Q: Do you think the Week 13 game against the Packers would have been different if you had a healthy Boley?
A: That game could have been different if we had a few components that were missing. Justin Tuck wasn't healthy. We were missing Osi. Boley went in with a banged-up hamstring and other things that he had at that particular moment. But we don't hang our heads on that. We made adjustments and we made strides missing key people on our defense all year long. We're just fortunate enough to have everyone healthy and everyone all on deck. We'll see what the outcome is come Sunday.
Q: That was a close game and now you have everyone.A: Absolutely. We're extremely excited to have all of our key guys intact that we're going to ride with going through this postseason. We're excited. We're excited about the opportunity that's ahead of us and we're excited about playing together and understanding the defense, understanding each other, understanding that this guy is going to be next to us and he's fighting with everything he has.
Q: Is this the ultimate challenge for a defense?
A: It's a challenge no matter which way you look at it. Going against Green Bay, the best team in the NFL at this moment, defending Super Bowl Champions, this is our second playoff game. This game is going to dictate whether we proceed or not. I think that's our biggest challenge. That's going to be our biggest momentum swing – just go in there and try to be the best Giants that we can be this upcoming Sunday.
Q: Did you study what Kansas City did?
A: Absolutely. That was the first film I watched. They attacked them defensively. They were very physical. I think they were more physical than Green Bay on that given day and they won the game.
Q: Do you agree that the defensive line will dictate this game?
A: I agree with it to some sort. It always starts up front. Those guys have been doing an exceptional job of getting pressure on quarterbacks. They've been doing an even better job of stopping the run and clogging up those gaps so the runners can't break loose. We have to do our job in the secondary and make sure we take away their receivers – which they have a lot of weapons – and the linebackers have to do both at the same time. So it's going to be a team effort. It's going to be a collective effort. There's not one position that has more of a responsibility than the other. We have pretty much the same responsibility, just different techniques.
Q: What kind of player is JPP now compared to the start of the season?
A: I think he's a smarter player. He understands the defense a whole lot better. Most of all, he's going out there and he's causing havoc. He's playing reckless and he's giving everything he's got on each and every play.
Q: Do you think Kenny Phillips answered a lot of questions about his knee this season? A: Absolutely. Whether his knee has been bothering him or not, it doesn't look like it. He's playing through it. He hasn't said anything to anyone. We check up on him pretty often, but he's always ready to go and he's always there for us. The mentality of this team is tremendous. We have guys that are extremely banged-up. I know personally, myself, I'm extremely banged –up, but once Sunday comes, that goes out the window. We're all-in. We're all on deck. We're going to do whatever it takes to make sure we go out there and win this game come Sunday.
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