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Monday Media Transcript: RB Shane Vereen

Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/7/2017 4:24 pm
RB Shane Vereen

August 7, 2017

Q: Saw you running on the side a little bit, how are you feeling?

A: I feel pretty good. I’m happy to be back out there today full-go. I’m happy to be out there.

Q: Can you get a sense of this team or is it too early?

A: You can get some of the sense of this team. You can definitely get the sense that everyone’s here to work. I see a lot of enthusiasm even though these are the dog days of camp where everyone’s getting tired, but I still think we’re progressing each and every day. I still think, as an offense, we’re getting better each and every day, working out some kinks here and there. Going against a defense like we have, we have no choice but to get better.

Q: Where is the running game right now?

A: It’s a work in progress just like everything else at this point. It’s definitely, in the running back room, I can say it’s a priority… We all take pride in ourselves and in the run game. We’re working very hard.

Q: We (the media) talked to QB Eli Manning about how the first preseason game determines the physicality of the team and whether the run game is going to take off. Do you think that’s true?

A: I would definitely say that the physicality and the run game go hand-in-hand. The games that get a little more physical, I think we’re going to be better, and vice versa. Same with practice. When the offense is more physical, the run game has been working, so I think they go hand-in-hand.

Q: Is your workload precautionary right now as far as taking care of your body?

A: I take care of my body as best as I can. Other than that, the reps are up to the coaches and the training staff. But when my number is called, I’m excited to go in there and do what I need to do.

Q: You mean you feel okay?

A: Yeah, I feel pretty good.

Q: Is this a team that likes each other?

A: Yeah, I would say so. Since my time here, this is now my third year, the team has gotten much closer in those three years. We’re as close as I’ve ever seen.

Q: We see videos on social media of you guys dancing in the locker room. Are they an indication of the lightheartedness of the team?

A: It’s an indication of who we are. When it’s football, it’s football; it’s business. But when we get some time to hang out and just be guys in the locker room, we have to have fun with it.

Q: What’s it like to have RBs Paul Perkins and Wayne Gallman look up to you as a veteran leader?

A: It’s kind of weird. For the longest time, I looked at myself as being the young guy looking up. Now, I know I have to speak up a little more and help them in the ways that I was helped when I was a young guy entering the league.

Q: Coming off an injury, does that make preseason play more important for a player like you?

A: Maybe not more or less important. I definitely want to get back in the rhythm of things, the speed of the game, kind of just getting my feet wet with that. I’ve been doing this for a while, and the start of preseason is just about getting ready to go.

Q: How have you become a niche running back due to your receiving ability and your elusiveness after the catch? Is that a role you enjoy?

A: Coaching. Ever since I could remember: high school, college, I’ve always been held to the role of making one guy miss, have to make the first guy miss. I think most backs in this league go by that rule. Breaking tackles is what leads to big plays. Being able to be elusive, get open and do what you’re asked to do. That’s just part of my role.

Q: With RB Paul Perkins taking a majority of the reps with the first team, are you thinking to yourself that you want those reps?

A: Oh, absolutely. I think that’s what makes our (running back) group so great. How we push each other, I see the guys making big plays. In the last couple of practices, I haven’t been playing. All I want to do now is get out there and make some plays, and it goes vice versa. At the end of the day, we’ll all be better for it.

Q: How thin is the line of reporting an injury for yourself, and how much is it letting the coaching staff know how much you want to be on the injury report?

A: I can only speak for myself. I’ve never once wanted to be put on the injury report in any way, shape or form. I hate injuries and being hurt, but that’s football. You could be playing football hurt most of the season, but you can’t really play injured. You have to be smart with it; you have to be able to control yourself in practice. But I’ve never been one to enjoy the sideline.

Q: Do you think a lot of guys feel like what Patriots QB Tom Brady said, that their injuries are no one’s business but mine?

A: Absolutely. I strongly feel that way, because then, so much speculation comes out. Without that, it’s already hard enough getting back. Plus, the speculation and all those other things coming at you make it even more difficult. I think with my injuries, if I can keep it to myself, I can work and get back with the team.

Q: Is it more important to get it out there early about the team’s Super Bowl aspirations or is it understood?

A: I think both ways work. It kind of just depends on the group of guys. Right now, I’d definitely say that it’s a goal of ours. But it’s a goal of 31 other teams right now. We know our expectations. We keep our expectations high. We keep raising the bar for ourselves as a team and keep chasing it.
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