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Game Vs. Giants: Eagles Locker Room

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Eagles Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis

On changes in coverage that he implemented tonight:
"They put everything in Eli's hands. Any time you face those types of quarterbacks, you do a couple of new things. We had some tools and techniques that they hadn't seen just to give Eli something. When a guy has a playbook at the line of scrimmage, you have to give him something he hasn't seen before, and that's what we did. They guys executed and [CB] Nolan Carroll wound up getting a pick six out of one of them. The guys just played well with the new stuff we put in."

On the game plan for containing Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.:
"We had him doubled a lot of the time. Even when he caught a couple, he did so with a lot of attention his way. The touchdown was the only breakdown that we had. The rest of the night, we put a lot of attention on him."

On the defense's performance against a strong Giants offensive unit:
"Eli's playing as well has he has played and their offense is operating a high level. Our guys came to play tonight. They gave great effort and technique. More than anything, some penalties hurt us. I think third down was better. I don't know the exact stat, but I'm guessing that it was."

On the interception by LB DeMeco Ryans:
"That might have been the key point. On that second drive when they were moving again on us, and all of the sudden DeMeco comes up with that interception. That was a wild play. DeMeco kind of turned everything for us on that play."

On the injury suffered by Ryans:
"He's okay. I think he's going to be alright. It's similar to the Washington game when he had a little bit of a funny feeling in there, so we backed off of him."

On the strong play of LB Najee Goode despite his short tenure with the team this season:
"We've had Najee for a long time. Najee knows the system. He was gone for a couple of weeks, but Najee is a bright guy so he steps in great and fills in when needed."

On the team's success against the Giants in prime time games over the past two seasons:
"I don't know. It must be the black uniforms. Maybe we should wear them every week."

On whether he sent extra blitzers to generate more pass rush:
"I did early, but the four-man rush started getting there. I said you're not making this any fun because I like calling the blitzes, but the four-man rush was getting there and disturbing them and it allowed us to give extra attention to [Giants WR Odell] Beckham because if you blitz, everyone is one-on-one and nobody gets help. When you get pressure with four men, we can give help in other places and that's what happened tonight."

On the defense being able to generate sacks and turnovers:
"I think they had given up two interceptions and four sacks, and I think that's what we had tonight. That's a good game by the guys."

On the play of DE Vinny Curry:
"Vinny has been playing like that. Vinny always plays like that. Those two intentional groundings, those are sacks. We really should have those two sacks, but [Manning] threw the ball into the ground and took the penalties. I thought the guys had great individual efforts with their pass rushes."

On whether he feels the defense has turned the corner:
"Last week, we should have held [New Orleans] to 10 [points], but they got that last [touchdown] on us. We're really focused on turnovers and points allowed. That's what we talk about often and that's what we know the best defenses do. Right now, we're getting turnovers at a high rate and the points are down."

Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur

On what the offense can work on in practice to limit turnovers in games:
"We certainly work on all those things in practice. We work on being accurate with our throws, catching the ball, and then securing it. We just have to get better at it. We found a way to win the game today and it's hard to win in this league. There really was a lot of good stuff out there, but the glaring mistakes that we are all talking about are the things we need to get corrected."

On QB Sam Bradford's interception that was intended to go to WR Riley Cooper:
"They have a choice on how the route is run and thrown. If he's open, it goes to him, if he's not, you have to move on. They just have to get on the same page."

On what he notices from QB Sam Bradford when he is struggling for an extended period of time:
"Well, I think he did a lot of good things today. He had a handful of bad plays, certainly the ones that we are talking about, but we will get them corrected. I think he's a competitive guy. When things don't go the way they should, he wants to improve. We will just come back, go to work and put our efforts towards Carolina."

Eagles Running Back DeMarco Murray

On whether he feels vindicated after 109 rushing yards after the criticism he and the offense have faced this season:
"I don't think I worried about it. I don't think the offense worried about it. I think we continue to play. We continue to come in every day and work to try to get better, to try to execute. I think the offensive line did well. The defense played outstanding again. They gave us a lot of chances with turnovers and just holding those guys to less points."

On what has changed the past two weeks:
"I feel like we have been converting third downs more. I feel like a lot of guys are playing well. The receivers are making plays down field. The offensive line was blocking a lot better. We're running the ball more physical and running through some tackles. I thought as a whole, offensively, we turned the ball over a few times. I think me and [QB] Sam [Bradford] had one on the ground. We just have to continue to get better and execute."

On what has changed the past two weeks for him:
"Like I said, we're all executing better. We're all on the same page. We're increasingly getting better and more comfortable with each other."

