Tom Coughlin, 12.04.09

Q: Are you encouraged by Ahmad Bradshaw?

A: Yeah, he did okay. He still has a couple of days to go.

Q: How did you list him?

A: Questionable.

Q: Michael Johnson?

A: He did not practice. I listed him questionable.

Q: If Bradshaw can play, can he gets his full compliment?

A: I think so. Gartrell Johnson has practiced all week and he has practiced well and knows the position. I feel better about that. But yes, Bradshaw will be utilized however we need him.

Q: Do you have any anticipation of filling that 53rd roster spot before the game or do you need to?

A: We may. We are going to talk about it right now. Do we need to? I don't know that we need to. It depends on whether or not the individual - what his status might be.

Q: Has that been at all a hindrance? Usually coaches say that 80 guys isn't enough.

A: We have had lots of guys - Kenny Ingram, who was signed as a linebacker and has been playing fullback. Nehemiah Broughton has been playing tailback. And so you have to maneuver around. But you always do.

Q: How did Bradshaw look today?

A: I thought he did OK.

Q: Even when he is able to play, how much do you think his injuries have hampered him when he is on the field?

A: You see that he doesn't practice. So it is kind of obvious. If he was practicing and doing everything he could do, then he would certainly be better off. But he is doing the best that he can and we are, too.

Q: There has been talk of Osi coming out on running downs - playing only passing downs. What can you tell us about that?

A: He will play run downs, too.

Q: Will he start?

A: We'll have to see on that. We will play everybody. We will get everybody involved. We are trying to do the best we can in maneuvering our personnel according to our team. We preach team defense. So we are going to try to get other guys involved as much as we can and see if we can't solve some issues.

Q: With the type of surgery Osi had, they say it usually takes two years to get all the way back. Do you see that being one of the problems that Osi is having?

A: I think Osi would tell you no if in fact he is having any problems. But if you have been in the game you know that a majority of the time that becomes an issue and can, in fact, be something that the player has to fight he way thought - although he never complains about it. He would never say that. And I wouldn't either. But if you look at other cases you can probably draw examples of very deep into the season or a full season.

Q: Are you a person that believes in making a lineup change or shaking up things just to try to create a spark? Or would it always be based on getting better personnel on the field?

A: No, I wouldn't categorize myself as anything that way. It is just that if we feel like there is a need to do something, then we have to be prepared to do that.

Q: Is it fair to say that you didn't like the run defense the other night?

A: Run defense has been an issue and we have talked about that from day one. But it is not any one individual, now. It is not one individual. So don't start to go that way. That is not the case. It is team. It is team defense. It is any number of things - from the front to the linebackers to the force players which were not evident in a lot of cases last week. So there are some things that have to be solved there.

Q: You had linebackers that couldn't get off some blocks and some other guys that missed tackles. But when people look at it and see this guy came out and this guy came out, they think they must be the issue. What is the thinking then behind ....?

A: There is no - I haven't said anything about - all it is, is we have a team, we have a bunch of guys that we think can play. They are all going to play. It is just how we are going to space them out.

Q: Has this been as physical a group as in the past for you defensively?

A: Has this been as physical?

Q: Has this group played as physically?

A: I think we are capable of playing better. I think we are capable of playing better. I think I have said that from day one.

Q: Do you sense that this team now has a sense of urgency knowing what the situation is and how ....?

A: I think they have always known the situation. I think that with the passing games, etc, that there isn't any doubt that everyone is very much aware of the circumstances.

Q: We asked you about Osi. What about Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield coming off their surgeries. Do you think that they maybe haven't been the way that they have been in the past because of that?

A: They would not say that so. I wouldn't speculate on it; just like I wouldn't have brought it up on Osi. You asked me and I tried to do the best that I could to answer it. But I can't tell you that - I know that there are some examples. But I also know there are examples of guys who have not.