Transcripts of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Sunday's morning training camp practice at SUNY Cortland (video was used to illustrate portions of Ryan's opening statement):
I figured we'd start a little different today. I brought some video in and some things that you look for. Obviously you look for areas that you have to improve in. Eleven penalties, I have a funny feeling that's probably the highest priority. That obviously is. But you also are looking for different things. You're looking at individuals, you're looking at what you're emphasizing and is it getting across? You like to see it on the game field as well as on the practice field.
What I'm going to do is I put a couple plays here of Jeff Cumberland and I think with Jeff, here's a guy, as you guys know, came here, was a wide receiver in college. We worked him out. Dev [OL coach Mike Devlin] was the tight ends coach back then. I liked him, he had some size and things, but we made him a tight end. Obviously he's got the speed that you covet, a sub-4.5 guy, and he's got size. But the thing that I've really been impressed with with Jeff is his blocking and how that's improved. In this game he had to go up against those big ends a lot of times and he did a good job.
And the other thing is you've got to be able to block in space and so what I'm showing here is a run by, I believe that's [Bilal] Powell back there, and you're going to see how he's coming down to block this linebacker and you stick him. A lot of times you'll lose him, but he does a great job here with what we've worked a lot on, Steve [Hagen] is working hard with, is he's squaring this guy up and he's pressing to step up the field when Powell breaks this tackle or makes this guy miss, he's in a position to finish that block off. So this is something that we look for and as you're looking at Jeff here, specifically, now he's coming inside and blocking the guy in space and that's hard to do. He'll pick up other blocks by Tommy [Bohanon] and finish up. I thought he did a good job as well for us. It opens up Willie [Colon] and things but the main guy that I really want to focus on is Cumberland and that's just obviously a terrific job. Nice finish to the run here by Powell.
Now we're going to look at the touchdown he catches. You've got a two-tight-end set, nice vertical release. You've got to get away from, in this particular defense, you've got a guy lined up outside but he inside-releases and then you see that speed. Obviously they had a little bit of difficulty in this coverage but you see that vertical speed that Jeff has. He's a big target down the field and we're really happy with the way he's playing. Our situation right now, we need him to be a complete tight end and that's really what he's becoming and so I'm really, really proud of the way he's progressed, especially through the years, making that conversion from a receiver.
All right, another thing that I want to do, I want to show you guys that why I feel really good about where we're at defensively is the pursuit. It's a big thing that we talked about the first day of camp. We talked about being the fastest defense in the league but being the most aggressive, and in your pursuit you've got to get 11 guys flying to that football. We stress it over and over and you're going to get a couple examples of this.
This actually is one of their longest carries of the day, a great run here by Reggie Bush. But what we always tell our guys, if they're going to fire their gun, they're going to be backed up by their buddies. So you're going to see Kyle [Wilson] come up here and I'm sure you missed [a] tackle. I'm actually going to show you two missed tackles. Here's one, but you're being aggressive, you're going to make the guy do something and that's going to allow that pursuit to get there. And as you can see when we talk about pursuit, it's not just a thing about running to the ball. If you just said to run to the ball, you'd have all 11 guys running down here.
But there's a certain thing and when you see us do that drill at the start of practice where we fan the field, that's exactly what it looks like. And what that does is that prevents big plays and so when you're running a pursuit, we tell our guys, "Don't follow the same color." So when it goes like this, obviously, now I'm not following the same color. If all I did was run an angle like this, I'm not going to be a part of the play. So here, we're getting what we want. You see that drill every week. It looked like a little bit of a warmup drill but there's a purpose to it and that's how every play should look like this. And you see about eight guys in the picture here that are pursuing the ball. We've got a couple guys down. All right, we missed the tackle, Reggie Bush makes a great run here, but you see all of that pursuit.
So you put that on tape, if you're a running back, maybe you ought to just go down. That's what we want, all right? I don't know if they're going to sign up for it, but we're certainly going to let them know that if you don't slide down, we've got help, help's on the way. The one kid that has really jumped out at me as a rookie, who's doing a tremendous job in pursuit, is 91, Sheldon Richardson. But you see how these guys don't follow each other. You see the distance they're trying to create with each other down the field and when you become an excellent defense, that's what it should look like.
