Transcripts of news conferences and interviews with Rex Ryan and selected Jets players following the 10-6 loss to the Dolphins at New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday afternoon:
HEAD COACH REX RYAN
This was a defensive game and a field position game. I kind of figured it would be. The turnovers hurt us early. We had poor execution on offense, in particular with dropped passes and the protection from a lot of guys. It shouldn't be blamed on one person. We've got to do a heck of a lot better job than that. You've got to be able to protect the quarterback in this league, and you have to make the catches when you have the opportunities. I tip my hat to their punter [Brandon Fields]. I thought he was a big difference in this game. He punted them out of field position a lot of times. They won the punt vs. punt by several yards. The young man did an outstanding job for them.
On if Jets QB Mark Sanchez is lacking confidence…
Sometimes that happens. He threw one pick and almost had another one on the first two third downs of the game. He definitely never got anything going there. He had some dropped passes, and the protection did not hold up the way we normally protect the quarterback. That's not good for any quarterback in this league.
On the Jets pass protection…
Cameron Wake is one of the premier pass rushers in this league. We knew it was going to be a challenge for our groups out there. They also did a good job pressuring and getting their hands up. We had some open guys and they knocked down several balls. They did a great job getting their hands up.
On how concerned he is…
I'm very concerned. You look at our next opponent [Pittsburgh], and if you think this defense is good, just wait until next week. Pittsburgh is going to be a huge challenge, and down the road, we need to make sure we find a way to get better. We have to get better. I thought our defense played the way we expected. They rose up a little bit. I thought we'd have opportunities in the game to make a couple of big plays, but again, you win and you lose together. We have to make sure that our team gives its best effort in every phase of the game.
On not scoring a touchdown in two games…
Yeah, that's pretty hard to believe. I don't care who you go up against. We have plenty of talent, and we have to find a way to get it done.
On someone on the Jets sideline tripping a Miami special teams player…
I was not aware of that. Bruce [Speight] just told me about it. Obviously, we'll look into that.
On if he knows who it was…
No. Again, Bruce just told me about this.
On what he told the team after the game…
It's pretty much the same thing. Clearly, we have talent in our room, but we haven't gotten it done. We have to make sure that whether it's schematically, a certain play, or different protection, something's got to change because this isn't good enough. We need to make sure we find a way. The other thing is that it's not just the offense. It's every phase. The defense has to step up. The special teams have to step up. Again, I'm the optimist, but we have to get it done.
On if he is concerned Sanchez is going to take the bulk of the blame…
You're always going to get too much of the credit or too much of the blame when you play that position. Clearly, this was not on one man. It was not on one man. You have to look in the mirror. There are a heck of a lot more to blame than Mark Sanchez.
On if there is an imbalance on offense…
Well, we went in definitely wanting to run the football, but we averaged 2.8 a carry. If you can't run it for first downs, you've got to do something. You've got to give them credit. They did a great job stopping the run. Mike Nolan is a tremendous defensive coordinator and they had a great game plan. That's a talented group over there and they played well.
On what he will do if he finds that the person on the sidelines tripped the player…
I don't want to deal with the what-ifs. We'll address it. We're looking into it as an organization.
On if he considered taking Sanchez out of the game at any time in the past two weeks…
I considered it today, but when you look at it, I think he gives us the best chance to win. That's all I felt. Again, he put some balls in there we have to catch, we normally catch. We have to protect. We have to give him a chance out there. The kid's an excellent quarterback. We just have to find a way to do things to execute better.
On when he considered taking Sanchez out…
Late in the third quarter, I thought about it and I was like, "He's not the only one to blame here." If I thought that was the case, we would have yanked him.
On his expectations with three games left…
Well, I'd say it's pegged right now. We've got to find a way, number one, to get in the playoffs. We've just got to focus on this one game and find ways to get better, whether it's through the plays we're doing, through the way we're executing things – whatever. We've got to take a hard look and find ways to get better.
