New York Jets: Todd Bowles breaks down plethora of injuries

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Aug 25, 2015

Unfortunately as of late, the New York Jets have been hit with a plethora of injuries from preseason football as well as team practice during the week. It’s not easy having to deal with injuries but it is a part of football as head coach Todd Bowles will continue to keep the team moving forward and build upon their first win of the preseason over the Atlanta Falcons.

We at The Jet Press would like to thank the Media Relations Department of the Jets that sent us a complete transcript of what Bowles had to say to the media about all the recent injuries to hit the team and give an early look at who might miss in their upcoming preseason game against the New York Giants. Enjoy!

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On Muhammad Wilkerson…

He ran fast. He’s still got to get in shape. It’s a little heat for him. We didn’t have the pads on. He made some progress though, so he’s running around and that’s a good thing.

On if it was good to see Geno Smith back at practice…

It’s good to see his face. It’s good to see his face. Like you said, he didn’t do much but at least he’s not hurting like he was I guess because he came out here.

On if Smith was cleared for some physical activity…

Just light joggins and stuff like that. Nothing serious, just light throwing, light jogging.

On if the timetable for Smith’s return has changed…

Not at all.

On if he is back in the meetings…

Yes.

On Calvin Pace leaving practice early…

He strained his groin. I’ll see how bad it is when I go in.

On if it feels normal now that Smith is back…

We’re the same. We’ve always been in camp. It’s an injured player so everybody else is playing. Injured players watch and they go to meetings.

On Lorenzo Mauldin’s status…

He’ll be out. He sprained his knee. He won’t play this week. We’ll see if he plays next week.

Aug 13, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin (55) gets past Detroit Lions tackle Michael Williams (73) during the second quarter in a preseason NFL football game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

On if he had an MRI to confirm the sprain…

Yes.

Whether he sprained the MCL in his knee…

(It’s) just a sprain.

On the depth at outside linebacker with the injuries compiling at the position…

It gives the guys a chance to play. They get to play full time instead of third downs so you get to take a look at them full time. If one guy goes down, somebody else has got to step up.

On Trevor Reilly…

He’s got a high motor. He’s very intense. He’s a reckless player. Very smart player, so I’d like to see more of him.

On how close Chris Owusu is to returning full time…

He’s running well. He’s running fast and everything. His whereabouts and everything are about him. You don’t know those types of things until you get hit. You’re not allowed to hit him right now so we’ll see how it goes in a game. I don’t think you can really fully tell he’s back until he takes his first hit.

On when Owusu will be cleared for contact…

We’ll see how he goes this week. We’ll see if we can get him in the game this weekend.

On whether Owusu has been ruled out for the Giants game…

Not ruled out yet. i

On if Owusu’s concussion will affect his battle for a spot…

He’s still battling. He was doing some good things before he left. We’ll see how he is when he comes back. Those guys get nicked up. When somebody gets nicked up, it’s somebody else’s chance to make a play, to come in and prove themselves. It’s the Wally Pipp rule.

On Cris Carter’s comments at the rookie symposium and if their careers overlapped…

We played against each other a lot. I’m not sure of the comments made at the rookie symposium because I haven’t read the paper or anything today.

On his thoughts Carter’s comments…

No thoughts.

On possibility of Matt Flynn being able to play…

I’m hoping he can play the last game (of the preseason) maybe. He’s still nursing his hamstring. We’ll see how it goes. He’s throwing the ball, but he hasn’t really opened up and run yet.

Aug 21, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Matt Flynn (5) during warm up before game against the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

On possibility of Flynn playing this week against the Giants…

If I was a betting man, I’d say no.

On what he is hoping to see improve from the first-team offense…

Just consistency. The penalties, number one, for both sides and special teams. Consistency, getting off to a fast start, making sure we gel and everybody is together. We have a good play here-and-there. It takes us a while to get started. I would like to start fast this game.

On the continuity of the first-team offensive line…

I think they are coming along pretty good. They had one or two miscommunications, but for the most part, they have been having a good summer camp.

On the most competitive positions with cuts on the horizon…

It’s quite a few of them. This game will tell a lot and the last game will tell a lot. There are a lot of guys vying for spots. It’s an important time. Its crunch time. Guys have got to step up.

