We recently started a weekly coach’s poll for our Game Of The Week. The league has chosen the TB@NYG game in which the Giants prevailed 24-16. The stats don’t show how competitive this game actually was, so I got a chance to sit down with both Coaches and assess each team’s performance.
This is the transcript of both my conversations.

Tampa Bay –Coach/GM JT Beard

RC: Coach, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.

JB: Thanks for having me.

RC: 251 total offensive yards, How do you feel about that?

JB:Credit the Giants defense, I felt like we as a team were not aggressive enough at times on offense, in the first half we settled for 3 straight field goals and never could punch the ball into the endzone. Anytme you have the opportunity to score a touchdown in this league you have to do it, but we just were not able to this game.

RC: Why did your defense allow so many offensive yards?

JB: For the most part I feel our defense played well. We held a 9-7 lead going into halftime and our defense was looking great. Big plays are what ultimately led to the majority of the offensive yards that we gave up. Broken tackles and missed assignments defensively really cost us in the 2nd half. The little things like wrapping up when tackling and swarming the ball carrier are some of the things that we will definitely focus on in practice this week,

RC: What happened in the third quarter? Your team gave up 14 unanswered points. Those points ultimately cost you the game.

JB: Credit Coach Kakka, his team came out in the second half and made all the necessary adjustments to attack our defense. They went to a power running game that we just were unable to stop. RBs Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson were able to bust off big run after big run. After this performance from my defensive line and line backers it’s obvious we need to make some changes in our front seven to improve our run defense.

RC: Josh Freeman currently averages 4.0 interceptions per game, how do you fix that?

JB: If we are to have any success this season we will need Freeman to get out of the slump he is in. It comes down to building his confidence back up. Right now he is too timid in the pocket and holds on to the ball too long. There are a few things we will look to do to help him get more comfortable, he’s great at throwing on the run so we will incorporate more roll outs and try to get him outside of the pocket more. We will also be looking to switch things up by adding more double tight end sets to provide him with more protection in the pocket.

RC: What is your strategy to get a win and get out of the newly deemed “0-2 Krew’? How?

JB: We have to start imposing our will on our opponents. We have to find a way to reduce the amounts of turnovers on Offense and take advantage of the mistakes our opponents make. I feel that though we may not have the most talented team, we can compete with anybody, we just have to stop beating ourselves.

RC: Can you beat the Cowboys, who are coming off a shutout victory?

JB: Any time you play a tough team like the Cowboys on the road it will be a tough out, but we can beat the Cowboys. Coach Truth has them playing really well early in the season, but it’s still early. We have had a great week of practice so far and as long as we follow our game plan and avoid turnovers, we will have a chance to steal this one.

RC: That’s all coach thank you.

JB: Thanks for having me.

The New York Football Giants – GM/Coach King Kakka

RC: Hey coach, How you doing?

KK: I'm good man, football is back and I feel great.

RC: How are you feeling after that victory?

KK: The team and I are feeling great. We played great defense and finally got our running game on track. After a disappointing loss in Week 1, it was great to a win.

RC: Explain the mindset going in the game?

KK: The mindset was to pound the ball up the middle, as we did just that. Bradshaw had a career day rushing the ball. On defense we looked to bring pressure to the quarterback and we ended up with 4 sacks. We looked to throw the quarterback different formations to keep him guessing.

RC: Where y’all more focused on getting your first win or avenging that blowout to Dallas?

KK: We were more focused on getting our first win. Week 1 is in the books already and we are over it.

RC: Y’all were down at halftime, How did you get your players back into it?

KK: I told them to keep running the ball, as the defense would eventually wear down. On defense I told them to continue to get to the QB and hope he could make some mistakes.

RC: Do you feel you won the game on offense or defense?

KK: Without a doubt it was the defense.

RC: Who was more vital, Eli or Ahmad Bradshaw?

KK: Bradshaw was more vital as he provided the spark for our offense.

RC:I hear out on the rumor mill that you are trying to move Bradshaw? True or False?

KK: False.

RC: How does the locker room feel about the return of Shockey and Burress?

KK: It’s awesome to have these guys back. Burress provides a red zone threat and Shockey is great blocker and can definitely catch the ball.

RC: How did that pair contribute?

KK: Burress had some great catches for us and key 3rd down conversions. Shockey was vital to our running game as he blocked the right side of the field and opened up gaps for Bradshaw and Wilson to run.

RC: Now myself being a VT fan, how do plan to utilize RB David Wilson and CB Jayron Hosely?

KK: Wilson will get about 10 rushes a game as he did in our last game. As for Hosley, he is still learning and we have big plans for him in the future.

RC: Do you think you can repeat this season with the pieces you have?

KK: Yes especially since we have added Shockey and Burress.

RC: That’s all the questions I have for you today, Thanks for your time.

KK: Alright man.

Be sure to follow me, RC Mendoza, on twitter(@therealRC_ss) and tweet your pick for Game of the week. Use the hashtag #GOTW in your tweets.