Oct 202015
 
Cooper Taylor (30), New York Giants (November 10, 2013)

Cooper Taylor returning a blocked punt for a TD – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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GIANTS WAIVE COOPER TAYLOR…
The New York Giants have waived safety Cooper Taylor. No other roster move was made immediately to fill Cooper’s roster spot.

Taylor was selected in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Giants. Taylor missed six games in 2013 with shoulder and hamstring injuries. He played in 10 games that year, serving almost exclusively on special teams. Taylor missed the entire 2014 season with a semasoid bone issue in his foot that required surgery. He was active for three games this years.

VICTOR CRUZ REPORTEDLY IMPROVING…
According to The Bergen Record, there has been recent improvement in wide receiver Victor Cruz’s calf injury. Cruz supposedly is no longer experiencing pain in his left calf and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday to reassess his status. The Record says that if all goes well, Cruz could receive clearance to begin running again and then practice, perhaps as early as this week. It is unlikely that he would be able to play this weekend against the Cowboys.

Cruz has not fully practiced since August 17 due to the calf issue. He attempted to practice on September 30 but suffered a setback and received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on October 1 to help quicken the healing process.

WILL BEATTY UPDATE…
Offensive tackle Will Beatty, who has not been able to practice since teaning his pectoral muscle in a May weight lifting accident, is eligible to return to practice this week if he is healthy enough to do so. Beatty is current on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform (PUP) List.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin said on Tuesday that when the determination is made that Beatty will practice, the team will take it slowly. “We’ll first start with individual (drills),” said Coughlin. “When exactly that happens, I’m not sure if that’s going to start this week or when. But when we do, it will be with the idea of bringing him back slowly…He hasn’t done (football work) for a long, long time. And he’s got to get used to his pads. He’s got a lot of work ahead of him.”

Once Beatty begins practicing, the Giants will have a three-week window before they must move him to the 53-man roster.

DANIEL FELLS RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL…
Tight end Daniel Fells, who has been hospitalized for almost three weeks with a life-threatening MRSA infection (staph), was released from the hospital today. Fells has undergone seven surgeries with at least two more scheduled. Fells did have an infected bone removed from his foot, but the foot did not have to be amputated as was once feared. ESPN reports that additional surgeries in the future will be required to further clean out the infected area and likely will include plastic surgery. It is believed Fells career is over due to permanent damage to the foot.

JASON PIERRE-PAUL TO MEET WITH GIANTS ON WEDNESDAY…
According to ESPN, the Giants will meet with unsigned Franchise Player defensive Jason Pierre-Paul on Wednesday. This will be the second time the Giants have met with Pierre-Paul since he permanently-disfigured his right hand in a July 4th fireworks accident. The first meeting occurred in early September when the Giants determined that Pierre-Paul was physically not ready to return to the playing field.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
Tom Coughlin addressed the media by conference call on Monday:

Good afternoon. I’ll just start out by summarizing the frustration of, I think, the first quarter, and that pretty much sums up the way I feel about the whole day. We take the first drive and go 80 yards in eight plays and score. They go three and out, we get the ball back, we take it the length of the field, we get down in there. They call it an interception, it’s really nothing but a strip of the ball that we’ve got two hands on, they’ve got one hand on—they strip the ball out, rip it away. Then they start their drive from the minus-22, they get a third and 10. We get a roughing the passer, which is no question a good call on the officials’ part, which gives them the continuation of a drive that they still have to go 60 yards, but they do. At the conclusion of the drive, they have a 32-yard pass for a touchdown which we’ve got a player in a half-field coverage right there for the ball and just doesn’t play the ball. The safety from the other side of the field comes over and almost gets a hand on it, but the person who’s back in that deep-half does not defend the ball in the air. It probably should have been intercepted, to be honest with you.

Then you go on and you get the running into the punter call and they still have to go 72 yards after that. But in those situations it is the idea that you’ve stopped them and you’re out. And it’s a good stop and it’s something that you work hard, it’s not an easy thing to do. And yet, then they take the ball and they go and score. The frustration on the part of our inability to take, if you can believe, four turnovers and have nothing to show for it—no points. To have some opportunities as we got the ball into position, only to go backwards with the foolishness of the penalties, the bizarre nature of the penalties—12 penalties for one team and eight for the other. And we’re the team with 12. We constantly, constantly harp on knowing full well that the team that we were going against led the league in forced fumbles, and yet to have that happen a couple on different times in the game in obvious circumstances. Then you add to it the second and one, third and one, and fourth and one, which had we been able to put the ball out there on the second and one just a little bit further, the ball was a little bit underthrown, I think that ball would have been caught. And then to have a third and one and fourth and one and not make the necessary yardage when you know that north-south is the answer to it. Let’s get ourselves in position where it couldn’t have been more than three or four inches that was the difference. And I thought we had an opportunity with regard to both times to get it, to pick it, but it didn’t happen. I’ll always take the responsibility for that and for everything else that happens on the field.

The frustration of the day continues with some of the penalties that were recorded for intentional grounding which, quite frankly, I thought we were through that. We’ve opened that can of worms again. We’ve got to do a better job with that. Protection, we had protection breakdowns as the game went along. We did have some good runs. I thought at the beginning of the game and sporadically throughout, we did have some opportunities with runs that gave us the chance, I thought, to have a good mix and have good balance. And we did have early on, and it did hold the rush in check. Then as the game got on, the rush did an outstanding job against us. Many times it was a four-man rush, too. Our ability to rush their passer to force them to throw the ball when they didn’t want to wasn’t quite as good as we had hoped it would be. We went over there, I thought we had a good week, we were really into this game and look forward to playing it. We knew what to expect from the big crowd, loud crowd, in the division—all of that. It did not turn out the way we wanted it to. I’m sure that knowing in our locker room the number of people that take great pride in what they do and the way we felt about it afterwards, we’re going to have to come bouncing back. It’ll have to happen really fast as it is a short week. Hopefully we have a limited number of things to deal with in terms of the injuries, but I’m not quite clear on any of that today, it’s a little bit early.

Q: Do you have an update on where things stand with Will Beatty? He’s eligible to come off the PUP list.

A: Yeah, when that is decided it will be slow going. We’ll first start with individual. When exactly that happens, I’m not sure if that’s going to start this week or when. But when we do, it will be with the idea of bringing him back slowly.

Q: What are the challenges? What needs to be done to get him up to speed?

A: Well naturally, you have to put him on the field. You have to put him in football work. You’ve got to do all those kinds of things. He hasn’t done that for a long, long time. And he’s got to get used to his pads. He’s got a lot of work ahead of him.

Q: Can you trust Damontre Moore to be on the field and not make the kinds of penalties that he made last night?

