JOE SCHOEN: How's everybody doing? Quick housekeeping just from a roster standpoint. We're going to add (defensive lineman) Dean Lowry to our practice squad today. We are going to move on from (wide receiver) Jason Brownlee, who was a receiver on the practice squad. So that'll be the move there. We're going to put (running back) Tyrone Tracy on IR, and we signed Greg Desrosiers from the LA Chargers practice squad to the active. He's a running back from Memphis, he's a rookie. So those are moves that we're going to make today you'll see on the waiver. Otherwise, open it up for questions.
Q: What does that do for your running back position, obviously a little shorter there without Tracy?
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, that's why we're poaching the running back from the Chargers. And then we have a practice squad running back in (running back Phil) Mafah, who we like. He was drafted by the Cowboys a couple years ago. So, we like him and again, we've been rolling with three. Last week was the first week, but ideally, that's typically your number, depending on special teams. So, I still have a lot of confidence in Skatt (running back Cam Skattebo) and Motor (running back Devin Singletary) and I'm excited to see what Greg can do.
Q: Does that change your approach to the trade deadline coming up? Does that change your approach to the running back position?
JOE SCHOEN: No. Tracy's not going to be, this isn't like some of the other ones that we've had, where it's season-ending. This won't be something that's going to be long-term. So, fortunately.
Q: When you were in this situation in '22, at the trade deadline you showed strength, didn't make any moves. Is this situation different? And if so, in what ways?
JOE SCHOEN: There's a lot of factors into it, in terms of where we are pick-wise. We don't have a fourth or a fifth right now. So, you take that into account. In some situations, that may rule some players out. Maybe that's what their value is. Maybe a third is too rich or a sixth isn't enough, so then you start looking into future picks and contract status, where we are depth-wise. So, a lot of factors that we'll look at and who's going to be available, who's really available. And it's easy to say, go sign X, Y, and Z position but if a team's really not ready to get rid of somebody where they're asking too much, it doesn't match up with where you see the value, then it doesn't make sense to do it. So, we're going to look at all the options that are available. And there's certain teams that have already started some trades and we've been in contact with those teams and have a pretty good idea of who may or may not be available. And again, it's got to make sense, short-term and long-term, when you make those moves.
Q: Joe, when you see you're 4-2-1, you're here, you're in first place at the bye week, did you ever think you would be in this position? And what's your overall feeling on the state of the Giants right now?
JOE SCHOEN: I'm happy where we are. I really like the team. I like the makeup of the players, the grit. I was thinking about it, just the end-of-game happiness that we've had, whether it was the last play of the game in Tennessee or Arizona or even Washington, the way that played out. And then the walk-off run by Motor on Sunday in Houston. So, just the resilience of the players, the way we performed late in games in the fourth quarter and overtime. Credit to the strength and conditioning staff, the training staff. They did a phenomenal job through camp and through the season, making sure we hit our numbers at practice. And that way, when you get into those situations in the fourth quarter and even into overtime, that you still have your stamina and to be able to have those two big runs at the end of the game to finish a game, that was awesome. That was a great feeling. It was cool to see. So, again, I'm really proud of the guys, the way they've worked. Some of you guys were down in West Virginia, too. It's been a long few months since then. That seems like forever ago when you guys were in your Airbnb down there in Greenbrier. We were in those hotel rooms, but just really proud of where the guys are, really proud of the coaching staff. We've been through some adversity with injuries, and really that next man up attitude has shown up consistently with these guys. Really proud of (inside linebacker) Micah McFadden, just a guy right there that got hurt in the first game last year, signed back here. We draft (inside linebacker) Arvell (Reese), and then he gets another opportunity to start and goes out and leads the team in tackles. Just really proud of guys like that and the way they're approaching it. Did I think we'd be here? You never know. Each team takes on a personality of its own but I'm really happy about where the guys are. They've earned the right to be in first place in the NFC East and we have meaningful games ahead of us that I'm looking forward to.
Q: Do you think this team's taking on the personality of its head coach?
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Q: How so?
