New York Giants assistant coaches were all available to the media on Wednesday. Let's look at a few of the more noteworthy things that were said.
Defensive line coach Robert Nunn on Jason Pierre-Paul:
"He's a long way away from where he can get to. He's done such a good job of coming in and just learning the system. He hasn't played much football. I'm amazed every day by JPP. Every game it's just like something he learns new and he continues to improve. I think he's improved mostly on the practice field. I think his focus on the practice field is where he's improved the most and it's showing up on Sundays. He's a very unique talent. He's got unique ability. He's got such good quickness. Once he begins to play full speed, it's scary. It's not that he's loafing. It's just the game is still moving fast for him. It continues to slow down more and more as we go. He's got to be accounted for every snap."
Running backs coach Jerald Ingram on progress made by Da'Rel Scott:
"When you're a third or fourth, who knows who you are? You're only going to get one or two shots, just like Ahmad. It's a growing stage you go through. You're going to play and die with the guys who know how to do what they do every down. You're not going to go out there and experiment and create a bad situation and take your best, experienced players off the field. And put a young guy who you don't know what you'll get. So we really don't know, but we're trying to learn more about him. We're trying to put him in situations to see what he can do as a receiver, how can we utilize his speed?"
Wide receivers coach Sean Ryan on Victor Cruz:
"Certain guys have a knack for being able to go and get the ball and they find themselves around the ball a lot and he's got some of that. There's no question. I think you could see a little of that day one when he walked in this place, that this guy might have a knack for making some plays and getting to the ball. He's built on it. He's got a ways to go. He's got a lot to clean up. There are still those mistakes that you have to get rid of and we're striving to do it. He is too. He's by far not a finished product, but he's working to get there."
Offensive line coach Pat Flaherty on working with a new group this season:
"The type of players that we have, the challenges are all new. From a coaching standpoint for me, it has been refreshing. The types of players that we have in our room now are growing. They have a high level of energy. They have been really good at adjusting and it takes some time to be able to work with one another. Sometimes that takes two games or three games or eight games. You really don't know or at least I haven't figured out that yet. You just hope that every play gets better and better."
Tight ends coach Mike Pope on Jake Ballard:
"The surprise really has been his ability to contribute in the passing game and catching the ball. Somehow he just gets open and we watch him a little bit at how he runs at 15 yards and 10 yards and he is running with the receiver. He has been very good to work with and he is football smart because his dad was a coach. He has been around football all his life. He has just taken basketball skills and applied them. He has a good ways to grow and hopefully he will continue to get better. He has been so contributory to our offense because he has done such a good job running after the catch. A lot of tight ends catch five balls for 31 yards because they are catching all those short routes but that's where he has helped us some. He has been able to break a few tackles and dodge a couple people."
Linebackers coach Jim Herrmann on teaching the team's young linebackers:
"We tell all of our players, ‘Play fast. If you make a mistake, make it fast and don't worry about it. If you make a mistake, okay, I'll correct it. Just go onto the next play or finish that play the best you can and we'll get it corrected.' The biggest thing for young guys is they live with that mistake and then it causes two more mistakes. You have got to move on to the next play. Everybody's counting on you to perform on the next play. Then when you come to the sideline we'll make corrections. We'll show you on the pictures and we'll be fine. To me, coaching young players, and I've done it my whole life, you start very small and detailed. Say, ‘Okay, you cover that man.' Two more weeks, ‘Okay you're covering that man, but pay attention to his alignment and who's next to him and now you can start to guess the routes. Once you get to that level, now you can fake a blitz over here to help us out and then go cover that guy.' It's a step-by-step process for all of them. They'll all do well and that's where they are right now. They're very focused in on simple tasks and now they'll open it up as the season goes."
Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan on Eli Manning:
"The three big areas that are constantly areas of emphasis that we discuss are in terms of leadership, accuracy, and decision making. We put those three together in how he's performed, particularly this most recent opponent, Buffalo. We were very, very pleased with his ability to make great decisions, be smart with the football, and be accurate. When he's had time to throw, I'll put his accuracy and his ability to spot the ball against anybody in this league."
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