Head Coach Tom Coughlin

We played hard. We put ourselves in position to win the game. We didn't win. It was the second time in two weeks that we've been in that spot. Different things occurred at the end of the game that caused us not to win, but we put ourselves in that position. We practiced well. We practiced hard. We had great enthusiasm. It was a heck of a game, back and forth, as you saw. The long drive put us in position where we had the lead. They couldn't beat us with a field goal, and of course, they didn't need a field goal. They came down the field relatively quickly there. The only turnover in the game, the tipped ball… We were going to get three, at least, out of that and that's taken down, taken away from us. I thought we had a lot of numbers tonight. I thought a lot of people contributed. Obviously Beckham had the great catch, which excited everybody, but we weren't able to win. So back to the drawing board we go.

Q: The defense seemed content to not pressure Tony Romo on the final series.
A: We were trying to pressure with four and obviously that didn't work very well.

Q: Can you describe Odell Beckham's catch?
A: He's got a gift, there's no doubt. I've seen him make a lot of one-handed catches, to be honest with you. But none falling down like that, going away and being able to snatch the ball like that and then stay in bounds after being fouled. That was quite a thing, too. It gave us a great spark and it does that when people make plays like that. It excites the sideline and the team gets excited about it and we were. I really thought that the third quarter… We didn't have much going for us offensively in the third quarter, and even despite all the yards and all the things… Taking a kickoff and being able to do something with it... The first half mix was because we did run the ball. We ran it a little bit. We ran it for a touchdown. We had a nice back and forth with the run and the pass. And then we gave ourselves a chance running the ball in the second half to get to third and two and third and three, but those might have been the only third downs we didn't convert. We had a pretty good night on third down. I look out in the third quarter and when I look at the tape it's probably going to be something I'm going to be disappointed in.

Q: The offensive line performed well during the first three drives. Then they gave up some sacks before the half. Was it something Dallas did?
A: They kept pressure on us. We didn't block them very well. Some of the one-on-one matchups, I think we got pushed back. Until I see the tape, that's all I know and I saw what you saw.

Q: Is there anything you did different defensively on the last drive that you hadn't been trying during the game?
A: No. Nothing that wasn't planned.

**

Q: Do you think your defense wore down? **
A: I think if you look at your sheet there, I think they had 53 snaps. We had 74. I don't think our defense wore down.

Q: Why do you think late in games the defense seems to falter?
A: I'll talk about this right here. We were unable to get to the quarterback. We gave them plenty of time to throw and he had a nice mix. It isn't like he forced anything. He threw check-downs and they turned into pretty good-sized gains. Their long touchdown was a kick in the tail as well.

Q: Was there one thing you said after the game that lost you the game?
A: The one thing is we got the lead. They couldn't beat us with a field goal and they drove and scored a touchdown. That's the one thing. That's it, unfortunately.

Q: You checked on Odell Beckham when he went down.
A: I had heard something to the effect that he was hit in the head and then that was cleared up. He got kneed in the back. They checked him out and he came back, obviously, and played. But I'm sure he's going to be sore.

Q: Is Odell Beckham Jr. is as exciting a young player you've seen in a while?
A: (The future is) bright, I think. He's got all the tools.

Q: What explanation did the referee give you in the first half when Andre Williams fumbled the ball and there was a delay until Dallas challenged?
A: The explanation was one official threw a ball over to another one and they didn't catch the ball. So the ball was rolling around on the field, so we all stood there and waited and the umpire stayed over the ball. Now we have been a part of, as you well know, when the other guy does that, they get off the ball and away they go. I have not seen that one before, but now I can record that as well.

Q: What was the reason for the change in the offensive line and the starting lineup?
A: What was the reason? Because I wanted to try to create some spark and be able to run the ball a little bit. In last week's game, there wasn't any run. I wanted to be able to have some balance to our offense and if that's what it took, then so be it.

Q: You were alternating drives between Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams.
A: It wasn't set up to be that way. If that's the way it looked and turned out, then fine. They both were going to get a lot of snaps and we did have the ball a lot, so they got a lot of work.

