While quarterback Chad Pennington enjoyed one of his finest days as a New York Jet on Sunday, the collective work of all three quarterbacks has impressed head coach Eric Mangini this season. Patrick Ramsey was Pennington's backup against the Vikings a week after Kellen Clemens assumed that role versus the Bills. The group has remained both cooperative and productive throughout the season.
"It's a close group," Mangini said of his passers. "They have so many shared experiences. They all appreciate each other's position. It's good to be able to bounce off ideas and experiences on each other. It's a good group. They've worked together even though they've been in competition since training camp. I like that about all three of those guys."
Read below for Mangini's complete press conference transcript
New York Jets' Head Coach Eric Mangini, 12.18
Opening Statement…
Yesterday, was another good team effort, everybody contributing, all the different phases contributing, offense, defense, special teams and coaches. Collectively it was just a really solid complementary game, and I was happy with that.
The players of the game this week - offensively: Laveranues Coles; defensively: Dewayne Robertson; on special teams: Rashad Washington. Our practice player of the week was Derrick Blaylock. Always the most important player - practice player of the week. Derrick is doing a great job for us. He always gives us a really good look at the opponent's running back. This week that was especially important for us. Stopping the run was one of the key factors in the game and he really helped us get a really solid look.
We are giving out two other game balls. A little bit different. They're actually outside the organization. To Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor and his wife, Frankie. We showed the Gaetan Hart/Aaron Pryor fight. It was the first one after he won the title. They were nice enough to film a message to the team. His catch phrase is, 'What time is it? It's Hawk Time!' He was great about, 'What time is it? Jets Time!' He's been a friend of the Jets. We really appreciate his support and his wife's help.
Offensively throughout the game we had that initial bit of adversity with the strip sack, then we came back and scored 26 straight points. We did a nice job on third down. I thought Chad made a lot of really good decisions, not just in the passes that he completed but the passes that he threw away. His decision-making overall was excellent.
Defensively one of the keys was stopping the run, like we talked about. We did a nice job there. They have been very effective with third- and fourth-down conversions. That was something we needed to do. That was very good as well. Also pressuring the quarterback. We sacked him three times, hit him five times. We had three batted balls.
On special teams, Mike (Nugent) continues to do a good job. I thought the coverage units overall were very solid. I thought Leon (Washington) did a nice job with his opportunity as the punt returner.
On getting a taped message from Aaron Pryor …
We've brought in speakers before, but this was the first taped one that we had. The guys really enjoyed Aaron's fights. He was an impressive fighter, 26 straight knockouts. He was relentless, tireless. He was always attacking. When the bell rang, he charged out of his corner. He fought very fast. He had this way where if he was hit, even if he was knocked down, he'd get up smiling. That could be a big momentum turner in a fight, but the way he responded to that was so unnerving to his opponents, he switched something that should be an advantage to his opponent to his advantage. All those characteristics, the guys really responded to.
On whether the Jets responded that way after the Vikings first touchdown …
It was definitely something we talked about. Every game is going to have adversity. How you respond to it is key. Being able to move on from that and being able to not be fazed by that can avoid any sort of momentum shift.
On whether Aaron Pryor is a Jets' fan …
We didn't really discuss his allegiance. He's an Ohio guy. I'm sure somewhere deep in his heart he was. Isn't everybody?
On Laveranues Coles' injury …
I'm not even sure, his ribs or his back. Laveranues, he's so tough, it doesn't matter what gets hit. He pops up, moves on. He's tough. He's the example for toughness.
On Coles being stiff after the game …
He's been stiff at a lot of different points throughout the season. Then as soon as he lines up against a defensive back, it's on. He's just a little banged up. We'll monitor it. He's Laveranues. I feel pretty comfortable with him.
On whether Kerry Rhodes' BCS (Bowl Championship Series) approach came from Mangini …
No, that was Kerry. But I'm sure that he's just citing the importance of these next two games. It's exactly what we talked about two weeks ago before the Buffalo game. If we just take care of the games that we can take care of, then everything else will take care of itself. That hasn't changed and it won't change. This week we've got another tough opponent at a tough place to play. We need to just focus on the Dolphins and take care of that and let all the other games fall where they may.
