Jaylen Waddle – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
WR Jaylen Waddle
Q. You gave us a scare. How are you?
JAYLEN WADDLE: I’m all good. I’m all good. Definitely.
Q. What was it like to hear the crowd chant for you like that as you were walking off the field to go to get checked out?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It means a lot. Just it being a home game and just everybody coming out just cheering, it means a lot.
Q. How important is it for you to now own the Dolphins rookie record for receptions?
JAYLEN WADDLE: It’s big. I really didn’t even know until they put it on the screen. Everybody was cheering. I was, like, that’s pretty cool. I think it’s just great, great to have. I wouldn’t be able to have the record without quarterback, o-line and coaches just trusting me, believing in me to put me in position to get the ball, so all credit to them.
Q. What do you think of how QB Tua Tagovailoa played today?
JAYLEN WADDLE: He played like himself. He played great, accurate. He was pretty mad at me. I dropped the ball, so he was upset. You know, it comes with it.
Q. What does an upset QB Tua Tagovailoa look like?
JAYLEN WADDLE: You know when someone is mad, but they don’t want to show they’re mad, but they’re really upset. It’s like that. (Laughter).
Q. On the play where you almost got hurt, did you think the play was over because you weren’t down by contact? Is that something that you had to get used to with the rule being different in college?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Normally I would be pretty good on that because I had a play similar to that earlier in the year and I got up and — that’s when I’m pretty sure we’re going to emphasize on that a little more, but definitely.
Q. You played 13 games, generally what a college football season is. Do you feel your body has hit some sort of a wall that you would need to get through for the final four games?
JAYLEN WADDLE: Not necessarily. Lucky for me in college we didn’t play games, but we practiced for the bowl games. I ended up playing until January in college, so hopefully that can help me.
Q. Is that a subtle flex on how many games you played at Alabama?
JAYLEN WADDLE: You seen the game last night. We don’t have to talk about that (Laughter). We don’t have to talk about that. Y’all seen the game last night.
Q. Have you heard the “Waddle With It” rap song that’s come out?
JAYLEN WADDLE: My mom sent it to me. She enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too. It’s pretty cool. Roll Tide.
Jaelan Phillips – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
LB Jaelan Phillips
Q. Take me through the decision to somersault.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: All my celebrations are random. I can’t tell you. There’s no thought that goes into it. It’s just spur of the moment. Whatever feels good, I just do it. Christian keeps making fun of me. He says they all suck. (laughter) He said during the bye week, we were going to work on them, so it’s all good.
Q. What do you attribute your increase in production over the course of the last five, six weeks?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I think it’s us as a defensive line and defense in general just playing together. They always say sacks come in bunches, and the last five, six weeks or so I just think we’ve been executing really well. Been working really well together and just been getting after it. That’s all you can do.
Q. What’s it like to have all that hard work starting to show up?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s incredible. It’s like you said. It’s all the hard work we’ve been putting in since camp. Since minicamp, really. So just to see all this kind of pay off, obviously, we’re not satisfied, so we just got to keep going, keep building.
Q. What’s it mean for you to know that no Dolphin rookie has ever had as many sacks as you have in?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: Honestly, I didn’t know that until like right now. They just told me right now. It’s incredible. It’s a surreal feeling, but honestly it’s bigger than me. I’m just blessed to be a vessel, to be able to go out there and do what I love and put on for you guys and for the fans and for my teammates, so we’re just going to keep doing it.
Q. Jaelan, I think Jerome Baker was saying earlier that at training camp you weren’t working out with the d-ends or the outside linebackers. You were with the inside linebackers. He said it impacted you in some way. I was curious if you remember your mindset during that time or what that meant to you during training camp?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I don’t even know what he was talking about, to be honest. Yeah, training camp was a blur. It was a rough time for me. I had to go through it, and you never really get the fruits of your labor until you go through those hard times, so everything that we’ve gone through as a team has led to these moments right here. Like I said, we’re just going to keep going.
