Transcripts of interviews with Jets players on the field after today's morning minicamp practice:
TE CHRIS BAKER
On how it feels to be at minicamp …
It is what it is. I have to be here and so that's why I'm here today.
On if he is only at camp because it's mandatory …
That's the only reason I'm here. Of course I want to be here, but with the way things are right now, I really don't have the desire to be out here right now.
On if anything has changed recently in contract negotiations …
No, nothing at all. That's why I feel the way I feel right now.
On if he was told his contract would be looked at …
That's what was told to me. I went out and had a good year, a career high in catches. That's what was told to me. There's no discrepancy coming from me, that's what was indicated to me and it hasn't happened, so I'll let you read into it.
On if his play can prove he deserves a new contract …
This is my seventh year. They know what I can do by now. It's not like I just got here — I've been here for seven years. It was promised to me and that hasn't happened, so what else am I going to do?
On if it is strange being at minicamp ...
I like to be around my teammates, but the way the situation is, it's not ideal. It's a little different, but at the same time, I'm around my teammates.
On his reaction to salary corresponding to production …
A big part of that is the way I was used last year. I've asked for the ball quietly for the past six years and that hasn't happened. That has nothing to do with me. Last year they asked me to stay in and block and I did that. As far as that goes, it is what it is. A lot of those guys that have the same numbers receiving don't do what I do in the blocking field as well. I do what they ask me to do.
On the conversations he has had with Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum …
I haven't had much conversation with either one of them. I don't have much to say to [Mike] Tannenbaum. Something has been promised and it hasn't happened. There's not much for us to talk about. As far as Eric, we talk a little bit in passing, but that's about it.
On if he and Coach Mangini have talked in the last few weeks …
We met and had lunch once. I spoke to him a couple of times through texts. If that's a lot of dialogue then I guess that's what it is.
On if anything productive came out of that lunch …
I don't think so, being that we're in the same situation. I requested to be traded if they couldn't work out my contract situation. Nothing has been done yet. So here we sit, and I don't want it to be like this, but they're forcing it to be like that.
On if he could clarify what happened with his contract last year …
They came to me and said, "We're trying to do some things for the salary cap. Can we forward you some of your money through this year?" I said OK, it's not a problem. They forwarded me a roster bonus I was due in March and they forwarded me some money from this year's salary. After that was done, they said, "We appreciate you helping us out," and that's what it was.
Now they are trying to say, "We redid his contract last year." No, that was for the team, they came to me and asked me. For them to try and say, "We did this and did that," my contract was not redone, no value on my contract changed, it was to help them out. That's another thing I've heard they are trying to use and say, "We just redid his contract." No, that was for them.
On if he sees himself playing for the Jets during the 2008 season …
If things stay the way they are, then no, I don't see how that's possible. Like I said, I don't want that to be the case, but I don't see how that's possible. I have a question for you. Imagine Coach Mangini was the third-highest-paid coach on the staff. Do you think he'd be happy about that? Do you think he would allow that to happen? That's how I feel.
On if he would sit out the entire season …
No, I'm not quitting, I'll tell you that much. I just have to go out and try to be a professional about it. If I'm not happy, I don't think anybody else around here is going to be happy with what goes on, either. That's where we're at.
On renegotiating other contracts but not his …
Those guys [Laveranues Coles and Brandon Moore] were deserving. I don't have a problem with them redoing their contracts. At the same time, I feel like I'm deserving as well. I've been here seven years. I've always done what they asked me to do. It's disrespectful to see where my salary is at. They feel that they wouldn't want to do that to keep me here for the rest of my career. If that's the way they feel, then we have to move forward from here.
On how long ago his lunch with Mangini was …
It was about three weeks ago.
On if the conversation about revisiting his contract was with Mike Tannenbaum …
Correct.
On if Mangini was involved in the conversation …
No.
On when this conversation took place …
This was sometime around training camp, I believe. It was right before training camp.
On where the conversation took place …
It was done by my agent. I can't go up to Mike right now and say, "Hey, Mike, let's redo my contract." It was done by my agent. Everything is handled through my agent.
On being the third player who says the Jets are backing off a promised renegotiation …
I don't find it as a coincidence. Obviously, it's a practice here. If you don't get something in writing, you might as well just take it with a grain of salt because their end of the bargains aren't held up. Like I said, I went out last year and had my best year since I've been here. I don't know what else they can ask me to do. Whatever they ask me to do, I do it.
