Tom Coughlin Postgame Comments

"I thought that, of course we got off to a good start today which was very important and then they came rushing back, as they usually do. They had all kinds of time of possession, but we fought our way back. We fought our way back in the second half. Many, many guys made outstanding…of course [WR] Victor Cruz had a huge day. [CB] Aaron Ross had a huge day. Everybody contributed, great job by the players and the coaches in this one, it's just nice to come down here and win in the division."

On the importance of winning this game even with injuries:

"Well, let's hope it...you've got to aim high and you've got to be able to work your way through all of these things. It's early in the season, we're 2-1, that certainly means a lot to us. You know, we've stuck by the idea of just speaking to the next guy to come along and other players have to step up when you have injuries of the nature that we've had and a lot of guys did play very, very well and are going to have to continue to."

On what you say to the team after this win:

"Congratulations, nice win in the division."

On the secondary bouncing back today:

"Well, they did bounce back. Philadelphia's going to make some plays, there's no doubt about that, but we made some key, critical stops at the right time. After the one right at the big drive there early in the ball game to get the turnover there and then later in the game when they're trying to set themselves up to get back in it, the play down the sideline that [CB] Aaron [Ross] makes, that was huge. So we just kept pounding away. And the other factor was, we didn't turn it over. We did not turn it over offensively or special teams today, and it was very productive."

On the hard count that drew the offside on the first field goal attempt:

"That was something that we've worked on. We had had early in the game some uncharacteristic penalties with our defensive front in terms of jumping around and we were just fortunate that we were able to take some time off the clock with that play."

On Ross' game today versus his game last week:

"Well, I was happy for him. I was very, very happy for him. He played very well. He put himself in position. He really did a good job of understanding what they were trying to do, of recognizing some of the formations that they threw at us, and putting himself in position to make some plays."

On whether he was surprised that the Eagles went for it on fourth down:

"I think what happens there is that they're confident that they either have play or they have something that they are very, very sure is going to be effective. You know, it's kind of like the fourth down that we went for. Had we made that, we keep the ball, we move the ball down further, we keep it out of their hands and we thought very well about what we were doing as well but didn't make it."

On whether the Eagles weren't afraid to give them the ball at midfield:

"Possibly, you'd have to ask them that one."

On Cruz's scoring game today:

"He really, really played well. He understood exactly what had to happen and he made it happen. I mean the touchdown, the second touchdown there, he just goes up in the air over the top of two people and makes a play. Under that circumstance, it's not like just catching it and running with it. The ball was in the air and all three people were stopped and about to elevate and he goes up and makes a play like that. That was a heck of a play."

On screen passes to the running backs working today:

"Just a plan, just a plan. They are a very effective screen team, as you know, and we had a couple of thoughts with the screens as well."

On the need for Cruz to step up given the injuries at WR:

"Well, he knew that this was his opportunity. We did say it to him, we did say it to him in so many words. And he responded very, very well."

On DE Jason Pierre-Paul's injury:

"I think he'll be okay. He seemed to be…he was cramping and I think he'll be okay."

On whether the game against the Eagles last December influenced today's game:

"That has been a theme we've developed since day one, about finishing. And of course it referred to not only that game, but some other games last year that we didn't finish the way we thought we should. So we were able to do that today and I was proud of the guys and the way they went about their business."

On the goal-line stand to keep the Eagles to the field goal:

"Well they had been running the fullback belly in there and we knew we had to stop it and we did. And so the guys that were in there in the A gaps did a nice job."

On the redzone defense against Philadelphia's speed:

"Well believe it or not, there's mounds and mounds of tape. They're down there a lot. There's a lot to study. You're just rolling the dice. We made a nice play on their little shovel pass which they had scored on, I think it was against St. Louis. And so we made a nice play on that play. We just rose up and made some outstanding plays when we had to make them and we kept them out of the endzone. You do your work, you hope you recognize the personnel combinations and the formations and we did do a good job of that."

On not turning the ball over today:

"Well that's huge for us. That's something that we really have focused in on and sometimes, you know, obviously, just talking about it is not the answer, but to be able to play against an opponent like this with the aggressiveness and intensity with which they play and be able to keep the ball—there was a tipped ball one time that scared the heck out of me—but otherwise, we were able to keep it away from them."

On their first win over Philadelphia in six games:

"Well, I mean you'll have the flavor for the words in the story, I'm just glad to come down here and win. It's in the division, we needed to win a game in the division. This is a big weekend in the division, everybody's playing each other. So to come in here and win was big."

