Jets Postgame Quotes (Preseason Week 3)
Head Coach Robert Saleh
Video: Here
On the starting offense…
I thought we got enough work in. The objective was to go out there, get our o-line together for the first time and go and execute the best way we know. I thought we moved the ball well. Sloppy turnover from Michael (Carter) with the fumble. Sloppy interception with Joe (Flacco). You can see that we’re just a little out-of-sync with the offensive line in terms of the run game and our running backs hitting the hole the way they needed to. That part has to be better. Overall, this was a necessary evil to get these guys out on the football field so that they can play together.
On if he was worried about the sloppiness…
No. I’m not concerned. Another preseason game won’t make a difference. We’ve got it on tape. The second group came in and executed exactly the way you want them to against the same group of guys. They marched up and down the field. It’s in there. It’ll be fine. I’m not overly concerned. It was good to get these guys out there so they can go play.
On if he considered sending Flacco out for another series following his interception…
No. I had capped it. The competitive spirit wanted to send him out again, but I had to think better.
On the performance of Denzel Mims…
He was gritty. We ran out of receivers at the end and he fought all the way through. He took every single snap that he needed to take, won some contested footballs, and absolutely fought. He has finally been giving himself an opportunity in terms of the game to go showcase what he has been doing since OTA’s. It was good to see him in a game setting.
On Mims future with the Jets…
Like I’ve said, he’s one of our six best receivers and he’s going to be here as far as I’m concerned. All of the other questions are for Joe (Douglas).
On the play of QB’s Mike White and Chris Streveler…
Streveler has been awesome. Mike White had the type of game that we’ve come to expect out of him. Mike is a really good quarterback. I know the first couple of games left a bad taste in his mouth, so it was good for him to have the game that had was really good. Streveler has probably had one of the greatest preseasons in the history of football. It’s been awesome. He made the decision to go for it right at the end very easy knowing that the ball was in his hands. You just knew you were going to get it. Really pumped for him. All of those discussions in the quarterback room will happen tomorrow.
On the play of the defensive line…
On the flip side, I wanted the defense to get a little more, but it was so dominant in the first two series that enough was enough. I really thought they played fast and violent. The backend was sticky. I’m really pleased with how the defense came out today, especially in the first half.
On the injury to D.J. (Reed)…
D.J. is going to be fine. His knee was a little sore and wasn’t worth pushing it. Same with Bryce Hall. His ankle was a little sore, didn’t want to push it. They’re both fine.
On the disconnect when the first team offense is not executing while the second team is…
This is the first time this group of five has been out there. There are no excuses. The mindset, the mentality, the physicality – all of it needs to get better. At the same time, I am not discouraged. We have a really good group of guys and there is no doubt that they will get to where they need to go. If anything, it’s a good little wake-up call. Get yourselves moving.
On the play of DL Michael Clemons…
That’s him. That’s what we saw in college. That’s what we knew we were getting. He has lived up to exactly what we expected. His mindset, his attitude, his effort…just everything about him is awesome. Really happy with where he’s at. Lot of respect for Tyrod (Taylor). Thankfully, I think he’s going to be OK. Just his mindset and the way he plays…he’s absolutely relentless. I’m just glad we got him.
On Clemons demeanor…
When you get to know somebody long enough, he will flip a switch. He’s a good man. He has a good heart. And because of it, you know he’s going to be alright.
On TE Jeremy Ruckert preseason…
It’s a combination of the foot and the playbook. You’re talking about missing OTA’s and most of training camp. Our offense is not exactly the easiest when it comes to the amount of formations and movements that it has, but I really love where he’s at. I am very confident that Ruckert that he will be a very good tight end in this league. Once he gets caught up, it will all come to fruition.
On if DB Sauce Gardner will start Week One…
Yeah. He’s going to be our week one starter. He’s been fantastic. Bryce Hall has had a very good training camp as well, but at the same time, with the overall body of work since OTA’s, it’s clear that the kid is going to be pretty good.
On if today’s game helped with roster decisions…
We’re going to have a lot of discussions. There are a lot of guys who made a strong case for themselves today. Really excited to get to the tape and iron it out. We’ve got a cool roster. There are going to be a lot of guys that may not be here that I am confident will end up on someone else’s 53-man roster. Joe and his staff have done a really, really good job of building a really good 90-man roster. Now, we’re down to 80. It’s going to be fun to see how this works out over the next couple of days. Really confident about the locker room and the guys. There’s a lot of guys in there that have not played their last down in the NFL. It’s going to be cool to see how this all shakes out.
