Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: How's (quarterback) Drew (Lock) doing after the tests the other day?

BRIAN DABOLL: Drew (Lock) is… I wouldn't say he's doing great. He's in a boot.

Q: Wouldn't?

BRIAN DABOLL: I would not say he's doing great. He's in a boot. He has a heel (injury). He won't practice today. He won't be out on a practice field today. Can't tell you if he'd be ready to go right now. So, (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) will get all the reps.

Q: You'll start Tommy (DeVito) this week?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I don't think he'll (Drew Lock) go today. Can't see him going tomorrow. Hopefully Friday we can see whether or not he can end up being a two or a three. But, not there yet as of today.

Q: How disruptive is it to you trying to develop any offensive rhythm when it's Tommy (DeVito), then Drew (Lock) and then Drew (Lock) to Tommy (DeVito). There's no consistency there…

BRIAN DABOLL: That's where we're at. So, we got to do a good job of getting these guys ready.

Q: What was the injury?

BRIAN DABOLL: He has a heel (injury).

Q: Where are you at with the cornerback position?

Q: Well, I would say that (cornerback) Dru Phillips won't practice today. (Cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott will do something. I think (cornerback Deonte) Banks is making progress. So, he'll do some stuff today.

Q: What about (inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke)?

BRIAN DABOLL: Bobby (Okereke) will not do anything. He'll be inside.

Q: Are you going to have to shut him down?

BRIAN DABOLL: I couldn't tell you that right now. I just know he's not doing anything today.

Q: Is there anybody that has an injury that is going to go on IR?

BRIAN DABOLL: There's a possibility of that. There's a possibility.

Q: Jon Runyan (Jr.) doing anything today?

BRIAN DABOLL: He's not. No.

Q: You said last time that he's week to week. Is he likely to miss this week, at this point?

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't think he'll make this week. Could be longer but I don't think he's going to make this week.

Q: Any new guys with injuries that won't practice?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. There is.

Q: Who?

BRIAN DABOLL: (Safety Tyler) Nubin, he won't practice. He has an ankle (injury). (Tackle) Evan Neal is not going to practice. He has an ankle (injury). (Defensive lineman) Nacho (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) is getting better, but he still won't practice. So, those are the guys.

Q: (Evan) Neal, is this the same ankle?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's his right ankle.

Q: Coaches like to say injuries are part of the game, but is it getting hard to even piece together a team at this point?

BRIAN DABOLL: That's where we're at. So, we'll do a good job of getting these guys ready and make sure they got everything down gameplan wise, and go out there and compete as hard as we can.

Q: How about the other tackles, Jermaine (Eluemunor) and (Chris) Hubbard?

BRIAN DABOLL: Both of those guys will do something today. Jermaine (Eluemunor), he's made good progress. (Chris) Hubbard, he'll do some stuff today. Get a feel for it as it goes on. But, probably more optimistic with Jermaine (Eluemunor). I think we'll see where we're at with (Chris) Hubbard.

Q: Did you hear after the last Ravens game that (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson made a promise to his mom that he is going to run more from now on?

BRIAN DABOLL: This guy's one of the best players, not just best quarterbacks, best players in the National Football League. He's dynamic in every facet of the game. If he's running it, then he's not throwing it. If he's throwing, he's not running. He can do it all. He is really a fun player to watch, not when you're getting ready to play him. He's a dynamic, dynamic football player.

Q: When you face a player like that, is it easier?

BRIAN DABOLL: Nothing's easy about it.

Q: I didn't finish.

BRIAN DABOLL: Sorry.

Q: I know nothing's easy and because of that he carries an embarrassment factor with him. The idea that if you don't bring your game against Lamar (Jackson), Lamar (Jackson) will make you look silly in this league. I know there are a lot of players like that, but do you almost notice the guys sit up in their chairs a little bit more? You don't have to go in and turn on a tape for more than one or two plays to get their attention.

