New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard was clearly pumped about a catch he made during Thursday's practice. But his first-year head coach Joe Judge didn't take to Shepard's enthusiasm.
According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Judge called out Shepard for over-celebrating his reception, using the fifth-year pro to set an example for the rest of the team.
Shepard apparently broke Corey Ballentine's ankles on a nasty route, then hauled in a deep throw from second-year quarterback Daniel Jones. Shepard hung onto the ball through a collision with Julian Love at the 10-yard line, then leapt to his feet and hurled the ball about 30 yards in his excitement.
Judge penalizes anything in practice that would earn a flag in a real game. He made Shepard retrieve the ball and bring it back to him at midfield, where the two reportedly had a good-natured interaction.
Shepard seemed to understand his coach's actions afterwards.
“It would have been a 15-yard penalty in a game, and that’s what he told me,” Shepard said. “I thought about it, and that is true. When you make a big play at practice, you tend to do stuff that you might not do in a real game. Sometimes emotions get high in a game. Yeah, I need to think about those things before I do them.”
Shepard was limited to 10 games in 2019, but still caught 57 passes for 576 yards and three touchdowns. He'll be the No. 1 receiver for Jones in 2020, who will also have receivers Golden Tate and Darius Slayton, tight end Evan Engram, and halfback Saquon Barkley to look for when he takes the snap.
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