Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: Where are we at on everybody with injuries? (Tackle) Andrew (Thomas) going to be out here again?

DABOLL: He will be, yeah. He'll even do more than he did yesterday. With all those guys that are dinged up, do our normal, come out here today, get some work and see where we're at.

Q: With (wide receiver Darius) Slayton, is it something that just popped up in practice yesterday?

DABOLL: Yeah, yeah. I think he'll be okay. But again, we'll go through all this stuff today and hopefully he'll be fine.

Q: Will anyone not be on the field?

DABOLL: (Inside linebacker) Micah (McFadden).

Q: He's on IR.

DABOLL: I know.

Q: Anyone on the active roster not on the field?

DABOLL: No.

Q: Are you hopeful for Andrew?

DABOLL: See where he's at today. I just know he had a good day yesterday. Again, throughout this whole process, it's a long process. Took a good amount of reps, take more today and we'll evaluate and see where he's at.

Q: With Andrew is this something where you need to get him a game's worth of reps or something like that in a practice to feel comfortable? Because he hasn't played in so long to just throw him out there and now you say you have 60 plays on offense.

DABOLL: I think there's a lot of discussion that goes into his process, where he's at, the improvement that he's made. I think the trainers and AT have done a good job of kind of hitting checkpoints as we go. Yesterday was one of them. Today will be another one. Taking two consecutive days with a number of reps, team reps. So, we'll see where he's at and see how he feels after practice. See where he's at and make a decision then.

Q: Does the padded aspect matter with AT as much as it does the back-to-back?

DABOLL: I would say there's so many things that go into the rehab process with the trainers, the doctors, him. When can we push it? When do we bring it back? They've done a good job with the schedule. See where he's at.

Q: He's not coming back from a rolled ankle. This is two days before the game. To be this uncertain, it almost seems like wouldn't you want to just know going into a week, he's going to be good this week. It seems like he's still in the rehab mode a little bit the way you're describing it.

DABOLL: He is in the rehab mode, if you will. There are days we back off of him. These two days here were important in terms of team reps, of going out there and doing the things he has to do to play at his position. I know he feels pretty good after yesterday. Again, that's why we'll see where he's at today. Of course you'd like him out here the whole time, but that's part of his process relative to trying to get him back out of the field.

Q: If Slayton is unable to go, what do you like about (wide receiver) Beaux Collins and what can he give you at receiver?

DABOLL: He's smart, so he can play. He knows all the spots. For a rookie, that's unique. He's big, physical, knows our system inside and out. For a young player, I think the quarterbacks have confidence in him. He's earned that throughout training camp and in the preseason games. That's why he's here.

Q: What was the thought process with the (wide receiver Xavier) Gipson claim?

DABOLL: Someone we take a look at. We liked him. I know (Senior Vice President and General Manager) Joe (Schoen) and his staff and (special teams coordinator Michael) Ghobi (Ghobrial) liked him, so we'll take a look at him. Get him out here and get him into our stuff.

Q: You already have (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski) kind of as that return specialist. You've got seven wide receivers now. Where does he fit?

DABOLL: We like the talent. We'll give him some chances out here as we get going next week and see where he's at.

Q: When you talk to ownership, how much do they bring up - you've lost seven straight in the division. You haven't beat Dallas yet since you've been here. How much do they talk about that and bring that up and bring up the whole division and rivalry aspect of it?

DABOLL: It's just really week to week here and what we need to do this week against this team.

Q: (Running back) Tyrone Tracy Jr. was pretty critical of some of the in-game play calling. He basically wanted you guys to run the ball, more specifically down by the goal line. I was just curious on your thoughts on that. I think you probably have your own opinion on play calling, but then when a player questions it as well?

DABOLL: I've got a lot of confidence in (assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike) Kaf (Kafka) and the coaches. Kaf puts a lot of time and effort and energy into what we think is going to be the right thing and have full confidence in him.

Q: In-game, are you in Mike's ear at all voicing your opinion or do you prefer to just kind of let him go do his thing and you'll talk after the game?

