October 16, 2025 • 8 mins
Tracy Smith speaks with the media before Thursday's practice.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hope for the review.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Chrisy. I know that Turpin ended up not playing last week,
but now this is yet another week with a top
returner that you've got to prepare for. What do you see?
And I know he's only had like two games this season?
Is that correct? Do you go back and watch some
of last year's tape, like what's the preparation look like?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I try to peek through the whole catalog before you
pick out your Christmas present. The Jets have had a
ton of returners this year that they had success with
each one of them. So they've had eight or nine
kickoff returners that have all had success. They've had four
punt returners. They haven't declared necessarily who's up for this
game in particular, so we kind of have to coach
(00:46):
off of the blocking schemes so far and kind of
learn the different attributes to the different possible returners as
we get there, so that when we get to the
game and figure out who it's actually going to be,
we're ready for that particular person.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
You mentioned the blocking schemes. I think they had a
seventy two return yard return last week. I know, and
I'm sorry. The guy's name is slipping my mind right now,
but I know he's been one of the best. But
he credited a lot of it to blocking as well,
So like, how much has that been a part of
their return?
Speaker 3 (01:19):
They're an next one blocking team for sure. That particular
return you're reverencing that guy is a really Kenny's a
good returner. He bounced off a tackle and he ran
you know, that would be how they counted now, like
forty five yards after contact and one of these stats
kind of things. So broken tackles are a big part
of almost all these new kickoff returns that go for distance,
and that's what he's been good at. His outstanding speed
(01:41):
and strength determination. So it takes more than one guy
to tackle this person. So we have to keep working
as a group to all get there at the same time.
If we can.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
We'll go with Joe Person followed by Darren gamp Tracy.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
We talked about the wind being a factor last week
at home. How big of a fact and I think
I think Fitz's fifty five yarder was with the wind,
what sort of how big a factor.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Was It was pretty unique for the games that I've
played here, is that it was a downfield wind for
the most part. We get a crossfield wind here, so
I fell as a different direction, so I was dealing
with that, and then as of pregame, not to give
you the minute by minute update, but in pregame it
was approximately twelve yards different one way the other way
(02:36):
for us and for them. It was affecting the kickoffs
quite a bit as well, and then the field goals.
There was a decided advantage going towards the gallery there
as it was going away from it. So we had
that in mind at the last drive of the first
half as well as of course the entire fourth quarter.
You were kind of playing for that type of condition.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And because I'm old and talk about the weather, what
about the wind in the New Giant Stadium or Mett Life.
I know the old one was infamous for it if
you open a certain door. Is this one had kind
of some tricky stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Too, clearly in the same location in the country, catching
them a little bit earlier in the season. But they've
built a really nice football palace up there that does
a better job of blocking the wind than the last place.
So it's been advantageous compared to what it could be
if you're just playing a high school game out there.
I can't imagine getting a ball through the uprights.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (03:37):
When did you realize, Tracy, your career would include weather
in addition to special teams play.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
NFL career would be like day one because I took
a job with the Cleveland Browns, So it's immediate issue
in my life. You know, constantly in college at Utah State,
that was an altitude thing as long as random snowstorms.
So there's that kind of stuff. Special teams We're putting
the ball in the air, so the air is part
(04:07):
of it, and the air was moving this weekend, So
I don't know, that's what I got. You can paint
a picture with that one, I guess.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Just with Ryan in general.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
I mean, he got the award this week and got
a chance to celebrate that. How have you seen him
respond over the course of the first six weeks of
his career to you know, good news, bad news.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah, dealing with success is just as challenging for someone
as dealing with failures. So we have to do with that.
He found out live that the Special Teams Player of
the Week does not come with a lifetime supply of
Duke's Mayo. So I mean what's he going to do
about that? We just got to keep kicking. He's been good.
He's a back to work guy, real solid background of
(04:50):
let's go ahead and see what we can do this week.
We have another one, another one, another one until the
schedule stops. Gimnis games. I don't see him stop trying
to improve.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Mike k py Tracy, good morning, and Mike. For a
lack of a better term, I guess or maybe a
lesson trip gets term the safe punt uh catcher. You
know David Moore or you know Hunter Renfro, Do you
find the teams prepare for those guys to just fair
(05:25):
catch or do you from from your perspective, do you
think that there's an opportunity there because when those guys
are typically back there, they do fair catch?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Okay uh. Hunter has a long career of returning punts.
