Q: What happened with Chris Snee?
A: He had a little swelling in his knee.
Q: Which knee?
A: You didn't see it? You can't be revealing with that.
Q: Is that an ongoing thing for him?
A: It is something that has to be watched, yes.
Q: How different is Bruce Johnson this year after last year's experience?
A: Just watch him. I got on him again for playing underneath people. He's so fast and quick that he believes that he can let you run right on top of him and still be able to cover. He's getting better each time out, and he's a very confident guy. We need all we can get back there.
Q: Obviously he showed you a lot last year to make the team, though. Was his confidence a factor in that?
A: Well, I don't think he's ever had a problem with that. At the beginning of the season, he was amazing last year, to be honest with you.
Q: How has Canty evolved since his injury last year, and what are you looking for from him?
A: He's had a good camp. His ability to hang in there and his endurance. He has worked very hard. I don't think he went anywhere this summer and he was in the Timex facility. It's just the ability to keep him on the field and he's going to be playing out there.
Q: How important is staying on the field to make the team…does a player like Bear Pascoe who is out there all the time, does that help him?
A: It does. It allows you to see more of him, that's for sure. The more evidence you have. The guys this morning like Ballard do it. Would anyone let Ballard go? Anyway, he's done well and he keeps looking at you smiling and I said "Bear, you need a break?" and he says "No coach, I'm great." It would have been nice if he caught that cross-and-turn, but it was right off the tip of his fingers. It wasn't the greatest throw, but he should've caught it.
Q: If healthy, how much can your defensive backfield turn into a real strength?
A: I think they can. That's what we're working towards. We have guys that sense that can be the way it is. We have to stand out there for the test. As you know, it's a combination now. You have to rush the passer, you have to try and get him out of his element and not allow him to be comfortable back there. We're excited about seeing this group work.
Q: Was there such a strain to get the quarterback and compensate last year?
A: And when we weren't getting there last year they had occasions where they would block it all up, and send a two receiver route. They'd throw the ball up in the air, and we had as good of a chance as they did but we weren't in position to do it. With better athletes comes better anticipation, expectation, a little bit more pressure.
Q: You hope those big plays won't happen with such frequency again this year:
A: I'm certainly hoping that if they do, it goes to us.
Q: Would does it mean to the offense and Bradshaw that he is out there every practice?
A: It's a good sign. It's very good for our team to have him out there and practicing. Everyone knows his skill level, toughness, and all of that. To be out there doing it, and be encouraging to other guys, is a real plus.
Q: Seubert coming in on just the individuals?
A: He's going to do a little more this afternoon. I just talked to the doctor and they said we can let him go a little bit. He'll do some.
Q: As a Syracuse guy, did you follow Keith Bulluck's career a little differently?
A: I was well aware of Keith, and when he was there, they won a lot of football games. I was aware of Keith and had some great admiration for him as a player. We are glad we have him.
Q: What are your impressions of him thus far?
A: He's serious, he's a no-nonsense guy. He picks things up fast. He doesn't seem to need a whole lot of reps.
Q: You expecting Smith, Webster, any of the tight ends back this evening?
A: No. Just push them along, that's all we can do. Victor Cruz! What do we need anybody for? We have Victor Cruz. Look at these plays he made this morning. I'm serious, he made some outstanding plays. Yesterday he was going by people out here. Hey, it's a great thing, just keep adding to the group.
Q: You are about halfway thru training camp, tell us overall how the team is right now:
A: You mean the halfway point up here in Albany? Well, we're going to have to play. Obviously there's going to be some corrections and you're going to play people X amount of time and all of that business. Then you have to try and regroup, it's a very short week to decide where you're going as far as your ability to improve in that second week. We're on schedule, but any time you have the guys out of practice, it's not the same. At least when you know going in that a guy works one-a-day, and he stays focused on the practice he's not in, he gets a mental rep if he's in all the meetings and all that stuff. So when a guy is not practicing, you would hope they pay the kind of attention necessary. It's an unplanned event and football is a game of mid-stream adjusts, that's the term we use. We're constantly doing that.
Q: Knowing you have a game next week, how important is this week of practice?
A: It's very important. This is where we are. We need to bridge from that first week to the end of this week with the improvement of the fundamentals and our schemes, and all the things we throw at them. Then, we'll try to come down with some type of a plan so that everyone can then study what's going to be in because right now everything's in. And then, let them play.
Q: When will you start working on that?
A: We did that. Most of that last winter.
Q: I mean, with regard to who is playing the game and everything?
A: Well, I've been working on it all along but I'm not prepared to say anything about that.
Q: Since it's the Jets and the first game at the new stadium, is there any pressure on you to play these guys more?
A: I think if we did something along those lines, I don't think it'd be smart. We still have 16 games to go, and four preseason games. After we play this next game, they're going to be all bunched up, the same sequence we find ourselves in every year. We have a very short week. I want our guys to want to win, but you're not going to sacrifice the ability to evaluate personnel for that because that's what preseason is.
Q: Some guys were expressing concern about the turf when Hixon went down. Did you talk about that with the players and make sure it's not in their heads?
A: We will, but we have been back over there as coaches and looked at it. We were assured when we walked around. All of our concerns we had at that time have been answered.
Q: Are you just looking forward to getting a game under your belt in the new stadium?
A: I'm always looking to forward to taking a group and looking forward to how they play in game conditions. We get in and compete, and I'm looking forward to that part of it. It's just a part of the preseason, and an extension of training camp.
Q: What were those concerns you had about the turf and what did the New Meadowlands Stadium staff do to address them?
A: They did a lot. They did some work on the center of the field. They did some work to make sure the distribution of the granules was even. They did a lot of that. They checked each area with a meter to make sure it all met to the specification. We were told about all this.