The Giants hosted the first of two joint practices with the Detroit Lions on Monday. A bright sun brought temperatures into the low 90s and humidity that made it uncomfortably hot. The practice went for longer than two hours.
Here's what I saw from the sideline:
The New York Giants hosted the Detroit Lions for joint practices ahead of Thursday's preseason opener.
* The practice was physical, feisty and spirited with both teams competing with energy and enthusiasm. There were times the teams engaged in too much extra-curricular activity after the whistle with players having to be separated. Other than those instances, it was a productive practice with both teams getting work against an unfamiliar opponent and scheme.
* The practice was split onto two fields. The Giants offense took on the Lions defense on one field, while the Giants defense tried to slow down the Lions offense on the adjacent field. It's difficult to see everything that's happening on both fields at the same time, but Dan Salomone, Matthew Citak and I split up the work so at least one set of eyes was on everything that happened.
* While the two teams faced each other in seven-on-seven drills, the offensive and defensive lines faced each other in 1-on-1 pass rush drills. Both groups had their wins and losses throughout; neither side dominated the other. The Giants' Andrew Thomas and Detroit's Penei Sewell were difficult to beat at offensive tackle, showing why they have both been All-Pro.
* Dexter Lawrence flashed his strength against Lions center Frank Ragnow, using his power to push him into the backfield. Ryder Anderson and Jordon Riley got into the backfield a couple times during these drills, while Timmy Horne flashed his power with a strong bull rush. Elijah Chatman also penetrated the backfield using his quickness.
* The Giants offensive line held its own in 1-on-1's. Jermaine Eluemunor had a good back and forth with Aidan Hutchinson, with both players winning at least one rep. Josh Ezeudu had a good rep as he ran the rusher around the quarterback, as did Joshua Miles, who has shown good feet throughout the summer.
* During 7-on-7, Malik Nabers caught a pass downfield heading towards the sideline. Jalin Hyatt had a 40+ yard catch after getting behind the defense. Bobby Okereke grabbed an interception after dropping into zone in the middle of the field and finished with a long return. The Lions did manage two deep completions for scores when their receivers got behind the defense.
* During the first team period, the Giants pass rush made its presence felt with Brian Burns bursting into the backfield on a run and pass play for what could have been tackles for loss. Dexter Lawrence had a stop on a run up the middle, and he also pushed an offensive lineman into the lap of the quarterback to create a pressure. Kayvon Thibodeaux used a power rush to collapse the pocket on Jared Goff, and DJ Davidson made a strong play on a screen pass. Boogie Basham also had a tackle for loss on a run play.
* The Giants tested the Lions downfield often. The big catch went to Malik Nabers down the right sideline. Coverage was strong but Nabers went up for the pass, caught it above the defender and secured it before getting his feet in. It was truly a spectacular catch and Nabers let the Lions know about it after the play.
* Tyrone Tracy Jr. had a strong practice with a couple nice runs pressing the hole. He also had a good blitz pickup and caught a screen pass. Dante Miller had a touchdown run, getting through the middle of the defense and bursting into the end zone.
* In the final team period, both teams gave their first and second units a chance to drive the ball into the end zone. The Giants first team offense moved the ball inside the five-yard line before switching to the second group. Jason Pinnock knocked a pass away for the Giants first team defense to keep the Lions from finishing their drive for a score. Detroit did have a big play for a touchdown to Jameson Williams on the first play of the competition. The Giants second team defense produced a sack from Boogie Basham and a pressure from DJ Davidson.
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