Before practice today, head coach Pat Shurmur, two assistant coaches and a few players spoke to the media. This is what you need to know from the pressers:
1. Connor Barwin is someone to look up to. After less than a week into being with the Giants, Connor Barwin is already leading by example on and off the field. The 10-year vet is getting high praise from coaches and teammates, especially rookie Lorenzo Carter.
"I've learned as much as I can from him," Carter said. "He knows the recipe, he has the formula, so it would be ignorant of me not to follow him and do everything he does."
Linebackers coach Bill McGovern is excited to be reunited with Barwin and believes he still has plenty left in the tank. McGovern coached Barwin during their time in Philadelphia.
"He brings obviously a number of years of experience and also success on the field. He's a guy who is a true professional, but he also adds some athleticism to our team and some proven leadership," said McGovern. "He comes ready to play all the time, he's a consummate professional, he works at his craft all the time, he's always trying to improve, trying to find something to give himself an edge."
2. Odell's presence has been missed. It's no secret that Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the top receivers in the National Football League. When he is around the team, everyone works harder. "It makes everybody better, the whole team. He's a dynamic player, he's a great player, he's going to come out to work every day," Jenkins said.
Not only does it make the whole team better, it makes the defensive backs better having to go up against a top target.
"You can compete and practice against a top receiver, and just me and him going at it every day. He's gonna win, I'm gonna win, he might win the whole day, I might win. It's back and forth, but it only is getting us better," Jenkins said. "When he catches a ball on me, he's going to critique me. If I knock it down, I'm gonna go over there and critique him, and we just keep moving forward."
3. Experience is a big asset with the linebackers. When it comes to the linebackers, the Giants have a nice mix of experience and youth in their locker room. Vets like Connor Barwin, Alec Ogletree and Olivier Vernon lead the way for young guys like Lorenzo Carter, Avery Moss and Romeo Okwara. Having that experience around is music to coach Bill McGovern's ears.
"Again, having more proven leaders around, having good people in the room, you just kind of rub off on each other. You see good things, you hear other things that maybe somebody did or he might give him a heads-up like hey, I did this or I tried that, why don't you try doing it this way? It can only help you get better."
4. Tight ends play a big part in the offense. The tight end position is one of the most versatile spots on a football roster. A tight end is involved with run blocking, catching passes, and even pass blocking. They are a hybrid of a lineman and receiver. Coach Pat Shurmur believes it's a critical position.
"Other than the quarterback, that's the one connection to the run game, to the passing game, and then obviously the protection game. Those players need to be efficient. As we know, tight ends – they have a redeeming quality," Shurmur said. "Go through the league, and just take all the tight ends and what's his redeeming quality. Is he a pass receiver? Is he more of a blocker? Is he a guy that can do both and play on all three downs? Hopefully, you have a good guy on your roster that can be all those things. That's why I think it takes a village a tight end, and we've got to use them strategically to get the best out of their skillset."
5. Saquon continues to get the hype. As the days go on at training camp, Saquon Barkley continues to get more and more praise. Running backs coach Craig Johnson has been happy with his rookie.
"He has done a really good job, as a young player he has come in and he understands the process of what its going to be like in camp, he understands now how fast the second level and third level the linebackers and defensive backs are and finds out that, man, those guys can really play and run too," Johnson said. "He's trying to make sure he's understanding the process, knowing his matchups."
Johnson has been making sure Barkley doesn't go for the big plays all the time, even though the young back has the capability to do so.
"The thing that I've learned watching guys, when you go for big plays all the time sometimes you get big mess-ups. So, I tell him trust yourself. If you see a hole, take it. The biggest thing is sometimes when you're trying to get the extra yard, that's when your ball security fundamentals aren't what they need to be and then if we have a turnover it doesn't help if you're getting ready to go the distance. So, a good hard three or four yard gain a lot of times will help set up an explosion play later on."
