TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
(opening statement)
I will just say first because I know the concern for Jake (Locker), we have the same concern we don't know the extent of when he got hit on that play. He injured his hip, from there we don't know. He was in pain. We don't know much more than that. He went to the hospital. They are checking on him now, so we will get more information later, but that's all we have right now other than the fact that what you all saw.
(on initial assessment he received of Jake Locker's injury)
Really other than saying his hip was injured we just don't know. We just don't want to speculate on what happened or didn't so we are just going to wait and see.
(on if X-rays were taken in the stadium)
No, they took him off site I think. So, again this is all happening as the game ended, so as of right now, we just don't know.
(on if doctors told him anything on field concerning Jake Locker's injury)
I don't think anything they saw on the field (indicated) that nothing had popped out. That's what they had. That's where it was sore. (It was) leg pain in general right there. So it was just a matter of getting him off the field and getting an opportunity to look at it and assess right now.
(on how concerned he is about the injury)
Anytime your quarterback, any player gets hurt there is a lot of concern. Quarterbacks, again first of all he was playing, three touchdowns, he was playing very well, so again hoping it wasn't anything extensive. We will just have to wait and see exactly what it is.
(on if he thought there was a late hit on the play that injured Jake Locker)
I couldn't really see it. I didn't see the replay, obviously I was on the field with Jake so I didn't see what they showed or you know exactly what did happen on that play.
(on if he is assuming that Ryan Fitzpatrick will start at quarterback in next game)
Well, we just got to wait and see. I think we will make…we will wait to get all the information and start deciding what we need to do.
(on if Jake Locker is having emergency surgery)
No, he is just getting checked out.
(on if he will be bring Rusty Smith to active roster)
That will be (among) the things we consider once we know exactly. Again, we are not going to make a decision on anything until we exactly know what's going on with Jake and then we will handle it like we would with any other injury. Obviously, it's more critical since it is your quarterback. So, it doesn't speed anything up or change the process. We still have to find out what happened and what the prognosis is going forward and then we can decide what is best to do for Jake and the team.
(on if Jake Locker was playing as well as he has seen)
He was doing exactly what we hope he would do. He got the ball in the first half and converted all three turnovers into touchdown passes. (Justin) Hunter makes a great catch on the third one there before the half. Yeah, we haven't turned the ball over yet in four games and that's pretty much unheard of in this league. You saw what happened to the Jets. That's what hurt them so much is turning the ball over. So, I mean he was taking care of it. He took some sacks early to avoid making mistakes. He was playing about as good as I think he could play in this game today.
(on the team's response to Jake Locker's injury)
I think everyone kind of went to a lull, I'd say on the offensive side. The defense continued to make plays. On offense, it affected us, there's no doubt about it. When one of your top guys gets hurt, you have to move on obviously, but it's hard. Ryan (Fitzpatrick) came in and managed the game, did what he had to do. We weren't having a lot of success. That defense is pretty good. But again, he made some nice throws. He threw the big one to Nate (Washington), that Nate made a great catch on. We know he's a very good quarterback, that's why we were excited to have him here. We'll have to wait and see what his role will be going forward.
(on the defense's ability to force turnovers)
We talked about that last week at this time, saying, 'Hey, the first drive, it seems like every game we play in, they've struggled to get a stop.' Then after that stop, they play very well. This game, we decided, let's defer. We won the toss, let's put our defense out there first. We'll take advantage of our crowd noise and let our defense go out there and maybe we can get the momentum going right from the beginning. That's exactly what happened. We won the toss, we deferred, we kicked off. Rob (Bironas) kicked it through the end zone like we hoped he would. They got the ball at the 20. The second play, (Alterraun) Verner gets the interception. Then all of a sudden, four plays later, we're up 7-0. The defense just kept going from there. Verner had a great day. Heck, he had two interceptions that led to touchdowns, Zach Brown knocked the ball loose on the quarterback, and (Verner) recovered that one for his third turnover. It's just defense—Karl Klug gets a sack, gets a touchdown on a sack. We had five sacks. Those guys were playing hard. Our defense is really coming together. The thing we were missing was the two things that happened today: the fast start and getting turnovers. They accomplished both today and put the offense in positions to score a lot of points. The offense did finish drives that way, which was a good thing to see. Again, finishing the two-minute like we did, we've been doing that every week. Jake (Locker) finished the one there before halftime. A lot of good things going on that way and not turning the ball over. You will win a lot of football games when you don't turn the ball over.
