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Mandatory Minicamp Day 1: The Teaching and Learning Continues

Here are a few takeaways from Day 1 of the New York Giants mandatory minicamp.

Patricia Traina

Mandatory Minicamp Day 1: The Teaching and Learning Continues
Mandatory Minicamp Day 1: The Teaching and Learning Continues /
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East Rutherford, NJ: Although the workouts have gone from voluntary to mandatory, the goal and format of the New York Giants' final two spring practices before they take a break for the summer remains the same.

"Really an extension of OTAs for us," head coach Brian Daboll said before the team hit the field for practice. "We have an extra walkthrough and some extra meetings after practice, but relative to our practice and how we’re doing things, it’ll be very similar to what we’ve done the last couple of weeks."

The similarities weren't hard to miss--full-team work was done without helmets--and there was a little more in the 11-on-11--while the seven-on-seven drills continued.

The objective? To continue installing as much of the offense and defense as possible so the players can hit the ground running when they return for training camp in July.

"Today, we'll do some more team periods, but with their helmets off, we'll do some short yardage, some goal line, and introduce some more things. Keep increasing the installation, and then go out there and have some call-it periods, albeit 7-on-7, where the coordinators are just calling the plays; there are no scripts. Try to build on our communication and fundamentals, and keep stacking days together," DAboll said, adding that most everything the coaches have drawn up has been installed.

"We can do some situational football today, separate from one another, but last plays and things like that. We’re getting close to having everything in."

Another point made by Daboll? The coaches continue to look at different lineup combinations to better understand how they plan to distribute the reps in the summer. This entailed mixing and matching guys on offense and defense; for example, running back Jashaun Corbin lined up with the first-team offense in a seven-on-seven drill, the coaches checking to see how well Corbin knew his assignment.

From a highlight perspective, there wasn't much to speak about, mainly because of the different lineups and because the players often formed a wall that blocked the media's view of what was going on. But fear not, as some interesting takeaways were gleaned from the media sessions with the assistant coaches.

Slot By Committee

With NFL teams getting creative with staffing their slot receiver position, the natural assumption is that the defense needs to adjust accordingly.

For the Giants, that means considering a taller, more physical cornerback in the slot to square off against a tight end or a bigger-body receiver, right?

I put that question to defensive secondary coach Jerome Henderson, who spoke about matchups-- a big, big difference for the Giants defense this year that they didn't necessarily have last year.

Kayvon's Growth

Last week, Giants outside linebacker KAyvon Thibodeaux spoke about wanting to use his strength more to his advantage to finish off his rushes. I asked outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins to explain how Thibodeaux can accomplish that and how the young man has been coming along.

For what it's worth, Thibodeaux might not have had eye-popping numbers last year, but once he got over his knee injury and started to get more comfortable in the defense, he began influencing more plays for others to make. And Wilkins said he appreciates how Thibodeaux has come in this year aspiring to be even better.

"One thing with him is like any great player, we've all been around, they love to be just coach harder than anybody on those details," he said. "I think for him, looking at his whole game, he had that chance, you know, cause that rookie year, there is no off-season that first year. You go from right from the draft to this to that. So getting that chance this year to study himself it's been in every facet of his game.

"He comes in with great questions, saying, 'Hey, how can we attack this better? What can I do here differently?' And he's, he has such a humble approach to it, and he knows that he can keep getting better as a rusher, as an edge setter, whether it's dropping in coverage or all the stunts and patterns and moving off the ball and round it and stuff that wins has to do."

We'll see if that hard work pays off.

Tryout Players

The Giants had a couple of players in for tryouts on Tuesday, including quarterback Jacob Eason and safety Martez Manuel.

Eason began his career with the Colts in 2020, who selected him in the fourth round of that year's draft. He spent all of 2020 and part of 2021 with the Colts before moving on to the Seahawks to finish the 2021 season.

He was with the Panthers and 49ers in 2022, the latter team on their practice squad. Earlier this year, Eason, who players his college ball at Georgia and Washington, was with the Panthere, who waived him on May 18.

Manuel, who played his college ball at Missouri, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs after this year's draft. The Chiefs recently waived him, and he is looking to sign on with a new team.

Special Guests

The Giants, who have been very open about welcoming back alumni, hosted visits from Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells and defensive end Michael Strahan. Running back Brandon Jacobs was also in the building to watch practice.

Parcells broke down the team's huddle after practice, and according to quarterback Daniel Jones, PArcells, who brought the franchise its first two Super Bowl championships, spoke about accountability.

"You know, talking about what makes a team great and what tests a team in a season and staying close, staying together, taking accountability for your role on the team," Jones said. "I think it was a great message."

Receiver Sterling Shepard agreed.

"Yeah, he left us with a good message after practice today, and it's just staying within the group," he said. "Loved having him around here. He's full of wisdom, so I loved having him here and listening to him speak a little bit."

Quick Hits 

Not a lot in terms of practice because the players lined up so that they blocked the media from having a clear sightline into what was going on during some seven-on-seven work and teamwork.

(Speaking of the team drills, I thought they might up the tempo of the practice, but they pretty much kept the same tempo as they did during the OTAs open to the media.)

  • Inside linebacker, Micah McFadden, whom defensive coordinator Wink Martindale mentioned has made some significant improvement, continued to get snaps next to Bobby Okereke with the ones.
  • Nick McCloud also got some snaps with the ones at safety.
  • Bobby McCain had two picks during practice, including a pick-6 off a Tyrod Taylor pass. McCain also had a pass breakup to cap a nice practice.
  • The Giants focused on the goal line in this practice, so there were plenty of touchdowns thrown. Daniel Jones connected with Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Jamison Crowder, and Darius Slayton for scores. 
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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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