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Post-Game Transcript: RB Saquon Barkley

Eric from BBI : Admin : 9/15/2019 6:37 pm
NYG Postgame (vs. Bills) Transcripts: RB Saquon Barkley -- September 15, 2019

Q: After a terrific opening drive, why do you think the offense wasn’t able to manufacture the same type of productivity going forward?
A: Yeah, the opening drive was a great start. I don’t think you could ask for any better start for the first two games that we had, but it’s the NFL. They’re going to make plays, and the Bills made great adjustments. We adjusted off of that and I think we were able to create some drives later in the game. We’ve just got to find a way to finish on third down and finish in the red zone. We continue to start great, and as the season goes on, we’ve got to continue to have that in our back pocket, but we’ve just got to find a way to execute better and win games.

Q: What’s your level of frustration and disappointment starting 0-2?
A: It’s very disappointing to start 0-2, but we still get to live another day. The season’s not over, our chances at the playoffs aren’t over, but you can’t keep having that mindset. You’ve got to come in and attack it, we’ve definitely got to execute better, we’ve got to come to practice, we’ve got to practice at a high level. Everything we’re doing, just try to turn it up a notch just so we can take care of the rest of the games in the season.

Q: What adjustments did the Bills’ defense make after the opening drive?
A: They’re a very great defense. You could see it out there, a little more downhill, a little more focused on our run game. That’s life, that’s where we’re going to be probably the rest of the season—a lot of teams are going to try and focus on our run game and take away the running backs, but hey, that’s part of it. I think the linemen and the wide receivers and Eli (Manning) did a great job of answering, but we’ve just got to answer better and we’ve got to execute better. It just comes down to execution, it’s that simple. Every team that won today, I bet you they executed better than the other team, and it’s just that simple. It comes down to Xs and Os, and we’ve got to be better now.

Q: Why do you think it’s such a struggle on third down in particular?
A: We’ve got to be better on first and second down. We’ve got to be better at not getting penalties. When we get penalties, we’re having drive killers, we’re putting ourselves back—third and 11, third and 10—the defense is playing at the sticks. We’ve got to find ways to be better on first and second downs, but even if we’re in a long third down situation, or short third down situation, we’ve got to find a way to execute and capitalize on it.

Q: What would you have said if I told you in the preseason that this offense would have scored 20 points and be 0-2 in the first two games?
A: I would’ve said you’re lying, to be completely honest, because that’s how much confidence I have in this team. Not just in the offense, but the defense and the special teams, and my confidence is never going to go away. It never will. My belief in this team, it never will. We’ve got to believe in each other. That’s what we did in the second half of the season last year, we got back to team football and just playing for one another. If we can continue to do that, get back to that, I think we can turn the season around.

Q: How much did it hurt to come up empty in those two possessions at the end of the half?
A: It definitely hurt, coming up empty, not being able to put points point on the board, but I think we came out fast in the second half. We talked a lot in here, we addressed the situation, be we just didn’t go out there and execute. That’s just what it comes down to—execution.

Q: Does anything need to change with this team’s mindset?
A: No, I don’t think so. I’m not concerned about the mindset, I’m not concerned about the belief, I’m not concerned about the confidence, I’m not concerned about anything. The only thing we’ve got to do is execute better. It’s a simple game. There’s a lot of things that go on, there’s a lot of moving parts that go into it, but at the end of the day it’s a simple game—it’s football. It’s whoever executes better. All we’ve got to do is just continue to believe in each other. We’ve just got to turn it up a little notch. We started off 0-2, we’ve got to get back to the drawing board and be realistic with each other in the locker room. I think we’ve all gained that respect from each other where we can be realistic.

Q: Were you guys your own worst enemies in the first two games?
A: I would agree. I don’t like saying that because it’s taking away credit from the other team. I would never take credit away from the other team because those two teams played amazing. They did a better job and they got the win, but a lot of it is on us. But, it comes to the point where we keep saying it’s on us, and it is, it’s on us, but we can’t just keep talking about it, we’ve got to go out there and do it. We’ve got to go out there and stop making mistakes, get back to playing Giants football, what Giants football is known for. I think that’s the message we’ll have for the team this week, to play Giants football, and hopefully we can do that next week.

Q: Is your message about execution up to every individual in here?
A: Yes, of course. Everyone is held accountable when you lose. It’s team football. That’s the beauty of it, you win together and you lose together. All three phases of the game have got to play better. All three phases of the game have got to be better. If the offense played amazing and your defense not very good and you lose, it doesn’t matter what the offense did. Defense could be amazing and the offense not so good and you lose, and it doesn’t matter. Offense, defense could be great and you don’t play great on special teams and you lose, doesn’t matter. It’s team football, so everyone is held accountable, everyone has got to come back and have the responsibility and belief to challenge one another, and it starts in practice, it starts tomorrow. It starts in watching film, breaking it down, getting rid of it, and moving on to Tampa.

Q: What message d you give to fans after starting 0-2?
A: The message I would give to fans after starting 0-2 is, we started 0-2. I don’t know what they want me to say, I apologize, I guess. My concern is more getting everyone in this locker room right, being a leader—I’ve got a “C” on my chest for a reason, we’ve all got “Cs” on our chests for a reason—getting this locker room ready and getting this team back on the right path.

Q: A lot of people use the term “It’s still early.” When does it become not early, in your opinion?
A: That’s a great question. I’m not a big believer in “it’s still early.” I’m not going to lie, I’m not a big fan of that saying, but you have to understand that is the case in the NFL because it’s a marathon. It’s 16 games. I don’t like believing in that because I don’t want to get caught into that, but it’s true, it’s a long season and it’s early, but if we figure it out right, then we can laugh back at these games when we’re competing for the playoffs, but if we’re not, then we can go back to these games and address it, like these two games we didn’t address it. So, it’s early in the season and we’ve got a long ways to go, but we’ve got to address the situation now and continue to get better and try to get another win.
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