Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's Monday late-morning news conference:
I am sure you know about Shaun Ellis. It is official from the league. Obviously, he is going to be suspended for that first game. He has accepted responsibility for his actions. We'll look forward to having him Week 2. I think [what] is important [is] how it is going to affect us. Who is starting hasn't really been determined. We'll go through that process. But again, we have a lot of confidence in our players. We always talk about the decal. Whoever goes out there is going to make a good account of themselves. We will miss Shaun obviously, but we feel that we have the guys playing behind him. We should be just fine. Don't feel sorry for us. We will move forward from that.
Today was a hot day out there. I purposely wanted to make this a longer practice. I know we have two-a-days and we want to practice in the heat. So we finally got some heat. It is good for our guys to go through that. They feel the heat. Somebody asked me, "Well, you open up in Houston, is the dome going to be closed? Is it going to be open?" We are playing like it is going to be open. They may have some mechanical problems or something [laughter]. We're going to practice like it's going to be open.
I thought today was a good practice. We had some up-and-down moments on both sides. But, it was a good competition and guys pushed through it.
On the side of his personality that was revealed after the loss to the Rams…
Everybody that came from Baltimore has [seen that side]. It's funny because I am a nice person, I try to be a nice person. I carry myself that way, especially off the field. But I am human too, just like everybody else. There are probably a few more sides to me than you would think. I think if you ask any player that I have ever coached in Baltimore that they would tell you there is another side also.
I am a players' coach yet I think sometimes there is that perception that 'well, this guy is just an easy-going guy.' And I am an easy-going guy, but nobody will rip a guy more than I will when it is warranted. If I don't feel like you are playing up to your standards, my standards, our team standards, than I will definitely let that individual know about it and the unit know about it. I think that is maybe why I get so much respect. If I see something that is not right, I am going to address it. It might not be in front of everybody and the whole country. It might be individually. It might be behind closed doors. I always thought that was funny because very few people will challenge a player more than I will.
As an assistant coach, I don't think I had that perception out there but it certainly exists. Sometimes I am wrong. We even tell the players it is not a personal thing. We're talking [about] a problem, not you personally. Ninety-five percent of the time the coach is right but that other five percent he might just have had a bad day, so the players [have] to understand that as well.
On if the players notice the roster moves being made the day after the game…
I guess you have to ask them. I'm just trying to put together an excellent football team. Some things you can't have, and again, we talked about it earlier in here that I am not saying a guy can't play in the National Football League, he just can't play for us. You have to be special to play for the Jets. There are a lot of guys that would love to get this opportunity but I want that certain mentality.
Dropping a punt with Paul [Raymond], if Jim Leonhard dropped a punt I wouldn't be cutting Jim Leonhard. I wouldn't be cutting Leon Washington. But if you get a chance to shine there, you have to step up and do it. Not everybody gets to bat with us. So, if you get an opportunity, you have to make the most of it. Some guys only get one shot. You have to make the most of it.
On Chris Pizzotti not getting an opportunity to play in the preseason game…
I was trying to win. I told the kid he deserved an opportunity to get out there and quarterback in a National Football League game. I apologized to him for not getting him in there. I also told him you never know, we could bring him back for that one drive. That's what I think. I owe the guy the opportunity to get in there and get some pictures of himself. Seriously, because that kid is going to be a success in life, there is no question. He is a great kid. Can he quarterback in the National Football League? Maybe not. But there are a billion people that can say the same thing. I thought he deserved the opportunity in a preseason game and that's why don't be surprised if he comes back.
On missing Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis at Houston…
I like our depth in the D-line. We'll bring a guy up that might not normally be up for that week. There are a lot of times where you miss a player for a week. We just have to move on, business as usual. Like we talked about, backups have to maintain that level or even improve it.
On if there is a player that will likely replace Shaun Ellis…
I really don't want to lock myself into that. There are some guys that we will definitely consider for that spot.
On Kris Jenkins participating in drills this morning…
He looked good [laughter], but let's not blow these two weeks here. We're not going to rush him into a team drill or anything like that. Sometimes it's tempting. We're playing the Ravens. Of course I feel extra about this game. I'm not going to deny that. I guarantee you that they do, too. I was there for 10 years. But I'm not going to do something stupid to jeopardize this football team. But it's tempting [laughter].
On if he wishes the game against the Ravens was a regular-season game…
I'll tell you what. Let's play in the playoffs. That would be the best. That would be a great scenario. It means we're both there. I cared deeply for that organization, but not half as much as I care for this one. This is my team right now. This is the one that I am with. I still definitely care about that football team.
On if he wants to show the Ravens what he has done so far with the Jets…
Yeah, I think so. That's probably an accurate statement. I want them to know that my guys are playing like Jets and we're to be taken seriously. Our guys are going to play hard. I don't doubt that for a second. The fact I got passed over for the coaching job there, I don't know, does that mean anything? Maybe it does.
On if its better knowing beforehand that Ellis and Pace will be out of action…
It definitely does, because now, we're able to make some more adjustments. Calvin knows we have to get Vernon [Gholston] ready with more base reps. He'll still be getting reps, but instead of him being in every single package, maybe he'll only be in a couple where he's starting. Obviously, if he was starting, you'd have him in everything you have. I think it also gives the guys who are behind Pace, 'hey, we have to count on you for four weeks, so you better be ready to roll.' I think it helps.
On if it will be emotional returning to Baltimore…
I don't know if it will be that emotional. It is a preseason game. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I have a lot of respect for a lot of guys over there and, just like anything else, you want to compete against them. You want to compete against your friends. You want to compete against those players that you've been with for 10 years. You want to compete against [Ravens head coach] John Harbaugh, who I've known forever and [Ravens offensive coordinator] Cam [Cameron], who I respect a ton. But I respect my brother and I still want to kick his [butt] [laughing]. It's the same thing.
On if he's sat in on more offensive meetings this week…
No, not really. They know me in Baltimore, they always used to say that my favorite play is "the belly," where [the quarterback] turns and gives it to the fullback. That was my favorite play on offense [laughing]. Wedge block and just knock people out of there. So they can expect that play, I promise you. They can expect that play from us.
On his relationship with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh…
John and I go way back. We go back to the days at the University of Cincinnati many years ago. I had a great deal of respect for him then. When it came down to it, I never knew who all the other candidates were, but I recommended Harbaugh for the [Ravens coaching] job. I went to [Ravens General Manager] Ozzie [Newsome] and said, 'I'll stay here and work under this guy, but I'm not going to stay and work under anybody else.' That's how I felt about it.
I knew Harbaugh would be great for the organization. I know the kind of person he is and the kind of leader he is. It was a great experience for me to be with him all those times. It was different. My job last year was to get the defense on board and I think we did that. Now, they realize that Harbaugh is their coach. I think part of my job was to make sure that there was some acceptance, and the guys wouldn't have accepted that until I accepted it, until I was over the fact that I wasn't the head coach there. That was fine. I thought they hired the right guy. I was happy to be working under Harbaugh.
On the punting competition…
We'll see. I'm not going to say anything until I see it live [laughing]. We can practice punt with anybody in the league [laughing]. I want to see someone step up and punt. The funny thing is, Reggie [Hodges] is a good punter. But c'mon, let's bang one out there and punt. This is the same dude that launched a 95-yard punt. Talent-wise, he has as much talent as anybody in the league. We just need to see it consistently. He's a good holder, he's a good athlete, he's everything you want. I want to see it consistently.
I don't want to see any grounders. It makes no sense to have that kind of talent and believe in the protection that we have. We have great guys to cover kicks, you have to be excited as heck to run out there and launch one. It's like, 'hey, check this one out. I'm going to launch this one about 60 yards, watch these guys go cover it.' That's the attitude and the mentality that you have to take. Hopefully, we'll see that in both these guys.
On Howard Green's early absence from practice…
Dentist. He had to go to the dentist. He was hurting – I think it was a wisdom tooth. He's going to get his teeth pulled, so you might want to list him as "doubtful" for the afternoon [laughing]. You know if they have to pull that bad boy, you know he won't be out there. But if they don't have to pull it, he'll probably be out there. But if they have to pull it, he's probably going to be hurting a little bit. It's no big deal. I had four pulled at one time, I might have been "doubtful" myself that afternoon [laughing]. That was rough.
On Bart Scott and David Harris teaming up at middle linebacker…
I want them to just play, that's all. We have a great group of linebackers right there. I think [linebackers coach] Bob Sutton has done a heck of a job coaching them. The more they play together, the more they know where one another will be. It's going to become second nature to them. I think right now, they hit something and then they look to see, "Hey, where's he at?" I think that's why Bart had some hamstring issues early on here in camp, but he wanted to be out there just so he can get a feel for David. Individually, they're outstanding, but collectively, they're even better.
On if Bart Scott and David Harris have opposite-type personalities off the field…
I don't really know what you're talking about. They seem very similar to me [laughing]. That is the odd couple right there. Harris never says anything and then you have Scott who's talking all the time, running his mouth.