Q: Did the reconfigured offensive line perform the way you wanted them to?
A: I have to look at the tape to tell you that. There were times when we did have a nice mixture and there were times when they had trouble. We had trouble in pass protecting. We get to a two-minute drill and we're working hard to score in a two-minute drill and we're having a lot of pressure. We're sacked and then trying to run the ball in the third quarter wasn't any easy thing. But there's more to it than just the offensive line.

Q: Was this a devastating loss for your team?
A: Every loss is a devastating loss. There's no one thing about it. We wanted this game. We prepared well. We put everything into this game, just like we did the week before and the week before that. So it hurts to lose.

Q: How hard is it to be officially eliminated from the division with five games to go?
A: I didn't think about that. I didn't think about that at all. Right now we're trying to win a game.

QB Eli Manning

Q: How tough was the way you guys lost tonight?
A: Yeah, it's a tough one because I felt we did some really good things. We came out firing in the first half and kind of did everything right. The third quarter there we didn't play real well. The turnover there in the green zone hurt us, but in the fourth quarter we responded. They took the lead and we had a great drive, we went 92 yards and got the touchdown, took the lead, but you leave Dallas three minutes, that's a lot of time for them. It's still disappointing we can't, with a minute left, three timeouts, all we need is to get in field goal range and to not get a first down, that situation was disappointing.

Q: On the interception, what happened?
A: Just high, just threw it high. He was a little flatter than I anticipated and just kind of… no excuse though, you've got a guy running open, I've got to hit him right in the numbers.

Q: You guys had some good drives with the first three touchdowns, then they got some sacks just before the half. Did they do anything stunt-wise because their pressure seemed to continue in the second half?
A: They're good up front. They got a little pressure right before half. Some of it they had some good coverage and tried to move around a little bit. The one right before half, we're trying to get about 10 yards or so to maybe get in field goal range. We had a timeout, they got some decent pressure. We had the intentional grounding and that put us out of a position to get any points there. In the second half, they're good up front, they move around, do a lot of twists, but I thought we made some plays. Guys protected well up front and gave me plenty of time to make some throws down the field. I'm just disappointed we couldn't finish them.

Q: You've thrown the ball to Beckham in Louisiana. With that catch he made today…
A: Yeah, it's pretty spectacular. It's too bad we couldn't get a win and have the catch but it's an unbelievable catch and great play by him and concentration and going up with one hand and snagging that. He's a playmaker, he makes a lot of big plays for us. Hopefully it will continue.

Q: Did you think he actually caught it?
A: Yeah, I knew he caught it. I could see. He does that, he practices that one-handed snag. He's got big hands and great concentration and he can make those plays. That was a pretty great one.

Q: When you see someone with that kind of talent and start thinking about the future and what you might have in him, what do you envision?
A: I guess it's exciting. It's fun to work with him. It's fun to practice with him. He's a good kid and he works hard and he wants to be good. He's doing all the right things, which you like to see from a young player. Obviously he's very explosive and has a lot of playmaking ability. A guy with a lot of speed, sometimes they don't always run great routes, but he's a great route runner and disciplined. It's fun to play with him in games and fun to practice with him every day and see him get better as a player.

Q: The one-handed ones in pregame, are you throwing those?
A: No, I don't throw him those. I throw him the routes and work on our timing and work on the depth of routes and those things. That's just something he does on his own.

Q: Throwing two of the greatest catches really of all time, tonight's and Tyree's…
A: Yeah, both of them were pretty spectacular. I guess you've got to throw it just bad enough where they've got to make a great catch. It was pretty spectacular to see his adjustment to the ball and getting held, to be falling backwards and just put one hand up there and snag it, that was pretty impressive. Obviously Tyree's, under the circumstances of a Super Bowl and jumping up with a guy all over him and holding on to his helmet, both of them were pretty good.

Offensive Lineman Geoff Schwartz

I'm pretty proud of our effort and that we played hard tonight with some new guys in there.

