Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy

Q: What changes, playbook. play calling, with more of a mobile – more of a less mobile pocket passer now? Like, to simplify, these 10 plays go out, these 10 plays come in for (quarterback) Jameis (Winston)?

MATT NAGY: Probably the biggest thing is – one of the things with this offense when we first got started is we wanted to be able to be prepared to have multiple styles of offense. And so, if something like this does happen, it doesn't put you in a hole where you just, it changes everything. Obviously, Jaxson (Dart) is a dual threat quarterback. That's one of his strengths. It's what he does well. And so, when you lose that part of it and what he does well, that's part of the playbook. You know, that's stating the obvious. But at the same point in time, we look at it with Jameis that here's a guy that's played a lot of football games in his career. We have ultimate trust in him. And so, unlike the game when it happens on play seven, where you have most of your game designed around Jaxson, now we get a chance to design around Jameis' strengths and what he does. And so, I think that's our job as coaches, to make sure we put those guys in the best position possible and really show Jameis how we can do that for him to help him help us.

Q: I don't think it's any secret that Jameis is kind of a make a big play, put the ball in harm's way – that's kind of the Jameis experience. Can you coach that out of him? Do you want him to be more conservative than he's been? Or is it like, 'Hey, this is who you are, go play?'

MATT NAGY: We know who he is. We talked all training camp, protecting the football. There is a lot of – I think what you're saying – that feast or famine with him. We've joked over time about the 30 touchdowns and 30 picks, but now here it is. And so, respecting that football and ball security is paramount, this type of team that we have. So, he knows that. And again, he's as true of a pro as you'll be around, preparation-wise and how he handles this. So, you just play his game, be who he is, and then we've got to help him as a staff, too.

Q: Matt, just one more thing on the Monday night game. Obviously, seven plays in. From the outside, it's, 'Well, just change.' Just throw the playbook out like you said last week. Take one out and put one away. What are the challenges in that spot? And how come you're not really able to do that in that situation? How difficult is it for the quarterback?

MATT NAGY: Two things to that question. The first part is that there's a part of the playbook that we do lose any way you look at it. And I'm sure this is for most teams, when you have the strength of your quarterback, a lot of that is directed towards what they do well. So, if there's areas of his game that when you lose him, you lose that part of the playbook. But it's not a massive number to where you can't run an offense. I want to be clear with that. The other part of this, too, is your reps are so valuable throughout the week, and I think I said it last week to you all, but the walkthrough reps are huge. And we have our volume of plays is – there's a lot of plays that we run throughout the week, and Jameis has to do it mentally. And so, Jaxson, himself, is trying to get timing down with some of these skill receivers, running backs, wideouts, tight ends, etc. Now you're thrown into the mix seven plays in and running these plays that you didn't run all week. You did mentally, but you didn't timing-wise. There's a lot involved there. So, one of the things we tried to do within the game was – I'll give you an example. If there's a motion and a shift in a play, we either eliminated it or we used one motion, not two. That's just an example. If there's something on the play where we could make it easier for him to play faster and have less decisions, we wanted to do that. So, you try to adapt in the game. But now, again, we get to have a full week of prep, and he gets to get out here and get throws on time, which helps.

Q: Matt, why did (fullback Patrick) Ricard play less? It seemed like when you're having protection issues, maybe a guy like him, like in Week 1, can help you out.

MATT NAGY: For sure. He needs to play more. He's a great weapon for us. Sometimes when you get into these games, whether it's a certain package that you have, none of it's intentional. Some of it just kind of happens. It's the same thing, too, with Skatt (running back Cam Skattebo) down inside in the red zone there with carrying the football and stuff. There's a lot going on, and we definitely need to be better at making sure that guys are getting the right opportunities at certain times. I look back at that stop that they had inside the five, and I'm pissed at myself for not calling a pass. That's just being real, right? How can I be better? How can I help our guys out? That third down play, those are the ones when you're on the plane coming home that you're pissed off about. You think about, 'How can I be better to help these guys? And that's real. So, I want to be better there to help our guys out. But there's – player participation is a part of that, and I think we can do a better job there with that.

Q: Jameis was the top pick in the draft for a bunch of reasons, one of them was arm talent. We've seen it at different points. That thing can fly out of his hand. Is there any part, not criticizing Jaxson at all, but with what he's physically able to do, does it actually maybe open additional things up to you that maybe weren't before?

