Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Monday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
That bye week was good. Tough opponent, but we handled it [smiling]. Guys were out here popping out of their skin getting ready to practice. It worked out great giving them that time. We're fresh, ready to roll.
On how he decided how much time off the players would have during the bye week…
I had to change it up from the year before because the year before we lost the game. That was clearly out. We're not using that anymore. Really, thought goes into it. You want your guys to get away if they can, a couple of days, just get away from it. Then get their bodies back to where they're feeling great. You play six regular season games, you have the four preseason games, your body needs a little time off. It was good. The guys were flying around. We looked at the coaches. We've had some great meetings self-scouting each other and planning like we were going to play against the Jets and giving that information to each other, more time to study opponents and then also for the coaching staff to get away for a couple of days. We all did that. Everybody feels fresh and ready to roll.
On if they did a game plan as if they were facing the Jets…
Yes.
On if it was a good game plan…
Good game plan. It seems like the Jets pressure a bunch on defense and it seems like this team is very effective running the football. They have some playmakers over there.
On who won the game…
I don't want to say. You know how I'd slant it. The defense won by a point. No, just kidding. It was two points [laughter].
On if they self-scouted last year…
Yes. We do that during the bye week. We've done it both years. It's a good thing. Sometimes you can't see the forest through the trees and this just shows you how an opponent would look at you. Opponents break film down differently, but you still get the meat and the potatoes of what every opponent sees. We look at things a little differently. There are teams that will look at it the same way, I'm sure. It's just some things that we think will be helpful, our offense and some tendencies they have and the same thing with our defense.
On if they have any tendencies with their head coach…
Yes, we absolutely do, but the great thing is, even on defense, you don't know if I'm calling the play or Mike Pettine's calling the play. We do everything now. Pettine has a lot of those responsibilities now. Sometimes it's Dennis Thurman. It's like, "DT give us the coverage. What do you want?" Boom. Done. It kind of breaks away from your tendencies a little bit. Sometimes we use that as well.
On if he thinks Darrelle Revis' hamstring injury is completely behind him…
I do. He was moving around great today. I think we're going to see Darrelle at 100 percent, so that's exciting for me.
On what it means to the defense to have Revis back 100 percent…
This first week, we have a heck of test a right here with Green Bay coming into town — one of the best offenses in football, but we'll welcome that challenge. Right now, I think with the people we have on defense, like I said, we don't have any excuses. Put the ball out there, whatever you want to do, and we'll see what happens.
On if the bye week interrupted their momentum…
I think any coach would have wanted to keep on going. Once you get on that kind of roll, you want to just keep going. For this football team, we're better now because of the break. We're fresher. We have no excuses. Let's just go out and play. I think our guys are going to be right at 100 percent. Obviously, you don't have Kris [Jenkins], but that happens, unfortunately, in this game. We're about as healthy as we can be right now.
On if Calvin Pace is 100 percent healthy…
I don't know if he's 100 percent, but I think he'll be just fine come Sunday.
On if this team has reached its ceiling…
I don't think we're close on either side of the ball. I think the group that's there is probably the one that we had the most questions about and that's special teams. I think what we're doing punting, kicking and then our returns, is about as good as there is. That's probably the strength of our team right now, over the defense, over the offense. We're in pretty good shape there. I think offensively, be more consistent, make the plays that are there. I think we're doing a good job in pass protection. I think we're running the ball, but I still think we can run it better. I also think that our passing game can really improve. That's where I think you're going to see us make some strides in the passing game, whatever that is. We want to be better at converting third downs on offense and we have to get much better at stopping opponents on third down. We've talked about that throughout the year, but it's time to take a bigger step.
On Green Bay bringing a lot of pressure…
They get a lot of sacks. They definitely get a lot of sacks. That Clay Matthews kid has 8.5 and he's missing games. He's a tremendous athlete. They've been getting a lot of sacks. I think the Giants get the most sacks. They had 15 in one game, whatever it was. I was like, "You've got to be kidding me." I had to turn away. Sacks are a bit part of the game, but they don't tell the whole picture. They do a great job rushing the passer. Dom Capers does a great job as a coach. He has a great reputation for being one of the best defensive coaches in the game. We know they're going to be well prepared, but so will we. It's going to be a great matchup because I think we can protect the quarterback as well as any team in the league. I think that's going to be a great matchup.
