Adam Gase – November 28, 2018
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(How is WR Isaiah Ford developing? What is he getting good at?) – “He’s developed very quickly coming off an injury. he jumped right in there in training camp, did a lot good things in practice and really didn’t have a lot of opportunities in actual preseason games. I’d say throughout the season, he’s just kind of put his head down, grinded. He’s worked on the outside stuff as well just because basically he was trying to avoid what I did last week by bringing somebody else in to play outside. Now he’s got an opportunity.”
(You said you were going to have to look into how much you had QB Ryan Tannehill throw during the week, so I’m just wondering if you can give some idea of what you’ve scaled it back…) – “If anything has been scaled back, it’s just making sure that we’re not overthrowing in individual. Like a lot of times he would do a whole bunch of stuff in special teams, where maybe that’s like 10-15 throws throughout practice. He’s not really doing that as much. It’s more maybe like four or five throws in special teams. But as far as practice goes and routes versus air and stuff, he’s done his normal routine there. It’s not a ton (of changes). We’re trying to just take a few off of him.”
(DT Kyle Williams has been disruptive for Buffalo for a long time. When he’s going, what is he doing well? Is it hands, feet, hips, speed, power?) – “His knowledge of the game is probably something that he uses to his advantage. His effort, he’s a high-energy guy and just never quits on a play. He understands formations. He understands kind of technique that offensive linemen are trying to use on him. He just knows how to defeat probably any block you throw at him. He knows how to win.”
(Any update on WR Danny Amendola and C Travis Swanson?) – “I’m not going to know anything until … Friday is the day that we said that we’d get them out there and see kind of how it goes, if those guys can do something on Friday. We’ll kind of see how it goes. I’m trying to make plans as far … the percentage of them not being here. If we get them, it’s like a bonus for us.”
(The decision to go with C Jake Brendel at center against the Colts, what went into that?) – “That was kind of an in-game thing. We just felt like that was our best course of action for the game. We’re working a lot of different groupings this week. We’ve got to have contingency plans if something happens again. All of those guys will get work there.”
(Are C Jake Brendel and C/G Ted Larsen still the top guys in there now, or would C Wesley Johnson or G Isaac Asiata be competing for a job this week?) – “We’re going to look at everything this week; but I thought Jake did well. It was unfortunate because he’s been playing … The reps he’s had at guard, he’s been really good. The fact that we had to move him, that was unfortunate.”
(How much more difficult does it make it for QB Ryan Tannehill coming back here with all these moving parts?) – “I mean, it is what it is. We don’t really have a lot of options.”
(Where have you seen the most growth from T Laremy Tunsil this year?) – “I feel like his confidence is through the roof. He just looks so patient. When you watch most tackles set, they’re getting some depth, they’re kind of waiting for contact. Like, he almost sets like he’s blocking quick game all the time. His ability to move when a guy tries to run past him, he’s quick enough and long enough to push him past his quarterback. When a guy tries to bull rush him, he anchors so fast and he’s got great ability to get his hands on guys and position himself right to where he can just stop his feet. Watching him practice and play and go against some of these guys that are pretty good, he’s been playing outstanding.”
(Did G Josh Sitton have an effect on him?) – “I think it was just a good relationship they had starting in the spring. Laremy really respects him. Josh doesn’t say a whole bunch, but I think they had just really good chemistry. I think Laremy just watched him, how he worked in individual. I’m sure Josh told him a couple of things that he possibly does. I just see a different guy every day in practice than what I’ve seen in the past to where he’s a pro. That’s kind of Year 3. You kind of really understand what you’re doing. I think last year was a little bit of a feeling out because he was moving from guard to tackle. Even though it was his natural position coming out, that’s a big difference from in college where you’re just better than everybody else and now you have to work, you have to make sure that you know everything going on because those guys are pretty good on the other side.”
(In terms of what’s available to you on your call sheet that you’re comfortable using, is there much change with WR Albert Wilson and WR Jakeem Grant being gone – not a lot or some in terms of what you’re comfortable calling?) – “There’s a little bit of change there. I mean, we did a lot of different things with those two guys. The guys that are up right now, they’re not … Those two guys were able to be in the backfield, in the slot, outside. They just had a lot of variety. We have probably taller guys, that are more long-striders. It’s not so much the initial quickness-type things that those two guys had.”
(What’s your impression of the Bills’ young receivers?) – “They’ve been mainly kind of in that run game, play-action pass, take shots type mode. It’s obvious why, because Josh (Allen) can throw the ball a mile. Those guys, their biggest emphasis is to run. Run and go get the ball. That’s something those guys can do. And they can create separation. If you’re not careful, they’ll get behind you.”
