Head Coach Brian Daboll

Brian Daboll: How's everybody doing? Good, good to be out here.

Q: What's the goal today with this, with your draft picks?

Brian Daboll: I would just say with everybody it's the first day of the process. There's so much to learn, so just get better day by day. There's a lot of information that's given to these players. We'll come out here. We'll have a short practice. We'll do some individual. Some guys will do some 7 on 7. There are tryout guys here, a bunch of them. There's UDFAs. There are free agents. There's a couple of our guys, so just get into the program and you start swimming.

Q: You didn't have the draft picks take a lot of reps last year. Is that going to be the kind of plan today as well?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, I mean, they'll take reps and individual and things like that, but we'll ease them in, get ready for phase two of the program and learn some of the individual techniques, but not 7 on 7 other than Jaxson like I said

Q: We always hear about quarterback that actually look like for a guy like Jaxson coming into a situation like this?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, it's really the same for every position. These guys have a lot to learn. None of them have been out in an NFL practice. There's so much to learn. We'll take it day by day. We'll continue to give them information. You know, there'll be a lot of mistakes. We'll improve off those mistakes. We'll come out to the next practice, try to do a better job, and we'll do that with all our guys.

Q: What changes to you in terms of analyzing Jackson, right? Try to break him down and now actually coaching him.

Brian Daboll: I'd say it's the same for all these guys. We went through all our process. We have the guys that we have right now. We're excited about them. Now there's a lot of work that goes into it.

Q: What are you hoping to get out of those more reps from Jaxson?

Brian Daboll: This is first practice, so there's going to be mistakes. You learn from the mistakes. You teach off of them, come back the next day, you build off of it. There'll be some good things. There'll be some bad things. It's the first day of camp. He hasn't thrown with any of these guys. He's calling plays in our system for the first time, but same as all the other positions. They have a lot to learn.

Q: What do you make about clapping, the snap count, the cadence?

Brian Daboll: I mean mostly every college does that. I mean, I did it when I was at Alabama in 2017 and I think Hurts and Tua are doing a good job of cadences in the league,

Q: I mean you have to teach them that from scratch because that's something you're trying to like this weekend, maybe something you focus on with him because he hasn't done it?

Brian Daboll: I mean most college guys haven't done it. I would say most of them are, you know, you clap and when I first went to

Q: But they're not here and you're not…

Brian Daboll: When I first went to Alabama, Look, I didn't know anything about clapping. There's SEC stadiums, you can't hear them. I'm like, how is this going to work, but you hear it. Again, any of these new players, quarterbacks, free agent quarterbacks, first round like most of them haven't done a cadence, but I mean it's not too hard to learn a cadence. You say a couple words, voice inflection, you continue to learn from that, but I wouldn't say it's like rocket science to learn a cadence.

Q: You said Dart hasn't thrown to any of these guys but he actually has…

Brian Daboll: Yeah, yeah, you got me, Ryan. Way to be on top of your game.

Q: I was just going to ask with [Antwane] Juice Wells being here and Reece McIntyre as a tryout, how much of that is to help Jaxson be familiar with, hey, you've thrown at this guy and you've snapped with this.

Brian Daboll: Well, we thought Wellsey was good, you know, George McDonald, receiver coach down there that had worked with me at Cleveland. I had a lot of good conversations with him throughout the process. He's a good player. That's why he's here. But it's always helpful when you have a quarterback who has some familiarity with some of the guys that he's played with.

Q: Same with the Center?

Brian Daboll: Yeah.

Q: You talk about how every year the process changes. How much are you tweaking the process of getting Jackson ready this year as opposed to maybe what you've done in the past?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, I'd say just with any young player, Pattie, you're doing everything you can to again there's a long list of things that you have to go through with all these players. Quarterback is a particularly hard position mentally. We're going to put everything we got into it. I know he will too, and there'll be some struggles and there'll be some good things, and that's what you learn from, but excited to work with him.

Q: There's a lot of drama about Carter's number; did you have any discussions with him about that or where he was going to land with that?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, he'll wear 51. I'm more concerned about the player and proving him, so that's what number he's in, 51.

Q: It was reported that Victor Dimukeje tore his pec…

Brian Daboll: Yeah, in terms of the injuries, we're not, I'm not going to get into injuries where we're at you know, he's still here working, doing the things he can do.

Q: You guys didn't do this offseason to the top of the receiver room, is that because you're comfortable with the top 4 and obviously Gabe Davis is a free agent if you're very familiar with him. I that something you'd be interested in?

Brian Daboll: I'd say these guys that we've had here are working their tails off. I mean, we signed Slay back, so I mean I know it's the same guy, but we brought him back and the guys have been working well. We'll always look to improve our roster any way we can.

