Head Coach Joe Judge

Opening Statement: Obviously, it was a different type of week for us in preparation. Thought the effort of the team was what we needed, but obviously the execution was not. Too many self-inflicted wounds today. Thought we had a chance for success. We had our shots, but we've got to make the most of them. You're not going to win a lot of games in this league with four turnovers. That's obviously something we preach and work on consistently. We've got to make sure that we eliminate the turnovers. Too many penalties today. Obviously, a lot of things we have to improve on as a team. The focus and the goal is the same as it always is, make adjustments now, come back in and be a better team than we were today to have success this week. With that being said, I'll open up to any questions you have.

Q: Can you talk about the decision to make the quarterback change? I know it's early, but do you think (Quarterback) Jake (Fromm) did enough to earn the starting job if (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) is not ready next week?

A: We got to a point in the game where I wanted to see what Jake could do, point blank. We weren't doing enough moving the ball otherwise, so I wanted to make sure I had the chance to see Jake and that will obviously open up a conversation about what we're going to do this week. We'll talk about it as a staff and we'll make the best decision for the team.

Q: I know it happened late, but any idea on Shep (Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard)? Just looked bad initially.

A: I don't have a final diagnosis right now. He's in there right now being looked at by doctors.

Q: Why so late going to Fromm? It seemed like the offense might have benefitted from a spark earlier. Why wait until that point to make the switch?

A: I thought we had some opportunities with (Quarterback) Mike (Glennon) in there moving the ball. There were some shots we had. We thought it was time to go ahead and give Jake an opportunity to get in there and play. He got in there and moved the ball well, did some good things. Like I said, that will obviously open up the conversation in terms of what we're going to do next week against Philly.

Q: Did you think about putting Jake in right there before the third interception from Glennon when you guys had the ball after that turnover?

A: Yeah, we had discussions about it on the headset as a staff. I thought we would give Mike one more drive and see what he can do right there. After that, I said let's go ahead and get Jake in there.

Q: Receiver-wise, at the end of the third quarter, I think you only had one catch from (Wide Receiver Darius) Slayton, (Wide Receiver Kenny) Golladay and Shep. We know what a focus that has been for you. Why couldn't you get the ball to your receivers?

A: I'll have to go through the tape and kind of look at a lot of things. Obviously, there were a lot of plays that were called with the receivers in mind as main targets and focuses, so we'll look at the tape and see why we couldn't get it to them today.

Q: What do you attribute to all the mistakes offensively – the false starts, the self-inflicted wounds, as you called them, at this point of the season?

A: The turnovers, obviously we made mistakes in how we were going and pushing the ball down the field a little bit. In terms of the execution, we've got to make some plays and use good judgement and make good decisions. We've got to make sure we have better ball security at the end of the first half and not turn the ball over right there, put the defense in a position where they have to go back on the field and play defense. That being said, we've got to have better execution with it. The false starts, we've got to have better poise in there and better control. There's nothing that makes it acceptable. It's not something we accept at any point in time. Again, I don't think there's any one reason for it. We've got to make sure we clean that up right there and make sure the guys that are committing these issues that we put them through exactly what they need to do to correct them, and make sure that never repeats again.

Q: What do you see in the frustration level with that group? It looked like on the fourth down when you had the false start, you can see (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley) and some of the other guys really just kind of seemingly had had it in that regard.

A: We can't shoot ourselves in the foot, the entire team knows that. That's something that we talk about ad nauseam, we work ad nauseam in practice. When there's an opportunity to go out there and be aggressive and it's fourth-and-short, and we feel we have a play that's dialed up that's the right play, guys get a little frustrated when all of a sudden we do something that removes our opportunity to have that. In terms of as a team, I see these guys still sticking together and working very hard, pushing and rallying on through the finish of the game.

Q: Were you surprised at all by the loudness and the volume of the Cowboys fans in the building today?

A: No. There are a lot of Giants fans when we're playing in Dallas, too. This is what the National Football League is. There are going to be fans from both teams at every game. Especially when you're in the New York area, there are guys from all over the country, fan bases from all over the country that are here, so it is what it is.

Q: (Defensive Lineman) Leonard Williams, can you just talk about the game he had, just in his snap counts and the fact that he was able to go out there and play?

