Post-game quotebook: What the Giants were saying following late loss in Carolina

The New York Giants fell in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday afternoon, dropping their fourth loss of the season to the Carolina Panthers 33-31. Panthers kicker Graham Gano hit a 63-yard field goal to win the game. Let’s take a look at what the players are saying following the tough loss.

Landon Collins on how the Giants locker room is dealing with Odell Beckham’s comments from earlier this week...

“I don’t know what comments you guys are talking about,” Collins said. “I didn’t hear about them, but when Odell [Beckham] came to talk to us, he spoke from the heart, he talked gratefully, and we knew where he was coming from. We knew he was coming from the heart, so you know he’s a great teammate, a great guy, a great person and a leader. This offense, this team, we have to look up to him, so we knew where he was coming from.”

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on Gano’s game-winning kick...

“I am happy that we got a kicker like that,” Newton said. “A wise man once told me that a great quarterback is only as good as his kicker. Over the years you see so many quarterbacks get bailed out by the kickers. I shouldn’t say bailed out, I’ll just say helped out and Graham put the whole team on his back today. Well, on his toe today.”

Gano on the reaction on the field following his game-winning kick...

“That was madness,” Gano said. “That’s the only word I can use to explain it. I just don’t think it’s hit me yet. I was going nuts. I think the first thing I saw was Mike (Palardy) reacting that it went in because I couldn’t really see over those giants in front of us – not the other team, just our offensive lineman. But I just have no words for it.”

Saquon Barkley on the on the go-ahead touchdown...

“At the moment, it felt great,” Barkley said. “We wanted to go down and find a way to score and put seven on the board. We needed seven on the board. Coach, the offensive coordinator and the whole offensive staff called great plays and put us in great positions to get into the end zone. We found a way to get into the end zone. Like I said, Carolina came up with a 63-yard field goal. I don’t know what else you can say about that. We played our butt off and you have to give credit where credit is due. They made a 63-yard field goal and won the game.“

Beckham on regretting any comments criticizing head coach, Pat Shurmur and teammates...

“I don’t regret anything, I don’t regret anything that I said,” Beckham said. “If it took that for us to come together as a team like we did today, I can take that every single time. I spoke to the team just to kind of relay the message that sometimes stuff comes off the wrong way. Words can be portrayed in any kind of light. The conversation is between us. But the way we responded as a team to what was said, I felt like it would’ve been too easy after what was said, and after what I said to them for us to come in here and have heart, energy and all that stuff. Grit, whatever the words you want to use for that. We had it today, and we came up short, but I’m proud of this team, and this is the team that we are going to be for the rest of the season. Like I said, if it took that to get us going, I can take that. I’m trying to be a leader, I’m in a position I’ve never been in. I’m trying to grow, I’m learning on the way, on the fly, but I’m proud of where we went today. We gave it our all, we came against adversity, calls here and there. We can never rely on the referees to win the game, but there was calls here and there that were questionable or this and that, but we kept fighting, kept fighting, and kept fighting. That’s all I could ask for.”