The Giants were in pads for the first time in training camp on Monday. Following the practice session, head coach Joe Judge, wide receiver Sterling Shepard and running back Saquon Barkley met with reporters on a video chat press conference. Here is what each one had to say.
Head Coach Joe Judge
Q: What is with the guys running laps, including the coaches? I saw some guys doing it individually as well.
A: There are consequences on the field for making mistakes. In a game, it'll cost you five, 10, or 15 yards. In practice, there needs to be consequences so we learn how to deal with our mistakes.
Q: What has Colt McCoy shown you? It looked like he was throwing the ball really well.
A: I think all of our quarterbacks are making improvements every day. Colt's done a really good job of sharing his experiences with the other quarterbacks, embracing the system he's in and learning it to the best of his ability. He did a good job today and made some really nice throws for us. He had a good period down there in the one on ones and did some good things in the team competitive periods.
Q: What have you liked about the efficiency of the practices you've had so far? Have they met the standards that you want them to?
A: It's always a work in progress. I think the energy and enthusiasm of our players and coaches has been really good. We just need to make sure, we have a limited time at practice, so we need to get as much out of that time as possible. Today we were limited to 90 minutes on the field. The way to expand that time is to expand the drills you're running and make sure everyone is working at all times. Our coaches have done a good job of organizing the morning and talking to players about where they're going throughout the practice. We have a lot of moving parts, but our players understand that there's a purpose in everything we're doing. We're trying to make sure everybody maximizes the time on the field, maximizes our reps, and gives us a chance to evaluate everybody, and for them to improve on their individual techniques.
Q: How does that translate into success on Sundays, or Monday, come a month from now?
A: Football is a game of transition. You don't just set up a practice to have all of your special teams and all of your runs and all of your passes. The game is a game of transition. It starts with a kickoff, kick return. It goes to an offensive and defensive series. It switches to our other kicking game scenario. It's two-minute, situational plays, it's red zone, it's in the field. Our guys have to learn how to move and to think and adapt to the situation. Hey, defense comes off the field and the offense has a turnover, it's a sudden change. We have to get into gear. We can't afford to go ahead and let down and then a sudden change and we're back on the field. Switch our thinking and keep moving period to period.
Q: Along those lines, for the coaches to evaluate these guys, you have two different groups going, how does that work? Do you have to go back and watch a lot more film? How do you evaluate?
A: Yeah, we're going to watch all of the film. The benefit of having two different groups mirror the script for each other is we don't just get to watch one group run a certain play and a player learns off of somebody else's mistake. They all get to watch the tape and see themselves doing the exact same play as somebody else, see the differences and how they execute it. Maybe the other player executed it in what worked better for us. Then as coaches, it gives us just a better opportunity to see everybody play as much ball as we can.
Q: I noticed there were no names on the backs of the jerseys. Is there anything behind that?
A: No, we know who they are.
Q: But you had to take them off, right? Why not have names on the back of the jerseys?
A: I never commented on jersey names when I got here anyway. To be honest with you, I've been places where we've gone an entire offseason without numbers. To me, it's important to know who the players are on the field across from you by their body type and how they move, more so than having to see a nameplate to identify your teammate. We should know each other as coaches and players by how we move and the way we carry ourselves. When a quarterback gets under center, I expect him to know, is that a safety in the box or a Will linebacker? I expect them to know, is that a sized defensive end on the outside or is that an outside linebacker walked up? The numbers and name stuff, we'll do that on game day. Right now, we have numbers just to meet the rules laid out by the league. But to be honest with you, the identification of who the players are, we should be better than that as coaches and players by knowing our teammates.
Q: I'm sorry if you already addressed this, but did you talk yet about the thinking behind changing kickers and releasing Chandler (Catanzaro)?
A: I appreciate what Chandler did for us. I have a lot of respect for him. I'm not going to get into all the details in terms of the exact move until things are finalized. But I will tell you we did inform Chandler this morning we intend to move on from him. I would just say he did a tremendous job for us. I have a lot of respect for him. He's definitely an NFL kicker. I think he made the right decision coming out of retirement. We were lucky enough to have exposure to him for a small window of the season, and I wish him luck along the way.
Q: When you're cross-training the DBs and the corners, how important is it, not just where they're aligned but also which of your receivers are going at them and how they're adjusting to one play going against (Golden) Tate, the next play going against Corey Coleman and kind of the philosophy beyond that, if that exists?