MATT NAGY: There might be a couple concepts, to your point, where you're able to do some different things to his strengths. I mean, for us as coaches, I think it's very important that you know that Jameis knows what we do offensively. Thank God he's been here for all the OTAs and training camp. So, calling a play, understanding why a play is in, where to go, his eyes going to where our eyes go, is good. But then he also has his strengths on certain routes that he throws, and maybe he does it slightly better than Jaxson, maybe he doesn't. But we need to make sure that we're putting that stuff in to where Jameis feels comfortable, and that's what I think we're doing.

Q: You mentioned how well-prepared Jameis was to step in. I guess now that you've got (quarterback Jake) Haener in the backup role, I guess how ready do you feel he is if he's thrust into a similar situation at some point?

MATT NAGY: Yeah, hopefully for Jameis' and for everybody's point, that we don't want any more injuries. But Jake has done a great job of preparing. He's very serious. He takes this – which he should be, but, I mean, he really cares about this. We do reps at the end of practice where some of the developmental guys get reps, and he runs the show, so we get to see what he's like in that moment. So, he'll be ready. He'll be prepared. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. But our other assistant coaches are keeping him ready too because, let's face it, last week in that game, we were one play away from being in a position where you're with your emergency quarterback in that game. So, that's – you just never know. So, he's got to make sure that he's prepping like a starter.

Q: Who is the emergency quarterback?

MATT NAGY: What's that?

Q: The emergency quarterback. Like, how do you process that (with skill players)?

MATT NAGY: Yeah, we work through that. Every week it probably goes back and forth with our guys. But we have a couple guys, and they all tell us that they were really good in high school. So, we make sure that we go back and try to find some high school tape and see what's real. But there's a couple guys we juggle around, and we do – we have a few things ready, and we kind of keep that in-house.

Q: Matt, you've been around this game a long time. You mentioned last week, I think, when you were up in the box, you're not on the sidelines, so you're not there for the emotional aspect of it. Monday night, what was that like for you? You've put all of this time into Jaxson. You guys have worked together. To see that play out and you kind of be a little bit removed from it, what is that like?

MATT NAGY: That's real. It's tough because I am a type A, extrovert personality, and so in that moment, if I'm down on the field, you certainly feel more when you're there. You can be there for the guys. When you're up in the box, it's a little bit different. But for me personally, I just hurt so much for Jaxson. I'm there every day to just see how much he's poured into the sacrifices that he's made for us. And at that point in time, I didn't know how long or what. So, you try to stay cautiously optimistic. Now you get to this point, and you hurt for Jaxson, you hurt for his family, you hurt for us, for the players, for the coaches, for our city, for our team. But you've also got to – and Jaxson will be the first to tell you this – we're there. We love him to death. We're going to do this for him and for the other guys that have gotten hurt. But listen, I think it's very important to understand that we're fighters, and I think it's very important to know Coach Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh), it starts with him and to the rest of our coaches, man, we're going to battle, and we are going to stay positive. We are going to stick together. We're going to fight. And I know we're guaranteed 15 more weeks of however that looks. And so, it might sound like coach talk. It's not. It's real. We've got a tight-knit group of people, and we're locked in on trying to do everything we can do to win. And that's the part that – that's what Jaxson wants, and that's what we're going to do.

Q: Just to kind of follow up. There's plenty of time, obviously, to talk about this in playing a long career, but how critical is this just throughout his development in terms of just the way he is processing everything?

MATT NAGY: Yeah, he was trending in the right way, which I love, and I think that's probably the exciting part for all of us, is knowing what we think and what we know where he's going to be. This is a part of life. I went through it last year with the quarterback I was with, and you got to see how he attacked that from the very next day, and that's what Jaxson's going to do. I mean, I just saw him over there, and he kind of mentioned he's ready to go right now. He's kidding. He wants to be out there. He wants to be there. But it's just who he is. It's a part of his journey. This will make him stronger, and we've just got to – we've got to be there for him, and we've got to understand that what he did up until this point has been good. So now, when he does get back, whenever that is, it's going to be a beautiful thing.

