What was the inspiration behind making a comprehensive book like this?

Sports Illustrated has legendary photography and great writers who have covered the game and know the sport as well as anyone. There has been interest in these projects for a long time, so the time was right to put the groups together. Don’t forget the list includes two writers who vote for the Hall of Fame and another (Tim Layden) who is easily among America’s greatest writers.

 
Were there any intense arguments over the rankings of certain players?

There is always discussion, but respect takes over. It wasn’t that hard to reach a consensus for most. Great players and great moments rise to the top.

 
Do you feel there were any snubs on your Top 10 list?

I think all the lists were very balanced. They are reflective of their era. The running backs list has very few current or recently retired guys because the game used to be more running oriented. Now we have have more receivers because the game is dictated by the pass. Some of the surprises were who got on the lists, like Cris Carter. He is obviously a guy who the writers have great respect for.

 
Are there any other books like this in the works?

“Steelers Pride” was a book that we also did recently just about the organization and it was very well received. You will probably see some others like that over time, and this type of book would work well in other sports. They take a great amount of time, at least a year, to plan and execute properly.

 
Do you see any current rookie making it in the Top 10 by careers end?

Way too hard to predict not just rookies, but any current player, so we shall see. These are very exclusive lists and they are a bit arbitrary, so it is hard to predict greatness.

 
Since GMenHQ is primarily a Giants website, Is there a possibility any current Giants player can sneak into the Top 10 in the future?

The transient nature of the NFL these days, and the salary cap, makes that difficult to predict. Would LT in the current system have spent is whole career in New York? You hope so, but you never know. Eli is certainly making a case, but there is a long way to go, even for Peyton Manning. That is what makes the lists so strong. Its not just about today, its about all-time. Who knows where even someone like Coach Coughlin will end up on an all-time list down the road.

I noticed that the book is also available in e-book format. Can we expect to see this for every book and was the conversion process difficult considering the beautiful images throughout the book?

That is really a tech question and there is no one better than the folks at SI to solve that. You see what is being done in the digital space with the magazine and multimedia and it is the same with books. It is where people will consume media down the line.

I would like to thank Bill Syken, Jerry Milani, and the fine folks at Sports Illustrated for taking the time to answer some questions for us here at GMenHQ. For more news, updates, and analysis…Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/ERobertsNY (@ERobertsNY)

I’m going to talk to the parties involved. As I understand it, there were some parts that were inappropriate, and anything that occurs within this family or within our group should not be a part of any social media aspect. I’m going to address that strongly, and I’ve spent a little time on that this preseason, but I’ll look into it further.

The video was originally posted by punter Steve Weatherford, who has since issued an apology via twitter. As for the video itself, it’s hard to tell whether the two players had an actual issue with one another, or whether it was just an innocent example of a couple young players horsing around. Pierre-Paul seems pretty pleased with himself at the end, smiling and high-fiving teammates while Amukamara appears much less enthused.

Overall, this seems to be a lot of smoke without much fire. Even if JPP and Prince do have a problem, nobody ever said that everyone on the team has to like one another for them to be successful. The most significant thing about the video is that it’s pretty funny, so I encourage you to take a look (warning: graphic language).

The Giants running attack will have a different look to it this season as Brandon Jacobs has moved on to the San Francisco 49ers. Ahmad Bradshaw now has the spotlight as the Giants will use the preseason to determine who else fills out the backfield. D.J. Ware received the first chance at backing up Bradshaw and he looked impressive when called on to carry the ball. Rookie and first round pick David Wilson had a team high 43 rushing yards on 7 carries and looked explosive at times. The battle for the backup running back spot is going to be fun to watch.

Eli Manning completed four of eight passes for 60 yards.

What stood out to me in the passing game for the Giants was solid play from their new tight end Martellus Bennett.

Bennett has the size, the speed, and the potential to be an impact player in this offense. The flipside to that is he also had that potential in Dallas. A change of scenery might be just what Bennett needs to maximize his potential. He’s off to a good start so far, catching 3 passes for 27 yards including a 12-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback David Carr.

The first-team defense looked shaky in the beginning as the Jaguars seemed to move the ball with ease on them in their opening drive.

One key position to watch for will be at cornerback.

Prince Amukamara is getting a chance to step up because of the injury to Terrell Thomas. Amukamara was burned on the Jaguars opening drive when he gave up 3-yard touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts. However, he showed that he could shake that off and redeemed himself later in the 1st quarter when he stripped Shorts on an end-around which led to a Giants recovery.

