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Transcripts

Quotes: Coach Brian Daboll, K Graham Gano, K Cade York, K Randy Bullock

Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q: Word on the offensive tackles?

A: They've had good days. We'll see how they do today. I think they're making progress, getting close. We'll let them go out there and practice today and see where they're at.

Q: We kind of always lump them together. Is one more ahead of the other?

A: I'd say both of them are improving, so we'll see where they're at. They've taken some team reps, which is good. We'll give them a little bit more today, and we'll see where they're at after practice today.

Q: Do you know how you're going to list them on the injury report?

A: Questionable, as of right now. So, let's see how practice goes, but as of right now, that's what I got.

Q: That's a step forward for (tackle) Andrew (Thomas), it seems like.

A: Yeah. I'd say both of them have made steps forward.

Q: How does that affect (guard Justin) Pugh if Andrew comes back? Does Pugh automatically go into a starting guard spot? How do you handle that?

A: We're working through some stuff. We're sorting through it. I'd say we've used a lot of different combinations here the last two days, and we'll do that again today. I don't want to make a decision yet based on how it goes in practice today, but we've kind of mixed and matched a bunch of guys.

Q: Would you do a rotation in-game?

A: Potentially.

Q: (Kicker) Randy Bullock, what did you see from him? I assume he's going to be the kicker on Sunday, so what did you see in the tryout?

A: A veteran guy. We're actually adding another kicker, Cade York. He was on the practice squad in Tennessee. So, we'll have both guys out here today and do some kicks and see where we're at for Sunday.

*Q:So York is going to the 53?*

A: He is, yep.

Q: Who is out?

A: Who is out? We're talking through that. We'll do that after practice.

Q: Is (kicker) Graham (Gano) done for the season?

A: Yeah, he'll have surgery upcoming here, so he'll go on IR.

Q: If Cade is on the active roster, he's going to be your kicker this week, not Randy?

A: Not necessarily. We're going to have two of them out here today and we're going to kick and do our normal stuff, and then we'll make a decision.

Q: Why handle it that way? It just feels kind of unorthodox.

A: We brought one from the practice squad and we signed another one to the practice squad. Again, we'll see where they're at here when they kick and snap with (long snapper) Casey (Kreiter) and hold with (punter) Jamie (Gillan) and do all those things. We'll do a bunch of that today.

Q: So, today's kind of like a tryout for those two guys, basically?

A: Yeah, we'll see where they're at and see how they kick.

Q: Other than your two tackles, is there anyone, setting aside (tight end) Darren (Waller) and (quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor), is there anyone whose status for Sunday is in question or doubt at this point?

A: I'd say (running back Jashaun) Corbin. He had a little hammy yesterday, but I think he'll be okay. But again, we've got to get him out here. He'll be questionable for the game.

Q: What happened with Graham? Obviously, we know he was injured, but what was the boiling point?

A: Had a good Friday. Kicked good in pregame and things change obviously. So, went out and played and had a few meetings with, I'd say, doctors this week, a couple times during the week and then decided to do the surgery.

Q: So, you already said Darren is out. So, what's the plan? I mean, you only have one tight end on the 53. So, what's the plan?

A: So, we have a couple guys obviously on the practice squad. They've been working through some things and obviously we'll bring most likely one of them up.

Q: Just one?

A: Potentially, we'll see.

Q: Obviously (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) is coming back, but he has an injury history. What is your confidence level after last week in (quarterback Tommy) DeVito? It's not going to be a weather game, so if he needs to play a more traditional football game.

A: Yeah, no, he's does a good job. He's here for a reason and he'll be ready to go.

Q: So, if you can't use, as far as I understand, (quarterback) Matt Barkley as an emergency QB because he's on the practice squad, right? Do you plan to bring him up on Sunday or is he still –

A: I'd say, understand the questions, a bunch of those conversations we tie up here at the end of practice.

Q: So, it's possible you could have three active quarterbacks on Sunday?

A: I'd say there is a lot of moving parts right now. Don't want to give you the answers to them because we are still going to talk about it. See how practice goes, where everybody is at and then we'll have our decisions made.

Q: You had (cornerback) Deonte (Banks) cover (Jets wide receiver) Garrett Wilson all over the field. What did he show to kind of earn that assignment and how did he do, how's that going forward?

A: He's done a good job. He's really improved for a young player. He's done a nice job. Again, each week the defensive staff sits down, we go through the game plan, why this guy should match this guy, maybe they should stay on separate sides. That kind of changes on a week-to-week basis. When I sit down with (defensive coordinator) Wink (Martindale) and (defensive backs coach) Jerome (Henderson) and we go through the game plan of how we want to play things. But I thought he's done a nice job.

