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Five things we learned at OTA practice

Focus on the Fundamentals

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The early part of practice was spent practicing one of the most important fundamentals of football: tackling. In drills, players worked on taking the right angles and used pads and sleds to work on the proper tackling form. Even though there isn't any contact in OTAs, drills like these are the best way to make sure tackling is sound early in the season.

Spreading it Around
A lot of the drills early in practice focused on the quarterbacks getting the ball to the running backs and tight ends after running short routes. Both position groups showed good hands and the ability to run good routes. It's fun to think about the potential variety in the Giants' new offense. Adrien Robinson had a nice sliding catch near the sideline during 11 on 11 drills. They also ran a number of different screen passes during team drills.

Timing
The individual drills between the quarterbacks and skill position players seemed to focus on quick drops and throws. The wide receivers ran a lot of hitches, digs, and slants. During the 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 portions of practice, I only counted one pass that traveled more than 15 yards in the air

Forcing Turnovers
The defense, from the line to the secondary, was all over the field for most of practice. They were very active in blowing up a couple of screen passes and seemed to be a step quicker than their offensive counterparts. This should not come as much of a surprise since the offense is still in the process of learning a new system. Early in practice a number of defenders were working on catching the football one-handed. Forcing turnovers will once again be a focus of Perry Fewell's group. That focus was punctuated by a great interception by Charles James, returning it for a touchdown. Rookie Nat Berhe also had a chance at an interception early in practice, but he couldn't hold onto it.

Getting Healthy
Eli Manning, David Wilson, Stevie Brown and Jason Pierre-Paul were all out there for a second consecutive day and none showed any ill effects from their respective injuries. Manning had to roll out several times to avoid pass rushers, David Wilson looked explosive, Stevie Brown was active in the secondary, and Jason Pierre-Paul was in the backfield consistently. After practice, David Wilson said he will have tests on his neck on June 4th, and he hopes with good results he will be cleared for contact.

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