Austin Jackson – September 14, 2020
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Monday, September 14, 2020
T Austin Jackson
(What was it like getting in your first NFL game? What were some of the emotions that you had and how did you think you performed?) – “I was just really excited. Really excited to play and finally get on the field with my teammates and compete. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to since about April now. I was really excited to get out there and do that.”
(From my view, it looked like you didn’t give up a sack or even a hurry. Looked like you had a pretty good first game. How did you grade yourself out and did you expect to play that well?) – “I expect to show up and compete every day. At the end of the day, there is still a lot of things I need to work on and get better at. Keep working, keep doing the things I’m doing well now, but also keep getting better every day.”
(What’s the biggest thing you learned from your first NFL game?) – “The biggest thing I learned is probably the speed of the game picks up a little bit from practice to the actual game. I guess just getting acclimated to the speed of the game and learning how to anticipate movement from the defense. That’s something I learned throughout the first quarter.”
(What is it going to take for this unit to develop the chemistry that you guys need to be an efficient run-blocking unit?) – “Definitely just communication is the biggest thing. We all sit down with each other and we talk about stuff that needs to get done. I think just as we keep going and working harder and getting better, we’ll see more improvements on our end.”
(I have a two-prong question here, both about Ted Karras comments postgame. He mentioned the Patriots have a unique rush and thought you guys did well to combat some of that rush stuff. I’m curious to get your take on that, but also he said that he was proud of the young guys the two rookies, you and Solomon Kindley. I just want to ask you about Ted Karras’ communication and leadership and what it means upfront for you guys?) – “It means a lot. Ted is the center, so he’s pretty much like the head honcho of the offensive line. They are the big brains down there. They see everything, and he’s just been a great leader, especially to guys like me and Solomon who are young and don’t know much. He’s always had his hand out and helping all of us every step of the way.”
(I was wondering, they had some success against you guys early in the run defense scheme. Was there anything that they did unique and what was giving you problems? And why did it open up a bit in the second half?) – “There was a lot of movement throughout the run game early on. A couple of movement pieces I should’ve picked up myself. As soon as we got acclimated, we adjusted and that’s what we do. We plan to keep that for the rest of the season.”
(What was the reactions in terms of G Solomon Kindley, when you guys looked at the film, evaluating and the coach’s assessment on how you guys did?) – “It was good. We both talked about being excited to play, but it’s still a long season ahead of us. We don’t want to get too excited over now. We want to finish at the end of the year, feeling good about what we did. We’re still working every day.”
(Did you have a welcome to the NFL moment? And if not, was there maybe anything any of the Patriots said to you after that game that boosted your confidence any?) – “No, not really. Nah. No welcome to the NFL moment and there was no boost from the Patriots postgame either.”
(I kind of want to get your emotions going into this – no preseason game so this is literally your first time taking a snap. What’s sort of going through your mind that first snap, that walk to the stadium, everything when it’s real?) – “You can only look up and be star struck for so long. You still got people trying to hit you right in front of you. The whole time, I was excited. It was different but I was still very focused on doing my job for my team.”
(Have you had any chance at all to look at the Buffalo Bills and what they are going to present this week?) – “Yeah, definitely. I looked at their game yesterday against the Jets. I’m starting to look at their defense early, identifying their guys. They run a different defense than the Patriots do. It will be fun to get a look at a different type of defense this week. We’re excited for it. They got playmakers, we got playmakers and it should be fun.”
Preston Williams – September 14, 2020
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Monday, September 14, 2020
WR Preston Williams
(We saw WR DeVante Parker go down with a hamstring injury. What does that do to defenses with you and impact what you guys are doing when you lose a guy like DeVante?) – “I feel like we just stick with the same plan. We lose people – like I got lost last year in Week 8. It’s the next guy up, I guess. We prepare for it. The offense doesn’t change really much. We just stick with our same program.”
(How did the knee respond the first time you got out there and was your speed and explosiveness where you wanted it to be?) – “The knee felt pretty good … It was just a good feeling being back out there with my guys, able to compete and try to get a win.”
(What happened to you on that first interception? It looked like you were going against CB Stephon Gilmore and you may have slipped.) – “Yeah, I slipped trying to throw him bye. I’ve got to have better feet on the throw bye. Yeah, I slipped on the pass that ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) threw to me.”
