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Monday Media Transcript: LB Jonathan Casillas

Eric from BBI : Admin : 10/30/2017 4:11 pm
LB Jonathan Casillas

October 30, 2017

Q: What has been going on?

A: It’s my neck. I mean, I had the little – I wouldn’t call it little, but shoulder, wrist. Little things I’ve had. But, the neck – it was something I had to be really cautious about and this week, I’m still going to be cautious about it, too. I’m not going to – come later in the week if it doesn’t feel great, I think we have a communication here, me and Ronnie Barnes that it’s okay if I sit down for a while because it’s not like it’s a wrist or an ankle. It’s a neck and it’s not a first time deal, either.

Q: Do you think there’s truth to the fact that this team wasn’t hungry enough?

A: I say yes because of the record. I think in spurts throughout this 1-6 start, you have seen signs. But, I don’t think it has been consistent. At year’s end, you’ll look back and see if we were a good team or a bad team and as of right now, I don’t think we’ve played up to being a good team. I don’t think a good team can sit there and say almost halfway through the season they have one win. We do have a lot of games left and that’s always a positive thing when the ship didn’t start the way you wanted to go, you can always correct it and I feel like we still have a chance to do that. I got my haircut. I got my beard shaved off and just kind of wanted to get a little fresh start. Hopefully, that – my game and my fresh start carries over to other people as well.

Q: How can you explain buying into the hype?

A: I don’t know. Year in and year out, it’s not the first time I’ve seen or I’ve been around it where you’ve got a team that performed really well, the playoff caliber team, a team that doesn’t start the way they want to the next year. You know, lose the first couple games. Go 0-2, 0-3, 0-4. Whatever it is. We have to be able to figure out a way how to turn it around and I think it rides a lot on the defense. That’s not to take anything away from the offense, Eli (Manning) and everything they’re doing. But, historically, over the years, growing up in the back yard of the Giants. Historically, the defense has won games for New York and I feel like moving forward, it has to be on our backs. We have Snacks (Damon Harrison), we have Landon (Collins), we have a very experienced linebacking crew. We have two of the best corners and a young, promising corner. We have the makings to be a great defense that we were last year, but we have to be consistent. We have to pay attention to details and I told a couple guys today, like I’m going to go ahead and look back at some of the original calls just because it’s been a while since I actually opened up my base playbook to look at our base defense. Just to go over certain things and cross all my T’s and dot all my I’s and I’m trying to hit the ground running if and when I play this week.

Q: There’s a thin margin of error. Has being caught in close game situations caught up to you?

A: No. No. No. I think, like I said, I think the definition of a good team. It has to be at the end of the year. Those good teams find a way to win those close games. I feel like two years ago, 2015, I don’t think we were a good team and I say that because we didn’t make the playoffs. We went 6-10. We ended up losing some of those games, 2-minute drill. Last year, we were a good team. We got the turnover when we had to, the ball bounced our way a couple of times. We got those wins in the 2-minute drill. The ball got completed later in the game. That’s what good teams do. They find a way to win games. Bad teams find a way to lose games. I’m not calling us a bad team now because it’s still halfway through the season. But, we have to be able to get away from where we’re at right now. We’re not in a good spot right now and I think our bye came at a great time and I’m talking personally. Especially for my health. I’m trying to hit the ground running and hopefully we get some more wins in that win column.

Q: How surprised would you be if this team if this team traded before the trade deadline tomorrow?

A: Of who?

Q: Generally speaking.

A: I mean, that happens. I’ve been a part of a trade. Not too many guys have. Mine was more issued by me a little bit at the time. But, I mean, I’m hoping you weren’t talking about me. I’m going to have to call up Jerry (Reese) after this and talk to him. It happens. It happens. A piece that may be on another team or may seem valuable here. That happens. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve been a part of a trade and I don’t want to be a part of a trade and leave this team. That’s for sure.

Q: You would rather stay here than play for a contender?

A: Yeah. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I would fight here no matter what the record is. We started something here. I’ve been here for a couple years and we’re a team of warriors. I wouldn’t go out there and fight without my guys, without my warriors and battle without them. At the end of the day, sometimes you don’t have a choice when it comes down to it. But, I wouldn’t trade this locker room, these group of guys for anyone in the world. And, I’ve been a part of two Super Bowl teams and I’ve left a team who had a similar record to go to a Super Bowl team. So, I’ve been there. I don’t want to do it – not with this team. Never.

