Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Thursday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Here are guys that did not practice: Plax [Plaxico Burress] did not practice with his low back, Joe McKnight with a toe, Brodney Pool, knee. Guys that were limited: Marcus Dixon, shoulder, Josh Mauga, low back. And then all these other guys were full today: [Antonio] Cromartie with a finger, did that in practice. [Mike] DeVito, knee, Kenrick Ellis, ankle, Shonn Greene, head and groin, Santonio Holmes, foot, Wayne Hunter, finger, Nick Mangold, ankle, Calvin Pace, groin, Sione Pouha, finger, Matt Slauson, neck, Isaiah Trufant, hamstring. And when in doubt just put finger down there is what it looks like to me.
Little concern with Brodney, I'm not sure right now if he'll go. Joe McKnight I think is more of a wait-and-see. Let's see how he looks tomorrow. I think Plax will be fine, but we'll see how he is tomorrow. Marcus Dixon and Josh Mauga, I expect both to play and all those "full" guys.
On why he thinks Burress will play this week…
Yeah, I just feel confident that he'll be ready to roll.
On facing the three teams that have been atop the AFC for the last 10 years…
No, I think for the most part those teams have really good quarterbacks, and really good head coaches. So maybe that was it. But you want to beat great football teams. I think over the last two years you probably want to put the Jets up there because we've gone to the Championship Game two years in a row. Baltimore when I was there [smiling]. Not Arizona though, when I was there for two years. But I think you do get up for good teams. There is no question. The only way to beat a good team is you've got to be at your very best. There is no doubt. From a preparation standpoint to all of that, if you're not your best, you're not going to beat those type of teams. So I think that's always a challenge. For competitors, I think the competitors love that kind of challenge.
On if the Patriots are more dangerous because they lost two straight games…
We don't care what difficulties they're in or anything else. We face the same exact thing heading into their place and hope it's the same result, that we end up finding a way to win. But that's going to happen almost every team. Green Bay, I don't know, they're rolling pretty good. But I think each team will face it at some point. You'll go through kind of dips in the road a little bit.
On McKnight's toe injury…
I have no idea.
On if it is turf toe…
It's not a turf toe. I don't know. OK, what is it? Because I don't know. I just know he went out there.
On McKnight's foot getting "scrunched" and causing his toe injury…
There you go. Scrunch is a good word. I would use that too, I think. There's no question. That's good. I like that. After three years of this, I'd be more than happy to sit down there and let you guys face the music [laughter].
On who would replace McKnight as kick returner…
It will be Cro, for sure. If he can't go then [Bilal] Powell would be up.
On not hearing Powell's name in a long time…
Did you think we'd go with Emerson Boozer? [laughter] I don't know.
On if they measure themselves against the Patriots…
Yeah, I think you do because they're the ones that are winning your division. So I think if that really is an ambition of yours to win your division, then yeah, you want to see where you stack up with them. Obviously that first game, they were better than us. I said it right after we played them, they were the better team then. We'll see who the better team is now. I think we're a better team than we were then. I've said it the whole time. We'll see if we're ahead of them right now.
On if the relationship between the Jets and Patriots now is similar to the relationship between the Ravens and Steelers when he was in Baltimore…
Yeah, very similar. That was the one. No offense to Cleveland or Cincinnati. We expected to beat those guys every time. You knew it was going to be, and sometimes you won it, but you knew it was going to be a war against Pittsburgh. You knew the same thing that is going to be a huge game against New England. There is no doubt.
On what does he see in the defense this time that they'll be more successful on third down…
Well, they were, as the old saying, ahead of the sticks quite a bit. They were able to run the ball on us more effectively than we wanted them to. And it kind of kept us off balance a little bit there. Then [Tom] Brady's tough. There is no question. I mean, they do a great job on third down. You've got two excellent receivers on third down. So you've got Wes Welker, obviously, and then you have [Rob] Gronkowski, so you have two. One of them is a huge target. He gets open by his body and everything else, basketballs you, he's a good football player. Then you've got Welker who is, you know, this age's Wayne Chrebet and then some maybe. He's a guy that's almost impossible to cover in the slot unless you have [Darrelle] Revis.
On the defense's improved play…
Well, I think we are. I think our whole football team has improved. That's what gives me confidence heading into this game. We weren't good enough to beat them the last time we played them. I think we will be this week, but we're going to find out.
On why they've been more successful in the red zone this season…
Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer], I just think he's doing a great job. We put a huge emphasis on it in the offseason, that an extended offseason might have helped us in that area. I know it drove all the football fans crazy, but it probably helped us. Gave us time. We really studied hard and looked at the teams that were at their best. We had several coaches come in. Tom Moore we've talked about. But really I think Schotty's done a super job in preparing our team in the red zone.
