New York Giants Fans in Denver – © USA TODAY Sports
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MONDAY BEN MCADOO CONFERENCE CALL…
New York Giants Head Coach Ben McAdoo addressed the media by conference call on Monday to discuss the team’s 23-10 win over the Denver Broncos:
McAdoo: I thought we played hard-nosed, physical, heavy-handed football. Seeing it in practice all year – it was encouraging to see it carry over to game day. That was a formula going into the ballgame and give credit to the players and the coaches for bringing it to life. Defensively – it started with stopping the run. Gave up, I believe it was 46 yards, created turnovers and had a score on defense. Held them to 10 points and situationally, we played very well. Whether it was third down or red zone or goal line. It’s the type of effort we talked about going in and it was great to see. Offensively – we started fast. Scored points on the first possession. Thought we played physical and delivered physical body blows in the run game. Had 148 yards rushing. Coming out in four-minute situations were huge in the ballgame for us and we came through and we hit our explosive target with percentage of plays and took care of the Duke, which certainly helps winning the turnover battle. Special teams – thought we showed it was important to us as an entire team. The punt team played with great effort. We knew they had a dynamic returner. I think one play was about 24 seconds in length. They got about a 7-yard return on it. But, it showed tremendous, tremendous effort and energy there. We fielded the ball well with our new returners and made good decisions. Our hands team came through at the end of the ballgame, that’s a very physical play. They did a nice job on the kick and Roger Lewis did a good job fielding it, but we were physical on our blocks there giving him an opportunity to field the ball. Kerry Wynn had a field goal block with an assist by (Curtis) Grant, who did a nice job and was physical there and Aldrick (Rosas) had a strong gator roll tackle at the end of the ball game. With that, we’ll open it up.
Q: With the personnel that you have now without the wide receivers, are these the types of games you have to win, running the ball?
A: Each game, each opponent, provides a new challenge and a new week. So, it just depends on how the week goes and what we think we have to do to give us the best chance to win the ballgame.
Q: Can you talk about the offensive lineman who have had to shuffle positions throughout the season, specifically G John Jerry and G Justin Pugh?
A: Yeah. John and Justin – they’re two pros. They’re two guys that the team is the most important thing to them and they’ll do whatever is asked of them and it doesn’t take a big sit-down for it to take place. It doesn’t take an act of Congress for it to get done. They’re willing to jump out and play a new position if it’s for the best of the team, if it gives us the best chance to win a ballgame and they put their head down, they go to work and it’s much appreciated by the head coach.
Q: How do you think the offensive line group did as a whole?
A: I thought they played hard. I thought they played physical. I thought that the defense we went up against last night is one of the better defenses – one of the best defenses in this league and playing them on the road on grass is a tremendous challenge and I thought our guys fought hard. The run blocking unit and the backs ran hard, including the tight ends, but the offensive line, they battled.
Q: How much will it benefit to keep the offensive line unit together?
A: Again, each week provides a new challenge, a new opportunity and we’ll take a look at what we need to do this week to give us the best chance to win the ballgame. I like the group that played yesterday, though.
Q: Can you talk about the communication and the challenge that the offensive line has had given the different combinations that you’ve had to use?
A: Yeah. It’s certainly a challenge when there are moving parts up front. It makes the game a little bit smoother when you have guys who always work next to each other, but that’s not the case in today’s NFL. There are moving parts in there and I think when you have a center like Jonesy (Brett Jones) who goes in and does a nice job communicating and gets everybody on the same page, I think it really helps the guards out and they echo it out to the tackles and we did a nice job with that yesterday.
Q: Do coaches need to be rewarded in the sense that seeing their work is having a good effect?
A: Yeah – that’s a great question. I think every day coming to work here is a great opportunity. This is a class organization. I enjoy coming to work here every day with this locker room. We have a great locker room full of players and all they want to do is win. They’re not selfish in nature. They’re a team-first outfit downstairs. It’s great to get the first one. Now, we have to start stacking them. But, this is pro sports. Not everybody gets a ribbon.
Q: In regards to your reasoning for giving up play calling for yesterday’s game because the entire team needed you last week, doesn’t the entire team need its head coach every week?
A: I felt with the things that were taking place last week, that I needed to delegate play calling duty to Sully (Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan). I think he did a tremendous job sticking to the plan during the ballgame and sticking with the run and putting us in position to win the ballgame. And I felt like during the course of the week, I need to make sure that I was here for the entire football team and this organization anyway that I could be. We talk about doing what’s best for the team, and what was best for the team last week was for me to give up play calling duties. And yes, the head coach needs to be available for his team each and every week.
