Transcript of offensive coordinator Tony Sparano's news conference following Thursday's midday OTA practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
On the tempo the offense practices with…
I think we're starting to learn right now how I expect the practice to go. I think the verbiage is starting to get out a lot clearer right now from me to the quarterback and the quarterback to the huddle. I think we're able to get in and out a little bit faster every single day right now. Guys are picking it up well. They're starting to understand it well. We're moving in and out of the huddle at a pretty high rate, getting a lot of plays run in a short period of time.
On why tempo is important to him…
It's important to me for a few reasons. Anytime you can practice at a high pace, you would hope that it creates an up-tempo practice. I think the other thing is your players get used to practicing at a high pace, and the game becomes just a shade slower, if that's possible. But that is something that we try to do here. Lastly, I think when you force them to practice fast, they don't have a lot of time to digest the information and not a lot of time to think about it at the line of scrimmage. It forces them to know. I think this is something that is really important with the number of practices you have, the number of opportunities that you really have to spend with these guys right now.
On how Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow have looked…
I think all of them have been doing really well. I think Mark has done some really nice things right now. Tim has had some really good days out there. McElroy has, too. They've all done a really nice job understanding the offense, again, starting to push the tempo a little bit here. I've been impressed with how they've handled it. They've worked very hard at it. I couldn't ask for anything more out of that group. Matt Cavanaugh has done a great job with them.
On what he has seen from Stephen Hill…
One thing is, again Sanjay Lal's really worked hard with Stephen in the amount of time with him right now. There's a lot of new things that Stephen wasn't maybe exposed to in college. Through all the workouts, all the opportunities that we had in the draft, we've seen a lot of great things out of him, seen the ability to do all the things necessary. He's been really good out there on the practice field right now as far as being able to do all those things. Mentally he's kept up with everything from that standpoint, really has made some big plays here out there.
On how the team has done in the two-minute drill during the OTAs and if he would consider using it at different times during a game…
We did some two-minute stuff the last couple days, those type of things. I was very pleased with the way all the quarterbacks handled those situations in the last several days that we've practiced. But I think there's a time and place for some of that no-huddle, up-tempo stuff. Just in regular offense, if you can get in and out of the huddle at a fast pace, I think that creates pressure, too. It certainly adds to the number of plays run in the game. I think that becomes an advantage for us.
On how much of the offense he has installed…
Obviously today we finished up install number five. We'll have somewhere around 10 installs. I would say we're about, I don't know, better than 50, 60 percent through the install right now. The installs will start to thin out as we get on here. Today was the first day of red area. We got some work done down there, but this is not the first time around. This is really the third time or the second and a half time around for these guys. They've heard it once already at least one time and we're getting through it a second time.
On if 100% of the offense has been installed at least one time…
I would say 90%.
On if he feels the offense is picking up the physical mentality quickly…
Yeah, I think they're getting it. Great thing for us here is that we obviously get to go. We're practicing finally here against one of the best defenses in the league. I think an awful lot about the players on that side of the football here. We get a chance to work against them every single day. We're preaching physical here and we want to teach physical. But words are words. At the end of this whole thing, we'll get a chance to line up somewhere down the road and measure it. I do believe that that mentality can be taught.
On how Shonn Greene fits in his philosophy…
He fits in pretty well. I mean Shonn is a physical back. I remember watching this guy come out in college, watching his college tape. It was tremendous. He's built the right way. He gets his shoulders squared to the line of scrimmage, he breaks tackles, and he runs with the right pad level. To me, he has all the qualities I look for in those type of A-back players. You've heard that thrown around in the draft a little bit. An A back is that big, physical back. Shonn is that type of guy.
On if he told Greene how well he fits…
No, I don't think I had to say that. He seen the plan, the install, the way things are going. I think it fits him pretty good.
On if he believes physical play can be taught…
Sure.
On how he is teaching it…
Well, I think one of the ways you're teaching it is with the tempo, the philosophy of the type of drills, the approach that you put them through. I think the nature of the plays, the amount of pressure that you put on them. I think that from our end, look, I have high expectations for this group, and don't mind telling them that. I mean, I want them to be physical. If at the end we're watching it, there's a piece or two that isn't physical, then we need to figure that out. Smoke and mirrors aren't going to win a lot of games.
