Giants vs Commanders Postgame Interviews: Brian Daboll, Daniel Jones, Malik Nabers, Devin Singletary

all right um competitive game disappointed in the outcome proud of the way the guys compet it thought a quarterback played well um you know just a play here or there that we came up short on um and that's the outcome of the game you know but I thought there was improvements uh made particularly on the offensive side of the ball Red Zone Third Down effective running game efficient passing game um you know we went for it there at the end of the game thought our chances were good throwing it to Malik with Daniel the way we were playing better than making whatever 40 yard or 39 yard field goal so it's what I decided to do Brian can you describe your your reasoning for only having one kicker active today yeah because we thought Graham would be okay he got hurt chasing down a a hamstring he didn't Hur his groin he heard his hamstring but Brian is it are you saying that you can't hurt your hamstring running with favoring your groin I'm not a doctor isn't that part of the deal that you have to you know that it is a risk like you had the same thing last year with him like he came in with an injury you're taking a risk that it could get reinjured why not have I mean anybody can get injured Jordan so again he has he was chasing he was I got you he was chasing a kickoff return he pulled his hamstring not making excuses your whose decision was it not to activate another K yeah we thought he was we thought he was good thought he was good yeah all the decisions that are made are mine p in the past um you have you have trusted Jamie Gillan to kick an extra point or a field goal why not today uh he missed the first one we thought our chances were better um going forward or going for two as the game went on and how we were playing offensively I felt good about our plays you know we had one to slay had an opportunity there at two- point another one at Tracy they ended up covering it we scrambled and then went for on fourth and three it was fourth and three right at the end of neighbors um on a little undergo where you know we just we didn't finish it off just just on the kickoff on the first kickoff was the design there to kick the ball to the two or did you want him to kick it through and he just didn't get it far uh yeah I'm not going to get into strategy but again I feel bad for Graham I feel bad for us um but no excuses we had our you say you thought was fine warmups he was clearly uncomfortable he didn't do his full routine why even maybe not have Jamie handle kickoff so you don't put yourself maybe in that position yeah again we we talked about a lot of things Dan we thought he'd be good to go we talked to him um talked to the trainers and you know again I can't tell you he's going to get hurt chasing down a you know 100 yard kickoff return that was call back but um again is a isn't a player at a higher increase isn't a player a higher risk of injury when he's dealing with a soft tissue of injury yeah I'd say I'm not a doctor what I was try what I was trying to ask was are you and Joe both involved in the decision not to activate your kicker or not or is it just yours yeah no it's Collective you mentioned that you were not that you thought you had a better chance going for it on the fourth down than the 40- yard field goal but when you were up three early in the fourth quarter you could have made a a school two- score game with that short P did you give any consider consideration to that or yeah I did like the play we had that's one to Slayton that we had an opportunity on to to make yeah so I feel comfortable with what we did but it was as simple as he missed the first one and you said we're just done that uh no we we had discussions on there I just I figured look we had some two-point plays that we liked thought we knew what they were doing which you know we did and didn't make end up making a play was there a y marker that if you had got to it you would have kicked the field goal at the end yeah yeah how seriously did you contemplate uh elevating Jude yeah we I'm not going to get into the discussions that we had did you did you at least contemplate it or was that not even you guys thought we saw 100% he's good we don't need to we thought Graham was good I think he would have been good if he didn't pull his hamstring follow up what Conor what was the yard marker yeah again I'm not going to get into where it was at one of the things you liked when you hired Shane Bowen was his rushing defense they ran for like 200 and yeah they rushed the ball well um they were efficient in the passing game game we had them in a lot of third and Longs that that we didn't stop him on we did Play Good red zone defense which which held up but certainly areas that we got to be better at U were rushing the ball they were efficient and then we had them in some long yardage I think we had five sacks like that we had them some long yardage that they capitalized on Daniels had some scrambles on some of those third and long what did you guys I mean coming in that's kind of the book on him he's going to run so yeah a couple of them we had spies on him yep what do you say to neighbors such a had such a big game and then couldn't fin that play he mentioned what do you say of a rookie in that situation uh keep your head up yeah keep your head up what did you think of how he played who's that played well yeah thought he played well I thought Daniel played well thought the line played well thought motor ran hard thought we were efficient you know wandell made a nice play there in the in the end zone when we needed him to Slayton had his opportunities but you know neighbors we it was a bunch of one-on-one coverage and they start run split safety so when we were playing split safety we ran the ball some post highe we threw it to him what do you have 18 targets 18 targets so what you have 10 catches yeah you know and it's you know last one he'll he'll he's competitive as can be so um I appreciate how competitive and how much he cares what do you think about 18 targets for one player that's a pretty healthy number yeah yep Brian are you concerned about your job if the results don't change here yeah I mean I've done this for a long time pat