2008 Preseason Week 3 - Jets vs Giants Photos
Transcripts of head coach Eric Mangini's news conference and of selected player interviews after the Jets' 10-7 preseason victory over the Giants on Saturday night:
HEAD COACH ERIC MANGINI
I was pleased with the way the game finished. It was better than last week. The defense was able to hold up in the last two-minute drive. There were a lot of really good things defensively — the pressure we were able to get on the quarterback. There were a couple of long runs in the first half. We were able to control those in the second half. I was pleased with that. Offensively, there were positive things too, but anytime you have 12 penalties and 10 of them are on offensive plays, that's an issue. That's something that we have to do a much better job on.
This week's point of emphasis was to have the tackles up [on the line]. That was something we knew was going to be an issue and we should've done a better job with that close to the line of scrimmage. We need to continue to improve the running game. A lot of those third downs are tied into getting the third-and-long situations. We need to do a better job of managing the early downs and obviously penalties play a big part in that as well.
On the Jets' pass rush…
You're always happy when you can have that kind of production [eight sacks]. A lot of different guys were involved. Calvin [Pace] did a nice job tonight, not just the ones that he had, but he applied some pressure in some other areas. We were working on some different things in terms of the pressure package and to see those work were positives.
On if he knows the results for CB/KR Justin Miller X-rays…
No.
On Miller's injury…
It is his foot.
On QB Brett Favre's performance…
He did a good job. He had two long passes, one that would have put us in scoring range. That was to Brad Smith. There was another deep one to Brad Smith. We had two long passes that I thought were really good plays. They were set up nicely. It's just frustrating when you have those types of plays called back. It will kill you.
On if the penalties were due to formation shifts…
I don't think it was an issue. I didn't do a good enough job emphasizing getting the tackles up even tighter than they were. Like I said, that did come down from the league. That was a point of emphasis. Anytime that's a point of emphasis, you better get it fixed and you better get it straightened it out. I could have done a much better job with that.
The other ones were concentration errors where we had two guys moving. At one point, we had a couple of false starts in there. On special teams there was a holding penalty on that last kickoff return. We had another holding penalty right there. Some of those are just sheer concentration errors that we collectively have to do a better job with, and each individual needs to do a better job.
On if there is any concern with the running game…
That's something that we're going to have to improve on. It's especially important to set up the play-action opportunities. I thought Leon [Washington] had a couple of opportunities and he had a few nice runs there. It's definitely something that we need to continue to work on.
On if there was any thought in letting Favre start the second half…
No. At that point I felt like he had had enough reps and we really took the whole first group out, so he was part of that wave.
On if he is open to starting Brett Favre in the fourth preseason game…
I'm open to it. I just want to see how practice goes. We have a short week. The penalty issue is going to be a real focus of mine over the next couple of days. That is something completely in our control at all times. It influences drives. It influences everything.
On the league emphasizing certain penalties…
Each week there will be different points of emphasis. They explain it to you. They do a great job making it very clear to everybody that these are things that we need to improve league-wide. I didn't do a good enough job communicating that to our guys to get them up tighter in the proper alignment.
On the Giants hitting a 38-year-old QB running out of bounds…
I don't think there are any unwritten rules. I don't know who hit him. It would be nice if there was a rule like that [laughs].
QB BRETT FAVRE
On how it feels to get hit again…
It feels awesome. I think it was [Osi] Umenyiora who caught me on that one, but the thing about that play was that it got called back. It was great. I was asked from the sidelines, "Did you see the catch?" No, I would have loved to see the catch — I was looking at turf. I would prefer not to be hit, but that's OK.
To sit here and say as the season gets under way that I won't get hit, that's crazy. I think our line is very good, but most of the teams we will be playing against are good. Guys will come through, although that particular hit was not from the line. I think Dustin [Keller] released backside and he actually was supposed to stay and block. I may feel it more tomorrow, but it feels OK now.
