Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: What do you say about the way your defense played today?

A: I thought we did a lot of good things, got after the quarterback, put up a fourth-down stop at the end of the game. They played a good complementary game, had a couple of turnovers which hurt us. Guys were ready to play, the coaching staffs on all three sides did a good job and we made the plays we needed to make. It was a little bit closer than it needed to be, but this is NFL.

Q:  You have a makeshift offensive line. Talk about how they did.

A: They're pros, the guys that were out there tonight, and they worked extremely hard during the week and a couple of days at practice, we were moving guys around and we settled on it say Thursday of how it was gonna go and if (tackle) Evan (Neal) could go, and if he could go, then we had another kind of line up change, if you would. But (offensive linemen coach) Bobby (Johnson) has met with those guys early and late, and he have a kind of revolving door there. Tough competitors.

Q: What was the thinking on that? With (lineman Marcus) McKethan on the left and (guard Mark) Glowinski on the right?

A: It's something we talked about as a coaching staff. I think the communication was better. Just having (offensive lineman Justin) Pugh, a veteran, (guard Ben) Bredeson and Glow(inski) kind of opposite because they worked together as well. With (tackle) Tyre (Phillips) back and he was only back for a week, some code words and things like that, even though he picked up, I'd say almost all of it on the way back, it's still helpful to have someone right next to him that's been out there and done it, veteran wise.

Q: You have a lot of great faith in your veterans, but (kicker Graham) Gano missed a field goal, (wide receiver Sterling) Shep(ard) with the muff and (running back) Saquon (Barkley) with the fumble. Is there anything different you say to your vets when they situations like that?

A: Go out there and I have full confidence in you the next time you step out on the field.

Q: You've had numerous first drives in the first half that stalled out. What allowed you to finish this time in the redzone?

A: Made some good plays. I thought (quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) made a heck of a play. (tight end) (Darren) Waller made a great adjustment on the route on that third down and I thought Tyrod did a great job with his feet. His timing in the passing game to get that ball to Saquon on the check down. Tyrod had a good game, played well, took care of the ball, made good decisions, threw the ball where it was supposed to be thrown. So again, we left stuff out there. No question about it. We left stuff out on the field. We left points out on the field, like you said, the missed field goal, the fumble in the red zone, but I'll take the result.

Q: Are you looking forward to getting healthy? It seems like some guys will be coming back in the next couple of days or weeks.

A: Yeah, we'll see. Of course. Better to be healthy than not. I'm not talking about me but –

Q: Has Tyrod made any argument for being the quarterback when (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) gets back?

A: I would just say Tyrod had a good game this game and he's a true pro and I'm glad we've got him.

Q: How about (cornerback Deonte) Banks and the way he competes, it seems he can compete with anyone he's matched up with.

A: I would say we have a lot of competitors. Again, it's always better when you win.

Q: He's a rookie, though.

A: That's why they're here. That's why he's on this team is to come out here and compete and do everything he can do to help the team win and put the team first. So, something that's important for all of us is to put the team first and he does that.

Q: Last time you were in a locker room, it was after a very close loss. Today, you're in the locker room after a very close win. How important is it for these guys to have something positive they can use?

A: I'd just say it's important to prepare well, do everything you can do leading up to the game and try to go out there and put your best performance on the field. It doesn't always happen.

I've said this before, it's an up and down league. It's a humbling league, but if you can stay consistent with your approach. You make slight adjustments and your belief in the players. It's not for everybody, you gotta be able to do that. It's not gonna be perfect all the time and there's definitely gonna be some struggles and again, one week has nothing to do with the next week. So, whether we lost a close game to the Bills, we won this close game tonight, it really has no bearing on what we do next week to keep a consistent attitude, to work with great intention. That's what's important to get ready for a game that's gonna be difficult every week regardless of who you play and focus on your job and putting the team first. Again, it's not always easy, but that's what the job requires.

Q: When you talk about staying with the approach when you're losing, just going through a losing streak as a coach. Is it a test to stay with the process or you kind of maybe second guess, do you need to make a change?

A: I think you do that every week. Obviously when you win, it's a little easier to hear, but you're always trying to critique things, practice schedules, how you meet, training, injury stuff. You're doing everything you can do each and every week to try to put the best product on the field and you can't be influenced by losses and that's tough because no one goes out to try to lose a game ever in this league. You do everything you can to try to put your best performance on the field. So, to stay steady in your approach, although it's not the same exact thing. You're always changing things, whether it's a lineup change, whether it's a different personnel group, whether it's a timing of a schedule, whatever it may be, you're always doing that, whether you win or whether you lose, but to have a real positive approach. That's not always the easiest thing to do, but that's what the job entails.

