Jay Bromley can't wait for the first day of school.
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The second-year defensive tackle, who was the Giants' third-round draft choice in 2014, is accustomed to campus life at Syracuse where he was always training and hanging out with his peers.
But that is not the case in the NFL.
Pros more or less disperse after the season, travelling to hometowns, warmer weather, or both. All of that will change, however, in a few days when the Giants report for the voluntary offseason workout program on Monday, April 20.
"I'm very excited. I just can't wait to get back and see everybody back in a uniform and lifting," Bromley told Giants.com in a phone interview. "They're your brothers. It's like you come back together. I'm only one year removed from college, so I'm still used to that college atmosphere being around my brothers every single week. This is a little different. I can't wait for them to get back so I don't get bored anymore after workouts."
Bromley has been feeling the itch for a while, so he flew down to Florida last week to train with Jason Pierre-Paul. There Bromley tried to pick up all he could from the sixth-year defensive end, whom the Giants designated as their franchise player in March.
"Out there, we just did a lot of speed things like pushing the sled and pulling the sled. Everything is based off getting out of your stance and being explosive and being strong with your lower body.
"It was really about making sure your core was strong because that's the foundation of everything else. Your core being strong, your legs being strong, and continuing to work on your flexibility."
But working out wasn't the only topic of conversation between the two defensive linemen.
They also talked about the return of Steve Spagnuolo as the Giants' defensive coordinator. Bromley, who is from Jamaica, Queens, remembers the first time around when he, as a teenager, watched Spagnuolo's unit sack Tom Brady five times and defeat the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
"I just remember the defense always being the backbone of every championship that the Giants ever won," Bromley said. "I feel like the Giants have set the standard for the defensive line and how important a pass rush is -- just like when they ended the Patriots' perfect season in 2007. You saw how important it was to get to the quarterback and have multiple guys -- defensive tackles and defensive ends -- that can disrupt the quarterback and make sure they're uncomfortable."
Pierre-Paul did just that down the stretch last season, but he wasn't the only one.
Check out photos of DT Jay Bromley from the 2014 season
Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins produced a breakout year with seven sacks, drawing another blueprint for what can be accomplished in a sophomore season. Like Hankins, Bromley's rookie year consisted mostly of learning behind veterans and not knowing if he was going to suit up on a weekly basis.
"[Hankins] sort of tutored me his second year, and it has done wonders for me mentally, seeing and just knowing that it's possible," Bromley said. "Just make it possible. So me seeing that, it's like a measuring stick. I know me and him are two different kinds of players when it comes to interior defensive tackles, but I don't want to put a limit on what I can and can't do. I know I can get into the backfield, I know I can be disruptive, I just have to do it consistently, and that will come with time."
