NYG Postgame (vs. Cowboys) Transcripts: S Michael Thomas -- December 30, 2018
Q: When you see young guys grow, but you are a veteran, do you almost say get me back here next year because I want to be a part of this?
A: Definitely. I think this team moving forward, especially with all of these young guys, it is going to be great. It is great for the team. They got experience that, at most times, only vets get in these crucial situations with the game on the line. You just have to take it home and take it, if no one can give it to you. All of us will be better and this team will be better. I am definitely looking forward to next year.
Q: Emotions on that last play? Looked like the replay came back and deflated the celebration.
A: That was a hell of a play, that is all I can say. The knee came down and his hands hit down.
Re: crowd reaction after the replay
A: They travel well I guess. You cannot do anything but give them props. They made the play and we didn’t.
Q: Did you know right away that his knee hit?
A: I saw his knee hit. I was just hoping it was incomplete. They reviewed it and it was not.
Q: That play, with the range of emotions, celebrating and then understanding it was a catch, what does that feel like?
A: It writes a hell of a story about this season.
Q: Do you worry about finishing strong versus finishing poorly carrying into next season?
A: No. Outside looking in, they didn’t finish high, they finished poorly. With everything, guys fought hard but we didn’t come away with a win. You want to come away with a win but I wouldn’t say we finished poorly. Guys handled adversity. They never quit and everyone kept fighting. Unfortunately, they made more plays than us at the end.
Q: What does it say about a defense when you can finish games like this?
A: If you want to be successful, you want to be a dominant team, you want to be successful, whenever you get a lead, especially the lead we had in the fourth quarter, we have to be able to finish games. We have to be able to pin the ears back and make sacks. Defensive backs, go make a pick. Finish games out. We have a lot to work on. We got a lot of experience this year, but it was not the results that we wanted. It sucks. This one hurt. You want to finish strong, it was the last game of the season. You are going to feel that for the rest of the offseason. So many young guys played this year and you can’t buy experience in this league. This team will get better. Whoever is here next year, we are going to fix it or else we won’t be here.
Q: As a veteran leader that understands who is with you in the locker room, what are your thoughts with this group moving forward?
A: Like I said, regardless of adversity, I am going to say that I love our young guys and this group because we kept fighting no matter what the situation was. We lined up and played the next play. We competed and fought hard. Moving forward, we are going to make sure that whoever is here next year understands that this is not going to happen. We know how it feels and if you aren’t buying in or believe in it and feel it, you probably will not be here.
Q: You forced that fumble, do you feel like you had the game?
A: Regardless of if that is how we felt, you have to play. You have to play until that clock hits zero. We were playing complementary football better today, offense, special teams and defense. We just had to play better. They needed a touchdown and two to win it and we needed to get out there and get one more stop. It didn’t happen. We have to find a way to finish.
