Eli Manning Speaks
What things in particular need to improve from the opener?
We have to finish our drives, we had a few communication errors, and we had some missed opportunities. so that just comes with working with everybody. Obviously we have had Plaxico (Burress) who has just been here for a few weeks in our practices so it is just some timing stuff. We did a lot of things really well, it is just making a few corrections and that never stops. After each game you are going to have some things that you have to fix, corrections, and new looks and hopefully we just get better from week one to week two.
Is there any chance of taking the Rams lightly?
No. In the NFL you know you can’t take anyone lightly. If you don’t show up with your A game, then not only are you going to lose, you will be embarrassed. We have to go out there and play extremely well, execute our game plan, play physical football, smart football, and we have to play the way we are capable of playing.
What about St. Louis’ defensive scheme?
Their defense is good. They do some different looks, some different blitzes that can cause trouble, and in the game last week Philly just happened to have a couple of the perfect plays called versus that defense and hit them at the right times. You always have to be smart, they will cause some problems, they will make some plays, so we have to have a great plan, play smart football, recognize a lot of things, and make the adjustments.
You expect to see them play very well after last week and now being at home?
Yeah I think you always go in expecting the team’s best and we know what they are capable of doing. The defense can get sacks, can make plays, their offense is capable of scoring a lot of points, so we have to come in expecting to see a team that is angry and ready to play good football. We know we have to show up with our best football and be ready to go out there and play well.
How much of the road warrior mentality from last year carries over to this year?
Hopefully it does carry over and hopefully we can win games on the road, at home. It doesn’t matter where we are and who we are playing against, we are going to go out there and compete and find a way to win.
Do you think it was easier to win on the road last year because you didn’t have fans booing you like at home?
No, I don’t think so. I think it was just a matter of we were playing well on the road; it depends on the team, the game, and the situation. There wasn’t a specific answer, we were just winning on the road and we weren’t winning as many at home.
What kind of defensive schemes does St. Louis have that confuse teams and how are you trying to counter them?
They just have some good blitzes and some different looks that you don’t see every week, so it is just a matter of seeing and trying to recognize them and knowing what things we can get to, what plays work and won’t work, and guys making adjustments. They will make some good plays and we know that, but we just have to play smart football and don’t let their blitzes or different looks they give us cause us to make any mistakes.
