Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012(on why it’s so important to get pressure on a quarterback like Tom Brady) “It affects the whole passing game. It affects everything that is going on with the offensive team. The more you can affect the guy with the ball, the more of a chance you have to be successful. At the end of the day, the game is about advancing the ball or stopping the advance of the ball. Tom Brady will have the ball in his hands every play.”
(on how different it is to play for the Giants after playing for the Cowboys) “When I initially came in, it was different because I was drafted to the Cowboys, I came in with a rookie class of DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Jay Ratliff, and Marion Barber. We all kind of grew up together. Coming to a new team as a free agent with no one else, it’s a little bit different dynamic, but this team has embraced me and I love each and every one of these guys. I wouldn’t rather take the field with anyone else other than these guys. It’s just a tremendous opportunity and I’m thankful to play with the New York Giants.”
(on the key to stopping quarterback Tom Brady’s sneaks) “There is no fancy techniques. On fourth-and-one, that one yard is all about your heart. It’s all about the heart, the passion, and who wants that yard the most. Whoever is willing to line up and fight for that yard the hardest is going to win. That’s what it really comes down to.”
(on what Brady does on those short-yardage plays that stands out) “He’s really a tall guy, so obviously when he gets that forward momentum going, he has tremendous opportunity to get that one yard. Again, it comes down to the passion, the heart, all of the guys focusing in and willing to fight for that one yard. There is nothing fancy and nothing cute about it. No fancy X’s and O’s, just line up and fight for that one yard.”
(on what stands out about defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul’s transformation) “Just his understanding of the game of football. He’s fairly new to the game of football, and you can see that his knowledge of the game has grown and he has stepped up because of that new growth and knowledge of the game. When opposing offenses try to block and scheme for him and he’s able to be successful against those schemes with various techniques, alignments, and assignments, his growth from a knowledge perspective is very impressive.”
(on the defenses ability to finish games in the fourth quarter this season) “I think our whole team has learned how to finish. That was one thing that we started the season, a mantra to finish: finish the games, finish everything that you do in practice, finish lifts, finish everything. That’s been one of the themes for this football team. It’s just exciting to have this opportunity and have an opportunity to finish this season the way we want to.”
(on how much more dangerous it makes Brady knowing he was not happy with his performance against Baltimore) “I don’t think there will be any extra motivation. I think it’ll just be exactly what it is. It’ll be a tremendous opportunity for both teams. We started out the beginning of the season in training camp in July talking about the opportunity to play here in this game. That’s all the motivation that any competitor here needs to give it their very best and very all on Sunday.”
(on whether the Giants figured out a way to stop Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski) “You have to pay attention to him because he is a tremendous asset to their football team. He’s very versatile and the thing that stands out on tape to me is he is very physical. He’s a very physical football player in both the run game and the pass game. We have to be cognizant of where he is by formation, set, and down-and-distance in order to have an opportunity to neutralize him. He’s one of those guys that you obviously have to be aware of.”
(on the perception he had of Giants quarterback Eli Manning he had in Dallas as opposed to now) “Eli told everybody at the beginning of the season that he’s a leader, and he’s proven that with his performance. As a football player, one thing that stands out to me about him is his toughness and his ability to get back up when he’s knocked down. That epitomizes our football team and our season: we got knocked down but continue to get back up. In life and in football, it’s not a bad thing to get knocked down, but it’s a crime if you don’t get back up.”
(on why Manning has had so much fourth quarter success) “It’s one of those things where he’s a tremendous competitor and when we need it, he’s been able to dig deep to be able to find it. That’s a tremendous asset for him and for our football team. I’m just excited that the guy is on my side.”
(on what he demands out of the young defensive linemen) “I’ve got one thing and one thing only. I love those guys, and the only thing that I ask is that they put it on the line. They put it on the line for their guys and that means giving it everything you’ve got in all your heart and giving it all your effort to put it on the line for your teammates. At the end of the day, you play this game because you love it, and you play for the man playing next to you. You’re only as strong as that commitment. When you’re working in a team sport like that, you’re only as strong as the man playing next to you.”
(on whether forcing the Jets to take a safety was a turning point for the Giants defense and helped them put together this run) “I think that was a tremendous football game and a team effort. It was something where we needed to have a win, like the playoffs had started already for us at that point. I was able to have an opportunity to make a play for my football team and I tried to take advantage of it.”
(on the Giants number one concern going into the game) “You want to make the Patriots as one dimensional as possible. You want to try and take their running game away, and when they are balanced is when they are the most dangerous. We don’t want to fight the war on two fronts, and we want to put them in situations where they have to drop back and pass and hold the football with favorable down-and-distances so that our pass rushers will have the opportunity to effect the passer.”
(on who has the better team based on pure talent) “This football team has a tremendous belief in themselves even when others don’t believe in us. We’ve been knocked down and we continue to get back up. We are battle tested and have been through tremendous adversity. We are excited about the challenge on Sunday of facing the New England Patriots.”
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