On the scuffles during the game:

"There's always a great intensity in this game. It's no different any other time. Yeah, Giants-Eagles games."

On Philadelphia running the ball:

"They had success doing it. They had success running it, that's why they stayed with it."

QB Eli Manning Postgame CommentsOn responding in the fourth quarter:
"You know, I was proud, proud of the way we hung in there. We had a great first quarter. Second, third quarter not as productive. We were moving the ball. We didn't make the big mistakes, we didn't turn the ball over, got some pressure, made some sacks and things, hung in there, and obviously the fourth quarter that's what we knew we had to do, we had to win the fourth quarter. This year, unlike last year, we won the last eight minutes of the game. Guys stepped up, made some big plays, defense got turnovers, and we were able to get the victory, so that was a big win for us."

On whether he was in WR Victor Cruz's ear about what was expected of him:
"Not more than normal. I think sometimes with these young guys, you want to let them play. You try to give them what to expect, and little tips and things, but you don't want them over-thinking, you just want them to go out there naturally and just play his game. He did a great job and we knew that's what he could do. He could make guys miss once he got the ball in his hands, he could make plays. We had seen that last year in the preseason when he kind of made his mark, and going up there and catching the ball. He did both those things today. On the last touchdown, just a great effort by him, going over a star cornerback and then on the first touchdown just making guys miss, good job reacting to the blitz and making guys miss and going to get a touchdown."

On how tough Cruz's second touchdown catch was:
"It's just a great effort by him. [CB] Nnamdi [Asomugha] played it well. We kind of had a corner route and then a higher corner route over the top. I thought he was going to jump the tight end but he played it back there and really probably not a great decision by me to throw it in the first place but great job by Victor just going up there kind of with the attitude of either I'm going to catch it or nobody, and that's what he did."

On whether he was nervous when that ball was in the air:
"A little bit, kind of right when I threw it I kind of saw they played the play pretty well, just hoping that it was going to fall incomplete and not get turned over at the time. But obviously we got a touchdown out of it which was even better. It went well."

On what it says about him that he was able to both start and finish the game strong:
"Just proud of the guys, just proud of the whole team for hanging in there tough. For a little bit there we were moving the ball, getting close to field goal range and stuff, get a sack or have something go wrong but the guys just hung in there and just kept fighting, stayed confident. We knew we were going to get the chance to get the ball a few more times, we were going to have to go down there and score and win this thing and that's exactly what we did. We went there and got the lead and then our defense got a big turnover. Great job by special teams, we were going up there kicking a field goal, getting them to jump off sides, getting the ball again and then going to score and putting the game out of reach."

On whether he feels they proved a point today:
"I think we have great confidence in our ability, we feel that we're a good team. Our defense is playing outstanding, keeping guys out of the end zone. Offensively we're doing a good job moving the ball and scoring touchdowns, not settling for field goals and making some big plays, and running the ball tough. We've just got to keep playing strong and playing smart football like we are and we'll be in a situation to win games."

On whether the last game was in the back of his mind:
"No, no, it really wasn't. I think that's just kind of the way athletes and football players think, you just think about this upcoming situation. They have some of the same players as last year, but they have new players, they have two new cornerbacks, they've got some new safeties, they have new linebackers, they have a new defensive scheme, so for me, I'm just trying to prepare for the team. In any game, it doesn't matter what happened last week, it doesn't matter what happened last year, you go there, you prepare for that team, then you go out there and fight your hardest."

On whether there are parts of Cruz's game that lead him to believe that he can develop good chemistry with him:
"I hope so. I think he's a guy, he wants to do good things, he wants to learn. He is a young guy, you know, last year missed the whole season, so he's really kind of coming into his first full year of playing. He's just kind of learning the ins and outs of coverages, why I'm throwing the ball in a certain place, just kind of learning the ins and outs. I see a guy who's got natural playmaking ability, which is always a plus, you know, he is young, you just have to keep working with him, but I think the greatest thing for a young player is to get reps. Get in the game, get live coverage. He's played in the slot, he's played the outside receiver so he should have a good feel for learning both those things and eventually get to the point where you're moving him around. I think he's doing good things, but he's got to keep working."