Q: With the right backs, I'm curious, obviously (running back) Najee (Harris) made his debut. How do you see that rotation now with him starting to ramp up and get more comfortable?

MATT NAGY: It's important for all those guys. We love our rotation of backs. These guys have done a great job, and Najee's one of them. Here's a guy, he's a big ball carrier. He does a lot of good things.

He's got experience. He's a vet that knows what he's doing. So, I think the more you can kind of rotate guys at certain times, it's good to do. But at the same point in time, we understand that it's important for guys to get touches to get in a rhythm. You want to be careful of just guys getting a few touches here or there. So, volume is something we keep an eye on. But Najee, I think, is a good part of that, and he'll continue to just get better and better.

Q: Do you intend to incorporate (wide receiver) Odell (Beckham Jr.) more, or is he just a backup plan if somebody gets hurt?

MATT NAGY: No. Odell is, again, when he's still – he can, routes, everything, he does a lot of good things well. We're trying to probably slowly package him in some things offensively. So, it's not that he's just a backup. There are some times when, whatever it is personnel-wise, that we have it on the game plan. We just didn't get to it. Or, 'Hey, you've got to be ready. One injury away from being in all the time.' And he knows that. He understands that. And I think probably just for us to be able to just him know that and just keep staying in your book and in the packages, we have for you, get in there and go do your thing.

Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton

CHRIS HORTON: Good to see everyone, hope all you guys are doing well. Just a quick little recap from the game, we're in two weeks in, I think our guys are starting to believe in the process, they're starting to believe in what's being coached. You can see these things, they're starting to show up on the tape, we kind of have a shared understanding of what this thing looks like. And just the last two weeks, I'm very encouraged by what the guys have done out on the field. Speaking of our young specialists, these guys are just getting valuable game reps every time they go out there. They're competing, they're playing at a high level, and they're doing the right things. With our punter, (punter) Jordan (Stout), you guys see it, his ability to just flip the field has been outstanding for us, and you can't allow him to do the things that he does if you don't allow your punt coverage, also those other guys to work. So, just very encouraged, very pleased by what I'm seeing from our guys. A big week for us, and we're looking forward to this game. Questions?

Q: What's the coaching point when you have a punter who hits a 70-plus yard punt, and almost 80-yard punt, from a coverage perspective?

CHRIS HORTON: Situationally, we're just allowing him to be who he is, and it just starts with everybody understanding what kind of punter we have. We protect the punt, and then we need all-out effort. That's from all the other 10 guys. And so, if all those things are working, and we're all on the same page, we can allow him to kind of do those things and flip the field when we need to flip the field. And then there's other times where we need to keep the ball away from people, and we allow him to do that.

Q: Supposed to be at Nor'easter, I think, this weekend. How does that affect you guys? Do you do any extra ball security stuff, or does that affect kicker range in the range? How would that weather affect you?

CHRIS HORTON: We can't replicate the weather, but what we can do is trust our process. And that process has taken us up until this point. And as we get out there pregame, we'll kind of see what the weather's doing, what are those things doing. Up until that, we just come out here and we focus on our day-to-day process, and then those things will take care of themselves.

Q: You talked about Dominic's (kicker Dominic Zvada) leg, obviously, and his 52-yarder. So, just how pleased were you that, obviously, you guys trusted his leg, but seeing it again, how pleased were you that he was able to execute in that moment?

CHRIS HORTON: Very encouraged. Like I said, from the day we got him here, always believed in him, and just needed to get him out there to get him those opportunities. And we know who he is, he knows who he is. And so, it was very encouraging to get him out there in a game setting and let him kick that 52-yard field goal.

Q: Was the touchback at the end of the first half intentional? Did you want a touchback in that situation?

CHRIS HORTON: Situationally, we did not. In that case right there, that was right after the field goal. I think he was a little excited, but we want to cover kicks, and we get an opportunity in that situation. If we can, we want to put the ball in play to kill some time there.

Q: He (Zvada) doesn't seem like he's a kid who lacks any confidence whatsoever. So, what can that kick, especially that 52-yarder, do for him? I know it's not a confidence thing, but is it just being out there and getting that rep? Or what do you see from that aspect? What are you looking for?

