Transcripts of conference calls from Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy with Jets reporters on Wednesday:
PACKERS QB AARON RODGERS
On Darrelle Revis…
Darrelle has definitely established himself the last few years as one of the top, if not the top cover guy in the league. He might not have any interceptions, but I think that's a tribute the kind of respect that teams have for him. Not a lot of people are throwing his way. I think with the bye, as witnessed by his statements, he's feeling better, which is great for their defense and tough for opposing offenses.
On how Revis will impact the Jets defense now that he is healthy…
He's an impact regardless if he's 100 percent or not. Just watching the games he's playing, he has the ability and instincts to cover guys even when it looks like his body or sounds like his body wasn't 100 percent. He's a shutdown corner. Like I said, one of the best if not the best at his position.
On the challenges of preparing for both Revis and Antonio Cromartie and if he knows which receivers they will be covering…
Well, no, we're waiting for them to tell us that [laughter]. They are different styles of players as far as their body types. Obviously, playing against Cromartie in the preseason a few years ago and I watched him in '07 when he was with San Diego. I've seen him and his ability. He continues to get better. I think it's a testament to him that when Darrelle wasn't feeling as good that they had a lot of confidence in putting him on [Randy] Moss, I think, twice. He did a nice job against him. He has very good ball skills. Both those guys do. Really, their whole secondary, ballhawk guys, guys who are making plays around the ball. A lot of respect for that defense, especially the two people you've mentioned so far, Antonio and Darrelle and guys you've got to account for and figure out where they're out at all times.
On his confidence level at this time…
I'm always confident as far as doing fine. Obviously, I'd like to play a little bit better as we move into the second half of the season here. Last week was a big win for us. We did some better things on offense. Obviously, we're still not exactly where we want to be yet, but I never really lacked the confidence in my abilities. I just think that there is a sense of urgency personally. I need to start to play a little bit better.
On if there are concerns about the mindset of the team coming off an emotional win over Minnesota…
I don't think so, I really don't. We're at the point in our schedule where we got a big win, a night game, a nationally televised game. We're coming back against a team that beat the Vikings themselves. They're 5-1. They're playing very well. They've got a great offense, they have a high-powered, athletic, attacking-style defense. I don't think there is any time for any sort of letdown or lack of preparation. I think it's got to be the opposite. I think we've got to be more intense, more focused. It's a road game. It's just the guys in our locker room against a rowdy crowd and very, very tough opponent. I think we need to keep that in mind and realize this is an important game for us.
On if his ability to throw on the run is a cultivated skill or something he does naturally…
I think it's really a combination of both. I'm blessed with a great quarterback coach who really grills those fundamentals into me and works on them and looks to improve in all ways. We spent a lot of time in the offseason working on throwing on the run and pocket movement, getting out and being a pass-first guy outside the pocket. I think that's when you're most dangerous is when you're able to keep your eyes downfield and look for that big play once you've kind of broken contain a little bit. I really take that as a big compliment from Coach Ryan and appreciate that.
On having receivers that complement his ability to throw on the run…
No doubt about it. I've got a great receiving corps, a lot of different body types and athletic abilities. I think we do a good job of utilizing those in ways that make our offense better. We've practiced the get-outside-the-pocket drill where they've got to work to get open. It's tough for a defense to cover receivers for four or five seconds if I can extend the play. Now, when you're playing a defense like this that brings pressure from all over the place, I think first and foremost it's going to be important to try and identify or try and get some sort of idea of where they're coming from and protection is going to be the most important thing this week.
On if it's harder to prepare for the Jets defense now that Rex Ryan and coordinator Mike Pettine are sharing the responsibility of making the defensive calls…
I think just the fact the Jets are an uncommon opponent, an opponent that we play once every four years, that makes it difficult to prepare for them. We do have film on them. We do study tendencies and prepare the same way every other week, but it's just we don't see this team that often and it's like I said, an uncommon opponent. That in itself makes it a difficult week to prepare for the kind of things they do on defense.
On if he talks about the injuries that have affected the team…
I think we've talked about it enough and there is really no need to go into it. We've been fortunate enough here to have a very deep team this season. We count on those guys that are asked to step in for those guys who have been injured. We count on those guys to step in and play at a high level and I think they have. We're fortunate enough to be able to hopefully get some of our guys back. We had Clay [Matthews] back last week. We have a couple more guys who could be coming back at some point. We look forward to them coming back, but in the meantime, we're confident the guys we've got that we can win with them.
