Liam Eichenberg – November 1, 2021
Monday, November 1, 2021
T Liam Eichenberg
(You always give us such substantive and thoughtful answers, which we appreciate. I know you mentioned several days before you moved to left tackle that when I asked if you’d be better at left or right long termed, you said ‘right’ at that point. Now that you’ve played left tackle for a month, as you did at college, how would you answer that question now? Do you feel like your future would be better at NFL left tackle or do you still think right is the better spot for you?) – “It’s wherever the team wants me. Obviously I bounced around a bunch, played a bunch of different positions, but I honestly couldn’t tell you. I’m focusing on this week and hopefully I’m at left tackle this week. I‘m just taking it week by week, day by day. Just trying to improve, trying to help this team get better and win.”
(Has your play at left tackle met your own expectations?) – “No, I think I can play a lot better. I think that it goes to my fundamentals and technique, and moving a lot more efficient in regards to pass pro and run game.”
(How difficult has this season been? I’m assuming you didn’t have a seven-game losing streak at Notre Dame and what are the challenges to getting prepared each week?) – “I would say for me it’s one week at a time, one game at a time. I don’t look to the future. I just try to take it day-by-day, work to get better, work to improve. I go out there every single day at practice trying to work on my technique and my fundamentals to improve and become the best player I possibly can. Obviously this season hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, but there is still time to turn it around. It’s one game at a time and we’re attacking it every single day. I think guys believe too. That’s the biggest point.”
(What about the NFL have you learned that maybe caught you by surprise?) – “I would say that at the most important moment, you need your fundamentals and technique to be at it’s best. In college you can kind of get away with certain things, but in the NFL, you have to be at your best every single play.”
(In terms of studying on tape the plays where maybe you’ve been beaten for a sack or a pressure, has there been a theme of whether you’ve been beaten by power moves, spin moves elusiveness? Obviously this didn’t happen to you much at all at Notre Dame. No sacks the last two-and-a-half years. What’s been the theme to what has beaten you to this point that you want to correct?) – “I think it’s a handful of everything, I guess you could say. My hands being in the wrong spots, my feet not being underneath me. It’s just kind of a mixture of everything. It’s not one specific thing. At practice, you’ve got to review the film, break down what you need to focus on and work on that every single day.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said today that he thinks that guard is G/T Austin’s Jackson best position. Where are you in terms of chemistry on the left side. Obviously it can’t be totally where you want it because you’ve been together less than a month at those two positions. Where is it now in terms of the growth of that chemistry with you two?) – “Austin is a great player and a great guy as well. I think the biggest thing for us that’s improved since we first started playing next to each other is communication. On my part, communicating to him and then him communicating to me, and then the other guys on the offensive line. I think he’s done a great job with that and then also it’s awesome playing next to him. He plays hard, he plays physical and he cares about this team and this offensive line. It’s been great”
(Are you personally excited about what the duo of you and him can do, because it’s obvious from Head Coach Brian Flores’ comments that you guys are going to get a extended look at those two spots?) – “Yeah, I’m excited. I want to help this team win. So wherever they need me and wherever they need Austin, he is the same way. It just comes to us doing our job.”
Jaylen Waddle – November 1, 2021
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Monday, November 1, 2021
WR Jaylen Waddle
(Have plays been called for you, just deep routes, deep vertical throws like we saw you and QB Tua Tagovailoa connect with at Alabama, that just haven’t happened because the play was changed because of the defense, pass protection issues? Have there been a number of those types of plays called that just simply did not happen because of change of plays?) – “We got a little bit of everything in our playbook. Them type of plays, we don’t try to force them and go in the game saying we are going to have to do this. It’s kind of like if it happens, they are going to happen. We aren’t going to try to force them to be there.”
(Are you eager or antsy to complete those types of deep throws? Obviously we see Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill do it all the time. We know you’re capable of it. Are you eager for the first one – a 70-yard deep ball for a touchdown?) – “I wouldn’t say eager. I‘m just eager to go out there and play, do my job, do it at a high level and try to help us win, honestly.”
