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Brian Billick
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Are you concerned about Jamal Lewis’ declining numbers?
"He’s a young player. Any player who has not been through this process, it is
new to them. As is the wear and tear on their bodies and the constant preparation. I think
we have had a little bit of a break that will give him a chance to recoup a little bit and
I think you will see a more refreshed Jamal on Sunday. I think both teams realize that if
they are going to win this game, they are going to have to have a solid ground game."
Is this team feeding off of your emotion?
"Maybe to a degree. The biggest thing I had to learn last year, that was new to me
as a first-year head coach, was recognizing how not only the team, but the organization,
the media, and the city feeds off my emotional state. You can’t get too high or too
low. They need a little more consistency. All you can hope to do as a head coach is maybe
establish a tempo. Normally that is in the Wednesday meeting, you are setting a priority,
what I call emphasis points for the team that we need to adhere to during the course of
the week. Whether it’s increased passion, more focused attention to detail, having a
physical practice, having a less physical practice, whatever it may be that we think we
have to do to win on Sunday and hopefully, they respond to that."
When did this team begin to realize that Trent Dilfer was their starting
quarterback for the rest of the season?
"It is hard to put a defining moment on it, but I think in Tennessee after the
interception for a touchdown. When you face 80 yards of field after those circumstances
that had put us there, to go in that huddle and those 10 sets of eyes looking at him
saying, ‘What are we going to do?’ and he responded in the way he did."
What are you emphasizing to the team this week?
"The biggest emphasis point is obvious. The key to this game is handling
circumstances. The game itself is going to be pretty clear cut. We’ve been doing that
for a while. Those three-hours are pretty pure, and that’s what you are in the game
for. But clearly, the only difference between this game and the other ones that we’ve
played is this presence and how you deal with this presence."
The Giants are obviously used to a lot of media coverage because they play in
the largest market in the country. Does that give them an advantage in dealing with the
media crush this week?
"I don’t know. We’ve been fairly open and interactive with the media all
year long. I think anybody who has been around us would … recognize that Kevin Byrne,
our P.R. director, is one of the best in the league, that we are as open, interactive and
communicative with the press as any team in the league. So I think our players understand
that. I don’t think anybody is ready for this environment, save for guys in New York,
which again is a unique environment, that deal, not quite with these numbers, but not far
off, on a daily basis. So if there is an advantage, yes, that would probably be
true."
Talk about Trent Dilfer’s readiness for this game.
"Trent has been ready for this day a long time – emotionally, mentally, and
intellectually, and anybody who has interacted with him, I think will find him that
way."
Talk about the place of this Baltimore defense in NFL history – whether it
is the best of all time.
"The criteria has been set. It depends on Sunday. I think if we are fortunate
enough to win this game on Sunday, I think from Monday on, that conversation will be
interesting and widespread and there are valued arguments on both sides. But clearly all
along, and our guys have recognized it, to be thought of in those terms you really do need
a championship."
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