Q. Why was it so tough?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It was a learning curve and I got hurt at the very beginning, and I was frustrated with myself because I felt like I wasn’t performing the way I needed to for my teammates, but ultimately, like I said, had to go through those rough times to be out the other side, so it was a blessing in disguise.
Q. You have seven sacks in five games, I believe it is. A light bulb go on then, or is it just opportunity presents itself?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: Like he said, sacks come in bunches, so I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. Last week I talked about it a lot. All the sacks I had last week literally came from my teammates. I wouldn’t be able to do it without them. Same thing today. We’re resilient, and we’re always going to keep rushing the passer and giving it our all. When it pays off, it’s great.
Q. What do you remember the sacks, the plays, back-to-back plays, but what do you remember each of them?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: Say that again.
Q. Take us through the sacks, the moves you made, or what happened.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s just effort. It’s just effort. I think on the first one it was some kind of play action and just ran (Mike) Glennon down, and then the next one it was just he was sitting in the pocket. We got great coverage on the back end, and I was just able to get an effort rush there and get an effort sack.
Q. What was it like today with the guy that you rushed the passer with last year on the other side?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It was awesome, man. I love Quincy (Roche) to death. He is one of my true best friends. Just being able to see him out there doing his thing, you know — I’m not going to congratulate him on the sack because it was against us, but, yeah, saw him after the game. I have a couple of guys on that team. Daray Holmes. Kadarius Toney I trained with so it was definitely cool to see a bunch of those guys.
Q. Sacks aren’t always the lone indicator of success with the pass rush, but is it nice to get that validation? Is it nice to get the little reward at the end regardless of how well you have been doing your job?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s always nice to get the reward, but ultimately, the biggest reward is winning the game, and so we’re just happy with how we’ve been playing and we’re just going to keep executing, doing our thing.
Q. You’re a University of Miami grad. So how does it feel to continue to have success here in Miami and what does that mean to your fans that have watched you come up through college?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: It’s crazy. Every time I look in the stands I see people throwing up Us. It’s amazing. I definitely feel like it’s kind of like a home team thing. There’s really no feeling like going out there and feeling the support from your fans, and so I was just – I never thought I would end up in Miami in my life. I’m a SoCal boy, born and raised. These last two, three years of my life have been a whirlwind, but I couldn’t be more blessed and thankful.
Q. Do you any thoughts on the UM coaching search? There are rumors about Mario Cristobal.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I just heard right now that Cristobal got hired. Is that true?
Q. There’s some reports. (laughter)
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I don’t know anything. I just play football. I don’t know. I mean, look, Manny Diaz, I am forever indebted to him for taking me in. I was 215 pounds when I got to Miami. He had a lot of faith in me, and that whole coaching staff – I’m really grateful for them, so I know they’re going to be successful in whatever they do, and if somebody comes in new, I just hope that Miami can get the best leaders possible because ultimately, we have a great history at the University of Miami, and we want to see those wins come.
Q. Are you looking forward to the bye week? You think your body is ready for a week off?
JAELAN PHILLIPS: I’m ready to play the next game right now. Let’s go. (laughter) But the bye week is good. You sit back and re-evaluate the season and do a lot of self-scout, so we’re definitely going to be prepared coming out of the bye.
Andrew Van Ginkel – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
LB Andrew Van Ginkel
Q: Five straight wins. This obviously has to be a different feeling that seven straight losses. What’s the mood of the locker room? What’s the mood of the team right now?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: Whenever you can get a win and come to that locker room, it’s a lot better feeling than when you come in obviously after a loss. I think you can just see it in everybody’s faces. All the excitement, the energy, and it’s just everybody playing for each other and doing our best to get the win.
Q. What’s it like for this defense where you guys haven’t allowed many touchdowns during this five-game winning streak?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: I think it’s just everybody buying in and once again, everybody is just doing their job. The trust on this defense and the trust for the person beside you is phenomenal right now and the communication. Everybody is on the same page. We know what we want to get done, and the coaches are putting us in a position to succeed and be able to make plays, and you just see a lot of guys putting in that extra time to take advantage of that. It’s always fun when you get a win.