(on what was said by the sideline official on the non-safety goal line call)
I think they were checking on the clock to see if the clock was correct. That whole thing to me, you wish they would just make it a safety and then go ahead and look at it. They give the forward progress. We lost a game on forward progress last year. That's one of those calls that there's not much you can do about it. You call them and you can't challenge anything. A lot of times, they're wrong on that. I think this would have been a safety. Luckily, we didn't need it today.
(on the overall mood in the locker room)
I think it's exciting – we should be. We finished the first quarter of the season 3-1. I think we're getting better in a lot of areas. I think you can see that. Winning two in a row at home is something that we haven't done in a while as far as the fans seeing what kind of football team they have here. I think (we're) reserved, the fact that it is upsetting. It's not just Jake (Locker). When it's your quarterback, it seems to hurt more. I think in general, when anyone gets hurt, it takes a while to move on, especially when it just happened. Believe me, guys are thrilled on winning. We beat a team that we feel is a very good football team, was 2-1 like we were. We won the turnover battle, which is why we won the football game. Like we said, we knew we were going to have a hard time doing things against them. Again, they are one of the better (defenses) we're going to play all year. We struggled at times that way, give them credit for that. The good thing was we didn't put the ball on the ground and give them a short field. Our defense played really well tonight. Physically, I thought we played well on all phases of defense.
(on the wide receiver rotation)
I think we just wanted to keep them fresh. We were worried with Kendall (Wright) starting, playing the 'X' receiver, Kenny (Britt) not being healthy enough to play. We didn't want to overwork Kendall. We made a conscious effort to make sure we rolled Damian (Williams) in there more. We were trying to get (Justin) Hunter in there more. Again, we kind of took the air out of the ball at the end of the second half anyway just because when Jake (Locker) got hurt and the fact that we had the big lead. We want those guys playing; we think they can all make plays. Hunter has caught two balls, and they're both touchdowns, two great catches. We're seeing what he can do. We just want to get them on the field more, get them experience, get Damian out there. We think all those guys can make plays. We were just trying to work the rotation where we kept guys fresh.
(on letting the clock run down at the end of the first half)
It was one of those things where Jake (Locker) was supposed to be at the line of scrimmage when they came out. They were reviewing that catch to see if it was a catch or not, so we kind of lost a couple of seconds there because the clock stopped. He would have been at the ball if we moved on to the next play. Then they went to look at it, which kind of halted our momentum. We had a play we liked, that we were going to go to, and then go from there with it. I thought we could call time out just in case he either got sacked or we fumbled the football or anything happened. You want to have that timeout for that reason. I talked to Dowell (Loggains) about what the play was that he had, how good they felt about it as they were looking at the review. At that point, you either score the touchdown or just kick the field goal. The safe thing is you just kick the field goal, no doubt about it. Jake felt good about the throw and what he had. At the time, we had 14 seconds. I thought we had plenty of time to throw it in the end zone. For some reason, he didn't huddle them right away. That was the nerve-wracking part because I debated on calling a timeout on him before he even snapped it. It seemed like we had the time, so we let it go luckily or it would have looked bad if it didn't work out. We still had two seconds. Either way, if we didn't make the great catch, we would have kicked it. It was closer than it had to be.
(on injuries other than the one to Jake Locker)
I think Blidi (Wreh-Wilson) had the hamstring again, a little sore toward the end of the game. I think Delanie (Walker) had something, a little sore at the end. I don't think anyone else besides Blidi came out of the game, other than Jake.
