Head Coach Joe Judge

Opening Statement: Obviously, it wasn't good enough today. You've got to give credit to the Rams. They did a good job executing and finishing the game. Every week, there's positives to build off of to make sure we go ahead and magnify those to the team. Obviously, there's a lot of things that we have to fix and we have to do better to have success. That being said, I'll open it up for questions.

Q: You mentioned positives you could build on. Was there anything that you saw?

A: I challenged guys at halftime, I wanted to see who's going to finish the game. I wanted to see what type of fight some of these guys have. We'll go through the tape, but there are some guys I could see with the eye test right away that fought and finished, and that's how we're going to do things around here. We're going to compete for 60. We have to do some things technically better, fundamentally better, better calls at times, but I wanted to see who's going to finish this game and who was going to fight.

Q: I know you want to look at the film and everything, but from your eye test did you see a few guys that maybe weren't giving that 100 percent effort in the second half?

A: I'm going to wait until I finish the tape to go ahead and give you that answer.

Q: What was your thought process behind keeping (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) in there?

A: We're going to compete for 60 minutes.

Q: No concern with the offensive line to have him out there in that situation?

A: I watched how the game flow was going. We're going to compete for 60 minutes.

Q: Your offense, your line, Daniel all were ineffective in the first half. How disappointing was that that you guys were not competitive offensively in the first half?

A: There are some things we have to do better, obviously. I like the way that we started the game, we played with good tempo, moved the ball down, converted some third downs. We want to finish in the red zone with touchdowns, not field goals, so we have to get better in that situation right there. In terms of the way that we started the game, I was really pleased on both sides of the ball. There were some things I hit on in the first half that we have to correct and fix moving forward. In terms of the specifics on that, I'm going to watch the tape before I go ahead and assess everything.

Q: When Toney and (Tackle) Andrew Thomas go out, how much do you think on that side of the ball you were just outmanned?

A: I have faith in the guys on our roster. Whoever's at the game, you've got to produce. That's it. It's what we practice for all week. When you come to the game, you're a professional, you're expected to go out there and produce.

Q: Any updates on the (Wide Receiver Kadarius) Toney or Thomas injuries?

A: I have nothing on Toney or Thomas. (Wide Receiver) C.J. (Board), I was told he broke his arm. I don't know exactly where that's going to put everything timetable-wise, but he's a tough kid (and) he does a really good job competing. You hate it for any of the guys, but you hate it for a guy like C.J., who really has pushed through every situation he's been asked to be in and just keeps finding a way to make himself necessary as a player on the roster.

Q: I know you have to watch the tape, but what changed after that first offensive series? You had tempo, you seemed to have them on their heels, but you just didn't see that the rest of the game.

A: Obviously, there was some execution we have to clean up and some things we have to do better as far as how we're going to compete and play this game. I'm going to wait for the film before I start assessing everything, but obviously it wasn't good enough.

Q: Did you sense some of the air coming out of the team when Kadarius went down?

A: No, I thought we were able to finish that drive as far as moving. I don't think anyone wants to see somebody get hurt. Everyone likes the way this guy works and pushes through and competes. Obviously, a productive player for us. He's a young guy, he's got a long way to go, he's been a very productive player and competitive player for us. In terms of that air going out, that's not our job. That's not our job. Our job is not to get discouraged or deflated based on a player going out. There are times when you don't want a player or a teammate to be injured – that's every time, right? You don't want to see someone get hurt. But in terms of something happening and the air going out of the room, we can't be that way. We can't be that way. We've got faith in all the guys in that locker room. We all work very, very hard, so you've got to have faith in the guy next to you to come in and do his job.

Q: How much was that ankle bothering Kadarius just to play? Did he reaggravate the same injury?

A: I don't know the second answer and I'm going to let him speak for himself, but obviously he was cleared to go out there (and) was very productive early in the game in his first few plays.

Q: You wore road uniforms to recognize the Super Bowl team. What were your thoughts on the halftime ceremony and the team's performance today?

A: I'll just keep those two things isolated right there. Obviously, there's a lot of respect for the accomplishments of that team, they earned the right to have that, going out there and hearing Coach (Tom) Coughlin speak to the crowd. Obviously, that's someone who's earned all the time he wants. Did a lot of things for this club and this city. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the history of this organization and the men who came before us. Obviously, there's a responsibility to uphold the tradition of how we want to play (and) we didn't do that well enough today.