On what the next few days of making roster decisions will be like…
They’re tough and, hopefully in the future, it gets even harder. When you know you have to say goodbye to an NFL player, that’s hard. These next 48 hours for me – and I can speak for our coaching staff as well as Joe and his staff – are absolutely miserable because you’re going to have to say goodbye to someone you’ve been with since OTA’s –some guys, you’ve been with since last year. This is the worst part of the job and the worst part of the game, but it’s one of those necessary evils. There’s going to be some heated discussions in some of those rooms.
On is he hopes to fill the practice squad with some of the players they release…
One hundred percent, especially since the practice squad rosters are so much bigger than they were in the past. Joe and his staff are so detailed and so adamant about communication and making sure that everything is collaborative. He’s so decisive. We’re all in lock-step with exactly what we’re all looking for. Credit to him and his staff and what he has been able to bring here from a 90-man roster standpoint. You know, he’s going to continue to build it. You’d love to get 16 of our own for practice squad. It’s almost like added depth because you know that they’re all NFL players that can play. But again, we’ll see how it all shakes out with the waiver wire and all that.
Joe Flacco
Video: Here
On what he was focused on today…
I think initially you want to go out there, you want to go through pregame, you want to go through feeling like you’re getting ready for a game and all those kinds of things. And you want to go out there and you want to have a few good drives and feel good about it.
On if he wanted to get another series…
It’s definitely aggravating the way things ended there, just the way we turned the ball over and the way we did it at the end there. I was trying to hold on as long as I could and I feel like Michael (Carter) was kind of breaking up the field as I was heading towards the out of bounds line there and I just tried to get it up over his head and I just kind of yanked it right to the guy’s chest. So, definitely annoying that that happened.
On how he would assess the offense’s outing…
I think the biggest thing is that, obviously, the turnovers stick out, but I think when we look back at the film we’re going to say, ‘Alright, when we run the ball we’re going to probably want to find some more positive runs,’ and stuff like that. I think that was the main thing besides the turnovers was when you look at the first drive, I think we had 11 plays, it’s like, ‘Okay, why are we still on the 30- or 40-yard line?’ So, I think that would probably be the biggest thing is just trying to get as much out of our run game as we can. And when that happens, you can see where this offense goes, when you’re starting with four-, five-, six-yard runs, and then all of a sudden they turn into 12-yard runs and everything else, your play action turns up, guys start popping open downfield, you get more chunk plays, it just becomes a lot easier.
On if he’s ready for the regular season…
Yeah, for sure. Listen, this is one of those things, there are plenty of guys around the league that they don’t even play in the preseason anymore. I think it’s very beneficial to go through getting ready for a game, going out there and getting live reps all the time. But, yes (I’m ready).
On if he anticipates being the starter in two weeks…
Yes. I don’t really know, to be honest with you, if you’re talking about the guys that are on the field today, I don’t want to start any stories here, so I really don’t know the status of Zach (Wilson) at this point.
On the offensive line…
Yeah, listen, like I said, I think it was a good game to go out there and feel what it’s like to be in a live NFL game no matter what the situation is and be able to now have some film to watch and critique ourselves and see what we can do better to actually live up to what we want to be.
On if he’s concerned the first-team offense hasn’t had a lot of reps together…
I don’t think it’s a concern. We’re all NFL players. Things like this happen all the time. It’s not like it’s so outside of the box that you can look at it and say, ‘These guys are dealing with something that nobody has ever dealt with before.’ It’s not like that. All of these guys that we have on the line and around, and myself, we’ve all played in a lot of NFL games, so that really has no weight in my opinion.
On if Laken Tomlinson’s false start is a preseason learning experience…
Well, it’s just one of those things, I guess you could call it that, but you definitely don’t want it to happen. You’re trying to make sure you’re in the right play and it’s one of those things I put on me to be sure that I’m clear with my cadence and I’m not trying to trick people out there. It’s just one of those things that if you’re the quarterback, you’ve got to make sure you’re being as clear as you can be with everything so that it doesn’t happen to anybody.
On how he feels about the team…
I feel like there’s a lot of energy around the team and that’s always a good thing. Obviously, if we’re talking about today, you want to go out there today and you want to be able to put some points on the board and feel good about it. But overall, this team has a bunch of energy around it. I think we had three awesome preseason games up and down our roster, so when you have that, I think we’re feeling pretty confident and good about where we’re headed Week One.
On how it feels to play the Ravens in Week One…
It’s interesting. Every now and then, obviously, people go other places and eventually you’re probably going to come across the team you initially played with. It’s tough to tell. We’re still two weeks out. Tough to tell what’s going to happen, if I am the guy. I think I’ve talked about it before. I’ve seen people go through it before and from what I’ve experienced it’s usually pretty emotional for that player.