(If WR DeVante Parker is out for a minute, if you are called upon to be their No. 1, how confident are you to be both your health and your ability to take on that role?) – “It’s not more of a role thing; it’s more of a system. We have a system; we’ve got concepts. There’s time where me and DeVante are on the same side. There might be a route where I clear it out for him, or he might clear it out for me. I don’t look at it from a one or two thing. I just try to make plays.”
(How would you describe your battle going up against CB Stephon Gilmore yesterday?) – “It was good work. (It was) my first game back out there. I felt pretty good. I got good competition. Gilmore is one of the top corners in the league, so it was good getting that look and getting that work in the first game of the season.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores talked about finding ways to get more explosive plays out of the offense. What are some of the things that you think can definitely help you guys produce more points?) – “Just everybody doing their jobs. That’s what coach says, everybody doing their job and just having more consistent plays. I think the plays are there, we’ve just got to string along better plays right after each other instead of having a play here and there.”
(What did you see from the new guy WR Lynn Bowden Jr. in practice last week?) – “Good route running. I watched him in college. I played against him actually. I always thought he was a great talent. I’m glad he’s here to compete just like everybody else is.”
Brian Flores – September 14, 2020
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Monday, September 14, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(A couple of things: with the need for more explosive plays, do you take a look this week at maybe incorporating RB/WR Malcolm Perry and maybe giving RB Matt Breida more touches just because of the speed, and I just wanted to make sure QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is starting on Sunday?) – “Yes, Fitzpatrick is starting. Look, there are a lot of things we’ve got to work on. Explosive plays are a part of that. We’ll look at different schemes, personnel – we’ll look at everything and try to do what we feel is best for the team, from an explosive play standpoint but also just an overall offensive standpoint.”
(You guys got another running quarterback in QB Josh Allen this week. Are you able to learn from what didn’t work from QB Cam Newton and can you apply that this week? What are some of your early takeaways from watching the film on that?) – “Yeah, I watched it this morning. Obviously Josh Allen is big, strong, fast. He had something like 60 yards rushing yesterday. Some similarities to what we saw yesterday. Obviously we’re trying to get a lot of that fixed now – from an edge-setting standpoint, from a tackling standpoint – schematically. We’ll work on that over the course of the week, just from a technique, fundamentals and practice standpoint. Hopefully it helps us on Sunday next week.”
(With QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s interceptions, it looked like with a couple of those there was a lot going on – receivers slipping, even possible pass interference on the one. How did you see those after getting a chance to look at them again, and how did you grade his play overall?) – “As a team, we’ve got to be better across the board. Offense, defense, special teams, there were some opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of after watching the film. That includes the quarterback position; but it includes all of the positons. We need better play from everybody, we need better coaching and that starts with me. There is a little bit to go around at every position. Every position, every position coach, we all have to be better.”
(You mentioned the edge setting when it comes to stopping the run game – 200 yards. You mentioned the tackling but it doesn’t seem like you guys missed a lot of tackles. What were the issues in terms of the 200 yards?) – “There were obviously a lot of issues – setting the edge, those quarterback read plays, whose got the quarterback, there was just some missed communication on that. We had a couple of calls there where there was just some missed communication. We tried to get it fixed on the sideline, got it fixed, one guy’s got it, somebody else doesn’t have it. Change the grouping. There was a plethora of things we’ve got to get fixed. We’ll work on that all week. Again, that falls on me. We’ll get that corrected and we’re looking forward to another opportunity to go out and compete next week.”
(It was very unclear what was happening right after the game with QB Cam Newton and his dispute, if any, with some of your players. What was going on there?) – “It’s an emotional game. I think tempers flared a little bit. I don’t think it was really that big of a deal. He went his way, we went ours. I didn’t really see much going on there.”
(I wanted to get your evaluation now that you’ve seen that tape of the offensive line, particularly in pass protection. How did you feel the front five did in pass pro yesterday?) – “I thought that the protection was solid. We had room to step up and time to throw it. That was good. Obviously we can always improve in that area. We’re going to need similar protection this week against a really good front, a good defense. I think those young guys got off to a solid start, but it’s about consistency in this league. We really need more consistency across the board on this team – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think they got off to a good start.”
