For our Jets fans here are some quotes from July 29:
New York Jets QB Teddy Bridgewater:
Opening statement…
First day back in pads, starting to feel like football all over again. So it’s a great feeling, a great time to be here when you put your pads on, lace your cleats up, the lines are on the field, you get to go out here and compete. Today was a fun day competing with our defense and what a way to end practice. I’m excited looking forward to the days ahead.
On the last play of the day…
Tre (McBride) did a great job. But it started up front the offensive line understood the situation and we capitalized. We knew that we couldn’t take a sack in this situation. We did a good job the previous play drawing the defense offsides so that we could take a shot to the end zone and I know that we had an extra play. JB (Jeremy Bates) thought of a great play, Tre executed it at the line, beat the defender. He knew that the ball was going to go to a spot and he beat the defender to that spot and came down with the catch, so a great way to just walk off with a touchdown.
On how it is getting extra reps with only two quarterbacks…
The way we see it, I say fair isn’t fair. We only can control what we can control, and we just have to understand that when we’re out there, if there’s two of us, three of us, we have to continue to lead our units and just continue to make plays.
On if it’s a good thing to get the extra reps…
You never complain about the reps, we’re actually taking advantage of it because it’s a chance for more work for you, extra work for you, going against a defense like the one that we have, it’s a lot of complex looks and things like that. So the more the better, that’s the way we see it. You gain knowledge with each play. We continue to remain students of the game and continue to take coaching and continue to control what we can control.
On his chemistry with the wide receivers…
Well we had all spring to work on that so I think we’re doing a good job right now and just executing the little things, the pitch and catch part of the game. Of course we have to continue to just build. We’re going against our defense where they can press now and different looks. So it kind of throws the timing off a little bit maybe if a DB is pressing a receiver on a certain route and he may run a little differently, it may take a little longer, so just understanding the game, understanding the offense and just making those judgments on the fly. I think we’re doing a good job of that.
On how much experimenting he does during training camp…
Each play you take away small victories. Whether its getting out of a bad play, flipping a run, audibling, giving the receiver a hot route, things like that you take away those small victories. Of course you want to complete every pass, that’s the number one goal and you win games by completing passes to your team and not turning the ball over. Unfortunately, I threw an interception today which I was a little pissed about but I came back and ended with a touchdown so that’s a great feeling. You always want to come away with more completions than incompletions. You don’t want to hold on to the ball too long. So of course the stats matter, but at the end of the day it’s the small details that matter the most.
On the difference between this offense and the one he had played in Minnesota…
Different terminology. Still some of the same concepts, and things like that. The terminology is a little different. Played in a similar system in college, so I’m familiar with a lot of the concepts and some of the terminology, and I just continue to learn as I go.
On how his past in the West Coast offense helped him…
It helped a lot. It made the transition smoother, and plus, J.B. (Bates) and Mick (Lombardi) do a great job teaching it to us. That’s one of the things you can’t take away—the teachers. A lot of people can coach, but those guys can coach and teach. They’re doing a great job with helping the room out. Josh (McCown) has some history with J.B., also, so he’s been a vocal leader in the room. Just helping out with the little things, even if I have a question or something, I can ask it to Josh, I can ask it to J.B. or Mick. They do a great job with just helping a guy like myself who’s coming from a different system.
On if he had contact with Sam Darnold over the past few days…
No. I haven’t seen him. Been in camp mode. It’s been from the facility to the team hotel, and that’s been the schedule so far, so I haven’t had a chance to see him.
On his past connection to RB Bilal Powell…
There’s no past really. I met him as he was leaving Louisville. I think it’s a Florida thing, he’s from the state of Florida. We’re all pretty much related we say. He’s been very beneficial. He’s been a good shoulder to lean on, whether it’s helping him get out of the backfield, catch a pass and things like that. He understands that this is new to me. He’s been in the system. He’s just been someone I can count on to help me if I have a question. That’s something we like to have as a running back, or any position actually. He’s going to do great things for this team, and we’re glad to have him on this team.
On the quarterback competition…
Competition makes the team better, and it makes you better as a player. Right now, we’re not focusing on competition. We’re just focusing on our completions, and executing plays, getting in and out of the huddle, establishing tempo, establishing rhythm. The rest will take care of itself. You have to continue to take one day at a time, one play at a time, one rep at a time, and go from there.
