Transcripts of conference calls by Buffalo's Dick Jauron and Trent Edwards with Jets reporters on Wednesday:
HEAD COACH DICK JAURON
On Jets CB Darrelle Revis…
We liked him very much coming out of college. I think that everyone felt the same way about him and still feel the same way. A very talented guy, hard-working guy. He knows how to play. He has the skills to play the position. We believed and obviously it's proven out. The Jets believed that he had the temperament to play the position and he's playing it very well. He's playing it at very high level. It ends up being a great pick.
On Revis' strengths…
There are a lot of them, not the least of which is temperament. You have to be able to line up every down. You're going to get beat sometimes. The best that have ever lived that have played out there have been beaten. Then you have to be able to come back and play the next down with the same amount of confidence. He can clearly do that. He has the size and athletic ability to play the position. All those things put together make him an outstanding player.
On if he is surprised that QB Brett Favre's transition to the Jets has been bumpy at times…
He looks awfully good to me and always has. I was so fortunate to be in Green Bay when he came to us there. He finds ways to win games and that's what he has done his whole career. I don't know that it's been that bumpy, from my perspective. They're 4-3, and right in the middle of everything, like everyone in our division is, fighting it out. He looks pretty good to me.
On if the number of interceptions Favre throws is a part of the package…
He's always had great confidence and he's always had great results. Sometimes they go the other way. He's thrown more of both, of all the good and then the interceptions, than anybody that ever lived to play the game. He's a guy that has great confidence and vision. He'll take the shot. He's not afraid to take the shot. He's a Hall of Famer. What can you say about the guy?
On the Jets defense…
They're big. They're a big defense sizewise. It looks like they clearly gravitated in that direction, planned to go in that direction. As always with the 34 package, they can give you matchup problems, things that you really have to focus on, on the offensive side of the ball.
They disguise well, lots of pressures, and they've been successful with them and playing with great confidence. When you're winning, when you have a winning record, your whole team tends to play with greater confidence. They believe that they're going to win. They are a very talented group. They play fast and they know what they're doing.
On if any players on the Jets defense stick out…
There are 11 guys that jump out at me.
On Bills WR Lee Evans…
I don't have any problems talking about Lee Evans. He's been terrific for us in every area — the leadership on and off the field, the off-season program and his contribution to it, and dedication, coming in and just playing.
He's not a loud guy, he's not a quiet guy. He's not a guy that doesn't say anything, but he doesn't say a lot. When he does talk, the team listens to him because he backs it up. He works every day in practice and prepares to play. So far, on Sundays, he's performed at a high level. He's a tremendous player for us, a tremendous asset to our team and community. He's a terrific player and a terrific guy.
On how he approaches the game against the Jets…
We love our division. It's a very talented division. The rivalries are established. The rivalries are generally healthy. We have histories against each other. We know each other a little bit better than the other teams we play. You can't really prepare better for this game than you did for a non-divisional game — then you're not doing your job either as a coach or as a player.
On one hand we say, "We prepare every week the same way. Every week we get ready to play our best." The fact is they know us a little bit better, we know them a little bit better, playing them twice a year. We have a history that goes back and we are in the same division.
Emotionally it's a little bit different. You don't necessarily have to talk about it. You just talk about who our opponent is this week and that it is a divisional game. There is a little more bounce. You don't plan it. If you're not preparing as hard as you can before this for a non-divisional opponent, then you're not doing your job.
There is a difference. I don't know how else to define it. It's not in terms of hours of preparation or effort on the field at practice. There is just a difference in feeling a little bit when you're inside that division.
On QB Trent Edwards' improvement from last season to this year…
From the first day that he came here in OTAs, he's had a presence about him. We thought he was good when we drafted him. When he got here he was better than that. He's always worked. He's a very bright young guy. He works hard at his craft. He works hard on the field and off it, in the weight room. In the off-season he was here all the time.
There's not a single area. It's just been moving progressively. All of his skills, his knowledge of the offense, his confidence, his feel with the different receivers, he's still young in it. We're still young together. That feeling, "Where is the guy going to be when I'm ready throw it?" It doesn't just happen over night. The whole package keeps progressing. It's a tribute to him. It starts with him. [Offensive coordinator] Turk [Schonert] and [quarterbacks coach] Alex Van Pelt have done a terrific job, too.
On what Evans does better than the average receiver…
Most of the players, something sets them apart. There are lots and lots of guys with skill. There are lots and lots of guys with speed. Lee has both of those things. He has skill and speed. The thing that makes any player good is the guy. He's driven. He wants to be good. He wants it badly.
Even that, he goes out and works at it. He works his craft. He works on his routes. He works on his timing. He's a worker. We've found that most of your outstanding players are guys like that. They've been blessed with skill, but a lot of people have. They're driven. They want to be good. They want to be the best.
