Vance Joseph – October 20, 2016
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Thursday, October 20, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(Vance, your run defense last week allowed 128 [yards]. You take out the 60-yard run, 68 [yards] but it’s still 4.5 yards a carry. I just wanted to ask did you like that total? I mean I know 4.5 isn’t pretty but did you like that and did you see improvement as far as gap assignments and tackling?) – “Yes, I mean the total was okay. Now obviously the 60-yard reverse was four missed tackles and a bad angle on the backside. That can’t happen; but overall the gap integrity was fine. Guys played hard. Guys ran to the ball. So, I was pleased enough with the run game.”
(Vance, how did ‘Cam’ [Cameron Wake] respond to the increased playing time?) – “Yes. I thought ‘Cam’ (Cameron Wake) was fine. It was obviously, going into the game, a passing game. We thought that it would definitely fit Cam’s, his skill set, being able to play more snaps in that game.”
(Vance, what changes with this scheme with S Reshad Jones out for the season?) – “Well, that’s hard to say. I think every game you play is, you play weekly differently. Reshad, he’s obviously a great blitzer. He’s a great cover guy. He’s a great guy in the middle third. It depends. But the overall scheme should not change much. Some matchups may change – according to who’s covering who, who’s the blitzer? – from time to time, but the overall scheme won’t change much. But obviously not having Reshad (Jones), that’s a huge loss for us.”
(You have a lot of corners now, particularly with CB Chris Culliver coming along. Is there any thought to moving any of them to safety) – “Well, not really. (Jordan) Lucas plays safety, nickel and corner. So I mean, that’s already taken place. Michael Thomas, he’s playing nickel, corner, safety also. The corners – no, they’re corners. We won’t move anybody else to safety. I think we’re fine with Michael (Thomas). We’re fine with Isa (Abdul-Quddus). We’ve got Walt Aikens there. So we’ve got three guys who played it in an NFL game, so I’m comfortable there.”
(When you’re playing a physical team like the Bills who like to run football, does that really change what you’re doing as opposed to last week where you played more of a passing team.) – “Yes, again every week it’s a different challenge. Obviously this week, ‘Shady’ (LeSean McCoy), he’s averaging 5.6 a carry – that’s the most in the NFL by a whole yard – so obviously the mindset changes. It’s going to be a run-first, offense-first (game). So in turn, it’s going to be a run-stop defense first for us, and pass second. Every game’s different, but we always focus on what they do best, and that’s run the football this week.”
(Vance, some guys get really jacked up about facing their former team. With that in mind, have you noticed an extra jump in Mario’s step this week) – “No. I think personally, he wants to play well and help us win. That’s every week. Obviously when you’re playing your ex-team, you want to win; but I’m hoping as a pro he wants to win every game as bad as this game. I haven’t seen anything, but I think personally he wants to play well.”
(How has DE Mario Williams handled the decreased role that he had last week?) – “He’s been fine. I mean he understands that he has to play better when he’s in there. Last week, he played about 15 snaps and he was productive. He could have been more productive, but I think Mario’s (Williams) fine. He wants to earn his way back into a starting role, so he understands that.”
(What have you seen that’s a little bit different from the Buffalo Bills earlier in the season to what they’ve been doing now, kind of having a little bit more success?) – “I think they’ve simplified things. They’re running the football well, but their execution is really, really good right now. Up front, they’re blocking their guys, ‘Shady’s’ (LeSean McCoy) special with the ball. They’re doing some things with him in the backfield as far as direct snaps that can kind of cause confusion for a defense. They’re blocking their guys, he’s finding the holes and the quarterback is playing really well. He’s an elusive guy in the pass game so if the rush breaks down, he can run for first down on third downs. They’re playing well. It’s a great combination of obviously defense turning the ball over, their quarterback not turning the ball over and ‘Shady’ having a hell of a year.”
(How would you assess CB Byron Maxwell’s performance last week?) – “He played really well. He played well. Obviously you can see as a big corner versus a smaller receiver, he can get his hands on them; he can have success. But he played a smart game last week. He didn’t have any plays where you said, ‘What was that?’ He was solid. He was into it. He was focused and sharp. That was the key to that game last week.”
(Vance, we like to slap labels on teams and Buffalo, we like to call them physical – their offensive is physical. Do you agree with that? And if so, why would you agree with that and especially upfront?) – “It starts upfront. They’ve got a collection of guys who will block you, who will push you, who will hold you. And the back (LeSean McCoy), obviously, makes them special … He can find a crease. That offensive line is a physical group. They’re going to do whatever it takes to block their guy and that’s a nice trait to have as an offensive line.”
(If the starting safeties are S Isa Abdul-Quddus and S Michael Thomas, how could that affect how Isa is utilized in comparison to when he was paired with S Reshad Jones?) – “When you make a change like that, you’re hoping to keep the guy who’s played in the same role and the guy who replaces ‘20’ (Reshad Jones) out there in ‘20’s’ role. That’s sometimes tough to do. So we’re going to have different packages where Isa’s playing ‘20’s’ role and then Michael’s playing ‘20’s’ role. We’ll kind of play to both guys strengths, so it will be a little bit different than what you’ve seen with ‘20’ out there.”
(How did you react when you heard the news about S Reshad Jones?) – “Not good, but it’s the NFL. Everyone’s going through injuries. Again, if guys do their job, the best teams win. Obviously he’s a big part of what we’ve done in the past here and going forward, hopefully. But the best teams win. Just come in and do your job. We’re all paid professionals. I’m not overly concerned. It definitely hurts losing Reshad, but we can’t worry about that.”
(How helpful is it when you have a guy playing safety in S Michael Thomas that does have some pattern-matching ability?) – “It helps. Michael (Thomas) is a smart, tough, fully engaged football player. I have no concerns about Michael (Thomas) being a starter. He’s not Reshad (Jones). Reshad’s not Michael (Thomas), but I think Michael will do a fine job.”
(How concerning is CB Tony Lippett’s injury and if for some reason he couldn’t go, who is next in?) – “He’s fine. He practiced today full speed, so he’s fine. No issues there.”
(Vance, I think QB Tyrod Taylor has been sacked 13 times if I’m not mistaken in 84 pass attempts or whatever it is, it’s a good percentage. What’s going on there? Where do we see his legs being used? Is he not able to use them in those situations? Is there an opportunity for him?) – “Well, he’s using them. I think the Baltimore game, they had a bunch of sacks on the guy; but outside of the Baltimore game, he’s been pretty good as far as escaping the pocket. Like most scrambling quarterbacks, we’ve got to have a good rush plan and keep him in the pocket. He’s popped on a bunch of third-and-longs and he’s run for first downs. We can’t have that. It’s too hard to get into third down with this team. So once we get into third down, we have to keep him in the pocket and force him to be a passer from the pocket. So that’s a must that we do this week.”
(What did DE Andre Branch do much better at last week?) – “I think Andre played fast and played physical. That’s the position and that’s what’s being taught upfront. He played with a different edge. He played physical, he played fast and he played smart. That’s what we want from those guys – to be disruptors. That’s what he did.”
