Transcript of wide receiver Derrick Mason's interview with reporters before Wednesday's afternoon training camp practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
On putting your egos to the side and looking at the greater good…
It's actually very important to us. I don't think any of us will have any problems with doing that, because ultimately, we want to win a championship. In order to win a championship, you have to put ego aside. Don't check your ego at the door, leave it at home. I think that each guy in that room has done that. I know Tone [Santonio Holmes] from Pittsburgh, they had Hines [Ward] and they had other guys who could catch the ball, but those guys put their egos to the side. I'm pretty sure it's the same way in New York. In order to win the Super Bowl in this league, you have to be able to put your selfish ambitions to the side and work for the greater good of the team.
On if he feels like he will have to enforce selflessness amongst the wide receivers since he is the elder statesman…
Yes, I think I'm going to have to, but I don't think it will be a problem. I think this year I have to do a better job at putting my needs aside. I think, for years, as a wide receiver, I wanted to go out there and prove that I could play this game at a high level. Now, I have to realize that I have nothing else to prove. I've done it all, seen it all. The only thing I haven't done is win a championship so I have to put everything to the side that I might want, knowing that if I do that, and everybody else does that as well, then the championship that we all want to get, will come true. I think we will be fine.
On LaDainian Tomlinson and himself not winning a championship in their career…
When I was making my decision, that's one of the things that I kind of talked about. I looked at his situation, didn't tell anybody, but I looked at his situation from San Diego to here. Him being, probably the best all-purpose back at the time, making a decision to put all that to the side to come here to New York and play, I thought about that. I wanted to make that same decision, as well. Do I want to put everything else to the side to try to win a championship? Obviously, I made the decision to put everything to the side and try to go out there and win a Super Bowl.
On if he is surprised that Mark Sanchez only completed 54.8 percent of his passes…
Did he? You would have thought he would have completed more than that. From what I've seen, the games that I've watched, he was very efficient at throwing the ball. I believe that this year will be a lot better for him, going into his third year. Some of the throws or passes that he might have thrown last year, he might pull down and look for something else because I know he's a lot smarter, a little bit more mature in the game of being a quarterback, and he knows what it's going to take to win two more games in this league, and that's the AFC championship game and the Super Bowl. I honestly believe his completion rate will be a lot higher than last year.
On how much the atmosphere that Coach Ryan creates pushed him to join the team…
It was a lot, coupled with a lot other things. When you have a head coach that allows you to be yourself within the team concepts, that's good. It seems like Rex [Ryan] is having fun from what I've seen from afar. For me, it was like, this guy really wants you. He really wants you to come here and play and that's all a player wants is to make it seem as if he's wanted, genuinely wanted. That's the way Rex and Mike [Tannenbaum] and everyone else made me feel, like they genuinely wanted me. That's why I came. That was one of the reasons why I came.
