00:04We got our first look at John Harbaugh's New York Giants, OTA number three or four,
00:10but it's the first one that's open to the media.
00:13Paul Schwartz, our Giants beat writer for the post, Brandon London here.
00:17We have to start with Jackson Dart.
00:19Came to the podium, spoke about some things.
00:21You'll talk about what you like.
00:23Looked faster, looked a little bit more trim.
00:25Definitely looked control of this offense going into year two of his NFL career.
00:30Well, I'm really glad that no one started asking me about my body fat and my weight.
00:35You know, people, you know, that's always a thing, right?
00:36They always say bigger, stronger, faster, right?
00:39So Jackson, you know, he wears tight stuff anyway, right?
00:41So we asked him, he looks bigger, right?
00:43He does look a little.
00:44But he said his weight's about the same.
00:46But, you know, maybe he said he's a little leaner.
00:48He said he's just as athletic, really good.
00:51Look, last year at this time, Jackson was not going to start, right?
00:55And he was playing the role of the guy who wanted to learn.
00:58But he's a quarterback.
01:00You know, we just talked to Andrew Thomas, the left tackle, a little bit a while ago.
01:04And he said something about, you know, we was asked, does Jackson seem more confident now in year number two?
01:09And he said, no, he's the same.
01:11You know, he's doing this more, communicating better.
01:14But, no, confidence is not Jackson Dart's issue.
01:17A couple of interesting things.
01:18And, you know, I want to ask what you think this means.
01:20He said he's, you know, in this Matt Nagy offense and with Callahan and with Greg Roman, he said he's
01:27going to be under center more.
01:29Now, he was never under center at Ole Miss.
01:32Never.
01:32So, what does that tell you?
01:34They're running the football.
01:36But that doesn't mean that I'm going to get upset and be like, okay, I'm not going to have as
01:40many targets or we're not going to go down the field.
01:43If anything, that means that you're going to try and establish the run and we're going to push the football
01:49down the field from play action pass.
01:51Play action.
01:51Right.
01:51Play action.
01:52Look, I mean, they want to run the ball.
01:55But, you know, when Cam Scatterwood comes back, Tyrone Tracy, you know, Motor Singletary, Jackson certainly can run.
02:02He had a nice run around the corner.
02:03You know, he's quick.
02:04He's a quick guy.
02:05You know, and he said he's going to be more careful, more situational, more mature.
02:11He talked about mature.
02:12I have to do things more maturely.
02:14But he always wants to run.
02:15But I think they're going to rein that in a little bit.
02:17But, yeah, this is just the evolution.
02:19Now, the interesting thing is, you know, we talked to Darnell Mooney.
02:24And this is all new for all these guys.
02:27You know, so while Jackson Dart is, you know, Darnell Mooney in some ways knows more about this offense than
02:33Jackson Dart does because he was in a version of this offense with Matt Nagy in Chicago with the Bears.
02:39So everybody is learning it together.
02:42Andrew Thomas mentioned that when we asked him about CeCe Maui Noah.
02:45You know, he says, oh, he's physically, he's great.
02:47He said the one thing is, is that he's learning it, but we're all learning it.
02:51So this is what happens.
02:52You take a million steps up, and now you're back, and the veterans are here.
02:55Now you've got to learn a whole new offense and defense.
02:57So, you know, Rome isn't built in a day.
03:00This is challenging stuff for everybody.
03:02But you've got to get excited as a wide receiver to play with a quarterback like that because you're learning
03:07two versions of Jackson Dart.
03:09In the pocket Jackson Dart, to which we saw he struck Tanner O'Connor on a nice little basic in
03:15route from a high low, from a shallow cross, and then the in route.
03:19And then we also saw him be able to move the pocket off of the play action, get outside, and
03:24then that's where you get a different version, or you have to learn a different version of Jackson Dart, the
03:29athletic mobile quarterback that we saw a lot.
03:32Because now, like a Lamar Jackson, scramble Gerald comes into play.
03:37And you know who benefited from that a lot, from a Lamar Jackson being able to move the pocket.
03:41The guy who's here.
03:42The guy who's here.
03:43Isaiah likely.
03:44So, Darnell Mooney already understands that offense.
03:47I asked him, are you a leader in the locker room now, or at least in the wide receiver room?
03:53He said he's very chill, very even-keeled guy.
03:56And he said he doesn't want to step on any toes because Darius Slayton is still here.
04:02Malik Neighbors is here.
04:03They're present.
04:04So, what you're seeing is that these wide receivers are learning through communication and trying to kind of help each
04:09other.
04:10But, again, like you said, when you're picking up this new offense and all of these guys are getting a
04:14chance to go with the Jackson Dart, it's auditions, Paul.
04:18It is auditions because when he throws it to you, you, one, need to be in the place you're supposed
04:24to be.
04:24Two, you need to win.
04:26And whatever you do after that is just a plus.
04:28But I like what we saw today just through running the football, then the play action.
04:33And I think the guy of the day on the offensive side of the ball was Tyrone Tracy Jr.
04:38He had a couple of nice little runs, a couple of nice little catches out of the backfield.
04:42He had an opportunity to show that versatility as Cam Scadaboo looks to get back and be 100%.
04:48Well, don't forget about me.
04:50That's it.
04:50Don't forget about me.
04:51Right?
04:51You know, everyone's talking about Cam and all this stuff.
