By Ryan G. Murphy, WNBC.com
Tom Coughlin’s conference call on Wednesday. Among the highlights, Coughlin discusses Eli Manning’s shaky play in the first half against the Jets and calling time out right before a potential game-winning kick…
How have things been going for the New York Giants?
A: “We have won three games in a row. We have been able to find ways to win to be honest with you. Down in Washington, we came back in the second half and the defense played well the whole game. But the offense played well in the second half. Against Philadelphia we had a good defensive game, which catapulted us into the winners circle. Last week, was a repeat of Washington. We were down 17-7, came out in the second half, threw the ball down the field and scored. They returned the kickoff for a touchdown and we recovered from that and went on to win the football game. We sealed the game with a defensive touchdown. We keep talking about playing well with all three units in unison, but we are not there yet. Our constant theme is to have people performing at the highest level at each position so we can play in harmony and not beat ourselves.”
Q: Can you talk about WR Plaxico Burress coming back and playing with his injury (ankle)?
A: “He has played well. He is not able to practice during the week, but we get him to the point to where he can go on gameday. He spends the week studying and preparing. He tries to catch as many balls as he can without actually participating in practice. He has been able to make a very solid contribution obviously. The play he made the other day inspired our sideline and pushed us towards the win.”
Q: How does getting RB Brandon Jacobs back help your running game?
A: “To have both RB (Derrick) Ward and Jacobs playing is good. Ward played well the first half and I thought Brandon played well and powerful in the second half. The combination of the two of them and then finishing with RB Reuben Droughns was good. They seem to compliment each other.”
Q: Can you talk about your pass rush?
A: “We spent a couple of games without the pressure and we really needed it against Philadelphia. It seemed with the pressure we played better pass coverage. Not everything was based on the speed of the rush, some of it was coverage. DE Osi Umenyiora had a historical game. DE Michael Strahan became the all-time Giants sack leader. LB Mathias Kiwanuka and DT Justin Tuck in addition to bringing the linebackers and safeties amounted to an exceptional game. Last week against the Jets, we only had one sack. They did a nice job with their schemes, protections and they got the ball out quickly. We were finally able to get them to hurry the release of the football. It was not from a lack of trying, we just kept coming.”
Q: Whose idea was it to move Osi around on defense?
A: “Steve Spagnuolo is our defensive coordinator and he has done a good job of utilizing our talent. We wanted flexibility and to be able to create some issues. By situation defense we were able to do that against the Eagles.”
Q: How has QB Eli Manning played?
A: “Eli has played solid for us. Last week, the first half wasn’t very good, but the second half was good. We need to cut back on the turnovers. I took responsibility for the interception before the half. He has played well. He did a nice job of getting us in the right play last week. He got some opportunities to make some plays by virtue of his feet. He was able to get outside the pocket and buy a little more time to get the ball down the field.”
Q: Is calling a timeout right before the kicker kicks in the spirit of the game?
A: There is no doubt it is. There is risk involved because you have to have the official right there beside you if you are going to wait that long. If you don’t get the official’s attention the ball might be away. I am seeing people “ice the kicker” closer and closer to the snap. I definitely think it is in the spirit of the game, but there is a chance you won’t get the timeout.”