Q: Has anything happened in the college game that's helped young cornerbacks acclimate to the NFL? It seems like the last couple of years that the younger guys are getting up to speed quicker.

A: I think it depends on the system that you go into. Obviously, we play a lot of man-to-man coverage, so there's not a whole bunch of thinking in terms of that, just go out and cover the guy. Again, they throw it quite a bit in college, but every guy is different. I've been around a bunch of young ones, really at every position. Tae's done a nice job.

Q: (Wide receiver Sterling) Shep(ard), he didn't play a snap on Sunday. He's had a few games like that. He's obviously a veteran. How do you manage that? He's not some rookie who is not playing.

A: Yeah, you talk to all your players about their role and what their role is. You have conversations and if they have any questions, they ask, you tell them and that's the way you do it.

Kicker Graham Gano

Q. How disappointing is it that you weren't able to push through this and your body just didn't cooperate?

A: It's definitely disappointing. I think the first thing I said a few weeks ago when I popped up on the report was that if I could manage the pain and if I could play well and help the team win, then I'd keep doing it. That was what the reports were saying then on my knee, and things just progressed for the worst. The pain, the swelling, instability just kind of increased and I wasn't able to obviously do a good job on the field. We all made a decision to go ahead and get the surgery. I know it's frustrating, but those guys in there do a fantastic job and it just got to the point, you could see it on the field and just physically, it wasn't going to go well.

Q. How did you initially hurt it?

A: I'm not going to get into the specifics or anything.

Q: What type of injury is it?

A: I don't think I'm supposed to really get into specifics medically as well. I think the big thing is I was given a few options as far as surgeries go, and I chose the one that gives me the best chance to get back on the field and help us win games. I'm looking forward to that. It doesn't make it any less frustrating, but I want to return to the form that I had the first three years here.

Like I was saying, we have one of the best medical staffs in the whole league. I saw some stuff online about them and questioning them, and I don't swear often, but I think it's (expletive), honestly, because they're one of the best in the league. I would trust my own children with them. I love those guys. They've done a great job with me. I think my knee probably would have been a lot worse had I not been in there getting it taken care of by those guys. I'm excited to get it fixed. Disappointed in how the season went, but I'm excited to get back to making field goals.

Q. Is yor season definuitely over though?

A: I have no idea.

Q. You mentioned that you picked the surgery that would get you back quickest. What's the quickest timeline to get back?

A: I don't know. I'm going to have to talk to the doctors and the staff about it. I can't give you the timeline or anything like that. I've never been one to slack on things, I work my butt off. So, I'm going to give it my all to get back as quick as I can. As far as the timeline, I have no idea.

Q: So they haven't told you your season's over? That hasn't been the message?

A: No. Nobody's told me that, but my mindset is always if I'm dealing with some adversity, just attack it, and do what I can with it.

Q: Can you explain the timeline of how things went? You said last week you needed the surgery after the season. How did we get to the point where you need it now?

A: I don't know when I said it, but it just progressed. It's nothing that anybody did. It's just sometimes you can't control the body. I was trying to fight through the pain and manage it and the swelling, week in and week out, and even though I may have been managing the pain throughout the week and game days, the instability of my knee, the swelling increased to the point where it was limiting my ability to do my job at a high level. Once again, it's not an excuse for going out and missing field goals, I'm not going to lean on any of that, but I'm just excited to get it fixed and get back to the kicker I was the first three years here.

Q. Does any part of you regret playing on Sunday seeing how it turned out?

A: I don't really live life with regrets. Disappointed, for sure. I want to do well every time I step onto the field and I feel like I owe that to the fans, the organization, my teammates. Like I said Sunday, I've worked my butt off week in and week out to make my kicks, and when I don't see them going through, it's frustrating. I'm excited to get my knee better and get back on track. I think T-Mac (Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey) said it as well, if they put me on the field, they expect me to make the kicks, whether my leg's hanging off or not. It's no excuse and I should have put it through.

Q. Do you know (kicker) Randy Bullock? I assume you don't know (kicker) Cade (York) because he's new to the league.

A: I met Cade this offseason. Both great guys, super talented. Played against Randy a bunch of times, he's a great guy. I think the team's in good hands with either one of them.

Q. What was like the breaking point to you? Was it the pain? Was it the swelling? At what point did you say I have no choice but to go do this thing?

