WR Golden Tate III -- December 7, 2019
On Playing with Eli Manning:
A: I’m excited about an opportunity to get out there and play with him. As you guys know, this is my first time being in the regular season playing with him, so we’ll see what happens. I thought in the offseason we did a pretty good job of building connections. We’ll see what happens this weekend, or Monday.
Q: This is another game where you guys aren’t going to have the big four offensive guys together. There haven’t been any games this year where you’ve had that. How tough is that for an offense to figure out?
A: It’s tough to think about the ‘what ifs,’ but at the same time, that’s the nature of this game that we play—very physical contact sport and injuries are always going to be a part of it. It’s unfortunate that we haven’t had all of our players on the field at the same time, but it is what it is. We’ve got to still go out there and be effective, competitive, and execute. But, regardless of who we have or who we don’t have, I think it’s always going to come down to just playing fundamental football.
Q: Are you pumped about going back to Philadelphia? Any thoughts about playing the Eagles?
A: It’ll be good to see some people, but go out there and try to get a win. I was there for such a short time period that it was kind of like a rental agreement I guess.
Q: Did you have any interest in going back there at all, or what that ever discussed?
A: At the time, definitely—I’m kind of where my feet are is where I’m happy. So, looking back I’m glad I’m where I am, but at the time, yeah, I was definitely open to staying. I went elsewhere I guess.
Q: Since you were there for such a short period of time, you don’t think you’ll get as rude a reaction as if you had been there longer? Or do you think you’ll get a warm welcome back?
A: I don’t know. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I’m trying to win a ball game, I’m not there to satisfy the people at Lincoln Financial Field. I’m trying to help the New York Football Giants get a win and get something going.
Q: There was a lot made of (Sterling) Shepard having two concussions. This was your second one, right, this year?
A: Yeah, but my first one was week two of preseason. I think our situations were a little bit different.
Q: Is there any hesitation when you’re coming back from the second, just knowing everything?
A: For me, not so much, just because I have a lot of confidence in our medical staff, in our doctors. They’ve taken good care of me prior to this concussion and anything I’ve ever had. So, no. I feel pretty confident that I’m back to myself.
Q: You took a lot of big hits in that game, there was one earlier that you kind of got popped. Would you handle it any differently? Obviously, it became a concussion retroactively, would you have handled it differently if you go back and hit your head late in the game and came back in the last drive? Did you feel fine at that point?
A: I felt totally fine. My symptoms kind of came after the game, once the adrenaline stopped and I was actually thinking about stuff. But, during the game I felt fine. They took me back in the tent and asked me a bunch of questions and did the tests and I tested out great they said, so they had no real problem with me going back in. Concussions are something I take very, very seriously. Obviously, talking about the brain, you only get one brain and when football is all said and done, that’s kind of what I’m going to hang my hat on. My body is going to break down, but I want to keep my mind strong, so it’s definitely important and if I didn’t think I was ready to be back out there this week, I wouldn’t hesitate talking to the coaches and doctors and whoever else.
Q: How close were you last week?
A: I thought I felt good like on Saturday, but I hadn’t gone through the protocol. You can’t just be like, okay, headache, headache, wake up I feel good, then play. That’s not the way it goes. So, I felt fine, but was I fine? Probably not.
Q: How many concussions have you had in your career?
A: I’d probably say five or six.
Q: In the NFL?
A: In the NFL probably four.
Q: Then one or two in college?
A: Yeah, one or two in college.
Q: Does that concern you long-term? It seems like a decent amount, your brain has been damaged four, five, six times.
A: It’s something I definitely think about on occasion. It’s not something that’s pleasant to think about just because you don’t know, you hear about all the studies that are coming out, about guys who have mental issues and doing some crazy things when they get older. I just pray that my mind stays strong, that 20 years from now I can remember what was going on right about now. But, it’s something that we know we signed up for. I’m going to do what I can now to keep my brain strong and doing different activities to help. We’ll see what happens, but it’s definitely something scary to think about.
Q: What have you seen from Daniel (Jones) this week, sort of behind the scenes as he isn’t playing?
A: He’s pretty much right behind the huddle listening to all the calls and you can tell that he’s mentally going through it trying to stay sharp, and that’s what we expect from him. There’s no doubt that he’s preparing like he’s going to play. In my mind, we know that D.J. wants to be out there and he’s a competitor, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that he’s not playing. Maybe this is a time for him to step back and see the game from another perspective versus being in the action. So, hopefully he takes advantage of, one, the rest, but also just still stay sharp.
Q: Had you just come to think that you weren’t going to play with Eli, and has it been strange going from signing here thinking you were playing with him to not to all of the sudden this late in the season be playing with him for the first time?
A: It’s a little different, but I kind of just take it day by day. Like I said, I just understand that injuries happen and things just happen, so I’m prepared for anything, and as a veteran guy, you’ve just got to kind of keep it moving. I’m crazy about both of our quarterbacks, actually all three of them, including (Alex) Tanney. I think they all do some great things and Eli’s time is here again and I want to do my best job to help us win, and that’s it.
