Q: How has Mathias adjusted to his role this season?
A: He has had two roles and that is not how we intended it to be intentionally. We thought we would have him in the linebacker role and we thought we would have the four ends that we needed to play so he has had to play both ways. Sometimes he has excelled and sometimes he has not excelled. For the most part, he has done a nice job for us but going back and forth from backer to end can be very difficult.
Q: Can you talk about the difficulties in trying to do that?
A: It is a mindset. When you are an end, you are a sack guy. When you are at linebacker, you have to play the run and play the pass. That mentality and when you are a sack guy your whole career and now you have to play the run and play the pass, that becomes a little more difficult. He is progressing.
Q: What happened on the Dez Bryant touchdown pass?
A: We gave them a different look and all 11 defenders were responsible for that look. The defenders saw it different and we had a communication breakdown and the big play happened.
Q: Do you believe that all 11 players knew what the call was?
A: Actually I sent in a call and we gave them a special look. They got confused on the look. We had a special look for it and they got confused on the look. All 11 players were responsible for this call and all 11 defenders did not execute the call and that is why it was a big play for Dallas.
Q: Were Antrel and Corey in the right spot?
A: We didn't execute the right call so nobody was in the right spot. All 11 defenders were responsible for being in certain spots and we were not in the right spots.
Q: Does that mean that you need to simplify things?
A: I guess you can say yes and simplify things but sometimes you get too specific and you try to get some things. The offense can confuse you at times and that's what happened. Dallas did a good job and we didn't do a good job of recognizing.
Q: Is it a problem to have Antrel playing so far back in the secondary?
A: No.
Q: Do you want Antrel to be more of a ball hawk?
A: Anytime that you are playing in a pass happy league that we are playing in right now, you have an opportunity to be a ball hawk whether you are down or back. We have been getting the ball thrown at us a lot so he can be a ball hawk and find the ball as much as he can in my opinion.
Q: Have teams been throwing it his way?
A: I can't say specifically if they have or have not.
Q: Do players come to you and say they want to play man?
A: No, not really.
Q: Are you fine with two players saying they were in the right spot?
A: No, I get the problem corrected between us as I am the defensive coordinator and they are a defensive team.
Q: Are you ok with them saying they were in the right spot?
A: I get the problem corrected with me being the defensive coordinator and with them as a team in the defensive setting and we try to fix the problem. I think the problem is fixable and the problem is correctable.
Q: Have you played a game this season and said this is what the New York Giants defense should look like?
A: No, we haven't been a complete functioning unit this year. We have had a number of parts that we have tried to bring in and try to function together and we just haven't functioned well as a unit this year. Sometimes we play well and sometimes we have lapses. If we can be more consistent and we are striving to be more consistent, that is good but no, we haven't played a solid complete game in my opinion.
Q: Are you worried about the defense coming out flat against the Redskins?
A: I think the Redskins are pretty good if you look at them on film. They rolled up pretty good against the New England Patriots and they have been in every game that they have played. I don't think that our guys are flat, I think our guys are playing hard. I think they are playing harder than what we played against New Orleans. Teams are fighting right now and it is a dog eat dog league. Everybody is trying to get a win. The competition is great and the margin of error is so slim that offenses can capitalize on you and defenses can capitalize on offenses. I just think it is the competition of the league right now. It is December and everybody is trying to get a win.
Q: Do you think you have gotten that out of your system?
A: I don't think we have come out flat. We don't play as well as we should play but I don't think that we are just not ready to play football.
Q: What is your reaction to being ranked 30th in the league?
A: I think we should be better. Sometimes we hurt ourselves by giving up some big plays and that type of thing. We work fairly hard to eliminate those big plays and nobody is proud to be 30th but we just need to keep winning football games and trying to find a way to correct those big plays. If we keep winning football games and trying to find ways to correct those big plays, we will fix the problem later.
Q: Can you be a successful team and have the 30th ranked defense?
A: Green Bay, what are they ranked and they can be successful.
Q: These mistakes that Prince is making, how quickly do you think they can be cleaned up?
A: I think they can be cleaned up relatively quick. Prince is going to be a good young player. He's been educated a lot in a short amount of time. Some of the things that you do to him in practice he retains and he does well. And then sometimes they do something different to him in the game. He's learning on the run. He's got on the job training. He's smart enough that he can correct that and he'll fix those.
Q: It seemed like on the long pass to Robinson, Prince recognized it, but not quick enough.
A: Correct. That's a fair statement. That's a very fair statement.
Q: Do you think you'll have your defensive captain on Sunday?
A: I'm planning on it.
Q: In the last two minutes of half you've given up a lot of points. What do you think that's the result of?
A: We just have to play better, bottom line. We just have to play better.
Q: Is it guys relaxing a little?
A: No, I don't think guys relax. Again, offenses are good. They're very sharp. They're good. We're trying to keep them out. Sometimes the problems are technique problems. So we have to go back and correct the technique problems. There's not a lot of mental errors, but sometimes it's just technique errors and that's the thing that you want to correct in football the most, is the technique errors.
Q: Where is JPP as opposed to where he can be?
A: The sky is really the limit for him. What you saw Sunday is just a glimmer of how good he can be. To me right now, he's putting it together and he's retaining some information and knowledge. We think he can play much faster than what he's playing - mentally, as well as physically. He'll be a terror.
Q: You talk about him being a glimmer of what he can be, that almost seems incomprehensible.
A: This guy is so talented. We see it in practice. We see him everyday do things that amaze you. He can be so much better than what he is right now. That's just a glimmer of what he can do. If he can be consistent in his play, the sky's the limit for this guy.