Transcript of head coach Eric Mangini's news conference with the New York Jets media before Friday's practice:
We're just finishing out the week here. As we talked about yesterday, this isn't completely a typical game week because we did have the extra time. Today we will be reviewing some of the things we need to clean up from yesterday and going through and reinforcing some of the things that we've liked.
Normally during the course of a week, you pare down the game plan. Brian [Schottenheimer] goes through, looks at the plays he really likes, discussing it with Chad [Pennington] and Kellen [Clemens], that element of it, and the same thing defensively. You can really hone in on the core part of the game plan and refine the core part of the game plan. You have other things you work on in case things do change or it's a game plan situation that you addressed in practice that you're going to have to address in the second quarter or whenever it comes up.
I've really been pleased with the way the guys have worked throughout training camp and the off-season. I think that's been extremely positive. I'm happy with their focus throughout this week. It will be an ongoing point of emphasis through the course of the season to just look at what's directly ahead of you — the next meeting, the next practice, the next opponent. This is our first real week to do that.
On when he gets a good sense of team character …
With any team, I think character is revealed as you go. I've gotten to know a lot of these players and they've gotten to know me. I've seen different situations where adversity has struck and how we respond to that adversity. I think that's an important part of what the character of a team is. Character evolves as the season goes on, as guys develop better relationships with each other. It's an ongoing process. I think there are a lot of guys in the locker room with exceptional character, toughness and work ethic. I like the way people are working together and helping each other to improve.
On the confidence Mike Nugent has going into the season …
What I like about Mike is the way that he's honest with the things he has to improve. He addresses those things head on. The Tennessee game last year wasn't his best. I'm sure he'd like to have those kicks back. But he looked at what he didn't do well there, he addressed it, he continued to work on it in the off-season. His goals and objectives were to improve his strength and his overall body composition. He worked diligently at that. Being elected captain here in pro football, like he was in college football, I think is unique. I think it's a testament to who he is.
On what he's seen from the offensive line this week …
I was really happy yesterday with the level of communication I saw from those guys. It was different guys working together throughout the course of practice. It's so important to have communication in each area. The offensive line, with so many different combinations of rushers and so many different fronts, that communication is critical. I like the way Brandon Moore, Anthony Clement, Nick [Mangold], D'Brickashaw [Ferguson], and whether it's been Jacob [Bender], Adrien [Clarke], Wade [Smith] or whoever it is, they're working together, they're working with Chad [Pennington], they're working with Thomas [Jones] and Leon [Washington]. I've seen some strides in the overall level of communication.
On if he expects the team to come out with a hungry mentality for today's practice …
You can ask these guys. Today won't be like a walkthrough day. Fridays are usually lighter days in the sense that you don't typically have pads on, but it's also a very important mental day because it's red-area, it's goal-line, it's two-minute. There's a lot of installation that goes into that. We're ahead of the curve because of the extra days. Friday is a key day in the week. Even though it may look a little bit lighter because of how they're dressed, being able to practice at the right tempo, to get the right fits without pads, that's so important. That's a skill set you develop like any other skill set.
On Adalius Thomas …
He's a very versatile player. He can rush, he can cover, he's incredibly smart. I'm friendly with [Baltimore defensive coordinator] Rex Ryan. In talking to Rex about this, not this week necessarily but over the course of time that I think his nickname was "the Coordinator" there, his ability to understand the defense, where the pieces fit, that's an excellent trait to have. And combine that with his pass rush ability, it makes him a really positive addition.
On if the Jets looking at Thomas as a free agent has helped them now …
Anytime you have information on a player, however you gathered it through the course of the week, through getting to know him, that's all positive. One thing we do know about him is his character, his intelligence and his versatility. Really, that's typical of most of the players on that team, on New England, they're versatile, they're smart, they have high character and they work hard. That's a significant reason for their long-term success.
On Thomas playing five different positions in one game …
That's right up my alley. You always look for that. Whatever the job is, whatever the role is, just to play that role, to play it well, to be able to go fill another spot should somebody be injured, to do it at a high level, it's outstanding.
On if Tom Brady will be 100 percent Sunday based on this week's injury report …
I think New England's always given out very accurate injury reports and I appreciate that. I'm not sure how many weeks in a row now Tom has been on the injury report, but he's a tough guy, he's a durable guy. I'm not exactly certain on the percentage, but his missed playing time due to injury is pretty small.
On who the most vocal offensive lineman is …
I don't think there's one that really stands out. You don't want it to be just one guy. You really want all those guys to feel as if they're just active participants in the communication. You don't want one guy to think, "OK, I can't give a call here, I've got to wait for the call to come to me." You want everybody to feel the same way, "I see something, it's going to help out the person next to me, I've got to let him know," and not have the feeling that "I have to wait for him to talk to me." You want everybody talking to each other and being proactive about it. We work at that. That's true across the board. You want those guys to constantly be giving each other information and feedback.
Laveranues [Coles] has done a really good job of this. Jerricho [Cotchery] has done a really good job of this. They'll see the blitz coming. They'll alert Chad [Pennington]. Chad can alert the offensive line. He may be alerting the left side, the left side makes a call to the right side. It's a pretty big domino effect. It just takes that one person to see something and let everybody else know. A lot of times that's why a play will be successful or not successful. It's always disappointing when something happens and somebody knew about it but he didn't share it with everybody else. Romeo [Crennel] always used to say, "Somebody's got to give a call, somebody's got to get a call." I think that's as true a statement as you can make.