On if his holdout is about money or respect …
It's just being fairly compensated, that's what it's all about. I've been here a long time and I've always done what they've asked me to do. It indicates to me that I would be taken care of, but that hasn't happened.
On if he still wants to play for the Jets …
I want to be a member of the Jets. I've been here all my life. I'm from here. I've been here my whole career. I want to be here. But at the same time, if this is just swept under the rug like it's been done, then I do not want to be here. It's really in their court.
On his emotion right now …
I'm not happy with how everything is going. But what can I do? I'm a player and like I said, I do what they ask me to do. From here on out, we just go where they let it go.
On if he's trying to force action like Pete Kendall did last year …
Obviously, I've never been the center of attention in the media and I really do not crave that, to be honest with you. At the same time, I don't know how it's going to turn out, to be honest with you. If it has to be like that until they decide to do something either way as far as taking care of me or trading me, whatever has to happen, happens. It can't stand pat the way it is.
On whether he's going to attend training camp …
I'm going to address training camp when the time comes. Just being back out here, training camp is about a month and a half away, almost two months. Hopefully, it doesn't get to that.Hopefully, it doesn't get dragged out like that.
But at the same time, who knows? Who knows what's going to go on? Obviously, nothing has been done. I approached them. I've indicated this to them last year. Nothing has been done, so to assume something's going to be done in the next two months is a big assumption.
On if he had to predict today whether or not he'll be attending training camp …
The way I feel today? I don't want to say the way I feel today. I'm just not happy at all. It's not right for as much as I put into it in the past six years. I just don't feel it's right. It is what it is. It is a business.
On if he does not think he'll be at training camp …
I don't know.
On whether there were any demeaning remarks made to him when he showed up since it happened last year to Kendall …
Nothing yet, but I wouldn't be surprised. Obviously that happened to him. Who knows what they're going to do? At the same time, I just have to try to be professional about it. I hope things don't get to that level.
On what he thought of Kendall's situation last year and if he had any sympathy for him at the time …
Yes, absolutely. His situation was ridiculous and it basically tanked our season last year. I don't know. His situation was not a good one. Last year was not a pretty situation. Hopefully, I don't get put in that same situation. Like I said, I've been here and I want to be here. At the same time, it looks like we're going down the same road.
On whether he thinks Kendall's situation had a lingering effect on the team …
Definitely. You take away your starting guard and have no backup plan behind him, and then your offensive line struggles, and then in turn your offense struggles. So that's what happened last year. That affected everybody on offense last year.
On whether he thinks Kendall's situation affected the team emotionally …
Yes, to see it play out every day and to have to deal with that every day. Just seeing the way he was treated, being that he was a veteran and another guy who had done everything they had asked him to do. He worked with Brick [D'Brickashaw Ferguson] and Nick [Mangold] pretty extensively and did everything they asked him to do. So to sit there and not take care of him when it was something they told him they were going to do, from what I hear. Obviously, guys do not like that, and I don't like that either.
On what he's doing to stay in shape …
I'm working out. I go to my local gym and run a little bit and lift a little bit. I felt pretty good today. It's the first time I've run patterns since December, so I'm still getting my legs back under me as far as that goes. I'm just working out.
On what his former agent, Cliff Brady, said that he had heard …
It was not what he heard or anything like that. I went to him and said, "Cliff, I'm not happy with my current contract." And he said, "OK, I'm going to go talk to them." And he talked to them and he said what his exact words were — "Mike said he has other situations going on," which was obviously Pete and Brandon Moore's contract situations. "He just signed a deal," which I agree with. He said, "What Mike told you was to go out and have a good year and we'll deal with this after the year." That was our exact conversation.
On what Tannenbaum thought of the season he had …
You know, I've only talked to Mike one time. I don't know. Maybe he didn't think I had a good year. I don't know. If that's the case, that's fine, too. But if he doesn't feel I'm playing up to his expectations, then you know what? He can trade me or release me. That's fine, too.
