Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: Did you plan for any extra breaks or extra water because of how hot it will be today?

Daboll: There will be a little break in there, a three-minute break.

Q: How's wide receiver Jalin Hyatt doing? We saw him stretching on the side.

Daboll: Cramped up. Cramped up, a little tight in the lower body. We'll hold him today.

Q: Are there any other guys that you'll look to hold with the off day tomorrow?

Daboll: No.

Q: We know wide receiver Malik Nabers is a day-to-day situation. How is he today?

Daboll: He's good.

Q: Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. started last season on fire and then his number of yards per carry and expected yards went down in the last five or six games. Was that just because it was the end of his rookie season? What do you expect from him going into year two?

Daboll: He's had a good offseason program. He got bigger, quicker, faster, more experience playing the position. (We) come out here, he's doing a nice job right now.

Q: Do you see Tracy Jr. as a bulk-carry guy in the NFL? Because he didn't really do that in college.

Daboll: Yeah. Look, I like our running back room so we have a number of guys that I think can play. That'll all sort itself out.

Q: You've talked a number of times about quarterback Russell Wilson's communication. Obviously, communication matters on defense too. Does a guy like safety Jevon Holland add the same type of communication on that side of the field?

Daboll: Yeah, with the safety position, there's a lot of adjustments and calls that need to be made to make sure you get the back seven on the same page. Holland has done a very good job since he's been here. OTAs, out here in training camp, in the meetings, (he's) vocal, he's played a lot of football but he's very intelligent. I think him and Nube (safety Tyler Nubin) back there communicate very well and it helps the other guys to be on the same page.

Q: Is it hard for someone like Holland to come to a new team and then still try to figure out what's going on?

Daboll: It can be, but he's pretty sharp. He's played a lot of football. Usually, it's not much different. The calls might be a little bit different. His experience helps him but he was a smart guy coming out. (I'm) glad to have him. He's done a nice job for us and I think it really adds to Nubin – the dynamic of those two guys, the way they communicate with one another. Most importantly, being on the same page. If you're not on the same page in that area of the field, it usually costs you pretty good. It's been a good addition.

Q: Coaches always have an emphasis on communication. Are some guys just better at it than others?

Daboll: Yeah, some guys are better at it than others.

Q: Is Holland one of the players who is just better at communicating?

Daboll: Yeah, he's smart and he has good vision and instincts for the game. If you can't communicate back there playing that spot, it's usually tough to do. The safeties that I've been around – the (former Buffalo Bills safety) Micah Hydes, (Miami Dolphins safety) Jordan Poyers, (former Seattle Seahawks safety) Lawyer Miloys, (former New England Patriots safety) Rodney Harrisons, (former New England Patriots safety) Tebucky Jones are all very, very good communicators, not to mention good football players, but I'm glad we've got Holland.

Q: When you put together the roster at the safety position, do you think about pairing guys together?

Daboll: Back in the old days, you had a down safety, a post safety. Much like the question about the running backs, those guys have to be able to do multiple things. Sometimes there's guys that are a little bit better at playing towards the box or back end, but having two guys that can work well together and communicate, I think that's one of the prerequisites to play safety. You have to have range, you have to be able to play man-to-man, you have to play the deep part of the field, you have to be able to tackle, but you have to be a good communicator. Again, there's so many adjustments nowadays with offenses and jet motions and bunches and motion outs and fast motion outs and variations of personnel groups and formations and the safeties are the communicators. The middle linebacker important to do that, to make sure it's tied in with the front, but the safeties and the back end… Again, if you make a mistake on the back end – 'I thought it was this adjustment.' The corner is playing one thing, the safety is playing another, those are usually 50-yard touchdowns and those are the big plays that we have to eliminate.

Q: What do Holland and cornerback Paulsen Adebo do for the entire secondary and the younger guys there? What are you hoping to get from those two?