David Moore also has yards as a punt returner, including
last year for US. So I don't see them as
a fair catch only. We don't put them in as
a fair catch only player.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
But there are times this happens, mostly as an end
game substitution. A punt returner will get hurt and then
they have a guy that goes in that that hasn't
returned punts in several years, or he's, you know, just
a catcher only guy, and if you get that, you
have to be prepared a for the team that you're
playing to rush your punter. You have to be aware
you have to protect the punter first and then the punter.
(06:13):
Occasionally you'll get a guy with some big eyes that says, like,
let's hit it as far as I possibly can. But
you're generally encountering that type of catcher in a shorter
field situation anyway, So I don't see it as a
tremendous advantage either way outside of a team that's trying
to get the ball caught and handled. We used We
used Tyler Lockett in that role in Seattle quite a bit,
(06:35):
and the same thing towards the end of his career
is like is he had some return yards, but this
was gonna get the ball caught kind of person and
use him in those situations. So we didn't ever feel
like that was hampering us.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
And then you kind of have had to shuffle kick
returners just solely based on you know, the injuries at
running back and wide receiver. How how do you go about,
you know, read or rules with returners just in general
throughout the week and maybe in game.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's a good question because it depends person by person.
Some of those guys that you're talking about shuffling in
have been in every kickoff return meeting since April, since
they got here, or even last year for some of them.
So those guys, it's no problem. They're just going they've
been practicing the all time they go. If you're getting
a truly like they really good return kickoffs for us
all last year, Hey X, you got to go back there.
(07:29):
He's like great. First of all, he's excited about it.
Second of all, he's been sitting in there. He knows
the stuff, he knows our stuff, he knows the rules.
If you're getting somebody from a different team, like Rico
comes in and returns kicks for us this year, you're
kind of like, okay, first basic returner stuff. You know,
if the ball's here, we want to do this with
if it's left to try it, it's like, this is how
we operate. You have to give them like the starter
(07:50):
package pretty quick, and then here's how we're blocking the
Jets this week. For example,
Hope for the review.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Chrisy. I know that Turpin ended up not playing last week,
but now this is yet another week with a top
returner that you've got to prepare for. What do you see?
And I know he's only had like two games this season?
Is that correct? Do you go back and watch some
of last year's tape, like what's the preparation look like?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I try to peek through the whole catalog before you
pick out your Christmas present. The Jets have had a
ton of returners this year that they had success with
each one of them. So they've had eight or nine
kickoff returners that have all had success. They've had four
punt returners. They haven't declared necessarily who's up for this
game in particular, so we kind of have to coach
(00:46):
off of the blocking schemes so far and kind of
learn the different attributes to the different possible returners as
we get there, so that when we get to the
game and figure out who it's actually going to be,
we're ready for that particular person.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
You mentioned the blocking schemes. I think they had a
seventy two return yard return last week. I know, and
I'm sorry. The guy's name is slipping my mind right now,
but I know he's been one of the best. But
he credited a lot of it to blocking as well,
So like, how much has that been a part of
their return?
Speaker 3 (01:19):
They're an next one blocking team for sure. That particular
return you're reverencing that guy is a really Kenny's a
good returner. He bounced off a tackle and he ran
you know, that would be how they counted now, like
forty five yards after contact and one of these stats
kind of things. So broken tackles are a big part
of almost all these new kickoff returns that go for distance,
and that's what he's been good at. His outstanding speed
(01:41):
and strength determination. So it takes more than one guy
to tackle this person. So we have to keep working
as a group to all get there at the same time.
If we can.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
We'll go with Joe Person followed by Darren gamp Tracy.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
We talked about the wind being a factor last week
at home. How big of a fact and I think
I think Fitz's fifty five yarder was with the wind,
what sort of how big a factor.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Was It was pretty unique for the games that I've
played here, is that it was a downfield wind for
the most part. We get a crossfield wind here, so
I fell as a different direction, so I was dealing
with that, and then as of pregame, not to give
you the minute by minute update, but in pregame it
was approximately twelve yards different one way the other way
(02:36):
for us and for them. It was affecting the kickoffs
quite a bit as well, and then the field goals.
