Defensive Back Logan Ryan
Q: I have two questions, one of which is regarding kind of the process of getting over a situation like last week with the long pass for which you were very accountable for obviously right away. I know in your business it's a short memory kind of thing, but can you speak to kind of coming back out of that and what your mindset is and what that process is like?
A: Yeah, you answered it, it's a short memory. It's football. When you're a fan of football like me and you study the game and you prepare, you give credit where it's due. It was a great pass, but to be a defender in this league, you can't expect that great players aren't going to make some great throws, great catches on you. You respect the game. You respect the throw. You learn from it, and you move on, but you don't let it discourage you from going back out there the next game or the next week. I've played in thousands of snaps, some good, some bad. That's just the nature of any athlete in any sport, you've got to move on to the next play. It has no bearing.
Q: Just as a follow up, you've always been very accountable since we've known you here and obviously prior to that. How important is that in your mind as a veteran to kind of show the younger guys around you because some guys don't want to take kind of public ownership with things like that sometimes?
A: It's everything that I would want in leaders when I was growing up, captains. We talk a lot about leadership, I get asked about it a lot obviously in the position that I am in my life, and it's really about being yourself. It's really about being comfortable in your own skin. I would just hate to be on a team where the best players or the older players, the veteran players, don't take accountability for what they're doing – good or bad. I believe in taking ownership. I'm comfortable in my abilities, in my own skin and when I mess up. I've learned a lot in marriage, you've got to apologize sometimes when you're wrong. Honestly, it works out the best that way for me and I let these guys know, 'hey, I think I could have made that play.' It wouldn't have been an easy play to make. I felt I could have made it. I felt like I was prepared to make it and I didn't make it. It'll be alright. I'll go back out there next week with some confidence to go back out there and make the next play. I just want to let everyone know that accountability is necessary to be a leader and those are the best leaders in my opinion, the people that aren't afraid to make mistakes and admit when they do.
Q: I've got two for you, the first one's a little off beat. You guys have a super fan, 'License Plate Guy', who's actually trying to get Giants fans to give him tickets rather than sell them to keep Cowboys fans out of the building and your teammate (Cornerback) Darnay Holmes actually gave him some tickets to do that, according to Twitter at least. Can you appreciate that and the willingness of Giants fans to try to keep Cowboys fans out of the building for you guys this week?
A: 100 percent. Listen, I'm a big fan of LPG. We've got him on an acronym name type basis over here. I saw him in the stands with an authentic half Rutgers, half Giants jersey – Logan Ryan jersey, that I've never seen before. He had to make it from hand. I'm a fan of his because he's a die hard. He's there every game obviously for years and he does a lot with charity. I gave some cleats away and he raised money for my charity. When I heard that, I had a similar idea. I was working behind the scenes to try to see if I could a purchase a block of tickets or do something to give it away for those who are more unfortunate around the holiday season. I don't want to see Giants fans in there. I don't appreciate that. Sorry, Cowboys fans. I want to see Giants fans obviously. I don't want to see Cowboys fans in there, so I was trying to find a way to kind of be on that same wave, try to take a situation where you hear that's happening and try to get those less fortunate in the stands or those who wish to be at the game or those who still want to be at the game, to be at the game. You want to have enthusiastic fans and I understand people spend their hard-earned money, so give it to LPG and he'll do a good thing with it, so I support him.
Q: My other obviously more serious football question is by my count you only had five defensive backs healthy today for your walk through now that we know (Defensive Back) J.R. Reed and (Defensive Back Natrell) Jamerson tested positive. How are you guys supposed to play football with only five defensive backs? What can you guys do?
A: You've got to do what's asked upon you, I'm sure the coaches and management will try to get some more healthy legs in there if possible. Just because (Safety) Zay McKinney didn't practice, that doesn't mean he won't play. You've got to see what you've got. I would say I've never had any experience like this, but I kind of played through last year and we obviously didn't have outbreaks this big or bad last year for the Giants. But you kind of do have a lot of experience of just going in completely unknown of who's playing, who may be there, who may not. You've got to be ready to be prepared and we're going to go out there and if I've got to play a little bit of some defense or some special teams, I did it in college, so I'll be ready to do it.
Q: This has been a strange week with the flu and COVID and I'm wondering at this point in the season obviously you're not getting a lot of on-time field practice. I'm wondering if at this point in the season, you really don't need it as much as you need to be mentally alert for the game?
A: I think mentally alert is the number one thing. You've got to do what the team needs. I think a coach always has to figure out what the team needs. Sometimes that's pulling back, sometimes it's going out there full. It's kind of a balance as a coach, I believe, to have a pulse of the team, but this is something that's out of your hands. This is something that everyone in the league's dealing with. Like I said, you can go out there at practice and only have five DBs today, what can you really get done and whatnot. Honestly, this is a pandemic that is out of our hands. You have to be willing to adapt, adapt or die honestly. You have to be willing to adapt and that's what we're doing. We've done virtual meetings before. We're all familiar with it. Obviously, everyone in the world got used to Zoom last year so we're comfortable with that system. (Head Coach) Joe (Judge) will do his best with the schedule to make sure that we're prepared to play. But the Cowboys aren't going to care about how many DBs we've got or whatever that may be. You've got to be prepared, and I really don't care – we've really got to be prepared to go play the game and go win the game. Whatever the task is, I know we're going to go at it 100 percent and give our best effort.
