Jets Postgame Quotes (Week Four)
Head Coach Robert Saleh
Video: Here
On injuries…
Only injury was (Brandin) Echols. Hammy.
On what is says about the team after only allowing six points after giving up 17 early in the game…
It’s a bunch of fighters. I love the guys. I’ve expressed what I feel about the guys in the locker room and what we feel about who we have and the character of the locker room. There was no question that, when you’re backed into a corner, you swing. That’s all you can do. That’s a locker room that continues to swing.
On the holding call against Sauce Gardner in the fourth quarter…
I’m not going to comment on that.
On if that’s what he was upset about when he received an unsportsmanlike penalty…
Yeah.
On the play of Zach Wilson…
I thought he was really good. He gave us a chance to win the game. Brought us back. If he plays like that, we’re going to win a lot of football games.
On if his team can take something from tonight’s game…
You can always take positives out of any situation. No moral victories. I would have liked to have seen if we could have pulled that one out on that last drive.
On the decision to attempt a field goal at the end of the first half…
Fourth-and-one, 30 seconds left, 34-yard line, somewhere in there. Just talking it over after the timeout, even if you get the first down, you’re heavy, heavy, heavy, you’re more than likely going to end up having to take a field goal anyway. You’re really just going fourth and one, you’re trying to get the fourth-and-one just to kick the field goal anyway, so we felt like we were in good range for Z (Greg Zuerlein), get points, start the second half with the ball with a chance to lap them. In that situation, it was more even if we convert, we’re going to end up kicking a field goal anyway.
On what improvements he saw from Zach Wilson…
Decision making. I shouldn’t say decision-making. He’s always a good decision-maker. The decisiveness with which he was making his decisions. He was letting it rip. I thought he did a really, really nice job.
On if he saw something this week that led to a decision to open up the offense…
I know I say it all the time up here about how he practices. He’s been practicing outstanding, which is probably why I get up here and say what I say. I was just really happy for him to go out and show that he does belong and that he can play in this league. Like I said, if he plays that way, we’re going to win a lot of football games.
On Wilson looking very down after the game and if he had spoken to him…
I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet. I’m sure he’s beating himself up over a play or two here or there, but he shouldn’t. There’s nothing that he should be ashamed of.
On Wilson’s maturity and coming into his own…
He’s come along. Playing quarterback in this league is hard. It comes with everything that comes with it. I thought he gave his guys a chance to play. Threw some balls up that were 50-50 balls. His teammates made plays for him and he made plays for his teammates. The o-line protected. Like I said, I would have loved to have seen, after Michael (Carter II) got that interception on the last drive, I would have loved to have seen if he would have been able to take us down and score a touchdown. I feel like he would have.
On Jermaine Johnson possibly being held by the Chiefs offensive line on several occasions…
I have a lot of thoughts on it, but I’m going to stay quiet.
On the play of the Jets defense…
I thought the defense did what it needed to do, especially after the first quarter and spotting them 17 points. I felt like we knuckled down and got back to what we do best. Getting the takeaways, getting a safety. The safety kick-started it. We score, get the field goal, come back and get a takeaway, go back and score again. Like I said, the defense was really good, especially after spotting them 17. It was good.
On his message to the team when outside factors appear during crucial moments of a game…
That’s the thing, you can’t control it. You wish you could. You wish you could hit the replay button. You wish you could do anything, but you can’t, so you have to focus on the moment. You have to stay within it. We had our chances to get off, too. It’s third-and-20 and he (Patrick Mahomes) scrambles and that whole drive after the fumble was unfortunate. It was extremely unfortunate, especially for a primetime football game.
On how you prevent a loss like this from lingering into the week…
We can’t. Like I said, we have to get back on the horse and get rolling. Denver just won a big game making a big comeback, they had an emotional win. They’re going to be flying high and ready to try to get a run going, so we have to get over it quick.
On what the presence of Aaron Rodgers did for the team…
Not sure about today, but yesterday was outstanding. To have him back and talk to the team. His teammates love him. We love him. He loves his teammates. Just glad he’s back around the building. I’ve told you guys, he’s an unbelievable human. He really is. His presence, it’s like family, like big brother walked back in for those guys in the locker room. I think it’s appreciated.
On if Rodgers will be remaining with the team…
I’m not sure. I know he will be here for a little bit, but I’m not sure what his rehab schedule is.
QB Zach Wilson
Video: Here
On what he told his teammates after the game…
It’s on me. Critical situation, I can’t have a play like that. I cannot drop the ball. This team is sacrificing a lot. Guys are making plays. Defense was making plays. O-line was protecting. Receivers were making plays. To be driving right there, to drop a snap, I cannot do that. I lost us that game and I cannot do that. I was making it clear to those guys that I need to be better. I need to be better on the little things, the details. It can’t happen.