There was a decided advantage going towards the gallery there
as it was going away from it. So we had
that in mind at the last drive of the first
half as well as of course the entire fourth quarter.
You were kind of playing for that type of condition.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And because I'm old and talk about the weather, what
about the wind in the New Giant Stadium or Mett Life.
I know the old one was infamous for it if
you open a certain door. Is this one had kind
of some tricky stuff.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Too, clearly in the same location in the country, catching
them a little bit earlier in the season. But they've
built a really nice football palace up there that does
a better job of blocking the wind than the last place.
So it's been advantageous compared to what it could be
if you're just playing a high school game out there.
I can't imagine getting a ball through the uprights.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (03:37):
When did you realize, Tracy, your career would include weather
in addition to special teams play.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
NFL career would be like day one because I took
a job with the Cleveland Browns, So it's immediate issue
in my life. You know, constantly in college at Utah State,
that was an altitude thing as long as random snowstorms.
So there's that kind of stuff. Special teams We're putting
the ball in the air, so the air is part
(04:07):
of it, and the air was moving this weekend, So
I don't know, that's what I got. You can paint
a picture with that one, I guess.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Just with Ryan in general.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
I mean, he got the award this week and got
a chance to celebrate that. How have you seen him
respond over the course of the first six weeks of
his career to you know, good news, bad news.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah, dealing with success is just as challenging for someone
as dealing with failures. So we have to do with that.
He found out live that the Special Teams Player of
the Week does not come with a lifetime supply of
Duke's Mayo. So I mean what's he going to do
about that? We just got to keep kicking. He's been good.
He's a back to work guy, real solid background of
(04:50):
let's go ahead and see what we can do this week.
We have another one, another one, another one until the
schedule stops. Gimnis games. I don't see him stop trying
to improve.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Mike k py Tracy, good morning, and Mike. For a
lack of a better term, I guess or maybe a
lesson trip gets term the safe punt uh catcher. You
know David Moore or you know Hunter Renfro, Do you
find the teams prepare for those guys to just fair
(05:25):
catch or do you from from your perspective, do you
think that there's an opportunity there because when those guys
are typically back there, they do fair catch?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Okay uh. Hunter has a long career of returning punts.
David Moore also has yards as a punt returner, including
last year for US. So I don't see them as
a fair catch only. We don't put them in as
a fair catch only player.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
But there are times this happens, mostly as an end
game substitution. A punt returner will get hurt and then
they have a guy that goes in that that hasn't
returned punts in several years, or he's, you know, just
a catcher only guy, and if you get that, you
have to be prepared a for the team that you're
playing to rush your punter. You have to be aware
you have to protect the punter first and then the punter.
(06:13):
Occasionally you'll get a guy with some big eyes that says, like,
let's hit it as far as I possibly can. But
you're generally encountering that type of catcher in a shorter
field situation anyway, So I don't see it as a
tremendous advantage either way outside of a team that's trying
to get the ball caught and handled. We used We
used Tyler Lockett in that role in Seattle quite a bit,
(06:35):
and the same thing towards the end of his career
is like is he had some return yards, but this
was gonna get the ball caught kind of person and
use him in those situations. So we didn't ever feel
like that was hampering us.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
And then you kind of have had to shuffle kick
returners just solely based on you know, the injuries at
running back and wide receiver. How how do you go about,
you know, read or rules with returners just in general
throughout the week and maybe in game.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
It's a good question because it depends person by person.
Some of those guys that you're talking about shuffling in
have been in every kickoff return meeting since April, since
they got here, or even last year for some of them.
So those guys, it's no problem. They're just going they've
been practicing the all time they go. If you're getting
a truly like they really good return kickoffs for us
all last year, Hey X, you got to go back there.
(07:29):
He's like great. First of all, he's excited about it.
Second of all, he's been sitting in there. He knows
the stuff, he knows our stuff, he knows the rules.
If you're getting somebody from a different team, like Rico
comes in and returns kicks for us this year, you're
kind of like, okay, first basic returner stuff. You know,
if the ball's here, we want to do this with
if it's left to try it, it's like, this is how
we operate. You have to give them like the starter
(07:50):
package pretty quick, and then here's how we're blocking the
Jets this week. For example,
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