ALLEN PARK, MICH. — Giants cornerback Eli Apple was flagged for a pass interference penalty 24 yards downfield as the Lions’ offense drove during a situational period at the end of Wednesday’s joint practice.
It looked like it would be another rough day for Apple, but he flipped the script on the next play. Apple stepped in front of a slant pass from backup quarterback Jake Rudock and was off to the races for a 70-yard touchdown.
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“It’s the life of a corner,” Apple said. “It’s not always going to go your way. Sometimes they’re going to make plays on you, especially with a great quarterback like Matt Stafford and the great receivers like they have. It’s all about staying even-keeled and making up for it.”
Apple had been picked on by Stafford throughout the team’s two joint practices. Apple was targeted repeatedly during the two-minute drill in Tuesday’s practice that ended with a Stafford touchdown pass to receiver Marvin Jones.
Stafford went after Apple again early in Wednesday’s practice during a 7-on-7 red-zone period. Apple had good coverage on Chris Lacy, but the Lions receiver caught a pass over Apple’s head in the back of the end zone when the cornerback failed to locate the ball. That’s a problem that has plagued Apple during two up-and-down seasons.
The Giants are putting faith in Apple to turn things around in his third season. His interception on Wednesday was an encouraging sign.
“There’s times when you compete all the way to the end and when you’re competing and you’re out there 1-on-1, every once in a while you’re going to give up a play,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “But for him to make a game-changing play like he did in a most critical situation is good.”
Here’s Wednesday’s practice report:
ATTENDANCE:
Running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring), FS Darian Thompson (hamstring), LB Connor Barwin (undisclosed), CB Donte Deayon (hamstring), WR Travis Rudolph (quad), TE Ryan O’Malley (ankle), LB Thurston Armbrister (hamstring) and DL R.J. McIntosh (non-football illness) did not practice. The same eight players sat out Tuesday’s practice.
INJURY UPDATE:
Shurmur reiterated that Barkley is “day-to-day” after “tweaking” his hamstring on Monday. The same day-to-day timeline was provided for Deayon and Thompson. Rookie wide receiver Jawill Davis exited practice early with an undisclosed injury. Davis was in obvious discomfort during position drills and he limped off the field.
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OBSERVATIONS:
As was the case on Tuesday, practice wrapped up with a situational period. Each offense started at its own 40-yard line, 58 seconds on the clock and trailing by two points.
As covered above, Apple’s interception ended Detroit’s first drive.
Backup quarterback Davis Webb worked with the starting offense on the Giants’ first possession. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard made a nice juggling catch for five yards on a third-and-3 to keep the drive alive. Webb then hit Odell Beckham Jr. for a 16-yard gain to get into field goal range. A 49-yard attempt by Marshall Koehn missed wide left, but the kick was toward the end of the Lions’ practice field with extra narrow goal posts. The kick likely would have been good with regulation goal posts.
The Giants’ second-team defense gave up two first-downs to Matt Cassel before forcing the Lions to settle for a long field goal attempt that was no good.
No. 3 quarterback Kyle Lauletta ran the Giants’ second-team offense during the final possession. Lauletta scrambled for 14 yards on third-and-10, but he likely would have been sacked after holding the ball so long in a real game. He then connected with Russell Shepard for a big gain on a third down that the Giants’ sideline believed would have gone for a touchdown. But Shepard was ruled down short of the goal line and Koehn converted a short field goal with one second remaining.
I focused on the Giants’ defense when there was action on both fields on Wednesday. Here are some observations:
•B.W. Webb is making a push for the slot cornerback role in the nickel defense. His coverage was strong again on Wednesday.
•Curtis Riley has a prime opportunity to lock down the starting free safety job. Riley missed the preseason opener with a hamstring injury, but he has stepped back into the starting lineup while Darian Thompson has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Riley hasn’t had any highlight plays this week, but he also hasn’t surrendered any big plays.
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•Cornerback Janoris Jenkins was barely targeted in the two joint practices. Jenkins’ blanket coverage effectively takes a receiver out of the equation. He’s back to All-Pro form.
•Inside linebacker B.J. Goodson had a pass break-up while covering Golden Tate on a crossing route in the red zone. It was an impressive play by Goodson, who had to run with Tate for a quite a few strides. Later, Goodson blew up a lead-blocker on a sweep that was stuffed in the backfield. The Giants need Goodson to stay healthy because he has the potential to be a force in the middle of the defense.
