New York Giants news for Tuesday

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

Giants training camp, 8/8: Fight mars Monday practice, more takeaways | Big Blue View

BBV's Ed Valentine was on hand for the festivities that got started on a run play during an 11-on-11 period when Saquon Barkley and cornerback Aaron Robinson came together, with Robinson apparently not appreciating an extra bump from the running back. That led to some pushing and shoving.

On the next play, running back Gary Brightwell was rudely tossed to the ground by a defensive back. On the next play, Brightwell took a hard hit from Blake Martinez, but that massive scrum started away from the line of scrimmage.

Linebacker Cam Brown, center Jon Feliciano, offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and others were in the middle of the scrum. Brown eventually dragged Feliciano out of the pile, an action to which Feliciano responded by jumping up and throwing a punch. Brown also appeared to throw a punch.

Video of the big brawl at Giants camp yesterday

Giants Center Jon Feliciano Reveals Interesting Nugget Regarding Rookie Tackle Evan Neal | Sports Illustrated

Neal, regarded as one of the safest bets among the offensive tackle class, has appeared to have some struggles in one-on-one pass drills, which most people realize favors the defensive side of the ball given the freedom and variety of ways a defender can attack.

That said, another factor is at play with the 6-foot-7 Neal that his veteran linemate, center Jon Feliciano, revealed as a potential speed bump the rookie was looking to overcome.

“He’s working through some new techniques that he’s getting better with,” Feliciano said.

Saquon Barkley, NY Giants embracing physicality as camp ramps up | The Record

There was no dancing by Barkley during team drills on Sunday in the red zone with a focus on the ground game, just old fashioned north/south pounding into the line and through creases that ever so slightly opened windows to the end zone. The offensive linemen relished the contact. The defensive players were granted permission to finish plays more than usual, and that included tackling Barkley to the ground, something that really hasn’t happened in the previous four training camps in which he participated as a professional.

What transpired: a lot of smacking of the pads, and every time Barkley absorbed the hits, including a monster belly-to-belly collision with nose guard Justin Ellis, the star back appeared eager for more as the session continued.

Daniel Jones talks learning latest new system, playbook with Booker & Gio | WFAN

“We’ve watched lots of Bills film, and when we install it, that’s the film we’re watching, because they ran it,” Jones said. “But we have different guys that bring different skillsets and things to the table. Once you get out there and you play and get our guys out there in the system, it’s gonna look different....We got a lot of people in that room who can make plays. And I gotta get the ball to them.”

The Good Morning Football Crew discussed what Daniel Jones has to do this year to be the Giants long term answer at quarterback

Andre Miller injury: Giants’ rookie tight end has broken forearm | Big Blue View

New York Giants rookie tight end Andre Miller has sustained a broken forearm and is out of action. Dave Peck of FOX ABC in Maine was first with the news. Miller, an undrafted free agent who played wide receiver at Maine, left Sunday’s Practice early and then did not practice on Monday. Miller had been receiving some first-team reps working mostly as a fullback and caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Jones on Friday during Fan Fest.

Giants Now: ESPN praises Giants’ young talent | Giants.com

ESPN recently released its annual NFL rankings of under-25 talent based on a combination of numerous factors, which can be found here. Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz was complimentary of the Giants, ranking them No. 11, while highlighting the recent additions of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal.

Schatz stated “It’s difficult to imagine a more exciting start to a draft than pass-rusher Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Neal,” who he noted were “both legitimate candidates for the No. 1 overall pick.” The pair of rookies join Andrew Thomas as Schatz’s “blue-chip players” for Big Blue. Thomas’ 82.1 pass block grade from Pro Football Focus last season ranked 12th among all offensive tackles.

Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux has buried worries about focus | New York Post

Post columnist Steve Serby writes that “All the predraft talk about whether his “brand” was more important than it should be for Kayvon Thibodeaux is gone with the wind. Which happens to be a good way to describe Thibodeaux off the edge at Giants training camp. No. 5 has been virtually unblockable, flashing the otherworldly gifts that made him the fifth pick of the NFL draft.”

Giants stock report: Who’s rising and who’s falling two weeks into training camp | The Athletic

While Darnay Holmes appears to have a firm hold on the slot CB position, veteran WR Darius Slayton is headed in the other direction. Other names mentioned by Dan Duggan include OLB Oshane Ximines, WR Collin Johnson, OLB Quincy Roche and OL Max Garcia among others.

And one of the highlights of camp yesterday for the offense was this completion to Slayton:

3 NFL trades that should happen 2022 preseason edition | Heavy.com

Heavy.com’s Matt Lombardo offers the Giants and Cowboys make a trade involving WR Darius Slayton. The Cowboys need an immediate contributor with upside, while Giants general manager Joe Schoen has eyes set on building sustained long-term success, so adding a draft pick in 2023 for a player who will likely open the season behind Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Won’Dale Robinson, and Sterling Shepard feels like a best-case scenario.

An AFC coach on Slayton’s trade value:

“After his rookie season, I thought the needle was pointed way up. I’m not sure what happened there. The fact that he doesn’t play special teams could really hurt his value. He should play a lot in the preseason, and if he plays well, maybe they can get a fifth-round pick, at most.”

