Brian Daboll told the Giants’ players before their final minicamp practice that their spring progress was encouraging given what is coming around the bend.
“Training camp will be here in 34 days,” Daboll said. “So we have to hit the ground running.”
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, who fought Kayvon Thibodeaux a couple weeks ago, said this spring’s intensity in the offensive and defensive line battles was high because players are determined to change the team’s fate.
“I think just people are just sick and tired of not being good,” he said. “And it all starts in the trenches. O-line and D-line is where games are really won.”
So the tone has been set: July and August will be filled with urgent, physical and consequential work focused on coming out of the gate firing against Washington in Week 1.
“It’ll be fun,” Eluemunor said. “It’ll be very fun. I’m excited for it.”
It will be interesting to see how the team comes together under that mandate given the new variables in Daboll’s operation and this spring’s developments.
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, for example, looks like he will take over play calling on offense. He wore the headset all spring. Daboll, meanwhile, has been involved heavily with the defense.
Daboll was conversing at length with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen during Wednesday’s practice, overseeing an individual defensive backs drill and reviewing their plan for the upcoming 7-on-7 periods.
Malik Nabers did not practice all spring due to a toe injury that Daboll still has not adequately explained. So while Russell Wilson has taken control of the Giants’ offense, he has yet to incorporate the team’s best skill player.
On Wednesday, Wilson’s 7-on-7 red zone reps going toward the end zone went like this: a pass breakup by Micah McFadden, an overthrow incompletion toward Wan’Dale Robinson, a Tyrone Tracy Jr. drop and a touchdown pass to Dalen Cambre after holding the ball for a long while.
Dexter Lawrence did not participate in team drills this spring. Rookie D-lineman Darius Alexander didn’t practice at all. And Bobby Okereke wasn’t on the field at all at mandatory minicamp.
So while rookie No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter looks like a versatile and explosive pass rush weapon, this new Giants defense still has to demonstrate how it plans to stop the run.
In the secondary, at least, Dane Belton and Raheem Layne both intercepted rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to close a strong spring for the reserve safeties.
For all the talk about urgency, too, the Giants’ offensive and defensive lines did not face each other at all during Wednesday’s light final practice of minicamp.
Wilson did articulate a vision for what the Giants want to be.
“I think our identity wants to be a tough-nosed football team,” he said Tuesday, “a team that is explosive obviously in the passing game and the running game, the ability to diversify the football, the ability to score a lot of points obviously, but also know how to win the game when it’s clutch time.”
But the Giants have a ton of work ahead of them. Wednesday was a good reminder that they should not be fooled by this month-long break — they have less time than one might realize to put this together before the games begin to count.
UNDER WRAPS
Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawrence did not conduct an interview with the New York media all spring. Lawrence has not done a local interview since his Nov. 28 injury at Dallas.
All three players were either on the field or in the building during open spring practices while rehabbing injuries or participating in walkthroughs, drills or workouts. But none of them were made available to the local media.
ABSENTEES
The following players did not practice Wednesday: Nabers, Thomas, Alexander, Okereke, WRs Jalin Hyatt and Zach Pascal, RBs Cam Skattebo and Eric Gray, LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, S Anthony Johnson Jr., edge Victor Dimukeje (torn pec)… Skattebo reportedly agreed to terms on his rookie contract after barely practicing all spring… Kicker Jude McAtamney looked like he was being monitored by training staff while kicking field goals outside the indoor practice bubble … Daboll estimated the Giants will kick off training camp on July 22 in East Rutherford, N.J. They’ll have a home-and-home joint practice week with the Jets and three preseason games before entering the regular season.
