NYG Postgame (vs. Cowboys) Transcripts: S Jabrill Peppers -- November 4, 2019
Q: Did you feel the defense holding them to a field goal most of the time (was) keeping your team in the game?
A: I think when you have a four-point (swing) like that, I would say so. As I say every week, you just have to clean up on the little things, you have to execute as a whole team, play complementary football at the end of the day, so it really doesn’t matter.
Q: Why was Amari Cooper so open on the touchdown?
A: We have to go back and look at the tape. I felt as though we were in a good coverage, I can’t tell you exactly until I go back and look at the tape.
Q: How much of a back breaker was that?
A: You definitely can’t let them in the endzone in that situation with the time that was left. You have to get off the field and we had ample opportunities to get off the field, it is what it is.
Q: How deflating are these pass interference calls?
A: It just seems like they don’t go our way. If you guys remember mine from Tampa Bay, it was really ticky tack, I thought that was going to be the tone for the whole year but there is no real consistency. At the end of the day, you can’t even give them the chance to the throw the flag. You have to stay clean, play with good eyes and technique and make a play on the ball.
Q: One thing that Golden Tate was talking about was the knucklehead plays you guys are making, that would seem to be a problem area for a young team. Why do you think those things are going on, do you think it’s the youth and how do you get past it?
A: It doesn’t matter about the age, we have a job to do and we have to do that job to the highest level, to your best ability. Like I said, we are professionals, there’s no NFL in Europe, there’s no other league like the NFL, you have to be the best. I always like to say a surgeon can’t come back to a family and say my bad. I know it’s not life and death like that, but that’s how you have to hold yourself and your level of work. We have just have to cut back on the mental mistakes and play complementary football.
Q: Are you okay, you looked woozy at one point?
A: I wasn’t woozy, I’m good.
Q: You hit your hand on his helmet or something?
A: No, I got hit in the groin, so guys know how that goes (laughter).
Q: Did you feel like this was a real Giants-Cowboys game?
A: Definitely, you definitely felt it in the atmosphere. I thought we did a bad job of making them make plays. At the end of the day, I don’t care about the atmosphere, I want to win. I’m going to get in there and watch this tape. We have to the Jets coming up on a short week to (try to) get this bad taste out of our mouth.
Q: The Giants fans will look at this game next week and they will be absolutely furious if you lose to that Jets team next week, how do you view it?
A: You have to view it like every week, you have to go out there and play to win. That’s a good Jets team with a lot of talent. Regardless of what their record shows, regardless of how they played last week, they beat the Cowboys. It’s the National Football League, it’s not about who’s the best, who has this guy, who has that guy, it’s about who executes the best on Sunday or Monday, Thursday or whenever you play. That’s how we are going into it, we have a short week, guys have to get back healthy, get our bodies back, break this tape down, come out and play a hell of a football game.
Q: How tough was that 10 points they scored in the last minute of the first half?
A: That was real tough. At the end of the day, you have to respond. I’m just the type of guy, I don’t care what kind of situation you put us in, you have to respond, we have a job to do, hold them to three.
Q: Have you ever seen a black cat run across the field like that?
A: No, that was funny.
Q: From your vantage point, why were they so successful in the run game?
A: They were finding creases, Zeke is a hell of a back, tough to bring down. He has great ball carrier vision. They hit all the soft spots, we have to have better gap integrity, we have to be a lot more sound in the run game. At the end of the day, it is what it is, tip our hats to them.
Q: Why do you think it got so chippy late in the game?
A: There was a lot of jawing going back and forth, that’s football. It’s Giants-Cowboys, we don’t like them, they don’t like us.
Q: Do you still have confidence in Pat Shurmur?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Why is that?
A: I do, he’s a great coach, a great man. He works his ass off, we just have to play better for him.
