Comments from the Jets' locker room after their preseason-opening 31-16 victory over Atlanta at the Meadowlands on Friday night:
HEAD COACH ERIC MANGINI
I was really pleased with the operation. That was one of the goals going in, to operate effectively at this time of year with this many people going in and out, with this many combinations, to be able to execute the no-huddle, to have few penalties at the line of scrimmage with encroachment, false starts, things like that, and having no substitute errors. Those things are very important at this point to see where you are in terms of the overall operation.
We were focusing on running the ball. I'm not sure if you guys noticed that [smiles], but that is something we focused on today. I don't think we threw the ball at all until later in the game, but it was a point of emphasis. I think we got some good work in there, both with the new runs and with some of the runs we already had, but hadn't seen against our base-look defense.
I was pleased with some of our individual performances. I thought Leon [Washington] did a very good job in Justin [Miller]'s absence returning the ball. Kellen [Clemens] had a good game. Chansi [Stuckey] made a good play there on the fade in the end zone. This is a great opportunity for players to distinguish themselves. Some guys did and as we watch the tape it will become even more clear.
On limiting passing plays during the first half …
What we were focusing on early was running the ball and that's what we really wanted to do. We wanted to see the combination of Thomas [Jones] and Leon, the different combinations of linemen we were using, some new concepts in the running game. All of those things we wanted to focus on and there is no better time than a preseason game to do that.
On S Kerry Rhodes' positioning on two Atlanta completions downfield …
With that defense we are in, it is going to be a combination of things. Whenever you see a ball go deep, you automatically think it's the coverage, but there is also the front element of that and the defensive line being in the right spot, whether we dictated that we wanted to pressure the quarterback or if we wanted someone in front of the quarterback, so it's a combination of things. That was a zone defense so there were some other people who could have helped him.
On Clemens …
I was pleased with that first drive coming out in the second half. It kind of looked like the Green & White [scrimmage] last week where he led the White down for a score right after halftime. He did the same thing here. I like the fact that he is coming up, assessing the defense, being able to check in and out of plays. I thought he had good presence. He hung in the pocket really well, maybe even a little bit too long for right now. I thought you were seeing some of that growth tonight.
On keeping Clemens in the game …
We wanted to get him a significant amount of work tonight, in terms of reps and with combinations of people. With the situation of the game, it was something I wanted to continue with a little bit later into the game.
On Clemens' progress …
Hard work. Consistency. That's really what I would associate any type of progress with. Kellen did some good things for us last year. It just wasn't apparent because he wasn't getting into games, but he has been consistently working at this. We have a long way to go here in preseason so he will get more opportunities to be in game situations and we hope he can continue to grow.
On TE Sean Ryan …
Sean has had a good week here, not just in terms of blocking, which he does effectively, but he's done some good things in the passing game in practice. We always talk about it — the way you practice is the way you're going to play. It was Jerry Rice's message just a week ago.
On Ryan expanding his offense by catching passes rather than blocking …
It's always going to be game-plan-specific. You want someone who is going to block effectively and be involved in the passing game effectively and Sean is looking for the same thing.
On QB/WR/KR Brad Smith …
Brad's a guy who has a lot of versatility. He's a receiver that can go in there and play quarterback and can change the pace of the game there. He can make tackles on kickoffs and return punts and kickoffs. We just didn't work him on defense tonight, but we have three [preseason] games left.
On returning punts as a QB …
Ray Lucas was a guy who is very similar. I think anything is possible at this point. I was just pleased to be able to get him a few series in there [at QB] and he will get a few more as we move forward.
On the first-team defense …
I will have to take a look at [the Falcons' 10-yard TD run]. We were in a pretty good situation in terms of the call and we might not have just been getting to the right gap. At that point we were pressing and that sometimes happens, when you plant the line and you use the line and you create a hole that would, otherwise, not be there.
On CB Drew Coleman …
I was pleased with the interception. He got some help from Michael Haynes on the batted ball. He had a shot at another one. I like his competitiveness. He's going to get a lot of opportunities to compete, on special teams, outside at corner, inside at corner. That's exactly what we're looking for at this time of the year.
