Q. What's up?
SAQUON BARKLEY: What's up, you guys (smiling)?
Q. Joe said after the combine, he called you kind of right away to say he's not shopping you or anything. What did that call mean to you?
SAQUON BARKLEY: Yeah, I appreciate the call. He just wanted to get off on the right foot. I was like, it is what it is. I wasn't really worried about it in a way. Coming to work no matter what.
Besides that, just love being back. Feel healthy, working hard. Love the energy that we have in the building. I love the energy Joe, Dave, all the coaches are bringing.
Q. Saquon, this is the first off-season in a while you haven't had a rehab. Have you noticed a difference in yourself? Do you feel differently this off-season so far?
SAQUON BARKLEY: Yeah. I definitely feel a lot different, a lot better. Feel like myself again. Obviously I don't want to jump of gun. Focus on the little things, get better every day.
No matter what, for the rest of your career, with injuries, every off-season is going to be kind of rehabbing so you make sure you don't get injured.
My mindset is just keep working on the little things and focus on the things that I can control. I can't control me stepping on something and hurting my ankle. I got to put that in the past. I got to worry about taking care of my ankle, my knee, all my body parts so I can be healthy because I know when I'm healthy I know what I can do for this team.
Q. Since you are entering the final year of your contract, would you like to have discussions about an extension?
SAQUON BARKLEY: Coming into the season?
Q. You see some guys with their option year will do an extension in the summer.
SAQUON BARKLEY: I am not even focused on that. The best thing that I can do is just focus on myself. That's showing up, being healthy, going out there and OTAs, camp, season, performing, work hard, keep my mind right, play the playbook.
I'm a big believer, saying it since day one, everything is going to take care of itself. I got to focus on what I can focus on. That's my main thing right now.
Q. What was your reaction at the combine when Joe Schoen left the door open to everything? He admitted he took some calls, teams interested in you. What was your thought process about you could be traded?
SAQUON BARKLEY: At first I was working out. I came home, my phone was blowing up. What the heck? Of course, I thought (loss of audio) I got traded, but you never know in today's world.
When I looked it up and I saw it, I didn't really take it like that, to be completely honest. That's his job. He's supposed to do whatever he feels that can help this team win, this organization win. That's his job.
When I saw the response, I really didn't take it as, Oh, dang, he wants to get rid of me, the Giants want to trade me. To be honest, I felt like that was more word-of-mouth, media kind of story. I didn't really take it like that to be completely honest.
After, like I said, oh, what the heck did happen because of my phone. I was cool. Mindset was coach called me, Dave called me, Joe called me, got back with my trainer and my PT, went to work.
Q. I know he's told us he told you he's not shopping you. Did he tell you he won't trade you?
SAQUON BARKLEY: I feel like the conversations between me and I'm stays in-house. What I told him was, Welcome to New York. You got to be careful with the things you say because it (loss of audio).
Q. The new offense, new regime, can give you an opportunity to be a play-maker in the sense of receiving, rushing, take advantage of your talent.
SAQUON BARKLEY: Yeah. Not just me. I feel like like a got to prove. There's a lot of guys in the running back room, quarterback room. We're very talented. We believe in each other. Right now it's getting one step better every single day.
Obviously you start smiling when you see (loss of audio) in the film room or go into the playbook. You just got to focus on the little things, getting better every single day. When those opportunities come, we make sure we stay healthy enough, capitalize on the plays we can make.
Q. You said you feel like yourself again. What are you doing physically now you weren't doing a year ago?
SAQUON BARKLEY: Not rehabbing the knee (smiling). That's one. I'm not out there thinking anymore. I'm thinking about it, but then you replace it (loss of audio). Oh, my gosh, two completely different things.
Getting stronger, getting back to how I like to train, my training résumé. Also adding the new things to keep me healthy, mobility-wise, stability-wise, all those little things.
