Rex Ryan interview transcript 11/5/10
On Friday New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan addressed the media. Here is the transcript courtesy of the Jets.
Opening remarksβ¦
“Big news is, Summit (High School) goes for their undefeated regular season today, to close out (their regular season). Probable on the injuries, David Harris, Calvin Pace, Brodney Pool, Darrelle Revis (are) all probable. Brodney is fine. All those guys were full (participation) today. Nobody missed anything.”
On Mark Sanchez commenting sarcastically that his son Seth could make some of those throws that he should have made against Green Bayβ¦
“Seth found out about Markβs comment and all that. Sethβs like, βYeah, no question, I wouldβve made the completion. Hello?β He thought Mark was telling the truth there, but yeah that was great. Sanchez would go watch him play all the time last year, all the freshman games. Heβs only seen one game this year and my kid actually got hurt so him (and) Jim Leonhard were there to watch. (Theyβre) no longer invited to the games.”
On if his son reached an injury settlementβ¦
“No, he toughed it out, of course. No shock there (smiling).”
On any concerns about Brodney Poolβs healthβ¦
“No, not at all. He checked out. We gave him the finger test, how many fingers and things and heβs fine. Iβm kidding. Really though, when any player gets hit in the head or has that kind of collision, his helmet kind of smacked him in the eye a little bit, but youβre cautious. As soon as (you see) Brodney Pool, out with a head injury, everybodyβs like, βOh, thereβs that concussion thing.β Really, we havenβt seen (that). Heβs been great and heβs physical and all that kind of stuff. Weβre happy with Brodney and heβll be ready to play well this week.”
On whether Vernon Gholston has turned a corner this seasonβ¦
“I think with Vernon, heβs playing much better. Unfortunately for Vernon, heβs backing up Shaun Ellis. Itβs probably not a great thing, but heβs done well. The thing that I like the best is how his teammates are around Vernon. Vernonβs one of the guys. He really is accepted and itβs because (of) the way he plays, carries himself (and) how smart he is. Weβve played him in different spots and all of the sub teams, but you literally can turn and say, βVern, go get so-and-so.β Heβs in there. Heβs really valuable that way. Heβs doing a great job on teams. Heβs going to be an excellent player. I really think that. The fact is, when I (made) the comment about one of the best defenses in the National Football League coming to your town, that was based on a comment that a reporter made talking about Vernon Gholston like, assuming, βWell, you have Vernon Gholston, (a) top-ten player. Heβs been a disaster,β (or) whatever it was. I was like, βMan, you have no idea.β This guy is a good football player. He really is. It just kind of burned me a little bit kind of. I was like, βVernonβs not that guy.β Vernonβs an excellent football player and heβs part of a great defense, so weβre happy heβs here. Iβm telling you, he fits in with all those guys right now. He gives as much as he takes, back and forth, with each other. I know one thing, when you have guys saying that βI want to throw the quarterback. Iβm going to get him and throw him to Vernon, so he can get the sack, just to get it off his back,β thatβs what they think of him. Everybody just wants it bad for Vernon and heβs playing well.”
On Gholston not having a sackβ¦
“I know, but itβs not like heβs out there every snap. Heβs not out there every snap and what we do with him, unfortunately, he gets a lot of the dirty work. Youβve got other guys that youβre putting in maybe ideal spots, but Vernon gets (the dirty work). Itβs kind of the rite of passage in our defense. Youβve got to do the dirty work before you get all the good jobs. Iβm telling you heβs an excellent player and heβs doing well.”
On if he would have drafted Gholston sixth overall in the 2008 NFL Draftβ¦
“That high? No, I wouldnβt have taken him that high. Right now? Yes, absolutely Iβd take him.”
On if he would have drafted Gholston as the sixth overall player right nowβ¦
“I donβt know if heβd be the sixth overall. It depends on (who) else is there. Right now, I like the way Vernon Gholston plays. I really do. I think when he came out, I thought there probably needed to be some development there, but right now Iβm absolutely happy with Vernon Gholston. The sixth overall player, I donβt know about that. Who was that this year? Was it (Ndamukong) Suh? I would have taken Suh (laughter). I really like Vernon.”
On if he thinks Gholston has a long term future with the Jetsβ¦
“Absolutely I do.”
On how difficult it was for Gholston to be drafted sixth overall and receive criticism from the fansβ¦
“What happens is, itβs unfair. You come into a situation and you need to develop. Heβs a young kid coming out. Now heβs a man. Sometimes itβs tough for fans to realize there has to be development with guys. Youβre thinking, hey heβs the sixth overall pick (and) youβre going to get Lawrence Taylor. There has only been one Lawrence Taylor. It just takes time for guys to feel their way. I remember when we got Haloti Ngata in Baltimore. It was like, βOh, whatβs he doing? He only had one sack.β Oh, yea? How many guys would like to have Haloti now, all those teams that missed on him before? I think Vernon is going to be a productive player in this league. Heβs smart. Heβs a team-first guy all the way. Eventually, heβs going to make those numbers that people think.”
On if Seattle WR Mike Williams illustrates his point that players need time to developβ¦
“Thereβs been a ton of guys. It takes a while. Letβs face it, he was thrown into a completely different position, one that he was not familiar with. You see the numbers and I donβt blame Eric (Mangini) or anybody else for trying to make that move because you see those numbers. (You say), βWell, he could be ideal at this spot.β Now, he can back up those spots. Heβs playing defensive line. Heβs doing a lot of things for us. Like I said, heβs a big contributor to our football team.”
On if players with ties to the Detroit area are excited about returning home β¦
“(There is) no question. Absolutely. I think guys are excitedβBart (Scott), David Harris, Braylon (Edwards) (and) Vernon. Calvin Pace was even born in Detroit. He lived there (until he was) three, so he doesnβt remember much of it. Of course, we have Eric Smith, but he is actually from Ohio and went to Michigan State. Weβre very aware of where guys are from. I had an old football coach tell me that he really believed in the hometown hero. What I mean by that is we had a running back who didnβt play for eight games and all of sudden heβs rotating him in there with the starters for this week. I was like, βWhy are you playing this guy?β βOh, heβs from this town.β The guy goes out and rushes for 120 yards. I was like, βWhoa.β Ever since that time, I bought into it. We (Baltimore Ravens) had two guys (from New Orleans) that played in New Orleans. Ronnie Prude, not exactly a household name, gets two picks in the game, one for a touchdown. Dawan Landry, in the same game, he has two picks, one for a touchdown. Iβm telling you, thereβs something to it. Iβm expecting big games from Bart, David, Vernon and Braylon Edwards. Anytime you go back home, you want to do something special.”
On how much the team is looking forward to getting back on the field after a week of criticismβ¦
“We never played well. The good thing is we get to play on Sunday against a good football team at their place where theyβre coming off a big win. Itβs going to be a hostile environment which is just right for us. Letβs see what happens. There are easier spots to play in. Weβre extremely confident. It doesnβt matter who we play. We just want to play. The fact that weβre playing Detroit and theyβre pretty hot right now, weβll see. I feel good about it.”
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