BRIAN DABOLL: This guy is an MVP. Again, I'd say he's one of the best players and best quarterbacks in the league. He's got a great surrounding cast with him. We prepare like we do. We watch these guys. You can make a highlight reel with a lot of plays on it with this guy. If he's not running it, he's giving it to (running back) Derrick Henry, (wide receiver Zay) Flowers, (wide receiver Rashod) Bateman and the tight ends that they have. It's an explosive team that scores a lot of points. They're hard to defend.

Q: Do you remember several years ago when he was coming out? He was a little polarizing. He didn't go in the first pick, obviously. Do you remember what you thought of him? He was raw. He was a great athlete. Do you remember back then? You were looking at quarterbacks, I'm sure, still.

BRIAN DABOLL: He's a heck of a player. Those quarterbacks that are multidimensional quarterbacks that can hurt you with their arm and their legs, those are tough quarterbacks to defend. There's a number of them that have come out here the last few years that are very difficult to defend. Each year he's played, he's gotten more experience. But he's an extremely gifted individual. He's a headsy player. He's instinctive. The moment's never too big for him. He can make guys miss with his legs. He can scramble for seven, eight, nine seconds and find guys downfield with his arm. Very good in the red zone. He's one heck of a quarterback and one heck of a football player.

Q: Considering all the young, inexperienced guys that you have playing on offense and defense due to injuries, do you have to streamline what you do gameplan-wise?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say we do what we think is best each week. This week it's a challenging opponent on both sides. So, our guys, our coaches work extremely hard with these young guys. These young guys have put in the effort even when they weren't playing. I think some of them did some good things, that had an opportunity to. We'll go out there and do everything you can do.

Q: Do you manage injuries any different at this point in the season? Obviously, you're not going to make the playoffs. With only a couple weeks left, are you more cautious with guys or is it the same as any other week?

BRIAN DABOLL: If they're hurt, we do as much as we can to get them ready to play. If they're ready to go out there and play, we're going to play them. If they're not, we won't.

Q: As a guy who designs offenses and tries to get guys open and things like that, you always talk about explosive plays but it doesn't have to be down the field. What do you make of your yards after catch and how do you try to help your players get more of it?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yards after catch, there's a few things that go with it. One is the player that you're throwing it to, creating separation and breaking tackles and making guys miss in space. There's obviously design based on what the defense does. Are they a man team? Are they a zone team? Are they a spot drop zone team? Are they a match team? Where do you put the players? Then three is ball delivery and ball placement. So, if they're running an inside breaking route or a shallow crosser, the ball is one foot in front of them right on their shoulder so they can catch and turn. Or you throw it away from the defender so they can turn away from where they're supposed to turn. There's certain things that go into run after catch. Some are unique. We took a look today at one of them with (Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr) Chase where he ran a flat route that was a yard or two yards behind a line of scrimmage. He had to turn to catch the ball and he goes for 70 (yards). There's some players that have very good run after catch and then there's some that you have to work with in terms of where they need to turn. But the quarterback has a play in that, too, in terms of putting the ball where he needs to put it. So, it's all tied in together.

Q: I would think when you guys brought in (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson), you thought he was a run after catch guy…

BRIAN DABOLL: He's one of those guys that is a short space guy. He's got good speed, too. He runs a variety of routes for us. But he's definitely one of those guys that I think has good run after catch.

Q: So, why seven yards per catch? That's not close to what you would want from him, I would think.

BRIAN DABOLL: There's a variety of reasons for it. I've got a lot of confidence in Wan'Dale (Robinson). He's a good football player for us.

Q: Where's (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) physically?

BRIAN DABOLL: He'll do some stuff today. Hopefully he'll just keep progressing.

Q: The hip flexor is still an issue?

BRIAN DABOLL: He still has it.