But you know these guys have had a good couple of weeks in phase two with, you know, with Russ and Jameis there.

Q: How have they been?

Brian Daboll: They've done a nice job.

Q: What's the experience been like working with them so far?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, veterans, you know, they've done it for a while. I think there's a good comfort level with giving them the play call them controlling the huddle. We're not going against the defense right now, but the communication process has been good. The timing, they're working on the timing with the players that they're throwing to. They've been two good additions for us.

Q: What's your message to the tryout guys?

Brian Daboll: I showed him a couple clips of Ryder and Chap today, the play in Houston where he hustled down and made the play, then a sack against Cleveland, Ryder against the Jets in the preseason and another sack against Washington. Again, this is an opportunity for them. It's hard because you're not throwing guys to the ground.

I have the coaches go back and watch tape of the tryout guys that are coming in, so you get a feel for what they look like on tape, and then you evaluate how their movement skills are, how they pick things up. Is there a guy that maybe deserves an opportunity, a tough challenge with the number of guys that we have here, but that's why we do it the way we do it. If you can find one guy that makes the active roster, you can put on the practice squad, it's worth however many you bring in. So, they're excited. I know they're probably pretty anxious. We just had a walkthrough out there. They've done a nice job. So that's how we do it.

Q: Russ and Jameis, how have they grasped the offense?

Brian Daboll: Good.

Q: When you get in the process of evaluating all these guys and you know, you don't know if you're going to get them now you have the draft picks in. Do you kind of look through their eyes sometimes when they come in here for the first time, you know, you've been through this a lot when you're looking around and looking at the locker room and seeing this and seeing that, all that stuff.

Brian Daboll: Yeah, there's a lot, you know, there's a lot for these young, these young men leaving home. I know they've been in college, but you know there's a lot of different circumstances. There's stress to them. They're probably pretty anxious. You just do a good job. This really this camp is just, hey, you get to know us, we get to know you. Let's not go too far ahead. You know, there's going to be mistakes. Those are okay. Let's build off of them. Let's be ready to get into our program here in a couple days, but let's not make more out of it than it is. Our job is to kind of acclimate them to how we do things, and that'll take a while. But I like the guys we have.

Q: Since you're using mostly the tryouts guys and 7 on 7, is it just conceptually and not really using your stuff as far as what they're really.

Brian Daboll: I'd say it's pretty basic, you know, there's a few little things in here, but you also do things to see if they can pick it up quickly, if they can adjust, who can do that, who can't do that. It's an evaluation part of it too, but you know, are we 10 for 12? Like I'm not really. It's the first day or even the next day. We're just again it's such an introductory part of it, but there's, you know, there's some reasons why we do some things for evaluation purposes.

Q: But even if Jackson is out there in some of the 7 on 7, he's not necessarily running your playbook and you're not testing his…

Brian Daboll: No, I mean he's running our playbook. We're putting some plays in, I would say just to go back some of it is cadence that he hasn't done, you know, we're not going to use the clap today. We're going to use cadence. This is the first time he'll be out there doing our stuff and there's a reason to try to get him in there and just kind of get adjusted to hearing the play call from the walkie-talkie, getting in there, calling the play, not just running no huddle, using the cadence, that's why we're doing it.

Q: when you mix them and integrate Jackson with the veterans after this week. Is your goal to just have him sit back and watch or do you want him to get out of the field and actually get a lot of reps, you know, throughout the spring we're talking about.

Brian Daboll: Yeah, I mean, we'll, we'll take care of rookie camp here. We'll have a plan for him once we get to spring.

Q: How much freedom will Jaxson have when it comes to the cadence?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, it's a weapon for a quarterback. Fortunately, we have Russ who's done it for a long time and Jameis. You try to let the younger guys, even like Devito, hear those guys and you try to make it as similar as you can because now, they're in with different linemen. You don't want one cadence to sound like something, so those quarterbacks do a good job in the room of trying to get it to sound like the guy that's running it. So you know, Russ is running it. He's got a certain style of cadence. We kind of work off him. We'll say it together, hey, you're a little bit off on this rhythm. He'll be in there with those older guys and, you know, learn how to do it, but you know he did walk through again. I wouldn't say it's rocket science to give a cadence. There is an art to it, and the really, really good ones are exceptional at it, so we'll just, we'll work with them on it.

Q: With Abdul you talked a lot about his versatility when you drafted him. Are you going to move him around right away or are you going to let him start in one place and get home?

Brian Daboll: Yeah, I mean right now it's so early right now he's just learning the beginning stages of the playbook. We'll do whatever we think is best for the team.

Q: He's an edge rush in the outside linebacker's room.

Brian Daboll: Yes.

