Transcript of Jets head coach Rex Ryan's midday news conference following Wednesday's morning training camp practice:
Great practice out there today. The Cromartie Show and the Braylon Edwards Show, it looked like a little bit. Really good practice. I thought the guys came out working hard knowing we only have an afternoon practice today [no night meetings]. It was great to see. We're just hitting the field with a purpose. I just love watching our guys compete against each other.
On Santonio Holmes's conditioning…
What we are going to do with Santonio is we're going to have him do the conditioning test after his suspension. That's when we are going to make him do the test. He had some personal things. I don't think it's fair to him to have him go through that test. We might be doing more damage than good. We are going to get him out there this afternoon and he'll be on the practice field.
On recruiting Jason Taylor…
We just told him the facts. We have a great team and we think we have great people in this organization. We do things a little different than a lot of teams. I'm not saying it's not done by other teams, but right here everything is first class. You never have to leave the practice facilities. We have masseuses, chiropractors and the best training staff in the league. It's a player-friendly environment. Everything you need as a player to be successful we have.
Mr. Johnson has given us the tools we need to be successful. We have the facilities and we have the support staff. I think we have a scheme that he wants to be a part of. Obviously, we wanted him to be a part of us. The kind of pass rusher he is, the type of player he is and the passion he has for the game, he fits right in with the players that we already have.
On how to use Jason Taylor…
His agent is Gary Wichard and he had Terrell Suggs. His agent and I go back a long time. I have known Gary when he represented Keith Jackson with the Eagles. I always thought one of these days, I was going to get this guy with me. Now here it is. He's starting every snap on the sub team. I think it's going to be great because it allows us to rotate Calvin [Pace] and Bryan Thomas in there and have fresh pass rushers in the fourth quarter. I think this is going to be a great combination.
On Shaun Ellis "chilling out"…
He has a little hip flexor thing. As coaches, we have to get our guys ready to go by the opener. They have to be popping out of their skin, to steal a John Harbaugh term. We've got to be ready to roll. [The] same thing [for] Damien Woody and Tony Richardson, some of our veteran players. We are going to hold back, maybe do one a days with them to make sure we're fresh and ready to roll.
On Kris Jenkins…
One of the reasons you take Jenkins out is because you don't want him to disrupt the whole offense. That's another reason we take Big Jenks out. Today, I was really impressed because you can be in shape, but he hasn't had [the] pads on and he went out there getting the double teams. He would split a couple of double teams. He got high one time on Mangold on a reach but it was fun just to watch him play. He's moving great. He looks terrific. His weight is down. I was like "wow." I thought he'd be a little more tentative, but he's just the opposite. He went in there like he was riding a bike.
On Mark Sanchez playing like a veteran…
I think that shows the confidence he built this offseason. With all the preparation, he knows and the team knows that nobody worked harder than he did. That's great. He knows the play book. He knows the way things are supposed to be run. I think that's what Mark is right now.
On the status of Erik Ainge…
I'm not really going to comment on those situations. Those are confidential things. I'd rather not discuss that.
On balancing Kris Jenkins' workload and health…
There's a fine line, but the good thing is we'll know when it's time to extend him I think. Today he ran the conditioning test at 6:00 a.m. He ran it with my son Seth [Ryan]. Seth had to suck it up for the squad and so he did. They got out there and ran it at 6:00. He's coming off that so we weren't going to extend him today beyond what he did and I think he did a tremendous job for us today. He looked great.* *
On the solid performances of punters Steve Weatherford and T.J. Conley…
Thank goodness. Last year, woof. T.J.'s just a young guy and he knew he could get better and he has. He has really improved. Has he improved well enough to challenge Steve? I'm not sure. I know one thing – he's really improved. He looks like an NFL punter. Weatherford has had a tremendous off-season, despite the fact that he had a little heart surgery thing. He looks great. He's kicking the ball terrific. He had that one little bad kick today, but other than that he's just bombing it. He's also doing a great job with his holding. I've been really impressed with Steve.
On assistant coach Bob Sutton's survival through different Jets head coaches…
First off, I hope he doesn't go through another one [laughter]. I know Sutton will be here. I hope I'm here for a long time with him. I think his reputation is just a terrific football coach. I think that's what's kept him through so many times. This guy was a great head coach in college. He's been a terrific assistant coach. In fact, I'm not so sure, but he might be the longest tenured assistant coach in New York Jets history with 11 seasons in a row, I believe. With all the coaches and all that stuff, there was never a doubt I wanted Bob Sutton on my staff. I know the kind of teacher he is, the kind of coach he is. He's loyal. He's demanding. He loves the players, respects the players and he gets the most out of the players. You can't ask for much more than that.
On most head coaches bringing in their own guys…
That's why when you look at it, the longest tenured assistant coach is at eleven years. This isn't the most secure job at all times. It's also who Bob is. You want a guy like Bob Sutton on your staff. There's no question. We're fortunate to have him still.
On preparing Santonio Holmes to be ready after his suspension…
Well, that Philly [preseason] game, we're going to play him the whole game. I would bet on the Jets in that game. It'll be kind of like what we did with Calvin Pace last year. He has to be ready. That's what's strange about it. He has to be ready to roll. After four weeks, he can't be worked back in. Let's get him out there. That's what we want. That's why we traded for Santonio. We know the kind of player he is. We need him ready. He has a plan in place for the offseason and we're excited about it. But we're going to work him. There is no question. We are going to work him. Remember last year, we kind of split those reps with Vernon Gholston and Calvin last year. It will probably be the same thing this year. He won't be running all the time with the one's, but he will get some reps with the one's, as well as, the second group of receivers.
