Shortly after he fractured his left thumb July 25, Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard was steadfast in his belief that he would return for the Sept. 8 opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

More than three weeks later, Shepard's outlook remains optimistic.

Seen without his non-contact yellow jersey Sunday afternoon at Giants practice -- the first time since the injury -- Shepard showed further signs of progression as he works back for the 2019 season.

With the Giants' receivers depleted entering the season, many have wondered if GM Dave Gettleman would find a way to bolster the group before the start of the season. So far, that hasn't been the case, but there are options out there. 

One of them is Vikings WR Laquon Treadwell, who SI's Albert Breer reported as on the market. Treadwell, a former first-round pick back in 2016, hasn't really panned out in Minnesota. However, he does have a Giants connection in Pat Shurmur, which is why NJ.com's Matt Lombardo brought up the idea that Gettleman may want to call the Vikings on the Ole Miss product. 

Treadwell shouldn't cost too much for the Giants, which is a pro in this case. Being that he hasn't lived up to his first-round choice, the Giants could probably get him for a late-round draft pick. Also, maybe a change of scenery is what Treadwell needs with the Giants, as he's currently stuck behind elite receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

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Daniel Jones was impressive again, for the second time in two preseason games, so of course Pat Shurmur got the question again: With the way Jones is playing, is there any way he could compete to take Eli Manning's job by Opening Day?

Then came Shurmur's familiar dance, where he says "No" without actually saying "No," and closes the door while making it look like it's still open. This time he even made it seem like it wasn't his decision, as he deferred to John Mara. He even added, for good measure "I just get a sense once in a while that when I answer those questions nobody believes me."

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - When the Giants scouted Daniel Jones they were convinced he had a little Eli Manning in him. They saw that same calm, even-keeled personality that Manning has - the ability to appear unflappable when things start to go wrong.

On Friday, Jones showed them they were right.

Both Giants quarterbacks had strong first-half performances on Friday night against the Bears.

Eli Manning got things started, systematically moving the first-team offense down the field on a touchdown drive. Manning was 4-4 for 42 yards on the drive, capping it with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Bennie Fowler to put the Giants up 7-0.

That would be Manning's only drive of the night.

Rookie Dexter Lawrence came to the Giants with a nearly unblemished football record.

The defensive lineman has no notions of changing his status with the Giants.

Big Blue is viewed more in the short term as a rebuilding franchise, but Lawrence set the bar high for his career with the team. He wants a plethora of titles. 

Checking the box score after the Giants' first preseason bout against the Jets last Thursday, it wasn't Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, or Russell Shepard that led the receivers columns. 

It was TJ Jones. 

The five-year veteran, who spent all his NFL seasons with the Lions after being drafted in the sixth round back in 2014, finished the night with six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. His score came on a back-shoulder pass from Alex Tanney that Jones tracked down perfectly and fell into the end zone to tally six points on the board. 

The news surrounding Giants camp this week is WR Golden Tate having to serve his full four-game suspension for violating the league's PED policy. 

Tate was confident that the details in his case would have the suspension exonerated, but that wasn't the case given the league's no tolerance mindset when it comes to PEDs. The veteran wideout explained that he let the NFL know immediately when he found out there was a banned substance in the prescription, yet that wasn't enough to change his verdict. 

"I just thought, after we looked at the facts in the situation, that the NFL would be understanding," Tate said. "But because it's a no-tolerance policy, they, I guess, upheld the suspension."

Two nights before the Giants' second preseason game against the Chicago Bears, the team has made a change at punter.

The Giants claimed Johnny Townsend off waivers from the Raiders.

To make room for Townsend, the team waived rookie punter Ryan Anderson, an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers. 

One day after Golden Tate received his appeal fate from the NFL, which upheld the Giants wide receiver's four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, he opened up on the decision following Wednesday's practice.

Among his comments, Tate said he is considering taking legal action against the doctor who prescribed him the drug.

"We are definitely looking into it, we are kind of examining all of our options," Tate said.

The Giants won't be able to see veteran WR Golden Tate until Week 5 of the regular season after his suspension appeal for his violation of the NFL's PED policy failed. 