Q: The Giants released their behind-the-scenes video of draft night tonight. We saw how Joe was around 18 about Jaxson. Can you tell us what your emotions were as you were waiting to see if you would be able to make that trade? Were you nervous? Were you anxious?

Brian Daboll: Joe does a great job with that. There's a lot of people in that room working phone calls. A lot of things can happen. There's been a lot of things that happened in my years in the league. Joe had a good feel for things like I said the day after or the day of. Different things can happen in the draft, but I thought Joe did a really good job.

Outside linebacker Abdul Carter

Q: How does 51 feel?

ABDUL CARTER: I feel good. I feel like it's going to have to grow on me a little bit, but it's feeling good right now.

Q: How'd you settle on 51?

ABDUL CARTER: Pretty much what we had available. It was a good number.

Q: Is it set, or could you change it for the regular season?

ABDUL CARTER: It's pretty much set. I'm just happy to be out here playing football. That's all I'm worried about.

Q: What's it like to be out here today?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, I feel like it really hit me today. Being out here playing football, working with the guys, just being on the field. Like I'm here, I made it to NFL, but I've also got to keep putting the work in and working, but I'm loving it.

Q: What do you feel you want to show the coaches that you haven't yet shown?

ABDUL CARTER: Probably my leadership ability. I feel like in college I've shown that a little bit, but just taking that next step, continuing growing as a leader.

Q: How much has Penn State prepared you for this opportunity? You've handled it really well…

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, they prepared me a lot. Like more than I could thank them for. Just them being there my last three years, growing as a football player, but not just that, just growing as a man in general, so they helped me a lot.

Q: Have you met (outside linebacker) Brian Burns and (outside linebacker) Kayvon Thibodeaux yet?

ABDUL CARTER: Yes, I have.

Q: Have you talked shop with them yet?

ABDUL CARTER: No, we haven't gotten a chance to really chop it up. It was really just mostly the rookies in here. I did meet them. They said what's up to me, gave me a good greeting and just told me to put my head down and just keep working.

Q: What's one of the first things you want to ask them about this game and how to be successful?

ABDUL CARTER: I feel like I probably wouldn't want to ask anything, more just watching, just sitting back watching, seeing what they do, their habits, things I can pick up on. Just grow from there.

Q: What's it like having (Michael) Strahan at practice today and then come speak to you guys?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, that's dope. Seeing somebody as legendary, somebody in the Giants organization coming back, giving back, giving us great advice. It's dope to see him here.

Q: What did he say that stuck with you a little bit?

ABDUL CARTER: I would just say just speaking about the Giants history, knowing how much we've (won), knowing the history, the championships we've (gotten) and I just want to be a part of bringing that legacy back. Just bringing that greatness back to New York.

Q: And knowing how much you care about legacy because you wore the 11 at Penn State, how much do you take pride in just wanting to keep that going, knowing that that's part of your awareness?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, I take a lot of pride in that. I just want to be great in everything I do and just being here. I just want to strive for greatness.

Q: It seems like you're working with a couple of different groups here today. Do you feel any added pressure because of how versatile you are to pick up the entire defense?

ABDUL CARTER: No. I pretty much did the same thing since I got to Penn State. They moved me around since I was a freshman. Played linebacker, edge, lined up inside on the guard, so I've pretty much been doing this since my freshman year.

Q: No difference at the NFL level on day one?

ABDUL CARTER: No, it's all good so far.

Q: Are you one of those guys that has a hard time when the coach says, all right, you're going to be out, you're not going to be in on seven on sevens today, that sitting on the sideline not wanting to be out there competing?

ABDUL CARTER: No. Whatever they feel is best, I'm going to listen to what they say, so whatever they tell me to do, that's what I'm going to do. Just do my job.

Q: Are you working on pass protecting over there?

ABDUL CARTER: Oh, it was punt block, like punt protection.

Q: How do you balance being humble but also being confident?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, it is definitely like a silver lining in there. I don't know. I feel like if you listen to the people around you, the people that you trust and love, they'll tell you like, okay, you've got to calm it down a little bit. It's definitely a fine line there. I try not to cross it too much.

Q: Going back to what you said before about wanting to be more of a leader, how can you grow as a leader?

ABDUL CARTER: I would just say pulling more people to just get extra work like after practice. Today we just got all the guys that were there in the room with me that got some extra work in after practice, things like that. Just not only making myself better but pulling people to make them better too.

Q: Is that something (inaudible)?

ABDUL CARTER: No, I don't think so.

Q: We saw you out there dancing a little bit to the music. How comfortable are you?

ABDUL CARTER: I like having fun out here. When I'm out here with the pads on, with my helmet on, I feel like that's where I'm at my best. I don't know, I just fit in the most on the field, just being out here having fun.

