APPLE TURNOVER
‘EMBARRASSED’ ELI READY TO PROVE TO GIANTS HE’S A NEW MAN, PLAYER
His season was an embarrassment. There is no way around it. But, did Eli Apple feel that way about his 2017 misadventures with the Giants? “Was I embarrassed? Of course,’’ Apple said Monday. “Nobody wants to go out the way I went out. I mean, it was all over the place, so of course.’’ The merciful end to a dismal second NFL season came with Apple in Week 17 serving a one-game suspension, punishment imposed by the Giants for repeated bouts of unprofessional conduct, the final blow coming when the young cornerback got into a verbal altercation with his position coach during practice. This came after Apple failed to hustle on the field, threatened to walk out of the team facility when he was critiqued in a film session and lost the trust of his teammates, with safety Landon Collins calling Apple “a cancer.’’ If anyone needs a do-over, it is Apple. With a new front office and coaching regime in place, that is exactly what Apple is getting. What he makes of it is up to him. It was never a problem for Apple to pass the eye test, as he looks exactly like what an NFL cornerback is supposed to look like. “In terms of his stature, his skill set, yeah, he’s what you’re looking for,’’ Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said after his team finished up its first organized team activity practice. The physical challenge is not what threatens to short-circuit Apple’s career. Jerry Reese, the general manager who picked Apple No. 10 overall in 2016, is gone. Ben McAdoo, the novice head coach who ultimately could not get through to Apple, is gone. Apple remains and the Giants need him to evolve into a solid starter, and that can only happen if his head is clear and screwed on straight. “I think I can be a great Pro Bowl player,’’ he said. “It’s just about every day going about my business and being a great player every day and being consistent.’’ New general manager Dave Gettleman made sure to meet with Apple late last season. Shurmur, not long after he was hired, spoke with Apple. Discarding talented cornerbacks is often a last resort, and the Giants opted to stick with him and see what all the fuss was about.
“You hear things,’’ Shurmur said. “I’m sure glad I truly believe in a clean slate. He’s been nothing but professional, he’s been out here competing, he’s been one of the guys that’s been here almost every single day. I haven’t seen anything that somebody might have thought I heard. He’s been great.
“I do know this, there are guys out here that are very prideful, they’re very professional and they want to do really good things — and Eli’s one of ’em.’’
Apple, speaking publicly about his turbulent 2017 season for the first time, was not overly introspective, offering a few non-specifics as to how he has changed.
“I’m just trying to be a better player, a better person and a better teammate this year,’’ he said. “Because obviously with the stuff that happened, I just want to continue to work on myself and just communicate better and just not let certain stuff get to me.’’
Asked what he needs to change, Apple said, “Just everything. My habits, everything that I’ve done. Just to touch up on them. I’m just going to fine-tune everything, come in with a different attitude and just be positive out there on the field and just do everything that I can to make myself better as a player, and everybody else better as a team.’’
Apple said his relationship with Collins is “great’’ and the new coaches “definitely have been reaching out and it’s great to have that. So, I don’t want to say anything’s better, it’s just about getting an understanding with your coaches and trying to be the best player you can be.’’
Looking back, Apple admitted he was blindsided by what transpired last season.
“Yeah, maybe I got a little too confident a little bit in thinking I was going to make a big step,’’ he said. “It’s about just taking it day by day and continue to be patient and just know my time’s going to come. Just don’t force anything, just go out there and just flow with everything.’’ So, who exactly is Eli Apple? “I’m a 22-year-old guy,’’ he said, “just ready to get to work and continue to work hard and just build on that.’’
“I’m just trying to be a better player, a better person and a better teammate this year.’’
— Eli Apple