I will start off by saying that everyone practiced today. Tuck was limited and DeOssie was limited. But they did work.
Q: How much has Justin Tuck been bothered by this ailment coming down the stretch?
A: That is just speculation. Everybody at this time of the year, after they have come through 16 games, everybody has something. But it has limited his practice time from time to time.
Q: Is there anything on the field that has been diminished?
A: No, I'm not going there. I just think that he is excited about looking forward to this weekend.
Q: How has Justin responded to almost being the last man standing after Strahan's retirement and Osi got hurt, not only on the field but being the center of attention. How do you think he has handled this season?
A: I think he handled it well. I don't think he ever looked at it that way. Obviously we all were aware of Michael when he retired and then we all dealt with the Osi. But the guys rallied back and just realized that more people had to contribute and went from there.
Q: Do you have any message for the guys that missed the 2007 postseason (Kiwanuka and Ward) due to injury?
A: Individually, just the idea that there is no doubt what they missed. They expressed that in more ways than one throughout the offseason and it is just the opportunity that they have now to be a part of this. And they are excited about it; we are excited about it for them.
Q: As a coach do you get butterflies before games?
A: You better, you better. I have read from other coaches in other situations at times say that if you lose that part of it you probably ought to be thinking about doing something else. It is there – it doesn't matter how many times you do it. There is always something new and different about that particular game and you are always anxious about it the day of the game, the night before, the day of the game because it is, quite frankly, closer to the action, closer to the time.
Q: Has that changed over time for you and do you have a greater appreciation for it now?
A: I don't know if appreciate is the word, but I don't think it has ever changed. I grew up in a different time, a different era. We didn't say boo. We sat on the bus, kept quiet; we drove to the stadium and played. When I first got into coaching that is the way you expected it. Times have changed a little bit, but not that part of it.
Q: Do you like familiarity with an opponent? Does it make it easier?
A: That is not the word, it is not easy. Not the word. No, it is not the word because you have a wealth of material that everybody feels like we have to cover – 2005 – we have to get back to that. We have got to go back there and see what they did to us in 2005. No, that is not the word. There is a familiarity, but sometimes there is just the idea that there is such rivalry between the two teams. And every time we play, probably with the exception of the last game here at Giants Stadium, every game is decided – many of them -- by the last snap.
Q: Have you spent a lot of time reviewing the plays you were close to making in the last game against Philadelphia?
A: We have been talking about that all week – making the plays. We also had the last time we played a fourth-and-one, a fourth-and-three and fourth-and-four that are still out there, that had they been converted might have made a little bit of a difference.
Q: Does it get you upset when you see it?
A: It never stops, it never stops.