On getting hit running out of bounds…
I just slid on my knees. I don't think it was a hit. I think he just kind of pushed me out. I don't know.
On jelling with the team…
Even though from our standpoint we didn't get any points on the board, I think we did some much better things even though they were called back. I think I'm fitting in better today and I think that next week I'll feel the same way. I think the guys in that room would say they're getting a better feel for me and how I play. I felt more at ease in the huddle. I felt more at ease on the field. I felt more like myself.
I've said this from day one: The key ingredient for any team, and this team right now, is chemistry. It's better. It has to get better this week and that will go on until the last week. I'll also say this: It's easier for one to get on board with the whole team than the whole team to get on board with me. We are trying to do some things to meet in the middle to make this an easier transition. It is about the team and I really believe that we made a lot of strides tonight.
On being compared to Giants' QB Eli Manning…
I never even thought about it. He won the Super Bowl last year. He was the best quarterback. That's the way it should be. I doubt that Eli would sit there and compare himself to me. He's his own guy. I'm sure he's tired of hearing about Peyton [Manning] and of course he changed that. I have a lot of respect for him, and until they're unseated by someone else, they should be considered No. 1.
On if he gave Bubba Franks a hard time after the penalty…
No. The thing about Bubba, he's one of the smarter players on the field. His name doesn't do him justice. His real name is Daniel. His mother and I are the only ones who call him Daniel, and I called him Daniel after that last play. He actually is one of the smartest players on the field. I've made mistakes before. It happens.
Bubba stepped off late. He was supposed to step off on motion and he was late on it for whatever reason. It happens. When he steps off, someone has to step on. That's day one of teaching. We're all at fault for that, that's not Bubba. I don't even know who the wide receivers were, but it was a costly penalty.
The good thing is that its preseason and we can say, "Hey, somebody step on." In Bubba's case, if you're late, just stay on the ball. You don't have to do the motion. Again, I think its everybody's fault there, not just Bubba. Once again, he's probably the most disappointed one out of everyone.
On having more knowledge of the playbook going into the game…
I was a little more concerned this week. I thought I felt pretty good. We had a small number of plays we're going into the game this week. It was easy to call them and we didn't do many shifts or motion. So tonight I was concerned because of that reason. We were going to do those things and we didn't handle them that well. That falls back on me. We were talking about Bubba and some of those things and ultimately, it falls back on the quarterback.
All in all, we were productive but they were called back. I was concerned because we put a lot more in. They were playing a defense that wasn't as vanilla as Washington. They give you a lot of looks — they are one of the most active fronts in football. That was a concern as well. They bring a lot of different blitzes and a lot of different looks. I knew I'd have to be thinking about protections and things like that, how to pick them up or where the hot reads were, and then on top of that, motions. You have to pick all that up.
It wasn't clean tonight. I guess my worries came true. As disappointing as it was that those plays were called back, we see at the end result how it good it can be. You can say we're close, it's a matter of opinion, but the fact is if we clean those up, I think we can be pretty productive.
On being mentally and physically close to where he wants to be…
Every preseason going into any season — regular season, training camp, it doesn't matter — I've always challenged myself and never felt like I could rest on what I've done. Obviously, this season is different because it's a new team, a new system, a new environment, and that presents its own set of problems.
As I came out of the game, I felt pretty good about how I played, some of the reads and some of the throws I made. I feel like my arm is in great shape. Scrambling for a first down, I don't move as well as I used to but I was able to move my feet and bail myself out a little bit. Now it's the little things, which are the most important things that we need to clean up. Had I been in the system a little while, that doesn't happen. Ultimately it falls back on me. That's my main concern right now, cleaning up the little things.
On playing the last preseason game in Green Bay…
That was probably me staying in Mike McCarthy's ear. Guys don't play in those games, but they want you to practice and that's for every coach: "OK, guys, I'm going to let you sit out this game but I want you to practice." I say, "Heck, if I'm going to practice, I'm going to play, at least a series." I think that's more just me saying, "Hey, let's just go in and have a series." It really is a long way out until you play another game.
