Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference late Monday afternoon at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
That was a great game. We had a couple of guys really step up. We had some guys that were banged up, played the whole game. Brodney Pool kind of injured his knee early in the game, played the whole game. Plax [Plaxico Burress] played with the back, so a lot of guys really stepped up. It was a great effort. Buffalo's got some good guys. The kid from Alabama [Marcell Dareus] is a good football player that they've got, but Brandon [Moore] got him pretty good. It was good to see.
It's weird, we go back all the way to when we played New England that first week and I said I was encouraged by how we played because I thought we were starting to play like the team that I thought we had, that Jets style of football, and then it's progressed little by little by little, and I mentioned that we're right now at the top. This is the best Jet team so far [this season].
Now the biggest challenge is going to be, we needed to improve as a football team, we all know that. But we're going to see how much we've improved on Sunday, because we face [New England]. We definitely have been getting better these last three weeks, but we're going to see how much we've improved.
On Shonn Greene and Dustin Keller's status…
We feel good about them. Certainly, we'll look at them, make sure that they don't have any setbacks, but we feel good that they'll be ready to go.
On challenging other teams to beat the Patriots, such as the Giants later Sunday…
We landed and then it was right at the end. Whoever could got it on the phones, all this kind of stuff — it was great. The Giants ended up making a play, Eli [Manning] makes the great throw at the end to win the game. I think it shows the kind of team that the Giants have. That's an excellent football team. You don't beat New England unless you're a heck of a football team, especially there. They'd won about 20 games in a row in the regular season.
They've got a lot of heart. Three offensive starters out and they found ways to win. They won that game for themselves, without question. But I will say this: If we can, I'd like to pay them back, because that certainly helped us as well.
On if they will help the Giants when they take on the Eagles later in the season…
I'm not making any predictions on Philly. We all know how that worked for my brother [laughter]. So I am definitely not going to be making any predictions about Philly are anybody else. I hope down the road we can do them a solid.
On how he learned of Manning's game-winning pass…
You're definitely hearing the play-by-play. [Mike] Tannenbaum's trying to get somebody to hold up their, what do they call those things? iPads? Something like that. Yeah, we definitely heard it. It was great.
On if people counted the team out after losing to New England...
I don't know who would've counted us out, but we certainly didn't count ourselves out. We knew that our team could improve. We knew we put together, Tannenbaum and company, we put together a good football team. Thought we could get better, and we have gotten better. So we'll see how much. This is the tops. If you want to win your division, you've got to beat these guys.
On if he believes the loss to the Patriots was more of a turning point than the win against the Dolphins…
I think so. That's what I said then, even though it was a losing effort. I thought that we showed some signs of the type of team I thought we had.
On if he believes the Patriots are more dangerous coming off of two losses…
Well, both teams are going to be humming for this one. There's no question. They know they have to win this game, and we have to win this game. So you can sugarcoat it all you want, but they know they need and we know we need it. Both teams are going to be hungry.
On if this opportunity is what he and the Jets have been working toward…
Well, we could've seized control last year when we went to their place. Both teams were 9-2 and we had already beat them, so that really could've been huge at that time. But yeah, you want to play meaningful games. You've got to feel good enough about your team that when you're in that situation that "Hey guys, it's right in front of us. You take care of this one, then we're in the driver seat." Obviously, we couldn't do it last time we played, to say the least — got beat, 45-3. But this time we're playing at our place.
Two of the things that we talked about focusing on the most this offseason was playing better at home and playing better in the red zone, being more efficient in the red zone. Right now we're fourth in the league in the red zone and we're undefeated at home. Those are areas that we emphasized and we're getting it.
Now this week, my shoutout is going to be to our fans. Our fans, we need them. Just like that first year when we called out our fans, we challenged our fans, they made the difference in that first game, there's no doubt. As I look at it, the fans are coming off a bye week and they had a road game, so we're rested, our fans are rested. We're ready for a huge performance, and we need you. That's what we talk about, that homefield advantage. That's where I think our fans can be the difference again. I expect a huge a performance from our football team but also from our fans and I'm excited about it, I'm excited that the game's here.