On whether Mangini talks about the playoffs to the team …
It's well written about, well talked about. They're exposed to it quite a bit. It's more important, though, to really center in on what we can control. If we can control the things that we have in front of us, the rest will take care of itself. We've been talking about that for a long time. To me, that's why it's so important just to focus on the next opponent because that's all you can really do anything about.
On whether a Monday night game changes the team's approach …
It's not going to change for us Monday night. Whether someone wins or loses, our approach is going to be the same. I don't think the team's intensity level or the amount of work that they do throughout the week or any of that is going to be affected by the games that take place Sunday. We've got a lot of things to do leading up to our game that's going to be so important that really we won't be impacted by the things that happen on Sunday.
On the prospect of playing on Monday Night Football for the first time …
Guys enjoy playing the night games. They enjoy playing Monday Night Football. That's always exciting. We all grew up with those games. A lot of great memories. I know for me personally, there's a lot of great memories of watching Monday Night Football. It's just part of the experience, the NFL experience, that we've all shared. When you get that opportunity to play Monday Night Football, it is special. To be playing such a meaningful game, that's special, too.
On his first Monday Night experience …
I don't remember actually. I remember when I was young and I had to go to bed before the games were over. I'd try to sneak down and hear the game at the bottom of the stairs. I won't tell you who I was cheering for ... It wasn't a Jets' game at that point.
On flying to Miami on Christmas Eve and being away from their families …
We'll go down Sunday. You'd love to be home with your family for the holidays. I'll finalize the schedule here today and try to get some time somewhere prior to us leaving, a little block where they can spend some time with their families. It's fortunate and unfortunate. It's a great opportunity for us, but we'd love to be with our families. The best gift we can all give to our families is a victory.
On Patrick Ramsey and Kellen Clemens exchanging spots on the depth chart …
Patrick had a better week of practice. We'll do that again this week. Whoever has a better week, we'll flip again. It's an ongoing competition. Really the same with every spot.
On Defensive Player of the Week Dewayne Robertson …
He pressured the quarterback. He made some outstanding plays at the point of attack. He made some good chase plays down the line of scrimmage. He was a factor across the board. As much as an interior lineman can be a sideline-to-sideline player, I thought Dewayne was that yesterday. I really liked the way that he made some things happen defensively. He really contributed.
On whether Robertson has played better of late …
Dewayne has been playing well for a while. We've talked about him quite a bit. Whether he's playing the nose, playing in sub, whether he's offset, whether he's playing the three technique. He's really committed to learning the technique in the base stuff, getting better at that, hand placement, leverage and gap integrity. When he has the opportunities to offset or move to a three, wherever he is, he's been great. He's really done a good job with that aspect of it.
On whether Robertson has been stung by public criticism …
No.
On Brian Schottenheimer…
Brian has done a really good job each week throughout the season. Really it's the whole staff together, what we talked about early on in putting the staff together, all adding ideas, challenging each other intellectually, disagreeing but not being disagreeable. I think those guys each week come up with a plan that attacks weakness, minimizes strengths, plays to our strengths and is very creative. The shifting, the motioning, the creating different formations, the multiple personnel groups, all those different things have been very important for our success. I know from experience it's difficult to defend.
On the offensive line at Minnesota …
The whole offensive line played well. We had the hiccup there at the beginning. That was a combination of things. They gave Chad some excellent time to throw. When you drop back to pass quite a few times, there's a lot of opportunities for breakdowns. Overall they did well.
On D'Brickashaw Ferguson's play at Minnesota …
'Brick did a nice job also. It's another one of those things where you learn each week. The players he faced this week were different than last week. There were some adjustments that we made in the scheme and that he made. He responded well. D'Brickashaw each week is getting better at communicating across the board and understanding the whole concepts of the protection. You see that improvement. He's a steady guy. He's very steady in the way that he approaches things. He's very steady in terms of just being the same guy every day. This week was no different than last week. He works hard every week.
