Giants’ James Bradberry: It will be ‘special’ to play Panthers
The Carolina Panthers selected cornerback James Bradberry in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. He stayed in Carolina for the first four seasons of his career before signing a mega-deal with the New York Giants last March.
On Sunday, for the very first time, Bradberry will suit up and play against his former team.
“It’s special because that’s where I started. I know some guys still on that defense and some guys on that offense, so I think it’s going to be special to see some of my old teammates,” Bradberry told reporters on Thursday.
Bradberry says he holds no animosity towards the Panthers organization for letting him walk, especially now that they have been largely restructured.
“As far as me having animosity or anything towards them, they weren’t there when I was there, so I can’t really blame them for not keeping me,” Bradberry added.
“It’s a business at the end of the day and I understood what was going on towards the end of my career there. Coach Rivera got fired, they had a new coaching staff coming in. Honestly, they had new personnel upstairs as well with GMs, new contract guys coming in. I kind of got a feel for it, I knew my time there wasn’t going to be long.”
When Bradberry does take the field on Sunday, he will likely be tasked with stopping Carolina wideout D.J. Moore, who has established himself as one of the best in football. But the veteran corner feels comfortable given his familiarity with Moore.
“I’ve been against him before, and of course I watch film on him now. I think I know him,” Bradberry said. “I think one, his explosiveness [makes him a good receiver]. He’s very fast and quick. Two, he’s able to judge the ball well down the field. Also, he’s a very good runner after the catch.
“I’m not sure what his stats are, but I know when I played with him, he was very good at catching the ball on slants and creating explosive plays off of that.”
The Panthers are intent on running the ball upwards of 30 times on Sunday and that will be the Giants’ primary focus, but the game may be won or lost on the outside. If Bradberry can shut down Moore and his former team, maybe the Giants can pick up their second victory of the season.
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