Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Q: You were obviously here last year when you guys lost (tackle) Andrew (Thomas) and saw what happened over the next couple of weeks and how much of an absence that was. How much more prepared do you think you are this year, if you do, to handle a loss like that?

MIKE KAFKA: First and foremost, that injury to AT (Andrew Thomas), you feel for him. Really wish him a really speedy recovery. It sounded like he was in good spirits. We texted just before surgery. I'm hurting for him because that sucks. Really it just moving forward with the next guy up. I think last year, the year before that, we dealt with injuries, regardless of the position. You've got to have that next man up mentality. That's why our coaches do such a great job getting our guys prepared.

Q: Do you think (offensive lineman) Josh (Ezeudu) is a better player now than he was last year?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah. It's one more year in the system. He's grown. He's certainly learned from those experiences and there was a lot of good. There are some things he can improve on, but Josh (Ezeudu) is one of those guys that's came in every single day and has worked his tail off.

Q: We'll ask (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) later about (running back) Devin (Singletary)'s status for the game and everything. But if he does come back, it's kind of a different dynamic than he left, right? Because of what (running back Tyrone) Tracy (Jr.) was able to do the last couple of weeks.

MIKE KAFKA: I don't want to get into hypotheticals and whatever Dabs (Brian Daboll) wants to do with the roster and stuff. But, we have a great running back room. So, we have full confidence in whoever's out there.

Q: Has Tyrone (Tracy Jr.) earned carries no matter if Devin (Singletary) is back or not?

MIKE KAFKA: I think Tyrone (Tracy) has capitalized on his opportunities. So, depending on the game plan, depending on the week, depending on the flow of the game, how things are going, that can determine a lot of things. Whether they're getting touches or not. He's done a great job with his opportunities in the pass game, in the screen game, in the running game. So, we're just going continue to build off that.

Q: Sometimes when a team uses two, they like that there's a difference. A change of pace. Do you see that if you guys use Motor (Devin Singletary) and Tyrone (Tracy) that we can give them different things to look at?

MIKE KAFKA: I think the room's really diverse. All of them have a nice, unique skill set in the run game, pass game and pass protection. They all add something and they're all looking to improve on each of those abilities. But, they balance each other out.

Q: Why did you guys run so many RPOs against Cincinnati?

MIKE KAFKA: Well, there is a little bit of a difference. There's some RPOs that are true run-pass options where you're reading the second level defender. Then there's some where we just call like advantage throws, where if you have free access, you can take it. I think, depending on the box count, you want to look at those things. If there's an opportunity versus a light box to run it, then you try and run it. If it's a heavy box, then maybe there's an advantage throw on the perimeter that we can possibly take. That's part of our run game and what we try to do is use the skill set and the ability of some of our receivers on the perimeter. The quarterback zone read game is another complement to that as well. So, you want to have a diverse game plan in the run game.

Q: What's clicked on your screen game? That's been a problem around here for a while, probably pre-dating you.

MIKE KAFKA: I think, number one, our offensive line are doing a really good job of getting to their landmarks and getting vertical. Our backs are being nice and patient with setting those things up. Then our pass protection and our pass game has helped that too. I think those three things combined have really helped it. When we call them, whether first down or second down, things that maybe defenses could be clued into is something we evaluated and looked at. There's a few things that go into it, but overall it's been a really good job of execution by the guys up front, the offensive line, the receivers, the (running) backs, the timing with the quarterback and when to free throw it over the top of a guy or dart it. It's been just good execution.

Q: Your team is among the lead leaders in drops. Is that just they have to concentrate more? Or is it hands, they don't have good enough hands? What do you see?

MIKE KAFKA: I don't think that's the case. It's a combination of things. It could be separation. It could be protection. It could be ball placement. It could just be lack of concentration. So, there's a bunch of things that go into it. Each play is just a little bit different. But we always go back to our fundamentals and how can we improve that in an individual drill, in a group setting, in a team drill, in a live drill, in a fast drill. So, we go through that process.

