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Transcript of quarterback Geno Smith's news conference following our Monday afternoon practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:*
On why he didn't throw the ball out of bounds on his first interception Sunday…
In the pocket there's strict guidelines to the way you can throw it away. If you sail it out of bounds it would be intentional grounding. I was always taught just try and aim at a target, but not try and complete it. And that's not to make an excuse for it. It was an interception all the way and not to dwell on the past, but we've got to learn from it, I've got to learn from it and then move on from it.
On if he was trying to throwing it in that direction but not get the flag…
Yeah.
On who Ryan Clark was covering on the interception…
He was covering Jeff [Cumberland] on that side, but Jeff was running up the seam and he made a great play.
On if he made decision-making mistakes or inaccurate throws against Pittsburgh…
I mean there's a number of things that can be said as to why we, why I, made mistakes, but the key thing is to try and eliminate those mistakes. Try and never have them, but if you do, you have to learn from it and that's something that I've been facing so far in my career here. It's something that kind of expected and it's something that I've just got to learn from and improve on.
On how much tougher it is for him when some of his top playmakers are out…
You know what, as I've always preached, we've got a number of weapons here and we'd love to have those guys. It's unfortunate that they're not here with us, but we have guys here who contribute, who give effort every single day in practice and who we expect to step up in games. I think everyone's capable, so guys just have to stay the course and continue to work hard and prepare themselves for another tough game.
On eliminating rookie mistakes…
I don't look at them as rookie mistakes, I just seem them as mistakes. I think every quarterback in this league is going to make some of those mistakes and the key thing is to try and eliminate them, try to avoid those mistakes. Although I am a rookie, I don't tend to use that excuse as the reason behind me making those mistakes. I think they're just simple mistakes in a game and they've got to be eliminated.
On how facing Tom Brady influences the opposing team's offensive game plan…
I can't speak for that. Marty [Mornhinweg] and all of the coaches, they come up with the game plan and they assess that and they determine the plays that we have in and the ones that we don't. But going up against a team like this, a quarterback like Tom, you've got to play mistake-free ball. You still have to be aggressive, you still want to move the chains and have explosive plays, but you've got to play mistake free because you give that team too many opportunities and they can capitalize on it.
On if he feels he has a good feel for New England, having played them earlier this season…
Pretty much I have. I got a good feel for them on tape. They do what they do. Bill Belichick's that type of guy. He'll throw in a few wrinkles in here and there, but they're going to stick to what they know and they're good at and they do it very well. So we've got to prepare for it and just go out there and execute.
On if he's eager to get another shot at New England…
Yeah, anxious to go out there and have another opportunity once again to go out there and try and get a victory for the organization. I think every single guy felt bitter after that loss, on the road that Thursday night. But we've put it behind us and we've learned from it. We've gained experience from it and we're going to move on.
On if he watched the end of the New Orleans Saints at New England game…
I didn't.
On Tom Brady…
Great quarterback. His résumé speaks for itself, everyone knows about it. Three-time Super Bowl champion and a guy who is consistently putting together great seasons. I commend him for it because I know how tough it is and he's a guy that's done it year in and year out.
On the Jets-Patriots rivalry…
It's a heated rivalry. I know they're in our division and we play them twice a year, we want to win every single game, but there's more to it. We really enjoy playing against these guys because they're always very polished. They always give us a consistent, good game, so it's something that we always look for and we always want to bring our A-game when we go up against them.
On the first game in New England…
I think we played pretty well, not to go back, but we played really well in the early parts of the game. And then pretty much the bottom fell out, those last 12 plays. We had three interceptions, which were on me and then we just didn't get a chance to get down in field goal range or possibly score a touchdown.
On the tough stretch of opponents coming up on the schedule…
I'm not even aware of it, honestly. I'm focused in on this one game and we have to take care of one before we can get to two. That's pretty much my mindset. I just take it day-by-day. I try and work to progress every single day.
On Pittsburgh's defense taking away the long completions and forcing check downs…
I think every team, every defense's goal is to eliminate those plays and you're right, we've done a pretty good job of having a few of those, but we didn't capitalize on the chances that we got against Pittsburgh. Speaking in particular, that one post to Stephen [Hill], put a little bit more air on it, he runs under it and scores. It's not about the plays that you don't make, it's about the ones that you do and you've got to just move on from it. You can't really dwell on it and you just continue to play and that's what we do well here, we just continue to play.
On if what he saw from Dick LeBeau's defense was different from what he saw against other defenses…
I don't really know. I think every single defense has something that they want to do. Every defensive coordinator has a different type of scheme, different type of personnel, different playing style. With that defense that we faced, they kept everything in front of them and made us stay patient. I would guess it was different, but it was pretty much the same.
