NEW YORK GIANTS MEDIA DAY - RUNNING BACK AHMAD BRADSHAW - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on how preparation and focus differ for a Super Bowl) “It is just focus and the preparation. It is the biggest game of the year. All you have to do is prepare and play your hardest. That is the best way to do it.”

(on if the speed of the game in the Super Bowl is different than other games) “No, I can’t say that. It is all the same. Everybody is a pro on the field and I think if you give your hardest I think everything goes the right way.”

(on the level of intensity in the Super Bowl) “It is the biggest game of the year, everybody is ready to play. Everybody is the fastest. Everybody is the strongest at this point of the year. Everybody just wants to win.”

(on if the extra week is a distraction or a benefit in regards to injuries) “It helps in my situation, with these bad feet. It is just a lot of hoopla, but the preparation helps and the recovery, yes.”

(on how hungry the Giants are) “Very hungry. We want this more than anything. We have a lot of guys who haven’t been here, who have played a long time. We have a lot of guys that have been here and just want that second ring.”

(on how this time differs compared to his first time in the Super Bowl) “I am a little more experienced. As a rookie I was out there with my head cut off, out there just playing my hardest. Now I know a little bit, and I have been in this situation and I am ready to win again.”

(on how intense the Super Bowl was four years ago) “It was very intense. With me I was a rookie, so I didn’t know what was going to go on. It was one of the best times of my life. It was one of the biggest times of the year football wise. You just have to live up to it.”

(on how great it would be to win another Super Bowl ring) “My other hand is jealous. It would be the best thing in the world for me and a lot of guys on the team.”

(on being here bringing back memories from Super Bowl XLII) “It is start to, getting off the plane yesterday, seeing the crowd, just being here in this environment. It is starting to become the same thing.”

(on the distractions in Indianapolis compared to other Super Bowl cities) “With the team, you just have to stay focused. You don’t worry about the outside, the beaches and having fun. You stay focused and prepare for the game.”

(on if Tom Coughlin has mellowed) “He is still tough. He wants to win as much as we want to. Like I say, he prepares us for every game and he stays on us to stay focused.”

(on this year’s Giants team compared to the team four years ago) “We are a whole different team. Then we just had a lot of athletes that just went out and played football. Now we are a lot more confident, and we know we can win.”

(on the week of preparation last week) “It has been excellent. We have had great practices, fast. Everybody is recovering. Everybody is just getting back into the mood. I think we are ready.”

(on the differences in how he approaches this Super Bowl compared to Super Bowl XVII) “Just more experienced, I have been here before, a lot of guys have. We are just trying to keep the younger guys focused and just ready to play.”

(on the play of Eli Manning late in games) “He is an excellent quarterback. He has a lot of heart. He never gives up even when the times are down and we are just trying to fight back into it. He just sticks in there and takes a lot of hits and throws the football excellently.”

(on his impressions of Super Bowl Media Day) “It is just a lot of hoopla. We are just ready to play football and go out there and have fun. Just staying focused this week is the main key.”

(on trying to run up the middle against New England nose tackle Vince Wolfork) “He is an animal in the middle. He clogs the holes. He is a beast. All we can do is try to contain him and run around him.”

(on the importance of the Giants’ running game) “It has taken a lot of pressure off of Eli (Manning). He sticks in there as much as he can. As running backs we try to take pressure off of him by running the ball. Just trying to get through the holes and everything with ‘B’ (Brandon) Jacobs switching positions, it is kind of tough with me and him, but he kind of lets it flow.”

(on what the moment is like playing in the Super Bowl). “It is something you have to take advantage of. You can play hard anytime of the year. This time is the biggest game of the season. Stay focused and do the same thing you have done all year.”

(on representing his hometown in Virginia) “I’m blessed. Coming from a small town and been able to go through Marshall and getting looked at and picked up by the Giants ,7th round, I have been blessed. To get this opportunity my first year in the league and now, it is unheard of.”

(on who he thinks about from his hometown) “My coach. He passed the year after I left, Glenn Carlock. He installed the heart in the game for me. My hat goes off to him. He is a big part of my life in football.”

(on if New England is seeking revenge in this game and if he thinks about it) “We don’t think about. We know that a lot of guys on this team have been here. We want it just as bad. We don’t see the revenge, we just see playing hard and winning.”

(on if he thinks New England wants revenge) “I’m sure they do. The guys that lost, I am sure they do. The guys that weren’t there they want a big piece of this.”