On if he took his eyes off the ball on his fumble…
It wasn’t that. I knew we had a free guy on my left. And again, same thing for my fault. We had a small on the edge. We talked about the look. I should have made the protection adjustment there to protect myself, but I knew the guy on the left was going to make me hot so I was trying to drift out of the pocket to give myself a little room to throw it. But, we went over that look. Coach did a good job preparing me for that. If I make the right call, we block it up just fine and play the play.
On if he was confident they would score if the interception wasn’t called back…
Absolutely. We were going to. We needed some time and it’s not on the defense. It’s on me. We had the ball with six minutes, five minutes, whatever it was, left. We were at midfield and we had a chance right there. So, I need to be better.
On if he is encouraged with how he played today…
Yeah, I felt like Hack (Nathaniel Hackett) did an unbelievable job today mixing it up and taking shots and spreading it around. I thought he was keeping them on their toes. I thought we had a good plan. I thought I was seeing it really well. I would say we need to keep building on this. But I need to be better with the details. I can think of multiple plays I need to be better on. Early in the game, I threw that one low to (Tyler) Conklin. That should have been a touchdown, not ending in a field goal. It’s the little things that win games and if you want to be great, you’ve got to have those, and I’ve got to be better on those.
On if made a change to let it rip…
A little bit of everything. I think me and Hack are growing more trust in each other and what we’re able to do as an offense. I thought he did an unbelievable job and I still need to be better for him as well. There are plays I screwed up on that I would want back. And I think we need to keep growing on this and continue to build that trust together. The mindset for me every single play needs to be, ‘Where’s my read progression and then check it down if I don’t feel like they’re open down the field.’ So, regardless of whatever plays are called, that’s the mindset.
On how he felt about Aaron Rodgers being in the stadium…
It’s always exciting to see the big brother. Can’t wait to get him on the sideline with us and all of that, but it’s always good to have him around.
On if Rodgers spoke to the team…
Yeah, he did, and it was awesome because it’s the same message I think we’ve been pushing. Because it’s been a tough start to the year, stick together, for sure. And we absolutely are. This game was close and I let the guys down, but I know they have my back no matter what and I’ve got to be better for those guys and it just makes you eager to get back to work and keep going. But that was his message. Stick together.
On what his teammates told him after the game…
They said they’ve got my back. Of course they’re going to say there’s plays they could have made or whatever. We had a chance. When you play as good of a team like that, it comes down to the little things. We had a chance right there. So, I just wanted to let those guys know I’ve got to be better for them.
On if being close to beating Kansas City reaffirms how good the team is…
Yeah, absolutely. I think we can be really good. I think we just need to keep growing together, building off of this and trusting in one another and we can see where it takes us.
WR Garrett Wilson
Video: Here
On what it meant to have Aaron Rodgers here…
I mean yeah, just to see him in good spirits. Last time we saw him here, that wasn’t the face that we saw. It wasn’t a smile, so just to erase that out of your mind and have a new picture of Aaron in your head. That’s a happy Aaron that loves to be around us and loves to talk ball, so it will be great to have him around. This was one of those games that you can’t wake up for Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs, you don’t need to be playing ball and then we got Aaron to show up that hasn’t been around for a while, it adds something to it and all of that. So, definitely was great to see him and have him here.
On if tonight was a step forward for the team…
Yeah. Offensively, I feel like we did some things that were good and now it’s just trying to figure out how to start like that, finish like that and everything in between. We took a step and like I said, we aren’t doing that, we aren’t doing it right. Every week we should be getting better, improving on our game and we did that today.
On if the early safety was a spark for the game…
For sure. It was 17-0 I think to that point and to have that and get back to a two-possession game was huge. For offense, you always feel like you’re in the game, but the reality of it is, three possessions and two possessions is a big difference. We definitely felt that and got to go right out there after that, which was awesome and I think we scored three. We just played into the team, defense got a great stop and that’s kind of how football is, you got to compliment each other.
CB Sauce Gardner
Video: Here
On Zach Wilson’s performance…
He had a pretty good game. I know he had that fumble, but he did more than enough. Us as a defense, we got to try to limit explosives, limit points from getting on the board.
On what the defense changed after the first quarter…
Just going back home. Just understanding the type of defense we play, how we have fun, we can’t switch that up no matter who we’re going against. We got back in our mode that we’re usually in when we’re playing the best.
On Aaron Rodgers’ message to the team…
It was huge, being able to have him here and talk to the team yesterday. It was basically him telling us to stay together, block all the outside noise out, continue to stay together. That’s what we’ve been doing.
