COACH TOM COUGHLIN
COUGHLIN: Good morning. We're back to work, glad of it. Don't be misled by Cleveland's record. They're a good, young team. They have some 15 players that are rookies, 11 second-year players. But they play hard, they battle hard. You saw the Thursday Night Game against Baltimore. Very close game, it was 23-16. If the linebacker catches the ball in the end zone, they beat the Eagles. They play tough in all of their games. Cincinnati game is another indicator, 34-27, when Cincinnati has a punt return of 81 yards for a touchdown. So, they have played tough, they have a young quarterback, they have a rookie quarterback. He's 28 years old, they're putting more on his plate each week. He's throwing the ball over 40 times a game. They have an outstanding rusher in Richardson. He's very physical, that's where the starting point is. They have a lot of skilled people in their receiver corps; the defense is very, very good. Very aggressive. Jackson being the middle backer, he's done an outstanding job in that role as a leader of that defensive team. They've risen up against, certainly, the teams in their division. Of course, even the Eagles on opening day, played very, very well. So, their special teams feature an outstanding return game, and they've done a very, very good job of creating field position. So, we have our work cut out for us, and we're back to work today, looking ahead towards the Cleveland Browns.
Q: When did Barden sustain the concussion?A: He complained of a headache. He asked that he could be evaluated, and they sent him for the evaluation yesterday. I think a lot of the symptoms were okay, but there was enough there for them to slow him down.
Q: He won't practice today?A: No. He's on the (concussion) protocol.
QB ELI MANNINGQ: How important is it to put this past Sunday's game against the Eagles behind you?A: Yeah. From each game, you learn from it, and we did some good things, there are things that we need to clean up, we're looking forward to having a home game, a 1 o' clock start, and facing a good team. Their defense has done well, a lot of turnovers, a lot of sacks, they've played every game close, and so, we've got to make sure we have a great week of practice, and go out there and play great football on Sunday.
Q: Do you like afternoon starts? Early games?A: Yeah. You can't beat Sunday at 1 o' clock. That's when you like playing football. The night games are good, but three of the first four at night, I think everybody's looking forward to it, Sunday at 1 o' clock.
Q: Because they've played mostly close games, do you think it's an easier sell job for the coaches to keep you guys on your toes? That this team is better than its record shows?A: I never worry about records. A lot of the time, I don't know the opposing team's record. I watch film, I see the situations, and see how they're playing, and I see a team that makes a lot of big plays. They get turnovers, they get sacks, they have a good scheme, and they do some good stuff defensively that causes problems. So, we've got to be well prepared, and it's going to come down to execution, and guys stepping up and making plays.
LB MICHAEL BOLEYRE: Missing practice due to hip injuryA: It's something that's been ongoing for a little while, so today was just kind of rest it a little bit and get it a little bit better.
Q: Think you'll be out there tomorrow?A: I would hope so.
Q: Do you see that the Browns are better than their record indicates?A: They're a lot better than their record presents. I think from what we saw, the biggest margin of loss they had was 10 points. They've been in every game they've played, losing the first game by a point. This is a good, young team. They've got a lot of talent, a lot of guys that can make plays.
WR VICTOR CRUZ
RE: Moving on from the Philadelphia gameA: Yeah, I think it has to be. I think we have to move forward, and understand that we've got the Cleveland Browns coming to town. We've got to prepare ourselves for them.
Q: Is it possible to overlook them?A: No. I don't think so. Not for us. We understand that this is a must-win for us. We have to get ready to play, prepare, and we've got to have all of our weapons handy, go in there, play a good game, and win.
Q: What have you seen from their corners on tape? What kinds of coverages do they run back there?A: They run some good coverages, a lot of man-to-man. A lot of single-high pressures and things like that. So, it's going to be a challenge for us, they don't press as much, but it's still going to be a challenge, nonetheless, as far as getting open and making some big plays.
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