Transcript of Jets owner Woody Johnson's news conference with Jets beat reporters on Thursday afternoon at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center:
Thank you for coming out today. Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. Yes, this is a season that didn't go the way we wanted it to at the beginning. We had a lot of confidence coming into this season. We were a couple of plays short. That's, I think, how you could describe this season. It's a part of football. It's the part that you don't like, when you're trying to get a Super Bowl every year. I think the good news is that we were an 8-8 team. That's certainly not good enough, but I have an extraordinary amount of confidence in both Mike [Tannenbaum] and in Rex [Ryan] to do what it takes to put a team together to win in the NFL, to get us where we want to go.
We brought Rex in here, and the chief selling point for Rex, the chief thing I saw in Rex when I first met him at the first interview, was his ability to put a team together and really understand all of the dimensions, the human dimensions of putting these players together so they care about each other and so they play for each other. And that's really what it takes, because the NFL is basically a parity league. You essentially have the same amount of resources. It's a game that's defined by that element, how much desire, how much heart do they have, and all of the small things that it takes you to win, like that Broncos game. We played a flawless game until one play, and Tebow did what he did.
A number of games like that that went the other way this year. In the previous years, 2010, we had those four games that Sanchez won with Santonio in the last two minutes. Those were incredible. Those didn't happen this year.
On how much he is troubled by players' comments on issues in the locker room…
I didn't feel a toxicity of the locker room. I respect LaDainian at the highest level, but I don't think the whole locker room was toxic. I think there clearly were a few players that had conflicts. I have two boys, and trying to keep those guys apart is a full-time job. So you've got 53 individuals in that locker room and at any one time, they're going to be arguments and altercations and so on. Would you love to have total harmony? Maybe. Maybe, it's good to have a little bit of disharmony, also, but they have to care about each other.
On why he does not believe there was toxicity in the locker room…
I just watch them practice. If there was the toxicity that you're describing, I don't think I would've seen what I saw on the practice field. We did win eight games. We played okay, but we were a little bit short on a couple of games and that's really the difference in this season and the previous two seasons with this coach. So I just don't think you would get that kind of result we had, if there was toxicity, and I didn't see it. You can see a couple of players, yes, you could see a couple of things, but not the whole locker room.
On if Santonio Holmes will be on the Jets in 2012…
He will.
On if he is concerned that the relationship between Sanchez and Holmes can be mended…
Absolutely, I'm concerned, but I'm confident that it can be. They won a lot of games together and one is good for the other. Santonio makes the quarterback a lot better and vice versa. So they have a good reason to iron this thing out and I think they can do it.
On if Holmes is returning because of his contract…
No. He may be one of the best players we've ever had here. I think you can look at his talent level and he's extraordinarily talented.
On if he has spoken with Holmes and Sanchez…
I haven't, but I plan to do that. That's going to be important for me to do.
On if he is concerned that Ryan "did not have the pulse of the locker room"…
I'm not sure what he meant by that he didn't have the pulse of the locker room. The reason he is a good team builder, I think he does have this interpersonal ability to notice what's going on. It's hard for me to believe. Knowing Rex, he must've said it for something else or maybe used the wrong word or whatever. I think he knew what was going on, from my perception. Now, whether you have a way to fix it. It's like fixing your golf swing in the middle of a golf tournament or whatever. Some things you can only change in the offseason. You try to manage it as well as possible, but these situations might've been difficult, I think, for anybody to do.
On if he believes Sanchez will be the team's quarterback in 2012 and is the team's franchise quarterback…
I have a lot of confidence in Mark Sanchez. Despite some of the reports, he's a very hard worker. He can do everything that you want a quarterback to do. And when he has the confidence, which I think he'll have this year, he's had a lot of success in his life and this is probably one of the first years where he's experienced "the New York way," where he hasn't had as much success as he's generally had. He came out strong his first year and second year. My feeling is that Mark is the kind of guy that will learn from this and get better. We're going to try to make the offense maybe a little more suitable for what Mark's development is. He's only three years into this. He didn't play his full four years in college.
On if he can say with 100 percent certainty that Sanchez will be the team's starter in 2012…
Well, there's no such thing as 100 percent, but barring whatever, yes.
On if the team will pursue Peyton Manning if he's available on the open market and healthy…
Well, I'm not going to ever tell you guys what we may or may not do. Our job, and my job for the fans, is to take this team to the very top level, and I've said that from the beginning. And I have a lot of confidence that we can do it. So we're going to look at everything, we're going to look at every possibility, and that's what you'd want us to do.
On if Mike Tannenbaum and Ryan need to pay closer attention to character when adding players…
I think we always pay attention to that. We do. If there were an easy way to run this game, we'd all be great at it, but I just have a high degree of confidence, knowing Santonio—I know him pretty well. I think he and Mark and the team will get back on the right page, I really, really believe that.
