Antonio Pierce, 10.30.09

Q. How is your ankle? Feeling alright?

A. I didn’t know there was anything wrong with my ankle.

Q. That was the rumor.

A. Rumors suck.

Q. You are the defensive quarterback of this team. What are your impressions of the wildcat and what do you have to do to stop it?

A. You see it pop up on film at least seven to ten times a game. It is no different than any other play. It is kind of a gimmick play. If you don’t stop it once, they will run it down your throat. If we go out there and prepare well like we have done and study the film and know what to expect, we can go out there and stop it.

Q. How many times have you seen the wildcat this year?

A. I think just twice against Kansas City. Twice, I think it is.

Q. What about the Cardinals game the other night?

A. So three total then.

Q. So you really haven’t seen it that much?

A. We are three for three on it right now. The guy almost caught it but we are three for three.

Q. If Westbrook can’t go, do you think they might go to something like that a little bit more?

A. The way Andy Reid has been, playing against him now for nine years, they are going to do what they do. Andy Reid is a very established mastermind as far as calling offenses. One player really doesn’t dictate everything. They drafted very well. They got a lot of young talent and talent around him. So, they will make up for it.

Q. When teams give up yardage to that wildcat is it because they are not in the right alignment, they don’t recognize it or is it just failure to execute?

A. I think one is recognition. You have to recognize, for one, who is taking the snap and, second, what kind of plays they run out of it. Obviously, they only have a certain number of plays they can run out of it. You can get all the motions, the shifts, all that, but at the end of the day they are going to do one or two plays. If you study them and kind of anticipate, you will have a good clue on it.

Q. Westbrook is so dangerous. Is it much different playing against them if he is not out there?

A. No, not with who they have drafted and brought in. With (Michael) Vick coming in and the rookie receiver (Jeremy Maclin) and the way DeSean Jackson is playing and the rookie running back (LeSean McCoy). If you look at the percentage of carries everybody has been getting, it is pretty much balanced anyway. It is not one guy getting more carries or more receptions than the other. I think the tight end actually leads the team in receptions.

Q. I don’t know how many times you have seen Vick in the past, but can you compare him now to what he was like?

A. That is tough. I don’t think that is fair to Vick. He has only been on the field maybe 20-30 times all season. I think he is still getting into the rhythm of being back in the National Football League and they’ve got some good plays for him. He is still the most dynamic quarterback in the game. The threat of him running and passing is still very high.

Q. Tom Coughlin said that on Wednesday he met with the leadership council and kind of gave the message of we are in first place, nobody worry, let’s concentrate on this game. Do you think that message has gotten through to everyone in this locker room?

A. I don’t think we needed Coach Coughlin to tell us that. It doesn’t matter if we were in last place. We are playing the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that knocked us out of the playoffs two of the last three years. There is nothing he needed to say. If he felt that, he felt that. I think for us, it doesn’t matter. We are on a two-game losing streak and we need to find a way to win. There is not a better place to win than the city of brotherly love.

Q. Most of these games between these two teams have been nail-bitters. As a player, do you anticipate the excitement that this is going to be another nail-bitter?

A. Yeah. That is how it has been. I think every year we have been at Philly the game has come down to the wire, even here. There have been no blowout games. The game is going to be within seven points. It is going to be a nail-bitter. It is going to come down to the fourth quarter, pretty much whoever has the ball last. For us on defense, we have to make sure that we get the offense the ball back.

Q. How would you describe the atmosphere of playing down there normally and do you think it will be heightened with the World Series?

A. It is a lot of love. They give you a lot of love and a lot of attention. You are always number one in their hearts. Young, old, everything. It should be an exciting day, the Yankees are playing that day, the Giants are playing that day. A little New York flavor in Philadelphia, I guess.

Q. I think the Knicks the night before, too?

A. It can’t get any better than that, triple-header.

Q. Do you ever watch what goes on in the stands?

A. Depending on how the outcome of the game is going, yeah. Every once in a while. It is entertaining there though. One of the better places to play, I like it.