Shedding the Minicamp Red Jersey
During OTA’s and minicamp, the Giants had key wide receivers Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, and Kenny Golladay in non-contact red jerseys and were later joined by rookie superstar Kayvon Thibodeaux. Luckily, most of them have shed the issues that were ailing them, as well as the dreaded shirt, and were able to practice with the rest of the team. Unfortunately, camp has come too quickly for Shepard, Nick Gates, and Matt Peart, who are all coming off serious injuries that required surgery, and second-year edge rusher Azeez Ojulari, who was added to the non-football injury list, also hasn’t been able to take the field.
Offseason Offense
Last season’s offence was a nightmare to watch, but based on what we’ve seen thus far, it’s been dragged into the twenty-first century with pre-snap movement and a smorgasbord of plays. That doesn’t mean it has been plain sailing. Wink Martindale’s defence has been as aggressive as advertised and Jones’s supporting cast hasn’t helped as several of his playmakers have made costly drops. This is hardly going to dispel the pressure on them, but before we fear the worst, Jones has shown some positives. His throws seem to have some extra zip on them, and one touchdown to Kadarius Toney on day one was picture perfect.
Front and Center
There has been much talk regarding the centre position for the Giants since neither of the uninjured players on the depth chart have extensive experience at the position. Jon Feliciano started camp as the starting center, but after experiencing heat and hydration issues, he has sat out the last two sessions. Unfortunately, this has raised some depth concerns, especially with the unknown state of potential back-up Nick Gates. Thursday was riddled with mistakes as Jamil Douglas and Ben Bredeson struggled with snaps, which led to Shane Lemieux moving to centre and Joshua Ezeudu taking the left guard snaps.
The Lesser Targeted Tight End
The unofficial depth charts for the tight end position might show Ricky Seals-Jones as the starter, but so far he isn’t the sole tight end taking reps with the 1’s. Jordan Akins, Daniel Bellinger (fresh off the PUP list after his addition last week), and Chris Myarick all took snaps, but during the sessions on day 2, none of them were targeted at all during 11-on-11 drills. I think it’s safe to say whoever is in the lineup on gamedays will be a blocker first and a receiver second.
Who Will Wear the Headset?
It’s a question that has carried through from the hiring of Mike Kafka all the way through to training camp, and by the sounds of things, we are unlikely to get an answer until the season starts. Kafka has been calling plays during training camp so far, which some view as an audition. Head Coach Brian Daboll, who called plays at Buffalo, has been asked multiple times and so far has remained coy. “We talk on a day-to-day basis on plays and things to install, but he’s been on the headset with Daniel. And he’ll be doing that through camp. And as we get closer to it, we’ll sit down and discuss it.”
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