A: I can’t honestly really say that. He’s obviously of a high-energy, he does give outstanding effort, there’s no question about it. But with regard to that, there’s absolutely no excuse for anyone for the unnecessary roughness penalty that he committed last night. Not knowing and being aware of the fact with what the down and distance was, and I realize he may not have known what’s going on behind him, but clearly, clearly to understand the way in which the quarterback is protected and rightfully so, and what can and can’t be done from a standpoint of his position. There’s no excuse for that. You used the word trust, I don’t know. That’s a good word.

Q: Did you have to sit down and talk to him? Is that something that you plan on doing or have done?

A: There’s been a lot sitting down and talking. I certainly will do more of it and he is very good about listening etc. But we’ve got to see whether it can hold true on the field.

Q: Given all the penalties and mistakes, did you feel heading into this game that the team had maybe started to turn the corner and you were just surprised maybe a little bit by the setback?

A: Oh, for sure, I was. We had played our way into three wins, we had gotten ourselves into a position we wanted to be in. We had created a big opportunity for our team, Philadelphia had done the same thing with their start and then where they had come. I was confident that our team was going to play hard and to be play in the same style and fashion that we had been. The number of things that occurred in the game just weren’t anything that we had been doing. We hadn’t done that, we hadn’t just carelessly given the ball away. We hadn’t really had an outbreak of the kind of penalties that took place. We played hard, as I mentioned last night. We didn’t play balanced, we didn’t help each other at all. We didn’t do the things necessary in order to complement each other on offense, defense and special teams. We put ourselves in a bad position, didn’t accomplish what we needed to, didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that were there for us—all those things which I really felt we were on our way, we were growing into the type of team that can handle those things and those situations in very important games. It was a disappointment to me, no doubt.

Q: When you had a chance to look at the offensive line and the pass rush that they got, did you see one-on-one guys just getting beat or was it mental breakdowns?

A: When there was pressure or whatever, there were occasions where people were beat and some occasions where the pressure was coming and we really didn’t have the opportunity to get rid of the ball yet. So the timing was such that the rush got there before we had an opportunity to declare who was going to be running free or if anybody was going to get open. There’s a combination of things, as there always is.

Q: Despite having the three turnovers, you were plus-one in the turnover margin. Was this kind of an uncharacteristic game for you to win the turnover battle and force the Eagles into so many turnovers but really not capitalize on their mistakes?

A: Well, I think you just said it all. What more can be said? I started out by saying we had four turnovers and nothing to show for it. I think that’s a very, very unusual circumstance in any game. Usually when you do have an opportunity for those things to take place, and quite frankly, there probably could have been more. We could have had another, at least one more interception. We didn’t take advantage of anything and that’s disappointing. Momentum, the ebb and the flow, teams are going to surge, teams are going to have their plays, people are going to make plays, there’s going to be things that come up in the course of the game that give you an opportunity to take advantage of.  I was just disappointed we didn’t do any of that no matter when they came.

Q: You mentioned the lack of pressure you got on him. There weren’t a lot of blitzes in the game. How much was that the plan and how much was it the way it unfolded? What can you do moving forward to improve that pass rush?

A: Well first, there’s always a plan for pressure, without a doubt, but other things have to be taken into consideration as well. So you can add one, two to the list. When you do rush more than five, you obviously have some issues where you’re locked in and on the back end you’ve got to do a superb job of covering for that amount of time—you better get to the quarterback. You’re always going to have your pressure game. The extent of which it gets called has to do with a lot of things. You can always say you’re going to add to it, but you’ve got some other considerations as well. So aggressiveness, you want to maintain it, no matter how it comes about. It will all be looked at again going forward.

Q: Do you have an update on JPP? He’s supposed to be coming in this week for a re-check.

A: We’ll know more about that when it happens. I don’t really have a lot to talk about there.

Q: Do you just treat this as a bad game and move on from there or do you sit there and say, “We’ve got to change immediately?”

A: Well, it’s a bad game, it’s a bad production. We’ve got to be able to handle the big games. The games where things don’t go our way, we’ve got to handle them better. You’ve got handle those situations better. You’re going to always have your little adjustments to adapt to the team that you’re going to play that you may add something to or you may not do something as much of. But you are who you are, and you do have your scheme in hands and you’re going to stay within that scheme as you plan and go forward. You’re going to try and make the players understand how different this could have been had some things been taken advantage of, had we been able to score the second time we marched down there. Just the little teeny things that happen that each play becomes so monumental when you’re playing against a good football team. The third and one, the fourth and one, the opportunity to catch the ball, put it away and not let someone take it from you—all those things add to the winning and the losing and the ebb and the flow that take place during the game. So you’ll make some adjustments. For example, I thought we had some good runs. We had some good runs going for us and our balance might have been better had we been able to do something with the ball to make first downs, not shoot ourselves in the foot so often, there may have been even better balance. Frustration? Yeah, no question about, you can sense it in my voice. Especially when you’ve got a day where you don’t have your team around here. You’ve got tape to look at and the coaches to talk with, but at the same time, because of the nature of the week, you’ve got to move on to the next opponent. You’ve got to get moving.

Q: What about the scenario where, obviously, this year and last are so similar in a lot of ways?

A: That was last year, this is a new year. What am I worried about? I’m worried about getting our team ready for the Dallas Cowboys. Forget about last year. Last year was last year.

Q: You mentioned about keeping your chin up and not dwelling on the loss. How do prevent things from snowballing and preventing the turnovers when you play Dallas next week?

A: Well, you’ve got to shut the turnovers down, there’s no doubt about that. I think the conscientious effort on the part of everybody here will be directed at that. The players have definitely got that message, there’s no doubt. At the expense of anything else, both hands have got to go on the ball and you just can’t be careless, you just can’t. Especially when you go into a game with a team that is leading the league in forced fumbles. I just shake my head sometimes because we’re not aware of, and that’s an area of frustration as well. But remorse, the players will be remorseful because of the opportunity that we had. But let’s not forget there’s a long way to go, we are 3-3.

Q: Do you have any update on Victor Cruz? Any change in him?

A: No. I don’t have any update for you there.

Q: Has he been doing anything? Is it still just running underwater and stuff?

A: Yeah, he’s been on the treadmill, the underwater treadmill, yeah.

GIANTS ON WFAN
The audio of Tuesday’s WFAN Radio interviews with the following players available at CBS New York’s website:

NOTES…
The Giants are 3-12 in their last 15 regular-season games vs. Philadelphia.

The Giants have lost four consecutive NFC East road games.

The Giants fell to 23-36-1 on Monday Night Football, including 15-27-1 on the road, 1-7 vs. the Eagles, and 1-6 in Philadelphia.

The Giants have not rushed for at least 100 yards in any of their first six games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time the Giants have rushed for fewer than 100 yards in six consecutive games. They are the only NFL team without a 100-yard rushing game this season.

