Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: I'm curious what you thought when you went back and looked at the film. Was it what you expected? Was it worse than you expected? Did you come away seeing things that left you optimistic?

A: Yeah, it's probably about what I expected after talking to you guys last night. There were a few things you can build on but when you get beat like the way we got beat, no excuses. I'd say there's a lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of corrections that need to be made and that's what we'll do today.

Q: Anything specific that stood out to you?

A: No, it was a collective effort. I think seven times the ball was either in their hands or on the ground, which you start with ball security. We didn't do a good enough job with that and there's some things – third down and red zone situational football that we didn't do a good enough job of. Then obviously, we didn't score a single point so a lot to learn from, a lot to improve on and that's what we'll try to do today.

Q: Any update on (tackle) Andrew Thomas? I know he was possibly getting imaging today.

A: Yeah, he is. I don't have it yet. I'll have it on Wednesday.

Q: Last year after Week 1 to Week 2 you made some pretty significant lineup changes. (Former Giants wide receiver) Kenny Golladay and (former Giants inside linebacker) Austin Calitro both went from playing 40 something snaps to playing less than five snaps. How do you judge what a guy has done for you all of training camp and offseason to become a starter versus "hey, this guy didn't play well against an opponent?"

A: That's a good question. Again, we evaluate the tape, I'd say, with a critical eye starting with us as a staff first and the players and then if – not to go back into last year, but you sit down as a coaching staff during the week. Obviously, you take into account what happened the previous game and you have difficult discussions if you need to have them and then try to make the best decision you can for the team based off of – you do look at performance in training camp, no question about it, but you also are real with performance in the game, so I'd say it's probably a little bit of both and at the end of the day you've got to make the decision you think is going to help your team.

Q: Without naming any names, is it fair to say those hard conversations are going to have to happen this week with guys who maybe didn't perform as well yesterday?

A: Yeah, we try to have them every week regardless of the outcome of the game, so it's a consistent theme of here's what we can do better, here's what we did well. It's always a lot easier to hear them when you do well and you get a win than it is with a loss, but those are conversations that we have I'd say on the week-to-week basis after every game.

Q: Obviously, so much attention was paid to your offensive line, but your pass rush didn't get any sacks or much pressure at all either. Do you chalk that up to the circumstances of the game and the score or is that an area that draws your attention to what needs to be much better?

A: I'd say every area. After a game like last night, every area we've got to draw our attention to. But that's what we've got to do as a coaching staff, that's what we've got to do as players. We've got to improve in, I'd say, a number of areas and try to take the next step the upcoming week.

Q: I went back and looked at your coaching record for 23 years in the NFL and I think this was your second worst loss you've ever taken as a coach, any sort of coach. My question is, what is the head coach, what do you think is their biggest responsibility after a game like that? I was looking at the Patriots from your days there and there were times where you guys got beat bad, I think Buffalo one year beat you 31-nothing, but next week came back and won. What did (Patriots head coach) Bill (Belichick) do maybe that helps you now or others that helped you and what do you think your role is?

A: I'd say you take it for what it's worth. It was a poor performance. You learn from the things that you can learn from and then you really got to get focused on the next week. Whether it was a win or a loss, it really has no effect on the next week. Your job is to be honest, to show them some of the things that we can do better as a team. Whether it's a staff, whether it's players and then to get on to next week. Like I said, it's a humbling league and one week doesn't have much effect on the next week. Your preparation, your performance ultimately on Sunday, or whenever that day is, does. That's what we will focus on, a lot to learn. We'll do our best to teach it, to learn from it, to go out there and have a good week of practice and to get ready for the next week's opponent.

Q: Did you walk out of there last night saying I know we are a lot better team than this?

A: I'd say when you walk out after a game like that, there is a lot of emotion. You put everything you got into it, and we didn't perform well and that starts with me. There is a self-reflection and then you watch the tape, you go through whether it's decisions, whether it's plays, whether it's techniques and then you move on to the next week.

Q: Did you sleep at all last night?

A: Not a whole lot, no.

Q: You are going to strive for consistency obviously every week. It's going to be, you evaluate tape, you are going to talk about what you did well, what you didn't do well, win or lose, but when it's 40-nothing, is there a different hat that you have to put on in your Monday morning presentation to the players because it's not a typical outcome?

A: I'd say what I say in there, I keep private, but certainly you understand that these guys are human and there is an element of emotion to it, and you know we didn't perform well. So, you own it, you, again, tell them the things that you need to fix. It starts with you and then you move on. So, you can't let it linger too long, you go through today, you go through the tape. It won't be a fun tape to watch, it wasn't with the coaches, it's not with the players, but you know that's what happened. So, you can't run from it, you can't hide from it, you own it, and then you move on.

