New York Giants Notebook: On Board the Wayne Train, The Iron Man, and More
Sterling Shepard is the longest-tenured Giants player, having joined the team in 2016 as a second-round pick out of Oklahoma. As such, he’s seen his share of players come and go, but those he does get the chance to be teammates with, he takes great pride in becoming one of their biggest cheerleaders.
Such is the case for Wayne Gallman, who joined the Giants a year after Shepard. Gallman, a fourth-round pick out of Clemson in 2017, ran 111 times for 476 yards as a rookie, showing some intriguing promise as a potential piece to the Giants running game.
However, when the Giants had a coaching change after the 2017 season, Gallman mysteriously found himself in the doghouse, his contributions fading from the Giants scene.
This year with Saquon Barkley on injured reserve with a knee injury, Gallman is finally getting that second chance that he never got after his rookie season, and he’s making the most of it. He currently has run for 275 yards on 69 carries with five touchdowns and has 13 receptions for 75 yards as he works as part of a rotation with Dion Lewis, Alfred Morris, and Eli Penny.
That group, who also gets some yardage contributed by quarterback Daniel Jones, will be seeking its sixth straight 100-yard rushing performance this weekend against the Bengals.
Shepard couldn’t be happier that his friend is finally getting a chance to be a part of the team’s effort to win games. for his friend
“Wayne and I had a talk whenever it was his week to be the starting back and I told him straight up, ‘This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Go get it,’” Shepard said.
“I’ve always had faith in Wayne ever since they beat us in college, so I’ve seen him run the ball for years now and I couldn’t wait for him to get this opportunity.”
Gallman will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
The Iron Man
Last year, quarterback Daniel Jones connected with receiver Darius Slayton for the first time in a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals on a pass that went for 27 yards.
That was Slayton’s only reception of the game and the preseason, for that matter, since a hamstring strain knocked the receiver out of the rest of the preseason and the first two games of the regular season.
The Giants won that game 25-23 victory, but unbeknownst to anyone at the time, a special on-field relationship was born.
“That was a big play in the game,” Jones recalled. “I remember because (Carlos) Dunlap had just knocked the wind out of me and I was struggling to breathe a little. But that was an incredible play by Darius, and maybe kind of foreshadowed the things to come from him and his many plays he’s made since then.”
Since then, Slayton has been one of Jones’s most frequently targeted receivers, and he hasn’t disappointed.
Over the last two seasons, Slayton’s 11 receiving touchdowns, most of those thrown by Jones, leads the team.
And the young receiver, a fifth-round draft pick no less, has continued to be an integral part of the Giants offense. He currently is tied with tight end Evan Engram for the most receptions on this year’s team (38), but Slayton’s receiving yard total (584 yards) has Engram’s (347 yards) beaten by a mile.
Slayton, who right now is probably the only legitimate deep threat the Giants have, has a 131.6 NFL rating when targeted on passes of 20+ yards this season. He’s also fought through a foot sprain and has had to do battle against increased attention he’s received from defenses.
“This guy is a mentally tough guy,” Judge said of Slayton. “This guy has had things going back to training camp he’s had to fight through. You never hear him complain. You never hear any excuse from him. The only thing he ever asks the trainers is, ‘What can I do today? How much more can I do? Where can I push to?’
“He just keeps working on the field. He’s a tough dude, he’s tough-minded. He’s made big plays for us. Ironic since it’s Iron Bowl week, most of the Auburn players I’ve been fortunate enough to coach have all been tough dudes like Darius. He hasn’t disappointed.”
Gobble Til You Wobble
Giants head coach Joe Judge outlined the team's practice plan for Thanksgiving Day.
“You can call it a normal Thursday for us. It will be virtual meetings, it will be on the field normal practice,” Judge said.
Judge said the plan was to let the players off by 1:30 to spend time with their loved ones. On Friday, they will reconvene with Judge, having adjusted the schedule to make up for the lost time from Thursday.
“(Thursday) is obviously a critical day. It’s Thursday, we work on the situations--two-minute, third down, we introduce red area review on early downs. We get all the special teams work on Thursday. Thursday is a big day for us,” Judge said.
“We want to make sure that we take time, we understand that it is still Thanksgiving. There are certain days of the year you have to make sure you dedicate. Family is a critical part of it, friends are a critical part of it. We have to make sure that when the work’s done we can go home. Guys can put their hair down--that refers to Nate Ebner more than anybody, I guess—they can kind of relax and spend a little time with their loved ones.”
Look Me in the Eye
The NFL’s reliance on technology and, in particular, video conference meetings has never been like it has this year. So to make sure that everyone is tuned in to the video meetings, Judge requires the players to turn their cameras on so that he can see their eyes.
“Yeah, if we don’t see your eyes, then you ain’t there,” Judge said. “I learned in the spring real fast. I have a 10-year old who figured out he can put ‘…Connecting’ on the bottom of his zoom and the teacher just wouldn’t call on him. You have to learn all these little tricks and stay ahead of it. We have to see your eyes and know you’re locked into the meeting.”
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