On if he's familiar with Mark Sanchez…
Oh, yes, Mark and I share the same agent. I actually met him a long time ago when he was just going to be a senior in high school and I was a sophomore going to be a junior at Cal at the Elite 11 quarterback camp down in Southern California. I knew then that he was a special talent and was very likely to be in the NFL someday. I obviously followed him being a Pac-10 guy and like I said, we have the same agent now, so I definitely pull for Mark and I'm happy he's progressed. He's playing great this year. It's been fun to watch him. He makes some incredible throws, has a great arm. I like the way he leads as well.
On Packers TE Andrew Quarless…
He's done a nice job for us. I think when he came in he was playing a lot slower than he is now. I think he was really thinking a lot about our offense, trying to figure out the nuances that we do. He's really done a better job, I think, of studying and understanding our scheme and trying to find his place. He's playing a lot faster. He's making plays for us. He's trying to fill that void left by Jermichael [Finley] and I think he's done very admirably in that role. We look for him to just continue to improve each week.
On if he sees things in the Jets defense that he can exploit…
I'm not going to give away any strategy. I don't really see a lot of holes out there. They have a very good defense. They're stout upfront. They have experience in their linebacker corps. They have a number of guys who can cover, maybe the best 1-2 combo in Darrelle and Antonio in the league, probably the best 1-2 combo. There are not a lot of holes out there. We're going to have to find a way to execute our plays, try to move the ball and come up with some big stops on defense.
On his running game and how key it's going to be over the second half of the season…
I think it's going to be very key. Everybody who has played in Green Bay or lived in Green Bay, you know that come the wintertime, that ball gets pretty hard and slick in the freezing temperatures. The snow falls and it becomes a lot tougher to throw the football very effectively. We have to continue to improve on this run game and figure out what combination works the best. I think Brandon Jackson has done a real nice job the last few weeks. John Kuhn, you know what you're going to get with John. He's a downhill-type runner, can convert that short-yardage stuff and be very versatile at fullback and running back for us. At some point we're going to have to give Dimitri Nance a chance to show us what he can do. The three of those guys are going to have to make that thing work.
On if he lobbied for Marshawn Lynch…
Not really.
On if his lobbying for Lynch was overblown…
I think so. They asked me one time how would I feel about it. I said, 'Bring him on.' I played with him at college one year. I wouldn't call that lobbying.
On if he was disappointed when Lynch went to Seattle…
That's out of my hands. I get paid to play and those people upstairs get paid to make those decisions. Like I said, I believe in our guys that we have. I think we can win with them. We've proven that we can win with them and that's what's going to have to be the case.
On where the Packers stand in the NFC…
We had a lot of things kind of go our way last week and we capped it off with a win. Now, we're right in the thick of things. We're tied in our division, tied in the Wild Card. [There] are a lot of 4-3 teams. Really, Atlanta is kind of the only team that, I think, is at the top in the NFC at the moment. They're still on our schedule. We know that anything can happen there in the next 10 weeks and we need to put ourselves in a position where we're controlling our own destiny in December when we finish up at home with two games.
PACKERS HEAD COACH MIKE McCARTHY
On if Charles Woodson is having an off year…
Well, he's definitely had some penalties called against him, but I think Charles is doing a good job for us. We've been playing a little differently this year than we did last year just because of some of the changes with our personnel on defense. He's fighting through some injuries, but he's a competitive player and he's had some combative penalties.
On the team having depth and being resilient even with a lot of injuries…
I think it says a lot for the coaches and the players. You just keep playing and you keep preparing. Today was no different. We have three new members on our football team and just to get those guys acclimated. The biggest part of it is just to continue to practice them. That to me has been the biggest challenge just because practice is such a big part of your preparation. That's probably where the biggest adjustment has been made is in our preparation. The biggest challenge has really been on special teams, just trying to get the continuity and consistency there. I think Dom Capers has done a very good job of working through the different combinations of personnel that he's had to play with.
On if being tied for first-place in their division is attributed to the team's depth…
Definitely. I love our football team. It's a long season. We're hopeful that ours [injuries] all came at once and we're past it. It's just part of the game. I don't mean to be rude, I have to talk about injuries every week, but we're getting ready. We know we're playing a hot football team coming off a bye. We're excited to get ready to come up there in New York. We're excited about the challenge.