Q. Jaelan Phillips was just asked about the bye, and he said he is ready to play another game right now. How do you feel about the bye coming now? Are you ready for another game?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: Oh, yeah, for sure. (laughter) Obviously, it’s always fun when you come in and you see everybody’s faces and get to see everybody, but I won’t mind a little time to myself, time with my son and my wife, so yeah.
Q. How important is the mental break?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: I think it’s big. I think it’s a good chance for everybody to just relax, get away from football and just enjoy life and just spend time with your family and spend time with your friends and just completely get away. I think everybody needs that. No matter what job or occupation you have, just a little vacation or a little time off here and there is always a good thing.
Q. What did you think of Jaelan Phillips’ performance today?
ANDREW VAN GINKEL: He just keeps doing it, man. Just being in the right spot at the right time and doing exactly what he is supposed to do and putting himself in position to make plays, and you see his motor and how he is always around the ball, and the effort he gives is phenomenal, so just got to keep it going.
Jerome Baker – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
LB Jerome Baker
Q: Five in a row. Feel pretty good?
JEROME BAKER: Yeah, five in a row going into the bye week.
Q: To keep a team out of the end zone – you guys have only given up four touchdowns in this five-week winning streak – how have you been able to buckle down and set the record like that?
JEROME BAKER: It’s a credit to the coaches. They put us in position to excel so credit to them. We just go out there and execute and get it done. We have the mentality now that don’t let anybody score and we believe that and it’s showing.
Q. You look forward to a week off. This is kind of a weird thing. Do you guys prefer to keep going here and winning or is a week off welcome here?
JEROME BAKER: It’s a love and hate. We’re winning, but we definitely need that week off, yeah. Me personally, I would rather just keep going because we’re hot right now, so at the end of the day we’re professionals, so you have to take the week off and come back and get ready to work.
Q. How do you keep building on this, Jerome?
JEROME BAKER: This isn’t individual We come in and go to work. We come in every week, and we sit down and go over things and our coach has a great game plan, and we go out there and execute. We just got to continue that. It’s been working for us, and we try to keep it going.
Q. One thing that Jaelan has something like seven sacks since week nine. What have you seen playing alongside him for the past month or so?
JEROME BAKER: I’ve seen it since he walked in the door. He is hungry, and he goes hard every play. Even going all the way back to just the OTAs and all that stuff, he didn’t run with the D-line. He didn’t run with outside linebackers. He run with us. And he really took that to heart. Just to see a young guy do that, it meant a lot. It’s just paying off for him now, and we’re all happy for him.
Q. This was always a situation where you knew that the explosion was coming? That production.
JEROME BAKER: We definitely knew that. Just the work he put in every week. Even if he was banged up, he was still trying to get better, helping us get better. Just a credit to him, just getting it done.
Q. What’s the evolution of this defense from September to now? What are you guys doing differently?
JEROME BAKER: We’re just executing better. It’s not like we’re calling different plays that we never ran before. We’re doing the same thing. We’re just executing a little better. If it’s knowing your leverage, knowing your leverage. If it’s playing with your hands, it’s playing with your hands. We’re just finally believing and executing. Just a credit to our coaches and our players just getting it done.
Q. Jerome, it seems like it was another season almost where you guys were 1-7, and it seemed so long ago. Can you reflect on how far this team has come in this winning streak and how you’re positioned once you get past the bye?
JEROME BAKER: I think the one thing that just ‘Flo’ always echoes is just take it one day at a time and get better every day. We really took that approach, and just to see this team finally turn things around, we just have to keep that going. It’s been working for us, and we just have to continue that.
Brian Flores – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
Head Coach Brian Flores
Q: (Opening statement)
BRIAN FLORES: First I wanted to pay homage to Carl Madsen. He is a replay official — was the replay official on the staff. He passed away last month. I think there’s a lot of people in this league who help us play the game that we love. He was part of that, so I just wanted to send my condolences to his family because, obviously, the official is a part of the NFL family. Just wanted to start off with that.
Q. When you have a defense that’s playing as stingy – I don’t know if that’s the right word – in terms of limiting opponents when scoring touchdowns, how much does it ease the load that the rest of the team has?