But there are more implications to Tate's verdict other than him simply sitting out the first four weeks. 

It was reported yesterday that Tate will be losing $464,706 of his $1.975 million base salary for missing time. However, former agent and CBS Sports' Joel Corry says he'll also be missing out on $558,235 of his signing bonus and $176,471 of his roster bonus. 

Golden Tate will officially be serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy, as he has lost his appeal.

Back in April, Tate failed a drug test, which came about a month after he signed his four-year, $37.5 million deal with the Giants. The reason for failing the test came from a fertility drug that he said "contained an ingredient that is on the league's banned substance list," and noted not knowing about that when he was prescribed it by a fertility planning specialist. 

Tate said that he "immediately discontinued" the use of the drug, and reported his actions to the league's independent administrator. In fact, he did that before failing the drug test in the first place. 

After Daniel Jones impressed many with his perfect touchdown drive in his first NFL series last Thursday, the hype surrounding the No. 6 overall pick reached an all-time high. The critics and naysayers took a backseat to those jumping on the bandwagon of Jones being Eli Manning's successor.

Now fans really want to see what Jones can do in a real game after seeing a glimpse of what he can do. But, for Giants co-owner John Mara, that day hopefully won't come this season. 

He wants to see Eli Manning on the field at all times. And Jones on the bench.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley did not appear in the team's preseason opener last week, a 31-22 victory over the Jets. 

As far as the rest of the preseason goes, head coach Pat Shurmur is playing his cards close to the vest.

Following the first week of the exhibition season in the NFL, the optimism surrounding both of New York's football teams is through the roof. 

The Jets' Sam Darnold led a single drive that was near perfect, as the second-year pro was 4-for-5 passing with a touchdown. The Giants' once looked down upon rookie QB in Daniel Jones was one pass better, as he was 5-for-5 passing with a touchdown.

So... Giants vs. Jets Super Bowl?

Giants safety Jabrill Peppers is one of three Giants players that played on an NFL team that will live in infamy.

Peppers was the Browns' first-round pick at the 2017 NFL draft. His first win as a professional football player wouldn't come in his rookie year as the Browns became only the second team in league history to go 0-16 that year.

But Peppers, who was traded to the Giants this offseason in a deal that sent wideout Odell Beckham Jr. the other way, recently revealed that he has fond learning experiences from that brutal season. He's happy it happened and takes positives from it.

The Giants' wide receiver corps just can't catch a break.

Midway through practice, WR Amba Etta-Tawo fell awkwardly on a catch and he looked to have a leg injury as he got carted off the field. Well, the Giants announced Monday that Etta-Tawo actually tore his Achilles on the play, and is now out for the rest of the season. 

Etta-Tawo was signed to the Giants yet again this offseason due to the injuries to the group. He was with the Giants back in 2017 when he was signed to their practice squad. He landed on the Texans as well as the Birmingham Iron in the AAF last season as well. 

Eli Manning still has the support of Phil Simms. 

Regardless of what Giants brass and head coach Pat Shurmur says about there not being a quarterback competition between Manning and rookie Daniel Jones this summer, it'll still be a topic of discussion leading up to the regular season. 

Observers of the G-men are picking their sides between the two QBs and among those doing so is one of the team's former quarterbacks in Simms.

When the Giants traded star receiver Odell Beckham to the Cleveland Browns on March 12, the haul brought versatile safety Jabrill Peppers back home.

Peppers, who rose up the football ranks in New Jersey via Paramus Catholic High School before heading to Michigan for three years and embarking on his NFL career in 2017, debuted Sunday with the Giants in a 31-22 win over the Jets.

The first look for Peppers in the starting defense yielded mixed results with Jets quarterback Sam Darnold going 4-of-5 passing for 68 yards and a touchdown, but the third-year defensive back keeps his head up as he and the Giants move further into the preseason.

As the Giants returned to the practice field on Sunday, it was without first-rounder Deandre Baker. 

Head coach Pat Shurmur noted after the session that Baker had actually gone for an MRI on his knee after feeling something during warm-ups.