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players return to practice on Wednesday to start preparing for Sunday’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Oct 162015
 


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INJURY REPORT – ODELL BECKHAM MISSES PRACTICE AGAIN…
WR Odell Beckham (hamstring), WR Victor Cruz (calf), LB Devon Kennard (hamstring), CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral), and CB Trumaine McBride (groin/illness) did not practice on Friday.

When asked about Beckham, Head Coach Tom Coughlin responded, “Good, he’s coming along.”

McBride did not practice on Friday after practicing on Thursday. He might have sat out due to an illness. “We hope (he will be able to play),” said Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo of McBride. “He didn’t do much today.”

WR Rueben Randle (hamstring), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), LB Jon Beason (concussion), and LB Jonathan Casillas (calf) practiced on a limited basis.

“I felt great,” said Beason. “Obviously I didn’t have any pads on so there was no contact. But from an overall neuro standpoint—the symptoms, the headaches, the vomiting—I didn’t have any of that.”

LG Justin Pugh (ankle) and DE George Selvie (calf) fully practiced.

ELI MANNING AWARDED AGAIN…
Quarterback Eli Manning has been voted the “FedEx Air Player of the Week” for his performance against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday night. In the game, Manning completed 41-of-54 passes (both career highs) for 441 yards (third highest total of his career), 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception for a QB rating of 110.2. Manning also completed 15 consecutive passes spanning the third and fourth quarters and led the Giants to the 27th fourth-quarter regular-season comeback of his career. Manning was named the “NFC Offensive Player of the Week” earlier in the week.

TOM COUGHLIN AND THE COORDINATORS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

The audio of Thursday’s ESPN Radio interview with WR Odell Beckham is also available at ESPN.com.

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Instead of practicing, the Giants will hold a “recovery day” on Saturday. The players will select two of six recovery stations, based on seniority. Their choices are massage, yoga, FMS (Functional Movement Screen) exercises designed for the individual, air compression boots, contrast bath (between a hot and cold tub), and self-massage with stick rollers and elastic bands.

The Giants will also have a 45-minute, up-tempo “walk-thru” practice on Sunday that is not open to the media. The Giants will then travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles on Monday night.

Oct 082015
 


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INJURY REPORT – THOSE TROUBLESOME CALVES…
WR Victor Cruz (calf), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DE George Selvie (calf), LB Devon Kennard (hamstring), LB Jonathan Casillas (calf), and CB Jayron Hosley (concussion) did not practice on Thursday.

“They said it was day-to-day and we’ll re-assess it on Monday,” said Cruz of his calf injury.

Casillas was a new addition to the injury report.

“Hosley is going to work today,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin before practice. “He can’t have any contact, but he’s going to move around and extend himself from what he did yesterday.”

CB Trumaine McBride (groin) practiced on a limited basis.

TE Jerome Cunningham (knee), LT Ereck Flowers (ankle), and DT Markus Kuhn (knee) fully practiced.

TOM COUGHLIN AND THE COORDINATORS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Instead of practicing, the Giants will hold a “recovery day” on Friday. The players will select two of six recovery stations, based on seniority. Their choices are massage, yoga, FMS (Functional Movement Screen) exercises designed for the individual, air compression boots, contrast bath (between a hot and cold tub), and self-massage with stick rollers and elastic bands.

The Giants will also have a 45-minute, full-speed practice on Saturday that is not open to the media. The Giants play the San Francisco 49ers at home on Sunday night.

Oct 072015
 


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GIANTS PROMOTE MYLES WHITE TO 53-MAN ROSTER…
The New York Giants have signed wide receiver Myles White from the team’s Practice Squad to the 53-man roster. White fills the vacancy created when tight end Daniel Fells was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve with a MRSA staph infection.

The Giants signed White to the Practice Squad after he was waived by the Green Bay Packers in September 2015. White was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Packers after the 2013 NFL Draft. White played in seven games as a rookie, catching nine passes for 66 yards. He spent the 2014 season on Green Bay’s Practice Squad. White led the Packers with 16 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the 2015 preseason. He is an average-sized receiver with good speed.

“A young guy who knows the system very well,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin of White. “Can play in the slot, play on the outside. He’s been used with our first group in the last couple of weeks, we’ve only had four receivers that can participate. So we get a guy who is sharp, who’s had a good preseason, who knows the system well, can adapt to all the positions, knows the signals when we’re in the no-huddle. And I think we kind of just keep going with a multiple position guy.”

The Giants also re-signed wide receiver Julian Talley to the Practice Squad and added tight end Dominique Jones to the Practice Squad.

Julian Talley, New York Giants (August 14, 2015)

Julian Talley – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Talley had been released from the team’s Practice Squad on September 30. Talley was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Giants after the 2012 NFL Draft. Talley spent most of the 2013 and 2014 seasons on the team’s Practice Squad, although he did play in two games each season. He does not yet have an NFL catch. Talley is a tall, thin receiver with good overall athletic ability. He lacks ideal speed, but is smooth and fluid with good hands. Talley has gotten better each year.

Jones is a well-traveled journeyman who has spent time with the Sacramento Mountain Lions (2011), Reading Express (2012), Indianapolis Colts (2012 and 2013), Miami Dolphins (2012), Kansas City Chiefs (2013), Buffalo Bills (2014), Denver Broncos (2014–2015), and Baltimore Ravens (2015). He has played in 13 NFL regular-season games with three starts, accruing just three catches for 42 yards. Jones has good size (6’3”, 270 pounds).

WORKOUT TUESDAY…
As normal, the New York Giants held workouts for a number of unsigned players on Tuesday. Those who worked out for the team included quarterback Cody Fajardo; tight ends Adrien Robinson, Cameron Clear, Dominique Jones, and Brian Leonhardt; and defensive end/tight end Jake Bequette. Jones was signed to the Practice Squad.

MRSA UPDATE…
At the request of both the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the Giants held a team meeting on Wednesday to address player concerns about the MRSA staph infection that has ended tight end Daniel Fells’ season. The Giants had their team facilities professionally scrubbed to contain any possible spread to other players and team officials.

“We had (Senior Vice President of Medical Services) Ronnie Barnes, we had team doctors, we had the person in charge of our facility in here to talk about the way the cleaning process is normally underway, and what we have done in addition to that, as well,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “So the players asked a couple of questions, very good questions…We still do not know the reason for the infection or where it came from…I think most of the questions got answered this morning. The guys seemed to be able to go right back to work.

“We know how serious it is, and we are taking every precaution and doing everything we possibly can. They are very, very thorough in what they’ve done in terms of cleaning. The basic health priorities were gone over again this morning – washing of the hands, calling attention to any type of cut or anything, anything that looks like what they call a spider bite or anything of a boil nature. Anything where the skin is turning red, those types of things. With Daniel, it was a different story, there was no surface injury that anybody knows of. It was an acute joint problem along with a temperature.”

