Post-Game Transcript: Head Coach Brian Daboll

NYG Postgame (vs. Commanders) Transcripts: Head Coach Brian Daboll

October 22, 2023

Q: What do you say about the way your defense played today?

A: I thought we did a lot of good things, got after the quarterback, put up a fourth-down stop at the end of the game. They played a good complementary game, had a couple of turnovers which hurt us. Guys were ready to play, the coaching staffs on all three sides did a good job and we made the plays we needed to make. It was a little bit closer than it needed to be, but this is NFL.

Q: You have a makeshift offensive line. Talk about how they did.

A: They're pros, the guys that were out there tonight, and they worked extremely hard during the week and a couple of days at practice, we were moving guys around and we settled on it say Thursday of how it was gonna go and if (tackle) Evan (Neal) could go, and if he could go, then we had another kind of line up change, if you would. But (offensive linemen coach) Bobby (Johnson) has met with those guys early and late, and he have a kind of revolving door there. Tough competitors.

Q: What was the thinking on that? With (lineman Marcus) McKethan on the left and (guard Mark) Glowinski on the right?

A: It’s something we talked about as a coaching staff. I think the communication was better. Just having (offensive lineman Justin) Pugh, a veteran, (guard Ben) Bredeson and Glow(inski) kind of opposite because they worked together as well. With (tackle) Tyre (Phillips) back and he was only back for a week, some code words and things like that, even though he picked up, I’d say almost all of it on the way back, it's still helpful to have someone right next to him that's been out there and done it, veteran wise.

Q: You have a lot of great faith in your veterans, but (kicker Graham) Gano missed a field goal, (wide receiver Sterling) Shep(ard) with the muff and (running back) Saquon (Barkley) with the fumble. Is there anything different you say to your vets when they situations like that?

A: Go out there and I have full confidence in you the next time you step out on the field.

Q: You’ve had numerous first drives in the first half that stalled out. What allowed you to finish this time in the redzone?

A: Made some good plays. I thought (quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) made a heck of a play. (tight end) (Darren) Waller made a great adjustment on the route on that third down and I thought Tyrod did a great job with his feet. His timing in the passing game to get that ball to Saquon on the check down. Tyrod had a good game, played well, took care of the ball, made good decisions, threw the ball where it was supposed to be thrown. So again, we left stuff out there. No question about it. We left stuff out on the field. We left points out on the field, like you said, the missed field goal, the fumble in the red zone, but I'll take the result.

Q: Are you looking forward to getting healthy? It seems like some guys will be coming back in the next couple of days or weeks.

A: Yeah, we'll see. Of course. Better to be healthy than not. I’m not talking about me but –

Q: Has Tyrod made any argument for being the quarterback when (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) gets back?

A: I would just say Tyrod had a good game this game and he's a true pro and I'm glad we’ve got him.

Q: How about (cornerback Deonte) Banks and the way he competes, it seems he can compete with anyone he’s matched up with.

A: I would say we have a lot of competitors. Again, it’s always better when you win.

Q: He’s a rookie, though.

A: That's why they're here. That's why he's on this team is to come out here and compete and do everything he can do to help the team win and put the team first. So, something that's important for all of us is to put the team first and he does that.

Q: Last time you were in a locker room, it was after a very close loss. Today, you're in the locker room after a very close win. How important is it for these guys to have something positive they can use?

A: I’d just say it's important to prepare well, do everything you can do leading up to the game and try to go out there and put your best performance on the field. It doesn't always happen.

I’ve said this before, it's an up and down league. It's a humbling league, but if you can stay consistent with your approach. You make slight adjustments and your belief in the players. It's not for everybody, you gotta be able to do that. It's not gonna be perfect all the time and there's definitely gonna be some struggles and again, one week has nothing to do with the next week. So, whether we lost a close game to the Bills, we won this close game tonight, it really has no bearing on what we do next week to keep a consistent attitude, to work with great intention. That's what's important to get ready for a game that's gonna be difficult every week regardless of who you play and focus on your job and putting the team first. Again, it's not always easy, but that's what the job requires.