On if it was nice to see Denzel Mims have a good game…
Of course. Denzel’s an awesome kid and he is getting better and better and better. I think today you could see just his length and his big body and his speed on display a little bit. Yeah, when you’ve been with a guy and he’s been your teammate for as long as he has, it’s always good to see him go out there and do well.
On what he needs to do with the offensive line to get ready for the opener…
I don’t want to say there’s something specific you can point to and say, ‘Oh, man, we need to do this right here or we can’t even play a game.’ Like I said, we’re all NFL players. We’ve all played plenty of NFL games. It’s just a matter of making sure that we’re confident heading into Week One and everybody’s heads are on right and that we go out there and show up when the lights are turned on. It’s nothing complicated. It’s nothing hard. It’s just about going out there and playing and feel good about it.
On what has stood out about Chris Streveler…
It’s been an awesome preseason. To be around a guy that’s come in for three weeks now and has done what he’s done, it’s impressive. Any time you have a guy like that that hasn’t gotten a lot of reps until the last couple weeks, to be able to just go in there and make it about football, it’s not too big for him, he’s just playing the game, running the play that’s called and doing what he does. It’s been impressive to watch.
Mike White
Video: Here
On the difference between this game and the last game…
I think we were just able to get into a rhythm. I think it started in the huddle, getting in and out of the huddle and having a little more urgency and tempo about us. You can feel it and once we got in the rhythm that’s when runners were starting to break, passes were starting to connect, and I think it all starts with that. I mean, with the rhythm of it, we kind of progressed off of that.
On his thoughts on the situation with Denzel Mims requesting a trade…
I mean, you try not to focus on anything off the field. Once we kind of step between those two white lines, it’s kind of all about football and I think Mims carried himself that way (today). He was awesome and you can tell he was giving it his all out there and made a lot of plays for us and helped move the offense for us, made that unbelievable touchdown catch. I think he’s just, listen, everything that happening off the field, I don’t know. I just know that Mims comes in and works hard, performs on the field and that’s all I can attest to that and give credit for that.
On wrapping up the preseason as a whole…
I thought, obviously, when you close out on a preseason with a performance like today, it helps. We can kind of carry that confidence and momentum into the season, but I thought it was good. I think I was presented with a lot of different situations that I learned a lot from and built on the positives and learn from the negatives and not let it happen again. I think that’s what happened this preseason, any mistake that I made, I didn’t let it linger and carry over into the next. I think overall it was really good, not only just the games but camp in general. Getting a lot of good situational work in and working with different guys. Overall, I was pretty pleased with my camp.
On the Giants helping prepare for BLT…
Oh, definitely. I think that was one of the benefits of doing the joint practice as well. We got to see them in practice and also the game. Now we can use those cut ups as you said. Our Week One opponents, the Ravens, our coordinator came from that system so we got some good film on them, some good looks, some good teaching moments so we will use that to help move into Week One.
On how much the Giants use pressure in the preseason…
They definitely still pressured today. I don’t know if I’d call it “crazy” by Wink (Don Martindale) standards, he can dial some stuff up that will has you double taking at the line of scrimmage. But no, they were definitely still heating us up and sending some zero and third downs, and they started off with the two minute before the half with the zero then we had Mims on the end cut. Like I said, it’s a lot of good situations that we normally aren’t presented with in the preseason so when you are able to get those in a game situation, in a game setting, it can only help you.
On the vibe on the team compared to a year ago…
It’s definitely a close knit group. I think we are young for sure but we got the veterans sprinkled in to kind of helps round it out. It’s a really close team, again, we’ve had a lot of fun watching everybody go out and perform. We celebrate in the locker room and in the facility and stuff like that so it’s been a great camp in that aspect. I think we’ve gotten really close as a team. Now, it’s just putting that all together and performing when the lights are on, when it counts. I think that’s what’s going to be the determining factor of the team so as young as we are as if we are going to be able to not let the moment be too big and just realize at the end of the day that it is just football and we just got to go out and execute. It just so happens that we are playing on Sunday’s at one o’clock instead of Friday’s at eight or whatever you do in the preseason.
Chris Streveler
Video: Here
On the excitement of the win over the Giants and the preseason as a whole…
The end of this game was just kind of crazy. Just going down, putting a touchdown up, then they go down and kick the field goal. And then to have another opportunity in a two-minute drive with those guys out there again, it’s a lot of the same guys that are going out there, executing, making plays. I mean Calvin (Jackson) sauces the guy up on the same exact play that we scored on against Philadelphia. Just a lot of guys being in the right place, making plays. That’s the most exciting way to win a game like that.