(There were a lot of plays on offensive snaps where guys were being redirected, you included. What was going on there in terms of people being able to know their assignments and maybe the communication?) – “Yeah, I just think honestly just our communication has got to get better. It’s something that we are going to work on throughout the week. I just think we just got to get better with communication and it all starts with practice, to be honest.”
(You talking pre-snap communication or is that a knowing the plays thing?) – “All of it. All of it helps. Pre-snap, post-snap, coming back to the huddle faster. All of that will help honestly.”
(I know it’s kind of old news but just to clarify on the play that everyone was talking about, the ball that hit TE Mike Gesicki. It appeared as though he was trying to relay a message to you as far as where to line up. Did you misunderstand something as far as where you should be lined up on that particular play?) – “The communication was just all messed up from the jump.”
(You had a significant amount of targets yesterday and not that many receptions. Does it surprise you how much teams are paying attention to you? Obviously you played in an offense that was pretty good but you had a lot of talent around you.) – “Yeah, kind of because we got a lot of great players just around here. If it makes my job harder, it makes someone’s job easier then I’m all for it.”
Brian Flores – November 1, 2021
Monday, November 1, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know you’re tired of the topic and you’ve said QB Tua Tagovailoa is our quarterback. But with that being said, I just have one simple question. You know what’s going on talking to General Manager Chris Grier and Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross. The question is this: is there any possibility that you guys will acquire a starting-caliber quarterback within the next 26 hours before the trade deadline tomorrow?) – “I understand the question. I basically answer it every day the same way. Tua (Tagovailoa) is our quarterback. Any conversations that I have with Chris, I have with Steve, I will keep them internal and it will remain that way.”
(One unrelated thing. Several readers reached out to writers yesterday it appeared as though you were calling the defensive plays and not Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer based on the papers you had in your hands. Were you calling the defensive signals yesterday or was Josh?) – “No. Josh called the game.”
(With the deadline coming up in a day, you’re obviously focused on the next game trying to end this losing streak. But do you talk to the team telling them to avoid it or is it just something that is natural within a locker room? How do they deal or how do you tell them to deal with the next 24 hours?) – “Really, today’s conversation was about the game yesterday and really the focus was there. Corrections from the game yesterday, obviously mistakes we made, things we did well, things we can build on. We didn’t really get into any deadlines or anything like that. My job is to be focused on the guys in our room and that’s the approach I take.”
(I wanted to ask you about the offense’s passing game. You guys attempt more passes than everybody but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and you’re second to last in yards per attempt. Is this a byproduct of the situations you are in in terms of you guys trailing so often or do you view yourself as a pass-first team?) – “You always want balance. That’s something that we’ve talked about. We haven’t been able to create the balance that we want for a variety of reasons. It’s certainly, something we put an emphasis on, something we talk about. Some of the games, score has dictated some of that. As we’ve talked about, you always want balance. I thought there were some instances, especially early, where we got some positive runs and we just weren’t able to sustain it or stay with it is probably a better term. It’s definitely something that we talked about as a staff today. It’s something that we’ve talked about in recent – really every week and we need to do a better job of that in the second half of this season.”
(You mentioned after the game that you kind of just sat there for a while. I’m curious how you thought and compartmentalized the last seven games, losing and not going the way you want it to go?) – “It’s disappointing. Our guys work hard. Our coaches work hard. I think about the people around the building. I think about our fan base. I want to do better for all of those people. I know the team does. Those are the thoughts that go through my mind and I just think about what I can do to get us over the hump, turn the tide. Is it a scheduling thing? Is it play calling? Do we have to switch a guy’s position? What do we got to do? That’s kind of where my thoughts are. But yeah, disappointing. But at the same time, I’m motivated to get back out there and make the improvements, make the corrections and turn it around.”
(I know you’re a one day at a time guy. Do you allow yourself to ever think big picture, look backwards on what’s going on this year or the first two-and-a-half years of your tenure and try to use any of that to move forward?) – “Yeah, I try to look back and reflect on some other experiences that are similar. But every year is so different, every team is so different. The players are different, the year is different, the time and everything is so different. To reflect on maybe an instance where there was this type of adversity, you think back on it but you think about some of the people I was around and those people, those players, some of them are different, some of them are the same and then you just try to think about the group you have now and what’s the best way to motivate the group we have now to turn the tide.”
