Good afternoon. We felt really good after the game, obviously for winning the first home game, which was important. It was important to us for a lot of reasons. We wanted to make sure that that first official regular season game was a Giant win, and it was, so I felt good about that, and we did feel like we honored America. We did the best we could to signify to the world that New Yorkers are never going to forget and that is the statement that we made. Now, the game we played, I thought our preparation was outstanding and I thought our effort was very good. I thought our effort in terms of the flying around and having fun. You could see it grow and I think that it was especially there in the second half. I thought our leadership was good. I thought our players, our veteran players - not just the captains, although the captains did an outstanding job - they did a real good job reinforcing from the sidelines, for example when we lost Boss, no panic, the same approach each and every time we took the field by the offensive staff and the offensive team. Eli did a great job. We had some early drops, some early tipped balls, even interceptions, he went right to the receivers and would not let them think about the last plays, rather, let's worry about the next play, so I thought he did a good job there. Defense worked well on the sideline with our coach, communicating what they were seeing. I thought that was a real positive. I think we got better as the game went on. Our second half obviously was much better than our first half. We grew, I think, in the speed of the game as the game unfolded. I liked that aspect of it. We had some big plays on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense, I don't know that I've been around a team that had three interceptions in the endzone. Also, the fact that when the offensive team did turn the ball over, we did not give up any points. That's very rare. That is very rare. But I think that that's a tribute to...our defense just went out and did it and got the job done. Grant's first interception, I thought, was exceptional and it got us back into a positive frame of mind where we could have easily said that okay we made a mistake and the other guy scored. That didn't happen. So, from that standpoint, the way we complimented that aspect of it. The resiliency term has to come into play again. I didn't see anybody - even after trying to get the ball, the gain ended, we tipped the ball up for an interception, we make a play you're talking about a score which goes right away to one touchdown, and you're talking about after the score which goes right away to one touchdown. You're talking right after the unfortunate punt block that became a safety, you're talking about a game that had looked like it might have had to have been two two-point plays that right away now that thing comes into perspective when it's touchdown, touchdown, but there was no change in the way we approached the game and the way our players took the field and the aggressiveness never altered. So, I felt good about that. Now, the obvious, our special teams play really needs to be upgraded all around, although I will say this, Jason Pierre-Paul is a force. If you're ever running down on kickoff coverage with him, you know you've got a chance because you're not going to get doubled. You know where the double is coming from. This guy ran down field - I saw the last kickoff, one of their players grabbed him by the back of the collar to hold him back like that and he still went and made the play...of course there's no flag. So, I was impressed by that. I think the punter...hopefully he's going to work his way through those...that first game in the regular season and I hope that our coverage teams are going to do a much better job as well. We had no business getting a punt blocked. There was a six-man rush. There was a breakdown up front, it wasn't complicated, we turned a guy loose. You never turn a guy loose. We did. That's really difficult to understand. It's embarrassing, to be honest with you. It should never have happened so I do not expect that sound to ever occur again.
Q: On the block, was that because Blackburn was out and there was confusion?
A: No, not at all. Very simple. Six in the box.
Q: Goff looked like he kind of waved at the guys...
A: Wasn't Goff.
Q: How is Kevin Boss' health?
A: It's a concussion. It means he'll have to go through all the tests and we'll relay what is said about it. If people are following the rules, the kid doesn't get touched. That was as blatant and obvious as anything you see. No call, no nothing. We lose a player a few plays into the game and now we wait to hear what his status will be.
Q: Any explanation about that? Wasn't that supposed to be a point of emphasis?
A: I know. I didn't get anything. I went out and they didn't have any idea that it happened.
Q: Wasn't there a neck sprain too?
A: I don't think that the neck is an issue?
Q: Is it more of a problem because he's had concussions in the past?
A: I'm sure that that will be one of the major concerns, sure.
Q: You have two tight ends on the practice squad. Do you need to make a move or are you comfortable letting Will Beatty play there?
A: Beatty has a fracture of the fifth metatarsal and he will have to have surgery.
Q: Is that a season-long thing?
A: I don't know. We'll see.
Q: Did he get stepped on?
A: I'm not sure how it happened. He walked into the locker room after the game and just said, ‘My foot's sore.'
Q: Is there another lineman on the roster who could fill that role that Beatty played on Sunday?
A: Yes.
Q: Who would that be?
A: You'll have to wait and see. We'll be disguising that.
Q: Do you need to bring in another tight end?
A: Let's wait and see. Let's wait and talk about that. We're going to need help there.
Q: How about Blackburn?
A: Same. Same knee. Same MCL.
Q: You mentioned Matt Dodge. Are you still following the same plan to be patient with him or do you need to go look for another punter?
A: Patience is not a good word right now, so Matt...we need to see the consistency. You know, there was a 28-yard return in there. I mean, the line drive punt that doesn't go very far, it looks like we're all clumped in there together where no one really even has a chance to disperse the coverage and that ball got outside it like nobody's business so that's what you try to make the young punter and everyone else understand, that it's a team operation here. You've got to give our people a chance to get out there and cover.
Q: What were you getting out of the three safety personnel grouping on defense?
A: Run defense.
Q: In trimming to 53 you spoke about special teams. When you pick the 45 on game day, what consideration does special teams get?
