Quarterback Daniel Jones
Q: Is it, I don't want to say it's good to lose but, is it a good reminder yesterday losing that you guys have to be at your best to win every week or to win as much as possible?
A: I don't think it was an issue of us being overconfident or ever overlooking any opponent. We're not the type of team to do that, we don't have those kinds of guys. There are a lot of things that went on in the game, I don't really think that was one of them. I think we understand, and we have understood before Sunday that we need to continue to improve, and we need to play our best football every time we go out there. I think the game yesterday showed us some things, but we've got a humble group that wants to work hard and wants to improve every week.
Q: This is kind of a first for you, going into a bye with such a good record with so much to play for as far as standings and playoff berths. I know you're not looking ahead to that but first of all, what are you going to do during this break? Are you going to get out of here and are you going to try to put it away for a few days?
A: I'm going to try to reset a little bit. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do, probably hang around here for a little bit. Maybe try to go home. I think look back at this first half, review that and see what I could have done better, what we could have done better, and things we can learn and take from to best attack this second half of the season. I think it's a balance between that, between studying and reviewing, understanding how best to go forward and there's also a time to reset and recharge a little bit.
Q: How much, I don't know if fun is the word but, how encouraging is it for you that you're going into the second half of the season in such good shape in the standings? I know you're not focusing 100 percent on that, but you know the deal. How excited are you about the possibility of what can come here?
A: I think we're all excited. It's been fun to win, it's been fun to play well, and pull out some of these games down the stretch. We appreciate the position we're in, we're enjoying that but there's a lot of work to do. I don't think anyone is satisfied with where we are. I think we understand, like I said earlier, we understand there's a lot still out there for us, there's a lot we still need to do if we want to be the team that we think we're capable of being.
Q: I want to touch on (wide receiver) Darius (Slayton) for a second. Yards from scrimmage for the Giants is (running back) Saquon (Barkley) one, then you, then Darius who didn't have any in the first four games of the season. What kind of lift has he given you guys basically coming back from no-man land to becoming when they take away you and Saquon that seems to be where you go with the ball.
A: He's stepped up, he's played really big for us these last few games for sure. I've always said, I got a lot of trust and confidence in him to make those plays and he's done that, he's stepped up and been that guy for us. We'll continue to look for him and I'm confident he'll continue to step up and make those plays for us.
Q: How big of an advantage is that? This isn't a criticism of any first-year receiver but how big is it when you have a guy you've been with for three-four years? How big is that in terms of just muscle memory?
A: I think it's important. I think that trust level and having played there a lot, understanding each other and where he's going to be, how he's going to read certain looks and I think there is a big piece of that. I've certainly got confidence in all our guys, and we'll continue to work on that and build that chemistry through this second half of the season.
Q: I know you've always had confidence in every one of your teammates but what kind of difference is (tackle) Andrew Thomas making? I can't look at stats, I can't look at yards or touchdowns, but it feels like the job he's doing on your blind side has been an immeasurable difference for this team. What kind of level is he playing at? What kind of difference has he made?
A: He's playing at an unbelievable level. I think when you compare him to guys across the league, I think he's the best. If not, he's certainly in that top two or there. He's playing at an unbelievable level and that's huge for us on offense. It's huge for me as a quarterback and being able to count on him playing at that level down after down, game after game. He's been huge for us. He deserves a lot of credit, certainly. It's no surprise to us, he comes to work every day. I think even last year he was playing at a really high level. He had some injury stuff; he was going in and out a little bit and that made it tough on him. He's a heck of a player for sure.
Q: Yesterday was the first time in a while you didn't get a first down running. What did Seattle do to limit your effectiveness with your legs?
A: They did a good job keeping the contain with their rush, with their pass rush, and then having eyes on me in zone coverage – probably being ready for that. I think there was some opportunity still, I could have found lanes and made plays with my feet. I'll look to do that when I can and continue to study chances, I may have to do that in the future. Credit to Seattle, they're a good defense, fast defense and they played well.
Q: Were they a little faster in person or did they look fast on film? Were they even faster in person?
A: Yeah, they got good players across the board. I think their linebackers run well and play well in space. I think their defensive line retraced and ran to the ball well and the secondary coming up and making plays to stop the run also.
