How Julian Love Has Been Getting Ready for His Second NFL Season

Whenever the Giants players return to the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, second-year defensive back Julian Love wants to show his teammates and coaches that he has done everything he can to hit the ground running.

Love, a guest on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Opening Drive with Bob Papa and David Diehl Wednesday, spoke about his rookie season in which he barely saw the field on defense. In his first ten NFL games, the Giants' fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame played three defensive snaps.

“I didn't expect anything to be handed to me,” he told Papa and Diehl.

"I prepared myself to work for it. Each practice when I wasn't playing on defense for those ten or so weeks, I was trying to—it's weird cause nobody's ever perfect—but I was trying to be as close as perfect as you can be in practice.”

He finally got his chance to show the coaches what he could do in Week 12 when he received 41 defensive snaps, a total that would increase as injuries began hitting the Giants defensive backfield.

Love's drive for perfection, which included learning every nuance of the playbook--not just at his position but at every position on the defense--paid off.

Love finished second among the Giants defensive backs with an 84.5 NFL rating (behind team leader Peppers’ 74.1). He also allowed 174 yards while in coverage, second among the Giants defensive backs who played in at least 100 coverage snaps, behind cornerback Sam Beal, who allowed 130 yards.

Now that Love has a better idea of what it takes to see playing time, he's upped the ante.

For the physical and conditioning part, the ever-resourceful Love said he gradually built a gym in his family’s Chicago area home garage.

He also has been getting his lungs ready for the increased cardio by doing conditioning drills at a nearby field and has stayed in touch with new Giants strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald’s staff regarding any tweaks that need to be made.

“I think being physically ready is important if I want to be on the field all the time,” Love said. “I need to be in shape to be on the field all the time, so I'm trying to grow in my strength and continue that process as well as getting my lungs ready for a full NFL game.”

As he gets ready for Year 2, Love said he feels more at ease about being more vocal and taking on a leadership role, a role he admitted he was reluctant to take last year as a rookie.

“Last year I was trying to learn everything trying to kind of take in all that they would give to me was a lot. And so now I'm trying to transform that and be a leader and communicate on the back end since I'm familiar with each and every position and just trying to be as fluid as I can with that.”

Love, who took classes online at Notre Dame this past semester, said he has enjoyed getting to know his new teammates, especially those in the defensive backfield.

“(Head) Coach (Joe) Judge has implemented a great way of everybody getting to know each other," Love said.

That way has included encouraging the players to engage in group chats and to play in video games. In doing so, the goal has been to build camaraderie and communication, which is vital to the success of a defensive backfield.

“Each day, we spent a good amount of time just communicating with each other openly,” Love said. “I think that type of dialogue with a group with teammates, with family or whoever it is, is important to allow everyone to speak openly."

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