Blue Notes: Giants Like Big Centers, The Forgotten Man, and Does This Veteran Have to Compete for a Job
Giants head coach Joe Judge has insisted almost from Day 1 that everyone on the team will have to compete for a roster.
But let’s be real. Does anyone really think running back Saquon Barkley or quarterback Daniel Jones or defensive lineman Leonard Williams will have to compete for a roster spot?
Of course not.
What about their top free-agent acquisition, cornerback James Bradberry?
Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson tried to playfully swat the question away by saying the decision as above his pay grade, but then added, “Everybody is going to compete and have to compete,” he said Friday on a video conference call with reporters. “That’s just the way it is in this program. Joe’s made it very plain to us that everybody competes. Nobody is given anything. Even Bradberry has to go out and compete.”
A PARCELLS KIND OF GUY. When Bill Parcells was head coach of the Giants, he used to refer to his offensive linemen as lunch pail guys.
The moniker was Parcells' way of complimenting his starting offensive linemen for being the kind of guys who showed up to work with their lunch pails, did their jobs well, and went hem at the end of the day.
Marc Colombo, the Giants offensive line coach, was never part of that Giants offensive line group, but he did play for Parcells in Dallas after the Bears gave up on their former first-round draft pick after three injury-filled seasons. And for that, Colombo is eternally grateful to the Giants head coach who went to work for a brief time for the enemy.
“Yeah, Coach Parcells revived my career. He saw something in me when I was hurt, and no other team would take a chance on me. I owe him a lot. He pushed me to be something better than I ever thought I could be,” Colombo recalled during a video conference call with reporters Friday.
“I’m forever indebted for that. I’d run through a wall if he asked me to right now. That’s the type of respect I have for him, and that’s the influence he’s had on me.”
Colombo also learned a thing or two about coaching from the Hall of Fame head coach, who was known for pushing his guys to their limits and then beyond.
“That’s the way I try to go in and coach the guys hard like that,” Colombo said. “Yeah, he’s been a tremendous influence and I owe him a lot.”
THE NO NAMES. There’s a lot of things different about this year’s training camp, but one of the little subtle things that carries some significant weight is that the Giants are working without the player names on the back of the jersey for the first time in recent memory.
If this is per head coach Joe Judge’s instructions, it’s a smart motivational move that sends a message to the players in this early part of team building that no one man is bigger than the team.
It’s also a chance for the players to earn the right for their name to be known if they do what is asked of them and then some. The tactic reminds me of how the Cowboys in 2011, then coached by Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, made the rookies earn the star decal on the side of their helmets.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN. Remember running back Wayne Gallman?
He was a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft who ran for 476 yards on 111 carries and caught 34 balls for 193 yards and one touchdown in Ben McAdoo’s offense in his rookie season.
After showing promise, Gallman suddenly started a downward slide, losing any chance he had of pushing to become the Giants' top dog when the team drafted Saquon Barkley the next year with the second overall pick in the draft.
Gallman saw his carries sliced in half. Then last year, he soon saw his playing time evaporate as after playing in 10 games, Gallman suddenly found himself a healthy scratch for the last quarter of the season for no apparent reason.
This year, Gallman is getting a fresh start with a new coaching staff. He has a position coach who is familiar with him from his time in college as a coach and administrator but who appreciates Gallman’s constant desire to grow as a player.
“I see a guy that’s coming to work every day, that’s working really hard,” said running backs coach Burton Burns. “I had a history with Wayne as far as we competed against his team in college. I kind of followed his career, I knew him a little. His personality is like all the players that I’ve coached. He’s got his competitive nature.”
Whether that competitive nature saves Gallman’s roster spot remains to be seen. The Giants bought in Dion Lewis in the off-season to presumably back up Barkley, which makes one wonder how much of a role Gallman might have on this team, especially since this is the final year of his rookie deal.
We’ll find out what the future holds for Gallman soon enough.
GIANTS LIKE THEIR CENTERS BIG. If the Giants are worried about 6’5” Nick Gates playing center and keeping his pad level down, they’re not letting on.
The proper pad level is something that offensive line coach Marc Colombo can teach. But height and anchor, which Gates has, is something that can’t be taught.
“We like big centers,” Colombo said. “I worked with Travis Frederick in Dallas and he’s a big center—big, athletic, strong. We’re looking for centers that can anchor the middle.”
The Giants continue to insist that Gates is in the mix at center, but with an unexpected opening at right tackle opening thanks to Nate Solder opting out, Andrew Thomas, who was projected to play right tackle, will likely move to the left side.
Head coach Joe Judge has insisted that the players will be cross-trained in as many positions as possible while the coaches figure out who fits in where.
As for Gates, whom Colombo called an “alpha male,” the third-year player knows how to play the center position. Colombo said Gates just has to have the live reps to put what he knows into practice.
“It’s working his set. It’s working the depth of his sets, it’s working the calls, the line stunts, that type of stuff. He just has to see it all. Again, he’s new to the position, so he’s seeing stuff for the first time. As we get him more reps and give him more looks, he’s going to become more confident,” he said.
THIS ‘N THAT. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams passed his physical Friday morning and was activated off the Non-Football injury list, where he had been since August 2. … Rookie offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was excused from practice due to a personal matter. …
Receiver Cody White, acquired earlier this week, is the son of former Giants DB Sheldon White (1988-89). Sheldon is executive director of player personnel and recruiting for the Michigan State Spartans, where Cody attended college. …
The external media will be allowed to view Giants training camp practices starting Monday; however, they will not be permitted to live-tweet nor disclose player personnel deployment. … The Giants will hold their first scrimmage on Friday.
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