August 5 Training Camp Observations

Practice was closed to the public today. Overcast skies, minimal wind, very comfortable temperature.

I have to rush and post this, sorry if there are typos.

SPECIAL TEAMS

-Mike Nugent showed better loft and distance on kickoffs than Aldrick Rosas. Who knows if they were actually trying to let loose or not.

-A lot, and I mean a lot, of attention is put on special teams. We got to see plenty of 1 on 1 battles with these guys going all out on each other. They were practicing blocking on the move, where the offensive player runs to a spot, turns around and goes head to head with a downhill defender that had a 15-20 yard head of steam. The bubble guys need to show something here. DE Kerry Wynn was beating everyone he matched up against. S Trey Robinson stood out a couple times. S Landon Collins got involved twice and even in a simple drill like this, his ability stands out. RB Wayne Gallman’s lack of presence showed, he may have a hard time factoring as a blocker at his size. LB Calvin Munson stood out, consistently getting rave reviews from coaches.

OFFENSE NOTES

-As I left the practice facility, QB Davis Webb was working on deep throws and footwork associated with them with two of the Giants support staff (ball boys). This was a solid 20 minutes after practice. TE Rhett Ellison was on another field working on his technique out of his stance, getting in to his routes.

-One thing I see WRs Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall do very well, they attack the ball in the air. They don’t sit back and let it come to them, they alter their weight and attack. Very important that your top guys do that. Marshall overwhelmed CB Valentino Blake on a pass near the back of the end zone, there was no chance for Blake, he looked like a kid trying to defend his dad and that is not a knock on Blake.

-TE is a very crowded group, we’ve discussed. Colin Thompson keeps jumping out at me. I think there is no shot he makes the team, but he is a legit practice squad candidate. The team brought him in as a blocker, but he moves much better when running routes than I initially thought. Soft hands, been catching almost everything thrown his way. This TE group in camp is very solid.

-I put more attention on the two rookie OTs, Bisnowaty and Wheeler. Wheeler does a great job post-snap. He gets out of his stance quickly and easily. Very good body positioning, knee bend, and set up. Honestly, he is better than Flowers when it comes to that part of the process. Bisnowaty is a little more sluggish and unsure. He didn’t keep his feet moving against Kerry Wynn today and it made him look silly. He was facing the ground on a couple of occasions, showing he is over-committing and lunging while bending at the waist. Body wise, Wheeler simply needs more muscle as I have been saying. Bisnowaty too, but you can tell he has spent more time in the weight room.

-OT Flowers had a solid day but his over-lean and wrap-around the defender’s neck in pass protection flared up twice from what I saw. OT Hart was schooled by DE Pierre-Paul again, winding up on the ground. OG Jerry, when I had the vantage point to really zero in on him, didn’t get beat at all. He is a very large man with athletic legs. He is without a doubt the starting RG over Fluker.

-Geno vs. Johnson battle goes to Geno today. He is looking more and more confident with each day that passes. His arm is much more lively than Johnson’s.

-TE Matt LaCosse with another nice TD catch today. Natural hands on the move with a huge wingspan, nice weapon to have especially in that area.

-WR Kevin Snead body catches everything. Amazing to see the difference between him and Beckham and how they approach catching the ball.

-RB Orleans Darkwa’s avenue to making this team is likely the short yardage back. He is bigger and stronger than the other guys. Without Darkwa, there really isn’t any sense of power in that backfield. If the team doesn’t think he can handle that job, I wonder if the 4th RB is even currently on this roster.

-WR Roger Lewis doesn’t get a ton of WR reps with the first or second group. I’m wondering if he is actually that far down the depth chart or they are just trying to get the bubble guys more reps to fully evaluate. He did drop an easy TD on a short slant pass and his routes aren’t crisp. But I really like how Lewis moves. Very twitchy, loose, and strong. I think he has the potential to be a top tier gunner in this league on special teams.

-WRs Darius Powe and Travis Rudolph might be competing for one spot. We have highlighted Rudolph already, his ability to do everything right stands out. But he doesn’t separate downfield at all and he isn’t physical enough in traffic to be a factor. Powe has the size but I’m not sure he can separate from NFL DBs. He doesn’t have long speed and there isn’t a lot of quick twitch to him underneath.

DEFENSE NOTES

-The team’s #4 CB has to be Michael Hunter. I’m saying this right now with a lot of confidence, there are teams in this league where he could start. He is so consistent when it comes to trust his footwork and length while attacking the ball. He is breaking up multiple passes every day. NYG has an outstanding CB group, maybe the best in the league if Apple takes the expected step up.

-CB Janoris Jenkins ignores size completely. He shows no hesitation when going after WR Marshall. He is so fast to diagnose and react. He sniffs out screens and crossing routes in a blink. And I love how hard he competes for the ball in the air.

-DT Jay Bromley made a couple nice plays against the run today. He beat DJ Fluker badly on one running play which would have resulted in a 4 yard loss. He is a very large, long guy. There are tools to work with there, it will just be a matter of him showing consistency when it comes to techniques and awareness.

-The question with the DT group will be how long guys can go before needing a break. Harrison started to break down a little towards the end of last year, Thomas was limping around between plays today with what appeared hamstring/back soreness (just speculating). Tomlinson looks like he is still trying to figure it out mentally, as he hasn’t been able to get off blocks at all. Bromley is very inconsistent as I noted.

-I put the eye on FS Darian Thompson today as best I could. Not sure how these guys are coached, so take it with a grain of salt. But he was very good at keeping track of receivers in his area. Keeps his head on a swivel and won’t get fooled by the QB. His lower body moves very fluidly. I haven’t seen him tested deep though.

-The one concern I have is that these DBs don’t get a lot of work defending deep passes. In live action, the team’s offense almost never throws the ball downfield more than 20-25 yards. A guy like Thompson needs to work on that part of his game, as does CB Apple, and it’s not happening much if at all in practice.

-DE Kerry Wynn had a very good day. He made an impact on 1 on 1 special team drills and during live team drills from his DE spot. He is a guy that the coaches know they can depend on. I am leaning towards his making this 53 man roster. He is definitely ahead of DE Taylor right now.

-DE Jason Pierre-Paul is dominating Giants OL during live drills and one on one’s. No matter who he is matched up against and no matter where he is lining up.

-Each day that passes, I am leaning more and more towards DE Owa Odighizuwa not being in the final picture. He did beat OT Jarron Jones a couple times, but other than that there is too much rigid lower body movement and a severe lack of reaction/quick twitch. Unfortunate but he just doesn’t seem to have it.

3 STANDOUTS

-TE Evan Engram: By far his best day of camp so far. We got to see a few special catches. With defenders draped all over him, twice he made a TD catch while barely sneaking in before the sideline/out of bounds line. He plays super fast but under control. He keeps on catching everything and there isn’t a defender on this team that is built for covering him. He is exciting in this short pass offense.

-S Eric Pinkins: This kid is certainly making a name for himself. Very impressive physically with his combination of size and speed. At 6’3/230 with zero bad weight, he brings a different level of physical prowess to the secondary. He can be a special teams demon which should get him on this 53 man roster, but I like him as a backup safety as well. There is a ton of upside here and if the team is patient, we may see something big.

-OG Jessamen Dunker: You know, this kid needs a year of weight room work from what I can see. He doesn’t quite fill his pants yet. But he plays strong. His lower body mechanics and athleticism are as good as any of the OL on this team. And he showed great hand placement and strength in one on ones. I want to say he is a lock for the practice squad but if he goes out and impressed in the games, I say there is a shot he is the last OL on the 53 man roster. He really is impressive.

See you guys Monday!