Giants safety Xavier McKinney champing at the bit to get season rolling
Giants safety Xavier McKinney participates in team drills during training camp in East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug, 9. Credit: Noah K. Murray
The Giants still have one preseason game left. In the days that follow Sunday’s matchup against the Jets, they will be busy making roster cuts, waiver claims and trades.
There’s a lot to do in the two weeks before they head to Nashville for their regular-season opener against the Titans.
But the defense?
“I think we’re ready,” safety Xavier McKinney said Friday. “I think we’ve done a great job getting prepared and making sure we are conditioned, tightening up the little things in plays. I think the coaches have done a great job of getting us ready. We’ll play that [last preseason game] and then off to the season.”
For his part, McKinney has been getting ready for the Titans since the schedule came out in the spring.
“I was already preparing for that Week 1 game before we started OTAs and everything,” he said of video study. “It was just to get a head start and see little things. Obviously, you don’t have too much information that early, but I found out as much as I could. I found some good stuff. We’ll see if it holds true or not.”
Asked how eager he is to turn things around for the franchise and start winning, he said: “Pretty impatient.”
Notes & quotes: The Giants brought back two former players — K Ryan Santoso and WR Travis Toivonen — and released S Andrew Adams. Santoso will kick Sunday while Graham Gano remains in concussion protocol . . . Coach Brian Daboll said he has not decided if and how much he will play his starters, and added that those conversations will go into Saturday . . . Projected starting LG Shane Lemieux, who hurt his toe/foot in the preseason opener, likely won’t be back in time for the Week 1 game, Daboll said. He might miss more than that. “I wouldn’t anticipate him anytime soon,” Daboll said . . . WRs Darius Slayton and Kadarius Toney, both dealing with injuries, could play Sunday, Daboll said. Sterling Shepard, recently activated off the PUP list from a left Achilles injury, will not play.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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