INJURY REPORT…
WR Victor Cruz (calf), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DE George Selvie (calf), LB Devon Kennard (hamstring), CB Jayron Hosley (concussion), and CB Trumaine McBride (groin) did not practice on Wednesday.

“It’s day to day,” said Kennard. “I’ve probably iced it 100 times since our last game, and I’m just trying to get it right and doing whatever the trainers tell me, and hopefully I’ll be back soon.”

TE Jerome Cunningham (knee) was limited to individual drills.

LT Ereck Flowers (ankle) and DT Markus Kuhn (knee) fully practiced.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Tom Coughlin provided the following update on TE Daniel Fells (staph infection), who was placed on season-ending Injured Reserve on Monday: “They’re thinking Thursday he’ll be able to get out (of the hospital). I talked to him on the phone, he sounds good on the phone. He’s very disappointed, obviously, but we all wish him well. He understands, as well as we do, he has a wife and family, he’s got to get better, period.”

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Wednesday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

The audio of Tuesday’s WFAN Radio interview with LB Jon Beason is available at CBS New York’s website.

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday and hold physical recovery cycles on Friday in advance of Sunday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Oct 052015
 


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DANIEL FELLS HAS STAPH INFECTION, SEASON OVER…
The New York Giants announced on Monday that tight end Daniel Fells has developed a staph infection, which was discovered during treatment of what the team is calling a “chronic ankle condition.” According to NJ.com, Fells reportedly underwent multiple surgeries to treat the infection. He will be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve.

“It was very unfortunate with Daniel,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “It went from early in the week being a junkie ankle to a serious situation. I just talked to him a little while ago, he feels upbeat about it. He’s just looking forward to getting things under control so he can get out of the hospital.”

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
Tom Coughlin addressed the media by conference call on Monday:

Good afternoon everyone. We were certainly pleased to look at this tape because I thought our demeanor, the effort, the enthusiasm with which we played, the excitement—I thought the stadium there in Buffalo was electric. I liked the way that we responded to it. We worked well, particularly late in the week. Because of the nature of the Buffalo team, a very good team, their sophisticated defensive scheme, outstanding special teamers, outstanding returners with a very good offensive team that had scored 32 points on New England, that was the number one rush team in the league etc…

We had a lot of very sophisticated adjustments within the nature of the game plan on offense and I liked the way the approach was. I liked the way they focused, I liked the way the players prepared themselves. I think defensively we definitely set the tone with a number of three and outs in the first half. Offensively, the first half was pretty much the way we would want it to go, as well. I thought the interesting thought there was the objective on special teams was to do an outstanding job at coverage, punt coverage and kickoff coverage. And we did. And on defense, to first of all stop the run and, of course, all that falls in line there. Try to win the physical battle and the turnover battle. So our defensive team held Buffalo to a very low percentage on third down. We did not do much better on the offensive side. But as I said, we were plus-one and we won just by a little bit the time of possession. So we were pleased to be able to go on the road and to play against a very good team and to come away with a win.

Q: How impressed were you with the offensive line given the early injury to Ereck Flowers and how formidable the Bills pass rush is? Can you talk a little about their performance on Sunday?

A: Well, I will. I will say this—they did perform well. They’ve done a nice job with that. We pass protected well, we did end up with one sack. Quite frankly, that should have been picked up as well. We did have some occasions to run the ball. We rushed for 92 yards, they rushed for 55 yards. So we had more yards there. Again, we prepared well, there was an awful lot that went into it from a cerebral standpoint in the game. The guys did a good job with it. You would like to have the third quarter, maybe come back and do a better job there. Obviously the penalty on the screen really knocked us out of some opportunities there because the ball was down way deep into their territory. But we did do a good job, and we did protect the passer. The ball did come out quickly and that was the nature of the game.

Q: How has Marshall Newhouse done in particular in your estimation?

A: He’s done a good job, he’s done a good job. He’s come in and he’s worked hard and he’s been very good up front in terms of communication. He’s a smart guy. So he’s worked himself in very well.

Q: A lot of your players last night and a couple guys today talked about, it seemed like after the 0-2 start your energy level rose a little bit higher. Is that a conscious thing that you did, stay upbeat and stay the course?

A: Yeah, the obvious. Whether the energy level came up from whatever level it currently is, I don’t know about that. But I do know that it puts a fire in our belly without a doubt to be 0-2 and I didn’t think we were an 0-2 team. We needed to do something about it. So we tried to inspire our guys to believe in themselves and come together as a team, to play the four quarters. Forget about the score and play each play as hard as you possibly can and don’t let any of the circumstances get into your head. And the coaches all did a great job of, again, continuing to express the feelings that I had and keeping the energy level very high and coaching the heck out of them and being excited about it. Trying to surround ourselves with guys that are excited to compete and believe that we can win. All of those things went into it, without a doubt.

Q: Tom, you used this word to your team last night after the game and the word keeps coming out. “Relevant.” Why that choice of word?

A: Well, it’s always good to be, at this point in time in a season, looking at our start and to know that you’re in the mix, you’re in the hunt. I chose that word to make them understand it’s a word that puts you in position, but you’re not there. You’ve got a long way to go and that’s the significance of that term.

Q: You put Fells on I.R. Do you have a corresponding roster move? When did that happen?

A: Well, we’ll see about that, the move. It was very unfortunate with Daniel. It went from early in the week being a junkie ankle to a serious situation. I just talked to him a little while ago, he feels upbeat about it. He’s just looking forward to getting things under control so he can get out of the hospital. With that being the case, we would have a roster move, but we’ll make sure we take our time, do our due diligence on that.

Q: Eli threw his first interception on Sunday. What did you see from that play? Was it more a product of maybe trying to force the pass or could Rueben Randle maybe have fought a little bit harder for the ball?

A: Well, you can look at it any way you want to. The error goes to me, because I wanted to score. I wanted to be in a position at that point to score a touchdown. And then on fourth down, if we didn’t score, we would kick the field goal. But there’s different ways to play that. I asked Rueben about it, he said when the contact came from the corner, he was kind of knocked back a little bit and wasn’t able to completely finish. And I’m sure if you really bore down on him, he could have maybe run the route just a little bit better. I think Eli had thrown a similar type of pass to him for a touchdown earlier in the game. The ball had been thrown low and in a spot where Rueben was going to get it and nobody else was going to get it. I’m sure Eli would probably say something to that effect as well. Give some credit to the corner. The corner played that pretty well.

Q: Getting a chance to look back on it, do you regret throwing the ball there in that spot?

A: No, I don’t regret the call, I regret the result. I do understand completely the consequences of the decision that you could make or couldn’t make there. However, as I explained, I was looking for an opportunity on third down to score a touchdown. If we didn’t, we would kick the field goal on fourth down. That was the entire concept.

Q: Right now, you two rookie tight ends and Larry Donnell, who doesn’t have a tremendous amount of experience himself. Is this somewhere you feel you need a veteran in that spot in some way, shape or form?