On if it is difficult to come up with a new plan when they play the Patriots so much…
Well, I think you've been thinking about them for a while, you know what I mean? So you always have something different for each other, and the same way against us. But at the end of the day, you have to go out and play. You might not be able to disguise or get away with some of the things you can do against an opponent that only sees you once every two or three years, but still it's going to come down to you try to get that edge. You try to put your players in the best position to be successful, and they're doing the exact same thing.
On if New England's plan surprised them in the last meeting…
I think they ran the ball more effectively than we wanted them to or even expected them to. They stayed with it. Game on the line, I'd rather put it in [BenJarvus Green-Ellis'] hands than in Tom Brady's hands and it backfired on us. The kid did a great job. New England was patient, and we were able to win the game that way.
On if the way New England use Welker makes Revis less effective against him…
I would think that they'd answer that question. There is only one Revis, and he's always effective no matter where you put him. I understand where you're going. As an outside receiver it's probably easier because you can get your hands on those guys. In the slot, it's harder to get your hands on them. There is more area to escape in, all that kind of stuff. So I can see where you're going, but Revis is pretty darn good in there as well.
On if he expects Revis to play Welker more in this game…
Last time I said we were going to put him on Randy Vataha and that never worked. So Stanley Steamer maybe this time. I don't know. We'll see [joking].
On if the Patriots are taking fewer shots downfield…
Against us they'll take plenty of shots. They always do. Down the field they play a lot of man coverage so they'll send guys down the field. Even in a third-and-long situation they were trying to peg the ball to some of their tight ends down the field on us. So they attack us a little differently than they attack other teams.
On if they feel like they are on a 30-game winning streak in baseball…
No, but certainly when you lose three games, you're on a 30-game losing streak. I think that's a given. But I don't feel like we're on a 30 game winning streak in baseball. But you're right. You definitely feel them the other way though. If you lose them, it feels like that.
On how much does he think the receivers are clicking at this point in the season…
I just think they've been around each other a little bit. I think the timing, especially with Plax and with Mark, it seems to be much better. I think Tone [Santonio Holmes] has it now. He's going into his second year. But they do seem to be all on the same page. They even have little meetings together where it's just three of them. So I don't know if that's helped or not. But it seems like they're more in tune with each other.
On if loading up on defensive backs against the Patriots allows them to run the ball…
Yeah, I definitely think so. I agree with you. They did. They had us in that situation. Again, it's my fault. I take responsibility for it. I was trying to have a better defense against Brady, I never thought they'd run the ball there as much as they did, and that's a credit to them.
Of if Bart Scott will be more of a factor in this game because they will use less defensive backs…
I don't know. We'll have to see.
On how New England played Dustin Keller in the last game…
You know, clearly any time you have a tight end like that, just like New England's tight ends are both excellent receivers, you try to hit them at the line of scrimmage. They did a good job of that last time we played them. So they're definitely going to be mindful of Dustin.
On what impresses him most about Nick Folk this season…
You guys remember any time I praise Revis or somebody like that who is on a one year contract, then that's a mistake. He's doing OK [laughter].
On Holmes is getting the ball as much as he would like…
I'd like to get it to him more, but I'd rather win above anything else. So the last three weeks we've gotten it to him just right. Maybe in that three game losing streak we probably need to get it to him more. But there are going to be games when he lights it up, gets eight, ten catches. The great thing about Tone is it doesn't matter. He affects the game one way or the other. Sometimes with the ball in his hand. Sometimes at crunch time, a lot of times at crunch time, and then there are other times that he'll take two guys with him, so that opens things up for other guys.
On if he still feels that it is him against Bill Belichick when the Jets play the Patriots…
I don't feel that way as much. This one's about how much our team has improved. We're going to judge the winner of this game, if we don't win this game, we're in trouble for the division and we understand that. So this one is a big game. We don't deny it. Is it me and all that? As a competitor, you want it that way, but I think this is the whole group of us. This is our football team against theirs. We said after we played them in the playoffs it had nothing to do with me, it was really about our players and our coaches.
On how bad it would be to not have Pool this week…
Well, Brodney's done a tremendous job for us. I love having those three guys. It's like having three starters when you have Brodney, Eric [Smith] and Jimmy [Leonhard], and they've all played together now. This is their second year playing. Obviously, Jimmy and Eric have been together for three years. But they really do a great job communicating with each other. They're all excellent players. So it certainly would hurt us. Cookie [Emanuel Cook]'s doing a good job, though, and we have all the confidence in the world if he has to step up that he'll do that.
On Joe Paterno…
That's something that I probably don't want to touch because I don't know anything about it. So that's all I'll say.