Q: The league has stats for drops. Do you internally, as an offense, keep your own stats? Like, 'Well, that wasn't a drop,' or 'No, that is a drop,' you know what I mean? Are you a hard marker with that stuff?

MIKE KAFKA: For us, we look at it and go, 'All right, that was a tough catch. We need to have better ball placement,' or 'We need to catch that.' At the end of the day, we've got to make sure the ball's in our possession. We don't want drops regardless of where the ball is. We've got to make sure we throw an accurate football. But it's not those two things exclusively. It's a combination of things. It could be, was the quarterback affected by a rush where he had to move and now his launch point and his throw is a little bit off target and off rhythm. So, it's a combination of things. But, we have to clean it up.

Q: Are you a believer that… Some guys say if the ball touches their hands, they have to catch it?

MIKE KAFKA: I'm not 100 percent because there's plenty of examples I can think of where… I already cycled through my head right now. I know, as a quarterback, you want to give them the best ball where they can catch it and get yards after the catch. That's the key on some of those short to intermediate throws where it's higher completion percentage. The ones downfield, you're throwing it with a little bit more air. You're trying to give them an opportunity to run underneath it. They're adjusting. They have a defensive back on their back. So, there's a lot of things that go into it. But just being more precise in the pass game, that's going to be a detail we'll stress until the end of time.

Q: I would think as a quarterback and as an Offensive Coordinator you might have different standards on what is a drop and what is not a drop…

MIKE KAFKA: We can debate it in our meetings all the time, with the players and the quarterbacks. We'll just keep on working at it.

Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen

Q: We've never had to ask a Giants defensive coordinator what it's like to game plan and face (Eagles running back) Saquon Barkley. So, you're the first.

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I've had experience in playing with him. Explosive. You give him space, he finds it. He's made teams pay already this season on that. Got the ability to make the home run, hit the home run every time he has the ball in his hands. So, we've got to be disciplined. We've got to do a good job. We've got to get hats to the party. It's going to be tough bringing him down with one guy. Big challenge for us.

Q: You weren't here, obviously, but do you at some point address your players and kind of … do you want to tell them it's personal or do you want to tell them it's not personal?

SHANE BOWEN: No, it's status quo for us. It's week to week. It's another good player that we're playing. They've got good receivers on the outside. It's another team, another big challenge for us. We've got to be ready to go regardless of who it is. Obviously, they've got their history with him here, but I'm trying to do my best to keep them focused, keep us focused on the job at hand and us worrying about us and doing our job and being prepared and ready to go.

Q: Just to go back to Sunday night, can you just take us through the play call on the (Bengals quarterback Joe) Burrow scramble and what broke down after that?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, I shouldn't have called it. It's on me. I should have made a better play call there, third and long. Kind of that fringe field goal territory. Tough call. He got out, ran 47 yards. We didn't catch him before he got to the end zone.

Q: What did you see from (outside linebacker) Azeez (Ojulari) on Sunday?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, he did a good job. That's the expectation. These guys, they get their opportunities and make the most of them. Be ready to go day in, day out. Never know when that opportunity is going to arise. I thought he showed up. He made plays for us. He was active. He was winning. He was getting off the ball. I felt his speed out there attacking the line of scrimmage. Really pleased with him and being ready to go and showing up when we needed him.

Q: What do you feel has been the key to your guys' progress on the defensive side of the ball?

SHANE BOWEN: I think we're continuing to learn, continuing to improve. Guys playing with each other. We have some continuity now finally for the most part. Early on it was shuffling deck chairs a little bit, especially in the back end. But guys are working. They're working hard day in and day out. Big emphasis on fundamentals. I see those improving week to week. Continuing to play the next play. I think there's a lot to it. But the guys are playing hard, and they're making plays when we need them to make plays for the most part. They're showing up. So hopefully we can continue that.

Q: What's the key to defending the tush push?

SHANE BOWEN: I don't know. There's been a lot of different attempts at it, and I don't think many people have been very successful. So, I think the key is to not get them in third and one.

