(photo credit: Bobby O’Hara)
Following a walk through practice on Friday, the Giants ratcheted up the intensity today with their longest and most intense practice of training camp thus far. In his post practice press briefing, Coach Ben McAdoo remarked on how the day was important, “This was a big moment for us in training camp. It was a heavy hitting physical practice and we had a lot of explosive movements in tight quarters. I think we had 42 plays in the red and the green zone today. Some team, some 9 on 7 with the big guys and some 7 on 7, but a lot of contact and a lot of physicality and we got through it. We checked the box and it wasn’t as good as it could be, but we did check the box and it will be the starting point for a good foundation.” There were several players who put their stamp on the day with some impressive play, including Eli Apple, Darius Powe, and Odell Beckham who returned to practice.
(photo: Bobby O’Hara)
Odell Beckham’s return was notable after not participating in practice all week while recovering from being accidentally cleated in his lower left leg by Janoris Jenkins last Sunday. The Giants have been cautious with Beckham and in his return it looked like he hasn’t missed a beat. Eli Manning connected with Beckham on a long touchdown pass. The play was a post route and Beckham used his speed and agility to gain separation as he outran Janoris Jenkins for the reception and score. The team appeared to limit his time slightly by keeping him out of 1 on 1 drills against the cornerbacks at one point but according to coach McAdoo his level of participation was in line with their plan for him today, “Yeah, he was right in the mix and right in the protocol and was exactly what we were looking for.”
The practice was a strong showing for 1st round pick Eli Apple who played Victor Cruz and other receivers well in one on one drills. He had a holding penalty early on but coach McAdoo was pleased with how he was able to bounce back after the flag was thrown and compete, “He was physical out there and he forced guys to the sideline and boundary and it left the quarterback no room to throw the ball, so that was exciting to see.” With three more practices before Friday’s first pre-season game against the Dolphins, Apple will have some more time to build on the day’s strong effort.
Undrafted Rookie free agent Darius Powe had his best day at camp catching multiple passes and making his presence felt. At 6-foot-3 , 220 lbs, his size could be a real weapon for the Giants. At this point he’s not likely to make the 53 man roster but with a couple more strong practices and a good showing during the pre-season games, the Giants may consider putting him on their practice squad. He’s a big body, who with more development could become a real contributor down the line.
Of Note:
Wide Receiver Tavarres King continued his consistently strong play in training camp, making a series of catches including a touchdown pass from Quarterback Ryan Nassib. King appears to be in the running to be the Giants 5th or 6th receiver on the depth chart. He clearly has taken his experience on the Giants’ practice squad last season and come in this year a more confident and capable receiver.
Dan Evans is a Contributing Writer for PureSportsNY.com You can follow him on Twitter @DanEvansPSNY