CHRIS HORTON: Just what I'm looking for is him coming out weekly and just going through the process and just doing what he's been doing, right? Again, he does not lack confidence. And I think when you get young guys, sometimes they just have to go out there and they have to do it, right? And they have to do it enough for them to be like, you know what, I belong. And he belongs. And he's just got to go out there and continue to be consistent. Consistency is everything that is a part of his game and as long as he's consistent and he plays, he continues to do the things that he needs to do, starting in practice, and then carrying those things over to the game, he's going to be fine.

Q: I think Braxton's (wide receiver Braxton Berrios) a fair caught one on the five. Do you have a line where you just let it go or a situation? I'm just curious of what your reaction is to that.

CHRIS HORTON: We do have a line. In that situation right there, typically we don't want to catch a ball inside the five. But I think when you're looking at what Braxton might have saw, he's got two guys down there. That's an easy situation where, instead of being on the five, we could have been on the one. But what I do love is we made it right. We made it right by getting ourselves out of there in that situation and flipping the field.

Defensive Coordinator Dennard Wilson

DENNARD WILSON: First and foremost, just wanted to address why I missed last Friday. Unfortunately, I lost my hero and my dad. He passed away that morning and I had to leave. My heart was heavy, but I am thankful for this organization, the coaches and especially the players and my family and friends who have been helping me deal with my loss of my dad and these players have been outstanding with the support that they have for me and my family. So, I just want to thank them and the organization for being there for me. Questions?

Q: I think all of us would say our condolences to you.

DENNARD WILSON: I really appreciate it.

Q: From a football standpoint, the pass rush. Where are you, I know pressures are pressures, but sacks obviously set an offense back. Where are you in terms of only having one through two games.

DENNARD WILSON: Yeah, obviously we want more sacks. The pressures are good, but we want to get the quarterback on the ground. Kudos to the Rams. They had a really good plan, a lot of chippers against our guys. And then (Los Angeles Rams quarterback) Matt Stafford got the ball out extremely quick. So, it'll start coming just like takeaways. Once you start getting one or two, they start to roll. And hopefully this week we can turn the table a little bit and get after their quarterback.

Q: How difficult was it to coach the game?

DENNARD WILSON: Obviously, I mean, if you go through an ordeal like that, it is tough but it's a part of our job. It's a part of what we do. And if I'm there, if I'm on the field, I have to give my best. And the players were there for moral support. The coaches were there for moral support. The day I missed, the coaches picked up the pieces. There is no excuse for the way we played. We didn't play fundamentally sound football and a team that is well coached as the Rams and the way they executed at a high level, if you don't play with the attention to detail, they hurt you. And that led to explosive plays that we gave up. And that's something that didn't happen in the first game, which gave us an opportunity to win. So, we are back to the drawing board this week. We got to work on ourselves first. And if we fix ourselves and the problems that we had in the game, we'll play a lot better going forward.

Q: With the run defense, what did you see was the biggest difference between last week where you guys were able to stop the Cowboys versus this week when (Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren) Williams and (Los Angeles Rams running back Blake) Corum seemed like they were getting big play after big play?

DENNARD WILSON: Well, a lot of it early in the game, we gave up one explosive play. We had to check to a run and we blitzed the nickel. They knew it was coming, and they ended up blocking it correctly. That got out. Then later in the game, it was about just being where we were supposed to be. We let a ball get out on the edge of us and any time you have a nine technique, or you have an edge player, you should never turn your shoulders. And you play with that outside arm free, and we turned our shoulder, and the ball spilled on us. A couple of times, the motion and adjustments weren't fast enough, and they created angles. But it was all things we practiced. It was the same stuff we got the week before. It's about our detail, it's about our execution, and that's what we're focusing on. This week, it's not always about the opponent. It's about us. What can we do to correct ourselves, so those same mistakes won't happen again?

Q: With the pass rush that you have, you're going to get chips every week. That's going to be the game plan. What is the counter to not let them nullify it?

DENNARD WILSON: Well, you've got to have a better chip game plan, okay, and not just always straight rush. There's other ways that we can get to the quarterback. And we have some answers, and hopefully it shows this week.

Q: You say it is about your plan and you guys, but your game plan does factor in the opposing

You are very familiar with the opposing quarterback that you're going to see this weekend. You saw him everyday last year. I'm just curious, when you go against the (Dallas Cowboys quarterback) Dak (Prescott) and then you go against (Matthew) Stafford, and now you're going against a younger quarterback, are there things that you guys want to do defensively based on who that quarterback is? Is that just an obvious thing?

