Q: … PlaxicoA: I think he got a sense of that last night. A lot of guys came out of their meeting rooms to say hello. I think it was his first time in this facility to get the opportunity to see pictures of him up and things like that. So, I think it was a good overall vibe for him. Hopefully that coincides with him being back in blue one day.
Q: Are you optimistic?A: I think we all are. Obviously we're not putting all our eggs in one basket. But, we understand that he has to make a decision and do what's best for him and his family. That's all you can ask for. Would we love for him to be here? Absolutely. Will we keep our fingers crossed in hoping that he ends up here? Either way I'm hoping that he has the opportunity to put all his past behind him and get back to doing what he loves.
Q: The reports this morning out of Pittsburgh, where he is now, were that you are very unlikely and the Jets are actually going to make a big push.
A: You could say the same thing about Philly. He might've seen the Eagles last night.
Q: So he's going to the Eagles? Is that what you're saying?
A: You know what I know. I wish I was a fortune reader or psychic or something so I could give you all quick news. So far that only worked once.
Q: … Plaxico
A: … He's a very athletic 6'5" who's not afraid. I told you that yesterday. Look around this league and show me that make-up. There's not many guys that can do what he's done.
Re: prospects
A: I know what we have in the locker room. We stand a great chance of winning every game this year. It's all about us. It's not about what other people think.
Q: Did you call Osi last night?
A: I called him this morning.
Q: And?
A: We had a great conversation.
Q: Did you tell him to get here?
A: I did not tell him that.
Q: How was he?
A: Well I don't think Osi's mad. I think he realizes this is a business and he's doing what's best for him. You can't blame him for that. A lot of people have different opinions on how to handle the situation. You might not see eye-to-eye with how he handled it. He has to do what's best for him. That's all I tell him to do. My biggest concern is that he doesn't do something that's going to hurt Osi. We all know he can play this game very well. I just want him to have the opportunity to do that for as long as he wants to do it. I'm not one of those guys who's going to be saying you need to be here. That's not my position. I'm going to give him my stance on it and he can take it for what it's worth. He knows what I'm saying. He knows I'll always be here to support him. That's what our conversation was about.
Q: do you think he has any regrets about what he said in his affidavit?
A: We've all been in situations where we wish we could take stuff back. Osi's a smart guy. He knows what he's doing. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a quicker end to this decision. That's just me being optimistic, I guess.
Q: It's kind of hard to take a sworn affidavit back though. Is it beyond the point of repair already?
A: I don't think so. We've all seen worse, worse than this situation between Osi and the New York Giants. A couple years ago Michael Strahan was in a similar situation. He might've had a little bit more (leverage?) being a future hall-of-famer. You've got to understand, we just got out of a tremendous business deal with just being able to come out here and play this game again. It is a business. I think a lot of people get caught up in the loyalty to the game and things of that nature like the Giants in this situation. We're definitely loyal to the team. But, in Osi's situation, he feels as though he needs to do this. Who am I to say he's wrong for doing it?
Q: Contracts aside, how can all four D-Ends co-exist?
A: How about me, Kiwi, Osi, and Tollefson? It's not about stats. None of us are "I" guys. We want to win. We know that having four very quality defensive ends in this league, especially how we like to play, puts us in that much better position.
