]Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Friday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
These guys are questionable for the game: Shawn Nelson with an illness, Brodney Pool, knee. Both of those guys did not practice today. Everybody else is probable for the game and every one of them practiced full: Plaxico Burress, low back, [Antonio] Cromartie, finger, [Mike] DeVito, knee, Marcus Dixon, shoulder, Kenrick Ellis, ankle, Shonn Greene, head, groin, Santonio Holmes, foot, Wayne Hunter, finger, Nick Mangold, ankle, Josh Mauga, low back, Joe McKnight, toe, Calvin Pace, groin, Sione Pouha, finger, Matt Slauson, neck, and Isaiah Trufant, hamstring. Every one of those guys practiced full today and are all probable.
On if the team's run defense still needs to improve…
I think we're doing a pretty good job. We had a 24-yard run on an overloaded blitz, things like that, so I'm not too concerned with it. This week, we've always gone into it thinking that we'll give up rushing yards to this team, because it keeps the ball out of [Tom] Brady's hands. Obviously, we have to do a better job than we did the last time we played New England. The kid ripped us for 136 yards. You can give up 80 yards, but you can't give up that many. Am I overly concerned with our run defense? No, we were 31st a couple of weeks ago or whatever it was. Any time you give up like the huge game that we gave up to Oakland, you're never going to get back to where you think you would be, in the top five or whatever, but you might be able to get back in the top 10 or so.
On why players have not be speaking out as much and why the locker room is so relaxed…
I don't know. We're relaxed, focused, loose, but we know what's at stake. We know how big this game is and we're excited about it. We're ready for it, and we know they're going to be ready for it. So it ought to be a great game. It's almost like Ali-Frazier, it's one of those type of things. We're excited that it's in our building. We're not banking on that being the difference, but it might very well be the difference.
On if he considers the Patriots to be an "Evil Empire"…
Well, that's been in a bunch of papers and all that stuff with [Bill] Belichick and the Darth Vader and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, why not?
On how he is looking to exploit the Patriots defensive backs…
It's funny, because the season is only half over, so sometimes those stats will even out as the year goes on, but the fact they've had, what, three out of their eight never even went to training camp. That's probably tough sledding if you've got to play those guys. Eventually, though, once they play, eventually they'll catch up to the system and all that. But we're just going to play our game and mix run and pass and see what happens.
On why Dustin Keller always seems to leave his mark against the Patriots…
Well, remember somebody said that he's struggling, because every time we say somebody's struggling, they have a huge game, so I think Dustin's struggling [joking]. But it was interesting, I forget who it was that said that he had dropped 12 passes last year. This year, he's dropped one. Dustin's a great tight end. I think, sometimes when you look at him as a receiver, how do you cover him? Well, most teams would play Cover-4 when you play a great tight end, but now you have Santonio Holmes outside him or Plaxico Burress, so sometimes it's tough. It's almost pick your poison in what you want to play there. Will Dustin have a big game? I don't know. That probably depends on the kind of coverage we get.
On Jerod Mayo's impact on the New England defense now that he is back…
I was hoping you would say that he missed a meeting today, one of his meetings and Belichick canned him [joking]. He's a great player. Obviously, he made the Pro Bowl last year. He makes a lot of plays, he's very active, does well versus run and pass, so he's a complete linebacker. I don't know, he's a good player, but again, we're going to play our game and we'll see. We're going to make him, and everybody, else defend the run and the pass.
On what was so special about Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier…
I just brought it up because you look at those, those were great fights. The only one that was horrible was that one, the Monday night massacre where we got knocked out in the first round. Usually, you have two good teams going at it. Those two fights were the best. That's what you want this to be. Yes, it was three fights that they had, the Thrilla in Manila, and that other one, that Madison Square Garden one, the classic one where Frazier got the unanimous decision, the very first fight. Those were great fights. I remember them growing up and things. Hopefully, this can be that kind of game, and hopefully, we'll end up on top. Whether we're Ali-Frazier, I don't know.
On the New England cornerbacks…
I think [Ras-I] Dowling was actually out in our game. I'm not sure, but I thought he was. Anytime you lose depth, that hurts you, obviously. They have, with the release of [Leigh] Bodden and Dowling being on IR, but you have a former Pro Bowl player from Rutgers right here, [Devin] McCourty manning one corner and then [Kyle] Arrington, the other kid. They have two solid guys right there.
On Kyle Wilson this year compared to his rookie season and to McCourty last year…
I think, statistically, that bore that out last year. McCourty had a ton of interceptions and Kyle struggled some. We liked Kyle when we took him. We thought he might have been the top corner in the draft when he came out. I'm not surprised that Kyle is having the kind of year that he is having because clearly, if you want to look at it, first year, head-and-shoulders you would have taken McCourty over him, but I think Kyle Wilson, right now, is having as good a year, I think, as any nickel [cornerback] in this league. [I'm] really proud of the way he has progressed. He is a student of the game, like we've always said, but he's played extremely well for us.
On if he is surprised by how much Brady has been hit the last couple of games and how much of that is a strategy that teams have adopted from the Jets…
I don't know about that. We don't take credit for someone else's success, that's for sure. If we steal something from somebody, we'll make sure that we give them credit. That's probably the difference [joking]. Yes, you want to hit Brady, there is no question. You want to to where he is not feeling comfortable. That, you have to do. If you can't get pressure on Brady, then you're going to get destroyed, so we have to find ways of getting there whether it's through a four-man rush, like the Giants used a bunch, whether it's something creative or whatever, I don't know, but you have to get pressure on Brady.
On if it seems like Brady is getting hit more this season than in years past…
I'm not real sure. He gets rid of the ball so fast that he makes his reads, he'll stand in there and he'll deliver the passes. I think what's funny is that I love that "Brady is struggling." Based on what, every other quarterback in the league? I don't think so. Based on that year he had last year, where that's a once-in-a-lifetime year, he threw four picks and I don't know how many touchdowns, a zillion I think, his percentages and all that, that's going to be hard to match. He's as good as it gets at quarterback right now.
On what he got Mark Sanchez for his birthday…
I think my wife got him a scarf, you know that scarf look [laughter]. I don't know. I never thought it was good, but she thought it was cute.