A: A few weeks ago, when we looked into my knee, it was one of those things that – my biggest thing was that I don't want it to get worse. So we looked at it, as long as I could manage the pain, the swelling and be successful, I was going to try and give it a go. I've fought through pain my whole career and it just got to a point where the swelling was too great, the instability in my knee was not great at all and I mean that's the biggest thing for kicking a field goal. You've got to have a good solid plant and stability in your leg, so once that was compromised, I was just trying to fight through it, and it got to a point I was like I'm just hurting the team. I signed a three-year extension, and my goal is to get back as soon as I can but also be great for the next three years. That's my biggest focus, try to help the team win games and be a great leader in the locker room.

Q. How much was that stability an issue on Sunday?

A: I'm not going to get into that. Like whether it was bad or not, I just missed the kicks, you know? Good news is I am going to get it fixed and get back to making field goals.

Q. How did you hurt it initially?

A: I'm not going to answer any of that stuff. It's just hurt.

Q. Does Miami sound right?

A: Does Miami sound right?

Q. He's saying when…

A: Oh, I've been hurt for three or four weeks, whenever the report came out, that's when I was hurt. I mean I was striking the ball well in Miami, I just missed from 55, you know? I can detail every single miss in my career, in extreme detail, but nobody wants to hear that, just got to put it through.

Q. I know it's a different part of the leg, but do they think it has to do, that was the leg you had hurt in the past?

A: Yeah, it's a different –

Q. Do they think it was sort of a result of like maybe overcompensating or just like the long term?

A: No, the area that I had surgery on when I was in Carolina, it looks great. The surgeon did a great job with it, it looks like it did when he operated on it, so that's good news, but just another area we've got to fix and like I was saying earlier I picked the surgery that will get me on the field the quickest. I've got three more years left here. You guys will hopefully be asking me great questions here about making kicks and records and all that here soon.

Q. Is it the same guy in Carolina doing your surgery?

A: My surgery was actually up here in New York last time. It's the same group of doctors that work with our team. Like I was saying before, they are the best. When I was in Carolina, I flew up here to have it done and I am going to have it done here as well and rehab with our guys. I'm not just trying to sugarcoat things; I mean they are the best. They are the best that we have and if I was somewhere else, I mean I'd want a staff like this as well. There is a reason why the NFLPA grades that come from players come out and our staff has a great, I think it was an A+ grade. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure it was A+ and it's one of those anonymous things, like it's not like our name is on it. It's all players from this locker room vote and I mean, the guys love them. Say what you want about it but the guys in this building love our training staff and our doctors.

Q. You keep saying you picked the surgery to get back on the field the quickest, is it fair to say they gave you a window for a timeline, but you just don't want to share it here?

A: Yeah, 100 percent.

Q. So, you know in your head. You kind of framed it earlier like I don't know, I don't know the timeline but what you really mean is you are not going to tell us?

A: I don't know the timeline for sure, but I have an idea.

Q. You just don't want to share it…

A: I think some things are better left not said.

Q. I just wanted to clarify that you know.

A: I don't, I don't know. I have a big range of an idea but yeah, I don't know. I mean, obviously nobody wants to be hurt for a long time, so I am going bust my butt to get back as fast as I can.

Q. You're fixating on the front end of that…

A: Yeah, I think that's one of the things that have helped me last long in this league, it's not the first time I've had a game like that, that Sunday or a season like this. I've bounced back and had Pro Bowl years afterwards, made a lot of field goals, hit 30 in a row two times or something like that, like it happens. And it's how you respond, and I've always chosen to have a good attitude about everything and to look at things positively and even in a negative situation you can choose your attitude and response to things, and I just choose to be positive.

Kicker Cade York

Q. On where he was when he got the call from the Giants.

A: I was golfing on an off day and got a call on hole nine.

Q. How did you finish the hole?

A: I didn't, I had to go (laughs).

Q. How confident do you feel? Obviously, it's been a while since you've kicked in a regular season game. How do you feel to be ready to step in Sunday?

A: I feel good. Just coaches' decision who plays, and if it's my call, I'm going to go out there and do what I do.

Q. How'd you kick today?

A: Pretty good. It was blowing pretty good out there, but I hit the ball well.

Q. How were you working with (long snapper) Casey (Kreiter) and (punter) Jaime (Gillan)?

A: It's been good. It was legit – worked with them for 45 minutes and (the) first day and working out the timing and all that stuff.

Q. What have you been working on for the last eight weeks or whatever in Tennessee to get right?

A: Just hitting straight balls and doing what I do, getting back to what I know.

