Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Monday's midday practice:
We had a strenuous practice out there today. You guys saw it. On the injury report, the guys that did not practice were Dwight Lowery [ankle], Donald Strickland [concussion] and Robert Turner [knee]. The people that were limited in today's practice were Shaun Ellis, which we said will be that way the rest of the way with the knee. D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the hamstring, kind of tweaked it in the game, and then Mark Sanchez [knee]. We've listed him as limited. Guys that were full today were Jim Leonhard [thumb], Calvin Pace [shoulder] and Eric Smith [lower back]. We came out of the game pretty healthy. Obviously we had a couple of scares there with D'Brickashaw and Mark Sanchez, but I think we should be ready to roll.
This week the preparation is critical. Mentally, you've got to make up for a few days. The thing about playing these Thursday night games, these are great games to win. They're horrible to lose, but these are great games to win because it's almost like you get another bye at the end of it. If you lose these games, it's miserable because you've got all that time to wait before you get to play again.
Obviously, there is more to it than just that. We can still do some things. The last time we played these guys it was kind of a sloppy game. Offensively we had six interceptions in the game. We had some bad timing on penalties, but you have to give them credit. They found a way to win and that's what we have to do this week. That's our challenge. These guys are playing hard. They're playing well. They stuck it to Miami pretty good yesterday. We know we're going to get their best shot. Trust me they're definitely getting our best shot, so no excuses. We know it's tough on everybody else this time of the year in a short week. I think this is where our conditioning's going to pay off for us. We're relatively healthy and I think we'll put together a good performance.
On if there is a renewed sense of hope for the playoffs…
We're not even looking at it. To have any chance at all, we have to take care of our business and that's it. We put ourselves in this situation, but we're not even at that stage of looking at and worrying about how other teams fare. We know we have to win. That's all we're focused on.
On if Mark Sanchez will play Thursday without any major limitations…
I think he will. I know he's sore, so we'll see how that goes. It is a short week. He could probably answer that better, but he finished the game. I thought he was still moving around pretty good. So hopefully he'll be 100% when we play.
On how Sanchez was limited today…
Well, I mean it is soreness. I just put limited. You guys saw the tempo. I think it's appropriate to put him there because he did miss some time during that game and he does have some soreness there.
On how to classify Sanchez's injury…
Tweak. A sore knee. The tweak is good because nobody knows what that is, so tweak [laughter]. I think he tweaked his knee. There was no major damage, so that's the first thing.
On his initial thoughts when Sanchez got injured…
It happened right there. I was like, 'Oh, man.' I saw the hit. I've seen a lot of like devastating injuries. I never thought it was that. I thought it almost looked like it scared him and that's why I was like, 'Just breathe. You'll be all right.' We're fortunate that that's probably what it was more than anything.
On if he wishes he had used the code system earlier…
If I would have thought about it earlier, then maybe we would have gone to that. I think it looked like it helped a little bit. I think Mark was comfortable with it. At first he was like "give me the darn thing", and he kept it. I think he appreciated it. He really understands how this organization is counting on him and the kind of mindset we put him in. Obviously, the plays are always going to be what Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] calls, so it was just more the kind of the frame of mind we needed him in. We'll just continue it.
On how the code system came about…
You know me, I'm dyslexic. I figured it out. I just kind of came around it one way or the other, and it made sense to me. I figured I'm going to my weakest student. It made sense to me, so I figured it made sense to him.
Of if the code system was suggested by anyone…
No.
On if Sanchez will try to do too much this Thursday…
That's a fair question, but I think we understand why that happened before. I think Mark understands that, and maybe that's where we talked about this code thing. Kind of brings him back a little bit. Mark is a lot like myself where if something happens to you, it's not that you're going to get even with that situation. You want to get ahead. I think that's where I've been guilty in my life, and I that's where his competitiveness kind of gets the best of him. Now we know that. We know this is how he responds, so it's more of a 'Hey, hold up.' Let's bring him back. We can't bring them back. The way you get a team back is by beating them on the scoreboard. Mark knows that now more than ever.
On if he is scaling back his game plan for Sanchez because of the short week…
You know that old term "gym rat?" He's here. He's going to be studying. He's going to be doing all kinds of stuff. We want Buffalo to think we're changing everything this week, so we'll mention that to them. We're scrapping everything we've done. Realistically, they know what we're going to do. They know what we're about. I think Mark's going to have a great grasp of the game plan. I have all the confidence in that. I know he's not going to be outworked.
On how many yards Thomas Jones has to run this Thursday to win the game…
I think if we run for 310, we'll find a way to win the game. That was an amazing thing. Buffalo, you get six interceptions, you ought to win a game. We run for 300 yards, you ought to win a game. It was just one of those things. This team, right now, they're playing the run much better. They've got some stout guys up front. Thomas made some great runs. They had like two or three guys in place ready to make a tackle. Thomas made the guy miss. He took one to the house that way.
We're hoping that our running game can get going and we'll see. I think we'll be more efficient in our passing game than we were the last time we played them. We know it's going to take a great effort because these guys played hard. That's been a trademark of Buffalo for a long time. It seems the more players they get out the better they become. They're a dangerous team and Miami found that out last week.