On if he's encouraged with Thomas Jones' progress …
I'm encouraged by all those guys. They've all been doing everything we've asked them to do. The program in place for each guy is a good program. You just have to go through the whole process before you're certain you're going to be able to get a level of performance out of that player and anticipate what that level is, even going into the game, making sure that you're keeping that in mind.
On whether his offensive linemen are quiet on and off the field …
I found this with players: They're really quiet initially. Once you get to know them, you're overwhelmed by how much they can talk [smiles]. It's just getting over that hump of getting to know somebody and them getting to know each other. It's so important to spend time with your teammates and to develop that relationship, to develop that comfort level. Chemistry is a word that's often used. It has a lot of different meanings to it.
On whether Brandon Moore is an example of one of those players …
Brandon has been very vocal, in the meetings, on the field. It's an ongoing process. D'Brickashaw [Ferguson] is getting more vocal. It's something they keep working at.
On what he saw in Stacy Tutt last year to move him from QB to FB …
He's 6'2", he's 230. He's smart, he's got good hands, he's a physical player. You know anytime a player's making a position change, there's going to be a certain level of time that needs to go into that change. Stacy's worked at a lot of different positions. He's worked on special teams. You always like working with those converted quarterbacks because you know they've had to run a huddle, they've had to learn the whole scheme. It hasn't been tunnel vision for them where "OK, I'm a tight end, I have to run this route, I have this adjustment."
At quarterback, you don't have that luxury. You've got to know who's running what, what their adjustments are, what their protection is. All those things have to fall into place. Now when you do move a person who's responsible for all those things to one position, they usually do that position well and they also see the big picture because they're used to seeing the big picture and being responsible for it.
On if he's impressed that Tutt can play both QB and FB …
You can't pigeonhole guys. Brad Smith, I was really impressed with him last year. We threw him in there on special teams because we had to and [at the end of the season] he's right up there on the top of the special teams tackle board. I don't know when the last time Brad Smith had to tackle anybody. I imagine he was a quarterback since he played football, or at least in a skill position since he played football. We said, "This is what you have to do now." He did it really well. The same thing with Stacy. You transition to that new spot. Those guys go out, try to do it the way you ask them to do it, see the big picture. It's a good situation.
On whether Tutt was open to the position switch when he was approached …
When you're an undrafted free agent, you're pretty much open to doing whatever you're asked to do. Another core trait is selflessness. We want to identify that because it's very easy to fall into the mode of "I'm a cornerback. I cover passes." Well, that's true, but you tackle, you run-support, you do all those things, and this week you have to move to safety because that's what's best for the group. You don't want to have to go through the process with a player of convincing them that that's what needs to be done. When you have people that are willing to do whatever it is, then there isn't that gap between the transition and working at the transition.
On if he anticipates Leon Washington and Chansi Stuckey continuing their strong performances ...
You always hope that's going to be the case. But I've seen a lot of players who have had very good preseasons that don't translate and guys that haven't had great preseasons but that was part of the learning curve, that was part of the progression, and they have outstanding regular seasons. To me, the preseason is just an extension of practice. Each time you take the field, it's a different type of practice, but it's still practice in preparation for the regular season.
On trying to have a good regular season after a poor preseason …
Whether it's football, work or life, whatever it is, I really believe it's hard to just flip a switch and be good at something. What you have to do is hammer away at it and work at it. That's how you get better at something. You can kid yourself sometimes and think, "Well, it's OK because it was just this practice. It's OK because it was just this preseason game." Really, all you're doing at that point is fooling yourself because it's not OK. Each day's important, each practice is important, each meeting is important. If you view it that way, you're going to get better.
That was another quality I liked about the rookie class last year and a lot of the players on the team. It may not have been dramatic improvement. It may have been just a little bit of footwork on that day. It may have been the way you off-hand-jam. Now that's gotten better. The next day it's some other skill set. Before you know it, you're stringing together a lot of really positive things and your overall performance is significantly better.
On how he feels about preseason statistics …
I've never personally been caught up in preseason statistics. You're not sure when, how and what the level of scheming was. To me it's the body of work.
On how he breaks down an offensive line from a defensive game planning point of view …
You always look at who's playing the position, not just the scheme but who's playing it, how they're playing it and what their characteristics are. Our personnel department does a really good job. We get an advance report. Each player is written up in depth. That's common around the NFL. The players are written up. You can read multiple details, not just about pro football but college football, this year, last year, and learn a lot about the player. Then you're going to look at their style on tape, things they do well, things they do poorly.
That's a big part of the game within the game. You have everything that takes place, the plays, the scheme. But as a cornerback or as a receiver or as a left tackle, who am I playing against? Is it Randy Moss versus Deion Branch? Both receivers, both have been maybe labeled the X or Z, they both play the same spot. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What do I need to do to cover them effectively? What can they take advantage of with me? What can I take advantage of with them? That's a very important part of each player's personal study. Who is lining up to rush against me? Is he a speed rusher? Is he a speed-to-power guy? Is he just a power guy? You're going to adjust your blocking based on the things that you can expect.