On how much more comfortable he feels in the offense in the past few weeks compared to when he first arrived in Philadelphia:
"I think I always felt comfortable. Like I said, it's an ongoing process. You put in new plays every week. You're seeing different looks from different opponents. I think we just have to continue to work hard. [Head Coach] Chip [Kelly] put together a great game along with the other coaches. The offensive line blocked well."

On whether the offensive line is starting to click more:
"Yeah, I think [Offensive Line] Coach [Jeff] Stoutland does a great job with those guys. JP [LT Jason Peters], [RT] Lane [Johnson], and [C Jason] Kelce are leaders of that group so I think they take it upon themselves. Everyone is looking in the mirror and everyone knows that it's up to yourself to be the best version of yourself as you can be. I think we're doing that throughout the week and it's giving us a chance on Sundays and Mondays."

On how having a second week in a row of over 20 carries helps with getting into rhythm:
"It all goes back to getting more plays and converting on third down. The offensive line played well. [RB] Ryan [Mathews] did well. [RB Darren] Sproles always does a good job. I think we're all on the same page and we'll continue to get better."

On what clicked during his touchdown drive:
"I think Chip just gave us an opportunity. Like I said, the offensive line helped. Chip called a lot of great plays for us and put us in a great position to make plays. It's an ongoing process and we have to continue to learn from the things we did well tonight. There are a couple of things we didn't do so well. We have to come in tomorrow, correct them, and go from there."

On whether he felt physically stronger as the game went on:
"Yeah, I think whenever you get the opportunity to play and get touches, you get better as the game goes on. "

On where the team is now looking at the big picture:
"I think everyone knows what's at stake and we're not looking past anyone. This was a good Giants team and we were able to execute. At the end of the day, we're just taking it one game at a time. We have a long way to go and we know where we want to be at.  Not just winning one or two games, but we want to continue to grow. That all starts with work ethic throughout the course of the week and making sure we are physically and mentally prepared. We've done a great job at that the last two weeks. We're having great days at practice and the results have been there for us."

Eagles Wide Receiver Riley Cooper

On his touchdown catch:
"I mean, to be honest to you, it was an impressive throw. Bradford just put it where only I could catch it. That is our job, we go get the football. It is really Sam. Our job is really simple, we just run and catch. Throwing the ball with pinpoint accuracy, that is the hard part. That is why they get paid the big, big bucks."

On how big of a win this was:
"All wins are big. We played well, but it's nice to be leading the division. It feels good."

Eagles Center Jason Kelce

On whether he can attribute the offense's strong rushing performance to the offensive line's ability to play together tonight:
"I think it was a culmination of everyone just being more familiar with each other. The line blocked better tonight on run plays. Let's face it, we have to put a whole game together. We have to eliminate mistakes. It's good to have a 100-yard rusher like we did, but we had pre-snap penalties, I had the bad snap, there are still a lot of mistakes that fortunately, the defense is playing really well and keeping us in games. We are putting up yards, but if we don't get this corrected when we play better teams, it's going to hurt us bad."

On how fortunate the team is to be in the position they are in considering the amount of mistakes that have been made:
"Thankfully our defense is playing really well. They have kept us in it. They kept us in it all game long tonight. I am happy that we stuck with it offensively and we never gave up, but at some point, we have to get this corrected. It's happened a lot this season. It all starts next week."

On how they can correct mistakes:
"There are a lot of things. Obviously, the pre-snap penalties are about focused attention. We cannot get caught up in people yelling on the field, you have to hone in on the quarterback. There are a lot of things we need to improve on."

On whether there is a sense the team is out of the hole that was dug in the beginning of the season:
"We are obviously in much better position than we were a few weeks ago. We have had two straight wins and now we have a chance to go up against a very good Carolina team. We can prove ourselves even more. I think that everyone can see that if we don't make mistakes and kill ourselves, this offense moves the ball very effectively and it has for the most part of the season, except the Dallas game. It is good to see that we are making positive yards and the offensive line is playing better, but we have to do a better job of eliminating mistakes across the board."

Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins

On changes implemented in the secondary:
"I thought we did a good job of switching the coverage around a little bit and we started to match some of the routes with a little more man-to-man. We sprinkled in some coverages where we passed things off. I think between those two looks, it kind of gave Eli a little bit of confusion and at least made him hold the ball a second longer to figure out what we were in. That gave time for our pass rush to get home. As the game went on, they kind of knew what [coverage] we were in, and we tried to take 13 [Odell Beckam Jr.] out of the game. Everybody else did a good job of holding up in coverage and winning their one-on-one's. When Eli doesn't have a place to go with the ball early, it gives our pass rush that much more time to get there and cause havoc in the backfield."

On the high number of turnovers produced by the defense on the season:
"Our goal is to get three every game, and I think we had three tonight. If we continue to keep this place, it's going to be hard not only to get our defense, but to beat this team."

