Transcript of head coach Eric Mangini's news conference with the New York Jets media Wednesday morning:
One piece of housekeeping: We put Cody Spencer on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list and signed wide receiver David Clowney. In terms of the game this week, the Giants present a lot of challenges in a lot of different areas. The Giants do an excellent job defensively in creating pressures in different ways. They can create pressure with their front four, and then there's going to be some game-plan pressures where they're going to overload the offense and do some core pressures that they do a really nice job with. Their secondary is very aggressive in terms of challenging receivers, and you have to be able to get open against that tight coverage.
Overall, I think they have improved each week and we've seen many positive things from many different people on tape. Offensively, I've played against Kevin Gilbride's offenses at different times and I think he does an outstanding job wherever he's been. Their ability to stretch the field vertically with a lot of different players, whether it's [Plaxico] Burress, [Jeremy] Shockey or [Amani] Toomer, they have that ability and there are a lot of big plays on tape.
What I also like is their ability to catch shorter routes and the physical way they run with the football after the catch. In terms of the running game, a great example of a guy taking advantage of an opportunity is [Derrick] Ward. He had the chance to go in and be the primary ballcarrier and has done a really good job in that role and has made a case for himself moving forward. Those challenges are going to be important for us to address and to be able to handle.
On special teams, this is a very good coverage group, a lot of speed and a lot of guys that contribute on special teams. Usually there are one or two players that are the core guys and have the majority of the tackles. This group of teams players has a nice distribution of who is contributing in each of the different coverage units.
On whether the Giants' 12 sacks vs. the Eagles were mostly coverage sacks or blitzes …
I didn't break it down as purely four-man, five-man or six-man. There were a lot of other plays on tape where there was pressure applied to the quarterback and he either had to get it away quickly or had to scramble out and make something happen with his feet. With the combination of the two, there was a little bit more pressure than maybe they normally would run. Some of that may have been purely a function of their game plan against the Eagles. There is always a game-plan-specific pressure for that opponent and that's what you see on tape.
On controlling his team's emotions …
It's no different than any other week. It's really been no different over the past two years and it will be no different moving forward. The key thing is not getting too high after a win and not getting too low after a loss and taking a consistent approach. If you don't correct the mistakes after a win and you let those slide because you had a win and you don't pay as much attention to those things, it comes back and it hurts you later on.
After a loss, if you change the approach too dramatically, overstress certain things and it's not consistent, that can have the same type of effect where it's the law of diminishing returns. The most important thing is a consistent approach because the most important thing is the next game. The thing you're doing each week is trying to improve. You're trying to improve the process. If you improve the process, the results will come.
On Giants WR Plaxico Burress …
He is tough. He has been effective against little corners and big corners. He is an equal opportunist that way in terms of his approach to the different corners he's faced. I had some experience against him when he was in Pittsburgh, and he's been a problem since he's been in the league. He does a nice job going up and timing the ball in the air and using his size and leaping ability. Some guys are big but they can't quite time up the jump to go get the football. He does a really good job timing up the jump. There are a lot of things you have to address based on route formations and tendencies. You have to mix in man and zones, pressing off and being able to change up the punch to the approach.
On the Jets-Giants rivalry …
It's a city full of passionate fans. Jets fans are passionate. Giants fans are passionate. To be able to play each other is always exciting. I appreciate that element of it. Going to the stadium, it's usually your home stadium, and now it's not. It's a very different walk through the tunnel when you're playing the Giants and they're the home team than when you're the home team and walk through the tunnel. They're a little less friendly than our group. I definitely appreciate the passion of New York fans. That makes the game that much more exciting to play.
On changes to the offensive philosophy …
I liked where we've gone offensively. I've liked the evolution of the offense with the influx of new ideas whether it be through [QB coach] Brian Daboll and the things he brings to the table, the off-season studies or the evolution of how teams are approaching it and the way we're changing our approach. I've been really happy with the progress we've made offensively. In term of specifically rolling out and booting, we've never been a huge team in that area. There's always been some of that mixed in, and there's still some of that mixed in throughout the course of the games.
On the offense's progress …
I feel there's been some really positive things offensively. In terms of our completion percentage last game, 32-of-39, that's hard to do any week. It's really hard to do when you're in a passing situation and your opponent knows you're in a passing situation. The same thing happened with Baltimore when they knew we had to pass, everybody in the stadium knew we had to pass, and we still did that effectively. That's an important trait to have.
That's when it's so important for the receivers to be able to run good routes and get open and for the offensive line to be able to hold up, because the guesswork is for the most part taken out of it in terms of the defense. The defensive line is really teeing off at that point and the quarterback has to make good decisions because it's so apparent as to what's going to take place.
On cornerback Darrelle Revis …
He progresses a little more each week. That was the case with our draft picks last year and that will be the case of the draft picks every year, especially when they play early. You saw that with Nick [Mangold] and Brick [D'Brickashaw Ferguson] last year. You saw the evolution with Brad Smith and how he's gotten a little bit better as time has moved on and as he's learned more, guys like Joe Kowalewski getting a little bit more playing time, Kellen [Clemens] where he got significant playing time against Baltimore versus what he had played prior.
