Giants news, 6/6: Defense developing, Daniel Jones, punt return depth, more

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

Alec Ogletree: Defense “on the right track”

Linebacker Alec Ogletree knows the Giants’ defense wasn’t good enough a season ago.

“We didn’t put out our best product that we think we can put out. Guys that were here last year and that came back are looking forward to this year, to going out there and proving that we are a good defense,” Ogletree said on Wednesday.

The veteran linebacker believes the revamped defense is “on the right track right now of being a good defense.”

“The guys that were here last year that came back with us this year, obviously you feel more comfortable in the defense,” Ogletree said. “Adding some of the guys that we added this year that have played a lot of ball, and some that have played with (defensive coordinator James) Bettcher. I definitely think we have a good grasp on the defense, and it’s just about being comfortable playing with each other.”

Depth on kick, punt returns

The Giants went through a plethora of return men a year ago looking for someone who could do the job this year is different with a number of options, including several established players.

Here is how special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey sees the punt return job:

“You never know how it shakes out. It can be a situation where Jabrill [Peppers] might have just went on a ‘nine route’ and he’s tired, he’s blowing. I’ll be like ‘Hey, come off the field’, and throw Corey (Coleman) out there. Or, it could be a situation where Jabrill is fresh, he’ll stay in there, alright Corey you stay right here. Who knows – Darius Slayton, or it’s a plus area, throw Golden Tate there and make sure we catch the ball,” McGaughey said. “It’s a lot of different scenarios, and it’s good to have options. Last year, we didn’t have a lot of options. Now, we’ve got a bunch of options, and we look forward to be able to execute at a high level, and do those things. Once we get put in those situations, we’ll work them, but it’s good to have those options.”

Daniel Jones: “Improvement from him every day”

According to his coaches, sixth overall pick Daniel Jones is a fast learner who is getting better.

“I see improvement from him every day,” head coach Pat Shurmur said. “He displays that he gets it. He is becoming more and more comfortable with what we are doing offensively. He is putting his skills to the test and making plays at every practice. In our view, he is getting better.”

“He’s got a fast mind, he picks things up pretty well,” offensive coordinator Mike Shula said. “The things that you ask him to do to maybe make a couple changes, maybe that were different to what he was used to in college, he does pretty quickly. Whether or not it’s technique in the pocket, everything that we have asked him to do, he’s done it pretty quickly. I think the other thing is he’s pretty athletic and he’s very serious about his job. We all are, but you see that maturity level in him. Which is obviously one of the reasons we got him here.”

More headlines

Lorenzo Carter Aspires To Be An ‘Alpha’ On Giants Defense

Second-year edge rusher Lorenzo Carter knows what the Giants need from him.

That the Giants didn’t spend a first-round pick on an edge rusher in this year’s draft after trading away [Olivier] Vernon to the Browns didn’t go unnoticed by Carter, who said he would have been fine if they had drafted a pass rusher in the first round.

“They didn’t get a pass rusher, but I mean, I wasn’t looking at that,” Carter said.

“I’m looking at me going into year two—what steps do I need to take to be better? I guess they showed their faith and that I gotta go out there and prove it to myself.”

Odell Beckham Jr. adjusting to Baker Mayfield’s strong arm: ‘Wow! This is completely different’ - cleveland.com

“I’m going to have to get adjusted to the speed because he has an arm,’’ said Beckham. “He’s throwing that ball hard. Just catching him from the first day, it was like, ‘Wow! This is completely different.’ It just takes time. Like I said, we play in September, so it’s a good thing.’’

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