Brian Flores – November 18, 2019
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Monday, November 18, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(What was most frustrating and disappointing after watching that?) – “We just, a lot of things we talk about – penalties, missed assignments, tackling – we really just didn’t execute across the board in all three phases. We’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to play better; we’ve got to coach better. There were a lot of things that were disappointing. Obviously we lost the game. I think there were some opportunities we didn’t take advantage of. We have to do a better job.”
(Good things that you saw yesterday? I guess including WR Jakeem Grant and WR DeVante Parker.) – “Yeah, they played well – both guys. Again, it’s football so you need a team effort. One or two guys can play well and it’s still not enough. You need as many guys – really, we need all 46 guys in the game to play well and contribute. We talked about that and we didn’t get that accomplished. But yeah, there were a couple of bright spots. At the end of the day, even they’ll tell you that an individual effort is not really what we’re looking for. We’re looking for a good team effort.”
(You guys looked like you were trending the right way on your offensive line, at least with the way your pass blocking was going. In the last game there were a lot of sacks given up. I know there was one change made but do you think continuity or anything you guys did upfront changed your effectiveness?) – “I wouldn’t say it was one – Julién went in there and started and I wouldn’t say that was the issue. I think Buffalo played well. I thought they did some things in the front that were a little bit – not different but tough to block and you have to have really good communication and really good execution to get it handled. We didn’t do that yesterday. We need to play better. There were some instances where it was just bad technique, bad fundamentals and we got beat one-on-one in some situations. We just have to play better. There’s games like that. This is how it is, really, I would say. Week to week it’s a different matchup, a different scheme, different communication, a different set of issues. We didn’t execute yesterday.”
(With the offensive line, you had a coaching change, a big trade involving a left tackle, you had injuries. With all of that, over the course of this year, how much progress do you feel like you’ve made and laying a foundation for what you want?) – “Based off of yesterday and I would say the last few weeks, it looked like it was moving in the right direction. I still feel like it’s moving in the right direction but (it was) definitely a setback yesterday. We have to play better on the offensive line. And really, I don’t want to put it all on the o-line (because) it’s everybody. It starts with me. Coaches, players – we have to do a better job executing. We have to do a better job with our communication, our fundamentals, our technique and just overall, it has to be better.”
(With T Julién Davenport, will he be able to come through whatever he was dealing with yesterday?) – “We’re still – it’s early in the week. He got dinged. A couple of other guys got dinged. On Monday, they come in and they get evaluated and then we’ll see how it goes throughout the course of the week.”
(S Bobby McCain?) – “Same.”
(Neither of those guys you are overly concerned about the long-term stuff?) – “I think it’s early. It’s still so early. We’re still kind of going through the evaluation. It’s still early.”
(How much did wanting to get an evaluation of T Julién Davenport on the field play a role in him starting?) – “We’re always going to put the group we feel is best to play against that opponent. We’re always going to put the best five guys out there. That’s how we felt going into yesterday’s game. (There were) a few things that went into it. We’re always going to put the best five out there.”
(Did anything that Bills QB Josh Allen do with his arm yesterday surprise you guys?) – “No. He’s a good player. He’s obviously a talented quarterback and he’s made a lot of plays this year and a year ago. He’s a good young player and it wasn’t really surprising. We knew that was the case and we were going to have to play well against that entire offense, and we didn’t do enough good things.”
(How did LB Jerome Baker do against the run?) – “Again, if it’s a one-man show – it’s not a one-man show I should say. Jerome made some plays. There were some plays he didn’t but that’s the case for everybody. I think we just have to learn from this, learn from this game, make the corrections, turn the page and move on. They’re still in meetings right now and making those corrections. We’ll move on and hopefully play better next week.”
(WR Jakeem Grant obviously had a splash play on special teams. Is there a chance he could work back in at punt returner or are you happy with how CB Marcus Sherels is playing?) – “There’s a chance. There’s always a chance. Obviously he made a big play and made a couple of good plays for us. So yeah, there’s a chance.”
(Since we’ve seen you last, the organization decided to give WR Allen Hurns an extension. What can you tell us about what went into that?) – “Allen is a good player. He’s tough, he’s dependable, he’s a smart player. We like him. We think he has a lot of qualities we’re looking for in our players and we’re happy to have him.”
(The Wildcat formation worked for you guys in the fourth quarter. RB Kalen Ballage had his longest run and you guys scored on the next play. How important is it for you guys to want to be creative with the run game and try to get some plays like that?) – “I think we want to be creative really in all areas – offense, defense, special teams. We try to do that on a week-to-week basis. It’s something that we’ve got a creative group of coaches. But when, how – all of that kind of ties into play-calling. Whatever week, we’re trying to be creative.”
(The 2-point conversion, would a better block have helped WR Allen Hurns get that?) – “I think a better everything – a better block, a better set of block. It wasn’t just one (block). We could’ve blocked it, I would say, a lot better but we didn’t. Again, that’s part of the execution – the fundamentals, the execution – and we just didn’t get it accomplished. I thought it was a good play, a good play call, we got what we wanted but they made the play and we didn’t.
(Did yesterday move you any closer to finding a way to utilize your three running backs – RB Myles Gaskin, RB Patrick Laird and RB Kalen Ballage?) – “I would say not necessarily. I think we didn’t get the run game going, so we’ve got to find a better way to do that. Again, that’s everybody. That’s o-line. That’s tight ends. It’s backs and receivers. It’s (the) quarterback getting us into good plays, play-calling and the whole deal. We’ve got to be better. That’s something we’ve talked about for consecutive weeks now. We’ll just keep working at it.”
(You’re comfortable with how you use them as far as first down, second down, third down? Did RB Myles Gaskin get a couple more second-down looks yesterday? Is that because of down-and-distance?) – “Yeah, he was in there. Yeah, I’m comfortable with how we’re using them.”
(WR DeVante Parker looks like he’s on pace for maybe the best year of his career. What do you think has been the cause of that?) – “It’s DeVante. I think he’s – since I’ve gotten here, he’s worked hard in the classroom (and) on the field. He’s worked on his technique, his catching the football, running with it, blocking. He’s smart and I think he’s gone out there and he’s taken it from the practice field to the game. He’s done a good job, so it’s all – it’s DeVante. He’s done a really good job.”
(Why didn’t QB Josh Rosen play in the fourth quarter?) – “We felt like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) gave us the best chance.”
(Somebody mentioned that WR Gary Jennings might’ve been injured during a celebration. Is that the case, and if so, do you talk to your players about chill out a little bit?) – “Yeah, he got dinged. He’s being evaluated and we’ll see how things go with him. I think as far as whether or not it was on a (celebration), I think we want our guys to celebrate, but that’s speculative on how he got injured.”
(How did you feel DE Taco Charlton and LB Raekwon McMillan not playing affect your pass rush overall?) – “I think any time you lose two starters, it has an effect on your team – offense, defense or special teams. They’re both good players. They’re both working their way back. Hopefully we get them back soon, and I think they’ll definitely help us.”
