To this point, Eli Apple's two-year career with the New York Giants has been anything but even -- or for that matter, boring. It's been explosive, but not in the way the Giants envisioned. 

He entered the league as the 10th-overall pick and a media sensation with some help from his mom, and proceeded to play a role on the Giants' second-ranked defense by DVOA, which took them to the playoffs. The 2017 season, however, saw Apple get benched, fined, called out by safety Landon Collins, and even suspended by the team -- a team that went 3-13 in a disastrous season. Despite his second-year struggles, new general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur are giving Apple a clean slate in 2018.

At the first day of OTAs on Monday, Apple had a chance to reflect on his 2017 season. He admitted that he was "embarrassed" by what happened.

"Was I embarrassed? Of course," Apple said, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "Nobody wants to go out the way I went out. It was all over the place. So, of course."

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Apple's not wrong when he says "it was all over the place." Let's break out the bullet points to summarize what happened to him in 2017:

It's worth noting that Apple wasn't the only Giant to experience a tumultuous season. The turmoil extended to nearly every corner of the locker room, including then-coach Ben McAdoo, who got fired before the end of the season after he benched Eli Manning for Geno Smith. The Giants responded by hiring a new GM and coach, both of whom are ready to give Apple another chance.

"I think it went well," Apple said of his conversation with Gettleman. "He was just telling me that he wants to put everything behind me. Just talked about clean slate. He said he was excited. I'm excited as well."

Apple added that he patched up his relationship with Collins and said that he believes he can still cash in on the potential that made him a first-round pick two years ago because he's changed his "habits" and "attitude."

"I think I can be a great Pro Bowl player," he said. "It's about everyday going about my business and being a great player every day and being consistent."

The Giants could use another Pro Bowl player. In 2017, their defense regressed, falling from the second-ranked defense to the 24th-ranked defense by DVOA. Offensively -- partly because of the loss of Odell Beckham -- they scored the second-fewest points per game (15.4). Despite their horrific season and their chance to hit reset by drafting a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, the Giants chose to go all-in with their core. They drafted running back Saquon Barkley in the first round and bolstered their offensive line by signing Nate Solder as their new left tackle and drafting guard Will Hernandez in the second round.

If the Giants have any chance of rebounding from 2017 with a return to the playoffs, they won't need just Eli Manning and the offense to rediscover the magic, they'll also need Apple to develop into a player worthy of a first-round pick. So far, both sides are saying all the right things. But ultimately, Apple simply needs to play better when the football begins to matter again.