Steve Smith, 09.21.09

Q. You have always expressed confidence in this group of wide receivers, but is there any surprise at all about how quickly things have come together? You have two guys right now who are sitting atop the receiving charts in the league, two weeks into the season.

A. No, that is why we worked so hard in the offseason. That is why everybody was here in the offseason workouts in the spring and we had some good days and some tough days in training camp and the preseason. We are just glad it's coming together now.

Q. Are you noticing that the two teams you have played have been somewhat skeptical of what you guys can do and maybe dared you to beat them a little bit?

A. Yeah, we understand that is going to happen when you lose two great receivers and we have such a good running game. We led the league in rushing last year. They are going to load the box and give us opportunities on the outside to make plays. That is what we are excited about.

Q. You and Mario Manningham are clearly different styles of receivers. How do you complement each other?

A. He is a quick, really quick, elusive guy. I think I am quick too, I am more of a polished route runner. Both of us catch the ball well. I think Eli is developing a good rapport with him and he is just confident in him.

Q. Was there a point in the last few weeks that things really clicked and all of a sudden things felt at a different level of comfort?

A. We always felt good, even in my rookie year, me and Eli had a good rapport. Us, as new receivers, without Plax and Toom, I think we started jelling a little bit more like you said towards the end. Even Hakeem (Nicks) has made a lot of big plays. We are just really starting to gel as an offense.

Q. What did you think of the touchdown catch that Mario Manningham made?

A. I think he did a great job out running (Terrance) Newman. He is a great press corner. He just did a good job of getting on top of him and staying with the ball.

Q. Newman is a great press corner and he didn't even get a hand on him there. When you look at his releases off the line, is he pretty good at that?

A. Yeah, he is good at using his quickness and elusiveness. When he catches the ball on those quick, now routes, the first guy can't tackle him. He is just really quick.

Q. After what you guys have done in the first two weeks, how quickly do you think defenses are going to change their approach towards defending you guys?

A. I don't know, hopefully they don't. Hopefully they continue to let us get the opportunities to make big plays. But, however they play us, Coach Gilbride and Coach Coughlin are ready to make adjustments and put us in a position to help the team.

Q. When you look around the league at the top receivers, they are usually loud, brash guys. You and Mario don't seem to fit that mold, any reason for that?

A. No, we just go out and do our job. We are confident in our play and I think you don't need to talk about it, you just need to show it on the field. That talks louder than words.

Q. The way you guys won through the air is not really the Tom Coughlin typical recipe. Is that somewhat accidental, is that just the way the game unfolded or is this a shift in the way the Giants approach games now?

A. I think we try to mix in the pass and the run. Try to loosen them up because we know they are going to stack the box. I think the way the game unfolded we had to throw more. It was a battle so we had to make a lot of plays through the air. They were doing a good job on the run in the first half.

Q. Has Eli thrown the ball better or more accurately this year?

A. I don't know, it has only been two weeks. This is just the beginning. We can't get all excited over this. We still got a lot to do. Up to this point we are doing pretty good, but we still have a long way to go.

Q. Having said that, you have put yourself in great position. You have two division wins and the next three opponents have struggled recently. Do you feel like you guys have set yourself up for what could be a very good opening season run?

A. Sure, when you can come off the bat with two wins, especially two division games, that is the best scenario you could think of. I think the thing now, we just have to let that go, don't worry about it, it's the past and move on to the next game.

Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Domenik Hixon and are you much concerned what it would do to your receiving corps if he is not able to play?

A. Yeah, Hixon is a big part of our offense and hopefully he gets back healthy. We are going to be there, keeping him into it mentally so he can get all the mental reps and stuff. Hopefully, he will just be out there soon.

Q. How much changed last night when he came out of the game?

A. Not much, they have done a good job of getting Mario ready. He can play the Z and the X. It was just a little bit of a midstream adjust getting (Derek) Hagan and (Sinorice) Moss into the game, figuring out what they were going to do. We were just able to make plays.

Q. When you go against some of these teams that are struggling a little bit, do you go in there expecting to win?

A. Absolutely. We go into every game expecting to win. We don't want the game to even be close. I thought we left a lot of opportunities on the field and we could have scored more in the green zone and the red zone. We are happy with the win, but we didn't play up to our best.

Q. Most headlines were about the Jets/Patriots. Does that bother you at all?

A. No. They aren't in our division and they are in the AFC. It is good to see my buddy Mark Sanchez doing good; I am happy for him. I don't really like the Jets, because they are the other New York team, but I have respect for them.

Q. During last night's broadcast, Cris Collinsworth said that he thought you were the next Amani Toomer. You are almost like Eli's security blanket. Do you feel that way?

A. I just go out there and try to take it one play at a time. I don't think of it in that sense. Toom was such a good receiver for so many great years here. If I could be compared to him, that is a compliment.