WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Could the Giants win the game or, at the very least, force overtime?
That was the situational challenge of the two-minute drill presented to the offense to finish off practice on Day 3 of training camp at the Sports Performance Center at The Greenbrier resort. On the flip side, the defense was tasked with closing the game out. The offense was trailing 20-17 with 44 seconds remaining, getting the ball on its own 39-yard line. Not much was needed to pick up the necessary yardage to at least get off a field goal attempt.
The starting offense could not get it done.
The first-down play was whistled to a halt, as Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux were determined to have “sacked” Jaxson Dart. On second down, Dart on a check-down under pressure from Burns hit Tyrone Tracy Jr. for an 8-yard pickup. The key third-down conversion never happened. There was some confusion, but it looked as if a penalty on the offense allowed the clock to expire.
Head coach John Harbaugh said, “I don’t remember,’’ when asked what went down to ruin the final play of that botched offensive series.
“It’s like after a game, you know what I mean?’’ Harbaugh said. “It’s hard to tell what happened. It was going fast. I probably just wanted them off the field. It’s practice, move on to the next one.’’
Jameis Winston with the second-team offense was able to get in field goal range, and Ben Sauls connected to force overtime. The third-team offense directed by Brandon Allen did the same, with Sauls again hitting the field goal. That is where practice should have ended for the day, but Harbaugh wanted to see if his starting unit could make amends.
This series looked better, at first. On first down, Dart hit Calvin Austin III for a 27-yard pickup. Dart then spiked the ball to stop the clock. His second-down pass fell incomplete. On third down, already in field goal range, Dart looked over the middle, but his pass was picked off by an unlikely player, as defensive tackle Darius Alexander leaped to reach the ball and it stuck in his hands for a game-ending interception.
“Well, he’s trying to get yards,’’ Harbaugh said, referring to Dart. “I think we were in field goal range, so he’s got to make that decision, probably not to do that. Maybe he didn’t see the defensive lineman. There’s a lot of nuances to that course. Obviously, it’s not a circumstance you want to throw an interception.’’
Throwing one in training camp can be viewed as a learning experience.
“You put the quarterback in a tough spot out here,’’ Harbaugh said. “Do you want him pushing the envelope? Or are you going to criticize him for throwing a pick in training camp? I mean, it’s training camp. We’re working through all these things, and you do want him pushing the envelope. You want him competing out there. That’s part of what this is all for.’’
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