The offense’s focus in the pre-pads practices was on the passing game. Coach Brian Daboll opened training camp with four workouts devoted primarily to red zone and third down. But physical football requires a stout rushing attack. Introduced today, that element was well-received by the offense.
“The run game is the offensive lineman’s best friend,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “You get to be physical. We’re not going back. We get to be the aggressor. So, that’s definitely something we love to do.”
“Anytime you can put the pads on, it’s an exciting day,” running back Saquon Barkley said. “You get to play football. The competitive juices flow even more. Go out there and compete and build the team that we want to have, especially when you haven’t done it for so long. It’s the first day of pads, get back into the swing of things. Get thudded up. Make your mistakes. And work on the stuff that you need to work on.”
Quarterback Daniel Jones was happy to increase the number of handoffs he delivered.
“It forces the defense to respect that part of it,” he said. “And your play action is more real. There’s probably a bit more space in the defense because of that. It was good today, and we got to keep working on it.”
Putting on pads does not result in game-like intensity. No one wants to get hurt. Wrapping your arms around a ballcarrier is fine but tackling him is not. And the red jerseys worn by Jones and fellow quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Davis Webb serve as a colorful directive that no one touches the quarterbacks.
“It’s all about fundamentals right now: leverage, hand placement, ability to separate when you’re getting grabbed and held,” Daboll said prior to practice. “We’re allowing more things at practice: picks and twists up front, power rushes, attacking the defensive linemen when they jump up in the…different things we’re allowing. So, this is where the game is played.
“But today we’re looking for good energy. We place, I’d say, rules on practice. We’re not bringing…
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