Transcripts of selected player interviews following Tuesday's afternoon training camp practice:
QB BRETT FAVRE
On if he's looking forward to playing the Giants since the loss in the NFC Championship Game…
No, I haven't really thought about it. As I've said all along, they deserved it. Not only in our game — the way they played throughout the playoffs. Believe me, I wanted to win the game, but I give them a tremendous amount of credit and respect. But that's over and done with. Obviously, it's a new year. A lot of things have changed. It's a preseason game for us. I'm not thinking about the past. They're the team to beat in this league. We're just trying to get better this week.
On Laveranues Coles practicing again…
When we get him back on the field, we want him at 100 percent. Obviously he didn't do a lot today. We just kind of talked through some things. I can't wait to get him back. It's given the other guys an opportunity to get some valuable work in. In the two-minute drill today, we made some mistakes, had some communication errors, not to say that wouldn't of happened with Laveranues and myself.
I don't think, and I'm sure Eric [Mangini]'s the same way, he doesn't want to put him on the field until he's 100 percent. It makes no sense. But having him out there, talking through things, having his experience can't do anything but help us.
On finding the "middle ground" with Mangini for learning the offense…
It's a work-in-progress. We're not going to change the offense. They're not going to change the offense. I've said this from day one that it's much easier for one to get on board with 10 than 10 to get on board with one. All I've tried to stress to those guys — Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer], [Brian] Daboll, and even Eric is kind of on board with me a little bit — is the terminology.
Every coach is different, every coach calls this play something different. But the bottom line is you can only play Cover-4 so many ways, you can only play Cover-2 so many ways, you can only run a curl flat really one way. How you call it remains to be seen. The concepts for the most part are familiar to me. There may be a little changeup here or there. The protection we use here is different than what I did in the past. But, it's more or less, OK, how can we all get on board quickly? Getting it out, executing it, what changes need to be made at the line of scrimmage?
For the most part, it's things that people don't see that we've got to get on board with in a hurry. Sight adjustments, audibles, things like that. What's the easier way for me to get to those? Is it using the term that's in place or maybe coming up with a new term? Not to mention changing it up and having more than one term for a lot of things. It's a work-in-progress. I think that'll be the case all year long.
On if he wanted to come back because he didn't want his last pass to be the interception to Corey Webster in the NFC Championship Game…
No. I could see why people would think that. It's happened to me twice in my career. Believe me, it's disappointing. Wanting to come back for one play to me is obviously the wrong reason to come back, wanting to come back to prove someone wrong or wanting to come back for what happened this offseason. The only reason I came back is I wanted to play, simple as that.
On the rumors that he felt sick before the NFC Championship Game…
I thought I felt pretty good. Yeah, I was sick [joking]. I was fine. Everything was going wrong, but I toughed it out.
On how things would be different if the Packers had won the NFC title…
Maybe we're not here. I have no idea. I'd like to have that opportunity to make that decision. I've been asked that question a lot. The answer is, I don't know.
How Coach Mangini's playbook compares to Coach McCarthy's in Green Bay …
How much thicker is his playbook? He's a defensive guy, McCarthy's an offensive guy. The logistics of the whole practice and how he handles the team and stuff is different. Who's right and who's wrong? I don't think either one of them are. I think it's their way of doing things. I think the track record speaks for itself in both cases.
I don't think you can compare playbooks based on their backgrounds. Really, it's Schottenheimer's playbook, the one I got. Believe me, there's a lot of wasted trees out there, as I've always said throughout my career with all the paper that we print out. That's a joke.
On what he likes about Coles…
I talked with him today in the locker room and said he's a lot like [Green Bay WR Donald] Driver. I mean that with the highest confidence. First and foremost, his experience. There's no substitute for experience. I've seen a lot of guys come and go that had tremendous speed, who could jump high, who could bench-press more than anyone in the locker room. But could they play football? When it's all said and done, that's the most important thing, can you play?
Every guy at every position is different from the next guy. Obviously, Laveranues has had a great career up to this point. I don't see any reasons, barring some freak injury, why he doesn't have a wonderful five more years or however long he wants to play. But I think his playmaking ability, yards-after-the-catch ability, is a lot like Driver along with his experience.
