Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's news conference after Thursday's midday practice:
I don't know what to say. I don't think we have any controversies at the moment. It was a good practice today. We saw a couple of mismatches out there today, one with big Wayne Hunter catching a couple of passes. Then we had [Kris] Jenkins running over Danny Woodhead so that protection is probably not the one we're looking for [laughing], putting Woodhead on Jenkins.
But it's good. It's good to have everyone out there. We've had some bumps and bruises, what you would consider minor injuries but guys are starting to get back. I don't know if everybody will play in this game against the Giants but I'm hopeful that we can get in there and get some action whether it's just for a series or two it would be good to see.
On if his players have talked to him about the Jets vs. Giants game…
No [pause, laughter]. That Raven game might have been about me and some of the coaches. This one is about them. I guess that would be it. I haven't heard anything.
On Shonn Green's injury status…
He will definitely be a guy that won't play this week and he might not play the next week. So we'll see how it is. There is nothing broken, but there are some cartilage issues there. He had a real tough time breathing after the game so we checked him out to see if his ribs were broken, but they weren't. He's just really sore and some guys can bounce back quicker than others, but we'll see. Being conservative, I'm not so sure he'll play anymore of the preseason games.
On what he's hoping to see from the first defense vs. the Giants on Saturday…
Just more of the same. To get used to playing with each other, flying around. We're going to be tested this week with that big running back [Brandon Jacobs] back there [laughing]. He's a load.
In the 10 years I was at Baltimore, that's the worst we've ever played stopping the run. You take that game away, we would have clearly led the league in run defense, but they went for 200-yards against us. The third-string guy [Danny Ware] popped one for about 90 yards on us. Then you've got Jacobs. If this was a regular-season game, I don't think I would be smiling this week. It'd be like "Whew, here we go, baby." But it's going to be a great challenge for our guys, there's no doubt.
On how close he is to picturing his final roster…
I'm close. I still think there are probably four or five guys that it's a really open competition. There might be more than that, six, I'm thinking right now, that there's going to be good competition there barring if someone comes available.
If Ed Reed becomes available he might make our team [laughter]. It's one of those types of things. You know I'll get busted for tampering now [laughing]. That's why I never named a New England player [laughter]. "He just had to take another dig, didn't he? Had to do it [laughter]." We've had a lot of work so we've seen a lot of things and now it's just get these guys going just like with the Sanchez deal and get ready to play Houston.
On the development of the younger wide receivers…
They've all had their moments. [Britt] Davis has had his as well. I think that might be one of the spots I'm talking about. You feel pretty good about four or five of those guys and then maybe you have one spot left that a bunch of those guys are battling for. Really, everybody had done a nice job. They've all had their moments.
Has anybody really stepped out and played better than the rest of them? I'm not so sure of that right now, but as you guys know, these last two preseason games especially the last one, we're going to find out. That's going to be one that your starters will play very little and your last roster spots, that's where you're trying to evaluate those things to see who stays and who doesn't.
On if WR David Clowney will start vs. the Giants...
He's definitely going to play more with the ones. I think everybody would agree that he's earned that right. He's looked fantastic in the preseason. You guys know the year before he led the NFL in preseason yardage and receptions. I don't know how he ranks this year, but he's got to be up there. Every time you look around, there he goes and he's open for another one. That's something I like to see.
Whether he's changed his spot in the depth chart, we plan on playing all those guys. It's almost like by committee anyway, but I just wanted to see him be with the first group some. I think he's earned that right.
On if possible bad weather will affect how much the ones play on Saturday…
Maybe on defense. If we have some muscle pulls or some things like that and the field's slick. These fields these days aren't that bad. They're pretty good even in rain. We'll make sure. I listen to John [Mellody, head athletic trainer] and his recommendation on who we play. I certainly don't want to have a setback with a Darrelle Revis or somebody like that when this is a preseason game. I want our guys flying around for the opener against Houston.
On last season's Ravens-Giants game…
It's an interesting point that you bring up. We actually had a shot [in the 30-10 loss to the Giants at the Meadowlands]. I thought we were going to come back in that game and then we threw the interception. Derrick Mason couldn't lift his arm, it bounces off his shoulder pad and gets returned for a touchdown, and actually the pass was on the money. And then the kid goes 90 yards on us with one. We did tackle him on the 1-yard line and had them kick a field goal but that was an embarrassment for us.
I think it actually helped us having that. We were not as good as we thought we were. You can't just walk on the field and not do your business without studying and preparing. I actually think that game really helped us moving forward. I'm not so sure we would have made it to the AFC Championship if that game doesn't happen to us.
On it being hard to put a rookie QB in when there is a 24-point deficit…
Well, that's true. All those young quarterbacks that you mentioned, I think they all have the capability of making all the throws. It's probably not an ideal situation, which I would agree with you, but I still think all those guys have the ability to come back on teams. They can all throw the ball with anybody, including Sanchez.
On the tight end position…
I liked our big kid [Hunter] out there today who caught a couple. It's funny. We might not have the greatest depth on paper but we have Dustin Keller. It's hard to say I don't like our tight end position. You guys might know it better than I do on how many tight ends you would take over Dustin Keller. Probably not many. I'm glad we've got Dustin for sure and we've got a battle for the backups right now so hopefully somebody can really emerge.
On playing LB Vernon Gholston more with the ones…
Vernon will start this week and he's getting all the one reps this week. It's kind of a fine line. You know you've got to get Calvin [Pace] ready. It's still a new defense. Vernon's getting a lot of playing time but now moving forward he's got to get the majority of the work with the ones. And Calvin certainly understands that as well. He's been going with the twos all week.
