Roster Battles, Team Health Top Stories Ahead of Giants' Final Week of Training Camp

The New York Giants head back to work for their final week of training camp, leading into their last preseason game of the year.

The New York Giants reported for training camp a little less than a month ago, but a lot has happened since.

In addition to getting a more detailed look at the new offensive and defensive systems implemented by the coaching staff, the Giants front office and coaching staff have no doubt gotten their wish to see some good, old-fashioned competition across the board.

Some of the more intriguing competitions of camp have included the depth at cornerback, the third running back spot, offensive line depth, inside linebacker, and, perhaps the most exciting battle of all, wide receiver (super close).

"The guys that have been out there and producing," head coach Daboll said, citing Collin Johnson and David Sills V as two who have consistently produced. "They're right in the mix, not just to make a team but to play."

Daboll didn't sound like a man who would hand out roster spots to players based on their contracts or draft pedigree, which is a far cry from past regimes that might have favored players in whim more was invested.

"Everybody's got to earn their job, earn their role, do a good job of the things they need to do, and make the most of their opportunities when they get them," he said.

As it should be.

Injuries

Yep, the injury bug is at it again, having claimed yet another promising young rookie in the heat of battle (inside linebacker Darrian Beavers, torn ACL) and causing more than a few gray hairs to develop when first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux went down with a knee injury that thankfully turned out to be an MCL sprain that should keep him out roughly three to four weeks.

That's not all that happened. The Giants could be forced to add another kicker while Graham Gano recovers from a concussion. They also hope to get back some of their injured offensive linemen this week.

And in case you missed the latest roster moves, the Giants put two tight ends, Ricky Seals-Jones and Andre Miller, on injured reserve, depleting an already thin unit.

"I think injuries are a part of the game," Daboll said when asked about the impact of the injury bug. "You never want guys to get hurt, but that is the nature of playing a contact, physical sport at the highest level. Certain things happen, and some of them are out of your control.

"I've been a part of this league for a long time and coached guys that have been injured. Again, you’re empathetic towards those guys, but you try to build a deeper roster as you can so that the next guy’s up. You never want guys on your team to be hurt or on the other team, for that matter. But it’s a physical sport with a lot of contact and people moving at high speeds, and unfortunately, you're going to have some of those."

Okay, but seriously, what does the NFL's most injured team have to do to stop making these kinds of headlines?

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports (Giants) and Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports (Jets)

The Jets

The Giants and Jets will see each other in the preseason finale--the Jets are the host. But before then, the two teams will hold a joint practice on the Giants' home turf in what will be the first joint practice for the Giants this summer and the second one for the Jets, who last week worked with the Falcons before their preseason game.

Some still vividly remember (and want to incorporate) the brawl that broke out the last time the Giants and Jets practiced together in 2005.

But just because the two teams went at it 17 years ago doesn't mean they're going to go at it again. Daboll and Jets head coach Robert Saleh have held discussions about what they want the practice session to look like--and it doesn't include any fisticuffs.

"Anytime you practice against a team, you want to get good work in. Practice the right way; it's almost like you’re practicing against your team," Daboll said.

"I'd say it's pretty competitive, but you still want to take care of one another knowing that you only have so many guys; you want to try to keep people up, stay away from the quarterback. Having the conversations I've had with Coach Saleh up until this point, they've been good. Make sure we're doing what's best for our players and get something productive out of it."

Taking Shape

Whatever other storylines there might be, the main one always has been and always will be how the Giants are taking shape as a team as the days count down to the start of the regular season.

This isn't exclusive to training camp either, as the Giants have been hard at work since April trying to implement the various play designs the coaches have come up with and getting the players to execute them.

They've made progress, but it's still a process that's unlikely to be completed by the time the final seconds tick off the clock in Sunday's preseason finale.

"I think what you try to do is focus on each day and improve each day and improve from game to game," Daboll said. "It'll get on you quick, but you have to take care of what's in front of you today and improve those things and keep building on it, and that’s the way we approach it. We don’t look too far ahead, don’t look too far behind, learn from our mistakes and try to build to be better each day."

It will be interesting to see if Daboll decides to play his starters in the preseason finale. Thus far, he's done just that, noting that the guys need as much work as possible. And Saleh of the Jets has already said he intends to run a dress rehearsal with his starters, so the temptation for Daboll to play his starters is certainly there--assuming that the medical status of certain players and certain positions allow for it.

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