On if he will play Nick Mangold in Baltimore despite his injury…
Versus Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Justin Bannan and Trevor Pryce and the boys? I would certainly want [Mangold] out there if he can. Again, like I said about [Kris] Jenkins, we're not going to rush anybody back. We want to win that opener. As much as I would like to beat anybody, and a win in Baltimore would be special, it isn't going to be anything compared to winning that opener against Houston. Whatever that takes, that's what we're going to do - what's best for our team to get our guys to the opener.
On the importance of all five starting offensive linemen being on the field during the preseason…
You want them to get work. There's no question. You want them to get work together. Is that going to be the last game? Is it going to be the next game? I'm not exactly sure. I definitely don't see [Alan] Faneca playing this week and we'll see about the following week. I'm not real sure. If we have to wait until the opener, then that's what we have to do. They are our best five and we have to play those guys, but you wish, if you had your others, you want those guys out there together.
On his philosophy when coaching the final preseason game…
Well if we haven't won a game, we're going to play our starters the whole way [laughing]. I don't want to be 0-fer in the preseason, although sometimes, if you go 0-fer in the preseason, if you look at the teams that win every preseason game, they don't fare a lot of times as well during the season, so we've already got that out of the way [laughing]. I'd still like to get the starters work – a little bit together, not a whole lot. We want to get our guys out there for Houston.
On if he feels he was overlooked for the Ravens head coaching job…
I always thought I was the right guy for the job. But at the end of the day, when I heard who they were considering, the guys that I heard about, and I never got the entire list, but I'm sure I had some of it, it was clear I wasn't going to get the job and I wasn't in their plans, that I recommended Harbaugh. They did the best thing. If they weren't going to hire me, I think they did the best thing.
On why he feels he wasn't selected to be the Ravens head coach…
I have no idea. You have to ask them. I think part of it was, when you replace a head coach, it's similar here. Brian Schottenheimer's an outstanding coach, [Bill] Callahan's an outstanding coach, [Mike] Westhoff's an outstanding coach, but when you have to make a move at the top, you generally don't hire from within. That's just the way it is. I think when Brian [Billick] got let go, I think some people in the organization thought I didn't do enough to rally the troops. Maybe that was it, where really my job was to head up the defense. The funny thing is, I think if they would have polled the players, I did exactly what they didn't think I did. I tried to keep them playing.
Again, I'm happy as hell that it worked out the way it did. I had a chance to be under Harbaugh. I thought that was great for me, as "Harbs" would say, I was "shoulder to shoulder" with him. Going through what a rookie head coach goes through, that was such a great experience for me and for him to share that with me was big time. It was great and I really felt like it was a team. We'd have some conversations and sometimes I'd give him a different perspective and there weren't really arguments, but they were conversations.
It was great. I learned a lot, and I learned a lot from some of the guys that he brought in – Cam Cameron, [offensive line coach] John Matsko and [running backs coach] Wilbert Montgomery. They have a lot of great coaches there. That experience also taught me to hire the best staff you could find. Not just the guys that you know or are comfortable with. I mean Harbaugh never knew John Matsko from anybody. I don't think he knew Wilbert Montgomery. There's a lot of guys I don't think he knows. He never knew Mike Pettine. He was like, "Let's get rid of him." I begged Harbaugh to keep him, and now, of course he knows who Mike Pettine is.
He brought in some good guys on defense. He brought in [secondary coach Chuck] Pagano, who is a hell of a coach. My brother [Rob] coached with Pagano and then he brought in Craig Madison. That was when we knew that ,'hey, you know what? You have one opportunity in your life to do this job, you better go out and get the best people you can around you,' and not worry about getting a 'yes man' or a 'whoever man.' You might feel good that your wives are best buddies or something like that. You better go out and hire the best staff. I think he has a hell of a staff there. It is probably the second best staff in the league.
On if he feels the Ravens players miss him…
They will be OK. I helped build that tradition, and on the back of the playbooks and everything else, we put a collage of all the former players that have played for the Ravens on defense such as Michael McCrary. I am disappointed that they gave his jersey to some rookie, who hasn't proven [expletive], excuse my language [laughing]. That bothered me. That was disappointing to see some rookie in that jersey.
But I'm not coaching that team so that's their decision. But really, we had McCrary on there, we'd have Goose [Tony Siragusa], we'd have all those former Ravens – Rob Burnett, and all those guys that really helped build that tradition. Now it's just going on. They're going to be strong on defense forever. Baltimore's always been strong on defense. That's a community. I expect that to happen, but I'm really excited about this defense and about the strides we're going to make here. We're going to make our fans proud of our defense.
