OTA No. 1 is in the books.
The New York Giants began the third and final phase of their voluntary offseason workout program today at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. For the next month, they are holding a series of 10 organized team activities. Live contact still is not permitted – it won't be until training camp – but there are 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, which we saw today.
"It was a pretty good day," coach Pat Shurmur said. "I thought they competed well. There were some good and bad plays on both sides of the ball and I think what's important to see is that they competed, they challenged one another and I think we got one OTA better. And now the challenge is anytime that you leave the practice field, their thoughts need to drift toward recovery, so certainly we can come out tomorrow, have OTA No. 2 and get one more OTA better. So it's a good day, a nice, sunny day – a good day for football and the guys competed well."
With that said, here are today's standout players:
LB B.J. GOODSON
Coming off an injury-plagued sophomore season, Goodson is looking to break out in his third year while lining up alongside offseason acquisition Alec Ogletree as the two inside linebackers in James Bettcher's new 3-4 scheme. Goodson is as physical as anyone, but today he showed his ability to make plays against the pass. During a team period, Goodson got a hand on a pass over the middle, tipped it to himself, and grabbed the first interception of OTAs.
S SEAN CHANDLER
Chandler, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound undrafted rookie out of Temple, made a nice play to grab his second interception in a Giants uniform. After notching one last week in rookie minicamp, Chandler got his hands on a pass that was deflected by cornerback Tim Scott. Chandler, known as "Champ", started 48 games in college -- 25 as a weakside cornerback and 23 as a free safety. He became an inspiration for the Owls with his story of overcoming homelessness while growing up in Camden, New Jersey.
"Well, we are impressed by him already," Shurmur said. "Certainly his background is well-known and you're rooting and pulling for guys that have kind of become self-made in a lot of ways and he made a play out there today. He's like everybody else, he's trying to do everything right and do what he can to make our team better and he impressed us some today."
QB DAVIS WEBB
The second-year quarterback made the play of the day for the offense, going deep to wide receiver Roger Lewis down the left sideline. Webb, known for his touch on deep passes, is one of three quarterbacks behind Eli Manning at OTAs. Fourth-round draft pick Kyle Lauletta and veteran Alex Tanney are the others.
"I thought he did a good job," Shurmur said of Webb. "Everyday he does something a little bit better. He's becoming more and more comfortable with our scheme and I thought he did some good things."
LB MARK HERZLICH
After becoming a father last week, Herzlich made a couple of plays in coverage today, including batting down a pass at the line of scrimmage. He also broke up a play on the sideline as he embarks on his eighth NFL season after first making the roster as an undrafted rookie in 2011. The Giants re-signed Herzlich in March.
