Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Thursday's midday practice:
Let's go over the injury report first. Lito [Sheppard] and [Donald] Strickland did not practice again today. I don't think Strickland is going to be able to play this week. I'm not declaring him out right now, but I don't think there's any way he's playing this week. Matt Slauson was actually a full participant today in practice. It says here limited, but I don't remember him being limited. He does have an ankle. Other guys on the full participation list that we list on the injury [report]: [Kellen] Clemens, right elbow; [Kris] Jenkins, back; [Jim] Leonhard, knee; [Dwight] Lowery, ankle; Nick Mangold, toes and disposition [laughter]; Sione [Pouha] with an ankle; Bryan Thomas, ankle; [Jamaal] Westerman, a quad; Wallace Wright, hamstring; Damien Woody, shoulder. And we put [Mark] Sanchez on there. He had a little tendinitis, full participation but that was in his right knee today. So we just added him. Make sure he's on that list [laughter]. I don't mean anything by that. It's just a little thing so we're going to put him on there.
Other than that, I told the guys that I wasn't happy. I'm glad we never played today. I think we've got to ratchet some things up on defense in particular. I know and I trust that the guys will. We had a few too many mistakes out there for my liking. So we're going to get that fixed and the guys understand that. We've got to make sure that we've got it all tight because this is an outstanding opponent and we don't need to be beating ourselves. Other than that, everything seems to be fine.
On Mark Sanchez's tendinitis…
It's just like a little tendinitis. It's not that big of a deal, but he has something. I don't know how to describe it, just to say it's a little tendinitis, but he's fine. He fully participated, moved around great. We're making sure we're looking after him.
On how he plans to defend against Chris Johnson…
We're hoping to put some Riddells on him. That's what we're trying to do. That's going to be the main thing, getting more than one guy on him. He's an explosive guy. We've got to do a great job of corralling him. If he's in the open field, it turns into a punt return. You have to make sure the edges are set and you've got to do a great job of rallying and gang tackling him.
On not being able to ignore Johnson's explosive game vs. Houston…
Absolutely. Going for 285 all purpose yards, that's hard to ignore. We're no dummies. The guy's an exceptional back. He's got great speed and I think he's running the ball inside better than he did last year. The guy's a multi-talented guy and clearly he [Jeff Fisher]'s right, we've noticed it. There's no doubt.
On if Johnson is the biggest individual threat they will face so far…
I would think so. I think he made the Pro Bowl last year. I'm not sure if [Steve] Slaton did. Fred Taylor is a pretty good back, so is [Kevin] Faulk, and that combination up there in New England. I think he has the most speed of anybody we've faced. He's got the most speed of any back in this League, so that's always a challenge. Again, it's a challenge we think we're going to be up to.
On Marques Murrell getting more reps than Vernon Gholston vs. New England…
Murrell was backing up both sides. Vernon was backing up Shaun [Ellis] for the most part. We went with a smaller group. We went with a lot of DBs against New England. We've been happy with Vernon. I thought Vernon played pretty well in that game as well.
On the possibility of Sunday ending with a very good Titans team at 0-3…
I hope that's the way it is because you are exactly right. At the end of the day, that's still a very good football team and I think we are as well. That's the challenge this week. That team could very easily be 2-0 and this could be a battle of two 2-0 teams. Right now they are 0-2 and looking down the barrel at 0-3. It's not our job to feel sympathetic although I think Jeff Fisher is a hell of a guy. If that's my twin brother on the other sideline, I'd feel the same way. I'm going to try to do whatever we can to go 3-0 and have Jeff go 0-3.
On Dwight Lowery…
He did make a big play and if Lito can't go, then he'll be the guy that starts in his spot. I'm hoping that Lito plays. We'll see, but I have a lot of confidence in Lowery. He did make that huge, huge play at the end of that game [vs. New England] to help win us that game.
On if Lowery would replace Donald Strickland…
Well, he would move inside to play where Strickland does. I don't think Strickland can play, so that will be Lowery if Lito plays. If Lito can't go, he'll have to move to the outside and we'll put Drew Coleman inside.
On Jerricho Cotchery being a number one receiver…
I'm not saying anything [laughter]. Remember, we're supposed to have average receivers, so I'll just leave it like that until the end of the year. Then we'll all know he's a number one receiver.
On Kerry Collins…
The guy's played 15 years in the league and he's done an excellent job. I think in the playoff game last year he had a huge game against me in Baltimore. I think he had 280 yards. He's more than capable as a quarterback. He can throw the ball. He recognizes coverages and does a good job that way. He's a guy that doesn't take many sacks. He gets rid of the ball. Hopefully, we can get to him and get him off his spot and challenge his receivers down the field. Hopefully, we'll make some plays.
On if there is anything extra they can do to prepare for Chris Johnson…
Yeah, if you think you're wide enough keep going. I always say if you think you're fast enough, you're not, trust me [laughter]. Just get out there. That's him. He's got that kind of speed. You've got to make sure you've got those edges set. You've got to contain the football, not the blocker. I think sometimes guys get out there and they try to "Hey, well I'm containing, I'm outside the block." Well, that doesn't mean anything with this guy. He'll just blow right by you. You have to make sure you're containing the football, not just the blocker when you're trying to set edges on this guy.
On how LenDale White looks this year compared to last year…
When you look at Chris Johnson and him, he still looks big to me. He's a big, powerful back. That's great he lost weight, but he's still a big back that can pound the ball inside on you.
On what strategy he can take from Baltimore's games against Tennessee last year…
I hope we have a better start than we did in that game. The kid had a big reception in that game as well. He's someone we definitely have our antennae up on. The first time we played him, he hardly did anything. The second time we played them, the kid got some big gains on us. Hopefully we can do a good job against him. If we can take him away, that would be great. He's just part of the equation. I think they're ranked seventh in the league in total offense. They can throw the ball as well as run it. This is a challenge for us. There's no question about it. I think it's going to be a big challenge for them as well.
On Nick Mangold…
I think he's the best center in the league. I wouldn't trade him for another center in this league. There's no doubt. He can do it all. He's got size. He can handle the big guys. In our league, that's big because you've got a couple of teams that play a 3-4 defense, so you've got to be able to handle those big nose tackles. He can also play in space. He's an excellent pass protector. He's smart. He makes the line calls. He's young and he's healthy, so he's got a lot going for him. I like that hair. That's good.