Daboll: Good play. That's why you sign guys, because you think they can help your football team. Adebo is a big, long corner with good experience, puts production on the football. A corner's job is much like a safety's job, probably less communication skills but they have to be able to play man-to-man, they have to be able to play the deep part of the field and they have to be able to tackle. Those are three prerequisites to play corner. The communication, it happens. You're going to get a variation of formations, motion adjustments, stacks, bunches where there's communication but usually that starts with the safeties or sometimes the nickel. (They're) veteran players that we thought were good players.

Q: Outside linebacker Abdul Carter really stood out yesterday. What did you see when you looked at the film?

Daboll: I saw a lot of good plays and I saw some plays that he can certainly get better at but when you're taking a player that high, you expect that from that player, like Malik, Abdul, but we don't have pads on yet. It's day two of practice.

Q: Obviously Carter is going to be a part of the defense this year. How do you balance him practicing with the second team while also making sure he gets reps with guys like outside linebacker Brian Burns and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence?

Daboll: Give him reps with them. He's doing a variety of things right now, so how you script and situations and different personnel groups and what you want to get a look at. It's day two of camp but he'll be in there.

Q: What kind of growth are you seeing from tight end Theo Johnson?

Daboll: Well, it's only the second day but Theo is a guy that is a tireless worker. He's very smart for a young player, has tremendous size and athletic ability, catch radius, can block at the point of attack so both in the run game and the pass game. That's hard to do or hard to find nowadays, particularly coming out of colleges. (He's) coming off that injury, so continue to work on that, but I like Theo and I think he'll be a good player for us.

Q: You've been around a lot of great players over your years in the league. When you identify a great player and think someone has a chance to be special, is there a psychology for you as a coach to motivate them and let them know what you expect from them behind the scenes of that and how do you work that relationship vs. the collective group?

Daboll: Honesty. Every play is not a great play for anybody. You reward and give positive reinforcement for good plays and you're honest with the plays that you can get better at. Again, I think (some of) you guys have done this a long time or players or coaches or management, when you see a good player, you know he's a good player. We're talking about day two, you just keep continuing to – here's the standard, this is the expectation of what you need to do on each play. There's certainly going to be mistakes. It could be a variety of things that you're coaching that didn't go right or wasn't up to expectations. Everybody is a good player in this league. You just coach and you teach and you continue to coach, continue to teach. You show good stuff. You show things that maybe aren't as good and you show things that are flat out terrible, to be honest with you, and you coach off of it. Honest, direct conversations.

Q: You signed defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris and linebacker Chauncey Gholston and drafted defensive tackle Darius Alexander. Is stopping the run on defense at the top of the list of things that needs to improve?

Daboll: Yeah, it's one of them. We weren't where we needed it to be (last year) but the run defense is a collective team thing. When you get behind in games quite a bit, and they keep handing the ball off, handing the ball off, it's just like the ability to affect the quarterback – it's not just a defensive stat. If we're not scoring enough points or playing good enough team football, that affects the other side. Everybody has to be better in regards to that. There were a lot of good plays when you go back and watch them, but there were too many explosive plays down the field. Whether that's a run fit, getting off a block, making a tackle, but we have to play better team football to help out team run defense.

Safety Jevón Holland

Q. Is the New Jersey heat different than Florida heat or heat is heat?
A: Heat is heat. It's hotter in Florida. It's closer to the equator, so it's science (laughs).

Q. When guys talk about you they always say communication. What does that mean to you?
A: I mean, it's part of the job, man. It's just getting everybody lined up. If guys need to get help lined up, turn around and ask questions. I can see everything as a safety, so just making sure everybody's on the same page, asking (safety Tyler) Nubin questions, making sure he and I are on the same page so that if we're all wrong, we're all right. Clearing things up.

Q. Being a good communicator is a job of that position, but guys here seem to think that you do it at a different level than some. Do you think that's the case?
A: I think I do it at the level that I hold myself to do it at, if that makes sense. I mean, I feel like I just want to make sure everybody's clear. If anybody starts moving on the offense, sometimes it could create confusion, so I just feel like communication is communication. As much as I can say to calm everybody else down, then that's what I try to do.

