Transcript of defensive end Trevor Pryce's news conference after signing with the Jets on Thursday afternoon at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
On the last 24 hours…
The best way to put it is I went jogging yesterday [laughing]. Me and my wife jogged a couple miles just kind of casually. Then I get a call from my agent — "You've got to report to New York." "What am I doing in New York?" "You're playing for the Jets." "Oh, boy." That's kind of the best way I could put it and it's been a whirlwind. It came out of nowhere, but it didn't come out of nowhere where as I was literally on the waiver wire for like two hours. When Rex [Ryan] calls, you answer the call [laughing]. You answer that call.
It was strange walking in here at first and then I look at the playbook, the plays were the same [laughing]. Then, it was like I stepped in a time capsule. I saw DT [Dennis Thurman] and I saw Rex, [Mike] Pettine and I saw Bart [Scott]. I was like, "Where the hell am I?" I'm in New York, so I'm excited. I'm rambling now. That's how you know I'm excited. I'm rambling.
On if he's surprised that Baltimore released him…
Yes, I was surprised when it happened, but you know what? If you stay in the NFL long enough, nothing should surprise you. It shouldn't be after a while after your first two or three years, you should've seen everything there is to see. I've literally seen everything including myself getting released in week four.
On why he came to the Jets…
I know that if not for a penalty on Braylon Edwards, the Jets beat Baltimore here that Monday night. That lets you know kind of what I think. I'm humbled that Rex still thinks highly enough of me to say, "No, you're coming to play here." There were some other teams that called and what not. It goes back to what I've said about him. Him in general, he's such a loyal guy to his guys. If you're a Rex Ryan guy, if I want to coach, I can coach for him. If I want to work in the cafeteria, he'd probably let me do that, whatever it is. He's always been like that, so I'm humbled again that he thought enough of me that when Baltimore cast me off and they were only going to cast me off for a week. Let me just clarify that. I was supposed to go back next Monday. This opportunity pops up and you go, "I don't think I'm going back."
On if his agent already made the deal for him to go the Jets before he knew about it…
It was kind of like there were some other teams that called, but he knew that if Rex called, that's where I was going. It was literally like that. My niece and daughter are supposed to be going to Six Flags this weekend and I was really looking forward to going [laughter]. Rex is like, "No, you're playing against the Bills on Sunday." [laughter] "What? No, I'm not. I'm going to Six Flags." "No, you're playing against the Bills on Sunday." That lets you know. It came out of nowhere and again when Rex calls me at least, that's the way I feel. He calls me, I answer the call.
On if he or his agent gave their word to Baltimore that he'd be back in a week…
No. Once you're released, or if you're vested, I think, it's a different term for it. The difference is between me and a guy that's in his third year is I get to pick and choose. The third year, they've got to pick up your contract and do all that stuff and they don't have a choice. I have a choice. One of the choices I could have had was to sit out for the rest of the season and some other teams and this. As you can see by me standing here, I chose this.
On how much of his decision was based on how much playing time he would get here in versus at Baltimore…
It wasn't based so much on that because the reason I wasn't playing is because we have certain pass rush things, it's football speak. There are certain things. The defenses I'm supposed to play in and really do some damage in, we didn't call them. We never got a chance to call them. We couldn't stop water from running, so I wasn't going to play too much [laughing]. It was, "Oh, you're the pass rusher, let's figure it out." We had some stuff to work out, but none of that has to do with me now at this point.
On his expectations of playing time with the Jets…
Yes, it's a lot different. I think from a pass rush standpoint, that's what I'm brought here to do. It doesn't matter so much how much you play. As long as when you're playing, you make some kind of impact. Special teams guys or punt returner gets five plays a game or five or ten. As long as you make an impact on those plays, you'll be fine.
On if he's talked to anyone from the Ravens organization…
As far as my teammates, my teammates are happy for me.
On if anyone from the Ravens organization was surprised by his decision…
I don't think so. I don't think they were surprised. It was kind of like hedging your bets and taking a calculated risk. I think they knew some people would call, but that it wouldn't be that serious or this fast. Thank goodness for me they were wrong [laughing].