On why Sanchez isn't playing at a higher level…
Well, did he make some bad throws? Absolutely. Did he make some great throws that we should have caught? I think so. If you can't protect the quarterback in this league, it doesn't matter who you've got back there. We pride ourselves in having a great offensive line and we do, but we've got to look at where the breakdowns in protection were. Was it a back? Was it a tight end? Was it the offensive line? We've got to do a better job. This week, going against Pittsburgh, I know first-hand they're going to throw the kitchen sink at us, and we have to have an answer.
On his concern about the direction of the play calling…
The fact that we haven't scored a touchdown two weeks in a row, the play calling is what it is, but we'll take a hard look at what we're doing. We have all the confidence in the world in our offensive coaches and our defensive coaches, so with the people we have in place, I think we'll get it done.
On any Jets injuries…
Eric Smith, I'm not sure what the extent of it was, whether it was a concussion or not, but he did not come back in the game. He never finished the game anyway. We took his helmet. Shonn Greene had a bit of a neck, but I think he was ready to return. Damien Woody, I'm not sure.
On Jets DE Trevor Pryce's injury…
Trevor had kind of a hip, and again, I don't know the extent of the injury.
On if today was the first time he has considered taking Sanchez out of a game…
This is the first time.
QB MARK SANCHEZ
On the disappointing loss…
It makes you sick. I'm really upset. I think the team is too, but we squandered an opportunity today. We had plenty of chances to win; we just couldn't capitalize on offense. It's unfortunate especially when your defense plays as well as they did, but it starts with the quarterback on offense. These past two weeks I haven't played like I played earlier this season. It starts with me and I need to be the guy to turn it around.
On the dropped pass to Santonio Holmes …
We all took our turns making mistakes today, but for every drop there's probably three or four poorly thrown balls. It falls on the quarterback and I have a lot of work to do, so I'll be the one to fix it.
On how hard it was to play with the poor weather conditions…
It's just a matter of keeping two hands on the ball in the pocket. We knew they had a good pass rush. We knew they are active with their defensive line without stepping up in the pocket. It's about doing the right thing and moving, you know. I didn't hang on to it and that should never happen - the ball hit the ground three or four times. It's embarrassing to put on tape, number one. We could never win like that, so that's part of the reason we lost.
On the amount of talent on the offense and not being able to score a touchdown in two games…
I didn't even know that stat, but it's just too bad and unfortunate. I don't know how many negative words you can use to describe it, but the bottom line is that it needs to turn around starting now. It starts when we come into the facility tomorrow. I need to be the first one in there with a positive attitude. You know, we are 9-4. We are still right there. We're in better shape than we were last year and we still made the playoffs. We made it all the way to the AFC Championship game, so it's not over. Nothing's over. We have plenty of work to do and plenty of time to do it, but it just needs to start now and it starts with the quarterback.
On if it is time to start panicking …
No, absolutely not. Never.
On Rex Ryan mentioning he considered pulling him in the third quarter…
Nothing changes from my standpoint. Rex and I have a good relationship and I'm not worried about getting pulled or anything. He's got to make those decisions and I'm glad that he left me in. I think he feels that I give us the best chance to win and that's why I'm playing. But when I play like I did today, I'm sure it's frustrating to watch, as frustrating as it is to play that way.
On what he needs to change before the Pittsburgh game…
One, I need to hang onto the ball in the pocket. Two, I can't make poor throws early in the game to a defender. We all need to get better and it starts with me, making the right decisions and getting us into field goal range early. I could have run for one and got us into field goal range. It would have put us right there for the score. It's just better decisions and hanging onto the ball.
On how he feels within the offense right now …
I still feel good when I'm out there. I'm seeing things well and I understand what the concepts are and what's going on. I'm light years ahead of where I was last year. We just hit a little dry spell here on offense. We'll get it fixed and it's my job to pinpoint exactly what it is. I have a pretty good feeling that a lot of it is me and it's got to get better.
