Giants’ Malik Nabers hasn’t seen a single episode of Hard Knocks

New York Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers, who called his shot in practice on Friday, hasn’t seen a single second of Hard Knocks.

This year, the New York Giants became the first NFL team to have an offseason version of Hard Knocks.

Thus far, the four episodes have shown the NFL world things and given them insight they’ve never seen before, specifically around the draft and free agency.

One of the focal points of Episode 4, and something eluded to earlier in the series, was the 2024 NFL draft and LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, whom the Giants selected sixth overall.

Interestingly, Nabers has not seen a single episode, including the one all about him.

“I haven’t seen really any episodes. I don’t like really waiting for episodes to come out, so I want to wait and just watch it all in a day where I can just sit down and chill,” Nabers told reporters on Friday.

In this new age of streaming services, many people have adopted that attitude. But when pressed further and asked if he had even seen some online clips, Nabers insisted the show remains entirely spoiler-free to him.

“No, I’ve never seen any clips from Hard Knocks. I hear about it, they come up to me all the time, ask me about it. I’ve never seen anything. My friends always ask me about it, too. I haven’t seen any episodes about it though,” he said.

So, no, he hasn’t seen the footage of receivers coach Mike Groh telling Joe Schoen that he’d take Nabers over Marvin Harrison Jr.

His reaction to learning about the conversation?

“Groh’s my guy. I guess when he watched my film, he saw how much athleticism that I have, getting a ball in open space and I could be a great guy in this receiver room,” Nabers said. “So, to have that person in my receiver coach that trusts me before he even got me here, you know, sky’s the limit for me.”

Trust was a common theme in Nabers’ discussion on Friday. Head coach Brian Daboll asked Nabers to call a play in practice and, well… The results spoke for themselves.

“It shows how much trust he has to give me the ball in open space or just let me run any route I want,” Nabers said. “So, to have that, as a head coach that’s got trust in you when you come into the third day of training camp, they try to understand how good of a player I am. For him to just ask me what kind of play I want and for him to call it, it shows how much trust he has in me.”

Nabers has the makings of being a stud in the NFL. If his on-field play correlates with his confidence and he keeps his emotions in check, he could have a long career ahead of him.

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Giants’ Jalin Hyatt: Malik Nabers will help all of our receivers

Jalin Hyatt believes the presence of rookie Malik Nabers will help all of the New York Giants wide receivers step up their game.

The New York Giants are going to look very different on the offensive side of the ball this season.

In an offseason where they saw their best offensive player, Saquon Barkley, sign with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants used the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to secure a replacement playmaker, albeit at a different position.

While Malik Nabers may not be a running back, he, like Barkley before him, will be the focal point of the Giants’ offense.

Last year’s third-round pick, Jalin Hyatt, is a big fan of the addition of Nabers and talked about how the Giants’ top pick will make the other receivers better.

“This is not a selfish game, this is a team sport game. Really, just adding Malik — it helps me, it helps Wan’Dale, it helps Slay. He’s a great athlete (and a) great player,” Hyatt told Art Stapleton.

“I’m glad we added him. We can do a lot more things on offense; we can be much more versatile. We can put guys in other spots and not only that, we can change what the defense sees with their eyes with Malik, so I’m proud he’s on our team.”

Hyatt’s rookie year was a tough one. However, with a revolving door at the quarterback position, it was hard for anyone on the Giants offense to get anything going.

With improvements along the offensive line, a healthy Daniel Jones, and the addition of Nabers, the Giants hope to see their offense improve in 2024.

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Giants’ Jon Runyan: Dexter Lawrence could become the best of all time

New York Giants OL Jon Runyan Jr. believes Dexter Lawrence is so talented he could go down as the best nose tackle in NFL history.

This offseason, the New York Giants’ front office made it a priority to improve their offensive line. Instead of building the offensive line through the draft, which the Giants have done in previous years, they addressed the unit via free agency.

General manager Joe Schoen added both Jon Runyan Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor — two new inside starters.

Early in training camp, the Giants offensive line has their hands full going up against the defensive line which includes Dexter Lawrence.

In a short amount of time, Runyan is already seeing the top-end talent Lawrence has become.