Q: Is the key to have (defensive lineman) Dexter Lawrence (II)?

SHANE BOWEN: Hopefully that helps.

Q: What have you seen from the rest of Philly's offense this year beyond Saquon?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, (Eagles wide receiver) A.J. (Brown) missed that time. He's back now. Obviously, that's a big part of their offense. He showed up last week against Cleveland. I think the quarterback, the ability to run the football is always there with him. You've got to do a good job there. Obviously for us, we've struggled with some of these guys running the ball on us. On critical downs and third down, we're going to have to do a good job trying to keep him in the pocket and hopefully he doesn't get out and hurt us with his legs in the passing game. But they're talented. They're going to find ways to get the playmakers the ball. They got a lot of them over there. We're going to have to do a good job being locked in. It's a little bit different animal because of the run game, what they can do in the run game, how they're structured up front. Obviously with Saquon and then you add in those guys on the perimeter, it's a little bit different animal than some of these other teams we've faced up to this point.

Q: Do you have to rush a guy like (Eagles quarterback Jalen) Hurts to contain rather than pin your ears back?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, that's a thought always with some of these guys. You rush four, there's usually two gaps open. You rush five, there's usually one gap open. You rush six, you got them all filled for the most part. So, I mean, that always goes into the thought process a little bit of it. I think just the coordination, being able to feel off guys, make guys right in their rushes, making sure we're not just running behind them and opening these big B-gap escape lanes and putting stress on the inside guys to kind of handle two gaps. I think just the coordination, the execution, those guys being able to play off each other is a big part of it when you're rushing four.

Q: On the back end early on in the year, like you said, the shuffling of the deck chairs, it seems like now, especially last week, you have a comfort level as to what the guys can do, even interchanging guys and sort of (cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott coming out, (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson) coming in on the outside seemingly on third down. How comfortable are you right now with what you've got going on the back end? Do you feel like you can be more schematically oriented because you have the pieces to kind of move around there?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, that's a good question. I think the biggest thing, obviously (Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach Jerome Henderson) Rome and (Safeties Coach Michael Treier) Mike have been working with those guys really hard day in, day out, but you've seen improvement, not just out here, but you've seen it on Sunday. Them going out there, making plays, not having the errors that get us in trouble, understanding the little things that come into play with playing those positions in whatever scheme we're in. There's a lot of details between playing zone, between playing match, between playing man that come into play for those guys that they've got to be able to handle. I think they're going out there and doing it right now, so my confidence is really high with them. They've got to do it every week. We've had a lot of big challenges here early, especially with them, and some of these receivers got, obviously, this week, too. But continue to come out here, work every day, be locked in in the meeting room, learn, communicate is a huge part of that as well, involving the safeties, involving the nickel. Again, with a young group, I think that's a piece that we continue that we have to push the envelope with us but got a lot of confidence in those guys right now, and hopefully they continue to play well for us and allow us to be a little bit more versatile with what we can do.

Q: Pretty much any defense or any defensive coordinator, at some point, if they think they're playing well, there's a game or two where the offense doesn't score a lot of points, and there could be frustration and things like that. You've obviously seen that in your career. How do you discuss that with your guys?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, believe me, we got enough in our house to worry about, I promise you. There's four plays that really changed the game for them that we gave up. Whether it was the 47-yard scramble or whether it was the third and 12, he got out of the pocket. Whether it's the very first third and six, and he scrambled for the first down. So, there's plays for us. We're always coaching, we got enough to worry about and focus on making sure our guys are ready to go and can play. And, again, just doing our part, make plays when they're there, find ways to change the game when we have the opportunities to change the game. And we got to create more turnovers. That's a part of it, too. Create some turnovers, and, you know, we'll set some things up. But we got enough to worry about. Believe me, especially week to week with some of these teams we're playing, with this Eagles team we're playing this weekend.

