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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants have become the latest NFL team to use a drone to videotape a portion of practice.
The Giants entered the high-tech surveillance field Wednesday when they used a DJI Phantom 3 drone to videotape a part of the second day of a mandatory veterans minicamp.
The drone hovered at 50 to 60 feet over the grass field next to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center and gave coaches a chance to study plays from a straight overhead angle.
The Giants' football video department practiced using the drone above an unoccupied field for three weeks before doing it Wednesday.
Coach Tom Coughlin deferred comment until he has more detail regarding exactly what the drone will provide, and has had an opportunity to review the video shot from the drone.
Punter Steve Weatherford and placekicker Josh Brown saw the drone and quipped they even thought about kicking it out of the sky.
"Josh was saying: 'It's not that high up there,'" Weatherford said. "And I said: 'Dude, look at the drone and look at the top of our indoor facility. It's higher (indoors).' Obviously I can hit the top of the indoor facility but you have to hit a pretty good ball to hit the drone. Like a really big ball."
After a split second, Weatherford finished the thought.
"It's definitely doable," he said. "They won't be putting that up there while I am punting."
While the kickers plotted, several players were oblivious to the white drone. Quarterbacks Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib admitted they didn't even noticed it.
Several NFL teams have tested drones this spring, including the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.
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