(on Delanie Walker's injuries)
I think he did. He battled through the toe, and I think he got a rib toward the end of the game. I'm not quite sure. He's not someone we're concerned about for next week, but I think he's just going to be sore.
(on if Kenny Britt was close to returning this week)
He was close. His neck was sore, his rib was sore. He didn't have (repetitions) all week, kind of the same thing we did with Damian (Williams). We didn't suit Damian up a couple of weeks ago when he couldn't practice. I actually think Damian was a little healthier than Kenny was today. I think it was a good decision to rest him, that way we have him at full strength next week.
(on the development of Zach Brown)
I just think you see his confidence. We're putting him in situations more where he can use his size and strength. He's a guy that, just the way he covered the ground when he popped that ball out of the quarterback. He came a long way to knock the ball loose. He's rushing the quarterback well. He had a sack tonight. Our linebackers, we're really excited about, him and Akeem (Ayers) and Moise (Fokou) and Colin (McCarthy). I think we have a nice group there that can be good for a while. He's just getting better every week. Last year, once he started playing, I thought during the second half of the season, he played well. You're going to see him rushing the quarterback more, because he's a mismatch problem. He's hard to block. I think he's someone, if he continues on defense, he's going to make plays like you saw him make today. Those guys are playing well.
TITANS QB RYAN FITZPATRICK
(on it being tough coming in after Jake Locker was injured)
That's tough. That's a spot I haven't been in for a little while but obviously your mind is with Jake (Locker), kind of thinking about him and hoping that everything is OK there. And then on the other hand, we've got a game. Today was 'just go in there and don't screw it up.' The way the defense was playing it was unbelievable. It's just one of those things where we're kind of watching the clock and watching it bleed and bleed and try to just end the game in the second half basically but the defense played unbelievable today.
(on the difference between the 'don't screw it up' and the 'you are the quarterback' mentality/mindset)
The 'don't screw it up' mentality was for this game with the situation I came in, in terms of having the lead like we did and the way the defense was playing great and the turnovers. We'll see where it goes from here in terms of Jake's health and everything. If I end up being the guy next week then that's no longer the mentality. The mentality is I got to go out…I was brought here for a reason. The reason I was brought here was to help Jake out and be ready for a situation like this if it came up. Jake's had a great start to the season in terms of everything he's been able to do- been real smart with the football, making big plays with his feet, thrown touchdowns like he did today. For me now, if he's not in there then this is why they brought me here. No longer to tutor Jake and help him along but to help win football games for this team.
(on the big play to Nate Washington and him finishing that touchdown)
That was sweet. We did the old 'use the pick by the back judge' there. We drew it up in practice. Yeah, I mean Nate in that situation, I mean second half Jake goes down and we were kind of in a lull offensively, not really doing anything. It was a single-high defense. The safety's really cheating down the last few series that we had and it was just a post route by him on (Antonio) Cromartie. I threw it up to give him a chance and he made a great play.
(on once the season starts, how many reps does the second quarterback get)
Not much, not much. And that's the way it should be. The starter is in there, trying to get comfortable with the game plan, with the guys, with the different throws. That's the way it goes. I haven't had a ton of reps with Nate (Washington) and Kendall (Wright) and some of the other guys. The next week here, if Jake ends up being down for next week, I obviously am going to get all the reps with those guys and I need to get as many as I can.
(on being comfortable with this offense or if it will have to be adjusted)
I think we will stay pretty similar. Dowell's (Loggains) offense is Dowell's offense and I was able to run it during the preseason and get comfortable with it. I'm sure there's a few things maybe that I'll suggest in terms of my strengths or maybe hiding some of my weaknesses and just doing some of that stuff. There will be good dialogue between Dowell and I when we get ready throughout the week.
(on timing being faster with short passes and issues connecting)
I mean, not really. I just need to get some reps with those guys and we'll be on the same page. Probably part of it was just knocking the rust off a little bit too. (on his background with the Chiefs)
We played them a lot when I was in Buffalo. We played them at the beginning of the season a lot. I think we might have played them three times in four years so we played them a decent amount the last four years.
