WARE, England — This is the first time safety Xavier McKinney has ever been to England and he was not going to spend the scant free time he had holed up in his hotel room. He was not going to explore the rural area the Giants are staying in. McKinney had the big city in his sights and was set Friday to fight off sleep and head into London.
“I don’t even know what’s down there,” McKinney said Friday. “But I know there’s a lot of fashion, so that’s my lane. I’m going to be every place where there’s clothes at — that’s where I’m going to be at.’’
It was a fairly weary group of Giants travelers when their team charter touched down at Heathrow Airport around 7 a.m. Friday. They checked into Hanbury Manor Hotel and Country Club — located about one hour north of London — quickly got settled in and then hit the field for a walk-through practice without first adjusting to the five-hour time difference.
“Yeah, I’m tired,” Daniel Jones said. “We’re all pretty tired. We’ve got some time to rest.”
This is the first time Jones has been to Europe, but he said he would not venture into London until the Giants head there to play the Packers on Sunday, preferring to stay closer to the team hotel. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was headed into London for dinner and some shopping, but only after “not too long of a nap.”
Head coach Brian Daboll scheduled a light practice not long after the team arrived at the hotel, making sure no one got too cozy in their rooms. A full-sized football field, tucked into rolling hills, sat at the base of a small hill, creating an idyllic setting for the Giants to work out their weariness.
“It kind of felt, like, peaceful, in a way,” Lawrence said. “It’s just opened up to a whole bunch of fields, a little pond over there. We took a couple laps. It just felt peaceful. Get a little stretch. Almost like we are about to do some yoga or something. It was good.”
McKinney said “it felt like we were in a movie” as he looked at the scenery surrounding the lush green grass field.
“Everything looks super nice,’’ he said. “Everything looks clean. It feels fun. Obviously, I’ve never been here so I’m pretty excited. I know a lot of guys are too. A lot of guys haven’t been here, it’s their first time being here.”
Jones sounded a bit taken with playing overseas.
“I think it’s a cool experience just to think that we’re in London playing a football game,” he said. “You walk down the hill, and there’s pastures, there’s a golf course, and all of a sudden, you see a football field. That was pretty cool. It’s a cool field they set up here at the hotel. It’s a cool experience. We’re all excited to be over here.”