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Transcripts: NYG Postgame (vs. Rams) Head Coach Brian Daboll December 31, 2023

January 01, 2024 10:15AM
NYG Postgame (vs. Rams) Transcripts: Head Coach Brian Daboll
December 31, 2023

Q: Explain the decision to run the ball there on second down on that last drive.


A: Yeah, I’d like to have it back.

Q: Was that a check or the play call was a run?

A: Yeah, I’d just like to have the play back.

Q: What did you think (Giants Kicker) Mason (Crosby)’s range was on that last drive?

A: That was right at the edge of it.

Q: Did (Giants Qcool smiley Tyrod (Taylor) give you an explanation on the fumble in the first half when you had
the fourth and one?

A: Yeah. He just fumbled it.

Q: What did you think about Tyrod’s play overall?

A: He did a lot of good stuff and a couple plays here or there we’d like to have back.

Q: What happened on the two-point conversion play?

A: What happened? He just missed it. We had (Giants Rcool smiley Saquon (Barkley), just short armed it a little
bit.

Q: Tell us the decision there. Obviously you’re going to kick it, then to change that.

A: Yeah, being it was on the one. Liked the call we had and just came up a little short.

Q: What did you think overall of the play of your veterans? (Giants Rcool smiley Saquon Barkley dropped a
pass, (Giants Qcool smiley Tyrod (Taylor) missed a couple passes, (Giants Ccool smiley Adoree’ (Jackson) on the tackle.
What do you think overall of just the way some of your vets played?

A: I thought everybody competed and just came up a little short.

Q: How frustrating was it to have so many big plays called back by penalties? It seemed like every
time you guys got a positive it was sort of counterweighted by a negative.

A: How frustrating was it? I wish we didn’t get the penalties.

Q: Did you ever start a game where you had two penalty challenges that you won?

A: Nope.

Q: Going back to that (Giants Rcool smiley Saquon (Barkley) run, would you have jumped in and vetoed it and
kind of changed the play call at all before it got to that point of being a run?

A: Yeah, I’d just like to have it back.

Q: Was the second down play—I mean could you have run a play or did you have to spike it there?

A: Yeah, look, we competed to the end, just a few plays here or there that obviously we’d like to have
back.

Q: What did you think of (Giants S Dane) Belton’s play stepping in after Pinnock was injured?

A: Yeah, he made some nice plays. The ball finds him. It did in training camp and a good example of a
player that wasn’t starting that’s ready to go and stepped in and did a nice job.

Q: Using the timeouts on defense in that spot—was it just circumstance, where you were, field
position? I mean I know you don’t see a 94-yard punt return coming, but any regrets in that spot to
not hold on to one of the timeouts?

A: No.

Q: What do you take away from a game where your team makes so many plays but has mistakes that
result in a loss?

A: Well, I think that’s like any game. I mean there’s plays that we had, mistakes, and we’ve got to
overcome some of the mistakes and, everybody, we can just do a better job starting with me. I thought
they competed well, came up a little short. There was so many opportunities throughout that game that
we just came up a little bit short on.

Q: On the third down play before the field goal, did it seem like (Giants Qcool smiley Tyrod (Taylor) had a
chance to get the ball to (Giants WR) Wan’Dale (Robinson)?

A: I’ll have to look at the tape.

Q: What do you say to the guys after a game like this?

A: That I thought they competed hard. Finished it up until the end and it’s never a good feeling to lose a
game. Put a lot into it, came up a few plays short.

Q: You did have about half a minute left there, did you have any thought on going for it on fourth
down to try and to get a little closer?

A: On the missed field goal? No, we were going for the field goal.

Q: What is (Giants Tackle) Tyre (Phillips)’ injury?

A: I don’t know. I don’t think it’s good. He was hurting pretty good. I mean, but it’s a knee. I know that.
He was in a lot of pain out there, but I haven’t talked to the doctors.

Q: What makes (Giants S) Dane (Belton) good at turning the ball over?

A: Usually, he has a good knack for being around the ball. Like I said, OTAs, training camp, things like
that, he’s usually… uncanny ability to be around the ball. It’s a good thing.



NYG Postgame (vs. Rams) Transcripts: QB Tyrod Taylor
December 31, 2023

Q: Can you take us through just that sequence, the two-point conversion, what did you see on that
play?