(With WR DeVante Parker and that hamstring, did you guys get an idea of how bad he may have re-tweaked it and how long he may be out?) – “He is getting rehab and treatment today. He’ll get rehab and treatment tomorrow. We’ll see what this looks like on Wednesday. I can’t say right now. It’s still a little too early.”
Myles Gaskin – September 13, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 13, 2020
RB Myles Gaskin
(Going into the game, were you aware that you were going to play a pretty big role today?) – “I think, just going into every game, I’m just ready to go. It just kind of happened. I guess, yeah.”
(What would you say was the biggest thing that helped your transition from year one to year two, that kind of led to you getting the action that you did and performing the way you did today?) – “Just working hard, listening to ‘Coach E’ (Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville), and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and what they wanted out of me during the offseason. Trying to go back to the basics and working hard.”
(It seemed like it was tough sledding at first, but then when you started to get the ball in your hands, things opened up. Were you hoping to provide a spark, and what was your approach when you got into the game?) – “Yeah, I was hoping to do my best. Yeah.”
(Offensively, obviously you guys struggled today. What was it like trying to move the football, trying to string some plays together and ultimately not being able to pull through at the end there?) – “It’s frustrating. I think everybody on our team looks at it and we’re ready to go back to the drawing board, ready for next week and just keep grinding. Get better from what happened.”
(How much confidence, being involved in the way you were today, gives you moving forward?) – “I think I’m always kind of confident in football. I’ve played it all my life. Like I said, moving forward, coming up this next week, just going back to the drawing board.”
Ted Karras – September 13, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 13, 2020
C Ted Karras
(How do you think the offensive line did? It seemed like pass pro was little bit ahead of run blocking today?) – “They have a very unique rush that’s put a lot of us – we have to play our best. I think we did a good job, but obviously not good enough to win. We want to rush the ball a little bit better and hold onto it for our defense a little bit more. (There are) a lot of things we have to work on. We’re going to watch the film and get better.”
(Without the benefit of film review, do you have a sense of how the two rooks did?) – “They did great. I told them I was proud of them. They fought very hard like the rest of us, and it was a game and a hard-fought battle. We just didn’t come out on top today.”
(You talked about wanting to hold onto the football a little more for the defense. What are some things that went into that not happening for you guys today?) – “We’ve got to check the film, but I think just stringing consistent plays together. I gave up a play and some guys gave up a play. We can’t have people – we can’t just go down the line there. I take a lot of responsibility for that. We’re going to get back. I still feel very encouraged and I’m really looking forward to Week 2 here.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is obviously the emotional and on-the-field leader of this team. When he’s having a bad day like he did today, how do you flip the roles and lift him up?) – “We just went out there and fought. This was a hard-fought NFL game in a very unique situation. I think that it came down to really a couple of big plays. If we could be more consistent probably in the third quarter there, we would’ve had a better shot to end the game victorious.”
(Was there any point before or during the game, that it occurred to you that there were no fans, no crowd noise, that there was fake crowd noise? Was there any moment where anything at all occurred to you about that?) – “I didn’t know it was a touchdown when we scored. I thought that was pretty interesting, but I was glad we punched it in there on the goal line. That was a good little series for us. There was no reaction to anything. I was on the bottom of the pile, so I didn’t know what had happened.”
Bobby McCain – September 13, 2020
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Sunday, September 13, 2020
Postgame – New England
S Bobby McCain – (transcribed by New England Patriots)
(I wanted to ask you what the emotional swing was when Jerome forced that fumble. You guys went down and scored and why it couldn’t carry over to the next drive which kind of was the ball game?) – “That was a really big play in the game – game-changing play. We were able to drive the ball – 13 plays I believe – that was the 14th play of the drive and that was a really big play on behalf of him and people have got to understand that nobody’s in the stands when we make plays like that that we’ve all got to celebrate as a team because it’s just us out there. So that was a huge play in the game. That was a game-changing play.”
(I wanted to ask you about Brandon Jones in terms of the impact that he had on this game. Did you see him playing as much of a role as he did in the season opener?) – “Yeah. ‘B. Jones’ (Brandon Jones) is a good football player. He’s a fast player. He gets to the ball. Even though he’s a rookie, he’s a guy we want to depend on and he’s going to have to play good and play well.”
