Rex thrilled to pick up old buddy Pryce
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Trevor Pryce strolled into the Jets' facility feeling as if he had hopped out of Doc Brown's DeLorean and into an alternate universe.
"It was strange walking in at first," he said yesterday, "and then I looked at the playbook. All the plays are the same. Then it was like stepping into a time capsule. I saw D.T., I saw Rex, I saw Pettine and I saw Bart. I was like, 'Where the hell am I?' So, I'm in New York and I'm excited."
Yes, the gang's all here. Pryce was reunited with Rex Ryan, defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine and linebacker Bart Scott, all of whom he played with as a Raven. Barely a day after he was released by Baltimore on Wednesday in a roster shuffle, the Jets swooped in and signed the 6-5, 290-pound defensive end, adding the guy who's fourth among the NFL's active sacks leaders to a line hit by a few injuries.
"We saw it as an opportunity, a window maybe," Ryan said, adding that Pryce will play against the Bills Sunday. "As soon as we saw that they released him, we of course got a little excited about it. At first, I was like, 'There is no way he was released.' "
Pryce, 35, was let go because the Ravens needed a roster spot for safety Ken Hamlin. Their plan was to re-sign the 14-year veteran Monday, and Pryce joked that he was going to enjoy the down time by hitting Six Flags with his daughter and niece. Ryan had other ideas, and the Jets, who released defensive tackle Howard Green to make room for Pryce, beat everyone else to the punch.
"I'm humbled by it, that Rex still thinks highly enough of me to say, 'No, you're coming to play here,' " Pryce said. "There were some other teams that called and whatnot, and it goes back to what I've always said about him. He's such a loyal guy to his guys. If you're a Rex Ryan guy, if I want to coach for him, I can coach for him. If I want to work in the cafeteria, he'd probably let me do that.
"He's always been like that."
Pryce, who has 90 sacks, is expected to play in pass-rushing situations initially. He's no longer an every-down player and didn't start or record any tackles in the Ravens' three games. But he said that's partly because he was supposed to be featured in certain packages on passing downs, though that didn't materialize much because of one thing. Said Pryce: "We couldn't stop water from running."
Some believe the four-time Pro Bowler who's started 155 games doesn't have much left. Pryce disagrees, and so does Scott. "He's got more juice than Tropicana," Scott said.
"At the end of the day, the guy can play," Jason Taylor said. "He's just a big, physical body, quick, sudden, strong. We're very fortunate to get him, especially at this point in the season. Who would've thought Trevor Pryce would be on the market?''
Not Pryce, apparently. "I was surprised when it happened," he said, "but if you stay around the NFL long enough, nothing should surprise you. After your first two or three years, you should've seen everything there is to see. I've literally seen everything, including myself getting released in Week 4."