"In his individual warm-up type stuff, (he felt) something with his knee," Shurmur told NJ.com's Matt Dunleavy. "We are just checking it out with a MRI. No information on that right now. He's getting it checked out."

Daniel Jones may have dazzled in his Giants preseason debut, but head coach Pat Shurmur is not ready to give any credence to an open quarterback competition. 

"We're not going to play the what-ifs," Shurmur said Friday on a conference call. I would say this: Nothing has changed. This is the first game and I expect Daniel to play well, go out and improve and for the people that don't know him, impress them. 

"We expect that from him, we expect that from Eli [Manning], we expect that from everybody. Expectations have not changed."

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - New York has fallen out of love with Eli Manning over the last few years, through all the losing and the pounding he's taken from his critics. The only thing that's saved him from a full-blown Quarterback Controversy is the lack of a viable alternative on the Giants' roster.

But that's all changed now.

The past few months have not been easy for Giants rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine. 

The sixth-round pick out of Division II Washburn was shot the night he was drafted, taking a bullet to his glute, while his best friend was killed in the incident. The shooting forced Ballentine to miss rookie minicamp while simultaneously coping with the loss of his friend. 

Despite the unfortunate circumstances and late start, Ballentine has impressed throughout training camp and that continued Thursday night against the Jets in the preseason opener. 

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Daniel Jones entered his first NFL game on Thursday night to a smattering of cheers - a welcomed change from the reception he's gotten since the Giants announced him as the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft.

And after the way he played in his debut, he might not have to worry about being booed anymore.

The spotlight was set on Daniel Jones as he stepped on the MetLife Stadium turf for the first time in his Giants uniform. Everyone wanted to see how the No. 6 overall pick, one that was criticized by the lots, would react to the big stage in his inaugural snaps in the NFL.

He was perfect -- literally. 

Thanks to a weather delay, Jones only lasted one drive for the Giants, but he didn't disappoint. He was a perfect 5-for-5 for 67 yards, and it was capped off by an absolute strike to Bennie Fowler in the right side of the end zone for his first career touchdown. 

With all eyes on Daniel Jones, the Giants' rookie quarterback shined during his first preseason drive as a member of Big Blue.

Jones' night began on the Giants' second offensive possession. After Eli Manning led an uninspiring three-and-out drive, Jones took the field with the rest of the first-team offense, or least the way the first-team offense was comprised on Thursday.

Everyone's talking about the New York Giants' quarterback controversy. Featuring a trusty veteran and an upstart draft pick, preseason reps may be the best way to figure out who makes the team, and who is let go.

Oh, you thought we were talking about Eli Manning and Daniel Jones? Nope.

The real quarterback competition on the Giants is the one that nobody is talking about -- Alex Tanney vs. Kyle Lauletta. The two quarterbacks are dueling for one spot on the roster as the third-string QB, but that doesn't mean the battle doesn't have high stakes.

Losing either quarterback would involve reneging on a team investment. Of course, most fans know that Lauletta was a fourth-round draft pick just last year, and at one point, the heir apparent to Manning. He even saw a small sample of game action last year, a rarity for a rookie QB on the Giants.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

Some may call it arrogance, but Dave Gettleman definitely has had a quiet confidence about the Giants team he's built for this season. His critics say he did more to tear things down. He believes he's built the foundation back up.

There's a long way to go before anyone knows who's right, but the Giants will take the first steps over the next four weeks in the preseason, which opens for them against the Jets on Thursday night. Here's a look at what Gettleman and everyone else will be watching for, as they search for signs of just how good (or not) this Giants team can be:

1. How ready is QB Daniel Jones?

The plan is for the Giants to ride Eli Manning this season, far enough that Jones never has to see the field. But plans can change, and quarterback controversies have a funny way of just happening. Whether one does, depends a lot on the ability of Jones.

When James Bettcher looks at the pass rushers on the Giants defense, he sees something that few others do. He sees potential. And he insists "We will never be limited by expectations of others."

That's good. Because those expectations are dangerously low.

The Giants had the second-worst pass rush in the NFL last season, with a paltry 30 sacks. Then they traded away Olivier Vernon, who had a quarter of that total (seven) and didn't bring in a proven replacement.

