Takeaways from Giants' Mandatory Minicamp

What have we learned after two days of the New York Giants' mandatory minicamp?

The New York Giants went through a much lighter two-hour workout Wednesday for Day 2 of their mandatory minicamp—a light workout that the players weren’t even wearing their helmets toward the end.

Head coach Brian Daboll, who speaks to the press before practices, wasn't available after Wednesday's session to comment on why he backed off on what he's consistently characterized all spring as a "teaching camp."

But it's probably safe to say he was pleased with the progress made by the coaches and the players in grasping the fundamentals, building up the camaraderie and culture, and gaining a good enough understanding of the offensive and defensive schemes to where when they eventually convene for training camp, they can hit the ground running.

So what were we able to glean from the mandatory minicamp, which is scheduled to conclude Thursday with a 45-minute practice?

Don’t Sweat the Depth Chart

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There was a question or two about where players were lining up and why largely driven by what was being shown, contradicting what was expected.

For example, tight end Ricky Seals-Jones, who is expected to be part of the starting lineup, took some snaps with the third-string offense, which brought on the questions.

Earlier this spring, Daboll spoke of having a “rep chart” rather than a “depth chart,” reiterated not to read anything into the lineups.

“We've used different personnel packages,” Daboll said regarding Seals-Jones. “That goes with all the guys. You’ll see different receivers go with Daniel (Jones) one day. This isn't really, like I said, an evaluation type of camp. It is more of a teaching, learning camp and moving guys around and putting them with different players.”

Remember, the Giants have been missing several players due to medical issues, which has opened up opportunities for other players to inch closer to the brass ring. So, for example, receivers like Travis Toikonen, David Sills, Alex Bachman, and Richie James all saw a higher number of reps than they probably otherwise have seen.

It’s also been an opportunity for younger players like rookie Josh Ezeudu, one of the team’s third-round draft picks and a player who projects as a guard—to take advantage of snaps at tackle, where he worked with the starters in place of Andrew Thomas (ankle).

To gain position flexibility, Daboll and the coaches have been big on cross-training guys at different positions. They have also done a good job of getting a look at some players who right now are long shots to make the roster rather than devoting precious training camp reps to those players later on when they need to be getting the team ready for the season.

The depth chart will eventually come, but for now, any reports of lineups just aren't worth the paper they're written on.

Offense vs. Defense: A Perspective

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Much was made about how the Giants' defense dominated the offense on the first day of the mandatory camp.

But before we go wringing our hands in worry that it's going to be the same old, same old with the offensive line, let's put everything into perspective. These were padless practices with zero contact allowed. For an offensive lineman to truly shut out a defender from penetrating, there has to be a certain degree of contact and physicality. Otherwise, it becomes a game of patty cake that the forward-moving player (defense) is almost always going to win.

This is another reason why Daboll didn't get too worked up over who won the battles; instead, he chose to focus on the progress made in the technique and the players' grasp of the different concepts.

During training camp, the real test will come when the pads go on, and the pit players can mix it up. Same with the receivers and defensive backs who will be able to jam and play press.

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Strong Push on the Fundamentals

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

There were a lot of new drills and instructional sessions in this camp that I don't recall seeing before. For example, the defensive front was split into smaller units assigned to execute different types of pass rush moves.

The quarterbacks had to navigate through a "defender"--a staffer with a padded cone who came at the quarterback waving the cone and trying to hit the quarterback--and still try to hit his mark.

And the defensive backs spent a lot of time trying to break up passes with their backs turned to the passer and without making contact with the receiver.

These are just some of the fundamentals that Daboll hopes will carry over into training camp, as the plan seems to be to have the team hit the ground running.

Quote of the Day

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

"My job is to get him right, and all of our jobs basically -- he's dialed in. He's ready. .... I just don't want him to be learning while he's playing. I want him to go."

--Veteran defender Jihad Ward on rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux

Other Takeaways

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Graham Gano kicked a 53-yard field goal which saved his teammates and the coaching staff from having to run post-practice sprints. The coaches pumped in crowd noise and even tried to ice their kicker to make it more interesting, but Gano came through.

Receiver Kenny Golladay, who has been limited to working on the side with a trainer, participated in some individual drills with the rest of the receivers. Golladay should be ready for the start of training camp.

The offense was a lot more productive Monday 2, scoring touchdowns during the 11-on-11 period. Quarterback Daniel Jones connected with Saquon Barkley on one score. Wan'Dale Robinson also caught a touchdown pass.

Receiver Richie James is a player who has capitalized on the injuries at receiver. James came up with a nice reception on a fade thrown by Tyrod Taylor. James, a return specialist, could be a surprise addition to the roster with a strong camp if he continues to cash in on his opportunities.

Daboll mentioned July 26 in response to a question about injured players, saying, "Guys that we’ve got to take a little bit off them on June 8 so they're ready to go full on July 26, I think that's being smart."

July 26 is thought to be the date the veterans report for training camp. As teams can't hit the practice field until 15 days before their first preseason game, the soonest the Giants can hit the field is July 27.

The Giants rookies would be eligible to report to camp a week ahead of the vets on July 19.

The Giants had receivers Keelan Doss and Isaiah Ford and tight end Jaeden Graham in on tryouts during this camp.

“I think it helps to get another set of legs out here and run around but also get a good evaluation of some of the guys you want to look at," Daboll said.

"You never know when you might want to add someone to the roster. Could be today, could be two weeks from now, three weeks from now. You can have the ability to have some of these guys out here to look at them. I think it helps."

  

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