On how the signing of Stephon Heyer and Ray Willis affects Vladimir Ducasse since he was at left guard a little today…
We've had Vlad there for four or five practices I think now. You know, he's been playing in there. As far as bringing anybody else in right now, I mean, this is the time of year that you do those things, so those are decisions that are made by Mike, Woody and Rex, not myself. I just coach them up.
On what he thinks of Wayne Hunter…
From what I've seen from him this spring right now, I've been impressed with what he's done. I'm not just saying that. I've been impressed with what he's done. You guys will figure out soon that I don't say things just to say things. The guy has done a nice job out there for us. One of the things I told the players when I came in here is that to me, it has to be a blank piece of paper. I have to look at it with no lines on it right now, just create my own strokes here as we go along, our own strokes here as a new staff.
I think from the time we've been together, been able to be with the players, Wayne has done some nice things. A lot of guys in that room — we're lucky, fortunate in that room — we have a good room to work with. Wayne has done some nice things that way. I know this was said and it was said by Rex, and it was said by Guge [OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo], and I'll say it, OK, is that Wayne Hunter was a guy a year ago when I was in a different place that I thought a lot about, too.
On if he was surprised by anything regarding Tim Tebow…
No, not really. You know, I had a chance to coach Tim in the Senior Bowl, when he came out. That was probably at his rawest, if you will. He was just coming out. They had just finished the season. We had a chance to coach him a little bit, get a chance to work with him for a little while there. Just being around him for a short period of time at the Senior Bowl, you can see what everybody else felt at the time. But you know, seeing where he was then and seeing where he is now, they're two totally different places. I mean fundamentally, you can see he's worked hard from a fundamentals standpoint. We all need to improve, we all need to continue to improve fundamentally with the new system, footwork-wise, getting all those things down. But he's making good progress. I haven't been surprised at all.
On how Sanchez is picking up the system…
I would say he's probably worked and put in the most amount of work, which he should. But that being said, what sometimes they should do and what they really do do, OK, are two totally different things. It's a credit to Mark that he has been able to put that kind of time in. It's really important to him. He's done a tremendous job. This guy is in outstanding physical shape right now. You've heard it all I would imagine that way. He's throwing it well. He's in good shape. He's really spent a lot of time at it from a mental standpoint. We're going to continue to do that as long as we can have him in this building, within the rules to be able to do it.
On the Miami Dolphins doing Hard Knocks and if he was part of the decision for the Jets not to do Hard Knocks…
Look, I am a New York Jet, OK? I'm not any of that other business right now. I don't make any decisions here. I just coach offense. That's what I do.
On if he believes it can be a positive for a team to do "Hard Knocks"…
Do I think it can be? I've never been part of one, so I can't really answer that question. I'm not educated enough to answer it. I can't do it.
On if the players have told him they like the energy he brings…
Well, look, it's not about changing anything or doing anything like that. This is my way. This is the way I do things. In our league, there's a lot of ways to do things. A lot of people have success doing it different ways. I've just been around different people. I've been around a lot of the same people, you know, and that's the way I've been raised in this business. So I go about it one way. What you see is what you get. That's what I do. I've told them that from the very beginning. I mean, I have many flaws, OK? Not one, but many flaws. One of my flaws is that I'm brutally honest, I say it like I see it. I think the players are starting to understand that a little bit. That's been really good. I've gotten a good response right now. They've been super and have done everything we've asked them to do to this point.
On if he has decided which players he will use at certain points of the game…
Oh, I haven't thought past tomorrow right now. I mean, all I know is that we got a big practice tomorrow. That's what I'm concerned about. I'm not concerned about any of that other stuff. Not concerned about how we started or how we didn't start. I'm just concerned about controlling what we can control right now. The only thing we can control right now is what we do tomorrow to prepare ourselves to start the best way we can, OK? That's really all that I can do.
