Brian Flores – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
Head Coach Brian Flores
(On the play before halftime what happened?) – “Yeah, just miscommunication, lack of execution. Obviously, it was a big play in the game. We struggle at the end of halves with turnovers and unfortunately, we got one again today. We lost out on points that ended up being big points in the game.”
(After that, you guys came out three-and-out three times in the third quarter. Did you think that had some lasting effect for you guys?) – “Look our guys, they bounce back. I think it was more execution on Buffalo’s part and lack of execution on our part. Got to give them credit. At the end of the day, especially in the second half we didn’t move the ball efficiently enough. Especially those first three drives. Got it going on that fourth drive, I believe, when Mike (Gesicki) caught the long ball on fourth down. But just didn’t make enough plays.”
(Since we are on that play you were going to call timeout – you came down to the official like you might call timeout. What were you seeing?) – “I went down there; I saw us lined up in position to motion. I looked at the clock. Looked like we had enough time. Between the snap, it hit Mike (Gesicki) and it was just a bad play.”
(There were other plays where players had trouble getting into the right alignment. Was there a common thread to any of this?) – “Yeah, just overall miscommunication.”
(From QB Tua Tagovailoa to players? Or from…?) – “Everyone kind of plays a role in that. You never want to put it on one guy. Getting the call, getting the alignment, getting the shift, getting the motion. With the crowd noise just, we didn’t execute. We ended up kind of going to more just standard formations with less shifting and motions later in the game.”
(What did you think of QB Tua Tagovailoa’s play today?) – “Again, I know there are some plays he wishes he had back. The one before the half for sure and then the interception. But he made some good throws. I thought we moved the ball decently in the first half, got some first downs in the run game, threw some good balls to (DeVante) Parker and got (Mike) Gesicki on that fourth down. I thought he did some good things but overall, not enough.”
(What’s your message to the team at 1-7? Obviously, playoffs are always the aspiration but at 1-7 at pretty much the halfway point of the season, what are you telling players at this point?) – “I’m telling them to – I thought the guys fought. It’s a good team. I though they fought. I thought they played hard. I thought they played with great effort. But we’ve got to make more plays. I think it’s things that we can definitely get fixed. A shift and a motion and an alignment error. Some other things that we missed in a game. Some missed alignments defensively as well. If we can do some of those things on a more consistent basis, it will definitely go a long way to have the results we want.”
(What do you think the disconnect is week-to-week? I know you’re getting tired of answering questions about what’s the margin from Week 2 to now. What do you think the disconnect is?) – “It’s something different really every week. I think it’s drops, not getting aligned, not having enough guys defensively – I know that happened one time. Just overall miscommunication.”
(How does your postgame routine differ maybe after a loss than it would after a win?) – “As far as watching the game and going through that routine? Nothing really changes. There’s always good plays, bad plays, good calls, bad calls, things you kind of wish you did a little bit differently. It doesn’t really change. I think there’s always things that you wish you would have done better, win or a loss. But obviously in a loss those plays, those calls, those situations from players and coaches is something that you sit there and go, ‘Hey, if we had done this, this and this we may have a different outcome.’”
(What about immediately after a game? What is your usual routine after a game? Do you speak to the team or…?)- “Yeah, speak to the team, tell them my thoughts on the game and go talk to our trainer and talk about some injuries and how guys are doing. That’s really the routine.”
(Was there, given that normally when we speak to you before most of the players and today you come in later, is there anything we should know? Did you have an extended talk with the team or anything that you can tell us?) – “Like always, my conversations with players I try to keep confidential. Players, coaches – I keep them confidential. There’s always conversations. Today I really just kind of sat there. Sitting there, it’s a tough loss, it’s a number of losses in a row so I just figured we’d let the players go.”
(Were there conversations with Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross or General Manager Chris Grier after this game?) – “Yeah, I always talk to Steve (Ross) and Chris (Grier) after the game. But again, those conversations are between them and I.”
(Do you have any concerns about your job security moving forward?) – “I’m just worried about the players. I’m worried about the players. I’m worried getting them better, helping them improve so no.”
(It was mentioned on the CBS broadcast that WR Preston Williams did not come due to discipline. Can you tell us anything about his future with the team?) – “Yeah, for disciplinary reasons he wasn’t on the trip. Obviously, we will revisit that in the morning and talk through it. I expect him to be with us.”
