Who said the Giants’ practices were all penalty laps, contact drills, and no fun?
In a drill borrowed from the New England Patriots, the Giants ended practice Tuesday by lighting a pipe and asking rookies one-by-one to dive into the wet football to fake a fumble cover-up rather than to let it escape. It was a neighborhood backyard scene on a hot day, minus the slip ‘n slide.
Except that, before the end, the players pushed coach Joe Judge to take a walk chanting “Joe!” Joe! Joe! as he slipped through a muddy pile wearing shorts, a long-sleeved warm-up top and a neck warmer.
“It was the first time I had seen something like this,” said veteran linebacker Markus Golden. “I was excited and excited to watch it. We finished with Coach Judge. It was high time. He knows how to do it. He trains us on ball safety and he’s proven that what he does works because he went out and did it himself.
Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson stood above Judge and soaked him a little more as the players cheered. Jabrill Peppers, Nate Ebner and Leonard Williams all went around the pipe. Rookie offensive lineman Shane Lemieux actually took a second turn on the ground.
“I’m not the type to go to camp for fun,” Golden said. “I go to camp in search of hard work. But you have to make it fun no matter what. To end the day with a workout like this and actually see your head coach slide through the mud and get the ball back is no more fun than that.
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There are two practices and a scrum left at training camp. Linebacker Blake Martinez, signed as a free agent for the Green Bay Packers, was among the camps where an egg toss was added to the agenda, but it was new.
“Coach Judge is always about efficiency, but it adds the fun aspect,” Martinez said. “Adding water makes this kid feel like he’s on a slide. It was just a great way to end the practice.
Martinez did not shed light on the mysterious illness that has kept him away from recent training and a scrum – he was sprinting on the sidelines on Tuesday – but said he would be on the pitch if it did. was a game day.
“I’m fine. We’re not discussing injuries and things here,” Martinez said. “I have to push this to train the judge. But, for the most part, I’m fine. I just do what I can and I do. prepare me every day.
Safety Jabrill Peppers suffered recurring cramps throughout the camp, but the judge said staff constantly monitor hydration levels and Peppers stay on top of fluids. Frequent cramping was an issue for Odell Beckham Jr. with the Giants in 2018.
“[Jabrill] plays with a high engine, ”said the judge. “Some guys sweat more than others. There are possibilities in the games where you can give IVs at half time, or there are additional possibilities to give different salt and liquid pills. Right now in training he’s a guy doing only 100 miles an hour. Sometimes you have to remind these guys to drink some more.
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