Tom Coughlin at the NFL Owners Meeting

Tom Coughlin – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Tom Coughlin at the NFL Owners Meeting: New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin addressed the media at the NFL Owners Meeting in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday morning. Some tidbits from Coughlin:

• On installing the offense under new Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo: “We’re moving. We’re better than halfway through the completion of where we want it to be. I’ll say this and the word goes forth to our players. It’s obvious. This is a whole new undertaking from an offensive standpoint because you will have some of the old and a tremendous amount of the new. I think it’s stimulating. I think it’s good for everybody. Hopefully it’s going to provide a little fire for everybody. I know it will for Eli (Manning). I know he’ll be excited about this…In the beginning, there is a lot to learn. There is a lot of be able to comprehend. I don’t care how you do it. It’s apples and oranges. It’s Chinese vs. another language. But you have to get to where you’re communicating with each other. In order to do that, he’s really going to have to focus. Now, with his intelligence, it’s not going to be real difficult.”

• On offensive goals: “Offensively we have to get back to Giants football. When I say that, I mean (Geoff) Schwartz and (John) Jerry, big human beings in the NFC East. We weren’t very big up front last year. It’s further to run around those big guys. We’re going to have balance…Everyone wants to know what the difference is going to be? Whatever we do is going to be designed around our personnel. I mean, we have the Encyclopedia Brittanica between the systems that you are familiar with and the system that you are soon going to be familiar with. You can put your finger on anything you want.”

• On QB Ryan Nassib: “I think he’s going to be a good player. This is going to be an important year for him and for the Giants.”

• On RB Rashad Jennings: “He’s a great athlete and in tremendous shape. He’s a solid 230 (pounds). The more you look, the better you like. I think he’s a good football player who will be a very solid, solid, impactful guy in our offense.”

• On RB David Wilson, who is recovering from career-threatening neck surgery:  “I’m planning that he’s there. Until they tell me differently, he’s there. Now, to what extent is he there? Does his presence mean that you have to have another number going into camp at that spot? All of those things are possible…He’s making outstanding progress. Whenever I see him I tell David, ‘Slow down now, stay with whatever they are telling you that you can or can’t do.’ He’s been working on his legs for a month or more…Let’s get him back, let’s see. I wouldn’t rush him into anything.”

• On Rueben Randle: “Rueben has to continue to develop, be a better pro…We have very high expectations for him. He’s got to continue to be a better pro and show consistency.”

• On WR Mario Manningham:  “Mario is really excited to be a Giant again. He can hardly contain himself. He’s physically and mentally matured.”

• On the tight end position: “Right now, it’s a question mark.”

• On OT John Jerry, who was implicated in the Jonathan Martin bullying scandal: “I think he was authentic in terms of his presentation and (General Manager) Jerry (Reese) really did believe everything that he said. The investigation took place, calls were made to the league office…There was remorse, sincere remorse, and we still feel very strongly about our locker room and the players that are there for us. I don’t see anything of that nature happening with us…There is no suspension in the air or anything of that nature.”

• On CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: “We have a young man who really wants to be coached. We studied and we saw some areas that we can really help him in and we were very specific about how that would happen and he was very receptive to it. Our coaches worked their tails off on him, spent a lot of time. A lot of time…It seemed as if he was going to continue to visit (teams) until he found what he wanted. When he came to see us, we knew we would have our chance…He was looking for a place to sink his roots and become a guy who represented a team and stayed there and worked his way through things and wanted to be a part of something other than a one-year-here, one-year-there kind of thing. He responded to that. He jumped on that. He wanted to be a guy who is associated with a team.”

• On DE Justin Tuck, who signed with the Oakland Raiders: “We’re going to miss Justin Tuck, period. The body of work last year was very solid. He’s an outstanding young man…Justin has had two outstanding Super Bowls and playoff runs and played very, very well even as a young man playing with Osi (Umenyiora) and (Michael) Strahan, what he learned and how he performed, so, there’s no doubt…You always hold out hope that nobody goes, you don’t want to see anybody leave. But it’s part of our game. When Justin, as an outstanding defensive end who had numbers to back it up in terms of the way he played, I’m not surprised by it…It was always realistic (to keep him). It was realistic for sure, but it didn’t work. There are 31 other teams. The Raiders have a tremendous amount of money to spend.”’

• On WR Hakeem Nicks, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts: “I don’t know if it went awry. The entire process of production continued to be not what it was a couple of years ago…I want everybody to know we wish Hakeem nothing but success, to return to the player that we really do believe and know that he is with consistency. Maybe this is something that had to take place for Hakeem. Maybe he will deal with exactly where he is and once again return to the quality of player that he is. I wish him nothing but the best.”

• On continuing to coach: “What else am I going to do?..I feel good, I’m healthy, (my wife) Judy is really good towards it, the family is positive and supporting. As long as I feel good, productive, energetic, and of course the players respond, I’d like to think I can keep going…I’d like to think that the seasons are all good and at some point in time the decision (when to retire) becomes mine and not somebody else’s. It’s not the paramount thought. Being the best we can be is what I’m all about … I want to coach and I want to get it right and I want to see us start to play like I think we’re capable of.”

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