A: I'll tell you what, Leo really pushed through a lot. Leo was hurting a lot this week and there were a lot of things he was limited in during practice. We went out and worked him out yesterday. In terms of seeing if he could go out there, our biggest question with him was can he go out there and protect himself, defend himself and play effectively. We knew it would be some pain, some limitations. He knew that himself. Leo had a big part in the decision of going out there and playing. Thought the guy gutted it out, made a lot of big plays for us today. Did a good job as far as holding the point, destroying the blocks, creating some vertical pressure, opening up some games in the pass rush stuff. There are a lot of things we'll have to see on tape in terms of going forward, but Leo's a tough dude. He puts the team first, he goes out there and he competes. We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game for him in terms of what he was playing with, but both him and (Defensive Lineman) Austin Johnson were guys that were limited this week on the defensive front. We put them through a workout yesterday and both guys made the decision to go out there and play for the team. Both guys went out there and gutted through a lot of stuff today.

Q: You went for it on fourth down several times in tough situations deep in your own territory. You got some, didn't get some. Was that just a case where you felt like you needed to generate something on offense, you felt the defense was doing okay and you just needed to figure out some way to get some points going?

A: We had favorable looks, so you're not locked into absolutely having to go for it in just because you take the line right there. We always build in multiples that allow us to get out of jail free, as we say. If you don't like the look, you can always go ahead and take a delay and punt the ball. We had the looks we wanted on both ones – we had the big play with Book (Running Back Devontae Booker) down the sideline, that crack. Then, we had the opportunity for the sneak. We've got to convert and execute that right there. That's a look we wanted. You look back on the tablet and say, 'Okay, that's why we're calling it.' That's what we had it for. We've just got to go out and make sure we take advantage of it.

Q: With the sneak, you like the look there and is it more that you didn't get push up front or does Mike – he's a big man – does he have to kind of just get a little more leg drive right there?

A: I'm going to look at the tape before I make any kind of final statement there, but obviously we've got to execute better.

Q: With right tackle, I think (Tackle) Nate (Solder) played the first six or seven series and (Tackle) Matt (Peart) played the last five. What was the reason for the change there?

A: We were just making sure both guys got playing time today. Just kind of rolling our guys and getting a chance to look at everyone as we go on through it. Matt has practiced better. Matt's been out there doing some good things. Obviously, some things we have to clean up, but keep taking steps forward. Both guys – I say all the time, we expect all of our guys to play and that was just part of the plan.

Q: The last drive in the first half with Saquon's fumble, what was the approach there? It seemed like you guys were being sort of conservative. Are you trying to move the ball? Just trying to figure out what the approach was there.

A: Dallas had timeouts, so you want to get the ball rolling at that point. You've got to get the clock moving and not turn around and put yourself in position where the other team can go ahead and just get the ball back and finish the drive, finish the half with the ball in their hands. Getting the ball moving, just starting a drive and getting into it. We had timeouts to use, as well. I thought getting the ball to Saquon, start pushing them on down gave us a good start of the drive, good field position. Mixing in sub runs and taking shots down the field – you can call end of the half deals, you can call your offense to a good degree and the plays you like right there. I thought the play selection and the call was good right there, gave us an opportunity. We were going to have plenty of time as far as pushing it and getting field position and ending the half with the ball in our hands and a chance to score. We've got to make sure that we go ahead and we capitalize better as a team.

Q: What is your overall comment on defense? Dallas had mostly field goals, the defense was able to get a couple of quarterback sacks.

A: I thought for the most part those guys went out there in some tough situations today where they took the field and were able to hold them to some field goals. At the end of the half off another turnover, I liked the strip-sack at the end of the game in a tough situation, setting our offense up with a chance to have it right there. There are things we have to fix in all three phases. No one played perfect. I liked the effort out there. There were a lot of moving pieces this week on defense with some of the injuries up front and obviously a lot of moving parts on the backend with DBs that were out of the game for different reasons. That unit going out there and preparing on very, very short notice – they really had about one walkthrough together as a team to get ready for the game, so I was proud of how those guys came together and played with good effort. There are things we've got to clean up. There are things we can't accept – execution or coaching decisions right there – so we've got to make sure that we all get on the same page, but I am proud of the overall effort that the guys played with.

Quarterback Jake Fromm

Q: Obviously it was a loss, but how did it feel to get out there for the first time, and how did you feel like your drive went?

A: Obviously, it was really fun to get out there. It kind of checked the list, checked the box there a little bit. I got to complete a childhood dream and got to play in an NFL game. It was awesome, just the ability to go out there with the guys. There are some new guys, I'm new. It was just fun to be able to get out, move the ball a little bit, try to compete, and give us a chance to win there at the end.

