Friday Transcript: Head Coach Tom Coughlin

Head Coach Tom Coughlin

September 18, 2015

Q: Is [Jon] Beason’s status doubtful more just of having one practice or is he feeling…

A: Well, he is feeling better, he’ll tell you that, but we’re going to see.

Q: If he can’t go, will it be Uani [‘Unga] in the middle again?

A: Sure.

Q: Would Jasper [Brinkley]?

A: Jasper, [Mark] Herzlich can go in there.

Q: How big of a lift would it be if Beason could play?

A: I think that it would be a good shot in the arm. Players, not unanimously but wholeheartedly, voted him captain. It would be a definite plus for us. The only reason I answer in that fashion is because you don’t want to get right down when you can get another week. I hope, but we’ll have to see.

Q: It’s a short week with a Thursday game coming.

A: It sure is because literally there’s very little practice. A lot of it is very mental but it’s not very physical, so you have to be careful with that.

Q: Will Cullen [Jenkins] move inside more with [Markus] Kuhn out?

A: Cullen goes in and out.

Q: It seems like [Daniel] Fells was a big part of what you did last week.

A: He certainly was, yeah.

Q: What has to change with him being out?

A: Well, [Jerome] Cunningham will go, we’ll use the young guy, and we’ll be prepared in other ways in case we have to be that way.

Q: As a blocker, does Cunningham do what Fells does? I know Larry [Donnell] has had issues with that.

A: Fells is the best blocker.

Q: Did you see the picture of JPP’s [Jason Pierre-Paul] hand?

A: I didn’t look, I heard it was out there, but I didn’t see it.

Q: Did you see his hand when he was here?

A: No, it was wrapped.

Q: Why didn’t you look? Were you not curious to see?

A: I was busy and whenever it was on I wasn’t watching anything. By the time I got home, I wasn’t going to sit around watching that.

Q: How do you think your team did putting last week behind them?

A: It was hard at the beginning of the week, no doubt, but I think they’re moving along. I think yesterday was better than the day before.

Q: Has Louis Nix [III] shown you enough to get in on Sunday and have an impact?

A: He’s been here a short amount of time. He’s had an opportunity just really to try and understand the way we do things, and so the information that he has is very specific for him. He doesn’t have the whole playbook, obviously, but yeah that’s what he’s here for, to play and help.

Q: Has Brinkley done enough to play extended periods?

A: He’s done enough to know his special teams assignments and to play in there as well. As I say, we would be able to have him, and Herzlich, and some of those guys available.

Q: You spend any time this week on Washington or is it all crunched into next week?

A: Well, at the end of the week, the coaches have got to get ready for the basics of special teams and then first and second downs. From this afternoon until tomorrow evening or however you want to say it, they will have some opportunity to spend some time on just some preliminary things, so we can get going on Monday morning to formulate a game plan. Everybody has their own responsibilities and they have to be ready to go on Monday.

Q: You don’t get it to the players until Monday.

A: Oh no, Monday afternoon. There’s no information, it’s all Atlanta, that’s the key obviously.

Q: Does that involve extra time as a staff here, longer than it normally would be?

A: Sure, you’ve got more things that you have to get ready.

Q: With the championship celebration, do you get to enjoy that at all or is it 100 percent Atlanta for you?

A: My wife is going to be able to see some of the coaches’ wives and stuff like that, but I don’t. Hopefully I’ll see some guys on Sunday.

Q: What was that staff like, the dynamic of that group?

A: It’s a good group of coaches, good group of players, and it was a fun opportunity.

Q: Have you ever reflected on the history about how you guys helped define this league for 25 years?

A: Not really, I’m not much of a reflector.