NORTH CALDWELL -- Damon Harrison could be enjoying his honeymoon on a beach somewhere far away.

But, he's not. Harrison is on the football field at West Essex High instead, a short drive down Routes 3 and 46 from MetLife Stadium.

A pleasant breeze ripples the back flags with interlocking "WEs" lining the bleachers as some residents jog around the track. On one side of the 50-yard line, a girls soccer camp is being held.

On the other, Harrison and several other NFL players are grinding away, starting another week of workouts with Brian Martin, the NFL Program Director of Montclair-based Parabolic Performance and Rehab, and his staff.

It has been a whirlwind offseason for Harrison. The undrafted free agent-turned-elite nose tackle signed a five-year, $46.5 million contract to move across town from the Jets to the Giants. He made good on his lifelong promise to buy his mother, Brunella, a house. And he married his wife, Alexis, over the July 4 weekend in Florida.

But while his life has changed, Harrison has not. He still works as he did before the acclaim and money. He is "still scared that they will take my playbook if I don't do right," as he said earlier this spring. He approaches his career as if he still is the no-name fighting for a roster spot he once was.

"At the end of the day, I still don't feel like I got what I deserve. And I don't think I ever would," Harrison told NJ Advance Media after a recent workout. "They can give me a billion dollar contract, and I'd still be out here like I'm trying to make the team, or working for a contract. That's just the guy I am."

Harrison was on a plane back to New Jersey from Orlando once his wedding was over, back at work with Martin soon after. Now is not the time for a honeymoon, or to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

"I'll do that when I'm done with football," he said. "Next offseason, we'll go on a honeymoon. She understands that and respects that; that's why I love my wife."

Martin has trained Harrison since 2011, before he broke into the NFL, earned the nickname "Snacks" and became one of the league's best defensive tackles. Martin said he has never had a player return to training so soon after his wedding, but knowing Harrison, he was not surprised.

"It's a tribute to his work ethic. He's just got so much heart and desire," Martin said. "That's why he's stuck for so long. I worked with a lot of guys who won't come back for two, three weeks. He came back and was working hard. ... He's the same guy. He's humble and hungry forever. He's the epitome of it."

So that's why Harrison was out here running sprints and firing off out of his stance with former Rutgers and St. Peter's Prep offensive lineman Keith Lumpkin, while Giants tight end Will Tye, former Giants and current Bengals cornerback Chykie Brown and Lions fullback Michael Burton, who starred at Rutgers and West Morris Central, worked out on the other side of the field.

"I know a lot of people say [they don't change after a big contract], to make it sound cool and whatever. But that's true to me," Harrison said. "I want to be great. I want to be considered the best at what I do. I don't come out here to be top three or one of the best. I come out here to be the best."

There's no beach in Harrison's immediate future. Only a few more weeks of training with Martin, and then it's on to training camp, and another chance to work and prove himself.

"I don't think I'm fully a Giant yet. I've still got to go out there and earn their respect," Harrison said. "They see the contract, they see what I've done in the past. But that means nothing to them. And I don't want to feel like I'm entitled to be a Giant, just because of my contract. I want to earn the right."

James Kratch can be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find and like NJ.com Giants on Facebook.