The Giants aren’t going to give all their secrets away, but they won’t exactly hide their new-look offense either Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game against the Bills in Canton, Ohio.
Victor Cruz expects them to put on display the new fast-paced, West Coast system offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo brought over from Green Bay.
“I think we’re gonna put [it] right to the test, see how well we know the new offense, see how well this thing can perform at a high level,” Cruz said before practice Friday. “Maybe not no-huddle, but a little bit more up-tempo.
“It’s a new offense, so we’re excited to kind of get out there and run our offense against someone else other than ourselves and see how it goes, see how other teams take it, see things we can do against other teams as well as test our team to see what skills we have.”
The Giants are excited to finally hit someone else after beating up on each other, even if the starters will likely not play for than a few series, if that. Cruz, in particular, is amped up after missing the last three regular-season games of last year because of a minor knee injury.
“I haven’t played a game in a while, I want to get back to playing football again, getting hit again, feeling that contact again,” he said. “I’m ready for it.”
Giants coach Tom Coughlin wouldn’t put a number on how many snaps he expects the starters to receive on Sunday, but said it would be a “minimal” amount. Playing time could also depend on the health of certain players. Cruz said he expects the starters to be on the field for 15 to 20 plays. Coughlin said all three quarterbacks will get in the game.
“Well, it’s obvious that you don’t play a game without wanting to win,” Coughlin said. “But it’s the overall picture of the organizational things, the substitutions, the penalties – holding them to a bare minimum — don’t turn the ball over, don’t make the game a sloppy game. Establish some of the things we’d like to do. For example, I’d like to be able to run the ball and be able to do that in the first game this weekend as well.”
Better than any other Giant, defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka knows what running back David Wilson is going through. Wilson suffered a burner in practice on Tuesday after undergoing cervical fusion surgery. Kiwanuka was diagnosed with cervical disc herniation in the fall of 2010, but avoided surgery; he sat out the final 13 games of that season.
“I’m just praying for him, hoping for the best. It’s a difficult injury to really recover from 100 percent,” Kiwanuka said. “But I trust 100 percent the doctors, they got me through it — I don’t know how similar [the injuries] are — but if any organization can bring a guy back, it would be the New York Giants.”
Kiwanuka said he suffered from burners and stingers in his neck the following season.
“It was a tough adjustment,” he said. “There are some symptoms that continued on, but it’s been a while since I’ve had those kind of symptoms, so I feel good about where I am now.”
Friday’s practice was light on hitting compared to recent days. The Giants are, possibly, saving up for Sunday night, when they finally get to see an opponent.
“That’s the best part of getting to this point in camp. You go out and have been hitting each other, running around, playing against your own offense for so long. Now it’s time to actually tackle, go to the ground, play like a real game,” defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said. “Even if it’s only a couple plays here and there, it’s fun to get in that same atmosphere, to put the pads on, and play against somebody else, so I’m looking forward to it.”
It was an uneven practice for the offense, yet again. Mario Manningham and Jerel Jernigan dropped balls, continuing their inconsistent camps. Rookie receiver Marcus Harris also had a drop, but rebounded nicely, hauling in a pass over the middle on the same drive.
Rookie running back Andre Williams got a lot of reps with the first team, getting all of the snaps during the first two teams drills. The fourth round pick out of Boston College — a Heisman Trophy finalist who ran for 2,177 yards his senior year, good for 5th most all-time in the NCAA — will be an asset in goal-line situations because of his physical style and beefy build.
Cornerback Trumaine McBride had the biggest play of the day for the defense, intercepting Eli Manning at the goal line and returning it to the house.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. missed his eighth straight practice, though he did field punts, but didn’t do any running after the catch. Also missing practice: defensive end Robert Ayers (ankle), receiver/kick returner Trindon Holliday (hamstring), tight end Xavier Grimble (hamstring), linebacker Spencer Paysinger (concussion), running back David Wilson (burner), defensive tackle Mike Patterson (shoulder) and cornerback Bennett Jackson (sprained ankle). Left tackle Will Beatty (migraines) practiced on a limited basis.
Coughlin said an X-ray on Jackson’s ankle revealed no break, but it is a “significant” sprain.
The Giants signed rookie offensive tackle Adam Gress and placed fellow tackle Troy Kropog (foot) on injured reserve.
Seventy minutes into practice, the Giants went indoors as word of lightning in the area spread and finished up practice there.