Giants vs. Browns: Three Things to Watch in Preseason Game 2
The New York Giants were on the move this week in search of taking another temperature of how far the team has come.
This time around, it was against the Cleveland Browns, with whom the Giants held joint practices ahead of their preseason game Sunday.
The Browns, unlike the rebuilding Jets whom the Giants saw in the preseason opener last week, are a team that's coming off a playoff berth last season and are one that offered a good litmus test for Giants head coach Joe Judge to assess just how far his team has come along.
While the practices themselves were scaled back just a bit to keep the players safe--there was no tackling to the ground and no hitting allowed of the quarterbacks--the Giants will get a better look at how far they've come when they face the Browns in live game action Sunday.
Here are some bigger picture things to watch for in that game.
Can the Giants Stand Toe-to-Toe with the Browns?
Yes, it’s a preseason game, and the outcome doesn’t matter, but the Browns, a playoff team last year that’s projected to be back in the postseason this year, have been a great litmus test for the Giants to see how far they’ve come since the spring.
And judging by reports out of Cleveland following the joint practices, the Giants very much showed they belonged on the same field as the Browns with several positive showings.
The most notable one was the Giants’ pass rush, which was able to generate pressure against the Browns’ stellar offensive line.
And speaking of offensive lines, the Giants’ unit, which admittedly didn’t have to worry about top Browns pass rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, held up well against Cleveland’s push. Meanwhile, the Giants' defensive secondary was all over the Browns' receivers, limiting their big plays.
Yes, there was a lot to like from the Giants over the two days, but they need to continue showing that on the gridiron, even if the game’s outcome doesn’t matter.
Roster Deployment
Giants head coach Joe Judge said during his final media briefing before the game that no decisions had been made regarding personnel deployment, but it’s hard to believe that Judge doesn’t at least have an idea as to what he plans to do.
The Giants’ dress rehearsal won’t come until next week against the Patriots, at which time the starters will see the bulk of the snaps. A few might see a sprinkling of snaps here and there this week, but after a week's worth of solid practices against the Browns, unless there is something more Judge wants to see from a specific starter, it probably doesn't make sense to risk injury.
Speaking of deployment, with five roster moves coming up a couple of days after this game, pay attention to the healthy scratches.
Will Any Bad Blood Spill Over from Friday's Practice?
The Giants and Browns joint practices were rather spirited and professional until the end when a frustrated Browns cornerback Troy Hill got into a physical altercation with Giants receiver Sterling Shepard, who earlier in practice had been making a few plays against Hill.
Giants head coach Joe Judge has made it crystal clear to his players that he doesn’t want them engaging in extracurricular activities outside of the game’s parameters itself that could result in penalty yards against the team or player ejections.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski shares Judge’s thinking on the matter. It’s pretty much a given that the players will not only be reminded of this again before they take the field.
Will any bad blood spill over to the game itself in the form of an extra hard hit by the Browns against the Giants? Something to watch for sure.
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