Coach Coughlin Speaks
Note: This conference took place prior to Michael Strahan‘s announcement that he would remain retired and not be returning to the Giants.
Coach Tom Coughlin began with a statement regarding Osi Umenyiora:
Regarding the surgical procedure on Osi Umenyiora, the doctors were very pleased. The surgery went well. The knee looked good. The prognosis is very, very optimistic for a full recovery. That is my quote.
Do you know how long that might be?
What did I tell you the other day? What did I say the other day?
My memory is ….
You don’t have a very good one, I know. I received information and notes from some of your colleagues indicating that I should have called you a little bit different name than I did yesterday.
Is Osi Umenyiora going to go on IR?
That has not been determined just yet.
Is that because there is a possibility that he could be back sooner?
That is just because we haven’t talked about it yet. We haven’t had the doctor and Jerry Reese and ownership together. And we will.
If there is a chance that he could return in January, would that…?
That would be something that the doctor would have to have a great deal of input on because there wouldn’t be sense in going that long and then not having him fully ready to go.
Did you receive any long distance phone calls (from Michael Strahan)?
I did not. I do know that contact has been made. Jerry Reese and Michael did talk, but as of my being out here there has been no information.
You kind of stayed away from distractions this summer. Do you think that this could be a distraction as this goes on?
I don’t think so. You have worked your hardest to make it that way. But right now I don’t feel that way, no.
With Mathias moving back to defensive end, whether Michael Strahan or somebody else comes in, does Kiwanuka stay at defensive end regardless?
Your hypothetical ones, I love them. I love them. I don’t have the answer for that. Who is the person that we are talking about who is added to that group?
When you had the conversation with Mathias, did you say, “You are here for good” or did you say, “you a ……..”?
The conversation was about him going to defensive end, which he was excited about.
Permanently?
I held my breath on the rest of the statement. This young man does whatever we ask him to do.
Where your linebackers are lining up now, how do you feel about that group?
They have all been starters. They have all played in very big games. The young guys are going to have to contribute, there is no doubt about that. But I feel like that is a position that we will be fine at, provided, again, these young guys come along.
But Gerris Wilkinson hasn’t really been a starter up to this point…
No, but he did play in the playoff game down in Tampa and played pretty well.
How does it change the landscape of the defense with Osi not being there?
Well, we are hoping it doesn’t change us a whole lot from the standpoint of how the strategy of the game unfolds and how Mathias is utilized. We are hoping that it does not change
Would you like to get him out there for a few snaps against New England?
They always ask if that would change. We will use him maybe a little bit longer than normal but not to any great extent.
Are you telling us that Michael and Jerry Reese have actually spoken?
Yes.
Could you at least…
I don’t have any information for you. I have nothing to tell you on that because I wasn’t a part of the conversation. But I know that they had spoken.
Do you expect that either one of them have set a timetable for him to come?
I don’t know that there is an absolute timetable but obviously the sooner the better.
What happened with Tyree?
Medically we felt that he will be much stronger and better with some more time.
Could you clear up one thing publically right now? Would you like Michael Strahan to ……..
Last summer you asked me the same kind of questions.
Right now would you like him to be a part of this team?
I’ll give you the same exact answer, okay. If Michael’s heart is in the right spot and he truly wants and has the desire to play, then without a doubt, open arms.
How much are you going to play regulars on Thursday?
Right now we will play them a minimum amount of time. Perhaps 10 snaps, and we will pick and choose a little bit on that as well.
Who is going to be the second quarterback?
(David) Carr will be.
Even though it is a preseason game, will there be more emotion maybe drummed up with the fact that it’s the Patriots?
I don’t think so. I think it is a preseason fourth-game. We have played the Patriots in this particular position – the fourth preseason game – all of the time that I have been here. And it is the fourth preseason game and I think Bill (Belichick) will look at it just like we are looking at it.
Any impressions from what you saw from Plaxico today?
Actually he has practiced well the last couple of days. And he has taken a lot of the team and seven-on-seven snaps, which a real improvement along those lines.
Is the fourth preseason more of a chore than anything else?
I wouldn’t put it in those terms, no. There are still a lot of young guys. What you would like to do is have a chance to play a lot of young guys and let them play and put them in situations and let them fend for themselves. But obviously when the game is over you want them all standing tall and ready to go the next week, too.
Does this last game still provide opportunities for a lot of those guys?
Yes. It provides opportunities for guys to play themselves into great expanded situations for them. That is what it does. Some of them are playing for a spot on the team, some of them are playing to expand their roles.
Will you give Plax any snaps?
I don’t think so.
RE: Waiving Michael Jennings
Real hard; real hard. A really, really, really fine young guy, just a very enjoyable young man to be around. And very sincere. He had a difficult time with it; we had a difficult time telling him. Just a really, really good kid. And we all wish him the best. He has been around here a while. He has become one of our own. He has had some unfortunates with the Achilles a year ago. I tell everybody the same thing, “Here is a kid that tears the Achilles and makes the catch.” That doesn’t happen very often. Usually whenever an injury of that nature happens the player no longer can focus on what he was doing. It is just the injury. This kid catches the ball. He is quite a guy and I wish him — we all wish him the very best.
Did you let him go with this cut and give him a little better chance to catch on somewhere else?
Well, no, we brought the linebacker in. We brought a linebacker in that we needed to play in this game – James Terry.