On Jones' work ethic…
It's as good as you can see out there. He's another guy that's not going to be outworked. He studies. The thing I love about Thomas is he brings people with him. He brings Shonn [Greene] with him. We're going to go study tape, he takes Shonn with him. He's not studying it by himself, he's being a true leader. He leads by example, but he also encourages and brings guys with him and builds his teammates up. I'm really proud of him and he's got a great chance this week of going over 1,000 yards rushing, which is really a great compliment to him. He's done a great job running the ball. He's durable, dependable and humble.
On how comforting it is to have Darrelle Revis...
It makes it a little easier to play this game than if you don't have them. He's a rare guy. I've been saying it the whole time. I'm upset with how he played last week against Steve Smith because he gave up [one completion for 5 yards]. We've got to get better out of him [smiling]. Steve Smith is a great receiver. You've got Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, whomever it is, Lee Evans. There are some great guys that he's matched up with every week. He's got the toughest challenge on the field. Every single week he answers the bell. From Andre Johnson, you name it. He faces it. It gives you so much freedom as a play-caller to not have to worry about, 'Oh, man. This guy's the best receiver in the game.' This guy gets it done. It is amazing. It's unfortunate that we haven't had the success as a football team because without question he'd probably be the top guy as far as Defensive Player of the Year. Nobody's had the impact that this young man's had throughout the league. I know the kid, the pass rusher, [Jared] Allen from Minnesota has had a great year. [Elvis] Dumervil got stats. Darren Sharper from New Orleans has had a great year, but nobody's had the impact this guy has and it isn't even close. That's where I think as a football team we've kind of let him down because that would have been a great personal honor for him. We'll see. Hopefully, we'll get on a win streak. When it's all said and done, people will realize the impact this guy's had.
On if Revis is as good as he originally envisioned…
All I did was look at the tape. I had no idea. I had never met him. I never knew what he was like. I just knew how he played. I knew how he competed, but this is even a little surprising to me. I knew he was the best corner in the game, but this is unbelievable. I mean, every week. His competitiveness, and his courage, is second to none. It really is amazing.
On if other coaches might downplay Revis' talent since he is a young player…
I'm just honest and that's the thing, no coach-speak. I'm not looking for whatever the deal is, I'm just telling you. Every coach in the league, if they don't think he's the best corner in the league, is being ridiculous, because he is.
On if his decision to change Kerry Rhodes' role contributed to his performance…
No. He played well. That's what we were expecting from him. He's always been a playmaker in his career. It's just a matter of time. I was proud of the way he played. The one interception he made was tremendous. He was playing centerfield in a single high safety. He saw that the pass rush was getting there. He squeezed the route, played over the top and very few safeties are going to make that play. The other one he probably could have signaled fair catch on. But that first one was a big-time interception. It was great to see, and I know he's got that ability. We all know that.
On if Eric Smith will still start…
I'm going to say this, Kerry's going to start in more packages. You might not notice how much. He's going to play a ton. I probably will start Eric in, like you call it, the base package. We feel good about our safety situation. I thought James Ihedigbo, with the short time he was in there, certainly made an impact.
On if Rhodes was mostly in dime packages this week…
Right.
On if Rhodes will be in on some nickel packages…
Yeah. He'll definitely be in some nickel packages. I think he'll be in other packages as well.
On if Donald Strickland and Dwight Lowery will play this week…
Still not sure. I know they're trying to get back on the field, but this is a short week. Hopefully, we can see enough out of them. If they don't practice, I don't see how you can play them.
On #99 Paul Kruger's interception for Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh Sunday night…
I don't remember him [laughing]. No, he made a great play. The kid made a great play. Again, I wasn't focused on how that would help us, if it would help us [laughing]. But it was a nice play by that kid.
On growing up in Toronto…
It was kind of neat. First, when we moved out there I never knew how to skate. Some would argue I still can't skate. You have to play hockey or you weren't going to play any sport really, so I learned how to play hockey. I always wanted to be out there on the ice. That's what was so weird about hockey, you kept shifting in and out. I was like no, I'm going to play goalie because he's out there all the time, plus he had the coolest equipment. So that's what I did. I was the catcher in baseball, so I'm just used to having things thrown at me, obviously, as a coach. I was a natural, but it was a lot of fun. Toronto is a great town. I never thought I'd see the day where the NFL would be playing a game in Toronto. I certainly never envisioned myself coaching a team that would be playing in Toronto. It's a great opportunity for us. It's a great town, and hopefully we can convert some of those hockey fans to become New York Jets fans.
On if he lived with his mom in Toronto…
Yes.
On if his brother Rob also lived with them in Toronto…
Yeah, and my older brother Jim.
On how he thinks the game will be received…
I think it will be great. I think they'll be wanting us to punt on third down [laughter]. The fact that there's no 55-yard line, I think will be a new wrinkle for them, but you'd be surprised. There are a lot of NFL fans right there in that Toronto area. Obviously, you've got Buffalo right up the road. I think it's going to be great. I'm glad we're doing it. We just want to win. We don't care if it's in Toronto, in Buffalo or right here, makes no difference to us. We're going to do whatever it takes to get a win.
On if he's been back to Toronto…
Yeah. One of my sons was playing in Cooperstown in a tournament. After the tournament we drove down and took them to Niagara Falls and then went to the CN Tower, and went to a Blue Jays game. I said, 'Hey, we'll leave after the game.' My wife wasn't that excited when the game went into like 18 innings, but we can't leave early. We're going to be there all the way to the end. She wasn't real fired up about it.