New York Jets QB Josh McCown:
On the offense today…
Good work, kind of a typical of first day in pads. It’s always interesting to see which runs are going to hit, how the pass protection is going to be and what routes are really going to work because when you put the pads on things change. Some ups and downs, some good and bad, and kind of typical of alot first day, but I thought it was solid. We started slow, but I think we finished well.
On keeping his arm fresh with only two quarterbacks…
Well, you are just more aware of every throw. If I catch a ball and I’m throwing it back to someone else and it’s not a real rep, I’ll toss it with to my other hand. You just have to be smart with it, be more cognizant of how many throws you make, and the coaches are doing a good job of maintaining that. John Mellody and his staff do a tremendous job of helping us recover. I think both Teddy (Bridgewater) and I, we work very hard, we spend a lot of time in the training room just keeping ourselves ready to go and that is no different. Whether there is four or three, it doesn’t matter how many quarterbacks, we are going to be doing the same thing. Those things are important to us. So it was just being aware of not making extra throws when you don’t have to and trying to save your arm as much as you can.
On how aware of the crowd he is…
It’s cool, it’s fun because we appreciate the fans. Fans drive the game. When you go out there, especially for me coming back in the second year, people have gotten a chance to see you play and they know you better like you said. You just appreciate the support, and you love to hear them yelling for everyone, because I think for us, especially on a hot day, first day in pads and late in practice, the cheers and stuff like that are a good pick-me-up. We appreciate the fans and them coming out here and supporting us.
On what makes the offense “quarterback friendly”…
That is a little bit of a generic term, just in the sense of every offense in the league wants to be quarterback friendly, being in a quarterback-driven league so to speak. I do think more than anything, from my aspect when someone says that, I just think how is the quarterback trained and taught and what does that system look like. In that instance I do believe it is quarterback friendly from that aspect because of how we go about every play, progressions and the structure and how we stick to it. We don’t vary on our rules and things that we do, and I think that is important in training a quarterback. So if anything, that would be what makes it quarterback friendly.
On if the pre-snap principles make it a “quarterback-friendly” offense
Obviously Coach (Jeremy) Bates does a great job of calling plays, but he also equips us with the ability to do what is necessary to get us in a good play. Anytime you’re at the line of scrimmage as a quarterback, you have freedom to keep your team in a good, advantageous position, I think that is not only quarterback friendly, but offensive friendly, that is smart football.
On how similar is the offense to last year…
There is still carry over obviously with the terminology and stuff like that, but Coach (John) Morton and Coach Bates are different people. They have to see different ideals come to light, and Jeremy is certainly putting on spin without giving anything away. Jeremy is certainly putting his own spin on it. I think with J.B. (Bates) coming in and taking over, and the addition of Coach (Rick) Dennison has been huge as well, because the emphasis on being able to run the football is there and that is something that we certainly needed. It has been great, and J.B. has done a great job leading it so far. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him.
On the playing style of Terrelle Pryor and Isaiah Crowell…
Both hard workers, Isaiah is gonna run the ball hard, hard to tackle, usually the first guy doesn’t take him down, competes very hard. Terrelle, obviously he’s a big guy, but he can really run and stretch the field. For him, when they made that transition the last year I was there in Cleveland and made the transition to receiver, and in every year he has gotten better and better. It’s been a work in progress but we’re glad to have him and he has put a lot of work in. I think the first year he was just figuring out what he didn’t know, making the move there. Since then he’s worked kind of with more intention and I think that is gonna help him and hopefully pay dividends on the field.
On he, Crowell, Pryor and all being on a team that went 1-15…
Well, what you said, you said components and then you said team and that’s what you have to realize it’s a team sport. We were there and in that situation and so now we’re all here. There’s different styles of offense and the defense on the other side of the ball is different. The guys around us offensively are different. So you have to take every situation as it is and that was that situation and this is a new one and we are excited about it.
On if he prefers getting extra reps…
It’s fun. You play this game to play and get reps and so I enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun. As we said earlier, you just have to be aware of the number of throws and things like that. You have to be mindful of and just take care of the body and stuff like that. I think as competitors Teddy and I love it because I think at some point every quarterback’s dream is to look around and go, ‘now i’m the only guy here, let me steer the ship.’ Its kind of fun, we’re working through it. Hopefully Sam (Darnold) gets in soon. I can’t wait for him to get in here and compete with us and get some of this good work. For the time being, Teddy and I will keep rocking on, we’re having a lot of fun.