On if he would have taken the team's defensive performance at New England if they had been able to stop them on that last drive…
The only thing you worry about are the wins and losses. I don't even remember what happened. Up until that point, I know we lost the game and they won the game. I would say no.
On where Sunday's defensive performance ranks among the team's best since he became head coach…
No, we've definitely played better than that. We played well, but we've definitely played better than that.
On what better defensive performances come to mind…
A bunch of them. The Cincinnati game — what did we give up, one first down, one completion in the game? We've had some beauties here. We've had some 100-yard games, or right at it, 120 yards or something like that.
On if he has ever had a defensive performance like that in a game of this magnitude…
I would say you probably would take the one against New England in the playoffs because of what was riding on that one. I thought that was big. The first New England game we ever played here would probably rank right up there with the best of them.
On if Sunday's game was the best defensive performance of the season…
Jacksonville was pretty good.
On if Sunday's game was the best defensive performance of the season considering the opponent…
I guess. You guys figure that out, I don't know. I'll take both of them. We win both of them.
On not seeming to be excited about the defense's performance yesterday…
We gave up 287 yards and we gave up that touchdown at the end. I mean, I was happy with our performance, there is no question, but we're not sticking our head up yet. We'll stick our head up three weeks from now and see what we are in our division. Then we'll start talking about where we are. We know we have work to do.
On how much he can take from the film of New England's last two losses…
A lot. I haven't even watched the game yet, the Giant game, but you'll look at everything. There is no doubt. They will and we will. Then we'll come up with the best plan and we'll see who can out-execute who. It's always a chess match. I've always said I think Bill [Belichick] is the best. I don't think there is anyone that can dispute that. But he's going to get our best shot and then some. He's going to get our fans' best shot too, so we'll see. Again, I think our football team is improved, and we've had to improve from that first time we've played them, without question.
On if he has sent his Hall of Fame jacket to the dry cleaner since that New England game game…
We got rid of that jacket, I think, because it was bad luck, but no, I don't think I'll break it out anytime soon.
On if the coaching staff began thinking about New England once the game was over like players said they were…
Yes, no doubt. Obviously, there is satisfaction in the fact that we accomplished our mission for that week and that was to get a victory against a good Buffalo team at their place, so that was a good win for us. Again, we almost looked at this, we put it in a four-game area to see how this division is going to lay out, so that was just step one.
On if he would have imagined a month ago that they would be in a tie with New England and Buffalo atop the division…
The big thing is we weren't worried about anybody else, but ourselves. Certainly, we'll take it, the fact that Pittsburgh and the Giants have beaten New England, we'll definitely take that. We had to get better as a football team and I think we have gotten better. We'll see if we've gotten substantially better by the way we play this game on Sunday. I believe we have gotten substantially better, but again, the proof is going to be in the pudding.
On if he is worried about having to blitz to create pressure unlike teams that can rush four linemen…
I think we're going to play defense the way we play defense, and we do multiple things. If it was just as easy to play four man rush, everyone in the league would do it. A lot of people have tried and that team scorched them for about 550 yards per game. I think that might work for the Giants. The Giants personnel is front loaded. A lot of great players in that front. And we have a lot of great players, our defense is set up a little differently than other teams. But certainly we'll look at all those things. I think with the addition of Aaron Maybin, that helps us in the pass rush, the way Calvin [Pace] is rushing the passer, so we certainly could rush four.
On if Sunday was the best he's seen Plaxico Burress integrated into the offense…
I thought he was outstanding because he did have a back issue. We weren't sure that he was definitely going to be able to go and it was a game-time decision. He went out there and worked out well, felt good and I was thinking he was going to be more red zone or whatever, and he played the majority of the game. So I'm really encouraged by that. But again, we thought it was going to be a developing deal with the timing and everything else. There's a lot that goes into it. And I think right now, him and Mark, their whatever you want to call it is probably at its best right now.