On his confidence to come back in any situation…
I think it’s just everyone staying focused in the moment and not letting anything be too big. It’s just about one play at a time, focusing on that play, and good or bad, flush it and move on. I think that’s just everyone staying focused and staying positive no matter what happens and just putting one foot in front of the other every single play.
On what the next 24 hours will be like for him…
It’ll be great. My dad’s in town, his girlfriend’s in town, my girlfriend’s in town, so going to go out to dinner with them and have a nice night. It’s just been an unbelievable camp. Such an up-and-down ride for me with how things started and then getting so much time in games and getting so many opportunities. Honestly, I just have a lot of feelings of gratitude right now for all the opportunities and I’m just so thankful to even be given the opportunity to be here in the first place. So, I don’t take anything for granted and I put my best foot forward every day.
On whether his journey has made him stronger…
Absolutely. It’s definitely contributed a lot to my mindset. Every experience I’ve gone through, I’ve just learned a lot about myself, about my mindset and how to approach things, how to focus on me and just stay positive no matter what happens. This business can be such an up-and-down ride and you just have to continue to work hard and believe in yourself and just put your best foot forward every day. You just never know what’s going to happen. You never know when your opportunity is going to come. For me, a lot of times it’s been when things are looking bleak for me or things aren’t going the way I want, that’s always when opportunity presents itself for me. So, that’s been the biggest lesson for me, just continue to stay positive and keep working hard no matter what happens because eventually that opportunity is going to come.
On what it would mean to make the 53-man roster…
That’s everyone’s goal, right? Everyone wants to make the 53-man roster. For me, I’m just really at peace with the way that I’ve prepared every day and the person that I’ve been day-in and day-out from the beginning of camp until the end of camp. I just try to be the same person everyday whether I’m getting reps, not getting reps, I’m playing in the game, whatever it is. I just want to be a good teammate. That’s my biggest goal. It is what it is at this point. I’m just really, really thankful for the opportunity to be here. I’ve gotten so many opportunities with this team.
On not just impressing the Jets coaches but other teams as well…
Yeah, that’s kind of something that’s been talked about. That’s something we talked about as a team at the beginning of the preseason. A lot of those guys going out there in the fourth quarter at the end of games are obviously trying to do the best that they can for the team, but also just put good stuff on tape for the rest of the league. That’s just kind of everybody at the end of those games in the preseason. You just want to execute well and, again, put your best foot forward every day.
On whether he likes the challenge of trying to come and being the hero at the end of the game…
I don’t think about it like that. It’s always exhilarating when you have an opportunity to go down and put a two-minute drive together and that type of stuff. There’s no hero in the game. It’s everyone making plays. The o-line blocking upfront. Everyone’s catching balls, being smart, getting out of bounds and making plays, so it’s not about being the hero. It’s just about going out and executing, but it’s always exciting when you have that opportunity at the end of the game with a couple of minutes left to go down and potentially win a football game.
Sauce Gardner
Video: Here
On what being named a starter for Week One means to him…
It meant a lot. I just had to come in here and be myself. They drafted me for a reason, they drafted me not to be nobody but myself and I appreciate the way they made me work for it instead of being like, “He’s the fourth pick, let’s just put him in there.” They made me work for it, so they didn’t jeopardize the respect that the DB room has for me and the coach. I appreciate that.
On how the summer has gone for him so far…
It’s going decent. Pretty well. I just always bust my tail and work really hard. I don’t think I got any struggles in the preseason but the preseason is in the past now. I’m looking forward to Week One, the season and the future.
On if he is glad the starting position was not handed to him…
Most definitely, that’s what I was just talking about. I appreciate them doing it that way. I came here to work. I didn’t come here expecting handouts or anything like that. That’s how I got here, so I wouldn’t expect anything less than the way that they did it.
Denzel Mims
Video: Here
On him requesting a trade…
That was something between me and my agent. My agent can tell you more about that.
On his usage today…
I was just ready for whenever they put me in. I didn’t know when exactly they were going to put me in, but I was ready from the start when they called my name.
On if he deserves more opportunities…
I feel like I can do anything that I set my mind to. All I’ve got to do is just come out, play hard, play physical, do my job and get off all the plays.
On his overall growth…
I feel like I’m better. I mean, I feel like I’ve always been this way. But today I got the chance to show it. I mean I had sickness last year, so I didn’t come back to the way I wanted to. So, this year I had a full offseason and no sickness, no injuries. So, I feel good coming into this year.
On his training camp performance overall…
I felt like it was pretty good. There’s a lot of things that I can improve, but I feel like for the most part, it’s one of my best training camps.