Head Coach Brian Daboll
Q: Just curious if you have any rundown on guys that are injured and kind of what your plan is here this week with the short week and how you're going to handle that?
BRIAN DABOLL: Don't have any update on any of the guys that were injured. We'll do walkthroughs, have a lot of meeting time, some extra meeting time, extra walkthroughs to get prepared for this game.
Q: Is (tackle) Andrew Thomas a concern? He obviously looked a little banged up there. I know he finished, but is he a concern or is that something you guys aren't really looking at this point?
BRIAN DABOLL: I don't have an update yet. I haven't met with any of the doctors. We've been grinding here on Dallas. I'll meet with the doctors and trainers at 11:30 or 12:00, whatever time it is.
Q: Have you prepared in advance for this? Is this a week or three days of just getting your bodies ready?
BRIAN DABOLL: Are you talking about physically or mentally?
Q: Mentally and game plan wise…
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, you have younger coaches that go through things leading up to this game, it's a short week. As play callers, you're pretty honed in on who you're playing that week. So, there's a lot of catching up to do. We met after we got off the plane yesterday and did some things last night, we were here early. A lot of catching up to do. New defensive coordinator, same offensive coordinator, (Cowboys Head) Coach (Mike) McCarthy, but new defensive coordinator, (Cowboys Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Mike) Zimmer. Some of the guys stayed here last night. Other guys got in pretty early, so we're catching up. We'll be caught up, but with these short weeks, there's not much time. You need a lot of it. You need all the time you can.
Q: You said something last night I thought was very interesting about (wide receiver Malik) Nabers and it almost doesn't matter who the matchup is, you expect him to win. How rare is that? I mean, that seems like the upper echelon of NFL playmakers. How rare is it that you can have a player where you almost don't even care if he's going against an all pro or a pro bowler, you expect him to win? And how impressive is it that Malik's gotten there that quickly?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah again, I think you have to be aware, I know what I said. You have to be aware of the people that you're playing. We certainly have a good one this week that I think will be matched up quite a bit in (Cowboys cornerback Trevon) Diggs, so you definitely have to be aware. But when you have confidence in your skill player offensively, you go ahead and give them opportunities. So, it just means you have to be that much cleaner, crisper on things when you're going against a very good player. There's a lot of teams that do that with their guys, I would say. I don't want to speak for them in their game plan meetings. But like I said before many times, I'm glad we have him.
Q: I know it's a new year, clean slate. Can it help guys, do you want guys to remember the pain of 40-0 prime time? I know that was Week 1, this is Week 4, but it feels very similar circumstances. Do you want guys to carry that feeling that they had that night? I think (defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II) Dex even mentioned it yesterday. Do you want guys to carry the 40-0 feeling and use it as a chip on their shoulders this week?
BRIAN DABOLL: I think each individual person is motivated by different things. And my main focus is getting ready to play this team, 2024, the team that's just played these first three games. Different players, different schemes, making sure that we're prepared. Doing a good job in our walkthroughs, in our meetings, in our communication. But our focus is on task at hand.
Q: So, you don't take anything from that night? That was probably one of the more difficult nights you had as a coach.
BRIAN DABOLL: We've got a short week, and we've got not much time to get ready. So that's where my focus is.
Q: I know you said you don't have any injury updates, (Cowboys wide receiver) CeeDee Lamb plays most of the time in the slot. You would seem to have three slot corners injured. (cornerback Nick) McCloud, (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson), and (cornerback Dru) Phillips. Is there a guy you think you're optimistic is closest to playing of those three?
BRIAN DABOLL: I don't have any update yet. That'll take place probably in about an hour. So, coaches have been in game planning. You put your game plan in schematically, but there's a personnel side of it too. So, we'll work through some of those things. We'll have about four hours of meetings today, somewhere around there. And then get back on it as a coaching staff after the walkthrough at 3:15. So, a lot of work that needs to be done right now in a short week.
Q: Can you just talk about (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and (wide receiver) Malik Nabers, how they have pushed each other and how they have grown together in this short amount of time…
BRIAN DABOLL: A lot of time on task. Again, I said this yesterday, there's a trust element to a quarterback and a receiver. And I think Daniel (Jones) has that with really all of our skill guys. The amount of work that he puts into it: the extra individual periods, the routes on air, the times where the defense is going and they go over during practice and throw extra things, the communication in the film room and they meet together quite often. It's not just him (Malik Nabers). He's got one with (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson). He's played with (wide receiver) Slay (Darius Slayton) the longest. So, that's an important part of the passing game, the trust that you're going to be where you're supposed to be, your body language is going to be good, you can do a good job of coming back to the ball, going up and getting it and making a play. It's still a work in progress. It's early, but they've worked hard at it.
