Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett happy to be back home with Giants

Giants Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett spent many years with the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett served as the backup quarterback to Hall of Famer Troy Aikman from 1993-1999 before joining the Giants in 2000. Following his retirement, Garret began his coaching career with the Dolphins in 2005 before returning to Dallas in 2007 as the team's offensive coordinator. He went on to spend the next 13 years with the Cowboys, but similar to his playing career, he ended up with Big Blue.

While there is no denying his long history with the Cowboys, Garrett was a long-time Giants fan well before he ever donned Dallas' star.

Garrett's father, Jim, joined the Giants as an assistant coach in 1970 and spent four years with the organization. That was more than enough time for Garrett and his brothers to develop a deep fondness for the Giants.

"We were certainly Giants fans first," older brother John Garrett told Ryan Dunleavy of The Post.

Jim Garrett moved his entire family to a home in Monmouth Beach, NJ after accepting the coaching job with the Giants in 1970. This house would go on to serve as the location for the family's summer get togethers over the course of the next 50 years.

"I have distinct memories of watching a Giants training camp scrimmage at Monmouth College," Jason told The Post, "but also getting our Giants football and going behind the bleachers and playing our own game of football."

Giants delay practice to discuss social justice issues

The Giants' laser focus on preparing for their 2020 season has not precluded them from staying immersed in the real world issues in their local area and throughout the United States.

Perhaps foremost in their consciousness is the shooting Sunday of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back by Kenosha, Wis. police officers. Blake's three young children were in the car he stood next to when he was hit.

The Giants delayed the beginning of their practice today so the players and coaches could discuss among themselves some of the vital social justice issues roiling the country.

"We had some important matters to talk about as a team," Coach Joe Judge said. "We weren't going to cut those short, so I made sure we took the time to approach what we had to.

"It was social injustice. We wanted to give our players time. This wasn't a distraction by any means, but it's a conversation we wanted to make sure we had as a team. There are some things that are very important within the locker room and the culture and making sure the players understand that… Look, we're concerned about them. They're concerned about us as coaches as well."

The practice delay occurred just hours after the Giants organization announced its "#TogetherBlue" campaign for the 2020 season, which in addition to football-related issues, extends into the community as part of the Giants' commitment to pursue sustained change, specifically in areas of social justice. The Giants have partnered with organizations with a focus toward racial injustice, criminal justice reform, education and economic advancement, police-community relations and voter registration.

"I'm very proud of our team and how they've interacted," Judge said. "We talked a lot back in the spring. We're not revealing everything we're doing internally as a team, but I will say that our guys are very active in the community. Very active as far as getting out there and making a difference. Obviously, we talk about a lot of the issues around the country on a lot of different levels. One thing we decided as a team is we're not really a bunch of talkers. That's not really our personality. There's a lot of people making statements out there, putting blanket things out there. We talked early in the process that it's okay to say something, but you have to back it up. Before we started going out there and making a bunch of blanket statements, we're going to be in a position where we're making a difference and we're helping people in their everyday lives."

What's next after injuries to McKinney, Mayo

Two weeks after their initial training camp practice, the Giants today announced for the first time this summer that injuries will sideline a potential starter. And to compound the issue, the injury bug struck not one, but two players.

Rookie safety Xavier McKinney has a fractured left foot and inside linebacker David Mayo has a torn meniscus in his left knee. Both injuries will be repaired surgically, McKinney today and Mayo tomorrow. They are the team's first front-line players forced off the field due to injury. Coach Joe Judge said he won't have a timetable for their return until after he receives a post-surgery report.

"Any injury to our roster is a hit to us because we care about every player on our roster," Judge said. "But it's our responsibility to have everyone developed and make sure the next man is ready to go."

McKinney underwent surgery performed by foot specialist Dr. Martin O'Malley this afternoon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

A 6-foot, 201-pounder who was the 36th overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft. McKinney was first-team All-SEC standout last season for the Crimson Tide and was competing to start alongside Jabrill Peppers at the back of the Giants' defense. McKinney's injury creates an opportunity for second-year pro Julian Love to claim that spot when the season opens.

"You don't want to see any player get hurt," Judge said. "It's a part of the game. Injuries do happen. These guys play a collision sport, there's a lot of wear and tear on their bodies. Xavier is a guy for us who's making a tremendous amount of improvement. Look, we're still looking forward to getting him back out there on the field. I'm not a doctor, I don't have that timetable. I'm going to let those guys handle that. My only concern at this point is that he continues to work as hard as he can to get back on the field, and that we continue to develop him as a coaching staff, mentally, that he makes progress within the situational awareness and overall understanding of our schemes and the league tendencies in his time off the field."