you my focus is on our football team Davis do you think looking back that you should have elevated the kicker like if you could turn back time would you change that decision um knowing that he was going to get hurt on the on the first kickoff yeah certainly on a pulled hamstring yeah and just I mean I mean if if look any any player gets hurt at a certain position the quarterback gets hurt you I mean whatever it may be so uh certainly yeah I mean he got hurt so um you know it's too bad but he poed up on the injury report yesterday I know he didn't injur the drao but he didn't look comfortable in warm-ups you have a contingency playing conceivably in Jude this isn't the first time this type of thing has happened where you guys have left yourself shorthanded whether be Gunner last week G know last year so I'm just curious why not take the extra precaution to just have Jude active and in case the worst case scen happens knowing if he was totally healthy it's different but he he came in less than 100% yeah again we felt we felt okay with the decision that we make obviously um didn't pan out because he pulled his hamstring two more no more how can how can your offense build on what you feel you get better today if your defense can't force puns yeah well I think it's complimentary football so it's um it's the entire units it's working together obviously we got to do a better job on third down I think we were what four of eight 50% on third down which was another good Improvement but they were seven of 14 50% on third down they were over for six in the Red Zone we were three for three turnover again I talked about it last night that that turnover was you know critical coming out of half we had a drive going and we didn't create any so that was a loss and a turnover ratio which I said during a press conference on Thursday or what is 10 and one last week so good we got to work on some things some things we improved on and we'll continue to do that you said you thought your quarterback played well last week there was obviously a lot of talk about him and his confidence and the way for him what do you what do you think he did better why do you say you think he played well uh I thought he went where he was supposed to go with the football he um you know saw the field well threw it to the guy that he was supposed to threw it to gave him chances we had chances on on other plays too that um you know maybe we didn't connect on but I was proud of him I was proud of the way he competed I was proud of the way he prepared during the week I was proud of his mental toughness um I thought he did a nice job Daniel just what were your thoughts on the way things went this week compared to last week OB you didn't plot the win but did you feel like the offense at least you know made some strides you guys can build on um yeah I thought um executed at a better at a higher level uh did some did some good things in the Run game did some good things in the past game um you know was kind of a ball control game where uh you know they were uh you know they had good time as possession I thought we did too so uh you got to convert on your opportunities when you're in a game game like that and uh couple plays uh you know we got to got to find a way to make and and uh it's on all of us what do you say I'm sorry I'm late D what did you say to Malik after he plays a great game and then doesn't come down with the 18th Target yeah I mean I think um it's pretty obvious that we wouldn't be in the position that we were in without the game that he played and and uh you know as a as a rookie coming in and he played really well uh was Big Time For Us throughout the game made tons of big plays and uh you know was a matchup issue for him for him all day so um you know I think he's he knows that I mean he he knows he played played a good game and and um you know we we gota got to pick him up he's a competitor he's a he holds himself to high standards so I know it bothers him but um you know go to got to keep pressing forward it was a difficult week for you obviously coming off the last game it's a loss so I don't know if this my a better question Wednesday but do you feel any better more confident do you feel better about your performance where you are coming out of this game than you did all week yeah I mean I think um despite what the uh you know expectation was after last week I I mean I felt confident I felt confident in our group confident in myself and thought we prepared well um this week at practice and and we'll uh continue to build confidence through our process and through our through our hard work and obviously we're all um very disappointed with the outcome today and got to work to to finish it up but terms of my confidence and the team's confidence I don't think that's uh going anywhere you've been part of some heartbreaking losses what does it do to a locker room when you guys are left short at kicker does that create frustrations with the management of the game the coaching of the game when you guys are left without a kicker and you can point to that as a reason that you lose yeah I don't think we're going to make any excuses um football stuff like that happens and people go down I thought um considering the situation we managed it how we had to and and uh we got to look at what we could have done better look at those those two-point plays U couple situations here and there and where we can uh convert I mean obviously it's not ideal to to lose your kicker on the first play and changes how the game's played but uh we're not going to make any excuses and uh got to find a way to make couple more plays did you guys as an offense at any point I mean I don't know if before at the end of the game you felt like you could kick a field goal if you got to a certain point or in like throughout the game did you guys just think it's four down territory once we get down there we're going to have to just get in the end zone uh I think that's a better question for Daves in terms of how he was handling it I mean I think in the situations um that came up there you know he told me it was four down territory and I operate according to that um you know where that line was or how he would have played a certain situation is is hypothetical and better