Opening Remarks

Good Afternoon. The thing that impressed me on the tape after we looked at the game this morning was the fact that I thought all three phases of our team, whether it be offense, defense, or special teams, played in harmony with one another again. We had the three turnovers and we didn't commit a turnover. Our special teams did a good job although we were not able to completely keep the ball away from DeSean but we did a pretty good job with that. Of course, the play at the end of the game where they jumped offside helped us immensely just to keep the ball and keep the clock running. I liked our approach. The fact that we had the two goal line stands was huge. At one point we were down some numbers upfront but guys still hung in there and did an exceptional job. The two guys in the middle, Linval and Rocky, were outstanding. Those were huge plays because it was an eight-point swing right there to be able to have them go for field goals rather than touchdowns. I was pleased with that and the fact that we were able to score in the first quarter and the fourth quarter, the fact that we had an interception and a stop on a fourth and one which gave us the ball at the minus-44 and minus-46, put us pretty much at midfield. It allowed us to have some field position to work with offensively on the last two drives for scores. There was some outstanding play. Many, many guys rose up and made strong contributions. Everyone is aware of what Victor Cruz did. Brandon Jacobs made a heck of a catch down the sideline to make a big score and our first score. I thought that was well done and, of course, Victor and his elevated catch at the end of the game was a huge play as well. Aaron Ross made some huge plays and on the first interception on the tip, he was able to bring it back and create some field position for us in terms of moving the ball out of their end of the field. I thought that was outstanding. Jason Pierre-Paul played very well and made a strong contribution. The one play that stands out is he was chasing the quarterback on one side of the field and missed him then came back all the way across the field and was able to get the play on the quarterback on the other side of the field. I thought he did well. The young Williams kid did well as well. I thought, from a team standpoint, we had a good preparation last week. We practiced well Thursday and Friday and the whole challenge to our team is to continue to grow and allow a win early in the season to catapult you into recognizing what it takes, the fact that it is all about the preparation and go from here. 

Q: There didn't seem to be as many mental or physical errors in this game as there were the first two. Is this an example of what you mean by not shooting yourself in the foot?

A: That is what it is. Don't hurt your own team. Make the smart plays. When you look at Eli, the majority of the way he played was to keep the ball out of harm's way. He took some hits in order not to try to force some things in there when the timing wasn't good. He trusted Victor on that last play when he drilled the ball and threw it down field and Victor came through for him. There were those types of examples as well.

Q: After the injuries and losing guys in the preseason, to win that game yesterday, what does this say about your team?

A: Adversity makes you stronger, it really does. We have talked to our young ones about learning fast and learning on the fly and having the older players provide examples for them. We talked to the veteran guys and they are going to have to do more and perform at a higher level. The game is about toughness and it is about strength. It is about the mental part of the game and hopefully we are making some strides.

Q: Is Victor better on the outside or in the slot?

A: He was in the slot for one and he was on the outside for another.

Q: Is this victory truly a momentum change in the season?

A: I am hoping it is. I think it is something that you have to build on. There are a lot of references that we make to parables and things of that nature. One of them is, if it clicks for someone, that is a starting point and the real challenge now is to look at it as it was a nice win but it is early in the season so we have to build on it.

Q: After losing the people you have lost and now having people step up and perform, what does that tell you about the overall depth of your team?

A: You do realize that it takes everybody. Everybody on your team is going to get called upon at one time or another to make a contribution to help you win. These are just examples of that. If we continue to develop and perform at a high level with the guys that did it yesterday, then perhaps we will have more numbers to work with. That is what you are after. Whatever position you are talking about, it is the ability to have some flexibility within that group that gives you the opportunity to plan.

Q: How impressed are you by Jaquian Williams?

A: Very. He is a guy that studies hard and he has displayed quite frankly some things that a lot of times you don't get a chance to cover but yet it comes up on the field and the kid is in the right spot. He studies, he works, he is humble and he is quiet. You saw the speed in which he plays and he was able to go to the sidelines with McCoy, who is obviously having a heck of a year. That was impressive.

