Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's Wednesday early afternoon news conference:
On his diet…
We were taking numbers on how much I would lose. We got up to about eight pounds maybe? Well, you might want to get with our strength coach because somebody has lost 20. When I said that, there were a lot of people questioning me. I have a funny feeling maybe some of my predictions may be coming right. Maybe more than just that. It was one of those things that when you see how much you actually weigh you say 'you're kidding, right?' That's impressive, right? I am about two pounds away from my ideal weight. Oh, it is 102 pounds [from my ideal weight] [laughter].
On the Green & White Scrimmage on Thursday…
We've changed the schedule for the scrimmage. It will be at 6 p.m. and it's going to be on the grass field. I think what has happened is in the past things were run differently. It was almost like a game without the tackling. We are almost going to do just the opposite. I want to tackle in the scrimmage. Everything we do is about the players' safety and what's best for our players. It would be to go on the grass field. We don't want to bring in lights on the grass field or anything like that. So let's just practice on the grass at 6 p.m. and get our scrimmage in, then we'll go from there. I think chalk this one up for first-time head coach expectations and the organization's were different. So I apologize for any inconvenience.
On injuries…
We had [some] injuries today. Big Shaun [Ellis] went out [with] a little back thing. I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal with Shaun Ellis. [Donald] Strickland got kicked in the knee by David Clowney. I don't think that he is holding him personally responsible for it [laughter]. I'll tell you, Strickland was a heck of a pick up for us. He's a smart guy and we're now moving him around. We're putting him at safety and different things.
But the unfortunate thing that happened is that young man [Keith] Fitzhugh will be out for a while so now Strickland is working as a corner, a nickel and a safety. So, you learn the defense, you can do a lot of things. I am not so sure about [how long Fitzhugh will be out], I'll have to check with [head athletic trainer] John [Mellody], but I think that one is going to be a while. It is on his left shoulder. That one could be a little longer.
I think [Donald Strickland and Shaun Ellis] should be fine. [Kris] Jenkins is getting a little better. I think Shonn Greene is really working with [head strength coach] Sal [Alosi]. I know he would much rather practice than be with Sal [laughter]. I think he is going to come back soon also.
On why Erik Ainge is not competing with Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez for the starting quarterback position…
I think that Ainge is doing pretty decent. He's running with the threes and he knows the offense. But again, it's just something that we've determined. It's hard to give three guys a chance. Let's just go ahead and let those two battle it out for that spot and let Erik battle it out for the third spot. I'm not going to say that it can't change. Let's face it, Joe Flacco was our third quarterback in Baltimore until the third week of the preseason when he was the only quarterback we had. So that changed how we went about our business. We never expected to play Flacco. He was supposed to hold the clipboard all year. So, I'm not going to say that is not a possibility but the competition is between those two guys.
On the quarterback competition…
I think it's a good competition. We'll start seeing a little more when we start scrimmaging more and start having live drills like we had at the end of the day. In the end, with the preseason games, we'll have a good feel of who is our guy. Obviously you want to make that decision as fast as you can so that he gets all of the work with the first group. But we're not there yet. I'm not ready for that. I think ideally you would like to have a pretty good idea going into the third preseason game about who your guy is.
I think a whole lot hasn't changed. [Kellen] Clemens has a better grasp of the system than [Mark] Sanchez does. They both have their moments when you say "What are you doing?" I think the competition is good. I think of that old saying my old coach used to say, "The cream will rise to the top." We'll be able to figure it out.
On Mark Sanchez getting more reps with the first team…
As Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer] would say, he earned those things. We obviously have to give him reps with the ones to make this a competition. We never drafted him not to be a guy who is going to compete for the starting job.
On if the additions of Jim Leonhard and Lito Sheppard make the Jets secondary one of the League's best…
The thing that I'm really encouraged with is the depth behind them, too. This is a strong group, when you have [Dwight] Lowery, who had an outstanding day today, and you end up getting from top-to-bottom [Donald] Strickland, what he's been able to add. When you look at our safety depth, our four safeties, besides Leonhard, besides Kerry Rhodes, you have Eric Smith and you have Dig [James Ihedigbo]. That's a great group right there and our corners are loaded as well. I think Drew Coleman had a great day today. Coleman is a talented guy. You've been around him, you've seen him, he really has the foot quickness and has the speed. I think his style fits what we do defensively. I really like the group. Marquice Cole is really coming on as well.
