: Defense Thrives and Other Takeaways
In April, head coach Brian Daboll was asked about position flexibility during the team's voluntary minicamp (an extra camp granted by the CBA to new coaching staff).
"We will," Daboll said at the time. "We're just trying to figure out where to go in a drill, making sure we're moving from drill to drill, practicing the way we want to practice. When it is live, full-speed periods, we will do that. Flexibility has always been important defensively, offensively in the kicking game. We get so many people to go to a game with. We'll get to that. Right now, we're learning where to go on stretch lines."
Fast forward to the present, and Daboll has made good on his promise by asking many of his players to take on different roles so that the staff can find out what works and what doesn't before they put the bow on their off-season program.
"I think now is a good time in the spring to give as many guys different roles as they can do out there, and you can figure out maybe this is something that we missed on that he can do," Daboll said before the team hit the field for the first of their three-day mandatory minicamp.
"It's a good time to do it now. Again, we’re not getting ready for any games. Long way away from that."
Daboll was responding to a question about rookie Joshua Ezeudu, who has been working at left tackle with the first-team offensive line while Andrew Thomas recovers from ankle surgery.
And Ezeudu, who ultimately projects as a guard, isn't the only offensive lineman who has been working at different positions.
"Again, we're doing that with a lot of our guys," Daboll said. "You'll see them at center, and then in the same group, you might be at guard."
The same has held true on the defensive side of the ball.
"Everybody can do anything in this defense, which is good," said defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II. "I can drop, rush off the edge, play linebacker, blitz, little things like that. We're all learning how to manipulate the scheme."
When the off-season program is done, Daboll and his staff will reconvene and compare notes on what they saw and then use that data to begin finalizing some ideas for the upcoming training camp and season.
"Great appreciation for the work ethic that those guys have put in and the coaches," Daboll said. "Long way to go, but we’ve got a lot accomplished this spring."
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