(When you evaluated QB Josh Allen coming out of school, what else did you notice about him?) – “Besides his size and his arm strength, his athletic ability was probably surprising to me when I first started watching him. Now seeing him play in the NFL, I think last week he had a run on a draw where he stiff-arms a defensive end, makes one of the DBs miss and then runs through one of the linebackers, all in 14 yards. That athletic ability just surprises people because of his size.”
(How do you take advantage of a rookie quarterback’s inexperience? Disguising coverage? Different fronts? What do you do?) – “That’s some of the things that a lot of people try to do. You try to get them to look at coverage and think it’s one thing, and then all of a sudden they get their head back down the field and it’s something different. It might change their read of where they’re supposed to go with the ball. You’re trying to get them to really kind of mess up in that area. But you have to be careful with a guy that can really push the ball down the field like he can because if somebody gets out of position and he sees it, then it could be a short drive. That’s sometimes where you can take advantage of that when you don’t have a guy that can throw as far as he can where if you do get out of position, that guy might not be able to make that same throw under duress. Josh can make a lot of these throws down the field with defenders hanging on him, defenders hitting him. He’s not really shy. He doesn’t shy away from any kind of contact. He’s going to stand in there and get smoked and not care.”
(With all of the injuries at receiver, WR Kenny Stills is out there and his numbers are down. Is there any reason?) – “I’ve looked at the same thing. I’m going, how are we not hooking up with him more? That stretch when Ryan (Tannehill) left, we had a few opportunities down the field, but it was just something else always happened where we got too much pressure and we couldn’t get him the ball. When he’s had his opportunities, he’s made the most of them for the most part. We just have to be careful about not forcing it. Like last week we forced it to him. It was more on me than anything. It was subtle reminders of, ‘Hey, he’s running this route.’ Like that puts a bad seed in a quarterback’s head. We just have to make sure we do a good job of when it’s there, we take it and when it’s not, we progress and move to something else. He’s been so effective for us down the field with big plays and teams are doing a good job of taking him away.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills right physically?) – “I’m never going to say a guy is 100 percent, but I think he’s light years from where he was two or three weeks ago.”
(Facing DT Jordan Phillips, just your thoughts on that this week because it seems he was pretty bitter when he left?) – “I can’t speak for him. He’s getting an opportunity to play and he’s with a good group and that defense is playing well.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills the type of receiver that make get frustrated that his numbers are down, or is he the type who might say, ‘When my time comes, when the opportunity comes, I’ll make those plays?’) – “You want me to answer that like I want it to be or … (laughter) I mean, I know this, I’m probably more frustrated than he is because he’s a guy that’s scored points for us and shortened up drives and been very impactful and it’s been probably more frustrating for me why we’re not able to get him the ball as much as what we want to. He never says anything. He just works every day and puts his head down. He knows every position. He bailed us out of a pretty good situation last week where that could have been worse off where we’re moving guys around and he jumps in the slot and puts us in a position where we at least can move the ball a little bit.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills able to do any of the backfield stuff?) – “That’s not really his deal.”
(Has CB Xavien Howard proved himself as a shutdown corner?) – “It’s hard for me to say that. I feel like I’d have to be on the other sideline to say … I don’t if there’s been too many guys I’ve been around where … I remember (Darrelle) Revis and (Richard) Sherman were always kind of scary to go against, where you were like, ‘Man, you throw the ball their way, there’s a high percentage chance that they’re going to pick it off.’ I think he’s getting to that area where he’s making those plays. Like the ball is thrown to him and if he can get his hands on it, he’s catching it, and he’s actually getting the interception. That’s really the part you don’t see a ton with corners. You see them get their hands on the ball, but you don’t see the interception. He’s making those plays. He just has to keep coming along and become that all-around corner, which we’ve all seen him do, whether it be tackling, whether it be setting the edge in the run game, covering the best receiver on the team, inside, outside. He’s done all that. It’s just about just keep putting that type of tape out there and when people think it’s the right time or other teams start respecting to where he’s not getting any targets, that’s when you can say, ‘Hey, he’s that good where teams don’t want to even throw at him.”
(As far as CB Xavien Howard’s consistency…) – “Yeah, I think he’s really close, though. I mean, last week was impressive. I feel like he baited him a little bit on that second one. When you watch it on tape, you can see him kind of creep in a little bit and right when he threw it, he just shot out of a cannon and that was a great catch.”