So I gave you this example, I've got another one. You want to stay up. let's give everybody Q [Quinton Coples], he stays up on his feet. Take your shot. Take your shot. Go at it. You know you're going to be backed up by your buddies. And here it comes. This is one that we miss a tackle. Dee [Milliner] misses a tackle on this back and wants to pursue. This is what I'm really encouraged about that's going to separate us from other teams, other defenses. You can see how we close. It's the same exact drill, but it just shows you on the perimeter, on a pass, just gives you an idea. Everybody is in their coverage responsibility, yet now we still need to run to the football. Obviously, you see 91 jumping out here and he's actually the backside tackle.
There are several examples of this during games. You had [Antwan] Barnes, he was one of them, that same style. But this, you've got [Garrett] McIntyre, you've got [Nick] Bellore. It's not just a certain group, it's everybody. They're all signing off on it, doing a great job running to the ball. You'll see how Sheldon closes, obviously. I know he doesn't fit our defense, but for some reason, he fits every defense. This kid can play. You get him flying to the football.
I talk about what I get excited about. I get excited about those things that show up. I see a Jeff Cumberland improving, going from a wideout to a complete tight end now. I see the defense running to the football like I've always envisioned. So I see it, not just on the practice field but I see it on the game field. That's really encouraging to me.
Now, are there things we need to improve at? Oh, yeah. No question. Communication, obviously, the discipline in staying onside on defense when you're rushing a passer. We're saying, "Hey, we're going to play a lot of Cover-1 this game," so it's not only going to be on the defensive backs but on the pass rushers. So "Hey, I have to get off the football' and things like that. When I'm getting off on the count and not the football, bad things happen. We clearly have to get better at that, focusing on the ball and getting off on the snap.
And then offensively, the holding calls. We've got to get our hands inside, so that was certainly a focus today. We had one penalty, a holding call today. We've got to get better. And I think those are things that we have to get better at and when we do, we'll be pretty tough.
On what it was like to have their No. 1 tight end injured last season…
It was that and Jeff, too. You had your top two a lot of times out. Anytime you have multiple injuries at one position, it's usually not a real good sign for you. When Dustin [Keller] went out, Jeff had to step up and you saw him getting better. I mean, I saw him getting better. That gave him a chance to learn on the fly a little bit. Now, probably some growing pains, but I'm very confident in Jeff Cumberland now. A complete tight end, a blocking tight end, a guy that can catch the football and can obviously run.
On if there was any question about keeping Geno Smith out of practice today…
When our trainers are like, "Hey, look, he's going," then that's it. He's going to be out there. That's what happened to him today.
On if he would override the trainers if thought it might be best to rest Geno Smith for one practice…
No, that's not my job. My job is to coach. I lean on our trainers, who are experts. So I'm going to lean on them, I'll lean on our medical department with any injury. When they say the young man is cleared to participate, then that's exactly what's going to happen. If they say he's not, you see some guys out there in red jerseys or whatever, that means they're non-contact, then that's what you go with. I will obviously lean on and have always leaned on our trainers and our doctors.
On Smith's practice status…
Again, he was cleared to practice and we'll see. What it looks like tomorrow may be different than what it looked like today, I'm not sure, but again, I lean on the trainers when they say he's out there. That's exactly what happened. Some guys, whether you're in red jerseys or white jerseys or whatever, might not feel great, but you're able to practice and Geno was able to practice today.
On how the quarterbacks looked after watching the game video…
Well, I never watched the film. I still haven't seen the film. That's what's so funny, I see every single play, every special teams play, every offensive play, every defensive play, I see every one of them. I guess my thing is, I shouldn't have said the truth. The truth was, did I see the interception? No. I heard the interception when I hear the fans going crazy and I looked up and I saw the young man, the big dude from BYU [Ezekiel Ansah] running with the football into the end zone and so I relayed that. I said, "Oh shoot." There was an "Oh," something with an "S," but it was a touchdown, I saw that. I told the truth. I promise you, every coach, there's no difference. I guess I need to be tactful and say, "Hey, we'll watch the tape." From now on, that's all I'm going to say.
On if he watched Smith in the game…
Yeah, I just said at the time, we were trying to make an adjustment on defense and things, so look, I wasn't going to get into particulars. I saw nine plays of Geno Smith and missed two. I wasn't going to get in the particulars of it. I saw him, but whatever, did I see every single snap he took? No, I did not, not live. I've seen him now.