Q: Is there a fine line between you're my guys so and we're going to have to get better versus we have other options if you are not performing.

A: I'd say we are all in this together. We've worked hard. Obviously the results were not good yesterday, but you keep your eye on the prize, you keep on grinding, you keep on working, and again, it's one game here, so if it was the other way around, it's still one game. I wish it was the other way around, but it wasn't so you move on to the next week.

Q: I'm just wondering how tough it is to kind of deal with, for lack of a better phrase, the idea that on both lines, you really were manhandled it seemed last night.

A: I'd say we've got to do a better job. Again, some of that is scheme, some of it is play, some of it is situation. It's hard to get into a rhythm when you feel like you're climbing a slippery slope, and that's what happened. We give a field goal up for a touchdown. Then we give up a — (running back) Saquon (Barkley) gets hit, that pops up, that's a touchdown. We get the ball back and we throw an interception on the minus side. Then we miss a field goal. So, there was a slippery slope last night that I didn't do a good job of getting them out of their way and getting them on to the next play. So yeah, that's what it was.

Q: For the youngsters, the rookies in particular that you're counting on for big roles, do you or does the rest of the staff, depending how you delegate, have to kind of check in with them after a game like this?

A: Yeah, I'd say you try to check in with all your players. Again, this is the greatest team sport, and we didn't get it done yesterday. So, we are committed to improving, but sure, you have conversations, not just with the rookies, but the veteran players, too. There's a lot of pride in that locker room from the people and you have a game like that, from really top to bottom, it's not an easy thing, but you have to own it. It is what it is.

Q: With (kicker) Graham Gano getting X-rays, were they negative and then is there a chance you're going to have to bring in a kicker for a workout?

A: I'd say that we're not there yet. He did. I don't have the results just yet. That'd be a Wednesday deal.

Q: (Cornerback) Deonte Banks, has he come out okay from the cramping?

A: Yeah, it was really cramps. So, I think that's trending in the right direction.

Q: Any other injuries or concerns health-wise pop up on the day after?

A: No, I'd say we came out fairly clean. Obviously G.O. (safety Gervarrius Owens) and (cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott are working their way back. Tae (cornerback Deonte Banks), we talked about him. (Inside linebacker) Cam (Brown) is working his way back. (Tight end) Darren (Waller) came out okay. (Wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) is working his way back. And then waiting on Thomas and (tackle) Matt Peart, got an MRI; he's still there.

Cornerback Adoree' Jackson

Q: What do you look for in (Head Coach) Brian Daboll right now as a player? What do you as veteran players want to hear from your head coach to show that he can right the ship here? You've had a lot of head coaches. What's the right message a head coach can send to a team to make sure it doesn't spiral?

A: Pretty much just not changing. Doing the things that we've been doing. Obviously, the loss is something that we didn't want in the fashion that it happened, but you don't switch up and change. Keep working, keep going. It's pretty much just going to work and getting ready for next week.

Q: How stunned were you players at the events of last night, and how that game got out of control?

A: It was just embarrassing. I know we all felt that, whether it was us as players, the coaches, the staff, the organization. It's just one of those things where you go watch the film and get those corrections and figure out how to improve and how to get better, and just be better in general. Just learn from those mistakes, and just keep pushing forward. It's always about putting the next foot in front of the other.

Q: If this were late in the season, I'd probably have a different tone to the questions for obvious reasons, but the season just started. How do you prevent it this early from almost spiraling, or for guys lacking confidence?

A: What I said earlier – just not changing. Keeping the same mentality. Understand the things that we need to correct, go there, and correct them. Just not letting your morale or your head be down. That goes with the leaders on this team, and anybody in general, just keeping that up-tempo, that positive mindset. Going to work every day and understanding that the good thing about this league is there's another week to be played, another game to be played and to showcase yourself on film, and just do that this week.

Q: How much do you guys – I know you can speak only for yourself – want to actually show a lot of what we saw in training camp, which was seemingly a really detail-oriented, efficient team. Yet none of that really was on display in Game 1 of the regular season.

A: Yeah, that's one of the tough things. That's why I said it was more embarrassing, the game and the fashion, the way it played out. But just keep going to work. I know it's probably going to sound redundant and repetitive, but just to not change.

I was talking, I don't know who I was talking to yesterday after the game, and they said, 'Do you change anything up?' And I said, 'It's like believing in God and having faith.' If something goes wrong, do you stop believing, or do you still know all the good and all the things that He's done for you? Even through the bad times and the good times, you've still got to praise Him and give Him the glory. So, for us, keep working, keep doing what we've been doing. Understand that things may happen, things may not go the way you want. But to have that foundation and that base like you said, the things that we've done in camp and OTAs, just got to showcase it and put it all out there on the line.

