Transcripts of news conferences and interviews in the Jets locker room following their 27-24 victory over the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night:
HEAD COACH REX RYAN
We knew this was going to be a dogfight, there's no doubt. We told our team before the game, "Whoever plays the hardest for the longest will win this game." You've always heard me talk about it, but they're not in there till they're in there, and we said that tonight. It looked bleak, there's no question about it. That's an explosive team both on offense and defense.
There is a stat about them being 241-0 when they have a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. It just shows you the resolve of our football team. You talk about a team effort — that was it, there is no doubt. From special teams getting the blocked punt to Nick Folk nailing a 50-yard field goal. All we needed was a little more time for our offense to throw the football. Mark [Sanchez] did a great job. Plax [Burress] was huge for us. You saw those captains. You saw how Sione [Pouha] got the fumble recovery around the goal line. You saw how Darrelle [Revis] got the pick. We leaned on our captains, and they did a great job for us. Obviously, we have a ton of work to do. That's an excellent football team. You don't win many games when you give up that kind of yardage, but it was an unbelievable team effort. That might have been the best team effort I can remember being a part of.
I will say this — we fed off of our fans. There's is no doubt. Nobody left. They hung in with us the entire time. This one was also for our community. Believe me, we all felt it. We just hung in there and hung in there and believed we could get it done, and that's exactly what happened. I couldn't be more proud of our team. We have a lot of work to do, but we'll take this kind of victory any day of the week.
On the emotions of the game...
This was amazing. It doesn't get much better than this, especially the way we got it done. You saw the resolve this football team has. I spoke earlier in the week about the kind of pressure I felt, and I'm sure our players felt it as well. We played far from a perfect game — not even close, but you have to give the opponent credit. That is an excellent football team. I will sign up right now to play them in the Super Bowl, and I know they would. That's a heck of a team and it was a great challenge for us. I tried to take all of the emotion we were feeling and turn it into passion, and it was frustrating. We made a lot of mental mistakes on defense, and they took advantage of it. When [Tony] Romo gets hot like that, he's as good as there is.
I don't know what to say. It was just a draining game. I'm so proud that we were able to pull this thing off, and for the town as well. I probably feel better about that than I do for our football team.
On RB Joe McKnight...
I asked Joe for his five favorite plays, his five best plays. I gave them to Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer], and we didn't call one of them today. I said, "Son, if you keep making plays like that, you're going to be a part of this offense." That was a huge, huge play. We all saw it. It was unbelievable. You have to tip your hat to Mike Westhoff. Obviously, Schotty did a good job. He and Rob [Ryan] go at it all the time, so it's a championship fight seeing those two go at it.
I will say this — Mike Pettine might have had the call of the day. We have this play called "Jet Mike Mix" that we call, and we'd been getting a lot of one-on-one's on the outside. We wanted them to think it was one-on-one, but we actually had help on top. Revis was able to undercut it and get the interception. It was a huge call by Mike Pettine at the perfect time. Revis made a super play.
On playing on September 11...
I think we all felt it. It affected everybody in that locker room. You can see where the Towers were from our stadium. There was a lot of pressure, but also a lot of excitement. We wanted to show our fans and everybody else, "Hey, look, we're your team," and all that. It didn't go the way we wanted early, but with the way we fought, very few teams will fight like that. Very few. That's why I'm so proud of our team. When I say it was an unbelievable team effort, it really was.
On Jets offense...
I was proud of the way we responded. We were getting it handed to us pretty good in the first half by a good defense. At the end of the day, we would have signed up for Mark finishing with an 82.0 rating. We hit on six of 14 third downs, which is pretty good considering that defense. They have some guys who can rush the passer over there. We put up 360 yards. I think that defense over there is going to be really good.
On the Jets offensive game plan, throwing at a 2-to-1 ratio...
I think we evolved to it based on the flow of the game. You have to give them a lot of credit. We averaged 2.8 yards a rush. They were getting off blocks and they were blitzing the run. They did a good job up front. You have to give them credit.
On if the team was deflated after QB Mark Sanchez's fumble…
Man, no chance. You're down. I was down beyond belief when they returned that thing all the way to our 3, when [Jason] Witten made that great catch. You guys have been around this football team to know there's no quit in this bunch. None. We just kept thinking momentum is coming our way and sure enough it did.