(on the most upset he has seen Eli Manning) “I don’t think I’ve seen him upset. I’ve seen him a little rattled here and there, but he shakes out of it. He is an excellent quarterback in all different phases. He just finds that secret pass where he just gets into and gets into that football mood.”

(on Eli Manning’s laid back nature) “I respect his game. He is one of the smartest quarterbacks I’ve seen. Just his niche for the game, he feels pressure from everywhere and he is able to get the ball off different times and with me he pitches the ball to me and I am able to make plays. I’ve talked about it before, he has been able to pitch the ball to me when he is bottled up, and just make a play out of it.”

(on some key Giants players not playing versus the Patriots in Week 9 and if that adds to the Giants’ confidence) “Definitely. It gives us a lot of confidence. For the other guys, they played their butts off. I can’t take anything away from them. They may play harder just because we are in there. It just gives us a lot of confidence and I think we have a lot of weapons back that can help the game.”

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MEDIA DAY - RUNNING BACK STEVAN RIDLEY - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on whether he’s surprised at the success he’s had) “I would have to say so. You look at this game, and this is the pros, the big leagues. You never know how you’ll do. One thing about LSU (where Ridley went to school) is that they prepare you for the next level. For us, we know how to work hard down there, and coming into the league, I think hard work always pays off wherever you are. If I’m committed to my career, my teammates and my coaches, you have no choice but to be successful, and that’s what I try to do each and every day.”

(on the Patriots having an LSU pipeline) “Right. I look at (RB Kevin) Faulk, a guy that’s from down there, and LSU is a school that has a lot of tradition. You look at the Patriots, it’s a team that has a lot of tradition, and I think that’s what they both have in common. Faulk is trying to teach me as a 13-year veteran to a rookie from the same school he’s coming from. If I can have half the career that Faulk did, I’ll be a happy man. At the same time, I’m trying to go out there and get 13 (years) out of it, too. Faulk is teaching me those things, how to handle coach (Bill Belichick), how to handle the different things that come along with this game. It’s more than just playing football. You have to be an adult. This is your job, and that’s what he’s teaching me, the right way to do things.” I’m just trying to go out there and be a good (LSU) Tiger and good Patriot at the end of the day.”

(on LSU always having a strong and deep running back corps) “Man, I’m going to tell you this: that (LSU locker room) room is a special room, a room of history. You look at the backs that are in the NFL. I remember when I got there, (Chargers FB) Jacob Hester was there. He wasn’t the fastest guy; he wasn’t the strongest guy; but the one thing about him is that he had heart, and that’s one thing that I took note of as a young player, and that’s someone I looked up to. I look at how fast the four years went by, playing with those guys and running behind that offensive line. LSU has always had great backs and a big offensive line, so we know how to run the football. For me, that’s the easy part of my game, running the football. I have to focus on some of the other things to bring my game all the way around so I can be a complete all-around back.”

(on Frank Wilson, who was Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ RB coach at Ole Miss and Ridley’s at LSU) “Coach Frank, I’m going to say this: he’s a realist, man. Frank never sugar coated anything and he told us we’re only as good as we want to be. You have to perfect your trait, and our trait was running the football. If you’re dedicated to that, you can take yourself a long way. I’m here to say I never thought I’d be here in a million years. I never thought I’d be playing football in the NFL, but one thing I did know how to do was work hard, and that’s something coach Frank told me: keep your nose clean and work hard and the sky is the limit. That’s all I can do right now is just stay focused, keep that tunnel vision on and try not to be distracted with all the extra stuff even though it’s great. It’s great to be here, but at the end of the day, when you step on this turf and in between the white lines, you have to come out here and put your ‘A’ game on the field, and that’s all that I can do.”

(on how this experience feels) “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime, and it’s a true blessing. Like I said, this is a dream come true for me, but it’s not true just yet because we have to finish this on Sunday night. But for me, I’m not taking this opportunity for granted, and I know who’s in control of my destiny. So for me, it’s just going out and being the player God created me to be, and that’s all I can do.”

(on the purpose of this game) “The purpose of this game is just to go out there and play ball. It’s the big stage, and there’s a lot of people watching, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But I find peace when I’m on the field, and I know there’s someone cheering from above. I’ve been raised in a Christian home. My mom raised me in a church. It may not look like it, but I have fun and do my thing, but at the end of the day everyone can’t perform on this level. For me, it’s a blessing that I’ve been able to come out here and just play and be the person and player I am and have confidence in what I do, because I know that God has my back. It’s just going out there and playing ball and making it easy on Sunday.”

