Eli Manning New York Giants Hoodie , Zak DeOssie Some things are more important than football. For instance, New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard became a father over the weekend. Shepard and his wife, Chanel Iman, welcomed their daughter, Cali Clay Shepard, into the world Friday morning. Unsurprisingly, questions about routes in practice pale before the birth of a child, and that was the focus of Shepard’s time with the media after practice on Monday.Perfect timingShepard said after practice that the timing of the birth wasn’t as expected, but turned out to be absolutely perfect.“I was thinking it was going to happen on that game day but we woke up the next morning, she (Shepard’s wife Chanel) stood up, her water broke, and we went right to the hospital. She did great, I was there every step of the way. It was pretty graphic, but it was good. She did a great job. Our moms were there, our families were there, everything went perfect.”Shepard added, “They didn’t do much on Friday either, so it was perfect timing. She’s a very considerate baby, she came out right on time. It was nine days earlier than what it was supposed to be.”Advice from the vetsOne of Shepard’s newest teammates, Saquon Barkley went through the same thing, with the birth of his own daughter just two days before the 2018 NFL Draft. Shepard was asked if his fellow new dad had any advice for him. “No,” Shepard said Customized New York Giants Jerseys , “he didn’t give me any tips. He’s a brand new dad just like me so we’re trying to figure it out together. Eli (Manning) and them, they’ve been helping me out, all the older guys, Zak DeOssie.”What kind of advice did the veteran dads have for Shepard? Shepard said, “Just advice. From breast feeding to having to be up and helping the wife out when you get home, you don’t really know what she’s going through throughout the day so when you get home, help her out a bit so she can have some time to herself and things like that.”No, big game experience doesn’t help Finally, Shepard confirmed that the pressure of playing in a big game doesn’t have anything on the birth of your daughter. “It was a little bit more intense,” Shepard said. “You kind of have an idea of what you’re going into on game day. There, you have no idea what’s going to happen or what could happen, so the nerves are kicking a little bit more. Like I said, I was on the side of the bed with her the whole time, I even caught myself pushing when the doctor was saying, ‘Push!’ and she was like, ‘What are you pushing for?’, but I was helping her out and she did a great job.”I think I can speak for everyone when I say: Congrats, Sterling!Odell Beckham contract is official: “We got him until he’s 108,” says GM Dave Gettleman The New York Giants made the signing of Odell Beckham Jr. to a massive new contract extension official on Monday afternoon. The Giants did not announce terms of the deal, believed to be worth $95 million, but they did discuss the length of the contract.“It’s a five-year extension, six years total www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com ,” GM Dave Gettleman said via a statement released by the team. “We got him until he’s 108. I never worried whether or not we would get it done. I’m pleased, because the litmus test for a contract is that neither side is ticked off before the ink can dry, and neither side should be ticked off. It’s a very fair deal.”Beckham, who celebrated with teammates in the locker room after signing the deal, was grateful.“Honestly, I don’t even know how to explain it,” Beckham said. “I don’t know if it’s a relief, I don’t know – it’s a combination of everything. You’ve worked all your life to get to this point and it’s finally here. I have to thank Mr. Mara, Steve Tisch, Mr. Gettleman, coach (Pat) Shurmur, Eli (Manning), all the guys I played with in the past years. Everybody was really a part of this - my mom, my dad, my family, everybody who was supporting me through this. It’s just such an amazing feeling, I can’t even explain. Most importantly, I have to thank God for being able to put me back together mentally, physically, spiritually. This is just truly amazing; I don’t even know the right words to describe.“It was just a time of patience and waiting and I knew that it would get done, it just was a matter of when and I’m just so happy that it is finally done now.”This is a deal co-owner John Mara has wanted to reach with Beckham for some time now.“As I have said, I think Odell personally is moving in the right direction New York Giants T-Shirt ,” said Mara, the Giants’ president and chief executive officer. “He came to camp with a tremendous attitude, with a smile on his face and worked hard and reminded us of his unique abilities. He’s ready to have a great season and we’re ready for him to have a great season.”“It was not a distraction because of the way we handled it,” Gettleman said. “The way he handled it, the way we handled it. I was thrilled when he spoke to the media at training camp. I was thrilled he said it’ll get done when it gets done, because that’s what it is. You can’t force things, it’s a negotiation. It’s a back and forth, both sides have to be intentional and thoughtful, which we were. It was great negotiating, it was a very good give and take with Kevin (Abrams, the assistant general manager) and Zeke (Sandhu, Beckham’s agent). We got to the right answer as far as I’m concerned.”“It’s a great day for our franchise and our fans,” said chairman and executive vice president Steve Tisch. “I am excited about our future, especially with Odell and Eli and their teammates operating in Pat’s (Shurmur) offense. We have seen Odell grow. His enthusiasm and work ethic are contagious, and my hope for him and for us - and I know he feels the same - is for him to be remembered as one of the great Giants of all time.”Beckham said the deal is “not going to change my goals.”“This just kind of secures you and your family, and the ones that are going to come along after you in your family,” he said. “For me, it’s not going to change my goals that I have on the field. If anything, it just increased them even more. I just want to be able to come out and play football the way that I’ve always played, the way that I love it and have some of my best years that I’ve ever had in my entire life. This is nothing but more motivation to go even harder and to do even better.”