Head coach Tom Coughlin wasn’t pleased with how his punt return game looked out there and who can blame him? Misplays by rookie Jayron Hosley and receiver Jerrel Jernigan led to Jacksonville points that definitely contributed to the ultimate outcome of the game. If there is one thing that will bring Coughlin to angry levels, it’s turnovers and mental mistakes.

The Giants were in control of this game and mistakes and lack of execution at critical times cost them. However, training camp and the preseason is for fixing those problems before they come up again in September when the games do count and the Giants begin defense of their Super Bowl championship.

As you would imagine, Tom Coughlin is just as disciplined about how the Giants approach pre-season games as he is about everything else in his life.  The “starters” will play 15-18 plays.

“The objective is always to win, but it’s all about personnel,” Coughlin said. “We’ll play them just exactly the way that I’ve talked about it. I will not sacrifice that part of it. Hopefully, we’re good enough and deep enough that the guys will get in the game and respond and enjoy themselves. I want them to play hard and give us a chance to do some evaluating and trying to figure out how people fit.”

The season opener is less than four weeks away and this is the first step in building the roster, evaluating talent, and seeing who might step up and grab everyones attention.  Look for everyone to get a chance to show what they can do.  There are many players who will need to show something special this year.  The depth of this team is tremendous, and they will surely have to release some players that will be starters on other teams.  The competition should be good , and the opportunities plentiful.  Look for the execution from the regulars in the first part of the game, then sit back and enjoy the competition and the athleticism of the players.

“Now they both absolutely one day will go in the Hall of Fame.”

ONE DAY…Not today ESPN, not tomorrow, but ONE DAY.  That means that Phil is counting on Eli and Tom continuing their very successful relationship.  He also knows Jerry Reese and the Giants are committed to winning and building the best, most competitive team possible each and every year.  When it’s all said and done in another 7-8 years for Eli, yes he will be a Hall of Fame QB, and Tom Coughlin will be there too.

I think the better argument is whether Phil Simms is a Hall of Fame QB….If he had stayed healthy and won the Super Bowl with the team in 1990, I think it would be an easier argument, but as it stands he has just as many Super Bowls victories as Steve Young, and they both hold two Super Bowl records for QB’s.

Steve Young started 16 games for the Niners 3 times, Phil Simms did it four times.

Young started 124 games in total for the Niners and 143 for his career, Simms had 159, all for the Giants.

Simms won 95 games, Steve Young 94

Simms had 33,462 passing yards(With a run first Bill Parcells for a coach) Young had 33,124

Young had 232 TD’s and Simms 199

Simms took over a strugging rebuilding team and took it to it’s first Super Bowl, Young took over for Joe Montana after he was injured in the NFC Championship (against the Giants) after the Niners had won back to back Super Bowls.

Young had Jerry Rice, John Taylor, and Brent Jones

Simms had Lionel Manuel, Mark Ingram, Bobby Johnson, and Mark Bavaro

You make the call…..

Eli stated last week when asked how he was preparing?  ”We were 9-7, and that isn’t good enough.”  How nice is that?  Two Super Bowl victories, Two Super Bowl MVP’s, and this guy wants to work harder to improve their regular season record and make the playoffs in better fashion.

The Giants don’t have short memories.  The Giants aren’t delusional.  The Giants know full well they put themselves in a tough spot last year needing to win two divisional games in prime time to simply make the playoffs.  With the schedule they have this year, they need to be better.  I don’t just mean the teams on the schedule either, but the craziness of playing a Wednesday, Sunday, Thursday to start the season.  Tom Coughlin, who might be the most organized man in the world, will need to figure a way to practice and teach his team in the first month of the season while not violating any of the new CBA rules.  This in itself will be a challenge.

But, when you have a leader like Eli, who will make sure everyone knows last year is over, and they weren’t all that good last year, it will make it easier to get the team focused on the task at hand.

We all know that Hakeem Nicks injured his foot last week and had surgery.  The WORST case scenario is for Hakeem to return two weeks before opening night. SO, of course, the media is asking how this will effect the Giants passing game.  Who will step up to take his place.  What will the Giants do?  Why do they have to do anything?  He is coming back, in plenty of time, and as we chronicled last week here at GMENHQ there are plenty of players in camp to play the wide receiver position.

