Transcript of head coach Rex Ryan's news conference following Wednesday's midday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Injuries: Calvin Pace was limited in practice today with that foot. In other words, we took a few reps off him. He'll be fine. Guys that were full: Nick Mangold [shoulder] and Darrelle Revis [hamstring]. That's it. That's all we've got. We're healthy. Coming off the bye, we expected to be, but we're ready to roll.
On how Darrelle Revis looked…
He looked great. You see that competitive spirit that he always has in those one-on-ones. He doesn't want anyone catching anything. Our defense is giving him looks. He's not giving up completions. He's back to being Darrelle out there.
On if Revis needs to be 100 percent mentally over the injury…
I think that's with any injury. In particular, anytime you have any kind of leg injury and you have to run like you do at corner or receiver, I think you have to overcome that mental part of it. Darrelle has definitely done that. That's why I think it was huge to play in that game. The Minnesota game wasn't quite as good. He came back and played really well in the Denver game even though he wasn't 100 percent. Now, I think he's right there.
On if how he will decide who Revis and Antonio Cromartie will be covering…
That's the beauty of it. We can be flexible now. We can do whatever we want. We can play right and left. We can match Darrelle on the top guy. We can match Cromartie on the top guy. We'll let them try to figure it out.
On the decision to elevate Jarron Gilbert to the active roster…
He's doing a great job. It's funny because we really liked him when he came out of college. I went and worked him out myself and I really liked him. We targeted him and then when Shonn [Greene] fell to where we were able trade up to get him, then he was out. He was obviously picked right after that. When we saw that he was available, we jumped at that opportunity. What's funny though is Chicago dropped his weight to almost below 260. He was 293 when he came out in the draft. We like that big size. He's a big athletic guy for that kind of size. He's got the long arms. Now, being trained behind Shaun [Ellis] and Trevor Pryce, it's going to be good tutelage for him. We're trying to get that weight back on him. Poor kid. He's doing well. He's earned it. He really works hard on the scout team looks. That's why we promoted him.
On how they can improve the passing game…
Completion percentage is a way, our run after the catch and tightening up the communication. I think we'll make big strides there. I really do. Now, adding Santonio [Holmes] to our mix, we're going to have plenty of weapons. Now it's just trying to see if we can get some mismatches out there in our favor and take advantage of them.
On if he likes the 50-50 split between the run game and passing game…
I do. Let's be honest, I'd rather run it 95 percent of the time. What we always talked about is having an offense that we'll run the ball when we decide we're going to run it. No matter who, we can still run it and no matter what you do, we can still pass it. That's when you know you've really got something. That's what we're striving to get to right now. If you're all ground and pound, run the ball every snap, if you ever get behind, it's tough to get back. Likewise, if you're throwing it all the time and you need to go into four minute mode, it's tough to flip the switch. I like having that balance where that defense doesn't know if we're going to run it or we're going to pass it. It keeps them on their heels a little bit.
On if Holmes will get more snaps…
I expect him to get a few more opportunities this week. But again, we have such a mix that some weeks it could be that he gets more than Braylon [Edwards] or he gets more than Jerricho [Cotchery]. That's what's great about having the kind of players we have. Is it Brad Smith? What are you going to get? That's what you like. Just on like on defense. Last week, because of who we were playing, you saw Trevor got a lot more snaps than maybe Bryan Thomas did. Each week, that's going to change.
On defending the run when a team is pass heavy…
We'll allow you to run it. If that's what you want to do, go for it. If you think you can beat us that way, I'm all for it. We gave up a couple big runs to their quarterback, which I think is a little bit misleading when you look at it statistically. That's fine. We'll take the same game plan. Let them run it. That doesn't bother us one bit.
On when it is right to start dreaming about a Jets vs. Giants Super Bowl…
To be honest with you, I'll dream about it. I've been dreaming about it since I was this high, but the opponent doesn't matter to me. It can be the Giants. It can be Dallas. It doesn't matter to me. It can be anybody, as long as we're there. I couldn't care less who we play.
On if Mark Sanchez has put his first two interceptions behind him…
You can't worry about anything. You have to be smart with the football. His feet weren't settled. He never looked as comfortable as he normally does. That's something we need to get back, that confidence. Let's get back to knowing exactly where the ball is going. That was a short week and those situations are tough. Hopefully, we'll get back more into a routine now where he'll feel more comfortable.
On Denver showing different defensive fronts at the beginning of the game…
We expected the different looks. The coverage was fairly simple. They were playing one funnel, as we call it, or two-man. You have to make the plays. I think he had better protection than he realized in some of those cases. He was bailing out of it a little bit too much, I thought. We have to get him settle down a bit. He's got to understand he's got as good as it gets pass protection wise. If there's a free runner, get the ball out. If not, trust your guys, we'll get it done and step up and make the throw.
On why Sanchez would be bailing out…
I don't know. I have no idea. For whatever reason, in my opinion, he never seemed as comfortable as he's been. You have to give the opponent credit. Give Denver credit for that. I expect him to bounce back. The thing I like most is he bounced back in the course of the game. He drove us down. He converted that big third-down pass and then made the play to Santonio late in the game. I thought that was huge for us. I thought he bounced back as the game went on, but I think now, let's get back to doing what we do. Running the ball and be able to make accurate throws.
On if he talked to Sanchez about it at all…
Not really. It's just something that I observed. We'll get him back. The kid's fine. He knows what I want at quarterback. Be yourself and go out there and play like Mark Sanchez is capable of playing.
On if his impression of Aaron Rodgers…
Like my kid said, he's one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy football, so I appreciate that [Iaughter]. There's a reason. The kid can run it. He's accurate with the football. He's probably the most accurate quarterback in the league on the move and that's saying something. The [Ben] Roethlisberger kid is pretty accurate, too. He can get out of the pocket and he plays live with his feet, very accurate on the move. He can really zip it and he's got some good receivers to throw to. This is going to be a good challenge for us. I like the fact that we're playing at home with our fan base. You're not only playing us, you're playing our fans too. I think that combination is tough. We'll see how he does against us.
On if Rodgers ability to run is an issue…
Oh, yes. We're very aware of his scrambling ability.
On if they brought Holmes in with the idea that he could be a dominant receiver in the offense…
Of course. Absolutely. Let's judge when there's a full body of work. When he's here, we'll see if we can make that statement.
On what's clicked for Matt Slauson since the beginning of the season…
You can't buy experience. I've got news for you, Haloti Ngata makes everybody look average. He's got a chance to be Defensive Player of the Year in my opinion. That's who he got beat by. That list is long with whoever you want to put on it. I think he's as good a left guard as there is in our division. When you put him up against the Miami kid, [Richie] Incognito, and the kid from Buffalo is a good player [Andy Levitre], a short-armed guy, he's probably the best. I think Slauson is right there with him. The New England guy, if they get back Logan Mankins, will be clearly the best left guard. Slauson, right now in my opinion, I'll take him with any of these guards that are in our division.