Q: When did you actually find out you were going in? Like, had you been preparing earlier, or did you find out right before that drive?

A: I was just trying to stay prepared throughout the whole game. I didn't know if I was going in at any particular time. I was just trying to stay ready. They told me there late in the fourth quarter, 'Hey, you're up.' I was just trying to get ready and try to make something happen.

Q: They said in the broadcast that you've probably learned like 60 percent of the offense. Like, you've only been here a couple of weeks. Do you think that's accurate?

A: I don't know, it's tough to say. For me, it's just understanding a week-to-week game plan. Obviously, there's carryover, and there's stuff you take in and out. For me, it's just let's go learn a game plan. Let's go learn 100 to 200 plays a week and just go try to execute.

Q: It seemed like one of your strategies was to throw the ball to (Wide Receiver) Kenny Golladay. Was that what the looks were dictating, or was that, 'Hey, let's get my best player involved'?

A: A little bit of both. Obviously, the play is called, you get a certain look, and you say, 'Hey, let's go give our guy a chance.' Kenny did a great job of going up and making a play. That's what you got to do, you got to give playmakers the ball.

Q: Was this week any different for you in practice? Did you get more reps in practice? Like, was there anything different that told you might play in this game?

A: About the same. You get some chances, you get some good reps. For me, it's just staying mentally involved, trying to get us as many mental reps as I can week-to-week, and just trying to stay prepared.

Q:*Congratulations* on your first completion as an NFL quarterback. What's it like preparing for the two-minute offense when you're still trying to learn the playbook?A: It's a lot of highlighting plays you feel good with and a lot of crossing out stuff that doesn't really make any sense. We had our package, and just it was a good opportunity for us to try and execute the play we had in front of us. I thought the guys did a good job making plays, staying in it, and just really trying to give us a chance there late in the game.

Q: As you got close to the end zone, did you feel like you were rushing it at all? You overthrew a few passes. Were you excited about that last moment?

A: When you get close like that, obviously you want to punch it in and definitely get six, especially in that situation we were in. I was just trying to get shots at the end zone and give us enough time for us to get a drive there after that. There's always some plays you want back. Obviously, I just wish we would have executed there, got into the end zone, and got six.

Q: You probably just met (Wide Receiver) Sterling Shepherd a couple weeks ago, but how bad did you feel for him there? It looked pretty ugly from up here.

A: Man, I think everybody is a little tore up inside on that one. I really hate it for Shep. From what I've seen and what I've learned from him, he's one of the hardest workers on the team. I just hate it for him. He's really got a lot of life and a lot of leadership there on the offensive side, so we're going to miss him. I hate it for him, and there will definitely be a lot of prayers going up for him, and I wish him the best.

Running Back Saquon Barkley

Q: We just heard the news about (Wide Receiver) Sterling (Shepard) tearing his Achilles. I know you guys are obviously close. How tough is that, especially with all he's been through this year?

A: It's definitely tough. He's a spark to this team, he's a leader of this team. Just the energy that he brings every single day on the field and off the field. Anytime you see a guy go down, it's a sad thing. One thing I know about Shep, he's a fighter, so it's a setback, but I know he's going to attack this rehab. I know his family well. He's got great family members, he's got great friends, great teammates and he knows he can rely on a lot of people in a time of need. Like I said, Shep's a competitor, he's going to attack this rehab. This is just a little setback, but the comeback is going to be something special.

Q: How do you make sense of all these injuries to you guys, especially talking about you and the wide receivers in particular?

A: No idea. It's part of football, sadly. That's the game we play, and we've played since kids and it's the game that we love. Just bad luck, I guess you could say.

Q: We saw you on the fourth-and-one. You guys had a false start. Obviously, you were frustrated after that. How would you describe your frustration level at this point?

A: Everyone's upset that we lost. That's a pivotal play in the game that we've got to convert to get a chance to win the game. There were a lot of plays that we had to convert to give us a chance to win the game. We've just got to execute, and we didn't do that on that play and other plays. We've got to be better, I've got to be better myself. Two-minute, having a fumble. Can't have that happen. That's unacceptable. You can't have that happen at all. There's just multiple plays that you can always go back and pick that can change the course of a game. We've just got to be better as a team, as a staff on those plays.

Q: What did happen on the fumble?

A: I don't know, I've got to go back and watch it. From what I remember, I was cutting up and the guy punched it out. I've got to go back and watch my ball security. Hats off – I don't know who made the play – hats off to whoever made the play, but I've got to be better. That goes to practice, working on my ball security in practice, doing extra stuff with ball security, to going back to the little things.

