Monday Media Transcript: QB Eli Manning

QB Eli Manning

October 31, 2016

Q: How does it feel to get back after a week of rest?

A: It felt good. It felt good to get back at practice today, run around a little bit and after a week off, it is good to just get back on the field and get a little practice to knock off a little of the rust. But we are just getting prepared for Philadelphia, so we started talking about some concepts today, but obviously we will get back in here tomorrow and just get prepared and go out there and get going a little bit.

Q: What did you do over your bye week? Anything interesting?

A: Nothing too interesting. I went down to Ole Miss and saw the Ole Miss Rebels play a little football and brought the family down there. Just got a little down time, got the mind off football a little bit, but you are always spending a little time thinking about it.

Q: What did you come away with when you did your self-scouting?

A: Nothing I can tell you probably. Those are good things to keep in house and to just analyze. A lot of the self-scouting, the offense, talk to the coaches about it and get a game plan to attack the second half of the season.

Q: Yesterday Cam Newton says that he doesn’t feel safe as a quarterback out there. How do you feel out there?

A: I feel good. I feel like I always feel. I think I feel safe.

Q: With the Eagles right off the bat, what is your attitude with your chances to maybe make a run at this division?

A: Yeah, obviously all the division games are huge and I have been around long enough to know that once you get into November and December, they are all big games. They all mean something, it is all going to get tight in the division, so these are big games and we are going to go out there and play well.

Q: Did you watch the game last night?

A: I just watched the first half and then called it a night, so I didn’t get into the second half – we will break it down on film. It is always tough to kind of tell exactly what a team is doing from the TV version, it is better to watch it on film.

Q: I think you might have three times more experience than the other three quarterbacks in the NFC East combined. Do you ever think about that?

A: No, I have not. Again, it is about the team, it is about going out there and, all the quarterbacks are playing well in the division. The young guys, the rookies are playing at a high level and playing great football and Kirk (Cousins) has been playing great, so I just have to keep up with the young guys and make sure that I am playing good football.

Q: Do you ever take time to realize how long you have been around?

A: I try not to during the season. I just think about what plays we are going to run and how we are going to attack certain defenses. So hey, understand that we have a chance. We are right in the middle of the pack and we have to win games and the second half of the season is going to be fun and I am looking forward to it.

Q: What, in your mind, is the biggest thing that can be done to jump start this offense?

A: Put the ball in the end zone. I think we have to protect the ball, one – I think that has been a problem in certain games where we have moved the ball, had a lot of yards and different things, but just the turnovers. So we have to protect the football better and put ourselves in a better position to be successful.

Q: I know that you probably haven’t watched any Eagles film yet, but their pass rush has always been a problem with their defense, hasn’t it?

A: Yeah, and I think it is the same this year. Their pass rush has been very good and some games they will bring some pressure in blitzes, but for the most part it is their front four getting pressure on the quarterback and they have got good defensive ends, good defensive tackles, they have good push, so it is going to be a great challenge for our offensive line. We have to understand that we are going up against maybe the most talented defensive front that we will face and we have a big challenge ahead of us.

Q: In some ways does it almost seem like the start of a new season?

A: Yeah, I think it is kind of the second half of the season, so it is a great time to get that bye week. It is right in the middle of the season, we have been going for a long time, rest the body, rest the mind, but also know that we are coming back and being fully recharged and ready to make a run.

Q: Does playing the Eagles still feel special to you?

A: Anytime you are playing in the division it is always big. We always seem to have a lot of tight games against the Eagles and some big game against them, so you always know you are going to get a tough opponent, a physical team and so I am looking forward to this matchup.

Q: Any particular Philly memories stand out?

A: I have a couple. Early on I hit Plaxico for a game winner in overtime in Philadelphia, first one that popped into my head, maybe in 05, 06.

Q: Does it feel like it has been a long time since you have really been in the thick and the middle of a run? How much would it feel good to get it back?

