Brian Johnson

Q. Did you think going into this game there would be opportunities for QB Jalen Hurts to run more, or did that just evolve as opportunities presented itself? (Merrill Reese)

BRIAN JOHNSON: I think it was just within the normal flow of the game. Jalen always has a great feel for being able to extend plays and make plays with his legs and use everything he has at his disposal to be the best player that he can possibly be. Fortunately for us we were able to convert a couple 3rd downs and make some plays with his legs that everyone is accustomed to seeing him do.

Q. What do you feel like RB D’Andre Swift gives you in the receiving game? Obviously, he did a lot of it in Detroit, didn’t really do much until the last couple weeks when we’ve seen him get more involved. Is that a conscious thing and what makes him so good at it? (Reuben Frank)

BRIAN JOHNSON: He’s a very dynamic player. He has excellent hands, he can make plays out of the back field. Catching the ball, obviously he’s an explosive runner. So just as many times as we can try to get the ball into his hands with opportunities to create big plays and space and he’s done a fantastic job to this point in the season, and we just have to continue to try to find unique opportunities to give him the ball in space.

Q. The passing offense has really been clicking in the last two weeks. Do you have a tangible sense that you and QB Jalen Hurts are getting more comfortable in terms of play calling and he’s expecting what you’re expecting? (Jeff McLane)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Our biggest thing is, we talked about this a lot last week, just having that growth mindset and continuing to grow together as a unit. Obviously, we have a bunch of really talented players and a bunch of guys that can do different things and unique skill sets. But I think it’s just continually finding ways to adapt, finding ways to grow and doing it together.

Q. You guys are top ten in most categories with the exception of Red Zone. Two for five, two for six, depending on that last drive which you were trying to drain the clock, but anything you can put your finger on as far as what other teams are doing verses you all? (John McMullen)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Well, I think, in particular, there hasn’t been one thing that’s prevented us from scoring the touchdowns that we need to score down there, which we all know we’re capable of doing. For us, it’s really just a balancing act of A, we have to do a great job of putting the plan together and putting those guys in the position to make plays. Secondly, we got to do a great job of executing and then we have to be great in our operation, whether that’s in and out making the proper checks, putting those guys in the position to be successful on a down in and down out basis down there. Ultimately for us, we know that’s an area that we have to continue to improve. You see us kind of moving the ball in between the 20’s and doing a nice job in some areas, but that’s definitely an area of focus for us to continue to fix.

Q. Can I follow up on that? From the outside we kind of lump the whole red zone together, as a play caller, do you differentiate between the high Red Zone and the low Red Zone in the play calling, because the numbers are different in those areas? (Zach Berman)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Yeah. The numbers change. I think just Red Zone defense is really predicated on when does the defense change? When do that they go into their particular call to the Red Zone? It’s a different game down there. Obviously, the field shrinks. It’s the one area of the field where it becomes wider than it is longer.

Football is a little bit different down there, but like I said, we got to do a great job of putting our guys in a position to make those plays and to create favorable match-ups for us and we got to do a great job of executing, as well.

Q. How long was that conversation on the sideline about whether to go for it with two seconds left before the half? (Jeff McLane)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Not very long. It was just really trying to see where the ball was. At that point, you’re all in. There’s one play left in the half. You either kick it or you’re scoring. So [Head Coach] Nick [Sirianni] made that decision and we went with the play we had a lot of confidence in and the guys did a great of job of being able to execute it and cap off a really, really impressive drive to end that second quarter.

Q. What are the greatest strengths of the Jets defense? (Merrill Reese)

BRIAN JOHNSON: They have really talented players. They’re obviously well-coached. They have talented players. They play hard, they’re physical. Anytime you’re going against an opponent that has really, really talented players at all three levels of the defense, it can present different challenges to you. A very, very confident group in how they play defense. They’re in good spots, and they’re physical and they play hard.

Anytime we go against a defense like that, it will obviously be a challenge for us but a challenge that our guys are looking forward to going out there and competing at a high level.

