RB Paul Perkins
April 20, 2017
Q: You are a graduate now?
A: I am a graduate, college graduate, UCLA graduate.
Q: Congratulations. Are you graduating to starting RB too?
A: (Laughter) It is training camp right now, so just building the foundation right now, just trying to get it all situated.
Q: How much different is this offseason going to be for you? Obviously last year you were playing catch up from the get go…
A: Yeah, definitely this is my first experience coming to training camp, OTAs, so I’m definitely taking it all in and actually having a foundation to build off of, so that’s important for me.
Q: Obviously there is an opportunity here for you with (former Giants RB) Rashad (Jennings) gone— how did you process that news and how does it affect you do you think?
A: It doesn’t affect my mindset or my training habits at all. With Rashad here or Rashad gone, I am going to prepare and train like a starter. That is what I always say, so I thank Rashad for laying down a template for us to emulate.
Q: Have the coaches or anybody in the front office said there is a bigger role for you if you take it?
A: No, it is just everybody has the same opportunity right now with training camp, OTAs, so we are all competing for the starting job coming out here and working out.
Q: What do you feel like you need to improve on in year two?
A: Everything. I think I can always improve on pass blocking, picking up signals, recognizing defenses, making better cuts in and out.
Q: Did you do anything after the season as far as like just looking back at your whole season — because obviously when it’s going it is probably going in a blur, but what did you take away from it?
A: Yeah, I definitely looked at myself. I critiqued some of my running plays and some of my pass blocking during the offseason, so I’m looking forward to coming back here and working on them.
Q: What did you feel like you did well?
A: Toward the end of the season I felt more comfortable. The game definitely slowed down for me so I was able to make better runs.
Q: How many credits did you have to complete?
A: 15.
Q: Are you walking?
A: I walked last year around this time. I just needed to come back and finish up.
Q: So how did you finish up, online?
A: No, I had to go to class.
Q: Oh really?
A: Yeah, I had to actually go to class and sit down and take midterms and tests.
Q: What was that like?
A: It was dope. It was good being back in the college atmosphere, but I definitely don’t miss taking midterms and finals.
Q: So when did you actually finish?
A: March 24th.
Q: Did that start like immediately, when your offseason started basically?
A: Yeah, so as soon as we left here after Green Bay I went back to California. I was two, three weeks late so I had a midterm in two weeks and then I had to hit the ground running, really.
Q: The offense didn’t do what people wanted it to do last year— how do you feel like you are positioned to improve this year?
A: Yeah, the ceiling is high for us. We have a lot of playmakers both on offense and defense, which is going to help the offense out a lot, but on offense we have big time guys so I think that the sky is the limit for us.
Q: There is a buzz that the Giants might look at taking a RB, maybe a bigger guy to compliment you— do you think that is necessary? Is that a load kind of between the tackles that you feel you can handle as well?
A: Man, if I was making those types of decisions I’d be getting paid a lot more money (laughter), so whatever Coach McAdoo and (GM Jerry) Reese decide is perfect for us. We can always accept more compliments.
Q: Does it make any sense, or would you rather they didn’t?
A: Does it make sense? (Laughter) Like I said, if I was making those decisions I’d be getting paid a lot more money.
