DB Logan Ryan
October 20, 2020
Q: We made a lot about this being Joe Judge’s homecoming but you’re a south Jersey guy. Did you have a bunch of Eagles fans that are in your circle that are looking forward to this game?
A: Yeah, I didn’t grow up too far away. I definitely have some family members that grew up Eagles fans. I understand the rivalry in this division, I grew up in it. I grew up watching all these Giants games, Eagles games. [I] Bleed blue right now, this is where I wake up early every day and put it on for them. My teammates support me, and the coaches support me. I’m bleeding blue all day for this one. I’m excited to upset a lot of family and friends who may be watching. If they’re not on my side, they’re on the wrong side.
Q: You played in a lot of big games in this league with the Patriots and the Titans. Does this have a big game feel? Five days ago, you were winless and now the winner of this game gets a share of first place in this division? How strange is that and does this have a big game feel?
A: The things I learned from playing in a lot of games in my career fortunately, is don’t make them too big. Any time you’re playing at night, any time you’re prime time, it’s big enough. Everybody is going to be watching, you’re going to get a text from your third-grade science teacher how they taught you how to do it or something like that. Everybody is watching. These games obviously in our division are very competitive. Big rivalries with the fanbases. A lot of history there so that’s big enough. We’re going to play these guys again; we’re going to see Washington and Dallas. I wouldn’t put all the chips on the line yet, but I wouldn’t play it any differently. I’m going all out and give it my all and lead from the front like I said regardless of what the stakes are.
Q: Few guys in this locker room know Joe Judge better than you or at least have spent as much time with him as you have. Obviously, Ryan mentioned this being a homecoming for him. What about his personality leads you to believe that there will be no emotions for him on Thursday night? Do you buy the fact that he’s not going to take any of this in?
A: He might take it in personally. That’s a question for him and what it means to him (inaudible). I’m sure it’s significant in some form or fashion. Every time I play in Philly, every time I used to come back to Jersey and play at MetLife it was a big deal for me. I knew I had family coming to the game and fortunately I won’t be having any family come to the game. Honestly, eight years in, I’m happy about that because the tickets get carried away and all that stuff. I’m happy about it. I don’t know what it means to Joe. I know that, like I said, this division, there’s a lot of rivalries, it’s very close to home for all of us here, me and Joe especially. We’re just focused on beating the Eagles. They’re a talented, explosive offense regardless of who they have playing. Carson Wentz throws the ball down field pretty well. We just have to worry about the challenge at hand, the task at hand. I think you bring in the nostalgia of it afterwards. Playing in my first Superbowl compared to my second Superbowl, that’s something I learned. I’m in the Superbowl but at the same time I have to just play the game and worry about what it means afterwards.
Q: Fair to say no difference in Joe’s approach this week versus any other game?
A: Other than the tickets, I don’t think there is any different approach in how we’re preparing or anything like that. I think it’s a personal question for Joe. We’re planning to beat Philly and he’s preparing us to beat Philly. He’s doing his job to the best of his ability.
Q: What does Jalen Hurts add to that offense?
A: He’s a talented player. I think of like a Taysom Hill-type. Some variety to their packages, we know he can throw the ball well. We know he can run it, he’s a strong runner. He’s just another little thing that we have to prepare for. We don’t know how they can use him. His packages seem to advance from week to week. We just have to be fundamentally sound when he comes into the game. He’s a dangerous skill player.
Q: The Eagles have a lot of injuries on the offensive side of the ball. I know coach is saying next man up, but no two players are the same. With that said, when you prepare for a team that’s so banged up, do you put more of a reliance on the scheme? Do you study more the players and their specific talents? How do you approach it?
