Lions-Giants joint practice gets chippy, plus a day following the defense

By / / Sports / 10 minutes of reading


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — These two teams, the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, are no strangers. Neither are these head coaches.

Dan Campbell and Brian Daboll go way back. They’ve worked together on staff before. They’ve competed against one another. They appreciate how the other does business. It’s why these teams are meeting for joint practices for the second year in a row, hoping to get some good work in.

“Looking forward to working with the Giants,” Campbell said. “Appreciate Daboll and (Giants President and CEO John K. Mara, Esq.) Mr. Mara and (Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe Schoen, everybody hosting us here. So, we’re excited about the work, we know we’ve got a good practice partner and it’ll be a great chance to evaluate where a number of our players are at as well as theirs and get better.”

It feels like that happened on Monday. The physicality, the intensity and the competitive nature between these teams was on full display. Here’s what we saw.

One of the most intense practices

This is my third year covering the NFL, and I’ve seen some intense practices. Campbell believes you need to get real live reps to prepare for the season, and the Lions get their fair share in. That’s what he was hoping to see this morning, prior to the start of practice. There was no conversation with players to keep their intensity in check on Monday.

GO DEEPER

Daniel Jones among many Giants involved in fights at joint practice with Lions

“No, look, I told them, ‘Man, like we always do.’ We’re competing and we’re not pulling back,” Campbell said. “But this will be evaluated like a game, so if you do something that’s going to cost us in a game, that’s part of your evaluation.’ But we’ve got to go, we’ve got to get better, we can’t just be tiptoeing either.”

Yeah, nobody tiptoed. Quite the opposite.

The beat estimates somewhere between 8-10 skirmishes — give or take a few. It started early. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a pass, and after the play, a Giants defender poked it free. It led to some shoving, and eventually, a sideline-clearing shuffle. It was just the start.

It felt like something every few minutes whenever the teams were together for team periods. It didn’t matter if it was Detroit’s No. 1 offense vs. the Giants’ No. 1 defense or vice versa. You couldn’t put your head down immediately after a play or you’d run the risk of missing who started another one.

Coming off the field, I asked Lions’ LB Jack Campbell about it.

“You want to go out there and compete,” Campbell said. “You want to push them to be better. So like, our mentality is we’re finishing on the ball, we’re gonna punch at the ball, if you don’t like it, that’s all right, and then that’s when it leads into bigger things than it needs to be. But you know what, who cares? I mean, we’re just coming out here trying to get good work. I mean, the Giants are a heck of a football team and that’s what it’s all about. This week is about coming out here and competing.”

Campbell said it was more the fast-paced nature of practice than anything overly physical that stood out. He said he’s had practices at Iowa that were similar, and even Lions’ camp. But Monday’s intensity admittedly high on all fronts.

Knowing these head coaches and what they’re about, it’s no surprise.

“I feel like that’s just how we practice, and I mean, maybe they didn’t appreciate it,” Campbell said. “I don’t know. But I mean, it’s the same on their defense. Being on defense, you just gotta have the mindset of like kinda taking it right up to the edge but not going over, you know what I mean? When you go on the field nothing is — I don’t take nothing personal. Just go out there and play your game. And if you’re pissed at someone, then go compete with him the next snap.”

A day following the defense

Admittedly, it’s hard to cover everything during a joint practice when you’re alone on a beat. You essentially have to pick one side a day over the two-day practice period. I put a poll on Twitter for Lions fans to decide how today was covered, and nearly 64 percent of chose defense.

So, defense it was.

The first period featuring the Giants’ offense and the Lions’ defense came during a 7-on-7 period. I only watched part of it, trying to also take a peek at the OL/DL one-on-ones. The lack of pass-rush certainly benefits the offense in this period, but I’d say the Giants’ offense was efficient early on. They were able to move the ball a bit with some plays over the middle, and it felt like there were times Lions defenders didn’t tap a Giants’ ball carrier until they were into the second level.

After that, though, things certainly evened out. Here’s how I charted the first 11-on-11 period for Detroit’s starting defense.

Note: things happen fast during joint practices, so it’s possible something was missed with only one look at things. This is what I had written in my notes.

  • Daniel Jones pass complete to RB Devin Singletary. Checkdown for a short gain. Jack Campbell on the stop.
  • Jones pressured, possible sack by Derrick Barnes. Still attempted the throw, and was nearly picked off by Carlton Davis III, attempting a curl route to Jalin Hyatt.
  • Jones pass incomplete to WR Darius Slayton deep downfield. Too far in front. Solid coverage from Terrion Arnold.
  • Singletary rush.
  • Jones pass complete to TE Theo Johnson over the middle.
  • RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. rush middle. Looked untouched into the second level. Gain of 10-plus. Good run.
  • Jones pass complete to WR Malik Nabers. Tackled by Melifonwu.
  • Jones pass complete to Tracy Jr. Screen pass. Alex Anzalone right there for the “tackle.”
  • Jones pass complete to WR Wan’Dale Robinson. A checkdown to the sideline after Jones surveyed the field and had nowhere to go. Melifonwu made the stop, and to be honest, I’m not sure how the ball was completed. Great catch in a tight, tight window.

After some special teams work, the Giants’ starting offense was back at it against the Lions’ starters.

