Defensive Back Logan Ryan
Q: (Giants Defensive Coordinator) Patrick Graham said this week you're going to find out, I assume that means find out what the team's made of. What did you find out today?
A: That we started the game well, we just didn't execute in the red area. We did not hold them to three enough and started off pretty well, but there were a couple short fields. On defense, you've got to go put out the fire. We're out there and the difference between seven points and three points can keep the score in touch. So really, just some of that execution in the red area. Obviously it's been all year, but especially today.
Q: Logan, why are you still in uniform?
A: I just wanted to get out here and face it. I wanted to get out here and speak to you. I'm one of the captains. Obviously I pride myself on setting the tone and pride myself on doing things the right way and practicing the right way and treating people the right way and being a role model, being a leader. And, you know, a few weeks ago, I was one of the last people to talk and I believe our receiver, Collin (Johnson), was the first one to talk and I remember someone said, 'Unbelievable, he's the first person to talk." So I was like, you know, I'm going to be the first one to talk today. I'm going to come out here, own it, speak to you guys, explain the best of what I felt happened. And really, we've got to unify the locker room regardless of how it may look right now. We've got to work on that, but the players want to take ownership and that's why I'm out here first today.
Q: You got blown out on your home field. How do you… are you disappointed, are you embarrassed? What are your feelings?
A: I'm extremely disappointed. It's not acceptable. I mean, honestly, it's not acceptable and that's just it. I think we had to go out there the second half and fight the best we could and try to earn some respect back, but it just hasn't been acceptable—the results, so it's not good. It's not good for the fans, it's not good for anybody outside the building, it is not good inside the building. It just hasn't been acceptable and I'm going to do everything I can to try to change that and make that better one step at a time.
Q: Can you describe the morale inside the room? I know you said you're united, but at 1-5 how would you describe kind of where everybody's mind is?
A: It hasn't reached our expectations. Obviously, it hasn't reached what we thought our work ethic, what we put into it, the results haven't added up. And that can get frustrating and morale is going to be what it is at 1-5. I can't say morale was great, but what you don't have is splintering. You don't have selfishness. You don't have guys in little corners complaining. I think guys are voicing it and I think guys are unified and believe that we want to play better, we want to do better. So yeah, I don't think morale is great, I think that's natural. I think when you're competitive and you lose, you get really mad and it's not always the best, but at the same point I just don't feel like we have that type of cancerous locker room where guys are starting to break away. I don't really, honestly, I don't feel that.
Q: How would you characterize (Head Coach) Joe (Judge)'s message to you guys at halftime?
A: I would characterize Joe's message of go out and go out and show some fight. Like go out and see, you know, like, these spots aren't guaranteed, like go out and see who—we're going to see a lot on tape about who you are when you're down. You're going to see a lot when it's not going your way, however it is, you have a chance to respond, and adversity. So I just think that was his message was—go out and respond. I think guys did the best they could. Obviously, I don't really know how the second half played out score wise or whatnot, but I think guys went out there and responded. Obviously, (Giants FS) Xavier McKinney went out there and responded really well. I'm happy for him. He's been busting his butt, been working really hard, we've been putting a lot of work in off the field to make plays in the backend and limit some of these shots, to really try and clean up some of these tackles in open field and I think he did a better job of that, so I'm happy for him to get two of them. He's going to be a really good player in this league and I think he's starting to show that.
Q: Two words used around football—effort and execution. How do you assess where the team is effort-wise versus execution?
A: I think the effort is great. I think without execution you're not going to win the game. That's just the sport. That's just how it is, execution is all that matters and for whatever reason, we'll see, the execution hasn't been good enough. And look, I've been on, you guys know I've been on championship teams, I've been on all types of winning teams, I've been on teams like I've talked about at times that were 2-4 trying their butt off and ended up going to the AFC Championship and the execution got better, so we've obviously got to fix execution, we've got to make changes to execute better and we know that, but honestly guys, it came down, I feel like, for my job, it came down to the red area stops. You know, making the score 18, 19 to three or 17 instead of 28 and 30, you know. You can't give up sevens and win this game. You can't. It's critical situations, fourth and one, third and one, and I think for the most part we did a decent job stopping them early in the game, got pressure, I think our pass rush played great today. It's just those key situations, we've got to do a better job in holding them to three. That's your job on the defense when you get put on the backside of the fifty.
Q: Are you embarrassed by that performance? Was that an embarrassing showing for this team?
A: It was unacceptable performance. I'm not embarrassed because I gave my max effort. I went out there, I prepared hard, I felt like I led the guys the best I could and went out there and played. It just didn't work out. It was hugely unacceptable, but I'm not very—at this point in my life, I don't get embarrassed too often, so I don't want to say embarrassed is the word.