On Mangini's stance when they met over lunch and whether he tried to convince him to come into camp under his current contract …
No, Eric basically stayed out of the whole situation. He basically just wanted to keep me up with what was going on with the offense and things like that. I mean, at that time I wanted to do that but didn't. Just sitting there, seeing what was going on and the way they were treating me, I was like, you know what, I really don't want to know what is going on until some things are done. I don't want to keep getting put off: "Oh, we'll do this next year." Yeah, I'm supposed to believe that after what happened this past year? I'm not going to keep doing that.
On his first thought when TE Dustin Keller was drafted …
I did request a trade before the draft. I figured at that time, when they made their draft pick, that maybe they feel they have two tight ends they can move forward with. Maybe it was an insurance move to make sure they didn't have the same problems that they had last year. I was fine with that. I did ask to be traded.
So once they made that move it's like, OK, let's progress forward. If you don't feel I'm the guy for your future, then let me go and let's go our separate ways before it gets messy.
On if he's prepared for the tough road ahead emotionally and publicly …
Like I said, I did not want it to get to this level right now. At every turn I told them, "Let's get something done" or "Let's do something." The way the current situation is, it's not fair and it's not what I want to happen. At every turn, it's been "OK, well, let's see, let me think about this, no, we can't do this," and things like that. So I've sat there and tried to avoid this at all costs. They have done nothing except just kind of let it play out. This is where we stand now.
On whether they are willing to work with his contract at all …
No, there has been no indication of them wanting to do anything. It wasn't "OK, well, let's talk, let's see where you fall" and things like that. It was nothing like that at all. It was "No, we don't want to do anything right now." It was "Go and have a good year again."
On if the Jets actually said "Go have a good year again" …
It's basically "We want you, we love you, and blah blah blah. But we're going to be forced to do something because you're due a roster bonus next March." This is from me speaking to Tannenbaum directly.
On his gut feeling whether he's going to be with the Jets at the start of the season …
On my gut feeling, no. Like I said, they haven't done anything to indicate that they want to resolve this. So, no. That's not saying I don't want to be here, because I do. But it has resonated since last year. So I don't believe so, but we'll see.
TE DUSTIN KELLER
On if it's strange being in the same group as Chris Baker …
I don't think it's strange at all. I think Chris knows the offense really well, so I will pick up on a few things that he does really well. Between him, Bubba [Franks] and [Jason] Pociask, we are going to be able to run an offense.
On if he feels any resentment from Baker …
I don't know what his situation is at all. We are going to our meetings and paying attention to our jobs and the main thing for me is to focus on the playbook.
On if he sees his role being a tight end …
As far as I know, I am in the tight end role, but whatever the coaches ask me and whatever they tell me to do, I am going to do. We will see what happens here in minicamp.
On if anyone has talked to him about the possibility of changing positions …
They haven't said anything like that to me. Right now I'm really comfortable with the tight end position. I'm going to line up in different places. I'm learning the offense really well because I'm going in a lot of different places.
On if he likes the offense …
Without a doubt. I'm lining up in different places running all kinds of different routes, whether it's a short option or a deep-down-the-seam route. There are different options and I think a lot of my strengths fit this offense.
On if it's awkward as a rookie to walk into this situation …
No, not at all, really. Whatever Chris' situation is, it's his situation. I don't know what is going on with that.
QB CHAD PENNINGTON
On if there is any part of him that says this is going to be a fun year …
As a competitor, anytime you step out on to the field you are trying to compete, score and play well. It's about taking pride in your position and being a professional, not letting the little things slip away. It's about concentrating on the little things and being good at them.
On Chris Baker's situation …
Our team has guys that understand that there are two sides of the NFL. There is the football side and there is the business side, and anytime you step in between the white lines it's strictly about football, period. When you step outside the white lines, everyone as an individual, we are businessmen and we have to make our own business decisions for ourselves and our families.
I think there is a mutual respect across the board that when we are between the white lines we are a team, we are working hard together, we are doing whatever we need to do to help us win, and outside you have to do what you have to do.
On what he thinks about the Jets draft picks …
These guys have come in and worked extremely hard and it's always exciting to get new faces each year, especially with the draft and free agent guys trying to make the team, wanting to make the team better. They are doing a good job working extremely hard.
I remember when I was a rookie — you just put your head down and don't look up a lot. You don't say too much. You can ask all the questions just trying to learn, but don't give any answers, just keep your mouth shut.
