Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle yet to play at same time
Giants wide receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. take a mock selfie with a football in front of wide receiver Victor Cruz during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Friday, July 31, 2015. Credit: Brad Penner
The Giants' wide receivers, who were supposed to be the strength of this team's offense, have spent the summer as spectators.
Through two games, the Giants have not had Eli Manning's three main targets -- Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle -- on the field at the same time. And now it does not seem as if it will happen this week, either.
"There was so much speculation going on about having these people work together," Tom Coughlin said of his stacked stable of receivers. "We haven't really seen them work together yet and we're this far into camp."
That's because Cruz, coming off a torn patellar tendon, suffered a calf injury last week and Randle has been sidelined for two weeks with tendinitis in his right knee. Coughlin did not sound optimistic about either practicing this week and downright flummoxed by Randle's situation.
"This thing with Rueben has really confused me," Coughlin said. "He's been able to handle this so well over the years and yet this circumstance has been bothersome."
Flowers impresses
The Giants likely exhale every time rookie Ereck Flowers takes the field. Concern was high about him having to play left tackle in his first NFL season, but so far, he has responded with strong and steady play.
"I don't think we've missed a beat with him," center Weston Richburg said of Flowers replacing the injured Will Beatty.
"We thought he played well technically," Coughlin said. "Very sound, and he is improving. If you watch some of the run game, you see him move people off the ball."
Giant steps
Coughlin said OL Geoff Schwartz played better at guard, his natural position, than at tackle in the preseason game Saturday. He refused to say if Schwartz would crack the starting lineup at either spot this week . . . The Giants are off Monday and will simulate a game week in preparation for Saturday's preseason contest against the Jets . . . Despite an obvious lack of connection in the passing game with the starters, Coughlin said he was pleased with the overall progress between the first two weeks of the preseason games. "We were more aggressive, we were more physical," he said. "It was a good game."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
