Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Thursday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Here's the injury report. Guys that were full today: John Conner, neck, Calvin Pace, foot, and Jason Taylor, elbow. Yes, that is full participation by those guys. Guys that were limited: Shaun Ellis, knee, Wayne Hunter, leg, Nick Mangold, shoulder, [Darrelle] Revis, hamstring, and [Jamaal] Westerman, ankle, so we're doing pretty darn good.
Just one other thing, the more I thought about the Randy Moss deal and mind you I'm looking out for the player's best interest, Randy Moss' best interest, he missed his bye week, so I'm going to put a call into Brad Childress. Again, you're always worried player safety. You're always worried about different things and I just think it's appropriate that he has a bye week, so I'm going to recommend that he sits out this game [laughter]. So you can make a note of that. I'll put that call in. Let's face it. He was in Minnesota a long time ago, so you've got housing issues when you get a player. There are several things that you've got to do. I just think he would be best served, obviously, to sit out this one and come back the next one. With that being said, I feel much better about his situation now [smiling].
On Brad Childress possibly recommending that Darrelle Revis sit for a week to make sure he has fully recovered…
No, because Darrelle has had the time off. If he plays, what's he going to play, 17 regular-season games? I think you should only get paid for 16. If it makes me putting a call in to the commissioner, then maybe that's what I need to do. I'll call him instead of him calling me like usual [laughter].
On if Revis participated the same amount in practice as Wednesday…
He might have done a little more. I thought he looked pretty good out there. We're certainly hoping that he's ready to roll. This report here is about as good as it's been. We have nobody out. We've got guys participating. Even Westerman participated today, so I'm feeling good about where we're at.
On if he's done anything different schedule wise for this Monday game as opposed to the Monday night game against Baltimore…
No, we had pretty much the same. We had what we call a 10-10-10 practice which is basically 30 snaps of offense and defense, rotated 10-10-10. So it was a short, fast practice yesterday. We took advantage, got a little head start on Minnesota. It wasn't a full-game plan, but when you put a few things in, you move past the old game that you just had. It's kind of a bonus. We got into the meat and potatoes of it today, but we used that first one as kind of a bonus day. That's the only change that we really made in our schedule.
On if Revis has to have at least one full-participation practice before he plays on Monday…
I hope he can get a full practice, but we'll see. I'm not a guy that says, "Well, he has to practice to play." He's got to be good with it. He's got to tell us, he's ready to go. I think the doctors and trainers and everybody feels really comfortable with where Darrelle is at now, but at the end of the day, what's important for Darrelle also. He's got to feel confident that he can go out and play especially in that kind of position. A D-lineman nobody really cares. They'll say something and you just play them anyway. I'm just kidding.
On the challenges his defense faces this week in stopping Adrian Peterson…
I'm not going to be disrespectful to the Adrian Peterson that was from Georgia Southern, but I wish we were playing him. He's the best back in the league. The thing that gets me, he runs every time like it's going to be the last carry of his life. He is so competitive. The thing about him is he's had some fumble issues in the past, but it's because he's fighting like crazy for extra yardage. One guy is not going to do the trick. We've got to get a bunch of guys over there on him and hit him with everything we've got, a bunch of Riddells and pull the ball, go for it and do everything to slow him down a little bit.
On defense not having a 100-yard rusher against them so far this season…
You would think that because I went 50 straight one time in Baltimore and ended my career at 37 in a row without giving up one that I really don't think about it [laughter]. This will be a huge challenge, obviously, that's going to be it. Most teams if you stop the run, OK, we've got them throwing, which is what you want to do. But what do you want to do? You want [Brett] Favre throwing or Adrian Peterson running. This has got to be a complete game from our defense. We're going to be challenged up front, the back end, everywhere. Again, I feel confident. This is a great group that they're going against as well when they look at us, so it ought to be a heck of a game.
On if Calvin Pace will play a full role or situational…
I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think he can play a full role. He appears to me like he's really looking good. We'll see how he comes back from today's practice but he was full-participant in today's practice.
On if he is monitoring LaDainian Tomlinson's carries more closely than a younger back…
No. I think we're monitoring him right now by splitting it, by having two great backs. I think that's going to be all he needs. If we were just giving him 30 carries a game, that might be certainly an issue. I think having the one-two punch that we have, leads itself into both being healthy at the end of the year.
On giving Tomlinson 19 carries in less than three quarters against Buffalo and if that worried him…
No, not really. I'd love to see both those backs get 20 carries a game. That means we're doing some good things, so I would love to see that.
On if he's looking forward to having Jason Taylor, Bryan Thomas and Pace if he's ready to go…
That's a great point and it's good for all of them because BT will be fresher. Calvin will be fresher and JT will, so that is an ideal situation right there. Those guys will be humming in the fourth quarter. That's what you really want.
On how Santonio Holmes looked in practice…
Yes, no doubt. I can't even tell that lie. He looked great. There is no question.