Q: Understanding you have a very full plate as the Giants Head Coach, do you, when you have no quarterbacks under contract for next year, allow yourself to watch any college football on Saturday with an eye toward that? As you said, a lot of dual-threat quarterbacks have come out in recent years. Have you looked any dual-threat quarterbacks for the future?

BRIAN DABOLL: No. My focus is on our football team, now. When you're getting ready in previous years, in terms of studying guys and draft evaluation, but not now. That's the scouting department and (Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe (Schoen).

Q: Do you feel like there's something that you need to prove to ownership here in the final weeks?

BRIAN DABOLL: We're just trying to get a win.

Quarterback Tommy DeVito

Q: They said you're going to start. How are you feeling from the forearm and your last start?

TOMMY DEVITO: I'm all healthy now. 100 percent.

Q: You're 100 percent?

TOMMY DEVITO: 100 percent, yep.

Q: Everybody says, 'No one's 100 percent this time of year.'

TOMMY DEVITO: I feel pretty good right now.

Q: How were you feeling last week before the game?

TOMMY DEVITO: Better.

Q: Did you wonder if you were going to get another chance to start this year? Obviously, you don't want it with (quarterback) Drew (Lock) getting hurt. Bu, did you wonder if you were going to get another chance this year?

TOMMY DEVITO: You always got to be ready for whatever happens. Obviously, it's been a little bit of a crazy situation this whole year with everything that's gone on. So, there's almost no surprises at this point. You just got to stay ready. Whoever's out there, whatever number is going to be out there and ready to be called, we're going to go out there and support them. Right now, it's me. So, I'm going to go out there and play for everybody in the locker room.

Q: What's it been like to be the starter and not be the starter and to be the starter again?

TOMMY DEVITO: It's just a roller coaster. But it's part of the process, part of the journey. I'm just staying even keeled through it all and just continuing to keep my head down and work.

Q: When (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar (Jackson) and the (Baltimore) Ravens are on the other side, do you think about the game any differently in terms of you're going to have to put up some points?

TOMMY DEVITO: Yes and no. You don't try to push or do anything different in my mind. But you know that you're playing against a very good team. For me, it's a bunch of faceless opponents. I'm just going out and controlling what I control, what this offense can control and going out and trying to score as many points as possible. No matter who's on the field.

Q: What are you trying to prove in the last four weeks? Do you have to prove again that you belong in this league, you deserve to be a backup, or you deserve to be a starter? How do you view that?

TOMMY DEVITO: I think it's just continuing just to prove to myself that I belong. Just go out and play at the highest level that I believe that I can play at, consistently. Just go out there and try to win football games. That's what it comes down to.

Q: You went through quite an unexpected circumstance last year. How would you compare what you went through last year to this year, what you guys have gone through over the last couple of weeks?

TOMMY DEVITO: I definitely learned a lot from last year. Being ready for any moment for it to happen. Obviously, it's kind of the same thing as last year, some ups and downs, a little bit of a roller coaster and now it's coming around again. So, I just continue to keep my head down and work. But I'm thankful for all the opportunities and I'm just going out to compete for everybody in this locker room, the organization, the fans, everybody. I'm just going out to prove that to myself.

Q: You and Drew (Lock) are close, obviously. How is he doing? If you're that close, you probably knew he was pretty banged up. So, when did you realize you might get this call?

TOMMY DEVITO: Probably the same time as you guys probably found out. I don't want to say it's a similar situation to when I was in Dallas, but everybody gets banged up after games. You never really know how things pan out up until later on in the week because some stuff gets better, some stuff starts to get worse and things pop up. So, I continue to be there for him. Obviously, he's around. So, we're hanging out, doing our same old thing and just pushing each other. Same thing with (quarterback) Tim (Boyle). Tim (Boyle) is in the room. He's been awesome to have around. I've known him for a while. So, we have a really good group.

Q: One of the things that seemed to spark the offense when Drew (Lock) was in there is when he took off. Are you aware of that or do you see the opportunities to take them?

