Eli Manning, 10.28.09

Q. What needs to get better this week?

A. We just have to play consistent, avoid the mistakes, penalties, missed opportunities, whether it is a missed throw or a drop or just a mistake that is keeping us out of our rhythm.

Q. Some time the best way to do that is to be patient. However, they gamble and send a lot of guys, which creates opportunities?

A. No, they will take chances, they blitz a lot. Now it is just about everybody being on the same page. Everybody being prepared, knowing what is gong on, when things are picked up, when they are not. Preparation this week, when you have opportunities, there might be chances to make big plays and you have to take advantage of them. In others, you have know when you take your losses, because they will win some battles, they have good players and they make a lot of plays on defense. You can’t give them big plays.

Q. Are you as excited to play Philadelphia as the Yankees are?

A. Yeah, I hope so. It is a big game for us and we are looking forward to going into Philadelphia. It is always a tough place to play but we are excited about the opportunity.

Q. How long did the playoff loss to Philadelphia linger in your head?

A. I don’t have an exact time frame. You learn from it. Anytime you lose in the playoffs it is going to stick for a few weeks or a month. Once you get back into the offseason you start preparing for the next season, seeing how you can improve.

Q. Without Jim Johnson there, is it still the same defensive scheme?

A. There are a lot of the same similarities. They are doing a lot of blitzing, a lot of the same scheme stuff. Everybody just has to be on the same page. They will take their risks. In a way you have to be patient, you have to understand when you have opportunities to make plays and when you just have to get the ball out and be smart.

Q. Do you have any predictions for the World Series?

A. No predictions. I’m rooting for the Yankees and hopefully it will be a good series.

Q. How can you offset the delay of game penalties?

A. Snap it quicker.

Q. Are there issues with communication?

A. When you make a check or especially if it is loud, make sure that everybody is keyed in on what is going on and on the same page. Maybe it is something that you practiced during the week, maybe it is something you just talked about, but you still have to perform on game day. When you go in against a defense that has a complex look and blitzes, it is about everybody doing the right thing. You can have ten guys doing the right thing and one guy does something wrong, that is when they can get their big play. One mistake can turn into a game changing play.

Q. This team will match up a lot one on one. When Plaxico was here he seemed to make a big difference in those situations. Can these guys do that?

A. Yeah, they have to do it. I have great faith in them. They will play a lot of man and single high, the receivers on the outside will have to win and we need to put them in a position to do that.