BRIAN FLORES: I think it’s always — you always want to play a complementary game and play well in all phases: Offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. You know, when you can obviously keep the score down, it gives you more opportunities to stay in the game, keep a lead. I thought the Giants had a very good game plan. I thought they moved it on us. They played a tough, physical game. We knew it was going to be 60 minutes. I know they were down a bunch of guys, but they are well-coached, and I thought Joe (Judge) did a great job getting his team ready. I thought Pat (Graham) does what he does. He kept the score down and made it hard for us. So credit to them. Our guys played hard, and they just made a few more plays than they made offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game.
Q. It seems like regardless of – especially during the winning streak, regardless of how the offense might play for the first 50 or so minutes, it seems like a late win when you need to make a stop or when you need to stay on the field, Tua is able to kind of generate some completions or you get a big play. What do you attribute to that? It seems like the past couple of weeks you’ve always seen late game execution really thrive.
BRIAN FLORES: I think it’s obviously led by Tua, and making throws, making catches, doing a good job of protection, taking care of the football. We talk a lot about those late game situations, how important they are and finishing the game off the right way offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. I thought we did that really across the board. We moved it offensively. We stopped them, and we moved it offensively. We kicked and missed a field goal, and then turned around and kicked another one. That was great by Jason (Sanders) to turn right around and make it for us, put us up two scores. And then go out there defensively to finish the game there. It was a good team effort, complementary, and we get to take a little break right now which is good. Guys are obviously banged up obviously after 13 games. Take a little break, and we’ll obviously self-scout and reassess and try to take a little break. I think we need that.
Q. To add off that, while the late game execution has been good, Tua seemed like he had a measured tone saying the offense left plays out there. Is that a similar feeling you got where you are happy you won the game, but you just need a little more from the offense? Do you feel that?
BRIAN FLORES: I think that’s going be to the case every week. There are always plays that you wish you had back, throws, catches, protections, calls. That’s really across the board: Offensively, defensively, and the kicking game. I thought they made some plays. I thought Golladay made some catches, Engram made some catches, Cooper made some catches against tight coverage. Glennon made some tight-window throws. I think Joe had them ready. We just made a few more plays than they did.
Q. You spoke a little bit Monday about this being the time of year for rookies where the season is longer than they’re used to. What kind of response did you see from Jaylen, Jaelan, and Jevon, in particular, and Liam this week as they hit that and try to punch through that wall?
BRIAN FLORES: I don’t really talk about it too much. We need those guys to play for us and play well, so I think thankfully they get this week to rest up, heal up. I think all four of those guys — really five of those guys, including Hunter and Trill as well. These guys work hard. It’s important to them. They are all sponges. We’ve said this really the entire year. It’s a long season. It’s hard to gauge that and to know how their bodies are feeling, but it looks like they got energy, they got juice. They got the right approach, which leads me to believe that they’re ready to go, and we’re going to need them to be ready to go.
Q. To follow up on that with Jaelan Phillips in particular, does he seem to be getting kind of that peak or hitting that stride at the right time, or what have you seen from him that’s led to this uptick in production over the past six weeks?
BRIAN FLORES: I’m seeing the same things that we saw earlier in the year. I continue to say this. There’s a process there, and then I think a lot of people look at the production and think that that’s the kind of final analysis of a player, but I think he’s — I haven’t watched the film, but I know there are some other games that based on some things that I saw already that he did better in some instances in some other games. We had some production today. We need that. He is doing a good job. He is doing a very good job. We have a lot of guys that are doing a good job that aren’t getting the stats, the flash stats, but I think we got a lot of guys playing well, and he is certainly one of them.
Q. A lot was made when you guys didn’t have the post-London bye. Now is this… You played the last seven weeks in a row, and now you guys are rested for this final stretch run.
BRIAN FLORES: A lot was made of that and, I think maybe opinions are different now. I don’t know. But like I said then, this is the schedule we have, and we’re just going to play it out and it’s good to have some time right now for us to reassess, re-evaluate and for the players to get some rest.
