Nick McCloud plays with ‘whole bag’ of chips on shoulder

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jerome Henderson said it is inaccurate to attach the cliché about having a chip on your shoulder to cornerback Nick McCloud.

“If you know Nick McCloud, he carries a chip, a whole bag of them around all the time,” said Henderson, the Giants’ defensive backs/defensive passing game coordinator.

That bag of chips might help McCloud earn a spot on the first team defense.

The Giants’ position coaches spoke to the media today for the first time since training camp opened and Henderson is unique among them with two starting jobs up for grabs. They are the corner position opposite Deonte Bank and the safety spot next to Jason Pinnock.

Cor’Dale Flott has been working on the outside with the first team throughout camp, with McCloud mostly at nickel corner. But Flott did not play in the preseason opener against Detroit because of a quad injury, and it’s uncertain when he may return. That gives McCloud, a fourth-year pro with 11 career starts, the prospect of securing a starting role.

McCloud was one of numerous prospective starters who got the night off vs. the Lions but are expected to see action Saturday in Houston.

“Definitely a huge opportunity,” McCloud said. “I don’t think I’m just trying to take this opportunity to go win a job. Every time I step on the practice field, I’m trying to win a job. Whatever reps that I get, those are valuable reps. I went from last year, I didn’t get any reps with the ones and the twos, really. Now I’m getting some reps. I just take every opportunity at practice, game, whatever it may be, just try to maximize that.”

“Really just going back to my roots,” said McCloud, who is beginning his third Giants season. “Three-star recruit out of high school. I really didn’t get much love coming out of high school. Just going through the stuff I went through in college, staying five years (four at North Carolina State, one at Notre Dame). And then obviously being undrafted. It’s not really hard for me to wake up with a chip on my shoulder. But I feel like I’m moving past that point of just trying to prove people wrong. Now I’m to the point to where the people who are in my corner, I’m just going to try to prove them right. So that’s just how I feel about that.”

“He goes into every situation with absolute confidence that he can go out there and that he’s a starter in this league and that he should be playing, and that’s his mentality since day one here,” Henderson said. “At the same time, he’s a great teammate.”

McCloud was one of 16 Giants to play all 17 games last season. He started three and finished with 22 tackles (17 solo) and one interception. In practice today, McCloud started on the outside but later moved to the slot with second-year pro Tre Hawkins stepping in at corner. Henderson said that versatility a reason McCloud is so valuable.

“He just does whatever you ask him to do, but he’s really, really ultra-competitive, ultra confident,” Henderson said. “He’s the guy and again, he’ll get his chance this weekend to be out there and we’ll see how it looks.”

The contenders for the open safety position are third-year pro Dane Belton and rookie second-round draft choice Tyler Nubin, who missed several practices with a calf injury. Because Pinnock didn’t play, they were the starting safety tandem in the victory against the Lions.

“Nubin hasn’t had a chance to be out there very much,” Henderson said. “He got his first real action in the game. Did some good stuff, and thought Dane played well, too. That position, we’re still working through that one. They’re both gonna get reps. So, we’ll see how that plays out. Dane has had a solid camp, had a really good camp. And then Nubin just hadn’t been able toas much as he’s got, but he’ll get that chance going forward.”