Beckham returns to practice
The laceration to Odell Beckham Jr.’s left leg only cost him three practices. The Giants wide receiver was back on the field in the team’s walkthrough on Friday, taking part in positional and team drills, and fielding punts.
“He was fine,” coach Ben McAdoo said. “He was out there today. Involved in the rotation today.”
Beckham only went at half speed in the light practice. The expectation, barring a setback, is Beckham will be a full participant in Saturday’s practice in pads.
Beckham initially hurt his leg in practice last Sunday after getting tangled up with cornerback Janoris Jenkins and cleated. He suffered a cut to his leg that remained sore into the week, but didn’t require stitches.
McAdoo explained Friday’s light practice without pads that lasted just over an hour as part of his plan from the start.
“We call it a REM Friday,” he said, meaning he wanted to let the Giants get a little more sleep, as practice started at 11:40 a.m. instead of the originally scheduled 10:40 a.m. “We had a little bit more REMs last night, brought them in a little bit later. Had a chance to hydrate them and bring it back down. We recovered this morning, and we’re starting that launch back up.”
McAdoo plans to push his players Saturday with their longest practice of camp.
“Tomorrow is going to be long, it’s going to be physical, it’s going to be fast,” he said.
Running back Paul Perkins is facing a tougher training camp than most rookies. While most players breaking into the NFL get accustomed to the playbook and the new speed of the game in the spring, Perkins was busy earning his degree from UCLA in sociology, missing Organized Team Activities.
“It’s kind of tough because I was focusing on both school and football,” said Perkins, the Giants’ fifth round pick, who did take part in the team’s rookie minicamp and full minicamp. “I have some catching up to do, but I like where I’m at right now. I’m definitely hitting the books hard.” Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress paid a visit to practice and received a big ovation from the fans on hand.