QB ELI MANNING**
After managing just 28 yards on 15 plays in Friday night's preseason opener in Cincinnati, quarterback Eli Manning and the first-team offense hit the practice field hard on Sunday back at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
From the 10-yard line in team drills, Manning threw three touchdowns on three consecutive passes to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., tight end Larry Donnell and wide receiver Victor Cruz. He later threw a fourth to Donnell, who made a spectacular catch in the corner of the end zone.
TE LARRY DONNELL
Hampered by Achilles tendinitis for much of spring and the first part of training camp, tight end Larry Donnell is trying to round back into the form that defined his breakout 2014 campaign. And practices like Sunday will help.
After catching Manning's second of three consecutive touchdown passes, Donnell hauled in his quarterback's fourth with one hand as he fell to the ground in the end zone. That was the play of the day until Bennett Jackson came along.
SAFETY BENNETT JACKSON
Thinned out by injuries, the Giants' secondary has plenty of opportunities for players to step up, and safety Bennett Jackson did so on Sunday. The second-year pro, who is transitioning from cornerback this season, ended practice with an interception that was tipped up by defensive back Trevin Wade. The pass by Manning was intended for wide receiver Preston Parker deep down the right sideline, but Wade, who had the Giants' first interception of the preseason, was there to disrupt it during the final two-minute drill.
SAFETY COOPER TAYLOR
Before Jackson's interception, fellow safety Cooper Taylor notched his own off backup quarterback Ryan Nassib. Taylor took first-team reps today with Jeromy Miles.
"We're all very confident," Taylor said about the safeties before practice. "We're here for a reason. We all believe that we have the ability to compete and play at this level. So we're all confident, and hopefully we'll be able to get out there and show it."
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR.
Including his touchdown from Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. was making plays all over the field on Sunday to the capacity crowd's delight at the QDTC. The one that drew the loudest applause was a tough catch down the sideline on the first play of the two-minute drill.
"I think sometimes we tend to forget that this is the game that you played as a little kid, that you loved as far as just coming out and being excited to play football," Beckham said before practice when asked what he wants to see from the offense next game. "I think it hit us kind of late and really realizing that the season is around the corner and this may be the first preseason game but it is still a game, all in all, and these are opportunities for you to take and learn and grow from them, so just coming out fired up next week and just have a better game."
