Transcripts of selected interviews with Jets players during locker room media availability before Wednesday's midday practice:
LB CALVIN PACE
On the position of the bye week…
It think it's all the same. The week off is definitely great. I think ideally you want to have it Week 7 or Week 8, but we don't decide that.
On what adjustments they have to make on defense…
Probably rush a little bit better in those clutch situations and maybe have a little tighter coverage. In some situations you have to give the offense credit. We played against two great offenses. Kurt Warner got rolling on us and put up some points. They have great receivers. San Diego has great players. That is what the bye week is for, to go and tighten up, look at the miscues and go and fix things.
On what the team does well…
I think the way we play together as a team. Ideally, we don't want to be 2-2 right now, we want to be 3-1. It's behind us right now. We want to try and not give up as many points defensively. We have to be better, especially when the offense turns the ball over. We need to hold them to three-and-out and force some more turnovers. Other than that, there is some good and there is some bad and that is what the bye week is for, to straighten things up.
On the adjustments they will make for Cincinnati this week…
You want to look at them and get a feel for them, but they have a game this week. We have to hone in on what we do and get ready for them next week.
DE SHAUN ELLIS
On if the bye week has come at a good time physically…
Physically, I would like to have it in the middle of the season, but right now we have been banging since camp and through the first few games. I feel like it came at the right time.
On meetings coach Eric Mangini has with players…
For me I always look at each play as "How can I do this better?" If you have any questions or feel uncomfortable about your situation, you can talk to Eric about it. He can be brutal to a point where he can say, "You need to do this better." He can show you plays and point things out.
On what adjustments need to be made…
I think the main thing from this year that has really been hurting us are the self-inflicted wounds, like penalties. That is one thing we need to concentrate on during this bye week. We have been doing a lot of things good, but we can do a lot better in putting emphasis on the things that have been hurting us and trying to fix those problems.
On if the self-evaluation with the coaches is the reason there has been success in the second half of the season…
Yes, because you are breaking down everything that you have done so far. Coaches get broken down, players and schemes from other teams, "How we should fit this particular run or block this particular defense." It's all hand in hand.
On if the defense will be simplified…
I think we are playing pretty good right now so hopefully we can expand on it and start putting more things in. We have some things we need to get ironed out. The bye week hopefully solves that. Teams always come back to pull something that gave you problems, maybe six games down the line. You have to be on your toes at all times about situations that teams can try to put you in that can refer back to another game.
T DAMIEN WOODY
On the position of the bye week…
On a personal level I would like it to be a little bit later. It is what it is. I am looking forward to a period of getting away from football for a minute and then coming back getting ready for Cincinnati.
On if the bye week is coming at the right time...
Yes, I think it is. We will get a better feel for each other. Brett Favre is getting a better feel for the offense. We are getting an extra week to prepare for Cincinnati. I feel good where we are at and where we are going.
On how important it is to go into the bye week on a positive note…
It feels good. Offensively it builds confidence. One thing you draw from it is it shows what you are capable of doing. Now, you have to go out there and be consistent week in and week out. If we do that then we can do a lot of good things offensively for the rest of the year.
On the self evaluations with the offensive line…
There is a lot of room for improvement. There are some areas that we can be better at, like third downs, goal line situations. In the season you want to be progressing upward and I think that is what we are doing right now. I like where we are headed. We need to use this bye week to clean up some things from the past month and start a little preparation for Cincinnati.
