Head Coach Chip KellyQ: What did you think of all the hype your offense received and do you think your offense really is all that new to the NFL?
A: We don't pay attention to the hype. We don't control what's written or what's said and I've said since day one in what we're doing isn't new to the NFL. Sam Wyche did it with the Cincinnati Bengals a long time ago and was very successful with it. Marv Levy had an unbelievable run with the Buffalo Bills. I don't think anything we do is revolutionary.
Q: How would you assess how your players on offense have taken to your system?
A: I've think they've done a really good job. They have a good understanding of what we're doing. Obviously everything we're doing offensively and defensively and special teams is new because it's a new staff and we've got a lot of new faces from a player standpoint, too. We're young from being around each other, but our guys have been fantastic in terms of picking things up and really being students of the game. I'm really pleased with how they picked things up.
Q: What do you see from the Giants? Do you see a team that has lost its way or a team that is close?
A: We don't look at teams like that. We really just break them down very analytically offensively, defensively and special teams. Obviously, offensively it starts with Eli. He's one of the premier quarterbacks in this league. He's got two Super Bowl wins. He's a proven winner. He's tough as nails. He gets hit and just keeps getting up and puts the ball on people. Victor Cruz is obviously a standout receiver in this league and so is Hakeem Nicks. I think they do a real good job of getting the ball around to different people. They've got some injuries on the offensive line. When you watch their games with who played against the Cowboys and who played in the opening game and then who played in the last game against the Chiefs was a little bit different. Defensively, their front has always been where it starts with Tuck and JPP. I think Prince is a really, really good corner. You've got an outstanding safety in Rolle. So that's how we look at it. We don't look at the totality of the team. Everything is kind of… How do we attack their defense? How do we attack their offense and how do we attack the special teams?
Q: Do you feel urgency for yourself to right things before the season slips away?
A: I think everybody feels urgency every week, no matter what situation you're in. There are 32 teams in the league and if you don't feel urgent on a weekly basis, you're going to lose. That may be a perception on the outside for any team in this league, but all 32 teams when you get the one day of game week have a sense of urgency to them.
Q: Is it heightened when you're 1-3?
A: Our philosophy and our approach is, it's never heightened. Every week is the Super Bowl. You can't be heightened one week because you lost the week before, but then you win and you say it's easy this week. It's hard every week and there's a sense of urgency every week.
Q: Are you worried about the strain a fast-paced offense can put on your defense during a game?
A: No.
Q: Why is the defense struggling the way it is? Is it because of the scheme change?
A: I think if you look at specific things, I think we need to get more consistent. We have some inconsistencies over there. At times we do some things right, guys are in the right gaps. Other times, we're not where were supposed to be. Sometimes it's tackling. I think we all look at it as an individual thing. There's not a totality and there's never one word or one quick sentence that's going to say 'it's this.' If it was that, you would correct it.
Q: Coach, the Giants' pass rush hasn't been what it's historically been. When you break that down, do you see something consistent that's happening or is it what the other teams are doing? What do you see?
A: I don't look at things historically, seeing as I just got here. I didn't watch any tape of what those guys were like one year ago, two years ago, three years ago. We obviously have a bunch of games from this season to kind of go off and rightfully so, because those are the guys we're going to play against. You can turn on last year's tape and there are different guys on the defensive line. We're just looking at what they've done specifically in these first four games, some are things from the preseason. I think Justin Tuck is still one of the premier players and I feel the same thing about JPP. I think you have a great inside player in Linval Joseph and then you have Cullen Jenkins who has a skill set to rush the passer. You have two big bodies in Patterson and Rogers and Perry does a decent job of changing up blitzes and who's coming. It's never the one same specific guy.
Q: How difficult was the Riley Cooper situation this summer? Especially given the fact that it easily could have caused a rift in your locker room?
A: I think the leaders of our team did a tremendous job in a very difficult time. I think they knew Riley as a person and what Riley did was wrong. He fully admitted it and understands that and I think the players on the team have known Riley for a while. I think it displayed great leadership on the teammate's part.
Q: Did it take long for Cooper to regain the trust and respect of his teammates, or has it even reached that point?
A: I think that's a question for them.
QB Michael Vick
Q: How surprised are you at this point in the season? You only have one win and the Giants have none. How surprising is that?
A: I'm very surprised, especially when our division was picked to be amongst the top. That's football, man. It goes to show you how you have to be on top of your game. You have to be ready to go at all times and you have to win at the end of the day.
Q: How different is the Chip Kelly offense from anything that you've ever been a part of?
A: It's different. It's fast and up-tempo and doing things at a rapid pace. We conditioned for that. It was difficult, but at the same time, it's fun to be in.
Q: What do you see from the Giants defense? When you look at them, obviously they've given up a lot of points, a lot of yards.
A: That's how they're playing right now. I know their ultimate goal is to get it turned around and they still have some good players around there. On the other hand, we're trying to get this ball rolling, but it takes a lot of hard work in this league. That's just what you have to ask.
Q: In previous years the Giants' pass rush has gotten to you and hit you. Do you see the same things from them that they're still going to be a force to be reckoned with, even though they only have four sacks on the year?
A: In the past, they've had tremendous pass rushers. I think now they still have good pass rushers over there. They can't be overlooked. I trust in my offensive line to protect me. It's been that way since the start of the season and it's going to continue to be that way. It's going to make up for a good game.
Q: Do you think the offense has gotten a comfort level with what Chip wants to do more so than when you first started four games ago?
A: Chip and I were talking today and he just told me he could see the comfort level amongst everybody. Each and every week we're figuring out how to play with one another, how we have to gel, in game time situations. It takes time and we need to understand each other as players and understanding the system.
Q: How do you feel physically at this stage? You've been around a long time now, you're getting older. Do you feel pretty fresh physically right now?
A: I feel fresh. I'm playing back to my abilities. I feel quicker and faster, I can't say than I have ever felt, but I feel just as quick and fast as I did over the last previous year. I'm not a young guy. I'm 33 years old, but the physical shape that I'm in, I'm blessed to be in the position that I am, to be able to move the way I can.
Q: What was the hardest thing for you to adjust to in this offense?
A: Nothing. Just the speed of it. Obviously when you learn a new offense, it's always tough to go out and execute it. For me, I was in the competition, trying to learn the new system and trying to do everything right. Now I'm able to settle in and create the understanding of an offense and the ins and outs of it.
Q: When the season started for you, there wasn't any tape of any Eagles running this offense, but have you seen defenses figuring out what you guys want to do a little more now?
A: They're not really figuring out what we're doing. They're just keeping it simple, putting a man on a man and playing simple football. That's pretty much what has been the story the last three weeks. Maybe we can change, maybe not, but it's up to them to figure out how to counter that.
Q: Michael, around here the Giants are 0-4, but they take comfort in the fact that nobody is running away with the division. Do you guys have that same mindset that this division is wide open?
A: You have to keep in mind that the division is probably the most important aspect of the game right now for us. When you have division games, you want to stay on top of the division. That's the pride we have right now. To go out and to try to make sure that we can get back to … You have to keep those division games in mind. They're the most important.
