What We've Learned from New York Giants Training Camp so Far

Every day at New York Giants training camp, we're learning something new and exciting about this team.

Whether it's the development of the young players, the installation of a new wrinkle on offense or defense, or a surprise dark horse coming out of nowhere to make some noise in the position battles, head coach Ben McAdoo has to be pleased with how the 2017 Giants are shaping up ahead of their preseason opener Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let's run down just a few of the developments we've learned about this Giants team since it reported to camp July 27.

Ereck Flowers Is Improving

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

No, folks, that is not a misleading headline you read above the picture. Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers, whose first two years in the league were disastrous and who started out this training camp on a rocky road, had what the coaches are hoping is a turning-point practice last week against defensive end Olivier Vernon.

Vernon has made it a practice of eating Flowers for lunch and spitting him out. Where Vernon has beaten Flowers is by playing underneath the offensive tackle's pads. As a result, Flowers usually ends up grabbing Vernon by the neck, a blatant hold.

So what changed? Besides showing better mobility in executing seal blocks, Flowers did a much better job actually bending at the knees and not the waist. As such, he was able to strike Vernon with his hands to jar him a bit and get him blocked.

"Ereck's getting better with his punch in pass protection," McAdoo said. "He's working on keeping his hips down and he's making progress."

The next step for him is to keep making progress in the upcoming preseason games. While it's unrealistic to expect Flowers to go from worst to first, any bit of improvement shown over the long haul is going to make that offensive line much better.

TE Will Tye Among Those on the Bubble

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

McAdoo had a not-so subtle message for Will Tye last week when a reporter asked what he's seen from the third-year player out of Stoney Brook and how much pressure rookie Evan Engram puts on the tight end.

"Yeah, I mean, we've got a lot of guys on the offensive side who are on the bubble," the coach said. "The thing about being on the bubble is sometimes it takes your fears to bring out the best in you and that's what we're looking for in those guys. What are you going to do? Are you going to step up, or are you going to step back? All it is is an opportunity for him to get better."

If that was the message the coach was trying to get across, then he succeeded. But then again, McAdoo's semi-confirmation that Tye is on the bubble comes as no surprise given the additions of Engram and Rhett Ellison.

Tye, who has ended up as the starter in his first two seasons, has lacked in numerous areas of his game, ranging from his inconsistent run blocking to his yards after catch.

Per Sporting Charts, Tye's 4.1 average yards per catch was second to last on the team among backs, receivers and tight ends, topping only Sterling Shepard's 3.9 YAC/reception average.

Tye will get his opportunities to compete this summer in the games, but with Matt LaCosse having pulled slightly ahead of him—he has received first-team reps—it's probably going to take an injury to save Tye from the Turk.

Geno Smith Appears to Be Ahead of Josh Johnson for the Backup QB Job

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Although the Giants released a depth chart that shows Josh Johnson as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Eli Manning, former Jets signal-caller Geno Smith is starting to make his move on the spot.

Smith, who was limited in the spring as he continued rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered last season, had his best practice of the summer last Saturday in terms of his decision-making, accuracy and command of the huddle.

Perhaps even more important is the fact that Smith, who looked unsure of himself earlier in camp, now looks as though he's been running the Giants system for years.

Don't take my word for it, though. Let's see if McAdoo thought Smith took a step forward.

"I did," the head coach said. "I think he definitely is very accurate with the football. I think he's still learning."

McAdoo has not revealed what his plans are at quarterback for Friday's preseason opener, but it will be interesting to see if he continues to let Smith and Josh Johnson swap turns running the second-team offense for the rest of the week.

Darian Thompson Is the Incumbent at Free Safety

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Toward the end of the spring, Giants safeties coach David Merritt cautioned people from automatically assuming free safety Andrew Adams, who filled in nicely for Darian Thompson last year, was going to lose his job.

Adams should be able to have a roster spot, but it doesn't look like he will be the starter. Thompson, who is back from a season-ending foot injury, has been getting the bulk of the snaps with the first-team defense and has seemingly picked up where he left off last year before the injury.

What Thompson has been able to do that Adams really hasn't in this camp is make interceptions. Thompson showed that ability last year before his injury, and he continued this summer by coming up with picks that help the offense get the ball back faster.

Again, there will likely be a role for Adams—whom I've always thought was better suited as a strong safety—on this team. But right now, it doesn't look as though that role is going to be as the starter.

Evan Engram Is a Legitimate Red-Zone Threat

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The last time the Giants were at or near the top of the league in red-zone production was in 2014, when, per Team Rankings, they averaged 2.2 red-zone touchdowns scored per game, good enough for fourth in the league.

Since then, the Giants have languished at or near the bottom of the league in red-zone scoring, finishing 21st in 2015 and 29th last year.

This year, the Giants hope to shoot up the league rankings, and they're looking at first-round draft pick Evan Engram, a 6-3 tight end to help make it possible.

Engram put on a show in the red zone late last week, lining up in the slot, out wide and in-line and winning his one-on-one battles, including a few receptions that he took into the end zone.

"He's a target down (in the red zone)—we all see that, we all see the skill set," McAdoo said. "The challenge for a guy like him is, you move him around, you ask a lot of him, play a lot of different spots. And he can think too much, you think too much playing that position."

Fortunately, for both Engram and the Giants, the rookie didn't overthink the situations. He kept up with the speed, made plays and gave his coaches hope they might have found the answer to their red-zone issues for years to come.

The Team Chemistry Is Advancing

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Sometimes it can take weeks, if not months, for a collection of 90 different personalities to mesh with one another.

This year, however, the Giants as a team have seemingly found a way to expedite that process not just on the field but in the locker room where videos of group dance parties have made their way to the public.

"I think it's a close team," said quarterback Eli Manning, who's the longest-tenured member of the team. "I think a number of them are now going into that third, fourth year together. Whether it's Landon [Collins] and Odell [Beckham Jr.], Snacks [Damon Harrison] going into the second year, that offensive line group. And then you're always going to have second [years] and some rookies. The rookies stepping in and they're already a close group, [it] kind of brings everybody in a little bit easier."

Manning surmised that the closeness which exists in the locker room is going to serve the team well in good times and in bad. 

"There's always going to be ups and downs throughout the course of a season and you've got that close group that can rely on each other and be demanding of each other to get out of those lows," he said.

Then there is the matter of the team having fun on the job, which is important.

"You've got to enjoy this time—it is a lot of practice, it's a lot of meetings, it is hard work and there are hot days and those things, but there's always those little 30-minute stretches where you have down time and guys get to mess around," Manning said.

"It used to be, you did it at night, or you did it when you were in the dorm rooms, or hanging out, or playing pranks. Now in the hotel, there's not much time at the hotel. You get done late and you're kind of back in your room. So, that time has kind of come into the locker room during the day, where you get little breaks where I guess they've turned into dance parties now [laughs]. So, that's the new thing."

Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.