Q: What kind of linebacker are Giants fans going to see on Sunday afternoons?

ABDUL CARTER: I'm not worrying about Sunday right now. I'm just focused on rookie minicamp, taking everything one day at a time.

Q: What's your weight right now?

ABDUL CARTER: 248.

Q: Is that where you want to be?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, that's pretty much my prime. I feel best at 248.

Q: The Giants released their behind-the-scenes video of you on your 30 visit here and one of the coaches said to you, 'can you learn all five positions?' And you were like, 'I'll learn more if you want me to learn that.' Is that something you expect? Like I'm going to have to learn all 11 positions…

ABDUL CARTER: I don't know about all 11, but (laughs)…

Q: I mean just what everybody's doing on every play…

ABDUL CARTER: I was talking to coach, line me up at fullback, tight end, and I can block and catch so wherever they need me, I'm going to line up.

Q: You also said on that that you and (tight end) Theo Johnson have unfinished business. Do you care to elaborate on that, is that practice battles?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, we both are really competitive and being on the opposite sides of the ball at Penn State, we were just always battling in one-on-ones, team periods. We were just always going at it. So, it's just going to be fun to do that again here with the Giants.

Q: Did you ever play special teams in college?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah. My freshman year and my sophomore year I played a little bit, but my last year I didn't really play much, but I was on punt block, so I did a little bit of that.

Q: Do you like playing special teams?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, I love it. Every position, special teams, defense, offense, they're all just important.

Q: Are you bouncing around between meeting rooms at all right now or are you just learning edge right now in defense?

ABDUL CARTER: Just mostly outside linebacker room.

Q: What do you think your outside linebackers coach Charlie (Bullen)?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, he's cool. Real laid back, detailed whenever he's describing our playbook and everything he's going over. He's willing to work, come out. He'll be in the drills with us. He's putting in work, got his cleats on, so I like it.

Q: We saw your tweet, are you jumping on the Knicks bandwagon now?

ABDUL CARTER: Yeah, I got to catch the game. I want some floor seats just to see it up close. Just being up 2-0 right now versus the Celtics, the champions, I feel like they are on a really good run. I'm starting to become a fan.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q. How was your first day?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I mean, it's been surreal up to this point, me and (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) were just talking about it. And I feel like it kind of just hit us for the first time, being out here, wearing this jersey, it's an amazing privilege. We definitely hold it in high regard. And you just want to continue to get better each and every day. And anytime you get to play football, it's the best, so.

Q. I think the Giants are releasing some of the clips of the production that they've done from the draft process of you and (Head Coach Brian) Daboll going back and forth on the whiteboard, and then it started going viral a little bit online. Can you just take us through that, what it was like being tested in that regard? Had you been tested in that regard?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think a lot of people have seen the process a little bit on Hard Knocks, but it's intense. You know, I kind of had an idea coming into it, that I had to make sure that I was on my P's and Q's when I walked in. So, it was super fun. I think that at the same time, me and him were able to just form an organic relationship. They definitely tested me harder than any other team throughout this process. And I was just grateful to come here and to take that challenge on and be around these great coaches.

Q. What was it that you identified that seemed to get Daboll pretty amped up?

JAXSON DART: Just a concept. I figured it out pretty quick. And then it was a question that they hadn't put into my install for me to know, and I just kind of knew, so.

Q. So, did you just watch Hard Knocks as a football fan, and then did that give you a little clue of what you'd be in for when you did have to sit down with Daboll?

JAXSON DART: Quite honestly, I didn't watch it all, but I just saw clips of it on TikTok.

Q. Did that give you a heads up?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Q. (Running back) Cam (Skattebo) was up here just a minute ago just talking about how smart you seem out there on day one. How much pride do you take in performing off the field as well as on the field?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, as a quarterback you're the one that run – you run the ship when you're out there. So, if you don't know the ins and outs of everything, you're not going to have everybody around you prepared. And I think that that's super important. It's very important to have that mindset coming to work each and every day. And I think that that also raises the bar for everybody around you. And I think that if you want to be a great team and you want to compete at the highest level, that's definitely how you have to be as a quarterback.

Q. Have you had a chance to speak with (quarterback Jameis) Winston and (quarterback Russell) Wilson? And if not, what's one of the first things you want to ask those guys?

JAXSON DART: Golly, yeah, they've been great. They were some of the first people to text me when I got drafted. And I thought that was just super cool. Those are those are guys that I've looked up to for such a long time. I've said this before, I remember I was wearing Russell's jersey with the Seahawks when he won a Super Bowl. So, like I said, these guys have been people who I've really looked up to. And I hold them in the highest regard. So, I think for me, being in this situation, being able to be a sponge and soak in all the information that I can, will help elevate me. And then at the same time, I just want to compete and make everybody else better in the room as well.