(Can you confirm whether WR Preston Williams and S Sheldrick Redwine will be back at practice this week?) – “Yeah, they’ll be at practice on Wednesday.”
(You mentioned that you pull from some of the adversity that you guys faced, you faced particularly previously. Are you going back to the 2019 season or are you going back to maybe Boston College and your Patriots tenure?) – “I think adversity comes in a lot of different ways. It’s not necessarily just football. As you know, I could be pulling from a lot of things that I’ve dealt with personally. That’s normally what I do. From a football standpoint, obviously yes, probably the 2019 season. But as far as just getting knocked down and picking yourself back up, there’s definitely been some other instances that we all pull from when we’re dealing with adversity. This isn’t as hard as this, I picked myself up from this situation, that situation. I know the players have dealt with that. I know each one of you has dealt with that in some form or fashion. I don’t think it’s just a specific season.”
(I wanted to ask, you guys keep talking about the tide needs to start rolling from a positive standpoint and cleaning up a lot of mistakes. How close do you feel that you guys are based on your last performance?) – “I think we did some good things yesterday. It’s a good team. I thought we played them tough. I thought we played hard for 60 minutes. I thought there were certainly some missed opportunities on our part to score some points that we would have liked to have later in the game obviously. There were some opportunities to make some plays and we didn’t make them. From that standpoint, I do see some things we can build on. But every week is different. Every opponent is different, every week is different. So we have to start over this week with our preparation for Houston and try to have a good week.”
(How puzzling or perplexing has it been that there hasn’t been more of a pass rush? I know you’ve had pressures, but they haven’t been converted into high sack numbers or obviously as many turnovers as last year. It seems puzzling, just because DL Adam Butler is a four sack a year guy consistently in New England and hasn’t had one here. LB Jaelan Phillips we know the pass rusher he was at Miami. DE Emmanuel Ogbah we know his record. Is it puzzling to you that you haven’t seen bigger sack numbers overall as a defense?) – “I think we’ve had this conversation on the sacks versus the pressures versus the effect on the quarterback. Yesterday we had some of an effect on the quarterback. I thought Josh Allen did a good job of scrambling around and getting the ball off. There were some instances where we were on him and didn’t get him down, but there was an effect on the quarterback. There have been some other games where we haven’t had as much of an effect on the quarterback. We’ve got to do a better job. I think that’s always at the top of the priority list as far as how do we affect the offense. We want to affect the quarterback or really more so the offense and the passing game. We want to affect the quarterback. It’s always a point of emphasis. We need to do a better job there. I thought yesterday (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) did a nice job of calling some pressures and getting Allen off the spot in some instances. He didn’t get him all the way down for sacks but created some quicker throws that in some instances benefited us.”
(WR Will Fuller and C/G Michael Deiter, any update to whether they’ll be able to practice this week?) – “Those guys are still week to week. We won’t see them this week.”
(If I can ask you about the offensive line development, we’ve asked you a few times throughout the year about that. But when you are evaluating some of the young guys and where they are in this season, are you happy? What would describe how you feel about G/T Austin Jackson, G/T Robert Hunt and some of these first or second year guys who you’ve had to play a lot?) – “I think they’ve played well in spurts. They haven’t played so well in some other situations and I think that’s kind of the development of a young player. I think Austin at guard, I think that’s been a good transition for him. I think that’s the right spot for him. The same thing with Rob Hunt. It’s a young group. The experience of playing with crowd noise yesterday, with that type of crowd noise and silent cadence, is something that was definitely a learning experience for them yesterday. I think we could’ve been better as far as our execution on some of those things. But overall, I think they are all improving. I think they all are making progress. I’m looking forward to watching them improve more as the season progresses.”
(I want to ask you about a sequence late in the game. You were out of timeouts and the outcome was pretty much decided. Buffalo, whether than I guess the traditional thing to do there is kneel down, they scored instead and went for two. Did that catch you eye? Did it get the attention of the players that they chose to go that route?) – “No. Their job is to score and our job is to stop them. Regardless of score, regardless of time in the game, that’s my approach. Our job is to go out there and stop them.”
(You’ve said several time that QB Tua Tagovailoa is your quarterback. If that’s the case, why can’t you rule out acquiring another starter?) – “I think when I say Tua is the quarterback, I’m not sure what more I can say. That’s kind of the way I’ve handled this and approached this the last few weeks.”
(For record-keeping purposes, I was remiss without asking you if S Sheldrick Redwine, was that also a disciplinary issue that he wasn’t on the trip?) – “Yes.”
Christian Wilkins – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
DT Christin Wilkins
(What broke down in the second half after you guys battled well in the first?) – “I really don’t know. I’ll have to watch the film to be able to really see it. They just started making plays, started driving. They made adjustments. They did a good job., That’s a good football team over there. We fought hard but just didn’t do enough to win.”
(What happened there at the end between you and Buffalo QB Josh Allen?) – “Football is a tough game. Got a lot of alpha males. It’s competitive. It gets chippy. Stuff happens. I have no hard feelings against Josh (Allen), that’s my guy. Just a competitive game. Things happen.”
(It seemed like you guys squared it away after the game. You guys said hello to each other after. Is that what happened?) – “Yeah, like I said, it’s a competitive game. Things happen all the time throughout the course of the game. It’s just part of what comes with it.”
(Being so close against the Bills after not being so close the previous times you’ve played them, how disappointing is this game still for you guys?) – “There’s no moral victories. Whether we lost by one or lost by 100, there’s no moral victories. Obviously, you get a little disappointed because we all work so hard. We put a lot of time around each other trying to build something. Each week preparing, we barely get to see our family, our friends. We’re locked in during the season. So for those reasons, it’s obviously disappointing a little bit because you always want to win. No matter what you do, you always want to see the fruits of your labor. But I refuse to be miserable. I’m not going to duck my head. I’m sure that’s what a lot of people want us to do and a lot of people are looking for us to do, but I’m not going to do that. I love this game of football. I love this team and I’m just going to keep bringing it each week and that’s what it is. That’s what it is.”
(In that sense, how do you approach the final however many weeks of the season knowing you’ve lost seven straight?) – “Like I said, I refuse to be miserable and I’m going to attack each day like it’s a new day. That’s how I approach life. That’s how I’m going to approach to this game because we can still finish strong. There’s still a lot of football left. Like I said, I just refuse to be miserable because I do enjoy this. I do love playing football, I do love playing with my teammates, I love competing. So I’m just going to come in every day with the right mindset and attack each day like it’s a new day.”
(The first half your defense was playing solid. The second half what got away from you?) – “Like I was saying earlier, I really don’t know exactly. But like I said, they are a really good team. They’ve got good players and we knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle and that at no point we could get comfortable because like I said, they’re a good team. They’re going to make plays.”
(1-7 moving forward what’s the outlook of the locker room as far as your defense?) – “Like I said, just going to keep attacking each and every day. 24-hour rule in the NFL. Tomorrow is a new day and just try to get a win next week.”
(Was it frustrating that holding this team to three points for the offense – even in the third quarter … that it didn’t result in any lead to hold this potent offense to three points even in the third quarter?) – “Like I keep saying, they just made plays and they’re a good football team. We just didn’t make enough plays to win.”
(Some of the defensive tackles were dropping back in coverage more today. Was that a new wrinkle or something you guys are…?) – “We are just doing what the game plan asks for. Just following the script. If a play calls for that, that’s what we got to do.”
(Do you believe in QB Tua Tagovailoa and the offense? Do you think offensively you guys can be competitive with other teams?) – “Absolutely. I know those guys. I know those guys work hard, too. I know what I see every day in practice. I got a lot of confidence in this team, period. A lot of these games could easily have turned in our favor. Yeah, we’re 1-7, but a couple games could have gone this way or that way. That’s just how the league goes.”
(You were giving up three points for so long into the game. What was going well for your defense at that point and what was the feeling on the sideline with all the defensive players knowing you were playing so well?) – “We were just competing, working hard and following the game plan. That’s what we try to do each and every week and each and every day and each and every play. Everybody is just doing their job and like I said, they were able to just make plays. We just weren’t able to make enough plays.”