On Rex Ryan…
I know you guys have talked about this and it's been said a billion times, but it's more along the lines of saying, you want to play for Rex. He makes you want to play for him. I look at it a little different. You have to play for him. It's a big difference when he tries to instill. He instills a confidence to you that you don't have. I got released from Denver and that whole thing went down and he just thought I was more than I knew I was. By doing that, you don't want to let somebody like that down. I became something that, it's hard to explain. It made you want to live up to what he said about you. That's the biggest compliment I can give him.
On if thinks he'll be ready to play against the Bills…
Yes, I'll be fine. How much I will play is kind of up to the system. When I looked at stuff, it's stuff I've done. It's literally like looking at our same playbook. It looks the same, the same kinds of drawings. It was really, really similar [laughing]. I was like, "Oh. I don't need to meet. I know all of these things.'
On how much he feels he has left to give in this league…
Since I haven't played a lot in the last three weeks, I've got a lot [laughing]. This is my fourteenth year and I've always said I can play professional football physically, as the way my body feel and the way I work out, as long as I probably wanted to. What starts to happen with age is not that you can't run fast — you can't run fast as many times in a row [laughing]. That's the big problem. I run real fast two times, but if I've got to do it 12 times, then we've got a problem. As far as I what I've got left in the tank, I've got plenty left. When I walk away from the game, I'll still have plenty left, but I want to take that with me and take my ball and go home.
On the Ravens players…
You've got to understand this. I have friends on that team. As long as you spend in the NFL, the more you realize friendships. Especially when you get to twilight years and you're looking at the rest of your career behind you, you start to realize these are the only friends I have. You spend so much time. I don't know anybody that doesn't play football, not really well. I really don't. There is nobody I can call, some of the kids I grew up with, and say, "Hey, let's go get a beer." I'm sorry. Let's go get a Kool-Aid or a ginger ale [laughter]. I know that's a sensitive subject around here lately [laughter].
Ed Reed, Kelly Gregg, Terrell Suggs and Jarret Johnson, those are guys that I'll be friends with the rest of my life. That's the biggest compliment I can give them. I still live in Maryland. I live closer to D.C., but that's where I'm going to live. I have nothing bad or negative to say about the Ravens organization at all because, again, I have friends on that team. When I left Denver, I was like, 'Eh, whatever' [laughter]. Now, it's a lot different.
On if there are going to be hard feelings from within the Ravens organization…
I hope not. I don't think so. There shouldn't be because I didn't take hard feelings when they released me. You've got to do what's best for your team and I had to do what's best for my career. I think this is the best I could have done.
On if he was given advanced notice before he was released from the Ravens…
Absolutely. They talked to me about it. They were very candid. John [Harbaugh] was actually very cool about it. He was like, "We had to weigh between two things." He was like, "I know this hurts." He was as positive as he could be. They could have released me and say, "You're released. Get out of the building." It was like a half hour talk. He talked to me man-to-man. I respect him for that. I really do. I think that's one of the things that he's very good at. He'll tell you like he sees it. If you're in the thirty-plus club, he'll say, "I really didn't' want to do this, but I need that spot. Just for this week and Monday let bygones be bygones." We didn't make it to Monday.
On if he thought there was a possibility that he might sign with another team…
No, they just said, "You'll be back Monday." I said OK. I kind of gave them the look. I was like, "Yeah, sure, let's see." I can tell you where my mind was at. I went for a run on Wednesday, a jog. I haven't jogged in six months. I had a lot of things to work out. You don't get angry per se. You don't ask yourself why this or why that? I just walked out of the building and I was like, "It's OK." All my teammates were like, "What's going on? What's this? What's that?" The Ravens would have liked to save face. I would have liked to save face. But if you get released, you get released. John was very candid. He said, "We're bringing him back Monday." So he tried to make it sound a little better than it was and I appreciate that from him.
On if he told his agent that if Ryan comes calling that's where he wants to go…
There are certain things you don't got to say, like water is good for you or don't spend all of your money in one place [laughter]. There are certain unknown truths in life and that's one of them. So he knew that was going to happen. He knew that if Rex called, that's where I was going, no matter what, no matter who else called.
