Practice Notes from Giants/Lions perspectives

Giants

Raanan ESPN NY

Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan)
8/15/18, 4:39 PM
The Wednesday Daily5:
1. The Giants pass defense is a concern. Alec Ogletree allowed some plays to the Lions TEs again and Eli Apple had his ups and downs (gave up some plays, flagged for penalty before redeeming himself with pick six). Going to be season-long concern.

Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan)
8/15/18, 4:42 PM
2. Definitely saw rookie OLB Lorenzo Carter flash. He got the better of Lions rookie LT Tyrell Crosby on several plays Wednesday. Carter was constantly in the backfield. He’s a player DC James Bettcher seems excited about

Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan)
8/15/18, 4:48 PM
3. QB Davis Webb had his best day in awhile. Came in and took some 1st-team snaps and fired some bullets into tight windows. Still a random high pass but better. He led starters down field to FG attempt in 2-minute drill. Based on practice reps, Webb way ahead of Lauletta

Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan)
8/15/18, 4:50 PM
4. Player who continues to pop in practice and preseason: DT Rob Thomas. He’s had a strong summer. Making a living in the backfield. Be surprised if there isn’t a spot on 53 for him

Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan)
8/15/18, 4:55 PM
5. Saquon Barkley update: He didn’t practice. He went inside to work w/trainer. Unclear how much he did but caught balls off JUGS machine + jogged for 1 second (literally 1 sec). “Day to day.” Not expecting him to play Friday but would be surprised if not on field soon

Schmeelk Giants.com: Practice Notes (8/15): Defense features many standouts
https://www.giants.com/news/practice-notes-8-15-defense-features-many-standouts

Schmeelk Giants.com: Practice Standouts (8/15): Ellison shines in red zone
https://www.giants.com/news/practice-standouts-8-15-ellison-shines-in-red-zone

Dunleavy Giants.com: Giants' Davis Webb bounces back with strong throws during practice with Detroit Lions | Sights and sounds
https://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2018/08/davis_webb_bounces_back_with_strong_throws_during.html

Duggan The Athletic: Giants-Lions joint practice report: Eli Apple finishes on high note after rough start
https://theathletic.com/474410/2018/08/15/giants-lions-joint-practice-report-eli-apple-finishes-on-high-note-after-rough-start/


Lions

Birkett Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions training camp observations: Who leads backup QB race?

“In their two-minute drill late in practice, from the same situation and with backup Davis Webb guiding the first-team offense, the Giants drove down the field against the Lions' mostly first-team defense and kicked a field goal that would have been good on regulation goal posts but was wide on one set of the skinny posts the Lions have at their Allen Park practice facility.

What I found most interesting about that drive was how the Lions played Odell Beckham. They appeared to be double-covering Beckham with Nevin Lawson at cornerback and Glover Quin providing safety help over top. It makes sense, since Darius Slay, in theory, can eliminate No. 2 receivers and Beckham is the type of unique talent that requires a a double-team. It also jives with how the New England Patriots defended Calvin Johnson when Patricia was calling the defense in 2014. If you remember that game, the Patriots doubled Johnson with Brandon Browner and a safety, and used Darrelle Revis on Golden Tate. Johnson had just four catches for 58 yards on 10 targets.

Frank Ragnow took most of the first-team center reps in place of the injured Graham Glasgow on Wednesday, and he was a mixed bag in the two one-on-one pass-rush reps I saw. I believe his first rep came against Damon Harrison, though I couldn't quite make out the defender's jersey. Regardless, Harrison or whoever beat Ragnow off the snap, but Ragnow rebounded to stymie the next defender he faced (again, couldn't quite make out the jersey  but I think it was Josh Banks).

I didn't watch all of those one-on-ones, but I thought Rick Wagner had two good reps at right tackle against Olivier Vernon and Avery Moss.

The Lions and Giants had another situational sort of scrimmage Wednesday, with no live tackling. Stafford threw a touchdown pass to Michael Roberts to end the Lions' first possession, though Theo Riddick wasn't flagged for a clear hold as he tried to keep a pass rusher at bay. Stafford missed a couple deep shots on that drive, one to Marvin Jones and one to Kenny Golladay. Jones and Golladay worked as the receivers in the Lions' two-receiver set during that drive, and Golladay continues to impress with his know-how when it comes to using his length

Defensively, the Giants got a couple shots at the end zone with their first-team offense. Evan Engram beat Glover Quin for a touchdown on the first play, and Eli Manning just missed Engram on a corner route on the second attempt. At one point in the drive, the Lions employed a defense that I think only had two linemen on the field (Ziggy Ansah and Kerry Hyder) yet still got pressure from stand-up linebackers Devon Kennard and Alex Barrett.”

https://amp.freep.com/amp/1000383002

Rogers Detroit News: Lions camp observations: Devon Kennard gets on track

“After starting training camp on the non-football injury list, Devon Kennard has had a relatively quiet couple weeks. It turns out former teammate Ereck Flowers was what the doctor ordered to get Kennard back on track. 
The edge-rushing linebacker spent a good portion of the morning in the Giants backfield, and if tackling had been live, probably would have had three sacks on the day. The Lions signed him for his versatility, but if Kennard can rush the passer with any kind of consistency this season, he'll be worth every penny of the three-year, $17.25 million contact he signed this offseason. 