On his father, Buddy Ryan, being honored by the Philadelphia Eagles…
It's great. That's really great that they're doing that. I don't know the whole particulars of it. I know the next day the Otho Davis Foundation is honoring him as well. So that really is something. I guess it's been 25 years since my dad was the coach in Philly when he took over that team. And it seems like it was yesterday or a couple years ago. It's amazing that 25 years have passed. But certainly those are times that he feels great about. He was proud to be the head coach of the Eagles. I think he just wished he had a little more time. He never thought he really had a chance to finish the job.
On the relationship the Philadelphia fans had with his father…
It's interesting, I guess the thing I think they appreciated about my dad, he did things his way. But a lot of the Eagles fans took to him and they understood that it wasn't by lack of effort they never accomplished their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, but they sure gave it everything they had. He did it in a certain style and he brought in tough guys and I think they really took to that. It was quite an honor.
On Sanchez's blocking on the Wildcat play…
I like the way he baited Drayton Florence in the first place, showing that he was scared of him [laughing]. What was funny was before that play happened I was sitting there and I was like, "Hey, Florence, don't go at him, don't go at him." Because last year he went at one of our quarterbacks and he put him on his back. And I'm not saying who, Brunell. [laughter]
So I was just pleading with the guy, "Just take it easy on him." And he kind of bluffed him and then got off. And then Sanchez attacked him, gets the holding call. I'm like, "Sanchez, he took it easy on you, you don't have to go at him." But I understand it was pretty funny. I never really even noticed it but it was one of those things. He's a quarterback and he's a GQ quarterback, so I don't know what to tell you.
On how many times that video will be shown in the meeting rooms…
It'll be a bunch, there's no doubt. There will be a bunch on Wednesday for sure.
On if he talked to Dustin Keller about his leap over the defender…
I haven't talked to him about it [today] but I certainly mentioned it to him. Like he says, every teammate mentioned it to him, every coach and all that. It's just one of those things where it's like, that extra yard, we want you healthy. But he does that. Sometimes, a competitor, he's trying to make a play and that's just it. But I think now maybe he'll realize. The biggest thing, he did hold onto the football. Because I've seen that happen a million times and the ball goes flying. As hard as he hit the ground, maybe he'll think twice about it next time.
On Keller not being about to beat Dwight Stones in a leaping contest…
Dwight Stones had that long scissor kick or whatever thing he had there. I don't know how I remember that name. It's Ripley's but I remember the guy.
On if he was uncomfortable at all putting Dustin Keller back in the game…
No, because our doctors do a great job. They will never put anyone in who doesn't pass the test, isn't cleared medically — they would never do that. So I think our guys were just being cautious with it. We did the same thing with Shonn Greene, but at that time in the game I decided we didn't need to put him back in there. We never would have put Dustin in if he wasn't 100 percent cleared.
On using Joe McKnight in the Wildcat instead of Jeremy Kerley…
Well, we can use three different guys. That was my play, that was terrible [smiling]. Like Mike Pettine said, "Rex, why don't you stick to putting in defensive calls instead of these offensive ones." He] wasn't supposed to reverse his field, we thought it was going out the one side. It's something that you want to give different looks and it's something that we can do and we have three different guys who can do it, so let's face it, we're featuring it this week against New England [laughter].
On handling the Thursday night game on short rest…
We'll definitely do it. During the week it will be really put on the coaches, the assistant coaches, the position coaches to make sure they have all the paperwork done, the advance will be done and you just go from there. Our preparation for New England is not going to be effected by anything as far as a short week with Denver, no ever, that will be on top. New England is getting 100 percent of our attention right now.
On injury updates with Brodney Pool and Sione Pouha…
Brodney played, never even had a brace on knee or anything else and he played almost the whole game. Usually when that happens, you're usually good for the next week, but we'll see. I know he's probably pretty sore. I think we'll have [Mike] DeVito back, he was close to being back, he wanted to play in the worst way, but I think he'll be ready to go. And we'll need him. He played really well against New England the last time we played them. We have to have him. As far as that's concerned, I think we'll probably know a lot more by Wednesday, but I feel pretty good about where we will be.
