[Coughlin] not only had to make changes on the run [against Philadelphia], but he had to prepare to play a powerful football team in the Chiefs the next week. That's just not easy to do. |
[It is all a puzzle really. The draft, free agency, the tricky salary cap, a little luck here and there. The Giants already have the biggest piece, Manning.] The biggest thing about him, even last year, he doesn't throw the ball up for grabs, ... He doesn't take a lot of sacks when he shouldn't. |
And the answer is always no. |
Any team that blows the lead that we blew in the fourth quarter has no excuses, ... I don't want to hear about an official's call, O.K.? We have no complaints. |
As it is with all of these guys, do they have the stomach for pro football? I remember Jack Ramsey introducing me to Charles Barkley. I said to him, 'You would make a great tight end.' He told me I was out of my mind. He said, 'Do you think I want to get hit in the mouth on every play?' It's a different world. It's all about wanting it badly enough. |
Brandon has played on winning teams his whole career, including the New York Giants. He's a winner and a great teammate and it's terrific to have him back. |
But he is such an under-control, mature kid. He's just unflappable. What he went through last year and with the team just decimated around him, he's just a very poised young man. If it was a kid I really thought would be afraid of any situation, I might say something, but I don't think I need to. I won't say anything to (him). |
But you still have to go play, ... This is a sport where you get hit in the mouth 15 times a day. I don't care how much emotion you have, you still have to go play. That's how I look at it. |
Date of birth is very important to us. In a sport that's as physically taxing as ours, the correct date of birth is critical, not only in determining the physical maturity and growth potential of an athlete but also his longevity. We project body shaping and size, especially weight, and growth potential when we evaluate a player and project them. We make sure we know the correct date of birth and we do a lot of research to verify it. |
Destiny owes me one, |
Even if you have extra money, it still comes down to making good, sound football judgments. We made all our evaluations a while ago and we're not going to change a player's value because we have more money to spend. |
Everybody has done what they can. We set up as many plans as we could for as many scenarios as we could. |
He has had a physical with us. That's all that's taken place. If this triggers another round of hysteria, it will be inaccurate just like the last round. Nothing has happened in the negotiations. Obviously, you're not even going to think about a player without a physical examination. Now we have that. |
He is a clutch player, a class athlete, he's great in the clubhouse and he has three Super Bowl rings. He just adds stature to your team. |
He is such a cornerstone player and he's such a great representative, ... He's a leader. He has so much class.... And he's still productive. It's not like we're just giving him a reward for the past. We are, to a point, but he's still productive enough that he deserves what he gets. |