A: Well, it would be nice, but that type of a player may or may not be available. We’ll have to see where that exactly stands. Larry has played a significant number of snaps here in the early part of the season and he seems to have grown into that role. We’d like to be supportive in other ways. If we can do with what we have here, fine. If there is something that we can look into that will improve us in other areas, then so be that, too.

Q: I know he dropped the pass, but what did you see from Will Tye?

A: Well, I thought it wasn’t too big for him. I thought that he did a decent job of blocking. There was a couple of decent, good plays and probably one poor play. He did have the drop on a second and one, which would have converted to a first down, no doubt. But for the first time out of the box, he went out there and handled it well in terms of emotion and that type of thing.

Q: Owa Odighizuwa played 40-something defensive snaps in his first NFL game. How do you think he did?

A: You know what, he obviously hasn’t played in quite some time and that was a factor there. But he got in there, he mixed it up. He made a really nice play on the quarterback where he kept the ball on the option. He got himself in position a couple of times where he could have been able to apply some pressure perhaps with a little bit better movement to the quarterback and the passing game. He got in there, he got his feet wet.

Q: Do you have an update on any of these injured guys—Devon Kennard or Jayron Hosley and maybe how Ereck Flowers came out?

A: Well, Flowers seemed to come out okay. This morning, he looked very good when he was here in the building. The trainers and the doctors felt that he was actually a little bit better about the position that he’s in right now than he was a week ago. So that was good. The other guys, I do not have anything on.

Q: How about Victor Cruz? Victor said that Monday was going to be a big day for him to come in and see how that injection went?

A: I don’t think we have anything to update on Victor.

Q: Is there anything with Jason Pierre-Paul? Is he scheduled to come in any time soon?

A: I have no knowledge of any such information.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts or audio of Monday’s media sessions with the following players:

NOTES…
The Giants are 8-1 in regular-season games vs. AFC East opponents under Tom Coughlin and 2-0 in the post-season.

QB Eli Manning increased his career total passing yards to 40,731. That moved him past Hall of Famer Joe Montana (40,551) and into 13th place on the NFL’s career list. Former Giant Kerry Collins is 12th with 40,922.

WR Odell Beckham has now played in 16 NFL games or a full season. He owns the records for catches (115) and receiving yards (1,612) in the first 16 games of a career.

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off Tuesday and return to practice on Wednesday to start preparing for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Oct 042015
 
Devon Kennard, New York Giants (October 4, 2015)

Devon Kennard – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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NEW YORK GIANTS 24 – BUFFALO BILLS 10…
The New York Giants won their second game in a row by defeating the Buffalo Bills 24-10 at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Giants have now evened their record at 2-2 after an 0-2 start.

The Bills received the ball to start the game but the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out. On their first possession, the Giants moved the ball 35 yards in eight plays to set up place kicker Josh Brown’s successful 47-yard field goal. Giants 3 – Bills 0.

Both teams then exchanged three-and-out punts. On Buffalo’s third possession, they moved the ball just 15 yards but it was good enough to set up a successful 51-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3. The Giants punted the ball away on their third possession but got it right back when linebacker Devon Kennard made a spectacular sideline interception at the Bills’ 32-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Dwayne Harris for a 21-yard score. After a false start, Brown’s extra point effort was no good and the Giants led 9-3.

Rueben Randle, New York Giants (October 4, 2015)

Rueben Randle – © USA TODAY Sports Images

The Bills went three-and-out again. The Giants responded with an impressive 10-play, 76-yard effort that ended with an 11-yard touchdown throw from Manning to wide receiver Rueben Randle. The Giants now led 16-3.

The Bills had the ball three more times in the first half and the Giants twice, but neither team could generate any remaining offense before intermission.

The Giants punted twice and the Bills once to start the second half. Buffalo then put together a long 13-play drive that moved the ball from their own 10-yard line to the Giants’ 12-yard line. But Buffalo’s place kicker missed the easy 30-yard chip shot and the score remained 16-3 with 2:20 left in the third quarter.

The Giants went three-and-out and the Bills quickly threatened to tighten the game again, starting at their own 47-yard line, driving, and setting up a 1st-and-goal from the Giants’ 9-yard line. However, the Giants denied the Bills on four straight plays, including stopping Buffalo running back Karlos Williams on a quick pass just short of the goal line on 4th-and-goal. Linebacker J.T. Thomas and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie made the stop.

Despite these defensive heroics, the Giants were still facing a tough situation after their offense went three-and-out again. The Bills began the ensuing possession at the Giants’ 43-yard line. Three plays later, Bills’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor hit Williams for a 23-yard scoring play to cut the Giants’ advantage to 16-10 with less than 10 minutes to play.

Rashad Jennings, New York Giants (October 4, 2015)

Rashad Jennings – © USA TODAY Sports Images

The pivotal moment came on the Giants’ next possession. Up by only six points, and facing a 3rd-and-3 from their own 49-yard line, Manning threw a quick pass to running back Rashad Jennings, who caught the ball, broke a tackle, ran down the left sideline, stiff-armed a defender, and scored from 51 yards out. A successful 2-point run by running back Andre Williams gave the Giants a 24-10 advantage with 7:42 left to play.

Desperate to score, the Bills turned the ball over on 3rd-and-11 on the ensuing drive when cornerback Prince Amukamara stripped a Bills’ receiver of the football and recovered the fumble at the Buffalo 40-yard line. The Giants moved the ball to the Bills’ 8-yard line, but on third-and-goal, Manning’s pass intended for Randle was intercepted and returned 29 yards to the Bills’ 30-yard line with 3:41 left to play.

On their last possession, Buffalo did reach the Giants’ 13-yard line. But after a sack by fullback/defensive tackle Nikita Whitlock, the Bills turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete 4th-and-19 pass. The Giants then knelt on the ball to seal the victory.

Offensively, Manning finished the day 20-of-35 for 212 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. In terms of catches, the leading receivers were Harris (5 catches for 51 yards and 1 touchdown), tight end Larry Donnell (5 catches for 38 yards), and wide receiver Odell Beckham (5 catches for 38 yards). The Giants’ running backs rushed for 94 yards on 25 carries.

Defensively, the Bills were held to 14 first downs and 313 yards (55 yards rushing, 258 yards passing), were 3-of-16 (18 percent) on third down, and 1-of-3 (33 percent) on fourth down. The Giants forced two turnovers (Kennard and Amukamara) and had two sacks (defensive tackles Cullen Jenkins and Whitlock).

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INJURY REPORT…
DE George Selvie (calf), CB Jayron Hosley (evaluated for concussion), and LB Devon Kennard (hamstring) were all injured. LT Ereck Flowers (ankle), CB Trumaine McBride (thigh contusion), WR Dwayne Harris (ribs) all suffered injuries but later returned to the game.