On how much Dustin Keller has progressed as a blocker…
I think he's done a great job. I think Mike Devlin has worked hard with Dustin. Having a leader like Ben Hartsock right there with you, they've really pushed Dustin. He's been great also. He wants to be a complete tight end and I think you see that now. He's really doing a good job. He's got great quickness so he ought to be able to position himself and be a position wall-type blocker. But he's also getting a little pop now so I'm really encouraged with the way Dustin's blocking.
On the role fullbacks Tony Richardson and John Conner will play this season…
I think they're two terrific guys. I think you have a guy that was a Pro Bowl fullback and a guy that's going to be, so we have the best of the both world in those two guys. Having T. Rich and Concrete Conner, that's a great combination. They're a big part of what we do. When we get in that regular personnel or our heavier packages where we just want to ground and pound you, those two guys are huge for us.
On coming back with three division wins after the loss in the first game of the season…
Number one, we have a good football team here, an excellent football team. We've got guys that are passionate about each other. This is a team. Nobody felt worse than we did after that game. To say we never gave great effort, we did give great effort, but the results weren't great. We have to talk about this the whole season, we lost to a good team by a point. Our team is resilient. Like I've said many times, we proved that last year. We proved how resilient we were last year when we were the first team in NFL history to overcome two three-game losing streaks [to make the playoffs]. I think that spoke volumes about our team.
We have a special locker room. Our guys compete. They love it. Regardless of what our record is, we're going out and hitting that field thinking we're going to win and doing everything we can. The thing I'm really proud of is the way we prepare. The way our guys are in the classroom, the way our guys study and do the extra things, take care of themselves in the weightroom, that gives us an edge over a lot of teams.
On how Vince Lombardi relates to players today…
I think any great competitor can relate to Vince Lombardi. He was a legendary competitor. Would he be successful in today's game? Absolutely. He was true to himself and he's a legend. When you look at where you'd rank him, he'd be at the top. Without a doubt, he would have been successful in today's game.
On talking to Brett Favre before the draft…
I was thinking that we wanted to draft Mark Sanchez, some way, somehow. We knew we had to move up, we just never knew how far of if somebody would move up before us. That was our target. We wanted him, but like I told you the other day, don't kid yourself, I would have tried to recruit him if we were unsuccessful in getting Mark.
On if he reached out to Favre before the draft…
No, I talked to Brett when he retired. I know I had that conversation with Brett. Like I said, I kind of felt uncomfortable. He never knew me. I obviously knew him. I almost felt like I was a fan talking to him, letting him know how much I appreciated him. As far as actively recruiting him, I did not actively recruit him. Trust me, if I had tried to recruit him, he would have known. He would have had to kick me off the porch. Come get me because I would have given my A game, not a D game.
On where he ranks Favre as a quarterback that is tough to hit and take down…
He's got a great feel of the pocket. He can throw the ball from any arm angle possible – underhanded, over the top, left handed, through his legs. That's the kind of guy he is. He's a big strong guy, too. He's not easy to get a hit on. He uses those cadences, the hard counts. He does everything. Just a great competitor and a big , strong, tough guy. Sometimes in this league, durability is as important as athletic ability and he has both. He's a great athlete and obviously he's second-to-none as far as his durability.
On Minnesota's offensive line allowing sacks of Favre this season…
They're big and strong up front. We can always send one more than they've got. That's the thing on defense. We can always do that, but when you do that, you roll the dice a little bit on what he can get on the back end. We can get a hit, but it's just balancing if it's worth getting a hit on the quarterback or does this risk a little too much. We'll be multiple like we normally are.
On Darrelle Revis saying that Randy Moss didn't put in all of his effort in the second-half of the Jets game…
I never studied Randy Moss. I just know I have a great deal of respect for Randy. I thought Cro [Antonio Cromartie] did an outstanding job matched up with him. There was one deep ball where Cro had such great position that maybe he had to slow up on it. I thought Cromartie did a great job. He stepped up to the challenge and I thought he responded well.
On how often an offensive player is recruited to play defense…
Not very often. Normally, it's the other way around. You usually recruit a defensive player to play offense. We've had to use a couple of our offensive linemen in goal line this year. You don't see it too much. The kid [Joe McKnight] does have some rare skills. I liked him today. He was playing receiver. He was going in there and diving for balls. His attitude has really picked up and been great.
On if McKnight will return punts…
Probably, down the line. We feel pretty good about where we are now. I think we're fourth in the league right now with Kyle [Wilson] back there and Jimmy Leonhard. I like those guys back there. You also have Jerricho Cotchery who did a great job last year for us. He just happens to be stuck behind a lot of good football players.
On if Drew Coleman will start if Revis can't play this week…
I think so. I thought Drew played really well last week. He's doing really well for us. The one kid's a little snakebit right now. For some reason you can be making great plays and then all of a sudden you get in a little spell and it seems like everything that's thrown up is caught. He's a little snakebit, but he'll work through it.
On if Coleman will play the nickel spot if Revis plays…
That's definitely a possibility.