On his assessment of Mark Sanchez…
Well, again, there's a lot of positives. You can look at the numbers and see that. Are there areas for improvement? Of course, you always look for those things. When Mark was in there, I thought we had a chance to make a couple of big plays down the field, yet the protection kind of broke down a little, we slid one way or the other, maybe never had the vision down the field a little bit. Obviously, he clearly made a mistake on the interception. You have to get rid of that ball and we practiced it today, the same scenarios we went over for the corrections. Marty [Mornhinweg] went over and the staff went over it today, and OK, now we're going to simulate the tackle and the ends slough, now you've got to get rid of the ball, you have to dirt it, whatever, so we have to get better at that. There's no question that was obviously a huge error. I did like the way he responded. He came back and I thought he threw the ball well, threw it with some accuracy, so that was good to see.
On if he can effectively manage the game if he is more in sync with the defense…
Right, but the same thing my first two years, even later than that. I'm very aware of all the situations, very aware of the situation. "Hey, we're getting close to a third or whatever, where's the ball at?" I'll go down there constantly and "OK, we're in four-down territory." And if I have to say something I'll make sure that's relayed to Marty in that case or whatever, I'll just go down and tell him. If I have to make an adjustment on defense or whatever, obviously I'm going to lean on Dennis [Thurman], but if I'm doing it myself then that's what happens. I'm very aware of the situations, the timeouts and all that stuff. The first two years that wasn't an issue.
On the starting quarterback for Saturday's game…
Again, we haven't discussed it yet. We're still going to get through the week. There could be some factors that change things but I'm not going to get into those specifics. Obviously there could be some factors that may change the original thought. We'll see as we get closer, there may not be. It could be anything, it could be medical, it could be whatever, but we'll see.
On if Geno Smith will start Saturday's game…
We'll make that evaluation as we go.
On what he saw from Smith against the Lions...
I thought he did some good things. I liked that he showed some poise, made a couple of nice throws, accurate with the football. I think he missed one pass that got tipped. I thought he looked pretty good. Got to give Detroit credit, we were trying to run kind of a speed sweep or whatever and they got two guys blitzing off the edge. Chalk one up for them. That one kind of looked bad. They hit us in the backfield, about a 4-yard loss. For the most part, I thought Geno played well. One time he did a good job avoiding a rush. I would still like to see him get two hands on the football anytime transferring the ball from the top shoulder to the bottom shoulder. I'd still like to see that better. I thought he did well.
On safety Jaiquawn Jarrett…
Just a guy that is really dedicated in learning the defense. Obviously a brand new defense for him. Spends a ton of time doing that. He's worried about where he is at, he's worried about how he plays when he gets out there. He just keeps working his tail off. Antonio Allen, also, you go back and watch the tape, he played extremely well. That's going to be a great competition. We had Jaiquawn running with the ones today, but again, that's a great competition there.
On what specifically Jarrett has improved since Philadelphia…
Well, we're not really focused on what we saw on the Philadelphia tape. I just remember we really liked this young man when he came out of Temple, in fact we thought we were going to be in great shape had we gotten Muhammad Wilkerson and him, and Jaiquawn. So now we have those two, might not have been the exact path but we ended up with both players. What he showed Friday night was what we thought he would bring to the table. A guy that is extremely physical, and a great tackler, and that's exactly what he did. He had some big hits in that game. But he's doing a tremendous job and I think he's improving as a deeper defender as well.
On if there were things outside Smith's control that affected his performance Friday…
Well, penalties. I mean, I think that's the biggest thing right there. Obviously you're facing first-and-20 all the time, that's not very good.
On if Jarrett might start on Saturday night…
Yeah, that's a possibility, we'll see, but that's a possibility. Both those guys are going to play a ton and I'm pleased with both of them.
On if there is any chance he might name an opening-day quarterback for the season before Saturday…
I don't see that.
On when the ideal time to name season starters will be…
Well, I think the ideal time is sooner than later so they get all the reps and whatever, but we're not there, at a lot of those positions. I think the best thing, what I'm encouraged about is it's not that somebody's given a job or because the lack of quality play from the guy you're competing with, that hasn't been the case in any situation, there's still a lot of starting jobs up for grabs right now and it's because both guys are battling and doing all for it.
On if he has a more specific diagnosis on Joe McKnight…
It's a head injury. That's it, that's all I'm ever going to say, it's a head injury.
On how frustrating the running back situation has been…
Well, it's something that clearly you think that that's going to be an area of strength for you, depth-wise and everything else. [Bilal] Powell has had to step up and do everything; he's done a good job of that. Unfortunately, [John] Griffin has, it looks like, a severe leg injury, that's unfortunate, had one of those horse-collar tackles. But again, you kind of have a MAS*H unit over there right now but you hope to get them back and certainly we hope to get those guys back sooner than later.