On why he believes the team will get back on the same page…
More of a gut feel. I have a good relationship with Santonio. He's going to have a fresh start this year and I think he'll take advantage of it. He knows that it's important to him, but it's important to us.
On if he is troubled that some of Holmes' teammates felt he quit in the last game…
Yeah, sure. That is not a typical Jet mentality, even that perception. That is not what we are all about here.
On if he will talk to Ryan about changing his management style…
The great thing about Rex as opposed to people not like Rex, is that he has a very healthy ego. It is very healthy. He realizes that being a great coach requires admitting mistakes perhaps or changing or altering his style or management style or learning that we don't all grow up being great managers at age 40 whatever he is. Sometimes, it takes you a little longer and in most cases it does to be a good manager. I have had some good discussions with him. He is the kind of guy that will get better as he gets experience and this is a process. As long as you're a coach, you hope to get better each year and understand the dynamics. Now, the next year's challenges will be different but you have to be able to adapt.
On if Ryan should have had the team vote for captains…
That is a very good question. I am not positive about that. It didn't work out in a few cases as well as we wanted. Maybe we do it differently next year. I think we take a hard look at who we assign that title.
On if Rex should be more of an overall head coach and focus less on the defense…
I think he realizes that he is the head coach. He is a savant defensive guy but he is a head coach. He has responsibility for the whole room and I think he will be a lot more involved and take a bit of a different management approach to that, I would suspect. Not because I told him to but because I think he has figured this out.
On if Ryan and Tannenbaum are responsible for the locker room atmosphere…
I do think it is accurate because we are here to win games. We are going to be aggressive. We are trying to put a group of people, a group of men together that can accomplish that so we are going to be aggressive.
On the negative connotation to the comment made about creating the locker room atmosphere…
I look at it the exact opposite way. I think it is a positive. This is a difficult, challenging game and you are looking for talent and attitudes, and when you are looking for talent and looking for attitudes, and when you try to build you don't know how that room, that 53 are going to come together. This is not knowable. I think you want to be aggressive and look under every rock and you want to look for great talent and take the best player that you can possibly get, all things considered.
On if he feels that the organization has coddled Sanchez…
That is a hard one to get into. You always take care of your quarterback. Offense is different than defense. The countenance and the feelings of the offensive players, I think you coach the offense different than the defense. It's a different mentality. You always try and take care of your quarterback. They probably coddle Tom Brady and all of the other great quarterbacks in the league too, in terms of that. Do we overprotect Mark or coddle, since that seems to note kind of a negative? I don't think we do. He is the first guy in here and the last to leave. He is a critical part of the team so you spend more time with him. Is that coddling? I don't know.
On Ryan publically saying that he will not pull Sanchez from a game…
Confidence is a very important ingredient in cooking and also managing quarterbacks. Confidence is very important and you don't want to pull quarterbacks. How many starting quarterbacks are pulled every year? You don't pull your quarterback. It is like pulling the captain of a ship. You just don't do it. I don't think you go in there with the idea "If you miss a couple plays, we are going to pull you." That's not the way you manage quarterbacks.
On if there needs to be someone behind Sanchez to challenge him…
You could argue that. He has to have someone breathing on his back. I think you could maybe argue that, but these guys aren't that easy to find that can go in and step in for a starting quarterback if you want to win games.
On if it is a negative that players are resentful that Mark is treated differently…
That is a problem because you don't want the feeling in the locker room that guys get treated differently, and they do. Your starting guys are going to be treated differently than other guys. That is just the way it goes at some point. Every locker room knows that. You learn that in pee-wee football.
On how frustrating the Giants game was…
That was frustrating, and the other seven were frustrating as well, but that was particularly frustrating in the end, but losing three in a row was unbelievable. We don't like to do that.
On if Sanchez is still the franchise quarterback…
In life you like to see a straight line like this [pointing upward], all into happiness. Quarterbacks in this league, sometimes it takes a few years to get there. It can take five years. But when they get it, it all comes together. The game slows down and things start happening. Your line starts gelling and the running game and all the pieces fall together and I am confident it is going to happen again.
On why the team would not look to bring in another star quarterback if the opportunity was available…
With Mark, you have a 25 year old quarterback that you can develop. You can have a quarterback for 10 years with a guy like this. These guys aren't available every day. We have a lot of confidence in Mark and we think that he is our guy. I think we are blessed that we have a guy that can climb the ladder and can get a lot better. He can do everything. He has the work ethic. He has all the ingredients in place to be a great quarterback.
