“Things I think”: Giants hold their own against big, bad Lions

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — In all my years covering New York Giants training camp since 2008, Monday's practice against the Detroit Lions may be my favorite of all time.

The Lions brought pride, attitude and the confidence to know how good they are to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. The Giants were undeterred.

Before Monday's practice against the Lions, the idea kept coming up that this would be a “litmus test” for the Giants.

After all, the Lions won the NFC North last season with a record of 12-5. They are believed to have a real chance of making a Super Bowl appearance next February. The Giants went 6-11 last season and there are many prognosticators who believe they won't even win that many games this season.

There is also the impression that the Lions bullied the Giants when the two teams practiced against each other in Detroit last season.

The Giants were neither intimidated nor defeated by the Lions on Monday.

It wasn't about the fighting.

There were, as you no doubt already know, plenty of skirmishes, including one in which quarterback Daniel Jones got involved as he tried to protect pinned center Greg Van Roten.

“In situations like this, you try to stand up for your people,” Jones said of his entry into the conflict.

Jones said wearing the red jersey would not keep him out of the fray.

“I don't think that should be the case,” he said. “He (Van Roten) is my teammate. Just as he would stand up for me, I will stand up for him.”

When fullback Brian Burns, who was training on an adjacent field, heard that Jones had been involved in one of the scrums, he couldn't believe it.

“Oh, Lord. Daniel rocked it! Daniel was out with that? Yeah. I'm going to need him as a backup. Let his O-line handle that,” Burns said. “But Daniel, he's a competitor, man. He's a fighter. So I expect nothing less from him. But I don't need him there. I don't need him getting hit. Keep him healthy.”

There was plenty of skirmishing. The Giants offense worked against the Detroit defense on one field, while the Giants defense worked against the Lions offense on another field. There was plenty of extracurricular activity on both fields, including a hit by Detroit's rookie defensive back Morice Norris that spun running back Eric Gray around and knocked his helmet, Guardian cap and all, to the ground.

This player, according to veteran running back Devin Singletary, “crossed the line.”

The thing is, the Giants never gave in, as evidenced by the fact that Jones walked toward a huddle instead of away from it.

Giants GM Joe Schoen was even on the field during an altercation late in practice. Whether Schoen was trying to do Jeff Van Gundy's best to break up the melee or wanted to join in himself, I don't know.

But standing up to the big, bad tyrant was only part of the story.

The Giants held their ground on the field.

Offensively, the Giants protected Jones quite well. No play was called a sack and although Jones had to maneuver in the pocket at times, he was able to deliver the ball.

The Giants made a few plays, with Nabers, Hyatt and Darius Slayton catching balls on the field. They never lost the ball and committed no offensive penalties.

Jones said the Giants felt better after practice than before.

“I think that's the goal, every day you go to practice, whether you're practicing against another team or practicing against yourself, to feel better and more confident at the end of the day. I think we did that,” he said. “I think we made some plays and executed well throughout the day. Like I said, there are some things you want back and things we could certainly do better, but overall I thought we played hard and physical and executed well.”

Nick Falato spent the day watching the Giants defense against the Detroit offense. The Giants' front seven did well, getting some sacks and tackles that led to yardage losses, while there were some miscommunications in the secondary that led to big plays for Detroit.

“They're one of the better offensive lines in the league. With (Lions tackle Penei) Sewell, (Lions tackle Taylor) Decker and (Lions center) Frank (Ragnow),” Burns said. “So they've got some guys. And it's a group that's been working together for a while now. So to win against them in this practice means a lot. It's a confidence booster.”

Dan Campbell had jokes

This was the first time I'd ever attended a press conference with the personable Detroit coach. He and Giants coach Brian Daboll worked together at the Miami Dolphins, and Campbell joked about Daboll's fluctuating weight. He called Daboll “incredible” and said the coach was a “chameleon”:

Campbell spent the first four years of his playing career with the Giants. He still has fond memories:

Season opener

It's highly unlikely that Jones or many of the regulars will play in Thursday's preseason game against the Lions, but Jones would relish the opportunity.

“I'd like to play,” he said. “Ultimately, it's the coach's decision and I'll do whatever Dabs thinks.”

“I always think it's valuable to get game reps to feel that. My knee feels good, I feel ready. I've tested it and done everything I need to do to make sure it's ready. I feel good about my knee.”

Not so chic accommodations

The Lions players use a curtained-off area of ​​the Giants' indoor training facility to change for practice. MetLife Stadium is across the parking lot, and it seemed to make sense for the Lions to use the visitors' locker room there and bring the bus across the parking lot. Instead, the curtained-off part of the indoor facility was used.

It will be interesting to see how this works on Tuesday when rain is forecast and practice may have to be moved indoors.