Q: When you put pressure on them, it seemed to shut down their passing game. When the pressure went away, those guys made plays. How did they adjust?

A: I think we've got to do a better job of stopping the run. That kind of helps alleviate pressure for any offense, but I liked the way our defense was able to get after them early on and put pressure on (Rams Quarterback Matthew) Stafford. That helped us be in some situations, force some errant balls, get some sacks, get off the field, things of that nature. You've got to make sure you stop the run more effectively and keep yourself in passing situations and be able to get yourself in certain calls.

Q: What was the message to the guys in the locker room? What's the theme?

A: Right here and right now? We're coming back and we're going to work. We've got things we've got to improve on. When we come back on Wednesday, it's time to get going to work. Get your bodies right, get your minds right. We're not going to be licking our wounds around here. There's a lot of ball left to be played. Our goal every week is to go 1-0. Our goal is to get better as a team as the season progresses. That goal doesn't change. You talk about the big picture – the big picture is the little picture, that's next week. The big picture is how we handle next week, how we practice, how we improve, how we prepare and how we come out and we execute. That's where our focus has to be seven days from now. We've got seven days to get ready for another good opponent coming in here and that's where our focus has to be.

Q: Obviously the message has been process over results. Do you feel at all like that message is not getting through to the guys from what you're seeing – maybe not during practice, but during game day?

A: I don't see anything in the way the guys are coming in approaching it and working it, and not having the results. There are things you have to do along the way and things you have to do in the execution, and that's coaches and players on game day to make sure you have better results.

Q: Do you expect that there could be changes based on the challenge you gave them at halftime and whether guys did or did not respond to that?

A: We make adjustments every week and it always comes down to, one, how we call the game as coaches and how we're going to adjust internally, the responsibilities we give internally. Player-wise, it's based on production and performance. You've got to look at how guys played to make sure you put the best 11 on the field to make sure you have success.

Q: When a team falls to 1-5 now, do you have to find different ways to motivate them and capture their attention to implore them to improve? Often at 1-5, for a lot of teams, it becomes a mostly lost season.

A: There's a lot of ball left to be played. There's a lot of ball left to be played. We're in Week 6, so to turn around and start tapping out now – I don't know what kind of mentality other people have, I don't quit things, these players don't quit things. We're not going to do that, so anyone who's got that mentality of woe is me, what did you think was going to happen? Did you just think you were going out there, roll the ball out and walk over every opponent? It's the National Football League, teams are good. You've got to play better than them in those 60 minutes every Sunday to have success, so in terms of the motivation aspect, our motivation is to improve and perform for the man next to us. I don't see any dip in how our guys prepare. They come to work – I tell you all the time, they go to meetings, they go to practice, they compete hard. You guys have to leave after individuals (drills) on Wednesdays and Thursdays. At some point, if you stayed out there the entire time you would see a group of guys go out there and empty the tank, and they work hard and they prepare well. We've got to have better results on Sundays. That's a mix of factors. We'll go through that internally and make sure we're doing things, making the necessary adjustments to have those. In terms of the motivation of the team, I'm just telling you right now, we don't have a room full of guys looking around and wondering. We don't have a room full of guys waiting for next year. We don't have a room full of guys who are waiting for someone to show up and save us. The only ones who can make an impact and change what we're doing are all the men in that room – the coaches, the players, that's it. We're in that submarine right now. If something happens on that submarine, there's got to be someone on that ship to step up and save that thing. You spring a leak, someone's got to plug that thing for you. No one's coming. It won't get there in time to help you if you don't fix it yourselves. That's how we come back on Wednesday and we prepare.

