Monday Media Transcript: Head Coach Ben McAdoo

Head Coach Ben McAdoo

August 8, 2016

Q: What has impressed you about Darian Thompson so far?

A: He's a young pro. He's a guy that goes about his business the right way; he's done it since he walked into the building. He's mature, he studies his game, he communicates the game. We expect him to get better with reps.

Q: How important are preseason games in terms of filling the safety position?

A: Every time we step on the field, it’s important at every position. Especially for young guys, it gives them a chance to get out there and play. You can’t replace those reps.

Q: Is Darian Thompson a favorite to win that job?

A: Yes.

Q: What have you seen from Janoris Jenkins so far in camp?

A: He's a great competitor, a good team guy. He's a leader out there and the game is important to him.

Q: How's Geremy Davis made such a big jump from last year?

A: Geremy throws effort at everything he does. He's a very hard worker, very conscientious. The game is important to him and you can see that by the way he works.

Q: You've said that you lump fullbacks and tight ends together. How does Nikita Whitlock's skillset tie into that?

A: He is more of a traditional fullback, but he does have a defensive background, so he has versatility there. He also has versatility on special teams, he's a good teams player.

Q: What have you seen out of Eli Manning in camp so far?

A: Eli's been sharp. He's worked at it in the offseason, had some good looks and good work in the offseason training program. He's been sharp so far. First pass, he got that out of the way quick, the turnover, but he's been sharp since then.

Q: What kind of a leap have you seen Ryan Nassib take from spring until now?

A: Ryan continues to get better. We have a lot of confidence in Ryan, can't wait to see him play Friday. He's going to play a lot of football for us. We know he can go out and run the system. He prepares each and every week like he's a starter, and helps Eli that way. We have a lot of confidence in him.

Q: What was Eli's reaction to that first interception?

A: Mike Sullivan has known him for a long time. He says it all the time, 'If Eli wasn't playing football, he'd probably be the world’s greatest poker player,' and he didn't flinch. He just keeps playing.

Q: In 11-on-11, it appears your running game up the middle can't get much going against Hankins and Harrison. Are you happy because the D-line is so stout, or the opposite?

A: That works both ways. We want to get the running game going up the middle. Sometimes the looks may not be advantageous. Sometimes we may be checking into a little bit of a better play, not the perfect play. Definitely those guys inside are pretty stout, and they're tough to move out of there.

Q: Eli has mentioned how confident he feels in directing the offense now in year three. Do you feel that the offence as a whole is there with him?

A: Yeah, our communication has been pretty precise. We can always get better. It's got to be visual and verbal and sometimes we may not be as complete as we may like to be. It's an ongoing conversation, it's always a work in progress. You can never get [too good] at communicating.

Q: Are there any signs of limitations with Eli?

A: No, he's getting better.

Q: Jerry Reese said the other day that the team is on Eli's back. Do you see it that way?

A: That's the way this league is now, the quarterbacks have a lot to do with it. Sometimes they get a little too much blame when things don't go well, a little too much credit when things do go well. There's a lot on the shoulders of these guys.

Q: How advanced is the progression with Eli and Odell here in year three.

A: I mean, the conversations are different. You're not just talking about responsibilities and assignments any more, you're talking about really the history of things, and really where you're looking to go with things. They're excited to be a part of it.

Q: Can you see it when they do that on the field?

A: The chemistry is there. Odell missed a couple days last week and jumped right back in and the chemistry took a couple of reps but got right back on track quickly

Q: Do you plan on having Victor Cruz on Friday night dressed and playing?

A: We're not going to talk much about play time.

Q: Were there too many flags out there for you today?

A: Always…yes…too many flags.

Q: Where are you guys in the play calling decision process?

A: We'll have a play caller on Friday and we'll evaluate it afterwards.

Q: Do you know who's going to call plays on Friday?

A: Yes

Q: Do you want to tell me?

A: No. We'll take a look at it on Friday and we'll go from there.

Q: Will it be obvious who's calling the play?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you mean that no matter how many flags there are, that's too many?

A: Absolutely. We can always get better. We understand that from snap to whistle, there's going to be some combative penalties, but we feel that if we do a good job of coaching and teaching the fundamentals, we can coach those out of the game. Some crews throw a little bit more than others and we ask (the officials) to be strict on us out here (during practice) so it shows up on game day.

Q: How much are you using the preseason as a dress rehearsal for the play calling?

A: It's a part of it.

Q: In a preseason game, will you rotate play calling?

A: Possibly.

Q: Last night’s Hall of Fame game gets called off. As a coach, if you were involved, would you have been angry or what?

A: I would just be thinking of, I guess, how to get the work in. How to make up the work without messing up the loads. Keeping the work load consistent.

Q: We saw Eli with Shepard and JPP with Collins, have you emphasized to players ownership of this team?

A: We talk in the team meeting every day, we spend a little bit of time talking about the four elements of championship football, and that's a part of it. They've taken that upon themselves. Give credit to the players.