POST-GAME REACTIONS…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Tom Coughlin and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

POST-GAME NOTES…
Inactive for the Giants were WR Victor Cruz (calf), TE Daniel Fells (ankle), TE Jerome Cunningham (knee), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DT Markus Kuhn (knee), LB Jasper Brinkley, and S Cooper Taylor.

ARTICLES…

Oct 022015
 
Willie Williams, New York Giants (October 6, 1968)

Willie Williams, New York Giants (October 6, 1968)

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INJURY REPORT – ERECK FLOWERS AND DANIEL FELLS QUESTIONABLE…
WR Victor Cruz (calf), TE Jerome Cunningham (knee), LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), and DT Markus Kuhn (knee) have all been officially ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Cruz had a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on Thursday to attempt to help the healing of his strained left calf. He will be re-evaluated on Monday. Head Coach Tom Coughlin said they are not considering putting Cruz on Injured Reserve at this point.

“Yeah, I got (the PRP) yesterday,” said Cruz. “I went over to the Hospital for Special Surgery and got that done. Hopefully it’s able to make me feel better, and hopefully advance the recovery process in any way, shape, or form.

“According to the MRI, (the setback) didn’t cause any further damage. It wasn’t as bad as the initial aggravation I suffered to the calf, so that’s a positive…When I went to burst and explode was when I felt it. The minute I felt it, I went over to the side and told the training staff how I felt. They immediately just shut me down…I’m going to make sure I take my time with this one this go around and see how that fairs for me this time around.”

When asked what the PRP would do, Cruz responded, “They said it’d be something that wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t hurt the muscle, it wouldn’t hurt anything, and if anything, it would make it feel better or it would be nothing.”

LT Ereck Flowers (ankle) and TE Daniel Fells (ankle) are “questionable” for the game.

RB Orleans Darkwa (knee), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (foot), and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (concussion) are “probable” for Sunday.

FORMER GIANTS CB WILLIE WILLIAMS PASSES AWAY…
Cornerback Willie Williams, who played for the New York Giants in 1965 and from 1967 until 1973, passed away this week at the age of 73. Williams played in 100 games for the Giants and intercepted 35 passes, tying him for fourth place all-time on the franchise’s career interception list. He led the NFL interceptions with 10 in 1968.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with Tom Coughlin are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants will hold a 45-minute, full-speed practice on Saturday that is not open to the media. The team will then travel to Buffalo to play the Bills on Sunday afternoon.

Sep 302015
 


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INJURY REPORT – VICTOR CRUZ SUFFERS SETBACK…
TE Daniel Fells (ankle), TE Jerome Cunningham (knee), and LT Will Beatty (pectoral – on PUP) did not practice on Wednesday.

WR Victor Cruz (calf), RB Orleans Darkwa (knee), LT Ereck Flowers (ankle), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (foot), and DT Markus Kuhn (knee) practiced on a limited basis.

Cruz tried to practice for the first time since August 17, but apparently suffered a setback. “Victor came out and tried to do individuals,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He felt the calf again and that’s all he did.”

“(Cruz) did some individual stuff, ran a few routes and that was about it,” QB Eli Manning said. “We’ll see how it goes…Hopefully, it’s just minor.”

“It sucks, to say the least,” said WR Rueben Randle. “We could see a little limp in him a little bit once he tried to turn up and run. We could tell that he wasn’t quite ready yet to play full speed. I’m pretty sure if we needed him to play he could play, but he still can sit out a little bit and rest up…We were just running routes in individual, it wasn’t a play. We could just see once he tried to turn up a little bit, he kind of looked a little gimpy, kind of holding back a little bit. I don’t think he’s too far away, but I don’t think he’s quite there yet.

“He wasn’t the Cruz that we know. That’s what we want to see, we don’t want to rush him back and hurt it even more. We were trying to tell him, ‘Don’t try to stress it too much, take as much time as possible,’ because we didn’t want him to hurt it even worse than what it is and have to be out even longer. As his teammates, we care for him and want him to come back as healthy as possible.”

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (concussion) fully practiced.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The Giants have terminated the Practice Squad contracts of WR Julian Talley and OG Vinston Painter. The team also signed QB G.J. Kinne and WR Tavarres King to the Practice Squad.

Kinne was on the Giants Practice Squad for a week earlier this month. Kinne was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the New York Jets after the 2012 NFL Draft. Since then, he has spent time with the Jets (2012), UFL – Omaha Nighthawks (2012), AFL – Antonio Talons (2013), and Philadelphia Eagles (2013-15). After spending two years on Philadelphia’s Practice Squad in 2013-14, the Eagles converted him from quarterback to wide receiver and running back. Kinne lacks ideal size for a quarterback but he is a very good athlete with a decent arm.

King was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He has spent time with the Broncos (2013), Panthers (2013-14), Jaguars (2014), and Buccaneers (2014-15). King was waived by the Buccaneers in early September. King lacks ideal size, but he is a fast receiver who can get deep. He is not a physical player and is best suited as an outside receiver.

WORKOUT TUESDAY…
As normal, the New York Giants held workouts for a number of unsigned players on Tuesday. But this week, there were a number of high-profile players in attendance including WR Hakeem Nicks, WR Wes Welker, and TE Chris Cooley. The only workout player signed was WR Tavarres King.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Wednesday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Wednesday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

The audio of radio interviews on Tuesday are also available at ESPN Radio and WFAN Radio:

ARTICLES

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Thursday and hold physical recovery cycles on Friday in advance of Sunday’s away game against the Buffalo Bills.

Sep 252015
 


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HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
Tom Coughlin addressed the media by conference call on Friday:

We’ve talked to our team this morning and we’ve had a chance to look at the tape, and we did a lot of good things and we left some things out on the field that need to be corrected. I spent some time, obviously, congratulating our team and telling them that the effort for the most part was outstanding, and that’s got to remain right where it is. The passion, the effort, the believing, the rallying around each other and realizing the importance of the game, not only the divisional game, but just to get on the board here to become hopefully relevant. But once all those things were pointed out, I did spend some time talking about the end of the game, and how I realize we’re under construction, but the patience factor is really—we’re into our third game here. We do need to understand how to finish better than we did. I pointed out that with 11 (minutes) and some seconds left in the fourth quarter with a 25-6 lead, the Washington team ran something like 39 plays, our offense ran 10. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. You’d like to think you can finish the game with the ball in your hands and we would certainly like to erase the kickoff return against.