DENNARD WILSON: I think that always plays into your weekly game plan. You go against Dak Prescott, who gets the ball out extremely quick to have two outstanding weapons outside, and they seek the explosive plays all the time. There's nothing Matt Stafford hasn't seen. He's a guy that's going to wear a gold jacket at one point, at some point in his career. So, there's things that you can't just get away with because they'll shred you apart. (Tennessee Titans) Cam (Ward) is a younger quarterback, but I have so much respect for that young man. I think that Cam is growing in the position. When you see him, he still makes outstanding plays. I know the work ethic he puts in. Cam is a guy that's in the building at 4 o'clock, 4:30 every day. So, I know his attention to detail. I know that he's studying us, and I know he's trying to have one of his breakout games. We've got to be on our best every week in the National Football League. No matter if it's Matt Stafford, no matter if it's Cam, we have to play at our best every week to give ourselves a chance.

Q: Dennard, I think that some people see the lack of a passion and think, oh, just blitz more, just bring more guys. But how much do some of the injuries that you guys are having to deal with in the secondary with Tae (cornerback Deonte Banks) and some of the other guys that are out, (cornerback) Paulson (Adebo) kind of you have to balance, well, yeah, the blitz, we've got to bring guys out that would be in coverage and vice versa.

DENNARD WILSON: Yeah, I think it's no excuse. It's the next man up. Obviously, in the last game, (Los Angeles Rams wide receiver) Davante (Adams) made a few big plays, right? One of the plays was a bust in coverage where we should have been on him. The next explosive play with the 64-yarder, we were in cloud coverage. We should have had a safety over the top. So, it just goes back to us. It goes back to our execution. Yes, we can do a little bit more to help the pass rush, and we've dialed in and we have a game plan to execute that to get it going. And like I said, it's a new week. It's Thursday of this week. It's third down day this week. We'll get a lot of our work in terms of the pass rush and the things that we have in for the game plan and we're looking forward. We're looking forward to Sunday, to breaking out of that slump of just having one sack and we're trying to do it by any means necessary.

Q: Is there any talk for you, Dennard, of going back to Tennessee? Did you interview with (Tennessee Titans Head Coach) Robert (Saleh) there? Did you kind of know after the season that you were going to be looking elsewhere?

DENNARD WILSON: I've had conversations with Robert Saleh. I've known him for a while and all the people, most of the people that's on the staff, either I work with or I know. I knew it was time to move on. I'm happy where I'm at. I love being a Giant and I'm not looking back. All respect to that organization and the coaches and the players there. I still talk to (Tennessee Titans defensive lineman) Jeffrey Simmons all the time and numerous players. So, it's a lot of love for a lot of people in that building.

Q: Dennard, that fourth quarter run defense, I think they had 10 for 70. I know the game had gotten away from the team and the offense was struggling. Did you get on the guys about that run stopping there in that moment and not letting go of the rope?

DENNARD WILSON: Yeah, I mean, that's all the time. The fourth quarter defines you as a football team. The way you finish, the way you play, no matter the score, no matter the outcome. Everything we're supposed to do is about finishing. And we didn't finish the right way. Even when they scored the first two touchdowns, we were still in position. We took the ball away. It didn't have to steamroll on us. So, as coaching staff and as players, we've seen the mistakes. We've fixed the mistakes and we'll move and we'll get better from it. We'll get better from it going forward.

Q: (Safety) Jevon (Holland) has obviously been on a tear these first two games when he's played. What have you seen from him that's worked? And what did you know about him that you've been impressed with how he's led and kind of show by example what he can do on the field?

DENNARD WILSON: I always thought, and I still think, and I believe, and I know that he's a great football player. He is a player that I admired coming out. He's a player I admired before he came here to the Giants. He's a player that does all the little things correct. Jevon is making the plays he's supposed to make because he's in position. He's being where he's supposed to be and then once the ball is in the air, he's reacting violently to it. If they run it, he's reacting violently to the runs. So, you see in the work ethic that he's put in, you see in the things that he's worked on throughout this offseason, throughout the practice weeks, it's just coming to fruition. And I hope he continues to get better and he's an example of when you do all the little things correctly, good things happen to you.

