Blue Notes | Giants Edge Back to Normal, Golden Tate Concerns, and More
After an abnormal off-season and training camp, the Giants are somewhat back to normal as they began their preparation to kick off the Joe Judge era September 14 during Week 1 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
Following the conclusion of training camp, the Giants, who had operated out of MetLife Stadium, have moved back to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, their team headquarters where on Monday, they went through a light practice following three days off to recover from training camp.
"Everything has been pretty smooth so far," Judge said. "What we’ve done so far as the spacing and everything is we’re actually using the inside of Quest, where we’ve always had all of our meeting rooms. We’ve also transformed half of our indoor facility into meeting areas as well."
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Golden Tate Injury Watch
Veteran wide receiver Golden Tate was seen working on the side during practice on Monday, per multiple firsthand reports. Tate is believed to have strained his hamstring last week, and his status appears to be a question for the regular-season opener.
There's still enough time for Tate to make progress, and the Giants won't have an official injury report until Thursday. They could use Tate in the lineup for Week 1, as if he misses the game, it will mark the second year in a row he is unavailable to his team.
Tate, one of the two projected starting receivers, led the Giants receivers last year in yards after the catch and was second in first down conversions.
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Sterling Shepard Ready To Lead
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard is the longest-tenured Giant on the roster in 2020, meaning he'd want to be a team captain, right?
Wrong. While Shepard would accept the role if it were to be bestowed upon him, he won't be upset if he doesn't get it.
"If that’s how my team views me, then I’d be happy to take that role," Shepard said.
"But if not, I’m also happy to take a different leadership role, just because you’re only allowed so many guys to be captains and I clearly understand that."
Shepard has never been a team captain at the college or professional level. Still, he has and intends to be a leader for the Giants regardless of his title as a magnetic and respected locker room presence.
That his teammates look up to him and respect him show that while having the "C" on his chest would be a nice gesture, it's not necessary.