On making the change at offensive coordinator…
That was a decision that was a mutual decision. I think Brian [Schottenheimer] felt that he wanted a fresh start and I don't disagree. He had a lot of pressure on him and there was almost no way he felt he could perform up to what the expectations were. This is a tough place to play in New York. He wanted a fresh start and I commend him for what he's done here, the years he had. The first few years were great. The last year, we were just a little bit off.
On if he feels the team's open media policy leaves the locker room vulnerable to becoming toxic…
Yes, we're going to be open, but players criticizing other players probably isn't the best strategy. That's not how Rex builds teams. Rex builds teams by telling his players to first, before you say anything, compliment two or three players. That's what he said, day one, and even compliment a coach or as the season goes, talk about somebody in business operations. We clearly didn't do that. In exchange for an open policy, the players, the one thing they have to do is talk about that. That's part of team building and we fell down on the job this year.
On if he regretted giving Holmes the contract that he gave him at any point during the season…
The answer is no. He's a great receiver that won us a lot of games. He and Mark and the team will be successful in the future. That's what you pay for people that have a lot of talent in the reception business.
On if he is happy with the performance of the offensive line…
No, I think everybody was off a little bit, including the offensive line. We didn't run the ball, as well. The offensive line didn't protect Mark as well as it had in the past. I think a lot of things contributed to Mark maybe not having that straight line up. I have confidence in Mark being able to do it and in the whole team, more importantly, coming together.
On if the offensive line is an area they will look to upgrade during the offseason…
I think we have to take a look at everything. Not only divisionally, but you have to take a look at the teams you're going to play and how you're going to design the team to be successful next year. We do that every year.
On if he will address the team the next time the entire team is together…
I may do it. It's been something I've been hesitant to do because I'm not the coach or the general manager. Maybe I can talk to them about something else.
On his greatest disappointment of the season…
The biggest disappointment is not getting into the Super Bowl and not going all the way for our fans. The fans know where we want to go and we had the talent to do it. We just didn't execute, particularly in those road games. I think that set us up poorly. I think we could have done a better job. I hope to correct that.
On saying he plans to meet with Sanchez and Holmes at some point…
I'll talk to them. I'll probably see the players as they come and go. Yes, but I'd like to talk to, particularly, Mark.
On if he would meet with both of them at the same time…
I don't know. I haven't scheduled it or really thought about it, but when the players are in the building, I talk to them all.
On if he thinks that Tomlinson overstated how bad the atmosphere in the locker room was…
I really do. I think he's assuming that it's all 53 players that are, in some way, toxic. I don't believe that for one second. It may be a couple of players that didn't get along.
On the possibility that the couple of players that didn't get along made the locker room toxic for everybody…
That's hard to know, having not been in the locker room. It's not good. Having fights on the field during practice, sometimes that's good, sometimes that's bad. It's hard to know. As I said, a locker room is kind of like alchemy, putting it together. You have to put it together. You hope that the leaders like LaDainian take charge and squash some of these conflicts that arise. That kind of leadership you need. I know LaDainian. I know him pretty well. I know that he probably tried to do it. He's a very honorable guy, a tremendous player and a tremendous person. Losing the way we did, winning eight games and not making the playoffs is frustrating. It's frustrating for LaDainian, who is a Hall-of-Famer, and it's frustrating for the 53rd guy. It's just none of these guys that make it to this level are used to losing and that has its own repercussions.
On if he plans to reach out to Tomlinson…
Absolutely.
On if he will reach out to talk to Tomlinson…
I will.
On covering up the Giants logos outside their locker room for the regular season game…
We played 30 years at Giants Stadium. Part of the reason we built this stadium is we didn't want another team's name on it. That's clearly part of all the documents and all of it. I didn't think it was any big deal. That's what we do at every game.
On how he can assure the fan base that the team is not going in the wrong direction after the way the season ended…
I wish I could assure everybody happiness and life, hereafter, but I've been doing this for 12 years now. It's been an apprenticeship, really. I've learned ever year and so have the people in this building, like Mike and people in leadership here. We know what happened this year. The chances of it happening identically to this are probably low. There will be new challenges. Are we able to handle these new challenges? I think we have a very good plan. We've had the start of a very good plan with what we've done so far. I think the fans will know, number one, that we work for it and, number two, that we're not going to be satisfied until we get where we want to go. We're going to try to use every ounce of our energy to try to get there.
Now, whether we're successful or not, the thing that makes this interesting is it's a very competitive league and it changes all the time, and teams change. Even playing the New England Patriots, the team they had last year was much different from the one they had this year, so we have to be prepared for the unexpected. And I think we have a management team, we have Rex and Mike and a coaching staff that I'm pretty excited about. We'll draft well and we'll look at some really interesting free agents and try to make it an exciting year and, more importantly, try to win.
