Jets Postgame Quotes (Week Eleven)

Head Coach Robert Saleh

Opening statement…

Injuries real quick. Mekhi (Becton) was the only one I think that didn’t finish. Tony Adams came back, he was dealing with a dislocated finger, but he’s fine. And then Mekhi’s dealing with an ankle, we’ll check him out tomorrow.

On the decision to replace Zach Wilson…

Twenty-nine to six, just trying to see if we could get something going on the offensive side of the ball.

On who the quarterback is going forward…

We’re going to watch the tape and we’ll make a decision tomorrow.

On if Trevor Siemian is a consideration to be moved up…

We’ll look at all of it. I’m not ready to answer any of those questions.

On what he saw from Wilson…

I don’t think anyone did anything today: Players, coaches, schemes. It was obviously not good enough. None of it was good enough.

On why he made the quarterback change…

Like I said, it was 29 to six, and like I said, like I told Zach on the sideline, it’s not just him. It’s easy to point the finger at the quarterback, but it’s pretty easy to see, you’ve got missed protections, you’ve got dropped balls, you’ve got missed routes. Now, obviously, he’s got to get better. There’s things he could’ve done a lot better, but it’s everyone right now.

On the offensive line injuries and the players getting their first starts…

Credit to them, I thought they came in and battled. They’re here because they can play. And so, we’ve got to line up, we’ve got to find ways to generate a scheme that protects them but also gives them a chance to be successful. It’s an exciting opportunity for them, that’s the big thing. We’ll see what we can do with it.

On how it’s possible Wilson didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver…

I don’t have an answer for that. Obviously, we’ll go back and watch all the tape, but none of it, like I said, whether it’s separation, being more decisive, protecting, like I said, none of it was good enough.

On what he saw from Tim Boyle…

I thought Tim came in, he was decisive and got rid of the ball. He did a good job. The fourth down throws at the end of the game was a bit of a force, just trying to get the ball out of his hands to give someone a chance being fourth down. He did some good things.

On if it was surprising how the team played after what the team talked about this week…

No. They’re young. Young kids make mistakes. You can go through it all. You had the opening kickoff, obviously, the fumble, dropped balls, fumbles, Garrett (Wilson), he’s still young. I know we expect a lot out of him but he’s going to have his mistakes and he’s dealing with a brace and all that stuff. It’s all the way across the board. They’ll get better. They’ll learn from this. Scars sometimes accelerate the process in terms of getting better. All of us got scarred today.

On how he keeps from feeling like the season is slipping away…

You go one game at a time. You have to. We’ve got a great opportunity with Miami this week. High-octane offense. I know defensively we’ll be excited to attack it. And then offensively and special teams, they’re first in the division, obviously one of those teams that’s got championship aspirations. We’ve got to get excited to play this one.

On if he feels like the defense broke from the offense not playing complimentary football…

No. I believe the defense takes a lot of pride in its play. There were two plays in that second half, the first three series, that I know a lot of guys want back, especially, I’ll speak for Sauce (Gardner). The personal foul and then the next series on that seam ball he’s got a chance to go pick that one. But either way, again, give credit to Buffalo. I thought they came in, they played a patient style of game, Josh (Allen) didn’t play as much hero ball as we’re used to seeing and he was much more decisive. So give them credit. They had a really good game plan.

On how he deals with frustration internally based on expectations this season…

Expectations are expectations. Obviously, we knew we were going to face some adversity this year and we’ve been able to battle adversity with some good games, not so good games like today. But I know this group is resilient and will get back up off the mat and continue to play.

On what went into Nathaniel Hackett moving to the booth…

Just to give him another perspective, get up there to get away from it, quiet his world down. Just having him and (Todd) Downing next to each other just so they can communicate better in between series. That was about it.

On if the short week will affect the quarterback decision…

Everything is accelerated. You don’t have Monday and Tuesday to dissect and breathe for a second. But we’ll be pretty quick with it, obviously.

On if the offense is broken…

It’s definitely an offense that needs to get better, let’s put it that way.

QB Zach Wilson

Video: Here

Rich Cimini, ESPN.com: Zach, what was your reaction to being benched?

Yeah, frustrated, but I get it. Have to score, have to be in games. When it’s consecutive games of just doing nothing on offense, you know you can sit here and say last week we moved the ball, but we’re not scoring. It essentially comes down to you have to score points. So, when things aren’t getting done, change has to be made, and I understand that.

Al Iannazzone, Newsday: What were the issues this week?

It felt like one of those games where we couldn’t do anything. It felt like one of those games where everything felt really hard. I thought the coaches had a good game plan. Have to give those guys credit, I thought they did a good job. Everyone’s battling, but it felt tough today.

Connor Hughes, SNY: You weren’t able to get a pass completed to a receiver today, what were they doing to take those guys away?

Yeah, I think we completed one to Allen (Lazard) on third down and they called the penalty. Yeah, I mean we didn’t complete many passes to anybody. It’s not necessarily a receiver thing. I’m going through my reads trying to get the ball to anybody. It’s tough. Like I said, you have to give those guys credit. Like I said, everything felt tough today. I’m going to do everything I can to keep improving no matter what. No matter if my name is called or not. All you can do is keep working, keep trying to improve, and I understand that. Give these guys love, I know the boys up front are battling, they’re doing everything they can. Guys are getting thrown at different positions. I have to do my job of trying to help them out and get it out. Have to try and do my job of getting the ball to receivers and moving the ball and scoring touchdowns, and we’re not doing that, so I’m going to keep working, I’m going to give everything I have.

Al Iannazzone, Newsday: Do you expect to start Friday?

