New York Post, Tuesday, August 27, 2019nypost.com48
I
T STARTED withJabrill
Peppers not being ableto
fi nd hisbl ue cleat fo r his
left foot.Hehad theblue
onefor the rightfoot, but
he searched his locker and
couldn’tfind the left one.
Then hesaw hisred cleats
andfiguredalittle mix-and-
match might bea good idea.
So there was Peppers
on the practice fieldat the
Giants trainingfacility in
EastRutherford on Monday,
looking like Captain America
withblue knee-length socks
andblue cleats on his right
leg and longred socks and
red cleats on his left.
“It wasalittle different
look,” mused linebacker Alec
Ogletree.“A t least he stuck
with theteam colors.”
To ac ce ntuate his appear-
ance, Peppers alsowore a
longre d sleeve andred glo ve
down his left arm, and no
sleeve butablue glove on his
right.
“I wantedto have a blue
sleeve, to o, bu tIcouldn’tfind
one,” Peppers said.
If hisfashion statement
wasn’t enough, the Giants
safety garneredplenty of
attention during practice by
inspiring his defense with his
play andwords of encour-
agement.Actually, it was
trashtalk. Afterafumble
by Saquon Barkley, Peppers
barked something about the
prized runningback being
“flustered” and needing to
keep his “poise.”
He even had somethingto
sa y af te rareturninga punt
for what would have beena
touchdown had it beena real
game.
“I wasonly running third-
quarter speed,” Peppers
boasted.
It was all in the nameof
good competition and prepa-
ra tionfo r thefinal preseason
gameat New England on
Thursday.
“We needto pick it up this
we ek, ” Pe ppers sa id. “Most
guys are getting their last
chance to show what theycan doto tryto make the
team.We’ve got to get after it
while we can.”
This isPeppers’ third NFL
season, but it’sanew begin-
ning.Playingfor the Giants
is a big dealfo r the native of
East Orange,
N. J. , who
was acquired
fromCleve-
land in the
trade for
OdellBeck-
hamJr. He is
playing not
justforapaycheck, but fora
purpose.He’s playingfor his
hometown and his state.
“It’ saJerseything,” Peppers
said. “It’severything.That’s
whoIam.That’s what made
mewhoIam.NowIget to
comeback, a Jerseyproduct,
and little kids can see that it’s
doable.Yo u don’t have to fa ll
into [bad] circumstances like
everybody else.”Among his biggest sup-
porters is pro boxer Shakur
Stevenson,a Newark native
who earneda silver medal in
the 2016 Olympics and will
fightfor theworld feather-
weight title later thisyear.
“He’s not
justa great
football
player, but
he’s a great
person,” Ste-
vensontold
ThePo st. “I
support him
andI appreciate himfor all
the support he shows me.”
It’s a Jerseything.
“Everybody in Jersey
knows everybody that’s
doing their thing ona high
level. I’ve beento his last
two fights,” Peppers said. “I
like his speed, accuracy, head
movement and hiscombina-
tionof strength and quick-
ness.Noone is staying withhim in hisweight class.”
Peppers says he usedto
box when hewas kid and
still uses someof the training
techniquesfor football.
“I usedto do a lot more
sparring, but not so much
anymore,” Peppers said.
The GiantsexpectPep-
pers to landa fewhard
licks on opposingreceiv-
ers thisyear. His leader-
ship andexperience is
needed ina secondary
where rookiesCorey
Ballentine, DeAndre
Baker and Julian
Love figure to get
plenty of play-
ing time. Pep-
pers remem-
bers theGiants
gloryye ars were
based ona strong
defense and a
reliable second-
ary. Hewantsto
get back to that.
“I wa s re al yo ungwh en
they won those Super
Bowls andplayed in those
biggames,” he said. “ButI
know what it didfor the
whole state. Wehave a
thing calledJerseypride.
I want to get back to
them days.”
The colors of his
team, the heartof his
city, Peppers willwear
them both with
pride.
george.willis@
nypost.comSHOWING HIS
TRUE COLORS
Playing for Jersey,
Peppers spices things
up with unique look
George Willis
TALKOFTHETONE:Jabrill
Pepperswenttwo-toneon
thecleatsandsocksat
practiceonMonday.Then
thesafetywentoutandset
thetoneforthedefense.
BillKostroun(2)