QB Eli Manning
December 6, 2016
Q: Excited about this week? Cowboys week, must we say more?
A: Yes, exactly. It’s Dallas week. A big game for us. They’re obviously playing great football. They haven’t lost since the first game. I think I remember who beat them that game. It’s a big week. We have to have great preparation. It’s going to be a great environment on Sunday night.
Q: From what you’ve seen, what’s the biggest change in the Cowboys from Week 1 until today?
A: I can’t talk about their offense; I haven’t seen them. Defensively, they’ve gotten a few guys back. They’re getting a good rush on the quarterback. They’re doing a lot of their same scheme. They’re doing a good job keeping guys out of the end zone. Their offense does a good job holding the ball. Their defense has kept them tight in games. Not a whole lot of teams are scoring a lot of points.
Q: It’s always intense to face the Cowboys but given the playoff circumstances for both teams, does it make it that much more intense?
A: Yes, definitely. I think when you get into December and the other teams are fighting for playoff spots, teams are trying to win the division and give yourself a chance. It’s a big game. It’s excitement. These are games you look forward to. It’s fun playing meaningful games in December.
Q: What’s been the biggest thing that’s contributed to Dak Prescott’s success this season?
A: He’s done a fabulous job. Just learning the offense, protecting the football. It doesn’t seem too fast for him. He does a good job finding completions, running around making plays, extending plays and playing smart football. You have to give credit to him and the coaches for preparing him. He’s gone out there and done a great job making plays.
Q: Starting as a rookie, you know how hard it is?
A: They’ve done a great job. I really can’t say anything else besides the fact that he’s played extremely well and at a high level. For such a young quarterback coming in right off the get-go, it’s been impressive.
Q: After the game in Pittsburgh, what is the attitude in being the bounce-back team that you need to be?
A: I think the attitude is good. Guys know that we didn’t play our best. We left some plays out there. Pittsburgh did a good job. You have to understand that that’s football. You’re going to have days where you’re not at your best and you’re going to lose some. You’re going to get humbled. It’s just about coming back to work, having a great attitude and having our mindset on what we have to do this week to beat Dallas.
Q: Victor Cruz was frustrated with his lack of action on Sunday. Have you talked to him this week? Is that something that you need to do?
A: Yes. Always have a talk with Victor. He’s one of the receivers and we’re good buddies. We’ll be fine. We have to get him the ball. He’s a playmaker for us. Unfortunately, Shep didn’t get a target last week and Victor didn’t get one this week. We just have to get everyone involved, get them catches and get them going.
Q: Did you apologize the way you did with Sterling Shepard the week before or was it different?
A: I just haven’t seen him. I’m going to talk to him. I haven’t had a chance to get with him yet but yes, I’ll talk to Victor.
Q: When you watched the film, was he open? Did you miss him?
A: There’s opportunities to get him the ball. It’s just all dependent on reads and coverage.
Q: How hard is that for you to kind of keep everyone happy?
A: That’s always the case. When you have good receivers and a lot of playmakers, some weeks you’re going to get targeted more than others. It’s not necessarily because of the game plan. It’s just what other teams are doing, what they’re playing and how the game unfolds. Again, Victor has made big plays for us this year. We have to make sure he continues to do that. He’s expecting the ball and we have to get the ball in his hands some.
Q: You used the word “humbled” before. Does that still happen to you as well? Your history is that when you have a bad game, you come back pretty strong. Does that reinforce things for you?
A: I think I try and deal with wins and losses the same way. Just try and come back the next week, no matter what. Have a great week of preparation and go in there expecting to play my best game. Sometimes the circumstances don’t always work exactly how you want them. Still the mindset has to be the same.
Q: Some of the media made a big deal about Odell smiling after the touchdown by Brown. Is that something that is a big deal? Something you had to talk about?
A: No, we don’t talk about that. I think it’s just people looking for something. I wouldn’t worry about that at all.
Q: What did you see of your individual game and what can you build on from Sunday?
A: Just making good decisions. Get back to having good fundamentals. Look at throws and accuracy. Going through my reads and hanging in there. I did some good things. Obviously some things I can improve on also.
Q: Is there one particular pass that you saw that really bothered you?
A: Well, I missed Tye wide open on a third down. Kind of reset. Didn’t get set and threw a bad ball. Really unfortunate.
Q: Do you ever look at what’s on McAdoo’s play sheet?
A: Yes. I have the same one. I have the play sheet.
Q: It seems like there is an incredible amount of information on there?
A: It’s just the way it’s split up. Some of it is repeated so that you don’t have to keep flipping cards to get to your plays. It might be third down plays that are on different sides and different pages so you can get to it all. It’s just more systematic. Not every play on there is a brand new play.
Q: Does it look like a diner menu to you?
A: Yes. There is a lot on there. We have a lot of plays. I guess the one that I have is more. His is cut down on what has been eliminated. The one that I get is more. I have to eliminate it by myself some.
Q: What do you mean by “humbled”, as you said before?
A: I think football is a humbling game. You’re riding a six-game winning streak and you’re feeling good. Obviously, you get beat and you get brought back down. You get that sick feeling that comes with losses. It can’t get you down and you can’t start moping around. You still have to have a great attitude and get ready for this next week. Understand that we can’t let one tough game lead to another. We have to bounce back quickly and understand the importance of this next game.