A: Obviously, just lack of execution and it started with me. (Running back) Saquon (Barkley) was open.
Was kind of caught in between running it and throwing it and didn’t do either one of them, but yeah, I
got to be better. It’s a routine throw, something I’ve hit plenty of times before but yeah that moment I
didn’t execute.

Q: On the last drive, that second down run play, can you just kind of take us through – I guess you’re
getting the call, the thought process there?

A: We called a draw play; thought we could get some extra yardage in that situation. Ultimately, they
ran a stunt and was able to be better than us in that moment.

Q: That wasn’t an alert? That was the play? That second down play?

A: It was a draw.

Q: Did you have a yard line in mind that they told you, ‘Hey we need to get to X’?

A: Yeah, we talked about a yard line early in the game. Whenever we hit the field to start the game, we
have a yard line both ways for obviously two minute, both end of half and end of game and just knowing
throughout the game where we are, where we feel comfortable and it was around that spot. I mean,
ultimately didn’t execute. It doesn’t boil down to (kicker Mason) Cros(by) or anybody, it’s just a lack of
execution overall. It’s hard to pinpoint and put it on one play, like I know football doesn’t come down to
one play, sometimes it gets judged that way but there was a lot of things left on the field that we
could’ve done better to put ourselves in a better situation.

Q: Why at that time did you think that was a good call, the Saquon draw? What did you see from their
defense?

A: I didn’t call the plays.

Q: Yeah, I know, you were optimistic it would work right?

A: Yeah, I have confidence in every play that we call, putting us in the right situation to go out there and
execute. I mean, at the end of the day we didn’t do a good job of executing that draw play and have to
learn from it and move forward.

Q: Is there one play that you want back?

A: For sure. Yeah, one play that sticks out is the two-point conversion and other than that, it would
probably be the interception at the right. We were able to bounce back from both of those at the end of
the day, just didn’t execute at the end.

Q: Did you think about running that?

A: Yeah, I was in between running and throwing. I take full responsibility of that, that falls on nobody but
myself and I’ll be better if put in that position again.

Q: Do you think that you were in between affected the throw?

A: Yeah. That’s not an excuse for the throw. Yeah, I’m not making an excuse for the throw. That’s
something that I’ve done before, something I’ll continue to keep doing, making that throw. But yeah,
the indecision, anytime you are indecisive on the football field it’s never a good thing.

Q: If you run it, do you think you’re going to make it there?

A: I do.

Q: Fumbled snap, what happened there?

A: Just miscommunication between me and (center John Michael Schmitz Jr.). It’s also tough in that
situation sometimes when you have a guy right in front of you as well too. Those guys were getting off
the ball pretty fast but we were able to execute the second time we ran it. But yeah, just bad
quarterback-center exchange and that starts with me.

Q: 31-yard scramble at the end on that last drive, can you talk about that?

A: They did a stunt. They put both their defensive end and their defensive tackle inside and I was able to
capture the right edge, saw some space and tried to make a play, get ourselves in the best situation to
go down and kick a field to win the game.

Q: After that, you get the call signaling to spike it?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you think you guys could’ve run a play? In a scramble situation?

A: Looking back at it, got to watch the film and just see. I thought it was the right call at the time. I never
second guess the coaches. I think that they do a great job of putting us in the best situation time
management wise. I was given a call and I relayed it to our offense and that’s what we went out and did.

Q: Can you take us through that (wide receiver Darius) Slayton touchdown?

A: Yeah, we actually had that play called earlier on the pick, (wide receiver) Jalin (Hyatt) was on the
other side and the safety kind of did something similar. And we knew that if we get a chance to get one-
on-one with these guys down the field to give them a chance. We also had the same play called on the
one that they called back to Jalin, up the right side as well too, going back towards our tunnel but
Slayton did a great job of stacking, getting over the top of the DB. He told me for a second he lost the
ball, started jogging, I still didn’t see that part, I just knew that when it left my hands that he was behind
the corner and looked up and hit him in stride.

Q: Was that one of the best balls you’ve ever thrown?

A: No. It was a good one, though.

Q: That ball was up there a while.

