Webb puts spin on bad first game
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Davis Webb knows he needs to be better. He expects he will be. Webb received extensive playing time in last week’s preseason-opening loss to the Browns at MetLife Stadium and was not sharp. He completed just 9-of-22 passes for 70 yards, and many of his throws were too hard or too high. Friday night, Webb will again get the ball as the Giants face the Lions at Ford Field. Webb is confident this showing will be muchimproved.
“Yeah, I feel pretty good,’’ Webb told The Post on Thursday, after a rainy and light joint practice with the Lions. “I was just off by a couple throws. I moved on from it. I’m not the first quarterback to have an off game, I won’t be the last. Now it’s about how you respond, being resilient. I think I’ll do that.’’
Webb remains the backup quarterback to Eli Manning, but it appears the gap has narrowed between him and rookie Kyle Lauletta. Coach Pat Shurmur described Webb as too “amped up’’ in the first game and wants the secondyear pro to calm down.
“I think young players tend to improve,’’ Shurmur said. “It was his first game in our system, playing really in a new system. I certainly hope he’s better.
“The fact that he cares is a good thing. It’s just like steering a ship, we just got to guide him through. Part of that is reminding him, ‘Hey, listen, just settle down, it’s all good.’ Nothing more complicated than that.’’
Rookies Lorenzo Carter and B.J. Hill are sporting new dye jobs on their hair, both featuring yellowish tints as part of their first-year initiation to the Giants and the NFL. Hill’s is a bit more spotty than Carter’s.
“B.J. got it the worst,’’ Carter said.
Odell Beckham Jr., king of the dyed hair style, noticed Carter’s new look and offered some encouragement. “Odell said he’ll have his lady come through and get my color like his,’’ Carter said.
Beckham — asked if he felt for Saquon Barkley, who is dealing with a hamstring strain — said, “Feel for him? Yeah. I mean, I don’t know how you pull your hamstring as a rookie. That’s just unreal.’’
That prompted laughter, as Beckham hurt his hamstring as a rookie and missed the first four games of the 2014 season.
That painful memory, though, allowed Beckham to offer some advice to the prize rookie running back.
“I told him, take your time,’’ Beckham said. “It’s just about getting healthy. I kind of can give him some insight on what I went through.’’
Barkley has said in the past Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders “was a guy I looked up to growing up.’’ Barkley was too young to see Sanders play but watched video of of the former Lion and decided he wanted to model his game, on and off the field, after Sanders. Barkley will get a thrill on Friday, when he will meet Sanders before the Giants-Lions preseason game.