New York Giants: BJ Goodson is here to stay

Big Blue is officially one week into their 2017 training camp.

There has been a fair amount of action, mainly in the recent days, since the pads have been strapped on. Here are some observations I have gathered about your 2017 New York Giants.

New sheriff in town?

Linebacker B.J. Goodson has put everyone on notice a week into camp. Once Tuesday rolled around, and the shoulder pads were buckled in, Goodson has let everyone in attendance who he is. Some players on the offensive side of the ball have taken issue with this, but my expectation is that won’t last. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post spoke with Olivier Vernon, and captured his opinion.

New York Giants

"“[Goodson’s] been hungry for a while and he’s coming in and trying to take that role,’’ defensive end Olivier Vernon said. “He’s going to be physical. That’s what we like.’’"

Schwartz also gathered this from veteran running back Orleans Darkwa.

"“This is his first year as a starter and you can say he’s amped up to make a point,’’ running back Orleans Darkwa told The Post. “He’s the leader of the defense. He’s gonna try to go out there and make plays. I think you just got to be a little bit smarter. He’s gonna do his job and you got to prepare yourself for it on the other end.’’"

I think the main takeaway is that Goodson is a physical football player and asserting himself as the de-facto leader of the defense. This is something that comes with the territory of the middle linebacker position. Fortunately for him, he has a deep supporting cast of leadership behind and in front of him. This dynamic will help to carry the load. We will wait to see if second year man out of Clemson can continue to impress. He looks to take hold of the merry go round that has been the middle linebacker position.

NYPD

The “New York Pass Defense”, as it was coined in 2016, looks to build off a great year with an even better one in 2017. Second-year corner Eli Apple looks strong thus far. He entered camp seven pounds heavier than his playing weight last year and sporting a new confidence. Iron sharpens iron. This has been a term thrown around at camp. You have elite wide receivers going up against and elite secondary. Big Blue View heard from Apple after practice on Wednesday.

"“We make each other better,” Apple said. “I want to make Odell the best receiver in the NFL. He wants to make me the best corner in the NFL. For us to do that, we got to go hard every play.’’"

All of the different one-on-one match-ups on a daily base at Big Blue camp is sure to have these men ready for action come the first week of September.

Next man up

On the New York Giants interior line, rookie Dalvin Tomlinson has already impressed his teammates. Schwartz from the New York Post heard from veteran guard Justin Pugh on Tomlinson.

"“Yeah, you look at Tomlinson, he’s fit right in with that group,’’ Pugh said. “There’s no drop-off from when the 1s go out and he comes in. Obviously, I know he’s got to learn the scheme and learn his role within the scheme, but he plays at a great pad level, impressed with him.’’"

I think everyone is hopeful that he can play a high number of snaps as a rookie, and ultimately be a primary interior defender next to Snacks. Jonathan Hankins singing with the Colts was the only notable loss for the second ranked defense in the NFL from a year ago.

Light day on Friday

Head coach Ben McAdoo started practice an hour later on Friday, as he wanted his players to have a bit more rest. The team will take the weekend recuperate before returning to the practice field on Tuesday.