Giants Quotables: Rookie Player Interviews

Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Several members of the New York Giants met with the media yesterday, including the team’s top-five 2014 NFL Draft selections. Odell Beckham Jr., Weston Richburg, Jay Bromley, Andre Williams and Nat Berhe all spoke openly regarding their first weeks in East Rutherford and what they’re expecting from the offseason process. Full transcripts and video content can be found on Giants.com. Below you’ll find notable tidbits from the rookie interviews:

Odell Beckham Jr., WR

Did you learn multiple spots or do you start by learning a specific spot and then sort of branch out from there?

“I kind of teach myself by learning one spot and then learning the whole play as well so that way you don’t’ have to just play one spot, you can get substituted in here or there.”

What spot it that? I assume it’s on the outside?

“I kind of taught myself the X right now and learned the Z as well so when they’re in the two-minute and you don’t switch sides you know exactly what’s going on. And then you move on to the inside because coach says he would love for me to go inside and do some things. Kind of just learning it all day by day.”

This offense is supposedly fast-paced. Can you talk about building up the rapport with the quarterbacks, Eli, I don’t know how much he’s been doing but just building up that rapport with reading his body language.

“Right now for me it’s a lot of learning the offense, not so much what the quarterback’s doing. Just feeling adjusted and that way, when it is time to get on the same page with him, it will be a lot easier because I know what I’m supposed to be doing and he obviously knows what he’s supposed to be doing. It will be a trust thing for me.”

Obviously you know Eli from the past, camps and stuff. What was that like when you came here? What did he say to you and what kind of chemistry, if any, do you have?

“It’s been pretty surreal actually. Going to the Manning camps and throwing with him and back in high school I think it was my sophomore or junior year, he came back to school and he was throwing. The coach always tells me about him and Peyton were deciding who gets to throw with me. We had other receivers out there but they were young. One day, thinking that maybe I’ll get to play with one of the Mannings, and now here I am, it’s pretty surreal.”

Weston Richburg, C

There’s also an element of non-verbal communication, knowing what the guy next to you is going to do. Coming in cold, how do you kind of expedite that? 

“Yeah, that’s been difficult. Being a center, it comes on me knowing what every guy’s supposed to do. So that’s coming along. I’ve got to gain the trust of the guys besides me and they’ve got to be able to trust me to make those calls. That’s the thing we’re working on right now, mental repetition, making sure I’m getting the calls down so they can trust me and we can be as efficient as possible with all of the calls.”

Coach has said that the center is going to have more responsibility for the line calls. Is that something you did a lot in college?

“Yeah, in college I did everything we’re doing here, but like I said, the terminology is all different. We’re probably reading the defenses a lot more here as centers. That’s the adjustment I have to make. I’m working every day to get that down and do it as fast as I can.”

What are some of your overall impressions of some of the guys on the line? Has anybody taken you under their wing? Chris Snee or Geoff Schwartz or anyone like that? 

“I feel like our offensive line is a really good group, tight group of guys. It was easy for me to come in and relate to those guys. I have been training with Geoff, so I knew Geoff and I’ve gotten to know J.D. pretty well, so fitting in with those guys was no problem. They’ve taken me under. I’m just excited to continue to learn and continue to work with these guys.”

Does it bring you guys closer together because everyone is learning a new offense at the same time? 

“Yeah, I think so. I’m about four weeks behind them because they’ve been here longer. I think it does kind of level the playing field a little bit since we’re all, like you said, all learning. We’re able to work together and progress together.”

Jay Bromley, DT

Are they having you play mostly the three technique right now? Is that what you’re learning right now or are you trying to learn both the three and the one? 

“Coach makes sure that we learn the inside of the line because there have been instances throughout the course of the season where somebody might go down and a D-tackle might have to play end or the three technique. I’m learning from the shade to the nine, all of that. I want to be more versatile so I can be on the field more.”

They talked about you getting up to 315-320 and adding muscle. How do you view that and how hard do you think that will be for you? And where have you played in the past? 

“Throughout the course of my senior season the heaviest I probably played at was 296. Then I put on weight in the offseason to better my chances for the draft and everything like that. I’m probably only around 303/304 right now but I’m getting in great shape. As far as the 315/320 mark, we’ll see what time has. If I can ball at this weight, then they really can’t say anything so I really just have to do the best I can at this weight and be as strong and fast as possible.”

Andre Williams, RB

What do you feel like the opportunity is here for you? They’ve really struggled at running back. 

“I think the opportunity is just to come in and compete and get better. Being around the guys in my circle, the running back group, and the whole offense as a whole, everybody’s really together, there’s a good feeling in the locker room about the offense. I think it’s just an opportunity to compete and get better.”

You and Rashad Jennings kind of have similar playing styles in the sense that you’re kind of the big, bruising back. Do you talk to him about how he’s been able to have success in the league? 

“I really like Rashad, he’s got a real welcoming personality and there are a lot of things that I’m learning from him but I’m really just trying to get the plays down now and really understand the offense.”

How much does the level of success you reached in college, a Heisman finalist and everything, what does that do for your confidence coming into the league? 

“College football and professional football are two completely different games. It’s a lot faster, a lot more physical, so I’m just coming in with a blank slate and looking to see how my game is going to develop from here.”

Nat Berhe, SS

When you’re as versatile of a player as you are, can that sometimes be… I don’t want to say a curse but can that make it hard for you to figure out where you fit in with a pro defense? 

“Coach has me playing free safety. I think that’s a good fit for me, I think that’s a good fit me for me on this defense. It gives me the ability to do a lot of things, which I’m used to. So it’s a pretty good deal.”

How much time did you spend in the slot? Going against tight ends giving up five or six inches in this league? 

“I spent a lot of time on tight ends in college. Technique just comes in. You just take them where they want to go and just make a play on the ball.”