DE Jason Pierre-Paul
Postgame vs. New Orleans, September 18, 2016
Q: Jason, what does it mean to start the season 2-0?
A: We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We went out there and did what we had to do to win the game but there were a lot of mistakes out there. We can only get better.
Q: How much better is this defense than the past years?
A: It’s a lot better. It wasn’t fifty-plus points. That’s a good quarterback out there and everybody knows that. He was getting rid of the ball quickly and I was getting frustrated out there and those guys, too, were frustrated but we just had to keep our composure and got the job done.
Q: How were you able to put pressure on him and really shut this offense down?
A: They had a lot of chip going. We studied the chip game. The tight end was chipping and like I said, we kept our composure. We played the run first and we got the job done.
Q: How much better does it feel not just to win the game, but to win the game because of the defense?
A: It feels good. Like I said, the defense is only going to get better and better. We made a lot of mistakes out there. I know I made a couple mistakes but I found a way to get off those chips, get off those chips better. I’m only going to get better, the defense is only going to get better, and the whole defense as a group. The offense is going to do what it takes to get the job done and we’re going to continue getting better.
Q: It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but you got the W.
A: If you get the W, that’s the only thing that counts, right? It wasn’t pretty, everybody knows it wasn’t pretty but at the end of the day we got the job done and I’m happy for that. We’re going to get in Tuesday and look at the film and review it, move on to the next game and we’ve got the Redskins.
Q: As a defense, do you take pride in being able to win a game that isn’t pretty?
A: Yeah, of course. As a unit actually, we take pride in winning a game that isn’t pretty. All of the hard work we put in in practice and we’re supposed to come in and show it on the field. It just wasn’t pretty, but, hey, we got the job done as the defense and I’m happy. Every guy is happy on the defense and we’re only going to get better.
Q: How much better is the feeling (inaudible)
A: We’re only going to get better. We’re not too hyped, how we’re feeling right now. We’ve still got growth and we’ve still got chemistry with each other but we’re going to look at the film Tuesday and look at what we did wrong and correct it and move on to the next game.
Q: You’ve seen Victor Cruz at all stages of his career, what does it mean to see him out there?
A: He’s on the road to recovery. He’s recovered, he’s got something to prove. That long ball he had- he fumbled it- I didn’t care. Defense, we’re going to go out there and stop them anyways, but just to see him do that gets real confidence in himself back. ‘I still got it,’ you know? His calf wasn’t hurting him or anything so I’m proud of him. I even told him that on the football field when he fumbled, ‘hey, move on to the next play, we’re going to get the ball back.’
Q: Last year you were losing so many games like this, and the last two weeks you’ve won games in the last minute.
A: We’re just getting better as a defense. We’re getting better as a unit. I’ve said we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re going to continue getting better and move on to the next game.
Q: How much different is the vibe in this room after the game?
A: The vibe is totally different. It’s new guys, new players. We know what it takes and it’s not an individual goal. Everybody has one goal and that’s just to play one game at a time and continue doing well and the mistakes that we made, we’re going to get them corrected come next weekend we’ve got Washington.
Q: Is your shoulder okay?
A: My shoulder is hurting but, hey, it is what it is. I’ve been through worse, I’m not even tripping.
Q: Were you close to not playing?
A: I was out there, right? I’ve been through worse, so I’m alright.
"I've been through worse"...