Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Wednesday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Garrett McIntyre did not practice today with a knee injury. These players were limited: Marquice Cole, knee, Mike DeVito, knee, Brandon Moore, hip, Eric Smith, knee, LaDainian Tomlinson, quad, Muhammad Wilkerson, knee. And then all of these players practiced full today: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, foot, Shonn Greene, rib, Joe McKnight, shoulder/elbow, and Ropati [Pitoitua], hand. Of those guys, I'm concerned with Garrett a little bit. We'll see how he does during the week. I'm not real sure about his availability. I feel good about everybody else's, though.
On what the team's attitude was like today…
I think our attitude's good. Obviously, we wished we controlled our own destiny. We don't, but shoot, we still have a shot at the playoffs and I think our attitude's great. Excited to play.
On if he feels he has to lift his team up this week after an emotional loss…
No. When you look at it, everything you do in the offseason, all the practices, training camp, mini camps—no mini camps this year, but the training camp, all the games, the whole season and everything else is to get to where you have a chance at the playoffs. Obviously, you'd like it to be in a different circumstance, but it's a lot easier when you have a chance at the playoffs to motivate your guys. It's sitting there right in front of you, so that's not an issue.
On how Mark Sanchez has handled the criticism this week…
He's ready to move on. That's what you have to do. Look, the game never worked out. That's not the only game we've ever lost, but you've got to move on from it. You've got a challenge right in front of you. We have an opportunity. The facts are this, I know for sure, that if we don't win, we're not in, so we better win, and then we'll see what happens. We'll do whatever it takes, light candles, we'll do it all. But we've got to take care of our business first.
On what gives him the confidence that the team will play better Sunday…
We have to find a way to win. Two games ago, we're down, I don't know, 28-0 nothing or whatever it was. It seemed like it. I don't know what the score was, but we were down a bunch. That kind of got out of hand. This one here, we thought we were controlling the football game to be honest with you and then we gave up a 99-yard pass on the third-and-10 from the 1, and that changed the momentum of the game. We can say what we want. I loved the way we battled back, had a field goal opportunity and then missed it. And then we found ourselves down two scores, so we threw it more than we wanted to, but again, we can rehash it a million times. I'd just as soon go out and try to beat Miami.
Each game's a different challenge. We'll see. That's an awful good defense. They're going to be excited. I understand what they're reporters were saying, that this is Jason Taylor's last game, so they're going to be pumped for Jason. We know it's a talented group we're playing against defensively. That front seven is really talented. They've got six D-linemen that they rotate, so they're able to keep them fresh. They're some big guys, hard to run against. We understand that, but that doesn't mean we're not going to run. We've got to make it a physical contest and we'll see what happens.
On why the offense has been inconsistent…
I'm not sure. When you look at them, there's reasons for it. Sometimes it's pressure, sometimes it's maybe we're not running the ball efficiently. It just seems like there's been some, like you said, inconsistencies. Again, I'm confident we can right the ship this week and that's all that matters right now. It doesn't matter what's happened behind us. We have to focus on right now and stay in the present and hope there's a future.
On his confidence in the run game and Miami being stout against the run…
They are. They're very stout. They average, they're giving up 3.6 a carry. They're third in the NFL in rushing and in rushing average. You don't get to 15 weeks and that not be a true identity of their football team. And then they're doing an outstanding job on third down recently. They're really bringing a ton of pressure and they've been able to get to the quarterback. They've got those two good edge pass rushers with Cameron Wake and Jason Taylor, so we know it's a big challenge for us.
On if he ever went to Brian Schottenheimer to tell him to run the ball, specifically when they had the ball at midfield, down six points, with five minutes remaining…
No, I know what happened. We had had success earlier in the game, you mentioned that two-minute drive right before half, was an 11-play drive. I think we threw it every play, set up our field goal. I liked the no huddle thing. It's just, I think we threw an incompletion, then we had a tipped pass, and then we a sack. Obviously, that's not what we had in mind. You've got to give the Giants credit. They made the plays. In hindsight, "Yeah, let's just run it three times." That's easy to do now. We never call a play that we don't think's going to be effective. Would I like to run it 60 times and throw it whatever we did? I'd rather it that way, than the other way, but that was the way the game had played out.
On if Schottenheimer's job security is on the line against Miami…
No. You know what, you look at things right now, and I know Brian takes a ton of the heat. He's taking heat. Sanchez is taking heat or whatever. I'm taking heat. That's fine. It should be on me. It shouldn't be on coaches, players or whatever. I'm the guy that said we were the better team and we weren't that day, so that should fall on me. The criticism should be on me. Trust me, I know a bunch of it is, and rightfully so.
But to just point out whoever, Anthony Lynn, because a running back doesn't go for X amount of yards, I don't think is fair. I can promise you this. He works about as hard as about anybody I've ever been around and we will be prepared. There is no doubt about it. Schotty's not running the ball or blocking anybody or all that kind of stuff, so we're working hard to find a way to win this game. We're not focused on what's happened to us in the past. It doesn't help us.
