Transcripts of Darrelle Revis' and Greg Schiano's conference calls with Jets reporters on Wednesday afternoon:
BUCCANEERS CB DARRELLE REVIS
On if he will play on Sunday…
Whatever Coach says goes, with his decision. I just know as of right now I'm playing, I'm practicing. I'm preparing like a regular week, like I would any other week. I'm just going out there and preparing for a game on Sunday.
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On if facing the Jets gives him any added motivation…**
No, I'm approaching it like a regular-season game. I think I can speak for the whole team, the first game is probably the biggest game of the year because you want to start out fast as a team. We just want to come out there to New York and get a win and be 1-0.
On matching up against Santonio Holmes…
I don't know. Me and him, we're familiar with each other. We'll see. I don't know. I don't even know if he's playing. I don't even know if I'm playing or not, so you know, like I said, that's up to Coach Schiano.
On facing a rookie quarterback…
I've faced rookie quarterbacks in the past, so it's nothing new for me. The only thing I can do is just study film on him and get tendencies and tips that I can use out there if I play.
On what he's seen out of Geno Smith when he's watched video…
It looks like he's a gunslinger. He can throw the ball very well, like he's very accurate. So you know, I tip my hat to him for that. It's still Wednesday. I still have to study some more film and get a feel for him.
On the rehab process and what it'll mean to be back out on the field again…
It was a difficult process for me because I've never been hurt. I focused on my family supporting me and really just focused on my knee. I think that was the biggest thing was getting back healthy and just focusing on that, during that time. And then I started getting upset at myself because I was injured, but that was the time I learned a lot of patience and just made sure I got back healthy from the knee injury
On the crowd reacting to when he is introduced on Sunday…
I'm not concerned about that. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be coming up there with 53 guys, including the coaching staff and our owner. We're coming up there with an army and we're coming up there to get a win.
On anything he misses being on the Jets…
No. I moved on from those experiences I had. I had a great six years there. Now I've just got to move on. I've got a new start ahead of me, with a new team and I'm excited to be a Buccaneer.
On the difference between the Buccaneers and the Jets organizations…
Everybody has their own way of doing things and operating. Every organization probably operates different. This is home for me now, this is where I live and this is where I work. It's very awesome here. I like it. The weather is always hot. It's a good place to work at.
On how the Tampa Bay and New York medias compare…
The Tampa media, man, they're tough, man. I mean, they're just hitting me with questions every day, man. They're tough, a tough crowd.
On if he is just saying that about the Tampa media to make the New York media mad…
Why would he ask that question [joking]? I think he knows the answer to that [laughter].
On how the Tampa Bay defense differs from Rex Ryan's defense…
I think Coach Schiano and Rex are very similar because they are aggressive coaches, they like to attack. I feel like that's one of our goals as a defense in Tampa is to attack and be very aggressive, tackle, make turnovers, strip balls, and that's what Coach Schiano preaches down here. So I think they are very similar. They're not different in any way. They're just similar guys.
On if he is upset with how his relationship with the Jets ended…
I'm not even really focused on that at this point. We had the whole offseason to deal with that situation and now it's time to move on, as the season starts. And that's how I have to look at it and I'm sure they're looking at it the same way. I just have to move on and I have to get ready for this season and get prepared for this game.
On if he will be the same player before the injury…
I'm very confident in the player I'll be. I'll be fine. There's always bumps in the road. You just have to keep on improving and getting better and getting better. I have to keep on repping and getting reps and get back in that football mode. I'll be fine.
On where he feels like he's at now with his injury…
I'm ready to go.
On if the Jets made a mistake by trading him…
I don't know. I think that's a question that maybe you need to ask John Idzik, Rex or Woody Johnson.
BUCCANEERS HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO
On what he has seen from Darrelle Revis and how hard he has worked to get back on the field…
Well, Darrelle's worked very hard. His focus and his commitment, his work ethic to get back on the field has been really remarkable. I think Todd Toriscelli and Jay Butler, our strength coach, has done a really good job as well as his people out in Arizona, just bringing him back and not forcing it too fast. We'll see at the end of the week if he feels like he's ready to go. Then he's going to be out there playing and I hope that's the case because I think he can really help our team.
