New York Giants: What We've Learned Through Week 3 of Preseason
The New York Giants wrapped up training camp on Thursday and are perhaps no closer to having answers to some questions than they were at the start of camp.
Of course, a big reason why they have so many questions is because of injuries that have prevented continuity from forming and young players from taking that next step into evolving into building blocks at their respective positions.
That brings us to this week’s news round-up, which looks at some key injuries, “spa days” and one of the biggest things the Giants need to improve before the preseason wraps up next week against the New England Patriots.
LB Jon Beason Is Sidelined by Injury Again
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New year, same story for linebacker Jon Beason.
The starting middle linebacker’s offseason work ethic is second to none as he comes into camp every year in optimal physical position. However, for all the work he does to sculpt himself, Beason just can’t seem to stay on the field.
What’s more is that the culprit behind his inability to stay on the field is the same every year: his legs. This year, he’s dealing with a knee sprain that will likely sideline him for the rest of the preseason and possibly beyond.
On a conference call earlier in the week with reporters, a defiant Beason, who said his latest injury occurred when he fell to the ground while breaking up a pass play, stressed that he will be back in time for the regular-season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Yeah, I totally believe that I can and I have my mind made up,” he said. “I’ll do everything I can humanly possible to make sure that that happens. And I don’t want just straight on Sunday—I want to get back in time for preparation for that [Dallas] game.”
While it’s hard to find fault with his spirit, he’s probably not being realistic in his expectations.
First, head coach Tom Coughlin has classified Beason as being “week to week.” Obviously, Beason, who not only didn’t practice this week but wasn’t even out on the field to watch with his teammates as he was last year when he was on the PUP list with a toe injury, isn’t going to play against the New York Jets.
With a short turnaround—the Giants close out the preseason against the Patriots next Thursday—Beason isn’t going to be in that game either.
Want some additional supporting evidence that Beason probably won’t be ready for Week 1? While every injury is different, remember that last year Rashad Jennings suffered a sprained knee that Coughlin classified as “week to week” and Jennings ended up missing four games because of that ailment.
One final thing regarding Beason: The last thing he or the Giants should do is rush him back onto the field until he’s as close to 100 percent as possible. Just look at some recent history of players trying to get back on the field before they might have been ready—two examples that come to mind include safety Nat Berhe (calf) and, in 2013, fullback Henry Hynoski (knee).
The Giants speak about how important it is to be able to rely on players. While it’s admirable that Beason wants to be out there, the medical staff should slow him down for his own good.
S Nat Berhe's 2015 Season Is in Doubt
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It’s been a frustrating offseason for second-year safety Nat Berhe.
With a starting job right there for the taking, Berhe developed a calf issue back in the spring that kept him off the field throughout OTAs.
He passed his training-camp physical, but unfortunately he hasn’t been on the field much this summer. In fact, twice now Berhe has attempted to come back after resting his calf injury, only to set himself back.
His latest setback happened this week. Berhe was back on the practice field Tuesday, going all out like a man who was trying to make up for lost time. Then on Wednesday, he was nowhere to be found during practice, with the team announcing that he had re-aggravated his calf.
If that isn’t bad enough, Berhe’s 2015 season hangs in doubt, according to Art Stapleton of The Record, who reported that Berhe will undergo surgery on his calf.
That’s not good news for the safety position, which has been decimated by injuries. Unfortunately, Berhe appears to be the latest to fall to the injury. It looks as though the Week 1 safeties might just have to be Jeromy Miles and Brandon Meriweather.
Odell Beckham Jr. Doesn't Plan on Changing His Ways
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NFL and TV executives are no doubt thrilled that a young, fresh and exciting talent such as receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has burst onto the scene.
And why not? His presence translates into TV ratings and merchandise sales.
However, Beckham’s peers aren’t always appreciative of what the young man brings to the table, in particular his brash, in-your-face style. Last week, two Jacksonville defenders appeared ready to deliver a knockout blow to Beckham, who wisely pulled up short in his route to avoid such a needless hit.
“I could rub a lot of people the wrong way if they don’t know me, so I’m sure a lot of it was cause for me, being who I am, and dancing and having fun,” he said.
“I’m sure that if you were going against me, you wouldn’t want to see that. I wouldn’t want a DB breaking up the ball every single play and him dancing all in my face as well. I could understand why things may be the way they are and you are going to have to be able to handle it.”
Despite knowing that he is setting himself up to be a potential target of a cheap shot, Beckham insists he is still going to be himself.
“I still have to play with the same passion and come to the field the same way every time,” he said. “People are going to talk, you’re going to talk, you get caught up in the game, it’s heat of the moment, things are going to get said, and after the game, all is forgotten.