question for him Daniel um were you aw this morning um es ESPN Adam Scher made a very prominent headline out of the fact that you have this injury guarantee next year and that it could be a factor and an issue okay like it's happened with other quarterbacks where they've been benched because of similar instances were you aware of that prior to the game what's your reaction to that you know leaking or or being pushed prior to your second start of the season um yeah I I hadn't heard the report uh this is the first time hearing of it um you know I think my job is to play well and and to put this team in a position to win games and um you know how they handle that and and um you know what comes out you know where it comes from I don't I don't know um you know that's on that's up to them on how that's communicated but my job is to play good football um put the team in a position to win games and and focus on my job so um you know I'm not in control of any of that is it um how unique is it when you're throwing the ball to one player so often in the game how different is it compared to you know other years other situations you've been in I think um you know you get into certain games and um you know I think Malik played really well he was a matchup issue for him you understand um kind of how it played plays out and and you know routes and and singled up um felt like we had an advantage when we were going to him so we kept doing that and and trying to play the game um you know with with that matchup in mind and uh he did a good job winning for us you guys more you've been in this spot before not under Daves but under previous coaches where you're 0 and2 and you guys haven't really been able to salvage much of a competitive season how do you guys do that now um I think it's just maintaining our Edge maintaining our uh competitive Spirit um you know I'm confident in the guys we we have and and I know we'll do that so um you know we've lost two games um both are different uh different situations but um we got the guys to to buckle down prepare it's about our process and coming in playing with Edge playing with with uh with passion and and uh finding ways to to win games so um that's all we can control control our prepar and how we play on Sundays and that's what we're going to do is that a play you think you should make every time the last um I mean obviously I mean I'm a they're high on me they passing me the ball they know I can make plays I'm sure you know out a thousand times they going to continue to call that play and go at me on fourth down again um so obviously I want to make that play um I'm disappointed I mean no matter how good of a game you can play um um that last play came down to me um I'm just I'm hurt that I let those veterans down I mean they know what kind of player I am um Dex Burns Isaiah I know what kind of confidence they got in me so um just letting those guys down it just I don't want to never let my team down that's that's the main motel that's in my head is don't let my team down I let my team down so you had the signed the Jayden Jersey here what was like playing against him in your rookie season and also trading jerseys with him I mean it meant the word of me to see that you know our dream is finally came true um he's one against me I can say that I'm just happy that you know he got the chance to live up his dream me live my dream and we can share it together even though we're on the opposite side of the field is it's just unique watching him play and I'm sure it's Unique him watching me play did you share any tips with the defense maybe on you playing with him and all those I never came up to them and was like this is this this and that um you know if they ask me questions about it I told them you know everything they wanted to ask about me but I wasn't going up to them and telling them about it it's you can watch film on you can watch film on them you can understand what his Tendencies is and just how he plays what the first time you were you were buzzed from upstairs to go get checked in that first half for that concussion what was the range of emotions when you find out you know you you seem like you popped up you ready to go and then they pulled you off I got to imagine there's a little bit of Uncertain I mean I was I just didn't know what was going on they was just like you got to go out the field I was like just why um but um that's just the protocol that they have they trying to keep us safe so I got to follow their rules I mean um thanks to that ref he came up on the silent he was just like I know you're okay but I'm just trying to look out for your safety so um that's great that we have those kind of refs out there that's just looking out for our safety they really couldn't guard you what was that feeling like the fact that Daniel went to you so often and you were open so often I mean it's just the work that we put in is though you know the it just he's he's certain that if he throws me the ball play is going to be made or the ball just going to be knocked down um so just him going at me that many times it shows how much trust he has in me um shows how much you know trust his offense has in me um so you know it's just moving on and continue to grow did you know coming into the game you were going to get targeted a lot like that I mean no I mean you always going into the the game with a game plan um I knew I was going to get a lot of you know opportunities but I didn't think that many have you ever had never the final number was 16 18 Targets in the game oh I did I had a I had a lot of Targets in like I think it was first week of Florida State um last year I had like 18 so there's no there's no viig of me getting that many targets I want those kind of many targets it shows how much you know my offense cares about me to give me the ball in space let me do my let me do my you know what I'm able to do so just having that many tet just shows how much offense you know chust I know you wanted to come in a victory but what did that first touchdown in the NFL mean to you um I mean it was good to finally get in the end zone um but the mix emotions going through my head I forgot about it really you feel kind of a better connection Daniel this week I mean I mean yeah we was