  • Jones pass tipped by Levi Onwuzurike at the line of scrimmage. Came around the edge as Jones stepped up in the pocket, tipped it from behind, which led to a floater that hung for a bit in the air, nearly picked off by Jack Campbell. Daboll was fuming at the play, arguing that Onwuzurike got way too close to Jones.
  • Singletary rush middle. Tackled by Barnes for a short gain. After the play, Anzalone and Giants G Greg Van Roten got into it, with Anzalone shoving Van Roten into the ground several times before being pushed aside. By the end of the play, even Jones was involved.
  • Jones pass incomplete. Broken up by Ennis Rakestraw Jr., repping with the ones.
  • Jones pass complete to Singletary. Checkdown. Looked like Campbell was there for the stop.
    Jones pass incomplete to Nabers. A deep shot down the right sideline, nearly hauled in by Nabers, who got two feet inbounds but the ball moved after making contact with the ground. Honestly, an impressive effort regardless. Melifonwu in coverage.
  • Jones pass complete to RB Eric Gray. Melifonwu hit out of bounds.
  • Short rush by a Giants back. Didn’t see who.
  • Jones pass complete to Nabers for a gain of 10-plus. Carlton Davis III in coverage.
  • Singletary rush. Tackled by Campbell. Solid gain.
  • Coverage sack for Detroit defense.
  • Jones pass complete to Isaiah Hodgins. Deep middle of the field. Rakestraw in coverage. Jack Campbell involved in some post-play shoving.

Overall, I think it’s fair to say the Giants won the 7-on-7 period against Detroit’s first-team defense. Too many guys open from what I saw (wasn’t charting it as I watched both the 7-on-7 and OL/DL drills partaking at the same time). But things certainly tightened up for the team periods. There were a lot of checkdowns and dump-offs leading to completions, but Detroit kept the yards after catch in check. I’d say the defense was well-positioned on some completed passes. I would’ve liked to see a bit more from Hutchinson and McNeill disrupt things a bit more in those team settings, but the quick/short game kind of took them out at times.

News, notes and observations

• Lions TE Sam LaPorta did not practice Monday. Campbell said he’s dealing with something that occurred last week and that he wouldn’t partake Monday.

• Lions DB Brian Branch was out there for individual periods and the 7-on-7 portion, but he’s not ready for a full team period yet.

• Lions CB Terrion Arnold left practice with trainers to be evaluated for a concussion. Arnold took on a block from Giants’ tackle Andrew Thomas, leading to a loud thud. Rakestraw entered the lineup in his absence.

• Lions RG Kevin Zeitler left practice and was evaluated for a shoulder injury. We’ll see what Campbell says on Tuesday.

• The two most impressive reps of the day in OL/DL drills were courtesy of Hutchinson and McNeill. Hutchinson used a vicious spin move to absolutely work his former Michigan teammate and Giants G Jalen Mayfield. McNeill, meanwhile, just completely obliterated Jake Kubas, a 2024 UDFA out of North Dakota State. Expected, but the pure strength on the play was impressive. It was like he wasn’t even trying.

• I watched Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez run stride-for-stride downfield with RB Dante Miller for a PBU. Might’ve gotten away with a faceguard, but hey, it wasn’t called.

• Not exactly a hot take, but Nabers is gonna be good. He’s explosive after the catch, gets in and out of his breaks so efficiently and went up high for a jump ball vs. Melifonwu and nearly came down with it. The officials ruled him out of bounds as the ball bobbled a bit coming down, but man, he was right there. Campbell said the Lions “liked him a lot” coming out of the draft, but knew they were in no position to get him.

• Ennis Rakestraw Jr. got some first-team reps at nickel and outside cornerback on Monday. The Lions were rotating between Amik Robertson (who also played outside a little bit), Emmanuel Moseley and Rakestraw at nickel. Good sign for the rookie that he’s getting more looks with the ones. Most of his damage has come against the twos.

• Morice Norris is having an excellent camp. On one series, he got a hand on a pass intended for TE Tyree Jackson, recorded a sack against Giants backup QB Drew Lock and blew up a dump-off to a Giants’ back — knocking his helmet off and causing one of the many skirmishes as both sidelines cleared. Those three plays came on a five-play sequence.

• Even though Daboll didn’t like it, Onwuzurike’s tipped ball against the first-team offense was exactly what you want to see. He won his individual rep, got in the backfield and affected the play, leading to a near-turnover. Onwuzurike was also in the middle of a mix-up or two on Monday, so it appears he’s bringing that same intensity we’ve seen in Lions camp to New Jersey.

• Kyle Peko continues to rep over Brodric Martin, including plenty of first-team reps. He looks like he’s pushing to be part of the rotation — especially if DJ Reader isn’t ready to go to start the season. We’ll see if the Lions can make the numbers work.

• Mitchell Agude had a tipped pass and a pressure on plays I watched him. I wonder when he’s going to get more work against the starters. Feels like he’s earned that look.

• I wasn’t watching the Lions’ offense today, but I did chart its first offensive possession in the red zone. Goff completed a touchdown to Jameson Williams. Believe an 18-yard strike. After that, I had a Jahmyr Gibbs run stuffed (that led to more shoving — shocker). Then three straight incompletions to Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Will focus more on the offense on Tuesday.

(Top photo of Amon-Ra St. Brown: Paul Sancya / AP Photo)





Source link

About The Author

Avatar of Erika Walls
Erika Walls is a journalist who loves writing about business and finance news. She's been working in the industry for over 15 years, and she's published hundreds of articles on everything from the latest IPO to the hottest new stock pick.

Start typing and press enter to search

Scroll to Top