Head Coach Tom Coughlin

Good afternoon. We had a nice opportunity to look at the tape today and verified what we saw yesterday. I thought that the first half was played very well. I thought that one of the key plays in the game was the recovery right away of Chase Blackburn for the muffed punt. The score was nothing to nothing, down deep in what would have been our territory – that was a very big play in the game. I thought that the way the offense, defense, and special teams played together in the first half was outstanding. It's what we've been looking for. I think that as our team comes together, and I did notice the support, the enthusiasm, the outstanding play, people taking pride and great joy in the success of others – I thought that that was very strong yesterday as well. I think the way in which we played on offense in the first half – the ability to put some points on the board – may have changed some of their thinking in going forward and the style of game that they'd play. Our defense did a great job of shutting the run down. Our defense was able to take a team that had averaged 172 yards a game and literally do a very, very good job of completely shutting the run down and in so doing, we also had outstanding success on third down, as they only converted 18% of their third downs and that's a tribute to not allowing something to happen on first, down which makes those third downs shorter. I also think our kickoff coverage team – I thought Lawrence Tynes did a nice job, I thought our coverage teams did well, and we had three tackles inside the 20 yard line, which was outstanding. Our field goals were good, Sage did a nice job. I think he gave confidence to the whole crew and the ball was struck very well and I was glad to see the return of that as well.

Q: What has been the key over these last couple of weeks for your team to play well and win?
A: Prepare, practice, work hard, focus, understand the opponent, understand what we're asking you to do, prioritize what needs to be done in order to be effective, go spend extra time in the classroom, which, whenever we play someone of the nature of Houston, for example, that is someone we don't know all that well, we stress to them that because we don't know the opponent, you've got to put them under the microscope, you've really got to do a good job. You've got to spend the extra time studying them and I feel like the evidence is pretty much there. If you want to take the defense, I think the idea of the way in which we adjusted and played this very unique style of running game, gives evidence to the preparation part of it.

Q: What do the guys get out of coming in on Tuesdays to put in that extra work?
A: Well, they get a tremendous amount out of it because they get ahead. They've all got DVDs, they've all got study guides, but when you have the opportunity on a Tuesday when it's not hectic and you're not being hustled to the next phase of your protocol, of your morning, you can take the time to study not only the overall feeling and the overall way in which the opponent plays – a particular style of game is offense, defense or special teams – but you can zoom in on the guys you're playing against. If you're an offensive lineman, you can zoom in on the defensive player that you're going to play against. If you're a receiver, the corner, if you're a secondary player or a defensive back, you may zoom in on the receiver that you feel like you're going to be matched up against. So, I think it gives guys a nice head start and it pays off.

Q: When you look at the connection between Hakeem and Eli, what can they do now that they couldn't do a year ago?
A: Well, they're spending more time together. They've grown to know each other better. There's good communication between the two. There's an expectation level that's very high. Throughout the course of the week in which you prepare, you're talking constantly about what the expectation is from the quarterback standpoint, what the receiver is going to do in this situation. We knew that there would be a lot of press involved yesterday and so that ability of the two players to talk about how in fact the receiver was going to get off the ball, what his best method was, how his break point would be affected by the way in which the opponent plays, so all of those things. You just give them more time to work together.

Q: What about Hakeem is distinct?
A: Well, he's very, very good. He's got exceptional hands. He really does have exceptional hands. He is the kind of guy that – you saw this when he was young, as a rookie – he was pretty much as fast as he had to be and he does have the ability to catch the ball in a crowd. He can be physical if he has to be, he can execute the routes the way you would like him to. There's always room to improve. I think that he would be the first to tell you – I don't think the second half was as good as the first half. I'm constantly asking him to evaluate himself in terms of the kind of focus and the kind of intensity with which he plays on a continuous basis.

Q: What about the catch he made at the end of the first half? That looked like a really good catch.
A: Really good catch. Really good. A drive sustaining kind of catch.

Q: How about the drop? We heard that his teammates and even you poked a little fun at him…
A: It wasn't a joke. It was huge. I simply pointed out all of the good things he did and then I said, "Well, of course there was the drop…" It was a touchdown, but…at the time it wasn't funny. It's not very funny now.