TITANS RB CHRIS JOHNSON
(on Jake Locker's impact on the offense before and after injury)
He was out there doing great, on target. Our receivers were very poised. Anytime you have your leader on offense go down like that it is going to take a lot of people to step up and make up for the player that went down.
(on the impact of Jake Locker's injury right after it happened)
It was a really big shot. We had a lot of momentum, everything going our way and just for the play to happen like that…it just kind of sucked it (the momentum) all out of us.
(on improvement of the offensive line)
I feel like we're a lot better, there are just a couple of things we need to get correct. We need to get on the same page and just keep working.
(on the Jets anticipating the run game and preparing for it)
We knew they were going to try to do that. They had a really good front seven and they had a lot of guys up there. It seemed like they were just giving us one-on-one's on the outside, so we took advantage of that today.
(on his concern with Jake Locker's injury stifling the team's momentum)
I can't say that. Anytime you have a team and you're out there working together…we've been through situations and (Ryan) Fitzgerald's been in there through camp and practiced with the ones. We just have to step our game up and hope Jake (Locker) hurries up and comes back.
(on the defense granting short fields and the offense capitalizing)
That helped a lot. All through preseason we had short fields and we didn't take advantage of them. We went away a lot of time with only three points. Today we just wanted to come in here and when they gave us opportunities put six points on the board instead of three.
(on the impact of the season's record on locker room morale)
We feel good about ourselves, but we know it's going to be tough. We have a stretch coming up with three or four tough teams back to back. We just know we're going to have to stay together as a family and not try to change up anything we were doing up until this point and continue to just try to take it one game at a time.
(on the reasoning behind his being out for a good portion of the game)
It was just the situation. We had the game. The game was won. We'd lost Jake (Locker) already. Coach just didn't want to take the chance on losing me also.
TITANS CB ALTERRAUN VERNER
(on having six takeaways in four games)
I mean, it's something definitely working, not just me. I usually just contribute it to the man above to put me in positions to try to make those plays and the ball just finding me right there.
(on his interceptions)
The first one, me and Jason (McCourty) actually talked about the sort of formation they had, that we were going to play a certain way if we got that coverage. They came out in that formation. Actually, it was Jason's formation to be honest. I was just thinking, I thought that was a good idea. I bailed out so I could get eyes on the quarterback. I saw the receiver break, and I just broke to it. I think he threw it a little behind to give me a chance to get the ball. We were just in a man-to-man, and I was able to make the play. The second one, Santonio (Holmes) just ran a hard outside release. I was thinking it was about to be a fade to be honest. I was trying to haul butt to try to get in front of him. He just sat down and I was still looking at him; I just so happened to turn and then it hit my hands or it hit my shoulder. I really don't even know how I caught that one to be honest, like I just hit the ground and kind of saw the ball laying there. I tried to get up, that's probably why I looked so confused when I got up. That's basically what happened on those two plays.
(on competing for the starting cornerback position back in training camp)
That's what competition does. It brings out the best in you because you have to be on top of your game. Especially the way Tommie (Campbell) was playing, Tommie was gelling, Tommie was playing well. Coty Sensabaugh was playing well. We have some very capable corners I feel like on our team. When you go 6-10, something has to change, something has to get better. I looked at it in myself, to try to get better myself. That was my whole mentality, if Tommie beats me out, I'm going to have to put up a fight. That fight that I have to get with him, had me try to step up and make plays. The work still isn't done, we're still just first quarter of the season. We have a lot more football to play.
(on if the pressure on the quarterback by the defensive line allows the secondary to make more plays)
It's huge. Our first seven, the way that they're attacking the quarterback, getting him to move off the spot or maybe just putting it a little bit behind to allow us make some of those plays. It's been working hand-in-hand. Sometimes, they get sacks because we're playing better coverage. Sometimes we're able to make plays because they're getting pressure. There were a couple of times I saw Geno (Smith) back-peddling. It works hand-in-hand. That's why we're doing so well as a team defense. We're very selfless – no one is about, 'Me, me, me,' or 'I did this, or I did that.' That's why I love these guys because that's how we come in day in and day out.
