Frank Reich - Offensive Coordinator, jets Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-17 | Full transcript (primary source).
On September 17, 2026, Frank Reich addressed the media in a press conference following the New York Jets' week two game. The discussion focused on the team's offensive performance and preparations for their upcoming matchup against a formidable opponent known for its strong defense.
Transcript
Reich: Okay week two, you know, I think we're at a good spot offensively field we're a really good spot, you know coming off a game in which we played winning football and put a lot of good things on tape that we feel good about. That being said we know we left a lot out on the field. We left some points on the scoreboard and had some things to clean up and just have to have this obsession to continue to get better and get ready for the next opponent. Got to clean up those mistakes can't leave those points on against a team like we're about to play this week a playoff team very talented team. Very talented defense very well coached defense. Obviously Jonathan Gannon I know well and have the utmost respect for him as a leader as a coach and as a defensive mind. Their defense is top-notch. I know they're missing a guy or two that are impactful players but there's still a whole lot of them left interior the interior their defensive line is really good. Those two inside linebackers are like, you know, they're really good players. Obviously, I know Zaire very well, and you know, there's a guy one of the premier tacklers and players in the league great leader. Cooper's very fast. Obviously the safeties are both good. The secondary is good. There's a good defense. We got a good challenge in front of us looking forward to it.
Reich: Well, Gino's played against his defenses when they played against each other. Is there anything to look into that or is that just, you know, I don't know if anybody's ever had your number so sweet.
Reich: Yeah, I don't think I really don't think there's anything there's so many factors that go into it. So many factors is so multifaceted. I really don't, you know for games. It's good for Gino's a good player that wouldn't surprise me against, you know in for a sample of four games he's gonna have he's gonna have his, you know, he's gonna win a lot of games. So yeah, I wouldn't be anything in tour.
Reich: Yeah, I mean I think our staff listen everything we do on offense anything we don't offense. It's a collaborative collective effort by all of us. We got AG put together a great staff very happy with how the offensive staff is working together. And the other thing is that you know AG's made a real big, you know, focus on you know, listen, we're not we not only want talented players with high character but like we want we want football players guys who are instinctive. They understand the game. You can put them anywhere anytime you can put the ball down anywhere any time and these guys just like football they understand football.
Reich: So when you have that and you have five tight ends and they are all tight ends back that has not been in a running back meeting the whole year just so just to set the record straight on that. He's always in the tight end room. No, he's not in the fullback room he's in the tight end room. But he's a football player and this is like what AG talks about. I could put back anywhere that guy is smart man. He you put him on the field. That's why he's such a good special teams player. You know, he understands spacing leverage. He understands football and that tight end room. We've set it from the start. They're all like that. And so we can utilize in that way. It's our job to do that. But like that's you know, we're gonna do that as coaches, but it's listen we all know and we've said this right from the start. It's the players that bring it to life it's always about the players and and their abilities and how smart they are and excuse me, how good a playmakers they are.
Reich: No, I don't and in fact, I had one of our analysts guys see has this been has this happened before cuz I'm I was thinking maybe there wasn't now. But that's not why we did it was just we got five good tight ends. So he went back to he went back 20 years and he couldn't find any evidence of a bow five personnel. So I like it for those tight ends, you know, it's something funny like you gotta have those little things in this league. This is a hard business, right? It's a hard business. We there's a lot of ups and downs. There's if you don't have some ways to have some fun try to be creative like that and do fun things for the room for the unit you can do that and still not compromise your principles and that's that's just all we're trying to do.
Reich: You know, I think I said to you guys a couple weeks before somebody asked me the question about hey you're gonna have to phase them in and I what I said was yeah, we're gonna have to I mean he hasn't practiced and I meant it when I said it. But then I saw him practice for one week and then I hadn't I didn't get a chance to talk to you guys since then but after seeing a practice for one week I'm like, oh no, he's ready to go. And that's a credit to him credit to the medical staff. You know that we you know talking to AG we thought before we started practicing we thought there might be a play limit that we have to put a cap on it. But after seeing in practice and seeing how he handled it and knowing what the plan was gonna be for the game and using all the tight ends we've won in there just kind of with the rains off and just say let's just play football.