But that having been said, we did do a good job against the number one rushing team in the NFL, and we played solid defense. We took care of the ball, we were plus-three, we got a punt block for a safety which was an outstanding play, we got Rueben Randle involved in the offensive scheme. We had some rushes that we thought were going to come right out the other end, but the ball carrier was tripped up and didn’t advance as far as we had hoped we would have. We did hold the ball longer than the number two team in the league in time of possession, which was a good thing. We ran the ball 31 times, which was something I was glad to see. We threw it 32 and ran it 31, I liked that balance completely. We were not sacked, our offensive line did a good job. Justin Pugh in a midstream-type adjust type thing went out to left tackle and did a nice job. I thought Marshall Newhouse against a very, very good outside rusher in Kerrigan did a good job as well. So that having been said, we were pleased with a lot of the contributions made by a lot of people on the defensive side of the ball on a night in which we had to rise up and play well. Their play action pass game was outstanding off the run, and they opened the game up opening and breaking some formations, going to empty and doing some things that they hadn’t necessarily shown. We did a pretty good of adjusting to that.

Q: What about Victor Cruz’s status coach?

A: He’s improving and we’re hoping. He’s running. He’ll be running all weekend and we’re hoping that there’s nothing but straight ahead positives in all his activities and we’ll see next week if we can get him on the practice field.

Q: Tom, right after the two-minute warning, you guys faced a third down and Eli threw the ball downfield. The Redskins did not have any timeouts left. Looking back, should you guys have maybe run the ball and drained the clock with an 11 point lead?

A: No. We threw a ball on third and 10 for a touchdown in the series before that. We ran the ball twice, we milked as much of the clock as we could. I wanted a first down that we might keep the ball even longer, and I felt confident that we would be able to achieve that. We put the quarterback in as safe as possible position. We ran a very conservative route with Odell Beckham. It just didn’t work out. I think the quarterback probably had to release it a little bit earlier than he wanted to. I understand the strategy you’re trying to get at just as much as you do. Believe me, it went through my mind, but we’ve got to get this thing flipped around a little bit. We’re going to have to play to keep the ball as much as we can in those situations and not just punt the ball back to the defense.

We did have an 11 point lead, as you said. It’s not as safe as earlier on when we had a 16 point lead and they couldn’t touch us with two touchdowns, or at least it would have been very difficult. We’re trying to win the game and keep the ball, and have the ball at the end of the game. I weighed all of those things and I felt like this is the way we should play it. As I said, we had thrown a touchdown pass—a much-needed touchdown pass—prior in a third and 10 situation as well. You ask a strategic question, which certainly is something that should be considered, and I did consider it, but I did not agree that that’s the way we should play. I would want this offensive team to feel more responsibility. We’ve been in this situation before this year. There’s something about shifting gears and playing like that, it bothers me. If you can dominate the run, it’s very difficult this day to do that because you’re going to face eight, nine people in the box, it’s going to be very hard to run. The four-minute concepts that you and I both had 10 years ago, those things have pretty much come and gone. It’s most difficult to do just that.

A few years ago, the naked bootleg was a part of the four-minute package and gave you a chance to throw the ball as safely as you possibly could. I still agree with that to a certain extent. If you make a mistake and they come off the edge on you and you’re unprotected there, that can be disaster, too. But there does come a point in time, I think, today where you change formations and you open up a little bit—as safe as you can be—don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about some foolish throw, I’m just saying you want to end the game with the ball in your hands, you don’t want to keep putting your defense in a position where they have to make stop after stop when you know what’s coming. People are opening up and just throwing the ball all over the place trying to get back in the game. So I mean, that’s just the way I feel about it. I normally would entertain any thought you might have about that, I do understand it’s a strategy call, but I don’t bat an eye about what we did last night and I would defend our actions to anybody.

Q: In a relatively short period of time, how far do you think Landon Collins has come?

A: You can see him improve in confidence and play each week. You can see him become more aggressive, you can see him more confident in communicating with the other members of the secondary each week. So from that standpoint, I think he’s made progress each and every time he’s played. I think he gets a little bit better at his position each week.

Q: How did you determine the rotation between Jon Beason and Uani ‘Unga? Is that going to change going forward?

A: You know, I don’t know. They’re both outstanding players and we need them both. We had personnel combinations that we had Jon in, and Uani was in other combinations. And Jon was coming back for his first actual playing time, and we wanted to make sure that he was extended and got a chance to line up next weekend in anticipation of some more snaps. We have a young player that’s made two outstanding interceptions, that’s athletic, that is fast, and is growing into the position. And we have a veteran that is so extremely well-thought of, he’s voted captain of the defensive team, and we feel like we’re fortunate in that we’ll be able to utilize both of these players.

Q: Your run defensive is obviously something you wanted to improve this offseason. What did you see yesterday that made it so effective, and why has it been so much improved this season in general?

A: Well, it was the number one thing we had to stop, and we knew that. So that’s our number one objective, there were many objectives, but that was number one. And our guys rose up against a very, very good offensive line. They had their runs, but we did a good job. The guys in there did a nice job, whether it be Selvie, whoever it might be. The guys did a very, very nice job. Hankins did a nice job, Bromley did a nice job. Guys that were rolled in there in those roles, Kerry Wynn did a nice job. The linebackers, Kennard did an outstanding job at the point of attack. We dressed eight people on the defensive line and we dressed seven linebackers and there was a reason for it.

Q: I’m curious, when you brought the players together, did you observe a sense of relief or change in mood?

A: No, not really. Not really. I think that most players, the day after a game, certainly when you win, they’re reinforced and they feel very good about that. But they are intent on listening to what you have to say about the evaluation of the game and they did look forward to that today again. Fortunately, we could compliment a lot, but we also had a chance to do some teaching, and we did.

Q: Going back to Cruz for a second. When he’s ready, when he’s healthy enough to play, will there be less emphasis on Rueben Randle such as there was last night or can all three of them play?

A: Oh, all three of them can play. There wouldn’t any less of anything, I hope. I hope we’d have more.

Q: One in the slot and the other two split?

A: For the most part. They all move around, they all get in different spots.

Q: Victor talked about his goal of being ready for this week. Is that the way you guys are looking at it as well?

A: I hope so. That’s what we’re being told.

Q: We also saw DRC doing some running. How is he? Is he cleared?

A: Yeah, he’s going to be okay. He’s going to be fine.

Q: Is Prince alright today?

A: Yeah.

Q: How about Flowers while we’re talking about injury guys?

A: Well, we’ll see. We’ll see. Hopefully this will be a good weekend for him in the training room.

Q: You don’t find many 250-pound defensive tackles anymore in the NFL. Is Nikita Whitlock a legitimate player there or is he a desperation player there?

A: No, no, he’s legitimate. He played defensive line in college. He’s a tremendous energy player who’s very quick, very difficult for these offensive lineman to just be in position and stay with because he does have the spin moves and the acceleration and those types of things. In a limited capacity, he is an excellent change of pace, and you saw that he can generate some pressure.

Q: What did you think when you saw him play on film?

A: Pretty much just what I said. He had a couple pressures and he plays hard in there. He’s fast, he’s very energetic, and he has outstanding quickness. So that’s what people have to contend with.

