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Coach Daboll Weekly Q&A

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Dabs' Digest: 'Defend every inch of the field'

BRIAN-DABOLL-GRAYSCALE

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Dabs' Digest, Giants.com's weekly conversation with head coach Brian Daboll:

Q: The tenor of the questions you got Monday after the 20-20 tie with Washington was that you've become more conservative.

Daboll: "Yeah, that's not the case."

Q: You went for two points late in the opener in Tennessee, but you're not thinking about playoff implications in the first week of the season. Is it fair to say you have more to consider at this time of year?

Daboll: "Absolutely. I think there's a lot of different outcomes that you (consider). Look, you try to win every game, so things that we talk about with our analytics department and support staff (are) because there's a lot of situations that you go through at this time of year. So, we do that every week."

Q: Do those discussions get longer the later you get into the season?

Daboll: "There's a lot in December if you're in the (playoff) hunt. You don't let those affect any of your decisions until the minute it comes up. You're always trying to win the game. But then, there's conversations and studies and numbers and a bunch of things that go along with it."

Q: We usually discuss the opposing team late in the conversation, but (11-1) Philadelphia seems worthy of moving up. As you study the tape of the Eagles, do they jump out as a team that's playing at a higher level than other teams you've seen?

Daboll: "Yeah, that's why they're 11-1. I'd say it's a complete team. The players they have on their roster, they have a lot of talent. I think (Eagles coach) Nick (Sirianni) is a really good coach, along with his coordinators (Shane Steichen on offense, Jonathan Gannon on defense and Michael Clay on special teams). I think those players execute at a high level. (Quarterback) Jalen Hurts is a winner. If you go back and look at the games he's played as a starting quarterback – at (the University of) Alabama, at (the University of) Oklahoma, at Philadelphia – it's like 58-15. It's about an 80 percent winning percentage as a starting quarterback since he's played the last five years."

Q: When you got to (the University of) Alabama, Jalen was already there. Do you remember watching him for a couple of practices and saying, "This kid is special"?

Daboll: "I think his attitude and his leadership are special. But then, he's got a really good skillset. So, combine all those things together, he was raised in a football family. His father's a football coach. He's got instincts, he studies. And you want the ball in his hands; he can hurt you in a lot of different ways. That's a hard quarterback to defend."

View photos of head coach Brian Daboll's time with the New York Giants.