Transcripts of Jets quarterbacks Mark Sanchez's and Kellen Clemens' interviews with reporters following Wednesday's midday practice:
MARK SANCHEZ
On today's practice…
Good. I made it through practice. Got to split the reps. It was good to be back on the field.
On if he's ready to play Sunday…
I'm planning on it. it felt good today. We'll see how it goes. We'll play it day-to-day and talk to the doctors again tomorrow. I feel confident.
On if how he feels tomorrow is important…
I think that is part of it and just getting back on the field and feeling comfortable again. I definitely felt that way today. We'll try and do it again tomorrow.
On if he held himself back at all today…
No. I felt good with everything they asked us to do. I handed the ball off, threw it around. I went drill to drill. Working some escapability stuff. I felt good.
On this past weekend…
Mixed emotions. I'm excited for the team, thrilled for them. It's another big win. I'm happy for Kellen. He deserved that. He watched all season long and has been very helpful and it was a great chance for him to get out there and play. At the same time, it was killing me. I want to be on the field. It was hard to see the guys leave on the plane and go on the trip and Saturday night they are in the hotel in meetings. I watched the game with my call sheet and followed along and felt good about it. I was excited for them.
On how much treatment he received over the weekend…
A lot.
On Mr. Johnson's farm…
It was good. I had a chance to get out and relax.
On protecting himself on the field…
We just have to play it by ear. We'll see. Just be smart with the football and get down when I need to and throw it away.
On practicing with two braces…
It was alright. We're still playing around with things. I don't know. We'll see, come Sunday, how I feel. Whether I will wear two or one or whatever.
On if he expects to play on Sunday…
That's what I'm working towards.
On how much rehab he had over the last few days…
I don't know, ask the training staff. I'm there all the time. That's my new home. It's good though. They do everything you need to get back on the field. The obviously care about their players and not just me. There are tons of guys, whether you are the starting quarterback or a guy on the practice squad, whatever you need. The trainers have been awesome. It's good. Not fun being in there, no disrespect to them, great facility [laughing]. I'd rather be in the cold tub and out of there. I have work to do.
On protection versus range of motion with the braces…
I'm not a burner speed guy. I'm not getting away from too many people in this league. The most important thing is getting back on the field. The range of motion will come second. Just play smart and getting down when I need to, scrambling when I need to, but I felt comfortable doing everything today.
On the cold weather…
It was good. I needed it. It's thickening my blood [laughing].
On if he feels he could have played last Sunday…
It doesn't matter. We got a win and Kellen did a great job. The team did well. We watched the film and we're through last week. We're focused on Atlanta. Whether I could have played or not last week, Rex made the decision. I respect it and moved on.
On playing a game that means a lot…
This is huge, each week. We knew that coming down the stretch here that if we want to have a chance to play longer than January 3 than we need to win a few games. That is what we are trying to do and we have another tough team coming into our place. We need to play well in all different types of weather.
On if he did anything extra to convince Coach Ryan that he can play Sunday…
No, nothing has changed with our relationship. He knows that I'll be honest with him. If something hurts I will tell him. If I am not ready, if I am going to do the team a disservice or if I'm going to do myself a disservice we need to make a change. He knows that we are going to play it by ear and see how I'm doing tomorrow. He trusts me and I trust him. I know he is trying to protect me. As must as I appreciate it and as much I want to play, I need to balance those and understand that I need to do what is right for the team.
On what he has told Coach Ryan…
He hasn't asked [laughter]. We're good. He asked a couple of times on the field, "How are you doing?" "Good." "All right, keep going." We split reps and we'll see how it goes tomorrow. If I am feeling good, then I'll probably take the reps tomorrow.
On if there is swelling or pain…
Nothing. Just feeling good so far with everything they have asked me to do. With the exercises and workouts and throwing and practice. It's been good.
On if there was any rust…
I felt good. I felt pretty accurate. It just felt good to be back out there on the field. It felt like it's been forever. There is nothing you can do in the training room that simulates what you do on the field. It's not nearly as fun. It was good to be out at practice again and see the guys and get in the huddle and call some plays.
On if watching the game with the call sheet was similar to what he would have done if he was on the sideline…
I probably wouldn't have had the call sheet in the game. Once the game plan is done, we rush and Thomas [Jones] runs the ball and its third-and-4. I looked at our call sheet and what could we run? I know. I have a pretty good idea just by the shifts and motions they practiced all week. I knew what play was coming and then I started looking at the defense and what Kellen is looking at and what I am seeing. I had it on TiVo, so I am looking back-and-forth. It was like I was there, just frustrated that I wasn't.
On where he watched the game…
I had to watch half of it here because I was doing treatment. Then I watched the second half at home. I TiVo'd it. It was good.
On Chauncey Washington…
He's a strong, physical back. He's really got an extra gear when he makes it out into the open field. He did a great job for us [at Southern Cal] his senior year. Thankfully, a lot of the blocking responsibilities are really similar to what we did at USC. Today, when we were going through our calls and installing stuff for the week for the game planning against the Falcons, I just put down some code words that we have now here and translated them to what we used to call them at USC. I gave him a little sheet to help him refresh his memory a little bit. He's a great player and hopefully he can help us out, so we're excited to have him.
On Atlanta's defense and DE John Abraham…
He's an unbelievable pass rusher. He just causes fits for offenses. He makes difficult on quarterbacks. He really disrupts your timing making you move around in the pocket when he gets pressure. [Curtis] Lofton, their middle linebacker, is a lot like [DeMeco] Ryans from Houston or from Carolina, [Jon] Beason. He's one of those really active Mike linebackers who's leading the league in tackles or second in the league, so he's all over the place. We need to get a hat on him. They've got a secondary that is active. They bring pressure when they need to. They play well in their zones. It's another team that's searching for a win just like everybody this time of year. We need to play smart with the football and manage the game.
