Giants' defense showing signs of dominance in preseason

DETROIT — Davis Webb’s performance in the Giants’ 30-17 preseason win over the Lions on Friday looked more like what the second-year quarterback has shown on the practice field this offseason than his clunker in last week’s exhibition opener. We’ll get to Webb’s bounce-back showing later, but in terms of things that will matter when the real games start this fall, the dominance of the Giants’ defense was the bigger story on Friday night.

The Giants first-team defense played into the middle of the second quarter, forcing the Lions to go three-and-out on three of their four possessions. It was an encouraging performance after the defense disintegrated last season.

“The attitude is focused,” safety Landon Collins said. “We don’t want to be beat. We’re all on the same chord. We know what we went through last year and it’s on our shoulders. We don’t want the outcome to be the same.”

The Lions went three-and-out on their first possession after defensive end Kerry Wynn sacked quarterback Matthew Stafford for a 10-yard loss on third down. Wynn has continued his trend of huge preseason performances this summer. He added three tackles in kickoff coverage. Not only is Wynn a lock for the 53-man roster, he’s in line for a bigger role than he’s had in his first four seasons.

“I wouldn’t consider him second-tier. I think he’s front-liner,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “I’m looking forward to him having a really good year.”

As was the case in the preseason opener against the Browns, the lone blemish was a breakdown in coverage by inside linebacker Alec Ogletree. Running back Theo Riddick burned Ogletree for a 42-yard catch-and-run to move the ball to the Giants’ 28-yard line on Detroit’s second possession. The Lions had to settle for a field goal after outside linebacker Kareem Martin hit Stafford’s arm on third down to force an incompletion. It was part of an impressive night for Martin, who also dropped running back LeGarrette Blount for a 1-yard loss in the second quarter.

Outside linebacker Olivier Vernon had a monster sack on the Lions’ next possession that forced a three-and-out. Vernon blew past left tackle Taylor Decker with an inside move then overpowered left guard Frank Ragnow and running back Kerryon Johnson before swallowing Stafford for a 7-yard loss. Vernon has shown flashes in his time with the Giants, but the team didn’t give him an $85 million contract for a combined 15 sacks in two seasons. He’s also battled injuries, so this may be the form the Giants can expect from a healthy Vernon.

“We haven’t seen anybody yet that can block OV,” Collins said.

After Stafford departed, the Giants first-team D remained on the field to force one more three-and-out. Rookie defensive end B.J. Hill hit backup quarterback Jake Rudock as he threw a third-and-8 pass to tight end Hakeem Valles that was stopped for no gain by B.W. Webb, who took another step toward locking up the starting slot corner job.

The Giants had the No. 3 run defense in the NFL in 2016 before things fell apart last season. There are signs that they’re on the way to reestablishing that dominance. Opponents have just 17 yards on 12 carries against the starting defense in the first two preseason games.

“That’s one of the top things we always want to do is stop the run,” defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson said. “We make that a big emphasis before each game and we’ve done a pretty good job so far.”

• Ogletree’s coverage is a growing concern. He couldn’t keep up with Browns tight end David Njoku on a 36-yard touchdown last week. On Friday, Ogletree was matched up with Riddick in the slot and the running back got wide-open with a juke to the outside before cutting back across the middle. It’s not easy to hide a player like Ogletree, who plays in the middle of the defense and never comes off the field, but the Giants need to find a solution by the regular season or teams are going to continue to exploit that weakness.

• Rookie outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter had a strong week in joint practices with the Lions and that continued in the game when he sacked Rudock on third-and-5 in the second quarter. The sack was negated by a questionable penalty on linebacker Mark Herzlich for lowering his head to initiate contact with Riddick, who was trying to pick up a blitz.

The new helmet rule continues to leave players confused, as Herzlich appeared to lead with his shoulder on a play that happens countless times and had never been considered a penalty.

“I didn’t think I lowered my head on him,” Herzlich said. “I was surprised. I saw (the official) point at me and I was like, ‘What?!’ I think it’s going to be very difficult to officiate.”

Webb bounces back

Starting quarterback Eli Manning got the night off, which gave Webb the opportunity to play with the first-team offense. Webb needed to make amends after completing 9-of-22 passes for 70 yards in last week’s preseason opener against the Browns.

Webb narrowly avoided disaster when a fumble on a sack was deemed an incompletion after a replay review on the first play of the Giants’ second possession. Webb took advantage of the new life, delivering a beautiful 27-yard strike to Sterling Shepard on third-and-17. He converted another third down when tight end Evan Engram stretched the ball past the marker on a third-and-7 and Webb picked up a yard on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1. Webb capped the 17-play, 79-yard drive by hitting running back Wayne Gallman for an 8-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal.

“I think the biggest thing is just finding completions. That was my No. 1 goal this week, just getting back to square one, finding as many completions as you can,” Webb said. “Not always taking a check-down, but just being smart with the football.”

Webb appeared much calmer than last week when nearly every throw was high. He was putting the ball on the money on Friday night. The deep pass to Shepard was thrown into a tiny window and there was an equally impressive 40-yard bomb to Russell Shepard. Webb played the entire first half, completing 14-of-20 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Webb still made some risky throws, but he rediscovered the command that had fueled optimism about his future.