Q: One of the things that the O-line has had is stability for the whole season up until tonight. You guys had two new starters and a couple of changes at the end there with injuries. How tough is that?
A: We had me and [Adam] Snyder and some veteran guys. We've done this before where we've had to fill in certain times. Like I said, I thought our effort was good and [James] Brewer came in that last drive and played really well. We scored a touchdown and ran a couple times inside. So when you have guys that can come in and play like that – Weston [Richburg] came in that last drive, too – It's good for our offensive line and good for our offense.

Q: How do you feel physically at this point?
A: I don't know – I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I'm tired. The second half was tough, but I had to do it, so it's a good thing, I guess.

Q: What was your view of [Odell] Beckham's catch?
A: Oh jeez. I was blocking down and then kind of [Henry] Melton came back, so I was right there and even Melton said something when Eli threw the ball – he knew it was going to be something bad. I was right there and I saw it happen. I never saw anything like that in person. That's a play that you see on SportsCenter's Top 10; I mean, it was unbelievable what he did. I mean, you see him practice before the game, so it's not surprising he makes those plays in the game when he's out there doing that before the game, but I mean that was a huge boost for our team to make a play like that and give our offense confidence because we hit those shots and it kind of backs the defense up a little bit and fires our team up.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Q: What goes through your mind during a catch like that?
A: Hold on to the ball. The ball couldn't have been placed better. It was a perfect spiral. With a ball like that, it makes it a lot easier to make a catch.

Q: Are you suggesting it was an easy catch?
A: Not by any means. Just the ball placement makes it a lot easier to do something like that.

Q: People are already calling it the greatest catch of all time. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?
A: I haven't really seen it yet, aside from the replays. I hope it's not the greatest catch of all time. I hope I can make more. It really means nothing without a win. We still go home at the end of the day with a loss. That's not fulfilling.

Q: What was the injury that you took? A blow to the head? A stinger?
A: Just a hit in the back. My back locked up. I fractured my back in high school, so I was worried for a second. Thank God it was just a bruise.

Q: How do you feel about the growing connection you have with Eli?
A: It's a day by day thing. I've known him for awhile. Throwing with him at the passing academy. I definitely like everything about him. Each and every day I'm trying to pick his brain a little bit and get a better understanding of what he wants me to do.

**

Q: Are you aware of the reaction to the catch? Lebron tweeted. It just went crazy on the internet. **
A: Somebody told me Lebron tweeted about it. He's one of my favorite athletes, so that does mean something.

Q: Victor Cruz called it the greatest catch. That's someone who you've worked with closely. What does that mean when a guy in that regard in this profession calls it the greatest catch he's ever seen?
A: That's just huge, especially coming from Vic, a big brother, a guy who has looked out for me. He's down right now. I know I remember when he went down I said I was playing for him. I told him I was going to try and do my best like he always does. I'm gonna go out every day and give it my all.

Q: At any point when you made that catch did Brandon Carr look at you and say 'are you kidding me' or something?
A: Honestly, after that type of moment, I couldn't really hear anything that's going on besides the crowd. I was just looking in the crowd and seeing the excitement that they had. That's enough right there.

Q: Is it safe to say that's the greatest catch you've ever made?
A: I probably would have to say so, especially in a game.

Q: There was a close up on the internet where it appears that you have two fingers and a thumb on the ball. Is that normal for you? Give us a sense of how you caught the ball.
A: I guess I have to thank my mom for the long fingers. Her hands are maybe half an inch shorter than mine. I know I felt it on those three fingers and tried my best to pull it in.

Q: So it was three fingers?
A: No, it was my whole hand. It kind of just rolled back and kind of came back into my hands.

Q: When did you start practicing one-handed catches and what made you do so?
A: It was back at LSU. One of my brothers, best friend, Jarvis Landry. Every day we'd go throw, especially after practice when we didn't have anything to do. We're both throwing it at each other as hard as we can because we're both competitive. At the same time we want to be better than each other, but we want to see each other succeed. So, we're throwing it at each other as hard as we can, trying to make one-handed catches in practice. We'd have little competitions and try to make those kinds of catches because you never know what's going to happen in a game. When it does happen, you want to be prepared for it.

