Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Friday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
There are two people on the injury report. Calvin Pace is out. Brodney Pool was limited today. He was limited, but it was good to have him out there, so that was positive. Calvin's out. That's it. We don't even have Shaun Ellis on the list. How about that? That's where we are as far as the injury front is concerned.
We've got to get our passing game dialed in a little more. It was a little inconsistent out there today, but we have a couple more days to get that ironed out. We should be ready to roll.
On if Patrick Turner was out at practice…
Yes, he is on the practice squad now.
On the issue with the passing game…
You want to complete every ball out there and we weren't today. Hopefully, we'll get that ironed out.
On if Shonn Green or LaDainian Tomlinson will start at running back…
We'll probably start Shonn. Both of those guys are going to be heavily involved in every week's game plan. I'm sure they'll be in there the same amount of time.
On if there is the temptation to pass more because of the injuries to the Baltimore secondary…
Probably. It's tough because their front seven is great against the run. They're probably the best in the league at stopping the run with the front seven and they can get after your quarterback with their front seven. You might have a good matchup out there, but you have to protect the quarterback as well. It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. This is a team that, over the years, when they win the turnover battle, they generally win, like 45 out of 47 times since 2003. I'm just throwing a number out there [smiling]. We have to do a great job of protecting the football.
On how much pressure is on Dustin Keller and Tomlinson since Santonio Holmes will miss the first four games…
Even with Santonio in there, both of those two guys can be a huge factor for us in the passing game. That's one of the reasons we like LaDainian so much. It's not just him being an outstanding runner of the football, he's able to be a great receiver and pass protector, so we feel good about that.
On if John Conner will start…
No. We'll start him on special teams, probably. T-Rich [Tony Richardson] will be our starter.
On the kind of challenge Ray Rice presents…
Tough. He's tremendous that way. Double R, as we call him, really is a target. He's effective. He's also effective in the screen game. He's effective in running draws. The kid at Jacksonville is similar. He's that kind of guy. Maurice Jones-Drew carved us up last year. This is going to be a big challenge for our defense.
On how much growth he has seen from Joe Flacco…
We knew he had all the tools, that's for sure. Now, they're throwing a lot more with him. I think they want us to believe that they're going to throw all the time. That's what they did in the preseason, but I don't think we're buying that. This guy can make all the throws, a great touch on the deep ball. He can throw the comeback, the deep out and that's a mark of a strong-armed quarterback. We'll see. He certainly has a lot of weapons out there, too.
On if he thinks Baltimore will change to more of a passing offense with the additions of Anquan Boldin and TJ Houzmandzadeh…
No. I don't think so. I think we're going to see them run the football even though they have a lot of capable receivers. They're very similar to us, but we'll still hang our hat on the run, just like they will.
On how heavily they will lean on Jamaal Westerman with Calvin Pace out…
He's OK. I wish he was doing a better job on special teams. He has that ability and we keep pushing him in that area. He'll be our backup to Jason [Taylor] and BT [Bryan Thomas]. We can also slide Vernon [Gholston] out there as well. He might not be as heavily [involved] as you would think just looking at it. He is involved in the game plan, but we're not planning on using him a great deal this week.
On if they have to limit Taylor at all…
That's a fair statement. We initially wanted him to play about 75 percent of the snaps. I think that number's going to be much higher until we get Calvin back. He is in great shape. I think [as] the season [goes] on, you'd get a little more concerned about it.
On how Darrelle Revis looked in practice…
He looked good to me. He looks like the same guy.
On if anticipates any limitations on Revis' playing time…
No, I don't. I think he's going to be fine.
On if worries about his players being too excited about the game on Monday night…
I think it's going to be a great atmosphere for us. I think that's a positive. You want your guys to be amped up and to play with emotion. The opponent is going to be the same way. This is going to be two teams that are gunning for the first victory. We know it's going to be a tough game for both sides. It's going to be great. I want our guys jacked up.
On how it changes the defense if Eric Smith has to start in place of Brodney Pool…
The next man just steps up and we'll have at it. We have a lot of depth in the back end, so we're very fortunate. We can plug some guys in.
On if he talked to the players about Ray Lewis' comments…
No. There were some comments, but it was lighthearted. I've been around Ray for years. I know how he's going to approach this game. There's no question that he's trying to bring his teammates with him. That's how it always is.
