On\u00a0 Tuesday New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan addressed the media.\u00a0 Here is the transcript courtesy of the Jets.<\/p>\n
Opening statement\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I apologize again for you guys (the media) being out there for the walk-thru (laughter). It\u2019s just the way the schedule is set up. For all of our sakes, we\u2019d like to have the hitting and practice and all that stuff in the morning, but we\u2019re going with this meeting, walk-thru stuff. We\u2019re getting used to it, but it feels kind of funny though. Anyway, that practice went really well (laughing). Oh my goodness. I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to draw from that. I guess I\u2019ll just open it up for questions.<\/p>\n On if there is any concern about the new rules and not being able to hit…<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to affect us at all. We take care of our players, I don\u2019t disagree that we hit (each other) some in training camp. I think you get used to that, those goal line scrimmages that we have and all that kind of stuff, but we\u2019ve always taken care of our players. If you recall last year it was always one padded practice or then a practice in the afternoon in shorts or a special teams practice. We never went padded practice then padded practice. So I don\u2019t think it\u2019s really going to affect us that much. I did challenge our guys that there were 36 practices that we had last year, and this year really it\u2019s just 24 before we open up the regular season. So I think that gives you the, \u201cWe\u2019re on the practice field, we can\u2019t have a bad day.\u201d And that\u2019s basically our challenge to our players.<\/p>\n On whether losing the whole offseason is impacting installation of plays and packages\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s basically what we\u2019re doing. We\u2019re stepping up the meetings. We can\u2019t do the physical work, but we\u2019re doing the mental part of it. So I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a little frustrating for the guys that have been in these systems, especially the offensive players who have been around (Brian Schottenheimer) for five or six years and then the defense, now going into our third year in the same system. It\u2019s always good. You think you remember, but you really don\u2019t. You have to get energized, charged back up and I think that\u2019s good. What we\u2019ll do is we\u2019ll go these first few days without pads we\u2019ll install, a heavy install, and then when we go back to pads, we\u2019ll go back to repeating it. Because normally you\u2019re exactly right, you usually have minicamps, those type of things, OTA type stuff and then you have training camp so they\u2019re seeing it again and again. So we\u2019re kind of revising it a little bit to kind of get a jump start.<\/p>\n On if he has improved as a coach since he\u2019s been with the Jets\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I think (I have) each year, and I hope I\u2019m here for 20 years. I know there\u2019s probably a lot of people out there that wish I\u2019d be gone next year. I really think that as you get going, you can\u2019t buy experience in this job. Obviously, I had a great background being the son of an NFL coach. It was a huge thing, I was around football all my life. So that\u2019s 48 years of experience whether I was picking up this or that, I don\u2019t know, but I was around it all my life. But I was never a head coach at any level. Mr. Johnson took a shot on me. Did I make some mistakes in my first year of coaching? Sure. And I\u2019ll make mistakes now, just like every coach. Everybody besides (Bill) Belichick probably (joking). And I say that because it\u2019s probably true, but I\u2019m working there. I\u2019m trying to get there. I really lean on guys that coach with me. Mike Westhoff and obviously Bill Callahan, Bob Sutton are great mentors to me. We have other coaches that are going to be head coaches in this league in Mike Pettine and Brian Schottenheimer. We have a lot of smart guys so I lean on our guys. It\u2019s not about me. That\u2019d be ridiculous. All of us are a lot smarter than me; the collection of us. But sure, I think I\u2019ll be a better coach now than I was my first year for sure.<\/p>\n On improving the defense but still having the same roster\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n We have to tighten things up. We looked hard in the off-season at what we\u2019re doing defensively. Obviously, we\u2019ll be creative and those things that have been kind of a trademark for us. We\u2019ll find ways, we\u2019ll steal from people, whatever it takes. If my brother does something good, trust me, we\u2019ll have it in. But it\u2019s never been about me, but it is about the tradition that we\u2019re trying to set here on defense that we\u2019re going to play great defense. We\u2019ve said that from day one and it starts with the commitment to each other. It starts with the commitment in the classroom, on the practice field as well as the game field. So that\u2019s it. We have a certain standard that we expect and we\u2019re going to work to getting that. Obviously, there are a lot of good defenses out there but we want to be the best.