Transcripts of interviews with selected Jets players after the 23-20 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Friday night:
QB KELLEN CLEMENS
On how he felt about the game…
I thought overall it was a good starting point for us offensively. We had the three offensive lineman out, two of them who are obviously Pro Bowlers coming back from last year. The younger guys who filled those roles did a very good job. We were able to put some points on the board. Obviously, we were on the wrong end of it, but I thought overall it was a good starting point.
On the fumble in the first quarter…
We were in the third-and-long, I believe it was third-and-nine. I dropped back and they played a coverage that the route takes a little bit longer to develop downfield. Chansi Stuckey was winning, but we ran out of time. The ball got knocked out of my hand. I had a little pressure from the front side. I have to do a better job of protecting it [and] stepping up into the pocket.
On Mark Sanchez's first completed pass…
Awesome. I am cheering for anyone who is in a Jets uniform.
On being on a "job audition"…
I think the good news about it at this point is that I am used to it, this being my third competition. I've been there and have kind of gone through the gauntlet, if you will. So, I have the experience. There is a comfort level now inside the competition.
On when Coach Ryan will make a decision on the starting quarterback…
I am under the understanding that he is going to make the decision once he is ready to make the decision. We will just continue to compete and improve until he is ready and hopefully continue to compete and improve after that. Hopefully, we will have a clear-cut one and two.
On if working with Brett Favre helps him this year…
Well the guy played 18 years. He had a wealth of knowledge. He was very generous with that wealth of knowledge with me. Anytime I had questions or wanted to sit in and watch film with him, he was very welcoming. It was a good thing for me to be able to sit back behind a future Hall-of-Famer and pick his brain and see the things that he does.
On if Sanchez has picked his brain…
I don't think that he holds me in the same regard that I held Favre [laughter]. But he is definitely picking my brain. I am trying to do the best I can. I don't have the wealth of knowledge that Favre did but I have learned behind two pretty good quality quarterbacks in this league. So I do have some knowledge that I try to share with him when I can.
QB MARK SANCHEZ
On his first game…
We obviously wanted to win. It was a tough loss, but I think everyone played well. My first play went exactly how you would want it to go. Dustin [TE Dustin Keller] did a great job of holding the safety. [WR David] Clowney did a good job and made a great catch. I had plenty of time out there to throw and a big option out there to Dustin as well. Then TJ [RB Thomas Jones] punched it in on the goal line. That's what you want – to be on the goal line and to be very physical. It was good. It was great.
On being able to create a better first game…
I thought Dustin may have been able to break for a touchdown. I was giving him some heat in the locker room about it. But it was only one series and one pre-season game, so it's nothing to get too excited about. It was obviously very special, but you have to move on and watch the film and get better.
On disappointment with limited playing time…
I am not disappointed. I did want to play longer. Obviously I would want to play the whole game. It would have been fun to get back on the field and feel the energy of the fans in the stadium. It was very special. It's something to be proud of. My family was out here to share it all with me.
On reaction of the play call on his first snap…
I was a little surprised, but that's the kind of mentality that this offense wants to have. We can go get it up the field and then we can power it [at the goal line]. We want to be able to run the ball physical as well. I was joking with Coach Schottenheimer. I told him "I'm coming off the bench cold and shooting three-pointers, what's the deal?" It was a great call and we executed well.
On if the pump fake was an option to go down field…
Yes, we did have the option [I pumped it] just to hold the safety on Dustin a little bit. They are obviously going to respect him with his speed and his ability. The pump fake was just to hold him for a quick second, and then just get the ball out to the sideline as fast as I can.
On his mental state during the first snap…
I was looking at Brick [T D'Brickashaw Ferguson] and I said, "Man, he's going long our first play. Let's go! Let's go!" I may have a different answer if it was incomplete or it got picked [smiling]. But it worked out alright, and [WR David] Clowney gave me a shot. It worked out exactly the way we wanted it.
On his feeling after the completion…
After he caught it, I was really excited, and then I went looking for my mouthpiece. It was mid-snap, mid-cadence when my mouthpiece came out and the defense started laughing. I went back and found it real quick. And then we put our drive together. I don't know who it was but someone was definitely laughing. It may have been someone on my own team, and that would have been worse [laughter].
On what he showed people about his ability to play in the NFL…
It was just a first game. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, and I don't personally want to do that. It's still very early. It was one series, and it was some basic stuff out there. We` will do a lot more come next week, and maybe I'll see some more playing time. As these things go on, you have to stay sharp, make completions and move the chains. I thought I did that tonight, but like I said, it's still very early.
On speaking with his family today…
On game days they are great about just letting me do what I have to do, and just relaxing. Last night we ate in the hotel - my brother, dad, mom. My sister-in-law, nephew and oldest brother just got in tonight, and we'll grab a bite to eat.
On earning the start next week…
That's up to Coach Ryan. I thought Kellen did a great job as well. Like I said early on, we want to make it tough on Coach Ryan. I think we are both doing that. We are both playing well, and the team is benefiting. We'll see what happens.