A: Yeah, it would be interesting to know how far it was in the air. Not that that matters right now.

Q: 60.

A: That might’ve been one of my farther throws then. Thank you.

Q: Do you find it almost unfathomable that you can throw an 80-yard rope to Darius and then the
two-yarder somehow just doesn’t work?

A: That’s part of the game. You play the game long enough, you’re going to make some throws, you’re
going to miss some. Hopefully you make more than you miss but yeah, in that situation, just was a lack
of execution on my end.

Q: As a veteran in this league, you have so many opportunitites, coach talked about so many
opportunities, you talked about so many opportunities, is it something you tell your teammates
afterwards to particularly given the number of young guys you have and just the way the season has
gone?

A: Yeah, there’s always room to learn. And I think those stand out obviously when you lose. It’s easy to
throw them under the rug or wash them away when you win just because you are so on the emotional
side of winning, but the biggest lessons come when you lose. You put more of a critical eye on
situations, you put a more of critical eye on yourself. I know that’s how I operate, and I think I’m better
from those and that goes with the sport and in life as well. So yeah, when times of adversity, which
we’ve dealt through a lot this year, there’s two ways to go and to be a good team, you have to be able
to look yourself in the face, understand what you didn’t do so well, be better at it, attack those
weaknesses and overall be a better player and ultimately that makes you a better team.

Q: Do you think that you should’ve won this game today?

A: Yeah, but I don’t think what should’ve or could’ve matters at the end of the day because we didn’t.
We did enough to put ourselves in a position to win but we also hurt ourselves in some areas as well
too. That’s the reality of the game and we have to be better in those moments.

Q: How would you assess your play today?

A: I think I played well, but like I told you I judge myself off wins and losses and ultimately today wasn’t a
winning performance, so it’s room to grow.

Q: Are any of these losses harder to shake off? You’ve had a couple of them this year, game against
Buffalo, game against the Jets, are these losses harder for players?

A: As a competitor, anytime you lose, it’s never a good feeling. I can’t say whether one is harder to shake
off versus the other, it’s just about looking at it with a critical eye. Like I said, looking in the mirror,
asking yourself what you could’ve done better and attack those for the next week.

Q: How do you keep guys up and motivated? You had a couple of big plays but there were holding
penalties that brought you back there but what’s it like going in the huddle to keep guys focused?

A: Next play mentality. Can’t control it. Refs make calls, we can’t change them. You have to think next
play because ultimately that’s what matters. If you’re letting something from the past linger on, then
you’re never truly focused for the play at hand. Guys, I would say, were able to bounce back today. A
couple unfortunate calls but that didn’t stop us, we were able to still get positive yardage and put
ourselves in the right situation.

Q: Was it just kind of typical today of the way the seasons gone? Some things have gone right but not
enough?

A: I think that’s the NFL in general. You look across the league, there’s highs and lows. We’ve been on
the losing end a couple times more than we wanted to obviously. But that’s not to say that everything
just went bad. It’s a lot of positives to take away from this game. Special teams, offense and defense.
We created turnovers on defense. We also gave it away too, but we were also able to create big plays.
(Wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski) had a great play on the punt return as well, too. So, it’s not all bad,
it’s just not good enough. Ultimately, that doesn’t get the job done, there’s no moral victories in this
game but there’s always positives to hold onto and to build from.

Q: What was the communication like – because obviously the Gunner touchdown kind of comes out of
nowhere, you come out to kick it and then you go for two. Was there any thought of going for two
when the ball was on the two-yard line?

A: No, we talked about it on offense, if we would’ve gone down and scored and the two-point to win the
game but being that it happened so fast, then they jumped offsides, so the penalty happened, pushes it
at the one, so you just like your chances better.

Q: Can you share what your process will be like tonight after a loss like today?

A: Watch the tape, get better from it, but also put it behind you. Whatever it is that creates balance in
your life. For me, it’s family. I have my family in town. I’ll spend some time with them and get ready for
next week.

Q: What particular plays are you going to focus in on when you watch the tape?

A: Yeah, all of them.



#HelmetHornsMatter

“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.

“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood


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  Transcripts: NYG Postgame (vs. Rams) Head Coach Brian Daboll December 31, 2023

Ramsdude69January 01, 2024 10:15AM