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New York Giants Notebook |  A Preparation Glimpse, Linebacker Bromance, and More

Notable leftovers from Monday's Giants media sessions.

It's a short work week for the Giants, but that doesn't mean there are any breaks.

With a critical Week 7 showdown against the Eagles on Thursday night, the Giants are officially out of time to celebrate their first win and will need to get deep into the grind of preparing for their next opponent.

However, that preparation already started.

Head coach Joe Judge has made it a priority to pre-plan for each of the Giants' opponents and admitted that he gets started on upcoming opponents weeks in advance.

"I always try to work weeks ahead," Judge said. "Especially knowing it's a Thursday game, you want to work a couple weeks ahead to really build your base on them. For me personally, I'm always a week ahead on the opponent as it is anyway."

While it is common practice in football not to look ahead and stay focused on only the next opponent, Judge's strategy could prove to be fortuitous this week, as the Giants will only have three days to prepare for their opponent from their last game.

"I've always done, that's something I've gotten accustomed to doing through what I've done at different places," Judge said.

"You rely on your notes, you watch the tape on Monday from the previous game the night before, you update where you think you are with everything, and then that helps you as far as your planning day on Tuesday and going into Wednesday and Thursday, putting together the game plan.

"If you wait until the game week to really start diving into the next opponent, I don't think there's enough time to really dedicate recapping your game from the day before, getting into a new opponent, really learning what they are."

O-Line Gets a Jump on Eagles

Center Nick Gates revealed that the Giants' offensive linemen came in on their off-day Monday to get started on watching film of the Eagles.

"The O-line met I think for an hour by ourselves and just watched film and tried to get a little bit ahead before tomorrow," Gates said.

"The coaches aren't going to be able to give you every single look this week just being a short week and being walkthrough practices instead of contact, live practices. I think it's more on the players this week."

The Giants' offensive line has become very familiar with the Eagles' defensive front over the years, mostly in losing efforts, as the Eagles have recorded 14 sacks against the Giants' last four meetings.

That makes this week of preparation for the offensive line that much more important, and that much useful, as that consistency within the Eagles' defense will give the Giants a familiar unit to gameplan around as they head into Thursday's game.

"They're in the division, so we play them twice a year, so we kind of know who they are and what kind of defense they run and their scheme already," Gates said. "It's just seeing what new things they put in this year versus last year, what different personnel they have and players they got.

"That's probably the main thing. But the Eagles are pretty much, they run the same defense as last year to this year, so that helps us."

Linebacker Bromance

The Giants' linebacker group was the star unit of the team's Week 6 win over the Washington Football Team.

In a low-scoring slugfest, it was, in fact, the linebackers that create the Giants' go-ahead touchdown when Kyler Fackrell strip-sacked quarterback Kyle Allen and created a fumble that rookie Tae Crowder returned for a score.

Inside linebacker and Blake Martinez was not surprised by his teammates' game-changing sequence and expects them to continue this future trend.

Martinez knows Fackrell very well, as they spent the first four years of their respective careers in Green Bay before coming to New York this offseason.

"Kyler has a good toolset with a lot of versatility to it," Martinez said. "Whether it's dropping in coverage, rushing, setting the edge against the run, whatever it may be. He does a good job of really applying all his tools to it.

"He's got good instincts and savvy to be able to understand, especially as the game goes on when he makes a lot of plays, what his opponent has been showing him, what he can use to kind of set that guy up to go make a play ... He's made a lot of plays for us when his number has been called, we're happy to have him."

Meanwhile, Martinez was only just introduced to the rookie Crowder this season, but he has quickly developed a close relationship with his young teammate.

Crowder's touchdown was just as proud a moment for Martinez as it was for Crowder.

"It was an awesome moment. It's one of those things where it's like a proud dad moment," Martinez said. "Throughout training camp and all that, he was one of those rookies who doesn't say much--he goes to work every single day, and once he's gotten that opportunity, it's been amazing to see him flourish out there.

"He just feels so comfortable being able to make calls, make everything simpler even for me out there. It's cool to see him obviously get that touchdown this last game. I was proud of him."