Q: What's the issue with guys who aren't putting the team first? You've mentioned that several times.

A: No, there's no issue. We've got a bunch of guys that put the team first. That's very important to us as a program.

Q: It just sounded different in your tone.

A: Not at all. I'm proud of the guys. There's nothing like that.

Q: I misread that. Can I ask you about (wide receiver Jalin) Hyatt?

A: Hyatt made a couple of good plays.

Q: One that was critical.

A: I told you we're gonna play him and he made some plays. He's still got stuff to learn but the way to learn it is to go out there and play. He made a couple good ones. I thought Tyrod gave him some good chances to make them too.

Q: Why has Tyrod had success getting the ball down the field like this?

A: He's taking his drop, drop back and see one-on-one coverage and let it go and the receivers have made good plays, so it's all tied together. It's not just one person or one position. It never is on offense. It takes all 11. You can't have one guy or two guys on offense. When you usually have a guy mess up, it's usually not very good for the offense. You can't make it up. It's just all assignment football and he's done a good job with it.

Q: How big was that first touchdown by Waller? Obviously, you guys had gone awhile without scoring a touchdown. For the morale of that group, I think -

A: I figured you would be the first one to ask that. That was great.

Q: Do you think it was important though? Like for the morale and the confidence for that group?

A: Absolutely.

Q: How does it feel to deliver a win at home in front of these fans that haven't gotten to see maybe your best performances yet?

A: They were great, and they haven't and we haven't given them a lot to celebrate about. They were loud on that fourth-down play, they were loud, and I've encountered a lot of great ones and our job is to provide a good product and certainly we left things out on the field today. So, it wasn't perfect. It was a good team win. There's a lot of guys that have worked hard and contributed and I'd say the fans were a huge part of it. I certainly appreciate them.

Q: Will Saquon have any of x-rays or scans on his arm?

A: I don't know yet. I don't know anything about injuries yet.

Q: At this point in the season, are you certain that the defense is going to go out every week and give you a chance to win?

A: I don't think there's any certainty in a season ever, no matter when it is. You've got to put the work in, you've got to go out there and perform well. That's what it comes down to every week. It's a boring answer, but that's the truth.

Q: How did you feel when (defensive lineman) Leonard Williams made that blocked field goal?

A: It felt great. It was great.

Q: With Daniel questionable, then obviously he didn't play today, was there like a final check yesterday and he didn't get cleared for contact or kind of what?

A: He got looked at, I think it was Friday I told you guys. So, he didn't get cleared on Friday, so he wasn't able to go.

Q: Where does that stand going forward here for this weekend?

A: I'll have a lot of meetings tomorrow about it, I'm sure, and the next day and the next day, but I don't have an answer for you.

Q: Do you feel better about his chances now moving forward?

A: I would be telling you something that's probably an inaccurate statement. So, I'll wait until I hear from the people that know a lot more about it than I do relative to his status or what it looks like and all those things.

Q: Is there a chance he gets cleared early in the week?

A: I don't know.

Q: Have you seen more consistent play from the defense in the last two to three weeks?

A: There's certainly been things that we've improved on in every area as a team and today ball security was a problem for us. But we got the ball again. I think we're making small strides in different areas and the guys are working with a great attitude and great intention, but we've still got a ton to clean up from this game, but I appreciate the approach and the mindset and how they go about their business on a daily basis here.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor

Q: How did that one feel?

A: It felt good. I mean anytime you can win at home always is big, especially just the way our season has been going. Not being on the winning side of things, we've done some good things throughout the season, but haven't been able to put a full game together and today I think was a true testament to us playing complementary football. Defense, special teams creating plays as well as us doing some things on offense.

Re: offense's success in the first half today compared to previous weeks

A: It's an attitude. I think the attitude starts up front. The guys on the offensive line did a great job of run blocking and pass blocking, creating opportunities for us to push the ball downfield and guys made plays. Whether it was contested catches, or run after the catch, they've done a great job.

Re: Jalin Hyatt

A: One of the fastest guys on the field, if not the fastest at any given point. So, you get a chance to get him one-on-one down the field, our conversation with him is I'm going to give you a chance. It's either you or nobody and we've seen that even right before the half, gave him a chance down there one-on-one with the safety and he broke up that pass, but obviously we were able to connect on two deep balls down on their sideline.

