Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following today's midday OTA practice:
Today, you guys saw it, it was a great practice. I love the way our guys are out there having fun and competing with each other. It's good. Some days you see the defense win and some days you see the offense. Quite honestly, mainly it's the defense, but I think the offense won it today. They [got] the better of it. The great thing about being the head coach is I just stepped over to the offensive side and said, "Man, I don't hear a whole of talking out of that defense today."
It was good. It was a great practice. Like I say, there's a lot of talent on that field. It's just our job to get them honed in a little bit. We only have one more week of practice, the mandatory minicamp, then they're off. We won't see them for about a month. As Jim Leonhard put it on Wednesday, nobody's standing around that parking lot. There are going to be some guys flying out of there. We've gotten a lot done. One thing I'm extremely proud of about this team is we challenged our guys to find a way to get better, whether it's through your strength and conditioning, how you study tape. Our guys broke 29 personal strength records. I think that's an indication, along with the 100 percent participation in the offseason program, we're right where we need to be.
On Damien Woody being an offensive leader…
It's hard to pick a specific leader of that offensive line now. I think before when Alan [Faneca] was in there, I think you would naturally say him because he had the pelts so to speak. We have a lot of leaders in there and Damien is certainly one of them. He's got a silver tongue. He can really talk, but he's great. I love how competitive he is. Another guy that maybe isn't Mr. Personality, but is Mr. Player is Brandon Moore. Brandon's smart, he's tough, and believe me, when he speaks, everybody listens, including myself. He doesn't say much, but when he does he speaks from the heart. He's smart and everybody knows it. Of course, there's Nick Mangold and D'Brickashaw [Ferguson].
When we had to replace Alan, I know it's tough, but we have the guys to do it. When you really look at who the leader is of that offensive line, it's hard for me to pinpoint. Is it Damien? Is it Brandon? Is it Nick? Is it Brick? I don't know. I just know it's not the left guard [laughter]. That really is a great group.
On if he feels the team is ahead of where they were at this time last year…
Oh my goodness, we're ready to play. Literally, we could go play. Last year we would have gotten smoked. To see how far Mark [Sanchez]'s come, his grasp of the offense. He's not just calling plays anymore. He understands what we want. The communication over there is terrific.
Then over there on defense, let's face it, we put in a brand new defense last year so we had guys inventing coverages every day. Right now, we actually know what we're doing. We are so much further along than we were. I know we still have a long way to go and we start out 0-0, but last year we left from here and this year we're leaving from this spot when we head to training camp. This team is ready to roll.
On the goal for the rest of the offseason…
The part right now is getting in football shape. These last few days you're in football shape, you're in training camp temp, you have two-a-days with two practices on Monday and two on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, so you get in that mode. When you go to training camp, you just get in hitting shape. This is basically football shape that we're in and we leave with a great comfort level that "Hey, look, we're here." We see that as a team. Now, what do you do? Do you get better? Do you get worse? Do you let your conditioning go or where do you take off from? Right now, we're taking off from an awful high spot.
On Sanchez participating in 11-on-11 drills…
It's great. You don't even worry about him. That's how confident we are right now with where Mark is. That's just Sanchez out there. Let him go. If he gets a little close, we'll blow the whistle. Seriously, being on the move and doing all those things, you feel great. I feel super about him.
On if he feels that he has his whole team back now that Sanchez is participating…
He is the leader over there. He's got a great grasp of the system. It's clear. There is no quarterback competition. Mark is our quarterback. The competition is for the backup spots. That will be good competition there, but clearly Mark is our guy.
On the backup quarterback competition between Erik Ainge and Kevin O'Connell…
It's still a very open competition and I think that will be determined probably when we get to those preseason games and see which guy steps forward.
On what rookie has jumped out to him…
I think Kyle [Wilson], No. 1. At times he looks absolutely tremendous and then other day Santonio [Holmes] showed that he is still a rookie [laughing]. He had great separation off him one time. I was like, "That was a great move. I don't think he saw that at Boise." The thing about Kyle, he came in here, he's a local kid which is great, had his coaches here today. That's good to see. He's taken the approach that he wants to get better every single day. He's got a great mentor, if you will, in Darrelle Revis. He's got the best teacher in the game in Dennis Thurman, the secondary coach. He's taking advantage of it. The great thing is he is getting better.
Does he have a couple of things where it's like, whoa, this route looks new to him? Absolutely. Is he the guy that today he never ran with a motion on a certain defense? Yes, it is and Jim Leonhard quickly said, "You've got to go, you've got to go." Revis is talking him over, "Hey," making the zone call as he knows he's late coming over. That's what I'm talking about, guys picking each other up. Jim Leonhard telling the kid to go with the motion, knowing that he's running and he's behind, Revis tells him his job as he's coming over.
That's where we're at on defense now, where last year no one would have said a word. Jim might have said, "You've got to go with the motion." "Who me?" That might have been the look and Revis would have just played his job, getting in his grille. Now it's like that one time when I said we'll know when we have a chance to have a great defense when it becomes their defense and our defense instead of just Rex Ryan's defense.
On Holmes…
You guys saw it today. He's a special talent, that's for sure. Great thing is he's got some tightness in both hamstrings, so he's not all the way out there yet. The defense knows that all he can run basically is 15-yard routes [laughing]. So they're all over him. They're talking like, "Hey, he can only go 15 yards.' Today he strided it out a little bit and got on top of them for a couple of touchdowns. He's that talent we thought he was. He's come in here, the guys have accepted Santonio with open arms and he's been terrific in here.
On if he's talked to Revis about his contract situation…
I just talked to Darrelle a little bit on the field, just Darrelle and I talking to each other. I know he missed the one day. I don't speak for him on that contract, but he knows what I think of him and what this organization thinks of Darrelle.
On how confident he is that Revis will get a new contract before training camp…
I really don't want to comment on those things. My title is head football coach. I just know he is an outstanding player, he is a New York Jet and he is going to be a Jet forever. If he's here long enough, which I anticipate he will be, will he go down as, if not the best football player in New York Jets history, at least as one of the best? I know there's Joe Namath, but this guy's got that kind of ability.
The great thing is you see it every day. Today he gave up a completion — that's something we ought to write about. Darrelle Revis gave up a completion. I was as surprised as anyone else was. It was a great throw. It was a great catch. The beauty of it is you see the steam coming off his helmet. That's why he is who he is. He loves to compete. He gets out there every day, whether it's in pads or in shorts. This is the same guy who knocked a shoe and hat off my kid for catching a 1-yard pass on him. That's him. He doesn't want you catch anything. That's what you love about him.
On if he appreciates a young player trying to get the best deal he can because of a football player's short window for success…
We want everybody to make as much money as possible in this game because they do lay it out there for you every week. It's not a sport you can play 20 years like some of these guys in baseball, basketball. It is a physical sport. It's the only sport where there is a 100 percent injury rate. That's pretty incredible. If you're a kicker, you're going to get hurt in this game. Someone will light you up on a return. We've talked about it before, these are mighty men. There's no doubt about it. You always want to see your guys be successful off the field and on the field. That is what it is. This is a sport where the longevity isn't like those other sports.
On if Nick Folk put him at ease today…
He made that 51-yarder and that 53-yarder that he nailed right down the middle. Yeah, that made me feel a little better. I'm sure it made the entire New York Jets fan base feel better today. He was impressive. In all fairness, he's got a new holder, a new snapper. Now the great thing is he's just lining up and kicking. There's no problem. It's his holder and his snapper now and he's nailing it. He put an impressive show today. Those kicks were 51 and 53 yards and he nailed them. It looked like an extra point the way he kicked them.
