Jamie Gillan and Graham Gano – © USA TODAY Sports
NEW YORK GIANTS WAIVE TAE CROWDER…
The New York Giants have waived inside linebacker Tae Crowder, who has played in 13 games this year with eight starts, being credited with 45 tackles, one sack, one pass defense, and one forced fumble.
The Giants selected Crowder in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he surprisingly moved into the starting line-up in Week 5 and 6 before suffering a groin injury that landed him on Injured Reserve for five games. Crowder returned in late November, starting four of his final six games. In all, Crowder played in 11 games with six starts (53 percent of all defensive snaps), and was credited with 57 tackles, three tackles for losses, one sack, three quarterback hits, one pass defense, and one fumble recovery that he returned for a game-winning touchdown.
In 2021, Crowder ended up starting all 17 games (94 percent of all defensive snaps) and finished the season with a team-high 119 tackles. He was also credited with six pass defenses, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
DECEMBER 20, 2022 NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
The Giants held a walkthrough practice on Tuesday. OG Shane Lemieux (toe) and CB Adoree’ Jackson (knee) did not practice.
TE Nick Vannett (shoulder), OT Evan Neal (shoulder), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (elbow), and DL Leonard Williams (neck) were limited in practice.
DECEMBER 20, 2022 BRIAN DABOLL PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Tuesday to discuss his team’s upcoming game against the Minnesota Vikings (VIDEO):
Q: Why did you guys elevate (quarterback) Davis (Webb) and then deactivate him?
A: That’s something (general manager) Joe (Schoen) and I talk with Davis about. I’ll keep that in-house, but Davis has done a good job for us.
Q: Is it like a reward essentially?
A: I’m not going to get into the reason why. But that’s something Joe and I talked about.
Q: Where does (safety) Landon (Collins) stand at this point?
A: I thought he did some good things last week. That was his last up, so we’ll see as we get going here the rest of the way.
Q: How are (cornerback) Adoree’ (Jackson) and (safety) Xavier (McKinney) looking?
A: I think Adoree’ is getting better, and then with Xavier it’s just how his fingers are healing. I think they get a little bit better each week.
Q: Will either of them practice this week?
A: X, no. Adoree’, we’ll see.
Q: You faced a lot of good receivers this year, but you might be facing the best in the league this Saturday. What makes (Minnesota Vikings wide receiver) Justin Jefferson so good? What do you see when you look at the tape?
A: One, he’s extremely talented. He’s got good quickness, good body control, can run any route. They line him up all over the place. I think they do a great job with him. He’s hard to cover in man. He’s got great awareness in zone. He’s good after the catch. He can make contested catches. He’s a problem.
Q: How about his route running? Would you say he’s one of the top route runners?
A: Absolutely. And he can run anything you ask him to run. It’s hard to read him because he’s so good at the top of the route with his body control, his eyes, his head. He’s really good.
Q: Has (safety Jason) Pinnock made Xavier being out a little easier to take because of the way he’s played?
A: Yeah, you can’t replace really good players for you. But I think Pinnock has done an excellent job of fitting into our defense. I think the defensive coaches have used him the right way, whether it’s in the deep part of the field, down in the box, blitzing. He’s been a good addition for us.
Q: Does he hit a little harder than most guys? It seems like he brings – especially for a guy that’s a former corner.
A: He’s so explosive. He’s got strength and power and good speed. He can bring it.
Q: What does it do for you defensively when you guys play Landon and (defensive back) Tony (Jefferson) in the box? It seemed to go a little smaller. But also, off of that, what does it do to an offense when they have to adjust to that?
A: Well, it depends. You’d have to ask how the offense accounts for those guys. There’s points in every play, whether it’s protection or the run game. They’re interchangeable. They can play multiple spots. They’re extremely smart, both of them. Tony’s been in the system before. So, I think he’s got a good understanding of how we do things defensively. And Landon is just an instinctive guy. He did a good job last week.
Q: Where are you on (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and the steps he’s taken under your staff’s tutelage this season?
A: Well, give Daniel credit, first and foremost. He’s an extremely hard worker. I think he understands what we’re trying to accomplish each week. Every week, it’s a little bit different. But he works extremely hard. He studies. He understands the teams that we’re playing, and he makes good decisions for what we ask him to do. Last week was a little bit different than the week before. He’s taking care of the football. He’s done a good job.
Q: In your experience, how difficult is it for a quarterback who has either a fumbling, an interception issue or a turnover issue to correct that because it seems like, generally speaking, he’s done that.
A: Give credit to him. He’s got to take care of the ball in the pocket, and he’s got to be the one to make good decisions when he’s under pressure. I think (quarterbacks coach) Shea (Tierney) has done a really great job with him in the quarterback room. We try to do things that accentuate his strengths. I think he can throw it on all three levels, but there’s a way to play each game against each opponent based on what they have defensively, how their rush is, what their corners look like. He’s done a good job of operating and executing our offense.
Q: You come from a place where you’ve experienced a quarterback being a really popular guy in the locker room. It certainly seems like Daniel (Jones) has won over teammates and is highly respected. How much does that matter?
A: I think when I got here, just talking to some of the skill guys and even the defensive guys, they’ve always had that respect for Daniel because of the way he approaches his job, he’s a true pro. And he’s a good leader. I know he’s kind of a quiet guy. But in the huddle, he’s a good leader with those guys. He knows everybody’s responsibilities. He can get things lined up; he can correct mistakes. He’s a problem solver. So, I think the guys have a lot of respect for him.