A: That kind of ties in a little bit to the question I had a second ago about the names on the jerseys. It's important to know who the person across from you is by how they move. If you're a corner or a safety and you're playing man coverage on a wide receiver, you have to know who they are by skill set. You don't just say someone is a wide receiver and they line up out there and they're the same carbon copy person as the other one in line. Everybody is different, everybody is unique. You have to understand what someone's strengths are, what their weaknesses are, and what your own strengths and weaknesses are. Every time you match up, it's a different situation, different scenario, and it ties into who the people are, more so than what the scheme is.
Q: Just a follow up quickly on Darnay (Holmes) and what you've seen from him early on? Just his competitive nature out there and what you've seen physically?
A: I think he's doing a good job day by day. We've seen a consistent improvement from him. Like every rookie, they have to get used to the pace and the adjustments within this level of football. But I don't think Darnay is really backing off from any challenge. I've been pleased to see how he comes out every day and competes. I've been pleased to see his energy and enthusiasm on the field, and that competitive nature definitely shows up.
Q: You guys put on the pads here for the first time and it's three weeks later than normal. There is very little normal about this season. With what you've seen so far and coming into today's actual training, you and your coaches, where do you feel the team is as far as knowing you have a game in less than a month?
A: At this point, it's all day by day. Today was our first day in pads. You get used to the tempo of being in shells for a couple of days, then you throw on the pads, the intensity rises up naturally a little bit, the physicality rises up. We weren't going live tackling to the ground or anything today, but that will be added as we go. The biggest thing is to make sure the technique and execution doesn't break down just because the pads go on. I think initially the guys have to get used to the tempo and the physicality of the plays. I expect our next practice to be cleaner and better executionally than today, but we expect that no matter what they're in. If it's just helmets, shells, or it's full pads, we're always expecting marked improvement every day.
Q: Obviously the practice was intense and you talked a little bit about that. Knowing that you have a short amount of time and not really time to spread out the intensity, how do you balance that plus the desire to keep these guys fresh and healthy before the season opener?
A: It's just a lot of how we have to structure practice. We put the players on the field. We explain the tempo of each drill, is it full, live, is it team, is it working tempo, is it walk through, what is it every period. They just have to work through the tempo of the period. As coaches, we have to do a good job of setting up the practice to make sure we account for the depth on the roster, where people are physically as we go through the week. That's always changing day by day. We have to tempo the schedules, we did a while back. We know what we're working to get towards. That changes on a daily basis based on what we think we need more of. The conditioning of the team is paramount. We want to make sure we are pushing them, at the same time knowing where everyone physically is and adjusting to make sure we are not putting them at risk.
Q: How important is the overall focus and preparation in a short training camp and what have you seen so far in that regard
A: I don't think there is any difference because it's a shorter training camp. You always have to be focused. You always have to be very intent in how you come to work and what your goal for the day is. I don't think there is any difference in that, football is football. Every team in this league is good, everyone has talent, everyone has good coaches. You have to come to work every day to improve. In training camp, you compete against your teammates. Sooner than later, we are going to be competing against other teams in the league. We have to understand that and make sure our focus is sharp every day going forward.
Q: You've gotten a chance to see Saquon from afar before. Now that you've had the opportunity to see him up close, what do you notice about him as a player, as a pro, that you couldn't possibly have seen from afar?
A: One of the toughest things when you see them from afar is you don't know how they are as a person, how they respond to coaching. I think the most pleasing thing about Saquon so far is how eager he is to be coached and how he is always looking for a better way of doing something. I think our roster as a whole has been very receptive to different coaching points, buying into what we're doing and that's been very impressive. I love the way he works on the field. He comes out every day with a purpose and that's important. You can see what he's working on specifically not only from our own install standpoint but personally based on what may have happened in a previous practice. Or a technique or fundamental that he has to improve on himself. He has a unique skill set and he is going to give himself an opportunity to maximize that by the way he's working right now.
Q: With the two practices going on at the same time, do you have a script for yourself so you know exactly what you are going to be watching every single snap? Do you go by feel, I need to watch here more or I need to watch here more? Is everything predetermined?