A: I think that is the mindset. That is what our plan is – to get on a run. Obviously, we are coming off of two wins and we have to keep that going. We have to put back to back to back to back. We have to get on a streak and get hot and win games, so that is what we have – obviously we don’t feel like we have played our best football yet, but we are still finding ways to win football games and that is what you have to do in this league. It is not always going to be pretty and perfect, but as a team, finding ways to make plays throughout the course of games to put yourself in a position to win.

Q: Does the first goal remain trying to win the division?

A: Always. That's the starting point, to make sure you get to the playoffs. We got a divisional game at home and we have to take advantage of that.

Q: On coverages.

A: It's just more two-man and doubling guys. It's not surprising, not something we haven't faced before. We've got plays to beat it, we just got to make those one-on-one matchups.

Q: Jerry Reese said that the Giants should have an advantage in the division because they have the most experienced quarterback. What do you feel about that?

A: I think we have experience, and it should be an advantage. It's still a matter of going out there and playing at a good level and everybody playing well, not just one guy. It's the team that's going to play the best team football and win the games.

Q: You said you watched the half, you've seen these rookies come and go. Robert Griffin, III was a big thing, when you look at these rookies, what's your take on them?

A: Seems like they're doing a good job. I think it's probably just the volume of the college game and high school. I think the level of play, starting at a young age and has been good. They've done a great job learning offenses and understanding their reads and playing smart football. They're protecting the ball and being accurate. A lot of credit to them and the coaches for getting them right.

Q: What do you see when you look at Carson Wentz?

A: He seems to throw the ball accurately. He's an athlete, runs around and extends plays. We've been impressed with him.

Q: Paul Perkins, what has he shown you when he's gotten in there?

A: I think Paul's done a good job, catching the ball in the back field has been good, hitting some screens, some nice plays. He's run the ball tough, so he's done a good job just picking up the offense and all of the ins and outs of it. He's done a good job when he's been in there.

Q: What's your feeling about how the Josh Brown situation played out? Is there any relief?

A: Obviously, just wishing that Josh and his whole family can move and go on and get through this time. Unfortunate for a lot of parties. For our mindset now, we've got to get back to football and the team and the guys who are here and go do our jobs.

Q: Do you think over the weeks that this played out that it was a distraction to the team?

A: No, I don't think it was a distraction. They are distractions if you let it distract you and I don't think we let it distract us and affect our play.

Q: What is your reaction as a teammate to hear the organization make that decision?

A: It's understandable that the organization had to make a decision and I understand it from their part.

Q: Is that something that they explained to you guys at all?

A: No.

Q: You found out before you left or after?

A: I can't recall. Just whenever the news broke.

Q: Was it hard for you as someone outspoken about domestic violence?

A: I'm not in a position to judge a person. There's a situation. There's an understanding of what's right and wrong and how to conduct yourself and how to treat women, children and people. I think you can speak out on that and how to do it. But, when it happens and someone may have experienced that or gone through it, you still support the person. They're still a friend, they're still a teammate and you stand up for them, but can still preach about doing things the right way. It sounds like you're having conflicting thoughts but I'm not in that position to judge a certain person or speak badly about a person.

Q: Is that hard for you to come to grips with? Separating Josh, the person versus you being in that PSA?

A: I don't know exactly what Josh did, I don't know all the details. You hear something, you hear this or that and so I'm not going to be one to stand up and shame somebody or speak badly about a person until I knew exactly all the details, and then I still wouldn't speak badly about a person. That's not my job. I feel strongly that as a society, domestic violence is something we should not accept and people should be treating others better. I believe in that, but I still don't think it's my job to speak directly to a certain person or badly about a certain person.

Q: After he was suspended in August and it was pointed out why he was suspended, in your heart at all did you have a hard time accepting him being in your locker room?

A: I just don't know if I had all the details. What exactly happened. I don't know what occurred and I wasn't one to research exactly what occurred. I think you can still have a strong stance on the way you treat people but still be able to have a teammate and treat him well and treat him like a teammate.

Q: Do you support the new personal conduct policy with the six game ban, or would you prefer to see that collectively bargained?

A: I don't know all of the details of that either. It's not something I consider myself being in that position.