Practice Report

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Practice Report (8/4): Giants ramp up to big week with Lions

Aug 04, 2024 at 01:32 PM

John Schmeelk

Giants.com

After a day off, the Giants were back on the practice field on Sunday. They wore shells and helmets for a shorter practice that only featured two competitive team periods. Prior to practice, head coach Brian Daboll called it a ramp-up practice in preparation for the two straight days of hard work against the Lions in New Jersey on Monday and Tuesday. The joint practices lead up to the Giants' first preseason game of the year on Thursday at MetLife Stadium.

Here's what I saw from the sideline:

* Each quarterback connected for what would have been an explosive play during the two team sessions. Daniel Jones hit a wide open Wan'Dake Robinson perfectly in stride on a deep pass down the middle of the field. It appeared as though there was some kind of confusion on defense and the defensive backs were talking to each other after the play to determine why he was so open. There was a blitz on the play, and it looked like a defensive lineman might have been in position for a sack before the pass was thrown, but it was difficult to tell from my angle.

* Drew Lock's explosive play came on a quick slant to Isaiah McKenzie. Lock put the ball perfectly in front of McKenzie, who turned it up the field and blew past the defending cornerback for a potential long touchdown run after catch. The timing and accuracy of the throw along with Mckenzie's explosiveness were key to turning a short pass into a big gain.

* Tommy DeVito's big play came on a pass where he navigated the pocket before throwing to the middle of the field to give wide receiver Dennis Houston a chance to go up and get the ball. Houston did a nice job adjusting to the pass quickly and getting underneath two defenders before leaping to make the catch. Houston has quietly had a strong training camp catching near every ball that has been thrown at him.

* The big play on defense came from Jason Pinnock. Daniel Jones went back to throw and hit a tight end with an accurate throw, but it bounced off his hands to Pinnock, who quickly returned it the other way.

* Pinnock wasn't the only player to make an impact on defense. Cor'Dale Flott had tight coverage on Jalin Hyatt and was able to knock away a short pass over the middle.

* The Giants defensive line made its presence felt in the backfield. Timmy Horne had a pressure in the first team period. He has been able to push the pocket throughout camp from different spots on the line of scrimmage. Elijah Chatman got quick penetration and would have had a sack against Daniel Jones. Brian Burns got around the right edge and would have likely had a sack of Daniel Jones, who scrambled and ran up the middle for a short gain on the play. Ryder Anderson hit the ground on the way to the quarterback but had a pressure and would have had a chance at the quarterback. On the final competitive play of practice, Ovie Oghoufo would have had a sack working around the edge.

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