RB Shane Vereen
June 9, 2017
Q: How are you doing?
A: Doing good. Happy to be back, couldn't be happier to be back and getting back into football.
Q: Any limitations?
A: I'm feeling good. The trainers and coaches are taking it day by day, and so am I. Hopefully, we'll be ready to go by week one.
Q: When were you really feeling better? At what point did you really start working out?
A: It was sometime in the offseason. It wasn't really much of an offseason for me, I had to continue to rehab, continue to get better, so that I could be prepared and ready for OTAs.
Q: What have you seen as progress in the running game?
A: We're working hard, we're working really hard. I think we have a young guy in Perk [Paul Perkins] who’s getting a lot better this year. The o-line is getting stronger each and every year that I've been here, they've made improvements. We're taking the step in the right direction, so I think the sky is the limit right now and we're just going to keep working and improve that part of our offense.
Q: What is it like to be the veteran at this position?
A: It's weird being the oldest guy in the room. But, it's a fun experience for me. I don't feel old yet. Just trying to get all the young guys on board and try to teach them the right ways to do things.
Q: Why did the same injury happen twice?
A: I'm not a doctor, but I think I rushed it a little bit too quick the first time. So, this time around, we're definitely taking our time, we're definitely making sure the muscle is strong enough, and the tendons are strong enough. So that way, I don't miss any more time on the field.
Q: Can you compete for a starting job, or do you think you're going to have that third-down role?
A: Always competing, that's the glory of our offense, and that's the best part of our running back room. There is no set position; everyone is competing for play time. I think that when you have that type of healthy competition, it brings out the best in everybody.
Q: Were you surprised that Coach McAdoo said that Paul [Perkins] was going to be the starter?
A: No, not at all. Paul is a great back and everybody saw that last year. Everybody is excited to see what he can do, and what this offense can do this season.
Q: Were you surprised that anybody was going to be named a starter this soon?
A: No, not at all. We all stand behind Coach McAdoo. There is really nothing that is surprising to any of us, he's very honest with all of us.
Q: With the depth on this team, how do you reconcile with getting numbers and yards and touchdowns?
A: You don't. You get W’s and let everything else fall as it may. It's a team game and at the end of the day, if the team wins, then everyone is winning.
Q: How much can the receiving corps help the running game?
A: Huge. I think the more weapons an offense has, the more you keep the defense off balance. The more it opens up the run game, opens up the pass game, they both work hand and hand.
Q: What do you think the potential for this offense is?
A: We're definitely striving to be better than we were last year. I think last year, we knew we could be better, but we never really played to it. So, I think this year, we worked harder already in spring, just to be better than we were. We know the potential that we have, we have a lot of talented guys in the system right now. Most guys have been the system three to four years now. So now it's about time for everything to start clicking.
Q: What do you make from last year? What theory do you have as to why it didn't click?
A: It's just one thing led to another. When you can't stay on track on first or second down, then it’s third down. You get into third down situations, it's the NFL, third and long is third and long and it's difficult for any offense. We just got ourselves in too many tough situations. Hard to get rhythm and those are the things that we're working on this year.
Q: Did you have any uncertainty that you weren't going to be back this year?
A: After the second time, it was definitely tough for me. I wanted to be back and I tried as hard as I could to get back to the team. At that point, I felt that I let a lot of the guys down but, we're back now. New year, new season and looking forward to contributing this year.
Q: What were your thoughts on the Giants coming to you about your contract?
A: I understood it. I wasn't surprised by it, they were very forthcoming. They were very honest with me about it, that’s what we needed to get done, so we got it done. I'm ready to move forward and ready to work.
Q: How hard is it to not think about your future?
A: This is the NFL. It's a business and really there is no certainty, no matter what year of the contract that you're in. You just got to come out and you got to work and let the chips fall as they may.
Q: Do you like having a Cal quarterback around?
A: Love it. The more Cal guys the better around here, that's for sure.
Q: How does he look?
A: He's learning. He's got a plate full, but he's making plays and it looks like he's having fun out there. So, I like it.
