Transcripts of interviews with selected players during Jets locker room media availability Wednesday afternoon:
QB KELLEN CLEMENS
On the offense progressing…
We are continuing to install stuff. With every day in practice you get more and more comfortable with the guys that are out here. Hopefully, everyone is improving from an individual standpoint as well.
On the receiving corps…
Well, we don't have just one No. 1 receiver. We have a lot of guys that are very talented. We don't have the big-name guys, but we have very talented guys that silently make a lot of great plays. It's not a concern for us. It may be a concern for everyone outside of this building, but we are very confident in the guys that we have.
On Brad Smith…
Brad just makes great plays. He has phenomenal athletic ability. His catching radius is so massive that he can catch a ball up here as well as down here, which is tough to do at full speed. And again, his football intelligence comes from back in college where he understood the intricacies of the game. He is another great weapon for us to have.
On the progress of Mark Sanchez…
He's progressing every day. He is a very smart kid. You can't always see it from the outside but he is picking up the offense very well. He is jelling with the guys in the locker room and doing a very good job.
On if he feels he's in a good place now…
I'm right where I want to be right now. When we first started off-season workouts I planned out where I wanted to be and the necessary steps to get there. I am right on pace right now. I will continue to work until the end of minicamp and then I have a separate plan for those few weeks off. I think things are looking good for me and for the team. We are moving in a very good direction.
On head coach Rex Ryan…
We have a new head coach who has different expectations. It's good to familiarize ourselves with what he is expecting. It's different than Coach Mangini.
LB BART SCOTT
On the defensive unit…
I think we are really taking strides. It is hard to really get it down until you put pads on. The purpose of this right now is just to line up and know where you are going. Once you put the pads on, you see where the holes are. You can't be very physical because you don't have pads on so it is not clear. I think we are going to be a force.
On Rex Ryan and transitioning from the Ravens defense…
I think this defense is looking to set up its own image. In a little while we will stop even mentioning Baltimore's style. It will be the New York Jets style. That was just a reference point because that's where we started at. We are getting our own identity. Certain players have different skills. There are different people and it is exciting and fresh. It allows me to take things to the next level and master things. At the same time, it's a fresh start with a fresh face and new enthusiasm and excitement with guys doing things that they didn't do before.
On playing for Ryan…
You want to have the freedom to be yourself, not to be a robot. I look at being an athlete as being an entertainer. It is a form of expression. When you have to play, you have to put your personality and your interpretation of the defense out on the field. We have to entertain people. You can't have someone that says you can't celebrate and you can't be happy or talk trash. Whatever you do, do it. He gives us the environment to do that. Everyone here is from different places so you should embrace the different personalities. Nobody wants to be a robot.
QB MARK SANCHEZ
I'm just learning everybody's different situation and how they got to this point and how we're all in this same situation together and the different paths we took to get here. It's pretty interesting. Guys from Harvard, guys undrafted, things like that. It's great to learn and meet these guys and it's a close-knit group. There's a lot of smack talk on the practice field and stuff like that, but it's all in fun and everybody's in it together so I'm blessed to be in this great situation.