Q: And then my second question for you is about the offensive line, specifically (center) John Michael Schmitz (Jr.) and the growth that you've seen in him from year one to year two…
BRIAN DABOLL: I think it's helpful to have the guys around him that he's had, too. The (guard Jon) Runyans, the (guard) GVRs (Greg Van Roten), the (tackle Jermaine) Eluemunors, obviously (tackle) AT (Andrew Tomas). But those are veteran linemen that have played football that know what it takes. Certainly, (we) have a challenge this week against their (Dallas Cowboys) defensive ends and their front. But I think having veterans in that room, particularly that offensive line room, is important for young players. I think (Offensive Line Coach) Carm (Carmen Bricillo) and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) James (Ferentz) have come in and done a nice job. He's improved. Need to continue to improve him.
Q: This can probably go for your entire team, but specifically about Daniel (Jones). You guys heard a lot of outside noise about what you can't do and whatnot. And I'm just curious, what about Daniel's makeup allows him to shed this stuff and move on to the next thing? Obviously, the first game was tough for him, and he's come back quite well the last two games.
BRIAN DABOLL: He's focused on what he needs to do to be better from Week 1 to Week 2, from Week 2 to Week 3. That's where we focus. We watch the tape. We coach up, whether it's technique or eyes or fundamentals or route concepts or play calls. We have a good communication on that, and that's important, and that's really all we focus on. We don't focus on any other things that really don't affect him other than what we do in our meeting time, at practice, our communication, communication with the receivers, protections with the offensive line. He's consistent with that. He's been here quite a long time. I think his focus is always where it needs to be. When he comes in the building, he's the same guy every day, whether it's a bad practice, a good practice, a bad game, a good game. I think that's important to be able to play quarterback here.
Q: How difficult of a challenge is that for a guy like Daniel (Jones)? Really, anybody in the room when things aren't going well and the outside world says you guys suck, etcetera, etcetera. How difficult is that to do what you just said?
BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say that's a good question for Daniel (Jones). Everybody probably deals with a little bit differently, but that's not… We don't really talk too much about that. Our focus is, 'Look, what do they do on third and two to five? How can we get a match up? What are we going to do? We're going to shift this guy. Oh, this is a tough blitz pattern. We've got to make sure we have a re-identification. Cadence.' There's so many things to talk about in such a short time each week when you're preparing. The thing I appreciate about Daniel (Jones) is he comes in ready to work every day and his focus is on what's important, which is learning from our mistakes and doing a good job communicating on what we can do better. Him and I, our relationship of play caller and quarterback is important and then working at it in practice. So that's what I see every day.
Q: How much sleep have you gotten since we talked to you last night?
BRIAN DABOLL: Not a bunch.
Q: Yeah, I figured. I probably look like it, huh?
BRIAN DABOLL: No, no, no, you look good. You look good.
Q: I'm wondering about Malik (Nabers). Is he better than you thought he was going to be this early? He clearly has skills, and you would know those better than I, but to do it this seemingly easily and quickly as a rookie, especially in this market, isn't something that we always see…
BRIAN DABOLL: I think he's confident in his skill set. I'm confident in his skill set. We spent a lot of time with him leading up to the draft and then you really get to know him throughout OTAs and mini camps and training camp, which he excelled in those areas. I have a lot of confidence in him. So, I think we target him a fair amount, but I think he's earned that. He's earned the right to have those opportunities. And look, one game, it might… I don't know what, he's had 30 the past two weeks, I think. But there'll be adjustments throughout a game where things are happening and everybody's going to have to be dialed in. His mindset, he's a competitive young man. He's just a football player. So, glad we got him.
Q: Any concerns about the kicker (Greg Joseph)?
BRIAN DABOLL: We'll sit down and talk personnel stuff later today. You'd like him obviously to make that kick, he didn't. But he's done a good job when he was here in practice and we'll talk about what we're going to do here.
Q: And on such a short week, would it be unusual to make a kicker change?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'm not saying we're going there. I haven't even met with the special teams coaches yet. We discuss that every week, it's just not this week, obviously. Personnel, what we're doing. A lot of catching up to do here.
Q: Just to be clear, (kicker Greg) Joseph will be your kicker Thursday night?
BRIAN DABOLL: I didn't say that.
Q: Did you sleep at the facility overnight?
BRIAN DABOLL: No, I went home.
