Giants send message with scrappy practice vs. Lions: They'll be a grittier team in 2024

By / / Sports / 7 minutes of reading


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants were manhandled by the Detroit Lions in their first joint practice last summer. The Giants clearly were determined to avoid a similar outcome when the teams met again Monday.

Giants players said coach Brian Daboll emphasized starting fast in Monday’s first practice against the team that nearly won the NFC last season. The message was received, as a massive brawl erupted between the Giants defense and the Lions offense after the second play of practice.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Daniel Jones among many Giants involved in fights at joint practice with Lions

That was the start of an endless series of scrums on both fields on a steamy day at the Giants’ practice facility. The Giants met the Lions’ intensity after being overwhelmed last year.

“From the team meeting, (Daboll) was ready to go,” running back Devin Singletary said. “Just juiced up. You could feel his energy. You always can feel his energy, but he was definitely juiced up today.”

Many Giants coaches sported a new T-shirt featuring the acronym “D.A.W.G.” across the chest. The letters stand for Discipline, Attitude, Win, Grit. That dawg mentality so embraced by Daboll was evident throughout his roster Monday. Even quarterback Daniel Jones was in the middle of one skirmish, pushing a Lions defensive lineman who was on top of center Greg Van Roten.

Though the Giants would prefer their $40 million quarterback avoid 300-pound defensive linemen as much as possible, Jones’ actions were well-received by his teammates.

“You’ve got to have your brother’s back out there,” Singletary said. “That’s what we’re all about.”

One feisty practice in early August may wind up being inconsequential in the long run. But the Giants at least could walk off the field Monday believing they’re a grittier team than the one that got pushed around last year in Detroit. Here’s more on everything that happened between the rumbles Monday.

Attendance

Safety Elijah Riley was the only Giants player not on the field. He is in the concussion protocol.

Injury report

Tight end Chris Manhertz reportedly left late in practice with athletic trainers. There’s no word yet on his status. If Manhertz is sidelined, that would leave the Giants with only three healthy tight ends since Lawrence Cager (hamstring) and Jack Stoll (concussion) worked on the side with trainers on Monday.

Running back Jashaun Corbin (undisclosed) and outside linebacker Tomon Fox (hamstring) also worked on the side. They were joined by offensive lineman Evan Neal, who remains on the physically unable to perform list, and safety Jalen Mills, who remains on the non-football injury list.

Linebacker Carter Coughlin (lower body) watched practice from the sideline. Center John Michael Schmitz suited up, but he didn’t participate for the seventh straight practice due to a shoulder injury.

Wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton (knee) and defensive lineman D.J. Davidson (leg) returned to practice Monday.

Observations

Ready to rumble

The fireworks started immediately on the field, pitting the Giants defense against the Lions offense. The switch flipped with the Giants offense against the Lions defense a few minutes later when Detroit rookie cornerback Morice Norris leveled New York running back Eric Gray. The hit knocked Gray’s helmet off and caused both sidelines to empty.

“That definitely crossed the line,” Singletary said. “It’s practice, at the end of the day. We’re being physical, but you want to be smart. I would say that was one of the plays that set the tone. Like, ‘All right, let’s go. This is what type of day it’s going to be.’”

Fiery Daboll

Daboll spent the entire practice with the Giants offense since he’s calling the plays. The more placid Daboll who has appeared throughout camp was replaced by the intense game-day version of the coach.

Daboll screamed at Lions defensive end Levi Onwuzurike, who beat right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor around the edge, for hitting Jones’ hand on a pass to cause an incompletion. Quarterbacks are off limits in practices, and Daboll loudly reminded Onwuzurike of that rule.

Daboll emphatically encouraged his quarterbacks to continue throwing downfield after the Lions celebrated a pair of deep incompletions. The competitive juices were clearly flowing for Daboll.

Still looking good

One of those incompletions was debatable. Malik Nabers got open on a corner route and Jones made a perfect pass that the rookie wide receiver caught while falling backward along the sideline.