Q: When you were in Tennessee with A.J. Brown, what's the reason why he is one of the best receivers in the league? How did he turn himself into that?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah, he's strong. He's really, really good with the ball in his hands. He's tough to bring down. Probably one of the better catch and run guys in the league. If he has space and he's full steam ahead, it's tough to get him on the ground. The ball skills down the field, being able to adjust his body, find ways to shield receivers, really, really good hands. And I think just from year one to year two down there, he took some major strides in becoming who he is today, and he's obviously progressed even more in his time in Philly. But the thing that really stands out to me is just the play strength. That's something we got to be ready for. We got to be able to match and handle at times.

Q: You're obviously coming in new to this matchup. A lot of these players on your side have played against players on that side. How much did you go back to the past matchups to maybe borrow some things that were effective?

SHANE BOWEN: Yeah. You watch all that stuff, especially going back to last year. Again, it's hit or miss. I think they pulled a few guys early in that second game last year. But you go back, you watch all the stuff, see kind of what has worked against them, what has struggled against them, whether it's the Giants or whether it's any of these other teams. Just trying to get some ideas and see what could maybe fit us in terms of scheme, what fits us in that regard. But some of the personnel matchups, if there's some crossover there, some of the personnel matchups, I think that's something we study. Hopefully our players are studying that also.

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial

Q: How much of a challenge has it been to have injuries to both your specialists now?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: It's tough to deal with any injury. But the fact of the matter is in this league, that happens. We just got to be prepared for whoever's out there to perform at their best. It's our job to get the guys enough reps in practice to give them enough confidence to go out and execute in the game.

Q: Is there anything that could have been done to prevent (punter) Jamie (Gillan)'s injury?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: No. He just got hurt in practice.

Q: Have you ever had to deal with anything like this where you're trying to bring in guys to work out and constant turnover days before the game?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think people would look at it as it's happened a good amount this season. But the fact of the matter is every NFL season I've been part of, those workouts and those injuries happen. We have to stay connected to getting guys ready at multiple positions.

Q: Is there anything you can pinpoint with (kicker) Greg (Joseph) missing the field goals and his struggles in that game?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: The first one, he hit a good ball, but his target line was a little off. Then the second one, he just pulled it.

Q: The next night, (New York Jets kicker) Greg Zuerlein, who you've worked with, had similar troubles. Is that just a, 'Welcome to the Meadowlands,' type of a thing or is it technique?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Any outdoor stadium, there's always wind that you have to pay attention to, especially as you get into these months. So, we're not going to make excuses due to the weather. Our objective is always to go out there and make kicks and that's what we need to do. Doesn't matter whether it's a snowy game or anything. When we send out our field goal unit, we got to come out with points.

Q: How much of it is the operation part of that? Not only do you have a pretty new kicker, but you also have a new holder. What was that process like for the last few days?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: That's a fair question. But (punter) Matt (Haack) has held in this league. He's punted in this league and he's held a lot of footballs. So, nothing with the operation. We're not going to make excuses. Again, we got to go out and make the kicks.

Q: How do you think he did in his Giants debut as a punter?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: For showing up later in the week, I thought he did a solid job. I know he wants to have a couple punts back. But I thought he ended up averaging a good ball. Then he hit a really good ball that he needs to bottle that up and keep producing that one. The one outside the numbers with high hang and good distance. I know that's his objective every time and that's a standard that he'll hold himself to and same here.

Q: He's a punter. He's punted in the league, he has a good resume as a punter. So when you get him in, is it a philosophy thing? Is it just, 'Kick it the way you can.'? Is it, 'We like to do it this way here?' You know what I'm saying? Or is his job as a punter to just kick it high and kick it far?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Obviously, as a coach, you want to make the transition into a new system as seamless as possible. It helps when a veteran guy comes in, because he's been in those situations. I've coached against him before, so I had an idea of what type of punts he'd hit. When he got in here, we just talked about, 'What did you call this?' and, 'This is the same as this.' So, the communication element, you're basically expediting that from my standpoint of just making it simpler for him. Like I said, the experience of knowing what type of punts he hits allowed me and him to have good communication on the sideline.