But, someone had to ruin the coaches day by asking the most ridiculous question ever uttered.  Would the Giants call Plaxico Burress?  Plaxico who let the team down in 2008. Plaxico who “said” he turned down a Giants offer last year.  Plaxico who then ripped the organization he “didn’t want to play for” for not offering him a bigger deal.  Plaxico who stole some Jet money last year only to show how lazy he still is.  He never caught more than 5 balls in a game while catching 45 all year for 600 yards, with just 22 coming in the second half of the season. In 4 games Plax caught one or fewer balls. Plaxico who has turned into the Dwight Howard of the NFL telling everyone every week what team he would like to play for, and thankfully the Giants are off that list.

I realize it’s tough to write stories on a daily basis……..but to ask this question just shows no imagination

Here’s the press conference form Giants.com

Q:  Jamaal Jackson – I didn’t notice him out here today.  I could have missed him.
A:  No, he retired.  Usually you don’t count those guys unless they are hurt.  But you still managed to spot him.  He came in, he was very nice.  He just said, “Coach, I just don’t feel like my heart is in it.”

Q:  What happened to Markus Kuhn?
A:  He got hurt.  He did something.  They looked at him and he has a laceration on his leg and they wouldn’t let him go.

Q:  That was before he got here?
A:  Yes.  In other words, you are not going to get me to tell you what he did.

Q:  In a camp like this you have a couple of safeties – Jackson, Hill, guys who have some talent, obviously.  But they also have some issues.  Do you just figure you bring a guy into camp and see what he can do and then maybe you take the next step?
A:  Right – see how he interacts, what kind of condition he is in; how serious is he, how good is he in meetings, how does he communicate on the field – all of those things.

Q:  How about Brandon Bing?
A:  He has had a pretty good camp.  Yeah, he has done well.

Q:  Is Jackson a guy who you maybe considered drafting at some point?
A:  Janzen Jackson, the safety

Q:  Yeah, the safety.
A:  I don’t believe so, no.

Q:  Why is he here?
A:  Because the scouting department felt he was a talented guy who had the same old deal – transferred out of one place – was a starter at one time at Tennessee.  They felt good about him but I don’t believe he was ever in the discussion.  I could be wrong.

Q:  How did you like the way Joe Martinek looked out there today?
A:  He has been pretty good the whole camp, to be honest with you; very steady.  I think probably he can play both spots.  That would be good.

Q:  How did Wilson look?
A:  I don’t know about this morning but yesterday afternoon he had some nice plays yesterday afternoon.

Q:  Did he catch the ball out of the backfield?
A:  He did.  He made a couple of real nice catches.  We were watching him.  And I know that is something we want to continue to work with him on.

Q:  Any thoughts on players that have recently come out about whether their son should or shouldn’t play football?
A:  No, I’m not getting into that one.  We are talking about this mini camp, I thought.

Q:  Did you address any of the concussion concerns with your veteran players?
A:  No.  I think the NFL is well, well documented –  the number one issue is player safety and we are all behind that 100 percent.  Beyond that I don’t know what more I could say.

Q:  Is there one aspect about Martinek that you liked more than anything else.  Especially today, it seemed like he was catching the ball pretty well out of the backfield. Is there anything else?
A:  He caught it well. I think he learns well and I think he is very motivated and I think he has some position versatility.

Re: Markus Kuhn
A:  I can’t say much because I haven’t seen practice. But he is a very, very interesting young man.  We studied him on tape and we thought that he would be an outstanding prospect for us.  He is a thick body; powerful young man who I think will put some more weight on and he will be able to squat in there and do a nice job inside.  He has a very, very interesting story.  It was nice to talk to him a little about that in terms of – he has played club football in Germany – small teams – 20 guys on a team and that kind of thing.  He certainly did an outstanding job at N.C, State.  We are excited about him.  I just wish we could have gotten to see him a little bit out here.

The story really begins in January 1979.  The Giants were a Mom and Pop organization in the 70′s and it showed on the field.  They were an awful team and a losing organization throughout the 70′s.  The Giants were struggling making the transition into the new NFL.  The league suggested they change to the NEW model of having a General Manager as the leader of the team, they even gave a suggestion as to who to hire.  That man was George Young.  George Young was hired by Wellington Mara, and the team was changed for the better for the future.  George Young drafted Phil Simms number 1, as Commissioner Pete Rozelle chuckled, in the 1979 draft, then Lawrence Taylor came in 1981.  After 1982 Ray Perkins left to be the head coach of the University of Alabama, at the time a better job than the one he was leaving. In stepped Bill Parcells, and the eight year run began.