Q: When you talk about staying with the approach when you're losing, just going through a losing streak as a coach. Is it a test to stay with the process or you kind of maybe second guess, do you need to make a change?

A: I think you do that every week. Obviously when you win, it's a little easier to hear, but you're always trying to critique things, practice schedules, how you meet, training, injury stuff. You're doing everything you can do each and every week to try to put the best product on the field and you can't be influenced by losses and that's tough because no one goes out to try to lose a game ever in this league. You do everything you can to try to put your best performance on the field. So, to stay steady in your approach, although it's not the same exact thing. You're always changing things, whether it's a lineup change, whether it's a different personnel group, whether it's a timing of a schedule, whatever it may be, you're always doing that, whether you win or whether you lose, but to have a real positive approach. That's not always the easiest thing to do, but that's what the job entails.

Q: What's the issue with guys who aren't putting the team first? You’ve mentioned that several times.

A: No, there's no issue. We’ve got a bunch of guys that put the team first. That’s very important to us as a program.

Q: It just sounded different in your tone.

A: Not at all. I'm proud of the guys. There’s nothing like that.

Q: I misread that. Can I ask you about (wide receiver Jalin) Hyatt?

A: Hyatt made a couple of good plays.

Q: One that was critical.

A: I told you we're gonna play him and he made some plays. He’s still got stuff to learn but the way to learn it is to go out there and play. He made a couple good ones. I thought Tyrod gave him some good chances to make them too.

Q: Why has Tyrod had success getting the ball down the field like this?

A: He’s taking his drop, drop back and see one-on-one coverage and let it go and the receivers have made good plays, so it's all tied together. It's not just one person or one position. It never is on offense. It takes all 11. You can't have one guy or two guys on offense. When you usually have a guy mess up, it's usually not very good for the offense. You can't make it up. It's just all assignment football and he's done a good job with it.

Q: How big was that first touchdown by Waller? Obviously, you guys had gone awhile without scoring a touchdown. For the morale of that group, I think -

A: I figured you would be the first one to ask that. That was great.

Q: Do you think it was important though? Like for the morale and the confidence for that group?

A: Absolutely.

Q: How does it feel to deliver a win at home in front of these fans that haven't gotten to see maybe your best performances yet?

A: They were great, and they haven’t and we haven't given them a lot to celebrate about. They were loud on that fourth-down play, they were loud, and I've encountered a lot of great ones and our job is to provide a good product and certainly we left things out on the field today. So, it wasn't perfect. It was a good team win. There’s a lot of guys that have worked hard and contributed and I'd say the fans were a huge part of it. I certainly appreciate them.

Q: Will Saquon have any of x-rays or scans on his arm?

A: I don't know yet. I don't know anything about injuries yet.

Q: At this point in the season, are you certain that the defense is going to go out every week and give you a chance to win?

A: I don't think there's any certainty in a season ever, no matter when it is. You’ve got to put the work in, you’ve got to go out there and perform well. That's what it comes down to every week. It's a boring answer, but that's the truth.

Q: How did you feel when (defensive lineman) Leonard Williams made that blocked field goal?

A: It felt great. It was great.

Q: With Daniel questionable, then obviously he didn't play today, was there like a final check yesterday and he didn't get cleared for contact or kind of what?

A: He got looked at, I think it was Friday I told you guys. So, he didn't get cleared on Friday, so he wasn't able to go.

Q: Where does that stand going forward here for this weekend?

A: I’ll have a lot of meetings tomorrow about it, I'm sure, and the next day and the next day, but I don't have an answer for you.

Q: Do you feel better about his chances now moving forward?

A: I would be telling you something that's probably an inaccurate statement. So, I'll wait until I hear from the people that know a lot more about it than I do relative to his status or what it looks like and all those things.

Q: Is there a chance he gets cleared early in the week?

A: I don't know.

Q: Have you seen more consistent play from the defense in the last two to three weeks?

A: There's certainly been things that we've improved on in every area as a team and today ball security was a problem for us. But we got the ball again. I think we’re making small strides in different areas and the guys are working with a great attitude and great intention, but we’ve still got a ton to clean up from this game, but I appreciate the approach and the mindset and how they go about their business on a daily basis here.