On being surprised that Rex Ryan told the media he was thinking of pulling him…
He's truthful and honest and it was one of those games where I wasn't helping us to do much at times. There were times that I made great throws, but there were times where I really hurt the team. It's got to get better. I can't play like that. I can't be a roller coaster. I've got to be consistent.
On putting too much pressure on himself…
I don't think so. I think I'm at the point where I have to play better. That's all there is to it. Sometimes I'm making it harder than it needs to be and it shouldn't be like that. We have playmakers out there and I need to get them the ball.
On upcoming road games at Pittsburgh and at Chicago…
It doesn't get any easier. The good news is that this is all fixable. The bad news is that we have some good teams to play, so it's a good challenge.
On not having a sense of urgency since the team has a comfortable record at this point…
I don't think that's anybody's feelings in here. We know these games are important and we know that we're wasting opportunities. We know if we keep this up, we're going to miss this thing. We can easily play our way out of it if we don't play well. Our team is too positive. We're a tough group. I know these guys in here and I know how they'll respond to me and my energy. That's the way we need to approach this week. It will be a good test. It will be a good test for me early in my career and we'll see how we do.
On his earlier comment about running the ball…
The first half in the red zone, all we needed was like 5 or 6 yards to be in field goal range and I threw the ball in the middle to Santonio [Holmes] a little high to try and get a first down on third-and-long. You run the ball and maybe you get six points. Who knows? It gives us a little more momentum, gets us rolling. Little things like that, while they wouldn't change the entire game, it would have gotten us a step in the right direction.
On calling their final timeout early in the fourth quarter…
You can go back and forth with it. Hurry up and call a play or get down real quick. There were quite a few guys down the field and it's hard to get everybody back. Sometimes it's just better to regroup so that wasn't the reason. We get the call from the sidelines, the clock signal.
On WR Santonio Holmes' dropped pass in the end zone…
It's just a mistake, a physical mistake on our part. For every drop we had, I said it already, I could have had three or four poorly thrown balls. We all took our turns making mistakes and that's why the score ended up the way it did. It's really too bad because our defense played really well. We just needed to help them out.
On being concerned about the dropped passes…
It's a tough one. How many times have I dropped the ball in the pocket? Not many. Today, I did it three times today. Who knows why that happens? It's a discipline thing. It's a focus thing. It just needs to get better and I know Tone will be the first guy in the building ready to work next week, just like everybody. He's a fighter. He's a winner. I'm not worried about it at all.
RB LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON
On the Jets running game and Miami defense…
They know us pretty well. They know some of the runs we like to do, so they had some good looks against our run. They made it real tough for us to find daylight. They did a great job.
On if this is the most disappointing offensive performance of the season…
I wouldn't say that. We've had some tough performances this year, so it's hard to rank them.
On the importance of the run game on first and second down…
It's critical for us. Obviously, if we're having success on first and second down running the football, the play action will be huge. The linebackers bite up and it allows our receivers to attack the outside and for Dustin [Keller] to attack the middle and get behind the linebackers. When we're not having success, they can play games with us. They can act like their coming and drop out and give us some tough looks.
On the Santonio Holmes drop in the end zone…
It happens to the best of us. It's not an easy game and I'm sure Santonio would like that back, but it happens. He'll get back to work just like we all will and I bet you that won't happen again.
On the injury to Damien Woody…
It's tough. Woody is a veteran guy that's seen every look you can see. He is one of our tough guys and very important to the running game. When you lose him, you lose his leadership and it's always tough losing a leader. At the same time, the next man has to be up and prepared to play. We don't know what the situation is with Woody next week, so we've got to be prepared to play without him.
On the first two-game losing streak of the season…
We look at each other and we depend on each other. We believe we can turn this thing around. It's two huge losses, back-to-back losses, in the division. But it's up to us, every man in this locker room needs to look themselves in the mirror and see what we can do better. We're all disappointed. It was a terrible performance, especially on offense.