Q: Does he have to then spend extra time with the coverage guys and everything to be in unison on, 'This is what I like to do.' Because once he kicks it, he's not going to be able to tackle somebody else…

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Not as much as you'd think. I think the singular focus for him is hitting a good ball with hang time matching the distance. It doesn't matter what punter it is, we always challenge our punters to hit a hang time that matches the distance. So, for example, if we want to hit a 45-yard punt, we would want more of a 4.5-second hang time or above. If we hit a 50-yard punt, we'd want a 5.0-second hang time or above. That's really what he's focusing on, whether he's punting in the middle, left, right, any territory, that is the singular objective. Then our coverage, they got to cover the ball wherever it's at (laughs). We just got to have good fundamentals in terms of that.

Q: Did you know Matt (Haack) before lunch on Saturday, I guess? Or whenever it was?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: (laughs) I spoke to him pregame a couple times, but not enough to say that we were buddies or anything. But from my brief time with him… Again, you bring in a guy like that, he's a true pro. He understands the way this league operates. Everything that we've asked of him, he's came in and tried to do it to the best of his ability.

Q: Just to get back to Greg (Joseph) for a second, he struggled a little bit with those kicks. Does that give you pause at all when you're in a situation and (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) says, 'What do you think? Should we kick it? Can we kick it from here?'

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Before that point, obviously Greg (Joseph) had a little bit of success and he's had success in his career. He holds himself to a high standard and I hold him to that standard as well. He knows he wanted to make those kicks. The true pro in him, because he's such an awesome pro, he will evaluate the film and then he'll be very intentional and deliberate with his practice habits of making certain that doesn't happen again. His objective, and I'm telling you just because he is a true pro and he's had good percentage across the league, he wants to consistently make kicks regardless of where it's at on the field. It could be a chip shot, it could be a 60-yarder. He knows when he's out there, his singular focus is to make that kick.

Q: You've had some interesting injury situations with your specialists this year, but I'm not sure anyone could truly prepare, although you probably will, for what happened with Chicago with their long snapper. Just curious from afar, when you see something like that, do you come into this week and say, 'You know what, if we had this amount of time getting extra long snappers ready, we're going to go that much further,' knowing that they were essentially down to their third long snapper in that game?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Every week we do practice that. We practice all the flex positions and we make certain that we have a couple options there. This is not necessarily a reminder to do it, because we do it every week. But a good opportunity to show the guys this is why we do it. This is why we practice every week, because there's opportunities that Chicago was in that that guy had to go in and execute and he obviously did a nice job. Moreso a good reminder for the players like, 'Yeah, this is why I have to stay connected to it.'

Q: Who is your back-up long snapper?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Respectfully, I just want to keep that with us because it affects other positions and how we would move guys around.

Q: I don't respect that.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: (laughs) I promise you, we do. You guys will probably take a look and see today or see yesterday or something.

Q: What happened with you having to call the timeout on the punt coverage there, did you have 12 men on the field?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: There was a confusion of what personnel was out there. That's on me. I got to make sure the right personnel is out there to where we're always having 11 on the field. It starts with me.

Guard Jon Runyan Jr.

Q: So you always in your back of mind think that? They have to think that way. Does a player think that way too? That at any time I could have a new guy to the left or right of me or both?

JON RUNYAN JR.: You never want it to be that case. It's really rare that all five guys play every single snap, all 17 games. That's probably about 1,200 snaps a year. That's really rare. That's what training camp and in-season practices are for. Getting a lot of reps in an individual period and team settings and stuff like that. Just building that chemistry with each other and use that going forward when we get to the games.

Q: I know you're new to the division, with Eagles vs. Giants, but not really with your history. The Eagles have really taken control of this division on both sides of the ball. We started asking you guys that in the spring of how important it was to set the tone on the offensive and defensive lines. Do you guys feel like you're carrying that into this game, knowing that the game is probably going to swing either way about how you guys play up front against this team?