Q. You're a guy that talking to people who've played with you. You want to be in every room. You want to meet the guys. You want to get guys prepared for, you know, whether it's practice or a game. When you come to rookie minicamp, I mean, there are a lot of guys who probably, you know, won't be here come Sunday. For you, what was the process like starting last night of getting your guys that you're playing with today and tomorrow ready for the opportunity? It looked like, you know, you're trying to get guys set up in the seven on sevens, guys who you haven't played with. What is that like? What's that mindset like for you, for a guy who always wants to take care of that?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, well, first and foremost, I mean, this is just an incredible opportunity for anybody who can step on the field out here at the NFL level. So, I think for all of us, we're just super grateful to be here. It doesn't matter where you got drafted, where you got picked. You got to come with the same mindset each and every day. And you see so many guys across the league who have a ton of success who maybe weren't even drafted the highest, but they come to work every single day and they're consistent. And I think the biggest thing coming out here, we had a great group last night. We all got together and made sure that we went through the script and did a walkthrough. That made coming out here on the field, the operation a lot smoother and everybody was a lot more confident and was able to play a lot faster when we got to the field.

Q. Was that in the building or are you talking about like when you got back to the hotel you were doing it?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, we just talked on the bus on our way back. And I think as the quarterback, you got to make sure that everybody knows what they're doing. So, I tried to get as many guys as I could together on the offensive side of the ball and go through it and teach everybody, making sure that we're all on the same page.

Q. Any story behind that necklace?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, actually, here's the story. So, my little sister had it, it was hers. It was before our bowl game. And as I was leaving the house over Christmas, a little break before the bowl game and just saw it in her room. And I was like, you know what, I kind of like it. So, I put it on, it's kind of been good luck for me ever since.

Q. And then the other thing, totally shifting gears to football. Everybody saw the John Gruden clip, the snap count, etc. How comfortable are you doing a snap count? I know Daboll said you were gonna have to do one today versus what you did in college with the clapping.

JAXSON DART: Yeah, did you guys hear me good when I was out there? Yeah (laughs). No, I feel like it's been super fun. Quite honestly, it's been something that I've always wanted to do. And I've always kind of practiced it on my own or kind of just messing around with buddies and whatnot. But I think it's always a little bit of a transition. It really goes for anybody from the college level to the NFL level. The cadence is different no matter where you've been at. So, you're always gonna have a little bit of a learning curve. But it's something that really excites me. And I think that you have so many opportunities an advantages with the cadence. And you can do so many different things that can take advantage of the defense. So definitely something I wanted to continue to excel at each and every day.

Q. I just wanted to follow up on the necklace. How does your sister feel about it?

JAXSON DART: She likes it. She likes it. Now my little brother ordered one too, so.

Q. Does your sister have another one?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, we got her another one too. We got her another one.

Q. Are you the eldest?

JAXSON DART: I am the oldest, yeah.

Q. You mentioned about how a quarterback needs to get everybody involved and know what's going on. I mean, how comfortable does a person have to be to be, you're a first-round pick, you're the quarterback who started in the SEC school for many years. In their own skin. And to be everyone looking at you and waiting for you and the guy. How comfortable is that for you?

JAXSON DART: I just think I'm really confident in my preparation every day. And I feel like anytime I step on the field, I don't have doubts when I play. And I think that that comes from taking the time to really understand the scheme and what I'm doing and why is a play called to execute a certain way. And that's something that I take pride on. And then as a quarterback, you're only as good as the guys around you. So, you want make sure that everybody's on the same page and everybody has that same preparation aspect of making sure that everything's down to a T and is done the right way. And our coaches did a great job preparing for us and I kind of wanted to continue that because at times you're kind of limited with time. And everybody kind of has a little question, so just wanted to answer that and get everybody on the same page.

Q. What kind of feedback were you getting from Coach Daboll on the field today?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, he coaches me up like every second I'm around him. He's the guy that will walk in a room, say goodbye and whatnot, and then he'll come back 30 seconds later because he has an idea. So, he's constantly coaching me, and I think that's what I want be around. I want be coached the hardest, and I feel like that's going help me excel at the highest level and help me reach my potential. So, there's not another coach I'd rather be playing for.

Q. It seemed like you had a lot to say after your last throw. Was that something specific about that read, that play, or was it just more just the entire period? Like right after you threw that last pass, he was right in your ear.

JAXSON DART: Yeah, no, he was just kind of asking what I was seeing, kind of explained it to him and making sure that we're just on the same page.

