Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Friday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Guys that are listed as questionable, these two did not practice, [Jeremy] Kerley, knee, LT [LaDainian Tomlinson], knee. And with LT, I was debating, do I make him doubtful, questionable? I put questionable down there, but he's probably, if you're on a scale, he's sliding into that one, doubtful and questionable. Kerley's just questionable. It'll probably be a game-time decision there. LT, he wants to go about as bad as it gets, but I want to make sure. We have to protect him from himself sometimes. If he's not ready to go, your running back, then I'm not going to force the issue, that's for sure.
Guys that are probable. Every one of these guys is probable and every one of them was full practice today: Mike DeVito, knee, Marcus Dixon, shoulder, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, ankle — that's a new one, I guess — Shonn Greene, rib, David Harris, groin, Wayne Hunter, hamstring, Kenrick Ellis, ankle, Nick Mangold, ankle, Matt Mulligan, hip, Calvin Pace, groin, Brodney Pool, knee, Bilal Powell, illness, [Mark] Sanchez, neck, and Matt Slauson, knee.
On Ferguson's injury…
He's got an ankle.
On if Ferguson was injured in the game…
No, in practice.
On if Kerley and Tomlinson are both gametime decisions…
Well, I guess both of them, but I'm just telling you right now, LT, I never knew if I should put him at doubtful or questionable. He's in that range, he's probably right in the middle there.
On Tomlinson saying last week that he would definitely be able to play against the Bills and if Ryan feels he has to hold him out…
Well, he'd do it. But what are we going to get? What's going to happen to him if we play him? That's the balancing act there. We absolutely have to win, but we have to win the rest of them, too. That's where I'm at right now. If I was a betting man right now, if we had to play tomorrow, I don't think he'd play. That's just how I feel about it.
On if Mark Brunell took any first-team reps today…
Gosh, I don't even remember. I promise you I don't. I don't think so, because today's practice is so much shorter. You have specifics, goal-line, short-yardage. So I don't believe Mark [Brunell] took any.
On how much the offense would miss Tomlinson…
Well, we always miss LT. That's a great player, does a great job in pass protection, as well as being able to run the ball and as a receiver. I thought Shonn could step in and Joe McKnight, so we feel OK with our guys anyway.
On why there offense hasn't had many big-yardage plays and the difficulty that creates…
It definitely makes it difficult, because sometimes you can hit that one big chunk and you don't have to drive it, be as consistent, if you're hitting those big plays. I don't know if we're not throwing as many, firing down there as much as we've done in the past, or [if] it's a protection breakdown. There are a lot of different reasons why that number is as low as it is, because quite honestly, it is. What, we've had one pass play over 35 yards or something like that? Obviously, you want to have chunk plays.
On how how to create big plays…
Number one, you've got to block it up and launch, that's one way. It's a combination, the protection, you've got to have the protection. Last night, San Francisco gives up nine sacks, because the guy never had [time]. One, two, you'd fire it. Well, how far is that ball going to go? Not saying that that's where we're at, but I think it's a combination. We've got to call the things. What are you trying to set up? [It's] just different things.
On if those plays have been called or if they have not been called because of protection…
That's what I'm saying. I don't know if we've called as many as we've done in the past. I'm not real sure.
On if he feels the team needs to go 6-0 in the remaining six games to make the playoffs…
Well, that's what you want the mentality to be, the mindset to be. I don't know if that's factual or not. I feel pretty good about getting in there at 5-1, but 6-0 sounds good. [If] we go 6-0, we'll get it in there.
On how stocked the AFC North is…
I don't know how stocked that is. Maybe the records say that. I don't know. We'll see. I'm not afraid of any of those teams. There's a couple of real good teams in there. Obviously, Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but beyond that, I'll take our division over any of them.
On if he is surprised that the team has used its margin for error already…
Yeah, pretty much. I'm surprised. No doubt. I never thought we'd be in this spot right now, but we are, so we can't do anything about it now. We have to win the rest of them. That's the mentality that we're taking.
On comparing this team after 10 games to the 2009 Jets…
Every team's different. But I can certainly understand where you're coming from. We were, what, 4-6 maybe at that time? So I can see where the obvious comparisons would be. There are some differences. I think Indianapolis was 14-0 or whatever they were, 15-0 or something, and somebody's Santa Claus wish was granted that game — and we'll take it [joking]. We have to win. I don't care who's in front of us. Obviously, we've had some difficult games, but we've just got to line them up. We've got to string something together and see what happens.
On if he doesn't expect to be so lucky this time around…
I'll take luck, skill, anything. We just want to get in there, and when we do, we'll see what happens.
On what has impressed him the most about Garrett McIntyre…
I don't know where he is from, but he went to school at Fresno. His career has had all kinds of turns — Arena League, CFL, played in Canada and all that kind of stuff — but just that resiliency he has, he's probably a similar story to James Harrison. Now I hope we get the same result, but yes, his story is pretty impressive. A tough kid. One thing we said after we watched him on tape was "Man, we love this guy." He played like a Jet, a relentless motor, and obviously he is a talented guy, but I just loved the way he played.
I remember when I was on the phone with him, we talked about "Hey, look, you're going to come in here, from day one you'll be lined up as a second, you'll be running with the twos, so it will be your job to lose." And he never lost it. I was true to my word, Mike Tannenbaum was true to his word, and this young man was true to his in the way that he guaranteed us that he would perform, and that's what happened.
On if he came up with the "Oh, Canada" nickname for McIntyre…
I don't know if I came up with it, but I I lived in Canada for eight years or something, in Toronto. I can't sing the national anthem in Canada or anything, but I know they're glorious and free, I think [laughter]. Yes, I came up with that. The kid went to school at Fresno, so he was looking at me like "What?" Most of them look like that, though.
On recently calling McIntyre by his first name and if it was a calculated move because he recently had a start…
Yeah, I don't know how that slipped out, but we'll go back. If all of a sudden he's not playing very well, we'll go right back to "Oh, Canada."
On if he watched his brother's game with the Cowboys on Thursday and was happy with him beating a division opponent of the Jets…
Yes, it was good. I liked that, no question. They had it going. They played really good on defense in the first half, not so good the second half, but their offense, that [Tony] Romo was ridiculous. He made some throws that were amazing. They got it going there pretty good.
On if they had green bean casserole at Thanksgiving dinner…
Yes, we did, absolutely did. We had quite a few people over and had a good time. Whew, the lap band was in trouble [laughter]. It got stretched out. I was stretching that bad boy out.
On the play at the end of which Detroit DT Ndamukong Suh was ejected…
I'll be honest with you, I think the young man should be released and come to the Jets [laughter]. I'm just throwing it out there because I don't think he is that good of a player. I don't know about the incident and all that jazz, but we'll take him and sacrifice that way for that kid [joking]. I don't even know what to say on it. You've seen things like that happen on the field before and things, but it's an emotional game.
