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Wednesday Media Transcript: DC Steve Spagnuolo

Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/24/2016 6:00 pm
Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo

August 24, 2016

Q: I want to ask you about Bennett Jackson. Originally being in the safety mix, now you have him playing corner and slot.

A: Yes, with the corner issues right now with guys dinged up, he’s going to get some work at corner, which he did when he first got here. We’ve been trying to convert him to safety but he’s been banged up a little bit so he hasn’t gotten a lot of reps. He made a nice play today at corner. I think he’s going to stay there for now until we get some of these other guys back.

Q: With that versatility he’s obviously valuable, but at the same time he also has to have a certain level of production.

A: Yes. Bennett’s issue has just been staying healthy and staying on the field. If he can get over that hump and get out there and play in some games, we will see where we are at.

Q: Where do you stand at safety behind the two guys who’ve been working with the first team for the most part?

A: Nat, Coop, and Mykkele got hurt so he’s not in there right now. Double A, Andrew Adams, Bennett’s been moved out of there, so it’s about six right now. It’s in flux right now until we can get it settled and that’s just where it is at. We’ll find out in these next two games.

Q: You’ve had Leon there a little bit too?

A: Yes. Leon is going to do a lot of different things. Some of those times when you see him back there it’s not necessarily him playing safety but it’s going back on something that looks like he’s playing safety. Which is, we just want to make it look like that.

Q: With Darian Thompson, obviously you want him to get the reps, but have you seen enough reps from him?

A: He’s done an outstanding job. In that position, to come in as a rookie with no prior experience in this system, I think he’s done an outstanding job. He’s found his way to working with the first group for a lot of reps. Really pleased, but when you’re that young and that inexperienced every rep you miss is going to hurt. You need to get him back as quick as we can.

Q: If he’s not ready to be back for Week 1, where would you turn?

A: I don’t know that. The next two games we will figure that out. I can’t answer that now.

Q: The Giants have always had big run-stuffing linebackers even as recently as Antonio Pierce and players like that. Is there still a place in the game for the type of linebacker like that?

A: You mean in the basketball on grass that we play now a days? I think so. When push comes to shove and you have to make plays and someone is trying to make a fourth and one, the game is still physical. I do think size, physicality, length is important. You can’t have a guy out there that’s a statue when the game gets wide open. Yes I do.

Q: Do you think it’s unfair at times with those sort of matchups like in Buffalo, with Jonathan Casillas and Reggie Bush? Do you think there is a little bit too much is expected from linebackers?

A: There is. One thing is in a preseason game it wasn’t all about matchups and game plan so it’s a little bit different. You’d like to avoid that. I’ve been through seasons where you can’t avoid it because a lot of your skill guys get hurt and you have to put someone out there. An offense will see that pretty quick and expose it. You try and find ways to help but you can’t always do that. It’s not easy.

Q: J.T. [Thomas] comes off the PUP list and you got him in there a lot today it looked like. What are your expectations trying to work him in now?

A: If you noticed a lot of his reps were other there really servicing for the offense. It wasn’t really our defense. We’re going to work him in slowly. Sometimes you rush him too quick there’s another injury. We have to get him up to speed quick. Whatever the day is before we get to Dallas. He’s a guy that helped us last year so hopefully we can get him out there and get him some reps in the Jets game. Again, if you rush him too quick and the volume gets too high, you run the risk of him getting another injury.

Q: Where are you with Kelvin Sheppard and Brinkley?

A: Still neck and neck. We’ve been repping it exactly that way. Even when you see in practice, Kelvin will go with the first team, first series and then Jasper will do the same thing. It’s been a great battle. Two guys that respect each other and that’s what the league is all about. The more you can get that at every position the better you’re going to be.

Q: Are you confident that whoever wins that battle will be a good middle linebacker or are you just going between the best two guys?

A: I don’t know, we’ll see. I think they’re both quality football players. They’re what we have right now and those guys have been in the system long enough now where they’re functioning really well. Ideally just like the offense would like the one quarterback to stay under center for all three downs, we would like to have the same thing. We may or may not have the luxury of doing that so we’ll figure it out as we go.

Q: Is it still a possibility where you could look at everything situational?

A: Yes.

Q: Where does Keenan fit in there and do you look at him as more of a nickel/ weak side guy?

A: Yeah, he’s played weak side in base defense and then in the nickel situations he has been the mike linebacker. He will rep like that until we decide which way we are going to go with it. He has been doing a pretty good job.

Q: What have you seen from B.J. Goodson and his development?

A: Someone else just asked me about B.J., as a young guy coming in and playing a position where you have to do a lot of controlling and do a lot of fast thinking and, early it was a little bit of a struggle for him, but I think he is settling in real nice. Today we got him a couple reps with I think the one’s and the two’s and we want to do that to see how he functions against good people and with guys around him that are going to trust him and need him. I think he is doing a really nice job.