Q. Obviously a seven-game losing streak is tough to handle mentally, but now a five-game winning streak, how much does that build on the things that you guys are coaching and reinforcing in terms of the message?
BRIAN FLORES: I think we’re just kind of focused on today. Today is a game against a good opponent. A tough victory in a 60-minute ball game, and we just try to take it one day at a time and not think about what’s happened in the past or talk about the future too much. We’re just trying to get better every day.
Q. What is your schedule for this week? Do the guys have to be in at all?
BRIAN FLORES: Yeah, they’ll be in tomorrow.
Q. Is there like an unwritten rule, written rule on bye weeks, sticking around, leaving town, coming to the facility?
BRIAN FLORES: Our guys got to be smart. They’ll have some time off, but my big message to them is be safe, spend some time with your family, go, enjoy yourself, relax, but be safe. That’s the big thing. Enjoy yourselves. They’ve earned it, but be safe. Hopefully you guys write about that and they read about that because that’s really the message I want them to hear. We’ll come in and do a little work this week. It’s been 13 games, so I don’t see us getting out there and putting pads on and banging on each other, but we’ll meet, try to make some corrections, try to look through some things that we can do better, but they’ll certainly have some time off to relax, get off their feet, and enjoy themselves a little, but be safe, please. Thank you.
Tua Tagovailoa – December 5, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 5, 2021
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q. Tua, it seems like lately you guys have been able to really milk the clock when it matters most. We saw that in the Baltimore game. We saw that in the Jets game. We saw that today. What’s been the key, maybe the offense wasn’t so good early in the game, but when it matters most, you guys are able to make the plays come.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: We emphasize a lot of our situational deals throughout practice. Whether it’s four-minute, two-minute situations, but there’s a lot of situations that go on in the game having to do with trying to manage the clock whether it’s an end of game or end of half situation.
Q. How do you feel about the way this team is now positioned in the big picture? You got the bye coming up, and you’re one game away from .500. How do you feel about where this team is positioned?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I’m glad we won, but I think there’s a lot of things that we left out there on the field. A lot of plays that we wish we could have back, but then again, it falls down to the execution of us. It starts with me in the center, and then it being communicated out there. I think we did a pretty good job protecting the ball today though.
Q. Considering the injuries you’ve had this year, how much are you looking forward to getting a week off?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think it’s going to be really good. I think it’s going to be good for a lot of the guys in there. I mean, it’s been, what, 13 games, 14 games with contact nonstop, a lot of preparation, so being able to get this little bye for our guys I think it’s going to be really helpful for us in the back end of the season.
Q. Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards. What are your thoughts on how Jaylen is playing right now?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think Jaylen Waddle is doing good. I think just for all of us we just got to continue to keep working.
Q. How do you feel like you played today?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I don’t think of myself; I just think of the overall offense. I think we can get better, continue to get better, find ways to get better, and that’s what this bye gives us. A chance to self-scout, look at the things that we can clean up, work on, and then implement it when we play the Jets.
Q. What’s it like to have DeVante Parker back? You were able to throw some balls up to him and he made some nice catches on the side.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It was really good to have DeVante back. DeVante adds another vertical stretch for us offensively, and he makes tough catches when you need him to, so really glad to have him back.
Q. We heard Jerome Baker say part of him almost wants to keep playing to keep the win streak going. You don’t want that lull. Is there any bit of that? Do you feel any bit of that, or do you really need this week to, kind of like you said, self-scout and take a breather after a long season?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I understand what ‘Bake’ is saying. I think it goes both ways. You take some time off, but then you’re also not really taking time off. It’s more so mental preparation, whereas it’s physical.
Q. What’s it like as a leader on this offense knowing your defense isn’t even giving up — barely giving up double digit points during this winning streak? What’s that like?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It feels good. They keep the pressure off of us, if you will, offensively, but we want to go down and punch the ball in to the end zone, and we got to find better ways to do that. Can’t go three-and-outs to start the second half.
Roll Tide. Roll Tide.
