Ed Thompson: How big was that win at Pittsburgh for the New York Giants at this point in the season?
Kevin Boss: That was a huge win for us, giving us confidence as
we head into the second half of the season. We've got a real tough stretch of
games coming up, so getting a win on the road against a really good football
team was a big confidence-builder.
Thompson: Was Pittsburgh's defense everything you expected them to
be?
Boss: Yeah, they were a really good defense. There wasn't a weak
link. They have a tremendous defensive line—and they proved that—stuffing us
at the goal-line. With Troy Polamalu back there heading up their secondary,
they've got a really solid defense.
Thompson: At your position, you often have to go toe-to-toe with some of
those defenders instead of running pass routes. Who are a couple of guys from
that defense that you're just as happy not to have to knock heads with again
anytime soon?
Boss: (laughing) Definitely the two outside linebackers,
James Harrison and LaMar Woodley. I was excited that we got out of there without
giving up any sacks to them. They've both been on a tear this year.
Thompson: How much of an emotional lift did it give your team
when the snap sailed over the punter's head for a safety, making it a tie
game at 14 each?
Boss: That was real big for us. We had been struggling to put points
on the board, so when that happened, we kind of rallied around that and became
pretty confident that we could win the game.
Thompson: Walk us through the play where you made the winning touchdown catch. Were you the primary receiver on the play that was called?
Boss: It was a really great play call by Coach Gilbride. They
had been stuffing the run down there, so he called a little play-action, and
they all seemed to bite hard on it, so I ended up pretty wide open. We go
into each game with four or five goal-line plays out of our goal-line package,
and I was the primary receiver on that one.
Kevin Boss catches the winning touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
(AP Photo/Don Wright) |
Thompson: The departure of Jeremy Shockey was a bit of a two-edged
sword for you. It opened up a great opportunity, but as a second-year player, it
also must have put quite a bit of pressure on you. How did you handle that
transition?
Boss: It was different than coming in last year, a little more
pressure. But I'm the kind of guy who tries not to add any more pressure onto
myself, so I tried to look at it strictly as a great opportunity. I just wanted
to go out there and prove to people that I can play at this level and perform
well.
Thompson: Compared to last year at this time, what do you see that is
different about Kevin Boss?
Boss: Last year at this time I wasn't playing much and I will still
trying to learn the offense and get a better understanding of the game at this
level. Right now, I feel real comfortable and confident with the offense. I'm
still learning and picking up new things every day in terms of knowing the game,
but I feel much more comfortable and confident.
Thompson: At this stage of your career, is the NFL as much fun
as you expected it to be?
Boss: (laughing) Yeah, I think you've got to have fun. If
you're not having fun, it's going to eat you up. It is a job, and it's a
stressful job at times, but you have to remember that it's also a game we've been
playing since we were little boys. You need to go out there and have fun and not let
the stress bury you.
Thompson: Speaking of stress, you come out of Pittsburgh and now
you've got Dallas this weekend. Give us a snapshot of the Dallas Cowboys from your perspective.
Boss: Anytime the Cowboys and the Giants face-off, you know it's
going to be a real good game. I think it'll help that we faced a really good
defense last week with a pair of great outside linebackers since we're going to
see some more outstanding linebackers with DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis. Dallas
isn't off to the kind of start that they probably thought they'd be off to, but we know
that they're a very good football team and it's going to be a great battle.
Thompson: You've got a very special campaign running right now
called, "Giving Thanks With the Bossman." Tell us about that and the
special day you've got planned for two lucky fans.
Boss: It's a campaign that my publicist, Shawn Smith, and I came
up with. It's a great opportunity to give back to the fans during the holiday
season. Fans can go out to my website (www.kevinbossman.com),
tell us what you're thankful for, and we'll pick the two most deserving fans. The
winners will receive free tickets to the November 16th game against the
Baltimore Ravens. It's been fun, and I've really enjoyed reading the
stories.
A member of the Pro Football Writers of America, Ed Thompson's player interviews and NFL features
are published across the Scout.com network and at FOXSports.com. You can contact him by email
through this link.