Fans ride an emotional rollercoaster with their teams. Highs like the New York Giants victory over the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks bring euphoria. Lows like Sunday\u2019s collapse vs. the Denver Broncos bring misery, a hunt for blame, and the thought that everyone involved should be fired or cut.<\/p>\n
Fans can debate those highs and lows as emotionally as they want. Media can return to asking or writing about those things for as long and as often as they desire.<\/p>\n
Players don\u2019t have that luxury.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t put it away, it\u2019s going to steamroll to another one and be a snowball effect,\u201d said veteran defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches. \u201cJust like any other game, there\u2019s good, there\u2019s bad, but you still got to flush it because within six days you\u2019re going to play another one. Unless you want that same thing to repeat, you got to learn from it, rinse, and apply for the next.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, how are the Giants moving on from Sunday\u2019s historic collapse in a game that saw wounds both self-inflicted and unfortunate, the defensive coordinator come under fire again, and the play-calling and clock management of the final few minutes be questioned?<\/p>\n
There were the usual Cam Skattebo \u201cwoooooo\u201d from Cam Skattebo heard during Brian Daboll\u2019s pre-practice press conference as players filtered on to the field. After practice, there were a dozen or so players \u2014 including quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receivers Wan\u2019Dale Robinson \u2014 doing a little bit of extra work before they left the field.<\/p>\n
The locker room was lively rather than somber during the 45-minute media availability. There was the usual competitive, raucous activity around the pool and ping pong tables. There were a number of disgusted onlookers when Tyrone Tracy scratched to lose in pool.<\/p>\n
The room was lively, not quiet and sullen as can sometimes happen during a season in which things go south.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt [losing like the Giants did on Sunday] stings for a little bit, but we\u2019ve got to move on,\u201d Dart said when he came off the field. \u201cWe can\u2019t let it affect the next game and next moment so we\u2019ve got to be present, we\u2019ve got to learn from our mistakes, acknowledge some of the good things that we did and just try to perfect our craft in any way that we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though he has only started four games, Dart has become the face of the Giants franchise. With their energy, passion and enthusiasm, Dart and Skattebo have become the engine that drives Giants\u2019 bus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese rookies don\u2019t really act like rookies. They act like seasoned vets,\u201d said right tackle Jermaine Eleumunor. \u201cDart\u2019s out there, he way he carries himself is really impressive. Same with Skatt, Abdul [Carter]. Three of the rookies we have right now really make an impact on this team. They don\u2019t carry themselves like rookies, which is a really cool thing to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
With that in mind, as the face of the team and the first Giants player to speak to media every Wednesday, Dart\u2019s response when things to wrong becomes an important tone-setter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pride myself on trying not to let things in the past effect what I\u2019m going to do in the future,\u201d Dart said. \u201cAs a team, we can\u2019t let that happen. We\u2019ve got to find ways to finish games, we\u2019ve got to find ways to win games and get on a roll. We have to be very present in each moment that we have, we have to play each game individually as hard as we can to make sure that things like last week didn\u2019t happen, don\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me, I think it\u2019s just a sign that we all need to work harder. We need to pay attention more to the little details as we go about our business and I think that way myself. What can I do to improve each day and to make sure things like that or little things during the game don\u2019t slip. I think that\u2019s just kind of been the message around the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dexter Lawrence said the Giants talked about the Denver game on Monday, said what they had to say to each other, and moved on.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that, you flush it,\u201d he said. \u201ct\u2019s hard. It\u2019s hard. But as a professional, that\u2019s what you have to do. As a leader, you\u2019ve got to flip the page and get ready to prepare to beat the Eagles.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to be great, you can\u2019t let things linger. You\u2019ve got to flush it and you\u2019ve got to move on. The quicker you do that and the quicker you respond in a positive way, it\u2019s better for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eluemunor said all he and his teammates can do is \u201cput your head down and see how you can make sure that never happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eluemunor said the Giants have shown what they are capable of. The trick is being able to do it more consistently.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut 32 [points] up on the best defense in the NFL, but it just wasn\u2019t a complete game,\u201d Eluemunor said. \u201cThe complete game was the Eagles game, the Chargers game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we lose, one part of the team isn\u2019t operating how they need to. In order to win in the NFL, a lot of these teams are the best teams in the league right now, with the best records. It\u2019s because every single aspect of the team is functioning as one. Every unit is connected and they feed off each other. We just have to do a better job of that and play a complete game. Teams that win are there in January and February are the complete ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what it takes to win.\u201d<\/p>\n