Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's midday news conference following Saturday's morning practice at training camp:
Obviously, a much quicker practice today. We're trying to get their legs back a little bit. The focus wasn't very good. When you take the pads off — this is the first time we've taken the pads off — sometimes it goes down a little bit. I wasn't real happy with the way our offense was picking up the blitzes and different things like that today. We put them in a two-minute situation and it would've been lights out.
That's what I challenge our guys to do. With the receiving corps that we have, we're going to see more pressure because the longer you give us back there the more of a chance we have to beat you. We've got to understand that and we've got to have those things nailed down. I'm not just talking about the offensive line, but the running backs, the hot receivers, the quarterback knowing he's got to get rid of the ball. We still need to improve on that, I believe.
On holding out players due to injury on Monday…
We've got two linebackers. "The Terminator" [John Conner] got one yesterday, Josh Mauga. He gave him a concussion on the goal line. It was a brutal shot. The thing that was amazing was that Josh — because he had never had one or been knocked out before — said he kind of felt funny but he got up and managed to continue to practice. But then it kind of got worse and worse. He did intercept a ball on the last play of the team period. Bart Scott had some great advice for him. He said, "I think you play better when you have a concussion." I don't know how accurate that is, but yeah, The Terminator got one.
The way he hits, that is going to happen. It's unfortunate for Josh because I was really excited to see him play. In fact, I was talking with the Monday Night crew, going over guys that I was really looking forward to playing and I was bragging about Mauga. Then [the trainers] came in and said, "Oh by the way, he's got a concussion."
He won't play and Brashton Satele won't play either. It's that ankle. I think that he could play, but it's the fact that he's like 70 percent. We want to see him, but to evaluate a guy at 70 percent doesn't really make sense. You're going to see Kenwin Cummings. You're going to see Lance [Laury] out there for almost three quarters of the game and by the way they play all the special teams. Those guys, I told them, stay hydrated and be ready to roll.
On the quarterback rotation for Monday night…
I think we'll play past the first quarter. We might have a series after the first quarter. Because we've had such a long time off, I think that's probably what we'll do. That second game, we play after five days. That's the plan right now.
On how long the first defense will play against the Giants…
A little longer than a quarter. We'll probably play a quarter and a series.
On defensive problems the Wildcat presents…
I'd like to say nothing. But that first time we played Miami it looked like a lot of problems. The second time we played them not so much. You just have to plan for it. The biggest thing is when you've got a guy who can run and throw like we've got [Brad Smith]. Now you've got issues. Ronnie Brown is a Pro Bowl running back that's why the thing works. When you have a guy like Brad it's another dimension altogether, a guy that can throw it as well.
On if the team is ready for Monday night's game…
No question. No doubt. They can't stand playing and practicing against each other right now. They really can't wait to play somebody.
On how the team can be more consistent than last year…
I think we have to finish games in the fourth quarter on defense. I think that's big. I think we have to do a better job in the red zone on offense. I think if we do that, we'll be in pretty good shape.
On veterans sabotaging rookies competing at the same position…
The classic guy for that is Matt Stover, who kicked for 15 years and can still kick today, I'm sure. But you bring another kicker in, the guy would be booming the ball. It was unbelievable. The guy was just killing it. Every kickoff 8 yards deep, launching field goals. By the time Stover was done with them, you never knew if they were kicking right-footed or left-footed. He was legendary for it.
On what Stover did to hurt his competition…
I have no idea. You can ask Stover. Once he officially retires, ask him. I mean, this happened every single year. It was amazing, and we had some good kickers come through there. The kicker for the Bears [Robbie Gould] was with us in Baltimore, and he's been to two or three Pro Bowls, I think. He had him all messed up. He was like the horse whisperer, just sitting back there. It was crazy. Literally, you'd come out there and be like "Oh, my, are you kidding me?" He would kick the ball sidewise or something, then Stover would come up there and barely get it over the goalpost like he did for 15 years. He was a great kicker.
On the busy week ahead traveling back and forth from Cortland…
It is a lot, there's no doubt. Then the next home game, we're going to go to Hofstra and do that thing all over again. If we were playing a regular-season game, we wouldn't be doing this, but the fact that it's preseason, sometimes it's good to not get them in a set routine. The fact that we're playing, this year, all those Monday night, Sunday night and Thursday night games, at all these different times, I think it's good to have guys going through this because you really have to stay on top of your schedule and learn how to set a routine even though the times are going to change. That's what we're trying to do.
Wait until you see our schedule before we play Philly. We're going to see a play. We're going to go to a big luncheon deal, then bus down after that. By the way, we play a game the next day. It's a given.
Again, by the time the season rolls around, we'll be happy. We'll be in more of an "OK, here's what it looks like." Right now, even today, I took some things out. We had initially made it a pads practice, now it's no pads. I'm just trying to get them to understand that it's not exactly what you're used to, but you have to be able to function anyway.
On what he sees in Matt Slauson that could make him a long-term starter at left guard…
He's a big, mean dude. He has the mentality right now. I want to preface this right now by saying if you don't mentally know what you're doing, it's hard to be physical, regardless. I always use the Otis Wilson story. Wilson was a killer as an outside linebacker. Everybody remembers him. He never started that way. I saw those training camps. If he wasn't a first-round pick, we would've cut him.
With that being said, both of these guys are tough guys, Vlad [Ducasse] and so is Slauson. Last year, it was funny because when we got in those preseason games, he was knocking people all over the place and I was impressed then, saying, "Hey, we have a guy here." We kept him on the roster, and he's been developing.
