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Takeaways from Media Hour in Cincinnati

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1. Hip flexor "a lot better" for Flowers leading up to first game.


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Ninth overall pick Ereck Flowers is ready to make his NFL debut for the Giants in Friday night's preseason opener against the Bengals, lining up at left tackle after dealing with a hip flexor issue last week.

**>> WATCH TRAINING CAMP HIGHLIGHTS**
Flowers was able to participate in two joint practices in Cincinnati this week and said Thursday that the injury has "gotten a lot better than what it was."

"It's going to be good for me to play any game I dress up in," Flowers said. "I'm not the type of guy to want to miss games. It's a big deal."

2. Pugh to play quarterback?

Versatile offensive lineman Justin Pugh made the switch from starting right tackle to left guard this season, but the injury to Flowers briefly pushed him to left tackle, where he played throughout his college career at Syracuse.

So your guess is as good as his when it comes to how many different positions the Giants will line him up in on Friday night. Pugh joked today that he could even play quarterback if the team needed. While the latter likely won't happen, Pugh also added that he did like the grit shown by the rookie Flowers during their scrimmages with the Bengals.

3. Owa looks to make impact.

As a third-round draft pick looking to establish himself on the depth chart, defensive end Owa Odighizuwa will see plenty of time against the Bengals, both on special teams and the defense. And after two days of going against another team in Cincinnati, he's anxious to make an impact in a live game.

"Honestly, the more I've been practicing, the more I've been doing the things that [defensive line] coach [Robert] Nunn has been teaching me and then watching film and seeing it, then actually applying it, I feel like I've been making a lot of strides in my pass rush," Odighizuwa said. "I really feel like I've taken a great step in the right direction. I've been getting great feedback from the coaches. Biggest thing that coach Nunn has been telling me is just play to your strength, practice the things that I'm telling you to do, and figure out what works for you from there."

4. Odell set to make preseason debut.

Today when a reporter asked Odell Beckham Jr. about his second training camp, the wide receiver, whom the Giants drafted 12th overall in 2014, quickly pointed out, "This is my first camp." Beckham, the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, was referring to his hamstring issues that cost him all of last summer and the first quarter of his rookie season.

"I've never played in a preseason game," Beckham said. "I actually had to ask, 'What do we have to wear to the games?' -- and stuff like that, because I honestly didn't know. I was at home every weekend. Every time they were traveling, I was at home. I got to go to the preseason [home] games last year, but never had been a part of the whole thing. This is all kind of new to me as well."

5. Beckham revealed his weakness.

Beckham said that he's always trying to improve by finding his weaknesses and working on them. But for anyone who saw him last season, they're not easy to find. So what is the main one?

"Rain," Beckham said. "No, I'm kidding. Just my passion for the game gets in the way sometimes. That anger, and all those things come into play, and it doesn't always work in my favor in my own way. But then again, it helps me out a lot in other ways. It comes out and it brings out the best in me. Finding a way to channel that anger, and that passion, it's really what I'm working on."

The best photos from the Giants-Bengals Joint-Practice

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