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MEDIA DAY - RB KEVIN FAULK - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on what is the ‘Patriot Way’) “Like anything else, with any kind of sport, it’s winning. Winning takes care of everything. If you want to say the ‘Patriot Way,’ that’s it. Just winning. You know what it is, coming in doing the hard work, doing the dedication. Sometimes you don’t want to wake up in the morning, but you have to. Early, early just to go take care of a meeting or get a massage to be ready for that morning meeting, that morning practice you have. You know what it is.”

(on what it was like when he first got to the Patriots and how it has transformed to what it is now) “I think Deion (Branch) said it perfectly last night: Bill Belichick. His work ethic. Once you see a coach put in so much work and so much passion to what he does, that just trickles down to the team. Everybody else wants to be like him.”

(on if it was an immediate change when Bill Belichick came in) “Like anything else, it takes time. The team grew and it’s continuing to grow.”

(on if he appreciates how long he has been with this team) “That’s one of the reasons why, appreciating, understanding the consistency level of being at this place. No disrespect to any other place in the NFL, because I’m pretty sure every other place is wonderful, but to be consistent on this team, knowing what it takes to be a New England Patriot and knowing how much hard work you have to be here. That’s one of the top, in the top three, of my things of being in the NFL.”

(on his secret to staying in New England for so long) “Consistency. Being able to do what they ask you to do in a consistent manner, however, whatever it maybe.”

(on if it has been fun to have a teammate also from New Orleans in BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Stevan Ridley) “That’s kind of one of the things we always talk about, how much ties we have together. Being from the Louisiana area, Stevan (Ridley) being from Mississippi, it’s a great thing.”

(on if he thinks about being the last legacy from the pre-Belichick era of the Patriots) “At this point no. You tend to do that when you’re done playing, and understanding that you’re still in the game right now and you want to focus and put all your attention to playing the game.”

(on how he has prepared the younger players for this game) “Just helping them understand that we’re here to play the football game. All the other distraction is for everyone else. We’ll be able to take care of that after the game is over. Just we’re here for a game.”

(on how his faith has helped him make it through all the demands of 13 years in the NFL) “I think this year it really has been…it helped me a whole lot. My faith in God and believing that things in life happen for a reason. Being in the NFL for 13 years, 11 or 12 of those years I was one of the guys that was on top. This year I’m not that guy, but God has kept me where I’m doing more things to help my team besides just playing on the football field. I’m helping my teammates, answering questions, understanding what the game of football is more from a standpoint of just playing it. Because when you’re playing it, you’re in it. I’m learning a whole lot right now.”

(on what he would tell people who go through adversity who don’t have Super Bowl experiences) “You don’t have to have Super Bowl experiences to go through adversity. You just have to go through life and understand that God is guiding you each and every day. That’s the thing I do every day.”

(on how Super Bowl week has changed since the last time he was in it) “You can see it right now. You’ve got a lot more fans. We’ve been getting the fans more involved, but it’s still the game has to be played on Sunday.”

(On how QB Tom Brady has changed since he got to New England) “It hasn’t been a big change. He’s still that guy that’s competitive, passionate, fiery guy that wants to go out and win, make every throw, make everything the best he can so his guys can make a play.”

(on if the first Super Bowl win means the most to him because it was the beginning of this great run by the Patriots) “I think the next one means more than anything, trying to get to that next one. I think I answered a question earlier about what happened early in my career. I think you worry about that later on after you’re done playing. Once you’re in it, you’re in it. You don’t want to look back and think about what you’ve done. You wait until that’s over.”

(on if he tries to enjoy this Super Bowl) “Of course. You have to enjoy what you’re doing now. You try to enjoy everything. It doesn’t matter if it’s toward the end or it’s at the beginning. You still try to enjoy it because you never know if that’s going to come again.”

(on if he ever gets his Super Bowl rings out and if they are an inspiration to him) “Oh, of course. Not just to you, to guys that have never been here. To guys that have never been in this situation to see what they’re playing for. To see what it means to them and to see their faces, their expressions on their faces, it’s a great thing.”

(on if he ever wondered if he would get back to another Super Bowl when he got hurt last year) “Sort of kind of, but that’s every year though. That’s every year. If you make it there, you always wonder if you can get back there because you know there’s a lot of different ways and a lot of different situations that have to go on in order for you to make it to this point.”