It's not just the now. I want to play this game for a long time. I don't want to have a short career. That comes with taking care of your body, going and training hard, pushing my body.
Q. Did your mindset grow during that recovery process? Do you see yourself attacking the game differently? How you're approaching it knowing you're coming into it with a different attack point?
SAQUON BARKLEY: My mindset from just the last few years, to be honest, I kind of just want to kill, kill everybody, go crazy. I don't want to jump the gun. It's a long way before September, the start of the regular season.
To be honest, I'm just tired of whatever is written about me, said about me or this team. I want to go out there and prove to this organization the player they drafted is still there, I can do special things, help this team.
Q. Why do you think it's BS, the things that were written about your production level with injury history?
SAQUON BARKLEY: The thing I've learned is the story that's going to be told is people going to shape it the way they want to. There's a lot of --
Q. Why is it BS, you were not productive?
SAQUON BARKLEY: It's not just that, to be completely level. It's just I don't want to really get too into the details of what is being said. If I get into that, probably you know who I'm talking about.
So I'm just going to say that just tired of BS. Just want to go out there, play the game I love, have fun with my team.
Q. Since you've gotten here, now third new regime basically. Has there ever been a point when you took a step back, thought maybe I need a fresh start? Why are you committed to being here?
SAQUON BARKLEY: I love it here. I feel (loss of audio). I want to be part of the success coming back to this place. I don't want to look back on my career and said, Dang, when I was a rookie year with the Giants, I was part of the down years.
I know the talent we have in our locker room. I know what we're capable of as a team. It just takes the little things, contain the little things, contain believing in each other.
To be honest, when I was a kid, I was a Jets fan. I used to drive to New York and pass the stadium, the old stadium. I always told my dad I wanted to play in that stadium. I'm playing in MetLife, playing for the Giants. Something I want to do. I want to be special.
Q. Has the role of a running back changed since your rookie year? When you were a rookie, you caught 91 passes. Do you see passing and running becoming less important?
SAQUON BARKLEY: Do you mean like within our playbook or talking about in the league?
Q. Running backs are catching more passes rather than being thousand-yard rushers.
SAQUON BARKLEY: Yeah, I guess you could say that. That's where the game is going. I feel like you look at the top backs, they're all able (loss of audio) catching the ball in the backfield, the way you can be productive for the team.
Q. You mentioned your emotional connection to this team. Does it cross your mind this could be your last year here or is that something that concerns you?
SAQUON BARKLEY: No, I'm not really focused on that. I feel like I put myself in that place. I just feel like for my mental, for everything, (loss of audio) it's not going to bring any positivity to that at all. Go crazy, whatever happens, God forbid, I just try to focus on the now, coming in, enjoying the process, loving the game, having fun playing the game.
Like I said, it's something I've been wanting to do since I was a little kid. I'm living my dream. I want to capitalize on it.
Q. There was a play towards the end of practice today where you went on a long reception and scored a touchdown, high-five'd Brian after that. Was there any kind of feeling with that play, particularly the reaction from your teammates, your feeling about, Hey, this is what I have been?
SAQUON BARKLEY: It's not like more of a selfish way. Like I said earlier, it's more of the just like you seeing the plays and you seeing the creativity, then you go out there and capitalize on it, you see it in the film. You know, it gets you anxious. You want to go go, go, go, absorb everything, go out there and do it all at once.
It was more the creativity, the things that Coach Kaf was saying, Dave was saying, the mindset that everyone on the offense is starting to come alive. It's short, day two, day three of voluntary mini camp. Just got to stick with it.
Q. How would you describe the stamp that Dave and Joe have put on this in the short period of time here? Any differences you feel as a group?
SAQUON BARKLEY: Just the energy. Just the energy in the building from everybody. Staff all the way up to the top.
When I came back from San Diego, just feel this energy was different. Is going to be an exciting year. Obviously we still got a long way to go. Just enjoy it, day by day get better.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports