Head Coach Jay Gruden
Opening statement:
"Jeron Johnson had an illness, he did not participate. Trenton Robinson, hamstring, did not participate. [Chris] Culliver was limited with his shoulder and then he tweaked his knee out there today, we're getting him checked out — his other knee. [Deshazor] Everett, hamstring, was limited. [Jason] Hatcher, knee, limited. Trent Williams, knee, was limited. Dashon Goldson was limited with his knee, wrist. Keenan Robinson, shoulder, limited."
On the result of CB Chris Culliver's shoulder MRI and what happened with his knee:
"The result was we got the results and then we're going to share it with another doctor, get a second opinion and go through it with them. Then, he hurt his knee a little bit out there. He jumped up for the ball, landed on it. We're getting him checked out now."
On T Trent Williams:
"He did some things today. He looked pretty good and hopefully, you know, he gets another afternoon of treatment, comes in the morning, gets treatment, goes through another day of practice, we'll feel a lot better about it but I feel optimistic."
On his level of concern with Culliver:
"Well, there's always concern, you know? Until we get the MRI and the doctor's report, I don't know. I don't want to be overly negative. I don't want to be overly positive… We just have to wait and see until we get the results."
On if Culliver is getting an MRI on his knee:
"Yeah, he's got to get checked."
On managing the snaps for the defensive backs:
"You know, the hardest part about it is the positions that they are playing and they're changing. It's one thing to play nickel and that's your spot or play corner, play safety. D-Hall [DeAngelo Hall] has had to play corner, has had to play strong safety, has had to play free safety. Kyshoen [Jarrett] has played strong safety, free safety, nickel. [Bashaud] Breeland has played nickel and corner. [Will] Blackmon has played dime, corner, nickel. A lot of people think it's easy but it's not. There's a lot of things that go into playing defensive back in the NFL with all the formations, all the checks, all that stuff. It's very difficult. That's been the toughest thing for those guys. Fortunately Blackmon has played a lot, D-Hall has played a lot – we have some veteran leadership – D-Gold [Dashon Goldson] has played a lot. We've got some veteran leadership back there that can help the process along. But it's been difficult."
On if it is a challenge to keep players focused during the holidays:
"Yeah, no question. It's important for them to spend time with their family. It's an important day for a lot of people. Families are coming in and a lot of reasons to be thankful for these guys, both on and off the field. But then you have to put that aside and you have to reboot your mind and get back to work first thing tomorrow morning. We added some time to meetings, it'll be a little bit longer of a day than a typical Friday. Work has to be done. We can see it. It's evident on the field, there's a lot of work that needs to be done still. We've got a long way to go before we play Sunday. They better have that frame of mind."
On his plan for the rest of the day and when he will head home:
"Well, later this afternoon. We still have to prepare for tomorrow's practice and meetings, make sure everything is ready to go, work on our packages and our game sheet and all that stuff. We've still got a lot of work to do. But we'll get home and hopefully watch a little bit of the game, eat a turkey."
On Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.:
"Well, he's obviously an explosive player and he's got unbelievable hands. He can adjust to any ball in the air, you know what I mean? It's going to be challenge for our guys, but I think whether it's [Quinton] Dunbar, [Chris] Culliver, [Will] Blackmon, [Bashaud] Breeland, they're fired up about the opportunity to cover a great player like Odell. Rueben Randle has given us problems at times. So I think when you put the Giants on tape and you watch them and you watch our last three games against them, I think guys have to be excited about this opportunity to compete against the New York Giants. I know I am to compete against Tom Coughlin, but we're not playing. But I know the players are eager and ready for all challenges and there's a lot of them. You know, you talk about the receiving corps, the backs are tough, the line is playing good. So it'll be a great challenge, but our guys will be fired up."
On his level of confidence in RB Matt Jones:
"As a play-caller and as a coach, you can't lose confidence in your players and I don't. But they do have to take care of… They do have job to do also and he has to be obviously more careful with the football. Otherwise his touches will get limited. We're not going to waver on our confidence right now. We're going to continue to give him the ball if the game presents itself that way where we can run the ball. But we know how important it is to run the ball and stay balanced with our offense. Whether it's him or Alfred [Morris] or Chris Thompson, we will be handing the ball off and they've got to protect it."
