If you don’t have something nice to say …
That was the approach Jets stud cornerback Sauce Gardner took after Wednesday’s joint practice with the Giants in Florham Park.
The Jets defense certainly “won’’ the battle with Daniel Jones and the Giants and afterward, Gardner was asked for his assessment of Jones.
“He’s a good quarterback, you feel me?’’ Gardner said. “I thought I was about to pick him off. … He had looked at the last minute to try to throw a check-down to Wan’Dale [Robinson]. I thought I had the pick but he kept it.’’
Gardner then paused and looked uneasy as he thought about what else to say about Jones.
At one point, he glanced over to a Jets media relations representative, almost looking for guidance or a way out from behind the podium.
“It was very competitive,’’ he said. “I had fun out there. I don’t even know what to say.’’
Gardner later addressed the pause in the interview, tweeting: “I said ‘he’s a good quarterback,’ I just got a lil distracted with something mid interview ….”
Gardner had more to say after the Jets stopped the Giants in the two-minute drill and then Jets backup quarterback (and former Giant) Tyrod Taylor capped the day by hitting Jason Brownlee for a touchdown on the final play.
Gardner celebrated by blowing kisses to the Jets fans in attendance and waved goodbye to the Giants players as they walked off the field.
“I mean, they can do that, they won on the day,’’ Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers said. “Their defense came out here, executed well, we beat ourselves today. It’s about really going back into our playbook, going back into trying to be us, trying to find this team what we’re trying to look for.’’
The last time the Giants participated in a joint practice it cost the organization $200,000, which is what the NFL fined the Giants and Lions for multiple fights during the two days working together.
Coach Brian Daboll said he issued the same warning this time to his team. “We don’t want to fight,’’ he said. “I said that the last time.’’
There were no major scuffles this time around between the two teams that share MetLife Stadium.
Daboll cleared up a mini-mystery: Why was Tommy DeVito and not Drew Lock the next quarterback after Jones to take a rep during Tuesday’s practice?
Daboll said the play call on that one rep was for a pass and “Drew wasn’t going to make that potential throw yet.’’
Lock is dealing with a hip issue and he did not take part in the team periods against the Jets.
Several players did not make the bus ride and instead stayed behind at the Giants facility to continue their rehabs: TE Lawrence Cager, G Jon Runyan Jr., LB Micah McFadden, KR Gunner Olszewski, CB Cor’Dale Flott, LB Matthew Adams, LB D’yonte Johnson, S Gervarrius Owens and S Jonathan Sutherland.
Rookie RB Tyrone Tracy (ankle) is no longer on the injury report.