Q: Daniel had some of the problems that were hurting him last year, with the fumbles and the interceptions. (inaudible)

A: Daniel's improved a lot as a player. I'm not going to go ahead and start to magnify. Obviously, we don't want to have turnovers in a game. There's a lot of things that happened. We'll look specifically at what happened, but Daniel has improved as a player. Daniel is a guy that we're going to have success with. He's a tough dude, he's a good competitor, he's a leader on this team, does everything we ask him to do, does everything the team needs to see from a guy in the leadership standpoint to do and perform. We're going to have success with Daniel. There are obviously things we have to clean up from today. Specifically you're talking about the interceptions and these are things we have to talk (about) and address in terms of how we're executing our plays. That's not always tied into just one person. There's things that different people have to do on those plays to make sure you have a chance to have success. Obviously, the statistic with the turnovers, that is what they are. However, I'm not going to try to go back and talk about the past with anything that's happened with any player. I'm focused on what they're doing now and going forward toward the future. This is a guy that's made a tremendous amount of improvement and obviously he's going to help us have success going forward in the future.

Q: Is Andrew Thomas a new injury? They said it was an ankle and he had a foot coming in.

A: I don't have any true information on Andrew. I haven't seen Andrew yet. When you're on the sideline, they kind of come up to you and just say, '78's out.' They give you a brief whatever it is and at that point you're focused on a lot of other things. I knew C.J.'s arm was broken because I went out on the field and when I got there they said, 'Joe, this is what it is.'

Quarterback Daniel Jones

Q: Can you tell us first about Dallas and your experience there and what this week was like for you?

A: Yeah, obviously the play on the goal line and got the wind knocked out of me and stumbled there. I had no memory loss and when I got back to the locker room, passed all the tests. Just went through the week through the concussion tests and took it a day at a time with (what) the trainers were asking me to do. Passed all the tests.

Q: Did the lack of reps this week with what you were going through with the protocol impact you today in terms of timing and trying to get your rhythm?

A: I don't think so. I think I was still able to get those reps and practice and I don't think it had an effect.

Q: Seeing the slow-mo of the injury was kind of scary and you're saying it wasn't that serious?

A: Yeah, I mean I went through the protocol. Obviously, I understand the situation and I did stumble there. Went through it and went through the test, passed the test.

Q: Were you diagnosed with a concussion? You said you passed all the tests, how did you pass all the tests if you were diagnosed with a concussion?

A: Yeah, I was diagnosed with a concussion because I stumbled in that moment. That's a symptom of a concussion, but I didn't have a lot of the other symptoms.

Q: Did you feel like you were playing with any reservations today even on the run plays like the fourth-and-1? Were you nervous?

A: No.

Q: Can you put a finger on what happened from that first drive that looked so dynamic and on pace and just the rest of the game that wasn't that same execution?

A: Yeah, I think we got behind the sticks in a lot of situations and didn't execute. We had a good plan and we just didn't execute it. Obviously, the turnovers were a big deal and that set us back.

Q: How much did you miss out with (Wide Receiver) Kadarius (Toney)?

A: Yeah, he was a big part of it going in. He's been playing at a high level. Made an impact there early on. We missed him, but we've got good players and those guys stepped up and got to execute better.

Q: Can you share with us on the two interceptions that both went to (Rams Safety Taylor) Rapp? He seemed to be playing underneath. What did you see? Was he where he was supposed to be? Can you share what you saw on those two interceptions?

A: Yeah, he made good plays on both those. Bad decisions on my part. Credit to him and he had two good plays.

Q: What did you think of the fans booing?

A: Yeah, they're upset. We didn't play well, we're certainly upset about that, too. I get it.

Q: (Head Coach) Joe (Judge) said that he wanted to see fight from the team in the second half. That was a challenge at halftime and did you see that?

A: Yeah, I did. I thought guys came back and we fought all 60 minutes and defense, offense, I thought we competed. Still wasn't perfect, there was still too many mistakes, but I thought we fought.

Q: We saw the blind side a couple of times today late in the game when the score was out of reach. Were you concerned about the physical beating that you take?

A: No, it's part of the game. I've got to do a good job communicating and getting the ball out of my hands. Part of the game and got to do a good job.

Q: Were you surprised to still be out there at the end when it was so lopsided?

A: No, I appreciated the opportunity to be in there and compete and Coach Judge preaches 60 minutes. That's what the game is, that's how long we're going to compete for. Appreciated the opportunity to be out there.

Q: How much of a difference is there in the offense when (Tackle) Andrew Thomas is there and you can do what you want to do and the receivers can get down field versus when he's not out there and it seems like everything has to be adjusted a little bit?