Wide Receiver Malik Nabers

Q: You were obviously on the other end of this type of injury last year. What was it like for you when you got the news about (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart)?

MALIK NABERS: Takes a breath out of you for sure. Just feel for him. Like you said, I've been in that position too. So, I know what he's going through. I know what he's thinking. So, just trying to be there for him like he was there for me.

Q: How disruptive is it to the development, Malik, that this season will end, your third season, their second, and you and Dart will have played, I think it's like 70 snaps together in two years. And obviously the dream is you're going to be (Hall of Fame quarterback) Peyton Manning and (Hall of Fame wide receiver) Marvin Harrison or like one of those great connections, and you'll have played 70 snaps in two years.

MALIK NABERS: I mean, just try to get on the field. We can't – it's sad to say, you can't predict injuries and you can't predict season-ending injuries. It just happens. So, it's a shame that it happens, but you go through it, you get back on the field, you try to stay healthy as much as possible. So, that's really all to say about that.

Q: Do you still believe that when you guys are both healthy, you can be a great connection?

MALIK NABERS: Oh, for sure. I mean, it's time and preparation for everything. Like you said, I haven't shared the field with him that much, even in practice. So, going through a whole spring camp with him, that builds chemistry. So, it's just sad that one of your brothers gets down. It's just – I know how much he wanted to accomplish, he knows how much I wanted to accomplish and just to see it put a pause on it, I just feel for him. All he knows is football, and he puts a lot of great effort, a lot of great work, a lot of nights, a lot of mornings and coming in early and leaving late and trying to give us the best opportunity to win. So, I just feel for him. Just his whole world is probably put a pause, crashing down on him. But he has his brothers with him, he has family, he has people that care about him and there's people (that are) going to be with him through this rehab, and we're going to support him and get back, get him back on the field as healthy as possible.

Q: How are you feeling physically, your shoulder?

MALIK NABERS: Feeling good, I'll be fine.

Q: Is that the same shoulder – I think when you got hurt last year they said you had a torn labrum, that you could have had surgery. Is it the same?

MALIK NABERS: Y'all ask Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh) about this? What did he say?

Q: I didn't ask him if it was the same one.

MALIK NABERS: (I'm not) going to say nothing about it.

Q: Did you have an x-ray on it, Malik?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I did.

Q: Good results?

MALIK NABERS: Yes.

Q: Encouraging results?

MALIK NABERS: Yes, good results. I'm out there. We're smiling. I'm out there playing, catching the ball. So, good results.

Q: With (quarterback) Jameis (Winston), Malik, he's always a guy that can turn the ball over sometimes, but the flip side of that is he's giving his receiver chances and he's going to throw the ball down there. He's going to give his guy a chance to make the play. I mean, does that excite you at all as a receiver? That the quarterback isn't going to shy away from 50-50 opportunities?

MALIK NABERS: Of course. I mean, he believes in his receivers to go make the plays for him. And we plan out to do that. And when the opportunity comes, you've just got to go ahead and snatch the opportunity. The fact that he gives us opportunity, that means he believes in the good work that you put in in practice. He believes that you're going to make the play for him, and I trust that, he trusts me, so we'll make the play.

Q: We saw you working with him extra, what's the connection between you guys like, you and Jameis?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, I mean, that was kind of like my first game playing with him this past Monday. So, just trying to get a feel for him, trying to see how his ball spins, trying to see when he releases the ball, trying to see just where he puts the ball at. So, it's a work in progress to just sudden change. But I'm putting in extra work with him just to try to see what type of quarterback that he is and where he wants to place the ball. What is he reading? What does he feel? So, I'm just trying to just be able to adapt to what he sees. So, I'm just trying to do my best at that.

Q: It seemed like there was a lot of confusion at the line on offense on Monday night. Is this a complicated offense for the 11 on the field to grasp?

MALIK NABERS: I mean, I wouldn't say it's very complicated. Just a lot of guys in different positions, as myself. So, we've just got to do a better job of just studying, myself included for sure. Just studying before you get out there, putting in extra time, putting in extra work. The coaches do a very good job on making sure the plays are early, whatever we have to do, running through it a lot. So, just like I said, just put in extra time studying, extra time on your own, just on your own walkthrough, just writing the plays up, seeing how you can understand the plays in your own way. And that's pretty much it, really.