On his comfort level…
Like I said, it was real basic stuff. We did not shift a lot. We did not move a lot. Most teams don't do much during the pre-season I've come to find out, now that I'm a veteran after playing one pre-season game [laughter].
On his ability to execute any play…
I would like to think so. I think it showed when Schotty [Coach Schottenheimer] called the first play, and I thought that was great. We have a lot of work to do, and a lot of practice ahead.
On the short completion to Keller when he recognized the blitz…
Oh yes, it wasn't a protection-beater, so we were fine up front. I think Ainge got one later on. We switched up on the formations and he was hot. They ran a similar one when I was in there, but we had the right protection.
On his ability to grasp the offense…
I am not as efficient as I want to be, obviously. There is still plenty of work to do, but I think things are coming along just fine. That's a result of the coaching staff we have here, the assistants and all those guys staying after hours and writing up scripts for us and talking with us and walking through. There is a lot of help. You're not out here alone. You get a lot of help. Any minute with this offense, there is a lot going on and guys are making plays, too. But as I said, things are coming along just fine, but we still have a lot of work to do and a lot of practice.
On his comfort level now compared to two weeks ago…
From the scrimmage until now, I felt more efficient in this game. I think a lot of it was when you finally get to play another team, and I noticed this at USC, just the different color helmets and facemasks clears up everything. Now the guys who are stepping in on defense aren't hanging out 50 yards back – you see that stuff at practice. You feel like you are playing against 30 guys but now it's 11-on-11 for real and it just clears everything up. I felt great out there today, and we just have to keep improving, but, obviously, I am more comfortable than in the beginning.
On not making the same mistakes twice…
Especially with the quarterback, you have to have a short memory when bad plays happen or good plays happen. You have to be even-keeled and not make the same mistake twice. If you miss the check once, you have to hit it the next time. You want to see yourself improve and also let everyone else now that you can learn on the fly. We have three good guys in the back, so that's very important.
On being nervous pregame…
I think I was more excited just to get going, and get in during the first half. I was just thinking the whole day "Get a completion, get a first down, and then we'll get things moving." It was one heck of a start, and hopefully we'll keep things going.
TE DUSTIN KELLER
On Mark Sanchez…
As soon as he goes in, the crowd gets real wild. A lot of people would just get over-anxious, probably make a bad read, throw somewhere. But he put the ball right where it needed to be and made a good read.
On Kellen Clemens…
He had a really good day. Like I've been saying from day one, Kellen knows this offense better than anybody else. He goes through his reads perfectly. He makes great checks always. He goes through assignments correctly and we'd get the job done if he's the guy.
On assessing his game…
I think I had a solid game. [There were] a couple of areas I could have done a little better, but for the most part I'm happy. Just like with everybody else, it's week one, I have a way to go so I'm trying.
WR DAVID CLOWNEY
On having three receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown…
I don't know how many yards I had. My thing was just trying to repeat last year, first game, set your expectations high. My whole thing was trying to come in, make the same plays I did. Actually, one of the plays, was that same play I scored on last year.
On Mark Sanchez's first throw…
That was a great throw. I guess he saw I beat him off the line. At the end of the day, thanks to the throw, I was able to pull it in.
On getting back on the coaches' radar…
It was very important for me. I know I started off OTAs [Organized Team Activities] a little slow and then kind of picked it up. I definitely wanted to get their attention and let them know that just because I had a minor setback doesn't mean I still can't do what I was doing last year as well.
On his touchdown dance…
It's just a Florida dance called the Wu-Tang. You can go on YouTube and see it. It's just a Florida dance we do down south.
LB BART SCOTT
On the "calculated risk" philosophy of defense…
It's risk, but it's not reckless risk. It's all calculated and simulated pressure. It's pressure when there isn't supposed to be pressure. It's an intelligent way of going about things.
On the aggressive defensive attitude…
You saw a lot of aggressive things. You saw a lot of good hits, but we have to work on the mental aspect. When you don't have it locked down mentally, it can slow you down physically. You have to really get in your playbook and study so that you can play fast.
On the first game of preseason…
I think it was a step in the right direction. It was the first game and we have to keep that in perspective. We have to get out there and get back and go to work. We have to get better and get that chemistry that you need to be successful in this league.
LB DAVID HARRIS
On the defense's performance…
We came out and played hard. We tried to follow the game plan that we had, but we are kind of disappointed on defense to give up so many yards, especially against the run. We need to come out on Sunday and have a good practice and get back to the basics.
On the defensive pressure…
We did a lot of simulated pressure. We made it look like we were blitzing six or seven guys when it was really only four. We had a good game plan, but we just have to execute it a little bit better.
On his sack…
We brought people off the edge and we made it hard on the running back. He had to make a decision whether to block in or out. He chose to block out and get the guy coming off the edge and I had a free lane to the quarterback and got the sack.