Things that are said in our meetings, quarterbacks and skill guys, one guy may say, "Can you repeat that?" [Coles] gets it right away. As you play, you learn, you gain experience. The reason you want to fun a flat route with a curl is you want to pull a flat defender out of there. Initially, most guys come into the league and they just think they call a flat curl just to call it. But understanding why you try to do things, how your trying to attack coverages and things like that, I can tell right away he's got that down. Once again, there's no substitute for that.
On how his father would have felt about everything that has happened…
He was pretty straightforward. He would've wanted me to play all along. I'm sure it would have been in Green Bay. But he'd probably be out here at practice every day raising hell with me, what I could be doing better. He would've wanted me to play until my legs fell off. That was just the way he was.
On how he has changed in the last 10 years, since he last visited Japan for an NFL preseason game…
First of all, right here [points to head]. I'm a lot grayer. We don't have all day. I'm older. I think I'm wiser. Physically, maybe I don't move around as well as I used to and I'm just assuming that. My arm feels as good as it did back then. Obviously a lot has changed as far as the landscape being here in New York.
You're right, we did have a lot of success. We had won a Super Bowl two years prior, or maybe even the year before. The fact that I'm still here I guess says a lot, I don't know. I still feel like I'm the same player. I'm sure people may question that but that's OK.
On if he feels like he's developing more chemistry with the receivers…
I feel like we're working on it. I'm not going to lie to you and say that we have gotten it down. Once again in the two-minute drill today, we made some real good plays. A lot of signals were given today. Some things that I had recommended we try, we've put in during the weeks [I've been here] and have really just talked about them. We never really came out and executed them. We kind of turned it loose today. We did good on a couple. We didn't do quite as well on other ones.
The good thing is it was practice. We can go back and look at it on film and make the corrections. I don't think we're even close yet. I don't say that in a negative way. I think we're making strides. For me, it gets worse before it gets better. There will be some mistakes. Same for me. I made a couple of checks in practice today. Some run checks that were OK, it wasn't the best check. I have to get better at that. We have to get on the same page, and the only way we're going to do that is by practicing and going about it like it's a game and game-type situations. I'm pleased with the progress we're making.
On how his teammates have responded to the attention…
You'd have to ask them. I would say that they've handled it well. That has been a concern of mine from day one. It was a big concern of mine when I was in Green Bay two weeks ago, the distraction that it would bring. I think the distraction would have been worse in the long run as opposed to the initial two weeks or whatever here.
I think this team has handled it well. Attention is sometimes good or bad. It's fun. It can get old. I think the way I handle it and try to approach it with the team in my opinion has been the right way. We're trying to go about the season as a team and the team only. I can't control all the things that go on outside. I can only control what goes on on the field and in the locker room. I think from that standpoint it's been OK.
On how much he wants to play Saturday…
With every preseason game I've played in, I'd love to play the whole game. If I'm going to come out here and practice, I'd love to play in the whole game. That's just my mentality. Will that happen? No. We're going to be smart about it. Whatever Eric wants to do. We haven't really talked about it.
You'd like to go in and play, like the other night, maybe get some more plays and be as successful. But, what if you're not? Do you keep trying to gain that success and in the process something bad happens? I don't know. I think it's kind of a touchy situation. Based on how much I've played or haven't played, I would think I would play more.
On having the opportunity to play in a two-minute situation in a preseason game…
I would assume before preseason's over I would get that situation. But if not, I am getting a lot of it in practice. Eric and I talked about it yesterday, and he's asked me every day, "What do you think tomorrow?" Our communication's been great. I said, "Well, there's no substitute for game-type situations." Two-minute drills, red-zone situations, third-down situations — you can't do them all in one day. We're trying to throw those in.
It's goods against goods. Dealing the cards is important, but there's no substitute for live action. So what I don't get in a game, we're trying to get in practice. Obviously, there's no substitute for games.
On if he watched the Giants preseason game last night vs. Cleveland…
When I turned it on it was 30-3. That wasn't good [laughs].