On Devier Posey…

He scored a touchdown in a game. He’s getting healthier, so we’re taking a look at the guys in a lot of different positions. There’s a battle at wide receiver. It’s going to be interesting to see who those guys are.

On Jace Amaro…

He’s still out. He won’t be practicing anytime soon.

On if Chris Ivory is faster than he thought…

I told him that, actually. He’s a lot faster than I thought, him and Bilal (Powell). Those are two quality running backs. Those guys work hard. They keep their mouth shut, they keep their heads down, they block, they run inside, they run outside. I’m very pleased with both of them.

On if he told Ivory that he was faster than he thoughts after his 33-yard-run against the Falcons…

I did tell him that after his 33-yard run.

On Ivory’s reaction to coach’s praise of his 33-yard-play…

Chris was quiet. He’s just going to smile and nod his head and move on. He’s not going to say too much.

On if he’s impressed by Ivory…

I knew he was a good player. I didn’t know he was as fast as he was. He’s got very good feet. Chris has got very good quickness. You don’t have to be that fast to have foot quickness and he’s got foot quickness.

On if there is a luxury in having two running backs with the versatility of Ivory and Powell…

Hopefully, they can stay healthy. Zac (Stacy) plays well too as well. Hopefully (Stevan) Ridley can come back at some point and we still got (Daryl) Richardson, so we’ve got a good problem to have.

On timeline for Ridley’s return…

Still don’t know. Not running at full speed yet. He’s still on PUP. So until he can go and cut and everything full time, he’s going to stay where he is.

On whether he’s seen improvement in Ridley’s lateral movement…

I’ve seen him faster, I’ve seen them cut. But cutting when you don’t know you’re supposed to cut when the defender is there and you have to jump-cut is totally different than cutting when you know you’re supposed to cut. That’s a whole different deal.

Oct 5, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley (22) looks for a hole between Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vincent Rey (57) and defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

On if he presumes that Ridley will start the season on the PUP…

I wouldn’t know about that.

On nature of Amaro’s shoulder injury…

He can’t use it.

On if Amaro will be out for the season…

I don’t know. It all depends on how he’s feeling. I’m not a doctor. If a man can’t use his shoulder, I just know he can’t play.

On an estimate on Amaro’s return…

They said it would be a couple weeks.

On Erin Henderson…

He’s coming along okay. Walking better, so hopefully he’ll start jogging soon.

On when Smith will progress to individual drills…

I don’t think it will be any time soon. Those are injured guys just over there throwing the ball around as far as I’m concerned. There is no timetable for when he’s going to come back and throw. It all depends on how he feels. I’ve never had one of those, so I honestly couldn’t tell you.

On Calvin Pryor and whether he will take him under his wing a little bit since he played the position…

You don’t take him under your wing. You’ve got two good coaches back there. There’s a mental part that you’ve got to learn in your second year that you don’t learn in your first year. You come back a little more mature, a little more humble. And he’s putting his head down and he’s working. He missed a week, he had a death in his family but he came back and didn’t miss a beat. So hopefully he’ll continue that.

On how he felt after watching Leonard Williams’ game film…

I thought he did a good job. Very well.

On possibility of Devin Smith playing in Week 1…

He’s sore. I don’t see him sprinting or anything anytime soon, so I don’t think he’ll be ready for Week One.

On if he has dial back any aspects to keep the rookies humble…

No, it all depends on their mental capacity and how much they can take. I’m not going to dial back anything. You dial back for the quarterback position but every other position has got to learn. There’s different ways of teaching guys at different positions. He’s a bright football player and he’s smart, so we haven’t had to hold back anything for him.

On if he has to dial back his praise of Williams to keep him humble…

We’ve got a lot of guys with big heads. He’s not the first guy. It’s a bunch of veterans you’ve got to hold back praise for to. We haven’t done anything. We’ve practiced and we’ve played preseason games. We’re progressing and we’re getting better. The praise is a little tainted because we’re still progressing to get where we need to be.

Next: Coffee with the New York Jets: Calvin Pace hit with groin injury

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