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Transcripts

Giants Postgame Locker Room Quotes

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HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN:

(on the win) "I'm very happy for our players, our coaches, and our ownership to come in here against a very, very good football team, a team that had played so well all year long. We were excited to come here and play. We knew what we were up against and I thought we did an outstanding job."

(on the defense) "Our defense has played well the last few weeks and that has been a huge difference for us in being able to count on that. Today we played outstanding defense and got turnovers."

(on WR Hakeem Nicks' touchdown before half) "That was something that we work on every week. We call it flood tip. It was put in a spot where Hakeem went and got it with his strong hands. That gave us a huge lift."

(on why the Giants are playing so well right now) "I think that we started to believe and trust in each other (after the Washington loss). I think our defensive people got together and decided that they were better than the way we had been playing. Success breeds confidence, and they are a pretty confident group."

(on why Eli Manning plays so well in the playoffs) "I think it is his mentality. It is his approach. Nobody sees what he does behind the scenes. He is a studier and a pounder. He is looking for every little advantage that he can get.  He is just trying to be the best he can be to help this team win. If we could all just remember that and use that. He loves playing against the best competition, but it is just all about doing the best for his team."

WIDE RECEIVER HAKEEM NICKS:

(on his second-quarter touchdown) "I was the jump man. I got down there and I didn't even see who was around me. All I saw was the ball and once I saw the ball, I had to jump and get it. I don't even know where I landed in the endzone. Once I went up and got it, I looked around and it was exciting."

(on playing well in big games) "I have always been told that big time players step up in big-time games. I have been told that since high school."

DEFENSIVE END JUSTIN TUCK:

(on containing Green Bay's offense) "Aaron and that offense have had a remarkable year. For us to come in here and win, we knew we would have to play one of our best games and I think we did that. I don't think they have anything to hang their heads about. I just think it just seems like our time."

QUARTERBACK ELI MANNING:

(on the second-quarter touchdown to Nicks) "It was just a great catch by him. Everybody knew what to do. It is one of the few that I have thrown up and it was first one that was ever caught. It was just a great job by Hakeem. I just kind of threw it up there and as the ball was coming down I saw Hakeem in the mix, saw him jump up with no one else going after the ball. It was just a great job by him to hold onto the ball and get a touchdown. It gave us all the momentum going into halftime."

(on why New York is playing so well) "I think we are always confident going into games. Guys understand the way to win football games against good teams. Our defense is playing great with pressure and turnovers. Our offense for the most part is protecting the ball and playing smart football. When we have a chance to make a big play we are making them."

DEFENSIVE END OSI UMENYIORA:

(on the team's defensive performance) "We did well. We know we're a good football team and we're a great defense. We might not have showed most of it during the regular season, but that doesn't matter. This is the postseason and we're playing the way we're supposed to be playing right now. We've been playing well for the past four or five games now so hopefully we'll keep it going and take this thing all the way."

(on the team's confidence level) "It's pretty high. We have a very good team we're about to go play in San Francisco, so we're not going to go in overconfident, but this is a team that we think we can go in there and compete with."

(on whether or not the team likes going on the road and being the underdog) "We take on the personality of our coach. He's a tough guy and the team is taking on that mentality."

(on what it means to be headed to the NFC Championship) "Well, considering where we came from, it means everything. Everybody wrote us off. They always do that. So we're just going to keep on fighting and keep on playing hard and hopefully we'll keep things going."

WIDE RECEIVER VICTOR CRUZ:

(on what this win says about the Giants) "It says a lot. It says how resilient we are, how much we pay attention to the Xs and Os and how much we were mentally prepared for this game above anything else. Physically we're always going to be right. We always understand our routes and understand what we have to do, but mentally we had to be prepared for this game and I felt like we were."

(on the performance of the Giants' receivers) "It's just important to make sure we get those crucial catches and crucial first downs that we needed all day today and I felt like we came in and we did that."

(on how the team's passing game was more prevalent than the running game) "Obviously we always want balance when we come into the game but it's just kind of the way that things flowed. Offensively, the passing game was open and we were clicking and we were completing balls and first downs, and that ball that Hakeem (Nicks) caught at halftime was just tremendous."

(on the Nicks touchdown catch before halftime) "In that situation, you just kind of want to jump up for it and make a play, but I looked and I said, 'Hakeem is kind of by himself.' I was going to jump but then I was like, 'no, let me let Hakeem just do what he does,' and he went up and he got it and he came down with it. I was slapping his helmet and I was just excited."

(on recovering the Packers' onside kick attempt) "We were just waiting for it. We were alert. We saw the body language of the kicker and he came this way and it went right through (Spencer) Paysinger's legs. As soon as I saw that I just tried to jump down on it and make sure I had it in my hands. Underneath that pile, if I told you what happened under that pile you probably wouldn't even believe me."

(on his injury) "I got a knee to the quad a little bit. I'll get some treatment this week and I'll be ready to go."**

RUNNING BACK AHMAD BRADSHAW:**

(on the win) "We just kept fighting. We've got a lot of guys that don't quit and we knew today if we didn't quit and kept fighting we'd come out in the end on top."

(on his 23-yard run that led to the Hakeem Nicks touchdown before halftime) "I tried to get as many yards as I could and get out of bounds and that's exactly what happened. The receivers on the outside kept blocking for me and they got me to the end. I looked up before (the play) and there were 15 seconds and I figured I could get a lot of yards before the time ran out."

(on the effect of Nicks' touchdown catch before halftime) "We just knew we could come out on top. We had a lot of confidence. Coming back out we knew we could win this game. We just kept fighting. We were winning coming out of half and we just maintained and kept it going."

DEFENSIVE END JASON PIERRE-PAUL:

(on the win) "We played great as one. The whole team came in harmony. Defense, special teams and offense played together, so that's all that really counts."

(on the team's defensive performance) "We just boosted it up a notch. We just came out here and played even harder and we just rose to another level. Our cornerbacks and safeties did well and our defensive line did a great job. That's all that really counts. Everybody played as one."

(on whether or not people should stop calling the Giants underdogs) "People can call us what they want. At the end of the day, we've got to go out there and play football."

(on the Packers' performance) "They (weren't) on their game but that's not my fault. We knew what we had to do and we came in and played some great football."

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