Transcripts of news conferences and interviews in the Jets' locker room after their 17-3 victory over the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Monday night:
HEAD COACH REX RYAN
MetLife Executive Vice President Mike Farrell: A hard-fought victory. Congratulations. For the inaugural Met Life Bowl, I'm very pleased to present to you a check for the Trust for Public Land in the amount of $40,000 and this will go to developing parks and open spaces throughout the country. So congratulations and on behalf of our 66,000 associates worldwide and our fantastic icon Snoopy, I'm pleased to present you with this beautiful trophy for this first MetLife Bowl at the new stadium, MetLife Stadium.
Ryan: Thank you very much. This is awesome. I'll tell you what. This thing looks good, I'm glad we got it. I don't know if there are any tickets available to that Dec. 24th game, but I think we just sold them because that was a typical Jets-Giants slugfest right there. That's a fun game. That's two good football teams going at it. Obviously, it's a preseason game, but it is great competition, there's no doubt and the fireworks will fly come Dec. 24, that's for sure.
I was proud of the way our guys challenged them in the red zone. We had been talking about it. We were two-of-three and we had that holding call which was unfortunate and then the Giants were zero-for-three in the red zone. When that happens, you're going to win a lot of games. So I was proud of that. We got the two takeaways, so I think that was the difference in the game. Obviously it was a hard-fought game to say the least.
On if the time off led to a sluggish offensive start…
Justin Tuck might have had something to do with that, I wouldn't say that. You're going against good competition and things. It was a grind, that's for sure.
On the starting offense…
Well, obviously we struggled to say the least at first, but then I thought we picked it up. It's unfortunate we had that penalty on that third and two to open up the second half. We had a good drive going then. We finished the deal at the end of the first half. Games are going to happen like that when you go against a good defense, and certainly the Giants have a good defense.
On if the Giants game-planned to try to stop Plaxico Burress…
I have no idea, you'd have to ask them.
On having Burress, Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason on the field for the first time in a game…
We will be working a lot in practice, but I was pleased with the way we came out in the second half in particular. We had that drive, we were going to take out the starters on both sides of the ball, but we only had 20-some plays in the first half so that's why we left them in it for another drive. I liked the way that we moved the football, it was just unfortunate we had that penalty. Wayne [Hunter] feels terrible about it. This is an emotional game, but you can't hurt the team. It was great though, the emotions were great. It was great competition, that's what we knew it would be.
On Logan Payne's injury…
He had a wrist injury. Sorry about that but that is about as good as I can do [joking]. He never returned so I don't know what it is exactly.
On Mark Sanchez…
I thought at times he threw the ball really well. He had a couple balls tipped, things like that. I was happy with the way Mark played. He avoided the rush, they get after the quarterback pretty well. He was able to avoid the rush a little bit and ran the ball some so I was happy to see that.
On if he put Antonio Cromartie back as a kick returner to create a spark…
No, we were going to get one rep in the preseason with Cromartie back there. It would have been easier had he not dropped the ball initially.
On if he will consider using Cromartie more as a kick returner this season…
Well as far as Dallas is concerned, he will not be our returner.
On the running game…
Well I thought it was good. I thought Joe [McKnight] ran the ball well. I think Shonn [Greene] had some good runs so I don't necessarily look at that as who they are rushing with. I was happy with the number of attempts we had. That is the one I always look at. We had a bunch of them. It says here we had a bunch. 38, so 38 rushing attempts. You combine that with completions, if you're leading that category at the end of the game- that stat- then you generally fare pretty well.
On the Muhammad Wilkerson ejection…
I can understand it because I think both guys swung at each other. Our guy swung second. He swung hard but he swung second.
On the play of David Harris…
I thought it was good. David had a couple of big hits and that's what David can bring to the table. If you want to cross that middle a little bit, you do it at your own risk. He is a big hitter. I thought he did a good job. That big back [Brandon Jacobs] was running hard, I like to see that. It was fun. That was a football game today.
On creating takeaways during the preseason…
That's more than we got last year in the regular season. That's good. That's what it should be. Tipped balls and overthrows, those are where you get your picks and rush the passer, make him elevate his throws and that is good to see.
On what he saw from the third-down offense…
Well, not much. One-for-eight. That says not too good. Sometimes that happens. The Giants are one of the best third down defenses in the league. They were better than we were last year. Perry Fewell did a nice job with those guys. I tell you, they look the part. You see those big safeties. [Antrel] Rolle does a nice job at nickel. He's a good player.