A: Early in practice, I know the drills going on, I know what we're installing that day. I want to see certain guys and what they are working fundamentally on. I want to see certain position groups schematically and how they are building in the daily install. Early in practice I know exactly where I'm going. As we get into the team periods, I know the plays I really want to see with each group based on who a certain matchup may be. I kind of earmark certain plays where I may work back and forth between field one and field two or either drill. When we get to one spot, there is not much of need to float anywhere because everything is in one spot. When we are going two spots though, I just want to make sure I am conscious of everything going on. A day like today when we are all on the same field, it's easy for me to stand at midfield, turn one way and watch an offensive play, turn around the other way and watch the same offensive play going in the other direction. We try to vary the snaps a little on the timing of it so that two plays aren't running exactly consecutive. It gives us a chance to see both plays.
Q: So you do have to try to be synced up a little bit. One play and then another play so in the best possible world, you watch one play, you turn around and watch another one, is that correct?
A: That is correct. That doesn't always match up exactly. As you guys noticed today in practice, we keep our periods a little bit shorter. We maximize the reps and fly around and get as much as we can. The theory is we want to get everybody as much reps as we can so we can evaluate the team, and everyone can work as much as they can to improve.
Q: What's the benefit of having practices at various times throughout the week? We saw Grant Haley working on the side.
A: Grant was working on some extra conditioning as he was coming along. In terms of the varying of the times, there is only really one variation on the time for how we are going to work. Tomorrow we are going to go out there for an evening practice. The thought is we are going to work them hard Sunday, we are going to work them hard Monday morning and then we will go out there Tuesday afternoon and give them a little extra recovery time. We will bring them in a little bit later tomorrow morning to give their bodies more time to freshen up. Let these guys sleep a little bit, let them get a little extra treatment, tell them to get their body right. We expect a high level of urgency and intensity when they get in the building. After that you can't just grind them into a stone for six straight days. You have to vary your week a little bit where you push them hard and then you have to back them down. The way our training camp is set up right now, we are going three harder days, the fourth day of the week for us is really Wednesday. We are going to back down a little bit, we will be on the field in more situational work, and we'll continue with some install. We'll get back out there Thursday and pop the pads a little bit. We'll kind of fly them around a little bit if we can. Friday is the scrimmage. Whether it's a scrimmage or eventually it becomes an intrasquad game. We kind of structured the week that way and then Saturday will be the players day off. We want their bodies to have some consistency in how they train so they can adapt and we will push them to that affect.
Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard
Q: People look at this receiver group and say you have three pretty good receivers, you, Golden (Tate) and then Darius (Slayton), but no true number one receiver in terms of that. What do you think of that and how much do you guys want to prove that there is a guy or two who can be dominant in this group?
A: I think we're all capable of making plays. I think the only thing that's important, when it all boils down, is that can you trust the guy to make a play. I think we have three guys that are able to do that. Another guy who you forgot to mention is Evan Engram. He's basically a wide receiver playing the tight end position. I think we have a lot of guys who can make plays. I don't think we're focused on putting a number on any of us.
Q: Two-part question. Is today just a natural extension of what you've done, or does putting on pads mean anything different?
A: It definitely brings some more juice to the practice. Guys haven't been in pads since the last game of last season. Some of us were very excited about it. I know the coaches were fired up about it. It's always like going to the first day of class. Guys were amped up in the locker room about it.
Q: The other is with a 90-minute practice, what do you notice that's different?
A: Not too much. We're moving at a rapid speed. Some of the drills are two-spotted so that we can get more reps. It just moves a lot quicker.
Q: We were just talking to Joe Judge about we saw today with coaches and players running laps. He said that's related to making mistakes and consequences when you make a mistake. When was the last time you had to do that on a football team? Does that help instill and reinforce things like that? Did that catch you off guard when you found out you guys were going to do that?
A: It's going to take everybody to buy in if we want to be the team that we said that we wanted to be. I think we have to buy into what Coach Judge has in store for us. If that's what he has in store for us, running laps for mistakes, just don't make mistakes. That's a simple way to get out of doing that. But yeah, the last time I did it was probably middle school. But I'm embracing the change and I'm all for it.
Q: What do you notice about Joe Judge's practices so far? What's jumped out at you the way he runs things, the way he organizes it?
A: He's really big on technique and playing smart with each other, playing at a fast pace and at game speed. But also playing smart and helping each other get better, and not playing sloppy football. You don't want to see guys on the ground too much. That just comes with being technically sound. Yeah, that's pretty much what I've seen from him.
Q: Are you surprised with how quickly everyone seems to be on the same page? There wasn't a lot of wasted motion and wasted moments on the field today, and you guys have only had a handful of practices.
