Head Coach Bill O'Brien
Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel
DE Jared Crick
C Chris Myers
WR Andre Johnson
CB Johnathan Joseph
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Head Coach Bill O'Brien
(on practicing indoors this week because of the weather) "The lighting, you know, we're not going to go out there in lighting. If there wasn't lighting, then we'd go out there in the rain, but because of the
lighting, strikes were close and we went inside. The other thing about that is we have field turf in there, which is good as far as this game this weekend. At least practicing on field turf we get that work, which is important. Ideally, we'd like to be outside, but hey, it is what it is."
(on QB* *Eli Manning saying the Giants locker room is desperate for a win) "I don't know anything about their locker room. I just know, like I said all week, every week is a challenge. No matter what the records are, no matter what the conditions are, no matter who you're playing, it's just a big challenge. When you watch the New York Giants, you know it's going to be a big challenge. Not only are we on the road, MetLife Stadium, it'll be a loud crowd, but we're playing a very, very tough well coached football team in my opinion. It's going to be a big challenge."
(on he thinks makes the team successful on third downs) "I don't know, really. I can't pinpoint just, we're only two games into the season, but I will say that we work on it a lot. We definitely concentrate on it a lot in meetings. We concentrate on it a lot in practice, and then I think you have to look at the players and their ability to go out there and execute. The players have done a really good job of executing what we're trying to do. Give them all the credit, but I think it's important to note that it's only two games into the season and we need to keep that going, keep that trend going."
(on if the wind factor in MetLife Stadium affects the play calling) "We'll have to see when we get there. We'll have to see how windy it is that day. I'm not sure what the wind forecast is right now, but it has
been windy in the past when we played there when I was with New England. But again, you have to get there early, see what the wind is. Certainly it does affect how you would choose what end to kick from based on what the wind forecast for the next three hours, once the ball was kicked off, what it would be. You have to understand which direction you want to go as far on offense and for their offense, too. Because if it's going to be windy early or do you want the wind at your back or do you want it at your back late? All of those things go into it, but you really can't decide that until you get to the stadium."
(on if it's advantage for him because he has coaching experience at MetLife Stadium) "You know, I don't think so. I don't think it's an advantage. I think it's a very tough place to play. My experience there has been that it's very loud. Even last year at Penn State, we opened up the season there against Syracuse, and it was very loud that day. That's my experience that it's a tough venue to play in because of the home crowd."
(on if the Giants success against the run influences the game plan) "Every week is a matchup, so certain teams maybe they matched up against the run or matched up well against the pass, whatever it may be. I think or us, we have to look at how we match up against them and what's our best plan of attack. We've been practicing the past two days on what we think is our best plan of attack. We always try to stay balanced. I know it hasn't been balanced. It's been more run than pass so far this year. We really do try to achieve a balanced run-pass ratio. We'll always try to do that going into these games."
(on changing how much the team will run going against a defense like the Giants) "I've been impressed, so far, with the way that we've run the ball, and I think that's an important part of our game. We work on it a lot. We've got to try to run the football based on who we have in the backfield and our offensive line, our tight ends. But at the same time, we always have to do whatever it is we need to do to win. So if we go in there, we know it's going to be difficult to run the ball against this front, and if the run games not going well, then we have to change. We have to do what we have to do to win. Maybe that's changing a run scheme. Maybe that's throwing the ball more. We'll have to see how it plays out on Sunday."
(on if all the tight ends will be available) "I don't know that yet. I'm not sure yet."
(on the progress of RB Alfred Blue after struggling a bit at the end of preseason) "Yeah, that's about right. He started out really well. Like most rookies, he hit kind of that training camp wall, but he was able, I think, to climb over it. He played well last week against Oakland. Here's a guy that I think is a mature guy, very football smart guy, very smart guy. A guy when he was there in the draft, we felt really strongly about his ability to come in here and help us on special teams and help us as a running back. He's doing exactly what we thought he would do and he just needs to keep working and getting better."
