New York Giants Practice Report, 8/11: Eli Manning Lights It Up

The New York Giants held their first public practice since defeating the New York Jets on Thursday, August 8th. They are preparing for their next preseason game which will take place on Friday, August 16th as they host the Chicago Bears in MetLife Stadium.

Players Who Stood Out:

Eli Manning had one of his best practices of the summer. At one point he was 11/12 with 3 touchdowns. He had a strong connection with each of the starting pass catchers and he was sharp on all 3 levels of the field. In total, Manning attempted 23 passes, his highest total of the summer. His previous high was 15.

Saquon Barkley had a big day through the air. He caught 2 passes that would’ve gone for touchdowns and one of them was deep down the field. He also handed out a “welcome to the NFL” moment to Ryan Connelly who did his best to track him down.

Cody Latimer and Eli are building strong chemistry with one another. They make plays not only deep but anywhere on the field. Latimer could become another legitimate asset on offense even when Shepard and Tate are both available.

Bennie Fowler made a handful of tough catches, he was able to hold on when Jenkins gave him a little extra pop after the catch.

Jabrill Peppers continues to flash outstanding coverage ability. He was able to keep up with Engram on a play and break up the pass. If he can cover Engram he should be able to cover any tight end in the league.

Another practice, another display from Daniel Jones and Alonzo Russell. They’ve made big plays together in every practice and yesterday was no different.

Alex Wesley made some noise with a tough catch contested by Julian Love. As a player who was known for being a burner in college, it’s nice to see him make tough catches in the intermediate area of the field.

Camp Battles:

Ryan Connelly and Tae Davis are both ahead of BJ Goodson at this point. When significantly younger players move ahead of a veteran it’s hard for the veteran to take his job back.

Bennie Fowler has seemed like a guy that’s been destined to move down the depth chart at times but he’s held onto his first-team reps so far. His touchdown reception from Daniel Jones in the preseason game and his handful of nice grabs yesterday make a compelling case for him to stick around.

Alonzo Russell has made a strong push to make this team. He’s arguably very good for Daniel Jones’ development since he thrives when throwing to Russell. He also created a ton of separation in the preseason game. Yesterday he made his daily big plays with Daniel Jones.

Alex Wesley had some chances with the second-team offense and fared well with a tough catch. He’s a longshot to make the team but getting time with the second-team this quickly shows some legitimate intrigue from the coaches.

Wayne Gallman is making a resurgence in his race for the number 2 running back role. Paul Perkins has looked better throughout camp but Gallman has looked better since the preseason game against the Jets. He was the tougher runner in the game and has picked it up in pass protection. Protecting the quarterback was one of the main reasons the coaches were prioritizing Perkins over Gallman.

Sean Chandler made a nice play intercepting Daniel Jones in the back of the end zone. He appears to be on the roster bubble but could make a mid-camp resurgence to secure a roster spot.

Notable Bumps and Bruises:

Sterling Shepard and Grant Haley were both in yellow jerseys. Both players are very important to this team but both are optimistic about week 1 of the regular season.

Sam Beal remained on the sideline, his timetable for returning remains unclear.

Alec Ogletree has calf soreness and shouldn’t be missing for very long.

Deandre Baker sprained his knee in warmups, the team hopes he can return for week 1 as they depend on him to be the number two cornerback in 2019.

Significant Injuries:

Geroge Asafo-Adjei remains in the concussion protocol.

Brian Mihalik remains sidelined with a burner.

Final Thoughts:

The offense easily won the practice. There were a couple of plays where the defense locked down and made Eli throw the ball away. Outside of those plays Eli had his way with the defense. Eli is clearly in survival mode between his extra measures in the offseason and putting together his best camp in years. Daniel Jones also continues to impress but Eli would need to come back down to earth a little bit to have any legitimate talks of close competition for the starting role.