JON RUNYAN JR.: For sure. We've known from OTAs and training camp that this team is going to go as this offensive and defensive line goes. The defensive lines have been playing out of their minds, really good. Really happy and excited for those guys over there. We've (the offensive line) had our ups and downs. I feel like we've been playing really well, but there's a lot more. We have such high expectations for this offensive line unit and how good we can be. It doesn't just stop there. There's always room to get better. That's what we're trying to do. We feel like we can be one of the best offensive lines in the league. When we have those down games, those down moments, we take that personally. That's not who we want to be. That's not what we want this offense to be. That's not what we want this team to be. We do everything we can to keep evolving and not slowing down.

Q: How's practice going, getting in there with (tackle) Joshua (Ezeudu)?

JON RUNYAN JR.: I hate to say I wouldn't notice a difference or a change. (Tackle) AT (Andrew Thomas) is a great player. Me and Josh out there, we've gotten some reps together in OTAs and a little bit in training camp too. Josh is a really smart player. He knows where to be at all times, knows his job. It's easy to work with him. Practice reps help. I feel a lot of confidence going into this game with him and how prepared he is, how smart he is, how hard he works. I don't see any lull coming in from him.

Q: They always talk about tough losses, tough games you lose. It's that 24-hour rule. When you have a guy that's a big loss to lose like AT. Do you have a 24-hour rule on that as well? The idea of you absorb it and then move forward, and that's it?

JON RUNYAN JR.: For sure. He's a great player, a great teammate, a great person. We were talking to him yesterday. His surgery went well. He's resting up now. I don't think he's going to be back for this year. His locker's right there. I hate to say it, but we're moving on from him at this point. He's not going to be able to help us anymore out on the field this season. He can help us in the locker room and off the field and stuff like that but going forward and what matters going on the field in these games is just going to be the eight guys that dress up there on game day. That's just going to help us win football games. It's a big loss to miss AT, but we've got to go forward without him now. That's just how this league is.

Q: The way (running back) Tyrone (Tracy) stepped in the last two games, now (running back) Devin (Singletary) looks like he's back. Do you think, if you use both of them, that they give a different dimension to the running game? Sometimes teams have one guy. Sometimes teams have two. They are different-looking players, athletes. Do you think a one-two punch can work here?

JON RUNYAN JR.: I definitely think so. I feel like in the NFL it's tough to just have one running back to feed the ball over to over and over again. Devin is a really established veteran in this league. He's had success everywhere he's gone. Does really well in pass protection. He's always slipping out, finding those holes. He's gotten a couple of explosive runs so far this year. Tyrone, he's a really good pass-catching back of the backfield. Young. He's playing really free and loose. He's just as fast as well. When you can have two running backs like that, they're sort of similar in their style of running and stuff like that, but it doesn't matter. I feel like whoever's back there, we're not going to miss a beat. They know how to set up our blocks pretty well and make us look pretty good, so it helps a lot.

Q: You guys have done pretty well in screens? (Running back) Eric (Gray) has gotten involved in that. Before you got here, this team had not been a good screen team. Why are you guys good at it now?

JON RUNYAN JR.: I think it has a lot to do with Tim Kelly, tight ends coach. He came in here and I think he was kind of known as the screen guru. He's brought in a lot of screens here. I think we have over 15 screens that we're able to call, but we only have about five or six of them up every week. We have a screen presentation every week and it kind of seems monotonous, but it's always good going over all the rules and all the different types of screens we have involved. They've been hitting really well. The rules and how he breaks it down, the information he gives to us makes it really simple, makes our job easier, and kind of use it as a weapon to tire defenses out. We've hit a lot of big screens, and it helps us. They're explosive plays that get the ball going downfield. It's a nice gaining 20 or 25 yards in one play.

Q: Is that more than you had in Green Bay?

JON RUNYAN JR.: Yeah. Everywhere I've been, I've never been able to successfully have a good screen game, and this is the first year I've been on a team with a really valuable screen game, and I think that adds a lot to our offense.

Q: Obviously, you drill it. You guys talk about it a lot. Is it patience? Is it the personnel that's involved? Is it timing of when the plays are called? What do you contribute to the seeker?

