By most indications, Giants’ first-year head coach Pat Shurmur believed his opening day of camp got off on a right foot.
One issue, however, was cornerback Sam Beal’s shoulder.
Shurmur, who welcomed rookies and veterans Wednesday, likely will run a tight camp and welcome competition at all positions.
“I think what’s important is that we’ve got to go game speed,” said Shurmur. “Obviously, without the pads, there’s a little less banging. The training sessions, the practices, will look a lot like they do in the spring.
Once you put the pads on, though, we still don’t go to the ground and we’re smart about what we do. It’s just a little bit more intense for the guys in the front seven and a little bit more competitive on the edges, because now we can bump and run and cover in a much more, tight fashion. We’re just going to play football – make it look like football.”
Beal, who was chosen in the third round of the supplemental draft out of Western Michigan, injured his shoulder in practice Monday. Early reports indicated he could be lost for the season. Beal was expected to challenge incumbent corners Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins for a starting spot.
The day wouldn’t have been complete without mention of Odell Beckham Jr.
“We feel like he’s on track and, again, with all players coming back from injury, we just have to be smart with how much we give him going forward,”said Shurmur about Beckham. “It’s all about football and it’s all about our guys being ready to play Jacksonville and beyond. As we go through this process here, we’ll give him what he needs.”
Shurmur said Beckham will be allowed to participate in live contact drills, but he is optimistic. “We’re going to continue to be smart with his training,” added Shurmur.
Another hot topic in camp was touted first-round pick Saquon Barkley, who continues to be captivate the Giants’ brass.
“Well, he’s very smart,” said Shurmur about Barkley. “He gets it in a lot of ways, and I think that’s a great place to start. He’s super talented, and the third part that’s stuck out to me is that he embraces work. The mind is always looking for a way out and he doesn’t. He’s here, he’s working, he’s training on all the things we can train on in the sessions. Now it’s going to get a little bit more physical, and I assume he’ll embrace that as well.”