On Jones …
I thought he did some good things. I thought he did a good job not just at pressing the hole but being able to bounce out when it wasn't there. Some of that stuff we will get a better gauge of when we take a look at the film here tonight and tomorrow, just to see exactly where the reads were.
On LB Andre Wadsworth …
He got in there late and it will be the same type of thing where I will have to look at the tape and look at the calls. At that point, I will be trying to scan the entire group with focus on the secondary.
On CB Manny Collins …
Manny is a guy who was brought in late, and right away, the first day, because of an injury situation, he got thrust in there — no meetings, no previous practice — and he popped up on film. Again that's what we're looking for, where he is coming in off the street, has an opportunity, comes to practice and shows up. That's what we will be continuing to look for as he gets more information, more familiar with the system and he continues to show up.
On the affect of the first preseason game on a player's evaluation …
It's really just part of the process. We spent quite a few days in practice. We look at that, the preseason games as well as all the practices in between. It is just one element of the total evaluation.
QB KELLEN CLEMENS
On his progress since camp started …
The more reps I get, the more I progress. It's the same for any young quarterback. I'm getting a lot of reps now in practice and I'm hopefully making the most out of them.
On reasons for his improvement …
Right now it's just another year in the system. I feel a lot more comfortable in my second year. Fortunately tonight I was surrounded by a lot of talented guys. Sean Ryan's first catch on the first touchdown was phenomenal. The ball probably should have been incomplete. It was a great catch on his part. Really, it's just a lot of hard work, and being surrounded by great players.
On his awareness during the game of his nine consecutive completions …
I was not aware of that. You feel a rhythm when you are out there, but you never think of completions or attempts. You just try to move the ball and keep things rolling.
On the second touchdown to Ryan …
They had two DBs for our two receivers out there. They both jumped onto [Chansi] Stuckey, who was our short route, who I was going to go to initially. Then I saw Sean in the backfield at the last minute, who was our corner route. There was a blown coverage. I just kind of threw it out there so he could go get it.
On WR Frisman Jackson's catch …
That play is attributed all to Frisman. I did not get to see the whole thing, but from what I hear he made a great catch. All the credit goes to Frisman.
On his confidence after this game …
When you're having success like we had out there, it helps all of our confidence as a unit. At the same time, we don't want to get too high or overly confident. Tomorrow we'll see the tape, make some corrections, and get ready for next week.
On the ball being slippery …
There was a little moisture out there early. Then it dried off there late.
On his performance …
This is the best feeling I've had personally since I've been here. Fortunately, we were successful moving the football today.
On his discussion with Falcons QB Joey Harrington after the game …
We were just catching up. I was fortunate to learn under Joey at Oregon. We're pretty good friends. I was catching up on how life is going for him in Atlanta, and he was catching up on how life is going for me in New York.
On his role in running the offense …
Things are going in a good direction. When you're out here with guys like I've been playing with for two years, like Justin McCareins and Sean Ryan, it definitely helps to have those types of talented players around you.
On the strongest aspect of his performance …
The biggest thing was there were no turnovers. That's the biggest thing about playing quarterback. We were fortunate to score points but we did not give them the ball.
TE SEAN RYAN
On having an expanded role in the game …
It's a preseason game and obviously it's nice to out there and run a good amount of routes and have fun doing it and catch the ball. But I know what my role is here and I'm going to do that to the best of my ability. If it's going to be catching the ball then it's catching the ball, if it's going to be blocking then it's blocking.
On the play of QB Kellen Clemens ...
He's definitely a confident quarterback back there. He has a good grasp of the offense. When you know the offense you can play fast and that's what we like to do. You can see he has confidence and he's getting the ball out there.
On his first TD catch …
He threw a great ball out there, he put it only where I could get it. I had to lay out for it and that's all you can ask for from the quarterback. And like I was telling the guys earlier, when you're asked to step up, you've got to step up, so making a play is never going to hurt you.
On being more comfortable with the team …
I feel more comfortable. Obviously it helps, spending the off-season here and knowing the offense better and not running around like my head is cut off. When you know the offense and you know the scheme, you can play fast and that's what helped me the most.