New York Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles
On how pleased he was with the intensity…
Intensity was good, the physical part was good. Obviously the third day, first day in pads, some overzealous guys, but we got to clean up some things, but overall, pretty pleased.
On how important it is to find an outside pass rusher…
We got to find pass rushing from all aspects, whether it’s outside backer, defensive line or inside backer, we need somebody to put pressure on the quarterback.
On if that is something that is lacking last year…
At times. At times we got there, and the ball was out. We got there plenty of times when the ball was out and at times we got to do a better job. But overall, we need to do a better job rushing the passer.
On if a 3-4 defense makes it more vital to have an outside pass rusher…
In a 3-4 defense, yes, you have a lot of rush from the outside linebacker and a little more sack production, need more just pressure production, overall, not necessarily sacks but we need pressure production. And we’ve gotten it at times, we just need to be consistent.
On Leonard Williams getting double teamed last year because of the lack of an outside pass rush…
He got double teamed because he’s a good player. Obviously, you got to win all of your single match-ups. We had four or five times when we had five men rushing. You have to win the individual one on one battle. It had nothing to do with just going down and double teaming the guy. We have situations where there’s one-on-one, like I said, we want our fair share of them and the ball has gotten out, and then we have some that we need to work on.
On what Buster Skrine means to the defense…
Buster is a good player. Obviously, he plays inside and outside for us. Longest tenure is just a number or name for me, that doesn’t mean anything, but Buster is a valid part of the secondary. He is very versatile, very durable, he does a lot of things for us and has a lot of jobs. I take my hat off to him because he is always in top shape.
On how he thinks the quarterbacks are handling the workload…
They are fine. We’ve only been out here for three days.
On if he worries about a 39-year-old quarterback throwing too much…
My quarterbacks are good.
On the progression of Nathan Shepherd from minicamp to now…
It has been a short stint now. He is getting his footwork right, learning his technique and he’s getting the defense down. But we know he’s strong and we know he has a motor and some pass rush moves that he’s stout against the run. Just got to learn what he’s doing and keep moving forward from there.
On Darron Lee’s overall growth…
He is always been a good athlete. Darron can run and move all day, it is just his maturity of the game that’s taken place and the game slowing down for him, so he’s playing faster.
On how big of a season it is for Lee…
It is a big season for everybody, it is not just Darron, he’s not an individual that needs a great season, we need a great season as a team, as a defense, as an offense and as special teams. So, we don’t look at individual performance, but he’s in shape every year. It is his third year; the game should slow down for him and he should play faster.
On how Lee looks since taking on the addition of play calling…
He is fine with the play calling. It goes back and forth between Darron and Avery Williamson and we have other guys that call it depending on the defensive package. We put that burden on a lot of people. He did a little bit of it last year as well, so it’s not like it is his first time.
On the timetable for Elijah McGuire and if he will get surgery…
He will get surgery. But the timetable is yet to be determined until after the surgery.
On the status of Xavier Cooper…
Just a strain, part of camp, he’ll be back in a couple of days.
On Brandon Bryant’s status…
Camp soreness. These guys are coming in and out the next few days. So, we’ll just go as we go.
On the status of Kacy Rodgers II…
Same thing.
On three straight days of six penalties…
We try to tighten up. We are at the start of training camp, I don’t expect it to be squeaky clean. So, as we get through the process and the riggers of training camp, it will cut down and take care of itself. The guys are mindful of it and when you have a bunch of new guys and going out there for the first time and learning new things, you are going to have some penalties, but as the week goes on and the weeks go on, they will diminish.
On involved he is with the Sam Darnold situation…
I’ll get an update when he runs out on the field. I’m a coach, I don’t handle the money or anything like that, or the business side of it. I understand it all and I am aware of it all, but I coach the guys that are out here and that’s all I am worried about.
On his impression of the fullback battle between Lawrence Thomas and Dimitri FlowersLawrence Thomas…
Both are smart players, yet to be determined with one day of pads on. So that will take case, as most of the competition, as camp goes on. So we will look for it there.
On if he likes what he has seen from Trenton Cannon…
He is a running back, as well as a returner. As the game slows down for him, we will get to see more. We know he has speed and everything else, but he’s got to get the nuances down of the offense and that is what camp is for.
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