Lions-Giants joint practice: A day following the offense, plus more scuffles

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In so many ways, joint practices are more valuable for teams than preseason games.

It’s a controlled setting. You can match your best on best over two days of work. You can see how your starters hold up and which young players flash. It’s why Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell wants to do it every year, and why he opts to rest his starters in the preseason.

“Certainly, some of the guys we know we’re going to count on during the season, I don’t see them necessarily playing, and if they do, not very many reps,” Campbell said of his plans for Thursday night’s preseason opener against the New York Giants. “But our young guys are going to get a lot of these and developmental players are going to get a ton of these reps.”

Monday and Tuesday were all about the starters, with Thursday night serving as a chance for young guys to make themselves money. As we put a bow on things, it’s clear these teams made one another better — whether it was the Lions’ cornerbacks taking on rookie standout Malik Nabers, the Giants’ defensive line versus the Lions’ offensive line or anything else we saw in New Jersey.

Here’s a recap from Day 2.

Campbell on Monday’s physicality and intensity

There’s a balance between being competitive during a joint session like this and having so many altercations it disrupts the flow of practice.

Monday’s practice, which featured what felt like double-digit skirmishes, was the latter.

At least, that’s how Campbell saw it.

“Certainly too much,” Campbell said Tuesday morning. “When you have to stop practice that many times to reset the drill and load it, it’s a waste of everybody’s time. Look, I don’t want those. That’s not what it’s about and I know Dabes (Giants coach Brian Daboll) doesn’t want it. We’ve talked about it, addressed it with the players and that’s part of the balance. It’s, ‘Man, how do you really, really push yourself to compete at the highest level, but you’ve got to keep your composure?’ So, we’re good, we’re going to have a great day today.”

These teams met for joint practice a year ago and things weren’t nearly as chippy. Maybe the Lions are starting to feel the effects of being a contender — getting everyone’s best shot when the moment arrives. Maybe the Giants, coming off a disappointing season, are looking to bounce back and take on a competitive mindset entering a new year. No matter the reason, it was real. You could feel the tension, and just because Campbell and Daboll wanted things turned down, it still spilled over to Tuesday’s practice.

A day with the Lions’ offense

Much like Monday, Tuesday’s practice featured quite a few team periods. I spent the day watching the offense this time, after focusing on the defense the day before. Offensive players seemed to believe they had a better day Tuesday than Monday. Here’s how I charted each 11-on-11 period for the starters:

First series

Takeaway: Nothing special, but some decent movement for the offense. I liked how involved Gibbs was in the passing game, and the Montgomery run was well-blocked against a good Giants front.

Second series

• Gibbs rush left. Hit the corner and turned on the jets. Ran out of bounds after a gain of 10-15 yards.
• Goff play-action attempt, looking downfield, but good coverage by the Giants. Opted to check down to Zylstra, who faked a block then went out for a route over the middle. Short gain.
• Goff sacked by Isaiah Simmons. Simmons ran by Goff and let up to simulate the sack. Goff threw it anyway, to Kaden Davis. It would’ve been a 50-yard touchdown. But, you know, the sack.
• Toss to Montgomery. Little running room.
• Goff pass to Jameson Williams incomplete. Goff threw to a spot on a dig route over the middle as he was pressured by Brian Burns. Giants CB Nick McCloud was right there. Williams couldn’t quite make the play. Don’t think he was ready for the rushed throw.

Takeaway: If you’re choosing to count the Davis touchdown, this series looked a lot better. I wouldn’t, though. The Giants easily won this one. Gibbs was the only real highlight. Also, this series is where I felt the Lions really missed Sam LaPorta. When there’s pressure, Goff is most comfortable finding LaPorta over the middle. That wasn’t there this week.

Third series

• Goff play-action roll to the right. Nobody open. Throwaway.
• Montgomery rush into a wall.
• Goff pass complete to Williams. Williams motioned to the right before the snap, ran a quick out, made Giants CB Dru Phillips miss in space and got upfield for some additional yards. Really nice play in space.
• Goff pass to complete to St. Brown on a crosser.
• Gibbs rush middle. Looked like Burns was there to elbow Gibbs on the hip, but in a live setting, I’m not sure that’s a tackle. Gibbs continued to run and got to the second level. Depends on your vantage point, I suppose.
• Goff pass complete to St. Brown, who created instant separation from Deonte Banks on a crosser, caught the ball over the middle and ran out of bounds around the 5-yard line.

Takeaway: Again, nothing super explosive or crazy, but some good plays. St. Brown is automatic on crossers. The Williams play was a thing of beauty — from the idea to get him moving pre-snap to the move he made in space.

Red zone

• Goff pass complete to Montgomery for the touchdown. Beautiful play. St. Brown is in motion to the right pre-snap. Montgomery ran what looked like a wheel route at first glance, but instead of running it wide to the flat and down the sideline, Montgomery ran between Decker and Ragnow as Graham Glasgow vacated his spot and pulled to the right. Nobody paid him much attention until it was too late, and Goff lofted a good ball. Excellent design.