Q. Is that a big responsibility? If things don't go right, do you take that hard?
A: Yeah, absolutely. It's in my job description, so I want to make sure I do my job down in and down out. If it's within my field house and then something happens, obviously I'm going to be upset at myself for not communicating. I hold myself to a high standard, for sure.

Q. How's the relationship right now with you getting to know Tyler and you guys working together?
A: I think it's great. Tyler's a great communicator. He's a great player. He's fiery. He's got all the attitude, all the spunk. I love playing next to Tyler. He does a great job.

Q. When you guys are on the field together is it just the matter of if you see something, you say something, he sees this and says that? How does that communication style work with you guys on the field?
A: Basically that. If he sees something, he'll communicate with me. I see some reminders before the play, any adjustments that we have to make, just reminding each other what it is, trying to take it one play at a time so you're not just adding a bunch of comments and it's filling your head. (We're) trying to simplify the game as much as possible so that it's streamlined and everybody's on the same page.

Q. Is it a big-bro-little-bro type deal?
A: Not at all. I mean, he's my teammate, whether I'm 35 and he's 20, he's my teammate and we're playing next to each other, we're partners so (I'm) trying to help him win.

Q. Do you and (cornerback) Paulson (Adebo) feel a kinship being in the same free-agent draft class, same age and came to help this team for similar reasons?
A: Yeah, definitely. He's got mannerisms that we're similar and he came in at the same time so we kind of have the same experiences with going to an organization and building there and then moving on and now at a place where you're the vet and you've got to help lead people and so finding comfortability in that. Paul's a great guy. Adebo's a great guy, and as a vet, he understands certain things. It just makes things easier for us to bounce ideas off each other.

Q. A big emphasis here coming out of last season was creating more takeaways. In your experience, what's the key to that?
A: Having the ball in your mind, running through the ball, being Johnny on the spot, seeking out the ball, punching the rock out in any way, shape or form, disrupt the quarterback. That's basically what it is, having the ball at the front of your mind and straining. That's how the takeaways happen.

Q. Have you been able to talk to (wide receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) or (outside linebacker Brian) Burns after their collision at practice?
A: No, I don't know. I haven't talked to them. It was bad, though. I was right there, it was loud. They'll be out here.

Q. Was there collision just a not-seeing-each-other kind of thing or they just don't have the breaks for it I guess?
A: Yeah, I saw it just like y'all saw it. You just run into somebody. You don't see somebody, they T-bone you in the car.

Q. What have you seen from (linebacker) Abdul (Carter)?
A: He's a hell of player. He is very explosive. Very explosive. That's what jumps off on film and yeah, he is making great strides, leaps and bounds, but I'm not in the room with him. But yeah, he's doing a great job.

Q. I know being a great communicator is part of your job, but when you were younger, was that something that instilled in you? Just being able to communicate really well and express yourself?
A: How young?

Q. Just maybe from parents, teachers, anybody?
A: Yeah, I've always wanted to just express myself as an individual, but I think the communication part from a defense aspect comes from probably my rookie year under Flo (Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores). It was a very safety-making-adjustment-based-on-the-quarterback formation defense, and guys relied on me for their success. If something happened, I had to change the play so that they get it early so they can line up and they can get to their job. So for me, it's like having that in mind, even though this defense doesn't necessarily demand that type of adjustment, it's more so me just making sure everybody's on the same page with enough time to know their job and then lock in and then just react. Not trying to actually think about what they got to do and whatnot.

Q. And that was you doing that as a rookie?
A: That was me as a rookie, yeah.

Q. Where does your confidence come from?
A: Just doing it. Bank reps. Obviously, at first, this is my fifth defensive coordinator so after a while, every year, I'm like relearning a defense every year, getting to know a defensive coordinator every year. I've been through this type of phase of like, 'Hey, it's early, something's messed up my mind,' but we've still got X amount of practices, X amount of camp days to get it done. And then it's just simple reminders and whatnot.

