New York Giants Training Camp, Aug. 15: Practice Takeaways

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The training camp portion of the New York Giants’ preparation for the 2017 season officially came to an end on Tuesday. Here are some of the things we learned from practice.

Injury Updates

• Starting middle linebacker B.J. Goodson left midway through practice with what coach Ben McAdoo said was a “sore back.” McAdoo said Goodson had “gotten caught up in the wash” on a crossing route.
• The Giants brought linebacker J.T. Thomas and running back Shaun Draughn off the PUP list on Tuesday, also signing linebacker Steven Daniels to fill a vacant spot on the 90-man roster. Thomas continued to work on the side. Draughn did some individual drills, but wasn’t noticed during team portions of practice.
• Safety Landon Collins missed practice with an illness.
• Mark Herzlich (stinger) and defensive tackle Corbin Bryant (elbow) did not practice.
• Wide receiver Kevin Snead, safety Duke Ihenacho, safety Ryan Murphy, offensive lineman Adam Gettis and wide receiver Darius Powe were either on stationary bikes or working on the side.

Geno Smith’s Rough Sequence

Being forced to run laps when they screw up is something that happens to high school players, not NFL ones. Well, unless you were Geno Smith and Wayne Gallman on Tuesday and you didn’t take proper care of the Duke.

Smith had a rough sequence of back-to-back plays. Running the second-team offense and coming off his own 1-yard line, Smith fumbled an under center snap from Brett Jones for what likely would have been a safety. He was banished to the sidelines for one play, replaced by Josh Johnson.

On Smith’s next rep, he and Gallman could not execute a handoff. McAdoo sent both the quarterback and the rookie running back running.

“The ball was on the ground way too much today,” McAdoo said.

Placekicker Competition

Tuesday, Mike Nugent took his turn trying field goals. The veteran placekicker went 4-for-4, with a long kick of 47 yards.

Where Did All The Linebackers Go?

Herzlich didn’t practice. Keenan Robinson returned from concussion protocol, but only took a few snaps. Thomas did not work in team drills. Devon Kennard, who McAdoo said will return to practice on Thursday, was held out because he is sore.

That left first-team reps for converted defensive end Stansly Maponga and undrafted free agent Calvin Munson. Munson, in particular, took advantage when he broke into the backfield on a blitz and stopped Orleans Darkwa in the backfield in a goal-line situation.

“It was a great opportunity. We’ll go in, we’ll evaluate the practice and we’ll see how they did,” McAdoo said. “It was a great opportunity for a lot of players today.”

Upon Further Review

Much was written Monday about the rough day left tackle Ereck Flowers had trying to block Olivier Vernon. After watching the tape, here is how McAdoo assessed the battle:

“I thought Olivier Vernon came out with his ‘A’ game yesterday,” McAdoo said. “Ereck did some good things in practice, too. It wasn’t all one-sided.”