Remove the measuring stick.
The Giants will get a closer look at a Super Bowl contender on Monday and Tuesday at their practice facility in East Rutherford against the Lions, who came within 17 points of winning the NFC championship last season.
Could this be a chance to see what the restructured Giants are capable of?
“Absolutely,” safety Jason Pinnock said. “Anyone. [would be]Absolutely, especially with them. They’re a team that’s got a lot of grit, they’re working hard, they’ve got a little bit of confidence and stuff, so they’re ready to try what we’ve got.”
A year ago, the Giants’ offense struggled to function against the Lions in the first of two joint practices in the Detroit area.
Adjustments helped even things out on Day 2, but initial impressions were a clear sign of a team that finished 29th in the NFL in offense after a devastating injury blow and 19th in defense during the regular season.
“I think we didn’t start fast enough,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said after practice Sunday. “I think that’s what we’re focusing on this year.”
The Lions are known for their smash-mouth brand built on both sides of the line of scrimmage, much like the Giants aspire to be.
“It starts with mindset,” Thomas said. “When you embrace that kind of physicality, that kind of toughness and you practice like that every day, it translates onto the field. That’s the mindset we’re trying to build.”
Joint practices alleviate some of the good and bad dynamics that occur on every play during training camp.
Can rookie receiver Malik Neighbors be as dynamic as he has been against the Lions’ duo of Carlton Davis III ($14.5 million) and fellow first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold?
Would a three-man pass rush of Dexter Lawrence, Brian Barnes and Kayvon Thibodeau be as effective against one of the NFL’s best offensive lines?
Can the young secondary compete against three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff and impressive 1,500-yard receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown?
“We’re going to see what kind of team we are as a defense and what we need to improve on,” cornerback Cordale Flotte said.[Last year] Aggressive, physical, talkative, talkative [junk]We know what’s going to happen, so we have to train hard and prepare well for the match.”
RT Evan Neal will not participate in practice, but it is unclear when he will come off the physically unable to perform list.
“He’s working hard,” Brian Daboll said. “He’s not ready to play yet. I can’t really go into specifics. He’s still rehabbing.”
Neal, who had ankle surgery in early January, appeared to have set back at OTAs and was not expected to be “too far away” by the time training camp opens on July 24.
“I think he’s working a little bit harder every day,” Daboll said. “Some days they go easy on him.”
Daboll said he would determine “in the future” whether the former first-round draft pick could return to the starting lineup, but denied that he is currently considering moving him to guard.
After two of the most intense days of practice of camp, the Giants had one day of rest and then held the lightest practice of camp.
The final 30-plus minutes were a walk-through that included scouting for the Lions.
