Tom Coughlin, 10.23.09

Q. Ahmad Bradshaw was back out there looking okay?

A. Looking okay.

Q. Kareem McKenzie probable?

A. I put him down as questionable. He did some stuff. He has done a little bit everyday.

Q. Two times he has had to leave the game and he has worked his way back to practice. What does that say about him?

A. Trying to get back to play. All the tests were done, if he can make it back, he would make it back.

Q. I would imagine both those injuries were bad enough?

A. Good.

Q. When you have a guy like Domenik Hixon with the ability to return kicks the way he does, how much of an impact does that make for your offense and for your defense?

A. Oh yeah. If you look at what he was able to accomplish, and I say it was a team accomplishment, that is the way I put it to our team. That boost, it is just a shame that we couldn’t take advantage, always, of the field position, but he gives us a real nice lift.

Q. It takes a lot more than speed to be effective on the kick returns. What does he have that makes him so effective in the return game?

A. Good timing, good feel, good knowledge of the return and what is trying to be done. A good sense of when you accelerate, when to be in position, where he still has some speed left.

Q. I know he would like to be involved in offense. Is he able to do both, return kicks and play a role in the offense?

A. I think he can. It certainly is done.

Q. It seems on kick returns you like to get the guy up the field as quickly as possible?

A. He does that well, yes. In the day of the wedges, the way you set everything up was to try to get the ball and get the power in front of you. I think everybody in the league is working with this new interpretation and the returns are starting to come.

Q. Back in the day…?

A.Way back in the day

Q. In your time here you have had some big losses and then your team has come back and done well the next week. Why have you been so successful in doing that?

A. I think the mood of the team. The fact is we lost the game and we don’t feel good about it. I think we have a good idea of how to get back on track. I think the guys are really trying hard to do that.

Q. What do you do in terms of leadership?

A. We talk, we spell it out. The players have a pretty good idea of where I am coming from. I think they try to do everything we ask them to do.