A: Yeah, Andrew is a great player. He's played well for us this year. He's an important piece, but I thought those guys – (Tackle) Matt (Peart), (Tackle) Nate (Solder), (Offensive Lineman) Korey (Cunnigham), all those guys stepped in and played well. Got to do a good job making decisions and getting the ball out.

Q: For most of the game, you played without three of your top four wideouts. How much did that affect your passing?

A: Yeah, it's going to have some effect. You need to go into a week planning and setting things up, but like I said, guys came in and did well. We've got good players, we've got a lot of guys who can make plays. We've got to do a good job, I've got to do a good job finding them.

Q: How much was Kadarius a focal point coming in?

A: Yeah, he's been playing at a high level. He's been making a lot of plays for us last week and before that. He's a big part of this and so we were planning on it, but like I said, we've got to do a better job getting the ball to the guys. We've got good players and we got to be ready to go.

Q: Is there anything you could have done on the strip sack?

A: Yeah, get the ball out of my hands faster.

Q: That high throw last week to (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley), why was that high? Was someone on the line disrupting you there?

A: Just a bad throw.

Defensive Back Logan Ryan

Q: (Giants Defensive Coordinator) Patrick Graham said this week you're going to find out, I assume that means find out what the team's made of. What did you find out today?

A: That we started the game well, we just didn't execute in the red area. We did not hold them to three enough and started off pretty well, but there were a couple short fields. On defense, you've got to go put out the fire. We're out there and the difference between seven points and three points can keep the score in touch. So really, just some of that execution in the red area. Obviously it's been all year, but especially today.

Q: Logan, why are you still in uniform?

A: I just wanted to get out here and face it. I wanted to get out here and speak to you. I'm one of the captains. Obviously I pride myself on setting the tone and pride myself on doing things the right way and practicing the right way and treating people the right way and being a role model, being a leader. And, you know, a few weeks ago, I was one of the last people to talk and I believe our receiver, Collin (Johnson), was the first one to talk and I remember someone said, 'Unbelievable, he's the first person to talk." So I was like, you know, I'm going to be the first one to talk today. I'm going to come out here, own it, speak to you guys, explain the best of what I felt happened. And really, we've got to unify the locker room regardless of how it may look right now. We've got to work on that, but the players want to take ownership and that's why I'm out here first today.

Q: You got blown out on your home field. How do you… are you disappointed, are you embarrassed? What are your feelings?

A: I'm extremely disappointed. It's not acceptable. I mean, honestly, it's not acceptable and that's just it. I think we had to go out there the second half and fight the best we could and try to earn some respect back, but it just hasn't been acceptable—the results, so it's not good. It's not good for the fans, it's not good for anybody outside the building, it is not good inside the building. It just hasn't been acceptable and I'm going to do everything I can to try to change that and make that better one step at a time.

Q: Can you describe the morale inside the room? I know you said you're united, but at 1-5 how would you describe kind of where everybody's mind is?

A: It hasn't reached our expectations. Obviously, it hasn't reached what we thought our work ethic, what we put into it, the results haven't added up. And that can get frustrating and morale is going to be what it is at 1-5. I can't say morale was great, but what you don't have is splintering. You don't have selfishness. You don't have guys in little corners complaining. I think guys are voicing it and I think guys are unified and believe that we want to play better, we want to do better. So yeah, I don't think morale is great, I think that's natural. I think when you're competitive and you lose, you get really mad and it's not always the best, but at the same point I just don't feel like we have that type of cancerous locker room where guys are starting to break away. I don't really, honestly, I don't feel that.

Q: How would you characterize (Head Coach) Joe (Judge)'s message to you guys at halftime?

A: I would characterize Joe's message of go out and go out and show some fight. Like go out and see, you know, like, these spots aren't guaranteed, like go out and see who—we're going to see a lot on tape about who you are when you're down. You're going to see a lot when it's not going your way, however it is, you have a chance to respond, and adversity. So I just think that was his message was—go out and respond. I think guys did the best they could. Obviously, I don't really know how the second half played out score wise or whatnot, but I think guys went out there and responded. Obviously, (Giants FS) Xavier McKinney went out there and responded really well. I'm happy for him. He's been busting his butt, been working really hard, we've been putting a lot of work in off the field to make plays in the backend and limit some of these shots, to really try and clean up some of these tackles in open field and I think he did a better job of that, so I'm happy for him to get two of them. He's going to be a really good player in this league and I think he's starting to show that.