On safety Jim Leonhard's play to keep Dallas TE Jason Witten out of the end zone…
We've seen it before. Obviously, some guys let a guy get in, but we don't give up anything without a fight. Obviously, Witten is a great player, he made some huge plays tonight, but Jimmy made a great stop on that.
On coaching against his brother, Rob Ryan...
It was rough, but I'll say this — I'd much rather be on this end than on the other end. As much as I love him, I always want to beat him and that's it. Like I said, hopefully we'll meet again. I think both of these teams are good football teams, and hopefully that happens. We have a long way to go. We have to do a huge job, we have a lot of corrections to make. But I'll take this anytime.
On throwing toward CB Darrelle Revis...
I'll say this — Romo made one of the most amazing throws I've ever seen, and Dez Bryant made an unbelievable catch early in the game. Revis had perfect coverage and I'm like, "He had to step out of bounds," but he didn't. Sometimes it's hard to stop the perfectly thrown ball. I think Romo was so hot that he thought he was Y.A. Tittle back there. He looked like it to me today.
QB MARK SANCHEZ
On what it was like going against Rob Ryan's defense…
They had a great gameplan for us. They were down in the secondary, they were hurting in the secondary a little bit. They played hard, all their guys. Even though [Mike] Jenkins got hurt a little bit, he kept coming back in. He had a pretty good scheme for us. Their D-line is probably one of the best we'll see, especially with [DeMarcus] Ware. It was a good fight and an emotional win. I'm just proud of the way our guys hung in and rallied after a couple mistakes. One, the interception, that was just a poor decision and gave them a cheap one, and then I helped them out with a fumble, and I've got to get rid of the ball. They had a good plan for us and played hard.
On winning on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11…
It was an emotional atmosphere. I'm just proud of the guys for playing up to this kind of emotion. I think that our team really knows how to play in these kind of situations. It was a good win for this community and this city after a big memorial game like this.
On if he is OK after taking some hits tonight…
Oh yeah, I'm feeling all right.
On having his back turned when Nick Folk hit the game-winning field goal…
Yeah, I don't look at us. I don't know, I usually just go stand next to Cav [quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh].
On being able to connect with Plaxico Burress in the second half…
I missed him early in the game on a third down. We came back and we hit him for the touchdown, so that was big. They gave us that same coverage, they tested us again. I missed it the first time, I knew we wouldn't miss it again should we get the coverage. We got it and I made the most of it, and he made a heck of a grab.
On what beating Rob Ryan meant to Jets head coach Rex Ryan…
It's huge and as a head coach to beat his brother twice, that's big. They're going to have a good group. That's a team that is going to make a good push for the playoffs. That's a tough team. They're injured, they're beat up in the secondary, but when they're healthy, that's going to be a good group. That's a big win for Rex, we knew there was a lot. With September 11th and Rex Ryan and Rob and a home opener, this was a monster. So obviously there was a lot of room for improvement, but we'll take the W and that's the most important thing.
On how he is feeling emotionally after the game…
I'm thrilled about the team. Just personally, I want to get better and I think our guys could have gotten a couple more touches and we could have broken this thing open. We were so close on a couple of runs, so close on a couple of passes, without a few of those mistakes, we score 30-plus points like we should. There's no excuse why we can't, but I'm so proud of our guys and so happy for this team and this ball club. It was a huge win. It was a big memorial day and to see our firefighters and military personnel and the first responders out there, it was really cool. It's hard to separate the emotion from the game, but it's so big for us and I'm really happy.
On playing against another Latino quarterback in Tony Romo…
It was great, he had a heck of a game. We both made our share of mistakes, but this team really rallied and we were trying to represent our community well.
On getting off to a good start at home…
It was important to win a home game, I think. Teams understand how hard it is to come in here and play. It should be a place you want to protect and we should have huge homefield advantage here and hopefully we'll get a playoff game here. So we have a lot of work to do, but this is our spot. We have to be comfortable here and we have to play well.