Q: And (cornerback) Deonte Banks, when you watch the film, what do you think he can do to correct or to address the way that Cleveland was attacking him? Obviously, a guy you guys have a lot of confidence in. Young player. Just want to know what you see when you watch the film.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, he was tight on a lot of coverage. I thought they made some nice plays, some good throw and catches. He was right there on, I'd say, a number of them. So, I have a lot of confidence in (Deonte) Banks. Again, sometimes those guys are going to make plays.
Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas
Q: How much did you guys need that win yesterday and what's the spirit in the building afterwards?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, it was the next game, the next opportunity to win, and we did. It's a great feeling. But it's a short week, so we put that one to bed and we're on to Dallas.
Q: Last year the opener against Dallas obviously had a trickle-down effect that affected the whole season. What is it about playing those guys and do you guys feel like you get a little more up for that matchup?
ANDREW THOMAS: It's a division game, so there's more emotions to it. To play meaningful football in December, you have to win the division games. So, it's definitely going to be a top-notch matchup, and we're excited about it.
Q: And are you feeling good?
ANDREW THOMAS: I'm feeling great.
Q: I know you got injured during the game and it sat with you for a while, but how long did 40-0 take to shake off? Like, what was the feeling that night? And do you almost want it to sit with you this weekend? Do you want guys to be angry about that still or is it like you have to move on from one season?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, that game was embarrassing. Home opener, that's a tough way to lose. But it's a new season, a new team. Some guys carried over from last year, and like I said, it's a divisional opponent, so even if we won that game, it's the same mentality. I'm sure they have the same mentality on the other side. You want to win that game, so that's what we're looking forward to doing.
Q: This is the way the NFL is, but like eight days ago, people, media, fans, analysts, former players, were leaving you guys for dead, and now you can win two games in four days, get back to .500. Do you feel that? Can you feel the trajectory of 'we have a chance to change the trajectory of our season'?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, you just try to approach every week at hand. You try not to look too far forward or too far behind in the past, and we're just focusing on this weekend. We get a win, then, like you said, things look different.
Q: What do you think of your individual play yesterday? It did not seem like the high standard that you usually set. Maybe I'm wrong, and if so, if you didn't feel like you played your best game, is it encouraging that the line played well because it feels like that would not have happened in the past? Like, if you didn't play your best game, the line would not have played well.
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, it was bittersweet. We got the win, and the other four guys played great. I'm disappointed in my play and I take that wholeheartedly and I'm doing everything I can. It's a short week but trying to make the corrections so that I can be ready for Thursday.
Q: Obviously, because he's the quarterback, Daniel (Jones) gets most of the criticism when things aren't going well. I'm curious, and he certainly has gotten a lot of it. How do you view the way he handles that, and how much respect do you have for the way he does handle that in that position?
ANDREW THOMAS: Yeah, DJ is very confident. He's very headstrong. Like you said, with a lot of adversity, and a lot of criticism, he continues to come to work every day. He doesn't let it affect him. We have confidence in him. He's been showing what he can do.
Q: When you guys left the field after the home opener a couple of weeks ago, it was a pretty loud booing from the home fans. What do you want to show them now that you're coming back to MetLife? Probably a little bit more of a mature team, a little bit of a different team than you were in Week 1.
ANDREW THOMAS: Honestly, just give them something to cheer about.
Q: Is there anything that you tell people who are new to this rivalry, whether they're rookies like (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) or veterans like (outside linebacker) Brian (Burns) or the guys next to you, (guard) Jon (Runyan Jr.)? What do you tell them about Giants-Cowboys games?
ANDREW THOMAS: Not much. It's a divisional game. It just means a little bit more because we play them twice during our division. But I think the approach is the same, the same way you approach any opponent.
Safety Jason Pinnock
Q: Tell me about what the possibility here that you guys could have to face (Dallas Cowboys wide receiver) CeeDee Lamb with a bunch of injured corners. What kind of stress would that put, knowing that he plays mostly in the slot and (cornerback Dru) Phillips, (cornerback Nick) McCloud and (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson) are banged up?
JASON PINNOCK: It'd be a challenge, regardless. But our personnel, we believe in all of our depth, really. I don't have too much on that.
Q: The NFL's such a week-to-week league. Everybody overreacts to one game, whatnot. How sure are you guys that you found something that will work, that isn't just like, 'Okay, this worked against the Browns,' but you guys found an identity on defense that you think you can carry forward?