(I know it didn’t result in it but how much more confident does the group feel in terms of just everything that you guys feel right now at this moment compared to maybe last year where the games weren’t as competitive? It felt like throughout this entire game that you guys maintained within striking distance?) – “We don’t play football to just maintain within striking distance. We play football to win, so we know as a team we’ve got to get better and we know we’ve got the guys in the room that we want – the guys we need – and we know we’ll get the job done. So I wouldn’t necessarily say we’re comfortable with losing. We’re never that, but we’ll go back to the drawing board, get the scouting report this week. We’ve got the Bills coming up. We’ll flush this game and put it behind us and we’ve got to go 1-0 next week.”
(Just asking about the adjustment you guys made at halftime and how the running game for the Patriots kind of got going again after it seemed like for a couple of drives you had gotten them stopped after early in the game it was going well for them. Just curious the flow of the game and the adjustments for you guys.) – “We lost, so with the adjustments, we tried to come to the sidelines, we tried to go in at halftime and make the best adjustments we can. But at the end of the day it just wasn’t enough. That’s on us as a team, as a unit, as a staff. We’ll clean it up and we’ll be better.”
(Obviously you guys put the video out Thursday and stayed in the locker room during the anthem today. I guess what did you think about the reaction that you guys got from the video and then having Flo as a part of that – what did that mean to you?) – “We spoke on this as a team – all of us together – and we decided that’s what we wanted to do, including ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and the coaches and I feel like it’s inspirational that we have a platform that we can use. And we did today and we will keep using it. I feel like it was best – we felt like it was best that we did what we did so as a team, we’re going to do it.”
(How would you describe what it was like to play an NFL game with no fans?) – “It was definitely different. Definitely different. We’ve got to bring our own energy, bring your own juice. It’s got to come from the sideline. It’s got to come from the staff, got to come from the people that are there with you because it’s just you guys in the stadium. We definitely have to do a better job of bringing our juice, starting off fast, and having energy at the beginning of the game.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores addressed the run defense and so did Jerome Baker. My question to you is this – with Cam Newton was the problem really he’s a double threat because he can still run the ball?) – “Yeah, Cam has been a good quarterback in this league. He has made plays with his arm. He has made plays with his legs. Today he made a lot of plays with his legs. When we see him again – I’m not sure when we play them again – when we see him again later in the year we’ll be ready for it.”
(Like you just mentioned with Cam obviously you guys have got to turn the page. Next week you guys got the Bills and Josh Allen – another guy who can run the ball – how can you maybe learn from what you guys saw from Cam and kind of apply that to facing Josh Allen and the Bills this upcoming week?) – “We know Josh Allen is a good quarterback in this league. He’s got a strong arm and he is a good runner. We have to be prepared and we have to do a better job of keeping him in his pocket and keeping the quarterback runs to a minimum and try to make them one-dimensional. They’re a good team. We’ll get the scouting report this week and we’ll get started on the week, have a good week of practice and be prepared.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – September 13, 2020
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Sunday, September 13, 2020
Postgame – New England
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – (transcribed by New England Patriots)
(Ryan, just wanted to get your thoughts your play today? Obviously the three interceptions stand out to us.) – “Yeah. You can’t do that and win games in the National Football League. When you’re going against the Patriots, you know you have to take advantage of the possessions that you get and having a couple of turnovers there doesn’t help, but I thought up front we played well. I’ve got to play better in my part and then we’ll move on to next week.”
(On those turnovers, Ryan, what happened with some of those passes? It looked like tight coverage on a couple of them? Were you trying to get the pass interference calls particularly going to Gesicki?) – “Yeah, the first one was one-on-one with Preston (Williams) and ‘Steph’ (Stephon Gilmore) and there was some contact there. But that is what it is. The second one, definitely, they did a good job on that one. I threw it right to their free player in the middle of the field. And then that last one, yeah, just trying to make something happen in the end zone to try to conserve some time at the end of the game there. And sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t when you throw those type of throws.”
(What did you think about the play of your backs? It seems like Myles Gaskin got some run early on and got more workflow than what we were expecting?) – “Myles did a nice job. He broke some tackles. Not only in the run game, but in the pass game he made some nice plays, so that was exciting to see today.”
