RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesJohn Harbaugh | Getty Images
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.VA. — The New York Giants know they are definitely not in East Rutherford, N.J. anymore. They have noticed the beauty of their surroundings, nestled snugly into the Allegheny Mountains. They have noticed the comfort of their accommodations at the ritzy Greenbrier Performance Center.
They know, though, that they are not in West Virginia to sightsee. They are not on vacation. They are on a business trip. The business of preparing to be the best football team they can be in 2026.
New head coach John Harbaugh made that clear on Wednesday, the first day of training camp. He noted the “beautiful setting” and thanked everyone who made it happen. Harbaugh, though, quickly turned to the business at hand when asked what he was evaluating in the early practices.
“We’re chasing execution,” Harbaugh said. “We’re at a stage now, we’re getting ready for the games. I mean, that’s what practice is for. We’re not here to practice. It’s not a training camp exercise. We’re here to prepare for the games that we’re going to play.
“What plays we call, how we practice, all those things. We’re not just running plays out here to run plays. That’s why we want to keep our plays to ourselves when we’re doing them out here. So, that’s what we’re evaluating, is our execution.”
Here are some of the things we saw from the sidelines on the first day of training camp.
Differences for Dart
It is clear watching the Giants practice that there are some differences in what is being required of second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. He acknowledged as much Wednesday by saying “There’s reps of things that I haven’t really had a ton of experience doing.”
One of those differences is the amount of work Dart is being asked to do under center. Roughly half of his 11-on-11 work Wednesday came from under center.
“There’s a few things mechanically that are different,” Dart said. “Probably just like the biggest thing is a little bit of footwork, landmarks in the pocket, but we’ve repped the hell out of it. I’m feeling really good with the track that we’re on, and I’m feeling comfortable.
“It’s not something out there when I’m on the field that I have to think extra about when I’m having a rep at a certain play. It’s more obviously just about readingthe rep from a conceptual standpoint, getting on time with all the guys, so, it’s been something that we’ve really, you know, pushed and really got a ton of reps out of this offseason.”
Malik Nabers’ day
Nabers did individual drills and ran a few pass routes on air at the beginning of practice. He played a few minutes of catch with Dart when practice ended.
Dominic Zvada is human
The placekicking competition, where undrafted free agent rookie Dominic Zvada was 13 of 13 in two practices witnessed by reporters and Ben Sauls struggled mightily, was a big story during the spring.
Both kickers got opportunities on Wednesday.
Sauls made 4 of 5 kicks from 33 to 51 yards, missing a 43-yarder. Sauls also missed a 61-yarder wide right, a ball that had plenty of distance. Zvada was 4 of 6 on the day, missing an extra point and a 43-yarder.
Practice highlights
Dart threw a beautiful short out to tight end Chris Manhertz, floating it nicely over a trailing Abdul Carter.
Cornerback Tae Banks got his hands on two passes. He broke up a throw across the middle from quarterback Brandon Allen that was intended for Xavier Gipson. He also got a hand on an off-target sideline pass intended for rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields.
Jameis Winston hit Braxton Berrios for a 40-ish-yard touchdown. Berrios was well behind Nic Jones, the closest defender.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, working with the second unit, broke the line and batted down a Winston pass.
During a two-minute end-of-game drill, Fields had a leaping 15-yard catch that put the offense into field goal position.
The defense missed chances for two interceptions of Dart. Safety Jevon Holland dropped an overthrown ball across the middle. Paulson Adebo had a pass down the middle go right through his hands into the arms of tight end Isaiah Likely for a big play.
The defense also missed an interception when linebacker Tremaine Edmunds batted a pass into the air, and Arvell Reese and Ar’Darius Washington collided trying to bring the ball in.
Take me home, country roads
Here are a handful of quotes from players and coaches about their West Virginia home away from home:
Dart:
“This is like old school. It’s like what you see in the movies, so I was stoked just to come out here with the team, and it’s a cool experience because in the league, there’s so many external factors … a lot of guys have families and things that they’ve got to take care of off the field, so I think that us just being able to come here for extended days and just being with one another, growing our personal relationships, but also having great communication from the football side, there’s not a ton of things to do around here, so it forces us to be together, and we love each other as a team, so I’m really excited about it.”
GM Joe Schoen:
“Talked to several general managers and head coaches that have been here, and it’s everything they said it would be. I mean, it’s beautiful. I think it was 60 degrees this morning when we woke up and came over here. So yeah, it’s a beautiful setting and again, they were ready for us and I’m thoroughly impressed with the facilities.”
Brian Burns:
NOTE: A railroad train was chugging by during most of Burns’ press conference, making it virtually impossible to hear him. Or, be heard by him.
“It’s peaceful, a lot of mountains, trees, wildlife. So, you know what I’m saying, it’s a peaceful view, but there’s a lot of chaos on the field … it’s beautiful out here. There’s a couple cribs up there [in the mountains], it’s nice. I notice quite a bit of things, we’re trying to figure out something to do on the off day, maybe we’ll go fis...
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