Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: Can you take us back when (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) asked about number changes, what your kind of initial thought with what was available and the idea for number one?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, what I would say with that is, I know he's very appreciative to the (former Giant Ray) Flaherty family for allowing him to wear that number. I'd say ask (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) about the number. The most important thing for us is to help Malik (Nabers) be the best football player he can be. I know he's very appreciative to the family, I know he spoke to them, I know he spoke to (President and Chief Executive Officer, Board Director) John (K. Mara). So, that's his number and we're getting ready to play football.

Q: What happened with the decision with (inside linebacker) Dyontae Johnson on IR?

BRIAN DABOLL: We've made some more roster changes. I know I told you guys it's fluid. That's something that we needed to do. He was injured, so we added some more people. We've added some more people this morning. We had some workouts. I'll try to keep you updated. I think these are finalized. So, there's quite a bit of them here. Art Green, he's a corner(back). He signed to the practice squad. Elijah Garcia is a defensive tackle. Duke Shelley, corner(back), signed him. We're bringing (tight end/fullback) Jakob (Johnson) up.

Q: Are these all practice squad?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, they'll be out here today. They had to get their physicals. I just found out a few minutes ago. I'm trying to keep you updated. So, (tight end/fullback) Jakob (Johnson), we're going to bring him up to the 53 (man roster). We had to put (guard) Austin Schlottmann down, he got injured yesterday in practice, on IR (injured reserve). He hurt his leg. And I think that's where we're at right now.

Q: Is that a season-ending leg thing for (guard Austin) Schlottmann?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's weeks. He got rolled up on, so he's going to be out more than, I'd say, four weeks. Probably more than that, too. So, we made the move. (Tight end/fullback) Jakob (Johnson) is coming up, and I think that's it.

Q: How do you look at your backup center spot, then, at this point?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, (guard) GVR (Greg Van Roten) has played center. (Guard Jon) Runyan (Jr.) can play center. We have guys that can play center that have played it. I'm thankful GVR (Greg Van Roten) got those reps coming in to play center when he got here, because he can play it. And (Offensive Line Coach) Carm (Carmen Bricillo) has had experience with him at the (Las Vegas) Raiders and felt confident that he could do that even before we signed him. So, they've all gotten reps there.

Q: (Cornerback Duke) Shelley is on the practice squad, too, right? No one else?

BRIAN DABOLL: He is.

Q: Just (tight end/fullback) Jakob (Johnson) to the 53 (man roster)?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. You guys got (linebacker Ty) Summers, right? Linebacker on the practice squad. (Linebacker Curtis) Bolton will be on the active. You all got that? Bolton, yep. (Safety) Anthony Johnson, you guys got that.

Q: Who is Bolton?

BRIAN DABOLL: Curtis.

Q: Linebacker?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yes.

Q: What's the weekend like for you, personally? Are you able to kind of put things in the drawer, or do you just push through?

BRIAN DABOLL: We'll continue to do… We've done a lot of work up to this point. This has kind of been like a regular season night week for the coaches. We'll do a lot of that again tomorrow. We'll see where we're at here, but we've put a lot of work into it, whether it's the offseason or this past week. But there is a lot of work that needs to be done, so we're in regular season mode.

Q: What did you see from the O-line (offensive line) yesterday together for the first time?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, did a good job. Good communicators. Again, there's some experience on that line. They've played a lot of football, but it was good to have them out there. Good communication. Had a good practice.

Q: How does the conversation go, as much as you can say, with a guy like (wide receiver) Isaiah Hodgins, who has been here, was a huge part of the team when you guys went to the playoffs? Had a 100-yard game in the playoffs. He's been with you for a long time, and then you're cutting him and asking him to come humbly back to the practice squad…

BRIAN DABOLL: I think you're just honest with the players. I'm not going to divulge too much, out of respect to Isaiah, but you're just clear. You're open with them. We wanted him to come back to the practice squad. Again, that's up to him, too, as well. But those conversations, they're never easy to have. It's 7 in the morning or 7:15. You're bringing them in off their off day, but you have to have them. You just try to be transparent. I think there's mutual respect. That's what you hope for.

