Alan Barber was left hamstring gets just got tight on him. Um, and and therefore he couldn't he couldn't continue in the game, So that's why he saw Whiz in there. Jordan Hicks has an ankle sprain, but he obviously with the rest now he's gonna be fine for next week. Jalen Watkins is in the concussion protocol, so we'll know more next week.
Ryan Matthews, Um, this one a little different. He's got a herniated disc and uh it's just C six and C seven and M so it looks like, uh that could couldn't miss obviously some some significant time with this. It's a pretty significant injury. So um, probably gonna miss him the rest of the obviously next week and the rest of the rest of the year. Uh. Yeah, the C six and C seven herniated disk, So that's a that's a pretty major major deal. Um. Jordan Matthew's ankle
is gonna be okay, it's just sore. Isaac same way with his ankle, Um is fine. Sore. And then Big V who was inactive for the game, put him through an extensive workout prior to UH and he's he's fine. Uh with that, So we should expect a little more out of him next week? Is uh is Ryan Matthews When you talk about pretty major deal? Are you really
talking to careers prightning. I don't think his career again, I don't have all the information, um right now, they're they're what I got from our doctors this morning is that it looks like surgery is in is in the near future. Um, but nothing that's uh just has to get fixed. Um. How would you evaluate Ryan matthews season now that it looks like it's over and it is he in the plans for the future with this team? Yeah?
I think that Ryan you know, um, you know obviously got off to a good start and then there was a little bit of a low in the middle, and he's finished up strong. I mean that's that's kind of been the nature of the season for him. And he
was really these last couple of weeks. It's kind of been our workhorse at the running back position and and I did some really good things for us and then um, um, this obviously is unfortunate now that he can't can't finish the season four US, But injury happened, you know what. I looking at it on film and the timing of it. Um, it was the one of the It was the third
down goal line play before before the fourth down. Yeah, he stayed in on the fourth down play and was stopped obviously, but it appears that it was that third down. Is he someone who who's in your plans for for next year? I know the running back situations a little clouded right now, but yeah, and listen, I'm not going to speculate on any of that kind of stuff right now. I mean, we'll save all those for the offseason. And uh um, wait till wait, till that time to make
any decisions. On the reverse you call to to Nelson if he plays after person he came back in. What is Carson's specific job on that plays? He's supposed to throw a block? Does he have the option of trying to block somebody if there's someone in front of him? What is he supposed to do? He is supposed to block. Uh. Most most double reverses, the quarterback is actually him and
the tackle are actually um. In this case, Jason Peters, Um, we're both out in front and uh uh he is supposed to, you know, block if there's a guy to block, and um, he actually got the guy on the ground and actually took out our guy at the same time. Did you have any hesitation? I mean keeps five plays reproof from Yeah, I didn't. I mean, listen at you. There was no. I mean, he was cleared, he went in, came out. I mean, how many how many guys run into a you know, concussion deal or a banged up,
you know, a head injury. They he ran in, ran out. We talked on the sideline, and we talked before the play, We talked before the series. He was he was good, he was cleared, and so I had no hesitation, concussion protocol and all that stuff. We've talked so much this year about the importance of him protecting his body. Um, he hesitated all to even put him in a situation where he has to block like that. He's the future of the UM. I don't know. We can speculate all day.
I guess, um. You know, obviously, our goal and in everything we do is try to win a football game. And and UM, you know, I think I think the second that you sort of hesitate in any situation, UM, is the time you get beat. And again I had no I had no hesitation on on making that play, and putting him in that situation, do you change? Does you do you kind of evaluate on a curve based on you know, the meaning of the game. I know that these guys are trying to win last night and everything.
You know, the playoffs work will kind we're out of the picture. There's a little less pressure on the guys. Does that Does that change things? As far as you know the performance wise? Guys played better sometimes when the running well. I think our guys have played well these last few weeks, right honest with you, we just haven't made enough play When last night was it was it
was just a great team effort. You know, defense came up so so big for us, and and offense scored when we needed to, made some big plays in the passing game. I had the big long run in the in the on the first drive with with Darren, you know. And that's the thing is is um, these guys, as I mentioned after the games, a lot of pride in that locker room, and um, you know, our season's not over.
You know, we still got games left. And that's the thing is We're going to continue to compete and we want to win every game obviously, and and um, so you know whether guys are more relaxed because there's nothing on the line. Maybe that's part of it. But at the same time, these guys, Uh, these guys want to win and and uh, you know, they want to go out with it with a good taste. In During the five game news, the Treaty talked decent mount about how
you're playing. I mean, there's there's parts of the rebuilding year that you're playing certainly for the future. Um, and yet you've had seven games in which you've um, You've had one you know, it could have gone either way. Six of them you obviously lost to one score games. My question is which, I mean, which was this? Was this team built to contend? And do you think it was able to compete um for a playoff spot this year or do you feel like it's more of a rebuilding. Uh,
we're building a rooster. You know. I approached the season as if we were gonna probably like every team in the National Football League that they're you know, we're gonna contend, We're gonna we're gonna do whatever we can to to to fight and scratch and claw for the NFC East and then put yourself in a position to make the postseason and everything was still right there in front of us.
