Biggest Takeaway from Giants-Lions Joint Practices

We saw plenty of competitive football, but how the Giants approached "playing tough" was perhaps the most impressive.

East Rutherford, NJ -- August 1, 2024 -- Wide receiver Malik Nabers makes this TD catch from a Daniel Jones pass during practice today at the New York Giants' training camp. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Brian Daboll and Dan Campbell, the head coaches of the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, respectively, shared the goal of the joint practices that concluded Tuesday afternoon in East Rutherford: to get in some quality work against a different set of colored jerseys.

Ask both men what they thought, and they will probably tell you that they accomplished that goal. From the Giants’ perspective, we have to see if rookie Malik Nabers is truly the real deal (he is), if Brian Burns is really the superhero his skill set suggests he is (he is), if the Giants offensive line is still a mess (it’s not), and if there are any worries about this Giants team still remaining (there are).

But the biggest takeaway from the two days has been how the two teams have defined “toughness.”

On the Lions side, you have gritty players, some of whom, according to Campbell, went rogue in their attempt to impress the coaching staff by playing with just a little too much edge, which crossed the line and led to the fisticuffs that dotted both days. 

Playing tough and defending one’s turf is one thing, but when it leads to an action that could potentially draw a penalty or, worse yet, an ejection of a player, that’s something no head coach wants to see.

The Giants let their toughness show on the field. Unlike last year, when the Lions all too easily took the Giants’ lunch money, there were very few drills in which you could say the Giants were outclassed. But perhaps the most impressive thing about the Giants and their toughness was what some of their players showed.

For example, scrappy quarterback Daniel Jones, coming off an ACL, took every single rep dedicated to him without a breather. His breather will likely come on Thursday as he’s expected to be held out of the preseason opener against the Lions, but if Jones had his way, he’d get a few snaps in that game.

Then you had Nabers. For those who saw the Hard Knocks episode where Nabers spoke of wanting the ball, that wasn’t just for the cameras. Nabers, who in one practice was supposed to have his reps cut back so he could have a rest, thumbed his nose at that and made sure to be out there for every rep he was supposed to have because he wanted to get better.

There are a couple more examples that jumped out. Edge rusher Brian Burns has been dealing with an injured right ankle, which he hurt again on Tuesday. But rather than take a seat the rest of the day, he got it taped up and was right back out there doing his thing.

Offensive lineman Jermaine Euemunor is another example of the kind of toughness you want to see in a player. While most veterans with Eluemunor’s experience might welcome a day off from the rigors of training camp, Eluemunor wasn’t having any of that despite getting whacked in the ribs by Dexter Lawrence on the first day of camp, a hit that left him unable to breathe.

There are other examples. For example, Isaiah McKenzie, who was writhing on the ground in pain after getting hit in the hip/lower back, didn’t miss a beat. We heard Lawrence reluctantly sat out one practice with an illness but was right back in there as soon as possible.  

Overall, Daboll’s Giants are having fun working together toward being something to deal with this season, an attitude that could position the Giants to surprise a few people who haven’t given them much of a chance.

And wouldn’t that be something for the scores of Giants fans who, for most of the last decade-plus, haven’t had much to cheer about on Sundays in the fall?

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