On whether a game like today naturally changes his confidence level in Cruz:
"I think I'm always confident in the guys, but when he goes up and makes plays and does some of those things, I think sometimes those things, you can't really practice those things all the time, those types of catches, those types of throws where in games they go up and get them. I don't want to get into the habit of throwing tight passes like that but it gives me confidence that he's going to go get it or he's going to make play on it and fight for the ball, so that was good to see."

On whether the touchdown pass to RB Brandon Jacobs was something they planned coming in:
"Yeah, we thought we were going to be able to get that play in, just the way they play that formation. It's actually a play I think we ran on them last year or two years ago. It's play-action, their linebackers I think are taught to turn their heads and go look over the middle for anything crossing and Brandon, out of the backfield, runs a wheel route, the receivers just cross the field, bring their guys with them. So good play by Brandon and blocking it up, it was good to come to that early and get a touchdown out of it."

On his thoughts on the play of the offense:"On the first touchdown we made a great play to RB Brandon [Jacobs]. We had some great pass plays and WR Victor [Cruz] really played a great
game. I think Victor made two great catches and had some fantastic reads on the plays and really did a great job. The whole team just did a great job hanging in there and believing we would win."

On whether the screen pass to RB [Ahmad Bradshaw] was because of the Eagles pass rush:"It was an all out blitz, and I could see that they were all coming.  The offensive line really picked it up nice and blocked and we were able to get the ball out to Ahmad. He was able to fight off the block and then walk into the end zone."

On whether he was concerned with losing WR Mario [Manningham] for the game:"I think losing Mario was tough but WR [Victor Cruz] really made his mark last year and we knew we could count on him.  He made catches in this game that were great and ran some great go routes. He is great on the outside but we want to try and get him catches in the slot as well and he did it all today. I am really proud of him and he is a young guy that really made it happen."

On whether this game meant a lot because of not winning in Philadelphia since 2008:"It is always great to beat the Eagles on their home field, because they have great players.  We felt coming in that we could beat these guys because we should have of last year.  We had the same game plan and this time we wanted to get to the fourth quarter and finish the game."

RB Brandon Jacobs Postgame CommentsOn if he was happy to make some receptions:

"I was able to get out there and make some plays on pass plays. I was able to get some yards out there and help us move the ball. It is nice to make some receptions sometimes and go in for touchdowns."

On whether he thinks early this was a key win:

"I think this was a big win. We had not beaten Philly here in a while and this was a big game. We beat a good team with good talent and a great quarterback. They have a great defensive line and we showed that we can win games against good teams."

On whether he was surprised that the Eagles did not make the big plays:

"I was surprised that QB Michael [Vick] was not more involved in big plays in the game. I guess he could not think as straight today. Vick is a great player and I commend the way our defense played against him. I never wish an injury on any player but with him going out we were able to make more plays on defense."

On whether the Giants shut the Eagles up and the fans:

"I think we definitely shut everyone up here because we walked off the field with a big win points wise. There is no question that we played better today because we capitalized on their turnovers. I think the Eagles are a good team with a lot of talent but today was our day."

WR Victor Cruz Postgame CommentsOn how it felt to contribute in the way that he did:
"It felt good. Initially I just wanted to come in and contribute any way I can and just help my team, and just understand that my role is to do whatever it is, block, catch a pass here or there, and just try to move the ball and help Eli move the ball down the field."

On whether he saw the two defenders on his second touchdown catch:
"I saw it when I came in initially. The safety was supposed to bite on the play-action but he kind of played it well and stayed back and then I just continued my route. I knew it was going to be a jump ball, I knew that both defenders would be there and I just jumped up and tried to make the best play I can and came away with the ball."

On when he realized he had jumped against Asomugha:
"Probably after the play when I looked up and I saw the replay and I saw who was on the ground and then I realized who it was."

On what he was thinking watching the replay:
"I did fumble the ball but I was fortunate enough to recover it right after I dropped it, so I was sweating a little bit. You know, any time those refs go to that booth, you never know what the outcome may be, especially on a touchdown call, so I was sweating a little bit, but once they confirmed it I was cool."

On what his emotional reaction was when he saw the replay and realized it was Asomugha:
"I didn't have any crazy emotion, I just knew I just made a big play and it was the fourth quarter and my team needed me and I kind of just made the play, it wasn't a crazy reaction or anything different."

On whether he knew he was going to have a clear path to the end zone after he broke his first tackle on his first touchdown:
"Yeah, I kind of felt it once I made that second move, and I felt those guys collide behind me and then it was just me and [WR] Hakeem [Nicks] running and we were off to the races."

