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00:04You guys won't believe what we saw at practice number eight, day number nine here at Giants
00:09training camp. This is your Blue Rush post practice report. Your Giants insider for the
00:14post Brandon London. Giants Nation is here, which means the host and creator of the Giants Nation
00:20show is here. Bobby Skinner joins me now. You see that little false tease I just gave them.
00:25Everyone showed up thinking it was going to be a full padded practice, but it was actually they
00:29were just in shells and it was a walkthrough. So apologize to the fans that thought they were
00:33going to get a full padded practice. Bobby Skinner, what's up, my man? They got the first fight of
00:37training camp. They had no live drills, but somehow Xavier Gibson and Nick Jones got in a fight out of
00:42them, which I'm always looking forward to. You saw a little back and forth? Yeah. You know how walkthroughs
00:47happen? Someone gives the wrong shove when you're supposed to not be doing that. Oh, wow. Wow. Okay.
00:51That's what we call doing a little bit too much. And I can guarantee you John Harbaugh is going to
00:56address that at the team later on tonight or maybe even tomorrow. Let's get straight into this thing
01:01because you've been here at camp every single day. You've seen the practices and all. You've seen the
01:06good, the bad, the ugly. Let's start with the offense, obviously, because offense sells tickets.
01:11What are your thoughts on where the Giants offense is eight practices deep in training camp? Well, I think
01:18it's going to take time, right? Jackson Dart is learning an entire new offense, and it's not a bread and
01:23butter offense that one person's bringing in. You're bringing in Greg Roman, Matt Nagy, and Brian
01:26Callahan with whatever flavor John Harbaugh adds to it as well from his experience. And there's a heavy
01:33emphasis on the play action. Well, that was the worst part of Dart's game as a rookie, but he does
01:37have to get better at those things. But I think it's going to take time, but also I believe the
01:41strength
01:41of the offensive line and Dart's playmaking will at least raise the floor for this offense. But in a
01:47season that needs to start hot, like it might take some time. Let's stay on the offensive line now
01:51because throughout the course of, let's say the last decade, the offensive line has been
01:55a liability. Last year, they slowly turned into an asset. There were some inconsistencies,
02:02but not what we saw in the past. You add CeCe Mauanoa in the interior. Just think about the first
02:08two games. You've got Frank Clark, Quinan Williams, and then you've got Aaron Donald. The interior of that
02:16offensive line has gotten better with CeCe. Where's the limit for this Giants offense? And at this time
02:23last year, would you say the Giants offensive line is better or worse? I mean, I would say it's better.
02:28I
02:28really like Francis Mauanoa. I wanted the Giants to draft him, so I was excited when they got him.
02:33But it's not just the addition of Francis Mauanoa. You have the two tackles in Thomas, but adding Greg Roman
02:39and
02:39Patrick Ricard, who you see how physical he is here. So the run game is not just going to be
02:45some zone
02:45reads and using Jackson Dark's legs. People are going to have to game plan for it. So add that,
02:49and then as long as Thomas is healthy, you have maybe the top three bookend tackles in the NFL
02:56protecting the quarterback. And then whatever Francis Mauanoa does as a rookie is a bonus compared to last
03:01year. To go back to that run game you were talking about in G-Ro, Greg Roman, as they were
03:06calling him,
03:06Tyrone Tracy said like the addition of him is only going to make the run game that much better.
03:12Because he was calling him like a run game wizard or a guru. He was saying how whatever he says,
03:17if he's saying press the hole here, put your foot in the ground and get vertical, if he says that,
03:22then do it. Because when you go back and watch the tape, he was absolutely correct when he was saying
03:26that. We had Andrew Thomas on our show about a month ago, and he talked about some of the crazy
03:31schemes. And they were working on counter, and I was trying to call out who was going to pull. They
03:35have
03:35three guys pulling at a time. So it's going to be something new for Giants fans.
03:39When you're pulling three, that means one of those interior linemen have to do that. You got a guy
03:43like CeCe Mauanoa at what, 6'4", 329, but with happy feet, sweet feet that can move. You want to
03:50see
03:50that guy pull and get out there on the edge. I told you we would talk a little camp battle.