just finding open spots um he was trusting me on one-onone match ups um DAV came on the sideline was like what plays you want to run I told him a couple plays and then he continued to call him so um great that I got those you know those guys on my side you know come up to me ask me plays I want as a rookie it shows how much confidence they have in me what's the conversations like with Jen after us spend a little bit of time there um especially with the way the game right I mean he was just you know keep your head he was just telling me keep my head up he was like you he knows I wish I could have that playb um he was like but you know it's time to move on you know that play happened um that was it really was it Jersey swap planned or it just came up after the game oh it was it was planned but after the game is when he came up to me he started taking his jersey I forgot about it but you know my mind was mixed up you know I was mad at myself for you know dropping that ball but you know I got to got to live it up sometimes it's my brother um so to share that moment to share a jersey swap in the NFL is it's a dream come true Devon you've been in this league a long time so you know that sometimes with the good there comes the bad how do you weigh the frustration over coming so close in this one and losing get down at the stretch man uh just got to use this feel that's really what it come down to we know we real close you know headed in the direction we want to go in today wasn't the outcome that we wanted but um just got to use this as fuel you guys did get the running game going much better than you did last week and you certainly ran hard that was certainly a step in the right direction what was going right that you'll be able to use there yeah um man the big guys just getting movement big guys you got the uh receivers getting in the tight ends getting in on it and uh we could definitely build off of that all right now I have to ask you about the for like guy came anded it out from behind probably didn't him yeah I felt him I tried to put deil in trouble but I had it in my inside arm and uh you know he got me can't have that you want to win the game you got to win a turnover battle and uh we lost the turnover battle today how difficult is that even as a veteran to be able to put that out of your mind so that as the game continues to progress you don't start thinking about a ghost yeah um sometimes it could be difficult but um you know that's our mentality you know next play mentality good or bad it got to make the next play your best play it was a seesaw game nip and Tuck all the way Daniel Jones certainly seemed to have much more command this week that had it feel good in the Huddle yeah definitely man uh he was a general out there today and he been a general but um we definitely felt his energy today and you saw some big plays out of Mal leag neighbors I know the fourth down drop is going to haunt him cuz he's very hard on himself but you saw the kind of excitement he can bring to this offense yeah man uh great player great guy and uh like I said we all can build off of this and definitely a lot of learning experiences in this game as well Jason uh one of the things that we did see today Robinson takes off on a 40 yard run appears to be going for a touchdown and you track him down that was pretty impressive play what did you see and how did you know you going to be able to stop him uh in this league plays come down to one play so uh soon as I see people break like my mentality goes straight to a four-point play you know like that's my mentality I don't care where I'm at on the field I'm just going to put my head down did go get him try to L to see another down and get a stop like we did you guys had a much better pass rush today you got in there obviously uh we saw a a tug of-war kind of game which means when you fall short it's got to hurt probably even more so than any other loss for sure for sure I mean you hit it right on the head you fight you fight all day you got these ups and downs ups and downs and um somebody has to fall short you know obviously we don't ever want to be on that end but today we did was there a sense of the defense after playing so well and holding them to so many field goals on that last Drive did you start to run out of gas at all no no not our defense not our defense uh we get in there every time we step out we don't care if it's a pick we don't care if it's a a turnover short field whatever like we just we come out with that mentality uh we swinging you know uh obviously we did good in the Red Zone but they shouldn't get down there you know that's our mentality throughout the weeks and just trying to get better on third down on that winning Drive Brown catches the one across Midfield that got them into the offensive zone what did you see on that play because to that point you know it looked like you guys might have been able to to hold him uh I mean I wouldn't say I seen anything specific but uh I mean I the end of the day man we got to hold him we got to hold him got to stop him what problems do Daniel pose as a quarterback now that you've seen him in person that you maybe didn't see on film uh no we seen it on film he was all there right it's all there man he got some legs he could run uh he's a hard Runner um and he's now becoming a processor you know so able to get his reads out and get the ball out as you saw today early it was screen game uh just trying to get him hot get him going get some uh confidence within the offense so uh it was all there you know all right you're one of the guys who's been through some ups and downs here you're young but you're kind of an older veteran in a way so what do you do emotionally and mentality wise to help your teammates kind of pick up the pieces uh we just we we lean hard on each other man just knowing that like every day we're going to come in don't matter the results um we got to be able to take coaching uh and be able to hold each other accountable uh I I think it's just it's it's more like a self-accountability r room and we all we all hold each other to the same standard so uh and we young but we we we smart they're smart uh they study hard they play hard um and just kind of fell short but got to got to come up man