On getting into Eric Mangini's ear to play next week…
The communication between Eric and me has been great. He preaches that all the time. I think it's so important not only with players but with coaches. I understand his side of it. I've been playing a long time. Just like when we came in at halftime and he said, "Brett, I'm going to shut you down." I understood, I wasn't mad. I just said that I'd like to get a score, but that's OK. We could go the entire second half and never get a score.
There's a lot of things that we can learn from this film. I'll present my side. I'll say that I'd love to play one series, two series. He may say that it's not worth it and so be it.
On playing the Giants' active defense…
That's getting your feet wet. Really for our whole team, not to mention they are the Super Bowl champions. It's a preseason game but it had a little more meaning. We didn't get any points but neither did they. I tip my hat to our defense. I think our offense, we have a lot of things to clean up, we have to get better at some things we're trying to do. All in all, we played pretty darn good against a very good defense.
On RB Thomas Jones…
I'm not concerned about Thomas and our running game. I'm concerned about the big plays that got called back. I've seen Thomas Jones run against us in Green Bay many times and he's a heck of a running back. He's different than Leon. Leon's probably a much better third-down back, but I think we have a great combination.
I think the moves that Mike [Tannenbaum] made on our offensive line are outstanding. How quickly we jell is the key to it. Thomas Jones, he's a load. Does he have breakaway speed? I don't know. I've never had to catch him. But I wouldn't want to tackle him, I can tell you that. Open holes for him, sometimes he'll have to run over some guys, but I think he can do both. I think we have a great combination with our two backs. I think we have an outstanding line. It's just how quickly our chemistry can come together.
QB KELLEN CLEMENS
On facing first-and-25 in the third quarter…
At that point it was important for us to maintain our composure, take one play at a time and dig ourselves out of the hole. You're really thinking about getting back that field position to get out of your own end zone. Jesse Chatman ran the ball really well.
On if they felt a rhythm…
Once we were out of the hole, a first-and-25 is tough. Once we got going and made a first down, it's nice to get into a rhythm. I don't know what our stats were but it was nice to go out there and put some points on the board.
On the fourth-and-2 jump pass…
I'm learning from [Brett Favre] as much as I can. It really was just a great play by Jesse Chatman. It was good awareness on his part and a big play.
QB BRETT RATLIFF
On what was different between this game and the previous two games...
First of all, I threw an interception tonight. I made a mental mistake and didn't see the guy. But it's something to learn from. I was happy I got a couple of shots and made two big plays. I went back to Paul Raymond and he was able to catch the ball and score.
On the interception…
I read the blitz, went to the right and I didn't see the defensive end drop back. It's just something I've got to learn from and continue to make progress.
On overcoming the interception…
As a quarterback you can't focus on the past. You have to look to the future and continue to do your job. Sometimes you think about the mistake longer than you should. But this time, I let it go right away. I knew it was a mistake and something I can improve on.
On Paul Raymond's TD catch…
That was really exciting. He made a great catch over the defender.
G ALAN FANECA
On progressing through the preseason…
I think we continued what we started last week. If you take away the penalties, we definitely continued what we started last week.
On the cause of the penalties…
It's not a rhythm thing. It's a concentration thing. It just looks really bad when they start coming in piles. It just doesn't look good when you are fighting yourself. It becomes second-and-long, third-and-long. It's just not a good situation.
On those types of penalties not being called often…
They called the game tight, but you have to play how they call it. We need to do a lot of things better.
On dealing with penalties...
You can clean up the mistakes. You know you scored the touchdown but if you clean up the mistakes in the future, you know you can duplicate it.
WR JERRICHO COTCHERY
On the early penalties…
A lot of times it will be guys just overanxious or just trying to overdo it sometimes. Those are things that can be corrected. It is a point of emphasis, just trying to make sure we're getting up on the line, as far as our receivers and as far as the offensive line. Anytime it's a point of emphasis like that in a game, you have to stay on top of those things.