On how to deal with suspended players…
We can't have contact with them or anything else so they can't be in our building. You've just got to trust that they're staying in shape. That's really all you can do. That's why important for them still to get work. Because when they come back, we're going to need Calvin. He's a rare athlete. He's a heck of a football player so when he comes back, he's got to be ready to go.
And you're right. We have had other guys that maybe they've had a longer suspension and it took a couple of weeks for them to get in football shape with their timings. So we're fortunate. We don't have anybody with that long of a suspension. We've got Calvin at four games and then Shaun [Ellis] at the one game. I think those guys will be fine but they need to be doing football work as well as just regular conditioning. You don't want them to lose their timing and everything else with their rushes. So they've got to be in football shape when they get back here.
On if Jamaal Westerman will see an increased role during Pace's suspension...
Absolutely. That's what we're working on right now with him and [Marques] Murrell. We're letting those guys battle because it's going to be an opportunity for somebody even in the sub-package as well.
On guard Alan Faneca…
I had a great deal of respect for Faneca when he was in Pittsburgh. We'd vote him to the Pro Bowl every year because he earned it. I never realized the leadership. I just knew that he was a great football player. I had no idea how smart he was, how much of a competitor and warrior he is. He's got a string of — I don't know how many games in a row that he's started, but it's a ton. Somebody in here has the answer. It's not me. He's started I want to say a hundred games in a row. That ought to tell you right there about his warrior mentality.
He just had surgery on a finger. I called him out. I said, "Well, he won't play this game, either." Then [before Baltimore] "What are you doing?" "Oh, I think I can go." "It's a preseason game." "Yeah, but I want to be out there. I want to do all this." That's just the kind of guy he is. I'm like "All right, and by the way tell everyone he's playing." It's one of those things where I never thought he was playing. He went in and had protection on his hand. He had a little cast made for his hand. You really don't even notice it. It looks like he just has a glove on. He's actually got a little cast in there.
He's just a warrior. He's still got a lot of ability. He still moves better than most guards in this league. So I think he's got a lot of football left. He's got eight Pro Bowls in a row. He'll probably have nine this year. Keep going. He's a guy that is probably a Hall of Fame player when you get right down to it. You make that many Pro Bowls in a row, he's going to be that guy. Again, I think he's going to play for several more years.
On the kicking game…
[Jay] Feely will play this week, so that's good. He's one of the top kickers in the league, so we're excited to get him back. I thought the young man [Parker Douglass] did a pretty decent job until he shanked one out of bounds on a kickoff. He kicked one about 5 yards deep. He did a nice job. He made the field goal. Parker I think's his name, right [laughter]? He did a good job.
The punters were OK, but then when you compare them to the guy Baltimore had [Sam Koch], I would have made that trade. You can tell those guys that. I don't care. That's the truth. One guy's launching them 50 yards every time he kicks it, so it changes field position. We were getting a 20-yard change just on punting.
We've got great cover teams. [Mike] Westhoff's group over there, we've got some athletes running down there and covering kicks now. We've got a great group. And of course with Leon [Washington] and Jim Leonhard, we've got some great returners, too. That's something that's got to improve. We go out here in practice and sometimes we look like Ray Guy and then there are other times where it's like "Where did that come from?" We've just got to be more consistent.
I'm wanting those guys to do well. I'm wanting someone to jump out and just be consistent. We should be playing great defense and great special teams and be able to run the ball and move the ball on offense. The punter should be the least of our worries. That's one of those automatic things that you just kind of assume that you're going to be able to knock it down a good 40 yards, but right now we're probably getting about 32 yards off a hop. We've got to get better there.
On playing the starters into the third quarter of the Giants preseason game…
I don't think so. I think we'll play the half with the ones. I'm going to force myself to play Harvard [Chris Pizzotti] the first series in the second half. That way it's done — "check." Harvard's in there. Pizzotti will be in there. For three weeks I've been trying to get him in there and then the game gets out there and you say, at least I am, "Hell, we're going to win this game." The kid can help us win, but I'm like, "No, I've got more confidence in [Erik] Ainge." He's got to go in there. He deserves it. He's a hard working young man and who knows? Maybe we'll work for him one day. He's a smart kid.
On the cornerbacks…
I'm OK. I could have used Drew [Coleman] not giving up that deep one to Derrick Mason in the game. Other than that, he's had some good moments in the games as well. I think Lito [Sheppard]'s an outstanding corner and hopefully we can get [Darrelle] Revis back and [Donald] Strickland, too. Strickland never played, as well. One of our backup corners actually had to move inside to play the nickel and Drew stepped up.
For the most part, Drew has done a real nice job. So has [Marquice] Cole, but both of them gave up the deep ball as well. Cole actually thought he had great coverage, which he did, but you can't give up on a flight. You can't just say, "Well, it's not going to be thrown." Oh, now the ball is going over your head. You've got to finish every play and assume the ball's coming to your man. But I like our depth at corner.
On Dwight Lowery…
He gave up the one pass against St. Louis, the bomb against St. Louis. But everyone gets beat. I've been pleased with the way Lowery is playing. We're moving him around, left corner, right corner. We're moving him all over the place. He's not Darrelle Revis, but there are a bunch of them who aren't Darrelle Revis. We'll see how he does. I think he's earned the right to be in certain groups. He's a good football player, but you play out there, anytime you make a mistake or somebody beats you, it's magnified because it's going for a big chunk of yardage. But I like the way he's playing.
