When the inferno began, the Giants’ young cornerback and safety supported each other.
Now they need to come together to stop passes from flying over their heads, as they allowed on three explosive plays.
Amid the intensity, physicality and name-calling that swung through practice against the Lions, the rebuilding Giants refused to be bullied by a Super Bowl contender on Monday in three sideline-clearing brawls and numerous post-whistle skirmishes.
“Seeing our guys tackle each other’s challenges, it gets the adrenaline going and shows we’re not going to back down to anybody,” safety Dayne Belton said. “Regardless of what happened last year, we’re going to come out and play.”
Belton and the rest of the secondary — starters Jason Pinnock, Deonte Banks, Cordale Flotte and Jrue Phillips, all under the age of 25 in the NFL’s youngest secondary, along with versatile supersubs Nick McCloud and Isaiah Simmons — took on the daunting task of facing one of the league’s most explosive offensive teams, led by $212 million quarterback Jared Goff and first-team All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“You can’t run away from it,” MacLeod said. “If you don’t accept it, you’re not ready.”
The tension rose after St. Brown slipped past a tough Phillips defense to catch a pass.
As the whistle blew, Belton smacked the ball out of St. Brown’s hands.
St. Brown hit back with a shove at Belton’s facemask, then Jameson Williams jumped in and shoved Phillips in the back, leading to a fierce scrum and exchange of punches.
“I was trying to finish the play, and I felt like he wasn’t going down, so I tried to get the ball out,” Belton said. “Everybody was like, [creating] “You have to deal with turnovers and stuff like that. If you know me, you know I’m not one to really fight after a play. I don’t like taking penalties because it means we lose, but I like winning.”
McCloud wrestled with All-Pro left tackle Penei Sewell, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 335 pounds.
“I wasn’t necessarily going after the biggest guy,” McCloud said, “They went after Dru, and I thought that was unfair. It doesn’t matter how big he is, I’m just trying to protect my guy, nothing more than that.”
Phillips, a third-round draft pick, had been warned by veterans to prepare for emotional outbursts during hot-weather training sessions. The Lions beat the Giants on the first day of practice last year.
“I knew he was going to be upset because it was a really good play for me,” Phillips said. “I’m a rookie, so I just thought I did my job well. Maybe he just didn’t like it. At the end of the day, we’re just competing.”
Phillips, who is expected to start in the slot, has been at the center of several altercations.
“[Tuesday] “I’ve got to be more disciplined,” Phillips said. “I can’t run away like that. It’s a little embarrassing, but I’ve got to be more disciplined and stay focused on my game and do what I need to do.”
It was an early preview of how the offense will attack defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s tactics this season.
The team’s potent pass rush, led by Dexter Lawrence, Brian Barnes and Kayvon Thibodeau, can be neutralized if opposing teams build big early leads with big plays downfield.
Goff scored three long touchdowns on a 7-on-7 coverage mistake by Daurice Fountain, speedster Jameson Williams left Flott behind as he raced across the field and waved goodbye on his way to the end zone, and then Williams scored again from 20 yards out after a miscommunication between Banks and Belton.
“It’s early, but it’s not too early. The season is right around the corner,” Belton said. “There are some things we have to talk about in the film room, and that’s the difference in defense from year to year. Before, it was man-to-man. [coverage] There wasn’t much communication. Now there are more matches and hopefully it will be great.”
The starting defense played reasonably well underneath, with an interception by linebacker Bobby Okereke, interceptions by Pinnock and Simmons, some well-timed interference by Belton and three consecutive incomplete passes in the red zone at the end of practice.
“Looking back at practice today, we know we can compete and play against anybody,” Belton said. “We’re nasty, we’re tough as dogs, and we want to get everything on video.”
Barnes left the field confident that his “tenacious” secondary can handle a challenge like Tuesday’s rematch with the Lions.
“It’s just growing pains. We can fix them with video,” Barnes said, “but it’s our job to make their life a little easier and put as much pressure on the quarterback as we can. I think they’ll bounce back. I think this team is good.”
