EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- After one pass sailed wide of a receiver during team drills, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning dipped his chin and shook his head in disgust. It was one of those days. The Giants' quarterbacks struggled on Sunday, two days after a disappointing performance against the Miami Dolphins.
Maybe it was the sweltering weather, with the heat index topping 100 degrees. Maybe it was the occasional wind gusts or being down several wide receivers. Or maybe the Giants defense (as evidenced by Friday night’s first-team performance) is starting to meld into a cohesive unit.
Whatever the reason, more balls seemed to hit the ground Sunday than any other day at Giants training camp this summer. Manning even threw his second interception of camp when he lofted a wobbler deep down the left sideline into a wind gust and into the awaiting hands of cornerback Janoris Jenkins. It wasn’t a pretty throw.
On the next play, Manning threw wide of tight end Matt LaCosse on an in-route. LaCosse had several yards of separation from his defender. He was also uncovered on the interception the previous play.
Backups Ryan Nassib and Logan Thomas didn’t fare much better. Nassib threw short of wide receiver Roger Lewis on one play. He held the ball too long on another, and compounded the matter by scrambling outside the pocket and throwing after he crossed the line of scrimmage. Nassib was flagged for a penalty on the play by the officials who were working the practice.
This comes on the heels of a poor outing for Nassib on Friday night. Nassib threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. But coach Ben McAdoo doesn't appear overly concerned it's going to send him into a downward spiral.
"Ryan is going to bounce back," McAdoo said. "He's a pro. He's a guy that is going to come in, he's going to prepare, he's going to go about his business the right way, and attack practice the same way he always has."
During training camp, these kind of days happen. It's a long grind and the defense generally improves as they become more accustomed to what the offense's plays.
The offense has outperformed the defense more often than not this summer. Manning has generally had a strong camp. His only other interception came on his first pass of live team drills on July 29. His second came on August 14.
Manning did have his moments during Sunday’s practice. He hit tight end Larry Donnell on a fade patter for a touchdown in a no-huddle drill. He later found wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the corner of each end zone, although one may have been overthrown to tight end Will Tye but fortuitously landed in Beckham’s hands.
Can’t stop Beckham
Whether that touchdown pass was intended for Beckham or not, he continues to dominate the Giants defense. This was his fifth straight practice with at least one touchdown reception in live drills. Beckham also dragged his feet in the back corner of the end zone on Sunday in 7-on-7 drills with safety Nat Berhe trailing.
Nobody can cover him. Not Jenkins. Not Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. And forget about anyone else. Whether it's one-on-one (when he beat Jenkins pretty handily on Sunday) or team drills, the Pro Bowl wide receiver has consistently made plays. The relationship between Beckham and Manning appears to only be improving.
Other observations
Donnell had a strong day. He made several receptions in team drills, including the touchdown grab over safety Landon Collins. … Kelvin Sheppard handled the first-team middle linebacker reps on Sunday ahead of Jasper Brinkley and Keenan Robinson, who returned after missing several practices with a groin injury. … Defensive end Owa Odighizuwa was again in the backfield consistently after playing well in the preseason opener. … The Giants shook up their second-team offensive line after a rough game on Friday night. Emmett Cleary began at right guard with Dillon Farrell at center. They replaced Adam Gettis and Brett Jones.