03:55My biggest
03:56camp battle on the offense. I know everybody's talking about who's going to be that wide receiver
04:00two. What's the wide receiver room looks like? Right now, to me, I think the tight end two
04:06camp battle between Theo Johnson, the incumbent, and then Tanner Conner, who can really catch the
04:13football and is making a case that he deserves a spot, not only on this roster, but maybe within
04:19the starting two tight ends. You call me crazy for that. No, Tanner Conner has been the guy who
04:24everyone asks. Like, who's the guy that we haven't heard of who's having to go to camp? And it's been
04:27Tanner Conner just catching pass after pass. On the flip side, though, Theo Johnson is showing
04:32why he was drafted. He's made acrobatic catch after acrobatic catch. I know he's got the issue
04:37with drops. I think he led tight ends in drop rate both his first years. Drops are always that thing
04:42that it always gets you in bad graces, but it feels like a simple thing. If you start catching it,
04:47then
04:47the view of him will rise. I think for the rest of camp, I want to see Theo Johnson catch
04:52the ball with
04:53the ball away from his hands. There's been times he's done that when Jameis has put one high,
04:57but there have been some when he's let it get on his body. And that, to me, as a receiver,
05:03and you want to be a pure pass catcher, that, to me, the confidence, it comes and goes. But once,
05:09again, once you start getting into the couple, it's just like that confidence gets there,
05:13and then you start rolling. Let's move to the wide receiver position. Obviously, to talk about Odell,
05:19there were some people who watched one practice, and it was like, oh, he's wise. He's not that guy.
05:23He's come around the last couple of practices. Who would be, let's say they keep five,
05:29who would be your top five right now? And you got to include Malik Neighbors. Yeah,
05:34we don't talk about those shows. It'd be Malik Neighbors. Darnell Mooney would be like that second
05:39guy for me. I know he hasn't flashed like crazy, but I think he's been more consistent. Calvin Austin,
05:45Malakai Fields, obviously. Obviously. And even though he hasn't had a great camp or has participated
05:51tough, you're still space late in 12 mil. But I think there's going to keep a sixth guy,
05:57though. That's the thing. So, is it going to be Odell, Barrios, or somebody else? So,
06:00who's your kick returner, punt returner out of that? Let's say that five. Let's say that five.
06:04Deontay Banks and Tyrone Tracy would be my two returners. It seems like they're doing that.
06:08Punt returner, that's where Barrios may win it out because he has that ability. So, that's where it gets
06:14tough with Odell. But I also, Odell did make some good plays yesterday. And I wasn't here the day
06:19before, but he looked all, from all reports, he looked all right. If one guy gets banged up,
06:24then that's where I feel like Odell finds some value. Or if Austin gets injured, Odell's probably
06:28the best suited to play that normal slot there, too. I was talking to Odell, like the confidence is
06:33there right now after putting two good days together. And you can see the reports from, you know,
06:38every, every, all the beat writers and even our Ryan Dunleavy, when we had him on the show the other
06:41day,
06:42he was talking about how he's getting open. They were asking John Harbaugh, it's like,
06:46do you guys take that into effect? He may not get the target, but he's out there getting open. And
06:50that was right before the day he had the touchdown, which was right before the day he had, what, the
06:54four catches in team periods yesterday. So, that's been real exciting to watch Odell and, and him make
07:00a push for not only trying to make this team, but trying to get targets. Let's Riverside it, talk about
07:05the defense. And we'll start with the interior of the defensive line. They added Shelby Harris,
07:11they brought in DJ Reader. How do you think that interior has looked so far with what four days
07:17of true full pads? Halfway decent. I mean, I feel like the offense has done some good stuff in the
07:22run game wise, and that's always a question of what's happening on the interior. I think I'm
07:27watching the preseason for Darius Alexander. Last year, he struggled so much in camp. Like,
07:32he just looked like he didn't belong. Now he's getting that shot as a starter. I've said all along,
07:36there's not a player on this team, I'm judging how their preseason performance is,
07:40more than Darius Alexander. And if he can be an above average player, that's major. Because if
07:46DJ Reader and Shelby Harris played the same amount of snaps as last year, full schedule,
07:50and then add 50, that's still over 50% of the snaps at that spot that got to be filled.