NFL legend believes in Giants’ Saquon Barkley: ‘He has the right stuff’ | NJ.com

When Barry Sanders speaks, the NFL listens. So consider what the Pro Football Hall of Famer had to say last week about New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley in a conversation with TMZ:

“I have all faith and confidence in Saquon,” Sanders said. “He has the right stuff to make it happen on the field. I’ve seen it. So, good luck to him.”

Chiefs cut former Giant Deandre Baker | ProFootballTalk

Cornerback Deandre Baker is looking for a new team again after the Chiefs cut Baker on Sunday. The Chiefs elevated him to the active roster for two games in 2020, and Baker appeared in eight games with one start for Kansas City in 2021. He totaled 16 tackles and a pass defensed last season, seeing action on 211 defensive snaps and 50 on special teams.

The Giants made Baker a first-round choice in 2019, and he played all 16 games his rookie season, including 15 starts. The team cut Baker after he was charged with four counts of armed robbery, and the Chiefs signed him to their practice squad after the Broward County (Florida) Attorney’s office dropped charges against Baker.

This week’s opponent

Matt Judon, Jahlani Tavai return to practice | ProFootballTalk

The Patriots had most of their players on the field for Monday’s padded practice. Six of the eight players who missed Friday’s practice were back, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Outside linebacker Matt Judon, running back Rhamondre Stevenson, safety Jabrill Peppers, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, tight end Dalton Keene and rookie offensive lineman Chasen Hines practiced in pads. Judon missed two consecutive practices for unknown reasons, while Tavai injured his right leg in Thursday’s practice, per Callahan.

Patriots training camp stock up, stock down: Offense off to a shaky start | CBSSports.com

The offense has had its moments in camp, but they've also taken their lumps as they work in a new "streamlined" system. The quarterbacks have particularly struggled when the drills switch to 11-on-11s from 7-on-7s and the physicality ramps up in front of them. Oftentimes, we've seen Mac Jones or rookie Bailey Zappe be flushed out of the pocket and forced to throw the ball away. Of course, part of that could be a lack of protection or wide receivers struggling to separate. Whatever the case, it's led to a clunky start for the offense as a whole.

Jakobi Meyers opens up about Patriots’ recent offensive struggles | Pats Pulpit

Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers acknowledge that learning the new system has not been easy for him and spoke about the challenges the Patriots offense as a whole is facing.

“It’s definitely been something to get used to,” he told NFL Network on Friday. “It’s like they say with change at all, any change is kind of hard. There’s going to be growing pains, and I think we’re going through that stage. This is the kind of place where they want everything perfect, so it’s just — change and perfection are kind of a hard mix. We’ve kind of been going through it, but at the same time, I think it’s a great learning experience. The fact that we’re all doing it together is actually pretty good for us.”

Around the league

New York Jets' Mekhi Becton having MRI on surgically repaired knee | ESPN

New York Jets right tackle Mekhi Becton is having an MRI on his surgically repaired right knee after limping off the practice field Monday in apparent pain. The injury doesn't appear serious, according to the Jets, but any time lost is potentially significant because Becton has battled weight and conditioning issues.

"As of now, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but—knock on wood —hopefully that stays the case," said coach Robert Saleh, who described the MRI as precautionary.

Saleh may have been premature in his assessment.

NFL wants officials to emphasize illegal contact fouls this season | ProFootballTalk

The NFL often instructs on-field officials to focus on particular points of emphasis ahead of the season and this year’s focus is going to be on illegal contact fouls by defensive players. The change in focus comes after a sharp drop in illegal contact fouls. There were an average of 97 penalties for illegal contact between 2002 and 2020, but there were only 36 fouls called last season.

The league has made illegal contact fouls a point of emphasis two other times in the last 20 years. Both of those instances saw a sharp rise in the calls, so the early weeks of the regular season should send a hint about if the same thing will happen this time around.

New Bears wideout N'Keal Harry suffers significant high-ankle sprain | CBSSports.com

The Chicago Bears suffered a blow this weekend, as wide receiver N'Keal Harry went down with what was reported to be a severe ankle injury on Saturday. Harry suffered a high-ankle sprain, per NFL Media, and he will see a specialist to determine how much time he could miss.

If Harry were to miss significant time, it would certainly be a blow to the Bears. The wide receiving corps is seen as a weakness on this team, as it's headlined by Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown and rookie Velus Jones Jr. It's very possible Chicago could once again be in the market for a free-agent wide receiver.

The first trailer for HBO’s Hard Knocks features head coach Dan Campbell

Saints QB Jameis Winston being evaluated after leaving practice with foot injury

Jameis Winston left New Orleans Saints practice early Monday after “tweaking his foot”, coach Dennis Allen told reporters. Allen added the starting quarterback was still being evaluated and had no update on the severity of the injury.

“He just was rolling out in a 7-on-7 period and kind of rolled his ankle a little bit,” Allen told NFL Network’s Jane Slater on Inside Training Camp Live. “We brought him in for some evaluation, we’ll see where he’s at, but really no update other than that.”

In case you missed it

• Giants’ DC Wink Martindale: ‘Thin line’ between competing, practicing
• Jon Feliciano opens up about dehydration and the state of the offensive line

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