Q. In TE Dallas Goedert’s case a big difference for him was yards after the catch, did you do anything as a play caller to get him with his body facing forward, as opposed to the back of the defense? (Zach Berman)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Yeah, for sure. I think anytime you can get Dallas opportunities to run with the ball in his hands, he’s extremely hard to tackle. You know, the game kind of played out like that this week. Got a couple balls early. Capped off the first drive with a great touchdown catch in the tight Red. He’s a fantastic player. We’ve kind of have been saying it all along. He’s kind of — you know, the law of averages here once you get a huge sample size, and Dallas had an opportunity to make a bunch of plays. He made them and that’s what we expect from him is to go out there and continue to play at a high level like he has all season.

Q. There is a pretty significant disparity between RB D’Andre Swift and RB Kenneth Gainwell in terms of yards per carry, is there enough to make something of that and do you need to reevaluate the rotation there? (Jeff McLane)

BRIAN JOHNSON: I think the biggest thing is we understand that we need everybody we have on offense for us to reach the goals that we want to reach. We have a ton of confidence in every player that we put out there on the field to go out there and do what we’re asking them to do. I think Kenny played a really, really good game particularly and stuff that did not go noticed on the stat sheet in terms of some of his protection and chip blocks. I think probably one of the most impressive plays in that game was his 3rd down conversion. He got a great chip block on Aaron Donald, released late to the flat, made a guy miss and was able to convert the 1st down and keep us on the field. So, every player that’s out there for us we have a ton of confidence in. Kenny’s done a great job. D’Andre has done a great job this year and we’re just fortunate to have backs that we feel we can put out there and roll.

Q. What role do you want the No. 3 wide receiver to fill? (Zach Berman)

BRIAN JOHNSON: I think they have to be ready to make plays when the ball comes their way and, for us, again, we have confidence in whoever we put out there. I feel like we have guys that can go out there and be productive, but obviously for us, with the talent and skill that we have with [WR] A.J. [Brown], [WR] DeVonta [Smith] and Dallas, those guys are going to be the guys that get the majority of the targets in stuff that we design.

But, for us, like I said, for us having all five kind of skilled players contribute in a manner to the offense, within the normal flow of the offense is always a positive.

Q. Head Coach Nick Sirianni had mentioned the intangible nature of WR Quez Watkins being on the field, what does that look like to you when you’re watching the film as far as creating that space? (John McMullen)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Well, he’s [Quez Watkins] obviously one of the fastest guys in the NFL. He has some ability to take the top off the middle of the coverage. Again, there’s some stuff that Quez does that does not show up on the stat sheet. You look in that second half. There were a couple runs where he made some blocks to make some big runs happen, spring some big runs in the run game, as well. First play of the game he had a catch on a bubble. It was his first game back coming back off injury, but like I said, we have a lot of confidence in everybody we put out there.

Q. How did G Sua Opeta play? (Dave Zangaro)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Sua played awesome. It was a fantastic job by him being ready when your number is called. To get the start and play against who he played against was quite a challenge. I think the entire offensive line stepped up and did a fantastic job against a generational talent. Those guys were excited for that opportunity, excited for that challenge. It was great to see them play well.

Q. He’s got another tough matchup with Jets DL Quinnen Williams this week, the stretch of interior rushers that he’s faced, is there any benefit of having them back-to-back, and maybe the plan can be similar? (E.J Smith)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Well, again, I think you always try to put guys in the position where they can let their talent show and try to create plans that give us the best opportunity to do what we need to do to win the game offensively.

That’s just the nature of this league. I mean every team has great players. For us, being a group of men who like to compete, welcome those challenges of being able to play against the best. I think anybody that plays this game or does anything, quite frankly, at a high level looks forward to those types of challenges and opportunities to go out there and show what you could do.

Q. C Jason Kelce was talking about how intricate the game plan is when they face a guy like DT Rams Aaron Donald. For you, what’s the work like behind the scenes whether it’s with Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland, Head Coach Nick Sirianni, Passing Game Coordinator/Associate Head Coach Kevin Patullo whoever it is, and putting those plans together for those types of players? (Zach Berman)

BRIAN JOHNSON: Yeah, well, it’s definitely a challenge. I think you just have to flip your mindset in terms of what the goal is and what we’re trying to accomplish as an offense and, again, putting everybody in the position to where they can go play and let their talent shine. I think Stout, Kevin, everybody involved, all recognize that and there’s a certain level of respect that goes into that and there’s a certain level of competitiveness that goes into that to going out there and being able to compete against a great player on a consistent basis.

I think that’s something that obviously was taken into account prior to the week, and the guys did a nice job of executing it.