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Three days of practices without pads, with one of those practices being a simple jog-thru where there was no passing, gives us little to go on in terms of making any judgments about the 2017 New York Giants. Still, it’s an off day for players so let’s hand out some early-training camp “Kudos & Wet Willies.”
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Kudos to ...
Odell Beckham Jr. — For the incredible show he put on Saturday, and for the way he comported himself during a media scrum on Friday.
We know he’s a great player. So, no surprise that he looked better than everyone else on the field Saturday. I want, though, to focus a bit on Friday.
Beckham’s contract video came out Thursday as players reported for training camp. Everyone wanted to talk to him on Friday, and he had to know why. He could have refused to come out and speak. He didn’t. He could have been testy in his responses to questions. He wasn’t.
Regardless of what he said, it was good to see Beckham answer the questions without rancor, without giving the impression he would rather be anywhere else — which I’m sure was really the case.
Beckham seems to have become comfortable with who he is, what he is, and what comes with it. That’s a good sign.
D.J. Fluker — Can he help the Giants’ offensive line? After a couple of days of practice without pads I have no idea. I dare anyone on the Giants’ 90-man roster, though, to give a more passionate, entertaining interview than Fluker did on Saturday.
Eli Apple — The second-year corner was matched up with Beckham a lot Saturday and Sunday, and held his own. Every time I have seen the ball thrown in his direction he has appeared to be in good position. He’s off to a nice start.
Landon Collins — The only question that ever comes up regarding the All-Pro safety is how good he is in pass defense. So far, he’s been buzzing all around the field making plays against the pass in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. On more than one occasion over the weekend, Eli Manning tried to squeeze throws into windows that appeared to be open, only to have Collins close them and bat the ball away.
Giants Training Camp Hub Page
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Follow all of Big Blue View’s training camp coverage on our 2017 Training Camp Hub Page. Here is some of what you will find:
Wet Willies to ...
Janoris Jenkins — A star player taking a swing at a guy simply trying to make the roster? During what coach Ben McAdoo called “timed interval striders,” known to most of the world as wind sprints? Ridiculous. Stupid. Foolish. Whatever you want to call it. And whatever the reason. Even if Pinkins was was the agitator, which we don’t know. Bad move, Jackrabbit.
Friday’s practice — What, exactly, was the point of that? I know McAdoo wants to ease into things, but that was ridiculous. No passes thrown. No offense vs. defense. Nothing that really looked like football. I hope you weren’t one of those who attended Friday’s practice. Training camp ain’t what it used to be!
Offensive line and running back questions — Giants’ fans everywhere are anxious about those two things, and continue to ask how they look. I have said this a number of times, but I have to repeat it. There is really nothing to be learned about either of those area from practices without pads. As for as the offensive line, you don’t see real blocking. When pads come on, that changes. Same with the running game. The Giants use an occasional running play in 11-on-11 drills, but there’s no real hitting. That means you can’t tell what is a successful play and what isn’t — all you know is they used a running play.
Pads come on for the first time on Tuesday. That’s when we will begin to learn about those two aspects.