Jennings on Vereen: 'He's a teammate, he's not an enemy'

By foxsports
Published

There was some speculation that New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings would take the Giants' decision to sign free agent running back Shane Vereen as a warning sign. After all, the Giants are paying Vereen more money annually than Jennings, and the Giants have very little guaranteed money still tied to Jennings' contract. Through the clutter, Jennings remains dedicated to his one true goal for the 2015 season.

"Shane's a great player," Jennings told reporters on Thursday. "He's a teammate, he's not an enemy. We're working together, and we're going to win a championship together."

"I'm here to help us win a championship, period. It doesn't matter who's out there first and who's out there last."

In order for Jennings to play a key role in the winning season that he hopes the team will have, he has to stay healthy. This has been an issue for Jennings throughout his career. During his six-year career, Jennings has missed 32-of-96 total regular season games. Jennings has no plans to change his approach to the game as a way to stay healthier.

"I'm a detailed person," Jennings said. "I'm sticking to my routine. This a physical game and there's some things you can't control."

The good news is that Jennings is fully recovered from the injuries that nagged him during the 2014 season.

"I'm completely healthy," Jennings said. "No recovery. I've been recovered, 100 percent a while ago."

Jennings sees the Giants offense taking the next step and becoming elite in 2015.

"Everyone is coming back healthy, going into year two in the same system makes a tremendous difference," Jennings said. "McAdoo (offensive coordinator) explained to us last year we installed a system, this year we get to run our offense. Different attitude, different command of the offense. It's not about lining up in the right place now, it's about making plays."

In addition to those players returning to the team, Jennings is excited about what Vereen can bring to this offensive scheme.

"He brings explosiveness, depth, he's a smart player, good at catching out of the backfield," Jennings said. "He brings an element to the game that we didn't have last year. I'm excited to see what he brings."

The duo will combine with Andre Williams to make up the Giants' three-man rushing attack in 2015.

(h/t New York Giants)

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports 

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