Brian Flores – November 15, 2019
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Friday, November 15, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw that S Reshad Jones and DE Avery Moss were able to go full yesterday. Do you expect them to play Sunday?) – “We’ve got a good chance of seeing both guys. Both have been practicing, both have been getting better. They still need treatment and are getting rehab but there’s a good shot we see those guys both working their way back, yes.”
(Is there a good chance that T Julién Davenport will be activated?) – “That one we’re still kind of mulling through. We have to make a decision on the roster to do that. He’s practiced and he’s been out there the last couple of weeks. He’s definitely getting better. I would say from a technique, from a fundamentals standpoint, that’s improved over the last couple of weeks. Obviously it’s not where we want it to be quite yet but we’re making a lot of progress, so we’ll see.”
(DE Taco Charlton and LB Raekwon McMillan, do you expect them to play despite their injuries this week?) – “Both guys got dinged last week and were somewhat limited over the course of this week. I think, again, those guys I think it’s going to be a game-time decision. But both guys definitely want to play and are working hard to get back out there.”
(You have about 14 other players on the injury report that have participated fully in practice; but with the stretch you have the rest of the season, does that kind of concern you – the number of bodies?) – “I think that’s the norm throughout the league. I think when you play 9, 10, 11 (games) as we go into the latter stage of the season, guys are dinged up, guys are sore, guys are dealing with things. By league rule, we have to report it. I would love to come out of a game clean with no injuries and no dings. That’s unlikely. We’ll just kind of work through it. I think these guys have really worked through it. I think our medical staff does a really good job. (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnson), Dave (Puloka) – our strength coach – and our entire medical staff, I think they do a really good job. They work tirelessly trying to get these guys up to speed and ready to go as quickly as possible. I’m really happy with that group.”
(What have you seen from WR Gary Jennings in his week and a half of practice and how would you describe where he is in terms of his readiness to contribute?) – “I would say Gary – he’s been here just over a week I think. He’s in here early, he stays late. He’s a guy that’s really done a good job, I would say, over the last week (both) offensively and in the kicking game, trying to learn the verbiage, our communication offensively – which that’s extensive – and I think he’s making some strides. Is he quite ready to get out there? We’ll see. But (he’s) a young player who’s talented, can run, has some size and I think he’s – I would say over the course of this first week, he’s shown some things that work in his favor as a person and the way he prepares. Hopefully – we’ll see how it goes. It’s still very early.”
(Is there a player you’ve coached before that you can compare to LB Vince Biegel?) – “I’m not really into comparisons. Each player is their own individual. Vince, he’s tough, he’s smart, he loves to play. He’s got good play strength. He’s still developing in a lot of areas – tackling, pass rush, coverage. He can do a lot of things. Comparing guys – I’m not really into that. I think in some cases, it’s unfair and in other cases, it’s not a good enough comparison so I try to stay out of those. But I like Vince a lot. I think he’s brought a lot of energy, a lot of effort, a lot of enthusiasm. I think he plays the game the way it should be played. He loves to play. He gives maximum effort on every play. It’s been fun having him, coaching him and watching him improve and get better. I think there’s a lot more room for improvement for him.”
(What do you think your reaction would be – going off of what happened last night – if one of your players swung a helmet at another guy’s head? How do you think you would react?) – “I don’t want to get into hypotheticals on how I would react. There are a lot of variables. Obviously it was an unfortunate incident. I’m not necessarily even sure what the repercussions are going to be. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want to see that in a game. Look, people make mistakes. For all intents and purposes, everything I’ve heard about players from both sides, they’re good guys. I’d leave it at that.”
(Your team has been disciplined in the area of penalties throughout the season. I know you said you don’t want to jinx that. But have you or will you discuss and/or show last night with your team?) – “We show a lot of clips throughout the league – situations where guys lose their poise, situations where guys do a great job of keeping their poise, third-down situations, red zone situations, penalty situations. We try to educate them in a lot of different areas. Whether or not that one makes the list, we’ll see. I think – it’s one that everyone will have seen. I think our team understands or I hope they understand, how important it is to keep your poise. In order to play good football, you need to have that. But I also know it’s an emotional game and sometimes things happen. Again, none of us who have been involved in the game long enough – we all have experienced that in some form or fashion. That’s not to make excuses or to say it’s okay – it’s never okay and I think there’s consequences for your actions at all levels for players, coaches, personnel, you guys, everybody. We’ve got to show poise in certain situations, and really all situations.”
(How does CB Tre’Davious White elevate the Bills pass defense?) – “I think he’s one of the best corners in the league. The thing I love about him is he’s tough, he’s physical, he tackles. Forget the production, those are the things for me that I think you need in a defensive player. When you get him at the corner position and you’ve got corners and secondary players who tackle and are tough, that goes a long way to making your team and your defense tough. He’s a really good cover player – off coverage, man coverage, tight coverage, working through bunches, stacks. They do a good job collectively as a DB group. It’s not just one guy. He works with that entire group from a communication standpoint, working through things. He’s a good player and they’ve got a lot of good players over there, so it’s going to be a tough test for us.”
