Inside Linebacker Micah McFadden
Q. What was the biggest difference for you, performance-wise from week two to week three?
A: Biggest difference, I would say, I felt like in both games, a lot of times I was in the right position, doing the right thing up until the ball. I'd say week two, I just probably could've finished a few more plays. Obviously, that comes down to tackling and getting the ball carrier on the ground when I have those opportunities and I think there was a lot to improve too in week three. Still had some missed tackles against San Fran(cisco) and that's something to clean up moving forward.
Q. How did you react when the Giants traded for (safety/inside linebacker) Isaiah Simmons? They added another inside linebacker, obviously, that's somebody who is going to compete with you for snaps. How did you react to that?
A: I mean, obviously, everybody wants to be on the field, and everybody wants to play, but at the same time, I think it's a lot bigger than that. It's about the team and getting the best guys in the building so that we can win on Sunday. There is going to be competition in this league and that's on any team you play for. After meeting him and having him in the room with us, becoming close with him, and playing with him on the field, I think Isaiah is a great fit for this team. I've been really excited to get to know him and obviously see him perform and do his thing on Sundays.
Q. You had a lot of tackles, the team missed a lot of tackles. How does the team clean that up in a week where you obviously can't practice tackling a lot at this time, how do you go about cleaning it up then secondly, your TFLs, I think you had four of them. How big are those plays, that kind of lost yardage, that's what the Giants have been missing so far, I think you only have two sacks on the season. How big are those plays for disrupting what an offense is doing?
A: Yeah, I think the point about tackling, I think it's just something you bring it to the forefront of your mind and that's the focus as we move forward throughout the season, that we need to perfect that and we can't exactly simulate it during practice, but we can drill it and get reps doing it that way, so that'll definitely be an emphasis this week. With the TFLs, I think that's just making the plays when my number is called and when I have the opportunity to run through a gap or chase the ball down and make a play behind the line of scrimmage. I think that's helpful for the team and I want to continue to make those plays moving forward.
Q. What has (defensive coordinator) Wink's (Martindale) message been, and I am sure there have been messages plural, but what is his main message for the defense right now? Fairly early in the season still, you have this mini-bye week almost because you played the two games last week. What has Wink's message been?
A: I mean I think it's just trust the process and trust what we've been building, all the way since back in the springtime and training camp. That's just staying together, staying as a team, believing in what we are doing and the work we've put in, building on the things we've done well, and correcting the things that we need to improve on so that we can move forward, get some wins and continue to grow as a team and as a unit.
Q. I'm asking you; you know obviously to speak for the team, which if you are not comfortable doing, I understand, but generally speaking, has the defense been frustrated by not making big plays, big game-changing plays through the three weeks?
A: I don't know if frustration would be the right word, but just obviously you want to make those big plays and I think everybody is ready for them when they do come around and we've had opportunities to do that, it's just about capitalizing on them when the time is called. Obviously, we know it's a long season and we know that there are going to be a lot of opportunities along the way and chances to make plays on the ball and set up opportunities for our offense to have a short field and go down and score, but it's just about continuing to believe in it and trust the process and improve on the little details during practice that can create those turnovers and make those big plays happen, so we'll just continue to do that.
Q. When do you or have you started looking at the Seahawks? I'm not sure in a week like this one when you would start.
A: Our first walk-through for the week will be tomorrow, but obviously, I'm sure like a lot of the other players like me have already started kind of watching film and watching their game from yesterday and whatnot. So, it'll definitely pick up just like a normal week would right now.
Q. Can you talk about the balance of forgetting about the past, but yet pulling lessons from it and learning from it to go forward?
A: I think that's really important. Coach Dabs (head coach Brian Daboll) always talks about a next-play mindset, and obviously, that happens throughout the game, just not worrying too much about what might've just happened, good or bad, and continuing to attack the next play and just play as hard as you can for that play at that one moment. And I think that goes, obviously, from a week-to-week basis, not to worry about whether you had a big loss in week one and then you got to bounce back and go on the road for two quick games and perform well and try to get a couple wins. As the season goes on, there are going to be a lot of bumps in the road and then obviously a lot of mountain tops where we can celebrate a victory, but it's just about attacking the next week, coming in the next week, and preparing the right way and getting ready for the next opponent.
Q. We are all human, though. I mean, it's natural for us if we've had a bad game or a good game to carry that over and say, 'I had a great game' or 'I've had a bad game, what if happens again?' so, amongst you as players, do you talk about that? What do you tell each other?
A: Yeah, I mean there is a moment in the middle of the game, where somebody might have messed up and they are like mad at themselves. I think that's where the team chemistry comes along and having the guys around you to support you and to tell you, just remind you to forget about it. Everybody is going to make mistakes, the best players in the league have bad games at points, so there is just that time that you've got to move on and trust that you can do the right thing and you can improve on the past mistakes and even the past victories, you've just got to believe that you can and trust it and then make the play the next time.
Q. One of the common themes in the three games is that the other team has seemingly started faster, how do you guys show up on time?
A: That's a good point. I think it's just locking in from the get-go. It's not as easy as just getting points on the board as quickly as the other team does. We want to do that, we want to get that quick start, but even when we don't, it's like what we've been talking about, just staying the course and believing in the next play and taking advantage of every opportunity. If there is a game like Arizona, where we are down 20 points and we've got to come back and fight for a victory, we are going to do that. It's just that trust and that belief in the team and, we would like to get some quicker starts as we move forward, but just trusting the process.
Q. A lot of third and longs in the last game, is that simply missed assignments or what?
A: There are a lot of things that go into a third down game plan and the missed tackles last game contributed to it and there are always going to be guys who mess up the assignment or the responsibility, but I think it's a combination of things and everybody in the building is working real hard to get all those little mistakes corrected so that we can improve and be a better team moving forward.
Q. Trust the process is kind of an organizational philosophy, you guys as a team have embraced that. When the process changes as much as it has over the first couple weeks of the season, do you embrace the idea of getting back to some semblance of normalcy for your schedule this week and do you think that process can have an effect on how you guys perform come Monday night, knowing that you are kind of used to preparing the way you are probably going to prepare this week?
A: I think everybody likes the routine and having that set schedule and kind of knowing what to expect throughout the day and getting the normal practice schedule in, but there are times when you have to adjust and last week was one of those times. I think it's just about staying the course and yeah, like you said, just trusting the process and believing in what we are doing. There are no complaints or pointing fingers or worrying about the schedule and what we have to do moving forward, but I think that's what it's going to come down to, is just trusting the process. I think we are excited to be in a week like this.