On if the starters will play Thursday…
No. Do you want the truth? Probably not. How is that? You guys can look into that any way you want but I would say absolutely not. You are going two days rest after they played a half, I think that is probably the smartest thing to do.
On the touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes…
I thought it was great. We threw it to the right guy down there, Santonio. Off a nice, hard play-action pass when you're running the ball well, those things work. Mark delivered a strike in there. And since this is the last question, I'm happy that we had the MetLife Bowl here. I would say in our trophy case, but that'll be on my desk.
On if Sione Pouha had a setback that kept him out of the game…
Not really. That knee, it was just one of those things where it was like "You know what, we don't need him to play." We have those two young guys that we're trying to see what they can do. He still has a little swelling in the knee. But if it was a regular season game, we would have played him. We're holding him back. I wanted to see those two nose tackles against a good center.
QB MARK SANCHEZ
On the offense's overall performance…
It was a slow start, but I was proud of the offense for weathering the storm. We did much better in the red zone. We just have to keep our cool and not get that penalty, and we're in third-and-short again, moving the ball really well that first drive of the second half. I think they played us tough. They tried to put pressure on us with their front four. They didn't bring a ton of blitzes, but just kept all the routes and all the throws in front of them on defense, hoping I would get impatient. I showed a little progress from last year in getting it to the backs, scrambling for a couple of yards on first down, giving us a second-and-manageable and keeping the chains moving. I'm proud of our guys for weathering that storm and playing well towards the end of the first half.
On how he would assess the first-team offense playing for the last time before the regular season begins…
I think, with this wacky schedule this week, it just kind of got us off to a sluggish start. It was a good test to see how we're going to come out with distractions during the week. It was a good reminder of how focused we need to be, but without a game plan, it's tough to tell what to expect. I'm thrilled about our team. I know once we do have a game plan, we'll know exactly what the personnel [packages] are on each play, we'll know exact formations and not be subbing guys in and out. That slows you down on offense and slows down your momentum and your continuity. It's a great offense. We're not turning the ball over, other than that ball slipping out of my hand like an idiot. You don't want to put that on tape. That's embarrassing. That should never happen, not with my hands. Other than that, I thought we did well, took care of the football and played great in the red zone.
On his progress with Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason…
I felt good with all three of them [Burress, Mason and Santonio Holmes]. Tone, obviously, Plax, I would've loved to get him a ball. I missed him on a couple, so that's just us working through it. I thought Derrick Mason did a great job playing Z, playing the slot, but he does such a good job of reading defenses and knowing when to slow down, when to keep running, how to use his body and he had a couple of good catches inside.
Then Dustin [Keller] did well, of course. We have a great group being in that three-wide personnel with Dustin at tight end and LT [LaDainian Tomlinson] or Shonn [Greene], or even Joe McKnight. We have a tough group to stop. You have to put someone down there to stop our single-back running game and then when you do that, we can come after you throwing the football, so it's a good group and we'll see what happens.
On being excited for the regular season…
No question. These guys are excited. We have a good group. They're poised. There are a lot of veterans. After just playing a couple of years, you understand that it's not going to be a touchdown every drive. You'd like to, but these guys understand that, too. Just take care of the football, get completions when we can and these guys didn't get frustrated at all, and that's great. The receivers were building me up all game, so it's a good relationship and I'm excited to see these guys roll in a regular game.
On if the offense is ready for the regular season to begin…
No question, we're ready. We played well in the red zone. We were real conservative with our calls. It was definitely a slow start. We were feeling things out. It looked like they were too, on offense and defense. I'm just glad we won the three quarters we were in and punched it in a couple of times. Tone had a great catch. My teammates had a couple of catches. We got everybody involved, just about, and we'll save Plax for the regular season against the Giants.
On not completing any passes to Burress…
I threw the slant to him. He's pressing. I have to give him time to work and I threw it a little quick. Then, later on, I kind of threw him a tweener ball, where it looked like it was going to be over his shoulder, then it looked like it was kind of going to be a back shoulder, and I kind of left him in the middle, so it wasn't a great throw either. Two bad throws to him, or else he would have been rolling. He didn't get discouraged at all and he's not one of those guys that gets upset like that. He was great about it. He said, "Hey man, it's a preseason game. Don't sweat it. I know you're trying. Just keep throwing it." He's always going to be there and he never gets frustrated, so it's good.
