Sandwiched between an off-day and the first practice in pads, Sunday was the start of a marathon week at training camp with the season less than a month away. Buckle up and stay tuned to Giants.com.

"They're going to be moving fast, we're going to be intent, we're going to have an intensity in how we work," coach Joe Judge said. "When the padded practices start on Monday, it will reduce to a 90-minute practice per league rules. We're going to build everyone to make sure that - now that we're in pads - we can execute with the right fundamentals to play aggressive but safe. At all positions, receiver, D-line, it doesn't matter, when the pads go on, you have to see intensity ramp up."

Here are the standout players from practice:

LB Josiah Tauaefa

Tauaefa put the defense on the board with the first interception of training camp. During 7-on-7 drills, Tauaefa made a nifty play and snagged a pass with a clear path to return it for a touchdown had it been a live game. As an undrafted rookie from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Tauaefa played in 12 games for the Giants last season after starting the year on practice squad. He recorded two tackles for losses and forced a fumble on a Riley Dixon punt at home against the Packers in Week 13.

S Sean Chandler

On the other field, Chandler quickly followed up Tauaefa's interception with one of his own. He showed good reflexes and corralled a pass that went off the chest of a receiver. The New Jersey native, who has played in 29 games over the past two seasons, looks to factor into the new-look defense.

"If you watch this system of defense, you'll see that the parts are really interchangeable in the secondary," defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. "You'll have safeties sometimes moving down and playing corner. You'll have corners sometimes moving back to play safety. We're asking all those guys to be versatile. We're asking them to learn multiple positions.

"That gives us flexibility because I always tell them that one week, especially when you have COVID in the mix and what can happen there, you may have been at corner all of camp and the next thing you know, we have an injury, another guy is out because of COVID, next thing you know, you've switched positions mid-week and we play in a couple of days. We're trying to get guys kind of cross-trained and to be ready for when that happens, if it happens. We are asking them to cross-train and learn multiple spots."

CB Darnay Holmes

Henderson said Holmes still has a "long, long way" to go, as do all rookies, but the fourth-round pick flashed for a second consecutive day with a nice pass breakup. Holmes has been cross-training inside and outside, and he will be someone to watch once the pads come on tomorrow.

"We haven't even gotten to the pads yet to really see," Henderson said. "That'll be when you can really see what you have in those guys, is when we put the pads on and it's a little more competitive, it's real and he's going against guys. Right now, we've just been in shorts. He's been positive, doing some positive things. He has some growing to do. But we'll see what he is when we put the pads on and actually compete against each other."

Honorable Mention

WR Golden Tate, TE Levine Toilolo, and WR Corey Coleman caught red zone touchdowns. Coleman, who elevated coming left to right across the back of the end zone for his score, is "pretty much back to where he was before he got injured," according to receivers coach Tyke Tolbert…CB James Bradberry broke up a pass…WR Binjimen Victor caught a touchdown from QB Colt McCoy late in practice.