New York Giants news, 4/12: Eli Manning ready to move on, more notes from Day 1

With Monday having been the first time the New York Giants gathered as a team, several interesting nuggets of information came from that. Let's start our Tuesday by looking at some of those.

Eli ready to move on

The quivering lip of Eli Manning during the Tom Coughlin farewell press conference is memorable. And Manning made it obvious Monday that he has moved on. He was obviously excited to get started. Here is what he said about Coughlin not being around.

"I guess it sunk in a little bit just because the last few months I've been doing a good bit of training at the Giants facility, so I've gotten to know Aaron a little bit, gotten to see Coach McAdoo walking down the halls; just understand that he's the head coach now and not the offensive coordinator. I think it probably wasn't as big of a shock, the total difference, to the start of the offseason today as what it could have been."

Offense focused on third down, red zone

The Giants finished 22nd in the league in third-down conversion percentage and 29th in red zone scoring a year ago. McAdoo has mentioned that as a focus in 2016 and Manning did the same on Monday during his conference call.

"I think we had a lot of opportunities. We got down into the red zone a lot, we've got to score more touchdowns down there. We had a lot of opportunities to convert on third down, we've got to do better converting on some third downs, staying on the field. I feel like the whole team will be better. I think the defense will be better, get more stops, we'll be able to run more plays and get more opportunities. I feel like in the third year of this offense, we'll be able to make strides in the comfort level, but also after two years, what works, what doesn't work, what are our improvements, what do we need to work on, is there something we don't do very well that maybe we won't do, it's a part of our identity. I think you can really pinpoint exactly what you want to focus on to make those improvements."

Vernon: Recruiting pitch wasn't necessary

New Giant defensive end Olivier Vernon said the Giants' recruiting pitch, during which several coaches and GM Jerry Reese took turns speaking with him during a call, was nice but not necessary.

"Honestly, I already knew what my decision was going to be," Vernon said. "They didn't have to do that. I told Spags that and he was happy with that. I'm just glad to be a part of this organization."

Kelvin Sheppard: "No-brainer" to join Giants

Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, whose signing with the team was made official on Monday, said the "aura" around the Giants facility is one of the things that convinced him to sign with the team.

"This is my sixth year in the league now, so I know the different vibes you get when you go in a facility," Sheppard said when asked why he thought the Giants were a good landing spot for him. "When I came in this one, the aura, a lot of the players weren't here, but the aura. Then with OV signing - my boy, Olivier - it was a no-brainer.

"He's one of the closer people I was with down with the Dolphins; sitting next to me in all the meetings and everything. When he heard I was coming up (for a visit), he was like, ‘Man, you better sign. I need you up here, it'll be good for the team and us.' "

Side note: Sheppard and Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris are first cousins.