ASHBURN, Va. — Ereck Flowers was smiling Wednesday, talking hopefully about his aspirations for his first season in Washington.

But he still remembers the sting of failing with the Giants — and the incendiary criticism he received from fans.

“If you read about me, you’d swear I was this villain,” Flowers told NJ Advance Media, as he prepares to debut as Washington’s left guard Sunday against the Eagles. “A lot of people don’t know me, so maybe some people have some built-up opinion about me."

He said his time with the Giants "just taught me valuable lessons, not to focus on what somebody else is saying about you. Sometimes, you’ve got to look at who is saying it.”

To be sure, Flowers did not live up to expectations after the Giants drafted him ninth overall in 2015. He struggled so mightily that the Giants cut him in early October last year. He also did himself no favors by pushing a reporter after a game in 2016.

But Flowers is still just 25, and trying to now reinvent himself as a guard, after never panning out as a tackle. After he finished last season with the Jaguars, he’ll get two chances this year to face his old team — Weeks 4 and 16. And he feels like he has something to prove in 2019.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” he said.

He has felt reinvigorated in Washington, while learning a new position. Though he was initially frustrated about being cut by the Giants, he feels much better now about coming to work.

“I didn’t have anger,” he said of the Giants releasing him. “I just wanted a fresh start. For me, football has been more enjoyable here. I’m just trying to refine my game, get rid of bad habits, and create some good ones, especially at a new position."

After a while with the Giants, Flowers just had to stop reading negative reactions to his performance — many of which were warranted, of course.

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“I got to the point where I just stopped looking at it,” he said.

Maybe Flowers can spark his career as a guard in Washington. Or maybe he is doomed to be an all-time draft bust. But in the meantime, he is just reminding himself of one thing: “You didn’t get here by accident, so you’ve just got to keep working,” he said.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.