JON RUNYAN JR.: There's a lot involved into it. There's a lot of feel to it, but there's also a lot of timings, a critical part of it, and distribution and just getting to your right landmark out in space and being able to read whoever's going out with you. Whether me and the interior three are out or me and the tackle are out, being able to read their block and being able to make a decision off what they're doing in that split second. I think (Tight Ends Coach Tim Kelly) T.K. has done a really good job breaking that down for us, and it's been working really well, and we're going to keep doing it.

Q: What does the old man think about the Giants and Eagles facing each other this time?

JON RUNYAN JR.: He's excited. He won't be at the game. He's got to work this Sunday just like most Sundays, but I've got a lot of family and friends coming up from the area. They're all going to be in Giants gear, or else they're not allowed to be around us, but everybody's excited. Like I said, a lot of people coming. This is a big one. Obviously, when I was a little kid, I grew up as a huge Eagles fan, but work took me elsewhere, and now I'm the biggest Giants fan in the world, so I'm excited for this weekend coming up.

Q: How many tickets do you have to get?

JON RUNYAN JR.: I have somewhere around 20, and I'm sure there are other people that are coming to support me that I'm not getting tickets to.

Q: All wearing offensive lineman gear?

JON RUNYAN JR.: There'll be a lot of them out there.

Q: There'll be a lot of Runyans?

JON RUNYAN JR.: Yeah, there will be a lot.

Q: What would be your favorite memory growing up as an Eagles fan? Is there a memory that sticks with you? I'd say (former wide receiver) DeSean Jackson…

JON RUNYAN JR.: I didn't watch the Miracle Meadowlands game. I actually missed that one because we were on a family trip, but I think one of my favorite ones was the Eagles-Cowboys game. The Eagles won; I think it was like 44-6. I think it was (former Eagles defensive back) Lito Shepard or (former Eagles defensive back) Sheldon Brown had a 95-yard pick-six for a touchdown, and I think that might have sent them to the playoffs. Either that or the Fred X, the Eagles-Packers game. I think that was a wild card game. Fourth and 26, that was another one that I remember. I was at both of them, and it was a really cool moment being able to share those with my dad when I was a kid and being able to be around that locker room, being in a locker room post-game and being around those guys was really memorable for me.

Q: Has he told you about the Giants-Eagles?

JON RUNYAN JR.: No, not really, but I grew up, obviously, a huge NFC East fan. If the Eagles or Giants aren't playing, we're going to get the Cowboys or the Commanders broadcast. I'd always be watching that one o'clock window and just always watching NFC East football. That's what I grew up on, and I know how heated it is now, how close everybody in proximity is. Me personally, I have a lot of family that's down in Texas, so they're all Cowboys fans, so that kind of even made me grow up hating the Cowboys even more. That kind of feeds into a lot of that going on now. Back in the NFC East, it feels like I'm back home, I'm really enjoying it.

Q: You've seen (Eagles running back) Saquon (Barkley) going from here to Philly. He's gotten reaction from fans, betrayal and all that stuff. You grew up an Eagles fan, but you came here. Did you hear anything from your friends and family who were Eagles fans when you decided to come here? Or was it an easy transition?

JON RUNYAN JR.: Yeah, friends and family, I'd say, were a little disappointed. Not disappointed – but upset. But they were going to support me no matter where I go. There's nothing they can do about it. I'm happy to be here. They're still going to be out here supporting me. They were a little apprehensive to throw on that blue, but I know they're excited. They're excited to share this with me, and I'm excited to be here.

Q: It used to be '26' was the most prevalent jersey here. Now with all your tickets, you think 76 on Sunday will be a lot of people?

JON RUNYAN JR.: Yeah, I don't think it'll be up there with 97 or 0, like that. I think there might be a few more in the crowd this week.

Q: Or one.

JON RUNYAN JR.: Oh yeah, one for sure.

Q: They didn't take yours out of retirement?

JON RUNYAN JR.: No, they did not.