Q. You said you and Paulson Adebo share mannerisms. Are those on the field or are those your personality?
A: Not so much mannerisms, as I kind of understand how he plays and being next to him, playing on the same side of him, sometimes I can tell what he's going to end up doing just based on how he plays. So I'll be able to either tell him something or react differently or somebody runs it over and he just shoots high, I'll be able to – you know what I'm saying, things like that without giving you details on the scheme.

Inside Linebacker Micah McFadden

Q. Everyone has been so excited for the Giants pass rush. The other day, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said that it doesn't matter if we can't win the first and second down. The run defense has been a major problem the last two years. How do you go about fixing that as one of the middle linebackers?
A: The run game is holistic. It takes everybody. I will say we're glad about all the additions, but I think first and foremost, that comes down to communication and guys talking on the backfield behind us and letting us know the rotation and where's everybody's gap and all that and then playing aggressive and playing true up front.

Q. If the Giants are going to be better, does it start at the top of the list? Does it start with improving the run defense?
A: Yeah, on the defense for sure. That's where it starts. If you can't stop the run, you can't stop anything. It'll be a major focus for us.

Q. What do you think of the new guys like (defensive lineman) Darius Alexander, (defensive tackle) Roy Robertson-Harris?
A: Everybody looks really good. It's good for linebackers when you have those type of guys in front of you, you can run and hit, and even on the backend – (safety) Jevón (Holland), (cornerback) Paulson (Adebo) – it's exciting but obviously, we're working on putting it all together.

Q. When people talk about Holland, they always say communication. When you were talking about the backend before, what does that mean and what do you sense from it? It seems easy to communicate, but not everyone seems to be very good at it.
A: Yeah, no doubt. It's important knowing where the safety's rotating down, who he has, the responsibility of the guys. A lot of the times, we're working with him in our coverage fit and the run scheme as well and sometimes that call needs to get all the way down to the D-line and back. Wherever the D-line is shifting to or where they're lining up, we have to get that communicated as well. It's crucial to our success on the defensive side.

Q. Can you already tell that Holland is good at communicating? Is there an example you can share?
A: He's a veteran so he knows what it looks like. He knows how quick it needs to be and there's things we're correcting every day and just being on top of that, knowing in the moment something's up that we can alert that. Over-communicating is the biggest thing for us. It's just being alert to what's going to happen before it happens.

Q. *What's been your take and impression of (linebacker) Abdul Carter? *A: He's a talent for sure, really twitchy and he's physical at the same time. When you have a player like that, it helps everybody out. There was a play yesterday where he took on the puller and the second guy and a lot of times – we talked about it in our meeting – a lot of times in the run scheme, you've got to make up the math because they might have more numbers than we have. When you have a player that can do that, it helps everybody out.

Q. You normally don't have the big guys up front have time playing back with you. Being in that situation for a guy that talented to be able to be that versatile, does that add to what you're saying?
A: Yeah, it makes us more multiple. Like you're talking about, when you have a guy who can play off the ball – (outside linebacker Brian) Burns is the same way. We're going to use him in that way as well. It's exciting to have those types of players on our team, for sure.

Q. It's your contract year. Is there anything on your mind in terms of added pressure or improvement? Have you had any talks with the Giants about staying here?
A: I think right now, (I'm) just focused on training camp and trying to improve. I think there's a lot of things that I can focus on to get better. There hasn't been anything yet and I'm just focused on what we're doing right now.

Tight End Theo Johnson

Q. How does it feel to get back out there?

A: It's been great. We had a good run in OTAs but it feels good to be back out with the team.

Q. Do you feel like you were playing your best football right before you got hurt last year?

A: Yeah, I felt like I was starting to hit my stride a little bit. Everything was starting to come together, so it made it a little frustrating when the season came to an end, when it did, but I want to continue to build off that and grow this year.

Q. In the locker room last year on Thanksgiving, you spiked your shoe when you found out about your injury. Was that the frustration of 'I was just getting there and now I have a setback.'

