New York Giants Training Camp Report: The Pads Will Soon Be Really Poppin’” Edition

By comparison to past Giants training camps, the first week of pads under new head coach Joe Judge has delivered everything he promised and then some in terms of physicality and intensity.

But apparently, we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Judge will conduct his first scrimmage practice with the team Friday, and that one promises to be the granddaddy of all the pad popping practices held thus far.

“Tomorrow will be a lot of ‘Put the ball down and play it out,’” head coach Joe Judge told reporters Thursday.

“Tomorrow is definitely gonna be a lot more of just being aware on the field, seeing the sticks, what's is the down and distance, (offensive coordinator) Jason (Garrett) call it, (defensive coordinator) Patrick (Graham) call it, (special teams coordinator) T-Mac (Thomas McGaughey) have his unit ready to go if it's third down going into fourth down…”

Someone's ready for the day!!! 👊 pic.twitter.com/ltJ3qYFMIT
— New York Giants (@Giants) August 20, 2020

Friday’s practice will be the first time the Giants get to partake in something that resembles a football game.

The coaches will be put to the test with calling out situations and plays to outsmart one another. The players will get a chance to demonstrate at a faster speed than what they’ve been doing at practice that they know what they’re doing. And Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman will get a better idea of what they have at each position and what they might need to upgrade with roster cuts coming up in early September.

“I’m extremely ready,” rookie safety Xavier McKinney said. “Whatever we might see, whatever we might get, it will definitely be fun to get out there and actually and be able to play freely without coaches yelling at you. Just going out there and playing, trying to make some plays.”

For the time being, Judge’s isn’t looking for one side to outduel the other or for a winner to emerge. What he wants to see is relatively simple.

“Let's just go ahead and play it out and see how smart our players can react, see how physical they can play and see how we can hold up our fundamentals and execution through a higher intent.”

So Far So Good

Considering the Giants, like the rest of the NFL teams, didn’t have a spring filled with on-field work, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Judge delivered a lukewarm assessment of where the team is at in terms of football.

But Judge gets it. He understands there will be some wrinkles that need to be ironed out since these guys haven’t been on the field until three weeks ago. So in formulating his opinion of where the team is currently at, Judge said he was pleased with the way they’ve been working.

“They come to work every day with a lot of enthusiasm and urgency,” he said.

“They're very coachable. These are guys that are very intuitive. The details that we're preaching within our program, I've seen a lot of camaraderie being built through the competition on the field, as well as the interaction off the field and the meeting rooms and the dining hall and the locker room.

"You're starting to see a lot of the personalities really start to come out. So it's a fun group to work with. I love coming to work every day.”

But while Judge is encouraged by what he’s seen, he’s not ready to categorize what this team is, claiming it’s way too soon to do so. Judge believes it’s not about what a team is today, but the direction it’s headed and to prove his point, he cited an example last year from his time with the Patriots in their home-and-away series with Miami, one of their division foes whose defense was coordinated by current Giant defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

In Week 2, the Patriots slammed the Dolphins 42-0 on the road. In Week 17 the Dolphins, who lost their first seven games of the 2019 season, strung together back-to-back wins to close out the 2019 season, including a hard-fought 27-24 win over the Patriots on their home turf.

“That's important to me,” Judge said of the week-to-week progress. “To me, it's not what you are right now; it's where are you building towards, where's this progress going.”

The Forbidden Topic

Two years ago, new Giants kicker Graham Gano, then a member of the Panthers, nailed a 63-yard game-winning field in the closing seconds of regulation to beat the Giants 33-31 in what was as big of a heartbreaking loss as they come.

So you’ll forgive Gano, who correctly anticipated that would be the first question he’d get from reporters if he doesn’t feel comfortable discussing that record-setting kick now that he’s with the team whose heart he broke that day.

“I think it’s probably best if I don’t talk about that much here. That was a good memory. I’m definitely excited to be here now and hopefully, too many people don’t bring that up,” he said.

Speaking of Gano, he said he’s not worried about kicking in the swirling winds that tend to be present late in the season in the northeast.

“I don’t think it’s too difficult,” he said, noting that between playing for Washington for a few years, and against the Jets and Giants, he has a feel for kicking in the elements.

“Over the course of a career, you kind of learn how to manipulate the wind in different ways. It’s just one of those things you deal with, the conditions, as they come so I don’t really worry about it too much.”

“Wherever Coach Wants Me”

Need more proof that this Giants team has bought into what head coach Joe Judge is preaching?

Ask any player where he thinks he might be a fit, where his best position is, or what the plans are for him and you’ll get the same answer every single time:

“Wherever coach wants me.”

That’s not simply a matter of the players playing stupid as much as it is to them keeping an open mind. And this is another welcome change from recent years as in the past, some would talk the talk but not walk the walk.

This group so far does seem to mean it, but in terms of the bigger picture, this is just another way that Judge is making sure no one inadvertently drops any hints that the opponents might be able to use to their advantage to thwart the Giants chance at starting the 2020 season on a positive note.

Best Wishes to Cody Core

Injuries are never fun for anyone, but especially not for those who suffer them.

So here’s sending a ton of credit and respect to receiver Cody Core, who tore his Achilles this week and is out for the season.

Core worked himself from being a waiver wire pickup into a top special teams performer who earned a new contract and who was also on track to perhaps seeing an increased role on offense before fate so cruelly took away all he has worked for.

But kudos to this young man for his upbeat attitude. Hey, he rose from the ashes once before, and there’s no doubt he’ll do it again.

God is great! Thankful for all the prayers and support! It means everything to me!!Much love! #staytuned
— Cody Core (@c_core17) August 20, 2020

Blue Notes

If you’ve been waiting for running back Saquon Barkley to be turned loose in the passing game, this might just be the year it happens.

With both Judge and Garrett having vowed to put players in a position to do what they do best, one of Barkley’s most underrated and underutilized skills has been his receiving ability out of the backfield.

At Penn State, Barkley finished his three-year career with 102 receptions for 1,195 yards and eight receiving touchdowns. But since joining the Giants, he’s been targeted 194 times, catching 143 balls for 1,159 yards and six touchdowns, most of those pass targets and receptions dump-offs.

To be fair, the second-level and downfield blocking by the Giants offensive linemen and receivers often left something to be desired last year, and it also didn’t help matters that Barkley was trying to push through a high ankle sprain.

So the combination of a healthy Barkley, a more creative offensive coordinator and an offensive line that improved its athleticism could unlock Barkley as more of passing game threat than he’s been thus far.

*The more you hear about backup quarterback Colt McCoy, the more the team’s decision to sign him makes sense.

McCoy has not only been a leader in the classroom—he’s the most experienced in terms of game snaps of all the Giants quarterbacks—he’s also shown leadership off it when, earlier this year, he helped Daniel Jones coordinate a workout for teammates at the University of Texas.

McCoy threw one of the prettiest passes of the day, a back shoulder face to receiver David Sills V, who beat Grant Haley in coverage.

What’s been good about McCoy has been his acceptance of his role. Whereas guys who were once a starter might hold out for the opportunity to start elsewhere, McCoy has accepted his role as a backup and mentor Daniel Jones, giving the Giants continuity in that regard following the retirement of Eli Manning.

*Cornerback Corey Ballentine was held out of most of the 11-on-11 drills, but Judge said that decision wasn’t injury-related. “We're really just trying to structure everyone's legs right now to really get them into tomorrow's scrimmage and let them go full tilt,” he said.

Get the latest Giants news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of the page. Or sign up to receive our free daily newsletter.

Add us as a preferred source on Google