Giants Voluntary Minicamp Takeaways and Observations

There's a new vibe at 1925 Giants Drive, home of the New York Football Giants, and it has spread faster than you can say "voluntary minicamp."

"Honestly, it's just been good energy throughout the building," said defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II. "Guys are eager to get the playbook down. The coaches are pushing it on us. New install every day, so we focus on trying to get the morale right and continue to have fun out here."

You've probably heard this before, though, with the Giants following a change in the coaching staff, of which they are currently on their fourth new group since Tom Coughlin resigned after the 2015 season.

It's the honeymoon period, a natural thing as players and coaches get to know one another to build a relationship when the pressure isn't there. But early feedback on his group has certainly been positive.

"I'm glad that I came to OTAs,” said defensive lineman Leonard Williams. “They've been doing a good job just letting us know that it's our team at the end of the day."

The question is, how does this staff vary from the last staff, as led by Joe Judge, who was also widely viewed as a breath of fresh air when he was hired.

The answer seems to be in the approach. Brian Daboll, the new head coach, is as laid back as they come, but that's not to be mistaken for not caring or someone who will be wasting time.

Daboll, for instance, has allowed the return of the ping pong table in the locker room (per one of Tae Crowder's Instagram stories), which Judge banished from the Pat Shurmur days. Safety Xavier McKinney told the New York Post that communication in the building isn't as uptight as it was previously and told the story of how he FaceTimed with Daboll, who was smoking a cigar while speaking with the safety.

"Speaking as far as Dabs, he comes in with a lot of energy, coming in, pretty much showing us this is not going to be the same Giants as last year," said receiver Kenny Golladay. "He put his own twist on things, a lot of things.

"There's a lot energy going on in the building. People staying longer. I feel like we're more together in a little bit of time."

It's been a pressure-free atmosphere, but not necessarily one that lacks a sense of urgency. And credit goes to Daboll for creating that kind of atmosphere.

"I think that's part of leadership, building something that the guys can be proud of," Daboll said of the current atmosphere.

"Again, we're a long way away. Right now, all I ask them to do is focus on today, what can we do to get better from yesterday, not make more out of it than it is because we have a long way to go.

"Keep building that chemistry together--go out together to dinner, see a basketball game, go to a hockey game. I think that's important. Off-field relationships--they don't have to be best of friends, but it helps because you have each other's back when you do.

"When things are tough -- they'll get tough, they always do in this league -- you can lean on the guy next to you when you are having a tough time. You know that guy has got your back. That's important."

Toney a No Show

Second-year receiver Kadarius Toney was one of a small handful of players not present at the workout, but he was the one who drew the most scrutiny.

On the surface shouldn't be a big deal considering the program's voluntary nature. But his absence drew the most questions, largely because Toney has reportedly yet to show up for any off-season program, which began April 4. And in having not shown up, the second-year receiver hasn't received his playbook.

"This is a voluntary camp," Daboll said. "The guys that are here, we're going to work with. The guys that aren't, they're going to miss out on some things. It's voluntary for a reason. That's the nature of the rules."

The Giants will never publicly admit to being irked with a player for skipping out on a voluntary workout, as doing so could incur the wrath of the NFLPA.

While it's Toney's choice what to do with his time, the optics of his absence aren't promising.

Last year, Toney battled through a tumultuous rookie campaign in which he didn't haul in a single touchdown reception.

He also battled through injuries and two rounds of COVID and, at one point, was thought to have been frustrated with his situation when he posted a cryptic message on Instagram, which he later insisted had nothing to do with the Giants or his role.

That's all in the past, as Daboll seeks to give every player a fresh start. But unless the circumstances surrounding Toney's choice are dire, again, it puts him in a bad light.

"I've had good talks with K.T., good talks with some of the other guys," Daboll said. "I'm encouraged with where we are with our participation, what we've been doing. We're going to keep working in the right direction."

"It's life. Life happens," added general manager Joe Schoen. "I've had good conversations with Kadarius. We've been in contact. It's voluntary. That's what it is."

If Toney's teammates are irked over his absence, they weren't letting on.

"I do know this is voluntary," said Williams when asked whether he urged his teammates to show up for this voluntary camp. "I even questioned if I was going to be here or not at the start. You have to respect everybody's decision because it is a voluntary program."