Q: How much did you find yourself having more time to deal with other things during the game, since you weren’t calling plays?
A: I think what can happen sometimes is, when you call plays your mentality may be a little bit different. Your personality may be a little bit different. So, I felt my personality came out a little bit more last night than maybe it normally has. I was still involved with the offense. I had a chance to buzz around and be around all the players, let my energy come out a little bit more maybe than I have in the past, but that’s part of it.
Q: Are you going to stick with having Sullivan call the plays?
A: Yeah, I’m never going to jump on here and tell you who’s playing where and who’s calling the plays. But you can write about what you want.
Q: Where do things stand right now with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie?
A: I’ll visit with DRC a little bit later in the week and we’ll sit down and have a conversation and see where we are.
Q: Do you expect Rodgers-Cromartie to return to the team this week?
A: That’s all I have for you.
Q: Will your conversation with Rodgers-Cromartie be tomorrow?
A: I gave you my line. That’s all I have for you.
Q: Why would you share the details of the Rodgers-Cromartie situation with NBC?
A: I said everything I needed to say on the DRC front.
Q: How did you come through the game, injury-wise?
A: (Linebacker) Calvin (Munson) is a little banged up with a quad, (cornerback) Michael Hunter is sore with a hamstring and that’s where we sit right now.
Q: Was special teams being important to the locker room a concern for you coming into yesterday’s game?
A: I just wanted to see the effort that I saw last night show up in our coverage teams. And I thought we played with tremendous effort last night.
Q: What took so long to give running back Orleans Darkwa such a prominent role in the offense?
A: I think when you go back to 2014 and he emerged onto the scene, he did some nice things for us in the run game. I remember back to St. Louis, he popped a nice run and we tried to get him going a little bit in 2015, it was just a challenge to get it going there. I feel he’s a very natural runner and he’s been taking advantage of his opportunities this year.
Q: When you spoke to the team last week, did you mention all of the players that you lost to injury?
A: I did not. I don’t like to talk about injuries, really, in front of the team. But earlier in the week, we did mention that specifically on offense, teams probably aren’t going to fear and think we could put points on the board the way that we’re going to need to put points on the board and I challenged the offense that way and they responded in a good way.
Q: Do you expect to have any of the players that were injured and inactive against Denver to be back this week?
A: They weren’t good to go yesterday, it’s early in the week right now. So, we’ll have to see. We’ll have some guys that will probably give individual [drills] a shot on Wednesday and see where we are on Wednesday with the speed reps. But Thursday will be a good tell.
LANDON COLLINS ON ESPN RADIO…
The audio of Monday’s ESPN Radio interview with New York Giants safety Landon Collins is available at ESPN.com.
NOTES…
The Giants led at halftime against the Broncos, 17-3, their largest lead after two quarters since December 7, 2014.
The Giants forced three Denver turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) and did not commit a turnover. It was the first time this season they had a positive turnover differential.
The Giants improved to 11-7 since 1990 when their opponents are coming off a bye and the Giants are not.
Eli Manning played in his 207th regular-season game, tying former tight end Howard Cross for second on the Giants’ career list. Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan is first with 216 games played.
Manning started his 205th consecutive game. He is three shying of tying his brother Peyton for the second longest starting streak in history by a quarterback.
Manning completed 11-of-19 passes for 128 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The 19 attempts were his lowest total in a full regular-season game since he threw 15 passes at Buffalo on December 23, 2007. Manning’s 11 completions was his lowest total in a full game since November 4, 2012, when he had 10 (on 24 attempts) vs. Pittsburgh. Manning’s 128 yards in Denver was his lowest total in a game in which he took every snap since he had 125 in that game vs. the Steelers five years ago.
Orleans Darkwa’s 47-yarder was the longest run by a Giants back since December 7, 2014, when Andre Williams scored on a 50-yard run in a victory at Tennessee. The Giants’ longest run in 2016 was a 25-yarder by Rashad Jennings vs. Cincinnati on November 14, and in 2015 it was a 39-yarder by Shane Vereen vs. Dallas on October 25.
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins scored his eighth career touchdown, and his sixth on an interception. He has also scored on returns after a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal.
The Giants-Broncos regular-season series is tied, 6-6. The Giants improved to 2-4 in Denver. They also won here in 1989.
The Giants improved to 22-29-1 on Sunday Night Football, including 11-17-1 on the road.
ARTICLES…
WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and there will be no media availability on that day. The Giants return to practice on Wednesday.
