WHITE SULPHER SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Ben Sauls' first field goal attempt of the New York Giants' training camp cleared the goalposts and the netting behind them and landed on the side of a hill in the shadows of the Allegheny Mountains.
That would not have happened back in north Jersey.
The Giants have ventured far from home for John Harbaugh's first camp as coach, escaping renovations at their facility to practice for a week and a half at The Greenbrier
Resort in the woods of West Virginia. That decision was made long before Harbaugh's arrival but the location is a fitting backdrop at a crucial time for the organization, giving players and staff an opportunity to bond as they get to work.
“This is like old school: It’s like what you see in the movies," second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart said after practice Wednesday. “I love it. I love the outdoors, so I feel right at home.. ... There’s not a ton of things to do around here, so it forces us to be together and we love each other as a team. I’m really excited about it.”
The Giants follow New Orleans, Houston and Cleveland as teams to hold camp at the Greenbrier, and others around the NFL have made stops at the posh, scenic spot over the years. Getting out of East Rutherford, New Jersey, was done out of necessity in the aftermath of FIFA World Cup games across the parking lot and work being done on the facility, but getting way out of dodge instead of picking another location nearby came about because the resort has hosted so many times before.
“We’re able to plug and play,” said general manager Joe Schoen, who got accustomed to going on the road for camp during his time working for Carolina and Buffalo. “The fields are excellent. The accommodations are great. So, for us, we looked locally at some places, and then we also looked down here, and this one just made the most sense for what our needs were.”
Harbaugh stayed home for his past 15 training camps with Baltimore after his first three took place at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He's leaning into the change, beginning the first meeting by playing John Denver's “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
“A lot of guys knew the words — I knew the words,” Harbaugh said. “Thrilled to be here.”
Linebacker Brian Burns saw a large bird fly overhead during practice but was equally thrilled not to see any bears close up. There is no shortage of wildlife around the facility, but he and his teammates are here to do a job, too.
“It’s peaceful: a lot of mountains, trees," Burns said. “It’s a peaceful view, but there’s a lot of chaos on the field.”
At multiple points over the past several months, there was lingering doubt about whether No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers would be ready for the season opener after tearing the ACL in his right knee in late September. The Giants added several experienced players at the position in free agency — including Odell Beckham Jr., Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin and JuJu Smith-Schuster — and drafted Malachi Fields in the third round.
But then Nabers did not start camp on the physically unable to perform list, and he was on the field for individual drills Wednesday. While that sparked optimism, the Giants are not letting on if they think Nabers is ahead of schedule or making any declarations about when he will be game ready.
“You can’t really put a timetable on it exactly," Harbaugh said. “You just see where it goes because we want him to be at his best. When he’s ready to be his best, he’ll be at his best. If you work hard every day, the body’s amazing, so he’s been doing that.”
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