On the Miami run defense…
We wanted to run the ball, but with the weather, both teams knew it was going to be a running day. Guys gear up to stop the run and we wish we could have played better in all phases, but we just couldn't get anything going.
On the tough run defenses of Pittsburgh and Chicago…
It doesn't get any easier. We're going to see what we're made of. They're tough defenses, but we have to get tougher. We need a mindset where we don't care how tough you are, we've got to be tougher.
On his physical health at this stage of the season…
I feel great. No injuries at all. I just have to keep pushing away.
C NICK MANGOLD
On the familiarity in playing the Dolphins…
We know each other inside and out and we get that by playing a many time as we do. You just got to go out there and win.
On how badly this loss feels after Monday night…
It's horrible. It is not the way we envisioned it and we will get back in, keep working and keep fighting.
On what's happening on the lack of offense…
I don't know. We got to go back and look at it. We seem to be sputtering and shooting ourselves in the foot. We have turnovers and penalties that have been killing us.
On being more successful with the running game on first down…
We've got to get more positive stuff out of the run game. We've got to grind, we've got to put it on our shoulders. This is the stuff we didn't do today.
WR JERRICHO COTCHERY
On if he feels the team is collapsing…
I don't sense that. I know that everybody knows that the guys that are in here are very confident. When it comes down to it, it's just correcting those errors, improving in those areas where we've been lacking in. It's been forcing us into these tough situations and losing games.
On what the team needs to do at Pittsburgh…
We need to come out fighting. This is a tough opponent we have coming up and we have to go to their place. If we thought Miami had a great defense, those guys we're playing next week, they're going to get after you. The issues that we need to fix, we need to fix them fast before we go to Pittsburgh.
On how the weather affected the offense…
It definitely played a role, but as a professional, you have to try to block those things out the best way you can. You look at the situation, you try to prevent a lot of things from happening and prepare for those situations. Sometimes, things just happen. We practiced that situation in practice. We wet the balls and all of those things, so we had a good feel for it throughout the week.
LB JASON TAYLOR
On if the loss is disappointing…
It is. I'm not going to stand here and state the obvious over and over again. It was a game we needed and we didn't do it on any side of the ball and it's as simple as that.
On time running out in the season…
Time is of the essence. You can find a million clichés to use for it and these are all must win games. In this league, they are all must wins, but at this point of the season you can't lose games. You can't lose division games and you can't lose home games. We're not thinking of the sand in the hour glass right now, so to speak. As far as our chances time is running out.
On playing well on defense and still losing…
It hurts regardless. We obviously didn't play well on defense. We had chances to make interceptions and pick up a ball and score on defense. We had other chances we didn't take advantage of.
On the feeling of losing to the Dolphins compared to losing to the Jets…
Losing is losing. I've never seen one that I liked.
CB ANTONIO CROMARTIE
On how critical of a time it is for the team right now…
It's critical. Right now, we just lost two division games. We need to do things as a team and capitalize on what we need to capitalize on. We're going into a tough place in Pittsburgh this upcoming weekend and the conditions are going to be ten times worse than this and they're going to be worse than what they were in New England. Physically, we're going to be prepared, but mentally, we have to get ourselves ready and get ready for this upcoming week.
On if there is a reason for the team to panic…
There's no reason to panic. We still have three games left. At the end of the day, we still control our own destiny. We have to do the things that we need to do for these next three games and make sure that we capitalize and play a one-game season for the next three games.
On if he felt the offense would pull the game out at the end…
We have faith in our offense. That's something that, as a team, you have to have. You have to have faith in your offense that they're going to do what they have to do. On defense, we just try to make sure that we keep the offense in the game and I think we did a great job of that. We just want to make sure that everybody has each other's back. We're all out there fighting for our brothers and the guy that's next to us. We just need to capitalize on the things that we need to capitalize on and we can't make mental errors.
