Quarterback Tyrod Taylor
Q: How comfortable in this offense do you feel right now?
A: I feel comfortable in our offense. I feel comfortable with the playmakers that we have outside. It's up to me, obviously, to get the ball to those guys, so just trying to spread it around as much as possible, and a lot of those guys create plays.
Q: What growth have you seen in (wide receiver) Jalin (Hyatt)?
A: Just confidence overall. Not that he lacked it before, but obviously when you make as many plays as he's made throughout this season and the past couple of weeks, and just generally throughout the season, the confidence builds. Going to continue to keep leaning on him to grow as a player. He creates, obviously, explosiveness in this offense. We're going to continue to keep using him.
Q: You're a 13-year veteran; he's not a veteran. Can you put yourself in that position to know what this younger guy is contributing to this offense and how he's acclimated so far?
A: Yeah, I think he's done a great job. I can't put myself in his shoes because I can't run that fast. But obviously, just taking on a new offense coming from college, playing against the speed of the guys in the NFL. He's competed at a high level. He's made a bunch of contested catches. As he continues to keep doing that, also has to understand that defenses are going to treat him a certain way. So, just continue to keep growing within himself. I think he's done a great job of it, and we're going to need him to continue to keep doing so.
Q: Knowing that every game is different week to week; when somebody in your position has sometimes started a bunch of games in a row, and sometimes not, if you can make your third start, is there a rhythm that a quarterback can get into?
A: Obviously, the best experience I say is playing. If the opportunity presents itself this week, as far as the rhythm, I mean, yes, I would love to go out there and do something. But if not, then it's not what the plan is, and I'll move forward as so. Like I said, I'm always going to be the same person day in and day out from a preparation standpoint, and as a leader, and just sharing what I can with the team, whether it's me actually out there contributing, or me doing stuff from a leadership role.
Q: On the field, do you think you will see more, process faster, and have a better feel having started last week and the week before?
A: Each week is different. Defenses pose different challenges week in and week out. It's up to us to go out and ultimately execute our game plan and the stuff that we work so hard on
throughout the week, being flawless in that operation and giving ourselves the opportunity to be able to go out there and execute.
Q: With a team like the Jets who are good at forcing turnovers, do you have to be more cautious? Or do you simply continue to do what you do?
A: From a quarterback perspective, protecting the ball is where it starts. You do that, you give yourself a chance to win. That's not to say to go out there and be scared. Have an aggressive mindset, but at the same time, not reckless.
Q: What are your impressions of the Jets defense?
A: They're a fast defense. They compete at a high level. They've got a lot of playmakers on that side of the ball, and they've shown that they can get after the quarterback.
Q: You didn't know it at the time, but did playing them in the preseason help? Does that help you at all this week?
A: You go back, and you watch preseason games, and you try to get a feel for a team, but they've also played a number of games throughout the year now that you can get a sense of how they flow as a team. Preseason, some teams reserve guys, and don't show as much. Obviously, those were their starters that we played against. Sometimes the calls aren't the same as well, too. They've played enough in the regular season now that we can get a good sense of them and see kind of what to expect. But ultimately, like I said, week in and week out, it's about us executing our offense.
Q: I know you said you take the same approach every week whether you know you're the starter or not. When do you actually find out, though? DJ's (quarterback Daniel Jones) status is kind of up in the air, so when do they tell you you're definitely starting?
A: When you guys find out.
Q: What does it mean to you to be the first Black quarterback to win a start for the Giants?
A: It means a lot. I didn't know that going into it. If I'm not mistaken, I think I did it at another organization as well (Los Angeles Chargers). But I mean it's history. Proud to be part of it.
Ultimately, I'm proud of the guys and the way they competed this past weekend. Something to build off of, there's a lot of positives from that game. I look forward to continuing to keep, if given the opportunity, competing with the guys on Sundays and going out there and striving for a win.
Q: How much do you and Daniel talk on gamedays? Especially in the weeks that you've started.
A: Our conversation is fluid whether it's in the locker room or on the sideline. And that's when I'm the starter or he's the starter, just saying what we like for the next series, what we're seeing out there, and making sure everyone's seeing it the same way on the same page just so we can communicate through the offense as one.
Q: Is (running back) Saquon (Barkley) a better running back or ping-pong player?
A: Better running back. He plays ping pong a lot. I'm not sure how good he is, but he's one of the best running backs I've been around and one of the best in this league. He plays at a high-level week in and week out.
To answer your question, I would say better running back.
Q: What makes him, in your eyes, so special?
A: Just the things that he does when the ball is in his hands and the matchups that he creates. It's tough for a linebacker to guard him one-on-one, even safeties. His explosiveness, his speed. He's done it week in and week out when healthy. He's a hell of a competitor. It means everything to him, and he wants perfection on his own.
Q: Did you learn anything about Hyatt on that ball where the play had to be reviewed, but he did get both feet in? Did you learn anything about him as a football player, and as a competitor in that moment?
A: Not necessarily in that moment. I trusted him to go up and make a play. I've said it since the first time I saw him that he has strong hands, he attracts the ball well and did so. He proved it on that play, and there was no second-guessing that he caught it on his end.
Q: Did he come right back and say to you, 'I got it, and I was in with both feet?'
A: Oh yeah. Yeah.
Q: That five-yard pass that you threw to Saquon that turned into 32, how exciting is it to see him in open space?
A: It's very exciting. He makes guys miss. It's very rare that one guy takes him down. That's what I'll say, like, how dynamic he is as a player. You get the ball to him, whether it's something down the field or something short, it can be a big play because of the way he makes people miss. It creates explosive plays.