Q: (Titans Offensive Coordinator Brian) Daboll will be on the other side of the line on Sunday. He obviously empowered you a lot when you were here in terms of – when you have a lot of input, have you guys stayed in touch? Do you have any thoughts on seeing him before the game?

MALIK NABERS: Haven't really stayed in touch really much, but Dabs (Titans Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll) is my guy. Drafted me here, had a good relationship. Like you said, I've implemented a couple routes for myself in there, so he's pretty open minded. But I know he's pretty busy on doing stuff for that team. So, I was going through rehab also, so I know he was pretty tight with that. But that's really all.

Q: Jameis obviously has such a big personality. Has he changed at all now that he's the guy this week? Has anything been different?

MALIK NABERS: No, Jameis is the same person every time you see him.

Q: You looking forward to facing (Titans cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott?

MALIK NABERS: Yeah, you know, Flott is one of my brothers, but he's on the other side now, so we've got to go at it.

Running Back Cam Skattebo

Q: We know how close you are with (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart), that relationship you guys have. What was it like for you to get that news? How did that go down for you?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, it sucked. I talked to him on the sidelines a little bit, and he's my best friend. So, it's a little emotional for me. It sucked to lose him, but we got to move on. The team has still got a full season left. We've got 15 games minimum left, and it's something we have to battle through and continue to work together as a team. We have Jameis' (quarterback Jameis Winston) back. He's going to go out there and perform and dominate the game. And I'm fully behind that, and I really do think that. And I think these guys came out here today to work really hard, and they bought in.

Q: When you get drafted, the idea is building a core together, like you and (wide receiver) Malik (Nabers), Dart, becoming like (former Dallas Cowboys quarterback) Troy Aikman, (former Dallas Cowboys running back) Emmitt Smith, (former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver) Michael Irvin, guys who are together forever. This season will end, and you guys all played 43 snaps together, you, Malik, and Jaxson, going into year three next year. How discouraging is that, disruptive is that to the development of you guys?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, the good thing is it's only year two and three. I got hurt last year. I didn't get to play with the guys, and then he gets hurt this year. It sucks. It does suck. But the bright side is we have a long future ahead of us, and with Malik being in year three, I'm in year two, Jaxson in year two, I mean, we have a lot of football ahead of us, and it really does suck to be on that side of the fence. But, I mean, at the end of the day, we've got to continue to work. Last year I got hurt, and they continued to work without me. So, we've got to continue to work. And Jaxson's going to be here every day working his butt off to make sure that Jameis is in a good spot, the guys are in a good spot, and he's doing everything, whatever he can to help. So, we're ready to go.

Q: How's he doing? He's been here the last two days. How have the conversations you guys have had been?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, he's doing great. Obviously, when you get hurt it sucks, and you don't know what to think. And like Coach Harbs (Head Coach John Harbaugh) kind of says, it feels like the world's over when you get hurt. But there's another day to live on. He knows he has more football left in his life. And it does suck, especially now but as he gets through this rehab process and he starts feeling better, he'll have a better light on things. And he's strong-minded. He's been through this a couple times already. So, he knows how to deal with it.

Q: What does him being here at the facility mean to you guys?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, just being around, last year I was around every day. Not a lot, but I was as much as I could because it was my foot. I couldn't really walk. It was hard to move around on a scooter, so I was a little different. He's going to be, I don't know if he's going to be in a wheelchair for however long or whatever, but I know he's going to want to be in this building the day after surgery. So, I'm super excited for him to be in this building because he's going to bring that light of mine, keep guys going and keep pushing and continue to build these guys up.

Q: Was it helpful for you to be around, just from a mental standpoint, when you were going through the recovery, to just be around the team?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, 100%. I think when you get hurt and you kind of disclude yourself from everything, you start getting into a crazy headspace of kind of being down on yourself and wondering if this is for you, like I've talked about. But with him, I have no doubt that he's ready to go, come back. I mean, he's already probably thinking about coming back as fast as possible. So, it sucks to get hurt, but we're going to move past that and I wish well for him.