(on how the team is dealing with the injury to Jake Locker)
It's going to be tough. First and foremost, our prayers go out to Jake, hopefully he's well and we're hoping for a 100 percent recovery. However long that takes, his health is definitely the most important thing. We're going to battle back. We know Ryan (Fitzpatrick) can play. He did it in Buffalo. We just have to rally behind. I think people are going to step up with that happening and they are going to be able to make plays, just the little bit that you're seen today. Justin (Hunter) is becoming a touchdown machine. Damian (Williams) made some big catches, Nate (Washington) made some big catches. People are stepping up. With those people stepping up, it's going to make whatever happens with Jake probably a little bit easier. It's still going to be hard. Jake's been playing some real good ball, especially these past two weeks. TITANS DE ROPATI PITOITUA* *
(on the improved play of the Titans' defense today)
Our defense came out and played hard. When we came in, we knew it was going to be a physical game, but we had great preparation coming in. That's everybody doing their job up front, of course, because we had to get the pressure on their quarterback. In the back, the guys were locking everybody down, so that gave us more time to get to the quarterback. So everybody did their part, playing a role.
(on getting his two sacks today of Jets QB Geno Smith)
You just have to get in his face, really get in his face, and put so much pressure on him, where he knows he's not getting away. We executed the way we drew it up, and we were able to get to him a lot, whether he threw the ball away, or rushed a throw, or took off on a scramble, or let us get him.
TITANS WR NATE WASHINGTON
(on his 77-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter)
Well, as it got deeper in the game and we were up some, by so much, their defensive coordinator did a good job by telling them to kind of 'play the sticks.' A lot of our routes were kind of just taking us to the sticks. So we saw the opportunity to throw the deep ball down the middle of the field. Ryan (Fitzpatrick) gave me a chance and I was able to go up, and make the play. I'm not going to lie. When I caught the ball, I was so surprised that I ran into the referee, I was wondering if he was working for them (laughs). But it was just unfortunate I ran over him, but I stayed on my feet.
TITANS TE DELANIE WALKER**
(on scoring a touchdown on the Titans' first offensive series)
It was very big. Our defense had talked about getting a turnover, and we talked about when they get that turnover, we've got to put points on the board, and we did that right off the jump.
(on catching the Titans' first touchdown)
Truthfully, it was supposed to be in the corner of the end zone and he (QB Jake Locker) threw it to me and floated it and I was just looking like 'oh, here they come.' I had to make sure I secured it because I knew they were going to grab for the ball. So it is a little nervous for me, when he floats the ball on the three-yard line to the back of the end zone.
*(on Titans' defense stepping up after Jake Locker's injury)
We needed them. We came out like 'Look, we need you all, because we are kind of slow right now.' And they stepped up. They stepped up when we needed them the most, and that's what our defense does. Defenses win games, and they showed that today. It was scary, because that was our leader that went down. That's the leader that controls the offense, runs the offense. He had a great day today and put three touchdowns up there. He was moving and rocking and rolling. And when he went down, you could tell everyone was nervous because we lost our leader. But our defense really stepped up today when we needed them.
TITANS CB JASON McCOURTY
(on the defensive play of the Titans)
We played as a unit today. A lot of props go out to Alterraun (Verner). That guy is playing the best football I've seen in a whole month, since I've been in the league. For him to come out and help us get three early turnovers, really forced the Jets' offense to have to make plays. I feel that really changed the way the game was going to go. They felt like they needed to put the ball in the air more and their QB felt like he had to make more plays. So us getting those turnovers early, really helped us as a defense. That's what we want to do every week, make sure we are improving each week. We know that in the defensive secondary, when we cover, it helps out the defense. Each week, defensive rush and covers go hand-in-hand, so we're both doing our jobs, which allow us as a unit to make plays.
