*Transcript of interviews with selected Jets players during the locker room media period Monday afternoon: *
WR LAVERANUES COLES
On fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 4 with four minutes left ...
I haven't had the opportunity to look at it in full length. There were other plays I could have made that could have helped us win. That drop toward the end of the game. Coach doesn't think I could have scored, but I think I could have. That was probably one of the defining moments in the game for this team. If there is anybody you have to blame or look at saying why we didn't get the victory, it is me. I could have had that play and I could have made a difference with that play.
On the dropped pass …
I lost total concentration. In my mind as soon as I saw the ball, I thought I was going to score. I took my eyes off of the ball before I had a chance to run with it. There was a chance for me to change the game because I think I could have scored. We looked at it and I saw it would have been a footrace. Hopefully, I could have won. It was one of those things. If it falls on anybody, it falls on me.
On whether criticism of Chad Pennington is fair …
No, not at all. We as a whole team should be taking the brunt of everything. We are all in this together. There is no phase in this game that is exempt from anything that happened. We all have to take it. We all can make plays that can help this team win. It shouldn't just fall on one guy. One guy can't go out there and play the game by himself. Therefore, there shouldn't be one guy that is taking the heat.
On the feeling around the team …
After going through the team meeting today with Coach, it's one of those things that you sense. You never have a true feeling of how bad things are until you see the look in your head coach's eyes.
On whether the team needs to make a change …
The only change we need is a win. If you get a win, everything else goes away. If we were winning, we wouldn't be talking about changes. The main thing right now is trying to find a way to get a win.
TE CHRIS BAKER
On being 1-5 …
I'm definitely frustrated. Everyone is frustrated. We are 1-5. One-and-five with the talent we have? We shouldn't be.
On how much blame should be placed on Chad Pennington …
We all have responsibility for it. We are not scoring enough points on offense. Our defense played a great game, giving up 16 points to a pretty good offense, and we score nine points. That is the entire offense. It is not just him. It is the entire offense.
On staying focused …
We have to look at Cincinnati. We are 1-5. You don't want to even think about all of the other ramifications, playoffs and things like that. Our most important goal is getting our second win. That is what we have to focus on.
QB KELLEN CLEMENS
On critics saying he should start at QB …
Everything is about the team winning a game. Whatever is going on outside the walls of this locker room, we are not really too concerned about. We are trying to focus on our jobs, on having the same consistent approach each week and trying to do whatever we can as a position to help this team win.
On his preparation …
As the backup quarterback, you are put in a position where you have to be ready to play in case your number is called. I try to do the best job each week to be prepared should that happen. That is about all that you can do. Even for Baltimore, making my first start, my preparation was the same. You should always try to keep your preparation consistent and keep your routine. This week will be no different than any other week.
On avoiding distractions …
I only see you guys for about 30 minutes a day. The rest of it is a lot of hard work and a lot of film studying. We are going to go up and start watching some tape on Cincinnati right now. Sitting at 1-5, it is pretty easy to focus on the task at hand, getting this second victory.
On Chad Pennington …
Chad is his own player. He is a competitor. He works hard and is a damn good quarterback. As far as assessing him, that is up to the coaches and up to Chad. My business is my business and I try to keep it that way.
WR JERRICHO COTCHERY
On fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 4-yard line …
You are confident in your playmakers on the field, so no one is questioning the call on the field at that time. We knew that the guy whose number was called was capable of making that play. We are not going to question any call.
On whether Chad Pennington should be replaced by Kellen Clemens …
I really don't agree with anything like that. He is our leader, the leader of this team, not only the offense. One guy isn't going to create a spark because each individual has to create that spark inside himself to help this team out. If one guy comes in and plays well and the other guys aren't playing particularly well, you'll still lose. What good does that do? We are going to keep working and fighting as a team and see where that takes us.
On Coach Mangini saying Pennington is the starter …
The players want to see that. They want to see a coach sticking behind a guy. We will feed off of that. A lot of guys go through things. The quarterback is a position that is looked at very heavily. He is criticized a lot because he is the main guy in the offense. We will feed off of that. We will be able to get over this hump. I truly believe that. The guys we have in this room are high-character guys that will be able to lead us into position to get over this hump.
