Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: To start with the two-point conversions, I understand the math. I know why teams do it. I understand the down 14 logic. But two-point conversions are way down this year. Teams are converting like 32 percent. I know you do a lot of analytics; any idea why two-point conversion success is way down this year compared to like a 10-year sample? And your actual play calls on those, do you need to come up with something different because you guys are 0 for 6?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. A lot of our two-point plays are this play or that play. They did a good job of defending them. Again, I think that you evaluate the league, relative to defenses you see or schemes that people are using. And then you go into it each week deciding 'if we're in this situation, do we want to go for it or do we want to kick it?' Certainly, with some of the two-point plays that we've had and not executing, that weighs into it; felt good about those. And that's not to say it could change. Certainly, haven't been successful on those as we'd like to be. It's something that we talk about, I'd say often, with the analytics group that we have here. Like there's a wide variety of things that we talk about. Situations, down, up, that was something that we were going to do this game and didn't go on it.

Q: And then quarterback wise, I know a tale of two halves for (quarterback) Daniel (Jones). So, I'll start with moving forward, is he still your starting quarterback this week?

BRIAN DABOLL: He is.

Q: Nothing changes reps wise?

BRIAN DABOLL: Nothing changes.

Q: What did you think of his second half? It seemed like obviously the circumstances dictated it. And was that why he was a much more aggressive player in the second half? Or did something change play caller, play wise?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we had three series in the first half. So, we were a third and two. We ran a little boot naked, and they did a good job defending it. We drove down on the second series and the turnover on the screen that we had. We had a real long drive, I think 17 or 16, something like that. So, I felt comfortable with the way we were playing against this team, minimizing some of the pass rush that they had the week before, creating some issues for the (Chicago) Bears in that regard. I thought we were controlling the game, maybe not the score, but being able to move the ball, control the line of scrimmage. And then in the second half, obviously the one drive we had was more of a two-minute drive, but some long drives there too. Went three and out, hit that third and eight when we threw it to (tight end) Theo (Johnson) there. But he was doing what he was supposed to do. He was accurate with the ball. He was 20 of 26, whatever it may be, and had an opportunity to even have some more completions in there. So again, it was a few things, a few plays that we'd like to have back. Obviously that turnover was huge, but he did his job.

Q: Something more on Daniel. I mean I know it's not a win, it's not a W, but do you feel that he had a winning performance yesterday?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I thought he did a nice job. The week before I thought he did a lot of good things. Again, when you lose, it doesn't feel like any of that. But he made a lot of good plays for us. He had the batted ball, we had (wide receiver) Malik (Nabes) behind it. A couple other balls that were kind of right off the tips of a couple of guys here. But I think he executed the offense well and gave us an opportunity.

Q: You're one of the youngest teams in the league. You have a bunch of rookies playing. Do you have to as a head coach have your antenna up even more so with these young guys who you feel are going to be your core players now and in the future that 'okay, we're losing here, and their head space is in the right place'. Sometimes veterans understand it, sometimes rookies don't.

BRIAN DABOLL: That's a good question. Yeah, we continue to have our rookie meetings, and the coaches continue to emphasize the things that we need to do to be in the right mindset, practice with the right habits, prepare with the right habits and ultimately go out there. And again, there's going to be some things that happen throughout a game, particularly for young guys that you're going to have to go ahead and coach up. And we need to do that. We need to continue to do that. They've had some good spots here in the last few weeks of improving. And then there's things that happened with any young player that you got to continue to correct and make sure that they're in the right head space. I like our rookie class. I think they are mature. They work really hard. And we're just trying to keep cleaning it up.

Q: Would you say that with (safety) Tyler Nubin and with (cornerback) Dru Phillips, that they fall in that category? Some good things and then some not so good.

BRIAN DABOLL: It's probably for everybody. Again, they have the right mindset. They have the right DNA that we look for. And again, you've got to correct some of the things that happened throughout a game and be able to move on to the next play. But have confidence in those young guys, we've got to keep help developing them and keep growing them as the season goes on. When there's good stuff happening and when there's stuff that needs to be improved.

Q: Guys in the concussion protocol, (wide receiver) Ihmir (Smith-Marsette) and (wide receiver) Darius (Slayton), are both?

BRIAN DABOLL: I know Darius (Slayton) is in the concussion protocol. And Ihmir (Smith-Marsette), I think he checked out okay. So, it's really Darius (Slayton).

Q: Is he (Darius Slayton) going to be able to be cleared before you travel on Thursday because of the wonky week this week?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think it'll be the normal procedure that all the guys went through, the same one that (running back Tyrone) Tracy went through or (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers), so...