WR Allen Lazard
Video: Here
On how he felt about the touchdown and two-point conversion…
I was lit, I was excited. Not only did Zach (Wilson) just throw an unbelievable ball to me for the touchdown and everything, but for him to come back and rally, QB draw, it wasn’t a clean look at first and he was able to kind of squirt out the side and lower his shoulder and kind of just really just muscle threw that moment, really you see the fight, the strain that he put in just to get the ball across the goal line. You could just feel the energy just shift and the momentum changing towards our side, that was a huge part, especially to be able to come out there in the second half. I think it was the first time this year that we scored first drive of the half, whether it be the first or second, so that was huge for our offense, just to kind of get that momentum going and obviously we wished we would have finished the game a little bit better.
On having a more wide-open game plan this game…
I think (Nathaniel) Hackett did a great job of just dialing up the game plan, the plays that we had in our game plan but also just the timing of calling the plays was huge. I think he did a great job just letting Zach go out there and play comfortable and play confident and not think as much, or rather just react.
On Zach’s touchdown pass to Lazard…
Zach’s been diming the ball a lot, especially this offseason, training camp and everything. Its just been unfortunate you guys haven’t been able to see it on Sundays, whatever those circumstances may be for that but he was playing confident and he is believing in himself and the guys in front of him, he is a really
C Connor McGovern
On mindset going into this week’s game…
They told us Monday, we’re going in this to win this game. We’re not going in it to not lose. The mentality was to go out and ball. We know we have a good football team. We know we we’re playing the World Champs and knew you can’t beat a team with a high-power offense like that, pulling back. So, we wanted to do everything we could to put our best foot forward and make sure we’re doing everything we could as an offense. I think Zach (Wilson) executed that very well. He went out there and had a phenomenal game. One of the best games I’ve seen him play here, so I’m proud of him.
On how Zach played tonight with all the criticism he’s gotten…
It just shows his resilience. It shows his maturity. It shows the growth that he’s had over the last year, since last season. He wasn’t listening to any of it. He was brushing it off and moving forward. He went out and had another phenomenal practice. Went out and balled out in the game. So, I’m proud of him. Like everybody says, Coach Saleh, everybody in the locker room, we trust him. We know he has the ability. We’ve all seen his ability to do it. That’s why we’ve stuck behind him. We all have his back.
On Coach Saleh getting called for a penalty…
He has our back. He’s willing to fight just as hard as we are on the field. He wants it just as bad or worse than anybody else. Every single one of us is doing everything we possibly can to go out and win football games. He’s an emotional leader and he wanted to do everything he could to have our backs. It is what it is. He was just voicing his opinion.
TE C.J. Uzomah
On Zach Wilson’s performance:
Yeah I thought he played a heck of a game honestly. I thought he gave us a chance to win and unfortunately we were not able to pull it out, but he played a really, really good game.
On if it felt like Zach Wilson’s confidence grew tonight:
He was definitely locked, for sure. He was letting it rip. He was letting it rip for sure and he was putting the receivers and the tight ends and everybody in the position to make plays and that’s what you want. We were just more in tune I think. Again, those first and second downs that we weren’t hurting ourselves and we were making it a little more manageable, the offensive line getting the push, the backs just cramming it in there and making it. I mean one of the ones that sticks out to me was Dalvin (Cook). We had a nice little inside zone play and Dalvin just ran straight ahead into everybody for five yards and that helps, right? It’s not second and nine, now it’s second and five, and that’s something that gives the offense more confidence. So, yeah I think as a collective, we did a lot better.
On if they feel more prepared and excited for Denver next week:
Oh for sure, for sure. I think there are no moral victories, we lost this game and we’re not happy about it. That said, we are excited about what we were able to do offensively. I think that’s just hopefully more things to come. I think we’re going to be able to really get this thing going and be able to be even more productive next week.
LB Jermaine Johnson
On possibly being held by the Chiefs offensive line…
You have to be a thumb pointer and ask yourself what you could have done better. I can’t put myself in a position to get held.
On what he could have done differently on the Chiefs 3-and-23 conversion…
Can’t go back in time. Just need to be better. I feel like my guys were out there playing with 10 and I have to live with that. I just have to be better.
On what he means by playing with 10…
Kind of seemed like I was a non-factor on the play and I have to live with that because it was a big play regardless of whatever. Things happen, but I just have to be better. I have to be a factor on that play and I wasn’t.
CB Michael Carter II
On what was going through their heads early in the game…
What was really going through our heads was like okay, we really have to settle in. We had a Coach Brant Boyer brought everyone together and was like we’re about to simplify this thing, go back to what we know. Just trust the technique, your ability, and trust the preparation you put in. We compete, and we want to be the reason we make this a game again. We brought into that. We never felt like we were out of the game. We just have to settle in. I think that’s where we can get a little better. Just start faster.
On his thoughts about Sauce Gardner’s penalty…
Yeah, I saw it. It is what it is. I don’t think it was that egregious. I think what happened was he threw it after the pick too, so the penalty happened. Obviously, I don’t agree with it. I would like to have an interception, but we have plenty of opportunity to get off the field. We got to do better as a defense especially on those third and longs and all that stuff. We have to take advantage and get it back on the ground.