Head Coach Tom Coughlin
November 13, 2015
Q: Tell me about your comfort level with Josh Brown. He’s got 19 in a row, you sent him out for a 53-yarder.
A: That was basically where I was at right on the money, couldn’t go any further, didn’t want to go any further. But when he went out there and popped it, wow, I could be not extending him quite far enough. But that was well done. Of course, it was in a little different climate at that point in time, too.
Q: So 54 [yards], you probably would have gone for it?
A: I don’t know. Fifty-three [yards] was right where I was, right on the money.
Q: You went for it earlier in the game.
A: I went on fourth down. Different scenario.
Q: Is this the biggest challenge that Odell Beckham is going to face because of the way that the Patriots attack number one targets usually?
A: Well, he’s faced a bunch of those coverages designed to take him away. He’s faced a lot of those. This is a team that is diversified in some of the ways that they go about it. But it will be a job for all of us recognition-wise, and then what we’re going to do to adjust to it. We’ve done a pretty good job of moving him around and lining him up in a lot of spots, so hopefully that will help.
Q: Is there a magic number you guys have in terms of time of possession going into a game like this?
A: I always have a magic number, but you’d like to win it. Whether it’s exactly how much--.
Q: Where about would the magic number be?
A: You could guess, you don’t need me to tell you.
Q: When your team takes the field Sunday, what do you want their confidence level, their preparation level, their attitude to be?
A: All week long, we’ve stressed the preparation against a team that prepares very well. So players know that they’ve got to be on their game. And they have prepared well, yesterday was a good practice. They’re very respectful but they’re excited about playing. That’s where you want them.
Q: What’s your expectation for that atmosphere? Is it greater than a normal game just because of who they are and where they are…what they’ve done for being undefeated?
A: Well, it’s the next game of the season, it’s a very important game, they’re an undefeated team, all of the above. It makes it very exciting.
Q: What have you seen from Jay Bromley this week in practice?
A: Jay works hard and he is a strong-armed contributor in the middle. The thing that Jay can do is he can rush the passer, in addition to playing the run. So we expect that we’re going to need some help in every facet in terms of being able to get after the passer.
Q: Did Prince Amukamara get close at all this week? Was that an easy decision?
A: He improves, he keeps improving and getting better. The medical people have got a strong hold on his position.
Q: With the injuries, is it they’re simply not ready or it’s better to be cautious and have them for the final six games?
A: Who are you talking about?
Q: All of them. Let’s say Prince.
A: Prince exceeded the time span by starting earlier. But we started him earlier so he would have his legs and things of that nature in position when he did get the green light. So that’s the way it is with him.
Q: I’m just thinking, though, are you holding back guys because you want them for the final six games and don’t want to risk it?
A: No, we’re holding them back because they don’t have medical clearance to go.
Q: Spags talked about how the reason you guys haven’t blitzed as much in part is because there’s been a lot of moving parts. How much has that changed your outlook on what you were trying to do this year? And how much have you had to sort of regroup as the season went?
A: You’ve got to be very aware of your circumstances and your personnel. To be honest with you, as we’ve gone through it, identifying who are the key ingredients if we would pressure has been something that has had to be done right during the game, right during game situations. So I feel a little better about it than I did a couple of weeks ago and we’ll see.
Q: Are you surprised, given his reputation and what you’ve done in the past, with how little you’ve been able to blitz?
A: Not surprised because I’m in the same meetings.
Q: Is there a way to put an extra emphasis on getting off the field on third down because their percentage rate is very high?
A: What they’ve been able to do is keep it relatively short and not have a lot of them--get more first down and second downs. The only thing is if we can do a good job on first down, we may be able to extend the yardage.
Q: JPP talked about wanting the whole D-line to be “in sync.” Can he help that group, not just with his talent and his being there, but also in emphasizing that they can work as a team and as tandems?
A: Absolutely, he can help, yeah. He can, and that’s something that was stressed this week in terms of the timing of some of the things that we’re trying to accomplish.
Q: What kind of development have you seen from Will Tye since he’s been thrust into the spotlight?
A: Each game he’s taking a little bit of a step forward and hopefully he’ll take another one this weekend.
He gets asked questions that are incredibly dopey way too often.