Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's afternoon news conference following the Jets' Friday midday practice at the Atlantic Health Training Center:
We had a great day at practice. I thought it really was a great week of practice. Obviously, you have to be on top of it. When you look at this football team and see how multiple they are with their personnel groupings and formations and shifts and motions and all that type of stuff, you have to be on top of it, and I think our guys are. I think you're going to see a great effort from our defense against their offense.
The same thing with our offense. Vic Fangio running that defense, heading that defense as a coordinator, he's a guy that can do a lot of things. He's a smart guy and tries to take advantage of mismatches. I think we're going to match what they do, and we know what they do. It's going to be interesting. We talked about their personnel early in the week with the seven Pro Bowl type players on defense, it's going to be a challenge, no doubt. With that being said, I think we're ready to roll.
Let me give you the injury list. Obviously, [Darrelle] Revis is out. Stephen Hill, doubtful with that hamstring, we don't anticipate him playing. Guys that are questionable, all of these guys were limited in practice, they're all listed as questionable. That is Dustin Keller, hamstring, Bryan Thomas, hamstring, Patrick Turner, hamstring, John Conner, knee, Bart Scott, toe. All of those guys were limited, they're questionable.
The other guys are all probable, and that's this list, it's a long one. Sione [Po'uha], low back, Isaiah Trufant, ankle, [Antonio] Cromartie, shoulder, Nick Bellore, shoulder, [Mark] Sanchez, low back, [Nick] Mangold, wrist, Calvin Pace, Achilles, [Mike] DeVito, calf, Brandon Moore, hip, Ellis Lankster, low back, Matt Slauson, knee. All three of these guys are going to be listed as probable. That's [LaRon] Landry with a heel, Eric Smith, hip/knee, Austin Howard, back. All of those guys are listed as probable. They were full-practice guys.
On who might be healthy enough for Sunday…
We'll find out. I'm not willing to rule out any one of those guys. From Keller, Thomas, Conner, Turner, and Scott, I'm not ready to rule out any of them. Where Stephen Hill, doubtful, he's not out yet, he's very doubtful.
On if Keller had a setback…
He never had a setback. We're listing him as questionable.
On if Keller playing is a gametime decision…
I have no idea. Right now, they're all questionable, that whole group is. We'll see how it progresses. It's 48 hours before the game, so we'll see how that progresses.
On if Revis will be placed on injured reserve...
No, you know what, I've talked to Darrelle and all that, and let's just have him go through surgery. Let's see what happens when he goes through surgery, because there's that 0.0002 percent chance that he could play in a Super Bowl or something. Why would you take that option away from him? Obviously, I'm not going to put him out there if he's at risk, or anything else.
On having 52 healthy players if Revis stays on the active roster…
Yeah, and that's fine. Let's just put it this way, my thought is that if you're fortunate enough to make it to the big game, and he's fortunate enough to be healthy, I know our fans will want him playing, just like I would want him playing. I just want to take him through surgery. Let's get him through surgery and see what the doctors say when they're in there and we'll see what happens.
On if Quinton Coples will get more snaps this weekend…
I do see him playing more. I think he's had a great week. I'm expecting him to play really well.
On how Keller playing would help the offense when the 49ers have a hard time against tight ends…
It's funny, but everybody has troubles against tight ends. I think you can go right down the list. I think it'd be better to find out the teams that don't, because that means they haven't played a great one. It's a tough matchup, where you're putting a safety on him, do you put a corner on him, you put a linebacker on these guys, and it's tough. They're big-bodied guys that can run. You get a guy that can run like a Dustin Keller, a guy like him that can run like the 49ers, both of their tight ends can run, it gives you some problems.