Q. It became very clear through some of the clips that have come out during the draft process that he wanted you, that you were Daboll's guy. What does that mean to you to have a coach that really, really wants to work with you and sees the potential in you and is about as invested as you as you can get?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I'm blessed to be here. I'm blessed to be able to be coached by him, and I think that we just kind of click personality-wise of how we handle things and kind of just our competitive nature, our toughness, and our grit about how we go about things. I think that that just helped us connect. And he sees football the same way that I see it. And we see it as a physical and tough sport. And I think that a lot of times you don't really see that a ton with quarterbacks. And for me, I kind of play it like a defensive player, a little bit with just the way that I attack each and everything I do.

Q. You seem comfortable. Did that happen very quickly, like after you got drafted, or just getting on the field make you feel more comfortable? Can you walk me through how you got to this point?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, like I said, I'm confident when I step in between those lines. I felt prepared coming into today. And I'm a competitor, and I feel like if you don't see yourself playing at the highest level, you shouldn't even be between those lines in the first place, especially as the quarterback of how you're going to lead the guys around you. So, I've come prepared, and I'm confident when I step between those lines.

Q. When's the last time you did not start? When were you kind of a guy on the bench?

JAXSON DART: I haven't really sat before.

Q. Middle school, elementary school, anything?

JAXSON DART: No.

Q. No, nothing?

JAXSON DART: No.

Okay, I wouldn't know what that feels like, but how are you going to deal with that?

JAXSON DART: I'm a competitor, so I'm going to come to work each and every day and do my best to make everybody around me better. I understand what the situation is, but for me and myself, I care about winning. There's nothing fun about losing, so it doesn't matter where you're at on the depth chart, if you're playing this much or not playing this much, if you're losing, it sucks. So, for me, I want to make the team better, and that's my focus.

Q. I was just going to ask about six, is it permanent, why six?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, I think we'll come to a final decision here soon. Quite honestly, I kind of have to just look at the pictures to see if I like myself in six.

Q. Michael Strahan spoke to you guys, what do you take from that? What do you think when a guy like that's here, being able to speak to you guys?

JAXSON DART: Yeah, it's incredible. He's a legend, you see him on the walls. I've seen him on TV for a long time, he's bigger in person. So, it's great to have a person like that who's open, who's able to come around the facility a ton. And kind of like Eli, those are people that you can lean on and ask for advice because they've done it at the highest level. So that's kind of my mindset, and I'm excited to continue to grow my relationship with him.

Defensive Tackle Darius Alexander

Q. What was that message like from (former Giants defensive lineman Michael) Strahan after practice?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: It was a great message just telling us to come in here, work hard and compete with each other and root for each other while we out there. So, it was a good speech. Just tell us about the tradition of the organization where we got to hold the standard here. So, it was wonderful.

Q. What's it like on your first day to have a Hall of Famer address you?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: No, it's crazy seeing the Hall of Famer here on the first day just come watch us practice, watch us have fun as rookies like he did when he was younger, but it was awesome. So, it was a great day out there. I was enjoying it, I was having fun.

Q. What was your first day like?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: First day was amazing. I'm ready for tomorrow.

Q. Is it kind of motivating having Strahan here just to be like, you hear those words be like, okay, this is what the standard is here?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Definitely. It's definitely good seeing him here and just preaching us to what he learned when he was younger. So, it definitely was a good day for us, and it was good to have him here as well.

Q. When you found out that you were drafted by the Giants, did you go and look up any of the old legends and see how they did their thing?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: No, not at all. I already know a couple legends here, a few on the D-line as well, so I didn't have to do that, but I definitely was stoked, I was hyped, I was excited, so I was ready to get here.

Q. How do you strike the balance between, oh wow, I'm an NFL player to I got to work. How do you strike that balance while you're out there?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: For me, it's not hard. I would say for me the main goal for me is just coming here as a young guy, working, getting to learn my teammates, getting to learn my defense and getting to learn my coaches. So, for me it just able to come in here and work, that's easy for me.

Q. What do you believe is the key to unlocking your true potential?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Just trusting my coaches and the veteran guys out there believing in them, taking coaching from them while they're helping me. So next thing after that, it'd be just effort, just going out there running fast to the ball everywhere it goes. So, I'd say that's the key to success right there.

Q. Along the coaching point, what are your first impressions of (defensive line coach) Andre Patterson?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: First impressions is wonderful, cool, laid back, chill coach, but once he get fired up, he there and he all the way there. But it's good to have him around. Great communicator. A coach you can ask him about anything that you need help with on the field or off field, so it's great.

Q. Have you met (defensive lineman Dexter) Lawrence yet?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: No, but we have talked before, but I can't wait to meet him in person for sure.

Q. When you do, what's the first thing you want to ask him about this game?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: I probably don't think I'll ask him about anything. I'll probably ask him what his process was throughout the game, how he enjoyed it, what he approached as a rookie and how he hit the ground running.