Brian Flores – December 3, 2021
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Friday, December 3, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you on three guys – RB Phillip Lindsay, LB Jaelan Phillips, G/T Robert Hunt. Phillips, Lindsay, Hunt – their availability for this weekend?) – “Phillip (Lindsay) – we’ll see how today goes. Today will tell us a lot about Phillip. Who are the other guys?”
(Jaelan Phillips and Rob Hunt popped up on the injury report as limited this week – back and hip.) – “Yeah, I think both guys will be okay. Yeah, I think both guys will be okay. Anybody else?”
(And with RB Phillip Lindsay, he wasn’t at practice yesterday the injury report said. But he’s back today?) – ”Yeah, today will tell us a lot about whether or not we’ll get him.”
(I wanted to ask you on RB Malcolm Brown this week, was he able to do much? Is he close to coming off IR?) – “He’s working hard to get back as soon as he can. Definitely making a lot of progress. Right now, we’re kind of – we won’t have him this week so we’ll talk about that next week.”
(Your program focuses on consistency, day to day, what’s ahead of you. And as you kind of preach that message to your team, how do you think they respond to the success they’ve enjoyed the last four or five weeks here compared to what they were doing off the losing streak? How do you think they’ve kind of handled the approach to success?) – “I think the focus is on the Giants, their team, which is a good team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. A well-coached team coming off a win with a lot of good players. They’re good schematically and I think that’s kind of where their focus is. I think that’s where it should be.”
(Do you have a feel yet for WR DeVante Parker and C/G Michael Deiter’s availability for the game?) – “Today will tell us a lot about both guys. I think they’re moving in the right direction but just want to see how today goes. They both practiced at a decent clip. There’s some soreness and things like that after that, so we’ve got to see how today goes.”
(No setbacks? So everything is going smoothly?) – “It was a padded practice so it’s been a while for both guys in pads. Certainly some soreness. So again, today is going to be an important day for us.”
(Are you optimistic that you’ll possibly get one of the two centers back or is – you don’t have that many roster spots obviously, so is one ahead of the other?) – “Yeah, we’ll make that decision after practice today.”
(I know you’ve been asked a lot about WR Will Fuller and you told us that a lot of broken bones. I don’t even know whether we should ask anymore in terms of this – do you expect him to play again this year?) – “He’s not going to play this week. The focus right now is on the Giants. He won’t be there for the Giants game. We’ll kind of talk about that next week, but he won’t be there for the Giants. That’s who really the focus is on. Again, they’ve got a good team, good players, good coaches. That’s the challenge. Will (Fuller) won’t be there for that.”
(Did preparation this week for QB Daniel Jones and QB Mike Glennon – did that add to the workload in terms of needing to prepare for both with Jones’ injuries?) – “We’re preparing for the Giants offense so that’s – like we talked about the other day – this is a good skill group, good back, good tight ends, good receivers. The o-line works well together. So if (Mike) Glennon is in there – this is a veteran quarterback who has seen a lot of defenses, can throw the football. If (Daniel) Jones is in there, he’s a younger guy. Talented. Both talented. I think we’ve got to get ready for all of them.”
(You had DB Logan Ryan when you were back in New England. I think he’s coming back this week. What does he add to that Giants defense?) – “Smart, experienced, communication, versatile. He’s been a corner, he’s been a Star, nickel. He’s playing safety now, but he kind of plays all those positions still. Good tackler. Instinctive. This is a good player.”
(With Joe Judge having a background in special teams, are there ways in which you see his characteristics as a head coach come through in the special teams unit?) – “Yeah, it’s a good unit. They’ve got a lot of good players. They have a good scheme. It’s going to be a big challenge in the kicking game. They play tough, they play aggressively and they do a good job in the kicking game. I think they do a good job across the board.”
(We saw WR Preston Williams back there as kind of an H-back against – I forget the opponent, I’m onto the next week. What does he do that made his skillset fit that and is that just a one time matchup situation? Or is that something that he can kind of evolve into?) – “Preston, he just wants to help the team any way he can, whether that’s catching the football, blocking or in the kicking game. Every week the gameplan is a little bit different. Carolina played a little bit more safety in the box and we had to get that player, so Preston was in the backfield to block that particular player. Every week is a little bit different. He may be back there, he may not be. We’ll see.”