On if he expects it to be a point of emphasis during the regular season as well…
I don't know. You just have to adjust. We have to adjust to what calls are being made. As an offense we have to be on top of those things, make sure we're getting up on the line of scrimmage, and make sure we're not getting an opportunity for a penalty to be called.
On what he thought after his touchdown was nullified…
I kind of knew before the snap. You still have to finish the play, so I was running. Anytime something like that happens, you have to finish the play and make sure everything is OK before the penalty is called.
On the offense's slow start vs. the team bouncing back…
I'm proud of the way that we bounced back as a team. The young guys, when they got in there, they made plays. We weren't able to finish the game last week. The young guys came in there and they finished the game off tonight. I think that was a plus because anytime you have young guys on the team, the contribution that you get from them is very valuable.
On Eric Mangini's disappointment regarding penalties…
We started off the third quarter with three straight penalties. Coach was disappointed because it was a point of emphasis. Guys have to be lined up correctly. Anytime it's a point of emphasis like that, you have to adjust the offense. We didn't adjust fast enough.
On if penalties are a concern because there are so many offensive shifts…
No. If you adjust to it the way you're supposed to adjust to it, then you can run anything that you want to run. You just have to be aware of what's being called and how tight.
On Brett Favre's transition…
I don't know how he feels but it looks like he's getting more and more comfortable each and every day and each and every game. That's a plus for our offense. Overall today I was impressed with the way, despite all the penalties, we found a way to win the game.
WR PAUL RAYMOND
On the winning touchdown…
The cornerbacks were playing press and I jumped outside when I saw the cornerback jumped inside. It showed a lot of confidence that he came back to me after what happened in last week game.
On Brett Favre…
Since he's arrived at camp, he's shown poise. He talks to you after every play to get on the same page. It's definitely a boost with him being here.
On the win…
It feels good. I realized early that there was a rivalry between the two teams. It's a good statement to come in and get the win.
NT KRIS JENKINS
On how he felt the run defense came together this week compared to last week…
I think it is looking better. There are some things we still need to work on. I think they had some good runs. We didn't look at it as a positive, but it's getting better. I think the chemistry between the guys on the defense is coming together. We are working harder. I think part of that was because we knew that we had the defending champions so we had to step it up and prove what we were about. I think that was a test in guys stepping up.
On if he was impressed with the kind of pressure they could get on Eli Manning…
I was. We looked at them and we did quite a bit of scouting on film. They looked very good with pass blocking. It was a little bit of a surprise. I know the guys have been working hard and we have been trying to emphasize that in practice and it has been paying off.
On if he sees where the defense is finally coming together…
Not yet. I am a tough critic. I think the next week coming up we will be able to fine-tune some things and have our biggest test the first week of the season against Miami.
On if it's a chemistry thing right now…
I think some of it is chemistry. I think some if it is timing, just getting a couple of the smaller things together. The NFL is about inches. It's not a game of yards. You have to be precise on everything you do and I think once we get that together we will be as good as we set the standard.
LB CALVIN PACE
On his two sacks…
The only thing I was thinking was don't let him get out of it once I caught him. A lot of credit goes to the defensive backs and the linebackers for giving me time back there. It wasn't just me. The guys did a great job up the middle. It was just a little bit of me and a lot of everyone else.
On playing in a zone…
It's coming together for me in the preseason as the games go along. It's a good test for us going against the Giants considering the strides they made last year. I think we played good but we can only get better. It's always good to get your sacks and be in a rhythm. You want to keep that going into the season.
On playing the Giants…
It wasn't about us going up against the Giants defensive line. It was just about us going out and fine-tuning while trying to stop their run. They broke a couple of big runs against us but that's what this is for. It's a dress rehearsal and we're trying to get that out the way now. We'll make our corrections next week and move on.