Another defensive player who stood out was rookie safety Tracy Walker. In seven-on-seven work he broke up a pass and forced Giants tight end Shane Smith to fumble.  

He might be a man without a position right now, but Miles Killebrew keeps standing out on special teams. He flattened a Giants player while blocking on kickoff work. 

Despite an interception on Tuesday, safety Glover Quin hasn't looked as sharp this offseason, at least not as much as we're used to seeing. He even got hit with a rare penalty flag when he grabbed Odell Beckham in the back of the end zone and nearly drove the superstar wideout in the goal post directly in front of the official. 

Practice closed with a two-minute drill. The offense was given the ball at their own 40, with 58 seconds on the clock, needing a field goal. 

Detroit's first-team offense was led by Rudock, who was arguably sacked on his first snap, before drawing a 24-yard defensive pass interference on a throw to Kenny Golladay. At the far end of field-goal range, Rudock's next pass was intercepted by cornerback Eli Apple, who anticipated the throw and jumped the route. 

The second-team offense worked well into field-goal range with Matt Cassel under center, but Ryan Santono missed the go-ahead kick from approximately 45 yards out as time expired. 

Detroit's second-team defense did pretty well in the scenario, with Freddie Bishop getting pressure (should have been whistled as a sack) and Jalen Reeves-Maybin and cornerback Chris Jones breaking up passes. Walker made a key tackle in bounds on a QB scramble, keeping the clock moving, and despite Teez Tabor giving up a completion in field goal range, time ran out before the Giants could get the kick up.”

https://amp.detroitnews.com/amp/1001376002

Meinke Michigan Live: Lions training camp observations, Day 14: Devon Kennard breaks out with big day

“Devon Kennard had one of his best practices of an otherwise quiet summer, ripping the Giants for at least three sacks. Of course, he was also doing much of his work against Ereck Flowers, the same guy Ziggy Ansah disassembled for three sacks in a Week 2 game against New York last year. Ansah managed just one other sack the first 11 weeks of the season. So, yeah. Take this with a grain of salt, but Kennard -- Detroit's top free-agent signing, and one of the cornerstones of the new pass rush -- did look good today. If only the Lions could see Flowers every week ...

all the injuries up front, Detroit was forced to mix and match to get through practice. Taylor Decker and Rick Wagner were at their usual posts on the outside, but Ragnow moved to center for the first time. Wesley Johnson replaced him at left guard, but also spent a few snaps working at center, along with Joe Dahl. Otherwise, Dahl was mostly at right guard for Lang. And all that movement led to a shaky day for the offensive line, which isn't surprising, given just how good that New York defensive front is. Those guys are going to eat up a lot of teams this year, and Detroit's reworked front was little match for it, especially in the running game. Holes were hard to come by for the backs, especially down in the red zone. New York had the clear advantage there.

One offensive lineman that has impressed is Rick Wagner. It dawned on me today how little I've jotted him in my notebook this summer, which is always a good sign for an offensive lineman. He's been really consistent on that right edge, and was at it again today, beating Olivier Vernon and Kareem Martin on consecutive one-on-one reps.

The Lions and Giants worked on their hurry-up offenses by putting 58 seconds on the clock. Both teams started drives at their own 40-yard line while trailing by two points. And, interestingly enough, both teams played their backup quarterback with the starting offense. Just three plays later, Jake Rudock threw a pick-six to Eli Apple. The defense wasn't much better, allowing Davis Webb to drive New York into position for the game-winning field goal. (The kick was missed, but it was also attempted through the skinny goal posts, so it probably would have counted in an actual game.)

I, like any red-blooded American, was excited to see Slay vs. Beckham this week. But the star-studded matchup never really lived up to the hype. They were only matched up a few times the last two days. Beckham caught a couple passes, while Slay had a couple excellent reps, including a pass breakup during 7-on-7s today. Beckham did beat his man a few plays later, though that man was Glover Quin, who has looked a step slow a few times in joint practices this summer. Of course, he also jumped a route for an interception on Tuesday, so don't go around sounding alarm bells quite yet.

https://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2018/08/lions_training_camp_observatio_8.html#incart_river_mobile_index