Transcripts of selected interviews with Jets players during locker room media availability before Wednesday's midday practice:
WR LAVERANUES COLES
On the Patriots…
They are still a great team. They will always be the team to beat until somebody proves otherwise. I don't think our chances improved any more now than the first time we played them.
On what the Patriots have changed since Week 2…
Nothing. They still do what they do. Nothing has changed. They are going to play their style of football. They are going to run their plays. They are going to do what they do. They are always going to be New England. New England doesn't change.
I know you might not understand the football side of it, but if you put the film on and watch what they have done over the past few years, they continue to play the same things they played when they had Lawyer Milloy and all those other guys back there in the secondary. They are going to continue to play the same offense with Tom Brady and without Tom Brady.
They are capable of plugging people in and keeping the train going. They have a formula, it works and they keep it going.
On if he is encouraged by how the Jets offense is running the ball…
Anytime you win a football game it's always good, especially this time of year when the weather changes. It's a confidence-builder for the offensive linemen because that is where they draw their motivation. Anytime they are running the ball well, you can't help but be excited because most teams that go far and win a lot of games can run the ball well. As long as we keep improving on that, we'll be fine.
On how crucial it will be to capitalize on red zone opportunities…
It's no different than any other week. It's the same week in and week out. You always want to score points when you get in the red zone, whether it's a touchdown or three points. You prefer the six or seven, but you take what they give you.
On if things opened up for Dustin Keller last week because of the concentration on the wideouts…
Of course, teams always change what they do when they play us, regardless of what they have done the weeks before. We watch film on [the Rams] and they played New England, they played press man-to-man the entire game — it didn't change.
For some reason when we play teams, I don't know what it is, regardless of who they play the week before or what they have done in previous weeks, they always change what they do. They don't sit out there and play us man-to-man the whole game. They switch it up. They play more zone. They play off of us more.
It's a credit to us as receivers, but it's just one of those things you can't get frustrated when you get too much attention because then you don't get opportunities to make some plays. It's a good thing, but it's also a bad thing for us, too.
CB TY LAW
On if he will lean on the secondary for help…
You definitely have to lean on those guys, especially to get you in the right places, making sure I get the right signals because they do a lot of moving around. I have to look back to the safety and say, "Hey, what's the call? What's the adjustment?" That is a part of the game and that is the part of being a cornerback because the safety is back there making calls and if he sees something, they are going to change it.
It's natural for me to look back because I am probably going to be looking back at Kerry [Rhodes], Darrelle [Revis] or [Dwight] Lowery. I'll be looking at everybody out there to try to get help and be an asset and not a detriment to the team.
On if he felt energetic at practice…
I was energetic, but I am a little rusty. It feels good to be back out there with the camaraderie. It's just a learning time. I've had to do a lot. I worked in the rotation, but also got in the scout team reps just to try to get myself going. Jerome [Henderson] came over to me and said, "OK, we need you for the game. If you have to get in there for the game, don't do too much." It's just that I am trying to cram a lot in right now and I was excited to be back out there. I have been missing football and I want to play.
On if he thinks Bill Belichick is going to come right at him…
If I was a coach, I would do the same thing. I would throw right at me, too. That is part of the game. If a guy hasn't been out there playing in almost a year, to come in and go full speed playing football, a smart coach would do that and I look forward to the challenge. If you are a competitor, like I am, you are like "OK, fine, bring it, I expect it." That is going to be the fun part about going into that stadium and playing as soon as I step on the field.
On what he has been doing the last 11 months…
I've been staying in the game because I was kind of borderline if I am going to play, if I am not going to play. My heart wouldn't let me walk away from the game like that. I passed up on a few opportunities earlier in the off-season back in free agency. I got the itch, I got the bug to play. I want to play better. I've always worked out. I kept my trainer to stay in great shape just in case the right call came where I actually want to play. On Sundays, I went out there simulated my own little football game in the morning and then come watch football. That's what I did.
I can't say I am the freshest guy in the world because I have been beating myself up as far as my conditioning and working out so I never took off like that. I can't use that as an excuse by any means because I have been working out. It's just that I haven't had contact. I haven't had people coming at me, but the best my trainer can do as far as cutting, doing this, being out there trying to play a series-12, stretching, stuff like that, what we call metabolics.
On if he would be here if the Jets were playing Seattle instead of the New England…
I just think it adds to everything whether I am playing the Patriots or anything else. It just adds drama because I have been there so long and I have had a lot of success with the Patriots. You can't ask for anything more. You are on prime time, you're playing the great New England Patriots. They went undefeated last year. I have been a part of that organization for a long time. I've had a lot of success, three Super Bowl rings. The drama continues with both of these teams. I am just happy I have an opportunity to go out there and play.
On if the Jets are ready to take the next step…
I think so and, of course, I am definitely biased to the Jets right now. The steps these guys are taking is definitely in the right direction. We have momentum right now. We have a lot to play for so this game is going to tell a lot under the lights against a division rivalry. I am just here to lend a helping hand and hopefully help take them over the edge.
They have been doing a great job thus far. They have the greatest quarterback of all time [Brett Favre]. You can never count him out. It's kind of like when you're playing New England. You could never count us out because we had Tom Brady and it's the same thing here. I see a lot of similarities in the team in the locker room camaraderie and things like that and hopefully we can transform it to the field.
On what he'll tell the young guys on the team about what it will take to beat the Patriots…
The main thing is you can't beat yourself. We always took advantage of other teams' mistakes a lot of times because we were a disciplined football team. If I had to say anything to the young guys, it's be patient, don't try to do more than what you have to and minimize mistakes. That is the type of team that will capitalize on mistakes and they will beat you.
It's not so many years before the great season they had last year that we played slow, steady, "bend but don't break," and then we beat you in the end. I think that is the type of team that they are used to when they play. Of course they changed a lot last year with all the points they were putting up. I never played with them like that, but the history of the Patriots was to beat you in the fourth quarter.
