Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Friday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
James Ihedigbo [ankle/knee] will be out this week. No surprise. Damien Woody did not practice. We listed him as questionable for the game with a knee. The guys that are probable that were full participants in practice were Shaun Ellis [knee], D'Brickashaw Ferguson [shoulder], Santonio Holmes with a back — he's new on the list but he's probable — [Nick] Mangold [shoulder], Sione [Pouha, ankle] and Brad Smith [hand]. I brought my sheet today [smiling].
On how long Ihedigbo will be out…
He's getting better, he's tough and he's here all the time getting treatment. You never know, but he may be out there next week. You never know with that guy. It's an injury that should take longer with a high ankle sprain, but with him, I wouldn't be surprised if he's out there soon.
On why Woody didn't practice…
No set back that I know of. We've run that course the past two weeks. I think it's similar, but it might be a little worse than those two weeks. We'll see how he is.
On why Woody has "Waldo" on his locker…
I have no idea.
On if S Emanuel Cook will play in the Miami game…
Yes. I hope he doesn't have to start or go in there, but he's coming in to play. That's why I said instead of looking at someone else's safety, we'll bring one of our own back. He was one of the guys. He was the choice to be up on our team. He does a good job on special teams. I hope that's his role. If he has to go in on defense, he knows what we do.
On the secondary's communication…
I think it's good. We'll have to prove it on Sunday, but our communication has been good. Our play back there has been good, so we'll see how we do.
On if Jim Leonhard's injury impacted communication in the secondary on Sunday…
It was a lot of physical things as well. It wasn't just that. They did a lot of good things. Physically, they worked back to the quarterback and were able to get open. We might have had them initially covered and they separated from us and they threw the ball. I think knowing Jim and Dig [Ihedigbo] aren't out there, you are able to focus in on the guys you think will be out there.
On giving Dwight Lowery more safety responsibilities…
He has outstanding ball skills and great range. I think those are some of the things you notice in Dwight when he's back there. He has man cover skills as well.
On what he expects after the loss against New England…
I think we are ready to go. We just have to prove it on Sunday. I feel good about where we are right now.
On how the Dolphins are different since the last time the Jets faced them…
I think their defense is getting better. Mike Nolan has really gotten their defense going and playing hard. They know what they are doing. They are a physical group to begin with and they are playing pretty well.
On Cameron Wake…
Cameron Wake is tough. You know he's blitzing and you have to do something about it. He's doing a great job. He's a speed rusher, but he has inside moves and he does inside moves with power. He's really an outstanding rusher. I don't know if he is leading the league or not in sacks, but he has to be right there.
On if there has been any change in his approach because of the increase in Mark Sanchez's interceptions…
That's what you always try to do. Our blueprint is to protect the football and runs [plus] completions. Everyone knows that. We've thrown a lot more interceptions than we like. I think we'll tighten things down. I think he's going to have a big game.
On how his lunch with Sanchez went…
It was good, just to give him a different perspective, make sure that he knows exactly what I'm seeing as a defensive coach. If there's some things that he can pick up on, then that's great. I know [Miami defensive coordinator] Mike Nolan well and I know [Pittsburgh DC] Dick LeBeau well, so maybe the next two weeks we'll see if that helps.
On what they had to eat…
It was really disappointing because we never really had anything. It does make for a better story if we had it all. Nachos, burritos, tacos, you name it, it was stacked up. That's really what it was, who am I kidding? We all know that [joking].
On if Café Ryan is out of business…
Café Ryan, it's like some of those fancy restaurants in New York. You think you own that table, but you really don't. You're leasing it. Maybe you get an hour every two months or something, but it's hard to get a spot there.
On if the rain forecast for Sunday will make it a ground-and-pound game…
It could be. They are going to have a lot to say about that as well. I think we've had some success throwing the football against Miami, as well, so it'll probably be similar to how we've been playing. It's more balanced, but again, I always like to be able to run the ball.
On if he sees Joe McKnight getting motivation from people who criticized the team for keeping him and waiving Danny Woodhead…
I don't know. I think this guy is going to need an opportunity. Danny got an opportunity in a system that really features his type of skills. I think this young man here has a similar skill set but he's faster. He's just going to need an opportunity. I think you saw late in that game, we gave him a couple of runs. You saw what we've been seeing in practice.
On if McKnight is close to receiving time as a running back…
I think so.
On if McKnight will have to wait until the 2011 season for an opportunity…
No, I'm not saying that. With LaDainian [Tomlinson] and Shonn [Greene], two excellent backs, sometimes those reps are going to be tough to come by, but I think he's ready to get some more opportunities back there.
On how happy he is with the progress that McKnight has made…
I'm very happy. He's a different guy. Before, he was sloppy with the ball. We'd always try to get him to carry the ball up and he'd have it down and he'd fumble. That drove me crazy, but the thing that I love, is that he's like, "OK, I'm going to show you," and he has. He's protecting the football. He looks great on the practice field. I think it helped him going and actually playing both ways on the practice field, being a corner, being a running back, playing on special teams, I think it helped. I think the bench helped.
Here's a guy that was one of the highest-rated athletes coming out of high school, had great success at USC, an instant success there. I think it was probably pretty humbling to him and he responded exactly how you would like to see him respond. He just went right to work and he looks great. I think his teammates respect how far he's come, as well.
On if Santonio Holmes still has his great receiver's speed as a punt returner...
He does, and when you put Jerricho [Cotchery] and him back there, they're really good back there together. If you have a short punt, then obviously, J-Co can field it. If you hit it long, then he can basically be a lead blocker for Tone and it'll be hard to get to him. That's an interesting duo back there.
On if he is worried about injuries to Cotchery and Holmes as punt returners…
Somebody has to get back there. We had the same thing with Jimmy Leonhard. We're trying to generate offense with those two guys back there. Jerricho did a great job back there last year for us. The one thing is, I always said Jim Leonhard would catch it in a hurricane. Well, Jerricho will catch it in a tornado, so we feel pretty good about him being back there.