A: That's something that we've been preparing for with some of the days that we had walkthroughs and stuff, that everybody knows where to go so that we don't waste any time because time is valuable. We definitely rehearsed that on which field we were going to be on. We're being told before the period changes what field we're going to be on so that we're able to get there and get the work done.
Q: Obviously, yourself, Golden and Darius are kind of established. But there are a bunch of young receivers on this team that haven't gotten an opportunity yet or are rookies. Have any of those guys jumped out at you yet? What impresses you about some of those guys?
A: All of them have really impressed me. I've been seeing each one of them every day. Yesterday, they were making plays all over the field. They all have a special ability. All of those guys have been looking really good to me, and the way that they've been picking up the offense… They've had a little bit of extra time from the vets to be with the coaches over the Zoom calls and stuff. They have the offense down pat and they're out there making plays.
Q: The intensity in practice, the attention to detail that you talked about, do you feel that that is stuff that was needed for this team based on the lack of success you guys have had the last couple of years?
A: I don't think anyone is really focused on last year. I think everybody is just in the mode of embracing this change and really going all-in on it. I'm proud of the guys with the way they've been working. There are some things that are different. But like I said, we're all embracing it. We know that we have to change in order to get on the right pace and get this team on the right speed.
Q: Corey Coleman. I think it was the first practice last training camp where he tore his ACL. It's been a long year for him. Tell me what you saw from him being around the locker room last year and from, I think he was part of your workouts in the offseason. Physically and motivationally, where is he at?
A: It was a tough road for him. I've been with him the whole time. You can hardly even tell that he had that injury last year. He's been working his butt off and he's going to continue to do that. I'm really happy to see him back out there on the grass.
Q: How did he become part of the offseason and stuff you guys were doing, whether it was here or in Carolina? Was it his interest? Did you take leadership and say 'Hey join us'? How did he join up those groups?
A: It was just something we all put together as an offense. It wasn't just one person asking to come. It was kind of something that we all put together.
Q: With the pads going on and the defense being able to play a little bit better coverage and more physical and all that, what's the biggest difference you've seen in Daniel (Jones), maybe to this point in camp, versus where he was a year ago?
A: You're going to make strides your second season. That just comes with the game. He has the speed down and everything. He's going to continue to progress in the right direction. He's been doing a good job. He's been working his tail off, and that's all you can ask for.
Q: I know you had one workout, I saw you guys before camp started, when Darnay (Holmes) and Jabrill (Peppers) joined you guys over at one of the high school fields. I'm just curious what you've seen from Darnay so far? For a rookie, does he look like a rookie or is he kind of fitting in the way you might not expect from someone so young?
A: It's a process for all of those guys. They're learning a new defense, they're coming over from college, trying to get the speed of the game down. I've been pretty impressed with a lot of the young DBs. I'm able to watch those guys. Darnay's been working mostly inside, and then you have some guys that are playing corner as well. But I'm able to watch them because I'm going with JB (James Bradberry). I've been impressed with all of them, to be honest.
Q: Are you confident that football will make it this year?
A: Yeah, I'm hoping so. I know everyone in the building is and I know all of the fans are as well. We've been working like there's going to be a season. That's the way that we'll continue to work.
Q: When you get out there, is it all about football? Can you put everything else behind you and turn focus away from the pandemic?
A: Yeah, it is. You get to get rid of the mask and just get out there and do what you love. I've always used football as an escape from anything that's going on in the outside world. Yeah, it's kind of an escape for all of us.
Q: You brought up Evan Engram before. What do you think he can be? Obviously, the injuries have been a problem the last couple of years he hasn't gotten to play. What can he be in this offense if he gets to play 16 games?
A: You guys have seen him play. You know what he's capable of. We all do. He's going to continue to work and push to be the best player he can be. I've been proud of the way he's been coming to work every day and his attention to detail. He's been locked in and focused when I see him in the meeting rooms, staying extra to do extra work. I'm proud of how he's been working.
Q: You're pretty close with him. How much do you notice that it's sort of like a make or break for him to show that he's that player we've all seen in flashes?
A: I don't think he's focused on that. I just think he's focused on the things that we have right now. He's taking it day by day just like the rest of us, trying to get the system down and trying to be able to play as fast as he can play. I'm not going to speak for him, but just from seeing it and seeing all of the rest of the guys, that's kind of where all of our focuses are.
