Giants Head Coach strategizes on the sidelines on Thursday Night Football versus the Eagles. Photo by: Andy Lewis @ Todd Bauers Photography

Head Coach Ben McAdoo
January 6, 2017

Q: Nat Berhe is out of the concussion protocol?
A: Nat Berhe is out of the concussion protocol, yes. No, he is still finishing up, actually.

Q: Do you expect him to be available on Sunday?
A: He is still being evaluated. He still has to be cleared.

Q: What can the expectation be for him at this point if he is cleared?
A: We will evaluate it. We have to take a look. There are a lot of guys that we have to take a look at tomorrow.

Q: How do you balance not worrying about the weather and being prepared?
A: We are good with the weather.

Q: But you have to be prepared for it.
A: Absolutely. We are good with it. We are looking forward to it.

Q: Are you locked in at right tackle? Where are you in terms of deciding who will play there?
A: Tomorrow is a big day for us, so we will take a look at a couple different guys tomorrow and will see how they perform in practice.

Q: You had several guys make the All-Pro team. How proud are you to see those guys represent the organization in that regard?
A: Yeah, I think it is great. They are great individual honors. It is great for them and their teammates and it is exciting to see.

Q: What have you thought about your team’s preparation this week?
A: I think we have had some tremendous energy, the focus has been good. Today was a good mental day for us. Tomorrow will be good to get to launch. Again, get some speed going, but guys have been focused and dialed in.

Q: You have used Odell as a punt returner in different situations. In the playoffs, is it kind of anything goes there?
A: We may mix him in, yeah.

Q: We have made a lot of you using young players. Does your leash get shorter in the playoffs?
A: Early in the season, we made a commitment to play our young players. We were confident in our young players. We knew that there were going to be some lumps, we have to learn along the way, make some corrections. I was confident in the staff and the players that we would learn from those mistakes and this is where you have to cash in on those opportunities.

Q: How much of a factor was Leon Hall’s playoff experience in moving him up the depth chart?
A: Yeah, experience is great. Experience is great, but at the end of the day, it is about the preparation. With Leon, we trust that he is going to be prepared, we trust that everyone is going to prepare and I would rather have a prepared player than an experienced player. Preparation is the most important thing.

Q: Have you locked in on who is going to start there?
A: It is still up in the air. We will go out and take a look tomorrow. Everyone is going to play, but we will go out and take a look tomorrow and see how we perform.

Q: Did you hear any words of good luck from Tom Coughlin?
A: We will keep our personal conversations personal. Thanks for asking.

Q: Mike McCarthy said that it was the coldest practice that they have ever had in Green Bay yesterday. Does it worry you that they are there practicing in that weather?
A: We look forward to playing, so we are excited to get out there in the elements and play some football.

Q: Does your checklist of what you need to accomplish change in the playoffs on the road?
A: We have to find a path to victory. That is the most important thing. This time of the year, there are several ways to go and we have to play the game as it unfolds on our own path.

Q: You have been one to encourage the players to speak to their respective units on Fridays. How has that been a plus for you?
A: I think it builds togetherness. I think that we have a close locker room, a high integrity locker room, the guys do a great job of communicating and it helps you learn about each other.

Q: Odell’s numbers are best in the fourth quarter and late in games. Is there anything that you have seen from him to explain why that is?
A: I thought we couldn’t get the ball to him in the second half.

Q: No, it was the 1st quarter.
A: Oh, okay. Odell is a good player. We try to get him touches whenever we can get him touches and when he touches the ball a lot, we have a better chance to win the ball game.

Q: Has Snacks brought what you envisioned he would bring to your run defense?
A: Snacks is, first and foremost, a man of integrity, has tremendous leadership, works hard at his game, his techniques and fundamentals, and at that position, you have to enjoy watching others have success to do your job well and he seems to fit into that mold.

Q: You said that right tackle is kind of up in the air. Why do you think that is the case? Bobby Hart seemed to be the starter.
A: Yeah, we are going to take a look at practice tomorrow and see how it goes.

Q: How much of a difference has it made having Justin Pugh back these last couple of games?
A: Yeah, Justin has played some good football for us and has had a good week of preparation so far and we look forward to that to continue tomorrow.

Q: What makes him a good run blocker?
A: He is a big, strong man who has the right mindset.

Q: You mentioned the other day that in the playoffs one play can change everything. What is the most impactful play in your playoff experience?
A: Most impactful play? I would probably say in the Super Bowl, Aaron (Rodgers) hitting Greg Jennings down the middle on a big third down in the four-minute drive was pretty impactful.

Q: Last time you went to Green Bay, Ereck Flowers had a rough game. How much does that concern you going into this game?
A: Yeah, their front does a great job getting after the quarterback. They are very talented there, they do a nice job scheme-wise with their picks and their twists and their stunts, and we have had a good week preparing for it. I am sure that they will have some things in there, some wrinkles, and they are well coached and we have to be ready to handle the twists and stunts and straight rushes and be ready to adjust during the course of the game versus anything new.

Q: Will you have to give your edge guys any extra help being on the road?
A: Yeah, we feel good about the plan, we feel good about the week of preparation so far and we will have to be ready to adjust during the course of the game.

Q: Green Bay has a new weapon in Ty Montgomery. How difficult is it to defend against a guy like that?
A: Yeah, he is a weapon for them whether you hand him the ball – he is doing a nice job progressing as a back. He is a weapon out of the backfield. He can run the ball and will run the ball at a nice clip, but they will throw it to him out of the backfield and he can create some matchups there.

Q: Did the big play that Tavarres King made on Sunday change the type of role that he could have going forward?
A: Again, we will take a look tomorrow and see how things shake out. But it was encouraging to see him get by the defense and look the ball in. He did a nice job holding the line and made a big play for us.