**JETS HEAD COACH REX RYAN
(opening statement)**
We got beat in every phase of the game, offense, defense, special teams, coaching, you name it. It shocked me. I never expected that the game would turn out like this. Shocked. I don't know what else to say.
(on being a part of the growing pains of having a rookie quarterback)
How many times are we going to make that excuse? One of these days we are going to have to learn from them and it better be soon. The team we are going to play next is a pretty good darn football team so we better learn in a hurry. It has to get better.
(on Geno Smith giving the team a chance to win today)
We just got our butts kicked. Obviously that team deserves a lot credit. They won the game. On this particular day did he give us a chance to win? No. None of us did. We got beat across the board. It not on one man and it will never be on one man. It's on all of us.
(on Geno Smith's first fumble)
They made a nice play on it and obviously made a big hit and the ball came out and right before the half. That's a killer. Then there's only one play that they can run and that's a shot in the end zone. You know it's coming and everybody in the ball park knows it's coming. The only time they put that kid in the game is to throw the jump ball and there's a reason he came down with it.
(on the second play of the game being deflating)
It doesn't help much, that's for sure. Obviously it was a mistake. I wish the ball would have gone to the other guy. (Santonio) Holmes was open and that's who it was intended to initially. That was one of many mistakes.
*(on committing excessive penalties) *
Ten penalties, how about that? Obviously we have got to do a heck of a lot better job than that.
(on Geno Smith fighting through the adversity)
I know one thing, he kept competing. That's it. He had a tough day but kept competing. There are some things we have got to do better at. We've got to look at it. Do we need this play? Do we not? Do we handle it well? We have got to look at a lot of different things, offense, defense, special teams.
(on expecting issues from a rookie quarterback)
Well, you've got to learn from them eventually. Hopefully the time comes immediately. We don't need to learn any more mistakes; we've got to fix them. That's what we got to do, not just Geno (Smith) but all of us. The penalties you mentioned…do we need to put somebody else in the game? That's going to be looked at. Everything, top-to-bottom.
(on writing off the season to develop a young quarterback)
The answer is no to that.
(on plans to start QB Geno Smith)
Yeah, we're planning on starting him.
(on correcting mistakes)
Well, I thought they were going to be very correctable. Apparently, I was wrong on the penalties, at least that it's going to take longer than I thought. But, it's going to get fixed. Hell or high water, it's going to get fixed. We've got to do some other things that we've got to correct. I don't know how we're going to learn to compete for the football down the field better. I don't know. We're going to find a way. I've been doing this a long time. I don't know.
(on whether it's realistic for QB Geno Smith to fix mistakes quickly)
I don't think it's just on one man; it's all of us have to fix. We have to look at what we're asking our guys to do. We've got to…there's got to be accountability with everybody. Coaches, players, all of us have to be accountable and we certainly will be.
(on whether QB Geno Smith is ready for the starting position)
For what? I think he's the starting quarterback. He was today and like I said, we'll always look at it just like everybody else on this roster. I think we're unfairly criticizing one man. It's not just on one guy. The Titans beat everybody. They didn't line up and just beat Geno Smith; they beat every man on this football team, including the coaches.
(on breakdown with offensive line today)
We'll have to look at it. It wasn't confusing. We knew they were going to pressure us. I think we got hit on a few screen passes that we have to do a much better job on, for sure.
(on the touchdown on CB Darrin Walls)
Again, we've got to look at what we're asking our players to do and things, but at the end of the day, you've got to go up and compete for the football. On that particular one, they won the competition.
(on WR Santonio Holmes)
I think he got a little bit of a hamstring. I don't know how severe it is.
(on whether the hit on WR Stephen Hill was dirty)
You guys saw it a lot more than I did. I just saw it when it happened. I never took notice of it until he was down after the play.
(on fourth-and-one play call to RB Alex Green)
Yeah, it looked like they had it defended pretty well. They had two guys standing there. Well, again, we've had success with it. It's usually a decent play against that particular front, but they defended it extremely well.