"I haven't talked to him in a while," said receiver Kenny Golladay. I'm pretty sure he has something going on. Everything will work out. I'm pretty sure he's talked to the coaches and everything. It's my job and the rest of the receivers, the receivers coach, to get him back on track."

Golladay Rejuvenated

What a difference an off-season has made for Kenny Golladay.

Last year the receiver, fresh off signing his four-year, $72 million deal, seemed uptight, frustrated, and, at times, disinterested in playing football with each passing week as the offense's struggles continued to grow.

But now? Golladay was more relaxed and less defensive as he took to the podium after Day 2 of the team's voluntary minicamp. He was smiling more and gave longer, more thoughtful answers than he did as last year wore on.

One thing Golladay said that stuck out was his response to why he chose to attend the voluntary program.

"I guess you could say that's how much it means to me, especially coming off last season—just trying to start on a good note," he said.

Golladay did his best last year not to come across as a complainer, but he was frustrated by how his maiden season as a Giant turned out between the injuries, his deployment in the offense, and the team's season in general.

But now he's far more relaxed and raring to go.

"There's a lot of energy going around," he said. "People are actually excited. People are ready to be back. After last year, leaves a bad taste in your mouth that you want to get out. I know for me at least, I was ready to get started."

Last year, Golladay was targeted 76 times and caught just 37 passes for 521 yards and no touchdowns. And while he's only about two days into learning the new offense, it has him excited.

"A lot of plays that can trick a defense–a lot of guys moving around," he said.

Also, some shades of how Daboll, the former Bills offensive coordinator, deployed Stefon Diggs?

"For sure," he said. "I'm excited, man. A lot of stuff is coming in. They're putting a lot of stuff on my plate. We just got to make things happen."

Quick Hits

-- Daboll said he hasn't decided who will call plays on offense this season, but he did confirm that he gave offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who has never called plays on the NFL level, a chance to be in the quarterback's ear during this minicamp.

-- The new Giants offense had some interesting alignments regarding the receivers and route concepts. Perhaps the most exciting development was how many plays seemed to take advantage of getting running back Saquon Barkley into space using different patterns, including the wheel route.

-- Not to be outdone, defensively, Don "Wink" Martindale had some interesting looks, including a 2-2 front in which the two defensive interior guys had their hand in the dirt, and the two outside guys stood up. Martindale also ran a few more amoeba looks.

-- Don't get too caught up on any reports you read about personnel deployments, as it's all subject to change once the draft class gets in here. And once that happens, Daboll said they would look to increase the position flexibility across the board.

"When it is live, full-speed periods, we will do that," he said. "Flexibility has always been important defensively, offensively, in the kicking game. We get so many people to go to a game with. We'll get to that. Right now, we're learning where to go on stretch lines."

Daboll said that a depth chart doesn't currently exist; rather, he said a "rep chart" is in place. Also, he plans on trying out players at different spots once the OTAs bring.

-- A few noticeable things jumped out regarding how Daboll runs a practice. First, he kept the music turned up during individual instruction. Under Joe Judge, the music was turned down once the players broke out of warmups.

Daboll also had the big scoreboard that first appeared during Judge's tenure moved from across the field, next to the field house. The clock on the scoreboard was set to a 12-minute increment countdown, presumably to correspond with the length of time established for the various periods within the practice.

Also notable was the return of post-practice stretching, which is something not seen since the Tom Coughlin days. After practice ended, the players did some stretching before being dismissed.

-- In yet another sign of the times that things are going back to the pre-COVID era, the testing trailer that resided in the parking lot adjacent to the team's headquarters is gone. And for the first time since the pandemic began, the team held the general manager's pre-draft press conference in its auditorium.

--Several of the rehabbing players went through the job-through pace practice sporting red jerseys. Speaking of rehab players, receiver Sterling Shepard made a quick appearance on the field before heading inside. And offensive lineman Nick Gates, whom I didn't see walking with any noticeable limp, did some bike work as he pushes forward in his quest to be ready for this season.

Join the Giants Country Community

Sign up for our FREE digest newsletter
Follow and like us on Facebook
Submit your questions for our mailbag
Listen and subscribe to the daily LockedOn Giants podcast.
Subscribe and like the new LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
Sign up for our FREE message board forums

Add us as a preferred source on Google