Q: Two words used around football—effort and execution. How do you assess where the team is effort-wise versus execution?

A: I think the effort is great. I think without execution you're not going to win the game. That's just the sport. That's just how it is, execution is all that matters and for whatever reason, we'll see, the execution hasn't been good enough. And look, I've been on, you guys know I've been on championship teams, I've been on all types of winning teams, I've been on teams like I've talked about at times that were 2-4 trying their butt off and ended up going to the AFC Championship and the execution got better, so we've obviously got to fix execution, we've got to make changes to execute better and we know that, but honestly guys, it came down, I feel like, for my job, it came down to the red area stops. You know, making the score 18, 19 to three or 17 instead of 28 and 30, you know. You can't give up sevens and win this game. You can't. It's critical situations, fourth and one, third and one, and I think for the most part we did a decent job stopping them early in the game, got pressure, I think our pass rush played great today. It's just those key situations, we've got to do a better job in holding them to three. That's your job on the defense when you get put on the backside of the fifty.

Q: Are you embarrassed by that performance? Was that an embarrassing showing for this team?

A: It was unacceptable performance. I'm not embarrassed because I gave my max effort. I went out there, I prepared hard, I felt like I led the guys the best I could and went out there and played. It just didn't work out. It was hugely unacceptable, but I'm not very—at this point in my life, I don't get embarrassed too often, so I don't want to say embarrassed is the word.

Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard

Q: Sterling, how did Daniel [Jones] play today? I know he went through the concussion protocol during the week and may not have had as many reps as he normally would have. What was your assessment of him today?

A: I thought Daniel played well. I think it's on the surrounding cast to do a better job to help him out, and I don't think we did that today as a unit. We have to play better.

Q: On that interception in the second-half, what happened there?

A: I lost my footing on that; that can't happen, and I put that on me. That was on me and there were a couple of other things that happened throughout the game. We could all say that we had a "My bad" play and that just cannot happen; not in this league, or the score will turn out like that.

Q: Sterling, as a leader on this team, how do you keep that room together? You're 1-5 and obviously this was not the way you wanted to show out there today, how do you keep everyone together in the locker room?

A: It just starts with communicating to the guys that we cannot give up on each other and we cannot start pointing the finger at each other and saying, "It was this guy's fault or that guy's fault", or this thing can really go downhill. I've been on teams where that has happened and you can really start to see it snowball. We have to keep each other's heads up and keep the energy high throughout the week.

Q: Sterling, on the sidelines, what were you saying to the offense and the offensive line?

A: Just that we have to play with heart. I think that's the main thing; when you look up at the scoreboard, you can tend to get down. People's heads start to drop, but one thing that we talk about a lot through the week and what we've talked about since we've gotten together as a team is fight; no matter what the situation is, we have to fight. That was my message to the guys.

Q: Sterling, what did you take out of Joe's halftime challenge to the team?

A: It was what I just said. We're going to see who has heart, who is going to try to finish the game and make something happen.

Q: To lose Toney [Giants WR Kadarius Toney] that early, what impact did it have emotionally and also just in football terms?

A: You don't want to see anybody go down. It's going to affect the team in some way, especially a guy like him who is electric with the ball. You don't want to see C.J. [Board] go down; I'm not sure what happened just yet and we're missing Kenny [Golladay], but none of that matters. We have to have the "next-guy-up" mentality and we have to get the job done.

Q: Sterling, you didn't have Saquon [Barkley], you didn't have Kenny, you didn't have KT, you didn't have Andrew Thomas, you didn't have Darrius Slayton, what do you say to the idea that you guys just got out-manned at some point today?

A: No. I think it's the "next-man-up" mentality. That's what I just said and that's what I wholeheartedly believe. We have guys that can go and they can make plays for us. We have to figure out a way to execute better.

Q: Sterling, you've been in that locker room in the past, and you've been in there where the coach's message kind of rings hollow where he says something, walks out and the guys kind of look around and wonder what he's actually saying. Is the message from Coach Judge and his assistants getting through to this team?