Q: On that one play, so the safety kind of came down on it and you saw the one-on-one?

A: Yes, yes. They tried to hide the coverage, which they do a great job of disguising, it's a great defense. They play fast and something that we had seen on tape that we would be able to exploit if we get the opportunity to do so.

Q: What does that you do for your confidence level knowing that you guys have slowed down a few times down in the redzone to actually get to the endzone?

A: It does a lot for us. That's something that we have struggled at all season, just redzone efficiency. We've had a lot of penalties down there, kind of cleaned that up this week, or today, but scoring down there is going to be vital to our success moving forward. We've been able to move the ball down the field, but executing in the redzone is big in this league and we have to do that week in and week out.

Q: Would you like to remain the starter next week?

A: That's up to coach. Obviously, if DJ (quarterback Daniel Jones) is healthy, he's a captain on our team, captain of our team, a leader on the offense and I am here to support in any way that I can.

Q: What do you attribute your consistency to? How are you able to stay so consistent?

A: Just putting the work in. I think trusting in yourself, trusting your teammates and just week in and week out, whether it's preparing mentally or physically for the opportunity when it presents itself, just taking advantage of it. I've played a number of years, I've seen a lot of football, I've played a lot of football, just going out there and trusting the guys. Not playing scared, being free, playing free and having fun and I enjoy playing, I enjoy competing. Interceptions, that's part of the game. Obviously, our goal as a quarterback is to protect the ball and put our offense in the best situation to take the ball down the field and score and protecting the ball is a big key to that.

Q: Is this opportunity to start again in your career, does it feel kind of rejuvenating for you? What's it been like to work behind the scenes and to get this opportunity and to see success?

A: It's been fun, just to be out there with the guys. Obviously, quarterback, there is only one that can play per week. Other positions have rotations, whether a guy needs a blow or not, but just staying true to the preparation. Since I got drafted in 2011, I've always prepared myself week in and week out as if I was a starter. Whether that was the case or not, my attitude has never changed. It's motivated me along the way, whether I was number two or number one, but just thankful for the opportunity. More importantly, thankful for the guys competing and playing the way that they did today, and last week as well, too. Overall, it's just fun to be out there competing.

Q: Do you hope that whether it's here or somewhere else, that before your career is over you will get another chance to be a starter for an extended period of time?

A: I am firm believer in God's timing is perfect timing. I can't focus on the future, or the past. I am a big believer in just staying in the present moment and taking advantage of what's here. Everything else will take care of itself.

Q: You said it's up to the coach, but based on these back-to-back performances, do you think you made your case to be the starter?

A: Again, that decision is out of my hands and I'm perfectly fine with how, whatever decision is being made. My mindset, there is no attitude change. I am going to continue to keep leading in the way I lead, preparing in the way that I prepare and staying ready for the opportunity.

Re: his play the last two weeks

A: I think it's some positives to take away from the film, wasn't perfect by no means today, or even last week. As well as some may say I played, it wasn't a winning performance in my mind or on paper either. I critique myself very hard, I think that's why I am who I am. But yeah, I think there are a lot of positives to take away from it, but there is always room to grow and I'm always looking for it to be better.

Q: Do you think this performance could serve as a breakthrough for the offense?

A: I hope so. There is always turning points in a season. We've been obviously on the losing side of things the last couple of weeks. Hopefully this is a spark, not only for the offense, but just for the team. We've been in close games, and we just haven't finished them and today we were able to do so in all three phases, so hopefully this is a turning point.

Re: success throwing deep balls

A: Just trusting the guys. Like I said, we've got a ton of talent outside on the edge and guys made plays. They found zones, they won their one-on-one matchups and ultimately upfront those guys gave me enough time to put it down there and let those guys make plays.

Running Back Saquon Barkley

Q: You had complementary football today, defense set the tone early, held on at the end, you even had a blocked field goal on specials. How important is that to get the complete package?

A: That's how you win football games. That's something we haven't been doing and obviously, we didn't win 40-0 or we didn't blow a team out, but at the end of the day we got the Dub (win) and that's what we've got to continue to do the rest of the season is lean on each other. When the defense makes a play, we go out there, respond, and sometimes we need the defense to pick us up and vice versa, and same thing with special teams.

