Under normal circumstances, the New York Giants would be in East Rutherford right now as the offseason training program gets underway, but that’s not the world we’re currently living in.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, sports across the globe have been shutdown and here in America, most are under quarantine, a stay-at-home order or practicing social distancing. That includes North Carolina residents Daniel Jones and James Bradberry.
However, the new teammates did find a way to meet up while still practicing some social distancing — a long walk through the park while enjoying a cup of coffee.
“He reached out to me and we met at like a coffee shop. We didn’t sit in the coffee shop, we went to a park and kind of walked around. He’s a cool guy,” Bradberry told the New York Post. “We just talked about his rookie year, talked about my past four years, we talked about the city of New York and Jersey. We talked about what we’re looking forward to about next year, stuff like that.”
Bradberry said Jones touted the organization and their facilities, but acknowledged he knew little about the incoming coaching staff.
“He told me he didn’t know too much about, of course, the new coaching staff, but the facilities are A-1, and he said all the teammates are pretty cool,” Bradberry said.
One of Bradberry’s new teammates is running back Saquon Barkley, who the cornerback admits is deceptively fast.
“I’ve only played against Saquon once, of course I’ve seen highlights of him,” Bradberry said. “He was a lot quicker than I expected. I thought he was gonna be just like a downhill runner, but had us questioning the film that we watched on him ’cause he was a lot quicker in person.”
Bradberry shared similar sentiments about wide receiver Sterling Shepard, whom he practiced against ahead of the 2016 Senior Bowl.
“He was quick, too. He was a lot quicker than the receivers I had faced. He surprised me off the line,” Bradberry said of Shepard.
Finally, Bradberry also offered a self-scouting report and a message for Giants fans.
“Tall, athletic, rangy guy. Loves to press. Very good with his hands and technique at the line. And has improved in off coverage and within zone coverages. I’m able to read route concepts, and active in the running game. I’m able to come up and help out in run support,” Bradberry said.
“Because I’m continuing to learn the game of football. I’m always ready to soak up knowledge. I’m gonna continue to watch film and try to get a bead on the opponent. And I’m still young, you know?”
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