The Giants and Lions held their first competitive practice in Allen Park at the Lions' practice facility. Here's what I saw from the sideline:
* At one point in practice all of these things are going on at the same time:
Giants skill position players vs. Lions back seven players 1-on-1
Lions skill position players vs. Giants back seven players 1-on-1
Giants OL vs. Lions DL 1-on-1
Lions OL vs. Giants DL 1-on-1
Needless to say, there was plenty of action. Today, I focused on watching the Giants' defense in the passing 1-on-1 drills. Tomorrow, I will focus on line play during the 1-on-1 period.
View photos from Detroit, where the Giants and Lions held joint practices ahead of their preseason opener.
* The practice was spirited with many competitive periods. There was some trash talk between the two teams, but nothing got out of hand.
* I did have Bob Papa and Paul Dottino keep an eye on the 1-on-1 drills in the trenches. They worked on 3-on-3 pass rush drills with stunts and twists, as well as some run game drills trying to get to the second level. Center John Michael Schmitz did a nice job handling the movement up front.
* They also worked on pass rush 1-on-1s, with the Giants offensive line doing well to stay in front of the Lions pass rushers. However, Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson looks the part physically and one of the most explosive players on the field.
* In 1-on-1s the Giants' defensive backs got their hands on the football a few times during the period. Defensive back Nick McCloud had the lone interception of the day, staying on top of a deep route down the sideline by Lions wide receiver Avery Davis, catching the ball over his shoulder and getting his feet in to secure the interception.
* Cornerback Adoree' Jackson had a pair of pass breakups during the 1-on-1 period. Zyon Gilbert, Darnay Holmes, Tre Hawkins, and Amani Oruwariye (twice) also forced incompletions with their tight coverage.
* During the team portion of practice, Bobby McCain stood out. He got his hand on the football a couple of times and didn't allow any breathing space for Detroit receivers, whether he was lined up at safety or in the slot. He showed off his veteran savvy anticipating plays and getting there as the ball arrived to prevent completions.
* Fellow safety Jason Pinnock made a nice play to prevent a catch down the sideline on what looked like a wheel route intended for talented rookie Sam LaPorta. Gervarrius Owens had what would have been a sack on a blitz in the B-gap.
* During the next team period, Leonard Williams and Kayvon Thibodeaux got into the backfield, forcing the NFL officials in attendance to blow the play dead. Dexter Lawrence helped shut down a run up the middle with a tackle for loss. Darrian Beavers showed good anticipation on a screen, blowing it up at the line of scrimmage. During red zone drills to close practice, he forced an offensive holding penalty when he was right there as a running back caught the ball out of the backfield.
* Glancing over at the offensive side of the ball, Sterling Shepard looked like his old self, flashing speed and quickness as he consistently ran away from defensive backs and found himself open in the secondary. Jalin Hyatt also continued to separate from defenders at the top of the route and forced a defensive pass interference at one point. Darren Waller also caught several short passes in front of Lions defenders. Daniel Jones made a nice throw to Darius Slayton right over the cornerback and in front of the charging safety. Isaiah Hodgins won his reps, and Kalil Pimpleton went deep.
* The Giants popped a few runs during the team portion of practice. Saquon Barkley got around the edge on one and turned it upfield along the sideline. He also caught a screen pass and ran into the open field for what would have been a big gain. Eric Gray also had a chance to show off his quickness in the hole, bobbing and weaving for a nice gain. James Robinson added a big run of his own. The Giants also flashed some of their designed quarterback runs.
* Practice ended with competitive red zone drills between the two teams. It was hard to tell whether Jones would have fought through the linebacker's simulated tackle and crossed the plane of the goal line.
* With the second team, Tyrod Taylor found Collin Johnson for a touchdown as the receiver tapped both feet inbounds. Johnson also caught a few passes earlier in practice. Tommy DeVito got the ball into the end zone on a run with the third group.
* The Giants' run defense held up well when the Lions took their turn, keeping David Montgomery out of the end zone on a run up the middle.
View photos of the team traveling to Detroit for joint practices with the Lions before the preseason opener.