•Olivier Vernon made multiple stops in the backfield on run plays, including the sweep after Goodson took out the lead-blocker. Vernon lined up with his hand in the dirt often, as the Giants continue to mix up their defensive looks.
•Tight end Hakeem Valles beat inside linebacker Alec Ogletree on an out-route during a 7-on-7 red-zone drill. Ogletree’s athleticism hasn’t translated to coverage thus far. He did shoot into the backfield on a blitz and would have drawn a holding penalty on the Lions’ running back.
•Rookie outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter had “sacks” on consecutive plays during an 11-on-11 period. Carter’s athleticism has overwhelmed backup tackles for the Giants and Lions this preseason. It will be interesting to see if that translates against starters during the regular season. Starting outside linebacker Kareem Martin also got into the backfield for a would-be sack on a good day for the Giants’ pass-rushers.
•Once again, the teams avoided any of the fights that have infiltrated other joint practices around the league. The intensity amplified after Giants running back Jalen Simmons slammed a Lions player to the ground on a kickoff return and had something to say after the play. But things didn’t escalate and the rest of practice was conducted without any extracurricular activity.
•Koehn made 4-of-6 field goals during a special teams period before the situational drives.
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QUARTERBACK STATS
These stats aren’t from the entire practice because I was focused on the Giants’ defense when both fields were in use:
•Eli Manning went 2-for-3 in 11-on-11 periods, completing passes to Evan Engram and Jonathan Stewart.
•Webb went 7-for-11 in 11-on-11 periods, completing passes to Sterling Shepard (2), Engram, Odell Beckham Jr., Kalif Raymond, Hunter Sharp and Rhett Ellison.
•Kyle Lauletta went 4-for-9 in 11-on-11 periods, completing passes to Roger Lewis (2), Russell Shepard and Alonzo Russell.
DEPTH CHART NOTES
•There weren’t any notable depth chart changes made from Tuesday’s practice. You can find a full breakdown of the offensive and defensive depth charts in Tuesday’s practice report.
Special teams are an important part of the puzzle for the back-end of the roster. Here’s a look at the starting special teams units from the past two practices:
•Punt: P Riley Dixon, LS Zak DeOssie, LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, RB Wayne Gallman, S Michael Thomas, WR Russell Shepard, LB Lorenzo Carter, TE Jerell Adams, LB Tae Davis, LB B.J. Goodson, WR Hunter Sharp.
•Punt return: WR Kalif Raymond, LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, RB Wayne Gallman, S Michael Thomas, WR Russell Shepard, LB Lorenzo Carter, TE Jerell Adams, CB Eli Apple, S Curtis Riley, S Sean Chandler, CB B.W. Webb. Raymond, Hunter Sharp, Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham Jr. rotated at punt returner.
•Kickoff: K Marshall Koehn, LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, RB Wayne Gallman, S Michael Thomas, WR Russell Shepard, LB Lorenzo Carter, CB Eli Apple, WR Hunter Sharp, S Landon Collins, FB Shane Smith, DE Kerry Wynn.
•Kickoff return: WR Hunter Sharp, LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, RB Wayne Gallman, S Michael Thomas, WR Russell Shepard, TE Jerell Adams, LB Tae Davis, S Sean Chandler, S Curtis Riley, TE Rhett Ellison, WR Roger Lewis. Sharp and Raymond were the top two returners.
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Thomas is one of the best special teams players in the league, so he was a given to be a core player in the kicking game. Gallman is a lock to make the roster and while his offensive role is undetermined, it appears that he’ll be a key special teams player. The heavy involvement of Armstrong, Adams and Russell Shepard on special teams can be viewed as an indication that they’re in good shape to make the roster. It’s notable that Davis and Chandler, who are both undrafted rookies, are on two starting special teams units. That boosts their odds of making the team.
Raymond’s speed and quickness were apparent on a kickoff return during Wednesday’s practice. It’s likely that Raymond and Sharp will battle for one roster spot as a returner/receiver.
PLAY OF THE DAY:
Apple’s pick-six was the highlight of the day. It showed a level of anticipation that had been lacking from the second-year cornerback.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Who?”
–QB Eli Manning’s response to critical comments by Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey
NEXT UP:
The Giants and Lions will hold their third and final joint practice on Thursday morning. It will be a light session leading into Friday night’s preseason game.
(Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via USA TODAY NETWORK)
