PhiladelphiaEagles Head Coach Andy Reid
Q: What did the Giants do against Vick last time?
A: They had a great game plan. They did a variety of things, but that was a very well thought out game plan and I thought they did a nice job with it.
Q: How do you expect the defense to be different without Bradley and Graham?
A: Listen, both of them are good football players. Graham was rotating at the time, but Bradley was a starter. We feel like we have a couple of good young guys that can step in and play, but they don't have as much experience obviously as Bradley had.
Q: What have you seen from Eli Manning over the last few weeks?
A: I'm a big Eli Manning fan. I had him at the Pro Bowl a couple of years back and he's a heck of player and a heck of a person. He's playing good football.
Q: Do you expect DeSean Jackson to practice today?
A: DeSean won't practice today.
Q: Are you looking at it as a winner takes all game for the division?
A: The way we look at it is if you get caught up in all of that stuff, it's a problem. That's not how we approach it. We just go through the process of getting ready to play a great football team and that's what we do. All of the other things we try to put out of the way.
Q: How different are the Giants without Steve Smith?
A: Steve Smith, number one, I feel bad for him because he's a heck of a kid and a heck of player and you don't ever want to see that happen. I will tell you that Steve is a Pro Bowl caliber wide receiver, but they also have some other guys that are Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers and then they've got a tight end that is special and running backs that can catch the football, so they've got a fully loaded arsenal there.
Q: Is there any reason the Giants have been able to run so effectively over the last few weeks?
A: I think their O-line is doing a nice job. They've got a great offensive line coach and they've got great running backs.
Q: How different are the Giants now than when you first played them?
A: Heck, I thought they were a heck of a team then and I feel the same way. They're a heck of a team now. We've just got to make sure we get ourselves ready to play a heck of a game. It'll be a great atmosphere, huh? Up in New York in the new stadium – it's a great atmosphere for a football game.
Q: Any update on your injury situation?
A: I'm feeling pretty good. My right knee is pretty sore but I'm okay. The injury situation is: I mentioned Stewart Bradley was out today and Keenan Clayton and DeSean won't practice today.
Q: How are you addressing the playoff race? Do you tell your team that you need 11 wins to guarantee a spot?
A: No. I never even go there. I don't ever look at that stuff. I'm not into that. I think it takes away from your preparation for the team that you're playing, so I don't even talk about it, I don't look at it, I don't read about it. I focus in on the team at hand.
Q: The Giants play a lot of three safety packages. How difficult was that to scheme against?
A: Listen, they give you a bunch of different looks, so that's just one of them. They do a real good job on defense.
Eagle RB LeSean McCoy
Q: Does this game have a big game feel for you guys in Philly?
A: So far it's been kind of calm. Coach has done a good job of trying to keep us more focused on the game and not letting the whole hype, the division, and all that's at stake get to us. It makes it so hard to overlook some things. A team like this with this game, a big game, and it's big. You just have to follow Andy's approach and just play the game and don't let anything get to you.
Q: What do you see when you watch Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw?
A: It helps a lot that I'm very close and good friends with those guys so that it makes it a lot easier to watch them. Those guys are tough. Let me start with Brandon; to be that big, that physical, and that athletic. He's big but he's athletic. He's fast, he's a heck of a player. Bradshaw comes in and has that speed and that wiggle to him. He's very elusive, slippery. I'm a big fan of those guys. It's weird kind of rooting for them. Obviously I want the Eagles, my team to win but I cheer for those guys. I'm kind of a big fan of those guys.
Q: How do you know them?
A: Just from being around. I met Brandon when I was coming out of college at the rookie symposium in L.A., and he was real encouraging like a big brother kind of guy. He had a lot to say and a lot of advice, and since then we've exchanged numbers and we talk quite a bit. I see him when we play them. With Bradshaw, I see him a couple times in Atlantic City and he's real cool, down to earth. We just kind of linked up.
Q: If you were a defender, which one would rather tackle less?
A: Tackle? Me? Oh man. Oh man. I think I wouldn't want to tackle Jacobs, that's like tackling an offensive lineman/defensive lineman. I think it would be a lot more embarrassing to tackle Bradshaw with those moves. He's actually aggressive, people don't give him enough credit. He runs hard. So those two guys together, man.
Q: Where does that 50-yard touchdown run against the Giants that won the game rank in your career?
A: It was pretty clutch. There was a lot of great blocks on that, but where it ranks? I can't really place it anywhere yet but it's definitely in the top five though.
Q: What do you remember about the play?
A: I remember it was on a fourth down. I remember the ball almost being tipped by Osi Umenyiora, and kind of getting down there and just finishing. All I saw was the touchdown. I look up at the screen to see if any Giants guys are around me.
Q: When the play came in, a gutsy one at that, what were you thinking?
A: Yeah, that too, it's awesome to hear your name in clutch situations. You need this play, and to be called like that, you're a little surprised but you're excited. It shows the confidence he has in the running game and myself. It was more than shocking, but also it's going to prove that "OK, he gave me a shot, I'm going to make the best of it."
Q: Were you surprised to see no one around you when you looked up?
A: Yeah, to be honest, I kind of was. There was nobody around. It was a great call I think. It was a great call, and it was one of those things you're guessing. Well, lately LeSean has been good in clutch situations like third-and-short and other things. They called the defense that Coach Marty thought, so it worked out. It was definitely surprising to see nobody anywhere close.
Q: Do you have the Giants number after beating them in the last five games?
A: I don't want to say that. A couple years ago it went back and forth, and the Giants had the upper hand on us. These are two aggressive teams battling each other out, and it usually is close. It'll be a good game. I won't say we have their number.
Q: You're not going to guarantee a win for you guys?
A: No, I can't guarantee a win. It'll be a good game.
Q: Talk about the young playmakers on the offense and the effect they can have on a game:
A: It starts with 'seven.' He's a great and awesome player, and an awesome leader. It comes to DeSean, myself, Maclin. Just call them his weapons. I think he's the big gun and we're his weapons with DeSean and Maclin's big play capability and so much speed. Oh man, he was spewing it off on some guys. Throw in Celek and Avant, guys that are kind of sure. You can count on them and they are clutch players along with myself. They just help Mike out. Like you said, they're a young group and definitely playing big lately.
Q: How frequently do other players ask for Vick's autograph?
A: I have to say that's the first. Seeing that was a first. I'm always certain that guys want to ask for his autograph. I will say this, guys in the locker room do. I know I do all the time. He's like our big brother. Mike's like 30-something and we're all young guys so he's like our big brother. He usually says yes.
Q: What do you think when you see the Giants play run defense? Did you see what they did to Adrian Peterson last week?
A: I'm not surprised at all. They do a great job of stopping the run. The thing that's unique about the Giants is their front four is big but athletic. They can run. I'm not surprised at all with the way they stop the run lately. They're a good defense, heck of a defense.
Q: What did you notice defensively that the Giants did that worked really well last time?
A: The blitzes that they sent. I don't think it was really designed to sack, just to kind of contain Mike Vick. I think sometimes Mike, he's throwing the ball really well, gets the chance to get outside the pocket a little bit with a run here or there. He has a little spark with extra energy. Some plays, there can't be any yards made and he makes those plays, I think they did a great job of shutting that down with the extra yards and the extra plays. I think that had a big difference in their game.