Q: Was there a point, and I ask this good-naturedly, when you had to kind of get over the fact that you could play him on the defensive line but he that doesn’t weigh 300 pounds?

A: No. As a matter of fact, we had him in pass-rush circumstances during camp. Everybody wanted to see more, the defense wanted to see more. So we’ve extended a little bit as we’ve gone along here, not to a great extent, last night was the most. But he does have that unique ability, and you know what, he plays so hard on special teams. As a fullback, he’s very physical, throws his body around up in the line of scrimmage. He can wear different hats.

Q: You said before you didn’t sense a difference in the mood of the team. But don’t you feel more alive today?

A: Well, I didn’t say that part of it. I thought I was trying to answer a question, I don’t know what I was trying to answer, but I was not trying to tell you they’re not excited about having won and they’re not excited about winning a game and having a weekend off. No, they’re very much that way. I just tried to say that they present themselves in the meeting at first knowing full well we won, and looking forward to the comments that the coaching staff would make. I’m not trying to take anything away from how they react, this is certainly a lot more fun than it’s been the last couple weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say we didn’t enjoy our meeting time today.

Q: I’m guessing you’ve gotten out of Brad Wing what you hoped to get when you acquired him?

A: Well he’s gotten the ball of quickly. You saw last night we were under pressure a couple of times and he got the ball away, which was outstanding. We had a ball downed at the one-yard line two weeks in a row. His hang time has been good, his get-offs have been good, his location has been outstanding. He’s giving people a real interest in flying the field and being in position. So yeah, he’s helped us.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts or audio of Friday’s media sessions with the following players:

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Saturday and Sunday and there will be no media availability to the Giants this weekend. The Giants return to work on Monday in preparation for next Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Sep 252015
 
New York Giants Defense (September 24, 2015)

New York Giants Defense – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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NEW YORK GIANTS 32 – WASHINGTON REDSKINS 21…
The New York Giants may have saved their season with a convincing 32-21 victory over the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. The Giants improved their overall record to 1-2 while the Redskins fell to 1-2.

The Redskins received the football to start the game but could not pick up a first down. After offsetting penalties negated the first punt, the second punt attempt by Washington was blocked by running back Rashad Jennings for a safety. New York was up quickly 2-0.

The Giants crossed midfield on their first offensive possession but were forced to punt. On the second snap of Washington’s second drive, cornerback Prince Amukamara picked off quarterback Kirk Cousins at the Redskins 20-yard line and returned it to the 14. Four plays later, running back Andre Williams scored from one yard out to make the game 9-0.

Prince Amukamara, New York Giants (September 24, 2015)

Prince Amukamara – © USA TODAY Sports Images

The Redskins went three-and-out on their third possession. The Giants responded with an 8-play, 47-yard drive that set up a 35-yard field goal by place kicker Josh Brown as the Giants expanded their lead to 12-0. The Redskins then finally moved the ball on their fourth possession, putting together a 10-play, 54-yard effort that resulted in a 44-yard field goal. Giants 12 – Redskins 3.

Both teams then exchanged field goal drives again, the first a 9-play, 47-yard possession by the Giants that resulted in a 36-yard field goal by Brown and then a 13-play, 61-yard possession by the Redskins that resulted in a 37-yard field goal. The Giants once again crossed midfield on their final possession of the first half but could not score. At halftime, the Giants led 15-6.

The Giants received the football to start the second half and promptly expanded their lead to 18-6 after a 15-play, 50-yard drive that took up half the third quarter. The Redskins responded with a scoring threat of their own that was dramatically stopped when linebacker Devon Kennard deflected a pass by Cousins that was intercepted by fellow linebacker Uani’ Unga at the New York 27-yard line.

The Giants then took charge of the game with an 8-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Eli Manning to wide receiver Odell Beckham. The Giants led 25-6 early in the fourth quarter.

The Redskins looked to make things interesting on their ensuing possession by driving deep into Giants territory. On 4th-and-1 from the Giants 7-yard line, running back Matt Jones picked up the first down but fumbled the ball out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a touchback and a turnover. The Giants went three-and-out on the following possession. Washington then drove 74 yards in 12 plays to cut the score to 25-14 after a 4-yard touchdown pass and a successful 2-point conversion attempt with 3:40 to play.

Rueben Randle, New York Giants (September 24, 2015)

Rueben Randle – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Running back Shane Vereen recovered a Redskins onside kick attempt at the Washington 41-yard line. Three plays later, on 3rd-and-10, Manning hit wide receiver Rueben Randle for a 41-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 32-14 advantage with 3:21 to play. However, the Redskins returned the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. The second Redskins onside kick went out of bounds. After a three-and-out by the Giants, the Redskins received the ball with 1:43 to play and advanced the ball to the Giants 14-yard line before the clock expired.

Offensively, the Giants gained 19 first downs and 363 total net yards (279 passing, 84 rushing). The team was only 4-of-12 on third down (33 percent). Manning completed 23-of-32 passes for 279 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions for a QB rating of 119.1. His leading receivers were Randle (7 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown) and Beckham (7 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown). Jennings gained 31 yards on 11 carries, Williams 29 yards on 14 carries, and Vereen 23 yards on six carries.

Defensively, the Giants allowed 22 first downs and 393 yards (305 passing, 88 rushing). The Redskins were 6-of-15 (40 percent) on third down and 2-of-3 (67 percent) on fourth down. The defense forced three turnovers (two interceptions and one fumble). The only sack was by linebacker Jonathan Casillas

Video highlights/lowlights and the post-game locker room celebration are available at Giants.com.

INJURY REPORT…
Running back Orleans Darkwa left the game with a knee injury and did not return. Cornerback Prince Amukamara hurt his ankle but returned to the football game.

POST-GAME REACTIONS…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Tom Coughlin and various players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

POST-GAME NOTES…
Inactive for the Giants were WR Victor Cruz (calf), TE Jerome Cunningham (knee), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DT Markus Kuhn (knee), DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa (foot), RT Ereck Flowers (ankle), and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (concussion).

The Giants have won five games in a row over the Redskins.

The Giants improved to 15-7-3 on Thursdays, including 4-2 under Tom Coughlin.

For the second time in three games, the Giants did not commit a turnover.

QB Eli Manning increased his career touchdown pass total to 263. That broke a tie with Dave Krieg and moved Manning into 12th place on the NFL’s career list. Joe Montana is 11th with 273.

Justin Pugh made his first career start at left tackle. John Jerry started at left guard.

Middle linebacker Jon Beason made his 2015 debut after missing the first two games with a knee injury. Beason split time with Uani’ Unga, who led the Giants with nine tackles (six solo).

Jayron Holsey started at left cornerback for Rodgers-Cromartie.

Fullback Nikita Whitlock played several snaps at defensive tackle in the fourth quarter, as he did in the preseason finale in New England.