Head Coach Tom Coughlin
July 27, 2013
Beautiful day. The grass is great. We got the first one in, which is good. It’s the typical opening day. There’s some good, some bad. But we threw a lot at them. The reactions were probably better on defense than they were on offense to start with, but that’s nothing unusual. We’re glad to be out here, glad to be working. We could see some plays made by different people today, which is good. Nicks made a couple of plays. Cruz made a couple of plays. Defensively, they covered the deep ball well. I thought the throws were pretty darn good, but I like the way we were in position from the corner spot on the deep ball today and that was a good thing.
Q: How close to 100 percent did Nicks look today?
A: He’s out there working. He feels good.
Q: Who has improved the most as far as blocking at running back?
A: After this morning, after this one practice? You better ask me that maybe in another week.
Q: Do you know what happened to Aaron Curry?
A: I think he had a cramp.
Q: JPP said he feels at about 75 percent and he doesn’t feel pain anymore? Are you encouraged by what you’ve seen from him?
A: Yeah. He’s done very well and he’s worked hard at it. I’d say he’s probably within a couple of pounds of his playing weight. I’d say that with what he’s allowed to do, he does well. He has a specific routine that he does in the training room and he’s been able to do that well. So I am encouraged.
Q: He wouldn’t put a timetable on it. Are you?
A: I wouldn’t either. No. You just see. He’s made good progress and he’s made it relatively fast.
Q: How many of these types of practices will it take you to get a feel for your team?
A: It will take progress through the preseason. It comes really fast for us and then we have some time in between the Pittsburgh and Indianapolis games to practice and then things happen again relatively quick because of the way we finish the preseason. So I’m hoping we see it soon. I have in my own my mind a date that I won’t share that I think the concepts have got to be pretty well understood, but you’re going to have to get the pads on. You’re going to have to go through the heat and the hard days and the offensive line is going to have to come around under those circumstances, the defensive line… You’re going to have those kinds of practices before you can really make the progress you’re looking for. You’ll see spot plays here and there from both sides of the ball, but before the continuity comes in, I think that the offensive line and defensive line have just got to be able to work well together.
Q: Are the starting linebacker jobs as open as you can remember in a long time, maybe six guys for three spots?
A: Probably, I would say.
Q: Are you looking for guys who just jump out and catch your eye? What are you looking for?
A: Well, steady, consistent. No mental errors. Tackle opportunities, do that successfully. Being in the right position against the pass. You know, we’ve always felt that we could do better, if you will, versus some forms of the zone. Underneath coverage and that will help us a lot. There are some young guys who have not had a lot of time with regard to playing the position in a game. They’ve been more special teamers. They can run and do those kinds of things. I’m anxious to see that.
Q: Jerry Reese told us this morning that one of the things you guys were going to do was you were going to put a countdown to the Super Bowl in the locker room to speak to the urgency of the moment for the team. What was your reaction to that?
A: When Jerry came in and showed it to me, his point was that it is not very far away, and if that’s the case, then there would be a sense of urgency about just reminding people what that is. I’m fine with that.
Q: How many days is it?
A: I don’t know. What day is today? I have no idea. It’s training camp.
Q: Next weekend Bill Parcells is inducted into the Hall of Fame. Your time with him and your memories of being around him, is there a moment, a hall of fame quality, or something like that, something that stands out to you?
A: There’s a lot of them. There’s a lot of moments and big games and exceptional players making great plays and the great enjoyment of being a part of it. There were many of those examples.
Q: Do you know that back in ‘83, his first season here, he was almost fired. That was going to be his only season. Have you ever reflected on that at all?
A: It’s a good thing he stayed. It’s a good thing they kept him. That’s what I say. He’s a great coach.
Q: Did you reach out to him at all?
A: Yeah, I’ve talked to him, sure. Congratulated him. You bet.
Q: How does Terrell Thomas look?
A: I don’t know. He’s restricted in what he can do. We’re all frustrated about it. He is himself, number one. The sooner he can get out there, the better off we’ll all be. And he came in fully feeling like he could start right out in practice and just wasn’t able to do that right away. We’ll be patient, but know full well that we’re all excited the moment he gets a chance to come out and practice and we get a sense of where he is, how he’s going to be and that type of thing.