(With the trade deadline coming up, are you guys a quarterback away here? Are you guys going to make a trade or are you going down the same path and not doing anything?) – “Like I’ve said, Tua (Tagovailoa) is our quarterback. Tua is our quarterback.”
(Beyond that, what about the other direction? At 1-7 is there any pressure from the front office to start offloading players and become sellers at the deadline?) – “Those are conversations I’ll have with Chris (Grier) tomorrow. Right now, I’m really kind of focused on the game we just had, the things we need to improve on and get better to turn this thing around.”
Tua Tagovailoa – October 31, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Postgame – Buffalo
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(On that snap before the end before halftime, what happened there? What was the miscommunication?) – “Yeah, miscommunication with getting guys set and then obviously the game clock going down. That was just bad football there. Bad operation.”
(How would you describe your game today?) – “It wasn’t up to par. That’s what I would say. We obviously didn’t win so it’s kind of how I judge a lot of how we do; not just myself but offensively. It’s kind of how we judge our games based off the outcome.”
(Why were there problems getting players in the proper alignment?) – “Different personnels, different groupings. It’s tough in a loud environment and we knew that that’s what was going to give us some problems, is just trying to communicate and getting that. Some guys are hearing different things and that’s just something we’ve got to fix.”
(I think you said you first got back from IR that this team needed to do a better a job getting its playmakers involved early. With WR DeVante Parker’s first game back how do you feel like you guys accomplished that?) – “I think we could’ve did a lot more with that, with incorporating DeVante (Parker) and then Mike (Gesicki), some of our other guys. But this is a good defense. They know where their problems are. They know who our playmakers are as well and they play really sound, really physical up front and there’s not need for much communication in the back end for them so it’s a veteran group and they make it tough for teams to play against them.”
(On that play just before the half was WR Jaylen Waddle supposed to go in motion? Was he supposed set up on the right side to begin with?) – “Yeah, like I said just miscommunication. We were supposed to get guys set, but obviously just the miscommunication of ‘this is what I heard, this is what I heard from me’ and I’ve got to do a better job communicating that out to our tight ends so that they can communicate it out to the receivers and so forth.”
(This is another week where you guys were able to move the ball first drive, second and third quarter really can’t convert, obviously the end of the first half you were able to get down to the red zone, but is it something during the week where maybe you guys aren’t keying in on something or what’s the reason why it’s just these lulls in the middle of the game and then you’re able to move the ball late?) – “I don’t know. I wouldn’t question anything we do throughout practice. I think we work really, really hard. We work extremely hard. We prepare extremely hard as a team. Unfortunately it hasn’t been going our way and the way we want it to, but just got to keep going.”
(The completion to TE Mike Gesicki for the 40-yard pass. That was your longest in the NFL so far. Why are there so few instances where you’re throwing longer than 15, 20, 30 yards?) – “That’s what I’m given as far as guys that are open and if it’s not a matchup that I like outside and I want the play to develop, I’m going to take what the defense gives me. I’m not going to try to force anything and then obviously the interception just trying to push the ball downfield to try to give us a shot to either kick a field goal or score a touchdown.”
(What was the mood like in the locker room? How’s everybody feeling after this one?) – “It’s tough when you lose. That’s what I’d say. It’s tough when you lose, but like I’ve said in previous interviews the guys are a great bunch. Great bunch of guys and no one’s keeping their head down. Just got to keep going. Just got to keep going. So we’ll come in tomorrow, see what we need to clean up and fix and we’ll go from there.”
(What do you feel like you need to do to – I know you said you’re confident in your place on this team, but what do you feel like you need to do to just really cement your status as future quarterback or quarterback of the future?) – “I don’t think I have to do anything beyond the means of what the play gives me. So I’m not going to go out there and try to be a hero every play. If the play tells me to hand the ball off, that’s what I’m going to do. If the play tells me to read a defender, that’s what I’m going to do.”
(The trade deadline is Tuesday. Do you have any thoughts on how it’ll play out?) – “I really don’t. I haven’t even thought of that.”
(All these rumors over the last month, months. Even earlier this year. You’ve got two more days I guess to kind of let it sink in or let it fester some more. How do you kind of approach the next two days before the week comes up?) – “I think you approach it the same way you approach any game. I don’t think this trade deadline to me really means anything. I’m going to continue to work my butt off in our meetings and try to see the things that we can fix to help us win this upcoming week.”
