Here are some New York Jets Quotes for 9/26/13:
Opening Statement:
New York Jets logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“First off, thoughts and prayers go out to Chris Berman and his family. I know his father, Jim, was a longtime Jets supporter and fan of the Jets. But, (I) just wanted to throw that out. We’re thinking about you. As far as practice goes, it was (a) pretty good day today. (We) did make some mistakes, so we’re not there and it’s a good thing we never played because we made some mistakes that we need to fix. Guys were working hard. I think tomorrow should be a better day and we’ll be ready to roll. As far as guys that did not practice today, we have: Oday (Aboushi) is out with knee, did not practice. Quinton Coples with his ankle. Santonio Holmes with his foot. Both those things, (it) wasn’t like they had a setback. Those days were planned by our training staff. Dee Milliner was not able to practice today with his hamstring. Neither was Chris Ivory. These players were limited: Kenrick Ellis, back, Clyde Gates, knee, Kellen Winslow, knee and Sheldon Richardson, shoulder. So, that’s the list.”
On whether his goals for the team have changed given the 2-1 start:
“No. With us, every game we went into, we thought we’d win. So, we’re not where we wanted to be or probably expected to be, but hey, we’ll just keep working. Obviously, we know we have to improve a great deal. But, we’re working to get better each day and each week.”
Whether he’d like to see the defense create more turnovers:
“We’ll there’s no question. That’s something we need to get better at. We have to create some opportunities for our offense. Obviously, this week’s going to be a huge challenge in that regard. This team (the Titans) hasn’t turned the ball over yet. But again, yeah, we need to. We’re doing an outstanding job, especially in the red zone. I’m not taking that away from our defense at all. (Am I) pleased with it? I’ve kind of expected that we’ll play (well) on defense. It seems like we’ve had one major breakdown per game. If we can eliminate it, like I said, we’ll be pretty good. We gave up a touchdown on a blown coverage in the New England game and when Buffalo scored their touchdown, it was on a blown coverage also. Those are two right there, I don’t know how many touchdowns we’ve given up, I think (four) this season, and two of them were on blown coverages. If we fix them and continue to play well, especially in the red zone, we should be pretty good.”
On the difference between Tennessee’s team this year and last year:
“I think it’s a big difference, their team’s different. Just the people they have in there, they put a lot of resources into that offensive line. Obviously you got (Andy) Levitre coming over from Buffalo, a high price free agent and then you draft (Chance) Warmack from Alabama. Those are two really, really good football players and then you got the two former Pro Bowlers. They’re really running the ball. They are committed to it. (Their) time of possession is like almost four or five minutes different from the previous season. (Do) you expect it out of a (Coach) Mike Munchak team? Yeah, I think so. I don’t think there’s any doubt.”
Running Back Bilal Powell
On finishing runs:
“In the running backs room, we always emphasize finishing runs (and) finishing plays. One of the biggest things in this league is trying to be physical (and) continuing to wear defense out late in the game, and finishing (plays) is one of the biggest things.”
Whether he feels more confident this season:
“I just came in more focused this year. I just tried to pick up as much of the playbook as I could and that allowed me to go out there, play more comfortable and play faster.”
On whether the knack for making the right cut comes naturally or from experience:
“It’s something to that comes with coaching, too, little stuff, technique things. (Coach) Anthony Lynn does a good job emphasizing technique which allows us to see the holes better and read defenses better. ”
Linebacker David Harris:
On the defensive line helping the linebackers:
“We’re pretty heavy up front. They’re getting penetration. They’re taking up double teams. They put pressure on the quarterback and make it uncomfortable for him, and they all hustle to the ball. Snacks (Damon Harrison), Sheldon (Richardson), (Leger) Douzable, they’re playing lights out for us (on the interior defensive line). When you have a strong defensive line, the linebacker’s job is easy.”
On stopping Chris Johnson:
“You have to keep him in front of you. You can’t let him get outside because no one on this defense is fast enough to catch him from behind. We need 11 guys on this defense running to the ball on every play and the big men up front have to be responsible for their gap. (They) have to control their gap. It’s going to be a tough, physical game. They’re a running team. They have a strong nasty offensive line. They take after their head coach (Mike Munchak) and offensive line coach (Bruce Mathews), who are two Hall-of-Fame guys. So, if I were them, I’d take after them, too. That’s what they do best and we know that.”
On the strong red zone defense so far this season:
“The defense’s job is to prevent points. When we are out on the field in the red zone, our main goal is to keep them out (and) hold them to three points. So far, we’ve been doing a pretty good job of that.”