DABOLL: We certainly have conversations, but again, you've got to get into a rhythm and a flow when you're calling a game. I'm on the defensive side listening to the defense. When the offense is communicating (I'm listening). Special teams, I communicate with all those guys. They put a lot of work into it during the week. We have conversations during the week about things. I have a lot of confidence in Mike.

Q: You kind of chalked up that interaction with (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers) as just two competitive guys after the game. But then he said you spoke to him about his sideline demeanor. Was there something there where you wanted him to redirect his energy on the sidelines?

DABOLL: No. Malik's a very competitive young man. I want him to be him. I think he understands if you're smiling and you're down and things aren't going good, that's not good. So be the best teammate that he can be.

Q: How's (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr.) Nacho?

DABOLL: Working through it. He'll be out here today at practice. Again, with all those guys, we'll take it all the way up to the end.

Q: What have you seen from your team this week?

DABOLL: Good preparation. Good practice. Focused. Ready to go.

Q: What's it like when you turn on the film and don't see (former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman) Micah Parsons on the other side getting ready for this game?

DABOLL: Really the focus is on the players that they have and how they played against Philadelphia. Again, it's obviously early in the season. I know (Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer) Schotty was there as the coordinator, but he's calling plays. He's running it how he wants to run it. (Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus) Flus, (Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator Nick) Sorensen. There's a lot of new pieces there, so you really focus on the tape that they played against Philadelphia. Then it's the players that you're going against that are here that were there the year before.

Q: This might be a silly question but I imagine when somebody like Parsons is out there, you've got to know where he is at all points. You need to know where Micah is. When now he's gone, does it make it in some ways a little bit more challenging that you can't just key in on one guy and now it's like you don't know where it's going to be coming from?

DABOLL: You focus on the players that are there, schemes that they have. Again, it's one really full game with their unit out there and then you put together a plan you think is best for that particular team.

Quarterback Jaxson Dart

Q: What was your reaction to being named the number two starter and then being active for your first NFL game?

DART: Yeah, my job's just to be prepared each and every week. We have a great quarterback room, and I think that all of us have the exact same approach of not looking in so much of being on the field but just preparing each and every day for whenever and however an opportunity may come. So, we got a great room of guys and guys who are just competing. It's been cool to kind of have that relationship with everybody where we can lead and at the same time just have the trust to communicate with one another and prepare each and every one of us.

Q: How ready do you think you are to get in the NFL game? How prepared did you feel for week one, and do you think you'd go in and take a full workload if it needed to be? Where did you feel like you're at?

DART: I'm confident in myself, so whatever opportunity happens, or whatever may happen, I'm preparing for that opportunity. I feel like I'm going to go out there and succeed anytime I'm on the field. So that's just kind of the approach that I have.

Q: Is it a challenge at all when you're sitting back behind (quarterback) Russ (Wilson)? You want to see Russ have success, but you said you believe you can go out there and have success to maybe turn things around if the offense is struggling. How do you battle that back and forth of wanting to be out there, also wanting to be a good teammate, that kind of thing?

DART: Yeah, my job is just to be the best teammate for Russ. So just him coming off on the sideline, us just having talks, it's a long season. I know that every one of us, obviously, we're disappointed in the loss and kind of how things shaped out for us, week one. But we're really confident in us being able to battle back this coming week and play at a high level. My job is just to be there for Russ and be the best teammate. So that's my approach each and every week.

Q: How different is your routine preparing for games every week than maybe it was in college?

DART: Yeah, it's very different. Obviously, as a competitor, you want to be out there on the field. So, it's a different perspective, being on the sideline and whatnot. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is winning. So, me going out in practice and giving the best looks for our defense and whatever reps that I get, making sure that I execute it at the highest level for our offense. I think that anytime you're playing football, regardless of if you're on the field or not on the field, if you lose, it's not fun. So, for us, we're just trying to go 1-0 each and every week. And that's where we gain confidence as a team, is from winning.