A: I think it was a little frustration on how the game went. I was already not happy with the outcome and then finding out the injury right after just kind of added insult to injury on that.

Q. Are you still managing the foot injury? Do you have any worries about it?

A: No worries on my end. I'm back full go. No restrictions or limitations.

Q. Sometimes it takes players time to adjust to a new quarterback but you have to adjust to a lot of new quarterbacks. How has that been for you?

A: There's definitely been a learning curve, for sure. (Quarterback) Russ (Wilson) does things differently from anyone I've had for sure. He's got a ton of knowledge, so in the spring and even the summer we've had throwing sessions and stuff, just kind of getting on the same page, speaking the same language, seeing things the way he sees them. I think we're continuing to build that and I think we're in a good spot right now.

Q. When you say he's done things differently than any other quarterback, but what do you mean by that?

A: His experience. He has an idea of what he wants things to look and how he thinks a concept should look. Our system has ideas as well, so it's just kind of merging together and coming together and finding a middle ground.

Q. Is it better as a young player to have a quarterback that is so decisive?

A: Yeah, he's a tremendous quarterback with a ton of experience, so when he gives you some knowledge, it's really helpful for my game, for sure.

Q. You were at the Tight End University, right?

A: I was, yes.

Q. Were you there last year too?

A: No, this was my first year.

Q. What did you get out of that experience? What did you like about it?

A: I thought it was a great experience, getting around guys I've only kind of watched on film and tape and stuff and kind of seeing them in person, having a hands-on approach to it. I thought it was a really cool experience. Something from in college, every tight end, pretty much wants to be there, so it was a pretty cool experience. I got a ton out of it. Looking forward to going again next year.

Q. What specifically did you learn that you didn't even know you didn't know?

A: I wouldn't say it's stuff I didn't entirely know, but just seeing how (San Francisco 49ers tight end George) Kittle brings the physicality in the run game and also in the pass game, top of the route stuff, using his body really well, having that body control. I think that's something I took out of his speeches, especially in the classroom stuff. I learned a lot from (Denver Broncos tight end) Evan Engram, how he moves and stuff, how smooth and fluid his movements are. I learned a ton from both of those guys and many others as well.

Q. Did you meet Taylor Swift?

A: Yes.

Q. Did you take pictures with her?

A: No, I didn't ask her for pictures.

Q. Are you a Taylor Swift fan?

A: I don't have a ton of music on my phone for her (laughs).

Q. (Head coach Brian) Daboll talked about you blocking at the point of attack this morning. Is that something you take pride in, blocking?

A: Yes, ever since Penn State. That's how I got on the field as a freshman in college is being able to block. Blocking first was kind of the mentality of Penn State and that's something I bring with me here to the next level. I think a tight end, you're supposed to be an all-inclusive player, someone that can do everything that the team needs and blocking is part of that.

Q. How is it seeing (linebacker) Abdul (Carter) again every day?

A: It's awesome. Honestly, he's matured a ton. I think he's going to be a great player for us. Super proud of what he's done so far, and I think he's going to be really electric for us.

Q. What does it do for you as a player to have someone as encouraging and confident as Wilson?

A: I think the energy he brings to the building every day is just infectious. The way he carries himself, just a true pro, the same guy every day. That doesn't just impact the other quarterbacks in the room. That impacts the entire offense, and I think having him on, not only our offense but on our team has been huge for everybody.

Q. Do you think you could be an explosive big play player for this offense?

A: Yeah, I think that I can definitely step into a bigger role this year and add a little bit more value than I did last year. Last year was a lot of growing and kind of just jumping off the deep end and I think as I look back to last year, I learned a lot of lessons and even this offseason as well. So, I think there's a role for me to fill for sure.

Q. You are such a physical specimen. Do you sense that on the field at times that you can just be better than a player because you're bigger than him?

A: Yeah, that's definitely a part of tight end play, especially when you have some size is not trying to be too cute and sometimes you can always bail yourself out with just physicality.