Transcript of head coach Eric Mangini's news conference with members of the New York Jets media following Wednesday's morning training camp practice:
Justin McCareins and Chris Baker both won't be practicing today. They're not practicing, not because of an injury or anything, any issue — it's actually a positive thing. We had some opportunities during the off-season program. They were on the winning team for one of those opportunities. So this is the benefit of winning at that point. They get to watch everybody else practice today, which I think they're pretty excited about.
In terms of practice yesterday, I thought the whole day was very productive. We covered a lot of different scoring plays, a lot of different situational plays. The morning practice was very physical for both sides. I thought in each practice momentum shifted. Sometimes it was the offense, sometimes it was the defense. I like the way the group responded when it did shift. In the morning it was the offense. In the afternoon it was the defense. But they each recovered toward the end of practice or after that shift had taken place. So I was pleased with that.
Today we'll continue working on another phase, our third phase of installation, start that program here this afternoon. With that, I'll open it up to questions.
On how Sean Ryan's role as a tight end is developing …
I think that's a very competitive group. I thought Sean really stood out in the afternoon because his catches were down the field, which is what you're looking for from the tight end position, to be able to have that element inside out to stretch the field. I was pleased with that. He's been doing a good job. Collectively, I think that group is very competitive. There's a lot of flexibility. When you play with two tight ends, you can put one in the backfield to build a two-back look. You can extend them out. You can close both edges. It gives you flexibility to cause problems for the defense.
On Andre Wadsworth and Michael Haynes …
I had great respect for Andre the first time I met him. I know we've talked about this before. But we were trying to talk him out of it. He was committed. This is something that he wanted to do. When we finally agreed to have him join us, he was committed, as committed as anybody else. He's worked really hard in the off-season program to get to the weight that we asked him to get to, to make the transition that we've asked him to make. It's a lot of different things for him, especially with the absence that he had. He does everything in such a professional way. He's a very good mentor for the younger guys. He's just got a great personality.
Michael Haynes is another player who's adjusting to this system, which is different than what he's been used to. He had been more of a one-gap player exclusively, and now he's having to play both. I think the last few days, he's starting picking it up, it's starting to click a little bit more. As a defensive lineman, it's hard to get that work in the spring. You have to have it with the pads on. So I'll be looking for his progress to continue.
On how Eric Hicks became a Jet …
When I talked to Dick Vermeil, he said he was a tempo setter for years — he loved the guy. Terry Bradway had been with him [in Kansas City], he really liked him as well. I got to meet with him. We talked about some of the work he had been doing with his charitable foundation. When Dick Vermeil speaks that glowingly about someone, that has an impact on me. Then with Terry's familiarity and getting to know him, I think he's a good addition. I love his motor and toughness, his willingness to learn and take coaching.
On how Wadsworth is progressing after his absence from football …
I've seen some progress. With Andre, it's more than just the absence from football, it's also the position change, so he's got a couple of different things there. That takes a little bit of time. As we said, as you add the element of pads, that changes things, too. There have been some positive things. We've got some time here through camp and the evaluation's ongoing as he gets more reps and more familiarity.
On taking time spent away from the game into consideration when evaluating players …
You always look at those things and take those things into consideration, just as you would with a rookie transitioning or a player learning multiple positions. But the end goal is to assess everybody fairly and assess everybody equally. That's what we're always trying to do, give them the chance to make their case.
On how Marcus Tuiasosopo is transitioning into a new system …
I know that working with the quarterbacks last year, being in a lot of those meetings, this system takes some time to pick up. There are a lot of things that you have to get used to. As we just talked about with the players coming to a new system, I think time, again, is the key thing. He's made some good plays each day. There are some plays he would like to have back and I'd like him to have back. But it's the measured progress. We'll have some more time here to measure that.
On Chad Pennington and the receivers being on the same page …
What I like about that group is the receivers' room — they get on each other all the time. If one of them is corrected in squad [meetings], doesn't have the right alignment, Noel [Mazzone, WRs coach] doesn't have to be the one to get on them. Jerricho [Cotchery] is giving them a hard time, L.C. [Laveranues Coles] is giving them a hard time. They're really demanding a high level of performance from each other outside of what we're asking them to do. They're working on some nuances of routes, the tops of routes, how they can better disguise routes. That's fun to watch. They work so well. Chad has a good relationship with those guys. When you put a lot of hard-working guys in the same group, it's usually pretty good.
On if the Jets will have to bring in another defensive back …
I think with any group, there's progress. I've liked Justin Miller's progress a lot this off-season and here early in camp. We're always going to be looking to bring people in who can help us improve, but it's really not exclusive to that position. I think the group has gotten better in being more familiar with the system. I like the things they're doing and I like Justin's progress.
On how David Barrett is progressing …
I think David is doing some good things. He had a really nice interception yesterday morning in the one-on-one in the red area. The way we coach the technique on the fade in the red area, he really played it in a way that you can use for teaching video. I like that. The day before, he made a nice play on the slant that Chad was throwing where he was able to undercut it. The run after the interception was really good. Those plays keep coming up each day, and that's good.
On having flexibility in positions …
Any time you've got multiple guys that are interchangeable [is good]. One year in New England we played a three-safety defense where we'd spin them all over the place. One guy would be a linebacker, look like he was a linebacker, he'd spin back and the other guy would come down. It was the year Victor Green was there. So we had Victor, Lawyer [Malloy], Tebucky [Jones]. All were good run-stopping players, box players. You could do a lot of things. They had to figure it out. You gave them some flexibility, too, and said, "This is what we want when the ball is snapped. However you get to it, you guys decide."
On how Eric Smith is progressing …
He made some nice plays on the ball in the deep part of the field, which we'd seen in college. There have been some plays here early in the camp that have been very rangy plays. The ball-skill element where some guys can get to the ball but can't catch it; he can catch it. He has good judgment on where it's going to go and good hands. That's a big plus.
On what Darrelle Revis is missing while he is absent from camp …
The important thing is to be here and working hard and learning as much as you can. Each day you're not here, somebody gets your reps, somebody gets your learning. It's hard. It's hard when you're a rookie anyways to transition and contribute right away. We have these practices for a reason. They're very important.
On being unhappy about the Revis situation …
To me, I'm focusing on the guys that are here and I'm happy with those guys. I'm happy to be coaching those guys. We're all collectively, as a team, as a group, moving forward.
On Bobby Hamilton sharing his veteran wisdom with teammates …
Having veteran leadership is so important because, one, they can share their playing experience, two, they can help guide guys on making good decisions both on and off the field. It's across the board. It's how to take care of your body during training camp, how to study tape, how to study your opponent, the individual matchups. They give an element of coaching while they're playing. What's nice about Bobby is he's got that enthusiasm of a rookie — veteran wisdom and the enthusiasm of a rookie. He's a fun guy to be around.
