The New York Jets are 9-6 and a win Sunday over the Raiders will place the Green & White in the playoffs. They have shocked many national football observers in Eric Mangini's first season, but the players expected positive results.
"With the guys in our locker room and the veterans that we have, we are not surprised where we are because of the hard work we have put in and our preparation," said veteran quarterback Chad Pennington. "We are excited to be in the position we're in, but we know our work is not finished. We just have to maintain our same mindset, our same focus, and just make sure we cross all of our t's and dot all of our i's."
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Read below for Pennington's complete press conference transcript
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New York Jets' QB Chad Pennington, 12.27
On Leon Washington as a receiver…
Leon is the type of back that is excellent in space, and any time you can get him the ball one-on-one in space, he's got enough moves to do something with it after that. He's just done an excellent job of not getting tackled by the first defender. Any time he has the ball in his hands, once he's in space, it takes the whole team gang tackling him to get him down.
On Washington earning Pennington's trust as a receiver…
You have to learn everyone and learn everyone's body language and how they move, how they react, and he's been no different. It takes time, whether it's a receiver, running back or tight end. We've played a lot of different people and a lot of different personnel groups, and as a quarterback you really have to focus in on trying to study each and every one of them to learn their body languages because that allows you to get them the football.
On Oakland …
Their defense is scary in itself. A defense that is fourth in the league, gives up only 286 yards a game, only 150 yards passing, have 33 sacks, 18 interceptions; they just do a magnificent job of playing defense. This is not a game that you can just roll your helmet out there and chalk up a win.
Offensively we have to come to play, and if we don't, they'll embarrass us. And so we've got to make sure that we have a good week of practice and understand what they're capable of doing because they have playmakers across the board.
On focusing on the game…
Our coaching staff does a good job of keeping us focused and we'll take the same approach we have every week throughout the season. If anything we've learned through our experiences this season that records mean absolutely nothing and that your preparation and your work that you put in throughout the week is what sets the tone for Sunday, and we've had experiences this year where everyone thought we were going to win and we didn't. So we have to make sure that we do everything in our power to get ready because we're playing a team that is not 2-13 and their defense plays absolutely magnificent.
On lessons learned from the Buffalo game…
We understand that if we don't take care of the football, we don't give ourselves a good chance to win. That's the number one goal going into every game, especially when you play against a good defense. We've had our share of good defenses this year. We have to protect the football. We can't give them easy opportunities. When you're in play against a good defense, whether it's Chicago, Miami, Buffalo or Oakland, they're very opportunistic, and they have an offensive mindset and they think offensively. If you give them easy opportunities, they just don't turn those opportunities into turnovers, they turn them into points for their team.
On coming this far…
With the guys in our locker room and the veterans that we have, we're not surprised at where we are because of our hard work that we've put in, because of our preparation, and we're excited to be in the position we're in but we know our work is not finished. We just maintain our same mindset, maintain our same focus and make sure that we cross all of our 'T's and dot all of our 'I's.
On Coach Mangini…
Coach Mangini came in with a precise plan and a good attitude, and there was no gray areas; it was all black and white with what he expected from us. On top of that, our players have great character. The new guys that we brought in and the guys that have been here, they're all character guys and they all want to win and they all have a desire to be successful. So you put those two things together, it creates an environment for success.
On the veterans proving their worth to Mangini…
I think that's important to understand that the guys that were here in previous years have a lot of pride about themselves, number one, and number two, we knew the results of last year were really not a reflection upon us as players; it was more of the circumstance and how the season went. I think all of us as veterans took it upon ourselves, and still take it upon ourselves, to show people that we're not just a rebuilding team, we're not just a team looking to get a few wins, we're a team that desires to compete at a high level and desires to win and be successful. That's our goal.
On Tony Kornheiser's comments about Pennington on Monday Night Football…
First of all, I think we understand that. Tony is very sarcastic in his delivery. You watch the show PTI, you know how that show goes a lot of times. He's going to get a laugh, he's going to say things that may appear off-the-wall or a little bit dicey. I think that's him, and that's fine. We had a good conversation during the production meeting on Friday, and I don't take anything from it.
On playing under several offenses…
I've always taken pride in whatever offense is presented to me and making it work, and execute it the way our coaches want it to be executed. I have enjoyed this offense. I've enjoyed working with Brian (Schottenheimer) and learning all the details of this offense and trying to explore all the different avenues, and we're definitely not where we want to be. We've got a lot more exploration to do, but I have enjoyed just going through this process.
On why this offense is so enjoyable…
With any job the first thing that makes it enjoyable is the people that you work with. My teammates make it enjoyable. I like working with Brian. He works extremely hard. He does a great job of keeping a nice balance between being serious and being light. It's just been a total team effort. We feel like he's done a great job of putting us in positions to be successful and really exploiting our strengths and making sure that we get the playmakers the ball.
On pioneering a no-huddle offense…
We just take what the coaches give us and try to execute it the best we can. We play our best when we play fast, when we play sharp, and even if we're wrong in a decision or wrong in an assignment, when we play fast and play with excitement and energy, normally good things happen, and I think that's the key ingredient.
On the momentum of the Jets…
We have a big challenge ahead of us. We haven't won three games in a row. That's a big goal for us this week to try to win three games in a row, try to win our 10th game. Winning your 10th game in a season is very important, and to close the season out with a win is extremely important. That's where we are. I don't think our guys have looked ahead. We're excited to be in the position that we're in, but we know that there's work to be done. It's not a game where we can sit back and rest on our laurels and expect things to happen. It's a game where we have to go get it. We have to go get this thing done and get it accomplished.
On the importance on playing an entire season…
It will first depend on our outcome. That's most important. No matter how many games I play, my primary focus is always winning and making sure that I'm doing everything I can to put our team in a successful position. But to be able to make it through a season and persevere through a lot of difficult challenges does mean a lot, and I'm excited about the 16th challenge. I'm excited about the 16th game, to be able to have the opportunity to play another game.