On if the division race has a different feel this season…
I guess not. Particularly now, it's relatively early in the year. We're approaching the halfway point. We're all bunched together. For all of the teams in our division we're all looking up at them. We're closer, but [the Patriots] are still right there at the top. Going into the year we felt that everyone in the division had improved themselves. I don't have any particular thoughts on the division except that it's all tightly bunched and here we go.
On how he assesses the improvement Buffalo has made…
Whenever you have quality players, you have to tip your hat to you personnel department. I do believe Tom Modrak and college personnel have done a terrific job. John Guy and our pro personnel have also. We've gotten progressively better in the talent area. In our league, if you don't have that, you're not going to have a chance.
Our young quarterback, Trent Edwards, has come along very quickly. He's playing at a level that has given us a chance to win on every weekend that we've played. You clearly need that, too. You really need that guy. He doesn't do it alone. It's such a struggle in our league, without that consistency [at QB]. That's been critical to us. We have to keep clawing our way and fight on every day and hopefully get a chance. Hopefully at the end of this Sunday, we have a chance to win a game. That's how we've worked since we've been here.
QB TRENT EDWARDS
On the election…
I'll be voting for Barack. The reason is I think that a change needs to be made and that's the biggest change out of the two candidates. Besides that, I haven't really been following it too closely in terms of their issues, their policies and what they differ on. I just feel like he's the most different from the one we have in power right now. Hopefully, he'll get elected.
On if most guys in the locker room are voting for Obama…
I think it's kind of divided, actually. We have a lot of different guys from a lot of different areas of the country who went to a lot of different schools with a lot of different views on politics and religion. I would say it's pretty divided right now. It's pretty even.
On if he believes in spreading the wealth…
[Laughing] I guess so, but I wouldn't go that far. I think he's probably the best out of the two candidates and I won't even get into the vice president candidates, either. I'll stick with Barack for just the reason that he's the best out of the two right now, for me.
On if his improvements have come from an increase in confidence…
I would say that, and I have a better comfort level with this offense and with these guys in this huddle. They're not new faces. It's the same guys from last year, it's the same offense as last year and it's the same coaches as last year. You run the same plays over and over again, both during the week and on Sundays, you're bound to get more confident in the plays and yourself in the way you perform those plays.
On what he remembers about his first start against the Jets…
I remember throwing an interception on a pump-7 to, I don't know whether it was Kerry Rhodes or it was one of your other secondary players. I think it was No. 21 [Andre Dyson] from last year. I probably shouldn't have thrown the pass but it got picked off. We won the game. It was a sunny day. I think it was 17-14, I believe? I was extremely nervous, I'll give it that.
On if it speaks to the complexity of the quarterback position that Brett Favre is struggling in his transition to a new offense…
It shows that the system, calling plays and feeling comfortable with hearing yourself calling the plays, and working with different receivers, tight ends and running backs, you kind of take that for granted a little bit that you see these guys on the same offenses with the same guys like the Mannings and the Bradys. They're bound to continue to get better and better, but there is that learning curve when you do switch teams like Brett did. It's tough.
I'm sure the terminology is way different. I'm sure he's thinking one thing on one play and then doing another. I'm sure he is coached a lot differently than he was in the past. I'm sure his progressions are a lot different. Not to mention his personnel is way different, too. No matter how long you've been playing in this league and no matter if you're the best player to play this position ever, or you're a rookie, everything still has to go through that learning process.
On football being complex…
It definitely is. The thing that is underrated, too, is that there is that level of trust, that chemistry that you have to have with your left tackle and your running back. There are a lot of offensive units that need to work together that if you take one of those pieces out, if you take that quarterback out and you put him in Miami and you bring the best one in and you put him in New York from Green Bay, he doesn't really know everyone's name and he doesn't really know all the plays. He's not really the same player because he is having to think a lot more, he doesn't have that trust of D'Brickashaw Ferguson blocking for him on the backside.
It comes over time. It comes with playing under fire and with playing on Sundays. I see big things coming now. Once you play with these guys and have that trust, you can start to step up in the pocket and not get rid of the ball, or do certain things that you're not used to. You can play your game a little bit more and that comes with just playing with the guys on Sundays.
On how seven interceptions in a three-game span would be received by Buffalo fans and coaching staff…
Has he thrown seven in the last three games? I don't even know. For me, and where I'm at in my career, I'm pretty sure that'd be a pretty bad thing. It'd be pretty negative. I'm hoping we could find some good in it, whether it was a tipped pass or just faulty footwork that we could fix.
I'm sure the media would be all over me. I'd be trying to find excuses and I'm sure there would be some questions as to whether or not I should and could even play in this position on this team. Again, this is only my second year in the League. The quarterback that the Jets have is in a much different stage in his career, too.
On if it surprises him that Favre was booed against Kansas City…
When I heard that, I was pretty surprised. I'm one of the biggest Brett Favre fans out there. When he threw that touchdown pass to win the game last weekend, I'm not going to say I wasn't happy about it, let's just put it that way. I always enjoy seeing quarterbacks bringing their teams back on big drives. I always enjoyed watching [John] Elway and [Joe] Montana do their thing late in the game, and I was enjoying watching him do his thing late in the game.