Q: You guys made a quarterback change late in the game. It seemed like (Quarterback) Mike (Glennon) was struggling to find his receivers. What did you see from Mike and what did you see from (Quarterback) Jake (Fromm)? Maybe moving forward if (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) can't play, do you think Jake can give you a little something?

A: Both of those guys, I think, are very talented, I think they're great quarterbacks. They come to work every single day. Obviously, Jake is a newer addition to the team, but from day one Mike has been coming in, attacking and doing everything we ask him to do. Ever since Jake has been here, he's been doing the same thing. Obviously, I don't make those calls, but I think we're confident of whatever happens in the future and knowing that those two guys are talented and knowing that those two guys are going to work and go out there and give the best they can to help us win the game.

Q: How disappointing has this season been for you personally and what do you need to do to get back to playing what you might call your standard?

A: What do I got to do? I don't know, got to figure out. If I had the answer, I think I would be playing a lot better, to be completely honest. But at the end of the day, it's going back to trusting myself, trusting the team, trusting the line, leading, coming to work every single day and push myself, push the guys around me. Like I think I've said before, I'm a big believer that the things you want to accomplish only happen if you work for it. Everything that I want to happen in my career is still out there. I'm still young in my career. The season is still not over, so just every single day just go out there and attack it and try to get better.

Linebacker Lorenzo Carter

Q: Lorenzo, we just heard that Sterling [Giants WR Sterling Shepard] ruptured his Achilles heel, which is obviously what you went through last year. Did you say anything to him and what lies ahead for him?

A: No, I haven't had a chance to speak to him, but my prayers are with him. It's a long process, but I know my guy has it in him. He's going to come back stronger than ever.

Q: For you, obviously by far your most productive game of the season today. Why do you think so?

A: I think we just had a game plan and came in and executed it pretty well. We had to try to fake Dak [Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott] as much as possible, and we did. He's a good player, he still made plays, but we tried to do our part in still keeping pressure on him. 

Q: Lorenzo, for you guys, the longest pass for the Cowboys today was 19 yards. They ran the ball some, but not devastatingly. Did it get a little frustrating knowing that you were holding them to field goals and holding them down and at some points having to take a short field and just couldn't get over the hump? How tough is that?

A: It doesn't get frustrating; we just have to be ready to go out there and make stops. Our job is to stop them no matter where they get the ball; we have to stop them and hold them to no points or as few points as possible. We just didn't do that enough and make enough turnovers. We have to get the ball off of guys and just try to do our part to help the team win.

Q: You had two quarterback sacks. What was your motivation today? Was it because this is your biggest rivalry?

A: Yeah; I would say it was just to come out here and get a win. My motivation every week is to come out and have a good week of practice, work hard during the week and come out here and execute game plans. It's just to try and come out and help the team as much as possible and try to get a win at the end of the day.

Q: How about Leonard Williams? Originally last week, we thought he might be done for the season and then he plays pretty much his full snap count. What does that say about him and what you saw from him out there?

A: Yeah, that's our defense; guys are going to fight. Guys are going to fight this stuff. I went up to him personally after the game, to both he and A.J. [Giants DL Austin Johnson], both of them are fighting through injuries and they played their hearts out. That's all we can ask for and that's all that we can continue to ask for and what the coaches ask for. That's what we are going to keep doing. 

Q: What did it do to the defense with all of the guys out in the secondary? It seemed like you had to play base defense more and schematic-wise what did it do when you don't have so many guys in the secondary?

A: Guys stepped up. It doesn't matter what guys we have, we all know our job as a defense is to limit points and everybody has to step it up. It doesn't matter when a guy goes down, the next guy is going to answer the call and that's what I love about this team.

Quarterback Mike Glennon

Q: Why was it such a struggle to get anything going today offensively?

A: Yeah, I'm not really sure. I think, well I have to take a look at the film. Thought we ran the ball pretty well. Self-inflicted wounds, there were a couple of times we did move the ball well and then just ended up with field goals and then a couple of kind of dumb decisions on my end forcing the ball that were not good decisions. 

Q: Can you describe what you saw on the fourth-and-1 on the sneak?

A: Yeah, we saw an opening and honestly right when I got the ball, I thought we were going to get it and it felt like we got a little push and then I looked over and I could tell we were short. I think that play happens so quick, again, film will probably explain better. 

Q: The third interception in the endzone there when you guys are trying to make a comeback, what did you see there? Did you just short arm the ball?

