There is no official demarcation, no record or statistic, but be assured the Giants are already winners this summer. They successfully navigated through the minefield that is the spring organized team activities, training camp practices and, most dangerously, the four preseason games and came out the other side with their lineup almost fully intact.
It is the prime directive for every team, and the Giants did it better than most. All a head coach asks is to get his players to the regular season, healthy and available, and thanks to smarts, good fortune and a new-age, less-is-more approach to training, Ben McAdoo takes a largely, and, remarkably, healthy roster — no, we did not forget about Odell Beckham Jr.’s sprained ankle — into Sunday night’s mega-opening against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
At worst, it looks as if the Giants will have 10 of their 11 starters on offense and 10 of their 11 starters on defense raring to go. Considering the way players around the league go down, and then out, on a daily basis, the Giants are stacked, and thus, have no excuses for what happens next.
McAdoo’s insistence on giving his veterans days off, his backing off after a hard, padded practice, his “fresh Fridays’’ and recovery days all produced the desired results. Looking back, the addition last year of Aaron Wellman as the strength and conditioning coach might be McAdoo’s best hire.
Sterling Shepard put a scare into the Giants early in training camp when he went down with what at first looked to be a serious lower leg injury — he missed about a week with a mildly sprained ankle. Eli Apple has fought through issues with both ankles but he will be ready to roll this week. Brandon Marshall banged up a shoulder against the Browns but was back at it this week and promises it will not hold him back in any way. Linebacker Keenan Robinson, an important contributor in coverage in sub packages, is dealing with a concussion and until he clears the protocol, his status for the opener is in doubt.
The only starter, other than Beckham, who might not be available Sunday is defensive tackle Jay Bromley, who has a strained knee. Bromley, though, was able to partake in some limited work Monday, so he should not be ruled out.
Of course, “other than Beckham’’ is not a disclaimer the Giants or their fans want to consider, given his status as a difference-maker whenever he steps onto the field. There is no way to tell just yet if he will be able to play in the opener, though it is becoming increasingly apparent even if he is in uniform, he will not be at full strength.
Odell Beckham injures his ankle on a tackle by the Browns’ Briean Boddy-Calhoun.APThe rehab for ankle injuries usually follows a normal course, and Beckham is not as far along as desired, considering he was hurt Aug. 21 in Cleveland and no one has seen him running yet. He will have to jog then run in a straight line, wait a day to determine how much soreness he can tolerate before adding cutting into the running regime. Only then can he actually practice with his teammates.
Wednesday is a key day for Beckham, as it is the first real workday designed specifically for the Cowboys. If he is not, at the very least, running off on the side, it is an ominous sign. Still, if Beckham cannot make it back for this game, he should be ready for the Lions in Week 2. All in all, the Giants got here mostly unscathed.




