Coughlin Corner: Coach assesses state of 0-2 Giants

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin was in good form when he met the media Monday. Coughlin was energetic, upbeat and provided plenty of quality quotes. Here is some of what the coach said about his 0-2 team.

On his belief the Giants can get turned in the right direction ...

"I believe," Coughlin said. "I'm a believer. Put me up at the top, okay. Blame me for the problems, put me at the top as far as getting this thing done. And I think they can go do it."

On the loss of Walter Thurmond ...

"You take a guy who came here, was excited about being here, had shown the ability to run around and be in the right position, made a really nice tackle, a couple of tackles yesterday where he really broke on the ball and did a nice job. We're going to obviously miss Walter, but we have some other guys that have played and played well. McBride has played well last year, so he's going to have to step up and play well again."

On the possibility of Antrel Rolle playing in the slot, Coughlin said that "may not be preferred" but ...

"It's always a consideration. He's always ready to do that. It may not be preferred, but we'll see."

On Odell Beckham Jr. ...

"They're claiming that he's getting better."

On rookie Weston Richburg, who has struggled in his two games at left guard ...

"Well, he went through some yesterday as well. Some good, some bad but he did battle and corrected some of the things he had done in the past. He got in a particularly difficult matchup from time to time. By in large, he came out of the game having learned, again, a greater experience playing at that spot and hopefully he'll benefit."

Coughlin felt like the Giants beat themselves on Sunday ...

"(We) beat ourselves, yes. We're back to that axiom again, the oldest in football. First, you have to keep from beating yourself before you can go forth to defeat the opponent, and that's what I felt like yesterday."

On what can be done about the drops by Giants wide receivers ...

"Catch the ball, that's what you're paid for. Professional wide receivers, you've gotta make the plays."

On the Quintin Demps fumbled kickoff return ...

"You pay a tremendous price when the ball is turned over, and the timing couldn't have been worse. ... The guy played hard, he wants to play and contribute. .. I like that attitude. I don't like seeing the ball on the ground."

On support from frustrated fans ...

"We need them. We need to be upbeat. I thought they were great yesterday, I thought the noise was terrific. I thought they were into it. .... It was a wonderful experience for all except we didn't put the necessary points on the board to win the game. ...

Our task and our goal is to toughen up. Stop beating ourselves. This is professional football. Make the plays necessary to win and do it on a consistent basis and eliminate these bizarre events which take the heart right out of you."