Austin Reiter – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
C Austin Reiter
(Can you take us though the snap that ended up ricocheting off of TE Mike Gesicki and a fumble lost?) – “I think that was just a miscommunication on the offense. It’s not on one person. It’s just an offensive mistake there and that’s something that can’t happen. Especially down there in the red zone going into score, great field position. Just a mistake that we made.”
(Was the timing of the whole play off by misalignment? Was that sort of G/T Robert Hunt thought he was giving you the correct time to snap it but the timing of the whole thing was off?) – “So, I’ll be honest, I haven’t looked at it yet. It wasn’t really much of a discussion. I kind of moved on from that. I’m not 100 percent sure so it’s going to be tough for me to give you a direct answer for that right now.”
(What was the impact of that play psychologically on the team would you say?) – “I think you and the fans probably felt that. I’ve played a lot of football and when those types of things happen, that’s why it’s important to move on and regroup. There’s always highs and lows in the game. It’s extremely tough when you shoot yourself in the foot like that especially close to the end of the half.”
(There were a few plays people had alignment issues. Any common element …?) – “It’s tough for me to say. As far as alignment goes, I’m the closet one on the ball. Everybody else is offset unless a receiver is on the line. When I’m looking at a defense, it’s almost like him standing here from me so it’s hard for me to see that and we’ve got so much going on in a game pressures-wise, what they’re doing on defense. For an offensive line, we take care of what we do in the game and as far as alignment goes and things like that, I don’t know what happened.”
(Without the benefit of reviewing the film, what is your sort of first-blush feeling about how the offensive line as a group performed in today’s game?) – “Not well enough. We lost so there’s really no moral victories. But I would say that there’s always positive things we do. You got to take some on the chin and this is one of them. I think moving forward, you have to improve on what you do well and you definitely have to correct what you’ve done wrong and things that you’re not doing right. But today’s performance probably, I’m sure there will be some things in film that we’ll see that we liked doing and there’s going to be some things that we didn’t.”
Xavien Howard – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
CB Xavien Howard
(You guys were able to have some success against them in the first half. What were some things that were working for you guys early?) – “We had some great play calling from the coaches. I think we were getting back a little bit to what we were doing last year with the coverage we were playing.”
(In the second half, they had three third-down plays that didn’t go your way. What were some things that were not happening for you guys?) – “We couldn’t get off the field. On third down, we expect to get off the field and give the ball back to the offense and we couldn’t do that today.”
(You said it was getting back to what you were doing last year in what way?) – “On the coverage calling.”
(More man-heavy?) – “Yeah.”
(Can you break down the touchdown to Bills WR Stefon Diggs?) – “It was good play calling there from the offense. They were able to do a lot of great play calling over there. We were in Cover Zero and he came down on a tight split and just ran a bang eight.”
(Do you guys feel like you get enough from the offense each and every week to go toe-to-toe with these other teams?) – “I feel like it’s on all three phases. We’ve got to make plays, everybody as one. Everybody from all three phases has got to make plays.”
(What happened the play before the touchdown when Bills WR Cole Beasley threw that pass? What was going on there you broke it up?) – “I think it was a screen-and-go. I ended up seeing the screen-and-go and ended up just trying to make a play on the ball.”
(What’s the vibe in there right now?) – “The vibe in there, we just got to stick together and we got to keep good practices. We’ve just got to keep going.”
(With as well as you guys played through the first call it, two-and-a-half, three quarters, what can that do for your team’s confidence moving forward as you try to stick together?) – “I feel like we can compete with the big dogs. That’s a great team over there. They’ve got great players over there. I would say we just have to keep being consistent and making plays.”
Jevon Holland – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
S Jevon Holland
(Any thoughts on the first half? You guys pretty much had your will defensively against them. Anything happen in the second half that changed that?) – “I think in the first half we came out strong. We played how we think we can play and you guys saw that. That’s a good team so in the second half they went in the locker room and did their thing. They executed and we got to learn how to finish.”
