Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard
September 1, 2021
Q: What happened in Cleveland?
A: Oh, that’s in the past. We don’t need to talk about it.
Q: Not for us (laughs).
A: It’s in the past, we don’t need to talk about that. Things get heated though, it's training camp, you’re competing, it's hot out there and guys are emotional during this time. It's the time when you're trying to earn a job, so things can get heated, but we dapped it up afterwards and everything. We let bygones be bygones. Everything is cool now.
Q: Did you have the best training camp of your career?
A: I don’t think I've had a bad training camp, but I’ll definitely say this is one of the top ones. I can't tell you the reason why, but I feel like I worked my tail off over the offseason like I always do. I just came back, I was feeling great, my body feels good. I was able to get out there and perform.
Q: How's it been to finally be out there with (Wide Receiver) Kenny (Golladay) and (Wide Receiver) Kadarius (Toney). I know they've been fighting to get back, but in the last couple days, it seems like it's been the first time in a while.
A: Yeah, yesterday we had a walk through, but it was just great to have the guys back out there and just have them get a feel for being out there with the ones. Then also, today they ran routes on there, so it's good to see them get out there and actually run some routes and test out their hamstrings and see how it’s going.
Q: You played the whole summer without them, right? I'm wondering how different do you expect the offense to look when they do get on the field with you?
A: I don't really know, I haven’t really thought about that. However it looks, I know it's going to be good, we’ve got playmakers, we've got guys that can make plays and (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Jason) Garrett does a good job of getting guys in the position that they need to be in to be successful. I have confidence in the coaching staff and the guys to make plays.
Q: Do you have a feel for what the offense is at this point? Do you know what you can rely on? Do you know what the strength of this offense is?
A: Yeah, we're still building some stuff, but throughout camp you’ve seen it progress and seen the things that work well for us. We’re trying to hone in on those things that work well for us. We’ll add some new stuff as time goes on.
Q: Building off the last question, I was going to ask, you were pretty honest you wanted the Giants to add more playmakers in the offseason. Then for most of training camp, it was you, (Tight End) Evan Engram and last year's offense again. Was that discouraging at all, like where are all these playmakers we added, they're standing over there (on the sidelines)?
A: No, that's just part of the game, injuries are going to happen. Like I said, training camp is really tough on your body and to make it out of training camp without something is very rare. I have full confidence in those guys. They're listening to everything the trainers have been having them do. They have progressed and (are) working their way back on the field. I know when they get on the field, they're going to make plays, so that’s how it goes.
Q: There are a lot of people looking at the offensive line saying no matter how many playmakers you have, you guys aren't going to have much of an offense if the line doesn't perform. Are you concerned?
A: No, I'm not concerned about the line at all. Those guys have been working their tails off. Last week was our first week to actually be live and get to see some different looks. I have confidence in the O-Line. We’ll be fine there.
Q: You guys have been pretty confident in (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones). What have you seen from him this summer that lets you know he’s going to make that jump?
A: Yeah, he works his tail off. Over the offseason, he's nothing short of that. We were throwing almost every week. We would have different throwing camps. that guys going to come to work with an attitude every day. He wants to be great, and he's been working towards that. I’ve got confidence in my man.
Q: Do you see it paying off?
A: Yes, I do.
Q: Does (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley) look ready to you?
A: Yeah, Saquon looks great. He's been listening to the trainers and doing everything that they have him do. It's a process for him as well and I think he's getting towards there.