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Transcripts of news conferences and interviews in the Jets' MetLife Stadium locker room following their 27-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon:
HEAD COACH REX RYAN
Obviously we get a win. It's big, a divisional win, so we're really happy about that. The thing that makes me most happy is I know this team is going to get better. There's no way we can't. Twenty penalties? That's on my shoulders, no question about it, but I know we can get better. Just think how good can we be if we can eliminate the penalties and the turnovers. We overcame 20 penalties and overcame two turnovers to win a game. I guess I'm excited because I know we can get better and I know we can. And it's on coaching and I know we'll coach and we'll get it corrected, there's no doubt, so I'm going to be the first one to step up.
I love the fact that our team found a way to win. Take away all the other stuff, we found a way, we persevered and we won. That is really encouraging to me. That tells you about the fight and the spirit of this football team and that's what I'm most proud of.
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On 513 yards of total offense, the most yards since he's been head coach of the Jets…**
Well, don't give me credit. I know where it's going to be, credit should be where it should, 20 penalties is what I look at for me. That's clearly our offensive staff and just when we protect, we can make some plays. I thought we ran the ball extremely well, 182 yards against the Bills. That's a good defense and so I was really happy with that. Obviously, I wasn't real happy with that [third-down run by Fred Jackson]. I thought we had them stopped on a third down. It got bounced for a big one on us, about a 50-yarder. So we've got to get that locked down a little bit.
On Geno Smith's touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes…
I love the fact he threw it to Holmes, because Holmes, by the way, Santonio had the most yards receiving of his career, which is unbelievable, 154 yards receiving. You figure, I figured he did that against me four or five times [joking], but 154 yards receiving is pretty impressive. But the kid hung in there. We get the protection and he makes the big throws and that was really encouraging.
On the irony of his best offensive day as a head coach coming against Mike Pettine…
It's just the way it works because Mike is a heck of a football coach and it's just sometime those things happen. You give up big plays and that number happens. Obviously, I'd much rather be on this end than that end. But he's an excellent football coach. I tell you what, when they get a couple of their defensive players back, they're going to be tough.
On what happened with Kyle Wilson and all the penalties…
Heat of battle, some things happen. We needed to get him out of there, sit back, think about it, calm down, and that's exactly what we did and he came back and entered the game. But sometimes those things happen and you can't put your personal situation in front of the team's and that's what I think we had to remind him of and Kyle came back and responded, played well after that.
On the game's opening drive setting the tempo for the team…
That's about as good as it gets right there. It did set the table and did set the tempo for the game. We had a great week of preparation, I think it starts there, and then to go out and execute like that, that was big.
On limiting C.J. Spiller and Stevie Johnson…
Yeah, we've got a lot of good players, there's no question. For the most part I was happy with it. Obviously, by the way, the quarterback will keep it on zone-read, so I just made a note of that because he hadn't the first two weeks, but he'll keep it. So we figured that out a little later.
On what he was thinking when Smith made the touchdown throw to Holmes…
Well, you don't think you know he's going to catch it even though I think he's got a great chance. The thing that he does, which is amazing, is he doesn't lay his hands out until the last second. He's the best I've ever seen at being late hands to the football and no matter how tight the coverage is you can't make a play on it until you see his hands go or his eyes go. Holmes is just incredible at that and I've seen him do it over and over again countless times, and many times against me.
On the Jets' vertical passing game with Smith…
We worked the heck out of it all week. We knew if we could get our protection to hold up, we'd have some opportunities down the field. That happened today.
On if he feels the Jets will be in every game this season because of the defense…
I just want to be in every game because of our team. I don't care who is doing what. Today we had our moments on offense and defense. I thought we had our moments on special teams as well. We challenged all three phases, and I think they all played well today.
On if he regretted using both of his challenges and having none available when EJ Manuel appeared to fumble…
Well, yeah, of course I did then, but you don't know how the game is going to go. All of those are my responsibility. I need to do a better job of making those challenges.
On limiting Spiller…
We were just playing football. We knew going in that we had to be very mindful of him. He's a tremendous back. I don't say that because he's a Clemson product, either. He's a great back, an explosive talent. We've got to know that, and we did. We were very mindful of when he was in there.
On the health of Holmes…
He might not be 100 percent, but he's pretty darn good. He's a great receiver. He really didn't have any work in minicamp or training camp, so he's just getting there now. We all know, every Jets fan knows what kind of player he is when he's healthy. We're starting to see that now. He had a huge day today. It might have been the difference in the game.
On the last time he was mad after a win…
It's been a while since we had 20 penalties, I don't know. We've just had a couple of weeks in a row. We have to get better. We have to work at it. We think we're working hard at it, but we have to find a way to get better. How many games are you going to win when you turn the ball over twice and commit 20 penalties? We have to get rid of the self-inflicted things.