(on if working with RB Arian Foster has made RB Alfred Blue a better running back) "I think anytime you have an excellent player at your position I think it helps. I really do. I think if you're playing; I think if you're Jeff (Jeoffrey) Pagan and you're watching (J.J.) Watt, even though that might be a different skill set, that's got to help. If your Max Bullough and you're watching (Brian) Cushing, that has to help. If you're a young receiver, even DeAndre Hopkins, who's a really good football player, but he's got Andre Johnson there. Anytime you're able to have a guy like that, Arian Foster for Blue, now he's got Ronnie Brown. Ronnie Brown has a really good history in this league and is just a great teammate, great guy. I think that always helps young players. I'm a big believer in that. I think we have that at all of the positions. If you're a young offensive lineman and you've got Duane Brown and Chris Myers, and you're watching these guys operate every day, that's important."
(on if he has a lot of family going to the game) "I've got my dad. I think my dad is coming with his three buddies, his three golfing buddies. They claim to be good golfers, but I've witnessed that. I would argue that. I have my older brother coming with my dad. I have two older brothers and my middle brother is coming. I don't know. I'm sure there are probably some others. You know, I'm from Boston. I'm not sure how much those Boston guys want to travel to New York."
Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel
(on if extra effort is to credit for the turnovers by the secondary) "I could say it's luck, but I think
guys have been working really hard and giving extra effort. A lot of the turnovers have come on extra effort plays, just like last week when they caught the pass and retrieved the fumble, they recovered the fumble and then we hustled and re-created a fumble and then we hustled and recovered the fumble. I think we preach that to the guys about hustling to the football. When you do hustle, some good things can happen and they've been happening for us. That's the work ethic and the hustle, it has created a lot of them. Guys being in position and being able to make a play has created some also. We had the interception going down the seam. They ran a slot receiver up to seam and K-Jack (Kareem Jackson) was in great position and he went up and got the ball. It's a combination of all those things that allow turnovers to occur."
(on CB Kareem Jackson crediting their preparation for putting him in the right position to make the interception and how quickly are they picking up things during the week for Sunday) "What we try to do is we try to give them as much information as we can give them that we think is valuable. You can put the information out there, but they're the ones who have to take it in and study and do the film work and research to see if what we're telling them is correct. When they do it and they see it's correct, then they have an opportunity to make the play because they have put themselves in good position."
(on the biggest difference between OLB Brooks Reed last year to this year) "When I looked at Brooks last year, Brooks was in the game just about all the time. The thing about Brooks, I felt like he was a hustle guy. He was a steady effort guy. He wasn't flashy, but he was giving effort on every play. I think he still gives that kind of effort, but he's just making plays now in this system; it's allowed him to make a few more plays. What I think part of that is the understanding of what the opponent is doing, what his job his, what the opponent is doing and then when he gets that opportunity, going ahead a making the play."
(on if he has to caution guys not to take risks trying to create turnovers to try and take advantage of QB Eli Manning's struggles) "I don't think the turnovers we've gotten are because guys are taking risks. It's because guys are putting themselves in position to make plays. Hopefully we'll continue to do that. The thing with Eli, Eli is a two-time winning Super Bowl quarterback. He's seen a lot of things. I do not underestimate him at all. I don't think our players should underestimate him going to their place to play. Whatever the records are the records are, but you just can't count on the records allowing you to win the game. You have to go play and you have to win the game. That's what we've talked to these guys about, being able to go on the road and win on the road. Yes, we did it last week but that doesn't mean anything because this week is a different opponent, different location, everything about it is different."
(on SS D.J. Swearinger talking about when to play within the defense and when to take chances) "Well D.J. has great instincts. He has great football instincts. He's not playing outside of the defense, you know? He's playing within the defense, but using his instincts to try and put himself in position to impact the quarterback, to be able to make a play here or there. I think that's been helpful because he has been a force on the football field."
(on SS D.J. Swearinger saying he saw an opportunity to make plays on the quarterback when he was
supposed to drop back) "His instincts told him he had a chance to get there because his coverage was blocking. When your coverage blocks, then you can add-on. That's what we call that. He chose to add-on, which allowed him to be where he was. That's not playing outside the defense. That's understanding that your coverage is blocking and the chances of your coverage getting out is minimal so now you see this big space, so you go get the quarterback."
(on if he remembers what Tom Coughlin was like when they first met with the Giants) "Sure. Tom is a good, solid, sound football guy. Tom is one of those guys where all the little things are important to him. As we all know, being on time is important to him and it was as important to him as an assistant. That's the kind of guy he is. That's why he's been able to be at New York for what, 10 years I believe? That's Tom, and he doesn't change."