On if he changed his preparation because the Jets are coming off a bye week…
I don't think it changes your preparation, but a team coming off a bye is definitely at an advantage. That's no secret with that. We just spent half our time talking the healthier football team and you have the opportunity to get your team healthy coming off a bye, so yes it's definitely an advantage.
On Darrelle Revis…
He's a special player. There's no doubt about it. He's a complete corner. I've always liked Darrelle, just watching him come out of the University of Pittsburgh. He's a Pittsburgh native and so forth. He's a big part of what they do and they have the ability to challenge with their secondary and mix up the pressures to get after your quarterback. He's a fine player, an excellent player.
On Antonio Cromartie…
I think he's having an excellent year. Particularly, people are challenging him up the field a bunch and he's played at a very high level. He does an excellent job at the line of scrimmage. With his long leverage, he gets his hands on you and he's played very well particularly on the vertical routes. I've been very impressed with what we've seen on film.
On if he knows which receivers Revis and Cromartie will play…
I have no idea.
On the importance of the running game…
I feel like we're definitely improving each week with the running game. It has to be the same, no different this week. We don't want to be one dimensional. Everybody that's ever played this game, when the defense goes out on the field, you want to make the other team one dimensional, so I'd say it's important for us to have some sense of balance. But most important, move the ball down the field and put it in the endzone. I feel very good about the direction we're going with our run game. I think Brandon Jackson has improved and has put together a couple good performances. More important, I think our run blocking is more in tune than it's been the last couple of weeks.
On the Jets' running game…
They do a very good job with the run game. All the way across the board, they have good personnel. They're well-coached, you can see that in their fundamentals. Their combination blocks are very tight and so forth. They have a lot of schemes. They run a number of different run concepts. They've got two excellent runners. They do a very good job of spreading the ball between Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. It's a complete run game. You've got two fullbacks in Tony Richardson and [John] Conner that can play and lead block. They definitely challenge you. To date, we think it's the best run team that we've played to date.
On if there is any danger of the team not being as mentally sharp after emotional win against Minnesota…
I don't think so. I think everybody has really moved past that. It was a Sunday night, so we had such a quick turn-around. We have our own things that we're focused on. We've got new members of our team coming. We have a couple of players that moved on to IR [injured reserve]. Our guys are focused on the Jets. They are a very good football and they're playing well, so I can promise you no one is thinking about Minnesota right now.
On TE Andrew Quarless…
He's doing well. He's getting better each week. He's played a significant amount the last couple of weeks. I think he's a young man with a bright future, but we're just trying to get him to grow up a little quicker than we probably anticipated at the beginning of the year. But I really like what he's done so far. Andrew has had some opportunities. He had the big touchdown catch in the Sunday night game. [We] just need to get him to take advantage of a couple more opportunities, but he's done well.
On NT B.J. Raji…
He's been playing a lot of football for us. He's playing a lot of snaps of late with our injuries to the defensive line and he's done very well. I'm very proud of what B.J. has done from year one to year two. He's much improved, has a much better understanding of the defense. You can really just see that in training camp. With his rookie season, he missed a lot of training camp. B.J. has done a very nice job for us.
On LB Clay Matthews…
For a young man, his career is off to great start. He has a tremendous motor, has a lot of ability [and] has tremendous passion particularly rushing the quarterback. He brings a different element to our defense. He definitely is someone that you need to be aware of every single play.
On where his team fits in the NFC…
We're focused on the New York Jets. We have a late bye this year. We're just taking it one at a time. I don't get too caught up in standings right now. There is so much football to be played. It's important for us to win back-to-back games. Going on the road again, we've dropped two close ones the last two games on the road, so they're coming off a bye. They're playing well. That's what we're really focused on. I'm not really worried about the rest of the NFC right now.
On Aaron Rodgers…
This is Aaron's third year. He has a standard of play that he's established here as a quarterback. There are a lot of strengths and there are some things that he can do better. I think he's having a solid season. Our giveaways are way too high. Our turnover ratio is -1. That's not where we want to be. That's not the way we're designed or built as a football team. We've spent a lot of time as far as taking the football away and also taking care of it. Other than that, I think he's done some very positive things this year. What's exciting is that he can play at a higher level.
On if he's concerned with the sacks on Rodgers…
I'm not concerned about the sacks. We played a game last [and] we weren't sacked, so we're definitely different than we were last year.