I mean even when you know you're you know, middle of your season, when you were you know, at that five hundred mark, everything was still kind of right in front of us. And and uh, you know, when you look back on the season, it's going to come down to about six or seve and plays that could change the outcome of your season and flip it for you. So, um,
we were right there and the guys believed it. Um, by no means was anybody thinking rebuilding or retooling or or looking to next year, because you know, we're only guaranteed the next day, the next week, and that's all we were focused on really and and trying to win that next game. Say that, before the Giants last series, like we kind of designed a new defense or defensive
strategy for that last series. Can you just kind of describe, you know, actually what was going on there and also like what that speaks of as Malcolm, you know, as a leader and stuff. Yeah, well, the thing as far as that goes, as far as design, I mean, that would have been something with the defense. I was engaged in in the in the game itself, so I wasn't
involved in those discussions. But you know, you're always making game in game uh uh changes or whatever you can whether you know, and we we made some one offense in our blocking schemes and and you sort of redesigned some things based on what the offense or defense is presenting. And and obviously it worked, you know some of the changes that were made. And um, you know, guys, guys just took it upon themselves. I mean it was just it just came down to these last few games. It's
just come down to the last play. I mean, it's come down to the last play of the game. And uh, you know, all the changes are usually things that we've either have worked on, you know, um, and or can be a combination of concepts or defenses that uh that Schwartz wanted to to to put together. And and so it was obviously beneficial worked and uh you know we got the win. Was that a real we wanted to make it? Was there? Yeah? I mean it's it's you
never liked to throw late deep. But at the same time, you know, Bryce was open, you know, and Carson did everything he could to avoid the rush and the sack and he spun out of it. Um, you know, as a receiver, You're always taught to come back towards the ball and you know, things of that nature. But uh, you know drc Uh you know again he he just didn't He did a nice job. He just kept his momentum coming, you know. And and uh, it's a great
two young players on our on our behalf. You know, things that they can learn from and and uh down the road, U you know, get better from and and uh we'll make we'll make a few of those. What's the he getting back mount? Uh? He's he plays every
snap for you, he plays special team. You. I'll put it into perspective the seasons, I would tell you, Um, you know, obviously he's an alternative to the Pro Bowl and uh you know probably obviously deserving, I mean deserving of that for him to start the season at safety and really feeling comfortable he and Rodney back there and and two veteran guys, and and then with the injury to Rom Brooks, you know, we're asking him to go
play nickel and and then back to safety. When you bring in more corn, you know, it just shows you the uh, the the type of player he is, the type of person he is. Um, you know, he sacrifices not only himself, but his position sometimes that safety positioned to to do whatever it takes for the football team. And uh, you know he's uh last night was no different, you know. And he the pick six was huge. He had another one on the sideline. I mean just time
after time. It keeps making play after play and um gets those guys lined up and and um, you know, it's really really put together a good season, high volume number of fourth down tries that you've that you've had this this year. Do you anticipate that's going to be your style moving forward or is it dependent on circumstance in this season? I think it's circumstance, be quite honest with you. Um, I know, going into the game, we were like at twenty five something like fourth down attempts.
I mean, that's that's a lot during the course of the season. But at the same time, we've we've kind of put ourselves in that position where we've kind of
had to do it, you know. Um, I'm hoping that in the future we don't uh, we do better on a first, second, and third down, you know, where we're not putting ourselves in a lot of trying, you know, make about fourth downs, but at the same time, you know, if it if it benefits our team and and you know we can stay aggressive with it and it's smart and it's it's a good decision, then I'll continue to do that, you know, and go for those fourth downs.
What goes through your head when you watch Carson Nothing when you watch Carson avoid all those hits, and he didn't get sacked once, but it looked like they had him dead a few times, and he was able to avoid all that pressure. I think what you're seeing with Carson throughout as the season's gone on is he's really he's really sort of let the game unfold, um things that things are beginning to kind of slow out for him.
And what I mean by that is that you know, being able to use his legs, um, seeing the field a little bit differently, UM, checking the ball down, not hanging onto the ball. Those are all things that's that's the maturity of your quarterback and a young quarterback. And and last night, you know, UM very encouraged to see him use his legs, pick up some some valuable yards that kept kept some drives alive. And these are all things that you know, it's it's Uh, you talk about it. Um,
you know, Um, some quarterbacks can do it. Obviously, he's very athletic and can move, and he's strong and can can break some tackles and and these are things going forward now that that we can we can utilize utilize the strength of his and um uh, it's just a big part of your offense whenever your quarterback and run and make plays that way. Do you have to caution
him moving forward? Because he is getting more comfortable doing the news you know, he's got to have a spin moveing increasingly be increasingly added to his pert Do you have to caution him more about not becoming too depending upon that and too often holding the ball to you know, be you know, turning into that gun slinger. Um, well, you're always going to caution against it. Uh. But at the same time, I don't want to I don't want to harness it to the point where he can't be
effective using his legs. You know. Um, Listen, there's gonna be time. Protection is not always gonna be the best, and you're gonna have to escape and do things that that to like sleight the Baltimore play, you know where he scores you know, inside the red zone. There was nothing there down the field. He backed or turned it and and uh you know, made a safety miss and
he's in the end zone. So you know, those are things that, uh that that you you love to see from your quarterback m being able to pick up those types of valuable yards. At the same time, if you remember, earlier in the season, we were guarding against him being hit when he's out of the pocket, get out of bounds, thrown away, slide, So those all the things you're seeing now he's getting out of the the bounds, he's thrown away,
and he's sliding. So you know that part of it is the maturity of him and where he's where he's uh come. You know from the beginning of the season, run back you survived his final league with with just two I mean these some other guys who were board the practice play players he signed last week. You see someone you want to play, I know it's uh, you know,
it's tough. Um, we'll take a look at it. We got time obviously with the with the weekend and players won't be back till tuesday, so um we got time to evaluate it and see see if there's anybody else available. If not, then would by no means hesitate to bring Watson up and and have him as an emergency third third running back you know, uh, for next week. Okay, all right, thank you,