Brian Daboll brought his Giants in Thursday for what was supposed to be the third and final day of a three-day mandatory minicamp, the culmination of an offseason program that opened April 4. Instead of hitting the field, the first-year head coach informed the players their hard work had earned them a break. Practice was called off, and what followed in the bright sunshine was an afternoon barbeque and outdoor festivities at the team facility.
That, no doubt, delighted the entire 90-man roster. That, most likely, especially delighted the players on the offensive side of the ball, as they now get nearly a seven-week respite from facing defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s high-octane pressure packages.
“We’re seeing a lot of looks for the first time,’’ quarterback Daniel Jones said. “I think our defense does a good job mixing up pressures and bringing guys from different spots. We’ve just got to look at that and correct some things. Certainly, there are some things we want to clean up.’’
There were brand-new systems installed on offense and defense this spring. Players will report for training camp on July 26 and the next day will take the field for the first summer work under this new coaching regime. The anticipation is that the offense, directed by Daboll and coordinator Mike Kafka, will need time to catch up to Martindale’s crew on defense. Here are some of the reasons why:
See ball, get ball
It is easier to install a far more aggressive defense than it is to learn how to combat that far more aggressive defense. Martindale will bring pressure with everyone from everywhere. The pass rushers learn their new roles and assignments. On the flip side, the offensive line and running backs are tasked with a barrage of different protection rules, and any hesitation or uncertainty can lead to a play getting blown up. That happened Tuesday, when safety Julian Love moved up to the line of scrimmage on one sequence and twice when rookie safety Dane Belton rushed in from unnatural angles to disrupt the pocket.
“We have some guys who are talented in terms of things that they do, and I think Wink is doing a good job, or we’re getting to the point we’re doing a good job of mixing it up to keep offenses guessing,’’ Love said, “as opposed to kind of pigeonholing guys into one spot, into one role, into one thing they do on a certain defensive call. It’s allowing guys to play free, play loose, and we’ve got some juice going, which is exciting.’’
New blue line
Yup, it is another offensive-line makeover for the Giants. These renovations always take time to come together, and sometimes they never do. Rookie Evan Neal is the right tackle. Mike Glowinski is the right guard. Jon Feliciano is the center. These are all players new to the scene. Shane Lemieux, the likely starting left guard, played in only one game in 2021 before needing knee surgery. The left tackle, Andrew Thomas, is mending from ankle surgery and was an observer all spring, with rookie guard Josh Ezeudu often filling in at left tackle. If anyone expected this to coalesce quickly, they were mistaken. Add in Martindale’s disinterest in holding anything back, and the early returns were predictable.
“There are so many people [on defense] that are playing in positions that you don’t expect them to play in,’’ Feliciano said. “It gets a little hard when you have to identify and you’re not actively scheming for it like leading up to the week, you know what I’m saying?’’
Study hall
Lest we forget, this is an entirely new offense for Jones to learn. It is a new offense for backup Tyrod Taylor. It is a familiar offense for Davis Webb from his years with Daboll in Buffalo, but Webb received third-team reps. Jones is a sharp guy, but this sort of full-scale indoctrination to a new system takes time. This is the third new offense for Jones in four years.
“There are some similar concepts here and there,’’ Jones said. “Largely, the verbiage is very different, and then there are some differences in concepts and plays as well. So, yeah, it’s a pretty different system, I would say.’’
Where have all the targets gone?
Even when a play is blocked perfectly, the intended receiver has to win his route. The top two guys, Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, wore red jerseys all spring and did not participate in team drills, dealing with what Daboll says are not serious physical issues. Sterling Shepard remains sidelined coming off surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. That left the quarterbacks to throw to returnee Darius Slayton, rookie Wan’Dale Robinson and several others fighting for roster spots.
“Hey, there’s a big discussion of who won the offseason,’’ Love said. “Of course, I’d say defense won the offseason.’’
There can be no argument to dispute that.
The Giants had three players participate in their recently completed minicamp on a tryout basis, and on Friday, they signed one of them, WR Keelan Doss. LB TJ Brunson, a 2020 seventh-round draft pick, was waived.
The 6-foot-3 Doss, 26, caught 11 passes for 133 yards with the Raiders in 2019. He was on the Jets’ practice squad in 2021 and owns the UC-Davis career touchdown record with 29.
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