JOE SCHOEN: It started from day one in the spring. (Head) Coach (John Harbaugh) came in here and just the details, the messaging, the leadership. His record speaks for itself as a head coach. The guy has won a lot of games. The players were eager to buy in. We have a good, young nucleus of players here that just want to win. Just want to win, whatever it takes. Coach Harbaugh and his staff have done a very good job of laying out the plan. This is what it looks like. This is how you practice. This is how you approach OTA's. This is how you approach the off-season program. This is how you train in training camp. This is how you prepare in-season, week to week. To come off a game like we did against New Orleans, where you turn the ball over four times and you lose at home, now we made it close at the end. I wish we didn't have to make it close at the end and we didn't have those turnovers. But then to go on the road in a hostile environment, down five starters on defense, and to perform the way we did just is the resilience of the team and the resilience that coach has instilled in the team and the entire coaching staff. Kudos to them.
Q: What is the view of the path that (cornerback) Deonte Banks has taken? Most circumstances, he doesn't last through a regime, if you will, and can you take me through why it's worked for him and what you're seeing out of him. How good do you feel about what you're seeing since obviously you brought him in here?
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, I'm really proud of Deonte for the way he's really put his head down and just worked and overcame adversity. And it hasn't always been perfect here for him. He had a really good rookie year. We had a personnel meeting this morning and we're just talking about the roster and we kind of went off on a side path just on his journey and had a really good rookie year to the point where he was shadowing number one receivers on the opposing teams and then for whatever reason maybe didn't perform to what he was capable of over the next couple of years. And this staff came in and they gave everybody a blank slate. What you've done in the past doesn't matter. We're going to look at you for what you are and what you do while we're here and how you execute and work in this program. And he took advantage of all the opportunities. He won the job coming out of training camp and has done a really good job this season and I'm really proud of him. He never came up to my office and asked to be traded or complained or any of that stuff, just put his head down and kept going to work and always had a positive attitude. And I'm really proud of Tae and where he is and the way he's performed.
Q: How do you proceed with him going forward? In the past around this time you've had some of those early extension talks. Do you expect those conversations to take place this week?
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, we're going to go over the roster with Coach (Harbaugh) and we've kind of been doing post-game stuff from Houston and once the dust settles here, probably tomorrow, we'll look at the roster as a whole. Who are the free agents? We'll also talk about the trade candidates and start having those conversations. This year is a little bit different where we are. We have 14 days until the trade deadline, so we still have some time there. That'll play into it if you approach any of our players for contract extensions in the bye week or hey, do we allocate draft resources and financial resources to somebody outside the building? Those are all big picture meetings that we'll have here over the next couple of days.
Q: Joe, when you talk about trade options, how much do you take into consideration you did lose your quarterback, you're without a player who was your top defensive player last year. How much do you put that into the equation when we're talking about the kind of moves maybe you can make going forward?
JOE SCHOEN: Not much. That really doesn't affect us now. We are where we are and we were 1-0 with (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) and then he got hurt seven plays into the next game and then we went out and obviously J.J.'s (quarterback J.J. McCarthy) our starter now. That really won't impact what we do. Again, we're going to look at it from a short-term and long-term, any move that we make, if that makes sense. That really won't play much into it right at this moment.
Q: Joe, when you guys made the decision to go and make the trade for J.J., you obviously had a lot of history with the walk-up to the draft and everything else. How, for you, watching him now here in your uniform, how does it compare to things that maybe you thought two years ago and what you're seeing actually play out in front of you?
JOE SCHOEN: That's a good question. What I would say is when we're going through the process, the process is so thorough that, or our process I feel like is thorough, that it may not be for today. Maybe it's not for this year's draft, but down the road you may be able to make a move like what we made because of the research we did on J.J. We had him in the building. We worked him out on Easter, Easter morning at 8 a.m., and eight of his teammates were there, the head coach, the video guy, the amount of people that showed up on Easter morning to help J.J. out, said something about the kid. The research pre-draft, maybe it's not always for that opportunity, but when they do become free agents or an opportunity to trade, can pay off in the long run. We did do extensive work on J.J., got to know him very well throughout the process. Obviously, Coach Harbaugh's brother coached him and had a history with him, won a national championship with him, so you take all that into account when you make one of those moves. There's some people you rule out because they don't fit, and maybe you wouldn't trade for that player, but because of the work we had done on J.J. in the pre-draft process, we felt comfortable with who the kid was, and we liked the film that we saw from Minnesota.