Q: Is he like a mini Jason Pierre-Paul in terms of being a great athlete who had limited big time college experience?

A: I don't know if they are but let's get more.

Q: Do you see something in a player right away?

A: The speed wasn't a surprise because we knew what we had there but I think that the quality of the young man has been a huge plus.

Q: Did you see any illegal hits by your defense against Michael Vick?

A: I don't think so. You have to say that it goes on both sides of the ball. It just happens and the game is so fast. Our quarterback had a flagrant facemask penalty that no one saw. I just think that it is part of the game and it may have been a glancing blow at one time but I couldn't verify it. I couldn't tell off the film, so no, I didn't. You play hard and you play fast and it goes both ways.

Q: What does Jimmy Kennedy provide upfront defensively, especially in short yardage?

A: He had his nose in there yesterday in those situations. He was a big part of that second one that I was describing.

Q: Mario Manningham said he has been cleared. Will he be able to practice this week?

A: I don't report rumors. I am just waiting to see the official document from the medical people telling me that he is ready to go.

Q: Do you have an update on Osi?

A: Osi went out and ran this morning and worked. It is the same kind of thing, that we are going to have to wait and see what happens.

Q: Any other injury updates?

A: We had a strained groin that Justin Tuck had and so we will see how that is. There are a couple other ones.

Q: What about Kenny Phillips?

A: He appears to be fine.

Q: How were you able to stop Philly's big plays?

A: They still made some big plays but what we were able to do is stop the big plays from getting to the end zone.Q: Is Tuck's neck injury something that may linger?

A: It may very well, unfortunately.

Q: Some of the players talked about the importance of yesterday because you don't play another division game until November. Does not playing another division game until November change the mindset of the team?

A: No. I wasn't aware of that quote. I wouldn't share it. These games are one at a time and you do the very best that you can anytime you have the importance of a game like this. There is no question that guys were referring to the fact that it was a divisional game and that is sometimes looked at as carrying twice the importance but they are all important to me.

Q: How do you feel about Antrel's comments about his 15 yard penalty, that he was willing to take one to stand up to what was happening on the field?

A: I wasn't aware of his comments. Antrel is a tough kid and he really plays well down at the line of scrimmage. He is very physical. I think for all of us, in the competitive nature of that game, there are so many emotions going on, it really is important to grab a hold of yourself and stay under control. You never know what is going to happen if something happens and you are out of control. You can be ejected. You can cost your team valuable yardage. I know he thought at the half the way I am expressing it and hopefully he will learn and we all will learn.Q: Do you have to say something to him because he is facing his former team this week?

A: We may get a chance to talk about that this week but the word 'former' … he has been here a couple years. He is a Giant.Q: What were you thinking when you heard the playcall for a long pass down the sideline to your 270-pound running back?

A: It is all developed on the practice field. It goes through a series processing on the practice field and if we collectively like what we see, then it stays in and if it doesn't, then it goes out.

Re: formulating a game plan

A: We study. We look at things and we prepare. We have a universal approach at the beginning of the week and then it tapers its way down to a workable list or menu for the game plan. I will say this, I thought it was a heck of a catch by Brandon. An over the head catch like that on a difficult angle, it was not an easy catch. You talk about the catch and run, it was outstanding.

Q: Explain not going for two after the final touchdown?

A: There was 3:32 left and they had no timeouts. I was confident that we could keep … if they did drive and score, it would be two minutes or under and we would get the onside kick and kneel. The (first) one, you are up six so if they score, no matter if they go for two, you kick the field goal and you win.

Q: Can you talk about Eli taking all those hits?

A: I said he took some hits rather than taking risk.

Q: How does that shape the offense?

A: It sends a great message. Take care of the ball at all costs.