On if he was out-of-sync with Burress...
No, if anything it was me. It was me just missing throws. He ran great routes, and I hit other receivers, so it definitely wasn't Plax. It was just a couple of bad throws, but if we're taking care of the football, we're running the ball well, I'll live with a couple of bad throws instead of just trying too hard and getting too cute, and turning the ball over, throwing it to the other team. We'll live with a couple of bad throws.
On how the first-team offense will prepare for the season opener now…
I think having played two games at home here, and establishing ourselves at home, getting touchdowns before halftime, I'm proud of the way we're playing, I just think we have to convert on third down a little better, but that comes with a game plan. When you game plan for a team, I don't know how to explain it, these calls come in and in 30 seconds you're trying to tell everybody what this third-down play is. We'll you've had 10 reps at those specific plays all week long going into a game plan, so I'm very confident at how we're going to do on third down, but I was proud of the way we did in the red zone and that 11 personnel stuff, where we ran three wide receivers on the field and ran the ball, threw the ball a little bit, it'll be good for us. So we'll hopefully use that.
On what impact Burress had on the touchdown to WR Santonio Holmes…
He did a good job just sticking to his route, not trying too much. It's his job to run to the middle, and he's my first read. They covered him pretty well, like we imagined, and Tone ran a great route and I just tried to give him a chance with the throw. So we had plenty of time to look through it, and that's a long run-action type of play, so our offensive line did a heck of a job identifying the front, and really blocking it up and giving me plenty of time.
On head coach Rex Ryan allowing the Jets to pass the ball more…
I think, and I've said it before, the sky's the limit for this group, especially when we get rolling, and especially when we have a game plan. It helps so much to hear the plays all week long, to run through them all week long. The receivers are sprinting out of the huddle as soon they hear me say the formation, they already know the play. That's the way it's kind of been in practice. We've gotten more and more comfortable with all of our new wideouts. And yeah, sure, we're ready to throw it.
On the Giants defense…
I think they played a great defense, they did a good job just keeping everything underneath. It was a typical preseason game, and we need to be ready to play Dallas, and we will.
On if he is confident in the Jets red zone offense…
It was an emphasis after last year. As soon as we got back from the lockout, we wanted to talk about the red zone quite a bit. Having the weapons that we have only helps our cause, so we want to just be able to use them, and it's my job to find the open guy. Just because Santonio caught a touchdown tonight or Plax caught one last week, don't force it to those guys. It could be Derrick, it could be Dustin, it could be a back on a checkdown, when they decide to cover all of the wideouts, and that'll be fun. So if I'm just smart in the red zone and really play pointguard, just get everybody the ball when they're open, then we'll be ready to roll, but I'm proud of the way we've done it in the red zone this year so far.
On the struggles on third down…
I think they did a good job of batting down a ball, I missed Plax on the slant early. We didn't get off to our fastest start on third down, but that's a tribute to their defense and playing well. With a game plan you have specific third-down calls that you really like and you're comfortable with, and that we've repped. We're kind of shooting from the hip here in preseason and keeping it real basic.
On if Burress was the first read on the touchdown pass to Holmes…
Absolutely. He was the first read and Tone was the second one. So they covered Plax really well and Tone made a play.
WR SANTONIO HOLMES
On his touchdown reception…
It is some of the little things we work on in practice. We just try to correct them and make sure they are hitting on the same cylinders come game day. It was a big play for us to end that half by putting up a touchdown. It kind of got our guys fired up and we came back out in the second half moving the ball just as well until, like I said, we got that big penalty that stopped us. We are our own critics and we shoot ourselves in the foot and it cost us in the long run. We definitely have to minimize those as much as possible.
On how tough is it going to be on defense to matchup against the Jets receivers…
All season it is going to be difficult for any defense to matchup with myself, Plaxico [Burress], and having Mace [Derrick Mason] and Dustin [Keller] in the middle – roaming around having fun. When we put our game plan together I am pretty sure it is going to be very difficult for a lot of teams to play against us. It will give them a different look and it causes matchup problems having both of us running routes on the same side.