(on if it is more special to make it this far now) “Each and every year it makes it that much more special because you knew the hard work that it took. Every way was different.”

(on if he has talked to the young guys who haven’t been to Super Bowl before) “Oh, of course. Most definitely. It’s an experience of a lifetime. You have to tell them that it’s an experience, but have fun, but also understand that we’re here to play the game.”

(on if there was ever a time the Patriots brought a new running back in and he thought his career there was over) “Once you put yourself in that predicament, you’re done. You lose. I’m never going to do that, no disrespect to any other running back, because you always have confidence in yourself. The confidence you have in yourself is what’s going to make you on the football field or whatever you do in whatever field.”

(on what he knows now that he wishes he knew before he played his first Super Bowl) “Let go of all the distractions. You’ll be able to take care of that when the game is over. Understand that you’re here to play for a championship. Something that you’ll be able to talk about and speak of for years to come.”

(on Coach Belichick calling him and telling him he wanted to come back this year while he was rehabbing) “That just showed the respect factor among us and I think the relationship that we have built over time being here. I guess that shows the consistency that I’ve shown as a person and as a football player for this organization and this team.”

(on if Coach Belichick has always been this loose around this time) “Like I said, time. Time builds a lot. Time builds relationships. It’s him right now. That’s who he is, so enjoy it. And I think we all are.”

(on if he thinks the team is looser than they were in 2007) “I’m not going to say loose, I’ll just say we’re a lot more…we’re not as mature as we were. We’re not like the veteran team that we were. We still have veteran guys, but there’s a lot of young guys on our team that grew up a whole lot over the course of this season.”

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MEDIA DAY - RUNNING BACK/KICK RETURNER DANNY WOODHEAD - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on if there was a moment during the past week where it hit him that he was going to the Super Bowl) “Maybe while we were game planning and getting ready to come out. But you have to approach it like it is just another game. As hard as it may be at times, it still is just another game and we have to get ready just like we always do, and that’s preparing and knowing what are supposed to do during the game.”

(on if he ever feels like the “lights are too bright” having come from a small Nebraska town) “I wouldn’t say that I have ever felt that way. I try not to get too caught up in it. I know what you’re saying, but I have never had that feeling. I feel like I am going to come out and play to the best of my abilities every play. I don’t think the light being too big or having so many people at a game really affects it. I just want to be the best teammate that I can be on every play. That is what I am more concerned about.”

(on the difference between getting a high volume of snaps in college and playing for the Patriots, where the game plan changes every week) “It isn’t something I am really concerned about. I am (more concerned) about being ready for every play and whenever your opportunity may come, it will come. I just try to stay prepared all the time.”

(on how his faith has helped him get through adversity) “I think having faith, number one, is how you get through any adversity. I try not to let the outside stuff affect me because when all is said and done, God has a plan for my life and I am here to live it. He has a plan and whenever I try to make my plan, it doesn’t work out that way, so I am just going to try and live my life and I know God has a hand in it.”

(on if he thought his career might be over after he got cut from the Jets at the beginning of the 2010 season) “No. I felt like I’d get another chance. I don’t know if there was something that made me believe that. I guess I just didn’t think it was over. I felt like I had a lot of football left in me.”

(on if he realizes that other people with smaller statures are living the dream vicariously through him) “I don’t think I realize. I am just trying to go to work every single day, and I never think about my size because to me it is not an issue. I don’t think it is something that I have to fight at all, because it is not something I have had to worry about ever. I don’t think being 5-8 has ever hurt me – maybe in the eyes of some – but it is not something that I worry about at all.”

(on what it says about the Patriots that they pick up so many players that have been cut or are undrafted) “I think they just try to get the guys that they think will work in their system the best, and we go out there and try to do our job every single play. They are going to do their job trying to find the best players for them and we are going to go out there and work as hard as we can.”

(on how year one with the Patriots is different than year two) “I think the fact that things just happened faster because I was picked up (a couple of weeks into) the season and wasn’t at training camp. It is something I look back on too much … I wouldn’t say (it has been easier). I don’t think any NFL season is ever easy. I think you have to grind every single week. If you want to be prepared for everything, you have to make sure that you are prepared for each game. It is hard work and that’s just part of it.”

(on if he was prepared for the type of season he had last year, from being cut to being the “cult hero” of the Patriots) “That is not something that I think about too much – being the so-called “cult hero.” I think about just trying to help my team out. So, yeah, I think I was prepared to help my team out. I was prepared for every single game.”