“At the end of the day, you’re out there to compete, so there are no hard feelings or bad blood between anybody that you ever play against. It’s just kind of one of those things, I want to do better than you, I don’t want you to be able to leave the field and say you got the best of me, or anything like that.”
That’s all well and good, but for a player who also told reporters that he has his eyes on Eli Manning all the time in order to observe how Manning conducts his business, Beckham would be wise to quickly adapt the quarterback's robotic-like reactions after a big play, and soon.
The Giants need Beckham on the field this year—it’s that simple. There is no reason why he can’t play with passion and fire and have the same results as he had last season.
However, he does need to inject some better sportsmanship into the mix if he wants to continue to prove to the league why he is the best at his position.
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Marshall Newhouse Is OK
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When offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse fell to the ground in a heap of pain while running to the second level during Wednesday’s practice, things didn’t look good at all.
Newhouse, whom the team later said was stepped on in the practice drill, immediately grabbed the back of his ankle and had to be helped off the field.
He was unable to put any weight on his injured foot and was soon spotted with a large ice wrap around the injured area as the entire slate of team doctors and team co-owner John Mara came over to investigate the extent of Newhouse’s injury.
The good news is that Newhouse’s injury apparently looked worse than it was. Tom Rock of Newsday reported that Newhouse suffered a simple flesh wound and said that Newhouse was feeling much better though he wasn’t sure if he’d be ready to play Saturday night against the Jets.
Love him or hate him, had Newhouse gone down with a significant injury causing him to miss time, that would not have been a good thing for the Giants, who remain one injury away at offensive tackle from having to declare the position an official disaster.
Newhouse hasn’t been quite the disaster at right tackle that many people were expecting. While he’s far from being a long-term solution, he’s graded out well, particularly in run blocking.
Per Pro Football Focus, Newhouse has allowed just one sack in two preseason games, that happening last week against the Jaguars.
While it must be remembered that Newhouse didn’t always go against the Jaguars’ starters, that is still a positive development for an offensive line with a lot of questions.
Don't Call It a "Spa Day"
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The New York Giants have taken the concept of “Club Coughlin” to a completely new level.
First, it was the implementation of music during the team’s warm-up session every Friday. Now, the Giants have implemented a “rest and recovery” period.
During that time, the players, after going hard at practice for two days, get a chance to partake in any of six recovery stations in order to ensure they are as fresh as daisies by game day.
You can’t help but wonder if 2004 Tom Coughlin would want to slap 2015 Coughlin silly. But desperate times have called for desperate measures, and Coughlin is desperate enough to try anything, even at the expense of precious practice time.
As such, the head coach unveiled the first of two experiment weeks in which he swaps out a practice for longer meetings and the choice of six recovery stations that consist of yoga, contrast baths, massage, self-massage stick rollers and bands, functional movement screen exercise, and air compression boots.
The way it works, according to Coughlin, is that players can choose two stations based on their seniority. Each station consists of a 15-minute session with a trained therapist to oversee the activity.
“I am interested in the feedback that I get from our leadership council and also from the assistant coaches as we go through the day and, of course, the proof will come later as to how we perform,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin also continues to use data from the GPS devices the players wear in order to plan a schedule.
“What you would do is you would load up according to the GPS system the first two days of the week. In other words, you cover a lot of territory,” he said.
Coughlin, who grimaced when asked about giving up practice for a recovery day, did admit that he found the GPS information interesting.
“To be honest with you, they can tell you by virtue of the information the potential for a guy to have a soft tissue injury,” he said.
“When that happens, you back the guy down. The whole purpose is to recognize someone who is headed for a strain, if you will, and try to do something about it.”
It will be interesting to see how the experiment works.
Giants Want to Get the Passing Game Going
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The preseason hasn’t gone exactly as the Giants hoped as far as their passing game is concerned.
First, quarterback Eli Manning has yet to throw a touchdown pass in two games. To be fair, he also hasn’t had his top three receivers—Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle—on the field at the same time.
This weekend, Big Blue will face the Jets, who have two of the best cornerbacks in the business in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
If Manning is concerned about the passing game’s lack of production, he is keeping it close to the vest.
“I think we made some improvements last week but still have a ways to go,” Manning said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get into a rhythm and get in sync and hit the open guys, move the ball and get some points on the board.”
It will not be easy, as the Jets have a heavy pressure package they are likely to throw at the Giants.
“They like to bring pressure. They do a good job of mixing up their coverages—showing pressure and backing out or disguising coverage and bringing some blitzes,” Manning said.
“So we’ll have to be on our game, from my standpoint, from the offensive line, running backs, receivers, everybody understanding what their responsibilities are. “
With this being the final dress rehearsal prior to the regular season—the Giants won’t play their starters much, if any next week against New England—head coach Tom Coughlin might sleep a lot better if his offense finally starts to produce.
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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