BREAK IN ACTION
Big Blue receiving weapons look like they will be tough to handle
AN EIGHT-WEEK offseason program came to an end this past week with a three-day mandatory minicamp, providing the Giants with a final look at the players they’ve assembled on their roster. They have gone their separate ways until July 27, when the team reconvenes for training camp. Here are f i ve Giants-sized observations gleaned from the springtime work: O - MY: It was something to behold. The Giants, on one play in t heir final minicamp practice, lined up on offense with rookie tight end Evan Engram split wi d e ri ght, with Brandon Marshall in the right slot, a pair of big, athletic pass-catching options. On the left side, Sterling Shepard was in the slot and Odell Beckham Jr. was on the outside. Can you imagine how far a defense will have to stretch itself to cover these four threats?
First thought: The predictable formations of 2016 are dead and buried. Second thought: With so many options, Beckham’s reception totals could drop but his yards-per-catch could go up, up and away with so many seams and creases to exploit. BATTLE ROYALE: The most competitive camp duel will be in the defensiveline trenches, with four players trying to squeeze their way into the starting right defensive tackle spot alongside Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison. There is Jay Bromley, Robert Thomas, Corbin Bryant and rookie Dalvin Tomlinson. A case can be made for each.
Bromley has been around the longest and should be primed to make a push. Thomas, at 325 pounds, is the largest of the four. Bryant started games for the Bills and is the most experienced. Tomlinson comes with that Alabama pedigree.
It is a prime job, as the winner gets to play between Snacks and Olivier Vernon, meaning whoever is the eventual replacement for Johnathan Hankins (now with the Colts) will not be seeing many (or any) double-teams coming his way, with so much talent around him.
NOT-SO-GENTLE-BEN: Coach Ben McAdoo has not eased up one bit. He went 11-5 as a rookie head coach, but in many ways it doesn’t feel that way — that is how bitter the playoff shellacking by the Packers was to the psyche of this team.
Sure, he is sporting a new slicked-back hairstyle, but there is not much slick about the pride of Homer City, Pa. — and he likes it that way. He is often a gruff interview s ubject, a nd he unabashedly shouted Eli Manning and Weston Richburg off the practice field for a play after a botched quarterback-center exchange.
You get the sense McAdoo likes his team — a team coming together more in his image one year after taking over for Tom Coughlin. He embraces new technology and the latest training methods, but at his heart, he is old-school. YOUNG GUN: The selection of Davis Webb in the third round of the draft, for all intents and purposes, ensured there would be three quarterbacks on the roster: Eli Manning, either Geno Smith or Josh Johnson as the backup, and Davis as No. 3. That probably is
how it will go down, but you never know. Could Webb actually vault over the more experienced Smith and Johnson and claim the No. 2 role, allowing the Giants to save a roster spot for another position? It is difficult not to be impressed with Webb. He throws the heck out of the ball and is indefatigable in his preparation. He has the look and feel of a keeper. CORNER THE MARKET ON
DEPTH: The one spot where the more you have, the better, is cornerback — a position that is not exactly teeming with depth for the Giants.
Janoris Jenkins, Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are an enviable top three, but four, and even five, are needed. Last year, Trevin Wade and Leon Hall served as the depth at corner, but neither was re-signed.
This spring, Michael Hunter showed promise, and his work this summer will be critical to determine if he can slide in at No. 4. Hunter, an undrafted rookie in 2016 from Oklahoma State, was on the practice squad last season, eventually got onto the active roster and played in two games.
“I will tell you who has had a good offseason, is Michael Hunter,’’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “If you have watched enough practice … Mike has really stood out.’’