During Tuesday's episode of First Take on ESPN, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark expressed his thoughts on Tom Brady's contract history.

"Tom Brady should have been the top-paid quarterback in this league for over a decade," Clark said. "Tom Brady should have made more money throughout his career than any other quarterback that's playing this game... But the fact that Eli Manning has made so much more money than Tom Brady, it legitimately makes me sick."

The 42-year-old Brady recently signed a two-year extension with the New England Patriots worth $70 million through the 2021 season. He will become the NFL's sixth-highest-paid quarterback this season at $23 million.

Sterling Shepard's yellow non-contact jersey in practice has not necessarily stopped the wide receiver from taking a few hits, but he's ready to get rid of it any way. 

The 26-year-old, who broke the tip of his thumb the first day of training camp, said on Tuesday that he is hoping to be a full participant in practice soon. 

"I'm getting to the edge of that. It's time to take it off," Shepard said of his yellow pinnie. "It's for precautionary reasons, and I'm going with what the trainers want. The ultimate goal is to get to that first (regular-season) game, for sure."

The Giants' preseason opener against the Jets on Thursday could feature a healthy dose of Daniel Jones. 

The No. 6 overall pick from Duke will play in the game, according to head coach Pat Shurmur, and could even start as Shurmur said his quarterback plan and decision to play Eli Manning will "reveal itself."

Regardless of whether or not Manning plays, all eyes will be on Jones as it will be the first real look fans will see of Manning's eventual successor. 

Dave Gettleman is well aware of how many fans and players feel about him. The Giants GM has made a string of curious decisions since taking over the job at the end of the 2017 season that has opened him up as a punching bag for fans and media alike. 

"People make fun of me," Gettleman told Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated. "If it makes them happy, let them have it. I don't care. I just know I'm blessed. I've got the Lord and my family and I've got football."

Gettleman explained some of those decisions, or at least the philosophy behind his decision-making, in a lengthy SI profile of the Giants GM. Here are some of the topics he addressed:

Things have cooled down for the Giants since they opened training camp with a string of injuries and a potential suspension, but head coach Pat Shurmur still had plenty to address during his press conference at Monday's practice. 

Here are the key takeaways:

The NFL had reportedly warned current Redskins and former Giants safety Landon Collins to cool it after he said he would "run over" New York's General Manager Dave Gettleman on the sideline if he could this year.

Despite that, Collins still appears to have plenty of negative feelings towards the team that made him a second-round draft pick. 

Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Collins continued discussing his less-than-happy feelings toward the G-men. 

The horrific mass shooting that occurred in El Paso, Texas this weekend hit home for Giants G Will Hernandez. 

Hernandez lived in the city for years during his days playing for The University of Texas at El Paso, and after hearing about the tragic event, he quickly reached out to as many people as possible to make sure they were OK.  

"The first thing I did was I contact all my close friends back in El Paso; everybody was fine thankfully," Hernandez told the media after practice on Monday. "It's still something horrible and I can't imagine what some of the families living there or some of the effect, or people that knew the affected are going through right now. Even though I'm here in New York, I quickly sent out prayers, my love out to the city. That city is really important to me.

As he enters his second season with the Giants, linebacker Alec Ogletree knows there is room for improvement. 

The 27-year-old played in 13 games for the Giants last season, intercepting five passes while running two of them back for touchdowns. He also broke up eight passes and added a sack. Still, Ogletree knows there are areas of his game that he can step up in 2019.

Barring an unlikely turn of events, Giants wide receiver Golden Tate is expected to miss the first four games of the season while he serves a suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. 

But head coach Pat Shurmur still likes what he's seen from the first-year Giant so far in camp.

"He's got a way of getting open in the short area," Shurmur said. "Even though we're not tackling to the ground, you can see he's got good run-after-catch [ability]."

Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard fractured his left thumb last week, but he's apparently already making strides towards a full return to action.

On Friday, Shepard participated in team drills. Initially, he was not wearing the yellow no-contact jersey, as he caught passes from from Eli Manning during 11-on-11 drills. Shepard was even seen catching a pass with both hands, where he had been using only his right hand in drills since the injury.

