On the last couple weeks…

The Miami game was (the) ACL tear. (I’m) just doing what the trainers are telling me to do, basically rehabbing (and) trying to get my quad to fire back and get stronger before I go into surgery. That’s basically it. Just these last couple weeks, it has been hard rehabbing before the surgery.

On the injury…

I knew it was something different. I’ve been hit in the knee 1,000 times. I just knew this wasn’t a hyperextension. I knew it was something much worse. I figured it was an ACL, meniscus or PCL (tear). The doctors told me it was an ACL, so when I heard that I knew I couldn’t play the rest of the season. I just had to wrap my brain around that and get ready for the next things to come ahead.

On how painful the injury was…

There was pain with it. I grabbed my knee as soon as it happened. In a way, my knee just shifted. It felt like somebody had a knife and just cut through my knee. That’s the feeling that I got from trying to make that cut. It’s crazy because I’ve made that cut 1,000 times. Even looking at it on film, it didn’t look like much. I guess it was meant to happen at that time. My cleat got caught in the grass and it happened.

On his surgery…

The surgery I’m getting done is a patellar tendon graft. They’re going to take my patellar tendon and place it where my ACL is. I’m getting my surgery tomorrow by Dr. (Russell) Warren in New York City. I’m getting it done early in the morning tomorrow.

On the length of his rehab…

Twelve to 16 weeks – around then, I should be starting to jog, not moreso a run or a full-out sprint, but a jog. With this thing, it’s kind of crazy. I’ve been educated a lot on this. You hear all these stories with other guys with ACLs and they tell you all of their stories. The thing I’m trying to do is just learn as much as I can and try to do this thing the right way so I can get back on the field.

On if he feels he will still be a dominant player…

Yes. If everything goes right and I do everything right with this procedure and this process for me for the next four to six months, yes. I’m a confident player. I’ve never had an injury like this, so this is all new for me. I’m a hard worker. I know I’m going to work my butt off and get back to where I need to be.

On Coach Ryan’s consideration to keep him on the roster so he could be available if the team made the Super Bowl…

Yes, we had that conversation. That’s basically it. You took the words out of my mouth. He was going to keep me on the roster to see if there was a chance that we were going to make it into the Super Bowl, I would be able to play in that game. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime game. That’s what we discussed and it was a process that we wanted to do going forward. Then things changed. We had a lot of injuries and we had to pull a (guy) up from the practice squad. Now, I’m on injured reserve and it’s best for the team because we have a lot of guys hurt or banged up. I understand that decision.

On whether Coach Ryan trying to save him for the Super Bowl meant a lot to him…

Yes, because I wrapped my head around just trying to get ready for next year, (the) 2013 season. For him to tell me that, I (thought), ‘Wow.’ It makes me want to play in that game (and) get back. (With) how things are, it’s just really four to six (months) and you really can’t tell. Even if I do feel fine around that time, it might take a little bit more time just to be cautious (and to) make sure I’m ready for the next season.

On if he sees the injury as a setback to a contract extension…

No, people might look at this as a setback for my situation, but right now I’m not even focused on that. Right now, the biggest thing is my knee. I have to do everything I can. Everything happens for a reason. This is something that happened in my career. You can’t take that second back from the ACL tear and the game. I just have to get back, get 100 percent and go from there. Once I’m 100 percent and I feel like that (with) my body, to me there’s no question that I won’t be back to where I was in my previous years of performing and doing what I do best.  

On getting hurt…

It has been up and down for me. It really has. I’ve never been hurt, not in my high school (or) college career. Now it has happened here in the pros, so it’s different. It really is. Instead of being out there with my teammates, I have to cheer them on and be the biggest cheerleader I can (be) for them right now. That’s really all I can give back to the team, just cheer them on. I’ve been doing my rehab. I see them in here. I talk to them and just tell them we need to get a win and those types of things. (I) just try to encourage them. We lost two games in a row, so it was not really happy around here. Guys had their heads down, so it’s good sometimes, from looking outside-in, I think that’s where I’m at right now looking at things outside-in, instead of looking at it inside-out. When you’re playing, you’re kind of looking at things inside out, so it’s just a different point of view. I’m learning and I’m just taking the best tries I can to get through this situation. 

On whether he will have to prove himself next season before he can renegotiate his contract…            

Great question.  (I) probably (will have to).  Every year, you have to come in here and prove yourself, if (there’s) an injury or if there’s not.  But I’m sure it might raise peoples’ eyebrows of how I’m going to look when I come back. I’m okay with that, I wouldn’t expect anything less. I just know what I’m going to do. I know I work hard and I’m going to just come back and treat it like any other offseason. I know I don’t want to sit here and say that, but I’m really not playing, so I have to treat this like the offseason where I go see my personal trainer and get back to tip-top shape and go from there.

