[wysifield-embeddedaudio|eid="372841"|type="embeddedaudio"|view_mode="full"]Todd Bowles Conference Call
On how he got the defense to believe in his philosophy and how big of a role have Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie played in making the defense successful...
I still think we've got a ways to go, but we're getting better. They're starting to learn each other and what each other can do. So, from that standpoint I think we're getting better. (Darrelle) Revis and (Antonio) Cromartie, they've been around the league for a while and they play well together. They understand what it takes out there. They're just professionals that do their job and I can really respect that about them and they fit in well.
On the Patriots offense...
They've got a lot of players, number one. (They are) Very smart, very disciplined, very tough, very talented. All the things, I don't have any more adjectives to expand on that nobody else has (already) said. Tough all the way around at every position. They play the game the right way. They do all the little things, they block, they run, they tackle and they do it for 60 minutes and that's a quality that a lot of people don't have and they have it.
On what the defense needs to do well to be successful against the Patriots offense...
The other team can forfeit and we'll be okay (laughing). No, you just have to hope they have a bad day and we have to make sure we take care of our guys and understand what they can do and just try and play our game.
On his mindset toward ensuring that the team improved their turnover numbers from last year...
I don't know if the mindset was ensuring, but we always try and get turnovers. I think every defense tries because it gives the offense another chance to score. Coming in, if you get turnovers, you give yourself a chance to win the game. It may not happen all the time. I've been on teams where we've stressed it and didn't get any turnovers and on teams where we didn't stress it and got a bunch of them. They come in bunches and a little bit of luck, little bit of scheme, a little bit of guys making great plays. It's all relative, it's not how you get them, it's as long as you get them.
On the team's giveaways...
There were maybe one or two of them, but for the most part we gave some away. Some people ripped the ball out of our hands fumble-wise like last week. Some of them you just can't throw. We've got to be able to care of the ball a lot better than we have been.
On how much of what the team is doing is what he wanted to do and how much of it has to do with the talent of the players...
I think it's a little bit of both. You always put your scheme in and have things that you want to do, but then you have certain players that can't do certain things, but they can do some things well and you try and make sure they're in the best position possible. There's no sense of putting a player in a position where he can't do something. So, it's kind of a little bit of both.
On Chris Ivory...
He's tough, he works. He's a hard worker. He works on his craft every day. He does all the little things trying to be a good player and I think it's paying off for him this year.
On Stevan Ridley...
He's been running around a lot. Today was actually his first (day) he was cleared to practice. He ran around, just have to get him healthy and get him football shape. I'll like to see more as he gets more practices under his belt.
On if his approach to this game is a ploy or if it's his personality about every game...
No, I don't have any ploy. We know it's a division game and we know it's a division rival and we know they're Super Bowl champs. It's a big one game, but it's only one game. It's not going to make or break us, win, lose or draw. It's game six for us and if we want to get better, we have to develop some type of consistency. So, from that standpoint that's the only way I'm handling the game. We have to do what we continue to do and just play football.
On Ryan Fitzpatrick...
Ryan's good. He's smart. He's a tough quarterback. He's been in the league for a while. He's seen quite a few things. He commands the offense pretty good. Some throws we want to have back, but for the most part he's done a good job.
On Fitzpatrick being a Harvard guy and if he chides him about that and the mistakes he's made...
No, that's all quarterbacks. There are different situations for everything, you still don't want to do them. If you can get into Harvard you're pretty smart. You're smarter than I am. You can't chide anybody who went to Harvard.
On Leonard Williams...
He's a rookie. He's mature for his age. It's early for him. He's going to see a lot of blocking schemes he hasn't seen before. The biggest thing he has to do is learn from them when he sees them and understand how people are going to start attacking him and try and get better that way. So, from that way he's grown a lot as a person.
On Buster Skrine's health and what he's contributed to the team so far...
Health-wise right now, he has a concussion and he's going through protocol. Contribution-wise from the team he's been as good as advertised. Same thing we saw on film in Cleveland last year as far as him being a scrappy player and fighting for every down. Those are some of the things he brought with him and he continues to do that.
On kind of leadership Revis has provided...
He's been good. Obviously, he leads by example in a lot of things too. (Younger players can) pick up some mannerisms and he teaches the young DBs a lot of things and tips and everything like that. His work ethic and the fun he has around the guys (helps) loosens them up that makes everything a lot better for a lot of the other guys.
On Malcolm Butler saying the thing he learned most from Revis is how to study film and whether he's noticed Revis' attention to detail...