Reich: Breeze is an incredible football player. I mean here again like this guy understands football at such a high level. It's hard to explain. I literally feel like he could play any position on the field. He just has a very high level understanding of everything and you know, and obviously super talented runner. So that makes us want to have him on the field every play.
Reich: Except one of the things I'm super excited about is that kind of one-two punch of him and Braelyn. You know, that's a pretty exciting thing watch him how they operated this last game and both of them really playing great. But you know, we'll continue to try to find ways to utilize both those players maybe try to find ways to get them both on the field occasionally together. You know, but Breeze Breeze is a guy we can use in different ways for sure.
Reich: I mean I've never coached the tight end and runs 4-3, you know and you know and I think but he's very you know this he's very humble very confident player, but what I like, you know, he's not doesn't have a big ego. He's just wants to do his job, you know wants to be part of the unit wants to see all those tight ends excel and so excited about that.
Reich: Yeah, it was a good drive. You know, we can we came in at halftime. We said at halftime. All right, listen, we're gonna open this thing up a little bit. You know, we know in the first half we you know I called it a little bit tight and you know had that long drive in the second quarter. That was just one of those things that I've just been around long enough to know like when the o-line is doing what our O-line was doing and feeling like we're controlling the line of scrimmage this is an opportunity to take the heart and soul out of a defense and really take their stinger away. And so we did that. It was just a shame we didn't end up with the touchdown. But I knew I was I was mad at myself that we left points on the board, you know, and so and I knew there were some shots that we wanted to get called. We talked all week about throwing the shot to ad on you know in that deep one we thought all week long that was gonna be there and it was you know we knew we had the plays for G to get him the ball and you know a new genome would do his thing. So we went in halftime said and I told him at halftime I said we're gonna open it up the second half, you know we did what we did in the first half but let's get ready to open this thing up and you know I think we had six explosive plays with the way we keep metrics counting running pass in the second half and that was a big deal.
Reich: Place in in the action and AG is obviously taking that over defensively and it's talked to us a lot about that about it. That's his passion.
Reich: What do you see in him as a play car and can you see his eyes light up a little bit, you know?
Reich: No doubt, I mean AG is very confident and you know, I like to see him during the rig I walked into his office multiple times and he's up on his board. You know the way he organizes his thoughts about how he's gonna call it I walked in there the one you know I was kind of impressed the way how he had it all organized and how he had it set up and you know he's just kind of asking him how he how he does it how he sets it up to call it and I can just feel him come to life explaining that.
Reich: Just as a quick follow to that as a play caller he was out of the ball. Can you describe the rush about going up against he was on his side he's going up against a ball. It's a pretty good offensive line and had a pretty successful day. What's that rush like, you know on a game day for a play caller?
Reich: Listen, I think it's play callers. You know, I'm sure AG feels the same way I do like it's about the players, you know, and they're gonna make it right. In fact AG has said this and I had this experience haven't had this experience too many times but you know, there was a play as a play caller, you know, you call 70 plays you might have one or two that you'd want back. It's usually true at almost every game and I remember I don't know if it was a preseason game or if it was last week and I said something to Gino about how I wish I had that one back and Gino looked at me and he said coach there are no bad plays every call on that sheet you give us we're gonna make it work. And I know that AG feels that way with that's the way the defense feels and you know my experience is when the players have that attitude like just give us the call. There are no bad calls on that call sheet we're gonna make it work. That's what we're paid to do. Those are the best teams I've been on when I look at all the good teams I've been on when there's that attitude from the players. And when Gino said in the way Gino said it to me like it took me back like I knew he was dead serious. This wasn't just something he was saying. It was dead serious. So excited about that as a play caller. There are no bad plays, you know, there are no bad players. We got good players they're gonna make it work.
Reich: You were born on Long Island you grew up a Jets fan. Is it gonna be special for you considering that day? You're calling plays at Jets home opener?
Reich: I mean, I've had a chance to feel a little bit of the you know, jet fan base since I've been here. Obviously, we live a pretty sheltered life as coaches, but I still feel it. I mean, it's it's the New York Jets and you know, I mean, I think you guys know I grew up a Jets fan, you know Joe Willie name it happens my god, you know, I know the whole team, you know the whole deal but um, so it's exciting for me I'm pretty focused in on just getting ready for this game and and having a good game and but it's I'm excited about us trying to put something out there that give them something to cheer about.
