Q. I'm sure throughout this whole thing we're going to ask you about a whole bunch of people. I want to ask about your new quarterback. Have you gotten a feel for the Jaxson Dart recruitment experience, and what are your impressions of Jaxson and what are you looking forward to being able to accomplish as his teammate?
ISAIAH LIKELY: Man, Jaxson, you know, a great quarterback, great young quarterback. Obviously shows a lot of charisma when he's out there. Excited to get out there and play with him.
When you watch him, you see the type of drive he has to win any game by any means necessary. You love that when you have a quarterback like that that's ready to do whatever it takes to win the game.
Q. Have you been in contact with him at all the last couple days?
ISAIAH LIKELY: Yeah. I texted him a little bit. Texted him probably a little bit before, just to throw a little bit, and then texted him after when he got done.
Q. Is he as good of a recruiter as he says he is?
ISAIAH LIKELY: He got me here.
Q. Patrick Ricard was just saying if John Harbaugh coached a Pop Warner team, he'd be interested in playing for him. Obviously you've played for him before. What is it about John Harbaugh that makes you, Patrick and other guys want to follow him to the Giants?
ISAIAH LIKELY: I'd say really just the culture that he brings. With Harbs the mantra was always be disciplined. You're going to give 110 percent effort for a whole 60 minutes and understand that you'll never go into a game thinking negative. And I feel like that's the best mantra to have going into any organization having Harbs as your leader.
Q. You mentioned just what John Harbaugh brings, but just for people who want to understand about what a physical John Harbaugh team looks like, what did you love most about playing for him and playing for a team that prides themselves on being very physical up front?
ISAIAH LIKELY: Like you just said, up front you're going to be physical, you're going to be violent, you're going to play the whole 60 minutes like you're winning the whole game, and you're going to fight until you get the W. I mean, from the first snap to the last snap, that's the thing that Coach Harbs preaches every day, every practice, every meeting, every team meeting, you're going to understand that what you're getting out of Coach Harbs is what you're going to get from the first day that you have him until the last day that you have him.
Q. And then, also, Jaxson Dart loves his tight ends. Him and Theo Johnson have a pretty good connection. Was that something that interested you as well knowing that Dart loves to utilize his tight ends?
ISAIAH LIKELY: For sure. When I watched Dart a little bit during the year, definitely seen the connection that they had. Just trying to help him create as much big plays as possible.
Q. Isaiah, I think last year, unofficially, if my numbers are correct, you played in the slot more than you had played in your career. I just want to get your take on what is it about the slot that you think is such a fit for what you do well, and do you like playing in the slot?
ISAIAH LIKELY: I feel like in the slot you get to see a lot more, right now, right then and there. When you're in line, hitting the dirt, obviously you have to look up, you have to evade defensive ends, outside linebackers. So really just, in the slot, just being able to look up, understand the snap count and really just hinge it from there.
And I'd say, really, I just excelled in my game on just being a chess piece, whether it was in the slot, back field, in line, out wide, just being out there, being the chess piece to be able to get any play done.
Q. And then in terms of the jump ball, I think, again, unofficially, that's where you had most of your plays, if I'm not mistaken. And you've had some success with the jump ball. Can you just talk about that aspect of the game, especially I would think that would come in handy in the red zone.
ISAIAH LIKELY: For sure. I mean, it's just, you know, understanding that when the quarterback puts the ball in your way, that you're not going to put it in harm's way. Understand that the quarterback is trusting you with the ball to go up and make a play, whether it's catching it for a big gain, catching it and going for six or just not making not a bad play worse, and that's just the mantra I have when the ball's in the air of it's my ball or nobody's, and that's just the mantra I get.
Q. Couple of quick things for you. We just had Patrick on. You being his teammate, talk about physicality and a 300-pound guy who never gets the ball.
ISAIAH LIKELY: (Laughs).
Q. You're laughing. What does he do for an offense -- I mean, maybe Derrick Henry would be better to ask about this than you, but what does he do? He's such a unique person. What does he do as a player that helps you?
ISAIAH LIKELY: I mean, Pat is just that Swiss Army knife that you need for a team, whether it's in the run game, physicality, pass pro or really just being that extra layer on the offensive line. And Pat is just a great teammate, great vet that I've had the past four years before this year, having him in Baltimore, just learning from him, being able to pack leverages, hearing from him say, obviously, like how he moves 300 pounds through gaps and blocks for everybody.
But the one thing that really stuck with me with Pat was when he was kind of bickering with me in 2023 because he had the longest reception in the room for about two weeks until I jumped him.
Q. Is he in your room?
ISAIAH LIKELY: Yeah. He should be in the tight end room. I told him he can't leave me. So I'm trying to get that done.
Q. You don't really call him Pancake Pat, do you?
ISAIAH LIKELY: No. I call him Pat.
Q. And one last thing. You look at your numbers, and you obviously shared a role with Mark Andrews, or you had shared snaps. Do you think there's more there that your numbers are -- you're ready to do more? I mean, you still have Theo Johnson here. I think Coach Harbaugh wants to be a running offense certainly. But do you think there's more there that you can show in New York?
ISAIAH LIKELY: Absolutely. And I feel like New York was just the best place for me to pick to be able to blossom, show my talents and show that I'm a top tight end caliber player in this league now and really just being able to just express everything, showing New York that you got everything out of Isaiah Likely from here.
Q. Two things. One, for those of us who have watched a lot of the Ravens in Prime time, it always seemed like Lamar went to you in the clutch of times. Why? Was that something between you guys? Did you feel like you stepped up more in those clutch times than you do the rest of the game? Like why did it always seem like third and fourth down was to you?
ISAIAH LIKELY: I'd say, you know, just the connection that me and Lamar built, not only on the field, but off the field was definitely excelled when we went on the field. And then just having the mindset of when the ball comes my way to always make a play, never make the quarterback wrong. And that's just what I've been trying to do my whole life is when the lights the brightest, make sure you make them plays.
Q. So touchdown against the Steelers, right? That was a touchdown?
ISAIAH LIKELY: You know it.
Q. But I'm serious about this, Isaiah. Like have you had a chance to think about how crazy, like maybe if that's a touchdown, maybe you win that game, maybe you're in the playoffs, maybe Harbaugh is still in Baltimore, maybe you're still in Baltimore. Have you thought at all about the craziness of that sliding doors theory I just gave you?
ISAIAH LIKELY: I mean, then you wouldn't be able to talk to me now, because like you said, I'd still be in Baltimore. So we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Q. It's kind of crazy how things work out, right?
ISAIAH LIKELY: For sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports