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Transcript: LB Antonio Pierce
January 10, 2008
Re: the impact of the first two games with Dallas on this week’s game
A: I’m not even worried about what happened the last two games. I look at our last game and our last game before that – the last three games. And I worry about how we played as a team. I don’t really worry about what happened in Dallas Week 1, almost 18 weeks ago. We are playing a different defense, in the sense that we are more conformable, more confident. So in that sense I guess the answer to your question is that we feel more confident, we understand more about what the defense is about and what the weaknesses are and what the strengths are. And I think we are executing very well.
Q: Are you a better defense now?
A: I don’t know. Our stats show that. In Giants history and 80 points and blah, blah, and the stats go on and on. So I think what we have done over the last 16, 17 weeks, has shown that we are a better defense; a different defense.
Q: How much did the new defensive coordinator play into the first game?
A: I think it would be a tough assignment for anybody. You talk about a rookie coming into the NFL; it is kind of the same thing with a defensive coordinator. You have to get adjusted to what your players understand, what we run well, what we can do, how we understand the scheme, what guys do individually well. And you scheme around that. I think we have gotten better over that over the course of the season. Everybody knows we put in the four defensive ends that rush the pass better. And our stats went up from that standpoint. So I think Spags now has a good overall feel of our team, individually and as what we do as a unit, well. So that is what we are going to Dallas with.
RE: The challenge of playing all the Pro Bowlers.
A: We are just trying to cover the spread against the all-pro team. They have seven or eight Pro Bowlers on offense. You can go across the roster and find a Pro Bowler. That is interesting. That is kind of unique in a sense. So I don’t know what the spread is, but we are trying to cover it and trying to treat this like the New England week.
Q: 7 ½.
A: Hopefully we will get a little closer than that. To be honest, they have more pressure on them than we do. We are just the 10-6 Giants against the number one seed Cowboys, who are going to win the Super Bowl.
Q: If you lose by four is it okay?
A: I never said lose in anything I have ever said.
Q: Advantage that Dallas hasn’t’ seen your best shot yet?
A: I wouldn’t say that. I would say that we, as a defense, when I talk about our team, our defense gave up too many big plays to Dallas. Out of the eight or so touchdowns that they had in two games, five of them were either because of mental errors, alignments, or assignments. Those things you can fix. We can fix that on the practice field every day and work on it. If they had beaten us just by physically one on one matchups, then that is a different thing. There are some things that you can’t work with. I think we are and we understand what they did well to us. We played them twice. It is not going to be any secret what they are trying to do to us; what they are exploiting. I think they know some of our defense, what we want to come after them with; and just with our team overall. They know our personalities. We are in Week 19; you can’t hide anything; you can’t go and make new plays. You are going to do what you do and you are going to do it very well.
Q: Does it tick off other guys that they have many more Pro Bowlers on their roster?
A: Yeah, we love it. It is always a fun thing. The Dallas Cowboys are America’s Team. They have been labeled that. They have a starting quarterback who is not only a good player on the field but off the field as well. That’s a compliment. The guy stays busy but he is a hell of a quarterback and they have a hell of a team. They have a receiver who somehow can fix his body in weeks. You look at the challenges that they present, 13 Pro Bowlers, it is like an all-Pro team versus an all-joe team. And we are going to go out there and try to give it our all.
RE: Walking into a hostile environment.
A: Isn’t New York kind of edgy? When we talk to the media and we have to deal with everything that goes on a daily basis, you get the edge. So what is better when you go in somebody else’s place and they are booing you, and of course we are picked to lose by seven more points, in a divisional playoff game? Why wouldn’t you be edgy; why wouldn’t you be a little ticked off? You smile all week and you go and play the game on Sunday.
Q: How likely is it that TO will be out there?
A: I think it is very likely. You just look at what he did in the Super Bowl two years ago. A broken leg, I have seen nobody come back that fast from that injury and then play that well. So I don’t know what kind of oxygen tank—what treatment he gets, what little special oils he rubs on his body, but it works for him. Everybody knows how hard he works; you can see his body by looking at his physical stature. So we are preparing for him. We are preparing for him, for Terry Glenn, and expecting a Romo that is going to be out there firing the balls, a Pro Bowler in Barber and Witten. Like I said, you can’t really put your finger on just one thing with these guys. TO, he just brings a different element to the game – very explosive. And against us, of course, he has had four touchdowns against us. Of course all eyes are going to be on him.
Q: What can you do against him this time around?
A: He is a little banged up. You have to be physical with him. He is not going to be 100% even if he does play. Nobody is 100% this time of year. So you have to be physical with him. When he catches the ball, before he catches the ball, and the ball hasn’t even been thrown to him. And I think that is going to be key – that we always have eyes on him and always are putting hands on him.
RE: Knocking a division opponent out?
A: Of course, a divisional foe. Like I said, every year we have to see them twice a year. Regardless of what happens in this game, make sure we are going to play each other twice again. That is the fun part about the division. And I think when you are in this division you get to know each other well enough -- like we know the Cowboys, Commanders and Eagles – it is personal. So this game is nothing but one of those kinds of games – personal game with a lot of …….
Q: More personal with the Cowboys?
A: They are the golden child of the league; the Golden Team; they are America’s Team as everybody likes to say, everybody across the world. Wherever they go and travel they have an entourage of people and fans. So that makes it fun. Even when they come here you somehow – the Cowboys fans get tickets here. So hopefully we can make the Cowboys stadium and turn a little bit into Giants Stadium by the end of the game.