JASON PINNOCK: Every game is different, so that's tough. That's a tough thought process to carry over week by week. Personnel is different, schemes are different, injuries, healthy, whatever. That's a little tough. It's going to be different.
Q: Take me back, if you can, to the Cowboys game last year. How much did that sit with you, the 40-0 Week 1? How much did that sit with you? Does it still sit with you? Are you the kind of guy... (Head Coach Brian) Daboll said each guy's different. Are you the kind of guy that wants to remember that and that feeling that you had in your stomach that night to use it moving forward?
JASON PINNOCK: For me, personally, I don't hold it too much. I'm a person every game I act like it's the Super Bowl for me, for myself. It's the Super Bowl. But, of course, you do remember. I think everybody will remember home opener being beat like that on primetime TV. But, again, as far as our defense, I think it was 17-0 before we hit the field. Never get too high, don't get too low about the situation. Just ready to go.
Q: I just imagine that would be one of the more difficult nights of your football career.
JASON PINNOCK: Yup, yup.
Q: One other thing about the Cowboys. Does Cowboys week feel different at all? You've been around a little bit. Giants, Cowboys. Does the whole Cowboys thing feel a little different?
JASON PINNOCK: I wouldn't specifically say Cowboys, but division games, for sure.
Q: What does division games mean? We know what they mean as far as you play them twice. It's important. But as far as familiarity, importance, how does it feel different to you?
JASON PINNOCK: We know each other best. In the NFL there is small room for error, and division games, it's even heightened. Just like you said, they're familiar with our schemes, we're familiar with theirs. They're familiar with our personnel, we're familiar with theirs. And just the tradition and history behind division games, hyped up and everybody wants to win.
Q: Do you go into a season… You're focused on your team, obviously, and your job, but do you go into a season, especially with division games, and think, 'Oh, I think they're really good. I think they may struggle. They got a new quarterback.' If so, what's your sense of the Cowboys so far this season?
JASON PINNOCK: I think within the division, you're more on high alert within their personnel and draft stuff or all the off-season acquisitions and stuff. But I don't look at it too different.
Q: Three games into the season, if I said you will be sharing the team lead with sacks, you would have said what?
JASON PINNOCK: I would have believed you. But I think everybody else, they (would've been) probably a little shocked.
Q: You and (defensive lineman) Dexter (Lawrence II), is that one of the few things you guys share? You guys aren't going to share a lot of stats, are you? Sacks is one of them, huh?
JASON PINNOCK: I would say that's going to be one of them.
Q: We all know how you guys left the field with the fans the last game, the first home game of the season. What do you want to show them when you come back here to MetLife Stadium on Thursday night for the first time since that opener?
JASON PINNOCK: Truthfully, it's more about showing ourselves. It may be a corny response, but it's just how we feel in this building. Not really trying to prove people, like the non-believers, trying to prove them wrong. We're just trying to prove to ourselves in this building and our loved ones who believe in us that we're right.
Q: You have a lot of young guys on the team. This is their first time getting a taste of this Cowboys-Giants rivalry, right? So, what do you tell them about this?
JASON PINNOCK: First time for everything. Just glad most of them young bucks got the first game jitters out and just don't make it any bigger than the last three weeks.
Q: I just had a question about (quarterback) DJ (Daniel Jones). You've been around your professional career here in New York, so you know the level of scrutiny and whatnot, and I'm sure you hear the criticisms he gets. What impresses you about the way he handles that? What's your level of respect for the way he handles that?
JASON PINNOCK: Very high because I'm not aware of it. I don't look for it within myself on the internet, and I'm sure not looking for as far as negative connotation towards DJ (Daniel Jones). He doesn't let anybody else know that if he is affected by it, we don't know. I think that's what leaders do, don't show when you're hurt.
Q: Are you at all concerned about the secondary with the number of injuries? (Nick) McCloud, Adoree' (Jackson), Dru (Phillips). It seems like they're falling lately.
JASON PINNOCK: No. Honestly, we stressed that, being young, in the offseason understanding, going into the year, that we would be young and that everybody has to be ready. That's just what it is. It's a violent, fast, physical game. We're always ready. Next man up mentality. Not too worried.
Q: To win, to make a run for the playoff, there are teams you got to beat. I would think Dallas and Philadelphia are two of them. For Dallas, you've lost six in a row and 13 of 14, I think. How do you change it?
JASON PINNOCK: It's a new day. That's the only thing I can really say. With that, my analogy goes towards my big brother. We joke about this all the time. It's sort of like, he probably beat on me for 12 years, but that 13th, I'm going to bust your ass. It is what it is.
