It’s been an interesting offseason for the New York Giants and in particular, for Sterling Shepard, who is entering his fourth season in the league.
Earlier this year, Shepard saw his good friend, Odell Beckham Jr., get traded to the Cleveland Browns. Not long after, Shepard landed himself a nice lucrative extension with Big Blue to keep him in a Giants uniform through 2023.
Now that training camp is upon us, it’s back to work for Shepard and the Giants. On Wednesday, Shepard was asked about his increased role in the offense and how he feels about the team in 2019.
“That’s the goal, but I’m really focused on the team and getting us back on the right track,” Shepard said. “The past few seasons isn’t the way Giants football has been played in the past, and that’s my main focus. I’m not really focused on personal stats, I just want to get this team rolling.”
It is certainly nice to see Shepard sharing a similar team mentality that Saquon Barkley has recently stressed.
Even with the increased role, Shepard knows he has to lead both on and off the field.
“I think both. I’m the longest tenured guy in the receiver room, so I have to make sure all the guys are in line. I have Golden Tate with me, who’s been around the game for a long time, so he knows how things are supposed to be done, and we’re just going to take it from there,” Shepard said.
With an improved offensive line and solid weapons all around Eli Manning, the offense should be improved. Shepard didn’t rule out the Giants having a dynamic offense this coming season.
“Without a doubt. We have a lot of playmakers, we’ve got guys that make great plays after the catch, we’ve got a great running back in Saquon Barkley, and you know our quarterback situation as well. Eli’s [Manning] been doing this for a while and he knows what it takes to win. So, I feel like we do — we just have to gel it all together,” Shepard said.
It will be interesting to see what the offense can do with the major changes in the receiving corps. Shepard his some big shoes to fill but he has shown flashes of brilliance in his young NFL career.