Tom Coughlin, who at one time turned down the New York Giants, came aboard in 1994.  He was awarded the pleasure of mentoring Eli Manning when he arrived out of college.  He has had to change his style and his ways over the past 8 years, but after inheriting a 4-12 team, he knew that the team needed to change also.  His ways did rub some the wrong way initially, but eventually almost everyone has come to agree that Tom Coughlin is a very good football coach, and an even better person. Two championships and counting.  Look for the Giants to award a nice contract to Coach Coughlin, one that has been earned.

Back to Coach Parcells….after the second championship in 1990, you could get the feeling that he was a little miffed at not getting full credit for the teams accomplishments.  He was a players coach, he was the controlling force on the sideline and in the lockerroom. Parcells used and abused the media, but always to the betterment of his team.  Each week he would find a way to challenge some portion of his players to be better.  He was the reason they were winning, it was us against the world, unfortunately for Bill “The world” included management and ownership.  To prove his point Bill took some drastic steps.  He first allowed defensive genius Bill Belichick to interview and accept the job as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.  He then allowed offensive guru Ron Earhardt to go to Pittsburgh.  Then he hired Rod Rust and his “Read and React” defensive scheme.  He knew that this system would not sit well with the attacking players he had in LT, Carl Banks, and Leonard Marshall. Then the bombshell dropped, coach Parcells was retiring.  In the final insult and challenge to the organization to prove that it wasn’t the coaches that won championships, but the organization, he recommended Ray Handley to be the next head coach. Coach Parcells wanted to prove a point, and wanted to be the only coach to win a Super Bowl with two different teams. Unfortunately for Bill, times had changed, and his search for the right job that would grant him total control never really materialized.  Bill is a Hall Of Fame coach, no doubt, but his ending with the Giants was not as many would have preferred it.

Fortunately, the Giants organization did nothing but thrive even during the lean years on the field.  George Young watched over the transformation of the Giants until 1997.  Ernie Accorsi took over after that, and presided over the team that went to the 2000 championship, and then made the best trade the team has ever made acquiring Eli Manning.  Accorsi didn’t like Tom Coughlin and was positioning to fire him, but the team thrived under him in 2005 going 11-5.  Accorsi then left the team in the hands of Jerry Reese who ran the 2007 draft, with great success, and has now presided over 2 Super Bowl Championships of his own.

The continuity of the front office of the New York Giants has built a great organization, one that can withstand many obstacles.

The New York Football Giants practiced today for their upcoming appearance in the NFC Championship game this Sunday in San Francisco, and except for the standard resting of Ahmad Bradshaw, ALL players were in pads and participated. Mark Herzlich practiced for the first time since he hurt his ankle in the Saints game on November 28th.  Coach Coughlin must have a big smile on his face.

THE GIANTS ARE INDEED ALL IN!

Well here we go folks, the New York Giants are in the playoffs. After weeks of stressing and wondering: “Will the Giants collapse late in the season again?”, “Will Coughlin be fired?”, “Will they make a playoff run?”, we now know, the Giants have extended their season and have a shot at the crown, and based on what we have seen over the last couple of weeks, they should not be automatically counted out. There has been improvement on both sides of the ball, while some of the most reliable players continue to shine. So, let’s break this one down.

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I know that this is a late posting, but my computer got hit with a major virus, and this is the first chance that I’ve had to post. I apologize for my tardiness, but I hope that everyone understands.

The good news is that the G-Men won the battle of NY, and made everyone’s Christmas a little merrier, unless you’re a Jets fan. By virtue of the win, the Giants still control their own destiny (they would have anyway, with a win over Dallas this coming week), but the Giants’ emotional state is probably better for it. As is typical of the guys in blue, the game was a microcosm of the season: flashes of brilliance with periods of lackluster performance. More after the jump.From a statistical viewing, the game was somewhat even. The punting game was virtually equal, with each team punting 9 times. The Giants had a 43 yard average, while the Jets averaged 42 yards. Tynes drilled two field goals, while Coach Coughlin iced the Jets kicker, and Mr. Folk missed his one attempt. Offensively, the Giants running attack showed some signs of life in the second half. The rushing totals were ordinary, but after only 6 yards gained in the first half the G-Men came up with a respectable tally for the game. Both Jacobs and Bradshaw literally ran over people. 26 attempts for 115 yards versus 25 attempts and 105 yards for the Jets. About even, although it seemed as if the Jets secondary wanted no part of either of the Giants main backs. (more…)

“just saw a picture that made me sick to my stomach’’ and the fact that the Giants coach believes what’s in the picture validates his case didn’t help ease his queasiness.

 Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin today gave an injury update that had some good, and some bad news.  LB Mark Herzlich has been ruled out with an ankle injury.  On the other hand, LB Michael Boley practiced on a limited basis.  RB Ahmad Bradshaw did not practice and said he felt better and hopes to play Sunday.  WR Mario Manningham still has swelling in his knee and has not shown much improvement.  He might be out as well this Sunday.

So the beat goes on for the Giants…One thing we know for sure is that the New York Giants will not be at full strength for another week of the season

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves and focus on this messy game.

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The offense:  Michael Vick appears to be out for the game tomorrow night, as does WR Jeremy Maclin.  In steps Vince Young who has thrown a total of one pass this season, and that was intercepted.  Which Vince Young do you get?  The one that can break open a game at any moment with his strength and speed?  The one that doesn’t go down so easy when hit?  Or the depressed, once great, washed up, indecisive Qb that was shipped out of Tennessee?  I believe the Giants will see both Vince Young and Mike Kafka tomorrow night if Vick indeed is inactive.  That leaves LeSean McCoy as the main weapon for the Eagles, and he is a formidable one.  On a team with Vick, DeSean Jackson, Maclin, Avant, and Celek, McCoy has managed to rush for 900 yards and 10 TD’s.  The Eagles LEAD the league in rushing averaging over 170 yards per game.  The Eagles are 3rd in total yards, but only 11th in scoring with a Net Point Differential of only 17. (more…)

Up at #5 is the NY Giants’ Tom Coughlin who will be heading into the softest part of the schedule coming up against the Dolphins and their bye week.

Clipped from: nflmocks.com (share this clip)

#5 Tom Coughlin (Getting warmer)

Fun little fact: the Giants have started 5-2 (or better) in every season under coach Tom Coughlin. Not so fun fact? They have been pathetic in the second half of the season the last two years. Tom Coughlin is a good coach and the Giants are a very loyal organization. But, this team has a lot of veteran leadership, a quality quarterback, and a talented pass rush and they have had terrible second half’s two years in a row that cost them the playoffs and then are coming out flat and playing poorly already this year. They barely squeaked by the Cardinals and then lost at home vs the Seahawks, after they played poorly vs the Cardinals. This can’t happen anymore.

Coughlin still has a shot at starting 5-2, they play the Bills (have a bye week) and then the Dolphins the next three weeks, but their second half of the schedule is brutal. Two games vs Dallas, a game each vs Washington and Philadelphia, and then games vs the Patriots, Packers, Jets, 49ers, and Saints. It could be a long year, especially if they continue to play the way they are playing now.

“We’re going to have to take some extraordinary means to try to solve that issue. The fact of the matter is that has to stop We talked about that this morning. We talked about it last night. We’ve got to sure this thing up and deny that part of the game.”

And here is Michael Boley on the importance of finishing this season:

“We didn’t do a good job of [finishing] last year so that was a big emphasis for us going into this year…. It is just a matter of ‘want to.’ I think we have a different mentality to finishing games now. I think at times last year, we got kind of lackadaisical at times. We got away from the things we did earlier in the game as far as keeping the pressure on. This year it is a different mentality as a team. Our whole mentality is to keep the pressure on and don’t let up, even during the times late in the game when we are behind like yesterday. It was kind of like don’t lose hope because there is always time.”

[via ESPN]

Good morning guys. St. Louis Rams week and we are excited about getting started and trying to improve and get better. The Rams played the Eagles in the opener in a very physical game, without a doubt. Both teams rushed the ball very well. Eventually, of course, Michael Vick took off and made the 97 yards and McCoy had 122 yards against them. Really McCoy’s run was a long run towards the end of the game. It was a very physical game and both teams got after the quarterback with five and three sacks. They played a very physical game and we played a very physical game and now we are excited about getting ready for Monday night.

Q: How is Nicks?

A: He won’t practice today but he is making pretty good progress.

Q: What is the injury?

A: Knee.

Q: What did the tests show?

A: It was a bone bruise.

Q: How long do you think he will be out?

A: I have no idea. We will just go day by day.

Q: What about Tuck and Osi?

A: Osi, no, and Justin is going to practice limited today. We are in shells and that’s the way he will go.