Q: Joe, you've been through it with a new coach in 2022, whether it was success and a playoff win, and maybe people in the building overjudged that team to some extent, you know what I mean? So, how do you guard against that now, being thrilled that you're in first place and maybe you have a really good season ahead of you, to not say, well, we're so much better than we thought, you know what I mean? You're trying to get ahead of yourself versus staying in your course that you originally set.
JOE SCHOEN: You mean currently or post-season?
Q: Currently now. I mean, you went through that once and went through that, or maybe there were some mistakes along the way that you say, no, no, no, now we're going to figure out what this team is and not get too crazy about the fact that maybe you look down in the division and we're in first place.
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, and in your example there, to me that would be a post-season lesson learned. There's some lessons that I've learned, and I've seen it happen other places just from the lessons I've learned. So in terms of the trade deadline, again, we're going to have those meetings, and we'll look at it short-term, long-term, big picture, and then post-season, really go back and look at it, whatever our record ends up being, and let's look at it through not emotional after a win, after a loss, the sky's falling, or we're the best in the league, or whatever it is. You go through those emotions throughout a season, really step back and go back and look at it and understand why your record was what it was. Was it because you turned the ball over because you weren't good enough? Did you not match up in your division? Or whatever it may be, but really don't get caught up in the success or the failure of the season, and look at it with as clear a vision as you can to not make those mistakes.
Q: Joe, when you look at just the fact that you guys are going to be playing meaningful games in November for the first time in three years, what does that say about how this team has progressed and earned this right to play those games? and you say, like, why that's a good thing? And ahow do you factor that into whatever decisions you make?
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, the players have earned the right. They were able to finish some of these games or make plays at the end of games or whatever it may be through their preparation and hard work and practice and dedication to the team and seeing how things play out on Sunday. So, they've earned that right to be in these games, and I know they're excited about it. And, again, we're going to canvas the league and see what's available and what the cost may be to upgrade the roster, and if it makes sense, we'll certainly do that.
Q: Joe, in the off-season you guys made bringing (offensive lineman) Jermaine (Eluemunor) back a priority. Sometimes you see a guy his age, sign a contract, maybe his play dipped. Looks like he's playing as good as maybe he's ever played in this league, what do you see from him and how good do you feel about the decision to bring him back and that his play hasn't plateaued?
JOE SCHOEN: He's playing at a high level this year. Again, Jermaine's another guy, last week we weren't sure if he was going to be able to make it. He battled through, and he knew it was if you're not 100% and you're going against a couple of those defensive ends they have, not everybody would push through if they're not 100%, and he went out there and played well, played at a high level, competed. We were able to have our rushing high against Houston, and he was a big part of that. So, really happy with where Jermaine is, not only as a teammate, but the level that he's playing with, and I understand the question, "do guys get comfortable and maybe shut it down?", and he's the opposite. He's had some nicks and dings here where you could have easily shut it down, and one thing about Jermaine is he wants to be out there, and especially if it's going to be a pro-bowl caliber or the highest paid at a position across from him. He really steps up to those challenges and has done a good job for us.
Q: How equipped do you think you are for a run to the playoffs, to make the playoffs?
JOE SCHOEN: We're about to find out. Again, I like the group. They're resilient. We have a quarterback that's started one game for us and went out and performed at a high level. You know, he's 23. He's won his last five starts, and just having played the position, how hard that is to do, to come in and 20-plus snap counts and not really throwing to our receivers throughout a training camp or an offseason. You think about all the reps these guys get with their receiving corps and their teammates that, J.J., I don't think it's been a month. Maybe tomorrow will be a month he's been here, and to go out and perform against that defense the way he did was impressive. So, again, I like the team. The O-line is doing a good job. We got the run game going. (Tight end Isaiah) Likely and (wide receivers Malik) Nabers) are doing a good job. (Wide receiver) Malachi Fields had a hell of a game the other day. And then, defensively, they played really well on Sunday. Special teams as well. So, I'm excited about where we are and excited to see what the future holds. And I know the guys are happy. The bye comes at a good time. These guys can get some rest and come back. We have two divisional games, that four- or five-day period. And those will be big games for us.
