The New York Giants hosted their first mandatory practice of the summer on Tuesday afternoon, and what a scorching hot day it was. With 95+ degree weather, managing the heat was a difficult task for a team that hasn’t been on the football field for more than a few weeks. In fact, a good chunk of the players didn’t attend voluntary camp, so this is the first time they were at the team facilities for a traditional practice.
Mostly, everything ran smoothly, aside from a few minor situations that aren’t considered to be anything serious.
Three main takeaways from New York Giants’ first mandatory training session:
1.) A scary scene for RB coach Burton Burns
One of the scarier situations from practice was running backs coach Burton Burns being carted off the field due to heat exhaustion. Burns likely was given an IV to replace his lost electrolytes and nutrients, but he’s expected to be just fine after treatment.
Burns is one of the best running back coaches in the NFL, having helped Derrick Henry and Mark Ingram win Heisman Trophies in college at Alabama. He was a catalyst behind Wayne Gallman having a surprisingly positive season in 2020, where he rushed for 682 yards and six touchdowns.
2.) Kadarius Toney gimpy after slipping and sliding
There seems to be some sort of bad omen surrounding Kadarius Toney and his footwear. Several weeks ago during rookie camp, Toney had significant issues getting the right cleats, and once again, on Tuesday, he was slipping all over the place, getting up a bit gimpy after one scenario.
Whatever is going on between Toney and the equipment manager must be solved immediately, otherwise, an injury could occur. Whether he needs custom cleats or something is vastly different with the brand he’s using, the Giants need to sort this out as soon as possible.
3.) The Daniel Jones and Kenny Golladay connection
One of the more exciting connections to keep an eye on is Daniel Jones and Kenny Golladay, who were tossing the ball back-and-forth and working on their fundamental skills on Tuesday. For an offense that ranked 31st in points per game in 2020, the addition of Golladay should be a significant factor in their future success. Jones has never enjoyed the luxury of having a number one receiver, and Golladay offers just that after posting more than 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019.
Both Jones and Golladay have been spending time together, enough for the star receiver to say “he is my boy.†The acquisition of the 6’4″ wide-out should suggest a more downfield oriented offense this upcoming campaign, and what a joy it would be to see Jason Garrett break his mold from last year and push the ball downfield, sufficiently capitalizing on Daniel Jones’s vertical accuracy.