When you get a chance to see that, it doesn't happen every week for him but it's impressive to see. When you're doing that with your team and you kind of play it on that level, you notice things and you can appreciate it just a little bit more, too.
On Jets CB Darrelle Revis…
I've been really impressed. I think he has stepped his game up a lot this year. I thought he improved a lot from our first game against them last year to our second game against them. I think he had an interception against me on a corner route that I threw to Roscoe [Parrish] when we were at the Meadowlands last year. I think he was playing the nickel corner at that time and they were trying to maybe hide him just because he was still a rookie.
They're not hiding him this year. He's definitely their cover corner. They're putting him on their best receiver each week. I think he was matched up against Dwayne Bowe last week. I know Dwight Lowery on the other side — I played against him in college. I've been impressed with both of those guys, but I think Revis has definitely stepped up his game, not only from the two games we played against him last year but a lot even this season, too.
On Bills WR Lee Evans…
I've been very impressed, too, with him and his work ethic. Working with him in this off-season, it's just been nice that you can get on the same page with people. This kind of goes back to my earlier point that when you do work with someone and you go through gamelike situations on Sundays and you learn from your mistakes, it helps out a lot.
I think that's really helped out a lot this year with working with him every week in practice and on Sunday. I feel a chemistry developing. I'm able to understand what he's doing in his routes versus different coverages. I understand his depths a lot better. We're more on the same page and I think you notice that by his statistics this year compared to last year. I'm slowly but surely growing more and more comfortable with him too.
On if the division race feels different this year than last year...
It definitely is. This is one of the toughest divisions I think to play in. I know a lot of people like to give the NFC East a lot of respect. I think the AFC East needs a lot of respect, too. I was impressed last week at the way the Miami Dolphins came out. They got some great draft picks in their group with some great off-season acquisitions and some great coaches there.
Much like the Jets and Patriots, they run a lot of different 3-4 defensive schemes. They're solid each year, just like they are this year. I know last year they were kind of going back and forth with their quarterback, but I think they have a solid quarterback right now. We're going to have our hands full like we did last week. We're going to have our hands full this week, and again next week against the Patriots as well.
On if the Bills belong as an elite team…
I don't know yet. I do feel like we have done some good things this year. I'm going to kind of beat around the question here [laughing]. We have probably won some games that we should have lost, but we lost some games that we should have won. We're just coming in ready to play each week and we're going to be ready to play on Sunday.
We have gained some momentum over these last couple of weeks. I don't know if that puts us in the elite group of teams, but that's eventually our goal. Once Week 16 and 17 come around and once we play those games late in December, I think we'll know and we'll have a better feel whether or not we're an elite team.
On Evans' improvements and strong start to the season…
I just think he feels more comfortable with the offense, with what we're doing here, with Turk [Schonert] and just me and where I'm putting balls. He's coming out of breaks now expecting the ball in a certain spot and I, for the most part, have been able to put it there.
It just comes with practice and repetitions that he's able to see that and know where I'm trying to throw the ball, when he's going to get the ball and when he's not going to get the ball. That comes with the territory and he's done a good job so far these first seven games of recognizing that.
On what he likes about Barack Obama other than change…
We're getting pretty deep here, aren't we [laughing]? This is going to sound really shallow but I'll just say this, that I feel like he presents himself a lot better in the media and he handles himself well in interviews. I know that doesn't dictate how good a president is going to be, but in terms of the reason I'm voting for someone, again it sounds really shallow, but I just think he exudes a confidence and a presence about him that this country needs to see. I think that will be evident when it comes time to vote and I won't be surprised if he's our new president. Hopefully, he will be.
On if he is nervous before every game…
Unfortunately, yes. I do take this game very seriously, especially on Sundays. I always wake up every morning with that same feeling in my stomach. I don't think it has gotten any easier or any better six to eight starts later for me. The thing is, I do take it very serious. If I weren't into it in that way, if I didn't have that nervousness or anxiety in my stomach, I probably wouldn't be taking it seriously enough.
I pride myself on the way I prepare. I still do have some problems before the game, in terms of vomiting before pregame warmups and before the actual game starts. I'm getting that stomach nauseousness under control, but it's still there a year later.
On if the perception of the Jets changed when they acquired Favre…
I knew they would probably focus a little bit more on the pass. I haven't really looked at their stats, if they do throw it a little bit more than they run it compared to last year. I was excited for the fact that I do like watching him play the position. I get two opportunities this year to watch him in person.
You can't get caught up in what they're doing offensively. You can't get caught up in the whole Brett Favre deal. We're going to have our hands full. The Jets have a great defense that I'm going to need to be watching each play this week and be ready for them on Sunday. I think that he's done some good things for them and you guys know better than I do with the changes that have been made at that position whether it's helped or it hasn't up in New York.