A: Just kind of got flushed out of the pocket. I wasn't able to get my body all the way around, tried to make a play. Wasn't a smart decision to do and it's the guy that's leading the league in interceptions. Tried to make a play and ultimately just couldn't get my body all the way into it.  

Q: What was your reaction when they told you that (Quarterback) Jake Fromm was going in?

A: I mean, obviously you never want to see it happen, but I'm there for him just like he is there for me. We'll support each other no matter what the situation is.  

Q: Entering the fourth quarter, (Wide Receiver) Kenny (Golladay) and (Wide Receiver) Sterling (Shepard) had something like four targets combined and one catch. Why do you think you had such a tough time getting the ball in their direction today?

A: I couldn't tell you right now. Again, we'll look at the tape, see what we can do to get them more involved. I don't really know just off the top of my head. 

Q: How did you think Jake played when he got out there?

A: He did a good job. I mean, I believe it's the first time he's played in an NFL game, moved the ball down the field. Did some good things.

Defensive Lineman Leonard Williams

Q: Why was it so important for you with the triceps injury to get on the field and play today?

A: I think I just take a lot of pride in being a durable player and being out there with my teammates knowing that they can count on me to be there. I haven't missed a game my whole career. I think I missed one game in college and it was because my coach purposefully forced me to take that game off because I was playing through a shoulder tear I had in college and he wanted to rest me right before the Stanford game. I think I just wanted to finish this year strong with my guys.

Q: How much did it bother you, the injury?

A: I think in the beginning. The warming up process, I felt it in the beginning and then I think once the game started it went away a little bit. I had an elbow brace on that helped me out a lot. Near the second half, I was feeling it a little bit and they started rotating a lot more, putting me in more situational downs so that I could rest it when I could. I finished the game and I'm most likely to play for the rest of the year.

Q: You guys in the last two years, all your wins are when the opponent scored 21 points or less. If you guys give up 21 points, pretty much you guys lose. How much pressure does that put on the defense?

A: I think our defense, we know that we're a defensive team. We know that we have to dominate on defense to win games. We trust our offensive guys to do what they have to do, but we take a lot of pride and a lot of emphasis on getting the ball away, getting three-and-outs, shortening the field for our offense and being dominant on defense. I just don't think we did enough today. We didn't get enough takeaways. No scores on defense or anything like that.

Q: How close were you to not playing? It seemed like the prognosis was pretty dire earlier in the week.

A: I think right after the game, I was really questioning it. The day after the game, it was really tender. I wasn't sure exactly what it was, but the MRI came back and it was okay. I kind of just relaxed it and treated it all week. We knew that it was going to be a game time decision, so yesterday right before meetings and stuff I went out and tested it with my new custom elbow brace and it felt a lot better. I felt like I was willing to test it out during the game and it felt okay.

Q: I think a lot of people would you say if you guys were making a playoff push here, of course, he wants to be out there on the field helping his team. What made you want to come out here for a 4-9, now 4-10, team?

A: I agree, I think a lot of players would probably sit out if they had the same thing. Peoples' agents are probably telling them to sit out, coaches are probably not going to question you if you sit out. But I'm doing this more for myself than anything, more for my teammates, as well. I think me and my defensive line have a really tight group and I don't want to leave them hanging out there. I'm really doing it for them and for myself, as well.

Q: Did your agent tell you to sit it out?

A: No, he didn't tell me to sit it out, but he was obviously telling me to be smart, trust my body, trust how I'm feeling and all that type of stuff.

Q: I'm wondering what you think of the idea – because you just talked the way you did about coming back and playing from injury and then there's (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) dealing with a neck injury. What would you think of the idea that it might be better to shut him down? I wonder if you would feel different if you had an injury like that.

A: I think with injuries, it's hard to compare situations because the injuries are different, you know? Something like me dealing with elbow pain and the injury is something I can possibly play through, whereas if I had something, anything spinal or neck, that's something that's going to affect your life long-term if you keep messing with that. It's more than just football, you've got to think about your life at that point. I think it's just hard to compare.

Q: For you guys as players – I know you're on the other side of the ball, but do you almost expect Daniel to be out for the rest of the season considering what he's dealing with?

A: I honestly haven't thought too much about it until now, but I don't know his situation fully and how he's feeling or how the doctors are evaluating it. Like I said, if I knew I had something wrong with my spine or anything neck or back issues, that's a lot more serious and I would definitely take my time coming back with something like that.