MARSHALL MAKES SPLASH

Marshall makes immediate impact

It was described by Ben McAdoo as “just a play on the script,’’ which is accurate, but not correct.

What it turned out to be, unofficially but very much spiritually, was Brandon Marshall’s introduction to the Giants, a calling-card moment that showed what the towering target can add to the offense and inflict on defensive backs. “It felt good,’’ Marshall said. It looked good, too. The Giants opened their training camp Friday, but did not do any offense-versus-defense team work, making Saturday the real launching point. On the first play of the 7-on-7 period, Eli Manning looked as if he wanted to make an immediate statement, as he fixed his eyes to the left, where Marshall was sprinting down the sideline, matched with Janoris “Jackrabbit’’ Jenkins, the Giants’ top cornerback. Manning’s pass got hung up a bit in the stiff wind but Marshall used his size and strength to box out Jenkins to make the catch, much to the delight of the fans on hand.

Entering his 12th NFL season for his fifth team, Marshall savored the moment.

“You hear a lot of talk about being over 30 and then there’s an extreme drop-off, so for me, that play was awesome because it’s the first play of training camp, first time going against a defense,’’ Marshall said. “Being a new guy you want to prove yourself. Then, secondly, I want to prove to myself that I can still do it. So making a play that can possibly end up on, maybe not the top 10 but maybe the top-20 plays, felt good. It was like ‘OK, I can still do this.’ ’’

Marshall, 33, is one of the most prolific receivers of his generation, with 941 receptions for 12,061 yards and 82 touchdowns. He has six seasons with 100-plus catches and eight seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards. The Giants believe he still can do it, which is why they gave him a two-year contract worth $11 million.

The Giants also believe Marshall will thrive as a supporting actor in an attack which Odell Beckham Jr. commands the lead role. Beckham put on a show in this practice, delighting Marshall, who envisions waves of ex- tra defensive attention on Beckham.

“Yes,’’ Marshall said. “Absolutely. That’s why I came here. Because of him. I’m tired of getting double coverage and vised in the red zone. I’ll let him freaking carry all the weight.’’

The plan is for Beckham to do his thing, allowing Marshall, second-year Sterling Shepard and rookie tight end Evan Engram to exploit defenses geared up to contain Odell.

“In the NFL, you have to have at least three cornerbacks, but you might need five to cover those guys,’’ Jenkins said.

This all has to come together and Marshall, in the spring, stressed there will be growing pains learning another new offense and getting in sync with Manning. Sure enough, later in practice, a route took him across the middle, the ball was where it needed to be, but the timing was off and Marshall did not make the catch. “C’mon!’’ he shouted at himself as he walked off the field and engaged in a conversation sat ion with receivers coach Adamm Henry.

“It was there, that was where Eli was supposed to go with the ball,’’ Marshall said. “As a receiver you got to build thatt chemistry with your quarterback. What I did wasn’t wrong if it was a different offense. I kind of throttled in the zone and Eli, he wants you to run through it, so it wasn’t like I slowed down but I could have burst through that first hole and I would have caught the ball.’’

McAdoo said he realizes theree is more involved than simply sliding Marshall into the lineup and expecting immediate re-sults.

“There is going to be a learning curve there, there will be some ups and downs,’’ McAdoo said.

There were ups and downs inn Marshall’s first real practice withh the Giants.

“Right now I’m farther along than I was in the spring, but I’m not where I need to be,’’ he said.. “That’s what training camp is for.’’’