Q: What'd you learn from that? What'd you learn from that perspective of having to watch from the sidelines?

DART: Yeah, there's just a lot of things that I'm breaking down. I'm able to stand back and see the whole defense. A lot of times, as a quarterback, you're only able to see so many things going on, especially at the line of scrimmage. So being able to have that perspective, I think that it's going to help me learn a lot. It's definitely helped me prepare, because now I'm able to see adjustments that we can make every time we come off the field. See what adjustments the defense is making. So, I kind of see it through a coaching lens almost, of just being able to see the full picture.

Q: Have you adjusted your preparations, or have you changed anything going into this week?

DART: No, no, my preparation is the same. I do all that I can. I spend as much time as I can to make sure that whenever I have an opportunity out on the field, that I'm prepared to do my job at the highest level, and that I can feel confident in that. So, my week to week is not changing. I'm just preparing as hard as I can.

Q: Fans are already kind of clamoring to see you play. Do you hear that stuff, or do you see it?

DART: I don't pay attention to that stuff. I think it's just kind of like the nature of the sport. Anytime you don't win, people talk, and things like that happen. It's completely different when you win. So, you have to take all that with a grain of salt. My job is to control what I can control, be the best teammate that I can be, do my job in practices and in preparing our guys, whether it's me on the look team. Then just prepare as hard as I can.

Q: But you're doing those reps on the look team, you're running, obviously, another team's play. So how do you get prepared to be the Giants quarterback and Russ rolls an ankle on the first snap, you're in? How do you balance that?

DART: Yeah, obviously, not getting those reps, you have to make sure that you do a lot of time outside of practice. Going through your own walkthroughs, bringing other guys out there on the field to stay late after practices and go through the script again. So, I think at the same time, I can gain a lot when I'm running a different team's offense, because I'm still playing football. A lot of the concepts are very similar. So even though it may not be the exact same play, you're still playing ball. And I think that those are very valuable, and I try to take advantage of those as much as I can.

Q: After practice, are you going through the full practice script with the Giants offense that day yourself?

DART: Yeah.

Q: And with (quarterback) Jameis (Winston)?

DART: Yeah, me and Jameis have guys out there that will stay late. A lot of the guys on the look team, most of us are young. We're still trying to learn as much as we can. We take advantage of the look team reps that we get. But then after practices, we try to get as many routes as we can. Then that way we can feel like we know what we're doing if we get our number called.

Q: How many times have you thrown passes to, say (wide receiver Malik) Nabers, (wide receiver Darius) Slayton, guys like that in practice? Because obviously, maybe you do reps on air and stuff like that. But in an 11-on-11 setting, have you had many opportunities to build chemistry with those guys? DART: I think it's just kind of the nature of the NFL. It is just how it is. The starters get most of the reps with each other and those are very valuable reps for them. So, you definitely don't get a ton of reps with those guys. But I try to do a really good job at kind of just watching the tempo of how they run routes. And when Russ is taking a rep, I like to stand in the back and do my own footwork, my own drop, to kind of match the concepts and try to get that muscle memory as much as I can to try to tie myself up with those guys. So, it's definitely, like I said, it's just the nature of the NFL. The ones get the reps with the ones and regardless, you have to be ready.

Q: Is it exciting for you that they have this group of plays for you in the game plan? Even going back to last week, where it doesn't have to be replacing the quarterback to get you your first NFL action.

DART: Yeah, I don't know if it's as much as a package of plays. I'm just preparing for whatever chance that I get. There's not a specific game plan or anything like that. It's me just trying to be prepared and be ready whenever my number's called.

Q: When you're running the look team, do you think of it as your Jaxson Dart running the team? Or were you (Washington Commander's quarterback) Jayden Daniels last week, (Dallas Cowboys' quarterback) Dak Prescott this week? How much do you get into that role?

