New York Giants 31, Minnesota Vikings 24
BRIAN DABOLL: It was much like last game. Came down to a few plays. Made a few more than they did, and we get to move on here. So good game, trip back and get ready to play Philly here.
Q. How about holding the poise the way they did in the hostile atmosphere?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we were here last time. We knew what it was going to be. Crowds are great here. Atmosphere is excellent. I think the most important thing are the things you need to do when you're playing in those type of environments, the others, you're going to hear it but you get your calls in quickly, make sure we're in the right counter formation weather-wise, communicate personnel. All those things, that's what makes the difference. Coaches, players, did a good job.
Q. Can you describe the way Daniel Jones played today?
BRIAN DABOLL: Played good. Played good.
Q. Just "good"?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. Played good. Good football.
Q. You really put the ball in his hands a lot. Saquon only had nine runs --
BRIAN DABOLL: Are you out of breath?
Q. I'm kind of out of breath. Had to run to get down here. You really gave Daniel the ball today. Saquon caught the ball but he didn't run it a lot, Daniel running, Daniel passing, you seem to be understating how well he played in the situation?
BRIAN DABOLL: Wasn't good a good adjective to use?
Q. Good? It's good --
BRIAN DABOLL: I'm not a writer, I'm just a coach so, look, Daniel, I've said it all year. He's been good for us. Continues to be good for us. He played a good game. I think there was a lot of other people that played good games to help him play a good game but as a leader on our football team, I'm proud of him.
Q. Daniel running the ball is that something you guys felt was going to be there for you going in or something you figured out?
BRIAN DABOLL: I would say the game plan that we put together on offense was the game plan for the game. What we did is what we wanted to do. There's always adjustments but I thought all the assistant coaches had the guys ready to play and thought they called a really good game.
Q. What did you see in the catch by Hodgins on the last drive of the game?
BRIAN DABOLL: The one where it was close? They were telling me upstairs, he might have it and I said just go to the line and quick on the next play. I don't think you risk it, if you can get it off there and go, that was a big play in the game. We threw the challenge for that but they gave it back to me because they went and respotted, anyways, on the fourth down. Yeah, it was a good team effort today.
Q. What did you guys do against Jefferson, 7 for 47 and nothing after the first drive?
BRIAN DABOLL: Played good team defense. That's what's required when you play a really good player. Wink and the staff did a good job. They hit some plays, they hit some plays and got some good players, but one key was not to let 18-beat us. Most important, the execution by the players, that's what's most important.
Q. Two fourth-and-ones, any consideration to kicking in either of those spots?
BRIAN DABOLL: No. No. We were going after it. We were going to go try to win a game. We have confidence in Daniel moving the pile, and not going to live with the consequences.
Q. The touchdown run that put you guys ahead --
BRIAN DABOLL: The short one?
Q. The one where he ran and just powered him in the end zone, I know you've seen that from Saquon all year but is that as much desire and drive that you want to see in that situation?
BRIAN DABOLL: Absolutely, yeah. Only need a couple yards to get it in and put it in his hands, and I thought he did a great job. The guys pushed him and kept his legs driving. Good play.
Q. What about the climb in that holding penalty, they would have second and 9, what was the thought process there?
BRIAN DABOLL: It's what we thought was best for the team.
Q. After the drop Darius had on the third down, what did you say to him?
BRIAN DABOLL: I said, "Put your head up." He made a lot of good plays for us. That could have gone a ways -- at least first down. He's such a good teammate, he's done everything he can do for us the entire year. You make a physical mistake, that's going to happen in football and he made one at a critical time and there's no one that felt worse than him. So we need him. He's one of our best players on offense. I have a lot of confidence in him and I just told him to get his chin up and we need him to go back out there and he's ready to go.
Q. He seemed pretty anguished on the bench, Darius.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. I mean, he had an opportunity and just quite didn't connect. That's how much he cares about the team. Again we've got a bunch of guys like that.
Q. What's the feeling, your first opportunity to win a game in the playoff as a head coach, not only for you but for that locker room that has been through some lean years.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I know I'm happy. I'm happy for the players first and foremost. They are the ones out there doing it between the lines. Happy are to the coaches and scouts, ownership. You know that's why you do this, you play these type of games and there's not really a lot of time to reflect on those games. I don't know when we're playing, I guess it will be Saturday, not that anybody's told me that. But we've got to get home and start grinding away this time of year.
