The New York Football Giants are back.
The team kicked off training camp on Thursday at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. After a productive spring, new head coach Pat Shurmur was itching to get back on the field in preparation for Week 1 vs. Jacksonville and beyond.
"This is terrific," coach Pat Shurmur said before practice. "I really enjoyed working with our team in the spring. They came back in good shape – refreshed. As players and coaches, this is what we do. This is our livelihood, this is our passion, and it's our hobby. Playing football is what we do, and training camp is a part of getting ready for the upcoming season. There's a lot of excitement in the building; very competitive guys that understand it's very important to train as a team and get ready to play."
Here are three players who stood out at practice:
TE EVAN ENGRAM: The leading rookie tight end from a year ago is back, looking to take his game to the next level. He hauled in a handful of catches today from Eli Manning, including a one-hander that was the offensive highlight of the day. After last season ended, Engram went back and watched all of his film to see his progression and where he needs to improve for his sophomore season.
"Yeah, I watched a lot," he said. "It was kind of crazy, just from game one – and through game one, I can definitely tell where my head was spinning at certain times. I can tell where I looked sloppy or didn't really look under control a lot of plays. But as the year went on, I just started seeing things progress. … I watched pretty much the whole season through – a couple games more than once. Definitely went back and watched a lot – just to kind of put in perspective of where I was and kind of test myself on when to use some of the new things I know now in some situations I was in last year."
CB JANORIS JENKINS: Nobody in the NFL has more pick-sixes than Janoris Jenkins since he came into the league in 2012. So it was only fitting he grabbed the first interception of training camp. The seventh-year veteran kicked things off with running down a long pass near the sideline closest to the fans gathered at the QDTC. They liked it. Jenkins, known as Jackrabbit, also had a couple nice plays in one-on-one drills.
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR.: After missing 12 games last season with an injury that limited him this spring, the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver today returned to full team drills. Earlier in the day, Sterling Shepard, who trained with him this offseason, said Beckham looked "so much more explosive" than before – which is saying something. And Beckham didn't seem to make a liar out of him. He caught a few passes and showed his trademark burst, including a play down the sideline that was opened by the blocking of rookie running back Saquon Barkley. Beckham appreciated the second overall pick doing the dirty work.
"I don't know, there's just something in him, he's just hungry," Shepard said of Beckham. "He's ready to get out there and prove to everybody that he still has it and you guys see the Instagram videos, it's crazy and to see it firsthand, wow."
Next practice: Friday, July 27 (2:45 p.m. ET)