(Talking to … You guys are 1-7, what’s the outlook of the locker room? How are you guys feeling? Are you guys still motivated? Tell me about it.) – “We’re in the NFL, this is week-by-week. You lose games, you win games. It is what it is. You move on to the next week so that’s what we’re doing every week.”
(What was happening with Buffalo WR Cole Beasley in that second half? It looked like they went to him an awful lot and they were effective with it.) – “Yeah, I mean, you probably got to ask them because they were executing and were throwing him the ball. They were finding him in open gaps and that’s what it is.”
Mike Gesicki – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
TE Mike Gesicki
(Can you walk us through that play right before half?) – “It was just miscommunication. That’s all it is. Just got to be better with that.”
(Were you telling WR Jaylen Waddle to stay on the other side of the field there?) – “Yeah, there was just some misalignment. We’ve just got to get lined up.”
(With Robert doing – it was a … so Robert was telling the center to snap the ball…?) – “Correct.”
(I guess outside of the miscommunication why was that so disappointing?) – “That’s all it is. Yeah, that’s just miscommunication and we’ve just got to be able to line up and not make negative plays against ourselves.”
(So it looked on the replay like the ball hit you in the chest?) – “Correct.”
(What I wanted to ask you is what was going through your mind as…?) – “Get the ball. Try to get the ball. Do whatever you can to get the ball. We got points right there – obviously there was a chance to get points at the end of the half and we don’t get them. So that’s all 11. It’s not one guy. It’s not two guys. It’s all 11 guys. We’ve got to get lined up right. We’ve got to – snap count – all that kind of stuff. So that’s kind of been the story so far because we’ve got a lot of talent. We’ve got a good football team. I say every week to you guys, we’re that close and that’s how close we are.”
(What was the mental effect of that play on the team going into halftime?) – “We were fine. Bounced back.”
(Just for clarity sake you were not expecting the ball – you were not expecting to be snapped the ball, right?) – “Do I look like jet sweep type of player? (laughter) No.”
(What’d you think of QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance today?) – “Good. I like playing with Tua. I think he’s tough as nails. He bounces back. I think everybody is probably writing us off at the start of the fourth quarter and we go down there and we get a drive, get a two-point conversion, convert on a fourth down. He steps up in the pocket, makes plays, quarterback sneak for a touchdown. So people are going to talk bad about him, people are going to say all the negative stuff; but Tua is just going to keep coming to work. He’s going to keep doing what he has to do and I’m going to keep supporting him week-in and week-out.”
(Tell us about that fourth-down play – the 40-yarder?) – “I say it every week. Just got to make the most of your opportunities when they present themselves. I had an opportunity and I made the most of it.”
(Why is it that this offense – it seems like there’s not passes really – not no, but very, very few passes longer than 15, 20 yards being thrown?) – “We’ve got it in the playbook. We call them. Some defenses take it away. I don’t know if I’m really the right guy to ask that question.”
(Walk us through that completion on fourth down – the 40-yard catch.) – “Yeah, that was what I just said. So every week I say the same thing to you guys. You’ve just got to make the most of your opportunities when they present themselves. That was an opportunity on fourth down. Made the most of it. Tua (Tagovailoa) gave a great ball like I just said, stepped up in the pocket, made a big play on fourth down, gave me an opportunity and if I have an opportunity to make a catch I’ve got to go up and get it. And we were able to score a touchdown that drive, get a two-point conversion and kind of get some momentum going back our way.”
(The start of the second half you were trying to get – it looked like you were trying to get people lined up properly. Why were the issues today that…?) – “I don’t – I wish I had that answer for you. We just like I said earlier, miscommunication. Not getting lined up right, maybe it was not hearing personnels. I don’t know what it was honestly. But like I said earlier, it’s not one guy. It’s not two guys. It’s all 11 guys. We’ve all got to take that responsibility, take that accountability and we’ve got to come back tomorrow, learn from everything and Wednesday have the best practice of the year. Thursday, have a better practice. Friday, have an even better practice. Have a phenomenal week of preparation to put us in position on Sunday to get a win because that’s what we need right now.”
