NYG Postgame (vs. Cowboys) Transcripts: DB Logan Ryan
January 3, 2021
Q: What are these next six or seven hours going to be like for you?
A: It's going to be great. The work is done. We did all we could do at this point. We took everything that we were given and made the most of it at this point. I know this time last week we were talking about an embarrassing loss and hopes are down and devastation and I told you guys that you have to believe; you have to keep sticking together. The locker room never folded through bad times. Regardless of what happens tonight, I feel like we run the division. I feel like we swept Washington. I feel like at the first Cowboys game, they had a great play at the end of the game to get them in field goal range and we kind of let that happen. We came back and avenged that with a great play on our end. The Philly game, it was a similar thing; we failed in a dramatic fashion in the end. Our two-minute defense was being questioned. Our third down defense was being questioned and we came back and pretty much handled Philly the second time. I can't talk too bad about Philly because I'm a Philly fan today. I need all my South Jersey people to flap their wings tonight, so I won't beat up Philly too bad. Other than that, I feel like we're the best team in the division. We definitely deserve to represent the NFC East. We controlled what we could control today.
Q: What would it mean to you saying all that for this team to make the playoffs?
A: It wouldn't mean anything different honestly. We won our last game. We did everything we could. I'm not going to hang my head if it doesn't happen. It doesn't make me think any higher or any lower of this team. It was an odd year for everybody. It's an odd year for this division but we fought our division well. I feel like we're the best team in the division. We didn't handle the games outside of the division all the time, so we'll see what happens. Whether we make it or not, I know that’s great for the fan base, it's great for the franchise, it great to have a division matter, but I'm not going to think about this team any differently based on the results tonight.
Q: What were the emotions there late in this game? You get the pick and you're hoping to run the clock out and then you have to wait and see what the officials are going to say about the fumble with Wayne [Gallman]. From your perspective, what are you seeing? What are you feeling? And then when you get the ball back and kneel it out, how does that emotion come out?
A: As a defense, we were preparing as if our offense didn't get a first down, to how much time they would have left - 15 or 20 seconds - what defense we would run, so we were prepared to go back out there. If we did go back out there, I was prepared the game winning interception to seal the game. I was looking forward to that opportunity. I wanted to slap Wayne in the back of his head for fumbling, but he got the ball back. I’ve seen that call go against us in other ways when it felt like we came out with the ball and then they gave it to the other team. Bonehead stuff happened this year, so hey, it is what it is. We had that call go against us plenty. I think we earned the right for that call to go to us and Wayne made up for it. But, I was definitely looking to slap Wayne and then go out there and seal it on defense like we did the previous drive.
Q: You guys had a couple of dropped interceptions – [Xavier] McKinney had one earlier that was negated by a penalty. To seal it defensively with that interception, what did that mean to Xavier and what did it mean to the defense?
A: I'm so happy for that kid. I love X. I understand the media that I signed up for in this market. Them signing me when X was injured, him being out of the program and not practicing with us for 10 weeks. How are we going to play Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers and X? Who's going to go to corner? What's going to happen? We found a way to get us all on the field. I actually told him, 'I feel like you're going to make your first pick today.' He's been practicing well. He was part of the game plan heavy. We relied on him. We leaned on him. We put a lot on James Bradberry's plate. We leaned a lot of coverage from James Bradberry. When you're the top corner, you're allowed to do that. We put everything on James Bradberry's plate. We pushed all the defense away and dared them to throw at James Bradberry and they still didn't. X made the plays he was supposed to make because that's where the coverage went. That's what a big-time player does. It stepped up in a big moment and I'm happy for him and I'm happy for his career because everybody tries to crack it apart. When you have three talented safeties, who's going to play who? Who is going to be the odd man out? I don't think we do it like that. I think we were very selfless secondary. You have Julian Love who moved to corner. You have Ike Yiadom who seemed like he got benched this week. He comes in on that key third down and he comes in the game. I think his only snap played was on that gain when Jabrill Peppers was cramping. Ike had to be prepared. Julian Love had to be prepared. He looked like he was up for the Thorpe Award again today, like he was at Notre Dame. It was like his old Notre Dame days again. There was a lot of him. JB we asked him to be an All-Pro today and he did that. Darnay Holmes didn't play as much as he wanted to but we needed to find a way to get all of our guys out there and that's what makes this group special. That's what makes this group stick together all year. No matter what the job is, no matter what the game plan is, it might not be the best for you, but it's the best for the team. I think that's why we deserve to be in the playoffs. That's why we're the best to represent the NFC East and that's why we beat every team in our division this year.
Q: What would you think about facing [Buccaneers Quarterback] Tom Brady in the playoffs again if that’s what happens?
A: I texted him already. I look forward to it. I envision it happening, I’m ready. He beat me once in New England, my first year in Tennessee I beat him, last year in Tennessee. We obviously played this year. It’s not me versus him, but I’m ready for round three, I’m ready for it. It would be the greatest challenge; he’s the greatest test at that high-level quarterback play. No matter what the stats say, he’s the greatest test when it comes to IQ of the game, so I’m looking forward to it and I think he’ll look forward to that, too. It’ll be good for the fans.
Q: Did he text you back yet?
A: Well, let me see. He’s a busy man – uh-oh, no, not him. Okay, it wasn’t him. If he’s listening to this, which he’s not, text me back.
Q: Logan, what can you say about [Defensive Lineman] Leonard Williams not only with his performance tonight, which was obviously pretty dominant, but all season? He seems like he’s been pretty consistently the best pass rusher on this team. How much has he impacted this defense since you’ve been here?
A: Our defensive line is the strength of our team. I’ve said it time and time again, they make the job easy back there, they’re dominant. A key to Dallas with all their receivers is [Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott], held him under 1,000 yards running – think he needed 60 yards, didn’t get that. Those guys stopped the run without committing many to the box. They do a great job. Leo’s as good as it comes at that position, going to command that salary, he definitely deserves it. I think [DL] Dalvin [Tomlinson] and [DL] B.J. [Hill] and Sexy Dexy [DL Dexter Lawrence II], all those guys, they’re just dominant. They really allow us to do the disguises, to run the two-high stuff, to do everything we have to do. It has to all work together and they’re very selfless. They’re a special group, they have a lot of fun and they’re very violent, physical, big men down there in the box. It’s great to watch their camaraderie and their bond, and I definitely hope to build a secondary to look like that and continue to have that bond that that defensive line has because they have something special.
