Q: Nicks and Boley sat out practice today?
A: Boley didn't. Boley practiced. Nicks didn't. They held Nicks.
Q: Was it precautionary or were there any setbacks?
A: Well there's no setbacks. He didn't work yesterday, so evidently they thought it was in the best interest not to make him any sorer than he is.
Q: How are you going to list him for the game?
A: I'll have to think about that.
Q: Do you think Nicks will play Wednesday?
A: I think he will.
Q: Is it important to disrupt Tony Romo and is it more important with him than anyone else?
A: No, it's just the quarterback. Generic question and a general answer, which is every team in the league is trying to get to the quarterback and that's something we take a lot of pride in and so hopefully we'll be able to put some pressure on him. Try to make them throw the ball before they really want to throw the ball.
Q: The ability to do that has been such a point of pride for your teams. Where would you say this unit compares with all the other groups that you've had?
A: Well, I think on preseason, we're in pretty good shape and I think we did have some pressure this preseason and I think we'll be fine.
Q: What would you take from the Super Bowl defense in 2008 to use this season?
A: I would just say this. We came back with a very good attitude about practicing and looking forward to the season and playing well and were able to carry over some of the things that we had done pretty well during the previous season. We ran the ball well. We had a nice mix. Defensively, we played pretty well and probably with the exception of going to Cleveland, we were consistent throughout those first 10, 11 ballgames.
Q: Do you see anything in this group that leads you to believe that's possible again?
A: That's the goal. That's what we're trying to do. I know they're anxious to play, so let's play it.
Q: Do you count on the veteran leadership to guard against any danger of complacency?
A: Certainly. Absolutely. That's what you would hope that all the fuss and all the attention that has been received is properly channeled to make people understand that you just got to out and play. That's what this thing is all about. It's really not about talking, it's about playing.
Q: How excited are you to go out to open up on Wednesday night in front of the country?
A: I'm very excited. I'm excited for the start of the season. Obviously really excited about that. Excited to play on Wednesday night and as you said, a divisional rival coming in here really makes it all that more important.
Q: With Boley and Hosley, do you anticipate having a choice Wednesday, whether to go with them or not?
A: No. We'll do the best we can to try to figure out what the right combination is and hopefully neither one of those guys will be ruled out from a medical standpoint.
Q: Is anybody out?
A: Well, there'll be the guys that haven't practiced will be out. Amukamara hasn't practiced. He'll be out. We'll deal with that here and there.
Q: Did Beatty or Brewer do anything in practice today?
A: Not Brewer, Beatty. Beatty has practiced straight along. Limited, but he's practiced.
Q: Do you still get the butterflies before the season?
A: Absolutely. That part of it will never change.
Q: Are you going to see your family a lot when the season gets underway?
A: No. I don't see many of the family from the time we start till we start playing and getting into a normal schedule, which we're obviously not in.
Q: What are the intangibles that Eli has?
A: You name it. He's intelligent and he's got great pride. He has a burning desire to be the best that he can possibly be. He has great timing. He has the ability to understand exactly what you want to do and what the defense is doing. He'll talk to you about it and get the ball into the right receiver. He does a great job in the classroom. He does a great job representing the Giants. He has outstanding character. He has outstanding leadership. People listen to what he says.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about Shaun O'Hara as a player?
A: We were very proud to have Shaun O'Hara with us through the early years and the first Super Bowl and, of course, he's been not only an outstanding football player, but a great citizen for the New York Giants and he has the personality and he keeps them stirred up and he seems to really enjoy the comraderie that exists, particularly with his offensive linemen, but also with his team. He's very bright. He always made all the calls. He's very tough. He's played through some things in his career that a normal athlete might not play with and we admire that greatly in him and we're so proud and happy that when the decision came for Shaun was in free agency that he came with the New York Giants and he certainly made the best of that and he's talking now about retiring as a New York Giant and I'm sure the Mara and the Tisch family couldn't be happier about that.
Q: Your thoughts on playing with the replacement refs?
A: I'm staying away from that. I've already said what I'm trying to say on that and I certainly understand the position that those gentlemen are in and I wish them nothing but the best and hope that they know the rules, they can be spontaneous, instinctive and control the game.
Q: What do you expect from Michael Coe?
A: I think he'll play a good game. I think he'll play well. He's practiced well. He's played well in the preseason. He understands what we're trying to do. He certainly has matched up against outstanding receivers on the other side of the ball. He's a very competitive guy, he's looking forward to this opportunity and I think he'll do well.
Q: Do you think he'll be a target?
A: Probably.
Q: Is there anything that you've seen Eli improve on since February?
A: I know he's taken to heart the various issues that we've talked about trying to improve upon offensively and we've had some categories that we haven't done very well and he does have his hand very much involved in the run game and we'd like to see that improved. His preseason has been very steady, very consistent. We haven't had as many big plays as we had last year during the regular season, but that's certainly is a goal and that's where we're headed. I think he did an exceptional job last year with our two-minute offense, our finish the game offense and has been more recognized for that. I think we'd like to do a little better job early on. We can come out of the blocks better. We're always trying to improve ourselves on third down, to be a better third down team. I was asked that question the other day and I said we just don't look backwards, we look forward and we try to improve in every way on everything that will make us a more complete offensive team.
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