On anything will change surrounding Schottenheimer's playcalling this week…
All of our coaches have a say in the gameplan. Brian calls the plays on offense. He leans on guys, as well, his coaches, as well. The defense, [Mike] Pettine's calling those things. Do I have more of a role in that? Yeah. Again, we're together. There's times when we'll lean on Dennis Thurman, "Hey, give us the coverage you like." That's what happens in this game. I don't think you blame things on one guy. If you are going to blame it on one guy, it should be the head coach. That's what you get paid to do. I'm not ducking my responsibility. That was my responsibility to win that game. It didn't get done, so the criticism should be placed on me. And you know what? I've got broad enough shoulders. I can take it.
On if the team is lacking a downfield threat like Braylon Edwards…
I think there's reasons for us not being as effective down the field. There's reasons behind it. I think we have plenty of talent on this roster. You would think we'd be more effective getting the ball down the field. We have not. I think we talked about it before, the inconsistencies. I think that's really what it is. And we've been inconsistent with the way we've moved the ball. That's it. Braylon specifically, I can't talk about Braylon, he's technically under contract until four o'clock, I guess.
On why the team has been struggling getting big plays…
Well, when you look at it, teams know we have some explosiveness. Sometimes it's due to what they're playing defensively. Other times, maybe we haven't been able to hold up to throw it down the field. Sometimes we haven't been accurate. Sometimes it's a wrong route. Those are the things that are driving us a little bit crazy. We've got to be more consistent. The other thing, too, if we run the ball efficiently and effectively the way we're capable of doing that opens up a lot of times, that opens up big plays down the field.
On what the team is planning on doing with its open roster spot…
We're going to move Ricky Sapp up from the practice squad. He's done a real nice job for us. So that's what we're planning on doing.
On what his reaction was to the Pro Bowl selections…
Well, you know me. Every coach is the same way. They always feel like some of their players got slighted. I certainly, and nobody wants to hear what I have to say, so I'm going to say this: Let the facts speak for themselves. David Harris has five quarterback sacks, four interceptions, probably twice as many as any linebacker, I don't know. He's a middle linebacker. He's made more plays than anybody in this league. I told him I figured it out. We are going to get him to the Pro Bowl next year. All he has to do play exactly how he played this year, but take a dance class this summer, do something, because I can't believe our opponents, maybe we don't play enough, didn't vote for him to be in the Pro Bowl. He made the second alternate, but if there is ever a guy that's deserving of it, it's David Harris without question.
And the other one, I think, it's interesting. Brandon Moore, he was voted as a second alternate, and statistically he's the only guard in the league that has not given up a sack or a hit on the quarterback — the only guard. Now, he came off hip surgery and all that and he wasn't knocking people on their backs the way he did the year before, because he's getting healthy, but maybe you ought to look at that. Maybe there's some reason. That guy's a pretty good player. And I told him it's because you're not very nice. If he was nicer, maybe he'd get more votes. Realistically, both of those two guys are the ones that I really thought were deserving.
I'm proud of the fact that Darrelle Revis made [the Pro Bowl as a starter], because if he didn't, there shouldn't be a game. You file that as a no-brainer right there. I'm proud of Darrelle representing us. And then Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw Ferguson, obviously both guys are deserving. We're play [Maurkice] Pouncey's twin brother [Mike] and he must be really good if he can start over Nick Mangold. And I know he's a great player, but I think Nick's the best center in the league.
With that being said, I think Joe McKnight, from where he was last year, the improvements he made being first alternate to the Pro Bowl, I think's impressive, as well. And we told him that, that he really should be proud of himself.
On playing a team against a team with a great run defense and a bad pass defense…
Hey, there is no way we're throwing it 60 times. Now with that, we'll come back and say, "Wait a second, oh my goodness." We can't fall behind that many points, that's obviously something we can't do. But no, I don't see us throwing the ball 60 times ever again. I don't think any of us could believe that we threw it that many times. I know I couldn't.
On how it is possible to let things get away from them in terms of passing too much…
Again, that's on my shoulders. The 60 passes, I think, may have been a little misleading because of 11 straight in a two-minute situation where you're trying to get into field goal range. Those things happen, but I just have to be a little more mindful of it, that's all. Because the way we were running the ball effectively, and it's not a criticism of Brian, it's just, to be honest, if I would have known that, we would have sat there, I think Brian would have been the first to tell you that throwing the ball 60 times is too many.
On the Dolphins putting Jake Long on IR and what impact that will have in the game…
Well, he's certainly a good player. They'll put that [John] Jerry, who is another good player, at left tackle. The fact he's sitting out, did he make the Pro Bowl? I guess Brick starts now, so that's how it helps us [joking]. But realistically, Jake is an excellent player, an outstanding run blocker in particular, so hopefully that will hurt them.