Yeah, I'm upset because of this, the 20 penalties and all that. We've been one of the least penalized teams in the league, so I know we can get this fixed. That's kind of what excites me: How good can this team be when we eliminate the self-inflicted wounds? We all can take responsibility for it, but it starts with me. We will get it corrected. I will get it corrected.
On Chris Ivory's injury and the performance of Bilal Powell…
Ivory did have a hamstring pull. I'm not sure if it's pulled or what, but I know he left with a hamstring and didn't return. We'll probably know more about it tomorrow. Powell rushed for 149 yards — what a day, what a day. He's fighting for every yard. We've seen this from him, though. It's not like we're surprised. He just — wow! He's durable, dependable. He's just a much better player than he has been given credit for.
On the ability of Smith to take a hit and make a play…
It hasn't surprised us. When he was in college, besides being a great leader, he had great poise in the pocket to where he would stand in there and make those throws. We certainly saw that.
QB GENO SMITH
On his touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes…
We got 1-on-1. We had 1-on-1 pretty much the majority of the night. The wideouts did a phenomenal job of making the best of their matchups, and in that situation with Santonio 1-on-1 matched up on the defensive back, I fully felt he had a great opportunity. So I just wanted to give him a good chance, give him a good ball, one that he could catch, and he came down with it, a phenomenal catch-and-run, and it put us ahead.
On recording his first 300-yard passing game as a pro…
It's good. I don't want to make it seem like it's nothing, but my mind is focused on turnovers. It seems like every week I'm up here saying I need to do a better job in that area. I hate to use the rookie title as an excuse. I have to find a way not to turn the ball over. As far as that goes, I know I'll improve. I just have to do it on game day.
On his second interception…
That guy [Kiko Alonso] did a phenomenal job. I tried to give him a look-off. He's a rookie as well, but he plays like a veteran. He played well all night. I tried to look him off and get back to the slant, and he was athletic enough and able enough to get under it and pick it off. In that situation I will say when I see that, just try not to force the ball. At times, I think I can make every single throw and I think that's what gets me in trouble at times.
On his touchdown run…
It was a great call by Marty [Mornhinweg]. Offensive line did a phenomenal job. Willie [Colon] was able to get up on the linebackers, so it was pretty much me and the safety. I saw the end zone and I saw that guy. I didn't want to go down. I wanted to get that touchdown on the first drive and was able to do so. I think it was a big lift for the team.
On the sense of urgency on the final scoring drive…
In order to be a great offense, we have to play with that urgency every single drive. No matter what the score is, no matter if we're up or down, no matter what the situation, because I think that breeds a good offense. We knew that we had to score and I think we feel that way every single drive, but especially in that moment. It was just great for us to go up, put us ahead and get the victory.
On if he wants the ball in his hands in moments like the last scoring drive…
Always, with the game on the line, the ball in your hands, that's the moment you live for, that's the moment you dream of as a kid. You can't get caught up in the moment. You can't see it as that. You have to go out there, stick to your fundamentals, and do all the things that got you here. But you always want to be in that moment and you always want to be successful. It was good to do that today.
On if the touchdown pass to Holmes felt good out of his hand…
Yes, it was a tight coverage, so I didn't want to hang it too much and give the defensive back a chance to look back and find it, so I tried to drive it on him. Tone is very good at looking up at the last second and plucking that thing out of the sky. He did that. He stayed on his feet and he scored. It was great for us. I think Austin [Howard] messed up the spike [joking], but other than that we did well.
On Coach Ryan mentioning the penalties and turnovers need to be corrected even with the win…
Big picture, it's always good to get a win. It's always good to put a "W" in that column, but it's definitely something that we need to correct and we emphasis it in practice. We do pushups after a penalty and we try not to have any turnovers, in practice or in games. Like I said, it seems like I've been saying this for the past three week and I have to find a way of not doing it. I just have to tuck the ball sometimes. I think I'm a pretty aggressive player, but I'm also smart with the ball, so if I do that, if I don't turn the ball over, I think it gives us a tremendous chance to win every single game with the defense that we have.
On if it means anything to beat EJ Manuel, who was drafted earlier than him…
No, other than the fact that we got a win, it doesn't mean anything. EJ's a good guy. I think he played a great game and we'll be battling for a number of years. It's just good to come out here and get a victory. That's all that matters.
On if he saw the hit coming on the touchdown pass to Stephen Hill…
I didn't. I didn't see him. He got a good shot on me, but it wasn't too bad. I was just more worried about placing the ball in the right spot and I didn't really see it connect, but it turned out well for us.
On looking off the safety on the deep completions…
Yeah, with the man coverage, a single high safety, everyone knows you've got to look that guy off, you've got to move him off his spot. I tried to, several times, tried to move him. Jim Leonhard is a vet, he's a wily vet, and at times it was hard to get him, but I was able to move him a few times. The receivers I think just did a great job of running routes with single man coverage and they got open and I was able to drive the ball on them. We made some good plays and that was pretty much it.
