5 takeaways from Wednesday's practice and media hour:
1. GIANTS WERE 'BRUTALLY HONEST' IN TEAM MEETING
Giving his players extra time to rest after the cross-country flight back from San Francisco, coach Ben McAdoo met with the whole group today for the first time since the Giants' loss to the previously winless 49ers. And it went as you would imagine.
"We had some open conversations," McAdoo said. "Some hard talks. Some plain talks. Some simple talk. Played some film. Were brutally honest with each other. We'll see how the players respond."
During today's media availability in the locker room, players said effort was addressed in the meeting.
"At the end of the day, you got to be accountable, and to be called out on film in front of everybody, I think it does something to a player," veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. "You don't want to be that player. It could either go a good way or a bad way. But I think it would definitely do some changing."
2. INJURY REPORT
Did not practice: LB B.J. Goodson (ankle), DT Damon Harrison (ankle), OL Justin Pugh (back), LB Kelvin Sheppard (groin)
Limited: CB Donte Deayon (ankle), G D.J. Fluker (knee), LB Devon Kennard (quad), LB Calvin Munson (quad), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee), DT Dalvin Tomlinson (ankle)
3. ENGRAM MAKING HISTORY
Over the summer, Giants legend Mark Bavaro made headlines when he raved about tight end Evan Engram, the incoming first-round draft choice. Coming from Bavaro, there's no better compliment for a tight end – or any Giant, for that matter. Now Engram has done something no other tight end in franchise history has done since Bavaro in 1987, and that is catch a touchdown in four consecutive games.
"Those first couple of weeks [of the season], my head was spinning a little bit out there and I wasn't as confident," said Engram, who is one score from breaking the team's all-time rookie tight end record. "But definitely learning some things, fixing some mistakes and knowing that I belong out there, having some confidence, I think that's been the biggest jump I've taken. It's definitely helped me with my game and getting out there and making plays."
4. VETERAN OL GRECO GETTING UP TO SPEED
Among yesterday's roster moves was the signing of John Greco, a 6-foot-4, 318-pound offensive lineman with 111 games (70 starts) under his belt for the Rams and Browns. Greco, originally a third-round draft choice (65th overall), has started 45 games at right guard, 24 at left guard, and one at center.
"I would like to think it's going to be a pretty quick transition for me," Greco said after his first practice with the Giants. "I've played a long time, so I've played in pretty much every offense, and it's just about the language right now."
5. CHIEFS SCOUTING REPORT
McAdoo begins every Wednesday press conference with a scouting report on the upcoming opponent. The following is his breakdown of the 6-3 Chiefs, who are coming off their bye week:
Offense: "They're well built. They're versatile. Have a lot of firepower. Alex Smith is playing at the highest level at this point. They feature two college running backs at wide receiver in (Tyreek) Hill and (De'Anthony) Thomas. They present a challenge. (Travis) Kelce is a matchup challenge as well. He's a big basketball player playing tight end. Kareem Hunt is a physical, hungry runner and all five offensive linemen played tackle in college."
Defense: "They're built around an attacking style. They like to get after the quarterback and create turnovers. (Justin) Houston and (Dee) Ford have combined for 58 and a half sacks in four years and their interior defensive line is talented as well with Bennie Logan, the former Eagle, leading the way. (Chris) Jones is an impressive athlete inside with the ability to wreck a game. (Marcus) Peters is a talented corner and all three safeties see a ton of action. They play a lot of defensive backs."
Special teams: "They're tied for the league lead with kickoff returns for touchdowns since 2013 with nine. (Tyreek) Hill is a special player with returning punts as we all know and (Kevin) Pierre-Louis and Eric Murray lead a strong group of coverage specialists."
