Transcripts of selected interviews with Jets beat reporters after Friday's afternoon training camp practice:
QB KELLEN CLEMENS
On if Coach Mangini has mentioned "It's not how you start but how you finish"…
No.
On if that is how he looks at it…
It's all about coming out here and improving day to day. That is what we all we try to do. You are going to make mistakes. No one is perfect. You learn from those and you try to eliminate repetitive mistakes. You just try to get better with each day.
On if it's nice after seven days of monotony to have this kind of practice…
Yes, absolutely. You said the word right there. It breaks up the monotony of practice. You get to game-plan and scheme for a little bit. There are some things on the line for it as far as braggin' rights. It's exciting to come out and have a change of pace.
On what is on the line at Saturday's Green & White Practice...
Coach sets the stakes. For the players the main thing is just braggin' rights, but I am sure there will be a little something.
On if there is a dinner…
Like a sack lunch versus a steak dinner. Sort of, it's not quite a steak dinner, but generally there is something to it.
On what side he was on last year…
I was on the winning side.
On if he will be happy when he is asked his last Brett Favre question…
I thought that was yesterday [laughs].
On reported money offered to Brett Favre to remain retired…
I don't know if anyone would hate him for it. Not too many guys get that type of an offer to retire.
On if the Favre questions have become as monotonous as questions about the QB competition…
Honestly, there was the one day under the tent when we got stuck with two or three of them. Other than that, it's just been here and there. All I really do is catch up on the gossip. There really hasn't been that many Brett Favre questions.
On if he has considered the motivation for the Favre rumors…
I don't even think about it. It does me no good to think of any of that. We have enough stuff going on here in the locker room. The guys are already in the locker room is what I am saying. I don't worry about that.
On learning the system…
As I have mentioned, the whole idea of training camp is to come out and work to improve and get ready for that opener in Miami. For me personally, there have been some practices, not practices as a whole, but definitely some throws that I have wanted back. The last three or four days I have had a chance to look at them, learn from them and not make the same mistakes.
On if he has had to remind himself it's a marathon, not a sprint…
It's important to keep it all in perspective and, as a quarterback, whether it's a bad play or bad read, interception or something, it's important for us to be able to learn from it but not let it affect your next throw. I have had some extra practice.
On if his confidence builds with each touchdown he throws in camp…
It's really not an issue of confidence, I think, at this point because I had the opportunity to play last year and get some experience. You slowly get into a rhythm as the season progresses. We are obviously very early, but as training camp continues on for the next however many weeks, you get into a rhythm and things start building for you.
On if he thinks he was pressing a little bit early…
To be honest, no. I had some plays and some throws that I want back and a lot of times it's overshadowed and maybe what would have been a good practice without that one throw. I try to look at it as a whole. As you mentioned, it's a marathon, not a sprint. There is a lot of football left to play.
On if he has been thinking about being interception-free the last few practices…
Absolutely. Turnovers are the No. 1 factor in winning and losing. You can't have it, whether it's fumbles, turnovers or whatever. Interceptions are something that you have control over for the most part so you try to eliminate that as much as possible.
CB DARRELLE REVIS
On how his first camp is going…
It's going good. Just getting in here, just working every day. It's camp.
On the good things Coach Mangini said about him…
That just says the hard work is paying off. Just being humble about every situation that I face, and just being a listener and listening to [defensive backs coach] Jerome Henderson, and just doing what I have to do and doing my job.
On if he feels different because it's his first full training camp…
No, it's not different. Camp is camp. It doesn't matter if it's high school or college, it's just my first NFL camp. Coach teases me about that a lot as a joke. It actually is my first camp and it's just fun. It's fun to be out here. This is the time when you see where players are at and you improve.
On what he thinks he will be better at this season…
I'm a smarter player. I'm definitely smarter. I'm just a student of the game. I'm getting more wisdom in my brain and listening to Coach and taking heed of it
On how much of his improvement comes from having a season under his belt…
Going through the season last year and watching film in the off-season on it just shows you I was running out there with my head cut off [laughs]. Now I understand the defensive schemes more, I understand what I'm supposed to do at certain times. I think it's key to know that — what to do at certain times, where to be at. Last year I knew a couple of things in the playbook, but now it's being smarter and learning the whole defense.
On if he can dominate from the cornerback position…
I'm going to do the best I can. That's what I'm going to do. Last year I went up against some of the best receivers in the NFL. That was good to get that experience that young, being a rookie. Now, coming into my second year, I have a lot of experience watching those guys. Right now it's just being the best corner I can be in the NFL and just working hard at it.
On why he felt he was running "with his head cut off" last year…
I think the coaches did a great job of just giving me basic things for the defense. Now, you look at it, I did this, I did that, but they just said it's OK, just be patient. I think they did a great job of telling me to be patient about the whole situation.
On if he feels he is a leader on the defense in his second year…
Yes, I'm taking that role this year. Coach Mangini and Coach Henderson told me to take a leadership role. I'm progressing at it, and I'm getting better at it every day.
On the difficult jump from college to the NFL and how it compares from high school to college…
High school to college, it was nothing. College to the NFL, the only thing that I had a problem with was the defensive schemes. You get a playbook this big [holding his hands 18 inches apart], you have to know everything in it, so I would say that was the most difficult thing.
On if he thinks he will start…
I don't know. Maybe I have to have a one-on-one with [Coach Mangini] and ask him. But I don't know. It's competition out here, great competition. I just have to keep on working hard and being consistent at my job and working every day.
On what it would mean to him to be called a "lockdown corner"…
Lockdown corner, that's a big phrase. That's a phrase where you shut it down, you shut everything down. If you're watching the best receiver on somebody's team, you limit them. You limit them to catches, you just shut them down.
On who he thinks is a lockdown corner in the game today…
There are a couple out there. My favorite, who I looked up to, is Champ Bailey. DeAngelo Hall, he's another one, Asante Samuel — there are some great corners out there.
On how much of a goal it is to be included in that list…
My goal is not to try to focus on them. My focus is being Darrelle Revis and doing what I have to do. I can control what Darrelle Revis does and basically working hard and doing what I've been doing is going to help me achieve my goals.
On if he has the "itch" to return punts in the NFL…
I do whatever Coach tells me to do. Right now I'm getting more reps at it. We'll see. I know Leon [Washington] did it last year. There's a lot of competition out here. We have a lot of returners, we got Justin Miller back. Whatever Coach wants me to play or wants me to do, I'm happy to do it.
On if he would put a number on the amount of interceptions he wants to have this season…
My personal goals, I can't talk about that [laughs].
On if he talks trash…
No, I don't talk junk [laughs]. I don't talk junk, I just go out there and have fun. To me, I think that's just a distraction. Just play. Just play football and compete.
