ALBANY – After the bruises to their bodies and their pride heal, the Giants may look back on their turbulent Saturday with the Jets as a necessary and well-timed reminder that there’s far more work to be done.
Surely the Giants, after only one week of training camp, knew they were no finished product. But what they learned after tussling – literally – with the Jets is that the improvement they expect is not an automatic byproduct of an influx of talent.
For the Jets, this was all about establishing a physical presence, which is fine and dandy, but don’t believe for a moment that the way they practice back home in Hempstead is any more violent than how the Giants operate upstate. The Giants say they tap their receivers to signal the end of the play, then try to strip the ball away as a way to foster ball-hawking habits.
The Jets, after triple-teaming Jeremy Shockey on the first-play brawl, decided to maul the Giants’ receivers during their dual practices and then crowed about their more ferocious defensive approach. In truth, if the Jets worked out that way every day they’d systematically injure every one of their wideouts.
It galled some of the Giants and no doubt Tom Coughlin to be portrayed as wimps, seen as complaining and cowering as the big, bad Jets did some heavy hitting. Coughlin’s taskmaster reputation sure took a beating as he implored Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson to tone down his troops. Nothing can truly be gained until the Sept. 11 regular-season opener, but it will be fascinating to see if Coughlin has anything special planned for the Aug. 26 preseason meeting with the Jets. He might want to show that the Giants can be physical, too.
Much of Coughlin’s energy this camp has been devoted to keeping his team healthier and fresher. There have been far fewer days with two practices, more time to heal between sessions with the addition of night workouts, the slicing of 10 or more minutes off a practice on more than one occasion, and less time in full pads, which means not as much hitting and physical contact.
Considering even one season-ending injury to a key player can put a damper on an entire camp, Coughlin’s strategy makes sense. He has complained more than once that despite the reduced strain on their bodies, the Giants need to practice more intensely. Now that the Jets have laid into them, perhaps the Giants will heed that advice.
More than one Giants offensive assistant coach walked off the field shaking his head after the Saturday afternoon workout with the Jets. There were moments when Eli Manning & Co. couldn’t get in and out of the huddle smoothly. With the Jets revved and feisty, the Giants often could not function. A Manning pass somehow dropped between the arms of Mike Cloud. Chris Luzar made a nifty fake to beat safety Erik Coleman and dropped what should have been a scoring pass. Tim Carter flubbed a perfect toss from Tim Hasselbeck. Finally, with the Giants working their two-minute drill, Manning’s pass to Plaxico Burress was knocked away on fourth down.
It’s not all bad. Manning is resilient enough to shed a poor play. Rookie Brandon Jacobs might be a beast. Burress has shown a toughness to stay on the field. Osi Umenyiora plays defensive end as if shot out of a cannon. Michael Strahan is lean and motivated and Tiki Barber hasn’t even warmed up yet. If Jeremy Shockey doesn’t have a monster year, an investigation is in order.
When the haymakers stopped flying and the tumult quieted, Coughlin called the experience with the Jets “definitely a lesson in intensity and speed.” Whether the Jets broke a pre-arranged practice code or not, the Giants this past weekend clearly were on the receiving end of too much punishment. That doesn’t sit well with anyone wearing blue.