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January 25, 2008

Transcript: Larry Izzo's Friday press conference

On what makes Wes Welker unique
I think his athletic ability is definitely underrated a lot. He’s very quick. He’s strong. He breaks a lot of tackles. He has a good feel for finding soft spots in coverage. He has great hands and he has a lot of courage and heart. That’s probably a big factor, too.

On what’s it been like having Welker on the team
I remember talking to him on his first day and he was very excited to be here, to be a part of what we’ve been doing and he’s fit right in. We wouldn’t be where we are today without his production week in and week out.

On whether this Giants team compares to the 2001 Patriots team
I don’t really want to get into the whole similarities, comparison stuff. We just have to go and prepare this week and have a good week of practice and then get down to Arizona, take care of business during the week and then go out and perform on Sunday.

On advice that he’s given to players that haven’t been to a Super Bowl
We get a lot of that sort of guidance from Bill [Belichick] and he does a great job and then, as veterans that have played in this game, whenever we can answer questions for some of the younger guys and just give them a little guidance, it’s better for everybody. We’ll continue to do that this week and I know Bill [Belichick] will continue to press on that. But I think everybody in the locker room understands what’s at stake here and this is a big opportunity for everybody whether you’ve been there or not. This is what we’ve worked so hard for all year and guys are going to make good decisions and be ready to play.

On the biggest challenge presented by going to the Super Bowl for the first time
I think, looking back, that was ’01 and everything happened so fast. There was no bye week leading up to it and you didn’t have much time to even think, ‘Hey, we’re in the Super Bowl.’ After Pittsburgh, we flew down to New Orleans on Monday and it was start working on the Rams, so we didn’t have much time for any distractions there.

On whether having a bye week before the game is better
Whatever. If there is no bye -- I’m not going to complain if I’m playing in the Super Bowl and there is no bye week, but the bye week does give guys a chance to rest up and get some extra preparation work in. It’s out of our hands, but we’ll make the most of it.

On the Giants’ kicking game
They’re extremely dangerous in the kicking game, as we saw the last time we played them. They’re a very physical group. They’ve got really good returners, good skill guys, guys that can cover, and it’s going to be a big challenge for us to player better than we did the last time we played them and be physical and control the guys that have the ball and get down the field and make tackles.

On how Super Bowl experience helps
It will all be determined by who plays the best on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s really-who wins the game is who plays the best. You don’t win the game because you had the most experience. Different factors play into each game and this particular game, this is what we all worked so hard for. I know the Giants, just because they don’t have any experience-I know that they’re going to be ready to play. You take your experience and you use that to your advantage, but what kind of advantage it is over someone who doesn’t have experience in the game, I couldn’t tell you. It’s just about going out and performing.

On talk of that they are the best team ever
That’s all to be discussed at the end of the year. We’re just working this week and going out and preparing and going out and taking care of business in the game

On his favorite memory for his Super Bowl trips
They’re all special. Just working through the season and accomplishing the goal that you set out to at the beginning of the year with some great teammates-it’s hard to pinpoint on thing in any of those games. I know that playing in Houston, my hometown, was somewhat special for me, but it would have been special if it was played in Iceland, too. Just to get to the game and to win it, that’s the goal you have every year and that’s our opportunity right now, and we just have to go and work this week and make things happen when we’re given the opportunity.

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