On his message to the Jets fans that are concerned he may leave after next season…

I really don’t have (a) message right now because that situation hasn’t come up yet. If it does down the road, then we’ll handle it down the road, (then) I’ll be talking to you guys about that.  But right now, (I’m) just trying to be healthy, get this surgery tomorrow, and just do rehab the best way I can and get back into tip-top shape.

On whether he’s attended defensive meetings…

No, I haven’t. I haven’t been in the meetings. That was moreso my choice. (The) coaches told me I could be in there.  I just feel, at this time, my focus needs to be on my knee. (There’s) nothing wrong with not being in there, but I just don’t want to be a distraction to my teammates, being injured.  They’re trying to focus and they’re trying to win games.  The only thing I can do is be where I need to be, and that’s in the training room making sure I’m getting my range of motion in my knee back and focusing on my knee.

On what the team can do without its best player…

The sky’s the limit, no matter if your best players are on the field or not. Guys have to step up and they have to perform, I mean, that’s just what it is (and) that’s what they’re doing.  Yesterday’s game was awesome.  (The) defense stepped up a lot and made a lot of plays.  Right now, the focus shouldn’t really be on me.  I’m out, Santonio’s (Holmes) out, guys have to step up and make plays for us to win, and I think everybody understands that as a team and moving forward.

On if it’s hard to watch the games…

It’s been hard. Because like I said earlier, now you’re looking outside-in, instead of inside-out.  Me being the competitor that I am, (I) want to get out there. I still want to get out there with this ACL tear, but I can’t.  I accept that for me.  I need to do all the things I do and I think this is the only way I can best help the team is (to) focus on my knee and prepare for next year.

On Antonio Cromartie’s comments being the best cornerback in the league now that Revis is out for the season…

That’s awesome.  Me and Cromartie always talk about being the one-two punch, the (top) cornerbacks in the league, the best in the league, the best cornerback tandem.  I think he used that for motivation by saying that, because everybody has to step up. Not just him, but everybody on defense, everybody on offense has to step up. I understand where he’s coming from and he’s been playing well. He’s been playing awesome.

On if he can work any harder than he is…

This is what I do.  I’m a professional athlete. I work hard. I think that’s just where I come from, how I grew up, just working hard.  People might think this is a setback. To me, it’s okay. I know injuries happen for a reason. The concussion happened for a reason. That’s just what happens.  What I need to do is just work hard, just do what I’ve always been doing is just work hard and go from there.

On his goal for returning to practice…

Truthfully, as fast as possible. (I) just (have to) try to get back as fast as possible. (Get back to) where I feel comfortable that I can go out there and play like I usually do. I think that’s the biggest goal. If I don’t feel ready, then time will tell. We really don’t know.  As soon as I feel 100 percent, then I’ll be ready to go.  Whether that’s January, February, March, (or) April, it doesn’t matter.

On if he’s talked to Adrian Peterson…

Yeah, I’ve been talking to everybody. I’ve been talking to people like Adrian Peterson, I got information on Jamaal Charles. Donovan McNabb, I’ve had conversations with him. I’m talking to everybody. Cromartie  had an ACL tear back at Florida State (and) Sione Po’uha. I’m talking to so many people and so many people are helping me out.  Derek Anderson, former NBA player, hitting me up, telling me to do these different work outs, pool workouts, and everything.  I’m getting a lot of help and a lot of support from people, which is awesome.  It’s making me more educated and I can do what I can to get back out on the field as fast as I can.

On if he’s filming his rehab…

Yes.  I’m doing a documentary on this rehab and this process with the ACL tear.  It’s cool. (I) just take it in stride and try to do the best I can with it and just have fun with it. I think that’s the biggest thing.  It’ll be an experience for me and it’ll be an experience for the people that are doing the documentary.

On whether he looked at other doctors before he selected Dr. Warren…

Yeah, I got different opinions from other doctors.  Dr. (James) Andrews, has done a bunch of people, Adrian Peterson (and) a bunch of other guys in the NFL. You have to get different opinions from different doctors. This is your health. This is my health, and I just want to make sure I can educate myself as much as I can so I know what the doctors are talking about because sometimes they can talk over your head. (smiling)  I think just going through this process you have to do that.

On if he will reach out to Ray Lewis…

I will eventually, but I don’t have his personal number.  I just heard about it today, that he got hurt.  So yeah, I’ll reach out to him.  I know Ray really well and I will.  I heard he’s probably out for the season, so we’re in the same boat.