Montgomery goes wide open for a TD pic.twitter.com/UrULLtKDb2

— The Giant Take Podcast (@TheGiantTakePod) August 6, 2024

• Montgomery rush into a pile. Short gain.
• Goff to St. Brown on a slant route. Banks in coverage. A Giants safety was coming downhill and let up before a big hit. St. Brown kept going and got into the end zone, but it would’ve been stopped a few yards shy.
• Gibbs rush for a gain of 4. Picked up in the air by LB Micah McFadden.
• Gibbs 5-yard touchdown run. Really well-blocked, right up the middle.
• Officials blew whistles a few seconds into a play. Might’ve been a flag.
• Goff sacked. Would call it a coverage sack more than anything, but Thibodeaux was there for a tap on the hip. Goff did his signature spin move and still threw after he was tapped, but couldn’t connect with Zylstra in the back of the end zone. Some context: the Lions ran the exact same play they were planned run before the whistle after the whistle. Decent chance the Giants knew what was coming. Just saying. That was the last play of the day for the first-team offense.

Takeaway: This was probably the best series of the day for the offense. I even heard some Giants media members saying the Lions won this series. The Montgomery touchdown was great. The Gibbs touchdown run was blocked very well. The only real hiccup was the final play. Of note: no turnovers on the day.

GO DEEPER

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News, notes and observations

• Several players did not practice Tuesday. The list included tight end Sam LaPorta (whom I spotted working with a trainer inside during practice; Campbell said he’s dealing with a hamstring injury), Right guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.
• That LaPorta news will worry some folks because hamstring injuries can linger. But it seems more precautionary than anything at the moment. While we’re on the subject, keep LaPorta’s absence in mind when evaluating Detroit’s offense. Not having their All-Pro tight end was a big loss.
• Campbell confirmed that Moseley suffered a torn pec in Monday’s practice and will be out for an extended period. Unfortunate for a player whose 2022 and 2023 seasons ended early with knee injuries. Given the timing, Campbell didn’t rule out a return late in the year. Still, it’s a hit to Detroit’s secondary depth, losing a player who was pushing to start at nickel.
• Given the Moseley news, I asked Campbell which players he’s eyeing to fill the void at slot corner. He mentioned Amik Robertson, a player who’s considered the frontrunner to start. Then Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and even Melifonwu when he returns.
• Lions safety Kerby Joseph threw punches at Giants receiver Malik Nabers during the red zone period. On the play before the fight, Terrion Arnold was paired with Nabers on a jump ball in the end zone and forced an incompletion with great coverage. After the play, Joseph ran past Nabers and appeared to say something. Nabers then shoved Joseph in the face and Joseph threw punches — leading to the biggest fight of the two-day practice period.

Giants WR Malik Nabers and Lions S Kerby Joseph just got in a fight. On the play before, Terrion Arnold had good coverage vs. Nabers. Looked like there was some shoving that led to swings, then the sidelines cleared. pic.twitter.com/1tDZMtg7N5

— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) August 6, 2024

• Joseph declined to comment after practice. Nabers confirmed Joseph said a few words to him, which is why he shoved him but declined to repeat what was said.
• Practice was far more tame until the final 20 minutes. There were several other incidents after that. Khalil Dorsey got into it with a Giants player. It looked like Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike was involved in an altercation. Rookie defensive back Morice Norris was shoved after a play and threw some jabs at Giants wide receiver Gunner Olszewski.
• It was Hendon Hooker’s turn to follow Goff as the first QB off the bench, and he had a solid day. No interceptions or turnovers. However, he did hold the ball too long on occasion. He should get the bulk of the work in Thursday’s preseason game.
• Niese got a lot of reps with the first-team offense at guard in Zeitler’s absence. It feels like a new development there. Niese has been the No. 2 center since spring and has earned praise from Campbell. Could he make the roster as the primary interior backup?
• Even though Davis’ touchdown came on a would-be sack and blown coverage, the more impressive part is that he’s getting looks with the first-team offense.
• After a good day on Monday, Daurice Fountain was relatively quiet. I don’t think he caught a pass during an 11-on-11 period with the starters. The battle for WR3 remains fluid. We’ll see if anyone separates on Thursday.
• View from the other side: I think this Giants defense has a chance to be pretty good. The strength of that unit is its defensive line. Dexter Lawrence is one of the best in the business at defensive tackle, with the sort of bonafide, all-around game the Lions’ Alim McNeill is starting to show. Burns and Thibodeaux could be a feared tandem on the edge. Thibodeaux didn’t really impress me at joint practices last year, but he did this year. He beat Sewell on more than one occasion Tuesday.

(Photo of Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs: Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA Today)