What you need to know after Giants’ training camp practice
New York Giants offensive tackle Emmett Cleary (63) warms up during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Friday, July 29, 2016. Credit: Steven Ryan
Five things you should know coming out of Giants training camp practice on Monday:
1. Ben McAdoo jokes that he is consistent in treating all players differently. But one time when they all seem to be on even ground is when it comes to punishment for silly errors. So when Eli Manning and Weston Richburg botched the snap in the first 11-on-11 rep, they were sent to the sideline for a one-play “time out” to think about their transgression. They were replaced for one snap by Ryan Nassib and Brett Jones, then returned to the first unit after serving their sentence.
2. Emmett Cleary has had a pretty meteoric rise up the depth chart this week. He was a third-team offensive lineman in the preseason game, jumped over Adam Gettis to the second team in Sunday’s practice, and found himself working with the starting group midway through Monday’s workout when John Jerry left with an illness. Bobby Hart also took some first-team reps at right guard.
3. Victor Cruz went back to working on the side without pads and did far less Monday than he did Sunday when he first tried to come back from a sore groin. He did some light jogging with trainers, working with Eli Apple (knee) who was also jogging on the side. To complete the injury report, FB Nikita Whitlock was on the side and DE Kerry Wynn was as well. CB Matt Smalley left practice with a right arm or shoulder injury he incurred while covering Darius Powe on a jump ball. TE Larry Donnell was carted to the locker room late in practice following a period of windsprints.
4. Odell Beckham gave folks a bit of a scare when he limped across the field following an early 11-on-11 snap. It looked as if he aggravated the cuts he sustained a few weeks ago and was futzing with that area above his left ankle. A trainer came over to inspect but no real treatment was required, and Beckham soon returned to practice.
5. Observations: Damon Harrison and Justin Pugh got into a small fight during full-contact running drills. Perhaps Snacks didn’t sign Pugh’s birthday card (he turned 26 on Monday) . . . Roger Lewis caught a 25-yard TD from Manning to score in the two-minute drill, but the offense needed a TD and a two-point conversion to win and Jonathan Casillas stopped Shane Vereen on a run up the middle to win the drill. The second-team defense won also when Michael Hunter intercepted a deep pass from Nassib intended for KJ Maye . . . Paul Perkins did a nice job picking up a blitz by Kelvin Sheppard . . . Wide receiver Geremy Davis and linebacker JT Thomas were doing agility drills, perhaps too close to each other. They nearly collided at one point . . . The Giants had four cornerbacks on the field for a few snaps: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Janoris Jenkins, Leon Hall and undrafted rookie Donte Deayon ... Safety Landon Collins had two nice pass defenses, one of which could have been intercepted ... Wide receiver Anthony Dable made two impressive catches in coverage . . . Monday is the final practice of formal training camp and the last one open to the public. Veterans will break camp Monday night. The players are off on Tuesday and back on the field Wednesday.
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.