“I haven’t played in a year, so the first time in a new offense, speaking of last week, it’s not going to go as smoothly as you would want. But tonight was a little better,” Webb said.

• Webb got to play behind the starting offensive line and with Engram and Shepard for two series, but he was without the Giants’ two most explosive weapons: running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Barkley was held out as the team continues to manage the hamstring injury he suffered on Monday. Barkley was on the field early for some work with a strength coach and even ran a route at about 75 percent intensity with Manning during warmups. The team is understandably taking a cautious approach with the No. 2 pick, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Barkley returns to practice next week.

Beckham’s workload is also being closely monitored as he returns from the broken ankle he suffered last October. He was a heavy participant in the joint practices, but Shurmur decided to sit Beckham from game action for the second consecutive week. Beckham and Manning went through an extensive pregame warmup to make up for their missed game time.

• With Barkley out, Wayne Gallman had a bigger opportunity and he took advantage. The second-year back out of Clemson had five carries for 26 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 9 yards and a touchdown.

It’s impossible to ignore that Gallman is a more explosive and effective runner than Jonathan Stewart. The 31-year-old Stewart started and lost one yard on his four carries. Barkley is going to get the lion’s share of carries this season and it’s clear that Gallman should be next in line.

• Third-string quarterback Kyle Lauletta got on the highlight reel in an unexpected fashion with a 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

“We had a naked called so I was out on the edge on a bootleg,” Lauletta said. “It was weird because I got to the edge and I was kind of in no man’s land. The receiver wasn’t open, I had the crosser early but the more I waited, the more I said, ‘I’ve just got to tuck this and run.’ I just made the first guy miss and the second guy really just over-pursued it and I found a lane and dove in there.”

Steve Longa was the player guilty of the over-pursuit, which was a generous description considering the linebacker went tumbling to the turf as Lauletta weaved back toward the middle of the field. Longa suffered an injury on the play, which tempered Lauletta’s enjoyment of the run.

“I hope he’s all right,” Lauletta said. “I wish him the best. I hate to see something like that happen, especially in a preseason game.”

• The offensive line remains an issue. A third-and-1 run by Stewart on the Giants’ first possession was blown up in the backfield for a 5-yard loss. Linebacker Jarrad Davis went unblocked between left guard Will Hernandez and left tackle Nate Solder, while tight ends Jerell Adams and Engram were beat inside by their men to give Stewart nowhere to run.

Webb’s epic 17-play drive was nearly over before it started when right tackle Ereck Flowers was beat on the outside and right guard Patrick Omameh was beat inside. That breakdown led to a pair of Lions defenders drilling Webb as he threw. The ball popped out and was recovered by the Lions, but the call was changed to an incompletion after a replay review.

The Giants made steps to upgrade their offensive line this offseason, but it still has a long way to go.

Quick hits

• The kicking competition may have come to an end on Friday night. Aldrick Rosas has been the leader in the competition all offseason, so his 55-yard field goal might seal the deal. Marshall Koehn missed a point-after attempt in the fourth quarter to tip the scales even more in Rosas’ favor. Rosas’ real competition at this point may be the possibility of an addition after cut-down day.

• Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong was in the right place at the right time to record an interception that was dropped by receiver T.J. Jones and tipped by cornerback Grant Haley. Armstrong has been around the ball all summer and he appears to be in good shape for a roster spot as a core special teamer and backup inside linebacker.

• Curtis Riley started at free safety and played two series with the first-team defense and another with the second-team defense. William Gay also got two series at free safety with the starters. Riley appears to have the edge in the position battle, but neither player made any notable plays on Friday.

• Wide receiver Hunter Sharp is letting a roster spot slip through his fingers. Sharp dropped a Manning pass while playing with the starting offense last week and twice bobbled the ball on Friday. Sharp juggled the first punt he fielded and had a fumble on a kickoff return that was recovered by Gallman.

Sharp and Kalif Raymond are in a battle for the returner job. It will be an easy decision if Sharp’s ball security issues continue.

• Tight end Jerell Adams appeared to get an earful from Shurmur after the offense had to burn a timeout because it couldn’t get lined up properly on a third-and-1. Adams got a lot of playing time and finished with three catches for 31 yards. He has the tools to be a solid No. 3 tight end, but he needs to eliminate the mental mistakes.

• Running back Jalen Simmons suffered a concussion late in the third quarter. It looked like the injury could have been more severe, as medical personnel rushed onto the field while Simmons remained face down on the turf. Shurmur knelt over Simmons and raised his fists in relief when the running back sat up after a few minutes. It was a gesture that other players may not have noticed, but it’s certainly something Simmons will appreciate and remember.

Wide receiver Russell Shepard dislocated a finger on his left hand when it jammed into the turf while trying to catch a fourth-quarter pass. It appeared that Shepard, who was wearing a splint after the game, had his finger reset on the sideline by trainer Ronnie Barnes.

Linebacker Calvin Munson left late in the game after getting hit in the head. He is likely headed for the concussion protocol.

Inactives

In addition to Barkley, linebacker Connor Barwin (undisclosed), free safety Darian Thompson (hamstring), cornerback Donte Deayon (hamstring), wide receiver Travis Rudolph (quad), tight end Ryan O’Malley (ankle) and linebacker Thurston Armbrister (hamstring) were held out with injuries.

(Top photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)