<\/p>\n On the perceived lack of an effective pass rush last season and improving it this year\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I think we have to give our guys a chance too. Sometimes we come up with different ways to do that, but that also helps us. Some of the things that we do helps us get to the quarterback. Drew (Coleman), I don\u2019t know how many sacks Drew had last year but he had a bunch of them. So there are different ways of getting there. Overall, I don\u2019t think we\u2019re as bad as maybe the people want to (say). We never had the guy with ten, twelve sacks, but we had a lot of guys with sacks. We were eighth in the league last year in number of sacks. So I don\u2019t think we\u2019re as desperate as (it is) out there. I think Westerman has a chance. It\u2019s finally time, it\u2019s his third year, it\u2019s time to unleash him. The thing that is great is that he\u2019s been up against (D\u2019Brickashaw Ferguson) forever. So when you\u2019re going against one of the elite players in this league, day-in and day-out, either two things happen. Either you get beat down so bad you just go home and go onto your life\u2019s work or you get better. And you work and work and work to get better. And that\u2019s what he\u2019s done. And this young man is Dwight Freeney one week, the big kid from Houston (Mario Williams) one week. It just goes on and on and he\u2019s done a fine job and he\u2019s worked all those moves.<\/p>\n On if Westerman could be an every down outside linebacker\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I see Westerman as a DPR. A designated pass rusher. Even I can pull that one off. We have Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas, so we\u2019re pretty set with those two guys out there.<\/p>\n On possible free agents at the outside linebacker position\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure, the way Mike (Tannenbaum) does it, he has the whole league sitting right there. He knows there are a few guys that can rush the passer that are still out there, but we feel pretty good about our situation right now.<\/p>\n On \u201cairing it out more\u201d this season on offense\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Absolutely. When you toss the ball out there for a sweep, that\u2019s airing it out right? (joking) But no I think that\u2019s the natural progression of where Mark is and that we\u2019ll be able to throw the ball more effectively than we\u2019ve done the last two years.<\/p>\n On still being a run-first team on offense\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I think that it\u2019s going to be more balanced. But I still think we\u2019re a ground and pound team. We\u2019re deep. We have four tailbacks that can go. We\u2019re not going to disappoint you. We\u2019re going to turn and give it to somebody. But I would say when it\u2019s all said and done that we\u2019ll pass the ball more than we\u2019ve done the first two years I\u2019ve been here.<\/p>\n On offensive consultant Tom Moore\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, I\u2019ll tell you about Tom right now and you have to love the mentality and the attitude. First off, all the coaches have these socks, these little half-things. There\u2019s one guy out there with the old school ones. Old school, I\u2019m being nice when I say that (laughter). And he says, \u201cYeah, those are sissy socks.\u201d And I said, yeah, I\u2019ll be in the long ones from now on. But that\u2019s him. He\u2019s great. He really is going to be Brian\u2019s (Schottenheimer) guy. So whatever Brian asks him to do, it doesn\u2019t get much better than having Tom Moore sitting in that room with you. So we\u2019re really excited about some things. Obviously, he\u2019s been here already during the offseason working on a lot of things. Not just red zone, but he\u2019s been there with Brian a bunch, so I\u2019m excited about it.<\/p>\n On why Moore was hired\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve had great success, we\u2019ve had Jim McNally who is a long-time offensive line coach, one of the best ever that has been with Bill (Callahan). He helps Bill, takes the film. He\u2019s at home and all that, so it\u2019s a sounding board for you. It gives us a head start. These guys will have the film on the next week\u2019s opponent early, they\u2019ll have it on ours as well. So I think they\u2019ll be impactful and from a time standpoint as well. Guys will bring fresh ideas and really work side by side, albeit from his home, but with all the tape and everything else. I think it\u2019s going to be a great thing for us. We weren\u2019t the only team that was trying to get Tom Moore.