NY Giants Training Camp Practice Report: Pads Go On

You know you’re one step closer to real football in the summertime when the pads go on, and that’s precisely what happened on Monday, as the New York Giants graduated from the acclimation period to the padded practice period.

However, despite wearing pads, which, of course, means being able to tackle, head coach Brian Daboll instructed his players not to bring guys to the group since it was the first day in pads this summer. 

“Thud up, getting a good football position when you're kind of head on with the player, not coming from the side or from behind, but it'll be good for the offensive (and) defensive lineman who now can bull rush and run games and do some things with double teams,” Daboll said. 

Daboll also added that at some point later in camp, he might allow for full tackling, but for now, he continues to play things safe.

The “thudding up,” as Daboll called it, presented a challenge for the defensive players.

“Yeah. You know what I'm saying? That's why it's like, ‘All right, I hear you,’ but at the same time, we are not going,” said outside linebacker Brian Burns. 

“So, when they get thudded up and they keep dropping their legs and ‘dah duh dah’ – we can't keep – everybody can't hit you. We have to let you keep running.”

Come the preseason, there won’t be any restrictions on tackling, though it remains to be seen if Daboll plans to give his starters and key reserves more of a healthy dose of preseason snaps.

Hopefully, that will be the case. According to NFL Pro, although the Giants had a 13.3% missed tackle rate, which was around the league average, they gave up over 1,000 yards on the missed tackles, finishing with the fourth-highest total in the league (1,081).

We’ll see if the tackling improves once the preseason begins, just as we’ll see if Daboll allows for full-fledged tackling in future practices.

Injury Updates/Transactions

Receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton was placed on IR after suffering a torn Achilles in Sunday’s practice.

“Man, my heart aches for that man,” Daboll said. “He's done everything he could do to get back. He's a very good special-teams player for us and was having a good camp after working back from his injury.

"That's the tough part of this business – probably one of the worst (parts) is seeing these guys go down that have put so much time and effort and energy into getting back, and we'll certainly miss him.” 

The Giants re-signed receiver/return specialist Gunner Olszewski to fill the roster vacancy. Olsweski missed all of last season with a groin injury. He was one of a small handful of guys to have a workout before the team’s practice.

Brian Burns was good to go in practice. Burns collided with receiver Wan’Dale Robinson last week.

“I was just trying to set the standard, trying to run to the ball, whip myself in the shape for the season,” Burns said of the collision. “I was rolling too. I'm just glad that it wasn't (anything) too serious (for) me or (wide receiver) Wan’Dale (Robinson). We’re both good.”

Robinson, who banged his knee in Sunday’s practice, was held out of Monday's session as a precaution. But I happened to see him after practice with a sleeve on his left leg, moving without any sign of a limp.

Dalen Cambre got reps with the ones in place of Robinson and looked good. Cambre can also give the Giants snaps on special teams, so he’s someone we’ll probably want to continue watching this summer.

Jalin Hyatt continues to ramp back up. He did individual drills but not team drills.  And receiver Da’Quan Felton was on the stationary bike at the start of practice.

Practice Highlights

The Giants took advantage of the padded practice to do a lot with the running game. Cam Skattebo was the star of the day. 

He ripped off a nice 40-yard run to the outside, showing a good burst of speed and vision to get himself to the second level and daylight. Skattebo just might end up forcing a larger role for himself as a rookie than many initially thought.

Jaxson Dart hit Zach Pascall in traffic on one of the few pass plays. It was a good read, and Dart had the ball come out of his hand quickly, building on what he showed on Sunday.

Cor’Dale Flott, who continues to split first-team reps with Deonte Banks, broke up a pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, timing it perfectly.

Daboll exploded into a string of profanities after the offensive line committed three false start penalties during one of the team sessions. The message was received, as they cleaned up their act moving forward.

Cornerback Art Green came up with a one-handed interception on a Jameis Winston pass intended for Jordan Bly.