First Jets-Giants practice in 17 years goes off without a hitch

The place have you ever gone, Jeremy Shockey?

The Jets and Giants received collectively for his or her first joint observe in 17 years on Thursday and it was uneventful. There have been no punches thrown, no face masks grabbed, not even somewhat pushing and shoving.

“I do know you guys all got here on the lookout for a combat,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh stated jokingly to the media following the tip of the 90-minute observe in East Rutherford, N.J.

Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson battles with the Giants' Evan Neal during a joint practice.
Jets defensive finish Jermaine Johnson battles with the Giants’ Evan Neal throughout a joint observe.
Invoice Kostroun

Each Saleh and Giants head coach Brian Daboll pressured to their groups that they wanted to indicate respect for the opposite crew and never let this devolve right into a brawl, the best way some joint practices have across the league this summer season. Earlier than the crew durations began, the coaches gathered each groups collectively and gave them the message once more.

“It was simply a number of respect for these guys,” Saleh stated. “Deal with one another such as you do your individual teammates. Compete snap to whistle, nothing low-cost. We don’t want any preventing or something. … I've a number of respect for Daboll and we need to make a behavior out of this, not simply because we’re taking part in one another within the preseason. We’d like to interrupt up camp. We’re too shut for it to not work. If we as a crew could make it work, then we will each assist one another loads.”

Saleh and Daboll each stated they wish to make this an annual factor. The Jets and Giants final took half in a joint observe in 2005, when the Jets have been coached by Herm Edwards and the Giants by Tom Coughlin. That observe, in Albany, ended with a sequence of fights, together with one together with Shockey, then the Giants’ tight finish.

After that day, the Jets and Giants stayed away from practising collectively. It has often been extra of a rivalry on the possession degree, with the groups sharing buildings on the Meadowlands since 1984. It sometimes has bubbled up between the groups, akin to in 2011 when Rex Ryan talked trash earlier than the Jets’ Christmas Eve loss to the Giants. That was a Jets house sport, and Giants gamers tore down curtains that lined their championship murals within the MetLife Stadium tunnel.

Saleh and Daboll made it clear Thursday that they weren't concerned with taking part in up the rivalry.

Jets quarterback Joe Flacco takes a snap during a joint practice with the Giants.
Jets quarterback Joe Flacco takes a snap throughout a joint observe with the Giants.
Invoice Kostroun

“It’s good to have a crew proper right here throughout the best way to compete towards,” stated Daboll, who was as soon as a Jets assistant coach. “However once more, you bought to do issues the suitable manner, I believe. Present respect for one another, work exhausting collectively to enhance and play soccer.

“Not concerned with going to see a UFC or boxing matches or something like that, though I really like each of these,” he added with fun “Simply good, aggressive soccer.”

For the Jets, probably the most helpful a part of the expertise was their offense going through the protection of Giants coordinator Wink Martindale. The Jets’ offense has confronted Saleh’s protection for many of the summer season and Martindale’s protection options many extra seems and blitzes.

“We weren’t game-planning something. It was extra simply run our stuff,” Saleh stated. “We’re not game-planning the Giants. We’re nonetheless in camp mode. For probably the most half, I assumed they did a very good job. They’ve received an unique strain system. It wasn’t actually a lot about safety as a lot because it was the route operating, simply the precision of what we’re attempting to get finished.”

Jets quarterback Joe Flacco had some good moments and a few shaky ones towards the Giants’ protection. He threw two landing passes and was intercepted as soon as within the purple zone.

“It’s good as a result of it places you in somewhat little bit of a distinct mindset,” Flacco stated of going through a distinct protection. “It teaches you, you recognize, to simply go play soccer. Like right now, they wish to stroll up and stroll round loads and it's important to ID everyone. In the event that they get you to decelerate somewhat bit and begin considering and never taking part in soccer, then they've somewhat victory proper there. You simply be taught somewhat bit about your self and methods to assault that sort of stuff. It’s a very good reminder that we’re simply taking part in soccer. We don’t should be rocket scientists on the market and be good with every part.”

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