Q: I guess what I'm asking is, can he travel without being cleared?

BRIAN DABOLL: He can travel.

Q: What does this week represent in terms of challenges of scheduling and getting everybody focused in a very strange week?

BRIAN DABOLL: We did it a few years back. We'll have a meeting here in about 10 minutes and it'll last about a half an hour to go through all the logistics of the trip, the travel, procedures and everything that needs to be done. Then we'll get on to correcting the tape and get our game plan ready to go. We'll practice Wednesday, practice Thursday, leave Thursday night, sleep on the airplane and get there Friday, kind of like we did when we were in London. So, a lot to get done here in a short amount of time.

Q: You said on the two-point plays, they can be 'this or that' plays. What do you mean by that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Check-with-me plays. If they give us one look, we get to the other look. I'd say a lot of teams do that with their looks. Give Washington credit, they did a nice job.

Q: With the second one in particular, would that be one you would have liked to check out of?

BRIAN DABOLL: I would just say that the guys are trying to do everything they can do to make it right, and Washington did a nice job and give Washington credit.

Q: With guys on IR, (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) is eligible to come off this week, (kicker) Graham (Gano) has been eligible. Do you have a sense on either one of those guys being possible for this week?

BRIAN DABOLL: Graham (Gano), I think, has a chance. Kayvon (Thibodeaux), I don't think does. I still have to meet with our medical guys, but I think Graham (Gano) is getting close. How close he is right now, I think we'll know here in the next couple days.

Q: What about (punter) Jamie Gillan while we're on that?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think that he's progressed well. We'll see here tomorrow or Wednesday where he's at.

Q: So, you think he has a chance?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think he has a chance.

Q: At 2-and-7, what is your approach? Obviously the trade deadline is tomorrow and I'm sure you have input on that as well, so how do you look at that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Really our focus, my focus, is on doing what we can do to get a win here and do everything we can do. I know (Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe (Schoen) is upstairs and evaluating and things like that, but my focus is on our team and who we have right now and trying to help them improve and try to get the results we're looking for.

Q: Based off that, how do you balance looking at things long-term, whether like you just said, 'Okay, I'm worried about this week.'…

BRIAN DABOLL: Mine is this week. That's what I focus on. That's what we all need to focus on in terms of the coaches and the players. Put everything we got into it, like we normally do, and do as good as we can do to try to get the results that we're all hoping for. And that's where our mindset is.

Q: Do you see it getting better? Like where? Where do you see that you are making strides?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think this past game I thought we did a good job on third and fourth down, offensively, of keeping the chains moving. We were pretty efficient throughout the day. But we got that call down there in the end zone that that got us. We missed a couple of two points. So, we left some points on the board. Defensively, we're communicating well. We still got to keep on working on this run game and give them credit, they had some good schemes in the run game with the quarterback reads and the different pulls and things like that. So again, there's four or five plays each game the last couple of weeks, that you never know when those are going to be. Those are the ones that we got to make sure we're making.

Q: Several of your players spoke out after the game about being frustrated. Do you appreciate their passion? Do you understand their frustration? And do you welcome their comments?

BRIAN DABOLL: When you're not getting the results you want, that's fine. I would hope everybody is. We put a lot into this. Spend a lot of time in the building, work very hard at practice, try to iron out all the details and that's what you want out of competitors. So, that's what we'll continue to do. I don't think anybody should be happy. But I understand, from everybody, the level of commitment that these guys put into it. Not just the players, the coaches as well. So, that's what we'll continue to do. Give it everything we got each and every week. Preparation wise, practice wise, and then ultimately game day wise. There's again a few plays here and there that we got to either make them or we don't make them, and those are huge contributing plays to the results that you're looking for. I'm in charge of all that. That's what I'm going to work to do. I look forward to getting ready to go this week.

Wide Receiver Wan'Dale Robinson

Q: You've been through this before, these struggles and this record. You're still a young player. How do you deal with it? And do you have any feelers out for even the younger players on the team who are maybe going through this for the first time, how to deal with something like this?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean each week is a new week. You've got to just keep battling, going one at a time and try not to dwell on the past too much. At the end of the day, just attack each week and just try to be 1-0 each week and it'll take care of itself from there.

Q: You say each week is a new week and I know you've said that before. I'm sure when you're playing well, you think, 'okay, I'm going to play well this week and next week and next week on the offense'. And when that doesn't happen, not you, but the whole team, how do you just compartmentalize it and go back to the next week? Because it's not just one or two games. This is nine games, and it happened last year. I know you don't want to go back, but how do you do that?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Like I said, you've just got to come to work each and every day. If it doesn't change, everything's going to keep moving. At the end of the day, if we want the results to change, we've got to keep putting in the work. That's all there is to it.

