As the 2017 season wound down, there were plenty of people who thought that the team might move on without cornerback Eli Apple after a year marked by poor play on the field and a series of incidents off of it.
General Manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur each said that Apple would get a clean slate, however, and he’s set for a prominent spot in the secondary in his third NFL season. On Monday, Apple spoke to the media at Giants OTAs and said “of course” he is embarrassed about how things went last year while discussing his attempt to make the most of his chance this year.
“It’s about just putting things behind me, trying to continue to move forward, and go out here and have great energy on the field,” Apple said, via NJ.com. “I definitely feel it. The coaches have told me. I’m trying to be a better person, better player, and better teammate this year. Obviously, with the stuff that happened last year, I want to continue to work on myself. I want to communicate better, and not let certain stuff get to me. I want to continue to strive to be better every day.”
Apple said he thought he “got a little too confident” last year and said he’ll be more patient as he works to “fine-tune everything” over the next few months. If that goes well, the Giants’ own patience with their 2016 first-round pick could pay dividends as they try to recover from their own miserable season.