“Yeah. I thought going against Dexter twice in four years was enough and now I got to deal with it every day. It’s good. It’s only going to make you better,” Runyan told reporters on Friday. “You know, like they say, iron sharpens iron. If you’re lacking on any technique, your hands miss, or you’re too high, he’s going to expose you immediately. So, every single play with him, you got to bring a hundred percent and you got to be locked in and focused.

“It’s only going to make me and everybody else better being able to go against somebody like that. One of the best D-tackles in the NFL. I think he has the capability (of being) one of being the best of all time.”

Like many others around the league, Runyan is amazed by the big man’s athleticism and quickness.

“He moves so well for being whatever weight he’s at and how big he is,” he said. “It’s just really awesome being able to work together with him and make each other better and build this offensive and defensive line, because I feel like that’s going to be the heartbeat of this team, how well we control the line of scrimmage. Being able to work with him is a real blessing.”

Although the Giants expected big things from Lawrence — enough to spend a first-round pick on him in 2019 — nobody tabbed him to be as good as he has been the last two seasons.

The pick used to select Lawrence was part of the infamous Odell Beckham trade, which the Giants have clearly won at this point given Lawrence’s stardom.

With Kayvon Thibodeaux and newly acquired Brian Burns along the edge, Lawrence may be primed for this best season of his career. And that’s saying something.

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The oldest basketball players at the Paris Olympics

Basketball at the Paris Olympics will feature a star-studded lineup, especially for the United States, with many Hall-of-Fame caliber players. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are among the elder statesmen in the Olympic basketball …

Basketball at the Paris Olympics will feature a star-studded lineup, especially for the United States, with many Hall-of-Fame caliber players. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are among the elder statesmen in the Olympic basketball pool. However, the title of oldest player in Paris belongs to a former Laker from Brazil.

Here is a list of the 25 oldest players in Paris:

Giants’ Dane Belton feels like he deserves starting job

New York Giants third-year safety Dane Belton believes he is in line to fill the void left by the departure of Xavier McKinney.

New York Giants third-year safety Dane Belton was in line for more work after stater Xavier McKinney left for Green Bay via free agency this March.

Then the Giants signed veteran Jalen Mills in free agency and selected Tyler Nubin in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. Nubin has been penciled in as a starter next to Jason Pinnock, but it’s early.

Nubin is beginning training camp on the sidelines with a calf issue and Mills is currently on the NFI list. This could be Belton’s opportunity to win favor with the coaching staff as he’s getting first-team reps at safety in practice.

“I’m confident in my abilities,” Belton said on Wednesday, via NJ Advance Media. “I feel like I earned the right to play (more last year). . . This year, I’m trying to take the job.”

Last season, Belton was the team’s third safety behind McKinney and Pinnock. McKinney played all 1,128 defensive snaps and Pinnock played on 89.3 percent. Belton played on just 296 of the plays or 26.2 percent.

Belton’s real value to the Giants was more as a special teamer.

“Coming off last year, I feel like I deserve this spot — and I’m going to go out there and earn it for sure. I feel like I’ve earned what I’ve gotten so far (with first-team reps in 2024). Things might change. (But) if I go out and make plays, it’s not going to matter. That’s the mindset.”

Belton was a fourth-round pick of the Giants out of Iowa in 2022. He was a hybrid linebacker/defensive back who the Giants have deployed mainly as a safety on defense.

We won’t know until Nubin hits the field what the Giants’ plans are under first-year coordinator Shane Bowen. We know Belton will play, but in what role and how much?

The Giants are looking for a reliable player to come in and take a ton of snaps like McKinney did last season.

“They’re big shoes,” Belton said. “He’s a really good player. But at the same time, I feel like I can do it. I know I make plays.”

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Former Super Bowl champ wonders if Giants’ Daniel Jones is too muscular

A former Super Bowl champion quarterbacks thinks New York Giants QB Daniel Jones may be a bit too muscular in 2024.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones showed up for training camp this week noticeably “jacked” — a term used for a person who is visibly muscular.

Jones worked out diligently all winter and spring, rehabbing from ACL surgery that ended his 2023 season after just six games.