<\/p>\n On rookie defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n He looks pretty good. I\u2019ll let you talk to his teammates about him. He and (Ferguson) were going at it yesterday. It\u2019s funny because they were getting after it, but they were four yards apart from each other because both their arms are so long. But they were getting after each other and that\u2019s great. He belongs, he\u2019s the starting defensive end right now, the day he walked in here. That\u2019s why we drafted him, not to be a backup. We need him to be a player. He\u2019s starting right now. And the big guy, you can\u2019t coach 6\u20195\u201d, 350. He plays hard, big (Kenrick) Ellis. Hopefully those two young guys will be here for a long time.<\/p>\n On if Wilkerson is solely an interior lineman\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I think when you get into a passing situation he\u2019s an interior guy. You want one of those big guys to hit a gap, get pressure in the quarterback\u2019s face and let the outside guys go. It\u2019s funny, the game I always say is an easy game made complicated by coaches. Because really this is an easy game. The inside guy\u2019s job is to push the pocket and force it to the defensive ends. The defensive ends\u2019 jobs are to make that quarterback step up and turn him back to the tackles. That really is it. I think he\u2019s one of those guys that can really push the pocket as an inside pass rusher.<\/p>\n On possibly playing Wilkerson on the outside as a pass rusher\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n No. I think we\u2019re in pretty good shape with some of the guys we have. I mentioned Westerman. Obviously, Calvin Pace coming back healthy, that\u2019s going to be huge. That\u2019s why I think we\u2019ll get better defensively. Having Calvin healthy and then of course you have Bryan Thomas, so we have some guys who can rush the passer. We have this young guy, I don\u2019t want to build him up too much, the Canadian kid we got. Number 50 (McIntyre). Canadian kid. Number 50. He\u2019s a relentless guy, he\u2019s one of those guys who is a pain to block.<\/p>\n On if the player Ryan is referring to is first-year player Garrett McIntyre\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly who I\u2019m talking about. Thanks for the assist there. He\u2019s one of those relentless guys. So I think we\u2019ll be just fine.<\/p>\n On the new tattoo on his leg\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s funny, I hear the mid-life crisis and all that type stuff. It\u2019s mid-life alright, but what\u2019d we talk about? (Mid-life hieroglyphics). That\u2019s why we have (Director of Media Relations) Bruce (Speight) say it. There\u2019s no telling what would come out if I said that.<\/p>\n On whether the players have commented on his new tattoo\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, they\u2019re like \u201cthat\u2019s cool Rex.\u201d So you have the mountains, you have the waves, the shark tooth down there. You have it all working.<\/p>\n On how long it took to get the tattoo\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n After I got through crying? (joking) The tattoo is nothing guys. It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s a smile, so I did it. It was probably an hour and a half.<\/p>\n On if there will be a Facebook video explaining the tattoo\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes we are.<\/p>\n On his brother (Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator) Rob Ryan\u2019s comments\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I know he believes in his team, there\u2019s no question about it. He\u2019s just being himself.<\/p>\n On whether Jim Leonhard is 100% healthy\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I think he is. I think he\u2019s a little sore, which obviously he\u2019s running around a little bit. We\u2019re going to be smart, but I think he\u2019ll be ready to go. He doesn\u2019t know it yet, but we\u2019re not going to have him return punts. But he\u2019s back there catching punts and all that, but I haven\u2019t had the heart to tell him that he won\u2019t be doing that in a game.<\/p>\n On the kick return situation\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Westy (Coach Mike Westhoff) is excited. He thinks that (Jeremy) Kerley kid has a chance. We have Kyle Wilson. Oh, gosh, we had a bunch of them lined up back there. (Joe) McKnight is one, so we\u2019ll see. I think we\u2019ll be fine . As Westy likes to tell me and point out, \u201cWell, we had a Pro Bowler. This guy was a Pro Bowler. This guy was a Pro Bowler. This guy was a Pro Bowler. This guy led the NFL.