(When Preston (Williams) went out it seemed to limit you guys a bit on offense. How much of a blow was that when you lost your number one receiver – I’m sorry DeVante Parker not Preston?) – “It’s one of those things, DeVante started off doing some nice things. And we practiced with all those other guys plenty. So that’s something that happens every week in the National Football League every week. You don’t know who it’s going to be each week but definitely can’t use that as an excuse. I’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to find a way to get it done.”
(You mentioned earlier about the guys up front, how do you think Austin Jackson and Solomon Kindley did along with the rest of the O line?) – “I’m not sitting there watching them on every play, but I didn’t really get touched a whole lot back there and just in terms of their mood and mentality and the way they were in the huddle, I thought that was all really good to see. Definitely a different vibe out there with no fans, but those guys were into it. And from what I can tell I thought they did a nice job.”
(I know a lot of what your receivers do well is lot of those jump ball situations, but looked like that was sort of the focus of your offense in the passing game. Was that what you guys wanted or did you want some situations where you could take a little bit more shots down the field?) – “Well, with New England, they’re going to basically play man-to-man in those type of situations, and so a lot of times they are going to be those tight, contested throws. And some of them we got some PI calls on. Some of them we completed, and some of them we didn’t. They’re tough. They do a good job. They definitely have a veteran secondary. They play well together, and I would say their secondary played better than I did today.”
(Fitz, you just kind of touched on there not being fans out there and it feeling kind of weird. Do you think that helps/hurts when there are momentum shifts, you guys able to get into a rhythm just realizing how quiet it is?) – “I think it will be an adjustment. It’s the same for both teams so I think we’ll both have to adjust, but we had the play in the second half where they fumbled into the end zone, we got the ball went down and scored. And you could still feel the momentum with that play happen on defense and then how we went down there and scored on offense. You could still feel those shifts. They’re coming from a different place, coming from the sideline, coming from your teammates; and I think we realized that as the game went on.”
Jerome Baker – September 13, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 13, 2020
LB Jerome Baker (transcribed by New England Patriots)
(Could you walk us through that play near the end zone on our side where you kind of made like a last-second effort to really chase the ball-carrier and force a fumble that gave your guys an opportunity to get the ball back there?) – “Just go to the ball, run to the ball. That’s all it was. We preach about that every day. So you just run to the ball just try to make a play.”
(It seems like every big play, one way or the other, you were a part of today. What happened on the late hit? Did you just lose track of the sideline and I guess there was unsportsmanlike down near the end zone too?) – “Yeah, the penalties are unacceptable, especially on my end. The late hit, I lost track of the sideline. That’s unacceptable. The last play or whatever on Cam (Newton), there was just a lot of commotion. I was trying to get up. But my penalties are definitely unacceptable.”
(You had a lot of tackles but in general, can you talk about what you think the reason was that they had so many rushing yards, particularly QB Cam Newton?) – “We’ve just got to play together. We’ve got to focus on stopping the run and we’ve also got to play together and just play disciplined. We came up short today; but it’s going to be a long season, so we just definitely got to get on top of that.”
(It seemed like you and QB Cam Newton definitely got into it with the sideline hit in the first half and then kind of at the end of the game there. What was it like going against him today?) – “He’s a competitor. That’s the one thing about him, he’s a competitor. I’m the same way. It was definitely a tough game but also we’ve got to figure out a way to come out with the win. Yeah.”
(How tough was that read option that QB Cam Newton was running, how tough was that to cover?) – “It was definitely something different. It was definitely tough. But ultimately, we’ve got to make adjustments. We’ve got to get it handled. We definitely want to go back to the drawing board and focus on that. But you’ve got to look at what we made mistakes at but also we’ve got to get better.”
(I know you touched on QB Cam Newton a little bit and I’m sure the defensive game planned for him; but what he could do today still running the ball 75 yards, two touchdowns, was that a surprise to you?) – “I wouldn’t say it was a surprise. Cam’s still Cam – a former MVP. We definitely respected his talent on the field. We just have to play together as a defensive. Today we got a little sloppy, got a little undisciplined; but also we’ve got to come together and play better defense.”
(Obviously I believe it was 17 tackles and you got a number that I guess from a team standpoint that stands out, 217 rushing yards. Did you know they had that many rushing yards when you’re in a game like that?) – “It’s not exactly you know how many yards they get exactly. But as a defense, we know they ran the ball. So we definitely have to go back to the drawing board and put emphasis on that. We definitely came up short today.”