Q: How do you look at the future of that quarterback position now that J.J. obviously has one game who knows how that turns out. But he's here under contract, Jameis is here under contract, Jaxson's also here under contract. So, at this point how do you view the future of that position?
JOE SCHOEN: It's a really good room, I would say. It's probably one of the stronger ones in the league. I mean, Jameis has started six games over two years for us. Five of those games, we had the lead or a tie in the fourth quarter. Other than the New Orleans game was the only game that we didn't have a lead or a tie in the fourth quarter with him starting for us. And that's ideally what you want out of your backup quarterback. I mean, we went 2-1-1. When you make these decisions, a lot of times, as long as I've been in the league, it's, "hey, if your quarterback misses four games, can the guy go 2-2? Can he keep you afloat until you get your starter back?" Unfortunately, (Quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) won't be back this year. And then to have, you know, the two young guys with Jaxson and J.J., both talented players, it's a good position to be in. It's a good position to be in. And hopefully J.J. and Jameis can stay healthy throughout the rest of this year. And J.J. can continue to play at a high level. He did a really good job on Sunday. I was impressed with how he played.
Q: What prompted the extension for Jameis before the season?
JOE SCHOEN: What I said, I mean, when you're talking about a backup quarterback that also has leadership, that can lead not only that room, but the team. Can he go 2-2 in a four-game stretch? He went 2-1-1. And like I said, he's led us in games where we've had leads in the fourth quarter or at least a tie. So you're in the game in the fourth quarter with him and with a backup quarterback, that's what you're looking at. Not to mention the ability to lead not only that room, but the team. And then a lesson I learned back when I was in Buffalo and we took Josh Allen his rookie year, we didn't have a veteran in the room. You're always going to want a vet that can help the young guys while the coaches are up game planning and the quarterbacks are doing film on their own. Downstairs in the meeting room, to have a vet and just to know how valuable Jameis is to Jaxson and how valuable he will be to J.J. as well. To have the veteran presence in the room with the wisdom that Jameis has and can provide and the leadership, the multiplier effect that that will pay for those guys down the road is invaluable. So you're always going to want a vet in the room anyways. And the way that Jameis had performed and along with the leadership, just the chemistry of that room and for the whole team, it just made sense. I'm glad we have him here.
Q: When the Jaxson injury came down, right, how early did you decide that you would go out and find somebody who could come in and be a starter like J.J. as opposed to riding with Jameis and saying, well, we'll bring in another body off the street or whatever. There's plenty of guys out there you could have gotten.
JOE SCHOEN: Going through that, on the flight home, we thought, "hey, it was probably going to be a few weeks." We were hoping, but until you get an MRI, you don't really know until they get in there and can really see what the injury was. We didn't know. So, you basically land at 6:30 in the morning, you're on the bus, you come right here, you're back in it, you lost the game, Jaxson got hurt, and you got no sleep. You're going through that. And then you get the news that he's going to be done for the year. So, that was tough, tough news that day. But we roll up our sleeves. What are we going to do? We have (Quarterback) Jake Haener here who's also done a really good job for us. He's a valuable asset in that room, really smart kid, and a really good caddy for those guys when they come off the field. But it was like, hey, if something happens to Jameis, we still have a good team. We have a good roster, and we're going to still go to try to win games. So, is there anybody out there that we can look at that maybe somebody would move? Who are the options? Credit to my staff, Brandon Brown, Tim McDonnell, Chris Rossetti, Nick LaTesta, all those guys, the pro staff. They had the list ready within a half hour, here are the names. We started making phone calls, watching the film. We obviously had intimate knowledge of J.J. throughout the draft. We knew where he was on the depth chart. We knew that (Minnesota Vikings Quarterback) Carson Wentz was playing. We had played them in the preseason, so watching him pregame there. And he was probably the targeted guy from the get-go that we were really interested in. And then presented that to the coaches. And what's interesting is our quarterback coach, (Quarterbacks) Coach (Brian) Callahan, was in Cincinnati. They had (Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback) Joe Burrow. (Offensive Coordinator Matt) Nagy was in Kansas City, tthey had (Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback) Patrick Mahomes. Coach was in Baltimore. They had (Baltimore Raven Quarterback) Lamar (Jackson). So, how much work they really did on the quarterbacks that were going to go in the top ten? So there's unbiased opinion when you present. It actually worked out well. You present, hey, take a look at this kid. He's young. He's got a live arm. He's athletic. He's played good ball. He's got a winning record as a starter. And we didn't have to put up a case for any buy-in. It was buy-in right away from the staff. So that's just another good example of the collaboration with the staff, the way the personnel staff and the coaching staff are operating together. And I called Minnesota with Nolan Teasley there. And we were able to agree on the compensation. And it worked out. So it wasn't that week. But it was the next week, that Monday is when we were able to get something done. So that was a little bit of a look into how the process went and how it came to fruition.
