Transcript of head coach Eric Mangini's news conference with the New York Jets media Thursday morning:
In terms of yesterday's practice, we had a really good day of practice. I told the players I liked the intensity, the effort and the tempo. Like with any Wednesday, there's going to be a lot of things to correct because of the heavy installation. We can make a lot of progress with days like that. It was good overall. I'm looking now to put those practices together. It's important for us to stack those days and practices together like we need to stack the quarters together and play good complementary football throughout the course of the game.
We did a little third-down work yesterday that introduced that a day ahead, a little bit of red area today and introduced that a day ahead. I think it's good to touch on those before you do the heavy installation so you've got some of the introductory points covered in advance. That's a little bit different than how we've operated in the past. Today it's a heavy third-down day. We will revisit two-minute again and keep rolling along.
On how Chad Pennington practiced Wednesday …
I thought he did well. I thought he looked good in the reps that he had. He moved pretty well. It's something we're going to continue to monitor. Like we talked about yesterday, we'll make sure it's not so many reps that it becomes counterproductive. He will get the right number of reps still within the framework of the rehab he's doing. He did a really good job with the rehab last week. It's the same this week.
On if he saw something against the Ravens that made him tweak his practice schedule …
No. Some of the ideas we've incorporated with practice have come from the captains' meetings, talking with the players and bouncing ideas around with them. They've had some good ideas in terms of the structure of practice and making it more efficient that I had not thought of, but we've implemented them and I think they've been positive.
On if Pennington is taking most of the reps with the first-team offense …
He started with the first team and took the amount we had allocated for him, Kellen got the majority of the next block and Tui [Marques Tuiasosopo] got some. Brad [Smith] always gets a few here and there based on his package.
On how Sione Pouha is doing this year after missing last season …
He was doing a really good job last year during training camp prior to getting hurt. Coming back, he's done the same work in the off-season with his body, conditioning and with block recognition. You see some improvement every day, which is really what you're hoping for with any young player. It's the schemes he's seen a few times that he's recognizing quicker. He's got good strength. He's got a good punch and is consistently working on that punch, delivering the blow, and that's something he's getting better at.
On if he's alarmed the team has not been able to string good quarters together …
It's an ongoing process and each year is a little bit different. Last year early on there were some things we had to work out. It's not uncommon to have these things and continue to work on them. You're always trying to be as consistent as possible. That's not going to change really early or late. It's so important to be able to put together meetings, practices, days and quarters. That is an ongoing goal.
On Pennington's toughness and competitiveness bouncing back from injury …
You saw the injury he bounced back from last year and the way he approached that. It's not different. It's a different injury but his approach isn't different. He was very diligent last week with it and has been diligent this week. Getting to know Chad over the course of two years, that's how he is with everything.
On if Will Montgomery is competing to start or add depth and how quickly he can play in the system …
With it being the first day of him being here and in the system, it's hard to just jump right in and get a lot of meaningful reps. He's spending extra time with either Mike [Devlin] or Tony [Wise] and getting those reps. I thought the other offensive linemen were very good about helping him out with the calls. A lot of systems have similarities in protections, slides and run fits, but the words are very different. You have to help anybody new that comes in. He's working at it and it's going to take a little bit of time like it does with any new player.
On the possibility of Thomas Jones being more productive …
It's an ongoing process with the running game and we're all involved in it. He's faced two pretty good run defenses the past two weeks. It's going to take everybody improving: Thomas, the offensive line, the receivers and the quarterback. You're always working to get that as fluid as possible and as efficient as possible. Both running backs have different plays, and we'll work both of them throughout the course of the week.
On the balance between toughness and intelligence in players …
I don't think they're mutually exclusive. I think the core values encompass the qualities you are talking about. You're not looking for someone that's selfless and "selfless" means he's not going to hit somebody, or smart and "smart" means he's not going to hit somebody. Those are just things that drive our decisions. I've coached and been around a lot of players that have all those characteristics, are exactly like you're talking about on the field and you're looking for the complete package. I don't think to get one you have to give up the other.
On D'Brickashaw Ferguson …
He's faced some pretty good players in the early part of the season. Rosevelt Colvin and [Terrell] Suggs are extremely tough. The different guys he's blocked are really good players. Anytime you line up at that left tackle spot, odds are there's going to be someone very impressive out there that is going to challenge you. It may not be the same challenge every week. One week it may be speed to power, the next might be pure speed. The following week it may be some kind of bull rush. It is a difficult spot to play and the guys you're facing are always going to be tough.
I agree that Jason [Taylor] is outstanding and can change the game at any point. There are a lot of guys like that in the league that we face. He challenges every left tackle he faces — it's not exclusive to D'Brickashaw. He's successful against most people, so you have to be aware of him and understand what the plan is to block him. Joey Porter adds another element to that. They have a good group that can challenge us across the board.
On the approach to being 0-2 …
Regardless of what your situation was or what the outcome of the previous game was, it's just got to be the same. It's got to be the same each week because that's what helps you become successful and what drives wins. It's the process as opposed to focusing on the other things. It's getting the process better and making progress.
On if Teddy Atlas has been around …
Teddy comes around. He was here last week for a couple of days. He pops in whenever he likes and we love having him around. He is busy with the other work he's doing, but he's fun to have around.
On if he looks at the schedule in terms of games he thinks the Jets should win …
No. I look at it the same way. I've been involved in too many games where whatever the expectations or predictions, none of that stuff matters. The Dolphins and the Jets always play close games. Both games last year came down to field goals in the final few minutes. They have a lot of talented players. I really like what they're doing offensively and defensively. They are challenging. There are a lot of things we need to do well in order to win and that's what we're focused on: doing those things well to make sure we are prepared for Sunday.
On if he reminds the team that anything can happen with the Jets and Dolphins …
It's not exclusive to the Dolphins. Every single day we talk about it. It's today. It's today. It's this meeting you're in right now, then it's offense/defense, then walkthrough, then practice, then individual preparation and then we move on to the next day. It's not about records, rivalries or any of those things. It's about doing what we're doing right now as well as we can and handling each thing as it comes.
On how it feels to be the more experienced of the two head coaches Sunday …
I haven't really thought of it in those terms. I know Cam [Cameron] has quite a bit of college experience and is doing a good job. I like the things I've seen on tape. I had a chance to talk to him a few different times. I'm happy to be in my second year, though.
On if Darrelle Revis will get tested by Chris Chambers …
I think Darrelle is doing a good job. I think all of the secondary is going to get tested. They've got quite a few good receivers with adding Ted Ginn and Marty Booker. There's a lot of issues they can create with their receiving corps, running game and their ability to create holes with play action, shifting and motioning. I think it will be a test for the entire group, not just from a coverage perspective but also from an adjustment perspective.
On if he thinks Trent Green is 100 percent after his concussion …
He looks really good on tape. He's doing a nice job getting the ball out to Chris and Marty. Even with checkdowns and the shorter passes, he is very efficient.
On if Brian Schottenheimer has spent time with the defense because of his familiarity with the Dolphins offensive scheme …
It's unique because usually it's our offense working against a division opponent's defense all through camp. Now it's the flip of that, where we work quite a bit against this type of offense defensively. There is real value there. You know a lot, they know a lot. There are pluses and minuses to both of those situations. Dan Quinn worked there on the defensive side last year. Because both Brian and Dan have familiarity, you try to take what you can from it, but they are aware that Brian is familiar and Dan is familiar and they will adjust accordingly.