Q: I know you have so much to focus on football wise, but you mentioned earlier putting the pads on felt like the first day of school. What was different about today? You usually have training camp with fans, the first 10 practices or so. What's kind of been missing with that, or not, in this very different era of training camp and sports?
A: I don't think too much is missing from that in that aspect. We go throughout the season with nobody there, so it's kind of like just having another week's practice. But yeah, it's a little different before practice, just having to wear masks to the field, bussing over from MetLife. But you have to deal with sudden change in football, and that's what all of the guys understand. I'm proud of the guys with how everybody's been handling it.
Running Back Saquon Barkley
Q:Â First practice in pads, it's come a little later than normal. What were your emotions today getting back out there playing real football given how last season went? How eager are you to put that behind you and be more productive and fresher? Can you walk me through what your emotions were like, how you felt out there today and what you are anticipating this year?
A: It was great. Any time you are able to go out there and you are presented with an opportunity to play the sport that you love, you have to go try and take advantage of it. We got to put on pads for the first time in a while. Any time you get that, and the pads get popping, everyone is definitely eager to get out there. It's another day, another day at work, another day to get better, another day to try to improve, and I think we were able to do that today.
Q: Coach Judge has talked a lot about sudden change and how the team has to respond to that? This summer is all about sudden change, you guys have to wear masks, you have to take busses to practice. The tempo seemed very fast, guys are doing penalty laps. How much do you think this can help, if this team can handle this sudden change that Joe Judge and this pandemic is throwing at you guys?
A: I believe it can help a lot. That's part of football. You are going to have sudden change. There are times in games where the offense might have a turnover, the defense might create a turnover and vice versa and we have to go out on the field and be able to respond and be able to capitalize on that moment. Like you said, what's going on, football is not the way it was in the past. It's not like we are just at Quest, we are doing different things. That's part of the game, not just the game but that's part of life. I think the fact that Coach Judge is addressing that, that can definitely help us throughout the season.Â
Q: When is the last time you saw guys doing penalty laps because of mistakes?
A: I don't know. We're focusing on being a detailed team and holding each other accountable. The little things matter and that comes with the territory.Â
Q: You go work this offseason and then come back. What makes you think you are a better Saquon Barkley this year?
A: That's something that you have to try to improve on every year. Try to be a better version of yourself, try to improve on your game. It's the little things that you do in the offseason. It's the stuff that you focus on. The details in cutting, the details in watching film, of watching other people on film and trying to expand your game. The way I feel I can be a better Saquon Barkley, I guess you could say, is by coming here every single day, coming to work and trying to continue to earn the respect of my teammates. Continuing to try to push myself and push my teammates. At the end of the day, it's all about the team. That's the mindset we need to have in order to go out there and have a successful season.
Q: What has it been like running behind Andrew Thomas for the first couple of times?
A: It's been awesome, he is doing a great job. The whole offensive line is doing a great job, especially starting with Coach Colombo. I love the way, the focus on the details of everything, the details and focusing on little things. We are trying to improve every single day. Not only Andrew but the entire offensive line. The run game as a whole is doing a pretty good job so far.Â
Q: There's a lot of new pieces on the offensive line, some of them has been shuffled around. Does it take time  to build chemistry between a running back and an offensive line? How do you do that without any preseason games?
A: I guess you could say that's kind of the nature of the game and the nature of the position. Especially with the run game. Practice reps, just repetition. Keep repping it and repping it. Keep working on it and going back and watching film, seeing what we could have done different. I think the coaches are doing a great job of simulating how we would do it in preseason anyway. Come out to practice, focus on the little things and hopefully that will translate over to the game.Â
Q: Coach said he is really impressed with how eager you are to be coached. What's your philosophy in that regard?
A: I definitely appreciate that compliment. Just come to work every day, ask a lot of questions and try to improve. I feel like the only way you can improve is by being coached. Obviously, I'm not naïve to the fact that I was blessed with a tremendous talent. The way you improve on that is by focusing on little things, focus on the details and listen to your coaches. I think we have a great coaching staff here, from coach Judge all the way down to the position coaches, all the guys. I want to be great and I want to be great for this team. I know that starts with taking coaching and learning from them.
Q: We have been in a pandemic for five months. When you get on the football field, can you just totally push all that to the side and concentrate on your job, your task at hand, football?
