It's a fresh new start, we are learning every single day, on the offensive side and on the defensive side." - Saquon Barkley

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, August 10, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- There's nothing all that original about the fact that the New York Giants are the symbols of a new age for Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones. However, as Barkley knocks at the doorstep of his third NFL season, it's becoming obvious that he's ready to go with this very much a new-look Giants squad, roster and coaches alike.

"I would definitely say it's a fresh, new start," Barkley said Friday via team transcript. "I heard you guys talking with [Sterling Shepard] earlier about history. I do think we are doing a great job of, especially when we are in zoom meetings, understanding the history, understanding the guys before us. There is a tradition here. Like you said, Shep is the longest tenured Giant and he has only been in the league for five to six years, I guess. It's a fresh new start, we are learning every single day, on the offensive side and on the defensive side. Learning a new scheme and system and trying to focus on the little things to get better every single day."

Barkley is preparing for his first season under new head coach Joe Judge after two seasons under Pat Shurmur, who is also preparing as a head coach for his first season. There is a new coordinator for the offensive and a new coordinator for the defense. Perhaps most importantly, for the first time since 2003, there's no Eli Manning on the Giants roster. Zak DeOssie, a standout special team with two Super Bowl titles and a pair of Pro Bowl credit selections, retired after 11 years on Friday. As noted above, Big Blue 's longest-tenured member is Shepard, who has only spent four seasons for the Giants.

Indeed a new day, a new dawn and a new beginning. Wins were hard to come by for the two-year Giants in Barkley, which includes Jones emerging last season, but potential has been glimpsed. Barkley is the first Giants to run back in the long and revered chronicle of the franchise to continue his career with 1,000-yard campaigns back-to - back, by NFL Analysis. Jones is coming off a breakthrough season in which his franchise rookie marks were 3,027 yards and 24 touchdowns.

"Definitely excited for DJ. We definitely got a lot closer from this point where we are from him being a rookie to us actually hanging out, working out together and stuff," Barkley said. "He's a hard worker, he's a heck of a player, he's very talented. You just grow, not just saying system-wise, but as a player. Being more comfortable from your rookie year to your second year. I know for myself from my first year to my second year how much more comfortable I was just being in the locker room and talking with the guys. That's where you are going to grow, and you are going to continue to see him grow in that area. He's a talented player and hard worker and I'm really excited to see what he is going to do this year."

While the 2020 season will bestow upon the Giants as fresh and new of a start, there aren't all that many who expect it will come with immediate success. Thanks in large part to the new faces on the sidelines, Barkley believes the opposite.

"What tells me this could be different? One, it's a brand-new year. It's a fresh start," Barkley said. "From what I have seen in these first couple of days is we are steps ahead, in my opinion. We are coming in, we're locked in. Are mistakes being made, yes, that's part of the nature of learning a system and learning a new offense. We have what I believe is a really great coaching staff starting with coach Judge to [offensive coordinator Jason] Garrett and so on down the line. They are doing a tremendous job of having us focusing on the little things and focused on situational football, which I think is a part of our game we can improve on from this year to last year."

Aurora DeRose
Boundless Media Inc.
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