Antonio Garay 'Excited' To Play For Rex, Says Jets Have 'A Lot Of Promise'
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Antonio Garay is known for his colorful hairstyles, shape-shifting beard and "Hello Kitty" Smart car.
So yeah, the guy knows how to have a good time.
And there's just one way to do that in football.
"I'm here to have fun," Garay told WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on Tuesday. "And the only way you have fun is by winning."
Antonio Garay
Garay signed a one-year deal with the Jets last week after three-plus seasons with the San Diego Chargers. A former member of Gang Green's practice squad, Garay will help fill the void left by Mike DeVito and Sione Pouha.
"I'm not here to reflect on what the past is like," Garay said of Jets, who finished 6-10 in 2012. "I'm here to worry about the future. And that's why I'm in studio today, 'cause I'm excited about it."
Garay was also pumped to play for defensive-minded head coach Rex Ryan.
"To be here in New York, for Rex, I'm excited as far as the defensive mentality of it," he said. "And I think the whole approach is to get back to how they were a few years ago defensively, so I'm really excited about that."
The 33-year-old native of Rahway, N.J., has already visited the Jets' training facility in Florham Park, where he met cornerback Antonio Cromartie and defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis.
"I'm telling you, there's a lot of guys in there working out, and there's a lot of promise for this upcoming year," Garay said.
Garay had 48 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2010 with the Chargers, following that up with 58 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2011. He was released last week after playing in just eight games for San Diego in 2012.
"I want to start, but at the same time it's all about a rotation," Garay said of his role with the Jets. "How do things work, how do we work together as a unit, that's the most important thing."
More from Garay:
-- On the Darrelle Revis trade rumors: "As of right now, he's my teammate. So that's all I can tell you. I'm telling you the truth, buddy."
-- On quarterback Mark Sanchez: "(The Chargers) had game plans, but at the end of the day, everyone knew Mark was a good athlete, a good quarterback. And that was the one thing we were worried about: him beating us."
-- On Sanchez's infamous "Butt-fumble": "You New York fans gotta let that go, man. ... You'll forget about it after this season."
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