Q: Who throws you the balls in pregame here that you catch one-handed?
A: (Ed) Skiba. He's got a nice little spiral going.

Q: When you're going into that catch are you thinking it has to be one-handed?
A: I thought that was the only way to get to it. He did a good job of almost pushing me out of bounds. I thought that was the only way I was going to catch it.

Q: Is that the catch you thought you were going to make in Seattle?
A: Not really. Kind of, sort of the same idea, but this one was just further behind it.

Q: How do you summarize this year so far for you?
A: It's hard because at the end of the day all you want to do is win. Everyone wants to be Super Bowl champions, go to the playoffs, and play as many games as possible. Losing is never fun. I don't think anybody accepts losing or wants to lose going on the field. We just have to find a way to put the pieces together. I feel like I could maybe take one game out of that year and that's Philly. That happens. They just come out to play. They had our number that night. Other than that, not to discredit any teams, but I can't see any games where we should not have won and the game was on us. We're not making the right plays. We're not consistent enough to get victories.

Q: What was the reaction of your teammates after that catch?
A: I definitely got a big reaction especially when I came to the sideline and they reviewed it and called it a touchdown. To have your teammates right there and congratulating you on that… Still at the same time, we have a whole football game left. You try to put that in the back of your mind and keep fighting.

Q: Do you remember anything specific anyone said that stuck out?
A: I think I had a few guys just smile and laugh and say "that was the best catch I've seen." Antrel told me it was the best catch he's seen. He was like, "I don't even know what to say to you right now." That's all and good. It's nice to hear those kinds of things and it's fun to make those plays. At the end of the day, you still have a loss on your record.

Q: What do you think as you look at the scoreboard and watch the replays?
A: I wish there wasn't so much technology. It's just a sick feeling losing. I've gotten better. I definitely don't like to lose, no matter what it is. Keep fighting. Keep practicing this week. Practice hard and come out next week

DE Jason Pierre-Paul

Q: Was it tough to lose the game down at the end like that?
A: Yeah.

Q: Talk about the last drive and how close you guys came to getting him with pressure?
A: They are a good football team. They made plays. They made big plays. That was basically it. We should have got there, but we didn't. They wound up scoring and that is how the game went.

Q: There were a couple of times where you almost had [Tony Romo]… What changed in the second half?
A: I don't know. I have to look at the film to see what went wrong. That is basically it. We have to look at the film. We have to look at the film tomorrow and we will see what went wrong.

Q: When you are facing a guy like Tony Romo, you know he has a weapon in Dez Bryant out there… Is it almost that much more pressure on you to get to him as quick as you possibly can?
A: That is with the whole [defensive] line, not just me. It starts up front. We have to be able to get to the quarterback quicker. We got there a couple of times. We need to do better. Especially me, I need to do better. He held the ball for too long on that last play and they scored. With a receiver like Dez Bryant, he is bound to get a touchdown some way somehow. He's good and that is what happened.

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

Q: It seemed like you guys were covering for a long time on that last touchdown play…Talk about that?
A: Yes, but still you have to plaster to your guy no matter how long it is you have to cover and be accountable and make that play.

Q: What was the sense on that? Do you have him for a certain amount of time?
A: After he breaks his route and he [starts] scrambling, you have to get your eyes back to the receiver as quick as you can. You have to find them. By that time, you have to turn around and look for the ball and it was there.

Q: When you guys had this back and forth, back and forth, how confident were you when the defense went on the field that you were going to stop them?
A: Very confident. For the most part, you go out in the first half and he had a pretty good half and then second half they drove the ball a little bit. It is all on mistakes on us, so you have a great feeling going back out.

Q: How devastating is that?
A: That makes it that much more hurtful. You battle, you battle, you battle and the outcome is always not a win. The main thing you want is that win. That is very hurtful.

Q: How much does it hurt to be knocked out of the division race?
A: That hurts bad, but it doesn't hurt as much as going out there and fighting tonight. That is just going to add on to it. You don't have a chance and you are not playing here, so it is like where do you go from here. You just have to go out and keep fighting.