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Transcript: Postgame Coach Tom Coughlin

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SEPTEMBER 21, 2008

Give credit where credit is due to Cincinnati, they played well.  They came in here, they were 0-2, their coach said they were going to play hard, they did play hard, they were physical, they hadn't shown that kind of pressure in any of their previous games, they really did a nice job of that.  Some we were able to manipulate and others we weren't, they moved the ball, they had some runs in the first half which put us back on the drawing board so to speak at halftime.  They made plays when they had to in the passing game.  We responded.  We had the one long drive in regulation in the fourth quarter and then, of course, they did, too, but then we followed that up with the overtime plays and we are just happy to have the win.  The Cincinnati Bengals are a good team.  I had a sense that here is a team that was tenth in the league in ranking offensively and hadn't really gotten themselves on track and we saw them get pretty much on track today, but they also were very good on defense today.  We had our hands full and we found a way to win.

Was the team a little flat in the game today?

Don't give me that flat stuff.  We came out, it was a tough, competitive game, and we found a way to win the game.  We didn't execute as well as we have been, but you have to give them a little credit for that, too.  They played well.  They played hard.

Can you talk about the last drive that Cincinnati had in overtime. What did you see in your pass defense down there?

What did we see in our pass defense?  We had an opportunity; Sam Madison made a heck of a play to knock a ball away, real close to making the interception.  It was the same play they had used earlier to convert on a big third down so we were in a good coverage, they came out in a tandem alignment, we had really what amounted to an I and O coverage on it and Sam made a nice play.

Is it no longer a surprise when you see Eli Manning come through in pressure situations?

Well, we certainly needed for that to happen today and he was able to come through with it again.  Again, it was the kind of game where there was a lot of pressure to have to deal with.  We settled down there in the fourth quarter and the overtime.  We are certainly happy to be able to finish the way we did and win the game.

Did you worry that the long pass to Amani Toomer in overtime would be reviewed and overturned?

Well, upstairs they weren't sure.  If there is any question, they won't let you snap the ball anyway.  The umpire moved off the ball so we knew that it was a play that was allowable if you will.

How did Kevin Boss' play help today?

We got the ball to the tight end today, and obviously a huge play for the touchdown, but had a couple of other balls where he was up above everybody else, to be honest with you.  Coverage was in pretty good shape and he caught the ball up above.  It was nice to see Kevin get involved.

Can you talk about the spark Derrick Ward gave you today?

Derrick has done that consistently now really for three games.  He has run hard, he has been a guy that has had some versatility catching the ball as well, some good maneuverability in traffic, and he definitely was a pickup, as you said, a spark today.

Was trying to set the run up off the edge with Jacobs something you feel like you could have done more effectively today?

They defended it well, give them credit.  Their scheme was such that it ended up being a lot of eight man fronts with one side being heavy contain alignment and the other side being a pressure side.  Again, give them credit for that.  Probably our better runs ended up going straight up more than anything else today.

Do you have higher expectations of this team in tight games because you are Super Bowl champions?

I think you expect that we are going to play well when the pressure is on and we are going to find a way to win the game.  We did that today, although it was a difficult game.

On the play after Ward got you to near the goal line before the go-ahead score, was that a designed run to the outside with Jacobs?

Well, you saw what happened.  You are talking about the goal line play?  Yeah, they came underneath the wing and forced the ball to bounce and scraped the backer outside with no way for the offense to get anybody on him.  Their defense was designed to go to the wing and they got us.

You said the pressure at times was hurtful on offense, so what was the reason to go only to the passing game in overtime?

That was part of it.  To be honest with you, there were some runs tied in there, but what the defense gave us forced us to go to the pass.

You didn't do the hurry-up, but you stayed in the same formation as when you run it. Did you want to keep it that way?

We didn't have to get into any kind of hurry-up, so we huddled, but we thought our best chance to have some versatility with our attack with the run and the pass was to be in that formation or that personnel set.

Tynes was kicking pregame. Was that part of his rehab regimen?

That was his regimen for today.  His program for today was designed that he would... we knew probably mid-week that John (Carney) was going to be our kicker so we put Lawrence back on the schedule where he would be a heavy duty workout this morning and he did.  He is coming along well.

Is it going to be hard to say goodbye to Carney?

He has done very well.  Let's face it, pretty much everything we have asked the guy to do he has done it, plus his kickoffs have been outstanding, directional kickoffs.  He puts the ball outside the numbers and gives you a chance with some flexibility on different types of coverage schemes, too.

Was your message to the team that you got away with one today?

No, that wouldn't be the way I would say it.  My message today was... it ended up being really the power of the will.  It wasn't our best game, by any means, but we hung in there, we kept battling and scrapping, and in what was not our best game, we found a way to win against a good football team.  I don't care if they are 0-2 or not, they play in a tough division and they are a good team.

Any update on Aaron Ross?

I haven't heard anything.

What does that mean, 'the power of the will?'

We just gutted it out; you find a way to win.  You find a way some how, some way, to put your will over his.

Will you carry two kickers if the roster stays healthy?

Well, we will make a decision, we haven't really crossed that bridge yet, but we would make a decision based on where the best 53 sits.

Why was Jerome McDougle inactive?

He has been managing a leg situation.  He came in with some swelling and soreness this morning and we didn't know that he would be able to go the four quarters and we had a healthy Dave Tollefson, so the move was to let Dave play and Dave gets a sack.

Is it disappointing to see your defense allow Cincinnati to drive back down and send the game to overtime?

Well, it was, but again what they did, they blocked a lot of our pressures up and they had the quarterback in the gun and Palmer got the ball out fast.  He got it out quick.  We had really a full pressure on in the last drive and they hit the slant over the middle to Houshmandzadeh and he made a heck of a play.  We just didn't get there.  We had a lot of pressure called, but we didn't get there many times.

Burress didn't have a big day today aside from the play in overtime?

The reason was they had two people wherever he went, so we do have to deal with that.  We do line him up in a lot of different places, but whenever it was a normal situation today, and rightfully so, they had two on him.

His play in overtime?

Outstanding.  Excellent play and Amani's play was a great play, too.  You have to have them.  Those are the plays you have to have when the game is on the line.  Someone has to step up and make a play to help you win the game.

Eli could not have made a better pass on the play to Plaxico because only Plaxico could catch it?

We have some... I keep referring to it as "elevation."  We have Plaxico, we have Kevin Boss, the ball sometimes up high to those guys nobody can get up as high as they are and that is basically what happened.

What do you think of Antonio Pierce's play when he took the penalty when there were only 10 men on the field?

He was making a heads-up, smart play.  That is all I can tell you.  We had a personnel combination out there that was set and right and one of the young guys came running off thinking he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Antonio made the smart move and didn't let them snap the ball with 10.

That is a penalty you can accept?

Not accepting, but today it was a smart move.