Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Friday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Logan Payne, he's still out. Robert Turner's still out. Nick Mangold did not practice, he's out. Everybody else is going to play. Questionable, though, is Muhammad Wilkerson with a shoulder. He is questionable. He was limited today.
Everybody else is probable and will play. Mike DeVito, with a shoulder, [Marcus] Dixon, knee, David Harris, toe, Santonio Holmes, quad, Jim Leonhard, hamstring, Derrick Mason, knee, Mark Sanchez, right elbow, and Eric Smith, ankle. The only guys that practiced full out of that group were Marcus Dixon, Derrick Mason and Sanchez. The rest of them were limited,. The other guys were limited today, but they're all going to play.
On Mangold not playing against Oakland…
He's just not ready. That's as simple as that. He's doing really well, but a high ankle sprain going against these guys, traveling across country, it's not in his best interests. We thought this earlier in the week, at least I did. When you play 82 straight games, you're going to do whatever you can to try and keep that going. He doesn't know any different. I appreciate his toughness and his courage and everything else, but at the end of the day, we've got to do what's right for him and for the Jets. He doesn't need to make this trip this week.
On if Mangold would have played if they were facing New England or Baltimore…
No, it's Oakland, and we're not doing it. It doesn't matter who it is. It's the National Football League.
On if Mangold would have played if the team didn't have a cross-country flight…
I don't think so. He's not going. The fact that we are traveling that far, I don't think that's good, the swelling and everything else.
On whether Mangold has progressed enough to play next week…
Yeah, I hope so. I think so. We'll see. I believe he's doing really well. I think that's a possibility.
On Colin Baxter…
His thing, about just stay the course, is right. We're trying to maintain a level, and unfortunately for Colin, it's a level of, he's the best center in the league. We're going to try to reach it and I know he's working hard. I'm happy with the way he's picked up everything mentally, and I think physically, it's going to be a big challenge to him. They've got a three-man rotation. They're defensive tackles. They're some big dudes in there, and one of them is Richard Seymour, so that's going to be a challenge for anybody.
On Richard Seymour as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme…
Outstanding. I remember when he came out of college. It was interesting. They had, I think it was [Marcus] Stroud also, that was on that Georgia team. The funny thing is, [the team was] horrendous, yet these two guys were monsters. They played him right over top of center a lot of times. He was something else. I can see him doing that this week, trying to put him over our center. He's a special player. It doesn't matter where you play him. He can play inside, outside. Great athlete. He's just a heck of a football player.
On how Seymour is used differently in a 4-3 defense…
[He is] a more penetrating style of player. I think when you're a 3-4 [defensive] end, a lot of times, you're flat-footed initially when you're knocking guys back and you're two-gapping and things like that, which is basically a run defender first, then rush the passer. I think now he is more of a pass defender first than he is a run defender. He'll come off the ball more and be more disruptive in a 4-3 defense.
On what they saw in Baxter on film that encouraged the team to sign him…
I think one guy that we're excited about is [Matt] Kroul, but to play center when you've been a defensive tackle your whole career is probably a stretch. We're excited about him. I just think [with Baxter] we saw almost like a Rob Turner-type mentality. He's just a tough guy, competes and [assistant general manager] Scott Cohen did a great job of finding him. We had him on our radar and we were able to get him, but we definitely recognized him as that kind of guy, a tough guy that played in a similar system. We never realized we'd have to use him this early, but we're fortunate that we were able to get him.
On what has been done to get Baxter up to speed this week…
I think the young man has done it. He's taken it upon himself, studying like crazy. He sits with Mangold in meetings and Rob Turner afterwards. He's always talking, communicating. Then he goes out on to the practice field and he's had some good practices. That's really encouraging to me. His teammates are really helping him, but at the end of the day, he has to do the things outside of the building and I think he's doing that. He's clearly studying and he knows what it takes.
The great thing about him is the young man was preparing to play and that's what you have to do as a pro. He's a young man, but he was ready, and that's why when he was thrown in there for three quarters, he was able to hold up and do a decent job. This one is going to be a huge challenge for him, but I think he is going to be up to it.
On whether the offense has changed anything to help him out…
He's going to have to grasp it. We'll do a few different things protection-wise and all that, but he has to learn the terminology and he has done that.
On Baxter coming from a similar offensive system…
Even with the terminology, the Norv Turner offense is the same thing with Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer]. When Norv was the offensive coordinator for Marty [Schottenheimer], they were on the staffs together, so there was some carry-over in those two systems, San Diego's and ours.
On Sanchez facing tall defensive linemen…
It is tough, you're exactly right. It is harder to throw, especially in between those hashes. It makes those underneath throws really tough, and you have to have an open window or else they're going to tip the pass and things. We certainly recognize that, but still, sometimes you have to find those lanes in there and be able to throw and anticipate your guy coming in that lane. Throws down the field aren't as affected by it as much, but hopefully we'll keep those guys on the line of scrimmage and keep their hands down so we can throw some of those underneath routes.
But you're exactly right. It's not easy. Just like having Ropati [Pitoitua] out here in practice. How many passes did he block during the practices? We're definitely conscious of it, but it's sometimes easier said than done, like you say, throwing through a window. You have to find that thing first.
On if Kyle Wilson's progress taken a leap forward…
I would think so, I think the big thing about Kyle is he hooked onto Revis and Darrelle is pushing him. They trained together in the offseason, and I think that's huge for him. And understand, this guy has great ability. There's a reason we took him in the first round. He's starting to play to it. Being in the system, now he's familiar with it. He knows what the safeties are expecting. I think that's why he's taking off. He's had great success. He had three interceptions two days in a row. Now he did drop three, but he did have three of them. Last year we never saw that. I think his confidence went down a little bit. But now it's sky high and he's starting to play to that athleticism that he has.
On Muhammad Wilkerson's injury and if it occurred in the Jacksonville game…
I think he's going to play. I think he'll play. His shoulder was injured in the game.
