NFL

The sure sign you’re looking at a new Giants offense now

The first eight passes of the very first practice of training camp all traveled less than 15 yards in the air. These were quick pitch-and-catch plays, not all successful, but all similar.

The ninth pass was different. It was longer-developing, with rookie Odell Beckham Jr. making a series of moves, none of which freed him from cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Eli Manning fired it long, Beckham cut short his route. Easy interception for Rodgers-Cromartie.

Lesson learned? Perhaps Manning and the Giants will never throw the ball deep down the field again, fearing a reprise of the disastrous, turnover-filled 2013 season. Of course that won’t be the case, but there’s no doubt everybody keeping their eyes trained on the Giants will see something new with this offense under first-year coordinator Ben McAdoo.

The plays were often run rapid-fire Tuesday in the hot sun, with the ball escaping Manning’s hand after a finger-snap 1-2-3 count. That’s a far cry from last season, when Manning’s 9.49-yard pass distance average from the line of scrimmage was the highest in the league.

Not everything was crisp; in fact, most of it was not. Tom Coughlin said he thinks several of the plays were “very close’’ to hitting big. McAdoo, the former Packers assistant coach, is not very loud on the field but he did shout “Clean up the huddle … let’s go!’’ after a botched play forced Manning to tiptoe out of trouble.

Heck, the entire operation sounds different, too. In the past, there was an attempt to lessen some of the complexities in Kevin Gilbride’s offense by decreasing the actual wording of the play calls. That’s not the case in McAdoo’s system.

“This offense has a lot of verbiage,’’ Coughlin said. “That’s the issue that keeps us on our toes.’’
It’s even keeping Coughlin on his toes.

Victor Cruz says he’s “8 out of 10” in mastering the new Giants offense.AP

“I like that part of it, too,’’ he said. “I’ve got to study it, too. It’s the language, it’s a foreign language.’’

This new approach is supposed to help raise Manning’s completion percentage and decrease his interceptions. It’s not a one-man, self-improvement deal, though. When McAdoo has a question about his new system, Manning is the first to respond, says receiver Victor Cruz. That’s the way it should be, the quarterback leading the way, in command.

“And I’m a close second, right behind him,’’ Cruz said, smiling.

Yup, the responsibility of learning the new offense does not only fall on Manning, who must trigger the whole process. It’s everyone’s job to get with McAdoo’s program.

“I felt like this would be an opportunity for us to rejuvenate those veteran players who were here, Eli for one, to force all of us to learn, again, a new system, a new communication process,” Coughlin said.

Cruz is hoping the change in approach, from Gilbride’s more down-the-field passing attack to McAdoo’s quicker West Coast offense will help reignite his career. Cruz caught 19 touchdown passes in his first two seasons but dipped to four in 2013, part of the offensive malaise that hit the entire unit. He thrived with Gilbride running the show and believes he can thrive again under McAdoo, especially if the much-ballyhooed West Coast attack gets the ball out of Manning’s hands (and into Cruz’s hands) more rapidly.

“I would love that,’’ Cruz said. “Any receiver would love to get the ball as early as possible so they can see the defender coming and make them miss, especially a guy like myself who loves to do things after I catch the ball.

“Absolutely, I like to have the ball in my hands, whether it be a 3-yard route or a 30-yard route. I want the ball in my hands so I can make big-time moves and make people miss and get in that end zone.’’

It is not all there just yet. On a scale of 1-10, Cruz estimates he’s “probably an eight’’ as far as knowing the entire offense. There’s so much to relearn.

“That’s the toughest part, hearing the play, processing it and being able to run it at a good pace,’’ Cruz said. “It’s a challenge for me and I know it’s a challenge for the receiving corps to continue to go out there and get these plays down and try to be the best players we can be while learning a new offense and while competing at a high level.’’