Q. What was your message to them in the locker room afterwards?
BRIAN DABOLL: Congratulations. Good team win. Get showered and let's go.
Q. When the game ended, the camera showed you looking to the sky and taking a moment, what was on your mind there?
BRIAN DABOLL: That's private. Private moment. Private moment. Just -- yeah, private moment. I don't want to talk about it.
Q. Is it fair to -- never mind.
BRIAN DABOLL: No, I don't want to talk about because then I'll choke up, so I don't want to talk about it.
Q. Was it the moment that you had in the first game?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yes.
Q. You guys made -- I think back to the Ravens game when Andrews killed you all game long, you made a couple coverage changes.
BRIAN DABOLL: I gotcha.
Q. Brock Andrews -- trends, right. And you guys seemed to switch up the coverage lane and put McKinney on Hodgins and he punished you all game long. For McKinney to make that play in that situation what does that say not only about him but you guy defensively making that?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, that's our job as a coaching staff to make sure we are making adjustments as the game goes on. Maybe throw more, run it less, put a different down on somebody. I've got a lot of confidence on Wink and the defensive staff and that's something that we talked about, a little short post on it, and -- could have -- Adoree' back.
Q. What do you say about Adoree', seven games --
BRIAN DABOLL: He's a good player. He's a. I'm glad he's on our team but I don't -- that's what the players now try to do, when they are ready to play, play good. When you're a good player, play good, no more, no less.
Q. Last time you were here, two turnovers, you kept on pointing to them, Daniel had his hands on the ball a lot running, passing, you guys didn't turn the ball over once, that was obviously going to be a critical thing for you?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, it's huge.
Q. That's the trust that you have in him to protect it and not throw it away, those kind of things?
BRIAN DABOLL: Absolutely, he's done it all year.
Q. Seemed like a lifetime ago but what was the delay like in the beginning of the game, when they told you you would have to wait? Just hanging out in the locker room?
BRIAN DABOLL: Ate a banana, drank a half bottle of water and went out there.
Q. Any idea on Ojulari? Is it serious?
BRIAN DABOLL: He's at the hospital. I don't know any -- I was just told that he went to the hospital. I don't know what --
Q. Is it stomach?
BRIAN DABOLL: I don't know, until I get back in there.
Q. What do you think about getting --
BRIAN DABOLL: We have a lot of work to do, go back, look at his tape, correct what we need to correct. We've got a lot of work to do but let's enjoy it, to be able to do work at this time of year.
Q. What does it say about your team that manufacture the key plays --
BRIAN DABOLL: Everything is team. It's all about our team. It's not an individual sport. But individuals have to play well and when they get their opportunity, they have to make the most of it, whether it's five plays, 70 plays, you know, coach, player, trainer. We've all got jobs to do and I expect those guys from their work ethic, their commitment to the team to go out there and give it their all.
Q. But everybody expects the guys to do that. Why are your guys actually doing it? Why do you think?
BRIAN DABOLL: I mean, we work hard. We're a scrappy bunch. We work hard. Certainly a lot of things we can always get better at but there's a good amount of humility in that room of just play the next play. No one is bigger than the team, execution -- and I've talked a lot about this before again. Preparation, practice, things that we've done, you know, I know we rushed those guys last week -- but something like that we thought was best for the team. I thought the guys were fresh, ready to go. But next week is a new week. You've got to enjoy this one in less than 24 hours, these type of games.
Q. You mentioned Kenny. With the season that he's had, it would be understandable if he went into a shell, he's not playing a ton but seems like when he gets out there, what does it say about him?
BRIAN DABOLL: That he's a competitor. He's kept his head down and worked as hard as he can and when his number is called, he's tried to do the best job he can. I've got a lot of respect for all the guys in our room, all of them.
Q. I was going to say, the last time you played Minnesota, you didn't have a lot of design runs, only ran the ball four times. What did you say that made you come back and say, that's a big part of our game plan?
BRIAN DABOLL: There's a few designs, obviously, there's some scrambles. I think that for this game we thought that was something that maybe we didn't do at all last game that we thought would be a new wrinkle. Some people have seen us do it. We have a wide variety of them. You know, there's games we've done a lot, games we have done a little and we just thought this would be a good time, like all the games we game plan for, if it gives us a chance, if it doesn't, only have 65, 70 left in the season so better make them the ones that you think are going to work.
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