(on getting to Indianapolis a day early to maintain their normal schedule) “I think (Head Coach Bill Belichick) has been to a couple of Super Bowls before, so I think he knows what is best for us. We are just trying to keep things normal and approach the game like we approach all the games.”

(on if the offense is going to run the no-huddle this Sunday) “I think whatever the coaches want us to do at any particular time, we are just going to go out and try to execute the plays.”

(on how sweet this opportunity is after being waived by the Jets) “I don’t think it is the fact that I left the Jets. I think any time you get this opportunity to play in the Super Bowl, I think that is what’s awesome. I don’t think it is because I left a team or whatever it may be.”

(on what is working with the Patriots that wasn’t working with the Jets) “I don’t know. I just go out and try to do everything that I can, every play, and try to do my job to the best of my abilities. Maybe things have worked out a little better here.”

(on if there are places in this upcoming game where he thinks he can be a big factor) “Honestly, I am going to go out and execute whatever play that the coaches give. I am not worried about what I can do here or what I can do there. Whatever the play is, I am going to go out and do it to the best of my abilities.”

(on what the most opposing part of the Giants’ defense is) “I don’t think there is just one thing. They have a great line; they have great linebackers and they have a great secondary. Their defense as a whole is great, so I think you just have to go out and have everybody do their job because they have a great defense.”

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS MEDIA DAY - RUNNING BACK BENJARVUS GREEN-ELLIS - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on Super Bowl media day) “It’s been fun. I’m having a good time out here. Just enjoying talking to some nice people, so it’s fun for me.”

(on how he has managed to never fumble the football) “Like I said, I’ve just been blessed and fortunate. God has been watching over me to let me hang on to the football because nobody wants to fumble the ball. It’s just something that happens. It’s a part of the game and it’s just something that happens.”

(on where he got his nickname ‘The Law Firm’) “I actually got it from the fans. I’m not sure between the fans and the ESPN people, the Trey Wingo’s and Chris Berman’s, somewhere in there. I like it. I see people come up to me all the time that give me their cards and ask if they can join my law firm and stuff like that, so that’s fun.”

(on what his favorite part of the Super Bowl experience is so far) “Going to practice. I think that’s my most fun part, going to practice and getting out there and actually just being with the guys and just running through plays. Just having fun out there doing what I actually love to do.”

(on if he dreamed about this moment and playing in the Super Bowl) “Yeah, actually I was on the phone with my little cousin Mike Wallace. He’s coming back from Hawaii and I was talking to him and he was telling me about the Pro Bowl. He was here last year, well not here, but in Dallas, and he was just talking about how we used to be in the back yard thinking about Super Bowl and he was like, ‘Man, we’re really here.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ I never really stopped and thought about it until he said that.”

(on what to expect from the Patriots’ running game) “We expect to try to come out there and be successful and try to win plays and execute on all cylinders.”

(on if he is superstitious) “I’m not superstitious at all really. I’m not into the whole superstition thing. I just don’t split poles. That’s something I don’t do. I don’t walk around poles.”

(on what his cousin Mike Wallace has told him leading up to Super Bowl week) “I talked to him last night, he was getting ready to fly back from Hawaii today. He was just saying that basically, just enjoy the experience because we used to dream of this and play in the backyard.”

(on the Impact Indicator chin strap he will be wearing in the game) “It’s actually, it registers the amount of impact that you get hit on and I’ll be wearing it to the game on Sunday. But I’m really wearing it just to improve the awareness for parents and things like that. You can get hit and you see your child out there, you don’t really know what’s really going on, but if you can see the light is blinking than you can have a coach or somebody check them out. It can do more for concussion tests because it’s something that’s really been serious. You see all the concussion hits that have been going on in the NFL and I just want to bring up the awareness.”

(on if he has tried wearing the Impact Indicator chin strap and if he thinks it will be a distraction) “No, it won’t be. I’ve been wearing it for the last couple weeks. It’s a chin strap. It’s not really nothing that’s different about it, it’s just a chin strap. The only thing that’s different is it registers the amount of impact that you’re getting once you get hit. That will be fun. I think that’s fun.”

(on how it registers the hit) “It’s green now, but if there is an impact of like a concussion the light will start blinking and it will turn red.”