Q: From your conversations with Jaxson. Just how is he doing in rehab process and what are some of his next steps?
JOE SCHOEN: He's doing the best he can. I know it's tough for him. He's coming to the team meetings. He's back in the quarterback meetings. So he's around. He's not weight-bearing yet. So he's on his crutches. But he's staying as positive as he can. He's around, which I think is good, mentally being around the guys, being around football still. And he still thinks if we make the playoffs that he's going to be able to come back. That's just his mindset. He got hurt in the Rams game. He's in the locker room trying to do pass sets, dying to go back in the game. So, he's one of those guys you appreciate his toughness and grit. And you've got to protect him from himself sometimes. You guys saw the way he played his rookie season. You love the toughness in the competitor. And he's going to come back stronger and better than ever.
Q: How do you feel about the draft capital situation for this coming year and how that will impact your approach at the deadline? Obviously you're looking ahead.
JOE SCHOEN: Obviously you want to have as many picks as you can. But, again, we're glad we have (Wide Receiver) Malachi Fields. We're glad we have J.J. So, the utilization of those draft picks that we gave up to get those two players, we're happy we have them. There are always options to regain capital down the road, whether it's from players on the roster at the trade deadline if people call and it's something that makes sense for us, through the offseason. If there's trades being made around draft time, you can move back in the draft. There's other ways that we can regain the capital, the compensatory formula, too. We'll see how that plays out. But, yeah, if it makes sense right now for us to do something in the short term and long term, we're going to look at any opportunity that we can to upgrade the roster. And, again, there's avenues that we can try to recoup draft picks down the road.
Q: As much as you liked Arvell coming out of the draft, you didn't think he'd actually be there, obviously. Now that you've got him at inside linebacker, obviously, can you talk about, I mean, has this been as seamless and as impressive a guy that you've got that you can you think of that you plugged him in and he's just playing at such a high level? What do you think of that whole experience right now?
JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, man, how good has he been? He's been awesome. He's been phenomenal since the day he got here. And that's probably why Coach and I, even in that video, we were shocked he was there. So, he's just a quiet kid that goes about his business and he's all ball all the time. And having a guy like (inside linebacker) Tremaine Edmonds and Micah McFadden in the room, two consummate pros that do things the right way and he can lean on for mentorship and they're probably a big reason. (Linebackers Coach) Frank Bush is a hell of an inside linebacker coach. I've known Frank a long time. So, the combination of those guys being in the room, his work ethic, his desire to be great, combined with the coaches in the room and just his work ethic has put him in a position to make a lot of these plays. I mean, that play he made the other day where he should have had the sack on (Houston Texans quarterback) C.J. (Stroud) and then turns around and hauls tail all the way down the field and puts the guy flat on his back while punching for the ball. I mean, you don't see many people with his size that can move like that. And then just, that's internal. That's just want to. To go towards the quarterback and then turn and run, you can't coach that. You either got that or you don't. And his effort and the way he plays and flies around, I mean, you see him on film, he's moving at a different speed than everybody else. And he's just so big and fast and violent. So, we're ecstatic to have him. We're excited to see what the future holds. He still has upside, still has stuff that he needs to work on and will continue to, but I've been really pleased with Arvell and the entire draft class in general.
