Giants Huddle

You never knew where the Giants tight ends would wind up during Thursday's practice.

(Jordan Raanan | NJ.com)

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The pace at Giants training camp was frantic (huddles were rare) and the pads were popping. It is quite possible Thursday's practice was the most physical and intense workout of the summer. The injury report says that may be true.

While the Giants ran through drills and the offense had one of its best days of camp, I tracked the tight ends -- who, what, where and why. The results were pretty fascinating.

The Giants ran a total of 51 plays in 11-on-11 drills. Twelve of those plays involved two tight ends and one didn't have any. The reps were almost equally distributed between Adrien Robinson (15), Larry Donnell (14), Kellen Davis (16) and Daniel Fells (17).

Robinson began the afternoon with the first-team offense, followed by Donnell, Davis and Fells. The fifth tight end on the roster, rookie Xavier Grimble (hamstring), did not practice.

Robinson did not catch a pass, while Donnell had two targets and two catches, one for a touchdown when he leaped over linebacker Devon Kennard in the end zone. Davis caught the only pass throw in his direction, while Fells caught one of the two passes to him (see below), also for a touchdown.

But what really stood out about the Giants' tight ends throughout the practice was the variety of spots they were used. Davis was out wide as a receiver on one play. Later, he spent three straight plays working in the slot.

Donnell was seen on more than one occasion moving in motion into an H-back position in the backfield. He also worked out of the slot. Fells had a play where he was lined up as a wide receiver and ran a slant that was knocked down by linebacker Jacquian Williams. There was even one play where Fells and Donnell both motioned into the backfield and were joint H-backs, with a running back behind them.

Bottom line: The tight ends were everywhere during Thursday's practice. They're going to be asked to do more this season than ever.

"For each one of those spots they have to know exactly what's being asked of them," coach Tom Coughlin said. "They are used on special teams, short yardage, and the goal line. There are a lot of different spots and each one of them requires extra work."

They were working overtime on Thursday.

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Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib had a strong overall practice, until he tried to force a slant pattern and was intercepted by cornerback Charles James. But there was more good than bad. Nassib hit running back Kendall Gaskins down the left sideline on a wheel route with a perfectly-placed dart. Gaskins made a nice snag with Kennard on his back. Nassib also hit wide receivers Julian Talley and Corey Washington with passes during 11-on-11 drills while working with tight windows.

Just an observation: One thing I've noticed with Nassib is he seems to be all one speed. He needs to prove he has touch.

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Left tackle Will Beatty left practice early with an illness. But before he left, there was one play where he stood up defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul's bull-rush attempt. It was almost as if Pierre-Paul hit a wall on the play. He fell to the ground. It's a sign that Beatty's leg, which shattered in the season finale, is getting stronger. Pierre-Paul tipped his hat to Beatty after dusting himself off.

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Wide receiver Rueben Randle received a lot of red-zone looks on Thursday. That is something that we should probably get used to seeing. Two of the plays (a fade over rookie Bennett Jackson and a skinny post) went for touchdowns. The other pass in his direction, a slant, was dropped.

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Left guard Geoff Schwartz is a mountain of a man who is especially effective as a run blocker. On one play, he completely overpowered Johnathan Hankins and drove him back several yards. That hasn't happened often to Hankins throughout camp. Credit belongs to Schwartz.

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Wide receiver Mario Manningham also had a strong practice. He seemed to be moving well and his routes were crisp. However, it seems every time he finishes a play he's shaking off an injury. It's a strange look.

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With guard John Jerry sidelined because of a knee injury, there were some interesting guard combinations. Rookie Weston Richburg took most of the second-team reps, but John Sullen also snuck in a few. Second-year lineman Eric Herman, who had been playing center, worked in some at left guard.

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The practice ended when Williams tipped an Eli Manning pass at the line of scrimmage that was intercepted by linebacker Jameel McClain in the red-zone for a likely touchdown the other way. It finished off a strong overall practice for Williams.