There was no mention of Jones’ fitness when he met the media on Wednesday after the team’s second practice of camp.

“I expected to be here,” Jones told reporters this week. “I expected the process to go smoothly and well because we have good doctors, (athletic) trainers, and strength coaches and a clear plan from the get-go. It is definitely good to be here. I’m grateful to be out there and grateful to all the people who have helped me get to this point — still, a lot of work to do across the board. I will continue to rehab and focus on my knee, but also, from a football standpoint, getting back into 11-on-11 and playing football.”

The question being posed these days is not whether Jones is ready for the rigor of the upcoming NFL season but whether he’s too healthy, as in muscular?

On the recent edition of Scoop City hosted by NFL reporter Dianna Russini and joined by Super Bowl champion quarterback Chase Daniel, they discuss the issue which also includes San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy.

“I know Daniel Jones,” said Daniel. “He’s trying to bulk himself up because he’s a pretty good runner, too.”

Daniel then explained why being muscular at the quarterback position isn’t the most optimal when it comes to throwing the football.

“I think he’ll probably lose some muscle and weight during training camp as most guys do. I was more impressed with Brock Purdy. The dude looked almost like a bodybuilder,” Daniel said. “The only thing about being that jacked is. . . look at the best thrower in the National Football League — Patrick Mahomes. Dad-bod syndrome.

“I think there’s something to be said about that because when you are throwing, you have these huge muscles and you get a little bit impingement on your shoulder and not able to get the zip on the ball.

“Look at Tom Brady, his talks on pliability. You actually want to go all the way back and then all the way through, because when you’re throwing the ball, your arm can only go forward as fast as it can slow down so you want to work a lot of this backside shoulder cuff.

“So, I don’t believe in that. They look good but let’s see how it happens in the season.”

To be honest, Jones looks cut but not so muscular that it’s going to prevent him from throwing the football accurately. Thus far in camp, he’s been a bit rusty but has made some solid throws as he rounds back into football shape.

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Giants’ Brian Burns named to NFL’s top 100 players of 2024

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns was named one of the NFL’s top 100 players of 2024, voted on by the players themselves.

One of the biggest moves the New York Giants made this offseason was acquiring linebacker Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers, pairing him with Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The Giants desperately needed to boost their pass rush, and Burns was a viable option.

Not only was Burns a viable option, but he added talent to the ranks. He was recently named the 55th-best player in the NFL by his fellow players.

Even through the Panthers’ struggles in 2023, Burns remained a stalwart on the defense, leading the team with eight sacks to go with 18 quarterback hits, 16 tackles for loss, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. He has never had fewer than 7.5 sacks in any of his five seasons and has 46 total since entering the league. Now after a trade to the Giants, the player who calls himself Spider-Man will take his pass rush talents to New York.

Over his five years in Carolina, Burns only missed a handful of games and durability matters. During that time, he recorded 246 tackles (151 solo), 46.0 sacks, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 59 tackles for loss, and 13 passes defensed.

The stats speak for themselves. Burns is a quality linebacker and will be a huge asset for the Giants this year.

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Re-living Baylor Scheierman’s best moments from summer league

A look back at Baylor Scheierman’s best moments for the Boston Celtics during Las Vegas Summer League.

The Boston Celtics selected Baylor Scheierman with the 30th pick in the NBA draft. The five-year Creighton product enters the NBA with a diverse offensive skillset, specifically on the perimeter where he projects as a reliable floor spacer. Nevertheless, Scheierman is also adept at attacking off the dribble, creating for others and is a high-level rebounder.

Scheierman announced himself to Celtics fans during his five-game stint at Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 36.2% from the field. Scheierman will likely compete for a spot in Joe Mazzulla’s primary rotation next season but must improve on the defensive end. 

Following the completion of Boston’s summer league participation, Tomasz Kordyleski posted a highlight reel of Scheierman’s summer league performances to his YouTube channel. Throughout the video, you can see the offensive upside he brings to the table, along with some of his stronger areas on the defensive end.

You can watch the full highlight reel by clicking on the embedded video above.

Subscribe to the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3UAVYRg

Spotify:  https://spoti.fi/3y0H4Lh

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS

Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf

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