WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - The New York Giants’ sixth practice of training camp ended with a mess of their own making.
Down six with 42 seconds left and the ball near the opponent’s 20-yard line, the offense was trying to close out a “win or lose the game” scenario. Instead, Jaxson Dart turned a third-and-goal from the 3 into a scramble for a touchdown, then things spiraled fast.
After some back-and-forth, Dart threw the ball at cornerback Greg Newsome, drawing a 15-yard penalty that pushed Ben Sauls into a “game-winning” field goal from 48 yards. He drilled it.
Head coach John Harbaugh didn’t hide his annoyance, even if he kept his comments measured.
“I think it’s a 15-yard penalty for taunting, so we backed up the extra point and had to do it again. Did you see that? That’s how we handled it,” Harbaugh said.
He also made clear the message to Dart didn’t need much elaboration.
“I think he understands that for the game-winning extra point, we don’t want it to be a 50-yard extra point,” Harbaugh said. “Do you think I need to say anything in that case? Pretty clear cut, right?”
Earlier in the day, the offense had already stumbled through a rough red-zone stretch. The first team got three possessions from the 10-yard line or closer, ran 11 plays, and didn’t score once.
There were still a few bright spots from the session.
Jarrod Gray, the Aussie rugby star signed through the International Pathway Program, spent part of the day getting one-on-one instruction on NFL blocking technique. A look through binoculars showed former Giant Chris Snee, now in the team’s front office, working with him. For an offensive lineman, that kind of solo lesson counts as a win.
Rookie cornerback Colton Hood also stacked up a strong practice. He stepped up against a wide run and helped stop Eric Gray for what looked like a short loss, then later ripped away a red-zone fade intended for Beaux Collins, breaking up a throw from Jameis Winston.
Sauls had a solid day overall, even with two kicks drifting left, the same issue that showed up in spring. He still connected on 10 of 12 attempts.
Jermaine Eluemunor made his first appearance in 1-on-1 pass-blocking work this camp and handled it well. He steered Abdul Carter around the pocket on one snap, then anchored against Brian Burns on the next and shut him down.
Not everyone left feeling good.
Winston followed a rough Monday with another shaky outing Tuesday. His throws were off target throughout the day, and his worst moment may have been an end-zone interception, believed to be by Jason Pinnock, after Winston threw it right to him.
There was also a lighter, if slightly embarrassing, subplot involving the media lunch at the Greenbrier. Boxed lunches were handed out before practice, but some reporters expecting chocolate chip cookies found none inside after one of their colleagues apparently helped himself to several boxes. The cookies were gone.
One of the more instructive moments of the day came in the 1-on-1 pass drills, where rookie right guard Sisi Mauigoa lined up against Abdul Carter twice in a row. On the first snap, Carter tried to overpower him and got stopped cold. On the next, Carter came back with a fake outside, swiped across Mauigoa, and burst through.
The Giants also had more to sort through after practice, with injury updates and the remaining Greenbrier practice schedule still on the board.
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