New York Giants: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Training Camp
The New York Giants made it through their second week of training camp, a week in which the only major news worth discussing is their two days of joint practices with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday and Wednesday.
New York will, of course, face the Bengals in the preseason opener, a contest in which the Giants will play most of their starters for no more than two series.
It will be the first opportunity to see in a game setting some of the new wrinkles that offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has installed, as well as the new defense that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has set up.
Until Friday’s kickoff, set for 7:30 p.m., let’s run down the latest storylines from Week 2 of training camp and break down what it all means.
Joint Practices with the Bengals Were a Success
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For 10 years, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was reluctant to put his team through a joint practice with another team.
Who could blame him? When he did so in 2005 against the Jets, instead of getting some quality work done, both teams ended up brawling, which did not make Coughlin a happy man.
Time heals all wounds, however, and the longtime Giants coach finally decided to give the idea of having a joint practice with an opponent another go-round.
This time the results were much different and much more pleasing to Coughlin, whose team accomplished quite a bit during two days of scrimmaging with the Cincinnati Bengals, its 2015 preseason-opening opponent.
“We did some good things and didn’t do some other things very well,” Coughlin told reporters. “It’s been two good days, and it gives us a lot of speed work in addition to the first preseason game, so that’s a good thing.”
It helped that Coughlin and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis have a cordial and trusting relationship; each man made it clear there was to be no extracurricular activity on the field.
That perhaps was the biggest thing for both sides as they finally got a chance to see how their respective teams were shaping up against live competition in a near gamelike setting.”
Starting Cornerbacks Are Ailing
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Last week, cornerback Prince Amukamara suffered what Coughlin characterized as a “little groin” issue during individual drills.
Meanwhile, his partner on the other side, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, admitted to reporters that he was battling through some things, one of which, according to Coughlin is “a slight groin issue.”
Well, when it comes to the Giants, there is rarely such a thing as a “little” or “slight” when describing injuries. The bottom line is that both starting cornerbacks are ailing, and while it is still early in the preseason, those soft tissue injuries sometimes do tend to linger.
Last year, the Giants never experienced having a fully healthy Rodgers-Cromartie and Amukamara on the field at the same time. That, of course, was something they were counting on having this season.
Again, while there is still a lot of time before the start of the regular season, the fact both are dealing with soft tissue injuries is a concern that’s hard to ignore, especially considering the inexperience that’s projected to start at safety.
Bennett Jackson Gets a Look as the Nickel Cornerback
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It has been quite a summer so far for first-year defensive back Bennett Jackson.
Jackson, who is trying to come back from a season-ending knee injury and who has been learning a new position (safety), has done so well with what has been heaped on his plate that the coaching staff has increased his responsibilities.
To recap, Jackson, who is dealing with a quad strain, has extensively worked with the starting defense at safety. He’s also stepped in as the punt team fullback, showing a nice burst down the field and the ability to be the first man down there to make a tackle.
This week, he received another new assignment, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media, and that is the nickel cornerback position.
The Giants have been looking for a replacement since losing Walter Thurmond III to free agency. Back in the spring, Spagnuolo admitted that as training camp progressed, the picture at this critical position would become clearer.
The team began with Trumaine McBride as the incumbent, but somewhere along the line, he lost his ground.
According to the Giants unofficial depth chart posted on the team’s website, McBride has slid down the depth chart behind Jayron Hosley.
“The thinking behind [Jackson playing the slot] is we are looking for someone to be the nickel, and we are trying a number of people in there and he got his shot,” Coughlin said following Wednesday’s joint practice with the Bengals.
Look for Jackson, who may be limited given his quad injury, to see time in the slot in Friday’s preseason opener.
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WR Rueben Randle Is Ailing
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The 2015 season is fourth-year receiver Rueben Randle’s contract season and a chance for him to prove to the Giants and the rest of the NFL that he can consistently be counted on each week.
So the last thing Randle probably needs anytime this year is an injury that costs him practice time. Yet that’s where Randle has found himself this week.
Coughlin told reporters Tuesday that Randle developed some tendinitis in his knee; sure enough, Randle was limited in practices with the Bengals this week and in fact missed most of Tuesday’s session while standing on the side sporting ice packs on both knees.
The good news is that Randle isn’t the first Giants player to have tendinitis this year. In the spring, tight end Larry Donnell went through it with his Achilles, and he has since gotten back up and running.
More recently, center Weston Richburg had it in his knee earlier in camp, but after missing a couple of practices, he too came back looking no worse for the wear.
Randle, whose status for Friday’s game is cloudy, should be fine moving forward, but it remains to be seen just how much work he’ll be able to get in games—if any at all.
Victor Cruz Will Not Play in the Preseason Opener
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The Giants’ plan for receiver Victor Cruz was to bring him along slowly, the focus being on having him ready to go full time by opening day.
So far so good, as Cruz has gradually increased his workload each day with no setbacks to his surgically repaired knee.
“It felt good,” he told reporters. “I was out there running around a little bit, everything felt kind of similar to what I had hoped, and I felt good in and out of breaks, getting open and things like that.”
Despite not missing any training camp practices, Coughlin said Cruz would not play in Friday’s preseason opener; in fact, there is a good chance Cruz might not see the field at all in preseason games this year.
While Cruz will leave the decision up to the Giants’ medical staff, he admitted he would like to get out there, if just for a handful of plays.
“I’d love at least one game, a couple snaps, whatever they feel is right,” he said. “I want to get little bit of work and get tackled a few times, and see how it feels and stuff like that, but that’s about it.”
Cruz is a natural competitor, so it is not surprising that he wants to be out there. With his rehab going so well and his confidence in his knee growing every day, he views getting some game snaps as one of the last remaining hurdles to the finish line.
“I think that’s pretty much it: game speed, game activity, getting tackled, getting up and getting back to the huddle for the next play and things like that. Getting into a rhythm—I think that’s next,” he said.
If that doesn’t happen, Cruz can take some comfort in knowing that he held up well against the Bengals over the last two days.
"I just wanted to play, man. I was just kind of looking at the defense, it kind of just felt like the normal everyday thing, just another team in front of you. Get a little bit of a challenge, get a little bit of some head-to-head things against them, and I did that today, and I felt good. It’s tough to get into a rhythm when you only have two plays per period; it’s hard to get warmed up for every period, but we made it happen.
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While he is itching to play in a game, the bottom line is that the slow and steady pace that the medical staff has taken with Cruz has put him in a good position to where he should be ready to roll when the games start to count.
Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.
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