He has done it all, seen it all and heard it all. If it has happened on the football field, it is not news or new to Antoine Bethea.
There are elder statesmen throughout the NFL and then there are the older statesmen, which is the category Bethea fits. The Giants believe there is enough tread on his 35-year-old tires and that his body and mind are vital enough to give them a season — or two — and that he is the perfect combination of doer and leader to shepherd a flock of extremely young and impressionable defensive backs through the growing pains that are sure to come.
Every player has responsibilities; Bethea has more than most. Starting this week, he is charged with getting himself ready for season No. 14, his first with the Giants, while also making sure the kids around him have their hearts and minds on the task at hand and not on the magnitude of facing the Cowboys in the regular-season opener.
Bethea is not worried about his new teammates and the mistakes that are born out of youth and inexperience because he is not sweating what cannot be avoided.
“It doesn’t concern me because we know it’s gonna happen,’’ Bethea said. “That’s gonna happen, regardless. I think any job you go, first week, first two weeks, first month — you’re going to have some growing pains, you’re going to have some things you mess up on that you’re gonna learn from. I would be naive to tell them it’s not gonna happen because it happened to me as well.
“The biggest thing to being a pro, if it does happen, don’t let it happen again. And hopefully it’s one of those things where it’s a small mistake and it’s not a glaring mistake where we’re giving up a touchdown to win a game. There’s going to be some growing pains, but as veterans, we a team we just got to overcome those things.’’
The Giants brought Bethea in — signing him to a two-year contract worth $6.5 million — to help overcome those things. His trademarks are durability — he played in all 16 games in a season nine times, including last year at age 34 — and an accountability displayed during his 184 NFL starts.
Bethea also has a working knowledge of the system defensive coordinator James Bettcher runs with the Giants — it is the same system Bettcher used with the Cardinals in 2017 when Bethea played in Arizona.
It is no coincidence that two days after the Odell Beckham Jr. trade became official — a deal the Giants would not have signed off on unless the Browns included Jabrill Peppers, a 23-year old safety — Bethea was signed. Just like that, the Giants secured their new safety tandem, somewhat lessening the sting felt by fans upset that Landon Collins left in free agency for the Redskins.
“Well, the veteran component is huge because he’s steady, experienced, and he’s obviously seen a lot of things,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said. “If you have a guy in the back end that’s been there, done that and is confident and experienced, I think that’s good for your defense. If an offense shows us something that we haven’t seen, he’ll be able to help us adjust.’’
For this plan to operate, Bethea must hold up physically and provide direction and coverage at free safety. He played 1,111 snaps in 2018, a remarkable 99.64 percent, and showed no sign of wear and tear in his first summer with the Giants.
“Dang, he’s 35? I didn’t know that,’’ Sean Chandler, a 23-year old safety, said, laughing. “Everybody wants to play 14 years in the league, but it doesn’t happen that way for everybody. Like he tells us each and every day, it’s about doing the right thing, being in the right place and being a pro.
“He still acts like a young guy, but he’s definitely a guy you can lean on. He comes to you with ideas that he’s had when he was our age. It’s just good to have him in the room.’’
It did not take Bethea long to dissect the makeup of the secondary he joined and determine what the group requires from him. He does not need to be the loudest voice in every defensive backfield, but these Giants need him to at times overexaggerate his communication. Three other safeties on the roster are 23, 23, 21 and Michael Thomas is 29. The cornerbacks are 21, 22, 23, 23 and 26, with only Janoris Jenkins (30) an established veteran.
“I’m 100 percent comfortable with that,’’ Bethea said. “It’s one of the things I’ve done for a while, it’s something I hold dear to my heart and something as a pro I know that’s what I need to do to help this team get to the point where it needs to get to.“I think in our room I have to be vocal because we do have young guys in the room, so they do need to hear the voice of a veteran.’’
Peppers, entering his third NFL season, said he already has “a great dynamic’’ with Bethea.
“We kind of hit it off from the jump,’’ Peppers said. “I bounce stuff off of him all the time. It’s definitely good having a veteran guy back there to tell you watch this and that before the play so you keep it in the back of your mind, and it gives you a chance to make some big-time plays.’’
Chandler noticed Bethea, when making a correction, does not shout it within earshot of the entire group but instead pulls the player off to the side for a private tutorial.
“I like it that way,’’ Chandler said. “He comes at us with a lot. Each and every day he’s trying to teach us something new, honestly.’’
There is not much new for Bethea, the oldest player on a Giants defense that will rely on him to lead, by word and deed.