On how it feels to make those kind of plays in this kind of game:
"It means the world, because coming in a lot of people were saying our receivers where down, and who's going to step up and all week we knew somebody had to step up, so I just felt good to be that guy to come in and make some plays for my team and help my team win."

On whether he had any family or friends here today:
"No, unfortunately nobody came down, my mom didn't want to come all the way to Philly and stuff like that, so I'm sure they were watching, I'm sure I have a hundred text messages or phone calls and stuff like that."

On whether it felt like he had been waiting for this day for a long time:
"A little bit. You kind of just sit patiently and just wait for your opportunity. We have some talented guys on our team, you know, [WR Mario] Manningham and Hakeem obviously, there's a lot of talent. So I kind of just wanted to be patient, and kind of wait my turn, and understand that at some point through this season that my team was going to need me."

On how much not receiving any Division I scholarships and going undrafted motivates him:
"That drives me a lot, because coming out of high school I felt like I was good enough to play Division I football, and it didn't turn out that way, but I loved UMass, it taught me a lot of morals and stuff like that, and it definitely leaves a big chip on my shoulder every week to go in and play against these guys, top notch defensive players week in and week out and just prove myself. So definitely."

On how many times this week he heard that this was his opportunity:
"If I had a nickel for every time I heard it I'd probably be a millionaire right now. It was just driven into me every week, every day, every hour, opportunity, opportunity, opportunity. Once the game started, once that ball went in the air, and that first kickoff, all that kind of just went to the side and I got to relax and just go out there and play."

On how he hung onto his preseason performance last year against the Jets as a confidence booster:
"I hung onto it a little bit, but I understood, obviously in the back of my mind , that it's a preseason game and I obviously wanted to prove myself in the regular season and get that opportunity to do things against rival opponents like the Philadelphia Eagles and teams like that. I held onto it, I understood what it meant for me, personally, and understood how much it meant to the people around me and I wanted to kind of hold onto it, but I understood that there's more to come."\

On reflecting on his path and this game:
"It really hasn't set in yet until I start talking to people on the phone and stuff like that. It's definitely one of those moments where you kind of sit back and you look back at the game and you're like 'wow', you actually played well and you did that against a rival opponent, and you played for the Giants, and you grew up in the area, and it's just one of those surreal moments that you kind of look back and it's definitely one of the moments you want to tell your friends and family about in the future."

On whether he thought the offense would play as well as it did:"Whenever you play a divisional game it does not matter who is in playing in the game.  We need to come in with the mentality that we will win.  We are all professionals and no matter who we put in we have to believe we will all make plays. We always have that mindset."

On whether the way he prepared this week was different:"I really did not prepare too much differently.  I have to come in each week practicing hard so when my number is called I am ready to go. We have a bunch of receivers that make plays and play different positions and always want to be prepared."

T Kareem McKenzie Postgame CommentsOn the play of the offensive line:

"I thought as a unit we played well but still made some mistakes and even though we won we can continue to improve."

On what he thought of all the fighting out on the field:

"I think we all know that this is a rivalry and a divisional game.  It is not like we all do not know one another.  This is just the way it is going to be in games of this magnitude."

On whether this was some kind of a revenge game:

"We are not focused at all on last year's games but we need to just focus on this year. There was no revenge because we have new players and this is a new team and we must go out and win these kinds of games. We need to approach this game one game at a time and not think about last year."

On whether he was surprised on blitzes of the Eagles not being really heavy:

"I do not know what the Eagles game plan was today but they still had like three sacks on us today. We need still to pick up the blitzes better and not allow sacks on our quarterback."

DE Justin Tuck Postgame CommentsOn what the win meant to him:
"Obviously we feel good about the win, but we're not going to over-blow it. That's still a good football team and we're going to have to see them again, but for us right now it just means we're 2-1 and we've got a lot of momentum heading into week four."

On how his neck feels:
"It felt well enough to finish the game."

On whether his neck problem is a reoccurrence:
"Yeah, it's recurring. It keeps happening so I guess you can call it that."

On whether he is worried about staying on the field:
"No. It's something I can play through and I will play through."