07:55So,
07:56Darius Alexander needs to step up. I can't say I've watched him do good or bad a ton here,
08:01but it's going to be key, I think, what he does in the preseason game. More pressure on,
08:05or which player has more pressure on to perform, DJ Reader or Shelby Harris? Which one of those vets?
08:10I would say Shelby Reader, just because it's his playing time's tied. DJ Reader's going to be the
08:15best guy on this team. He's going to play. He's been good. He's continued to be good. If he falls
08:20off a cliff, sure, we'll talk about it then. But I think it's Shelby, because he's battling for
08:24reps with Darius Alexander. Go to the edge now. We got Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeau,
08:30Brian Burns coming off of a 16 and a half sack season. Looks like Abdul Carter is getting the bulk
08:36of the one reps. And when they asked Kayvon Thibodeau about it, he said he didn't know what
08:40his role is as of now. But that's the same thing Carl Anthony Towns said at the beginning of the
08:45Knicks
08:45season. He didn't know what his role was going to be within his offense. And we see the run that
08:49the
08:50Knicks go on. Shout out to the Knicks in five right there. Those guys, I mean,
08:57Coach Harbaugh said he's got three starters on that, on the edge, coming off that edge.
09:03Do you think this is the year that the big three is truly a big three? I'm talking LeBron,
09:08Bosch, and D-Wade type big three. I hope, go Nets first, but hope so. Because I'm a true
09:13believer in Abdul Carter. I really think he's going to be a special top five player on the roster.
09:19I watched him every week last year with a close eye. And I just thought he was winning consistently.
09:24The sacks didn't come until the end of the year. But you look at other top pass rushers,
09:29rookie seasons, they're fairly similar, even in some of the sack numbers with some of those guys.
09:34So I think Abdul is going to be that guy. We know what Burns is. And I think Kayvon is
09:37that nice
09:38third piece. And I would hope that he's here for the long term. But at least this year,
09:42you have one position on this defense, which is a clear cut strength with Kayvon being there.
09:46And you think about stopping the run. Everyone's talking about stopping the run. When Kayvon was
09:50in the game, when he was playing and he wasn't injured, they were doing a better job at stopping
09:55the run. Their win rate was better at stopping the run than it was when he was injured and he
10:00wasn't out there. So he's been that anchor. And Abdul Carter has talked about trying to get better at
10:05that, setting that edge throughout the course of this training camp and going into the season.
10:09At second level, Arvel, Reese, Tremaine, Edmonds, would you say it's from last year at this point
10:15to this year, upgrade or no? Absolutely. I think that's the one spot on the defense
10:19where you really can say there was a substantial upgrade. And they both look good. And we know
10:24linebackers, you're not going to get true game planning the way they're going to get used to
10:28the regular season. And to have that athleticism, I think it's going to be, besides that outside
10:33linebackers, the place that Denard Wilson is going to be able to try in some of his tricks.
10:36Yeah. And I love the fact that Micah McFadden is going to be that third guy. They talked about
10:40rotating him in there. But the thing that stands out to me the most when it comes to these two
10:45guys,
10:45obviously that length, guys trying to throw the football across the middle of the field,
10:50you're going to have to throw it high. Both of them are athletic enough to get up there. And if
10:54something, let's say they don't, maybe you cause that overthrow and you got a Javon Holland
10:59or a Tyler Newbin to pick that thing off. And that takes us into the secondary,
11:03which I did a tick tock green screen the other night saying that I feel as though,
11:08because of Denard Wilson and his physical scheme, the secondary is going to be the most improved
11:14unit or should be the most improved unit. Not only the defense, but of this team,
11:19would you call me crazy for saying that? I don't think it's crazy. I'm just worried
11:23about it because you just have guys that are capable of bad seasons. And then obviously you have a rookie
11:28and Colton hood, who I think has actually looked pretty good out here, but still a rookie.