Q. For fans who don't know you, what are you going to bring to this team this year?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Just a guy who wants to work hard. That's what I'm going to do. Run to the ball and play fast.

Q. Did you pick 91 or was it given to you?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: The jersey number was given to me actually.

Q. You know the history behind it?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Definitely. Yes ma'am. Yeah, I know the history behind the jersey, it's a wonderful number, great player. Played in New Jersey, so I watched his game a little bit too while I was younger, but for me, I'm just ready to come in here and work.

Q. Versatile player too, like yourself?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Definitely.

Q. Did you hear from him at all? Do you expect to?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: No, not yet. Not at all. If I do, I'll be happy. I'd be stoked about it.

Q. Do you consider yourself like a three-gap, five-gap type player?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: I just see myself as a guy who go out there and line up wherever my coach need me to be at.

Q. Where do you feel comfortable at?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Three tech.

Q. Three tech?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Yes sir.

Q. You had a long tenure in college, right? And you improved every single year. What do you attribute that improvement to and how do you think that's going to transition as you go to the next level?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: For me, so I had four different D-line coaches back in college, so for me it was just being able to buy into what my coaches was teaching me, whatever I did learn before, don't bring that to the table with them, learn their drill, learn their work ethic, how they want me to work, pursue my things out there and then maybe I could go back and add those little things that I had in my game before I added them into my game. But more than anything, just believe in your coaching and trust in the plan that they got for you.

Q. What made you want to stay at Toledo even when you had a lot of interest from other schools and some money…

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Definitely.

Q. Can you walk through your thoughts?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Toledo was my first offer out of high school, actually my only offer out of high school, so it was a big tribute to (Toledo Head Football) Coach Candle and my teammates for the (inaudible). And my thing was I don't think the grass was always green on the other side, so I didn't want to chase the money. I wanted to chase the goal to play in the NFL and win another championship in the MAC and finish it the right way with my teammates and my brothers. So that's what I wanted to do and I did that well.

Q. Was it tempting at all to leave or?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Oh no. It is definitely very tempting. You feel me? In a business where we could get paid for our name, image and likeness. So, that's something that players would like to explore and see what's out there for sure. But for me, I just want to stay true to myself and stay where I was at.

Q. Did playing with guys, I know the safety went to the Bengals. You had (Eagles cornerback) Quinyon (Mitchell) last year. Did seeing those guys go to the NFL kind of help strengthen your decision of 'oh, I can get it from here'?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: I wouldn't even say that. I would say those come from the late night conversations that I have with those guys just talking about the goals that we have for each other, that we have personally. So, all in all, it's about talking about what we did to see it come true for all of us, it's a great thing.

Q. Darius, what are you most looking forward to about being in New York?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: For me, I'd probably say fashion week, you feel me? I'm starting get into fashion a lot, so that's probably something I'm looking big for. Then other than that, just getting out there with my teammates and competing every day.

Q. You got a designer you like?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: A little bit of everything. We going to say that.

Q. Dex is planning a fashion line.

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Hey, if he make one, I'm going to have to wear some of his clothes right there. So hey, tell Dex, come on with it.

Q. What was your first impression of being around (quarterback) Jaxson Dart?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Oh yeah, Jackson Dart a great guy. I love that kid right there already, but he's a kid, high energy, high motor. He's going to go out there to compete too, so I love it.

Q. When you're 24 you can call guys kids?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: No, I'm still a young kid myself. You feel me? We still got lots of energy out there. We played this game just like we was five, six years old again. So just to see him go out there and run, be alert and lead the offense was great.

Q. As a defensive guy, when you see (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) move, what's your feeling? Obviously, you guys are playing two different positions, but with the same goal in mind. What are your impressions of him?

DARIUS ALEXANDER: Impressions of him is great. I like the way he moves. I like the way he plays. I like the way he approached the game, so me and him been talking a little bit. We're going to definitely get out there, out there. So, I like to see what he do.

Running Back Cam Skattebo

Q: How's the first day?

CAM SKATTEBO: Good. It was awesome. I'm in a new building with new people and I feel at home.

Q: When you first heard you were coming to the Giants, what was your reaction?

CAM SKATTEBO: I mean, as you've seen, I cried. This is an awesome place to be. Did I expect it to be here? No. But this is where I want to be now, and I love that I'm here. I've met new guys throughout the last two weeks, and it's been awesome.

Q: Why'd you cry? What was the emotion? What was going through your head?

CAM SKATTEBO: I've worked 18 years to get to this moment and I'm on (an) NFL team now and I still have more to prove, so I'm excited to get to work and prove what I am.