Q: How impressed were you with the offensive line?
A: Well, let's face it, each week is a brand new challenge. This is a good defensive team – the Houston defensive team – and they have their people plotted a lot of times in ways in which you don't find them by looking it up on page 37 of the defensive manual. They overloaded some things, they distributed their people well if you noticed – and of course we knew this coming in – but just a small example would be Williams and Smith on the same side in the sub-packages. They had a real good scheme where they moved people around. Their pressure – I think they exerted…I don't have the number in front of me, but it seemed as if their pressure package was utilized a lot more against us yesterday than I had seen and all of that has to be worked out and whether it's the quarterback or whether it's the offensive line and engaging the tight ends and the running backs… Again, it wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but there's a lot of things thrown at those guys and they seem to do well sorting it all out.

Q: Is there anyone in the locker room encouraging everyone to come in to work on their day off?
A: Well, I think that a lot of our teams have been encouraged to do that. They like to come in and have lunch, for example. (Laughs) They seem to stop in at about that time. But we've had guys that have been in on Tuesday since day one. I mean, Eli is in here on Tuesday always and always has been. So if guys want to study with him or watch tape with him, they're in here with him. Some of the defensive guys – you notice how the defensive backs will get together and come in. There's a lot of that that goes on and it's good because it's unannounced. It's not for anybody's story the next day – that's not what it's about. It's about guys wanting to do a better job in their profession.

Q: What's your level of patience with Darius Reynaud?
A: I thought his kickoff return was better, especially the one that was out to the 29, 30-yard line out there. I thought he ran that very well. Obviously we're still waiting for something to happen with punt return, and ball security is the number one thing there. I hope we have seen the last of that. To be honest, you have to give credit to (Houston's Matt) Turk. If you noticed, the way that the ball was punted, it was way up in the air. You're waiting, you're waiting, you're waiting. So, the style of punter was also given credit to them. He pounded that ball high up in the air, and the hang time was quite considerable.

Q: How long does it take to learn a new defense under a new defensive coordinator?
A: I don't know that I would say an exact amount of time, but it's a process and we're certainly apart of this process right now. It's constant repetition, constant study. The thing that happens in a game plan is that you hope that the majority of what is being introduced has already been introduced at a previous time, an earlier time, maybe in camp or some other time, so you can have recall. All these plans that we have: offense, defense, special teams, hopefully you've touched on them before. They're designed specifically for the opponent that you're going to play. His strengths, his weaknesses, and that's the interesting part of it. You have to master the way in which the scheme is adjusted to fit the opponent, and that's where the process is ongoing.

Q: Do you feel the players trust in that coming along?
A: You can see that, yes. You can see it.

Q: Did you not see that last year?
A: I wouldn't say that. We're talking about this year. This year's group, I think, has fun playing and is playing well together. They see how all the pieces can come together when people are doing their job the right way, and how rewarding and satisfying it can be. It's an ongoing process. Every week is a new week.

Q: Is there a specific week where everyone came together and bought into it?
A: As I said, it's as we go along and the development of some confidence. Confidence being difficult to come by, and earning it honestly. As that develops, because of the result, the past couple weeks being very good examples, they get a good feeling about one another. You always have to be able to count on the guy to your right and to your left. I like the way I keep referring to our team developing, and I like the way that is taking place in terms of the way we're there for each other and keeping track. If the offense is on the field, the defense and special teams is very much involved in what's going on, and they're the guys out on the field congratulating when the play or series is over. I like that, and that's taking place as a whole with our team, but also with the offense, defense, and special teams.

Q: Was that missing last year?
A: You guys keep wanting to talk about last year. What are we talking about? We weren't as good last year, didn't play as well together. Hopefully we're going to keep improving this year.

Q: How much did having Antrel Rolle in the box help up there with run defense?
A: That's a part of the scheme. To be able to defend that style of run and to be able to come up with that type of scheme and the way in which we played it, and the ball racks all the way back, and then there is Antrel to make the tackle and still keep it at a very short gain.

Q: What did you see from Bear Pascoe at fullback?
A: Bear is going to give you everything he's got. He's going to know what to do, adapt on the fly, give you everything he's got. He's going to be the right guy in the right place at the right time. He allowed us to continue to play in a style that we might not have had if it weren't for the fact that he's here.

Q: What'd you see from Ramses Barden?
A: With the limited number of snaps that he played, he played well. He caught a ball, was in the right position, and almost blocked a punt, to be honest with you.