NFL officiating crews were working the practice, and the side judge ruled Nabers out of bounds for an incompletion. Daboll certainly would have thrown a challenge flag in a real game, as it appeared Nabers got both feet inbounds. Nabers was undeterred by the call, running toward the Lions sideline and talking trash the whole way back to the huddle.

Nabers led the Giants with four catches in 11-on-11 periods, continuing to look impossible to cover.

Shaky start

The Giants offense got off to a shaky start in 11-on-11 action, with Detroit possibly tallying sacks on two of the first three plays. One of those plays nearly ended in an interception when Lions cornerback Carlton Davis jumped a curl route by Jalin Hyatt.

The offense settled in, with Jones mostly hitting short and underneath passes. Jones’ best throw was a crossing route to rookie tight end Theo Johnson off of a play-action fake. That’s a play the Giants have featured throughout camp, with a play fake in one direction and the tight end streaking across the field in the opposite direction.

The Giants failed to get into the end zone in the final red zone period. Jones threw a short pass to Nabers, who was stopped shy of the goal line on fourth down.

The offense hit a few deep shots during seven-on-seven work, including a bomb to Hyatt. That’s the first seven-on-seven period of camp for the Giants, who have exclusively worked in 11-on-11.

Blocking highlights

The linemen squared off in one-on-one drills as the skill players did the seven-on-seven period. Eluemunor held up well against Lions star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson in the one-on-ones.

Manhertz also effectively blocked Hutchinson in an 11-on-11 period to allow Jones enough time to complete a pass to Wan’Dale Robinson on a curl route.

Left tackle Andrew Thomas laid a crushing block on Lions rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold on a sweep in the red zone period. Arnold left the field with athletic trainers moments later to get evaluated for a possible concussion.

Getting defensive

Lions quarterback Jared Goff went 6-of-8 in the seven-on-seven period of practice. On the second play of the session, Goff hit a wide-open Daurice Fountain for a touchdown. The blown coverage set a tone for a tough day for the Giants secondary. But the Giants got back at Goff with a Bobby Okereke interception during the session.

Goff finished 7-of-11 during the 11-on-11 portion of practice. Safety Jason Pinnock tallied a pass breakup. But the secondary problems showed again, with cornerback Cor’Dale Flott getting beat by Jameson Williams for a touchdown as the receiver celebrated on his way into the end zone.

The Lions entered the first-team red zone period swinging with Goff connecting with a wide-open Williams for a touchdown after a busted coverage. But the Giants defense had the final say with Isaiah Simmons, who had a strong practice at linebacker in the first-team dime package, breaking up Goff’s final pass to St. Brown at the goal line. Goff went 1-of-4 in the red zone.

‘Competing my butt off’

Cornerback Dru Phillips, who was involved in some of the practice fights, was extremely physical.

“I didn’t mean to be in the middle of everything. It was more as just you’re out there competing, you know, things rise, temperature rises and stuff, so it’s kind of gonna happen,” Phillips said. “But I was out there competing my butt off and just trying to get a win.”

Play of the day

With the Nabers catch ruled incomplete, the top play belonged to Okereke, who read Goff and undercut a crossing route for an interception in a seven-on-seven period.

Quote of the day

“Oh, Lord. Daniel got jiggy with it? Daniel was out there with it? Yeah. I’m going to need him to back up. Let his O-line handle that. But Daniel, he’s a competitor, man. He’s a fighter. So, I don’t expect anything less from him. But I don’t need him in that. I don’t need him to get hit. Keep him healthy.” — Brian Burns on Daniel Jones getting involved in a scuffle.

Next up

The Giants will conduct their 11th training camp practice — and second joint practice with the Lions — at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday.

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(Photo of Brian Daboll, in background: Lucas Boland / USA Today)





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About The Author

Avatar of Fannie Hogan
Fannie Hogan is a writer and editor who covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She's always loved to write—from the time she was a little girl writing stories about talking animals to the day she got her first job as an editor at a lifestyle magazine. Her hobbies include long walks on the beach, running, and taking breaks from work to read a good book.

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