Alec Ogletree reminds Giants why they brought him here

Alec Ogletree may soon start petitioning for offensive snaps.

For most of the first half Sunday, he was the Giants offense.

The linebacker caught the second play of the game for a pick-six and later added a one-handed interception to give the Giants an early boost on the way to a 30-27 overtime win against the Bears on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

“I told coach, if I get five [interceptions], he’s got to let me get at least one play on offense at some point during the season,” said Ogletree, who now leads the team with four interceptions. “Hopefully I can get one more and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

For now, the defensive captain will keep bringing value at his natural position.

Since coming over in an offseason trade from the Rams, Ogletree has had issues in pass coverage, but delivered one of his best games in that area Sunday. He has also added an element behind the scenes, which has not gone unnoticed by head coach Pat Shurmur.

“He’s one of the guys that’s helping us flip this culture because he’s a winner, he’s tough, he’s resilient, and he made some game-changing plays today and that’s a credit to him,” Shurmur said.

Ogletree’s big day started on Bears quarterback Chase Daniel’s first pass. He jumped up and blocked it in his arms, corralling the ball and barreling toward the end zone. He made it 8 yards for the touchdown 46 seconds in, despite Daniel trying to bring him down on a horse-collar tackle.

“It definitely set the tempo for how the day was going to go,” said Ogletree, who also led the team with 10 tackles. “I was just happy and glad and blessed enough to be in that position to make the play.”

The second interception was flashier, with Ogletree dropping back in coverage and reading Daniel’s eyes to be in position to make a leaping, one-handed snag on the pass intended for Tarik Cohen.

“I was definitely trying to score on that one too, but I didn’t have enough blockers at the time,” Ogletree said with a grin.

Ogletree called the season so far “a struggle,” but believes the Giants are learning how to persevere.

“Things are going to be tough sometimes and you have to be able to keep fighting there and keep standing there and do your job at the highest level that you can,” Ogletree said. “When you do that, it definitely changes the culture around here and it gets guys around here to play well.”