On Antonio Cromartie saying he is the best corner in the league behind Revis…
I love it. I absolutely love it. Now he has to go out and prove it, but I absolutely love it. As a corner, you have to have that kind of confidence. For him to say it, number one, he's telling everybody he believes it, and I think that's not half the battle, but it's a big part of the battle. If you think you're good enough to go out there and man up against the best in the league, because you're certainly going to be challenged, and he'll have that opportunity. I'm happy he feels that way. Does it put a little bit more pressure on him? Maybe so, but when you're out there by yourself, I don't know how much more pressure you have than trotting out there by yourself.
On if they have enough offensive weapons with Hill being out…
I think we do. I think [Jeremy] Kerley's doing a nice job, he seems to be back. Chaz Schilens, a big fast guy that played well, in particular, at the end of that game, obviously, we know his blocking is tremendous. And then you add [Clyde] Gates, who's probably as fast as any wide out in the league, we can throw that out there. Then we have Patrick Turner back. I think we certainly have enough weapons.
On if Keller helps as an offensive weapon…
Yeah, there's no question Dustin helps that. Then we have [Jeff] Cumberland, too, as a guy that can run.
On making a decision on Revis…
I'm just not comfortable doing it right now. Mike [Tannenbaum] and I, obviously, we'll talk about that. But we feel much better if we let him have the surgery and let's see what the doctors' opinions are. I don't think we need to rush into this decision right now.
On when Revis will have surgery…
I believe it will be within the next couple of weeks. What they do now, it's not like it used to be where they just throw you out there and you have it done. They want to make sure you have the muscles around the knee stronger and things like that. They say that you can rehab much more quickly that way. Whenever our trainers and our doctors and whoever performs the surgery think he's at that spot, then he'll go and get the surgery.
On if Landry and Yeremiah Bell are the answer to stopping Vernon Davis…
Hey, I don't know. But if somebody has a solution for it, than let me know, because we'll try anything. You hit him at the line, you try to cover him at the line, I don't know. Oh, that dude can run. They do some different things with him at tight end that no team in the league does. I'll give you a for instance. They'll put him as a backside tight end and they'll release him straight down the field, not straight down the field, but you know how our fields have that red line? They'll put him on the red line and just throw it up to him. No other team in the league does it with a guy, but he's so fast, even from an inline position, he can get out there and he runs like a receiver. It's challenging to say the least. He's an explosive athlete.
On if practice is going so well this week because players are stepping up to fill Revis' void…
I don't know. I just think there's a big combination. I think anytime you play against a tremendous football team, there's that challenge. As a competitor, you know you have to step your game up. That, and obviously having to overcome a tremendous player, with having Darrelle, out. So that may add to it a little bit. The fact that you're in first place may add something to it as well. I think all those things combined, and the fact that we're playing at home, we don't want to disappoint our fans who are coming to watch our game. I understand it's going to be a monster crowd. There's a lot of things that go into it. Probably the number one thing is, we just want to win, and I think that preparation has been terrific.
On if it makes sense to play a three-safety defense…
Yeah, absolutely. You might want to play six lineman this week, because they'll play seven offensive lineman out there. They'll trot them all out there. I certainly understand where you're coming from on that, and it does make sense to match. If they go with these big monster guys, you have to do the same thing.
On not making a decision on Revis…
I just think you just look at the situation with Darrelle. I think it's a thing where, let's get through the surgery, you don't have to make a snap decision, like, "Let's just place him on IR and replace him with somebody." Like I say, if you are fortunate enough to get there, why wouldn't you at least, if he does well in the surgery and he is healthy for that and he is targeted for that, then why wouldn't you believe in yourself enough to give yourself that opportunity? Again, I'm not guaranteeing it's going to happen, by any stretch.
On if he's thinking about the Super Bowl…
That's probably true.
On if there's something that would give him reason to believe Revis will come back…
I know our trainers are confident that Darrelle's going to come back from this injury. At some point, they think he's going to be 100 percent from this injury. Now, when that time is, I'm not sure. Number one, I feel great about that. Obviously, we feel great about that, being Jets fans and being in this organization, you feel great about that. When that time is, I'm not sure, but I think you'll have a better understanding of it after he has the surgery.
