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Opening statement: **"Alright guys, obviously excited about opening up the season. We've got a tough challenge going on the road to New York against a good football team. Just watching their football team, I think they're improved offensively. The quarterback, obviously, I thought he played very well in the preseason. They've added some weapons, they can really run the ball effectively. I think Eric Decker adds something to them in the passing game, as well as, [Jeff] Cumberland, Jace Amaro, at tight end. So, they're a much improved, in my opinion, offensive football team than what we saw last year. Defensively, they have been and will continue to be, a very good defense. I think Rex Ryan is one of the best defensive coaches in football, so obviously that's a challenge.
"I'm sure all of you have got your questions about the quarterback situation. We made the decision to go with Derek Carr as the quarterback. There are a lot of factors that were involved in that. It's not an indictment on Matt Schaub at all. I still feel very confident in Matt Schaub. I think it says more about where we feel Derek Carr is and his progression. After watching him all throughout training camp and in the preseason, you just see a guy that continues to develop and continues to be mature beyond his years as a quarterback and a guy that we feel very comfortable putting him out there and helping us win football games. So, we made that decision and we'll move forward with that."
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Q: Is it going to be week-to-week?**
Coach Allen:"No, Derek [Carr] is the starting quarterback and we feel very good and very confident about where he's at and his ability to go out and lead us to victory."
Q: How did Matt Schaub take the news?
Coach Allen:"Well, he's disappointed. I think any competitor would be. But he's handled it like a pro and, listen, it's not an easy situation to be in, but he's a real pro. He's been around football for a long time. He understands how things operate. He's going to continue to go out and work and compete and he'll be ready when his number is called."
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Q: How did Thursday's game way into this decision?**
Coach Allen:"Well, it was a factor in it, it certainly was, but we've seen signs of Derek Carr's development from the day he stepped on the campus here until where he's at right now. We've seen him grow by leaps and bounds, and I think he's ready to accept the challenge."
Q: Any update on Nick Roach?
Coach Allen:"He didn't practice today. We're kind of in regular season mode so our first injury report I think comes out tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken, so I'll get those injury reports out tomorrow."
Q: Who's going to be your backup quarterback?
Coach Allen:"Matt."
Q: Which Matt?
Coach Allen:"Schaub."
Q: When did you first entertain thoughts of Derek Carr starting Sunday?
Coach Allen:"I don't know when that thought first crossed my mind. We've been watching this kid develop for a long time now. I think, obviously, Thursday night confirmed a lot of things in our mind, but these decisions aren't made based on one particular instance. They're based on a lot of information, a lot of factors go involved in that and we just felt like it was time to go ahead and make that move."
Q: Does Menelik Watson look like he's going to start this week?
Coach Allen:"Khalif [Barnes] is right now working at right tackle with the first group and Gabe Jackson is working at left guard."
Q: Your top three draft picks come in and make an immediate impact in terms of your starting lineup. That's got to be a real positive.
Coach Allen:"Yeah, I think that's a testament to our scouting department and what [General Manager] Reggie [McKenzie] has been able to do in the offseason. Throw 'Jelly' [Justin Ellis] in that mix too, is a guy that we feel like is going to have an opportunity to really contribute and guys like TJ Carrie. So there are a lot of young guys. I know I saw a stat where we're the oldest team in football, but I think we've got some young guys that have a chance to develop and be cornerstone type of players for us."
Q: What was David Ausberry able to do today? Was he fully back?
Coach Allen:"He moved around. We practiced him on a limited basis. I haven't had a chance to visit with him after practice yet, but from what I saw in practice, it looked like he moved around pretty well."
Q: Is Chimdi Chekwa still a ways out?
Coach Allen:"Yeah, I don't know where he's at yet. He didn't practice today."
Q: Obviously they [Jets] don't have the secondary maybe they've had in the past. Is this still a typical Rex Ryan defense?
Coach Allen:"I think he's going to be who he is and he's going to call the defenses how he's called them before. You never really know what you're going to see in the opening game of the season because generally you don't show a ton of stuff in the preseason, but I would expect that we've got to be ready to see a lot of his pressure package and trying to get after a young quarterback."
[
](http://www.pntra.com/t/R0BKSkdFREBKTERGSEBISEtERw)Q: I know the receivers were closely grouped. Can you talk about keeping Denarius Moore and Brice Butler over Greg Little?
Coach Allen:"I think when you look at the whole sum of what we saw over the preseason with Brice, and I thought his consistency, and what you saw with Brice. 'D-Mo,' I think, has really kind of gotten back to where he was maybe a couple of years ago when we first got here. I saw a different demeanor out of Denarius Moore this year and he's been a lot more consistent. I think he's beginning to take that next step, which is really a positive sign. Obviously, Andre Holmes provides – not only can he play receiver, but he also provides something for us from a special teams standpoint and that was a critical factor."
Q: Any response to the arrest of 49ers' Ray McDonald over the weekend?
Coach Allen:"No, not really. It's hard for me to really concern myself with things that happen in other people's building. I'm really focused on what we got going on here. Obviously, we've talked about the commissioner's policy and the league policy on domestic abuse, and you try to educate your guys as best you can and hope that they make good decisions."
Q: Carr credited Schaub with his success in the last preseason game, saying that he has helped him a lot. How much can Matt still help him out and fill that mentor role?
Coach Allen:"I think Matt Schaub is a huge part of this football team and that will be part of what his role will be. He did a good job out there today. He's a pro and I expect that he'll continue to be a pro."