Q: Is it harder to do that when you're 2-7 as opposed to maybe if you were 7-2?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: No. I mean at the end of the day this is our job and this is what we do for our living. So, you've got to come in here and do your job each and every week. And you can't take this sport for granted, take your spot for granted, especially being in the NFL, period. So, I think we're all grateful to be here and obviously we want to put a good product out there on the field. So just try to improve each and every day and just go out there and show progress.

Q: Did you see anything from the younger players that might be cause for…I mean did they either come to you or say, 'look, how do you deal with this? What do we do here? I'm not used to losing'. Most of you guys are not used to losing in college, I'm sure.

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Yeah. I mean no, they're not really coming and asking anything, but I think they all are mature enough and know how to deal with adversity. And I think we've all had to deal with that at some point in our lives. So, I think they've all handled it pretty well, and they come to work each and every day, too

Q: What did you guys see from watching the film back and what were the discussions in the receiver room, kind of breaking that down?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean at the end of the day, we can still do better in the run game, just training from our aspect. And obviously, wanting to have some plays back but just really got to go out there and make plays whenever they're coming to us and that's really about it.

Q: What did you think when (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) ran over that guy at the one-yard line? WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Well, I was kind of surprised with him. I was like, 'DJ's a pretty strong dude, he can do it'. But I was just excited. Especially for him, just running that in. And then to see his celebration, he was just kind of turnt up. You don't really see that side of him. So, I was happy for him, but we were just ready to get back out there and go score some more.

Q: You took the words out of my mouth. I'm not going to say I was going to say, 'turnt up'. That's not really my word. But why do you think he was so energized or so, put so much emotion on display? I mean, obviously you're not naive, but the fact that it's been a rough season for him, he gets a lot of arrows from people around the NFL. Do you think that's starting to come out of him?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I don't really think he tries to look too much into what everybody's saying. He doesn't really have too much of the social media I know of on his phone. So, I don't know how much he really sees it. But I mean, I just think that's just kind of the fire that's starting to come out of him. And I think he knows that we like to see it. And I think just the momentum of that game, whenever he scored, we were just hoping to keep it going and hoping to come out with a win.

Q: We're not at every practice the way we are in training camp. We only get the first 15 minutes in the season. So, like, can you give me an idea of what do you do with (quarterback Tommy) DeVito and (quarterback Drew) Lock? Do you stay after practice and catch passes with them? Or have you not caught a ball from anybody besides Daniel since like September 1st?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: No. I mean Lock and DeVito, whenever we're going through walkthroughs and things like that, they're in the back and where Daniel throws the ball to one of the receivers, we're catching the ball from one of the other guys. So, I mean it's nothing crazy. But at the end of the day, we all catch the ball from kind of everybody.

Q: But when you saw the touchdown that got negated by the penalty, do you feel like you guys did anything wrong on that play?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: Not for me to need me to say, obviously. I wish it was a touchdown, but I think we're sending it into the league and see what they have to say and see if we got to do anything different.

Q: And then the other question I had, why do you think you guys have had so much trouble on two-point conversion plays? I think it's 0 for 6 this year. Those are obviously pretty critical plays at a time when momentum is on your side, you've just scored. Why haven't you guys been able to cash in on those?

WAN'DALE ROBINSON: I mean it could be a couple of different things. Defense may just call the right thing to perfectly cover it up and we might not have an alert on that play. So, it's a lot of different things and obviously can't pinpoint each and every single one. So, it's got to be better at executing.

RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Q: Can you tell us what last week was like? We didn't get to talk to you after your big, we tried, but the NFL won't let us, game in Pittsburgh. What was that like? Have you ever had a concussion before? Was it concerning? Just kind of walk us through what that was like.

TYRONE TRACY: No, I've never had a concussion before. I hit my head on the ground. He (Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman) Cameron Heyward got my legs, and I just went down. I was protecting the ball so I couldn't brace for impact. I went down, hit my head, and, honestly, they thought that I was knocked out, but I wasn't. I was just sitting there because when you hit your head, it hurts. So, I was just laying there for a little bit, just trying to collect myself. Then as they were yelling for everybody to come on the field and get me. I went into the tent. They were asking me questions, everything like that. I was fine. Me personally, I think I could have went back in the game. But, I think, for protocol reasons and just making sure that I'm safe and that I don't really injure myself further, they pulled me from the game. But other than that, I think I was cool. I never had a concussion before. But, the Giants and the trainers, doctors did what they thought was right at the moment.

