Much has changed since Giants safeties coach Dave Merritt played linebacker in the NFL from 1993-95. The latest example is the huge projection screen on a wall in the Giants' indoor practice facility.

"That's one thing that has changed: The classroom vs. on the field. All the computers," Merritt, 45, said during minicamp in June. "We have a virtual system that's over there now. We didn't have any of that."

The screen is large enough that players appear life-size, so a film session becomes interactive.

"We can actually show the quarterback and the offensive plays and routes coming directly at the defensive guys and they can stand out here and move with the routes," Merritt said. "We can call a defense and have the guys move around and you can see the routes coming at you and you can hear them making calls. Offensive linemen use it as well. You'll see all of them in rows looking at the screen and there's a play that would be called and each guy has to move a certain way."

Merritt, who has been on the Giants' staff since 2004, has witnessed increasing changes since 40-year-old Ben McAdoo took over for Tom Coughlin as head coach last year. Many of McAdoo's modifications are designed to appeal to a generation of players who grew up playing video games and spend most of their free time on cell phones.

The video screen is used during what McAdoo calls a "feet meet," which is a combination of a walkthrough and traditional film study. The screen was primarily used by safeties and offensive linemen in the spring.

"Each player learns a little bit differently," McAdoo said. "It's an opportunity for us to tap into multiple methods of learning at one time."

Not surprisingly, young players have been more receptive to the video screen than sitting in a dark classroom idly watching film.

"I brought my two rookies out here and they said, 'Coach, we can do this every day,' " Merritt said in June. "They'd rather do that than sit in the classroom. They love it."

Rookie offensive lineman Adam Bisnowaty hadn't seen this type of technology before joining the Giants.

"It's like virtual reality," Bisnowaty said. "You can be looking at things. I think it's the next generation of football. You do the meeting room, you come on the field, but this is something in between. It's great."

It's not just rookies embracing the technology. Sixth-year safety Duke Ihenacho, who signed with the Giants in May, is excited about using the video screen in training camp.

"I think it's great for young guys. It's great for the older guys, too," Ihenacho said. "Guys like me, we come over here thinking we've seen it all and thinking we've got it figured out. We're used to doing things a certain way, so we're kind of closed when it comes to accepting new ways of learning. But it's definitely a dope way of learning and I'm definitely going to try it out soon."

A handful of NFL teams are even more progressive, using virtual reality headsets that enable quarterbacks to review practices. The Giants haven't adopted those headsets yet, but they're steadily increasing their use of technology.

"If you don't go with the flow of the changes, you're going to be left behind for sure," Merritt said.

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.