On how much extra attention is required for Clay Matthews since he never tires…
That's all right. Our guys don't, either. It's going to be a big challenge for Damien Woody. He's going to have to chase him all over the place. He's not going to go up against Brick [D'Brickashaw Ferguson], I don't think. We already know the outcome of that one because he does it each week. [Dwight] Freeney, Jared Allen, whoever, just put him over there. That's fine with us. I think he's going to try and challenge Damien Woody. We'll see. Damien Woody is a great football player, so let's see those two go at it.
On if he thinks the defense will be No. 1 in the NFL by the end of the season…
Yes, I think so, but our objective is to lead the league in wins. We'll probably be up there anyways. I think we're fourth in scoring defense. We'll play them all. Line them up. We've got Houston, Green Bay, New England twice. Throw them up there. It doesn't matter. When it's all settled, I expect to have the best defense in the league, like always.
On third downs being a problem…
It's good news, bad news. We lead the league, by far and away, with the most third-and-long situations, so that's real positive. Normally, that's our trademark because you might as well punt. Right now, teams have hit some plays on us and we've been penalized a bunch on those plays. I think that's the biggest thing, staying away from the penalties. Those things are generally bad plays for an offense. If you get them in those kind of situations, that's either an interception for us or a hit on your quarterback. That's what we've got to get back to doing.
On if Mike Pettine is making more defensive calls than he was last year…
Yes, much more. It's not his fault. He's been calling the ones that work. I've got to do a better job when I call them.
On if he called all the defensive plays last year…
I called most of it, but there'd be times when I leaned on Dennis Thurman or Mike Pettine.
On how much Pettine is responsible for the defensive playcalling…
I don't know. He's calling a ton of them now.
On why Pettine is calling more plays this season…
We've been together. It was time for him to step up and call more of it. We were playing a team, he had a much better feel for it than I did. Even going into the game, he had a great feel for it. I'm like, "Hey, you need to call this one. I'll be there to pick up the pieces or screw it up." We just work off each other that way. He's doing a great job. The guys have complete confidence in him. Now, I'm there, but I don't have to call every single play.
On the team that Pettine had a good feel for…
I don't want to say. Who'd we play best against? Buffalo? It was Buffalo [laughter].
On if his assistant coaches override him during a game when he makes a call…
I don't think people override me for some reason.
On if Pettine or Thurman override him because he has a relationship with them…
No, we can cuss each other, but if it comes down to it, then I'll make the call.
On if Pettine and Thurman voice their opinions when he makes a call…
Then I'll definitely listen. I've leaned on those two guys forever. We've been together for a bunch of years, so we're a team.
On if he would listen if Pettine voices his opinion while making a call…
If that's a good story, go for it [laughter]. No, absolutely. We don't second-guess each other. That's like second-team All-American, a guy completes a ball and "Oh, I would have called this." "Oh, really?" We really don't do that. Once the call is made, we're right like this [knits his hands], always. There are times like, "Rex, they're going to do this." I'm like, "No they're not. They're going to run a draw." Ninety percent of the time they run draw, so we'll figure it out. I've seen a few huddles broke, but we take input because there's plenty of times where I'd be like, "What coverage you want?" DT's standing right there. With Pettine it's like "What are you thinking here? What's your favorite call in this situation? Give me one." OK, boom. "Pettine, have third down ready, be thinking about third down." Boom, boom, boom. We always bounce things off each other.
On who made the calls when Dwight Lowery had an interception against the Vikings and when he recovered the fumble on the corner blitz against the Broncos…
I'm not sure who came up with that. My brother did because he's hot now. Somebody says he's a hot candidate [laughter]. Part of it is, you've got to love that part of it as well is he's the brother of Rex Ryan. That's good. You better bring the players and the coaches that I have with me [smiling], but no that's great. I hope he does get his shot and he should. He'd be great. Somebody told me that and I'm like, "That's what I'm talking about." I know the obvious question: You hope he's in the same division? Yes, because I've always been able to whip my brother [laughter].
On playing Cleveland and going against his brother…
Three weeks. That'll be good, but we've got Green Bay. It's like "Yikes." They look pretty good.