January 10, 2008
Re: the impact of the first two games with Dallas on this week’s game
A: I’m not even worried about what happened the last two games. I look at our last game and our last game before that – the last three games. And I worry about how we played as a team. I don’t really worry about what happened in Dallas Week 1, almost 18 weeks ago. We are playing a different defense, in the sense that we are more conformable, more confident. So in that sense I guess the answer to your question is that we feel more confident, we understand more about what the defense is about and what the weaknesses are and what the strengths are. And I think we are executing very well.
Q: Are you a better defense now?
A: I don’t know. Our stats show that. In Giants history and 80 points and blah, blah, and the stats go on and on. So I think what we have done over the last 16, 17 weeks, has shown that we are a better defense; a different defense.
Q: How much did the new defensive coordinator play into the first game?
A: I think it would be a tough assignment for anybody. You talk about a rookie coming into the NFL; it is kind of the same thing with a defensive coordinator. You have to get adjusted to what your players understand, what we run well, what we can do, how we understand the scheme, what guys do individually well. And you scheme around that. I think we have gotten better over that over the course of the season. Everybody knows we put in the four defensive ends that rush the pass better. And our stats went up from that standpoint. So I think Spags now has a good overall feel of our team, individually and as what we do as a unit, well. So that is what we are going to Dallas with.
RE: The challenge of playing all the Pro Bowlers.
A: We are just trying to cover the spread against the all-pro team. They have seven or eight Pro Bowlers on offense. You can go across the roster and find a Pro Bowler. That is interesting. That is kind of unique in a sense. So I don’t know what the spread is, but we are trying to cover it and trying to treat this like the New England week.
Q: 7 ½.
A: Hopefully we will get a little closer than that. To be honest, they have more pressure on them than we do. We are just the 10-6 Giants against the number one seed Cowboys, who are going to win the Super Bowl.
Q: If you lose by four is it okay?
A: I never said lose in anything I have ever said.
Q: Advantage that Dallas hasn’t’ seen your best shot yet?
A: I wouldn’t say that. I would say that we, as a defense, when I talk about our team, our defense gave up too many big plays to Dallas. Out of the eight or so touchdowns that they had in two games, five of them were either because of mental errors, alignments, or assignments. Those things you can fix. We can fix that on the practice field every day and work on it. If they had beaten us just by physically one on one matchups, then that is a different thing. There are some things that you can’t work with. I think we are and we understand what they did well to us. We played them twice. It is not going to be any secret what they are trying to do to us; what they are exploiting. I think they know some of our defense, what we want to come after them with; and just with our team overall. They know our personalities. We are in Week 19; you can’t hide anything; you can’t go and make new plays. You are going to do what you do and you are going to do it very well.
Q: Does it tick off other guys that they have many more Pro Bowlers on their roster?
A: Yeah, we love it. It is always a fun thing. The Dallas Cowboys are America’s Team. They have been labeled that. They have a starting quarterback who is not only a good player on the field but off the field as well. That’s a compliment. The guy stays busy but he is a hell of a quarterback and they have a hell of a team. They have a receiver who somehow can fix his body in weeks. You look at the challenges that they present, 13 Pro Bowlers, it is like an all-Pro team versus an all-joe team. And we are going to go out there and try to give it our all.
RE: Walking into a hostile environment.
A: Isn’t New York kind of edgy? When we talk to the media and we have to deal with everything that goes on a daily basis, you get the edge. So what is better when you go in somebody else’s place and they are booing you, and of course we are picked to lose by seven more points, in a divisional playoff game? Why wouldn’t you be edgy; why wouldn’t you be a little ticked off? You smile all week and you go and play the game on Sunday.
Q: How likely is it that TO will be out there?
A: I think it is very likely. You just look at what he did in the Super Bowl two years ago. A broken leg, I have seen nobody come back that fast from that injury and then play that well. So I don’t know what kind of oxygen tank—what treatment he gets, what little special oils he rubs on his body, but it works for him. Everybody knows how hard he works; you can see his body by looking at his physical stature. So we are preparing for him. We are preparing for him, for Terry Glenn, and expecting a Romo that is going to be out there firing the balls, a Pro Bowler in Barber and Witten. Like I said, you can’t really put your finger on just one thing with these guys. TO, he just brings a different element to the game – very explosive. And against us, of course, he has had four touchdowns against us. Of course all eyes are going to be on him.
Q: What can you do against him this time around?
A: He is a little banged up. You have to be physical with him. He is not going to be 100% even if he does play. Nobody is 100% this time of year. So you have to be physical with him. When he catches the ball, before he catches the ball, and the ball hasn’t even been thrown to him. And I think that is going to be key – that we always have eyes on him and always are putting hands on him.
RE: Knocking a division opponent out?
A: Of course, a divisional foe. Like I said, every year we have to see them twice a year. Regardless of what happens in this game, make sure we are going to play each other twice again. That is the fun part about the division. And I think when you are in this division you get to know each other well enough -- like we know the Cowboys, Commanders and Eagles – it is personal. So this game is nothing but one of those kinds of games – personal game with a lot of …….
Q: More personal with the Cowboys?
A: They are the golden child of the league; the Golden Team; they are America’s Team as everybody likes to say, everybody across the world. Wherever they go and travel they have an entourage of people and fans. So that makes it fun. Even when they come here you somehow – the Cowboys fans get tickets here. So hopefully we can make the Cowboys stadium and turn a little bit into Giants Stadium by the end of the game.
