Head Coach Ben McAdoo
September 29, 2016
Alright, an exciting week for our team. Playing an undefeated team that has Super Bowl aspirations in Minnesota, on Monday Night Football, on their home turf. It all starts with their defense. They have a great defense. It's sound, it's fast, it's very multiple; it challenges you in many ways. They have a nice blend of youth and veteran leadership in all three areas of the defense, the d-line, the linebackers, and the defensive backs. Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, and Harrison Smith are all playing at an elite level for them. They challenge you with their coverages, in their mixture of coverages and getting after the quarterback. Offensively, it's a gritty group. They've been challenged by injuries as of late. Sam Bradford's done a nice job coming in and getting acclimated to their system. Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph are excellent playmakers for them. They have a stable of backs, who've done a nice job filling in for Adrian Peterson. Special teams wise, they're an opportunistic unit. They've had 11 touchdowns in the last five seasons. Two returners in Marcus Sherels and Cordarrelle Patterson; they put a lump in your throat. And, Adam Thielen is a very good core player for them.
Q: What's the plan with the safety position now that Nat Berhe is going through concussion protocol?
A: The plan is that, the faces may change, but the expectations stay the same. So, next man up.
Q: You're running out of men though.
A: We cross-train a lot of players here. They'll have an opportunity to contribute.
Q: Who's the next man up then?
A: We're going to take a look at that. We have a bunch of guys who stepped in today, and some guys on offense, who contributed as well.
Q: On the new facility in Minnesota.
A: It's going to be loud. I'm sure it's not going to be much louder than the Metrodome. I don't know if you can get any louder than that building there. We're going to crank up the noise in here, we're going to work through the communications on special teams, and on offense. That'll be a big part of the game for us. We need to really treat the silent count this week like it's another play, another scheme, in the offense.
Q: What kind of qualifications do you look for in an offensive player who you might recruit to defense?
A: Tackling.
Q: Somebody who has a history there? Maybe in college?
A: Somebody who has a history there and somebody who can contribute as a tackler and can step up if need be.
Q: How do you know if they can though? If you don't see them very often tackling.
A: On special teams they do, every day.
Q: As an offensive play caller, how do you deal with teams that are as hot as the Vikings are?
A: We're going to play our game. We have confidence as an offense that we're going to be able to move the ball, put points on the board, and we're going to play our game. We're not going to back down from anybody.
Q: Is there any scenario where you would play Odell Beckham Jr. at safety?
A: Never say never.
Q: The last game against the Vikings didn't go the way you wanted. What's the biggest difference between the Vikings you saw in December, and the Vikings you'll see on Monday?
A: I think they picked up right where they left off at the end of last season. They're a good team. They've had some injuries on the offensive side of the ball; they play through them. They acquired one heck of a quarterback and he's come in and done a nice job for them.
Q: How much further along is Rashad Jennings from last week?
A: Yeah, I think he's going to give himself a shot on Monday night. He makes progress every day. He looked good today, he looked better than he did last week already.
Q: What do you need to see?
A: At that position, you need to be able to protect yourself, protect the ball, and protect the quarterback.
Q: With their pass rush, do you think any percentage of their sacks have come from coverage sacks or is it just the edge rushers?
A: They have a variety of ways to get after you, whether it's schematically, whether it's just winning the one-on-one up front. They're back end and their front end play well together.
Q: Is Robert Thomas any closer to being back in?
A: Yes. He's getting work done this week. Not on the practice field, but he's getting some work this week and hopefully next week we’ll have a chance to see him out here on the practice field.
Q: So his illness is over?
A: He's recovering.
Q: Olivier Vernon hurt his wrist, maybe re-injured it on the sack, it looked like?
A: OV seemed fine today.
Q: Is it too early to have sense yet of how your team has responded to their first adversity of the season?
A: No. We had a great day at practice today. We had productive meetings yesterday. Built them up yesterday. Got to work today at acclimation phase. Tomorrow is a big day for us with the pads. Can't wait to get them out here and get going. But, we had great energy, got a lot of work done today. Fast practice.
Q: Is there anything that you change in your approach coming off a loss, or do you just plow ahead to the next game?
A: No. I'm going to be the same guy I always am.
Q: Did you change anything for Monday night aside from pushing the schedule back? Try to do anything differently?
A: We do some things differently on the front end and on the back end after a Monday night game. Especially, playing on the road and another night game later on in the week, next week. We'll make some adjustments.
Q: Do you sense that Odell is past where he needs to be in terms of managing his emotions? Or do you think this is a work in progress?
A: Listen, Odell works hard. He works his tail-off, he worked his tail-off again today. Winning is important to him, his teammates are important to him, the Giants are important to him. Just like everybody else in the locker room, we want to be our best when our best is needed and he's been that for us. It was no factor in the outcome of the game in any way shape or form. We're moving on.
Q: What your reaction to some of his teammates saying he wasn't a distraction on Sunday?
A: That's fine... that's my reaction.
Q: Did you feel the need to talk to Odell about that this week?
A: We'll keep those conversations private.
Q: There was a report that Odell is one penalty away from being suspended by the NFL. Has the league notified you of that, or are you aware of anything like?
A: I'm not aware of anything like that.
Q: Where you alright with the way it was handled with him before the game with officials issuing a warning to him and Josh Norman?
A: I feel the officials had to come out and make a statement and do what they needed to do. They feel that they had to keep the game in-check. Whatever they needed to do to keep the game in-check, I'm fine with.
Q: How much do you expect Odell to face that, going forward? A lot of eyes are obviously on him.
A: Yeah, he's going to have cameras on him all the time. That's a part of it, it's a part of being a great player in this league and all the attention that he's going to get. We just need to keep the main thing the main thing.
Q: Do you expect Eli Apple or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to be back tomorrow?
A: We'll know when we wake up tomorrow. They got some work with the trainers today, we'll see how they respond.
Q: Do you need guys like Eli and DRC to get into practice in order to get into the game?
A: No.
Q: Why not?
A: He's (DRC) played a lot of football.
Q: Do you think your pass rush has been sufficient?
A: I think our pass rush gets better each day. It depends on who you play, how quickly they get the ball out, and how they protect.
Q: Would you characterize this game as the greatest challenge for your offensive line?
A: It's going to be a challenge for our offensive line. It's going to be a challenge for the (running) backs too and the tight ends. Just the way they play on defense and how they challenge you. It's going to be a huge challenge for our offense, but, we'll be ready to handle it.
Q: Do you feel confident that you'll go into the game and be able to call the game the way you want, and Eli won't be under too much duress.
A: Absolutely.
Q: Have you ever not felt that way going into a game?
A: No. I always have confidence in these players. The way they prepare is a huge part of that confidence.
Q: Would Eli Apple be different than DRC in terms of having to practice in order to play?
A: No.
Q: What do you think of Doran Grant and is he a guy that could challenge for an active roster spot?
A: We had a lot of practice squad today who came out and really practiced their butt off. We were down some players today, so a lot of guys went both ways. He was out here working hard and it was encouraging to see. Good first step for him.
Q: You had him listed as a DB (defensive back) and he's primarily played corner. Do you see him as a corner/safety guy?
A: We're going to have to train as many guys as we can both ways.
Q: You said you had offensive guys working defense. Are you talking about practice squad guys or guys on the 53?
A: Yes.