On the physical job they did on QB Michael Vick today:
"That's one of our goals coming into today. Playing a guy like him, you know he can beat you with his arm and his legs, so basically you kind of pick and choose on certain play calls what you're going to allow him to do. I think we did a good job of staying in front of him and not really letting him get down the field like he has before. He made some first down runs there, but nothing long, and that was one of the keys with us. We didn't give up a lot of big plays and a lot of that in the past came from him running the ball first and us getting back on our heels and him having a lot of time to throw the ball, so I think we did a good job. Obviously we would like to have more sacks and things of that nature, but it really dictated us coming here and getting a win. I think the fact that we knocked him out of the football game tells a lot."
On whether he was surprised that they came out and ran the ball so much:
"Absolutely. We know how talented [RB LeSean] McCoy is, and it surprised me they went to it as much as they did, but we weren't able to stop it there for a while. I guess he was the hot guy at the time."

On the bounce-back that CB Aaron Ross had this week:
"Well we believe in Aaron. People don't understand how tough it is to play cornerback in this league, especially with what we want out of our corners. He's out there a lot on the island, and these guys get paid too, they're going to make plays, but today was just one of his days. He didn't let anything behind him, he didn't give up many big plays, and he made some big plays. Going up against the guys that he went up against today, I think it's going to be a tremendous confidence level for him and it's all about confidence out there on the island, and he did a great job for us today."

On what the difference was between the last game and this game in stopping the Eagles in short-yardage situations:
"I don't know if it was anything with the scheme, I think it was just heart. Guys didn't want to let it happen and like you said, we did a great job on some fourth down stops, on some goal line stops, and that was the difference in the game. If they get touchdowns on those plays, those situations later in the game are completely different, and I think our defense did a great job with that. We got our offense the ball in some situations that they were able to get some points on the board. We played as a complete team today and that's how we like to win. It wasn't pretty but it was a big win for us."

On whether he was surprised that the Eagles went for it on fourth down:
"Not really. I think [Head] Coach [Andy] Reid was trying to show confidence in his team. He believes in his team just like [Head] Coach [Tom] Coughlin in his. I'm glad he did, it gave us the opportunity to stop them and we did."

On whether they did anything differently to stop the Eagles from coming back this time:
"I don't think we did anything differently, I think we just executed. That's a good football team. We did get out to a lead early, but coach was already saying that it was going to be a four quarter win for us, and we know that. These division games, they're always going to be these close games, regardless of who we play, it doesn't matter who's on the football field, it's such a great dislike for each other. It's just going to come down to the team that executes the best at the end and today we were blessed enough to be that team."

On whether he returned to the game from his injury because it was against the Eagles:
"I've been hurt in the other games and came back in. I just thank God for giving me the opportunity to come back. Regardless of who the team is, I love to play the game and as long as I can do that I'm going to do it."

On whether this win helps ease the pain of last year:
"I don't know, I haven't had the opportunity to think about it. If I had to answer that question I would probably say no. Last year was tough. Even though we are moving forward, and we got a big win today, that's just something that you'll never forget. That's going to be something that when I'm 50 I'm going to play it back and you're just going to grit your teeth."

DT Mathias Kiwanuka Postgame CommentsOn whether he refused to let his recent injury get him down:"I think each game myself and this team will get more confident in our play and will ride it to the playoffs."

On whether he was happy with the hits they got on QB [Michael Vick]:"I think we will go back and watch the film but we needed to stop him obviously if we wanted to win the game. I think we got good pressure on him and ended up knocking him out of the game in the third quarter."

On whether he was surprised that they stopped the Eagles on the goal line stance:"We were prepared of what the Eagles might do when they got down in the red zone. On film it seemed that the Eagles had a lot of running formations in tight on the goal line.  We were able to adjust to that and make some key plays. We got under the blocks and made some key tackles."

S Antrel Rolle Postgame CommentsOn whether this win made up for their loss last year in Philadelphia:"I think we did not think about last year.  Our goal was this year and today to come in here and just take care of business."

On whether he was delighted with the play of WR [Victor Cruz]:"Yes I was so happy with Victor for the way he played.  We asked him this week to step up and make the big plays and that is what he did. We asked him to be the guy and that is what he did in the game. We all know what he is capable of for this team and he really did it."

On whether he was happy with the team's goal line stance in the game:"It really did not matter who was going to get the ball.  We just knew we were going to have to make a big play and we did. We thought they could throw the ball but they kept it on the ground and we did what we were supposed to do."

On what it says about the character of this team with the win:"I think this game showed that we worked hard all week and that we were prepared to come in here and win the game. We really had great practices and that showed in the way that we played in the game. The only ones that gave us a chance to win was our own organization. They gave us the feeling we were going to win all week."