TOMMY DEVITO: When they're there, you take them, yeah.

Q: This Ravens defense has given up the most passing yards in the league, but scoring is a different story. When you look at it, is there any more pressure to execute inside the red zone and try and get a touchdown? You guys haven't had a passing touchdown, I think, in about a month.

TOMMY DEVITO: That's always a point of emphasis, to score points, especially touchdowns. You like field goals, but you want to score touchdowns, obviously. Offensively, we have not scored enough. So, that's an emphasis every single week. But this week's no different.

Q: Have you seen this bobblehead?

TOMMY DEVITO: I don't want to say I'm not surprised. He's his own celebrity in himself, so keep it going.

Q: Today is the one-year anniversary of the Packers' win. I don't know if you knew that…

TOMMY DEVITO: I did. I got a notification on my phone. I saw a picture of me and (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) that popped up on my phone. It was good. We were kind of talking about it earlier.

Q: What do you remember about that night?

TOMMY DEVITO: Getting a win. A lot of ups and downs throughout that game. Honestly, last week reminded me a lot of it, just seeing the way that Drew (Lock) hugged that sideline. It was kind of similar to seeing Wan'Dale (Robinson) hug that sideline to go down and get into field goal range. But there was a lot of good, a lot of bad in that game, but ultimately came out with a win, especially on a Monday night. Awesome atmosphere. It was just a lot of fun.

Q: Do you even think about the losing streak going in or are you just focused on the game?

TOMMY DEVITO: You're just worrying about getting in that win column. No matter what our record is, all you're worried about is being 1-0 that week. So, continuing to do that, continuing to put in all the work that we've put in all year and even more so every week to come. We're not getting the results that we wanted. So, just continuing to stay a tight-knit group, believe in each other, don't point any fingers and just go out there and play for each other.

Q: Does that weigh on you at all?

TOMMY DEVITO: Does what weight on me?

Q: The losing streak. I know you haven't been the starting quarterback for that whole time, but just thinking eight straight…

TOMMY DEVITO: It's tough. But you look forward. You can't worry about the past too much. You learn from it, but after Monday when you watch the film, you flush it and you're on to next week. You're 0-0. That's the mentality you have to have.

Q: They say you can't worry about the results, you have to trust the process. Is there something you see in this locker room, around practice, that gives you confidence in the process that you guys can turn it around and can get that win?

TOMMY DEVITO: Yeah, 100 percent. You see how it is right now. You turn around, all the guys sitting there on the couches, doing whatever they're doing. It's still a tight-knit group. Guys don't have their headphones in. Guys are not, not talking to each other. So, this locker room is very tight. We still operate the same way, whether we're winning or losing. We're very close. We stay that way. We just have to find a couple more of those plays on Sundays to go out and get a win.

Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

Q: Another week, another different starting quarterback. Obviously, you've played with him before. Just kind of the flip flop, how's it been for you?

MALIK NABERS: I don't know if (quarterback Tommy) DeVito is starting yet, I don't know if we made it official. But no, just as many reps as I can get with him. I know how he throws the ball now, I'm able just to go out there and catch the football and just try to win a game.

Q: As much practice as you can get and as many snaps, but having to not know who the QB is, I know injuries happen, but as a receiver…

MALIK NABERS: I don't feel like it's difficult. I feel like I've caught enough passes from him, I've ran enough routes with him. We both know the playbook, so I don't feel like it's hard at all. But just another hill you've got to climb over. Just getting over it. We've still got to play a game on Sunday.

Q: How long does it take for a receiver to get familiarity with a quarterback? Is it a matter of weeks? Does it just depend on the connection?

