GOT THE MESSAGE
Joe Judge nicely makes point to Daniel Jones that he should protect the ball
Joe Judge knows how to give Daniel Jones a pat on the back while constructively coaching his quarterback to clean up his play. Judge was mic’d up for Friday night’s Giants intrasquad scrimmage and it revealed a telling exchange with Jones, who’d been strip-sacked and bobbled the ball on a scrambling slide.
“Hey, I liked just about 99% of everything we did in the first half. What didn’t I like?” Judge said on the Channel 4 telecast. “The fumble,” Jones said. “The fumble on the slide and the fumble with the ball swinging (in the pocket), right?” Judge said.
“Keep it tight,” Judge continued. “Have that clock in your head. You know when they’re collapsing on you, right? Step up. A sack ain’t the worst thing in the world. We don’t want it. But just watch holding the thing too long cuz they’re swatting at ya every time, all right?”
Judge said during his Sunday post-practice conference call about those two fumbles that “there’s a list of things we gotta correct. It’s never one guy’s fault.” Indeed, edge rusher Lorenzo Carter beat right tackle Cam Fleming for the strip sack on one of the fumbles.
“But everyone has individual techniques they have to improve on and everyone has to be individually focused on what’s going on around them,” Judge added, an allusion to how he was coaching Jones to navigate the pocket and pressure.
“We work on fundamentals with our team every day,”
Judge said. “It starts with not committing penalties by having the right technique. It starts with eliminating turnovers by having good ball security. It carries into mental errors by creating a stressful situation you have to operate in. So we’re gonna keep on the emphasis with our entire team of stressing those three things so we can be a smart, tough and fundamentally sound team. But we’re always gonna place an emphasis on tackling and turnovers throughout how we practice.”
BLAKE’S BACK
Giants inside linebacker
Blake Martinez was back at practice after missing Thursday’s practice and Friday’s scrimmage with a mystery ailment.
Judge described himself as “relieved” to have Martinez, 26, back at practice, but his answer on what had happened was cryptic.
“I can’t go into everything on account of HIPAA, but I would say he’s fully healed, he’s ready to go,” Judge said. “I’m not gonna go into the specifics of any injury or reason off the field, but I’m relieved to have Blake back out there with us.”
Martinez had a wrap on his right knee while practicing on
Sunday, but Judge’s answer left open to interpretation whether Martinez’s absence was even related to a physical injury.
The Giants signed the former Green Bay Packer to a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason to be the new leader at the middle of their defense. There is a good chance he becomes a captain.
ROSTER UPDATES
The Giants will continue practicing today through Wednesday before holding a third and final scrimmage on Thursday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. Judge and the Giants’ staff then must cut down their 80-man training camp roster to 53 by 4 p.m. Saturday. They’ll be allowed to keep up to 16 players on their practice squad, as well.
New Giants defensive backs KeiVarae Russell and Brandon Williams were wearing jersey numbers 38 and 28, respectively, at Sunday’s practice.