Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Thursday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
No blazer today. Out to dry-clean. Wore it out on the practice field yesterday [laughter]. It did bring it down a little bit since Rob [Ryan] made it [into the Southwestern Oklahoma State Hall of Fame along with Rex].
Guys that were out: Logan Payne, of course, wrist. Bryan Thomas, Achilles, we understand that. Garrett McIntyre did not practice again, that's with the concussion. Guys that were limited: Nick Mangold, ankle, Calvin Pace, abdomen or whatever. Then guys that were full: Plaxico [Burress] elbow, Muhammad Wilkerson, shoulder, Eric Smith, triceps, David Harris, toe, Mike DeVito, shoulder, and [Antonio] Cromartie, ribs. Everybody was full there. I'm thinking we're going to be ready to roll. Real questionable about [Garrett] McIntyre being up, but I think everybody else will be ready to roll for the game.
Great practice today. I tell it the way it is. Last week I said we had a poor practice on Friday with the offense. We had a poor game. Today might have been our best practice we've had all year, so I'm encouraged by that.
On what made it such a good practice…
No mentals. Very few mental mistakes. Guys were bouncing around. We just looked crisp and we looked sharp out there. Great communication.
On getting Mangold back…
Well, I think he is the best in the league. He's a great player, but also he's got a great grasp of our system. There's a great comfort level with everybody that plays. You know where he's going to be and everything else. So that's a huge plus for us.
On if wearing the Titans of New York gear was superstition...
I just thought it looked good. Color-coordinated, whatever. I'm big on that. But yes, it's a Titans hat. I just turn and grab something. If it's got like four X's on it, then I usually will grab it.
On if the staff is going for the Titans look this week because the Titans gear is lucky…
We would never do that, would we [smiling]? If we can slip on the old Titans [uniforms], we would do it. It really wasn't a conscious thing this week, as far as you guys know.
On Mark Sanchez's short memory and bounceback ability…
It will be a shorter memory if he keeps getting hit like that [joking]. But no, he does. He's got that resolve. I mean, you know, that was one game. That's really what it was. He's played well all season. But that's what this football team has, that kind of resolve. We're the only team in NFL history to overcome two three-game losing streaks and make the playoffs one year. I keep throwing that stat out there since one of you guys gave it to me. But it's the truth. That's the way this football team is. Right now you can tell by the way we hit the practice field today that we're excited about the opportunity to play.
On if he is concerned by any perceived tension between Sanchez and Santonio Holmes…
No, those two guys are fine. He threw like 20 balls to him today. I don't see that as a problem at all.
On if he has to get involved in that situation…
No. You guys know how I feel about our policy and all that kind of stuff, that there really is no policy. Just be yourself. We don't tell guys what to say, what not to say or anything. We have a close group. This is a close team. It's been that way since I've been here and it will stay that way.
On what the key is to rattling and getting to Tom Brady…
I think it's really a team deal. I know it looks like it's just defense. But it's your offense, as well. You want to put him in situations where maybe he's more careful with the football than he has to be or might normally be because we have a chance to control the game with our offense. I don't know what it is. If you just play standard coverage against him, you got no chance, I mean zero. You better hope for a hurricane or something — might be your only chance. Quite honestly, I've been on the sideline wishing there was a hurricane because he's that kind of guy. He's as good as it gets right now.
On if he could use the same gameplan as the divisional playoff win…
No, but I think it's still the same kind of mentality. You've got to change your coverages, your fronts, your blitzes. They're running the ball more so they can say, "Well, chase 'em out of this. OK, go ahead." We've got to dial in run blitzes, do different things like that. That's who we are and that's how we'll play.
On if there is a key to bouncing back…
I just think you have to believe in what you're doing and believe in the people that you have in the building, and we'll get it corrected. We've done that. Like I said, the Super Bowl is not played last week or this week. It's kind of a long process. You've got to get your team in the playoffs and then you go from there. But we believe in each other, there's no doubt. I believe in the coaches that I have with me, and I also believe in our players and front office and everybody else. And I think our players feel the same way.
On if the inconsistencies would be more troubling if it were Week 14 instead of Week 5…
No doubt. We have to get it. And it's still not a cop out because we have to get it fixed in a hurry. You're playing the number one team in your division. You need to get it fixed right now.
On who will fill Shaun Ellis' role as a pass rusher and his success against the Patriots…
I don't think it's fair to put that on just one player, I think it's going to be a bunch of guys doing that. But you're right, Shaun had a huge, huge impact in that playoff game. And he did play well against New England. There's no doubt. He's a good football player, he played well against a lot of guys.
On who Bryan Thomas' replacement will be…
Well, we'll kind of have a lot of different scenarios. We can put a big lineman out there, we could put [Josh] Mauga, we can put [Jamaal] Westerman, we can put Bart [Scott]. We can do a lot of different things out there.
On which side of the perceived Sanchez and Holmes disagreement he falls on…
I mean, those guys are fine. They're competitive guys. They're ready to roll. I'm sure what was said yesterday or whatever, it's over with. We're moving forward.