On if Revis will be a gametime decision…
I don't know. We'll keep talking as the week goes on. We've communicated very well throughout this process and I don't want to put words in his mouth because at the end of the day he's the one who has to go out and do it. He needs to feel like he can. I'll hold my opinion and my judgment. I'll let him decide and certainly help him and discuss it. It could come as soon as he feels like "Hey, I'm going to do this thing."
On if he has seen Revis as more determined to return because it's against New York…
I wouldn't be able to say that. Certainly human condition might lend to that. He's so darn focused and professional about his approach to this thing that if that's the case he hasn't let on. He's certainly competitive at anything that he can help us with. Information-wise he's been very forthcoming. Towards anything else I can't tell you that I sense that.
On if he has any sentimental feelings on playing in New York…
Well, this is kind of the second one now. I'm excited to go get the regular season started. The fact that we're doing it up in an area where I grew up, that's cool. But I just want to get to playing.
On how he is different in his second year as head coach…
Well, I think the biggest difference is the players and the organization all understand what our expectations are and when that occurs a lot of things run more smoothly. We've changed several people on the team and I think there's really some strong leadership that understand what our goals and our vision are and they've just done a really good job of leading this team. So that makes it a lot easier on the head coach.
On Rutgers retiring Eric LeGrand's jersey and if he will attend…
With my obligations, I won't be able to do that. I wish I could because you know how fond I am of Eric. But I think it's a great gesture on the part of Rutgers, a deserved one. He's a guy who, like I've said so many times, he is what Rutgers football is all about. I'm happy that Rutgers did this.
On if he can use anything from facing Geno Smith while at Rutgers…
I don't think so. I think it's a different scheme, it's a whole different set of circumstances. I don't think there's going to be a lot of it other than the fact that you know his athletic skills. You probably could figure that out by watching the tape as well. I don't think there's a real advantage.
On if he expects to see Smith under center or in the shotgun…
I think he's going to do both. I think he can do all those things. There's a lot of things that Geno did in college. He was a gun-run quarterback. He did some things with the shotgun pass game, not a lot in college under center, but he certainly has done it in the NFL now. I think we'll see the full gamut.
On if defensive philosophy changes facing a rookie quarterback…
Sometimes I think guys do that. I think it's all a matter of where they fit in the system and how far along in the development you think they are. Some systems are more quarterback-friendly than others. The Jets' is a quarterback-friendly system. As I look at it, I see a guy that handles things pretty well and the training he received at West Virginia, he certainly is an experienced guy starting all the games that he has. I don't think in this instance it's going to behoove you to do more or less. But you've got to be who you are anyway. We do pressure. We also lay back. We're going to do what we do.
On how close to 100 percent Revis is…
Well, that's probably a better question for Darrelle. He was doing some really good things but again I haven't seen him in a game, I haven't coached him in a game, and I never saw him in a practice so it's hard for me to be the judge of that.
On his affinity for Rutgers players with four on the roster…
I have an affinity for good football players that love the game and have core values and beliefs that we do here at the Buccaneers. If they come from Rutgers, sometimes I have an insight into those guys and that helps with our evaluation. I think you look around the league, there's a lot of players in the National Football League that played there. I think the guys on staff and the program did a good job preparing people for the NFL, the way we worked and the way they prepared. I think that's why a lot of our guys stick.
To me, when you were coaching in college, it wasn't how many guys you had drafted, it's how many guys stuck on rosters because at the end of the day, there are 53 guys on each roster. So we have, I think you said, four, I think we have one more on the practice squad, so yeah, we have some guys from Rutgers.
On defending the Wildcat…
You have to give it credence. It's a thing that's not really that old in the NFL. There's different tweaks to it. Fortunately in college we saw a lot of it so we have a familiarity with it but still there are better athletes at this level running it so it's a more dangerous weapon.
On if it is harder to game-plan against a quarterback making his first career start…
No, I don't know of the challenges. Before you really have a lot of the scars you don't really know what's that dangerous. Sometimes that can be dangerous because guys will throw some balls that had they been through some of the fires they wouldn't try to sneak in there. Sometimes those balls do sneak in there. But at the end of the day I think it all cancels itself out. I think it's going to be the Jets versus the Buccaneers. It's not going to be Geno versus the Bucs defense or Josh [Freeman] versus the Jets defense. It's going to be both teams playing 60 minutes and we'll see where it ends up.