Q: A guy like (cornerback Duke) Shelley has starting experience, veteran. Not to reveal your lineup but does he have a chance to compete for that opposite starting corner job?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say this. Let's get him out here. There's been tape on him, but let's get him out here these next few days, see where he's at. Again, we'll do whatever we think is best for the team, but let's evaluate him, teach him our system, let him get under his feet underneath him a little bit and we'll see where it goes.

Q: All three of those guys that you signed with the practice squad, they worked out here this morning?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, most. I think two of them did. We had a big – there was a lot of people this morning working out.

Q: We saw (wide receiver) Allen Robinson went to the Lions practice squad. Did you guys offer him a chance to come back to the practice squad?

BRIAN DABOLL: With those discussions, I'll keep it private. (Wide receiver) Allen (Robinson) was a great pro, so we'll see what happens.

Q: Along those lines, maybe not specifically, but when guys are moving around, veterans move to practice squads, other places, I would imagine the communication that you're talking about is pretty important, too, right? You never know when you're going to have a spot and a guy is sitting there on a practice squad somewhere else. Is that important for you, too, when they leave the building, to make sure, if this might be a guy that we might want to entice to come back, to keep that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I just think you've got to be transparent with the players and have open lines of communication and be upfront and honest with them. I think that's – if my son was in that situation, that's how I want people to treat my son, and be clear, open lines of communication. Again, if people go to another practice squad, if you need to get them off the practice squad, you can always do that as well. But I think being transparent, whether it's before they get here, during the process, at the cut-down date, I think that's important to be open and communicate clearly.

Q: It kind of happened last year with (former Giants guard) Tyre Phillips, right?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, and again, it's a long season. You never know what can happen. There's a lot of injuries that take place, spots to fill at times, and you just try to do people the right way.

Q: I know you said you're concentrating sort of on yourself this week. When do you sort of flip over to the Vikings?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, with the players, that's what we've been doing. This week is more our stuff or, like I said, issue plays that we want to get corrected off of cards. The coaches have been working quite a bit on, I would say, Minnesota here. We did it in the offseason some, but then you don't even know what team they have or the pieces they have and then you go and meet with the personnel department and review their roster that they have currently right now. I know they're still making changes or have made changes. But the coaches have been working on it for a while.

Q: With the players, when do you start?

BRIAN DABOLL: When they get back on Monday is when we'll go. But again, there's some stuff we need to make sure we clean up, but the coaches have put a lot of work into it.

Q: Are you operating as if (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski) going to be your Week 1 punt returner?

BRIAN DABOLL: We'll see. I mean he's making progress. He was out here catching punts yesterday. I think he's making improvement. I would hope so, but again, it's 10 days or is it 10 days away, I think. 10 days, 11 days away. We'll see where he's at.

Q: What do you look at for your other options for that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, that's internal discussions. We have guys back there catching balls. There's always things we could do to add to the roster if we wanted to, but I think (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski) is moving in the right direction.

Q: I know you put him on season-ending IR (injured reserve). What happened to (wide receiver) Isaiah McKenzie late in that Jets game?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, he had a foot, so he's in a boot today. Again, another player like (wide receiver) Isaiah Hodgins that I'm very, very close with. You hate to see a player get injured. I feel bad for the guy. He's in his boot, but it's an unfortunate part of the business.

Q: Anyone else not going today?

BRIAN DABOLL: (Inside linebacker) Micah (McFadden) will still be out. Everybody else to do stuff.

Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

Q: What can you say about what the organization thinks of you that they made this concession, that the family made this concession?

MALIK NABERS: It shows how much trust they have in me, it shows how much they are really going to go to bat for me. They say it's a lot of pressure, but I don't really feel any pressure.

Q: Does it feel different wearing it?

MALIK NABERS: No, I don't feel different at all. I mean, the person makes the number.

Q: Why do you say it's not a lot of pressure?