C NICK MANGOLD
On the performance of the offense …
I have to go back and watch the film but it felt good being out there. That's usually a good sign.
On the play of Kellen Clemens …
He's been working hard all off-season and training camp, so it was good to see him out there and doing well for us.
QB CHAD PENNINGTON
On what he wanted to accomplish vs. Atlanta …
I was actually kind of nervous before the game knowing one of my main jobs is to just get the snap and not mess up the quarterback and center exchange. We really wanted to come out and work on our running game. Making sure I gave the running backs vision to the holes, getting my timing down with Leon and Thomas. We were running into some pretty tough fronts, all kinds of people up in the box, but for the most part I think our guys did a pretty great job.
On playing the first preseason game …
It got a little bit chilly, feeling like a mid-October Monday Night game out there in the middle of August. It was a pretty weird feeling.
On Kellen Clemens …
Kellen works extremely hard and you can tell he watches every move that I make and tries to take some things that I do and put it in his game. But at the same time, he wants to be his own athlete, own quarterback. He's coming along nicely. If he continues to work hard, both in the film room a lot and working after practice, I think he understands what it's going to take to be a good quarterback in this league. I know how he feels right now. It's a tough job being a backup quarterback because you never know when your opportunity is going to present itself. But when the opportunity does, you have to be ready. So it's a tough situation to be in but he's handling it really well.
On what he and Clemens talk about …
We talk about football a lot, how to do things as a professional. I try to give him some tips and pointers I've learned from Vinny [Testaverde], from some of the older guys, some guys I've had experience with, some of my mentors, not only on how to approach the game on the field but off the field. So when the opportunity ever presents itself, he feels comfortable and ready and that's the most important part.
On Clemens' growing confidence …
I've seen his confidence grow since he's been here, even as a rookie. He's like a sponge, he soaks up as much as he can. He does a great job taking notes and writing down everything. He's really trying to learn the ins and outs. He's done a really good job trying to take it all in and make sure he doesn't miss anything even with his mental reps. He makes sure he stands behind me and takes his mental reps because that's just as important as your physical reps.
On his comfort level ...
Most importantly I don't have to concentrate on rehabbing an injury or coming back from an injury. I can concentrate on myself as a quarterback and a total athlete. That's most important because that's what I want to do in order for us to win. I help us win by concentrating on myself, how I can be a better quarterback for our team and do all the necessary things I need to do to help us win in tight situations. Anytime you put your focus on an injury or a certain body part, you can't put your focus where it really needs to be and should be. It's definitely a better feeling.
On not throwing any passes …
The way that coach schedules practices and all the things we've done leading up to this point, this was just icing on the cake to get in work with some fans and get under the lights and be at the Meadowlands. Other than that, our coaches are doing an extremely good job preparing us in practices. A lot of times within our practices we're going through game-type situations, where the pressure is on and we make sound decisions within those situations, so I feel good about it. I feel we need to keep making progress and this next week of practice is really important for us to keep continuing to grow and to make sure we're doing the things that are necessary to be a good offense.
WR CHANSI STUCKEY
On training camp …
It's going out there every day and trying to show up. Being a rookie, you know you go to do extra stuff to go the extra mile to get noticed. You have to study and when you get your opportunity, you try to make things happen, so I just got some opportunities and tried to make the best of it.
On being chosen in the seventh round …
I'm just really happy the Jets drafted me and I just wanted to come out and work hard and make them feel like they made a good decision.
On whether he knew he'd be ready for this season after an injury as a Clemson senior …
I work hard and do all the stuff I have to do. I came to camp with the mindset that I wanted to work harder and try to get noticed by the coaching staff and that's what I am still trying to do. I prayed about it and worked hard and did the things necessary to get ready to come here to New York. I'm just trying to work hard.
On synergy with Kellen Clemens …
I've been working with Kellen in minicamp, OTAs and training camp and we've just worked hard. Kellen is doing a great job throwing the ball, making reads and I just really want to commend him on doing a great job tonight.
