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On how the Jets have gotten better since the
last time they played:
They continue to be a very explosive offense, with the addition
of (Leon) Washington into the running and passing game has
been pretty dynamic for them. The offensive line has been intact now for
three or four weeks. They get a lot of big plays out of their receivers.
They have real good depth at that position and at tight end as well. (Chad) Pennington is having a terrific year, especially on third-down and he
hits a lot of deep passes, a lot of those down-the-field shot plays. They're
very explosive. They block kicks, they return for touchdowns, they run
fakes, they onsides kick, you have to be alert all the time, because they do
those plays and they hit them. Defensively, they make some huge plays, just
like they did against us. They have a bunch of interceptions and strip
sacks. They've gotten them against us, against Buffalo and Miami.
They've gotten some big turnovers. It's a team that makes a lot of big plays
in all three phases of the game and has a lot of talented football players.
They have a talented defensive front, the front seven and the secondary is
playing well, they have a lot of depth back there, their depth at corner and
(Kerry) Rhodes and (Eric) Coleman at safety.
They're playing good football and we have a lot of respect for them.
On the injury to Rodney Harrison:
Every team in the league has to deal with something somewhere, so
we'll just try to manage it. We'd love to have him back, but he won't be
available this week.
On Tom Brady's adjustment to the new receivers:
The receivers, Tom and the coaches have all worked hard on
the passing game. There certainly has been a lot of improvement since early
in the year. There are a lot of things we can still continue to do better.
We keep working on it on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis and hope we can
continue to improve it.
On being competitive after losing key players:
I really haven't thought too much about it. We're just trying to
prepare for the Jets and play a good, competitive football game
against them. That's plenty, right? That's all I'm thinking about is the
Jets.
On speaking to Brady after Deion Branch was traded:
You have to speak to him (Brady) about that. I don't know.
We talk about trying to improve as a football team, things that we can do
better, ways that we can coach better, ways that we can practice and execute
better on the field, ways that we can prepare better and how to make the
most out of our football team, that's what we spend our time talking about.
That's what we try to do.
On his relationship with Coach Mangini:
We're two head coaches in the same division, playing a big
division game this week, that's how I would characterize it.
On having more to say after this game:
I really haven't thought about it, I'm just trying to get our
team ready to play the game. That's where my focus is this week. I don't
think you will see Eric and me out there playing it.
On what kind of job Coach Mangini has done with the
Jets:
I think the Jets are a very good football team, they're a
very talented team, and they're a very explosive team in all three phases of
the game. And they play that way on a weekly basis. We played a very
competitive game with them down there early in the season and that's what we
expect it will be this week and that's what we're getting ready for. The
Jets are a very competitive football team and I'm sure it will be a very
tough, physical, typical AFC East game, like pretty much all of them are.
On assuming Brady will play well after a poor
performance last week:
I don't assume anything, any week. I take every week as its own
week. [You] come in, you go through the scouting report, you prepare for your
opponent, you try to get your level of execution at it optimum point by
Sunday, whether that's meetings, film, practice, individual work or whatever
it is. You go out there and try to play your best football game on Sunday
afternoon. That's the way you approach every week. I don't think any week is
any different. I would never take anything for granted anytime in this
league.
On any particular positive stamp that Coach Mangini
has put on this team:
The Jets have been a strong, competitive football team ever since
I've been here. We've played great games with them, whether it was Al (Groh), Herm (Edwards), Eric (Mangini) or
whoever, the two teams are very competitive and the games usually come down
to the last possession, right down to the wire. That's the way it was the
last game, that's historically the way it's been. It's been very
competitive. The system and the schemes that they are running are
different than what Herm ran last year. You look at the defensive front with
(Shaun) Ellis, (Dewayne) Robertson, (Bryan) Thomas, (Jonathan) Vilma, (Eric) Barton,
(Victor) Hobson, (Kerry) Rhodes, (Erik) Coleman, (David) Barrett, (Justin) Miller and (André) Dyson, it's a lot of the same guys that are making
plays, that are giving you trouble. Offensively, it's (Jerricho) Cotchery, (Chris) Baker, (Laveranues) Coles,
(Chad) Pennington and (Leon) Washington is
giving them a big lift in the running game and there's no question about
that. It's a lot of the same guys, Justin Miller on kickoff returns,
the fakes that they run in the kicking game and the interceptions and
onsides kicks and fake punts. I think Mike (Westhoff) does a
good job in that phase of the game. I'm not saying the Jets haven't changed,
they have changed, but there are a lot of elements that the Jets continue to
have in place from the things that we've had problems with in the past. We
have to adjust to some of the schemes and the 3-4 look, even though they ran
some of that last year, it will be more of a base for them this year and the
pressure packages are a little bit different on defense. The shifting and
the no-huddle and all that is schematically a little bit different on
offense but in terms making the type of plays that we've seen them make
before, we've watched Coles run by us and everybody else, with double moves
and Cotchery break tackles and all those guys. Vilma make plays from behind,
Ellis rushes the passer and Robertson is in the backfield. It's a lot of
those elements that we've faced before with different schemes in place.
On complimenting other former assistants but not
Coach Mangini:
I think the Jets are a good football team. He's the coach,
I think he's done a good job with them. I have a lot of respect for him.
On the impact made by the Jets' rookies this
season:
The Jets are a very talented football team. They have a
lot of players who are relatively young that are good players and they've
added to that group this year with some of their high draft picks. (Brad) Smith has given them a dimension offensively that's a little bit
unique. (D'Brickashaw) Ferguson and (Nick) Mangold on the offensive line are obviously talented players that they've added into
those spots. Washington has been an impact player for them in the
running game. They've had a lot of guys that they've plugged in there for
them. (Drew) Coleman has done a good job for them in the
secondary, has come in and played some in their sub situations and even on
their regular downs. They've added some players in there that definitely
have helped the depth and the quality of their football team.
On anything that Coach Mangini has brought to the
Jets specifically:
You definitely see the whole defensive scheme. The 3-4 schemes,
the sub blitzes that they run the different even and odd packages and all of
that, some of their adjustments, those are all pretty familiar looking
plays.
On the tandem of Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney:
They both have been very productive for us, as has Kevin Faulk.
We have a backfield that we have a lot of confidence in. All those players,
they've all had production. They have different playing styles, but the more
important thing is that they've all contributed and been helpful to our
team. They work well together, it's a good group. They help each other out.
They study together. They support each other. It's a good group to coach and
they've been productive for us. That changes sometimes from week-to-week,
who does what and gets what opportunities and what different roles are.
That's something that is done on a weekly, game plan basis and a lot of
times because of what we're seeing on the other side of the ball, too.
Bottom line is they've all been good contributors for us and I hope they'll
continue to be.
On the Deion Branch tampering charge:
I wouldn't comment on any of that stuff. I'll get in trouble
talking about that. That's league business. |
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