Q: Then yesterday was obviously such a run-heavy first half. What did you guys see that you were trying to take advantage of there? And then the second half, what'd you see out of (quarterback) Daniel Jones? Because he obviously took a backseat the first half. What'd you see out of him in the second half that encouraged you?

TYRONE TRACY: In the first half, we were just taking what was given to us. We saw that the run game was working. So, we just stuck to it. We have to tip our hat to Washington. They did a good job in the second half, taking some of the run game away. But in the first half, we really stick to our roots. Went back to running downhill and it was working out. We had 100-something-yards in the first quarter. Whatever we we're doing, it was working. I wasn't opposed to it. I was loving it. When we run the ball, I love it. But at the same time, I do commend some of the receivers, (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson), (wide receiver) Leek (Malik Nabers), (wide receiver) Slay (Darius Slayton), they were in there making big blocks, just to make some of the big runs happen. Obviously, it's a run emphasis but the receivers have a huge part in it as well. Then in the second half, they start reaping the benefits of it because when you start running, the defense, they make changes to stop the run, which opens up some of the passes in the back end.

Q: Unfortunately, your rookie year, there's more losing than winning so far. Are you noticing, is losing different in the NFL? When you got 35, 30-year-old players, you got guys married, kids, this has been their business for 10 years. What do you sense in the locker room after these games that maybe is different from what you've ever experienced before?

TYRONE TRACY: I wouldn't say it's different in the NFL. I think that it's more responsibility-based in the NFL. We get paid to do this. So, I feel like it's our responsibility to make sure that we come out of this hole. The coaches, they don't get to go out there on Sundays to play the game. It's our duty, our responsibility to make sure that we go out there and do our part, do our one-eleventh. That's kind of been the motto around the locker room, just making sure that we are being detailed and really everything that we're doing, on the field and off the field. So, I feel like as a team, when each individual is doing their one-eleventh, it puts us in a better position to come out successful. But unfortunately, that just hasn't been the case this season. But I'm very optimistic that things are going to change just because we have the right people in the locker room. We have to continue to take steps in the right direction.

Q: Do you miss it? Twice this year you've won a game and you know what that locker room and that post-game felt like. And seven times you've lost, you know what that felt like. You see other teams celebrating, things like that. Is there like something tangible that you miss when you don't win?

TYRONE TRACY: Obviously you miss winning, like in general. I wouldn't say anything like tangible. I feel like winning and losing in the NFL, it comes down to the little details. Like I was saying before, it's not necessarily something big that's happening. It's always something little. It might be one person might've missed a block or one person might've been out of a gap, defensively, that allowed for a first down or something like that. It's the very small details in the game that when we're not on our A-game, for the full 60 minutes, that's when, some of the miscues and some of the big plays happen, offensively and defensively.

Q: I know you haven't been on the field for all of them, but I just want to talk about the two point conversion plays. Obviously, you guys haven't been very successful at them this year. Do you feel like there's any underlying theme to that? Why aren't you guys able to capitalize on those big momentum plays there?

TYRONE TRACY: Me, personally, I just feel like we just need to execute a little bit better. It's not necessarily the play call itself. It's more so just our execution. The ones that we did have, against Washington, Washington just played it well. If you look at the defense, they were playing zone and the play call that we had wasn't the best play call for a zone. But I think that when we're all out there and we're all being detailed and just executing at a high level I think it'll come around. Obviously, the chips didn't fall our way this last game or when we do call the two-point conversions. But it's something that we can get done. Obviously, you want to get points any way you can. I think that's what (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) is trying to do. He's trying to go win the game. And as a play caller, as a head coach, that's what you're doing. He's aggressive. He's a dog and that's what he's known for. He's a great leader. So, whatever he calls, as an offense and as a player, we have to go out there and do to the best of our ability and make it happen.

Q: It must be strange, though. You just scored a touchdown, you're excited, momentums on your side and then you fail on the two point conversion, you kind of come off a little deflated from it, right?

TYRONE TRACY: Yes and no. Obviously, you want to score every time you're on the football field. But as an offense, we're happy we're scoring points and not field goals because the differential would be a different amount if we're just scored field goals and other teams scored touchdowns. So yes, you want to score two-point conversions. But we also understand the significance of when we have a 13 play drive or a 16 play drive. That has wear and tear on the defense. It has a wear and tear on their mentality, too, when they're coming out for the next series. Like, 'Dang, they just drove all the way down the field, 16 plays and they scored.' They're still thinking about that. So, you want to score but, at the same time, we also understand that as an offense, in general, we're in the right spot.