Q: The turnover thing, obviously, was a thing early in his career. What do you make of him having – he’s thrown four interceptions, the fewest of any quarterback in the NFL this year that’s played most of their team’s games. What do you make of that?
A: That’s good.
Q: What do you attribute it to? Why do you think there’s been such a drastic shift there?
A: Well, again, like I was saying: I think he works at it. I think Shea has done a great job. We have certain reads and things in our offense that we teach. And he just goes out and executes well. So, he’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do in terms of the things that we need to do each game. Again, it’s never going to be perfect. It’s a hard position to play. I think he’s got some confidence. We have confidence in him. We just put together a game plan that we think will work well for us as a team but (also will) work well for him, too, as a quarterback.
Q: Do you think there’s more upside to him? A lot of times when somebody’s that far along in their career, they’ll say, ‘oh, that’s their ceiling”.
A: Well, I don’t think he’s that far along in his career as a quarterback. Again, it’s a tough position to play. I can just go by the guys that I’ve had the last few years. One, I was with him for four years and each year we took a little bit of a step, and you always give credit to the players. His ability to grasp information and then go out there and perform it with what we’re asking him to do, I’m not sure the other years he’s been here, I think he’s made steps each way. Certainly, things to improve on but conscientious, hardworking, tough, competitor. Those are good qualities to have at that position.
Q: The flip side is you’ve had the fewest 20+ yard pass plays. How much of that do you view as situational, personnel, what do you attribute that to?
A: We always have a gameplan each week. Go into a game of how we want to play it and his job is to make the right decisions. So, if it’s to throw a quick game or take an underneath route, he’s done a good job of putting the ball where we want him to put it. We certainly would like more explosive plays, that helps you score more points, but he’s doing what we ask him to do.
Q: A lot of times guys on the outside have these fiery dispositions. Daniel is not that guy.
A: Oh, I thought you were talking about me (laughs).
Q: Well that we all know, but Daniel’s not that way. Does that not tell the whole story about Daniel?
A: Yeah, he’s a competitor and I think that’s why his teammates respect him so much. I think he’s just very levelheaded and that helps too when sometimes there’s chaos in the game; whether that’s in the pocket, whether you’re down. I think he’s really been the model of consistency with his attitude and his approach and that’s what I appreciate about him.
Q: Understanding that offensive line works as five guys, it certainly seems like early in the season and then again yesterday, the offensive line has played really well with (guard Ben) Bredeson specifically in there. What is it about him that he brings? Unless that’s a coincidence.
A: Yeah, he was in there for that 18-play drive. I think Ben’s done a good job. He’s been a good player for us when we’ve asked him to be in there, he’s coming back from an injury. I thought he did some good things last game. Still, you try to work those guys in that are coming back. Him, (center Nick) Gates, (center Jon) Feliciano, (guard Mark) Glo (Glowinski), we have a lot of confidence in all four of those guys.
Q: Do you think he’ll be at left guard specifically? Are you rotating them the rest of the season?
A: That’s a good question. I think we’ll go through it this week. I think they’ve all earned the right to play, they know what to do, they’re tough, competitive, so that will be a discussion we have kind of at the end of probably every week going forward.
Q: How much is putting Gates at center on the table there?
A: I think we talk about all those things. I think Jon (Feliciano) did a really good job last week. Again, those four guys inside, we have confidence in all those guys.
Q: I know it’s a walkthrough, but do you have anybody else out today?
A: No, the two guys would be, they’ll be out there running around, the two guys would be Adoree’ and (guard) Shane (Lemieux). Everybody else would be doing something.
Q: (Head Coach) Kevin O’Connell, he’s a first-year guy, like yourself. We all know what he’s doing out in Minnesota. Can you talk about the job he’s done, and do you have a relationship with him at all?
A: Yeah, I do. I don’t call him up on the phone everyday but if I see him out at the combine or something. I actually went out and worked him out when he was coming up for the draft. Show my age but he’s done a really nice job with that team, they’ve won a lot of one-score games. Give credit to the players, but give credit to him and his staff too. They’ve got a lot of good coaches on that staff and to be where they’re at right now is a testament to him and his team. Smart player, really good guy, good family, he’s done a nice job for that organization.
Q: Are they similar to you guys in a way? You talk about Minnesota winning a lot of one score games, a lot of close games. Are they a little bit similar to you guys?
A: No, I think every team is different. I just think they’ve done a good job of closing out games or obviously coming back like they did last week, and they don’t flinch. I think that’s a testament to Coach O’Connell, and the rest of the guys on that team.
Q: Did you get a chance to watch any of that game?
A: Yeah, I saw a little bit of it. I mean I watched it on the coaching tape, but I saw a little bit of it at the hotel.
Q: You’ve often said that I’ve pretty much seen everything.
A: That was a great comeback. Unbelievable comeback. Pretty resilient team.
Q: Another guy coming back from injury, (defensive lineman) Leonard Williams. It seemed like he played quite a lot of snaps for a guy who admittedly after the game said he wasn’t 100 percent. What’d you see from him and just kind of the will he showed?
A: That’s him. It was good to have him back. He’s one of our best players, particularly inside there with him and (defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence) Dex. Good to have those guys out there.
Q: (Head Coach Bill) Parcells would always say to us, “Let’s not put this guy in Canton just yet,” but when you see a performance like (outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux) the other night, does it make you say, ‘Wow, this guy is something special’?
A: I’d probably take a page out of Coach Parcell’s book.
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:
WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Wednesday (11:15AM – 12:45PM). The coordinators and select players will also address the media.