(How did TE Hunter Long do in his 24 offensive snaps last week if TE Adam Shaheen can’t play again on Sunday? I guess we might see him again.) – “I thought he did some nice things. He was excited to get out there and there were definitely some things that he can improve on, which we made those corrections. He was ready when his number was called. We’ll see how Adam feels today. Again, I know we mentioned those other guys but it’s a big day for him too and we’ll see how it goes.”
(Last week you had a chance to get some guys some snaps that haven’t played a whole lot. CB Javaris Davis for instance, made his NFL debut. How valuable is it for those young guys to have game snaps compared to what you have on practice tape?) – “I think game snaps are very important. I think when you’re teaching off of game snaps, it’s different for a number of reasons. But to go in there, I know he made a play at the end of the game, I thought he did a nice job. I think it’s a good experience for him to see and feel the experience of the game. It’s different in practice. Those plays that are made are not made in the game. That’s where I think there are some real opportunities to teach and get a lot of attention to get those right or ‘Hey, I did something right and I had some success doing that. I’m going to do that again.’ When you get that in a game, I think those corrections are, especially for young guys, important.”
(How would you describe TE Durham Smythe’s development as a receiver?) – “I think Durham is a team-first guy. I think whatever we ask him to do, he just wants to help the team win. Whether that’s catching the ball or blocking or on the punt team or sneaking the ball on fourth-and-1 or third-and-1. I think he brings a lot to this team and we’re going to need that this week against the Giants.”
(Have the last couple of weeks left you encouraged about the process of the left side and the offensive line with T Liam Eichenberg and G/T Austin Jackson?) – “I think we’ve got a big challenge this week against a good defensive line led by Leonard Williams and Austin Johnson and Dexter Lawrence and (Azeez) Ojulari. They’ve got a good group there. The last few weeks don’t really – we’re just trying to prepare for this group this week and try to string good plays together.”
(LB Jerome Baker talked about how his role has changed, varied and obviously it’s gameplan-specific stuff. How important is it to have a piece like that, who can do as many things that Jerome does? And how difficult is that to find in a linebacker?) – “I think it gives us versatility. His versatility gives us flexibility to move him around so we talk about that every week. (We want) the best spot to play really every player but specifically with Jerome. It’s not different this week. I would say the Giants, they create a number of potential issues with the amount of skill players they have. So when you have somebody like Jerome who can play a few different spots, you have some choices that you can make defensively. That’s a conversation we have every week.”
Brandon Jones – December 2, 2021
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Thursday, December 2, 2021
S Brandon Jones
(Do you feel like you’re going to be able to play Sunday?) – “Yeah. I’m preparing to play Sunday. I’ve been going through practice, preparing and keeping my same routine that I’ve always had each week.”
(Was it more of the elbow or the ankle that kept you sidelined last week?) – “More of the elbow.”
(Is it feeling better?) – “Yeah. Feeling better for sure.”
(Was it tough watching that game last week seeing everyone making big plays and you probably wanting to be out there?) – “Yeah, it was eating me alive. The way the defense played it was awesome to see and fun to be a part of. It was killing me on the inside when people got picks or sacks. My first instinct is to try to run on the field and celebrate with them but I had to keep my composure in that aspect. It hurt but I was really happy for just how the team played overall as a whole.”
(Was it fun to see from the outside the complementary way that offense, defense and special teams all kind of worked together? I’m assuming when you’re not playing, you kind of see the game differently.) – “Yeah, it’s always super interesting because when you don’t play, you realize a lot more. You can actually take the time to digest and pay attention to small details and stuff that you usually don’t really focus on during the game because there is so much going on from a play-call standpoint and stuff like that. It was really awesome to be able to play complementary football, play fast, start with the blocked punt and go from there.”
