Vic Fangio

Q. On S C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s first interception, was he a robber or was he just passing it off? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, he was passing off.

Q. And then the second interception, I don’t know if that was exactly how you want to play that, but seems like a lot of what he does, you give him the freedom to if you see something– was that the case? And how comfortable are you in giving your safety some… (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No, he was where he was supposed to be. It wasn’t like he was adlibbing or anything.

Q. Does he play that way typically as you want to draw it up? Do you give him more freedom perhaps? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No. We want him to play the way it’s drawn up.

Q. You interchanged LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and LB Oren Burks early on in that game. What went into that? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Well, both of those guys haven’t played a lot and they’re both still on their special teams duties, so we wanted to give them a little blow there early in the game so the snap count didn’t get heavy.

Q. You guys are No. 1 in defense going into the last week. Is that something that means anything to you, to try to finish No. 1 in yards allowed? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: It’s not the ultimate, no, but for the players it would be a nice thing. But we all know what the ultimate is: to get into the playoffs and win some games.

Q. What’s your philosophy been over the years when it comes to, if there is nothing seed-wise to play for, what you want to do with your guys in terms of playing them or not? (Tim McManus)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, it’s always a hard question because this isn’t college where we’ve got 100 guys to suit up, and you can only have two elevations. I’m sure [Head Coach] Nick [Sirianni] and [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] will come up with a plan and we’ll follow it.

Q. DT Jalen Carter this year has been able to bat down a bunch of passes. Has that been an emphasis from the coaching staff? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, he’s got a knack for it. That’s usually what it is. Some guys have a knack for it. He seems to have a knack for it. It’s been good.

Q. Any reason why you think he does? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: No. Sometimes it’s innate in some players.

Q. How is S C.J. Gardner-Johnson different now or improved now compared to the beginning of the season? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: Well, he improved from the previous game to this game by being focused on what matters. As long as he can do that, we’ll be in good shape.

Q. He’s forcing more turnovers in recent weeks. Is that just the nature of taking the ball away or has there been a noticeable difference? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: No. I just think sometimes those opportunities present themselves in some games and other games they don’t. This past game he had the opportunity for two of them and made them.

Q. We saw DB Avonte Maddox be the next safety up. What made the change there? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: He’s just been doing good in practice throughout the year. I felt it was warranted.

Q. Obviously DB Avonte Maddox was the slot the first month of the season. How has he handled having that role taken from him and focusing on safety and special teams? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: Great. He’s the ultimate teammate. He’s helped the guys that have replaced him, tutoring them along. He’s been fantastic.

Q. What’s the reason schematically why you don’t have your corners travel sides? (Bo Wulf)

VIC FANGIO: It’s always different. I’ve done it. I’ve done it where we’ve traveled. There is a lot that goes into it, and I’m not against it. But right now, it doesn’t seem to be the fit for us.

Q. You talked about how getting an interception is sometimes because you’re in the right spot at the right time. All your interceptions besides linebackers are safeties when you look at the secondary. Do you have any theory why the cornerbacks haven’t gotten any? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: I think traditionally, safeties do get more than corners. I think if you did analytical study. But no, I don’t have a great answer for you there.

Q. If I can ask you a Giants-related question, what are you seeing from Giants WR Malik Nabers since the first time you guys played them? And then CB Quinyon Mitchell, if he would be covering Malik, what kind of matchup that is as far as something going on for like probably the next five, six, seven… (Martin Frank)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, Nabers is fantastic. He’s fast, he’s quick, he’s good route runner. Once he catches the ball, he’s a really good runner after the catch. Very competitive.

I really can’t say enough good things about him. He’s a touch matchup for anybody.

Q. Big picture question, which I am sure you love. At 2-2 obviously, your defense was still trying to figure itself out. When you look back to that bye-week, what do you think are the significant changes that led to what we’ve seen since then? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: There really weren’t significant, significant changes. We didn’t practice that week so it’s not like we accomplished something during that week, other than we did study ourselves.

That’s when [DB] Coop [Cooper DeJean] came in, and he’s done well each and every week and gotten better week to week. But nothing major otherwise.

Q. Is LB Nakobe Dean coming along? Any concern about a longer term injury? (Tim McManus)

VIC FANGIO: I think he’s doing okay but I haven’t heard from the trainer yesterday or today yet.

Q. Is there a reassessing point going into the playoffs in a certain way, or is it a continuation of week-to-week process? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Well, you’re always reassessing every week in the league. Besides game planning for the opponent, you’re always studying yourself and making sure if there is a weak area, something you’re not doing good, if you have a tendency here or there, to always be aware of that.

So that goes on weekly.

Q. What do you miss most when LB Nakobe Dean isn’t in there and how would you describe the season he’s had? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Well, Nakobe has had a really good year. [LB] Zack [Baun] has gotten a lot of attention for his great play, but Nakobe has played great, too.

We miss him when he’s not in there. He is the green dot guy when he’s in there, and he has been playing his position really well and improving on a weekly basis, too.

Q. What did you make of LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s performance? (Bo Wulf)

VIC FANGIO: It was fine. Obviously, a couple plays that he would like to have back, but I thought it was good for his first time extended action in a real game.

Q. How much do you think DE Bryce Huff can help in the playoffs? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: He played, I don’t know, I’m going to say 14, 15 plays. You guys count them. He was rusty but think there is something there that hopefully he can build on and improve on. Hopefully we’ll continue that this week and see where it goes.

Q. Having spent a full season with Head Coach Nick Sirianni now, what observations do you have about how he’s navigated this year? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: I think he’s done a great job coaching the team and having these guys prepared mentally and emotionally. He’s done a great job of leading the staff. He’s got good messages every week tailored to the team we’re playing and tailored to us as a team. I think he’s done a fantastic job.

Q. Missing the green dot. They mentioned the calls relayed from you. What is the advantage of that for you? Is that for another coach to have experience calling that in, or give you time in the booth for other things? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, it’s just the way I’ve always done it. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Q. Is there anything about Head Coach Nick Sirianni that’s different about any other coach you’ve ever been around, head coach? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Nothing comes to mind immediately.