NY Giants eager to test....

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NY Giants eager to test out new up-tempo offense during Hall of Fame game vs. Buffalo Bills

The team?s new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was brought in to revive the team?s offense, and he has used training camp as his personal laboratory to install the hurry-up, sometimes no-huddle approach.


When the topic of the Giants? new hurry-up offense was brought up Friday, the Big Blue receivers couldn?t help but smile.

With most of training camp dedicated to picking up the new up-tempo, West Coast-styled attack, the Giants will finally have a chance to test it against a real, live opponent on Sunday: the Buffalo Bills in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

New offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was brought in from Green Bay to revive the Giants? stagnant offense and resuscitate the career of Eli Manning, using training camp as his personal laboratory to install the hurry-up, sometimes no-huddle approach.

New quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf is so confident in the new sets, he?s given Manning the goal of completing 70% of his passes, a staggering number for a player who is a career 58.5% passer.

That?s a lot of talk before a single pass has been thrown in a game.

But receiver Victor Cruz believes the Giants will use the first preseason game to show what all the fuss is about. ?I think they?re going to put us right to the test and see how well we know the offense, how well this thing can perform at a high level,? an excited Cruz said. ?I think right off the bat − maybe not no huddle − but a little more up-tempo.?

Tom Coughlin has said that less than half the new offense has been installed, but one thing is certain: The starters will take ?a minimum number? of snaps against Buffalo. Manning will start, and Big Blue will emphasize the running game, according to the head coach, with some of the new concepts sprinkled in.

Rueben Randle, for one, expects the team to showcase the new offense early. ?We worked on it a lot,? the receiver said. ?I wouldn?t be surprised if we do, so I think we are prepared to do that.?

It will be the first time the Giants run the offense against an opposing defense other than their teammates, something Cruz, who missed the final three games of last season with a knee injury, is looking forward to. Cruz said he expects to see between 15-20 snaps on Sunday.

?We?re excited to run our offense against someone else other than ourselves,? Cruz said, ?(To) see how it goes and see how other teams take it and how they?re able to play it, as well as test our own team and test our own skills and see what we can do right. So it should be exciting for us.?

Randle believes his teammates are ready to learn the rest of the offense.

?We still have some things we want to put in,? the wideout said. ?But as far as what we?ve put in, we have an understanding of what?s going on so I think it?s time to install more so we can get everything in.?

Randle said the Giants are becoming increasingly cozy with the pace of things and have adapted nicely.

?Yeah man, I think we feel comfortable with everything that?s going on,? he said. ?(We?re) playing a lot faster now since we have to understand the concept that we?re putting in.?

Randle said the new offense calls for quick, short passes but also long plays as well. ?It fits everybody,? Randle went on. ?Coach (McAdoo) has done a great job making sure we?re all on the same page and putting us in position to make plays. I love it, man. He?s put the game plan in to fit his players and that?s what we all like.?

 

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On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills will open their preseason in Canton, Ohio against the New York Giants.


As the Bills wrap up their second full week of training camp practices, we'll begin to shift our focus to that game. While we don't expect to see EJ Manuel and the Bills first-team offense for much, if any, of Sunday's game, the playing time will be worthwhile for a number of other players.

Starting on offense, let's pinpoint which players have the most to gain from a quality performance Sunday:

T.J. Graham -- After starting 17 games over his first two seasons, Graham is squarely on the bubble this training camp. After missing all of OTAs following offseason surgery, Graham's performance in camp has been shaky. He's had more than a handful of drops. The Bills have used Graham mostly as a speed threat -- both in the screen and deep game -- but he'll need to prove himself as more than that to crack the roster. Expect Graham to get plenty of action with the backup quarterbacks Sunday. He's also expected to get some tries as a returner.


Jeff Tuel -- There is a battle for the backup quarterback spot behind Manuel. Since Thad Lewis is more of an established veteran than Tuel, we'd expect him to get the first nod after Manuel. The bulk of the playing time could go to Tuel and journeyman Dennis Dixon. Tuel has looked better in in training camp this season than he did last summer. Lewis remains the favorite to replace Manuel if he is injured again this season, but Tuel can make a strong push in the first few preseason games, starting Sunday.

Seantrel Henderson -- We wouldn't be surprised if Henderson starts the game at left tackle and plays for a large chunk of the game. He needs the experience. If Cordy Glenn can't return by the regular-season opener, then Henderson is the likely starter against Jared Allen and the Chicago Bears' defensive line.

Chris Gragg -- Another bubble player, Gragg returned to practice in full pads Wednesday and could be ready for live action by Sunday. He's fighting for a roster spot and should have plenty of opportunities with Scott Chandler (groin) and Tony Moeaki (hamstring) out this week and likely out for Sunday's game. Gragg can help his case by proving to be a downfield and red-zone threat. He may still have to beat out Moeaki to make the final roster.

Cyrus Kouandjio -- We would be shocked if Kouandjio isn't on the field for a large chunk of the snaps Sunday. He hasn't been able to push Erik Pears for the starting right tackle job and will need to pick up the pace if he has any plans of doing that by the regular-season opener. We wouldn't be surprised to see Kouandjio see time at both left and right tackle, either. If he can't start at right tackle, then he'll need to bring value on the 46-man game day roster as a swing tackle. He's practiced exclusively at right tackle to this point.

Cyril Richardson -- With Chris Hairston leaving Wednesday's practice with a back injury, Richardson got some cracks with the first team at right guard. That could indicate more confidence from the coaching staff in the fifth-round pick. We'd expect incumbent Kraig Urbik to see some time Sunday, but Richardson can start to make a push at that job with a quality performance Sunday.