NEW YORK GIANTS MEDIA DAY - OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KEVIN GILBRIDE - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on if he had been hopeful of being considered for an NFL head coaching job) “There were certainly some worthy deserving candidates. Certainly I was hopeful of getting a look and a chance to talk to some people. You hope that they (other teams) look at what you’ve done and say that we’d like to have something like that with us. That they’d like to have someone who is a good teacher with young guys, a disciplinarian, someone who can take us to where we’d like to be. I’m very proud of what we did this year. We started with five new starters on offense. To be able to develop the group that we developed is very rewarding and it’s a tribute to the good offensive staff that I have with me.”

(on the intensity of coaching in the New York market) “You know it’s funny. Wherever you’re at, you think that no other place is as bad as that place, but the reality of it is that’s the way it is. All 32 teams are enduring the same scrutiny, the same questioning, the same second-guessing. It’s intrinsic in what we do.”

(on quarterback Eli Manning’s ability to hang in the pocket and maximize every available second) “I think it’s a combination of two things. First is his continued growth. He has a great mastery of where the protections are, where the strengths and weaknesses are. He has steadily evolved. The guy has worked at it. I don’t know if people appreciate that. He’s listened to me for eight years now. He told me the other day that I start the sentence and he finishes it before I can complete it. He’s grown that much in terms of having a feel for what we want to do. He has a great sense of things. He has a lot of courage and also a lot of knowledge.”

(on Manning and the special skills that it takes to play quarterback in the NFL) “When people talk about toughness, they talk about linebackers or a fullback---they don’t think of the quarterback. But it’s a totally different makeup. You’re not inflicting the blow. The willingness to stand in there and focus on your job, which is delivering the pass, and knowing that you’re going to get hit is a different kind of courage. And Eli definitely possesses it. As a coach, you appreciate the toughness that he shows and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win the game.”

(on reflections of his time as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers) “Sometimes it seems like a very long time ago, because it has been. You know, the opportunity to be a head coach is a special one and those memories are still very vivid. It (San Diego) is a great city and a great place. It’s just unfortunate that it didn’t work out. It was a lot shorter (stint) than I wish it was. We had a young quarterback (Ryan Leaf) that wound up struggling in this league and never quite made it. But quite honestly, I always felt that if I had had a chance to stay, I would have gotten him going.”

(on his Connecticut roots and the number of coaches and players in the NFL from that state) “I think it says great things about the state of football coming out of Connecticut. I take a lot of pride in that. When I first started 23 years ago, there was only one guy coaching in the league from the state. Then I was able to bring (current Titans offensive coordinator) Chris Palmer into the league, and other guys like Paul Pasqualoni and Tony Sparano and lots more have come into the NFL. As is usually the case, somebody gets in, and they start helping some of the other people who they have respect for and who they know will do a good job for them.”

(on what it means personally to be back in the Super Bowl) “You realize how fortunate you are. I said to my son (Kevin Jr. who is an offensive assistant for the Giants), ‘How lucky are you? Two years in the league and you’re in this thing.’ It took me 17 years before I got in. And we had some good runs in Houston (Oilers) when we were in the playoffs every year. But you realize how special it is to make the advancement necessary. You realize how little the difference is between the teams that make it and the teams that don’t make it. Everything has to fall into place in order to get here. For us, to see how it’s come together over the last two games of the regular season and then the playoffs, you really realize how lucky you are.”

(on if he has been surprised at the success of wide receiver Victor Cruz) “I didn’t know that he would be a great player. I knew he looked like a guy who could play the position. We were devastated when Steve Smith went down. When we lost him, we weren’t able to replace him. Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are outside guys and never felt comfortable and efficient enough to do the things that we needed them to do to be successful as an inside receiver. We had Victor last year and we saw something. You don’t know that he’s going to be a great player, but he was quick enough, he looked powerful enough, he looked courageous enough to play in there. Then he went on IR and he came back this year and he was struggling. He wasn’t playing real well. We brought in Brandon Stokley--that’s how much he was struggling. Then Brandon got hurt and Victor got a chance to play. Then after a while, he started to do some of the things that we thought he could do. As I have said about him, he giveth and he can taketh away on a play-by-play basis. He’ll go out and make a great play and then he’ll screw up. We just hoped that he would reduce the number of errors that he made and he did. And that’s what I’m most proud of him for.”