(on if his 1990 Super Bowl staff in New York was the best coaching staff he's been on) "It was a very good coaching staff. I mean, I've been on several good coaching staff. I don't know. I don't like to say which is the best because things change. Situations are different. And so when you're with good people, guys who work hard, good ethics, winning is important to them, do the things the right way, then you enjoy going to work. Several of the staffs I've been on have been like that."
(on what was the most important thing he learned from the 1990 Super Bowl staff) "I'm not exactly sure right off the top of my head, but we were able to come together and win. That was the second Super Bowl that we were able to win there, and so that was important. The other thing is when you add people to the staff, when people come to the staff, if you bring the right people to the staff, then that can help you be able to win or to continue your winning ways. I think that is important, bringing in the right people."
(on what he thinks about DE J.J. Watt playing offense) "Hey, I like every touchdown that a defensive player scores. That helps us. That helps the defense. That helps the team. I'm good with it. Hope he can score another one."
(on if QB Eli Manning is a hard quarterback to prepare for) "I don't think that he's hard to prepare for. You just have to understand his abilities and what he's trying to get done at the line of scrimmage and those kinds of things. The thing that makes a quarterback hard to prepare for is the efficiency that he operates with. He can make all of the throws. He's very accurate down the field with his throws. He has a weapon in (Victor) Cruz that can make plays. He's got a big tight end that can make plays. The running back is a physical runner and you've got to do a good job of tackling that guy. I know that the offensive line is young, but everybody plays on Sunday. We're going to line up and hopefully we can play good enough to win."
(on if he takes into consideration that QB Eli Manning has a better passer rating against the blitz) "Sure. I think you have to take everything into consideration. The thing about blitzing is if you don't get there, changes are you give up a big play. You have to pick and choose the times that you're going to blitz and when you're going to pressure."
DE Jared Crick
(on if he feels the defensive line has played up to his standards so far) "I think we've playing pretty good. We have a lot of stuff that we could get better at, but that's every defensive line in the NFL at this point of time. We just have to keep working hard and get better every day."
(on what did he want to capitalize early in the season) "We just wanted to set the tone for the defense. It all starts up front, so we've got to set the tone early and like I said, if we're not doing our job, the defense can't do theirs. We've just got to go at every snap and do our role and play to the best of our ability."
(on if it's more difficult to play against a team who feels like their back is against the wall) "I mean, it's the NFL, so every game is a must win. You have to win every week. To say that this week in particular is a must win, it's a little different for us. You know, every game is a big game. They're going to be coming out swinging, but so are we. It's going to be a big game."
(on if there is any difference going against a team who feels desperate) "Maybe. Maybe they'll try something a little bit different. A lot of times it's all football. We've seen it all. You've got to prepare for everything, and we always do. No matter what they want to throw at us we're going to be prepared and we've got to execute. That's our biggest thing."
(on going against a quarterback like Eli Manning) "He's a great quarterback. He's a great player. Like you said, we've got to be ready for him. He can do anything. Like I said, as long as we do our job, that's all we can control."
C Chris Myers
(on preparing for the Giants defense) "Obviously, there are certain things that we have to prepare for that we don't see. Those are game plan things that you got to do. For the most part, they have a talented front seven and it's going to be a test for us."
(on if winning the third game is a mental hurdle) "Just worry about this week. It has nothing to do with last year. It has nothing to do with this year. You focus on week to week. It sounds cliché, but 1-0 every week. We've had that in the past here and I think that's what we're going to stick to right now. As long as you focus on the goals for the week at hand, you'll be all right."
(on the improvement of T Derek Newton) "I think Derek's improvement has been unbelievable. I think what he's been doing speaks for itself. I said it since day one when walked in the door, I think he's a talented player. He's got tremendous versatility. For a guy that big to move as quick as he does and have the work ethic that he has is a testament to himself."
(on if it sometimes takes time to get used to the NFL game) "Not in terms of Derek (Newton), but just in general. The NFL learning curve is definitely different for every single player. You can't tell how long it's going to take for one or how long it will take for the other. Personally speaking for me, I didn't come into my own until like year four or five. That's the way it is. Every single player takes a certain amount of time to realize their craft and certain offenses treat different things different ways. I think he's honing on his skills now."
(on the toughest thing in the learning process) "Just trying to find out what you can do and what you can't do. What you're better at and what you're not as good at. You kind of hone in on the things that you do better at and you try to utilize those in all aspects of your game."