\u201d It\u2019s almost like he\u2019s telling me it really doesn\u2019t matter who is back there. We\u2019re going to block it so well. We had skill back there. This Kerley kid, he\u2019s an excellent athlete. I\u2019m sure you guys have seen that in the walk-thru (joking). He really is. He really is a tremendous athlete. Then, Kyle (Wilson) was one of the best returner in the country. I\u2019ll say this about Kyle, I think he was so nervous last year that it was like, \u2018Just catch the ball. Just catch the ball.\u2019 He\u2019s way more than what he showed last year. He\u2019s an explosive guy. He has that kind of ability. I think when you look at the type of guys we have, obviously not even mentioning (Antonio) Cromartie, because Cromartie doesn\u2019t know it, but when the game is on the line, you put Cro back there because he is an amazing returner as we saw in that Indianapolis game. We certainly have options at kick returner.<\/p>\n On whether he expects Muhammad Wilkerson to start and whether Shaun Ellis could potentially back up\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n He (Shaun Ellis) is getting up there in age. We don\u2019t need guys to play every snap anymore. We have these young guys. We brought Trevor (Pryce) in, who has had some unbelievable years, to come in and fill a purpose for us. Now, if Shaun was on this team, would we start him just to start him and keep this streak? Absolutely, but we\u2019re going to play this young kid a bunch. Obviously, if we had Shaun, we\u2019d play him too, but we brought this kid in to play.<\/p>\n On whether he wants Shaun Ellis back\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Hey, I\u2019d love to have Shaun back. There is no doubt. Just like I mentioned before, I\u2019d want Braylon (Edwards) back. I\u2019d want Brodney Pool back, all those guys. There wasn\u2019t one player that we didn\u2019t want back. Now, we couldn\u2019t get them all done, but we had a lot of excellent players. We weren\u2019t able to keep everybody, but we\u2019re certainly keeping our fair share.<\/p>\n On Randy Moss retiring\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ll tell you what, that guy had a heck of a career. He\u2019s a heck of a player. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s retired because it seems like, even last year, we\u2019d have to play him twice. We were excited when he was traded from New England. We were like, \u2018Alright, Minnesota. Don\u2019t we play them next week?\u2019 It\u2019s like, \u2018Are you kidding me?\u2019 But, certainly, I have a great deal of respect for Randy Moss, one of the all-time great receivers. I liked him, too. I liked his personality and he was good for the game. He was a great player, but that\u2019s the thing about this game is you can\u2019t play it forever. Even a great player as great as Randy Moss has been in this league, he decided he\u2019s going to retire. It will be easier for me to sleep at night knowing that he\u2019s not in this league anymore.<\/p>\n On Jason Taylor returning to Miami\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Like I said, we wanted all our players back. Jason Taylor was great. When he was here, he came in and he finished some games for us. He\u2019s a tremendous person, a tremendous player. He played about 55 percent of the snaps last year for us, so we used Jason and I thought Jason played well for us. The fact that he went back there, he\u2019s spent almost his entire career in Miami and if he\u2019s going to play one more year, I can\u2019t say I wish him the best because that would be a lie, but the guy is tremendous. He was great when he came here. He was all-in and that\u2019s all you can ask a guy to do. I know he never wanted to leave Miami, ever. The fact that, for whatever the reason (and) circumstances were last year, we were able to get him and he played well for us. Again, as I like to say, he played like a Jet. The year for us, he played great and I\u2019m happy he was a part of us for the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On\u00a0 Tuesday New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan addressed the media.\u00a0 Here is the transcript courtesy of the Jets. Opening statement\u2026 I apologize again for you guys (the media) being out there for the walk-thru (laughter). It\u2019s just the way the schedule is set up. For all of our sakes, we\u2019d like to have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[488],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8709","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-jets-press-conference"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-2gt","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8709"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8712,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8709\/revisions\/8712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}