Q: Did you always have good hands receiving wise or is that something you had to work on?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean I worked on it throughout my whole life. I caught the ball. My dad was a 6-5, 210-pound receiver in high school, so catching the ball was big for him and as I grew up, catching the ball was an emphasis he made me do. It's been natural throughout my life and credit to my dad who had really good hands in high school.

Q: What about the physical part of the game do you love the most? I feel like that's what everyone says, but physical – what do you love about that?

CAM SKATTEBO: Getting in the end zone. I mean it feels good when you run somebody over and then get in the end zone. I mean it feels good when you get in the end zone, but imagine running someone over and then running another person over and then getting in the end zone. It's that much better (laughs). So, it just shows that when you're physical, it shows the work you put in in the weight room and how much you do to make your game better.

Q: Do you think people sleep on your ability to make guys miss in the open field?

CAM SKATTEBO: Maybe a little bit. This past year I didn't do it a ton. I more so hit people or attacked their one shoulder, but I mean, if people want to sleep, they can sleep. I have no issue with that. It's been something I've had to deal with my whole life, so I'm going to continue to do what I need to do to be successful and play as long as I can in this league.

Q: You talk about being physical and attacking that one shoulder, it is about angles. How often does that get lost in terms of how folks view the running back position? Like, 'oh, he's taking on too much contact,' but not every contact is the same contact…

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, exactly. And that's right, head up contact, that's real contact and shoulder to shoulder isn't as much contact as people think, and I have a good balance underneath my feet, so if I can get half a body, I feel like I'm in good shape to go past them.

Q: With all you've accomplished, how do you keep finding the chip on your shoulder? Prove people that you could still do more?

CAM SKATTEBO: How many snaps of the NFL have you seen me play? Zero, right? I've proved nothing. I've proved what I am in college, but I've proved nothing at this level. So now where I'm at, I have to prove myself and if that's for five years or if that's for 10 years, I'm going to continue to prove myself. I'm the best, do it for the longest, so continue to do that and just work my butt off until time comes.

Q: Have you heard from (running back) Tyrone Tracy or watched any film about him? What do you know about him as a running back?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I've watched some film. Obviously, I'm in the room with (running backs) Coach Betts and he's texted me and we've gotten in contact, so I haven't met him in person yet. I'm excited to. But I'm excited to play with him next to him in the same room as him. Even me learning from him, he's done it for a year and I'm excited to pick things from his game also. He seems like a really good guy. We've had conversation and I can't wait to meet him.

Q: There's a lot of NFL teams that use a two-back system, and this is not in any way to say that you both can't do it all, but could you guys together be like a thunder and lightning kind of combination?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he's a really fast running back and there's nothing about his game that you can take away from. He might be a little faster than me, so if you want to call it thunder and lightning, go ahead. But it's a running back field no matter how it goes. Whatever our roles are, if he plays the whole time and I play not at all, I'm just going to be here and I'm going to work, put my head down and keep going.

Q: How much pressure does it put on a defense when you do have two backs sticking sub in and out, in and out, in and out, that run a little differently? I know you guys can all do everything, but he's known for more speed. You're known for more physicality.

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean it's huge. If I'm in the game, you've got eight guys in the box and if he goes in the game there could be five. So, he could have a really good advantage in the run game. I could have a really good advantage in the catching in the pass game, so it's going to switch things up and I'm excited. I don't have any idea what they're going to do with us, but whatever they have for us, I know we're both going to take it head on and the rest of that room too also.

Q: What's your first impression here of (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) obviously run a lot of the meetings, I'm sure, and on the field.

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean he's incredibly smart. You guys will talk to him soon, but I mean, I've talked to him the last 24 hours and the kid is incredibly smart. He's one of the smartest I've been around, and he did a great job today with the seven-on-seven play calls, snap counts and all of that, and making sure everybody was in line. I can't wait to see what he does and what he's capable of.

Q: How do you know that already? You say he's incredibly smart. I mean you haven't been around him. How does that smarts manifest itself?

CAM SKATTEBO: I mean coaches say things and if you answer it fast and right, that's hard to do, especially with the nerves and everything that rack up as a rookie. The head coach asks you a question and you know the answer like that, you're into your books and you're very smart and just talking to him about football and certain routes and play calls and just hearing him hear a call one time and being able to call it multiple times back to back, it's just something that he does well and I can't wait to continue to see what he does.

Q: How do you do with those snap questions? How have you done so far?

CAM SKATTEBO: Good. Yeah, I mean I'm a pretty smart back, so I don't really have a ton of issues with answering questions.

Q: Is 44 as simple as four doubling up? Did they give it to you, did you request it?

CAM SKATTEBO: This is what I'm in for now. We'll see – this is a temporary number. We'll see what I end up in the season, but we won't know that until later on.