Presser Points: Takeaways from Coach Brian Daboll

Following an extended break, the New York Giants (1-3) returned to the practice fields on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s road game against the Seattle Seahawks (3-1). This will be the fourth meeting in five seasons between the NFC foes, and the third across the country for the Giants in that span.

Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media before practice to preview the matchup. Here’s what you need to know:

📰 Wide receiver Malik Nabers, who leads the NFL in catches and ranks second in receiving yards, did not practice on Wednesday. The sensational rookie is still in the “early stages” of the concussion protocol after he went down late in Thursday’s home loss to Dallas. The Giants will take it “day by day” with him.

📰 Starting running back Devin Singletary appeared on the injury report for the first time this season with a groin injury, which he suffered against the Cowboys and kept him out of practice on Wednesday. Daboll doesn’t think it is a long-term situation. “He’s going to do some stuff on the side. We’ll see where he’s at. He ran on Monday. I’m hopeful for him. But, again, a couple more days to see where he’s at.”

📰 Cornerbacks Dru Phillips and Adoree’ Jackson, who both missed the past two games with calf injuries, also did not practice. They have “made progress” and the hope is the “next couple days we can see more progress out of them, so they’ll be ready to go. But I can’t say they will be. We’ve got to make sure we see it.”

📰 Inside linebacker Matthew Adams (quad) returned to practice as the Giants opened the 21-day window for him to be activated off injured reserve, where has been since the 53-man roster announcement on Aug. 27. Adams, who has 89 games of NFL experience (including four in the postseason and 13 regular-season starts), signed with the Giants this offseason after he spent his first four seasons with the Colts and then one apiece with the Bears and Browns.

📰 With Nabers out, Daboll said Jalin Hyatt will get more reps than usual in practice. “Everybody’s got to be ready to go.”

📰 Daboll praised the “position flexibility” of cornerback Nick McCloud. “McCloud has done a lot of different things for us, I would say, not just on defense but in the kicking game. So, there’s flexibility there. Like you said, he’s played outside and he’s played inside. It’s like a fourth receiver, if you will, that can play multiple positions because they’re going to have to if they’re not the starters. So, that’s important.”

📰 Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is “playing at a high level” and has “command” of the new offense under Ryan Grubb, who served as offensive coordinator at the University of Washington the previous two years. “It looks like (Smith) has command of what he’s doing. He has, I would say, very, very good skill players around and he gives those guys chances. When (DK) Metcalf is one-on-one, you saw it the other night, it’s an inside fade. He’s a hard man to cover, how big and strong and fast he is. (Jaxon) Smith-Njigba has really come along. He’s doing a great job in the slot. (Tyler) Lockett is Lockett. He’s been a consistent pro throughout his career. Then you add this (running back Kenneth) Walker (III), who I think is one of the better backs in the league. He was obviously excellent at Michigan State. He is tough. He’s elusive. He breaks tackles. (Running back Zach) Charbonnet is a good player too. I think Geno is a guy that leads it all. Does a good job of getting the ball to those playmakers. (Tight end Noah) Fant at tight end as well. They all have good roles, good players, and Geno has, I think, for the last couple of years, been playing at a high level.”

📰 Daboll has a “tremendous amount of respect” for first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. “They’ve started out fast. They’ve got three good wins under their belt. It’s a tough place to play at Seattle.”

📰 Macdonald, who spent nine of the last 10 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, runs his own style. “Obviously, there’s roots. That’s where he came up. He was at Michigan, did his own thing at Michigan. He was at Baltimore when we played him. You can go back and watch that game, but that was years within the system, so the system starts out and I think Mike has evolved the system the way that he likes to call it. He’s a good coach. I got a chance to meet him at the owner’s meetings really for the first time. I had a good conversation with him. Smart guy.”

📰 On the Giants’ pass rush: “We have quite a bit more sacks at this time of the year than we did last year, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Those four guys are starting to gel in terms of pass rush games and communication, and that’s a work in progress. There’s been some good and there’s been some, obviously, things we can keep on working.”

📰 Daboll said the Giants liked Ohio State product Smith-Njigba in the draft evaluation process. “He’s got very good feel in the slot.”

📰 Opponents “can’t simulate the strength, the size, and the speed” of Metcalf in practice. “But you do the best job you can out here. He’s a talented, talented guy who has all those qualities: big, fast, strong, explosive, competitive, plays the right style. He’s a good player.”

📰 On former Giants defensive back and team captain Julian Love, who made the Pro Bowl in his first season with Seattle: “Again, another guy that he’s a very smart player. We knew that, obviously, here. Instinctive. He’s made a couple really good plays for them at the start of this year. I know he’s out, has a quad. We’ll see where he’s at. But, that type of guy, with the right mindset, that works the right way, you really wouldn’t expect anything else.”

📰 The atmosphere at Seattle’s Lumen Field is “electric” and a “hard place to play.” The Giants will try to simulate the noise the best they can. “Communication can be an issue. … The way you practice it is you blare it as loud as you can blare it and make it hard for those guys to communicate during practice because it’s usually pretty loud there. So, it’s a cool place to play just with the atmosphere and their fan base. It makes it challenging on an offense communication-wise at times.”