A: It's a strong consideration. It is a limiting factor, if you will, sometimes, but it is a strong consideration. I mean, you try to give advanced notice because obviously early in the week you have to set your practice plan, so, from Thursday to the following Sunday, there was enough time to structure all that and be very aware of who was going to do what and how this was going to operate but once you're in a position, you realize again how difficult it is most of the time to put that 45 together because there's probably one or two guys who could help you who are not dressed.
Q: You talked about the safeties and the run. What about Canty at the end and Kiwanuka at linebacker? How do you think worked?
A: It did fine. We did a good job with that. The guys responded very well.
Q: Do you think that's something that will continue?
A: We'll see. Game to game.
Q: How does it influence these guys on the field in terms flow and rhythm? Did you have to talk to them about that?
A: They did a good job of that. They did a good job. We did a nice job of communicating, substituting. I was a little concerned about that in the first game because we hadn't shown that, but the guys did a real good job.
Q: How much do the guys have to buy into this when there aren't 11 regular starters?
A: You use that word over and over. There are 15 guys that start.
Q: The players are very into who starts.
A: There are fifteen guys that start. They've all done a good job of trying to understand and they've all said it and you keep coming back to this. They say, we're going to use the players to the best of their ability and it's going to be based on what we're facing. I don't know how to say it any easier than that.
Q: But the players do care.
A: That's fine, but they know it's for the betterment of the team. It's the way the thing is structured.
Q: This is not the norm for a lot of teams. Did the players really have to buy into this?
A: We've spent a lot of time talking about this. We've been on this subject since last winter, to be honest with you, that we would use our guys to the best of their ability and we would do the best we can to determine for our team against what we're playing against, the structure that we need to give us the edge.
Q: Why do you see that as an advantage?
A: I think we have a lot of guys. We have guys that play the run very well and still are not necessarily a part of one or two packages. It's just the way it is.
Q: Without Beatty, you really don't have a backup tackle do you?
A: Well, we do. We're just going to have to maneuver around.
Q: How did you think Jonathan Goff did yesterday?
A: He did okay. The right guy in the right spot.
Q: How do you go about preparing a guy who has limited experience like Goff does to play against a guy like Peyton Manning?
A: We'll see. That'll come.
Q: Did Boss have a concussion last year?
A: He did have a concussion last year.
Q: I remember you said he didn't and that everything checked out.
A: It did. It always...you're not going to get back on the field unless you're checked out. It's not going to happen.
Q: Do you remember which play?
A: No. I don't remember.
Q: Did he have just one or a couple?
A: I don't know the numbers either, but there was a concussion, yes.
Q: You had three end zone picks, which is awfully fortuitous. Do you feel like you lived on the edge yesterday or did you go home feeling pretty dominant?
A: I felt like we won. I thought that as the game went on, we established who we were, we made some mistakes, our defense bailed us out. That's kind of the way, hopefully, it'll be. We don't want to turn the ball over. Felt sick about that. How do you preach it that much and then stand there and watch it? It's not easy.
Q: The running game...
A: Did not run the ball well. Did not block the run well. Got better as the game went on, but it still wasn't consistent enough.
Q: Assuming Boss doesn't make it for next week, how far away is Travis Beckum from being really ready?
A: He just needs some work. More concentrated time.
Q: Did you see improvement in his blocking as the game went on?
A: He tries. He works at it. Yeah, he'll stick his nose in there.
Q: How much do you think you lost blocking-wise without having Boss in there?
A: Honestly, he got all the snaps last week too. You have the guy who had all the snaps and then take him out of the game, the guy coming in is at a little bit of a disadvantage.
Q: Is Beatty a surgical thing?
A: Yes. I'm told that, yes.
Q: Does Chase Blackburn need more recovery time now?
A: I have no idea. Supposedly he said that because he's had this kind of thing before that he can try to go with it as soon as he can.
Q: When you play a team that obviously had trouble stopping the run like the Colts did yesterday, do you think that this is a chance for you guys to get going or do you think it's something they'll be working on all week?
A: Balance for us is what we try to do. I thought that even though we didn't have a lot of success with the run yesterday we had 30 passes and 36 runs. We did eventually rush for 118, although, a lot of teams in our league, as you well know, accumulate those run yards slow and late and we were able to do that, but we're still not there. We're not where we need to be. We need to play together longer, we need to practice longer together as an offensive line group, as a fullback, as the wide receivers. Probably one of the things that you should be aware of is the block that Manningham made on the touchdown on the draw - well, it's not a draw for us but when he went in there and blocked the safety so that Bradshaw got in the endzone. That was quite a play. What I'm trying to say is that we need them all to block the people that they're supposed to block in order to have the running game go as well.
Q: What about the pass blocking?
A: Pass blocking was good.
Q: Why is that? Why is the pass block better than the run block?
A: Good question. I think we sorted it out pretty good in pass protection, live protection, kept the tight end in, always had him back, trying to chip and do some things like that. I think that's probably - and the guys really maneuvered well and stayed frontal. The run game, we got some penetration, we got picked off on our fours, we got sloppy at the edge. We just need to clean a lot of that up.
Q: Is it any more complicated given Bradshaw's style? You never really know where he's going...
A: No. It shouldn't. We'd like to be able to get that all straightened out though. There were a couple of times when he contributed to the issues.
Q: Is Aaron Ross going to be ready to go?
A: He's going to practice as far as I know.
Q: Did he actually try to warm up on Sunday?
A: No. The medical staff did not think he was quite where he should be to be able to go. That's why he didn't.