A: This year, we have a lot of injuries as well. That’s this year, it’s been next man up in the secondary, it’s been next man up with Saquon Barkley. We’re dealing with injuries; every team is around the league. I think it’s probably at a all-time high at this point of the season. We have to see who they have coming in and see if what their skill set is. Players do what they do well, and coaches want to utilize players to the best of their ability. We have to figure out what a guy does well. DeSean Jackson runs really fast. We know Hakeem Butler may play some tight end, he’s a former receiver drafted from the Cardinals. I remember watching him in college. I know their other tight ends they have on the practice squad; I know they were former receivers. I have never seen them play in a game before, but I already know of them. That’s my job to do, to prepare and whoever is out there, tell our guys what that guy does best so we neutralize that. However, the Eagles decide to use him, they to decide to use him. We just have to run our play and execute our play versus their play. May the best play win and may the best fundamentals win.
Q: Regarding Daniel Jones, I know you weren’t around him last year. He had a number of games last year where he was really slinging it around, had some big numbers, four and five touchdown passes. We haven’t really seen that this year yet. I know it’s a different system. I’m curious what your impression of him is from what you heard and known of him before. Does he at all look like a quarterback that’s trying to avoid the big mistake? That’s obviously been is one bugaboo in his short career.
A: He looks like a leader of the team. He is one of the first ones in the building every day. He practices hard. He’s doing everything the coaches ask of him. I don’t play offense so I’m not in all their meetings. I can’t tell you what’s wrong, that’s not my job to do that. I think he’s the quarterback for the Giants and he’s competing his butt off, doing the best he can. He’s looking to improve from week to week like all of us. We haven’t played well enough where we want to be at our standard the first six games of the year. I think last game was an improvement for all of us as a team. Obviously, we got a win and we want to keep on that track. I believe in Daniel to stay on the track of keep improving. We don’t have all the answers, not in year two. I don’t have all the answers. I like his humble approach of keep wanting to get better.
Q: What about physical skill wise? What jumps out at you when you seem him on the other side of the ball even during games or in practice?
A: He’s an extremely accurate passer. He’s big, he’s more athletic than you think. He was running pretty fast, some DB’s couldn’t catch him out there so he’s obviously athletic. He’s smart and he has really good touch and presence with the ball. He definitely has all the tools there. It’s just a matter of getting repetitions in the game and putting it together. Quarterbacks get judged on winning and losing, no matter how you get it done, you get judged on your wins and losses. We want to keep trending in that direction.
Q: You said you know the division well. I’m sure you do, you lived between these two, Philly and the Giants. This Giants organization has lost 14 straight to the Cowboys and the Eagles combined. What do you think when you hear that?
A: That was my first time hearing it. I know we lost 11 of the last 12 or whatever it may be. That has no significance to this one. Streaks all come to an end. I remember when I got to Tennessee there was not one good streak ever. We lost this many to Indy and never beat Andrew Luck and never beat this (Team), and then we’re in the AFC Championship. I really don’t care. It’s going to come down to me and Carson Wentz and the Giants and the Eagles and everyone else out there who’s playing in the game. Salute to Brian Dawkins, [Michael] Strahan and all these guys but they’re not going to help us out there today or out there on Thursday night. We have to go out there and execute and do what Joe Judge has asked us to do. They are going to do what Doug Pederson has asked them to do and may the best man win, the toughest man win. I think that we’re pretty tough and I think we’re going to go out there and try to (inaudible) its Thursday night. Nobody feels great. My body is not going to feel great, but I’m going to go out there and will it and we’ll see what happens.
Q: Much like when you beat Indy and Andrew Luck though. How important is it for this this organization to finally do that and beat one these teams to prove not only to yourself? We can compete in this division, we’re for real, we’re not for lack of better words, the doormat.
A: I think it’s better click bait than what it is. We’re just trying to win the game. The division games matter and we’re tying to win it. Like I said, the history of the years prior, this is my first year playing in the NFC period. I have been in the AFC for seven years. It is what it is, our division is winnable. We have to go out here and win some games in our division to put us in a position at the end of the year to strike. That’s what we’re doing week in and week out. You prepare hard to put yourself in position to win the game. At the end of the game, I think three or four games this year have come down to the final drive. Our record can swing either way. We found a way to win last week. We need to find a way to win this week. It’s probably going to be a close game. I’m looking forward to the opportunity of that.
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