(Prior to you missing last Sunday’s game, there were a couple of games where you and S Jevon Holland started alongside each other, which would be on of the youngest safety combos in the league. I know both of you guys are really studious – you study a lot. Is there anything that the two of you decided collectively you needed to do to prepare outside the building together, quiz each other just because there is so many communication responsibilities?) – “We do a really good job to just talk before the play. Especially if we have time to huddle, if the offense isn’t going fast tempo, we’re always in the back looking at the formations and literally talking and deciding what we’re going to do and stuff like that. Off the field, being able to get together, we’ve been able to get together a lot, watch film, stay after meetings and talk over and go over everything that we’ve learned, and take a dive into the stuff that we’re going to practice the next day, and get a head start from that standpoint.”
(Is that usually in the building or do you ever go out to eat and discuss it then?) – “Nah, I’m not going to eat with him. (laughter) No. I’m playing. (laughter) We never go out to eat. It’s mostly just here. Jevon is a goofball. I think it’ll be a dangerous dynamic if we ended up hanging out outside of the facility, in a good way obviously. But mostly yeah, it stays in the facility.”
(I’m curious about goofball. Why is he a goofball?) – “He’s super intelligent, obviously. I don’t know. Just the stuff he says. He’s a funny dude. Like a real funny dude. He’s different in a good way is the best way I could put it. Just from the stuff that I see him post on Instagram, which is hilarious to the TikTok videos that he sends me. He literally always has me crying laughing. He’s definitely a goofball. I can’t believe I just used that word to describe him but it is what it is. (laughter)”
(If you had a veteran third safety who – if it wasn’t a good guy, it would be difficult – but S Eric Rowe seems to be one of the best people you’ll meet. How easy has he made the transition and avoided any potential awkwardness. The fact that he is such a good guy, our snaps increasing, S Jevon Holland’s increasing, maybe his have gone down some.) – “Eric is one of the nicest people I know. He’s done an awesome job, even since I got here of just helping me better myself as a player. Even with just small-detailed stuff, whether it’s man coverage, a better way of using my feet, using my hands, and just talking through scheme stuff. Like I’ve told you all before, I struggled a little bit with the playbook and stuff in my role last year. He was a really big part of helping me feel comfortable on the field. He just continues, no matter the situation, he always continues to help me grow and strive for greatness. He’s been a really big part of my success.”
(I know you guys get caught up in the moment week to week because that’s what you have to do, but do you ever think about the possibility that you and S Jevon Holland could be a tandem for a while given your young age right now?) – “That would obviously be awesome and really cool to keep building. I think it’s really interesting how much we’ve been able to grow and we haven’t even played with each other that long. With that and how everything flows so easily for us, it’s definitely exciting to be able to see that and see our growth and continue to build on what we’ve already established, and just kind of grow from there.”
(You’re going to be wearing the Dell Children’s Hospital cleats for My Cause My Cleats. What does that mean to you and an update on Jayden, how is he doing?) – “Jayden is doing good. He’s actually about to start driving, which is pretty cool. I’ve stayed in contact with him. I talk to him pretty frequently. He actually sent me a video that his friend made. It was basically a highlight video that his friend made of my highlights and stuff this year. Him and his friend put a lot of work into it, so it was cool to see. He keeps wanting to challenge me – I don’t know why – in some type of raceor a seven-on-seven, like a celebrity seven-on-seven game. So when I get back to Austin, I’m going to have to try to put something together, obviously. I’m not going to take it easy on him. I’m going to try to win, obviously. But it’s been really cool, and obviously with my cleats dedicating them to Osteosarcoma, and just being a part of everything that he’s been through with having to get his leg amputated and going through that whole cancer process. It’s been truly a special part of my heart to be a part of that with him and his mom. I’m really happy with where our relationship has been and obviously just going to keep continuing to grow in that aspect.”
(When you look at your individual season thus far, the good and maybe if there’s not so good, I don’t know. What do you see when you put it all together? How do you assess your season?) – “I think it’s definitely – I’m really hard on myself when it comes to growth and you never play a perfect game. But in my mind, I still strive to have a perfect game. When I don’t, my first thing is to figure out what I did wrong and critique it and go from there. I think I’ve played decent. I think there is obviously a lot of growth in a lot of areas that I can attack this offseason, which I’m excited about, just to continue to grow my game. I think I’ve played ok.”