Later in practice, though, Shepard was seen wearing the no-contact jersey once again.

The inability to challenge a clearly missed call in the NFC Championship game may have cost the Saints a Super Bowl appearance, and the league is determined not to let that happen again. Coaches can now challenge pass interference penalties, which should solve the problem -- in theory.

However, don't count the members of the New York Giants as supporters of the new rule.

"I mean, it could be a train wreck," Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins told NJ Advance Media. "We've got to deal with the consequences."

Giants safety Jabrill Peppers is the latest teammate that rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has impressed this summer.

According to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, the selection of Jones by the Giants was praised much more league-wide. Peppers remembers the boos and questioning that took place the moment Jones became his teammate on draft night.

But Peppers now defers to the eye test. 

With their third round draft pick, the Giants selected outside linebacker Oshane Ximines at pick 95 overall. The 6 foot 4 inch linebacker became the first player ever drafted out of Old Domininon.

During an interview with SNY, he was asked about how the jump from a small school to the NFL has been for him.

"I feel like the biggest jump was the playbook and the complexity of it, but once you get out on the field it's just football man, no matter who you're playing against, it's the same thing you've been doing your whole life."

The Giants' wide receiving corps has taken a big hit early on with Sterling Shepard injured, Golden Tate facing a four-game suspension, and Corey Coleman out for the season with a torn ACL. That was expected to be the top three players on the depth chart, but now things have changed here quickly in East Rutherford. 

But with the losses, other receivers are beginning to step up. 

Cody Latimer, entering his fifth year in the league, is looking to take advantage of this opportunity that will likely see him get many reps to start the season. The former second-round pick by the Broncos didn't pan out well in Denver, and after four years with the squad, they didn't mind moving on from him. 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - There were boos on draft night when the Giants picked Daniel Jones sixth overall, and he was booed when he threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium a few weeks later. He was considered a reach pick by many, a symbol of a desperate, lost franchise, and proof that their embattled general manager didn't have a clue.

All that, though, was coming from outside of the NFL.

Though Wednesday's training camp was closed to the general public, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and QB Daniel Jones took to the podium.

Here are some of their noteworthy insights:

Shurmur on Corey Ballentine's progress

With injuries and a suspension sidelining the Giants' top three receivers, the team is desperate for any wideout help it can get. However, the team's latest volunteer to catch Eli Manning's passes is definitely an unexpected source.

Newly acquired safety Jabrill Peppers proved after practice Tuesday that when he says he wants to help the team however possible, he really means it.

"I think I could do whatever I put my mind to," Peppers told NJ Advance Media.

As Dexter Lawrence learns the NFL ropes during his first training camp with the Giants, he's doing so at a new position. 

At Clemson, the future 17th overall pick mainly played either over the ball as a nose tackle, or as a one-technique defensive tackle when Clemson showed a 4-3 look. Throughout his early practices with the Giants, though, Lawrence has been used more often as a defensive end, lining up on the guards' outside shoulder in the three-technique.

It's certainly been an adjustment for the 6-foot-4, 342-pound Lawrence, but he's excited about the new opportunity. 

One intriguing storyline heading into the new NFL season was two top quarterbacks from the 2018 NFL Draft will be battling head-to-head twice a year in Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen. The latter was traded away from the Cardinals after Kyler Murray went No. 1 overall this year, and many were looking forward to these two gunslingers going at it in the AFC East for years to come. 

But, while Darnold is set to start his sophomore season under center again, the same can't be said for Rosen at the moment. 

Dolphins new head coach Brian Flores said on Tuesday that a former Jet in Ryan Fitzpatrick is actually leading the quarterback race in Miami at the moment. 

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Pat Shurmur said it's business as usual as he installs his Giants offense this summer, preparing as if receiver Golden Tate will be in the Opening Day lineup.

But the reality is, he almost certainly won't be.

The 30-year-old Tate may be appealing the four-game suspension he got for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, but "there's almost no way" his appeal will be successful, according to an NFL source. Multiple other sources agreed, saying the NFL's policy is "unforgiving" and "rigid."