On if the Jets secondary can rival the Ravens second-ranked secondary from 2008…
It's definitely comparable, absolutely. I'm not going to say we're ahead of that group yet. We'll see how it plays out. I'm very confident in this group. We are loaded. Just like in Baltimore, it was great, what [Jon] Harbaugh allowed us to do and Ozzie [Newsome], it was, 'keep the best football team, keep the best football players.' We went [into the season] with five safeties. We drafted two guys. We were going to keep [Haruki] Nakamura, [Tom] Zbikowski, [Dawan] Landry and, of course, we had Ed Reed [as well].
But why would you take somebody else? Well, Jim Leonhard's a pretty good football player. So we had five there and I think our corner situation in Baltimore was good. Albeit Chris McAllister only played about three healthy games until his knee got blown out. It was a good group. Here, I see the same thing. This is a very talented secondary. I'm a huge Samari Rolle fan, as everybody in here knows, I love Rolle. But we never had anybody like Darrelle Revis.
On if he feels the Jets cornerbacks are better than the ones on the 2008 Ravens…
I don't know, we're going to find out, but I can say this. We have the best corner [in the NFL] in Darrelle Revis. I think Lito Sheppard, all he is is a former Pro Bowl guy and he's starting to play like it. You see, when Sheppard is going to come back and totally be that Pro Bowl player is when he is really confident and knows what he's doing, knows our system. Once he figures that out, there isn't a single thing Sheppard can't do. He can play man coverage, he can play zone, you know, [Cover-2, Cover-3], whatever kind of zone you want, and he's physical. Again, I'm very confident in the players we have.
On Marques Murrell…
He's flying around. I guess he looks like a smaller-type guy. He's starting to play a little bigger. Obviously, he's a guy that you can do a lot of things with. He can play in space, and when you get a player like that, a very talented guy in space, you have to find ways to get him on the field. I think as a starter or an every-down guy, I don't see that necessarily, but he's certainly working his way there.
On why Vernon Gholston is ahead of Murrell on the depth chart…
Right now, it's that strength at the point of attack. Obviously, Gholston is a big, strong, thick guy, I think that's what he has right now, in terms of an edge over Murrell. He's a big guy that can hold the point for you. He was impressive on the goal line yesterday. He was very impressive on the goal line. When you go back and look at that film, we're going to have him as a starter on the goal line.
On D'Brickashaw Ferguson's Pro Bowl prediction…
I agree with him. We were just talking about him yesterday. I met his parents. They're lovely people. Yesterday we were watching film and where most guys would cut off the defensive lineman, he climbs all the way through [the defensive line] and is cutting off the backside linebacker. I was like, "I don't think I've ever seen that." There have been some great tackles in this league, but I don't think I've ever seen that.
He is that athletic. He has great body control and he's got that kind of quickness. It's just rare. Given the kid from Miami, Jake Long and the Browns have a real good [tackle] in Joe Thomas. I think those three guys are as good tackles as there are in this league and will be the future of this game for a long time.
On if Ferguson will be as good as former Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden…
[Ferguson] is a different kind of player. Ogden was much bigger. Jonathan looked like he was seven feet tall and weighed about 345-350 pounds. He's a different kind of guy. [Ogden] was much more of a 'power player.' Ogden could put more power in the run. He's probably the best that's ever played.
I know [Anthony] Munoz was a great tackle too, as was Jim Parker, but Ogden was in the Pro Bowl something like 14-15 years in a row. He will obviously be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. I don't know if Brick [Ferguson] is there yet, but he's working [towards] that way. I think he could be the best now, but I don't know if you want to compare him to Ogden. I think Ogden is the best tackle ever.
On which tackle Ferguson could be compared to…
It would be a tall Lomas Brown, and Brown only played in the league 100 years [laughing]. That's who he reminds me of. He has those kind of feet. Take you early at the line of scrimmage, cut you off, he can do all that kind of stuff. That's kind of who he reminds me of. Again, he's probably four inches taller and his arms are about five inches longer. It's just a different guy.
On how the grass field has been working out so far…
Fantastic. The grounds crew has done a phenomenal job. When you consider they re-turfed that whole field, Blake [Hoerr] and that whole grounds crew, Clay [Hampton] these guys have done an outstanding job. That field is so good, when I went out there and saw it, I'm like, 'best thing to do for us, any live drill that we have, we are going to be on that grass. It's outstanding, so I just have to remember to move the drills around so it doesn't wear out on one side [laughing].