MALIK NABERS: Because I've had pressure my whole life. Made it out of a lot of situations with pressure. I feel like I like pressure. So, I'm happy that it's on me. I mean, I guess if everybody puts pressure on me, then it's good.

Q: How did this come about? The number became available to you. Obviously, you wanted it. Could you walk us through that?

MALIK NABERS: We had a lot of situations dealing with what number I was going to wear. Reached around the locker room, asked about numbers, but I feel like this was the best route that I went. I'm grateful and thankful to the family for letting me wear this number. I know this number hasn't been worn for 80 to 90 years. So, for me to be chosen to wear this number, only favor to God. I'm God's child. So, he put me in the right position.

Q: Why #1? What's appealing about #1?

MALIK NABERS: I just felt like it was the best situation, the number to go at, really.

Q: Does it look good?

MALIK NABERS: It looks good, feels good.

Q: Does it mean anything? Does it have any meaning?

MALIK NABERS: No, it doesn't have a meaning, but it has a meaning in this organization. It's been retired for so long. Thank you for the Flaherty family for letting me wear it.

Q: Do you think you can make it have another generation that has talked about wearing that number eventually?

MALIK NABERS: I'm going to try my best to wear it with pride, continue to be who I am. But again, thankful to the family for letting me wear it. But it's about me right now. I've got to go play in that jersey.

Q: Does it add some expectation or is that something that's already there?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, the expectation is already high. The expectation was high when I got drafted here, first round. So, the stakes are already high.

Q: You starting to buzz a little bit about Week 1 getting here soon?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I'm ready for the competition. I'm ready to see what the league is all about.

Q: What's the biggest thing you've learned throughout camp so far?

MALIK NABERS: The game is pretty fast. The game is really fast. I had my first game, and I came and told (defensive lineman) Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches), I'm like, 'Yeah, you really did tell me the game was fast. He was like, 'All that practice stuff, it's slow right now, but that game speed fast.' When I first got out there, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I had a talk with some people. The game is really fast. It's way faster than college for sure.

Q: Are you talking about the Lions game or the Texans game?

MALIK NABERS: The Texans game.

Q: How would you describe the group, your wide receiver group, and how you fit in and how each of the other's kind of fit in?

MALIK NABERS: We got a great receiver room. We've got great guys in that room. We're starting to take it step by step, getting ready for the season. But we have a lot of great receivers that's going into that room. We step into our roles, and I can't wait to go play with those guys on Week 1.

Q: Do you look at (wide receiver) Darius (Slayton) as the leader and a guy that you can go to?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, that's the vet.. I have a lot of conversations with (wide receiver) Slay (Darius Slayton) about different things. He took me under his wing, showed me a lot of stuff that goes on with coverages and stuff like that. I'm taking it as being a pro, as going to talk to him, asking him questions and trying to get ahead of the game.

Q: (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones), your quarterback, has really become a lightning rod. Everything that happens with him is under the microscope nationally. How much are you looking forward to trying to help him prove people wrong and just what do you think of that when you see it?

MALIK NABERS: All I can do is really my job. All I can do is just help him find open receivers, get open and catch the ball when the ball is thrown to me. Just help him as an offense. We are one offense, so I'm just trying to help the offense grow really.

Q: Playing Minnesota next week… Is (Minnesota Vikings wide receiver) Justin Jefferson, especially him also being an LSU guy… Is that someone who you look at as a measuring stick or someone who, maybe, I don't know if you have any relationship with him through LSU?

MALIK NABERS: He's a great leader, great receiver. Like you said, he came from LSU. So, of course, I watch a lot of his tapes, a lot of what he does. He's a special player, but, again, it's all about what I'm going to do in Week 1 and it's all about what I'm going to do for this team.

Q: Do you know him at all through the LSU?

MALIK NABERS: No, I wasn't there when he was there.

Q: Do you ever think about what makes you the player you are? What makes you special?

MALIK NABERS: I don't really like talking about myself a lot. I believe, I'm just a dog. When I'm out there on the field, I just want to be a dog, be a difference maker and be a player that my coaches can count on really.