Eli’s postGame Comments
What is your assessment of opening the season?
Well, it’s a win and that’s a start, and that was our goal. Obviously there’s some things we can work on. I thought we ran the ball extremely well, the offensive line, backs ran tough. Passing game, we hit some good plays, we did some good things, but there’s still some miscues that we had that you have in the first game. We were doing some checks, we were doing a lot of different things out there. We had a few plays you’d like to have back, but that’s just… That’s something we can continue to work on and we’ll get better.
Can you talk about Plaxico Burress‘ performance and what type of difference you notice in him now that he’s healthy?
He played really well tonight. He had some big catches, some in-routes, some curls and different things he did really well and he had a good – I could tell before the game, just doing our warm-ups a couple of hours [pregame] he had a lot of energy, he was coming off the ball well. He was excited to play. I could tell he felt good and it shows. We’re still getting there. We’ve still got – We had some miscues tonight on a few things because you don’t practice, you get some different looks, you haven’t worked in force and reminders and different things, so we’ll get that going and we’ll be even stronger.
Can you tell us about the confidence of the team, how it’s been affected by what you guys accomplished last year?
I think our team feels good. I think every game going into last year we felt good. We felt confident we could go out there and win. I think tonight it’s the same thing. We feel like if we go out there and play to the best of our ability, play the way we know we can, we’ll be a tough team to beat. Just going out there, being consistent and playing smart football.
Was it strange that you could throw the ball from outside the 20 at will and inside you had problems?
We had a couple of just 3rd-and-short’s we didn’t convert on. That’s not like us. We’re usually pretty good at that situation. [We] had another where we got down there and had a penalty – it was my fault – [and we were] pushed back to the 10 and tried a screen and it didn’t work. So we just had a few bad plays and when you get inside the 10 yard line, everything’s got to be perfect. Everything’s got to be precise and just how you want it. We got one touchdown, had to settle for some field goals a couple of times, so that’s something we need to get better [at] and find ways to get in the end zone and not settle for field goals.
Do you think you put to rest the stories that you’re not quick on your feet with that first touchdown you scored?
I don’t know. I asked Plaxico who broke more tackles today, me or him, and I think I won. I don’t know what – I’m not swift of foot by any means, but if the play calls for me to try to get in the end zone, I’ll try to do it.
How were your emotions tonight, with the crowd, running out of the tunnel and then seeing Michael Strahan? How did that feel?
It was great. It was a great opening to the season. Obviously a lot of emotions, a lot of excitement. You could feel it in the crowd. The little video they played and then to have Michael there holding the trophy. It was a great crowd tonight. They were fired up, they were here early. For our defense they were getting loud. It was good for us to finally play well at home and to win a game at home. It’s been a while, so that was fun.
How important was it to score on the opening drive?
That was our goal. We wanted to come out and start fast and the last couple of times we played Washington we got off to kind of slow starts. They jumped out on us the last two times. When we played them last year and we had to try to fight back to get in the game, where this time we really jumped on them, we ran the ball well the whole first half. They were getting tired on defense just because we were pounding the ball and keeping the ball for long periods of time. That helps our defense and that’s the way we like to play football. We like to control the clock, move the ball, be consistent, get our three or four or five yards a play and just avoid the bad plays. We had a few bad plays and that’s what we have to eliminate.
How much of a lift is it to you and the organization that they were able to work out an extension for Burress?
Someone just told me about it, so I didn’t know before the game, but obviously I’m excited that he’s going to be – continue to be a part – I don’t know the deal, but I’m excited for him to continue to play for us and be a part of this team. He’s a tremendous player and makes a lot of big plays for us, and he had a good game tonight.
How comfortable do you feel with those short passes to Brandon Jacobs?
The second play we had a screen that we just – It was just a bad play by me. We had a few other ones where he got some pressure. I was trying to come to him late and we missed a few. We’ll just continue to work with trying to get the backs into the passing game, give us some completions, get their confidence in catching it. We worked on that pretty hard in training camp and in the spring, just trying to get them used to catching balls from the quarterback. We had one on a little – on a play-action where he got the ball and got an eight yard gain, and Brandon had a catch – I mean, Derrick [Ward] had a catch on a flat route, so we’re getting there and it will just be another weapon in the passing game.
You and Burress have been effective over time, but can it get significantly better still?
I think the passing game can improve. We have to improve it with everybody. Obviously Plaxico played well tonight and did some good things, but we have to figure out how to get everybody else in the action – get our tight ends in the action, Amani [Toomer], Steve Smith. We have a lot of weapons. We’re not going to try to force it to one guy. I think my timing with all of my receivers can get better and our production can improve.
How do you envision this offense with what you have as far as linemen? Is there an element of unstoppablity you think this offense can achieve?
Yeah, I think we work well together. Guys really understand what’s going on. We’ve been around each other for going on four years, really, where everybody’s kind of been a part of this and has a great understanding, so anything that’s thrown at us, we make adjustments, we act quickly and we bounce back. We have to work on obviously putting up more points than we did tonight, but I think it was a good start. We did some things really well. We did some things poorly we’ll work on, but I think if we can run the ball like that and hit some big passing plays to make cuts and move the ball to get in scoring position, we’ll be in good shape.
There were so many questions about the defense coming into this game with the five new starters. When you kept putting them back on the field, did it feel like they kept bailing you out, playing to the level of last year?
I think they were playing really well. I think in the first half they had a lot of three-and-out’s and we were moving the ball and keeping them off the field for the most part. In the second half they really stepped up and obviously shut them out and gave them no points. They’re playing well. They’re confident and hopefully they can continue to play that way. If you go into the fourth quarter with a two-score lead, it makes your life a little easier.
