New York Giants Practice Report: The “Slip ‘N Slide” Edition
NFL training camp isn’t supposed to be fun.
How can it be? The days are long, the practices are intense, and the weather is miserably hot and humid.
Coaches are screaming at every little thing, and tempers are more prone to flare in the heat of the moment between teammates who are supposed to be brothers. '
In the Giants' case, they don’t even get a break when it rains unless there is lightning in the area that necessitates heading inside to the climate-controlled comfort of the field house.
So leave it to Giants head coach Joe Judge, who has run as demanding of a summer training camp as any Giants head coach in recent memory, to come up with a creative way to have a little fun while teaching a core fundamental of the game.
Judge, ripping out yet another page from the Patriots playbook, ended Tuesday’s practice with a drill in which a section of the field was hosed down to create slick conditions, and the ball was also hosed down. The goal of the drill was for the players to jump on the loose ball to recover it.
But the sloppy sounding drill didn’t stop there. Judge, who has historically shown he’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty like his players, participated in the drill at the end as his players chanted his name as he dove in to cover up a loose ball.
“It was pretty exciting. That was my first time seeing something like that,” said linebacker Markus Golden.
“I was hyped up and excited to watch. And we ended it with Coach Judge (participating)—man, that was big time. He's coaching us about ball security, and he proved that what he does works because he got out there and did it himself.”
Linebacker Blake Martinez, who is entering his fifth NFL season, has never seen the approach used before either, but like Golden, he’s all for the change of pace.
“I think Coach Judge is always about efficiency, but he adds the fun aspect to it,” Martinez said.
Martinez said that this was the first time he was part of a practice where the drill was more reminiscent of common childhood games and activities. He noted that there have been some competitive games outside of the football realm in past camps he's been part of, like an egg toss, but nothing ever like the drill the Giants ran at the end of practice.
“We were working on ball security, recovering fumbles but making it a lot of fun for everybody around and a lot of fun for the guys that are doing it. It brings that kid feeling where you're on a Slip ‘N Slide, and it just made for a great way to end practice,” he said.
Golden, who every time he was asked about it broke into an ear-to-ear grin, agreed.
“Yeah, of course it was fun,” he said. “It shows you that football—it’s all work, but there ain't nothing wrong with mixing a little fun into it. And that was really exciting. Everybody got excited because it was fun. It was fun way to get a break.”
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The Giants pass rush is about to get a significant boost from a player that, although he can rush the passer, will see most of his work in the back end of the defense in coverage.
That would be defensive back Logan Ryan, who, once he completes the COVID-19 entry protocol, will join his new Giants teammates after a two-day break following the team’s final scrimmage Thursday afternoon.
Ryan is projected to start alongside veteran James Bradberry on the perimeter. Still, his talent is so diverse that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham must be drooling over the countless possibilities that a man with Ryan’s talents might allow him to do with different packages and sub-packages.
“He’s going to play a variety of roles for us, so if I gave you one answer right there, I’d be lying,” Judge said when asked what role he envisioned for Ryan. “One of his strengths really is versatility. We’re going to play him in different packages all over the field.”
One aspect that Ryan is expected to help improve is the Giants pass rush.
That’s right, the pass rush. Although Ryan’s five sacks last year with the Titans led all NFL cornerbacks, it’s his coverage ability that the Giants are hoping will help jumpstart the pass rush.
Edge rusher Markus Golden, who last year led the Giants in sacks with 10.0, hasn’t yet met Ryan, but he knows about him as a player. “From what I know, he's a good player and he made a lot of plays in this league,” said Golden.
“Anytime you can add a player like that with that kind of background, you excited to have him because you always want to get players to make the team better.”
Ryan’s ability to lock down receivers is going to be a big boost to a Giants pass rush, which of late has just missed finishing off sacks when the opposing quarterbacks have managed to get rid of the ball the moment the coverage on the back end of the Giants defense either let up or broke down.
“You want to be able to have time to get after the quarterback,” Golden said, agreeing that the front and back end of the defense work hand-in-hand on the pass rush. “So it works together. So anytime you got guys working together like that, it's usually successful.”
The Giants were set to audition four players Tuesday, including one familiar name from the past.
The familiar name is offensive lineman Jon Halapio, who has spent the off-season and summer continuing his rehab from a torn Achilles suffered in the Giants’ regular-season finale last year.
Halapio, the team’s starting center, has been diligently working to get back to his pre-injury form. While he would be unlikely to reclaim his starting job with the Giants if he were to sign—Nick Gates appears well on his way to locking that job up—what Halapio could do is provide some veteran depth at center and guard while also allowing the Giants to trim Spencer Pulley and his $2.35 million cap hit from the roster.
The Giants’ other tryouts were receivers Jaron Brown (Clemson) and Johnny Holton (Cincinnati), and quarterback Jalan McClendon out of Baylor.
