Q&A With the Giants
Catherine huddled up with the New York Giants on Media Day. Here’s what some of the team’s super players told her.
by Catherine B.
Eli Manning, quarterback
Catherine: With you, and your dad, and your brother all [being] football stars, what does your mother think of all this?
Manning: My mother is a big football fan and she has watched more football games than any woman should have to, so I’ve great respect [for her]. … She’s been my biggest fan and all her boys’ biggest supporter and biggest fan through the time when we were five and six years old and playing, you know, baseball or basketball. … She knows her sports. She knows her football trivia very well, but she’s still a girly girl. She likes her shopping and her shoes and we always take care of our mom.

Eli Manning talks about the Super Bowl.
Ahmad Bradshaw, running back
Catherine: Does your position on the team affect your personality?
Bradshaw: Yeah, I’m a running back, so I have to be mean.
Catherine: What’s your personality off the field?
Bradshaw: I’m nice! I smile all the time.

Ahmad Bradshaw responds to Catherine’s question.
Mario Manningham, wide receiver
Catherine: Did you ever play any other sports?
Manningham: Yeah, basketball.
Catherine: What made you choose football?
Manningham: I stopped growing.
Catherine: Who is your favorite sports professional in the world?
Manningham: I have two: probably Kobe Bryant and Floyd Mayweather.

Mario Manningham talks with Catherine in the stands.
Victor Cruz, wide receiver
Catherine: If you are winning or losing a game, what goes through your mind?
Cruz: Well, if I’m winning, I want to stay winning and keep doing what I’m doing throughout the game to make sure we stay on top. But when I’m losing, I’m just fighting, scratching, clawing—just trying to figure out what we can do to win the game and just doing the best I can.

Victor Cruz answers Catherine’s question.
Mathias Kiwanuka, linebacker
Catherine: If you weren’t a football star, what would you be?
Kiwanuka: If I wasn’t a football star, Oh, man. That’s a good question. Maybe a high school coach or a guidance counselor.

Catherine chats with Mathias Kiwanuka.
Chris Snee, guard
Catherine: Do you think women will ever play professional football?
Snee: They should be able to, yes. … If they want to set up a league and play football then I’m sure there will be enough interest and enough supporters.

Chris Snee tackles questions on Media Day.
James Brewer, tackle
Catherine: Why do you work as hard as you do?
Brewer: Because there are people all over the world who dream [of] doing what I do and playing the game that I play as a job. So I think that being that I’m blessed to be in the position that I’m in, I need to work extra hard to keep that.

James Brewer smiles with Catherine.
Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end
Catherine: What do you think of the new NFL rules to protect against head injuries?
Pierre-Paul: The rules are the rules, you know, and you have to protect the quarterback. I strongly agree [with] the rules [against] hitting the quarterback in the head. … You’ve got to play within the rules and everything is going to be fine.

Jason Pierre-Paul fields questions from reporters.
Hakeem Nicks, wide receiver
Catherine: What are some special things that you do to prepare for a game?
Nicks: I read my favorite scripture of the Bible every week before a game.

Hakeem Nicks talks into a microphone.
Dwayne Hendricks, defensive tackle
Catherine: Why do you work as hard as you do?
Hendricks: When I was young, somebody … told me that nothing worth anything comes easy. So … I live by that every day. If it’s worth something good, it’s not going to come easy. Anything that’s not worth anything will come as quick as you snap your fingers.

Dwayne Hendricks sits down with Catherine.
Justin Tuck, defensive end
Catherine: What’s your biggest motivation to play football?
Tuck: You love the game, you love the competition, but the biggest motivation to strap it on every week is my teammates. You always want to go out there and play for those guys and you want to play for your family. It’s a lot of motivations, but I think the biggest is not letting down your family and teammates.

Justin Tuck talks on Media Day.
Christian Hopkins, tight end
Catherine: When did you first become interested in football?
Hopkins: My first interest in football came in sixth grade. I was a big kid. I was really physical so … I wanted to do a little bit more with my physicality. So I played district football and then [my interest] took off from that.

Christian Hopkins poses with Catherine.
Michael Boley, linebacker
Catherine: Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Boley: My role model growing up was my brother. I have an older brother. He played football, he was a year ahead of me, and he was kind of what got me started playing football.

Michael Boley talks about his brother.
Corey Webster, cornerback
Catherine: What does it feel like to win a professional game?
Webster: It feels great, you know, because there are a lot of great players and a lot of great teams and wins are hard to come by. So when you can get one, it’s a blessing.
Catherine: What would it mean for your team to win the Super Bowl?
Webster: It would be a great accomplishment, seeing where we came from from the beginning of the year. You know a lot of people don’t give you a chance, but in the end to accomplish that? Wonderful. The best feeling in the world.

Corey Webster speaks out during Media Day.
Isaiah Stanback, wide receiver
Catherine: What do you eat to prepare for a game?
Stanback: If I had a choice, it would be cereal. I love cereal. If I had a choice, I would probably eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch or something.
Catherine: What do you eat when you don’t have a choice?
Stanback: When I don’t have a choice, it’s usually spaghetti or some [other] kind of carb.

Catherine talks food with Isaiah Stanback.