On if he had to slide with two braces today…
No, not today.
On if he had to slide, which leg he would slide on...
I have no idea. It will be a leg with a brace, probably [laughter].
On the brace…
They are pretty lightweight. The straps are fabric material and Velcro. There is some metal in there. It's shaped to your knee. They measure them and custom make them. It helps. Is it like running without them? No, it's not quite the same. They feel fine. It's just one of those things you've got to deal with and that's what it means that I've got to play with them, fine I'll play with them.
On the cold weather this Sunday concerns him…
No, this is going to be good. I need it. It's going to be good for me. It's good for the team, an all-weather team.
On if anyone has joked with him about wearing two braces…
Never [laughter]. I looked like Forrest Gump out there [laughing]. They're giving me a hard time, but it's alright. It's all part of it. If I've got to wear roller blades, I'll wear roller blades. That's just the way it felt last week. I was just dying not being there. If it means I've got to wear two braces, then I'll wear two braces, whatever it takes. I really want to get on the field, I think the guys understand that. They saw me out there today, so it'll be good.
On how much sitting out made him appreciate his job…
You have so much more time to think about stuff like that. Usually during the week, you're just going and you get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle. Now I'm watching film. Now I'm in the cold tub. Now I'm going to talk to Schotty [Brian Schottenheimer]. I'm going to get a bite to eat and watch some more film. Then when it's all gone, you almost don't know what to do. The trainers obviously tell you what to do but it's not the same. No exercise makes it the same, makes it as fun playing, practicing or being in the locker room.
When I have to do all that treatment and I then I go in the locker room and nobody is there anymore because I'm there all night. I'm changing and showering and it's like "Man, I'm kind of on my own right now." It's terrible. I want to be with the guys. I want to be practicing. I want to be playing. It's great to be back and hopefully it works out for this weekend.
On if he empathized with Josh Freeman last week…
Absolutely. We run our two-minute drill against our defense pretty much every week. That's one of the hardest parts of practice. It's difficult. They just show you so many things. I think if we had a week to game plan against our guys, you'd have a better idea, but even still then it really just comes down to having to throw against [Darrelle] Revis, Kerry [Rhodes] and Lito [Sheppard] and trying to run the ball against Howard Green, Bryan Thomas and all those guys. Everyone is playing so well right now. [David] Harris. Are you kidding me? David is having an awesome year. Even if you knew the scheme, then you've got to beat the players.
The defense is playing really well right now and we need to know that that's one of the strengths of our team and play smart. It was tough on Josh last week. It's a good learning experience. It's something he'll grow from and he's going to be a good one. He sure looks good out there physically and the way he throws the ball. He threw some good ball in there. He'll do just fine.
On if his mindset has finally changed in regards to sliding…
I'm comfortable with my instincts. I felt like the way I dove against Buffalo is just one of those things where I'm trying to take the hit off and I didn't get hit by any players. I just landed on some pretty poor turf. It was one of those things that was kind of a fluke, some kind of weird deal. I just need to be smart and understand I need to protect myself and do what's right for the team. That means I need to play, so we'll see. Just play smart, protect myself and take care of the ball.
KELLEN CLEMENS
On if he is prepared to start…
Yes.
On how he will approach this weekend…
I'm going to approach it as if I am going to play. If Mark is ready to go, whatever the medical people say, whatever Rex decides then he'll go. If not, I'm ready. I think I have the support of the guys around me and we'll go out and play again.
On his performance against Tampa Bay and what he will do differently this week…
After looking at the tape, I feel a lot better about it. I shouldn't have had that demeanor at the podium, especially after a win. That was my mistake. There are a couple of different things that I have tweaked a little bit in my routine this week. For the most part, the formula works and I'll stick with it.
On how much he wants to play…
I love playing. I would love to play every Sunday if I could.
On practice…
We ended up splitting reps today. Partially to test out how Mark's doing and how he's progressing. It was good. We battled the elements a little bit, which was good. We'll be in good preparation for Sunday. It was a good first day.
On how Sanchez looked at practice…
He was good. He's working through some things physically. The big thing is being able to step into your throws and he was able to do that.
On his mental preparation going into a week he might start…
It does make it a little bit more realistic and exciting in the early parts of the week when there is more of a chance than if he gets hurt. It is a little bit different this week. Last week, obviously, entirely different. It's more exciting in the backup role these weeks in the early days of preparation if you know the chance is a little bit higher.
On the Falcons…
They are coming in at 6-7. They have some things they are working through, especially with some injuries. I know [Michael] Turner and Matt Ryan are questionable at this point. They also have the defense #23 Chris Houston is questionable. We'll see how he's doing. I believe he has a hamstring. They look good. Defensively they are ranked in the lower half of the League in quite a few categories, but they look a lot better than that on film. We need to win this game. We're not taking it lightly by any means.
On if reps this week were easier than last week…
It's different. They told us earlier that we're going to split it 50-50. This week it will get more and more lopsided one way or another as they know if Mark is going or if he's not. Last week was nice because I hadn't had any reps yet and to get in there and get the flow of things. It is a little bit different this week because each QB has his own style. You kind of play musical quarterbacks a little bit with the offensive line and the receivers. That won't last too long. I'm sure we'll have a clear-cut guy going into Sunday and that will be good.