DART: I take pride in those reps. Just trying to give, like I said, the best look to our defense. I did a little bit more running last week when I was acting like I was Jayden, versus this week of acting like I'm Dak. Cadence wise, you definitely try to marry those things up. I'm doing the Dak 'Here we go' cadence and that stuff. It's fun because I'm able to take time to watch those other quarterbacks around the league and kind of see the things that they do at a really high level. I want to give our team the best chance to go out there and win. I think the looks that I give are extremely valuable and I try to do that at a high level.

Q: We've obviously seen guys like (Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback Patrick) Mahomes and (Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback) Aaron Rodgers, they said the first year. Some guys had success the other way around, Jayden Daniels, (Buffalo Bills' quarterback) Josh Allen, guys like that. Have you thought what's best for you? Or have you thought about that at all, about different approaches in that regard?

DART: I think that when you look around and you look at guys who have had success, it comes in all different ways from guys stepping on the field. From the moment they start to guys stepping on, like (former quarterback) Peyton Manning, who really struggled his first year and then turned things completely around. To guys who, like you mentioned, who have sat a year or two before their number was called. I don't think that there's any specific timing of that such. It's more of just, you got to prepare. The team's going to put the best guys out there on the field. I think that's what people always have to understand. We're trying to win and we're trying to compete at the highest level. So, the guys who are out there on the field, you want to put those guys in the best situations and those guys who have played at the highest level.

Q: Do you have a preference?

DART: I feel like I've said this. As a competitor, I don't have like a blast watching from the sideline. But it's just the way that it is. My job is just to do what I can control and when I'm sitting there, I'm itching. You just want to compete. You want to be out there. In some ways, you kind of feel like a fan a little bit when you're on the sideline. So, it's a little bit different of a feeling of what I'm used to, but I'm just trying to shift my perspective.

Q: How have you navigated the delicate dynamic of being there behind Russ and then also being ahead of a veteran like Jameis on the depth charts? Two guys with standing in the league, but you obviously are both the present and the future. So how do you navigate that, your place on the team with them and what could be coming down the road eventually?

DART: Yeah, I think that we just have a unique room where it's not as much if we look at each other as you're the first string guy, you're the second string guy, you're the third string guy. It's not like that at all. When we're in meeting rooms, we all talk to each other. Me and Jameis are trying to communicate with Russ as much as we can of things that we see. So, we kind of view ourselves as a quarterback as just one. I think that when you look around the league of teams who have the most success and win championships, a lot of that is just the room of the quarterbacks and how each and every person has a role and is involved on whoever's out there on the field playing. So that's just our jobs. We just try to be the best teammates and do what's best for the team.

Quarterback Jameis Winston

Q: You've been in this league long enough. How difficult or challenging is week-to-week preparation from a quarterback perspective when you guys are not the starting quarterback? How much more work do you need to do on your own unsupervised than in the normal structure of practice?

WINSTON: I prepare as if I'm the starting quarterback. Preparation is preparation. So, every single week, I'm the first one in this building and I'm preparing as if I'm starting on Sunday, Monday or Thursday.

Q: In terms of the structure of practice, you guys aren't getting those reps that you would be getting, so now you have to find other ways to make up for that, right? You guys are working after practice.

WINSTON: Oh, man, we've got VR. We watch film. I'm getting work with the young guys after practice. We're working, and that's required. That's required being an NFL quarterback. No matter if you're the starter, no matter if you're practice squad, it's required to put in the work to be prepared.

Q: What has (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) shown you with his practice habits and his maturity, I guess, as the number two now?

WINSTON: I think he's just an amazing young quarterback, and I'm so excited. I see a lot of myself when I watch him. Just his joy, his charisma with his teammates, his ability to make every throw on the field, and it's just exciting to watch and support him and be there for him.

Q: Is it uncommon for a young player to have the work ethic that he does? After practice, going through the full script. You're out there with him. Is that uncommon, or is that a standard thing that would happen with a rookie?

WINSTON: I don't know if it's uncommon, but I believe it's required. He's not waiting for his moment, he's preparing to be the very best, and I think that's just his making. He's been working hard his whole life, so why stop now?