Q: What's different, do you think, in the offense now, both with Jameis rather than Jaxson?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, I'm excited for Jameis. He can do everything. He looked great today in practice. I appreciate it for his leadership, the way the guys came in and out of the huddle on and off the field. That was kind of an emphasis today in practice, and he took control of that, and he made sure that the guys were locked in. And today went smooth, and everything looked really good.

Q: Cam, you talked when Jaxson initially went down, right at the beginning. Do you feel the air, not just you, the entire team, like the wind, the air came out of the balloon, everybody was kind of emotionally spent, and it took quite a bit of playing to get out of it?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, it sucks. You just lost your starting quarterback, a guy that was playing really well, a guy that was doing a lot of good things for us, and it does take a toll on you. But at the end of the day, like I said, we have to continue to go. He knows we have to do that. He's going to have our back doing that. And it's just like losing anything significant in your life. We lost a big part of this team, and we have to fill it and continue to roll. So, I'm excited to see what we got.

Q: Your thoughts on facing (Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator Brian) Daboll all this week? It seemed like you guys had a pretty good relationship last year. I'm curious if you've stayed in touch at all and if you'll catch up before or after the game.

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, I haven't talked to him at all since he's left. And I love Dabs as a person, as a coach. He was good to me. He was good to the guys. And I have no negative thoughts or anything about him. So, I'm excited to play him, see what he's got, see what plays he's going to call and kind of remember what I was seeing myself last year in that offense. And I'm excited to play against him, for sure.

Q: You guys left that stadium two weeks ago at such a high, right? The vibe there was probably the best you've ever felt. How do you get back to that now, after all that's happened in the last two weeks, the loss, the Jaxson injury, everything?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, the fans got to show up. The crowd's got to be lit, just like it was the first week. We have to have everybody's support, just like we did week one. I think the entire city of New York still knows we have a really good shot at this. And they love Jameis Winston. So, we're not going to take a step down. We're going to continue to push, continue to work. If we have our fan base with us, if they're giving everything they got towards us, I promise you they're going to get everything from us.

Q: How much do you feel, you have this approach that you're going to need to do even more? Like they're going to need more from you. Do you look at it that way or not?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, I don't look at it as an I need to do more. It's I get to do more. At the end of the day, if they need me to catch three more balls and run the ball five more times, I'm going to be ready for it. I think I touched it 12, 14 times last game, and I felt pretty good coming out of the game. So, I think 14 touches, if that's what I'm getting, that's what I'm getting. But I'm ready to get as many as they give me, as many as they need me to take. I've been through seasons with 30 touches a game. I've been through seasons with 25, 30 touches, 10 catches a game. I'm ready for whatever they got for me.

Q: Do you feel like you're a more, the better type of guy?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I mean, I definitely get stronger as the game goes. I think the way I play football, people don't like dealing with that for four quarters, and that's something that I take pride in is continuing to be the same person through the whole game. And, yeah, I guess the more touches, it gets better because they get tired of tackling me.

Q: You've taken on an emotional component to your leadership this year. You're very vocal. You've been vocal all summer. I'm curious, you were on the other side when they had to get over the injury to you last year. Is there anything over the last couple days that you've done just team-wise to try to keep guys' spirits up as far as emotionally?

CAM SKATTEBO: Yeah, I think keeping things positive is a big thing. I mean, you can look out there. You see the guys working with Jameis right now. I think he's going to handle the part with the team and the players. I think me just keeping the spirits high, keeping the emotions high, staying positive, continuing to just push people in the good remarks, getting people in and out of the huddle, like I said, and kind of just doing the little things to make sure the teammates know I have their back, but also giving them a little bit of push behind them. I think that's going to be a big part of me and what I need to do for this team. And I'm going to run the rock, I'm going to be positive, and I'm going to cheer these guys on the way and win some games.

Q: What changes have you seen from Jameis this week, or how is he approaching being a starter?

CAM SKATTEBO: I mean, Jameis approaches every week, every day the same. He attacks it. He attacks it like he's a starter. I see him every day in the building, super early, every day super late. He's always with Jaxson. So, they have similar minds. They always think alike. They ask the same questions. So, I mean, he's ready to go. He's a football player. He's been doing this for a really long time, 10-plus years. He's taking it like a quarterback, and he's going to go out there and be ready to play football for sure.