Q: Your name has been thrown out in the last week when it comes to trade. The Patriots need a linebacker.

A: I’ve played there. I got a great relationship with Bill (Belichick) and Matt Patricia and those guys over there. But, I want to be here. Hopefully, those guys hear me say this and they take that into consideration the next 24 hours. But, I want to be here. I want to finish my career as a Giant. How many years I have left – I want to finish them all here and hopefully this season, we can get some more W’s and I can feel a little better about how the season started. But, I’m all in man and I think you have a group full of guys that are hungry in this locker room and a group full of prideful men that’s willing to go out there and get that second W.

Q: Are you looking for a couple of wins or are you looking to run up?

A: One. One at a time. One at a time. We got one and that was hard to get. It took us eight weeks to do it. But, wins are hard to come by. I’ve heard that my rookie year and we were 13-0 when I looked up at the end of the year before we lost our first game. And then I’ve been a part of an 0-8 team. I understood the exact meaning of that term wins are hard to come by in the league. It’s just this year and we’ve been in there a couple times and we’re going to be in games. There’s nine games left. Percentages are all nine of them are going to be close. If not, eight of them are. We have to figure out a way to win more of those than we lose. Hopefully, we can win most of them.
Glad to know he wants to stay...  
Dan in the Springs : 10/30/2017 5:45 pm : link
not really a surprise, because he's making more money now than he would if he hit FA. He's got a family he wouldn't want to move, etc.

Hopefully the shave works for him. Whatever it takes.

I did like what he said about the 9 games remaining will probably all (or mostly) be competitive. Hope this team gives some sign of fight, even if the season is lost. I can't stand losing and want to see some pride from this club. I'd rather we get a later pick and have some momentum and positive feelings about what we can accomplish here than to simply lay an egg, start with a high draft pick and basically hope for a positive, quick rebuild.
RE: Glad to know he wants to stay...  
adamg : 10/30/2017 5:51 pm : link
In comment 13669873 Dan in the Springs said:
Quote:
not really a surprise, because he's making more money now than he would if he hit FA. He's got a family he wouldn't want to move, etc.

Hopefully the shave works for him. Whatever it takes.

I did like what he said about the 9 games remaining will probably all (or mostly) be competitive. Hope this team gives some sign of fight, even if the season is lost. I can't stand losing and want to see some pride from this club. I'd rather we get a later pick and have some momentum and positive feelings about what we can accomplish here than to simply lay an egg, start with a high draft pick and basically hope for a positive, quick rebuild.


I agree with you Dan. All the talk about the first pick being Barkley or Nelson or Rosen et al.... as if we'll have the pick of the litter. In this way, being in more of an Eli Apple situation would at least suggest the team truly under-performed more than anything. That I can palate easier than some underlying dysfunction at the core of it all. And, I think that's the case.

I'd also love to upset the Cowboys and completely fuck up their playoff hopes for purely unsavory reasons.
RE: RE: Glad to know he wants to stay...  
Dan in the Springs : 10/30/2017 5:57 pm : link
In comment 13669876 adamg said:
Quote:

I agree with you Dan. All the talk about the first pick being Barkley or Nelson or Rosen et al.... as if we'll have the pick of the litter. In this way, being in more of an Eli Apple situation would at least suggest the team truly under-performed more than anything. That I can palate easier than some underlying dysfunction at the core of it all. And, I think that's the case.

I'd also love to upset the Cowboys and completely fuck up their playoff hopes for purely unsavory reasons.


Right? And Philly, Washington, etc. Even if we finish somehow out of the top ten in the draft.

Let's just find something to make this offseason a bit more hopeful.

If we went 7-2 and finished with a .500 record, lots of people will still want McAdoo and Reese fired, and they'd probably be mad because the finish would give them a reprieve. I say let them have a reprieve if they can avoid a losing season.

Now, if we're 1-14 going into the final week, I might feel differently because getting to two wins won't make that much of a difference.
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