EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants' coaches have been waiting for this part of the summer for months. Until now, without full pads and limited to touch football, they haven’t been able to make a full evaluation on what they have at middle linebacker, perhaps the most important position to a defense.
They have lots of options, although not one that is penciled in as the definitive starter. The incumbent, Jasper Brinkley, has worked primarily with the first team. That’s admittedly because, well, he’s the incumbent and knows the defense best.
Newcomers Keenan Robinson, Kelvin Sheppard and rookie B.J. Goodson are lurking.
“Wide open,” linebackers coach Bill McGovern said earlier this week of the middle linebacker competition. Everyone would receive their opportunities, he insisted.
McGovern wasn’t lying. The Giants had Robinson begin with the first-team nickel defense at Wednesday’s practice. Shepard also received his reps with the starting unit. Each made their plays. Robinson seemed to have an especially strong day in pass coverage.
But this should be no surprise. The Giants knew pass coverage was Robinson’s strength when they signed him this offseason. His tackling (with a shoulder that has given him problems) was in question.
“We need to see him play in the run game,” coach Ben McAdoo said.
That’s where Brinkley has the edge. He’s strong against the run. His pass coverage is where the Giants have questions.
Brinkley was beat by tight end Larry Donnell on Wednesday for a 20-yard gain deep down the right sideline.
Goodson, meanwhile, was the Giants’ fourth-round draft pick out of Clemson. He’s leaned heavily on Brinkley (ironically a South Carolina alum) as a mentor.
Goodson flashed an ability to cover and make plays this spring, but appears to be behind the veteran trio as a rookie trying to find his way. Goodson has brought energy to the field. He was involved in the first minor skirmish of the summer at Giants training camp when he angrily slapped at the helmet of center Weston Richburg. Shoves were exchanged and the situation deescalated quickly.
Moments later, the Giants were back to evaluating what they have at linebacker. They even ran some 3-4 alignments with four linebackers (Robinson, Sheppard, Jonathan Casillas and Devon Kennard) on the field during one drill.
The experimentation at linebacker has just begun.
Cruz update
Victor Cruz’s comeback is coming along slowly at this point. His reps are limited and so is his production during practices. After almost two full seasons on the sideline, Cruz’s explosion doesn’t appear to be what it once was. He hasn't caught many balls and safety Cooper Taylor ran step for step with him on a deep ball down the middle of the field Wednesday that fell incomplete.
Taylor, meanwhile, has put together back-to-back good days in padded practices. He recovered a fumble while taking some second-team snaps.
Easy E
For a superstar quarterback, Eli Manning has somehow once again managed to fly under the radar. He’s been steady and having a strong start to camp. Quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti has been especially impressed with his ability to win “with his eyes and feet.” He also raved about Manning’s ball placement, as evidenced by his one interception this summer. That interception came on the first play of training camp.
Since that errant throw, Manning has looked confident and sharp. That was again the case on Wednesday when he found Sterling Shepard for several quick hitters, when he dropped one into the basket deep down the sideline to Donnell, when he hit running back Shane Vereen deep down the left sideline for a long touchdown on a wheel route, when he hit tight end Matt LaCosse in the chest on a dig route.
To cap off his strong day, Manning scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown during a red zone drill.
“Eli has been outstanding. In the classroom, what a pro. Great preparation,” Cignetti said. “You can see on the practice field that he has been a great decision-maker. I am so impressed with his fundamentals. I am very impressed with Eli so far in training camp.”
Other observations
Undrafted rookie cornerback Donte Deayon was trucked by running back Rashad Jennings in a non-tackling drill, but safety Nat Berhe came to his defense and bumped Jennings with purpose. ... Strongside linebackers Brad Bars and Mark Herzlich had some dominant snaps during running drills. ... Slot cornerback Trevin Wade was strong in coverage. He also had a pass breakup that could’ve been intercepted. ... It wasn’t backup quarterback Ryan Nassib’s best day. He was inconsistent throwing the football. ... There were a lot of pushups being done during drills when there were dropped balls. Among those who went down and gave the coaches 10 were safety Mykkele Thompson for a dropped interception and Shepard for a muffed punt. ... You don't go near the quarterback at a Ben McAdoo practice. "Stay away from the quarterback!" the new Giants coach shouted several times after Nassib had his arm hit before a pass attempt.
