Sterling Shepard laughed when he was reminded that so many athletes claim “it’s just another game” before they face their former team for the first time.
That is not what he was thinking a few days before Sunday’s game against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.
“I mean, obviously you got a little bit more juice,’’ Shepard told The Post. “I’ve got some familiar faces over there, people I’ve built a relationship with, but when you step in between them white lines, it’s business, and that’s the way you have to approach it. Yeah, I’m looking forward to going back man, it’s going to be fun.’’
Shepard after eight years with the Giants contemplated retirement.
He wanted to continue playing but was unsure if an opportunity would arise.
He took a call last spring from Baker Mayfield, his college quarterback at Oklahoma, and at 31 years old his NFL career got a reprieve with the Buccaneers.
He started the season on the practice squad, but injuries to wide receivers Mike Evan and Chris Godwin opened the door for Shepard.
In eight games, he has 16 receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown.
“You can’t beat the weather out here, I’m with my old buddy, my boy Baker, so it’s been great,’’ he said.
Shepard was one of the most popular players in the Giants’ locker room. He referred to his former teammates as “all my boys’’ and admitted catching a touchdown pass in this game “especially against your former team will definitely feel good, in that stadium, in front of those fans.’’
Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, a teammate of Shepard’s the past three seasons, said he saw a familiar sight when scouting the Bucs.
“I see Sterling Shepard,’’ Jackson told The Post. “I feel like he had juice here. I think he’s a helluva receiver, a helluva talent, I think he’s a helluva person and a helluva locker room presence. I think highly of Shep. I’m excited for him because he’s out there getting to do what he loves to do. He was counted out and now he’s getting the chance to thrive and shine.’’
Rookie WR Malik Nabers showed up on the injury report late in the week, listed as questionable with a groin issue that kept him out of Friday’s practice.
The expectation is he will play vs. the Bucs.
This same scenario unfolded in Week 7, when Nabers, after missing two games in the concussion protocol, was questionable to face the Eagles with a groin injury.
He ended up playing 93 percent of offensive snaps.
With QB Tommy DeVito making his first start of the season, the Giants could face a heavy dose of blitzes from a Todd Bowles-inspired Bucs defense. “I don’t know how much higher of a pressure. … He has a pretty high percentage of pressure,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “If he’s going to bring more, we’ve just got to be dialed into it.’’ … Thomas McGaughey, the Giants’ special teams assistant from 2007-10 and the coordinator from 2018-23, fills that role for the Buccaneers.
Ben Bredeson started 16 games for the Giants in 2023, but they decided to move on from him.
The Bucs signed him to a one-year deal worth $3 million and Bredeson has played all 647 snaps on offense, starting all 10 games at left guard.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bredeson has not allowed a sack in 416 pass block snaps.
Still, Pro Football Focus grades Bredeson as the 64th guard in the league, behind the two new Giants starting guards, Greg Van Roten (29th) and Jon Runyan Jr. (55th).