Q: Did (Defensive Coordinator) Wink (Martindale) have a particular message that resonated with you?

A: I think the thing was just to come in and work. It sounds so repetitive, but really just to come in to work and trying to understand that that's how you make the difference this week, with how you prepare and how you work, and how you have the mindset. It's really a mindset and how you come and handle business and work.

Q: What happened on the (Cowboys wide receiver) CeeDee Lamb play?

A: I mean, it was just a great play call, watching on film, I was just locked in on my matchup and seeing him check, just wasn't even aware of it. It was pretty much on me, no other facts like that. Just got to be more aware of the situation at hand.

Q: I know Tae (cornerback Deonte Banks) missed a half with the cramps, but how do you feel the two rookie corners held up?

A: I think they did a great job executing, being poised, playing the game comfortably. I think they did a great job.

Q: Coach Daboll was talking about how it's not fun to watch the film from that game, but you guys have to do it. How hard is it to watch that film and then how do you flush it?

A: I think if you want to get better, it shouldn't be hard to watch the film. If it means something to you and it's very important, that's what you want to do. To try and improve and get better, it's all about learning from mistakes. We talked about not being a repeat offender in this league and in this game. Just coming into work, pushing each other to be better, pushing each other to get your best and give your best, so things can be a different outcome.

Wide Receiver Darius Slayton

Q. How surprising, for lack of a better word, was it to see the offense and the way it performed against the Cowboys?

A: Very. I mean, I think we all expected to go out there and execute it better. We all expected to play better, but we didn't.

Q. As a team leader and someone whose been around a while, what is the next step for you and your teammates?

A: Going to work on Wednesday. The only thing you can do coming out of a game like we just had, the situation that we're in right now is go to work and do the things that we know how to do to rectify it.

Q. You've been part of season here where it didn't get rectified and it spiraled out of control, long losing streaks. I understand you go back to work is the same approach. Is it anything that you learned from those season that didn't work that you can try to do in this season? If it's just the same approach as always, how do you get different results?

A: I'd say probably the biggest difference now is that we're older. When you're young, you kind of just think that, 'Oh, we'll work hard and we'll get a different result,' but, at the end of the day as you grow in this league you experience things, you understand. Also, last year, the little success that we did have we got on the other side of that fence so now we know what it takes to win these games and we know what we need to do to fix it. Whereas in my first three years we were 4-12, 6-10, 4-12. We knew nothing about winning, so I would say that's the biggest difference about now is that we know what it takes to win, and we know what to do to get there.

Q. When you went back and watched the tape, what did you see that you thought was the biggest problem? Why do you think it didn't work yesterday?

A: I think the first thing when you're watching film when you watch plays individually it's easy to look at this play and be like, 'This guy didn't do that or this guy didn't do this or I didn't do this or that,' and kind of the overarching thing that you come to is that we all had one too many 'my bads.' Ultimately when you're trying to win a football game you can't have everybody having multiple 'my bads' or, 'I would've done this different, I would've done that different,' so, I'd probably say that was just the main thing. We had too much of that.

Q. Why do you think it happened against that team? Does that concern you that it was that team? Because them and the Eagles are the ones that you're trying to catch up to.

A: To be honest, the way the game went the opponent really wouldn't have mattered much. A lot of the stuff that we did was self-inflicted, or it was mistakes that we made that were technique based or assignment based. So, it wouldn't have mattered if it was them or Teaneck High School. There are just things we did that you just can't do and expect to win football games in this league.

Q. What was the conversation like with your position group and the offensive group? Did you get together individually?

A: Yeah, we had our big offensive meeting and kind of what I said, we went over – in every game, no matter how bad it goes, which that was about as bad as it could go, there are still good plays. There are plays that we did execute the way that we want to and obviously, you cover those but obviously in this scenario the majority of it is covering the bad and what we can improve. In our receiver room meeting, I think that a lot of time in football, the people who are at the forefront, which is like the head coach and the quarterback, it's really easy to be like, 'well, if (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) just plays better, we win.' Well, we receivers, there are plays we didn't make, there are route decisions I made that I could've made differently that would've allowed him to get the ball out quicker. We had fumbles, we had drops. I think in our room as receivers your job is to do your best to help the quarterback be successful. I think that was kind of just what I took away from it personally is that it's never, 'Oh, well (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs or (Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka) Kaf called a bad game or DJ didn't play a good game,' or whatever. At the end of the day, we're all in this together and as the o-line, receivers, running backs and all that it's our job to help make this thing go just as much as it is the quarterback.