BLUE’S CLUES HINT AT BIG SEASON
McAdoo's crew set to live up to lofty expectations
EIGHT practices into training camp and the Giants have been good, they’ve been lucky and they’ve done nothing to temper the simmering expectations swirling around their 2017 season.
There is a long way to go and nothing is ever won in early August, but anyone having happy palpitations and thinking big thoughts should anticipate an accelerated heart rate the remainder of the summer. The Giants are not a perfect team and there will be bumps along the way. After more than a week of camp, though, their strengths were reinforced as their concerns regressed.
Eight practices into camp, the Giants are pretty darn good.
The defense should be exceptional. With nine starters returning and locked in, the only starting battles or positions to wonder about are at middle linebacker, free safety and right defensive tackle. Well, fret not. All three spots appear as if they are well-manned.
Second-year linebacker B.J. Goodson looks like a killer in the middle of the defense, with the only worry keeping in one piece the running backs and receivers he’s thumping in practice. Darian Thompson fits like a glove at free safety, looking fluid in his movement coming off foot surgery. His rookie year consisted of just two games (one start), gone just as he was getting in a groove with Landon Collins. The groove is back and the Giants cannot wait to unveil their safety tandem.
“We don’t make any mistakes,’’ Collins said. “That’s the biggest thing; we complement each other in that area. If I’m calling something wrong, he corrects it. Everybody looks at me like I’m that guy, but he’s my right-hand man. If I mess up, he got me. If he messes up, I got him. The only time we mess up is if we both mess up.’’
Replacing Johnathan Hankins on the defensive line will not prove to be impossible. Jay Bromley has been in the offensive backfield often enough to wear a white jersey. Rookie Dalvin Tomlinson, the second-round pick from Alabama, is coming on strong, so much so that veteran guard Justin Pugh said, “There’s no drop-off when the ones come out and he comes in.’’
The new ingredients on of- fense are enticing. Brandon Marshall has not been noticeably spectacular, no doubt he (with the blessing of the coaching staff ) is pacing himself, an advisable approach for a 33-year old in his 12th training camp, but there is no doubt his physical presence will be felt. First-round pick Evan Engram has allayed any fears he is too small and not strong enough for heavy-duty work at tight end; the guy is a chiseled 240 pounds and a matchup nightmare waiting to happen. His first NFL camp has been impressive. Free-agent signing Rhett Ellison, a tight end, looks as if he will be able to move people blocking as a fullback, a distinct skill that was extinct with the 2016 attack.
“A lot of what I did my last couple years in college was that … actually, my senior year in college I was strictly a fullback,’’ said Ellison, a blocking ace with the Vikings.
As for the offensive line, here is a guarantee: It will be improved. Center Weston Richburg played last season with torn tendons in his right (snapping) hand, an issue that arose in the summer and was not alleviated until offseason surgery. He is ready for a big breakout, just in time for his contract year. If John Jerry falters at right guard, massive D.J. Fluker is waiting in the wings.
What about the tackles, you ask? Of course you did. There are those who want general manager Jerry Reese sentenced to watch Hansel Robles “relief ’’ appearances on an endless loop for failing to provide alternatives for Ereck Flowers on the left side and Bobby Hart on the right. If these two young tackles fail, it will be Reese who has to answer for it, but all indications are they will not fail. The Giants can accept serviceable and steady out of Flowers (a former first-round pick) and especially Hart (a seventh-rounder).
As for the ringleader, there is every indication Ben McAdoo is growing in the job, more confident in his new-age approach to training and motivation — hence his bawdy Frasier the Lion opening-camp missive. Every team needs good fortune, and the Giants got some this past week when Sterling Shepard’s cart-off proved to be nothing more than a simple sprained ankle that will not keep him out very long.
Eight practices into camp, the Giants are rolling. Start the season already.