New York Giants News, 9/20: Players Trying To Stay Positive

The New York Giants are 0-2 for the fourth time in five seasons. They haven’t made the playoffs in any of those 0-2 years, and only 12 percent of teams starting 0-2 since 1990 have accomplished that. The Giants, though, are trying to stay upbeat.

Like his teammates Odell Beckham Jr. is preaching the “stay positive” message.

“I just think we have to get it together. Stay positive. Stay with each other and just get better each and every day,” Beckham said Monday night. “We are only going to go where we take it. So, it’s up to us, it’s in our hands.”

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said the Giants have “definitely” put pressure on themselves with their 0-2 start.

“We put ourselves in a hole and they only get tougher,” Rodgers-Cromartie said. “I definitely know where we’re going this week, we’re going into a real hostile environment and that one’s going to be tough. You have to go down there and take that one.”

“We’ve got 14 games left. We can go 14-2. That’s still a possibility,” said linebacker Jonathan Casillas. “This is a short week, we’ve got to move on. We’re going on the road to play a division team so we’ve got to have a short term memory and forget about this game, which sucks, but at the same time that’s football and we’ve got a long way to go.”

Justin Pugh: “Not much is going right”

Guard Justin Pugh is always a stand-up guy who might not be thrilled about answering questions when the Giants struggle, but always gives solid, thoughtful answers. Such was the case Monday when Pugh was talking about the offensive struggles.

“Right now, not much is going right. So, there’s not much – we’re not running the ball well, we’re not protecting the quarterback very well,” Pugh said Monday night. “Coach probably touched on it, we’re not playing complementary football. So, we’re not good overall.”

Pugh tried to remain optimistic.

“A lot can be done. Obviously, we’ve got to get there and we’ve got to be our toughest critic. I think we’ve got to come together and start playing for each other and start playing as a team because right now, we’re just not playing up to our ability,” Pugh said. “To think maybe – I don’t know what we’re thinking. Last year we went 11-5 and went to the playoffs, we can’t sleep on that. This is a new year, this is a new team. I’ve said from the beginning of the season, this is the most talented team we’ve had on paper, but you can’t go out there and just win on paper. We’re not comparing teams in fantasy football. So, we’ve got to go out there and we’ve got to do it.”

Quotable

— Evan Engram on the celebration penalty he received Monday night for an apparent crotch grab