Q. When you were on the practice squad when you went back there was it your expectation that this would happen? Just a holding pattern there until a spot on a 53 opened up, or was there other plans for you?

A: I had no idea. They told me that I could be something for the future for them, obviously, (kicker) Nick (Folk) was doing a great job and love all those guys over there, but I was doing what I needed to do. I knew it was a possibility, so I just worked on stuff and stayed ready.

Q. How do you view this opportunity for yourself?

A: Chance to go out there and play.

Q. When you look back, what do you think went wrong in the preseason in Cleveland?

A: I was getting kind of quick to the ball. I was kind of chasing something, a feeling that I had, and I kind of just took it too far. I was actually hitting really well in training camp and all that

stuff, but when it came to the game the tempo just got up and started missing right a little bit for the most part. But just slow it down and get back to being who I am.

Q. On his confidence

A: Very confident, that's just what we do. It just happened in the wrong time but hitting the ball well.

Q. Did you learn or take anything from Nick? Because I don't think there's much that guy hasn't experienced as a kicker.

A: Oh, yeah. Nick's really good, he doesn't miss much, hit's the ball straight, so I think I was kind of able to watch that and not necessarily take a bunch of stuff from him as in technique and stuff, but just like little pieces that he does and him being a 16-year vet so he's obviously doing something right.

Q. How do feel about number 99?

A: Oh, it was slim pickings for a number (laugh), but if I'm going to be a high number, (I) might as well be the highest one, I guess.

Q. When you we're kicking were you thinking too much?

A: I wouldn't say I was going out there not confident. I think I had just focused on things that were leading me in the wrong direction. I was getting too aggressive to the ball and kind of causing some issues. I wouldn't say I was ever in a place where I was losing confidence or (anything) like that just because I was hitting so well in actual training camp and in practice that I figured things would be good when I went out there, and something wasn't clicking.

Q. Just going back to what you guys we're saying earlier. Is there anything that you can take from golf and the way you play golf that could help you there?

A: I am a better kicker than I am a golfer, so (I) wouldn't take too much from my golf game, but the ideas definitely translate. Smooth swing, stuff like that.

Kicker Randy Bullock

Q. On whether he is going to kick Sunday…

A: Those decisions are out of my hands, but I feel like I'm prepared, I've done it for a long time, and I feel like I can do it again when given the opportunity.

Q. How did you kick today?

A: I kicked well, I was pleased with it. It was nice to work with these guys a little bit and just be ready for the game if that's what they decide to do.

Q. How many field goals do you get in practice? Like how many did you actually kick?

A: It's pretty limited, so I think it's three or four attempts or something like that – but it's whoever's trying to get ready for the game, not trying to over kick at this point in time during the week so we'll just kind of wait and see and we'll go from there.

Q. Was it a true tryout? Did (kicker) Cade (York) and you alternate or how does that even –

A: We just did a couple reps each.

Q. I'd assume you got more work yesterday along with (kicker) Robbie (Gould), (kicker) Mason (Crosby), probably a more extensive tryout, right?

A: It was a good workout; I feel like I really performed well. It was good competition there so to come out on top of that felt really good. If it is my opportunity, I've got to take advantage of it.

Q. I know you just got here yourself but are you surprised that they brought another kicker in today? Did you know that was a possibility?

A: I didn't know, but it's a revolving door for all this stuff. There are a lot of transactions all the time so you control what you can control, and you prepare. That's why I've been able to do this as long as I have.

Q. Did they present it though? Like a kick-off between you guys today for a better term?

A: We haven't really gone through all that so it's just kind of up to them.

Q. What had you been doing for the last couple months? Working on your own?

A: I've been in Houston, Texas so I've been training back home waiting for an opportunity.

Q. You were here for a very brief time a while back. What was your experience like in 2016?

A: Yeah, it was quick. Obviously, there was a lot of uncertainty with the situation there. Enjoyed my time here and was excited for the opportunity to come back and still some familiar faces around the building. I kind of know my way around a little bit and that helps with a quick transition.

Q. I don't even know how to ask this the right way but a big moment here, that was a forgettable moment for you, was the first game of (Head Coach) Brian Daboll's career against the Titans. What do you remember about that kick?

A: Yeah, I think it was just a miss at the end of the game. Unfortunately, that happened. That's also part of the life of a kicker. It's only two outcomes, you make it, or you miss it. Unfortunately, that one wasn't on my end. But if I'm given an opportunity here, I want to contribute and play at a high level.

View rare photos of the history between the Giants and Raiders ahead of their Week 9 matchup.

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