Q: How encouraging was your play in the green zone this week?
A: As I said last week, we studied the Dallas style. They were two-for-two in the green zone, and Houston was one-for-three. We knew that would be significant because, quite frankly, we were going into yesterday, second in the league in big plays but the correlation to points wasn't there. Yesterday, we did have some points.

Q: Anything with O'Hara and Kiwanuka?
A: Well, Shaun is going to work with the trainers tomorrow and see where that is. As far as I know, there is no change with Mathias.

Q: How'd Bradshaw and Phillips come through?
A: Seemed to come through alright. I know they're sore today, but I don't think it's a setback.

Q: Bulluck any closer?
A: I think he is, but don't know exactly where. He looked better this morning.

Q: What do you like about having three safeties on the field?
A: It's situational. You have a nice compliment of veteran, young people who are playing well together. When we have the situation we want, it's a nickel situation, and we have Deon Grant down below. You pick up a guy who has good savvy, good cover skills at that position as well. You have another skilled position player on the field at that time.

Q: After facing so much adversity a couple weeks ago and coming through that into this week, what does that say about your team?
A: I think one of the things, and I'm hoping it continues, is that as a whole we have learned to accept the 'we' instead of 'me,' and they've accepted that challenge. Adversity makes you stronger, and we have fought through that.

Q: On those plays like the Andre Johnson 48-yard catch and you get the ball back the next play, when the game could've tilted or changed but it didn't, is that part of this?

A: Yes, and I think that is a good point and well said. I brought it up to our team today. We were able to overcome that 48-yard play with the fumble and the strip and recover the ball. The answering in the second half with that drive and kicking the field goal, I think those were a big part of the game as well. We've been down this street before where the offense has turned the ball over and the defense has made the stop or forced them to turn the ball over or kick a field goal. The ability to fight your way out of tough circumstances or situations, even if you've created them yourself, has to happen if you're going to win.

WR Hakeem Nicks

Q: Do you feel like every time you touch the ball you can turn it into a touchdown?
A: No, I just like to contribute to the offense the best way possible. That's my job. 

Q: What is it like to come in here today to know you guys have played well the last two weeks?
A: It's good that we've got momentum, and we've got to keep going up from here. We've just got to keep on preparing well throughout the week and then going out there on Sundays and playing. 

Q: What do you think has been the difference? How have you guys turned this around?
A: I think we came together as a team. We worry about what's going on in our locker room and take things for what it is, and we know what we need to work on and get better at. 

Q: Has it gotten to the point where teams play you differently? Have you seen that yet, or do you expect it?
A: You probably could expect it a little bit, but I think coach (offensive coordinator Kevin) Gilbride does a great job at moving us around a lot, but then at the same time we've got Steve Smith and Mario Manningham on the other side too. So it'll be beneficial for us. 

Re: Chemistry that has developed with Eli Manning
A: I think Eli, he's starting to get the feel for me as a little bit more of the season goes on. He knows I'm hardworking and I'm determined to get the job done. 

Q: To see the offense finally come together yesterday, what was that like?
A: It felt good. It let us know that we're heading in the right direction. We just have to keep on going and keep working hard. 

Q: Eli was talking yesterday about the second touchdown and what you guys had seen on film. He said he senses you guys listen to him more than ever and kind of trust the things he'll say. Do you feel that too?
A: Definitely. We know Eli is that type of guy. He sits in the film room a lot. So once he brought that to our attention when we had our film session. He brought it to our attention there was something that he said we can exploit, and we did. 

Q: These big games that you've had, are you surprised by them or going into the game do you see a matchup you can take advantage of?
A: I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I just want to make sure I'm going in every game plan well and preparing well, and I think everything pans out on its own. 

Q: Was yesterday's matchup in the passing game something you guys felt like you could take advantage of?
A: Right. I felt the same way. I felt like with the game plan that we had that coach Gilbride put together, it was just left up to us to go out there and make plays. 

Q: What's been the difference in the three games you played well and the two games when the numbers weren't up there?
A: I think just a matter of probably schemes and the game plan. I don't necessarily think it was just a lack on anything. 

Q: When you look at the numbers, six touchdowns in five games, are you sitting there going, 'Wow, this is pretty impressive?'
A: Honestly I really don't even think about that right now. I'll probably check it out towards the end of the season. Right now I just want to focus on contributing to the team and being here and enjoying it. 

Q: You know you've already matched your total from last year?
A: I do now. 

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