On Sanchez's presence at the line of scrimmage…
I remember last year it was like, nobody was falling for anything. But he's learning how to use his voice and use that cadence to his advantage. A guy that does it great is Mark Brunell. Bart said, "I remember when he would do that and I was on the sideline and I was jumping offsides." He's got another great mentor there with Mark [Brunell]. Especially with all the shifting and movement that we do offensively, to have that kind of ability and jump guys off is a big advantage for us. As a defensive guy, you hate it. You're just like "You have to be kidding me. Just snap the ball." It gets you to have to focus on the football, and if you're trying to jump a count then we can make you pay for it.
On the experience with Hard Knocks so far…
Realistically, on the Hard Knocks thing, most of the time in the meetings they have these little cameras, almost like in a ball-type thing. You don't even notice them. You'll be having a meeting and you'll forget that they're in there. I think that's why it makes that show so good. You are getting the legitimate experience that way. I haven't noticed it. There's sometimes, when you walk right on the field and they put it right there, and I say oh yeah, you don't even notice this. But other than that, I don't think it's bothered any of our guys. We're just being ourselves. It's been fine.
On if he's said anything on camera that he's regretted…
You know me better than that.
On if he's worried about what things he said will be on the show…
Yeah, we'll see what's on the show. Oh boy!
On what Mark Brunell has done to help Mark Sanchez…
Well, it's early. I think right now they're just building a relationship. The way he approaches things, that's a pro's pro right there. He gets in that huddle. He has a great presence. He's pushing him to throw the ball on time and those types of things. I just think he's going to be a great help. He's encouraging guys. He builds people up. He's definitely our kind of player.
On players and coaches being themselves…
I just think you have to be yourself. If that's your personality, then that's how you should coach. Clearly, that's Bill Belichick's personality. You're seeing the real Bill Belichick. You're seeing me. I'm different than other guys. I don't think it would work if I tried to be somebody I'm not and try to have that kind of environment. The environment that we have, I think, works. This is who we are. We're maybe not traditional, the way you see other teams, but don't make that mistake in not thinking that we're less disciplined than another team or anything else. It's the opposite. We are a very disciplined football team, but we also encourage the individuality, the looseness, and everything else.
On what has impressed him most about Antonio Cromartie…
The thing that I love about Cromartie right now is he came in and he wants to learn. He wants to learn how to do things the Jet way. A lot of that is the mentality that you play with. That anytime you get the chance to play man, go ahead and play man. I don't care if we're playing a certain coverage, you lock it down because when you're playing man we're in great shape. Just have that "Hey, that's all right, I'll cover anybody that's out there." We've seen that with Darrelle last year. That's the mentality. He has all the tools. We want him to be physical. He's got these great long arms and strong hands, let's use them. Let's be more physical at the line. His ball skills are God given. I don't know how to describe him. I've never seen anything like that. Somebody is calling him a spider because he's so long, he's tall, and he's got those long arms. That's why he gets all those interceptions. Don't forget he can reach out six feet. He's a rare guy.
On using Cromartie as a punt returner…
It's going to be hard to get out there. It'll be like "Woo, hold up." We could have somebody over here cover somebody. Certainly if the game is on the line, Westy [Mike Westhoff, special teams coordinator] is going to have access to any of them. As far as he knows [laughter].
On who's on the top of the depth chart for punt returner…
I'm not sure; I think you would have to check with Mike [Westhoff]. Obviously if it's a hurricane out there we're going to put Jim Leonhard out there. He'll catch it. Jimmy is an excellent returner. We want to see Kyle Wilson win that job. You got a young, explosive rookie. He can catch the ball, and I think that's another thing that Kyle does. He can help us in our sub package. He's also a guy that could be an outstanding returner. I'm excited to see how he does in the preseason.
On what he's looking for in a punt returner...
Well, I want a guy that can catch the football and can be productive when he catches it, the run after catch and all that. Jerricho Cotchery did a great job for us, also. When I first saw him catch it, he's catching it over here [to his side] and all that, looking like Mike Tannenbaum catching it [laughs]. That's a shot at Mike, but he actually won the over-the-hill contest today because I couldn't get to two of them. But actually, Seth ended up winning it, my son.
Either way, Jerricho caught the ball. It's comforting as a coach. You know we're going to catch the football. We're not fumbling it. That's what you get with Jim Leonhard, [what] you get with Jerricho. If we can get him [Wilson], this is just a young version, let him get beat up a little bit. He's got great feet, he can fly with it and he's shown the ability in college to be an outstanding returner. That's just it. He's a great cover corner. He's smart. He's going to be an outstanding corner in this league. He's also going to be an outstanding returner in my opinion.
On if this is the longest he's seen a camp go without a fight yet…
No. See, last year, remember, it took a while. It took a little bit, four or five days and then we had a good one. But really, we don't need it. This year, we don't need to see a fight because of the simple fact that I know the kind of guys that we have here. Being a tough guy and fighting and all that kind of stuff isn't this team's problem, will not be this team's problem. They don't have to prove anything to me. I know we got the right guys. Ok, one or two fights would be good [laughs].
On Kris Jenkins' cookie diet…
I can't comment on the cookie diet because I had a bunch of cookies and it's not working. Maybe I ate the wrong cookie. Mine had chocolate on the outside and that little vanilla stuff on the inside or whatever, but it never worked.