On whether Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. was consistently double-teamed:
"Pretty much - some form of double [team] or bracket, or sometimes we were over top of him. We just challenged them to beat us with other players."

On how a strong four-man pass rush helps the secondary:
"That allows us to take out one player, and then everyone else can still play basically man free. It's the same thing in the middle of the field. When you can get a four-man rush, it's a great thing to have from a secondary's standpoint because all you have to do is cover for a few seconds and the next thing you know he's getting uncomfortable and getting hit."

On the game called by Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis:
"I think outside of that first drive when they were in 12 personnel and we were in a lot more zone than we had planned on playing. We expected a little bit more 11 personnel, and on that first drive they were able to move the ball a little bit against the zone. Then we were able to get in man and tighten up the coverage and make Eli hold the ball a little bit. I thought he called a great game. He called what was working and he made them try to beat us with something else."

On the team being tied for first place in the NFC East:
"We just focus on one week at a time. We have one week seasons. We have the Carolina Panthers, an undefeated team in their house. So even though we got a great win, there are a lot of things that we have to clean up if we want to beat a really good team in the Carolina Panthers in a short week."

Eagles Linebacker Jordan Hicks

On the injuries at the middle linebacker position:
"It's hard. You don't want to see anybody go down for any type of reason. I'm hoping that they come back quick, but until they come back, you have to be ready when your number is called. When my number is called, I have to be able to hold my weight because this team is depending on me."

On the adjustments made by the defense throughout the game:
"I think we just settled down and went out there and trusted our stuff. We got two turnovers in a row and one of them was obviously huge with the touchdown. The momentum switched right there, so it was big."

On the Eagles defense stopping the Giants from capitalizing on Eagle offensive turnovers:
"When you get turnovers, you have to be able to capitalize on them. When they were able to get their turnovers, we did a great job of holding them and being strong and standing firm. Something we pride ourselves on is putting out that fire and we did a great job tonight."

On how the defense was able to respond following New York's opening touchdown drive:
"It was just a little miscommunication. We all got on the same page and everything was fine."

On what was said on the sideline following the Giant's opening drive touchdown:
"Settle down and let's go play. It's a long game, and we all understand that. We didn't let that phase us."

Eagles Cornerback Nolan Carroll

On his interception return for a touchdown:
"It was a bang-bang play. I saw [Giants QB] Eli [Manning] looking at the receiver and I caught it and ran with it."

On whether he saw Manning staring down the receiver on the play:
"He came back to the intended receiver at the last minute. I just saw him and the ball came out."

On what he was thinking as he was running down the sideline about to score:
"I was not even thinking. I just wanted to get in the end zone and get ready for the kickoff. That was the only thing on my mind."

On how satisfying it was shutting down the Giants offense after giving up a touchdown on their first drive:
"It was great. They got us on that first drive. We just buckled down. We told ourselves, as a group, that we can't let this happen again. We had to go hard and that is what we did."

On the secondary not allowing a completion longer than 17 yards:
"It's very pleasing. That's what we've been working on every single week since we got back in April is not giving up 'X' plays. That's been our mindset every time we take the field in practice and in games."

On whether he had to fight through a pick on his interception:
"A little bit. I saw two [receivers] go to the flat and I heard [S] Malcolm [Jenkins] kind of yell it out, and once I saw it, I looked back and saw where the quarterback was. He threw it, and I just caught the ball."

On why Giants QB Eli Manning threw the ball that he intercepted:
"You have to ask him."

On how many interceptions he has returned for touchdowns in his career:
"This is my first one."

On whether he believed he could make a play like his interception return for a touchdown:
"Yes I did. That's what we practice the whole week. We knew what they were going to kind of do coming in, and we just executed."

On what was done to disrupt the New York passing game:
"We had to play man coverage. We had to get up there and challenge the receivers. He was getting the ball out quick because a lot of teams were just playing zone and sitting back and letting those guys work in space. We knew coming in that we would have to press those guys at the line, challenge them, take the timing off their routes, and let Eli [Manning] hold the ball a little bit. The safeties did a great job of disguising and that's what helps us on the outside – me and Max [CB Byron Maxwell] and [CB] E.J. [Biggers] as well. That disguise kind of messed them up throughout the game, and that's what helped us."

On what was going through his mind during his interception return for a touchdown:
"It's a good feeling, but my mind was just ready to go back out and compete again. My mind was kind of just blank and I just made sure I got into the end zone and got ready for the next kickoff."

Eagles Defensive Tackle Bennie Logan

On whether he noticed the Giants offensive line getting frustrated throughout the game:
"When we were rushing, you could definitely see on the sidelines how frustrated they were. We were just going hard and collapsing the pocket. I saw a lot of frustration on [Giants QB] Eli [Manning's] face, especially when he threw the interception returned for a touchdown. Any time you throw a pick six, it's an energy killer. You could see the frustration there."