On if he looked off Leonhard on the touchdown pass to Holmes…
I mean, it was more on the center. I think we were on the left hash, maybe a little inside of it, so I gave him a quick look off but it wasn't too much. I don't think he could've made that play from the spot he was in.
On if it makes him happy that he helped Holmes set a career high in receiving yards or if it's all about the win…
It's all about the win. I'm happy for Tone. Coming back from an injury, not being able to participate in camp with us, it's good. It's good for the offense to develop another weapon. We've got a stable of backs who do a tremendous job and I think we have a number of wideouts who can go out there and have a big game for us. I just have got to do a better job of getting Jeff [Cumberland] and Kellen [Winslow] and all the other guys involved, but Tone did a great job today. He was able to get open and made some great catches. I'm happy for him.
WR SANTONIO HOLMES
On how he feels…
I would say I feel good. I feel good. I can't put a percentage on it. I'd really like to thank Dr. Anderson for taking his time and really helping me heal like he did, my training staff for keeping me in there week in, week out, day in, day out, even after hours, making sure the treatment is right, making sure the foot feels healthy every night before I go home. We're still working on it. I've got rehab and treatments tomorrow. But I definitely feel really good right now.
On his long touchdown catch…
Our job is to go out and make plays and Geno [Smith] gave me an opportunity to make the play. I think that the defense was unaware that he was even throwing me the ball at that time. The ball landed in the perfect place for me to get a chance to catch it. The rest is in the history books.
On if he had a good rhythm in the game…
I honestly didn't even think about it. Today was just a day to just go out and make plays. We're back in our stadium. I didn't have a good game the first game, only one catch. It was just getting back into the groove of playing football. Today was a good opportunity to showcase how well I can be from this point forward.
On Smith's play in the fourth quarter…
Honestly, we'll give a lot of credit to Coach Marty [Mornhinweg] for calling the right plays for us and putting us in the right situations. With Geno's poise, he can be as great as he wants to be. His opportunity is definitely something that we're going to look forward to for a long time.
WR STEPHEN HILL
On his 45-yard catch in the first quarter…
It was just a 1-on-1 matchup. I broke off into a corner route and it looked pretty good and I was pretty wide open. He [Geno Smith] gave me a chance to go up and get it.
On Geno Smith's performance…
He was great. When you throw for 300 yards, that is a great thing. We're going to be looking for more of those. It's a long season so we'll definitely be looking for more.
On how far the WR corps has come since training camp…
We've come far, mentally. We're starting to understand each other and we're starting to understand what Coach Marty wants. We just need to come on out there and do what we need to do. Like I said, we need to come out and make plays.
RB BILAL POWELL
On if they were trying to balance their offensive attack…
We were just playing up-tempo. The running game got going today and you never really know how a game gets going until you get into it. I think we did a good job of throwing and running the ball tonight.
On how important the win was despite the penalties…
Our defense stepped up tonight. With the penalties and the offensive mistakes, the defense went out and picked up the slack. In the end, we got the victory.
On the importance of having a solid running game…
It's always good to run the ball in this league. If you're able to run the ball and throw the ball, you're going to have a good balanced offense.
LB CALVIN PACE
On getting to EJ Manuel…
It was a combination of things. He hasn't played against us. Some defenses are a little more developed. We're going to attack you. Stats are one thing, but once you get a little lead and play well against the run, you can pin your ears back and get him. We had some great coverage.
On the Jets' 20 penalties…
I knew it was up there. We need to do better. I'll leave it at that.
On a division win…
It was super important. It was everything. We needed that. You can't go down 0-2 in the division and expect to play in the postseason. But we needed it and we got it. On to Tennessee.
CB KYLE WILSON
On covering Stevie Johnson…
You just want to compete. You get a call, you get a personnel group, I've got to line up in a bunch of different spots. So I was playing my game based on the defense.
On the game…
You know it's always a fight against division teams. We knew it was going to be a battle and we just wanted to do whatever we had to do to win the game.
On being taken out for a series…
Rex wanted to cool me off. Everyone was just telling me that I needed to have a short memory. I play physical out there, but Rex just wanted to cool me off that's all that was.
C NICK MANGOLD
On Geno Smith bouncing back from his second interception…
It's fantastic to see. He puts in his work during the week. His receivers were really working today and he made the throws that he needed to.
On the importance of a divisional win…
It's always important to win in your division, these games are huge. After the loss last week, it was really good to get this win.
On if the running game is gaining momentum…
We hope to continue to build on it. We did some good things and obviously there are things we need to clean up. There is still plenty of work to do, but hopefully we'll continue with the good things that we have done.