That's part of the process of learning and growing. You have to take the teaching in the classroom. You have to learn it, practice it and absorb as much as you can from your teammates, the older guys who have been through some of those situations. Some of it you just have to experience. I know with my kids I'll say, "Don't touch that, that's hot," but they touch it and then they figure out it's hot. Sometimes you just have to touch the stove.
I have liked what I've seen [of Revis]. I like his work ethic. I like his approach after he gets into a difficult situation. I think the best example of that is he has had some challenging plays, he'd had some plays he gave up, but then we come down to arguably the most important defensive play at the time, the rollout there on third down which would have sealed the game for them, and he makes a big stop. You're always looking for a player in any position, especially the cornerback position, to have a short memory. You get beat and you come back and you challenge the next time the same way. You learn each time, and the amount of times you're effective is going to increase substantially.
Otis Smith is the measuring stick for that ability to come back from a difficult situation. There were multiple times where he'd give up plays. I love Otis. That approach that he had, he'd go out, gave up a 9-route, he was back up there challenging being in the guy's face, and that's what you need. Ty [Law] had one of the shortest memories I've ever seen in my life. He gets beat and he's back up there doing the same thing the next play. That is a great characteristic to have. That's what you're always looking for. That is the five-second rule. You just move on. The next play's the most important play.
On D'Brickashaw Ferguson facing Osi Umenyiora …
Each week there are no vacation days for him. Jason Taylor was a pretty big challenge. Then [Aaron] Schobel, having to deal with him. I mean, there are two guys who basically are one and two in sacks over time. Now you're facing another really challenging, good defensive player that can present a lot of problems. It is just the life of a left tackle.
On Giants DE Michael Strahan …
He's made some pretty good plays on tape. When you have 12 sacks going on, and a lot of guys getting pressure, and you're not talking about Strahan as much, that's a pretty good situation to be in. If you fall asleep on a guy with his ability, his talent level, the things he's able to do, he can ruin the game.
On whether he has ever been part of a 12-sack game …
I think we had a nine- or 10-sack game against Atlanta one time. I can't remember what it was. I think it was nine or 10. That's the one that probably stands out the most.
On what it is like to be a defensive coach in a game like that …
You'd love to bottle up those days and figure out a way to get 12 sacks every week. Those are good days.
On his running game …
The running game is consistent. You're always looking to have a good balance of run and pass and be able to mix that in. The more you can do that and the more the defense has to deal with, the less they can just count on one thing or the other. Sometimes the situation of the game skews the run–pass ratio because you're either playing catchup or you're substantially ahead, as opposed to being in a game that's really tight or a lot closer and the balance can remain the same.
On Ferguson's progress …
It's his whole approach. He's had a good approach since he's been here. That's been consistent. What I've liked is the things he did in his first off-season here — coming up and watching extra tape, spending the time with Lomas Brown, Mike Devlin, Tony Wise, and doing that extra work. He continues to improve in the weight room. It's not a function of a few weeks, it's a function of a long, deliberate process of improving the areas you need to improve in. That's always the case whenever you have success or improvement. It's the result of a lot of steps, not just one switch.
On whether he feels more personal pressure after a 1-3 start …
It's really the same thing we've talked about quite a bit. Each year is so different, each situation is so different, and that's what you need to focus on is what's happening right now. The things that happened last year really don't matter. The things that are going to happen in six weeks or next year don't matter. What matters is what you're doing right at this point.
Collectively as a group, we're all working on making progress and we're all working on improving the process. It's a group effort. It's the players working to improve their personal preparation, practice and execution. The coaches are working to improve the game plan, the play-calling. We all work together to move the team forward. That's always the case when you're in this situation or any situation. It's got to be everybody together moving forward.
On the Giants' offensive line …
They do a nice job working together. It's been a little bit of a switch with Dave [Diehl] moving outside to left tackle. I think they've done a nice job with that. You see the way they work together and there seems to be a good chemistry among that group. It's produced some really positive things for them.
On his relationship with Giants head coach Tom Coughlin …
I haven't gotten to know him that well. I met him a few times and then I sat next to him at Romeo [Crennel]'s daughter's wedding. I got to spend some time with him there. He's a pretty funny guy. You don't know somebody until you get to know them, and I really enjoyed the time we got to spend in that situation. I thought he had a great sense of humor.
On why Coughlin's public persona doesn't imply "funny" …
That is the unique thing about a public persona versus who a guy really is. My experience with him was great. I enjoyed it, and I've enjoyed talking to him in the off-season. He's an excellent coach. He's been an excellent coach everywhere he's been. I like his approach and his attention to detail. You know, maybe we'll be doing some things at the Improv, I don't know ... Coughlin–Mangini, one night only. Can we get that on pay-per-view? I think it's going to be big. You heard it here first.
On his interaction with Coughlin during the off-season …
He does some things with his foundation that we've talked about. Some of the things I've done with my foundation we've talked about. I saw him at the owners' meetings and spent a little time with him there. It may not necessarily be one specific thing but more conversational things as opposed to just calling up and saying, "Hey, Tom, do you have an answer for this, or what do you think about this?"
On sharing a New York coaches bond with Coughlin …
We haven't specifically talked about that. That wasn't one of our topics.