04:54Now, Cam is, you know, coming back.
04:55He's not out there.
04:56Now, John Harbaugh did give us an update on Malik Neighbors, sort of, you know, about his rehab.
05:01He said he's kind of in the middle of it.
05:03And that is not incredibly encouraging.
05:06Now, we know he's not in the middle of it as far as it's going to take another six months.
05:10We know that.
05:11But he had the ACL.
05:13It was, you know, I think there was, I don't think, there was other damage in there.
05:16So they had to wait a month for, you know, the meniscus, I guess, to heal better so they can
05:20do surgery.
05:21He had a cleanup surgery two, three weeks ago.
05:24So, you know, he's not ready.
05:26And John Harbaugh said we still think he can be ready for week one, but if he's not, so what?
05:32Okay, we'll worry about it.
05:33We'll play with the guys.
05:34Now, he doesn't mean so what like we don't want him.
05:37Let's remember, Jackson Dart and Malik Neighbors had less than one half of football together that game against the Chargers.
05:43So he's going to be like a new guy.
05:46So, look, it does give reps.
05:47You know, Darius Slayton had sports hernia surgery.
05:51John Harbaugh said there's no doubt he'll be ready for training camp.
05:54That's really good.
05:55But, you know, without Neighbors, certainly without Darius Slayton, all these guys, Mooney, Calvin Austin, they're getting a chance to
06:02do more things.
06:03And, you know, Jackson Dart said, he said, I want to be better.
06:07I want to process faster.
06:08That was interesting.
06:09He said, I want to do things faster.
06:12And he will.
06:14He will.
06:14He's a rookie.
06:15He will.
06:15But it's a new offense.
06:16So, see, this is what you want to set young people up for success.
06:20And, like, just as Andrew Thomas said, the continuity of the offensive line is fantastic.
06:26I don't have to learn new guys except for a right guard on the other side of, you know, of
06:30the center.
06:31That's fine.
06:32But Jackson Dart, see, this is when, this is difficult.
06:35You want Jackson Dart to be in the second year of an offense, not in the first.
06:39Now, you offset that with the fact that he's got John Harbaugh, and he's got a bunch of really smart
06:44minds around him.
06:45But it's going to take time.
06:47It's going to take time.
06:48You know how it is, right?
06:48You get a new playbook.
06:49It's going to take time.
06:51And Darnell Mooney said that.
06:52You know, Darnell Mooney knows a little more about it from Nagy.
06:55So, this is just OTA number three.
06:59It's not that big of a deal.
07:00But, look, Jackson Dart looks good.
07:02He will look better.
07:03But there will be some good days and some not good days in the spring and certainly in the summer
07:08because it's all new to all these guys.
07:10You're picking up the X's and O's, and you're trying to get the Y's as well.
07:13And that usually doesn't come until training camp and preseason.
07:17And go throwback since it is a throwback Thursday.
07:20Coach Coughlin used to always say no, and no you know.
07:23So, right now, you're just trying to get into the no.
07:25But, again, once the live bullets start flying, you get a joint practice or two, you understand why you're taking
07:31the seam versus a too high look versus keeping it up the numbers on a single high look.
07:36Should we go defense real quick or maybe do we save that for next week?
07:40What are you thinking?
07:41Well, I mean, you know, some guys are here.
07:43Some guys are not here.
07:44Look, John Harbaugh put it best.
07:45He said, and, you know, I've heard coaches for my whole career with, you know, covering the Giants to talk
07:50about what's going on in OTAs.
07:52We know there's no contact.
07:53But he said, John Harbaugh said, you're competing really with yourself now.
07:57You know, because, you know, if I'm the DB, I can't physically assault you the way I normally would.
08:04You know, I can cover you.
08:05But John Harbaugh said, you should make the catch.
08:10The offense should look good.
08:12You have no fear of me taking your head off or hitting you low.
08:16There's no contact.
08:17So, you know, I thought, you know, I saw Arvel Reese drop a few times, and he's just a big
08:22physical guy, and he looks very natural at that.
08:26We'll see.
08:26You know, the defense, I mean, you want to watch guys run routes and catch passes and break up a
08:31few passes here and there.
08:32But without the physical component of us, this is just learning and getting out there and just getting the muscles
08:38going again.
08:39Yeah, we'll focus on defense next week because we get media availability to Friday's practice of next week.
08:45But just quick, 52 can move in space.
08:48Arvel Reese, when you talk about when he dropped, he was step for step with Motor Singletary on some wheel
08:53routes.
08:54Paulson Adebo played Xavier Gibson pretty well on a crossing route.
08:58Again, these guys, they're not allowed to have competition at the point of the catch.
09:04So it's not going to be a pass breakup, but he is there.
09:07And I think we need to throw this out.
09:09Taye Banks was step for step with some guys today.
09:12So that's another thing to look at as a defensive, secondary-minded defensive coordinator.
09:18Denar Wilson takes over this defense.
09:20But, again, we'll talk about the offense.
09:22We gave you guys what to look forward to for the rest of OTAs and minicamp and going into training
09:28camp.
09:28But Jackson Dart, offensive line, running backs, and then the wide receivers, tight end units,
09:35all look to be on the same page for only OTA number three.
09:38This was your Blue Rush Post-Practice Report for Paul Schwartz.
09:44I'm Brandon London.
09:46Let's do it!
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