On how good the talent is on the Jets…
They're good. I haven't played with this much experience in quite a while. You take a guy like Alan Faneca. The guy's been tremendous for so many years in Pittsburgh. I think he will fit in well here, as I think I will as well. The thing is, and you know this, it's all about chemistry. How quickly we can get that chemistry? That's the big question.
Mike Tannenbaum has done a great job of picking up free agents. He knows as well as I do that doesn't guarantee anything. If we can get that chemistry, play well together, this team has a good chance. Our receiver talent here is a lot like what I played with in Green Bay. Young, quick guys, each one of them offers a little something different than the next. We have four or five guys that can easily make big plays at anytime. I like it.
On developing chemistry to where all he has to do with a receiver is look at him to change a play at the line of scrimmage…
I'd like to say we could get to that point. We're talking through things like that. That's being on the same page and doing it for a long time. Can that happen here? I think the experience that we have, these guys have been around. There are some young receivers, but I think that's where I can come in and help and try to simplify things.
You would obviously like to be in a great play every time you go to the line of scrimmage or be able to get into the perfect play. But if not, we've got to be able to call an audible without calling an audible sometimes if that makes any sense. So, we're working on it. I think it's possible. To the degree we did in Green Bay? Time will tell.
WR JERRICHO COTCHERY
On WR Laveranues Coles' relationship with QB Brett Favre…
It all starts with communication. He's been communicating very well with Brett. Once he gets back on the field, the chemistry will be there.
On the offense…
We're still headed in the right direction. We're coming out with great focus each and every day. As long as we stay on the same path, we'll be able to get better each and every day and become the offense that we want to be.
On the offensive playbook being simplified…
We shrunk it a little with [Favre] in the beginning. We've still been adding some things. He's been taking in the plays pretty well and he's been progressing in the process. He's been doing a great job. You have to be great at a certain number of plays before you expand. We've been doing a great job of that, just getting better with our core players. We're just getting better each and every day.
On if he would like to see Favre play longer Saturday…
The coaches have a great plan of what they've been doing this preseason. We've been getting better as an offense this entire training camp. We've been making progress each and every preseason game. We're feeling comfortable as an offense. We're not in a state of comfort where we're getting complacent. We still feel confident in what we're doing right now. We'll be able to get better each and every day.
K MIKE NUGENT
On if he believes his teammates are confident in him…
My main goal is to do whatever I can on the field just to make sure we can come out of the game with a win. Probably one of the toughest times in my career so far was that Tennessee game when I had a real rough day, but my teammates applied the five-second rule. They were thinking, "Let's just get back at it and get the field goal." We did and we proceeded to go on to win the game. I was really excited with the outcome. Our teammates did a great job that game.
On what changed from the season opener in 2006 to the end of the 2006 season when he was automatic at field goals…
It was really one of those things where I just needed to go out by myself and kick a few balls and just kind of get my head on straight. I missed that extra point from the start. I don't normally let one kick get to me, but for some reason — maybe it was because it was the beginning of the season — I let that one get to me and I let it affect me the rest of the day. I just kind of got on the field the next day and got my head on straight.
On how much of his job is physical vs. psychological…
I think at this level, whether you can get all 32 kickers together, maybe on a day like today practicing, everyone would be hitting field goals, but I think the difference is what you can do when it actually counts. I think the talent is unbelievable that you face and see every day, but if you can do it when it all counts, that's when it makes the biggest difference.
On if he graduated…
Yes, I finished up school. I went back in the winter and then I had a couple of classes to go this spring with two-hour lectures on the phone twice a week. My teacher's aid wanted me to finish.
On the degree he earned…
Logistics management. It's basically how does this get from here to there, applying it to shipping products and things like that. One of the biggest numbers that I noticed is that 17 percent of any product you see figured into 100 dollars, 17 dollars of that price went into from getting it here to there. I thought that was really interesting. It's something you don't really think about when you go to Walmart and buy something. You don't really think about how it got there, so it was fun learning stuff like that.
On if he is thinking about applying that to a business…
It's one of those deals where I have been told it's in the process, it's not very integrated yet. It could be worked on so much. It's a big money saver. If you do things right here and there, you can save a company a lot of money. It is probably one of the big operations things we did.