11:32I think a Debo struggle. I think Greg Newsom has looked solid banks. I just,
11:37Phillips. I just worry that I love Denard Wilson and what he's done.
11:40I just worry that you may have two guys in that secondary who become pick on players where
11:45when you start facing Puka and Devante Adams, the CD and pick ins where you have pick on players
11:51were out here. You just don't really have that out without Malik neighbors.
11:54But I think schematically, they should be the guys who are helped the most by Denard Wilson.
12:00A lot of people are saying that this giant's defense is somewhat built like the 07 defense,
12:05the 2011 defense to where you're heavy in the front seven. And then because you've got such
12:12dogs up front in the trenches, then that can help the back end. Do you, I mean, would you compare
12:19that?
12:20Well, that's the hope. And that's where I think Denard Wilson will be smart. And
12:23I mean, wherever his weakness is, that's where he's going to help out. And that's why I think
12:26the defensive tackle room stepping up is going to be so key because if they're doing bad,
12:31then you're going to bring a safety down into the box consistently. Or like, you're not,
12:34I know John Harbaugh is just not going to let teams run on them the way the Giants have had
12:37the last four years, but you'll have to sacrifice something. So hopefully that's what I'm hoping is
12:43that the help goes to the secondary. Brian Burns says it all the time. You got to earn the right
12:47to rush,
12:47meaning you got to stop the run. So you can, instead of being in third and short,
12:51you can get them in the third and longs. And now you can really see the big three and the
12:55effect
12:55that they're having. Speaking of effects, John Harbaugh, obviously 18 years with the Baltimore
13:00Ravens, the Super Bowl. He's the guy that came with the resume. So far, have you seen the Harbaugh
13:07effect? And what are your first thoughts about it? You see a lot of situational football practice
13:12all throughout practice every single day, even going down to kneel downs, like they practiced
13:17those early on. So I think that's important. Like not having the first time in games where it's like
13:22you've only went through it one time in a random practice. So I think that the practices have been
13:27very tough, right? They go nonstop. It's a lot of competition. I like the fact that the third team
13:32is not taking equal reps as the first team, the second team. So it's only practice so far,
13:36but I like what John Harbaugh has done with it in this game. Damn, you don't like the third team
13:41taking equal reps. What about the bubble guys like Brandon London trying to make the team back in
13:44the day? That's what the preseason games are for. Oh, okay. All right. You want them to get game
13:48reps. All right. I like it. I'm with you when you're right. So we can close this thing off. Just
13:53give us some overall thoughts. Again, you've been down here. Have you seen the practices? You've got
13:58the following. The people love you. Give us some overall thoughts on John Harbaugh, this training camp,
14:05because I wanted to bring different people in to have a different set of eyes to get a different set
14:10of
14:10opinions. Well, if they struggle this year, it won't be for a lack of preparation. Like I think
14:14John Harbaugh is going to put them in the best situation to be them. I don't think it's going
14:18to be this crazy X's and O's like smoke and mirrors type of team, but I think they're going to
14:22be
14:22prepared for what they have and the talent is going to be what the talent is. Offensively,
14:28I do think there's going to be some slow rollout with Matt Nagy and Greg Roman, but the run game,
14:34I think I'm hoping that's something they can lean on early on because I do think it can be a
14:37real
14:38strength for them. All right, man. You got an event tomorrow. All Giants fans that are watching
14:43this that are down here in West Virginia, tell the people about the event and where they can come
14:46hang out. The Varsity Club, 630 on the rooftop. We're trying to get so many people there that they
14:52move us to a new location. All of your favorite Giants reporters will be there and I'm hoping Brandon
14:56could show up too. All right, man. You know, don't threaten me with a good time. We just had a
15:00good
15:00time on this Blue Rush episode. The towel's out. It's hot. I'm trying to go to the Green Bar Resort,
15:05hop in the pool or something right now. Bobby Skinner of Giants Nation,
15:10appreciate you hopping in with us, my brother, guys.
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