A: There is a lot of stuff going on in the world. For me, even if it's anything, let's say there is something going on in my personal life, football is a place for me where you can kind of just let go. You get to go back to that time when you were a little kid. You get to wake up every single day and do the thing that you love. Something that I feel like I have wanted to do since I was a kid, I feel like I was born to do. Any time I'm out there, I just live in the moment, have fun with those guys and try to get better.
Q: There is a lot of talk nationally about Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara and guys like that, Zeke even. Do you feel like coming off the injury a year ago that you have a little bit more to prove and remind people who Saquon Barkley is on the field?
A: No. Those guys gained the respect of everyone in the league, they are tremendous backs. I'm in a space with myself where I'm not focused on everybody else. The only people I'm focused on is my family and the people in this building and trying to improve every single day. I'm not really into they aren't talking about me or not talking about me there. Kind of like when I came here my rookie year, I'm not going to let people set expectations for me. I'm going to set my own expectations and come out there every single day and try to get better.
Q: Now that you have been in the system a few weeks and you strapped the pads on today, live hitting seemed to be back during the team drills. What are your impressions of this system and this scheme going into this year?
A: My first impression is still learning. You can see we are trying to get better every single day and it's football. The pads get on and get popping a little bit. That's what we signed up to do and that's what we love to do. Obviously, it was great to get out there and get the pads popping a little bit. Definitely going to help us throughout the year.Â
Q:Â Â Joe Judge was telling us earlier that the reason there aren't names on the back of the practice jerseys is you should know who each other is by the way they move. I found that really interesting, I never thought of it myself. For you in particular, does that make particular sense? I would think, I don't know about the open field, but you have to be anticipating guys? Does Coach Judge's rationale make sense to you?
A: I would say it definitely makes sense. I see where you're coming from. A lot of times you are just reacting. Whether it's just watching film, you can how those guys pop up on film. Whether it's an older guy like Martinez or a younger guy like Darnay, you can see the things they are able to do. It's forcing you to watch them on film and the way they react so when you go into a season that can carry over. Also just forcing you to get to know your teammates, it forces you to get to know your teammates. Everyone, not just focusing on the offensive side. Everyone who plays a role on special teams, everyone who plays a role on defense and all the guys coming in. I would say that's where it plays a big role, too.
Q: How did it feel to bounce that one to the right? It looked like you made it to the endzone? Did you feel all of your normal explosiveness? Did it feel good to convert like that on the football field?
A: Yeah, it felt good just to be out there in general. We did get some pretty nice running plays going on. Not only myself but all the backs. The O-line did a great job setting that up for me. It feels good to get out there, get the feel and get some work with the defense and get each other better.Â
Q: Can you take me to your reaction as a fan and as a guy who was a top prospect when the Big Ten cancelled football this fall?
A: That's a tough one seeing the Big Ten cancel football, obviously as a fan and also playing in the Big Ten. It sucks to not be able to see those guys out there, especially those younger guys. People talk about the example of Joe Burrow was supposed to be a sixth or seventh round pick and then ended up being the number one pick in the draft. I definitely feel bad for those guys. At the end of the day, I'm just happy and fortunate that in the NFL we get to go out and do it. You have to be careful, you have to be smart. This is a tough thing that is going on in the world right now. Even though how badly you want to play and how bad I want to see those guys play, you also have to have a little understanding, I guess.Â
Q: You are a detail orientated guy, you mentioned earlier Colombo with the details. Obviously, Joe Judge is a detail guy. Has anything you've seen so far that the coaches have identified kind of opened your eyes a little bit? Being a detail guy and (thinking) 'I didn't think of it that way. I wouldn't have expected to be told this is how we are doing it, this is how it's being broken down'?
A: Definitely. I would say I always thought I was a detail guy but now I have to be even more, the way we are getting coached, which is great. All the little things. You really don't even think about it. I used to be at a point where I'm reading the line of scrimmage, reading the defenders and trying to set up a block. It can start with your footwork on that play. How you can determine how you can set up a block from there. The ball carrying, put it in the left hand or if you are going right. Crossing over, how to switch it, the little things. Obviously, you go out there and we know how to catch a ball but focusing on the catch and bringing it to the tuck so when you go out there on the football field all those little things come natural. Not only coach Judge and coach Burton, but all the coaches from offense, defense and special teams are really focusing on all the little things. We have to continue to grow in that area, too, especially beating another team. If we are able to focus on those things, I feel like it will help us this year.
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