Charles James saddened, shocked by first cuts (which he survived!)

Undrafted rookie cornerback Charles James wasn’t worried about the first round of cuts last weekend. Part of that has to do with his philosophy about pressure following a near-fatal car accident five years ago, but part of that was because of how well he played in the preseason up until that point.

That doesn’t mean that the most recent cuts didn’t affect him, though.

“For me it was saddening because a lot of the guys I came in with, I saw them and I bonded with them, and for them to be gone it was like ‘Wow, this really is how it goes,’” he said. “It was the first go-around for me seeing those types of things occur. But for me it was a blessing not to be cut. It was another week for me to stay alive.”

Now he’s hoping for another 17 weeks.

“In this business you never really know,” he said. “It’s a crazy business. One of the things I do know is I’m progressing well and just trying to keep fighting and keep doing what I need to do, which is what I’ve been doing these last couple of weeks. Playing my heart out and doing what the coaches as me to do and being in the right spot at the right time.”

James has a decent shot at making the Giants’ 53-man roster. If he doesn’t, he’ll almost certainly be invited back on the practice squad. That would mean going through waivers, though, and giving any of the other 31 teams a chance to grab him.

Then again, making the roster on cutdown day this Saturday doesn’t guarantee anything.

“You can never be too comfortable in this league,” he said. “I have a standard of excellence and I’m shooting for perfection every time. For me it’s never a comfortable level. Even if I make the 53 I’ll never be comfortable. But I have to go out there and continue to do what I’ve been doing and that’s playing hard and giving it my all and doing whatever the coaches tell me to do. Whether it’s go out there and run down on that kickoff, be that guy, do that. Go field some punts, make some plays, I’ll be that guy. Play the nickel spot, wherever they need me to be that’s what I’m going to do. That’s what’s given me the chance so far.”