He's professional. He's been around. (Revis) and (Antonio) Cromartie do the same thing. I think there's a lot of guys who study film on a bunch of teams that are unique that way. Especially when you get older, you have to study to keep your game sharp or you're going to fall behind. A lot of younger guys use physical talent. A lot of older guys hone in on film study a lot more.
[wysifield-embeddedaudio|eid="372846"|type="embeddedaudio"|view_mode="full"]Ryan Fitzpatrick Conference Call
On the importance of Chris Ivory to his game...
He's obviously a really talented guy. He's had a great season so far. I think the guys up front for us in the run game and the pass game have done a great job we've just got to continue to build on that. Chris is an explosive back and that really does help in terms of opening up the pass game a little bit. And we've got guys on the outside that have played a lot of football that I feel comfortable throwing to. As an offense we've just got to continue to get better each week.
On how he's adjusted to playing for the New York Jets...
Yeah, this is team number six and this is team number four in four years. We're like a travelling circus. I've got five kids, so we're just touring the country right now. It's been really nice. I think this has been a good fit for me. Obviously, with Chan (Gailey) here and the experience that we have together. But then also it's a very veteran group of guys that I'm in the huddle with and that makes it comfortable for me. In terms of living, things haven't been easy moving around. My wife has been great with it. Every time we move somewhere we're kind of all we have. It's been nice in a way to be able to become a closer family.
On the last time has returned to Harvard...
We just made our ten year this last year. We made our ten year reunion. We were back for a fifth. My wife went there as well, we graduated the same year, so that's important to us. We try to go back at least once a year. I haven't been able to make it back for many games, but I was able to catch one a few years ago. And now being in New York, potentially I'll be able to see the Columbia game this year. I keep in touch with Coach (Tim) Murphy, he's obviously done a tremendous job with the program and they're off to a great start again. Being there for four years and even when I was there for four years, the way the Patriots were and the way the Red Sox played, it was a pretty awesome place to be caught up in all of that stuff. It definitely holds a special place in my heart.
On how supportive his teammates were in accepting him as the leader of the team...
Well, I think we've got a good quarterback room. That's important because it's a hard position to play. There's a lot of studying and pressure and criticism from all different angles. To have a close group in the quarterback room, guys that like to work together and that are helpful to each other, I think that's a big part of it and part of our success. Geno's been great. I think we work well together. In terms of leadership, I mean the way that I've gone about it is I've just always been myself. I'm myself and either guys are going to like it or their not. I really enjoy playing the game and I think we've got a good group of guys here on offense and I think we all have fun out there.
On not taking many sacks this seasons...
Sacks (and any) negative play are things you're trying to avoid. There are a lot of different things that go into that. The linemen have done a tremendous job this year and a lot of that is communication and obviously just physical skills and talents. The running backs are involved protections and also the receivers running their routes with the proper depth and recognizing hots and being on the same page. There's a lot that goes into it. I think we take a lot of pride in that as an offense. We've just got to continue to limit those and we've got a really limit our turnovers as well which I think we've had too many this year.
On what he has observed from New England's defense...
They've got some really talented pass rushers. I think that that's part of it. They're very athletic, they're linebackers are athletic as well. The other thing with teams being behind against them, they tend to throw the ball more. So they have more opportunities. These guys have done a tremendous job all year long, so it will be a big challenge for us.
On having targets on the outside and a good running back to balance the offense in the red zone...
I think the run game really helps down there. The field shrinks so you've got to be able to run the ball and you've got to be able to fit the ball in tight windows. In order to that, we've really got to have everybody on the same page understanding the offense and what we're trying to get accomplished. I think the veteran group that we have, that helps. The timing and the communication aspects of that have come along quickly just because of the experience that everybody has and the willingness they have to put the time in during the week to understand all of the intricate parts of the offense.
On if he has ever considered not playing football anymore after moving from several teams...
It definitely weighs on me and my family. So it's certainly something every year that I've kind of got to sit back and evaluate. I still love playing the game. This year has been very refreshing just as far as this team and the guys. I've had a lot of fun so far and as long as I continue to enjoy coming to work every day and playing the game, obviously I'd still want to play.
On what his wife majored in at Harvard...
English. She was an English major.
On if he has been able to hold tailgate parties in New York similar to his parties in Buffalo...
So it wasn't really a tailgate, it's Crock Pot Sunday is what it's called. It was really just at my house after the game and that's gone on probably since I was in Cincinnati. My wife would just put something on the crock pot before the game. In Buffalo, we had a lot of friends in our neighborhood so it would turn into a big pot luck every Sunday. We'd always get a lot of visitors in town, whether it's family or friends for a game. Crock Pot Sunday lives on (laughs), but maybe not as well attended by neighbors as it used to be.