On taking a lot of hits and how he feels…
I'm good. I'm all right. It's a rough game. Some games you get knocked around a little bit, but you keep playing. Obviously there's nothing I'd rather be doing, and I was proud of our guys. It was a heck of a game.
RB LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON
On holding the American flag prior to the game alongside the first responders…
I felt honored, I really did. Those were the guys that did the ground work. Recovery, first responders. The guys got in and did the dirty work, and I felt honored to be standing next to them.
On watching the 9/11 memorials on television today…
Yeah, I watched that, but I also heard a lot of people on radio stations talking to different people that were affected by it. Some of the first responders were on there talking about their experience. It was really moving. You really got the sense of how special a day it was.
On winning as a team…
Yeah, we're a team. That's one thing that we talk about around here is being a team. I think you guys saw that tonight. Especially with Joe McKnight getting in there and blocking the punt and [Isaiah] Trufant running it in for a touchdown. [Darrelle] Revis, obviously, coming up with a pick. Plaxico playing huge. A lot of guys doing a great job tonight.
On the fans in the stadium tonight…
Oh my goodness. Exciting. It was rocking. I felt like I was at a concert, but we were on stage. It felt great tonight. You could feel the energy in the building, and that was a tribute to the fans.
WR PLAXICO BURRESS
On what his feeling was following his touchdown…
It feels good to finally go out and play a regular season game. It's definitely a special time for my family and myself, [after] everything we've been through. [We've] just been waiting for this game for a long time. I'm just happy to be able to go out and make a few plays and help our team win the game. Mark [Sanchez] made a great throw. We felt like we had a mismatch with [Mike] Jenkins out. He just put it up there and I made a play.
On how special it was to give his touchdown ball to his son…
I'm just happy for him. He's at an age now that he understands. I'm just happy for him. He hung in there. Stayed up, stayed awake. He's only four years old. It was a great day for him.
On the Jets being able to win on an emotional day…
I think it says a lot about our team. We were down 14 points going into the fourth quarter. Especially everything that's going on today. What this day symbolizes, 9/11, 10-year anniversary. We kind of emulate what this city is all about, just sticking together, being resilient through everything that was going on. We kind of got off to a slow start on offense, but the second half we came out and made some plays. Defense did a great job getting some stops, a big special teams play, a blocked punt. We were able to get the win.
CB DARRELLE REVIS
On winning on the 10th anniversary of 9/11…
It was a great honor, for us to win this game, let me back it up, for us to be scheduled for this game on 9/11, on this Sunday. It means a lot to people. It means a lot to this world. It was a tragic moment in our history, everyone's world. We're happy to get this win and we're happy to be chosen to play on this Sunday. It was a tough-fought game for us, we came back and we held them and we won at the end.
On his interception…
I was just trying to make a play. I was just trying to fight out there and compete and that's all I try to do and I think that's what the whole team tried to do the whole game.
On not playing their best but still winning…
We haven't played our best ball yet. We did escape one, but I'll say one thing, we did show heart at the end. We showed heart and toughness and we fought back. Nobody held their heads down, and that's a positive thing too, that we're going to keep playing for four quarters.
RB-ST JOE McKNIGHT
On how much he has practiced blocking punts…
It wasn't really supposed to be for me. It was supposed to be for Eric Smith. It just happened that it opened up for me, so I had to take advantage of it.
On what he did on the blocked punt…
I just dove for it. The punter has a fast hit off time, so Mike Westhoff told me when you get back there, just try and get it. I took two steps past the line and just dove out for it.
On how it felt to block a punt late in the game…
It felt really good, especially on the anniversary of 9/11 and we came out and won. It feels good with the stuff I've been through and just to get to this point today. It feels real good.
CB-ST ISAIAH TRUFANT
On the blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown…
It was a great call, great block by Joe McKnight and I was hoping to not bobble the ball. I got a good bounce on it and was trying to run it in.
On what was going through his mind when he saw the block…
Your eyes light up and you pick up the ball and run. I saw daylight and fans cheering.
On the mood of the team when they were down 14 points….
Truthfully, we were picking everybody up. We believed we were still in the game. The game wasn't over.