Q: How much benefit do you think there is for a young quarterback being able to sit behind veterans and watch and learn?

WINSTON: I think it's a tremendous benefit because of the experience. You know how they say, I'd rather learn from someone else making a mistake than experience it myself. And some may say I want to experience it for myself. But I think at the quarterback position, you see the same thing over and over again. It's just like that same picture. So being able to be in a quarterback room with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who's seen everything under the sun, being in a room with a first pick of the NFL Draft who's been a starter in this league to being on a vet minimum, I think we bring him just a lot of perspective and we're able to speak life into him and to give him everything that's required. Because what I want for myself, I want for everyone, and I want him to be his very best. I want (quarterback) (Russell Wilson) Russ to be his very best, and that's how we push each other.

Q: Does a young Jameis kind of wish you had that? You were the number one pick. It's a little bit harder, I think, to probably do that as a number one pick. But do you wish you maybe had that time?

WINSTON: Every time I think about that, I always go back to how grateful I was that I got a chance to be with (former quarterback) Ryan Fitzpatrick. When he was in that room with me in Tampa, just the joy that he brought in the room. Then I got the opportunity with (former Saints quarterback) Drew Brees, one of the best to ever do it. Now I'm with one of the best to ever do it now in Russell Wilson. So, it just seems like it keeps happening for me. But I know eventually it's going to pay off that these young quarterbacks - like you see with (Green Bay Packers quarterback) Jordan Love right now, being able to take his time, and now he's shining. So, I think it's good.

Q: The decision to make Jaxson two with you as the emergency (quarterback), was that a difficult one to accept from your standpoint given your standing in the league and what you know you can do as a player?

WINSTON: As a competitor, you want to be the starter. But like I said, I prepare to be the starter. I know I'm a starter in this league, but my role, I think you have to be able to be grateful for your role. My role right now is to assist Russ and Jaxson in being the best that they can be while preparing to be the best that I can be. So, no matter if I'm three, 33, or whatever, this is my first year being number 19 so it's always a first for everything. I focus on what I would love, and what I would love is for this team to have success.

Q: What did they tell you about that? When they came and told you, 'Hey, you're going to be the number three, Jaxson's going to be the number two,' how did they sort of describe it to you?

WINSTON: 'You did a good job, coach.' (laughter) I think it's as simple as that. But I don't take things personally. I read this book. One of Tom Brady's favorite books is The Four Agreements. It's be impeccable with your word, don't take assumptions, don't take things personally and focus on what you love. Do your very best, and that's what I do. I take pride in speaking life into my teammates. I don't assume anything. I work, I prepare, I do my very best. Just because I was brought here, I didn't assume that I was going to be it. Shoot, I told Russ like Russ, 'I want to be starting,' and he's okay with that. That's how you want the room to be. You want the room to compete with each other and push each other and that's how you go higher. I don't take things personally. I'm grateful to be in this league. This is my 11th year in this league, and I know there's probably not 32 quarterbacks in this league that's better than I am. But at the end of the day, God has given me an amazing platform to be a New York Football Giant, and I'm going to take that with authority and be my very best.

Q: Would you rather have an opportunity to be on the field somewhere, anywhere, or are you excited about your current role here?

WINSTON: I'm grateful for my role right now. I think anybody who loves football wants to play, but that is not my case right now so I'm going to do all I can do with where I am, with what I have.

Q: You said back in the summer you understand - I think the coaches said you're not just here for comic relief, and you accepted that responsibility to hold teammates accountable and to be the guy that is a good teammate for everybody, not just in the quarterback room. I'm just curious from your perspective from Week 1 to Week 2, is there anything you saw this week that you decided you needed to speak up, anything you did to help this team go from where you guys were on Sunday to now?

WINSTON: I feel like Week 1, since I've been in this league, has always been a headline week. I think what's important is for us to come together and continue to do our very best, and let's count the score at the end of this game. So, this game we're playing against the Dallas Cowboys and we'll see what the score is at the end.