Q: How do you evaluate Owa's camp overall?

A: Up and down, he knows that. We talk about it all the time. When you think about Owa, he is a true rookie, he missed all that time last year and he got himself healthy this year. The hour is up and we have our fingers crossed but it has been up and down.

Q: What kind of an impact has OV had on the whole defense?

A: People gravitate to natural leaders and natural leaders don’t necessarily have to be the vocal people. OV is not a vocal guy but there is conviction and action and people see that in him. He is convicted in what he does and he shows that, he's a pro. He brings his lunch pail to work every day and he goes to work. I think the other guys see that and I do think they gravitate to him. He has been a great example for our guys.

Q: Some veterans will kind of ease through the pre-season and he seems to be going 100 miles per hour.

A: He is getting himself ready to play a game, which is great.

Q: With B.J. is there any inclination at all, if at Mike the fight between Jasper and Kelvin doesn’t really sort out, would you put him in there and just see what he can do?

A: We could, I am not ready to say that right now. He’s a young guy and that’s a lot to ask but we will keep going about it right now and let those other two guys battle, he will get his reps and we will keep working him and keep growing him and see what we get.

Q: There are a couple of weeks until the regular season, how do you think Eli Apple is adjusting in general?

A: I am liking that he is back practicing now, I think missing that game kind of hurt, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that he stays healthy and gets into this game and gets a a lot of reps and works with that first group. I think that he is another young guy that has developed really well for us, and quicker then maybe we expected. I know always when you are drafted in the first round the expectations are way up here, and sometimes I think they are unfair but when he stepped in for that first day it was pretty evident he could handle what comes with that. We have to get into the game and he has some good receivers that he has to go against but I like the way he is developing right now.

Q: Steve, what would you consider a good showing for your defense on Saturday?

A: Tackle better then we have and when we put the tape on, see that what we have talked about - which is being a relentless defense on every play and flying around the football. That doesn’t have anything to do with stats but I just would like to see us tackle well and run around and play motivated and excited and New York Giants defensive football. I would like to see that.

Q: What do you think of Deayon as a football player?

A: Double D? I love that guy. He walks in the room and brightens up the whole room. I don't know if you guys have had the chance to meet him or talk to him but he is a wonderful young man and he is a feisty player - all 100 and whatever [pounds] he is. He is a football player, God gave him the body he has and he has used every bit of it to get himself where he is right now. I am impressed with what he has done, he has a long way to go and he has to get a lot of reps and we have to see where he is when the bullets fly. The guys love him too and love being around him.

Q: In the game they went at him and made the play, the turnover, then they went at him again the next play.

A: Yeah, that was my fault and I told him that and apologized to him. I was so upset that they got the ball back. We came at them again and they ran the exact same thing and that was unfair to do that to him. The other thing I told the guys this too, is that we didn’t have all of our red zone coverages in. We didn’t have it in, and it would have been something different in a real game, but it was a test for him. I just didn’t think it was fair of me, after he made that great play to put him right back in that same situation.

Q: So you are saying if you were to do it again, you would put someone else there?

A: No, I would have called something different so he wouldn’t have ended up in that situation where they were throwing over there. I'll tell you though, that he battled on both of them, and the first one was an outstanding play, I mean to keep playing the play and then the catch was completed.
I think I'm one of the few around here  
Randy in CT : 8/24/2016 6:57 pm : link
who likes our LBs.
Spags on Brinkley/Sheppard, OO  
ColHowPepper : 8/24/2016 7:39 pm : link
Quote:
Q: Are you confident that whoever wins that battle will be a good middle linebacker or are you just going between the best two guys?

A: I don’t know, we’ll see. I think they’re both quality football players. They’re what we have right now...


seems a little bit of damning with faint praise, and then this with Owa:
Quote:
Q: How do you evaluate Owa's camp overall?

A: Up and down, he knows that. We talk about it all the time. When you think about Owa, he is a true rookie, he missed all that time last year and he got himself healthy this year. The hour is up and we have our fingers crossed but it has been up and down.

The hour is up, lol, wtf?
Linebackers are fine...  
Bluesbreaker : 8/24/2016 8:38 pm : link
They will look better with the front four we have now .
Throw in Landon Collins we will be Very Tough to run against
As for Owa to me he looks like an up and comer but he has
to stay healthy ...
This is such an interesting response...  
Dan in the Springs : 8/24/2016 11:30 pm : link
Quote:
Q: J.T. [Thomas] comes off the PUP list and you got him in there a lot today it looked like. What are your expectations trying to work him in now?

A: If you noticed a lot of his reps were other there really servicing for the offense. It wasn’t really our defense.