A: Yes. If you look at what he said at halftime, I saw guys come out and fight, especially from an offensive standpoint. I saw guys come out and fight and didn't give up. That's encouraging to see.

Q: Is this locker room angry? You're 1 – 5, you just got spanked here at home.

A: I mean, yeah. We're all competitors; we don't practice every week to come out and lose. That's not what we work so hard for, so yes we're pissed off about it, but we're the only ones that can change it. We have to go back to work and try to change this thing around.

Q: Coach Judge talked about how C.J. [Giants WR C.J. Board] broke his arm and Toney is dealing with his ankle, have you had a chance to talk to either one of them yet?

A: No. I got to talk to C.J. right before he got carted off, but I haven't really been able to have a conversation with those guys yet. That's something that I'll try to do tonight and reach out to them and see how they're doing.

Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams

Q: It looked like you started and you had a good pass rush and by the second quarter, it wasn't as effective and things opened up for them. What happened?

A: Like you said, we started fast like we wanted. The defense was getting off the field. We were getting pressure up the middle, making them hold the ball a little bit. I have to watch film to further assess exactly what happened, but it seemed like he was getting the ball out a little faster in the second half. Their tempo started going a little bit quicker as well. Overall, they were doing a little better than our defense.

Q: It seemed like at one point you were shooing off the boos. Did the boos bother you?

A: They do bother me honestly. Obviously, we're in our own home stadium. I don't want to be hearing boos from my own fans. I understand that they have a right to be upset as well because they're coming to see us put good football on the field. We haven't been winning up to date. But at the same time, I don't know, I don't like that.

Q: What do you say to the idea that when you don't play well, you kind of deserve it?

A: I don't think anyone deserves to be put down no matter who you are. I'm not going to go to a salesman and tell him that he's not a good person or 'boo' this person because he's not doing his job or something like that.

Q: With all due respect, that's kind of a laughable analogy. It's a sports venue. You guys are getting pounded 28-3. Can you understand why fans are angry?

A: I just said I understood why fans would be upset.

Q: But you don't think they should boo?

A: It doesn't matter what I think. I go out there to play football. I don't sit in the stands, so I can't see it from their perspective.

Q: Last week, (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator Pat) Graham described the effort by the defense as unacceptable. How do you categorize the effort by the defense this week?

A: The same. We obviously gave up too many points no matter what the situation was. We allowed them in the end zone too many times. No matter how we started off, we didn't finish the way we wanted to. I think guys on this team have a lot of fight in them. I think it goes to show that we play until the last second. Obviously, it wasn't enough, and we need to pick it up. But I think no one in this locker room is going to give up on each other. We have the same group of guys that we did last year, and we were in a similar situation. We were one game off from going to the playoffs last year. We're not obviously trying to compare it to last year or anything like that, but it goes to show that guys in this locker are going to lean on each other and keep fighting.

Q: What do you take out of (Head Coach) Joe (Judge)'s challenge to you guys at halftime?

A: I think it's more of him trying to create an identity. He knew that we were down. He wanted to see who's going to go out there and keep fighting and represent for the guy next to them. You know, don't hang your heads, don't drop your shoulders, don't look like a quitter out there on the field and keep playing.

Q: How do you get the execution to match the preparation? All week, Joe was saying how you guys prepare hard, but you're not seeing it on the field.

A: I think that's the question we're all trying to answer right now, is executing. Everybody has been grinding since camp. I don't question anyone on this team's work ethic or how they approach the work every day. We just have to find a way to execute it, like you said.

Q: From a personal standpoint, your career record in games you've played in is now 34-67. Obviously, it's a team game. But you've experienced a lot of losing. From a personal standpoint, how sick are you of losing and how ready are you to finally turn the corner and win some games?

A: As a competitor, it's really upsetting that in year seven I've been having a lot of losing seasons, I haven't been to the playoffs yet in my career. That's pretty tough. A long career in this league is 10 to 12, to 13 years, and I'm already close to half of that at least. I want to obviously start to see the tables turn and start winning. But obviously I'm not pointing any fingers and blaming anyone. I look at myself first in the mirror and ask, 'How much more can I do?' and obviously lean on each other. I do love this team though. I love how much fight this team has. At the end of the day, even when we're losing, you can look at a guy in his eyes and you can tell he's still ready to fight for you. So, I like that.