On why Manning seemed to hold the ball longer tonight than he has in games leading up to tonight:
"Yeah, our coverage did a great job on their receiving corps. It forced him to hold the ball. Our pass rush got to him. Any time you have a quarterback known for getting rid of the ball quickly, and you make him hold it, it's a coverage thing."

On the Giants opening touchdown drive:
"Penalties kept that drive going. It wasn't anything that we needed to panic about. Once we got to the sideline, we just looked over things. Once the next series came up, we just dominated."

On the impact of LB DeMeco Ryans' interception:
"Not just DeMeco's interception, which was a great thing, but DeMeco's leadership all season has been a great. His voice and just the energy he brings out there is a great thing, but the interception was a momentum changer for our team."

Eagles Safety Walter Thurmond

On limiting the Giants' big plays:
"We mixed it up with some man and zone that we haven't run all season. That was a really good look for us because [Giants QB Eli Manning] didn't know where he was going with the ball and held onto it a little longer. Our front was able to get a rush on [Manning]. I think we did a really good job of disguising our coverages and not letting him get a tip on what we were running."

On the defense's performance:
"We take a lot of pride in our play. We have a lot of great players on the defensive side of the ball. Our front seven has been playing great this season with stopping the run and getting after the passer. The secondary is playing some sound football and making a lot of plays out there. We just go out there and do our jobs. We always get overlooked playing defense. When you play defense, that is going to happen because it's an offensive league. We understand that we just have to do what we need to do to make the necessary plays."

On the importance of tonight's game:
"Every game is important, especially division games. You have to win those games. We have to be able to own the NFC East if we want to go far in the playoffs. That's crucial. We have a great crowd that has great energy when we play at home. We just have to keep stacking the wins. We have two in a row now, so we have to come in this week and work hard for Carolina to get another one."

On forcing turnovers:
"The goal every week is to get at least three turnovers. We hold ourselves to a high standard. It really comes down to preparation and being in tune with the linebackers so we don't give up explosive plays. It's a total group effort, and once were able to have that tight coverage and the front four is getting after the quarterback, we come up with sacks and force the quarterback to make bad decisions. We just have to capitalize on those bad decisions."

Eagles Linebacker Brandon Graham

On the Giants scoring zero points off Eagles' turnovers:
"We know that we can't control what the offense does. No one was really rattled because we knew we had them. We just had that feeling. We just keep doing what we do and something is eventually going to happen. Turnovers happen."

On how it feels to score as a defense:
"It feels good. I'm happy for [Eagles CB Nolan Carroll] because he comes to work every day. For him to break on that ball like that, it was nice. I beat my guy and the next thing I hear is a roar. I turned around and he was already in the end zone. We had a lot of fun out there."

Eagles Linebacker DeMeco Ryans

On fellow linebacker Najee Goode stepping in for him:
"He just showed that he's a true pro. He showed that he took care of himself even though he wasn't signed with the team. He stepped right in and he didn't miss a beat. He's one of our top guys on special teams. When I went down on defense, he came in and played well. I think Najee is a really good player."

On the momentum shift after his first-quarter interception:
"The sideline was going crazy. It was definitely a momentum shift and something that we needed as a team. I was elated that I was able to be the guy to make that play for the team. You have to have the will to come down with it."

On the improvement of the defense week to week:
"I feel like we are getting much better. Besides that first drive, that was one of our better outings of the year. I think we really put together a solid game. It is something for us to continue to build off of with the takeaways we're getting. Tonight we were able to get pressure on the quarterback. We were stopping the run game. It was just solid all-around defense."

On whether the defense had a different game plan entering the game:
"Nothing much. We made our same calls and everyone just played really well. Our back end played aggressive and we played well."

On whether he could have returned to the game after suffering a hamstring injury:
"I could have gone back in, but I wasn't going to be 100 percent."

On whether he will be able to play against Carolina:
"We'll see how it goes."

On the improved play of the defense over the past two weeks:
"We're just backing up what we've been focusing on. You can talk about stopping 'X' plays and stopping the run, but I think this year guys are really stepping up. Our back end is playing great and we're stopping the run and we're creating turnovers. That's been the big difference for us, the turnovers."

On whether tonight's performance will help build the defense's confidence:
"I think it definitely is a confidence booster. To put back-to-back really good games together is a confidence-booster and something for us to continue to build off of. If we continue to play the way that we've been playing and keep taking the ball away defensively, I think we'll be a tough team to beat."

On the change of momentum following his interception:
"It was huge. The sideline went crazy. That's great to see, especially when you're the guy making the play. It's great to see the response from not only the defense, but from the entire team. It was crazy."

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