The New York Giants are holding voluntary mini-camp this week, and Wednesday was the first time media had access to see the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll Giants on the practice field. Here are a few leftover impressions.
Kadarius Toney stuff
I know, you’re tired of this already. Toney, as you likely know, wasn’t in attendance at the voluntary mini-camp on Wednesday and reportedly hasn’t been at any of the voluntary sessions.
GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll handled questions about Toney as well as they could.
Daboll said he has had “good talks with K.T.” and other players who have not attended some or all of the workouts.
“This is a voluntary camp. The guys that are here, we’re going to work with. The guys that aren’t, they’re going to miss out on some things,” Daboll said. “It’s voluntary for a reason. That’s the nature of the rules.”
The coach added that there is no virtual component to the workouts and Toney will not get his playbook until he shows up.
Schoen said:
“It’s voluntary. Nobody asked about the other guys that aren’t here. It’s life. Life happens. I’ve had good conversations with Kadarius. We’ve been in contact. At the end of the day it’s voluntary. That’s what it is.”
For the record, other players not seen on the field Wednesday included:
CB James Bradberry, LB Blake Martinez, PK Graham Gano, G Mark Glowinski.
Play of the day
There really are not a lot of things to report from the on field work. It was light and mostly individual, with a little bit of non-contact 7-on-7 sprinkled in. There was one nice wheel route for a lengthy touchdown from Daniel Jones to Saquon Barkley.
“Obviously, you start smiling when you see plays work out there and you see how they work in the film room or when you’re going over the playbook,” Barkley said. “You’ve got to just focus on the little things, getting better every single day. When those opportunities come, make sure we stay healthy enough and we capitalize on the plays that we can make.”
Traded? Well, not quite
Barkley said his phone blew up after GM Joe Schoen, in a press conference at the Combine, didn’t close the door on trading him.
“At first, I was working out and I came home and my phone was blowing up. I was like, ‘What the heck?’ At first, I thought I got traded, but you never know in today’s world,” Barkley said.
“But then when I looked it up and I saw it, I didn’t really take it like that, to be completely honest. That’s his job. He’s supposed to do whatever he feels that can help this team win and this organization win. That’s his job. When I saw the response, I really didn’t take it as, ‘Oh, dang, he wants to get rid of me, or the Giants want to trade me.’ To be honest, I felt like that was more of just word-of-mouth, the media kind of create a story. I didn’t really take it like that to be completely honest.
“Like I said, at first, I was like, ‘Oh, what the heck did happen,’ because of my phone. But I was cool. My mindset was Dabes called me, Joe called me, I got right back with my trainer and my PT, and right to work.”
Becoming a leader
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, entering his fourth season, said he is trying to become more of a leader.
”I’m just becoming a better leader than I was before, speaking up more, keeping the energy up, coming in every morning with a smile on my face, positive vibes. That’s all I can really do right now, just try to be a leader and help everybody out,” Lawrence said.
Is that something the new staff is asking of him?
“No. That’s just something that I feel like is necessary for my role on the team,” he said.
Nick Gates sighting
Gates, rehabbing from last season’s gruesome fractured leg, was at the workout on Wednesday. He is moving with an obvious limp, but he greeted a number of media members with a smile and a fist-bump or a handshake.
Ready to win
Leonard Williams has played for the Giants and Jets during his seven-year career. That means he has seen constant change, and constant losing. He is always a happy guy, always engaging and well-spoken. He is, though, aware of his football mortality and wants to win.
“Sometimes rebuilding isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes change is good. You know what I mean? At the same time it’s not the rebuilding that I’m sick of, it’s the losing that I’m sick of,” Williams said. “’m ready to win. I’m in year eight now, going into year eight, and I haven’t even been to a single playoff game yet. This game doesn’t last forever. It goes by very fast as well. I’m definitely ready to start winning.”
