Before Friday's practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, general manager Dave Gettleman, coach Pat Shurmur, and players met with the media. Here are five things we learned as training camp gets rolling:
1. Coleman suffered torn ACL; "deflating" day in WR room. The Giants are one practice into training camp and have already lost four wide receivers, all with varying timetables for their returns. First, Alex Wesley (ankle) was placed on the physically unable to perform list. Then fifth-round draft choice Darius Slayton tweaked his hamstring on Tuesday during rookie practice. On Thursday, Sterling Shepard fractured his thumb and Corey Coleman suffered a torn ACL.
"Corey had a great offseason, worked hard on his craft, and we saw huge jumps from him," said fellow wide receiver Golden Tate, who signed with the team this offseason. "So for him, (and for) something like that to happen, definitely can't help but deflate you a little bit. We all see him as a brother, so it's tough to see that. Obviously Shep is day-to-day, week-to-week. We know we'll be getting him back at some point, so that makes us feel a little bit better.
"Our room is kind of going through it a little bit, but to counter that, there is a lot of opportunity for other guys, and the young guys, to step up and make some plays. They will get some extra reps, and hopefully we all take advantage of that. We want to find the good in it. We are just going to deal with it and keep showing up to work and try to get better."
Coleman was not only looking to step up in the offense after his first full offseason with the team, but he was also a valuable kickoff returner. Shurmur pointed to Tate, Cody Latimer and Brittan Golden as players who can take over in that department. Safety Jabrill Peppers, the Swiss Army knife of the team, could also be called upon in certain circumstances.
"We'd like to find somebody else to at least work at it," Shurmur said, referencing Peppers' already heavy workload on defense and special teams. "The one thing about Jabrill is in critical situations, we can certainly put him back there. He's done it. I mean, he's a guy that I've talked about it, he can play on all four downs. That's good."
2. Giants not concerned with Shepard's thumb. Shepard, who fractured the tip of his thumb, will not require surgery. That's good news as the Giants look to lean on the longest-tenured Giant in the wide receiver room. Shurmur said the fourth-year pro will be back "soon" and he's "not concerned about that one at all." However, given the other injuries, Gettleman said they will hold a workout tomorrow to bring in some depth at the position. Meanwhile, tight end Evan Engram also has wide receiver traits and can help fill the void.
"We actually use him in a detached role, or what would appear to be a wide receiver role," Shurmur said. "We did it last year, and we'll continue to do that."
3. Gettleman not setting any hard schedule for Daniel Jones. Gettleman isn't boxing the Giants into any corners with Jones and his timetable to see the field. There will be no predefined schedule for if and when that door opens for him as a rookie. Rather, at the end of the day, it is going to be clear when it is time.
"It's a Pat decision," Gettleman said. "Pat and I talk all the time. We talk a lot, every day. Then we talk about the whole schmear. Every position, we go through it. Listen, I really believe this. It doesn't make a difference who you're talking about. At the end of the day, it's going to be clear. When anything happens, you've got to not lock your knees and just go."
4. Everyone but Carter was impressed with Carter on opening day. Outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter opened his second training camp with a nifty interception on a screen pass, which Shurmur called "terrific" and "awesome." Gettleman followed up by saying it was one of those plays Carter needs to make so he can realize, "Wow, I can do this." As for Carter, well, he said, it was "just a play." He added: "I could have caught it cleaner, but I'm nitpicky."
Carter, holding a few cookies while addressing a group of reporters, said he bulked up 10-15 pounds this offseason in the hopes of becoming the double-digit sack player his coaches and fans hope he can be.
"Hopefully, we'll see," Carter said. "Get the season going, get some players going, and just play ball, win games. I'm more worried about winning games than getting double-digit sacks, only double-digit wins."
5. Slayton eager to get back on the field. After catching the eye of his coaches in spring football, Slayton was a player to watch entering training camp. The tweaked hamstring has tempered that for now, but Slayton, who is day-to-day, is eager to get back on the field and take advantage of the opportunities.
"If anything, with these (injuries) going on, it's made me extremely eager to get back because of the opportunities that are available," Slayton said.
He added: "I think I can have a positive (impact on the team). I can bring some team speed to the offense and the ability to make plays with the ball in open space. Hopefully, once I get back from injury and back to practice, I can get back into the swing of things. Throughout preseason, kind of get a feel for games and how it is competing against other teams in the NFL. Just have a positive impact this year."