I'm more naive about practice than I thought I was. I had no idea that the defense runs snaps where they aren't really running their defense - just servicing the offense. That's very, very interesting to me. Almost like what you expect from your practice squad - as though they are giving looks they expect to see from the opponent, instead of practicing actual assignments that they will be using in real games.

This is confusing to me as well. Why does this happen at this point in the preseason? It would seem that each side (offense and defense) would want every snap to be an opportunity to practice the actual assignments they will be asked to play in the future.

Since this apparently isn't the case, it would explain a lot about why certain players who appear to shine in practice reports aren't getting playing time or seem to not get the coaches' interest. We aren't privy to what the players are really playing against. So maybe Powe or Lewis look great in practice but they aren't actually going up against defenses that are regularly practiced. Maybe other defenders who look lost at times are still getting snaps because they are lost only when they are asked to run something other than their actual defensive assignments.

I would've loved another follow up question about this - because it's totally new to me.
I know you started the other thread but you  
robbieballs2003 : 8/25/2016 12:31 am : link
explained a little bit more here. One, the practice squad that you mention only exists of a few players. You cannot field 11 guys from a PS. I think the PS is only like 5 players but I don't know the exact number. Two, how do you expect the offense to prepare? Who is giving them a look against a defense that runs the same plays as their opponent? How elss would you do it? Three, you make it sound like one or the other. If isn't like that is all they are doing. Tye players practice their defense. Every practice has a script. Within each script there will be a sectioned time where the offense is working on their run game against the same type of defense they will be facing. There will be a time when they work on tbeir pass game against those looks. And there will be a team period. This may not all doesn't happen in one practice but is planned out well in advance. The same goes for the defense. Every practice plan will be different for each team. Maybe one day is for the defense. Maybe another day is for the defense. I know a lot of teams break down their week by situations. One week will be short yardage and goal line. Another day will be 1st down. Another day will be 2nd and 3rd and long. Etc. You need looks. There is no way around it.
Sorry for the spelling errors and  
robbieballs2003 : 8/25/2016 12:33 am : link
Hard to read phrases. It is late and I am on my phone.
Sorry, didn't mean practice squad...  
Dan in the Springs : 8/25/2016 1:36 am : link
Meant scout team. Must have been tired.

I think there are ten on the practice squad, can't remember.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply, by the way...  
Dan in the Springs : 8/25/2016 1:42 am : link
I get that they have to practice against looks they might see. Over the years I've read enough to understand that some players will be running on the scout team. I just thought that this would be very minimal during the preseason if at all. I also was surprised that a bubble player like Thomas would get lots of shape, but not really any in the current defense, particularly since they have cut down dates approaching and decisions to make.

Have they already made their decisions regarding Thomas? It seems they might not view him as part of their plans if they took him off PUP so he can essentially run on the scout team.
RE: Thanks for the thoughtful reply, by the way...  
section125 : 8/25/2016 6:19 am : link
In comment 13085449 Dan in the Springs said:
Quote:
I get that they have to practice against looks they might see. Over the years I've read enough to understand that some players will be running on the scout team. I just thought that this would be very minimal during the preseason if at all. I also was surprised that a bubble player like Thomas would get lots of shape, but not really any in the current defense, particularly since they have cut down dates approaching and decisions to make.

Have they already made their decisions regarding Thomas? It seems they might not view him as part of their plans if they took him off PUP so he can essentially run on the scout team.


Dan he needs to get into shape first. Spags said so. They'll bring him along slowly, so running on the scout team does that. Also, you can't have somebody out of shape and out of touch with the defense practicing with the ones and twos. He has to get his mind into the scheme. He's comong off a two month hammy, so they'll take it easy.
I think he's likely a cut. Plus if he's not on IR there is no injury settlement if cut.
it was an interesting comment  
ColHowPepper : 8/25/2016 9:07 am : link
I agree with section 125's take on JT Thomas. Coming off a hamstring serious enough to PUP him until now, putting him in at d Giants are running would vault him over all the guys practicing and who need the reps, at all three slots and deprive them of the reps.

And while it's no surprise that the O has to run its plays against a "scout" defense (and v.v.), given all the "vanilla" comments about what Giants and opposing teams run during the exhibition season, it is a bit curious that for game 2 the scout team was running some variation of a different team's offense.

(Also, bothers the crap out of me that our vanilla looked so inferior to the Bills' vanilla, if vanilla they were. It better resemble a whole lot more Cherry Garcia against the Jets)
We don't know for a fact that Rex Ryan was running vanilla defense  
Ten Ton Hammer : 8/25/2016 9:11 am : link
He's a tryhard, and the Giants unit last season pissed in his cheerios. Maybe he was coaching out of ego.
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