(on nothing going right today)
Yeah, I'd say so. I think that's pretty much it. Top of my head I can't think of anything that went well for us. JETS QB GENO SMITH
(on the first fumble of the game)
I have to tuck the ball away. I was reckless with the ball. That's not what we preach around here and that's not what I'm being coached to do. Running with the ball, when I break the pocket, I have to tuck the ball immediately for that very reason. Guys are in pursuit and guys that I may not see and the guy came behind me and made a great play and I cost my team in that situation. We were driving and it was early and kind of swung momentum in their direction.
(on the first interception he threw)
I forced the ball. I feel like we had a good play, I just forced the ball and didn't take care of it in that situation.
(on the fumble in the end zone that resulted in a Titans touchdown)
The guy got on me pretty quick. It was a designed screen play, so I should anticipate that happening in the first place. But he was on me pretty quick and in that moment what I was trying to do, I guess I reacted trying to switch the ball and it didn't work out. I fumbled the ball. I'm extremely disappointed in the way I took care of the ball today. I was just piss-poor. I have to get better from this and get better at that for this team to be a contender. It's something that I'm going to go back in to the film room and try and practice whatever or look up something to make sure that I'm taking care of that ball and try to find ways to take care of the ball at all times.
(on avoiding getting discouraged after a game like this)
It is early in the season – four games in and four games in my career. The way I look at, I'm not trying to go out there and make those mistakes. I'm not trying to go out there and do those things because I want to win and I want to make every single play. I guess it's part of being a rookie, but I don't look at it like that. This is pro football. Every man has to man up and that's what I'm trying to go out there and do. I'll get better from this. I am one of those guys who can put it in my memory bank and then put it behind me and find a way to get better. That is what it's all about. This team, I think we have a tremendous team here. A great defense and I put us in tough situations that put us in a hole early and now we are clawing back and trying to get back into games.
(on if he thinks his mistakes are correctable before it gets too late in the season)
Of course. They are correctable and they will be corrected.
(on the play where he was sacked near the end zone in the second half)
Another screen play. They did a great job of recognizing that. I mean they had four or five guys around the back. The typical rule is to ground it in front of him, but there is no lane there. Looking back on it, I should get the ball out some way, somehow. Don't get sacked and don't almost nearly get a safety. So that's something that I'll once again have to learn from and get better from.
JETS OL WILLIE COLON
(on some of the issues in the protection)
I don't know. I can't really say that until we go back to the film. There are a lot of things. We knew they were going to blitz us a lot. They did come after us. This was a challenge. We knew it was going to be a challenge for us and it is what it is.
(on it being deflating for the offense after the quick turnover in the first quarter)
That's football. That's the ebbs and flows of football. There are going to be ups and there are going to be downs. The worst thing you can do is ride that rollercoaster. As an offensive line we can only stay here. It was a battle and we fought to the end but it wasn't good enough. That's what is disappointing. I think we had a great week of practice. The worst thing we can do is just mope about it. We have the 48-hour rule. We have to eat it, learn from it and get ready for Atlanta because if we don't come with our A game there, it could be a lot worse.
(on having faith in Geno Smith)
I have total faith in Geno. He is our quarterback. I am going to ride with him until the end. This whole offensive line is going to do the same.
JETS TE JEFF CUMBLERAND
(on his touchdown in the second half)
It was basically a route when I run the middle of the field. [Bernard] Pollard was lined up over me about 10 yards, and I had (Michael) Griffin, he was in the middle of the field, so I ran straight at Pollard and cut across and Geno (Smith) hit me and I just took it in from there.
(on if he believed his score would provide a spark)
I believe we had at least eight minutes left. I mean anything is possible. You never give up. With that much ball being played the defense might have come out and gotten a possible turnover and then we score again and then it's a different ball game. You never know what is going to happen.
(on his mindset going into next week)
We need to work on the little things, work on getting better. Of course the penalties and the turnovers, those are the things that we can control and that's what we need to do. Just focus on that and then each player finding a way to get better to help the team win.