Q: Do you see Spags bringing an NFC East mentality to that division?

A: I don’t know. They are a physical football team. I don’t know if it is categorized as NFC East but it looked like an NFC East battle. That type of game.

Q: Do you talk to him?

A: We text at the beginning of the season ‘good luck’ and naturally we look for each other at the league meetings and in Indianapolis.

Q: Is he the same coach that he was as a defensive coordinator?

A: I am sure he is the head coach, so he has all those hats to wear. No question he has his hands on the defensive side, but I am sure offense as well and special teams as well. They are an aggressive special teams outfit.

Q: What do you miss when Tuck is not in there?

A: Leadership ability. Pass rush. Where do you want me to stop? What do you think we lose? You lose a heck of a football player and the captain of your defensive team.

Q: Does his presence help calm things?

A: Sure, absolutely. You lose Osi, too, if you want me to keep going. Get them out there and you will quickly see and that’s not taking anything away from the guys that are playing. They are playing their tails off. Tollefson played well. Trattou came in and gave us some snaps. JPP rose up again when he had to and made a couple sacks. They are playing hard and there is no if, ands or buts about that. You are talking about reinforcements of a very high quality.

Q: Do you think the Rams will run as much without Steven Jackson?

A: Absolutely. 19 for 91 with Cadillac, they are just going to keep on doing what they do very well, or attempt to.

Q: How about Beckum?

A: Beckum is Beckum. He has a hamstring.

Q: How do you get better as a team?

A: Every phase. Stop the big plays, punt the ball better, kick the ball better. Consistently move the ball on offense, move the ball on third down. Make your short yardage runs. There is a lot of ways that we must improve as we go forward and it is going to happen. It is just not there yet but it is going to happen.

Q: How different is Cadillac from Jackson?

A: Much different, but they are both very good football players and very good rushers. Cadillac has gone through some injuries that he was fought his way back from and he looks like the guy of old. Steven Jackson has been at the Pro Bowl level for a long time.

Q: Do you think hey will run the same?

A: Absolutely. It is the same offense.

Q: Do you think they will pass a lot with the Bradford injury?

A: I think you assess all that during the course of the week. They do have an extra day so that is going to help and then they will make their adjustments as it gets closer to game planning. I’m sure they game planned as if he is healthy and then as they get closer, they will make some decisions about what he can and cannot do.

Q: You seem frustrated by Beckum. Can Travis Beckum fight through this injury?

A: Evidentially, it is not that way yet. It hasn’t gotten to that point yet. We have had hamstring issues with Travis before. I am not frustrated but expectations are very high. It is very difficult to improve him when he is not practicing.

Q: Do you think Brandon and Ahmad can have the same number of carries?

A: The first thing that has to happen is that we have to get some plays on offense. If you make some third downs, then you have a chance to have some plays and you have a chance to have some continuity. You have a chance to do a lot of different things. I am not going to tell you that it will be this or that. I know in my mind what I am looking for in all the players if they were healthy. How many times I want them to touch the ball. But that is under circumstances where you have some snaps and you are doing some things in the game to keep the ball.

Q: Are you confident in the other wide receivers if Nicks can’t go?

A: Dominek has done it before and very well. I would be very high and I think that you can’t judge a guy on one game. Victor has to get ready and go play. Jernigan has to get ready and go play and Devin Thomas will have opportunities as well so they have to prepare themselves to go and when the opportunity is there they have to take advantage of it.

Q: What do you lose if Hakeem can’t go?

A: You lose a playmaker. You lose a guy who can put the ball in the end zone. You lose a guy who loves the ball coming his way and can make the hard catch, the easy catch and has great confidence. He loves to play and wants to be out there all the time.

Q: How good are the guys at picking up the hot reads?

A: They are starting to get it better. Of course, Mario has had that experience before. You saw what Hixon did the other day, two of his catches were sights and hots. They have to be able to do it all. The quarterback has to get rid of the ball when that happens. When you don’t do something to pick it up with your protection call or you can’t because there is too many of them and they are going to have one more than you do, the ball has to go somewhere quick.

Q: What do you see out of Bradford?

A: Poise. Toughness, he stays in there and takes a lick. Throws the ball down the field and has a good, strong arm, and will come out of there if he can and knows when to slide.

Q: Is communication an issue with the offensive line?

A: That is part of it but it is also that split second adjustment that has to happen, the cohesive action that has to happen by everybody, not just two guys or not the other guy and so on and so forth.