Transcript of quarterback Greg McElroy's news conference in front of his locker following the Jets' Wednesday afternoon practice at the Atlantic Health Training Center.
On his reaction to Coach Ryan naming Mark Sanchez the starting quarterback…
Obviously, Coach Ryan's going to do what's in the best interest of the team and we trust him to make the best decision, and obviously, we believe that that is the correct decision. We think that going forward, this is a great opportunity for all of us to continue to work, continue to improve, and I know Mark's going to play great on Sunday.
On if playing on Sunday gives him confidence that he could step up if need be in the future…
I do. Obviously, if a certain situation were ever to come up, God forbid, I would like to know that I will be prepared and just continue to keep doing what I was doing before and continue to keep trying to improve. That's really the No. 1 thing for me at this point, and obviously, to help Mark and Tim [Tebow], and that's my No. 1 goal. So I was glad I was able to get a little playing time and tried to make the most of it and hopefully I continue to build off that and try to get better.
On what Coach Ryan told them…
He told us this morning, just met with us and let us know in our quarterback meeting this morning.
On if he knows what his role will be Sunday…
I have no idea at this point. Obviously, it's still a long way until Sunday. Rex, I'm sure, will be evaluating everything throughout the course of the week and then we'll figure out what's best for the team. I know that's what Rex will do.
On if he got more reps today in practice…
No, no more reps than normal. Obviously, just continue to take the scout-team reps and make the most of those opportunities because we're using similar stuff to what we're doing, things like that, trying to use it in our terminology. It's reps for us as well as scout-team players, but no more reps than a standard week.
On how he would describe the past few days since the game…
It's been fun, obviously. It's been a great couple of days because it's after a win so you kind of enjoy that. Most of yesterday was kind of spent just getting ready for Jacksonville and watching them and obviously Monday was spent mostly to look back and reflect on the game and the mistakes and the things that you did well. So it's been just a normal week, to tell you the truth. It hasn't really been anything different for me as an individual and I would assume that everyone else probably approached it the same way.
On if he was surprised to stay as third-string quarterback…
No, not at all, because honestly, roles change day to day. In this game, in this sport, in this profession, you're not guaranteed anything, so not at all. Obviously all you have to do is, when you're in the game, you have to do your best to try to make the most of your opportunity and do your best to help the team be as successful as they possibly could be. We did some good things on Sunday, and we were able to do enough for a win, but understand that roles are never set in stone, they can change day to day, and just whatever your role may be, embrace it and try to do whatever you possibly can to help the team.
On what he was anticipating…
To tell you the truth, I had no expectations. Being completely honest, I had no expectations whatsoever. I knew that Rex would make the right decision, and we all trust Rex to do what's in the best interest of the team and I think we all believe that he's done that. Rex is a tremendous coach and he wants what's best for us as players and for us as a team, so we trusted him. And really, as far as expectations are concerned, I can't say I really had any. I can't say any of us really had any.
On if he, Sanchez and Tebow ever talk about what roles they are given…
Not at all. We don't concern ourselves with roles or paper or anything like that. We just want each other to play well and we want each other to have a great understanding of what we're going to be doing week to week. And I'll tell you the truth, each guy is so supportive of the other two, it's really a great group. It's really a lot of fun to be in the room every day and we're just always trying to get better. I think that's been a big part of what we're trying to do and that's what we'll continue to try to do.
On if it's hard to not get his hopes up…
No, I don't speculate on things like that. Just understand: accept your role, make the most of your opportunity and enjoy your role and do whatever you possibly can do to help the team be successful.
On if he's been given any indication that he'll do more than scout-team reps this week…
No, no indication up to this point. Obviously, I'm sure it's day to day and the reps are invaluable, obviously. And the starter, that being Mark, he needs all the reps and that's the way the week goes every week and that's the way it's going to be again this week. So obviously, just make the most of the reps when you're in there. If that's the scout-team reps for me, then I'm going to try to do my best to give the defense a proper look and obviously try to make some successful plays against them, which might be few and far between but we definitely try to do our best when we're going against those guys.
On if his responsibilities in practice today were different than the previous Wednesday…
No different whatsoever, the exact same Wednesday practice. Obviously, as we get later on in the season, the reps are cut down a little bit and that's the way things were today. So the reps become even more invaluable. But most of my reps, obviously on Wednesday, are mental reps and just watching Mark and trying to see what he sees and trying to put yourself in those shoes in seeing what he's doing. And that's obviously very, very important to me and that's a big part of my preparation every week.
On if it's hard to balance what's best for the team with one's selfish desires to play…
Obviously, every single player in this entire league wants to be out there on the field on Sunday. I mean, it's the competitor in all of us. But we also have to understand what our role is and we also have to understand what's in the best interest of the team. Coach Ryan's been put in charge to make those decisions and to put the best player on the team that he thinks gives the team the best chance of being successful and that person is Mark. I obviously completely understand that and accept my role, whatever my role may be, and I will try to enjoy it and try to continue to improve.
On if Coach Ryan spoke to him one-on-one about his decision… He just talked to us as a group in our quarterback meeting.