The thing with Slauson also is the fact that he was recruited by [assistant head coach/offensive line] Bill Callahan to Nebraska, so Bill coached him in college. He's actually been around Bill a lot longer than Vlad, with his two months or whatever it's been. That definitely gives him the upper hand. Could he be a long-term solution there at guard? I believe he could, and we'll see. We're lucky. I think we have a young guy that's really coming on in Ducasse, but we have Slauson, who's ready to be a starter in this league.
On if Santonio Holmes will play more than usual in the Giants game…
It depends on what the score is. We've been known to say, "You got a 9-route in you? Go get it." I would like to win it, though, because I know what the Giants are saying, that they're not preparing for us.
On if Holmes will play more because he'll be out with a suspension for four games…
We'll absolutely play him, just like we did Calvin Pace. It will be similar reps like we gave Calvin.
On if he told John Conner to calm down a little bit because he is playing with teammates…
Well, both those were full-speed drills. We went full speed — that's what you do. The only guys you're competing against are your teammates. It was a great collision but it was an unfortunate consequence. This guy is going to knock out a bunch of guys, they're not just going to be our guys.
On if he's concerned that this is Mark Sanchez's first game since his knee surgery…
Not until you brought it up. Not really. You don't even look at him that way. Right now he's moving great, he's doing everything. I guess we should be more concerned but that hasn't even dawned on us.
On Kyle Wilson's debut…
It's going to be great for him. You think about this young man, he went to Boise to play but he grew up in the area so I'm sure he'll have 25 family members at the game. It has to be a dream come true for him to be in this kind of situation and to also be named a starter. It's pretty good. But he has to get used to it because he's going to be playing in this league for a long time.
On Jeff Cumberland early in camp…
He really jumped out at me. He could run away from people, he has great height, he'll go up and catch it and he's fairly physical. I'm excited to see how he does in this game against guys that have no idea about him.
On if he is concerned about the field at New Meadowlands Stadium…
I mean, we did have a couple of guys slip and things but I never thought it was that big of an issue. Then I found out later that the young man [the Giants' Domenik Hixon] got hurt. I thought the field was in good condition. We just have to get used to it. The grass might be a little longer than what you think but that's probably because it hasn't had the wear and tear on it yet. I thought the field was just fine. I certainly hope so.
On which "off the radar" guys he is excited to see…
Not necessarily off the radar, but I want to see Joe McKnight. I want to see both Jason Davis and the Terminator go at it. On defense, it's funny because you've got guys like Kenwin [Cummings] and Lance [Laury], who are going to be dragging. After the game everybody's going to go out, those two are going to bed. I'm just telling you but let's see how they handle it. Let's see if the fact that they're going to be pressed more on defense, how they handle it on special teams. Brian Jackson, who we always call "Brain" because someone misspelled his name when they handed out stuff, so Brain Jackson, I'm excited to see how he plays. By the way, he did throw the ball 77 yards today.
On Jackson…
He's physical. That was first thing that jumps out. He's competitive, physical and he has great length to him. He doesn't have blazing speed and that is probably why we were able to get him as a free agent, but we were shocked he wasn't drafted. There was a ton of teams that wanted him. The fact that we were able to get him — Dennis Thurman worked him out, we feel great about him.
We're also trying to cross-train him as a corner and a safety to give him flexibility. I want to see how he plays special teams. These guys may not play defense for us the first year, but they're going to play special teams so they'd better stand out in a big way. He has that opportunity so we'll see how he does.
On why he has been patient with Jackson…
If he wasn't that talented, we would have let him go.
On Satele…
The ironic thing is that he didn't play last year. Mike Smith is with us, a player that used to be with me in Baltimore, he recommended him. He thought he was going to be one of the best players but he got hurt and never played. He's healthy now so we brought him in for a workout. He is one of those under-the-radar guys. He showed up and he is doing a great job for us. Unfortunately, he hasn't been healthy for three days. We think that it's not in his best interest to put him out there [in the first preseason game]. He's not going to be close to 100 percent.
On how Tanner Purdum has done at long snapper…
That concerned me. He's been doing a great job. He can really snap the ball. He has to be accurate. That can't be a question because he doesn't have great size. He doesn't have great size and strength so he's not a traditional long snapper. He's done a great job until that day. He had a low one and a high one which was concerning to Mike [Westhoff] and me.
On former long snapper James Dearth…
James has done a great job for years. At the end of the day, the way the game is set up you try to get younger, cheaper players if you can. That's the harsh reality of this game.
On Marlon Davis…
I did like him. I got him from Alabama and thought he had a chance. He had a nice bubble and a lot of weight in his lower body. This game is not for everyone. If your head is not all the way in it or you have some doubts with an injury, you have to let him go. Thirty-five guys are going to be cut. It's hard to make it. Some guys cut themselves. Maybe their head isn't all the way in it. Some guys like going around with a T-shirt that says New York Jets on it ... maybe the commitment isn't there. Certainly, that wasn't [Marlon's] case.
Then there are some injuries. [Kevin Basped] did a lot of things in college, had excellent pass rush ability. At the end of the day his knees were so bad that unless he gets them fixed, there's no way he could make it through an NFL season. Sometimes durability is as important as athletic ability in the NFL. The numbers are what they are. In this game, there is a 100 percent injury rate. If you are a kicker, you're going to get hurt. That's the nature of this game. That's why I always say that mighty men play this game. Sometimes if you already have those issues, we know that you're not going to be able to make it through. Then we've got to let you go.