I don’t know what I expect. We’re going to watch the film. All I can focus on is how could I have been better tonight? I could think of some I wanted to have back, but just not good enough all the way around.

Rich Cimini, ESPN.com: What happened on the interception?

Yeah, it was a timing throw. I thought the corner did a good job. Unfortunately, I think G (Garrett Wilson) slipped a little bit at the top of it, but it’s one of those where I’m trying to trust it and let it rip, and I thought the corner did a good job of just squatting on that one.

Brian Costello, New York Post: Does it feel like the injuries on the O-Line are catching up to you guys because it’s so many?

I wouldn’t say that necessarily. We always expect guys to step up, and I think these guys are doing everything they can. And it’s tough when guys are bouncing around to different positions. I truly think this is an offense as a whole issue. We need to find a way to be better as players. We need to take accountability, and that starts with me, and I’m not getting it done.

Antwan Staley, New York Daily News: How do you keep this season from spiraling out of control, similar to what happened last year?

Right, I mean, what’s moping around and feeling bad for yourself going to do? I hope everyone takes the same step this week of ‘how can I improve?’, ‘how can I get better?’. That’s all you can do. I promise we’re just as frustrated as everyone else watching. That game was ugly. It’s not the standard, it’s not the expectation, but all we can do is try to improve and get better, and that’s the first thing I’m going to do.

QB Tim Boyle

Video: Here

Connor Hughes, SNY: When did you get kind of the word that you were going in and what was your thought when you did?

Yeah, it was the tail end of the third quarter. I saw Coach (Robert Saleh) come up to Zach (Wilson) and just talk to him real quick. He mentioned something to me and I was in the game. That’s how it went down.

Connor Hughes, SNY: Did you get any ideas that this could have been coming in the last couple of weeks of practice with more reps with the first team ?

No, Zach’s been the starter.

Al Iannazzone, Newsday: How did you feel like it went for you, when you were out there?

Yeah, you go into a game that’s pretty lopsided, and I think the mindset as a quarterback is to go in and get completions, run the offense. There are a couple of balls I want back, but I think I came in and for not getting many reps, getting into the offense and I think I did a decent job of getting guys in and out and getting personnel’s and motions all right. So, good to be out there and unfortunate how today ended up and got to give credit to Buffalo.

Steve Serby, New York Post: Do you think you were decisive? The coach said he thought you were decisive.

I think that part of my game is just being able to get the ball out. I think that takes a lot of heat off the offensive line, just from a pressure standpoint. Towards the end of the game, we knew that coordinator, when they’re up a few scores, they’re going to start bringing some pressure. So, my mindset is really just get the balls in our playmaker’s hands and see what they can do.

Steve Serby, The New York Post: I know it’s not your decision, but how would you feel if you go the start against Miami?

Whoever is going to play, they have to be ready to go, run the offense and try to beat Miami. So, we’ll figure that out soon.

Andy Vasquez, NJ Advance Media: Obviously there’s a lot of frustration for the offense as a whole right now. How much of a challenge is it to try to spark something when you come in a game with that situation?

It’s really just positivity. I think that football is that interesting momentum game where words on the sideline, or words in the huddle its not going to cultivate much. It’s really just about playing together and making sure that communication is strong and there’s no heroic efforts out there. Just making sure we run the offense and I think Coach (Nathaniel) Hackett did a good job making sure we had a good game plan going this week. We just didn’t execute it. Testament to their defense. They played a really good game. They were very sticky all night in the back end. They played the run really well and it’s just difficult to win.

Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic: How do you describe the mood with this group right now? Obviously, this is a particular tough lose with the offense struggling. How would you describe everybody’s feeling after this one?

Yeah, you feel it, right? We got to get going on offense. Our defense is playing absolutely incredible. Special teams, it’s awesome. They got that conversion for us on fourth down with the fake punt. We just got to hold up our end of the bargain. There’s no magic pill. We just got to go out there and execute and communicate. You guys saw tonight with some guys plugging and playing, coming in. (Jeremy) Ruckert did a good job. I think Chris(Glaser) did a good job. Just getting those guys opportunities and reps. It’s only going to help them moving forward in their career, but I do have to say this. I’m extremely proud of Zach. Just how he’s handled everything this year. He’s done a really good job and he’s been extremely encouraging over the past quarter, and he’s earned a lot of respect from me and I think a lot of respect in the offense. So, my heart goes out to him, obviously not a comfortable situation, but he’s been wonderful.

Connor Hughes, SNY: What do you believe in Tim that you can bring to this offense to potentially jumpstart, individually first. I know it’s a team game, but what can you do personally to help this team?

Yeah, I think a part of my strength is being able to get the ball out of my hands quick and the decisiveness I think is a part of my game that I lean on. Just trying to get the ball out and not forcing things in coverage. There’s an unfortunate part of the game where taking a sack is better than trying to jam it into coverage and throwing interceptions. Just getting the ball out quick, I think is my biggest thing. I think it’s the big thing. It takes a lot of heat of the o-line. It gets the playmakers the ball and space. We got some guys who can make some people miss.

Al Iannazzone, Newsday: What happened during your interception:

Interceptions, fourth down. I had my eyes left. I was trying to work G (Garrett Wilson). I didn’t really feel like the coverage was advantageous for G. So it was one of those situations. I saw Conk (Tyler Conklin) in the corner of my eye. He was open. The corner did a really good job driving it, but it’s a fourth down. You got to get the ball out not taking a sack. So, you got to try to get it out of your hands and unfortunately forced it in there. Rasul (Douglas) made a really good play on it, on my eyes and unfortunate.