(on Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin) “Even when there was a big to-do made about the creation of the players’ committee and people saying that he’s taken on this softer approach--I don’t see it. I think he used that players’ committee as another avenue to get his message across. People see a certain side of Tom. When you get him away from the football field, he’s family-oriented, he’s a fun-loving guy and he’s a great person. I think what happens is if you get the right guys, they appreciate those things. They don’t see the tough guy, the hard-nosed disciplinarian, the task master. They see the other side and they realize that what he’s demanding of them is to make us a better team. It takes a quality guy to see that. If you have the wrong guys, then they resent it and it turns them off. What he asks of the players is the positive things that help us win.”

(on what stood out about quarterback Eli Manning when he scouted his career at Ole Miss) “First, he was an accurate passer. And secondly, you looked at his ability to elevate the people around him. I don’t think his team was necessarily as talented as lot of the people they were playing, and yet they were always very competitive. When you’re going against the Alabamas and the Auburns, I don’t think Ole Miss had as many talented players. That kind of guy who is able to get other players to play better than one would normally expect, that’s the kind of guy that you’d like to have as your quarterback. Eli is a great catalyst to help us play better.”

(on how many of the current offensive passing game trends in the NFL were being used by him 20-plus years ago with the Houston Oilers) “I think that’s a good thing and I’m proud of it. At one time (with the Oilers), it (four-receiver base offensive sets) was considered gimmicky. Now you see everyone going to three and four receivers. It’s almost standard operating procedure now. I think the fact that people are willing to be open, spread out and take advantage of athletic mismatches is something that we were doing 23 years ago.”

(on if that three/four receiver trend that he helped start in the 1980s died too soon before ultimately again becoming in fashion) “That offense at the time seemed to receive undue criticism. It seemed that no matter what you did, that people would find reason to criticize. If we turned the ball over that week, people would say, ‘See, that’s a high-risk offense.’ Then maybe you wouldn’t turn the ball over for the next six weeks but you would score too quickly and they’d say, ‘See, you put your defense on the field too much.’ So it was always one thing or another. I think the only thing that would have dispelled that would have been to win in the postseason, and we (Oilers) didn’t win in the postseason. But if you looked at the team success and the offensive success, it’s hard to argue with what was taking place. I think we were the first team to use those formations consistently in the league. When I first got to Houston in 1989, (then Head Coach) Jerry Glanville called it the Red Gun and it was only a portion of what we did. When Jack Pardee became the head coach, he went exclusively in that direction, and we were ranked first or second in the league in offense every year, and we went to the playoffs every year.”

(on if the Giants’ passing game has overshadowed the running game) “Well, we haven’t run the ball very well. And that’s why it’s been overshadowed. We haven’t been as successful as we’ve been in the past with that. It’s something that we’re not happy with and something that we continue to try to get better with. I would say that at the end of the year, we’ve gotten a little bit better. We’re trying to do better to get closer to where we were in 2008 when we led the league in rushing.”

NEW YORK GIANTS MEDIA DAY - DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR PERRY FEWELL - Ingles

Super Bowl XLVI – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(on choosing to join the Giants staff over the Bears) “It was just a feel. I love (Bears Head Coach) Lovie Smith and enjoyed my time in Chicago and I knew that was coach Smith’s defense. He is an excellent defensive coach and I just thought that at the time, I probably needed to step out on my own and run my own defense. It was always going to be coach Smith’s defense and if I was going to make my mark in coaching I had to do it Perry Fewell’s way, and that was one of the main reasons I came to New York.”

(on the Giants’ defensive line) “I knew coming into this situation that we had a good front four. Jerry Reese, our general manager, he likes to bring in good defensive ends, and I felt like that would be a good match for me.”

(on paying Tom Brady) “I don’t know if you show Tom anything he hasn’t seen, because he’s played so many defenses and creates so many challenges. I think you have to be consistent with your football team and concentrate on what your defense does well and don’t take the focus away from your people and what they do well. Tom is going to make some plays. We know that, but we are going to make some plays also, and we have to make more than he makes.”

(on his emotional response following loss to Redskins) “I thought we didn’t play very good football. We didn’t play passionate football, and it is a little bit out of character for me, but I just felt like our defense and our people needed to hear how we felt about our play, and I thought we could do something about that, and our guys responded. That’s what you want, you want your team to respond.”

(on the emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul) “He was a different guy when he came back to camp. Obviously, the lockout affected us because we did not get a chance to see him grow in the OTAs and throughout that process, but against Carolina (in the preseason), he made a Reggie White move against one of their really good offense tackles and I said, ‘Wow I haven’t seen that out of JPP.’ He just kept getting better and better and he was a more knowledgeable player. He was destined to have a really good year because of the way he came into camp.”