On not playing against Philadelphia Thursday Night…
We have a long way to go. We have a lot of time to get out stuff in and practice. I think that is going to help us in the long run. If we have a lot of time to practice and heal our body – let the young guys go out there and fight to make the team for this last preseason game. Hopefully everything falls in place for us because we have a long journey ahead of us.
CB DARRELLE REVIS
On winning this game…
We wanted to win this game. It has been a long-time rivalry with both organizations. Teaming up with MetLife and playing for the Snoopy trophy is great.
On how the defense made plays to stop drives…
I think overall, when it counted we stopped them when we could. They kicked a field goal early in the [second] quarter. We played OK. We just have to correct some things and get ready for the opener.
On the defense getting more turnovers…
It is great. I think that is the big thing we want to focus on. The coaching staff has been harping on us a lot about that.
On not playing Thursday due to a short turn around…
We will be ready for Dallas. Usually the starters don't play the last game, or just play a series or two. That is the coach's choice. If he wants us to play, we will play.
G BRANDON MOORE
On the running game…
I thought the runs we had were 4 and 5 yards. Of course there were a couple of players we did not get [that many yards]. I thought we could have run it more ... you can't run it every down. I thought we did decent.
On being out there for the first time this preseason…
I felt good. There were no problems. I felt like my normal self. I felt fine.
LB BART SCOTT
On how prepared the starters are for Dallas…
It was good, especially for myself. We had played nine snaps. It was good for me to get my sea legs underneath me against an opponent, kind of get tired and take myself to 45 plays. It was kind of a blessing in disguise. You never want to play 45 plays in your first half. It's one of those things that's good because come game time, if you are rocking and rolling, playing great, you are going to play 60, 65 snaps, so going 45 is a great pace to get on and kind of get your sea legs underneath you - challenge yourself, make it difficult for yourself.
On the challenges with the weather over the past couple of days…
Just like this offseason, everybody has to deal with something. Our opponent had to deal with the same thing we had to deal with. We want to try to show them that when adversity does hit, we can deal with it just as good, if not better than anybody else. We just look at it as another opportunity to prove what type of team we are, same thing coming off the OTAs, if everybody had the same time to prepare, we just want to make sure we prepare better. We are still a work in progress. We worked on some things well. We have to get cleaned up, but that's the great thing, about the preseason, it doesn't count. The lessons learned are something that we value, especially when we have two young guys, we have some new starters, you got MTV [Martin Tevaseu], that's going to be playing, you got [Muhammad] Wilkerson, you got Ropati [Pitoitua], they haven't played an extended time.
On beating the Giants and winning the MetLife trophy…
Whenever you are playing for anything, you want to win, it doesn't matter what you're doing. We want to make sure we win when it counts because later in the season, during that time, it is going to have implications on your post-season dreams.
WR PLAXICO BURRESS
On how it felt to play against his former teammates...
It felt good. It felt good to see some of the guys, and coaches and different things. It was just pretty good to see everybody and shake their hands and have some good laughs and memories and things like that.
On what his emotions were during the coin toss, as one of the game's captains…
Not to lose the toss, but that didn't happen [laughing]. We lost that one, but we pretty much got what we wanted. The defense got to go out and get a stop. Our goal was to go out and score on the first drive on offense, but we didn't do that. My goal was to not to lose the toss, so it didn't start off the way I wanted, but it felt good for Rex [Ryan] to choose me as a captain, to go out there by myself and represent this team and the organization. That was definitely a good feeling and I enjoyed it.
On what it was like to see his former teammates and getting to speak to Giants owner John Mara…
I saw those guys a few weeks ago. It's just good to get out there, and see some of them before warmups and everybody's supporting me, wanting me to do well, and wishing me good luck. So I mean, it's a good feeling. It's just good to have their support, and like I said, we did some great things while I was over there, and it's just good that everybody's supporting me and wishing me well.
On if he spoke to Giants QB Eli Manning prior to the game…
I actually ran into Eli the other day at the movies, coming out. I was going to see the Smurfs. I was with my family though, so I've got an excuse [laughing]. It was him and Sean O'Hara, but I did get the chance to see them, I believe it was Saturday. We talked for a little while, but it was good for me and him to have some good laughs out there on the field after the game, and we joked around a little bit. He's a phenomenal, talented quarterback. He's going to do whatever, sky's the limit. I think that he's going to keep getting better and better as time goes on.