On why he wouldn't put Darrelle Revis on Wes Welker…
You do a lot of things schematically so sometimes you will take that approach, put him on the best. Sometimes we'll play him on the right, on the left. Sometimes we'll put Cro on a certain receiver. We look at all those type of matchups. But we don't play just one coverage. If we were playing straight man coverage or something like that, then maybe we would. Welker only has 40 catches. Not like he's done anything yet [joking]. I'm sure Darrelle will have an opportunity to cover him.
On if he and Wes Welker have put their incident from last season to the side…
Man, that's in the past.
On Plaxico Burress and what impact he might have against the Patriots in light of his Super Bowl winning catch…
We'll sign up for that exact play. I'm good with that. I never thought about it. But yeah, I hope we've got some of those plays in. He is a matchup nightmare because he does have that size and that catching radius. Hopefully we'll get some opportunities, if they want to play us a certain way, cover one, whatever, cover zero, then clearly he's got a mismatch on every corner in this league.
On how Plaxico Burress has progressed so far…
Well, I love the way he's blocking. I think that's the big thing that jumps out at me. He's been doing a great job of blocking, unselfish guy, always talks about the team. Just been a real positive guy in our locker room.
On if he and his brother Rob have spoken more this week since both their teams are studying the Patriots…
No, not really. Because they're on their bye, I think he's probably just taking portions of what they do right now and then they'll lock in. I haven't really done that.
On if it is imperative to control the time of possession and get the running game going against the Patriots…
Well, you control the clock by runs and completions. That's how you can control the clock. That's what you do. You don't say, "Well, we have to run it 50 times," or something like that, although that would be nice. It's more just, keep that clock going. We have a great defense. But we have a much better defense when he's on the sideline.
On where the Patriots-Jets rivalry ranks among rivalries in the NFL…
I mean, it's right there. You look at it, we need to start winning divisions, maybe it will be a bigger rivalry. But the fact that we're evenly matched, we basically split back and forth the two seasons. So I guess it's big, there's no question. It's a big one. It's probably right there with the Ravens and Pittsburgh.
On if these games against the Patriots are bigger even if people say it's "just another game"…
No, people can say that. That's not truthful. Of course, these games have a little extra, there's no doubt. I think it's the fact you're going against a Hall of Fame coach, Hall of Fame quarterback, team that's won three Super Bowls and has dominated your division, won seven of eight, I think, division crowns. That's the one you want to have. This is your archrival and you want to get after them. That's it.
On what the consistent theme is for teams that are able to beat the Patriots…
I think, number one, you have to take care of the football. They're a team that's built on winning the turnover battle. Brady one time last year, I think it was almost 300 passes or 200-some passes without throwing an interception. They certainly try to take care of it. You have to take care of it on offense. And you have to try to create turnovers or some issues for them. You have to force them to punt.
This team is going up and down the field on people on a consistent basis now for three years that I've been here. It's like can anybody stop them? Certainly, we're going to play to our strength. We're going to give them everything we have. If they beat us there, move the ball like they've been moving it on people — I mean, they had 700 yards in one game this year. It's a huge challenge.
On if he mixes coverages against the Patriots more than they do against any other team…
Yes, absolutely. I think we have a defense that really is driven by the opposition where we're flexible enough to look at what they do. We try to take away what they do best and minimize our weaknesses and all that kind of stuff. But with Brady, when you get some of these unusual quarterbacks like Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, if you present just a standard coverage, you can forget about it. You're hoping that there's a tipped ball or something. That's no way to play defense, not how we play defense. We're going to try to stop them. I guess, maybe we're a little different. We do things a little more unconventional maybe against some of the top quarterbacks.
On if it will be harder to flood the field with defensive backs since the Patriots run the ball better than last year…
That's a great point. If all we do is play the little guys, I think that's what you're going to get. But there's things you can do. Little guys are out there, you can scheme, run blitzes and all that stuff. So it is a chess match, there's no doubt. But I agree with you, that certainly the smaller you get, the more vulnerable you are to the run.
On what his message to the team is other than getting a win…
Just to make sure that we're preparing to the best of our ability. Because one thing about this, if we prepare to the best, and you prepare, and you go out, and you're studying tape, and you practice the best, all that, in this league it doesn't guarantee you victory. But if you don't, it almost guarantees you defeat. I think that's the message we're sending our guys. They've done a great job of preparation. We just got to find a way to, whatever it is, study that extra tape, whatever. Let's try to make sure we're ready to go and it turns into a physical game. Obviously it's going to be a huge challenge one way or the other, a physical challenge, one-on-one matchups, all those kind of things. But your preparation is key.
On if he perceives that people are questioning how good this Jets team is…
You know, maybe so. We obviously need to be a lot better than we were those last two weeks. Going against the Patriots, if we're not at our best, we won't win this game. We have to be at our best and then we'll see. I feel confident we can win.