On Chad Pennington …
He's consistent. His work ethic is extremely consistent. It's at a very high level. He's always trying to get the answers. He's always trying to stay a step ahead. This was a good opportunity for him to throw a lot of balls. I thought he did really well.
On Pennington picking up things quickly …
It's definitely a big strength. That two-minute drive we had at the end of the half, this is two weeks now where he's had some really good two-minute drives to end the first half. I thought that was really well-executed. Even the play with eight seconds, they didn't have (tight end Chris) Baker covered. He hits Bake, gets us in better field goal position, calls a timeout with four seconds and we're able to get the three points. His clock management throughout that drive, understanding what he could hit, what he needed to get, the presence to get up there and (spike) it so we could save our timeout. All that stuff was just a good example of what he does throughout the game.
On the excitement this year versus last year with the Jets …
I don't have a frame of reference from last year. I just know that we're all excited. We're all excited about playing in these games. This is a great opportunity. The hard work that we've put in throughout the season, the progress that we've made throughout the season, this is what you want, to be playing meaningful games late in the season. This is that opportunity. Last week was that opportunity, as well. It's something everybody realizes, something everybody understands. The most important thing that we all need to understand is all that excitement needs to be focused and pushed towards our preparation and week of practice for Miami.
On whether coaches and players are working harder late in the season …
I'd like to think that the players have gotten to a really good level of preparation and that we've been there for a while. That's been an ongoing process. The coaches are pretty well tapped out in terms of time they spend here. They've been pretty maximized. It's exciting and everybody recognizes that. Now the key thing is just to generate that enthusiasm and focus that enthusiasm and excitement towards the task at hand. That's what we're doing.
On whether coming to work early is better on a winning team …
I've been part of the alternative. That's not as much fun.
On being 4-0 against other first year coaches …
I honestly hadn't thought of it in those terms. Any win we can get against any coach I'm very happy to be a part of.
On being 5-2 on the road …
We've focused well on the road and at home. We've played some tough opponents both places. At home: Indianapolis, Chicago, New England and Buffalo. Some really, really strong opponents. I think our focus hasn't swayed whether we've been on the road or at home, it's just sort of the way it's fallen. On the road, it's more the way it's unfolded than a real switch in approach or preparation or any of those things. Those things have been consistent both on the road and at home.
On Nick Mangold's condition …
He's a little sore. He's like Laveranues. He's a pretty tough guy. He can't be put in that category yet. He's a Laveranues in training. I think they were looking at the whole leg. You go through the whole checklist there. We need Mark (Cannizzaro) here to say 'I'm not a doctor.'
On what Mangold's injury was on Sunday …
It was the hip.
On the three quarterbacks working together …
It's a close group. They work so closely together. They're in the meetings together all the time. They have so many shared experiences. They all appreciate each other's position. The fact that everybody wants to play, everybody would love to have the opportunity to play. If you do play and the game doesn't go like you would like it to be, you understand how that feels. You can empathize. It's good to be able to bounce off ideas and experiences on each other. It's a good group. They've worked together even though they've been in competition since training camp. I like that about all three of those guys.
On using young players …
It's important if you work hard, do a good job at practice, you earn an opportunity then you're going to get that opportunity. With Wallace (Wright), that was the case. Sunday he had three tackles on special teams. He got edged out for special teams player of the week. With Stacy (Tutt), it was something we liked in terms of the matchups. We thought he gave us a real advantage in matchup situations. It didn't quite work the way we hoped to. We thought he could help us win that game. That being said, we were going to bring him up, play him, give him the opportunity to do that. That was the thought process. Jamie Thompson, he helped yesterday on special teams. All these rookies have been contributing. Leon (Washington) hadn't returned many punts. He gets a shot and goes 38 yards. They've earned it. It's not given to them; they earn it. Then in earning it, if they do well, they earn it again.
