On Friday afternoon, the New York Giants officially announced the signing of veteran cornerback James Bradberry and held an introductory conference call — the first free agent addition to meet with the media this year.
Here are five things we learned from Bradberry:
Giants “came out of nowhere”
As we shared on Friday, Bradberry was surprised to end up with the Giants, who were actively engaged in trying to sign Byron Jones.
“Honestly, he reached out to my agent. I really didn’t talk to (Dave) Gettleman. They came out of nowhere and made an offer, I didn’t even expect them to make an offer. He already knew the type of guy I was, and I already knew the type of guy he was. I already knew what type of organization he was trying to build over there in New York. I knew it was nothing but positive,” Bradberry said.
Coronavirus complicating things
Unsurprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted Bradberry as it has all other Americans and most around the world.
Although Bradberry has managed to sign his Giants contract, he has not yet visited facilities in East Rutherford and likely won’t until the virus has passed. It has also impacted his ability to train this offseason.
“Initially, free agency was going smooth until the coronavirus came around. When it became official that I was going with the Giants, it didn’t hit me yet. I don’t think it still has hit me yet. I feel like after we get everything figured out and the coronavirus, everyone is safe and whatnot. I feel like it will hit me when I am able to come up and visit,” Bradberry said.
“Right now, I am in Charlotte. My training has kind of come to a halt because of trying to keep your social distancing, trying to keep a safe distance from everyone. Making sure you are not spreading the virus or contracting the virus. I have been working out here and there trying to get it in by any means.
“I think just having a routine as far as working out the best you can. Getting on the bicycle, riding the bike around the neighborhood and making sure your legs are conditioned. Communicating with the coaches and trying to get as much information from them as possible. Just little, small things. Mainly just staying in shape. That’s the biggest thing.”
Bradberry ready to mentor
Head coach Joe Judge has made it abundantly clear he won’t sign players to come in and serve as teachers, but he also won’t prevent veterans from mentoring young players.
With a pack of young pups in tow, that’s exactly what Bradberry will be doing in East Rutherford and he’s perfectly fine with that.
“In my third year, when Donte Jackson came, of course, he was already an elite athlete. I didn’t have to coach him up on that. His technique was superb, especially because he played a lot of press man (coverage). For me, I was just trying to help him just learn how to break down film and watch film, and make sure I stayed on top of him about watching tape because that’s how you anticipate routes, within film coverage. I feel like he improved in that going into his second year. Of course, he had a standout rookie year. I feel like that was all a tribute to his talents. I helped out a little bit here and there,” Bradberry said.
“I followed [the Giants DBS] on Instagram but I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to them. I’d rather introduce myself to them and meet them in person. It goes a lot smoother than text messages or DMs. But honestly, I really haven’t watched a whole lot of film on those guys. But I did watch DeAndre Baker coming out of college and I saw a really good athlete. I’m looking forward to working with him. I’m looking forward to working with him and the rest of the guys, honestly. I don’t want to single one person out.”
History with some Giants
Bradberry won’t arrive in East Rutherford blind. There are a few Giants he knows on a personal level, is friends with or has trained with. Linebacker David Mayo is among them.
“I know David Mayo, I know Rashaan Gaulden and I know Chad Slade,” Bradberry said. “I reached out to those guys. They had nothing but positive things to say about it. They pretty much love the city, love the facilities, and I heard the food is good.”
Go out and do it
Bradberry is a pretty blunt guy and he doesn’t offer much fluff when it comes to his job on Sundays. In fact, his motto is as simple and straightforward as it gets: “go out and do it.”
“Honestly, my motto is just go out there and do it. There’s no point in being scared of it or hiding back from it. Just embrace the challenge, accept it and make sure you put the time in so that when it’s time to play on Sunday, that you’re able to perform at your highest level, put on a good show for the fans and also get a win,” Bradberry said.