WR Andre Johnson
(on how Bill O'Brien has changed the culture) "I think he brings a lot of energy. He's an exciting coach and he's always, he jokes around with the guys in the locker room. When it's time to be serious, he's serious. But at the same time he keeps it competitive. I think that keeps it fun also. It's changed the attitude of the team."
(on a specific example when he realized Bill O'Brien was a different type of coach) "Most coaches that I've had have been pretty serious. I mean, he's a serious guy, too, but I just think that he interacts more with the team. He'll come through the locker room and hang out with the guys a little bit. Just joke around and stuff like that. The previous coaches didn't do stuff like that."
(on when the vertical passing game will open up) "Well, we're winning. I don't think none of that really matters. If we can run the ball with Arian (Foster) 27 times and keep winning, then I'm all for it. You have to adjust as the game goes on. If teams can't stop the run, then we'll continue to run it."
(on there being only two passes over 20 yards) "Like I said, man, I just want to win. I don't really care about that. Whatever we need to do to win, that's what I'm going to do, so that doesn't really matter."
(on if he sees any similarities between this year's team and the division winning teams) "It's different. It's different. Like I said, it's a whole new; just things and the way we do things is all new. It's not the same. Whatever has happened her in the past is in the past. We don't think about that. We just focus on what's going on right now."
(on what has fueled the hot start so far) "I don't think it's really no fuel. It's just guys want to win. That's why to play, to win. We understand what's happened here in the past, so we're just trying to make sure that doesn't happen again."
(on the Giants ranking higher against the rush compared to Washington and Oakland and if he feels like the passing game will have to be a bigger factor) "You can say all these stats or whatever. If you go out there and run the ball Sunday and they can't stop, you can keep running it. We're going to do whatever we have to do to win. That's pretty much it. I don't think any team comes in the game and says, 'Hey, we're going to throw the ball 50 times or 60 times.' They go out there with a game plan and whatever is working that's what they're going to continue to do. You have to go with what's working in the game."
(on how demoralizing third down success is to an opposing defense) "I think that's big. When you look at teams that win a lot of games converting a lot on third down, they have a high percentage of conversion. That's big. It makes the drives longer. It wears the defense down over time. Hopefully we can keep that going."
(on if he can see converting on third downs taking something out of the opponent) "I don't think. Probably not early in the game. Probably later on during the game you can see it. You know, when you have those long drives, defenses are trying to get off the field, they always preach that. We just try to convert. When we can, we can sustain those long drives."
(on if long drives are more important on the road) "I don't think whether it's on the road or at home. I think it's all the same. You have to convert to win. You try to win every time you're out there."
CB Johnathan Joseph
(on if he thought he would still be the team this year) "It never really crossed my mind. I've been fortunate enough to play a long time in this business. I'm not the guy waking up each every day worrying about where I'm at financially, so I'm at an ease in that part of my life and part of my career, so I'm able just to go out and play football."
(on Bill O'Brien considering him one of the teams' leaders) "I feel it's a mindset. Early in my career I was able to be around some veteran guys and see how they go about their business. I always said that once I got my chance to lead the young guys and show the young guys the ropes; I want to be a guy that's for those guys in the locker room on and off the field. Able to go out on the practice field, show them how to practice, show them how to do it on the practice and translate it over."
(on what leadership really means in his eyes) "Able to correct someone on their own when they're out of place. Able to tell whoever it is that wasn't the right thing to do at that moment or just going out and leading by example. Handling your business on and off the field the correct way and just doing it and being consistent about it each and every day."
(on what he sees from QB Eli Manning) "I see a guy still sitting in there making his throws on the field. He commands the huddle, the offense. He takes the ball up and down the field. I think he's got proven guys around him. He's got an established running game that can take some of the pressure off of him. I see a guy that is eager to make plays and continually trying to make plays each time the ball is in his hand."
(on trying to confuse QB Eli Manning by moving people around) "Just show him multiple looks all of the time. Everybody has to be in sync with it together. You can't have one guy showing this and the other guy showing something else. You've got to make it all look the same all the time. When he's getting pressured, the pressure might not be coming when he's thinking about getting a certain look, you role the coverage the opposite way, so it's different things like that. There's only so much you can do each and every down. You've got to maximize those opportunities."