K NICK FOLK
On how it felt to kick a game-winning field goal against his former team…
I think it was more emotional as far as 9/11 goes, than playing the Cowboys. That's the honest truth. I felt a lot of emotions about it when we were holding the flag out there and all that stuff we were doing pre-game. The fans were great tonight. They did a great job and we're just happy to come out with a win.
On if he started preparing for his opportunity as soon as Darrelle Revis intercepted the pass…
I kind of went into preparation mode when we got the ball back before we punted it. I kept telling T.J. [Conley], "You don't need to punt. You don't need to punt in the net. We're not going to need it. We're going to drive down and score." We ended up punting it and then as soon as he [Revis] started returning it, I think I kicked two balls in the net and I was already ready. I just said, "Let's go."
On how the kick felt as it left his foot…
I hit it really well. I hit it just about as good as I could. I just trusted myself tonight, made sure it looked just like an extra point and just put it down the middle.
WR SANTONIO HOLMES
On the team coming through late
Win the game when it counts. Play the game for four quarters, however many minutes on the clock, until the clock strikes zero. We never think about giving up. Just like our gloves said, "We never forget," we never give up on this team.
On the offense struggling to find a rhythm in the first half...
Those guys were doing a lot of good things on defense. They were different guys from every angle at [Mark] Sanchez and we just have to be better prepared for it. We have a long season ahead of us and I'm pretty sure we'll have the right things dialed in come next week for whatever team that wants to send those guys in and blitz us.
On the offense still clicking late in the game despite having new players…
We just have to keep putting it together. We had a short offseason, but we can't complain about anything. We just have to get back in the lab and make sure we are prepared come next week.
S JIM LEONHARD
On what tonight's win meant to the team…
It's huge. Obviously, there was a lot of emotion playing in New York, where the attacks happened. It was very emotional for a lot of people. Seeing all the first responders gathered on the field, there were a lot of emotions in this. You wanted to win for yourself, but you wanted to win for the city. Rex [Ryan] came in and said it was a team win and everyone stepped up. The city stepped up. The city stepped up 10 years ago and this was really a celebration of what's gone on in the last 10 years. We were glad we could pull out a win. We kept fighting, just like they kept fighting.
On the fans and the noise they created in the stadium tonight…
I would say to [the fans], just thanks for being yourself. That's what they do. We always have a great crowd. We feel like we have one of the best crowds, if not the best crowd, in football. They came in and they represented. They represented for New York. They represented for the Jets.
On if he thought he would catch Jason Witten before he reached the end zone in the fourth quarter…
I thought I had a pretty good angle. It's just one of those plays where you just keep running. You never know what can happen. We always say, "They're not in until they're in." It was very fortunate to get him out of bounds. He's a big guy, but you have to do whatever you have to do to get him out of bounds. Then obviously coming up with that huge turnover really turned the game for us.
DT SIONE POUHA
On what tonight's win said about the character of the team…
When you get to situations like this, the thing that really starts to surface is the character of the team. In situations like this, obviously, there were situations last year that went down to the last minute, and the team prevailed. The fact that the team can prevail just mirrors the character of individuals out here laying it out for the team. The field goals or whatever it is, you can't practice that in practice. It only comes out at game-time. You can have mock situations and everything, but when it comes time to dig deep, when it's crunch time like this, your character as a team starts to rise to the surface.
On recovering Tony Romo's fumble at the goal line…
He was scrambling, he was going everywhere. He found an opening right down the middle and he started running through. I think he got stopped by [Mike] DeVito and some other guys and just mishandled the ball. It fell right in between DeVito's legs. Next thing you know, we're all diving for it. Calvin [Pace] was fumbling with it a little bit and kind of just kept a guy occupied while I kind of got it. It was me, DeVito and Calvin in there all fumbling with it. Then once it got in my grasp, I kind of just fell on it and laid on it. Our whole thing down there is they are not in until they're in. In that situation, they are not in until they're in and we were fortunate enough to get the ball back.
On how important that fumble recovery was…
I think it was huge because they could have kicked a field goal, gotten three points and put them up by a little bit. I think the fact that the whole defense showed its guts and put everything on the line. We have a standard that they are not in until they are in. Fortunately, they went in, they didn't get in and we got the ball back, which took away a potential three points from them. You never know what that situation will hold, so I was glad we got the fumble.