Q: You had a few things in this game go against you guys. Obviously, the fumbled punt and Thibodeaux dropping that potential pick there and obviously, the last strip? What does it say that you were able to overcome those plays?

A: That's how we always go. That's how we were last year. That's the type of team we have. That just wasn't the product we were showing the first couple games of the season, the first six games of the season. We've got to get back to playing that way. That's Giants football, that is the way we have been playing. This is winning football, complementary football. Playing for each other, feed off each other, have each other's back. Find a way to win games.

Q: Can you take us through your highs and lows? Can you walk us through the 32-yard touchdown; what did you see on that? And then the fumble, which is only your second lost fumble ever.

A: Tyrod [Giants QB Tyrod Taylor] did a really good job of hitting me on the move. I was able to make a guy miss and find a way to get into the endzone. On the red zone fumble, I have to be better. Simple as that; I have to be better and do a better job of protecting the ball. I've been better at protecting the ball throughout my career, but in that moment, that's a key moment, and you have to find a way to come up with points there. I let my team down, but the defense had my back.

Q: Did your arm have something to do with the fumble?

A: No. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. Payne [Commanders DT Daron Payne] over there is a really strong dude. He got a good grip on the ball and he won that fight.

Q: Are you ok now? What happened to your arm?

A: I just hyperextended it a little bit. I'll be alright though.

Q: Are you looking forward to the reinforcements that look like they are coming back this week and next week?

A: Yes, definitely. I don't want to speak for them and make a prediction that they're going to play next week or not. They're going through their rehab process, and we know that the trainers and the strength staff are going to do whatever they can to help them get back on the field as quick as possible and healthy, but it'll be really good to get some of our best players back on the field.

Outside Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux

Q: How did it feel to close the deal defensively at the end of the game and to set the tone in the first quarter where it looked like you really showed Washington it was going to be a tough day.

A: I think that's the defense we're turning into. Being able to start off hot, start off fast and carry that momentum. So last year was about bringing them to the deep end and this year it's about hitting them in their mouth first.

Q: People will say "oh, six sacks, that's a great number", but you have said all along that this defense has been getting close and you've done a lot of things that you've tried to do, so what was the difference in terms of the stats today, why the sacks happened?

A: I think we're just able to take advantage of some of the things we saw on film and dudes executed. (Giants NT) Dex(ter Lawrence II) played like an All Pro and give it to your coverage—coverage was locked down which made us able to get there.

Q: Especially knowing that (Giants NB) Adoree' Jackson, your veteran back there, was out. You had a lot of inexperience and those guys held up.

A: Yeah, I think that's a great moment to show that this year, this time last year, they were telling me that I'm not a rookie anymore and now it's to the next guys to let them know that now it's time for them to play their best ball.

Q: What about the rush defense because obviously making Washington one dimensional was a big key?

A: Coaching. I give it to (Giants Defensive Coordinator Don) Wink (Martindale). Wink was calling it up, Wink was doing everything and "yeah, yeah, Dabs (Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll), I know," but Wink was calling a great play and a great game, and everything was working.

Q: Finally, what was the key on the last series when it was a bend but don't break. They got into your territory, but they couldn't punch it in.

A: You need big-time players to make big-time plays. The guys did that. I don't know, was that (Giants SS) Jason Pinnock on that last play?

Q: Yeah.

A: He's a big-time guy and he stepped up to the plate and even had the other guys rushing. We put the pressure and it was incomplete.

Q: What did you see on the pick there…

A: Ah man, I knew that was going to come. It went from an interception to a punt return and I just saw the open grass and I saw the blockers and I looked up and, just hit me in the stomach, but yeah we've got to get back. I'm weak for that, so yeah, I'm weak for that, I know.

Cornerback Deonte Banks

Q: As a team, how big is this win considering how you guys started?

A: It's a great win for us. Trying to turn it around now. Trying to build some momentum.

Q: This is three weeks in a row that the defense has played lights out. Have things slowed down for you? What do you attribute the success to?

A: I just attribute it to my leaders like X (New York Giants S Xavier McKinney), (New York Giants CB) Adoree' (Jackson), all them guys, (New York Giants DL) Dexter (Lawrence II). I just follow their lead.

Q: Was New York Giants CB Adoree' Jackson coaching you up on the sidelines?

A: Always. That's my guy.

Q: What was the emotion on the last play? Was it relief, was it joy, was it--?

A: It was joy. Trying to win. That's really what we want to do in this league is just win, no matter how bad or how good it is, just win the game.