JETS CB DARRIN WALLS
(on how he played)
I don't think that I did that job that they wanted me to do. I'm going to go out there and compete every day and go out there in practice and continue to get better. That's their decision. I'm just here to try to do my job.
(on filling in for Dee Milliner today)
I was really excited to go out there and play and get the opportunity to show why the coaches have confidence in me, but obviously, I didn't do enough out there to show how I can really play I think. I didn't get the job done today.
(on the touchdown catch by Justin Hunter)
I pretty much knew that they were going to take a shot into the end zone - there was 14 seconds left or something. I knew they were going to try to take a shot. He won on that play.
(on trying to have less penalties)
It more of a conscious effort now. We go into practice knowing that we can't do certain things. The referees at practice tell us what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong and I think we go in realizing who our officials would be and what they call the most of.
JETS LB DEMARIO DAVIS
(on being 2-2 at quarter point of the season)
When you are 2-2, there are some positives and some negatives to it. We are not exactly where we want to be, but it's better than being 0-4 or 1-3. You just have to keep trying to get better. We took a tough one today. You have to go back in and get it corrected and come back stronger next week.
(on the defensive effort today)
We came into this game and said that we want to make them beat us throwing the football. We want to shut down the run and make them beat us throwing the football. You have to hang your hat to them, they were able to beat us throwing the football. We have to figure out what we need to do different and put it in the past. As far as the game plan, we did what we wanted to do, but in the end they were able to do better. No matter what situation you get in, our job is to prevent points. If they are in a situation to get at least three, then we need to hold them to three. We can't give them seven. I think we gave up seven more than we had to.
(on getting the number of penalties down)
Penalties have been an issue for us and we have to get that corrected. We are trying different things as far as accountability for each other. I am sure that we are going to get it corrected, but we just need to figure out how. We are going to keep trying stuff. All you can do is look at the positives and we had less penalties this week then we did last week. If we keep going down, then we are going the right direction right now.
JETS LB ANTWAN BARNES
(on giving up turnovers)
They are a veteran offense to the where if you give them turnovers then they are going to take advantage of that.
(on the ups and downs of a rookie quarterback)
He is learning. I am behind him 100 percent. He is my guy. He is from Miami so I have to be with him 100 percent of the way. He has a lot of learning to do and he took it hard on himself about his playing. He came to us and told us that it won't happen again, to each and every individual guy individually saying it.
(on staying positive)
It's early in the season. It's the first quarter of the season. It's the first four games and we can't let it get to us. We have a long way to go, 12 more games. We good.
JETS CB ANTONIO CROMARTIE
(on if most of the problems today were self-inflicted)
Yeah, we felt that way. But as a defense, we take a lot of pride in when the offense turns the ball over, not letting them into the end zone. We have been doing it for the last two weeks, but today just wasn't our day. We missed some assignments and let them catch the ball on third down and didn't get off the field as much as we needed to on third down. They went out there and ran their office and we need to start playing better and recognizing what they are doing. The offense is going to be what the offense is going to be, that's why we just need to play football the way we need to.
(on if he was injured after running into the referee in the fourth quarter)
No, I was just frustrated. That something that I take a lot of pride in and giving up a pass like that, that's a pass that I'm supposed to pick off. It was just frustration. Also, I'm looking at the ref like 'What they hell are you doing here?' That's just something that I make sure that I go up to the highest point. I went to the highest point and then the ball fell on me so I tried to change the way I try to catch the ball.
(on if the referee was in the way on the play)
No, he didn't interfere with the play, just me trying to turn around and make the tackle. That's it. That's on me fully and me being the number one corner on this team, I need to make sure that I go up and intercept that ball or bat it down.
(on preventing penalties)
You just have to be more focused. You have to focus on what you want to do and what your job is and you have to eliminate the penalties. You know what plays are coming in and you know what you have to do. Just focus and do your job and don't try to do it too fast. I understand what we are trying to do and Rex (Ryan) is hard on us about the penalties. You can't have the penalties and you have to have more pride than that. That starts at practice.