(on Pierre-Paul’s impact) “He’s been the one consistent guy on our defensive line that’s played for us. He has not been injured, and he’s been studying. I’ve got to give (credit) to his defensive line coach Robert Nunn and JPP. It’s been a serious approach to the game. He’s wanted to do well, and he’s had a hunger and desire to do well, so when you have that combination with talent you just let it go.”

(on the key to the defensive turnaround) “Communication. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. When your players stop listening, you’re in trouble and they never stopped listening. I knew we weren’t in trouble. They wanted to right it. They wanted to get it right. We had a lot of guys playing that really didn’t have the experience that they needed and didn’t really understand the concepts we trying to teach and what we were trying to get across with our game plans. But they never shut us out and they kept believing in what we were trying to get done.”

(on evaluating Pierre-Paul’s potential prior to the draft) “We saw 6-foot-4, 288-pounds that could stand up and do a backflip, and we went, ‘Wow.’ He’s like a gazelle. He could probably be a great tight end. If you saw him in practice when he’s joking around catching the football and doing things like that –you don’t want the offensive coaches looking at him because they’d probably want to play him at tight end. You saw an athlete, but you saw a guy whose talents were untapped. His potential was untapped, and if you could just hone those talents in, you could have a hell of a football player. Now we didn’t know how long that would take and I think you have to give our ownership and scouts all the credit, because I can remember on draft day Mr. Mara said, ‘Are you guys okay with taking this guy?’ and we said, ‘Yes we are, but please don’t expect him to start from the first day.’ We knew we had the support to bring this player along, and Jerry Reese and John Mara deserve a lot of credit because they saw an athlete that could be developed into a great football player.”

(on what makes New England’s tight ends so difficult to contain) “Matchups. If you take (Rob) Gronkowski away then (Aaron) Hernandez is available. Well if you take Hernandez away, then Gronkowski is available. Well, if you try to take both of those guys away then (Wes) Welker is available. Then (Deion) Branch is available. They have so many different weapons, and you can’t take all of them away, plus rush Tom (Brady). That monster that they have as far as the offense and the talent that they have they use that as well as anybody in the league.”

(on teams utilizing tight ends in passing game more often) “I think the league has evolved into that. You look at several teams across the league, we’ve faced more tight ends this year that give you problems as far as their flexibility is concerned and I think that’s the way the league is going now. When I first got in, there was just a couple tight ends, and it wasn’t like it is this year. It seems like every week there has been a tight end oriented offensive output.”

(on how he is different since his days in Chicago) “I think I’ve just gained some more experience and some knowledge. I don’t think I’m different in my approach, but I’ve just gained more experience and knowledge in the defense that I run and the philosophies that I’ve adopted.”

(on his experience as a head coach in Buffalo) “It was a good. I had fun. It was an experience that I’ll always cherish, an experience that I grew from, and I learned more in those seven weeks about how to use personnel -how to work with players - than I’ve probably learned in 13 years in the National Football League and 13 years in college football. When you are put in that position, there are so many different areas that you can grow and learn and experience. Its second to none as far as growth and development.”

(on the talent and the depth of the Giants defensive line) “It allows us to be flexible in our approach and our guys have been great because we put them in positions that normally defensive lineman would say, ‘No I don’t want to do that. I want to put my hand down and do this.’ Sometimes they are arguing and fighting to do the things we like to do with them, whether it be dropping back in coverage or playing a linebacker position. The game has become a lot more fun because the players have bought in.”

(on defensive end Osi Umenyiora’s contract situation) “It could have been a big distraction. It was not. Behind the scenes, Osi was in every meeting, Osi was paying attention to every detail. Osi was all in, and he was a professional. When Osi was hurt, he was doing everything he could to get right and get back on the field. Those are the things that you didn’t see.”

(on using more speed and athleticism in the secondary to combat tight ends) “No doubt. Like Antrele Rolle. Antrele Rolle came into the league as a corner and now he’s a safety. As a safety, sometimes we use him inside as a hybrid linebacker-type guy. But he is a special guy because he’s a tough man, and you have to be a tough man to do that. The athletes that are big, strong athletes that can do those types of things –yes, you move them around, and they give you flexibility.”

(on defensive end Justin Tuck) “If he goes, we go. That’s how special he is. If he doesn’t go, then we don’t go as well. What a leader. His talent on the field, his leadership, his ability to generate those around him and make them better –you can’t put a price tag on that.”