Edmunds said it's all about building trust with the rookie, who made that his first priority.
"I want to show the team right away that I'm one of those guys that would rather be seen and not heard," Reese said a month ago at rookie minicamp. "Especially as a rookie, that's what you've got to do. You've got to know what you're doing on the field before you say what you're about. Just get on the field, minimize mistakes, and just show I'm one of those guys that can get better every day."
The veterans, including Burns and Edmunds, took notice of those words.
"Hundred percent, hundred percent," said Edmunds, who is the youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 career games played. "I say it all the time, that's really the only way – that's how I was. I was 20 when I came into the league. So, I know I handled it as well. So, I know he's going to be good. If he's thinking like that, he's going to be good, because one thing about the league will humble you regardless and being that he's already coming in humble like that, I mean, the sky's going to be the limit for him.
"He's a guy that just wants to learn at the end of the day. No matter how high he got drafted, I can see like he cares about ball and he really loves ball. So, he's going to be good. And I'm going to help him. It's not like he's by himself, not just me but we got 10 other guys out there with him. We're all out there working together so (it's) no need to feel like you're by yourself. We're working together to get this job accomplished."
From an offensive perspective, tight end Isaiah Likely usually relishes a matchup with an inside linebacker. But not these ones.
"I mean, you guys see," Likely said. "They're probably 6-5 apiece. They both run probably 4.5. Arvell runs 4.4. And they take up a big part of the middle field. So, knowing their strength and their genetics, they know it as football players and then really just battling every day. And I told Arvell probably like a week or two ago, watching his college tape, a lot of the plays that he was making was quote, unquote off the line of scrimmage. So seeing how well he drops into coverage, how well he's been in space and how instinctual he is in zone coverages, that was really something I raised my eyebrows to because that's something that wasn't really highlighted, I would say, before he got here, and I would tell him just keep playing ball the way he's playing."
It was only fitting that the linebacker corps dominated the topic of conversation at Monday's media session. Moments earlier and just a few feet away, Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson spoke to the entire team after Day 1 of minicamp.
"I think the biggest thing is just understanding the culture," Edmunds said of their message. "Those guys have played football at a high level, Hall of Fame guys and just being able to get the knowledge that they experienced when they were here and just really pretty much telling us what it means to be a Giant, what it means to play for the City of New York, what it means to be in that stadium, getting that energy from the fans and producing at a high level, not really putting expectations on [us], but letting them know, like, yeah, we're watching you all, they're supporting 100 percent. It's the world to get those guys here. Anytime we can get knowledge from them, put that in our belt, add it to our arsenal, it's always good, so appreciate them guys for coming for sure."