MALIK NABERS: I would say like a 'great connection' – I mean it takes a really long time for your quarterback and you to have a 'great connection.' But for me and DeVito to go out there and just catch the football, him throw the football around, I'm able to find the ball, able to see the ball good, able to catch the ball good. And we haven't had that many snaps with each other, (inaudible) so I try to get as many snaps with him after practice, catch the ball with him. That's pretty much it, really. Especially when the change occurs in a week, you don't have that much time. You've just got to get as much as possible.

Q: How are you feeling coming out of that game?

MALIK NABERS: A little banged up, but I'm working through it.

Q: No doubt you're going to play?

MALIK NABERS: No doubt.

Q: How difficult has it been as an offense to gain a sense of stability considering the changes at quarterback?

MALIK NABERS: I don't have (an) answer for that question.

Q: Does a thousand yards mean something to you? I understand winning is the most important thing. At a point in the season where individual stats come into focus, does 1,000 yards mean something to you?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah. I mean, as a receiver, that's your landmark for over a year. College, whether it be the league, you want to hit 1,000 yards. So yeah, 1,000 yards is in my head for sure.

Q: Have you been watching much college football this year?

MALIK NABERS: Yes, I have.

Q: What do you think of when you watch the quarterbacks? I mean, one of those guys might be here next year throwing you passes. Do you allow yourself to go there or are you just watching as a fan?

MALIK NABERS: I just watch it as a fan.

Q: Do you have any relationships with any of those guys who are considered to be top draft, like Camps or whatever? Recruiting, have you had any relationship with (Colorado quarterback) Shedeur (Sanders) or (Miami quarterback) Cam Ward?

MALIK NABERS: No, I don't have (any) relationships with any of those guys. But when I was younger, I did go to (Colorado Head Coach) Deion Sanders' Camp and stuff like that. I know about Shedeur. I've seen a few games on Cam. Those guys are amazing players.

Q: What do you remember about that Deion camp?

MALIK NABERS: We actually played in it, it was like a camp, the day after it was like a 7-on-7 camp. We met Shedeur in the finals. Actually, (LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier) Nuss was my quarterback at the time at the camp. We all went to the championship match against Shedeur.

Q: Who do you think should win the Heisman?

MALIK NABERS: (Laughs) I'm not answering. But I'm going with (Colorado wide receiver/cornerback) Travis Hunter.

Q: Does it amaze you what he's able to do? Can you imagine playing receiver as well as he and you do?

MALIK NABERS: He's a unique player right there. You don't see those kinds of guys, able to play at a high level that he can, especially at cornerback and receiver. He's touched 1,000 yards as a receiver, that's kind of hard to do. And I think he's got double digit touchdowns at receiver too. So, that's hard, especially going into the game knowing that the defense is keying in on you for you to be still explosive as he is. Then to go on defense and lock down his side of the field. They don't want to throw it his way. He's still able to get interceptions, still able to stop receivers. I think that's a unique player. For him, he's the best player in college football. If you can play both sides at a high level like him, there's no doubt.

Q: With what you know about the pro game now, and you played at a high level in college, do you think that's even possible to do with all respect to him, what he's done already? Is that possible to play both ways in the NFL?

MALIK NABERS: I don't put no ceiling on anybody's capability. Everybody (has) asked me this question before, and I say he can 100 percent do it. I mean, I know there's a lot of people saying that he can't, but I feel like he can. I feel like he's going to want to show people that he can do it, and he's going to be able to do it.

Q: You mentioned that you knew Shedeur, you guys were in the same camp younger. To a degree, you said you watched them now, did Shedeur impress you last year when you were in college, watching Colorado and what they were able to do? That's kind of when he burst on the scene…

MALIK NABERS: I watched Shedeur when he was at Jackson State. Me and him were in the same class. So, it was always like, I'm aware of my competition. But he wasn't in competition with me, it was just always the fact that it's Deion Sanders' son. So, you always want to watch what those guys are doing. And they did it at a high level wherever they went. It was amazing and impressive to see what he has done.

Q: Who won that championship…?

MALIK NABERS: We did though. (Laughs)