Myles Gaskin – September 20, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 20, 2020
Postgame – Buffalo
RB Myles Gaskin
(It seemed like the second week in a row that you kind of got a lot of the touches in the backfield. How does it feel to have that trust that with some other veteran backs in the backfield, they call your number?) – “It feels good, but it’s running back by committee. I had some great runs. Jordan (Howard) got the touchdown. So I think it takes all of us week in and week out.”
(Do you feel like people are underestimating you? You’re the 14th-leading rusher in NCAA history. Do you feel like you have a lot to prove still in this league?) – “I have a lot to prove in this league, but I don’t think the second part of what you said has anything to do with anything else in college. College is college. I never even thought about college since I left college. But yeah, I’ve got a lot to prove to myself, to this team. Yeah, I’ve got a lot to prove.”
(From an offensive execution standpoint, did it feel smoother as they looked up here compared to last week in New England?) – “Yeah, I think everybody took a step in the right direction. Obviously we need to do more as an offense converting all those big third downs. It takes everybody, but I think we took a step in the right direction getting better as an offense, yes.”
(You talked about taking that step forward. How do you guys kind of build on this moving forward?) – “Got to watch the film first before I can answer that question, but definitely just prepare, prepare, prepare for the next week and learn from the mistakes we did have. Just communicate as a team what plays we like, what plays we didn’t, what plays we can get better at, such things like that.”
Mike Gesicki – September 20, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 20, 2020
Postgame – Buffalo
TE Mike Gesicki
(When you saw that those linebackers, their starting linebackers, were not going to be playing in this game, did you look at this as an opportunity for you to eat in the middle of the field?) – “No different than any other week. Just attacking it. Just trying to do to the best of my abilities. Trying to do what the coaches put a lot of guys on this team in position to be successful and I’m just trying to play my role.”
(From just a fan’s perspective, seeing people actually in the stadium, what was that like for you as a player, and did it kind of pump you up even a little bit? Better than the crowd noise, I assume?) – “Yeah, it was great. It was awesome to have fans there. It was a good atmosphere compared to obviously having none last week. It felt good to get some people back in the stadium, but we’ve got to be able to close some things out and win some games for them.”
(Can you just tell me about some of the things that enabled you to have success on the field today? Just some things that went into it.) – “I think it goes back to coaching. I think George (Godsey) does a great job with us. Chan (Gailey) does a great job with the scheme and then all the guys on the field, whether it’s ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) putting the ball exactly where it needs to be, o-line doing a great job blocking for him, and the backs and the receivers running their routes and getting open, making plays; it makes it a lot easier on everybody else to go out and make plays.”
(Can you take us to the play where you went cut back and caught the football like that and also how does it feel – I know even though you guys did lose – but how does it feel to offensively get into some rhythm and put points on the scoreboard? How much can that help you guys moving forward?) – “I feel like as a team, we played well, but just have to be able to do a little bit more and finish. Overall I feel like everybody exceeded in their roles and did what they had to do, but as a team, I think we’ve just got to come together and do just a little bit more to come out on top. Ultimately, I was just happy to go out and make the most of my opportunities, but I think that we’ve got to just finish a little bit.”
(In terms of your evolution as a tight end, do you feel like the ability to move you around and flex you out is helping you sort of get in position to make plays?) – “I think that the coaches have done a good job putting people in position to be successful and then I think just going out there and playing with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and him putting the ball in the position for receivers, tight ends, running backs, anybody that’s catching the football from him. He does a great job looking people off. He does a great job throwing the ball away from the defender. He does a great job giving people a chance to be successful. I think he deserves a ton of credit for everybody’s success on the field because he makes all of his teammates better. That’s what makes him special.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – September 20, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 20, 2020
Postgame – Buffalo
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Obviously you have a close relationship with Mike, but what type of growth have you seen from him from the time you got here to where he is right now?) – “I think a lot of it for him has been confidence. It’s been going out there and working hard in practice and seeing results in the games. I think everybody – I think all you guys saw that the last half of last year with how much better and more confident he was playing. But this year he’s taken another step and you know, he came out of that first game and I thought, I needed to get him some more targets. And every week is different, every matchup – is it man, is it zone. He does a good job of finding the spots and working hard in practice to figure those things out. So his confidence continues to rise and I think we’ll just continue to see him get better.”
(Obviously last week didn’t go as well as you wanted offensively but it looked like you guys had more chemistry, timing this week. What was your takeaway from your improvements this week offensively?) – “We played better, but in the key situations, not being able to punch it in, and especially on that fourth and one, for ‘Coach’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) to have faith in us and leave us out there; we’ve got to convert on that. But there was plenty of stuff early where we stalled a little bit. We weren’t converting third downs. We got into a better rhythm in the second half, and I think some of that was some of the adjustments that we made and some of it is just comfort level with the guys that we’re playing with right now. But I think we’ve got to continue to find ways to run the football and rely on the backs because they’ll be a big part of this offense as we get going, and just showing up in those critical moments and we missed out on a few of them today.”
(Six plays after the delay, the 10-play drive, 12-play drive, how did those long drives kind of help you in the second half, kind of gain your footing and tire out that defense?) – “They were good. I felt like in the second half, we used kind of the climate to our advantage. They were gassed a little bit. We went on some long drives. But again, they go and score and we’ve got a critical drive where we get the ball and have probably our worst drive – definitely our worst drive – of the second half where we needed it most. So there’s some stuff that we need to continue to get better at and a lot of it is just those critical moments, making sure that we’re doing the best we can.”
(What do you see as things to build on in this game?) – “I think we fought hard. We had a couple nice drives in the second half. We made some adjustments and were able to do some things in the locker room that really helped us in the second half. So those were all good things. I think the continued emergence of Mike (Gesicki) and the stuff that he’s going to be able to help us with. It was nice to have DeVante (Parker) out there for the whole game today, and Isaiah Ford made some really nice plays, as well.”
(I have an idea of how you’re going to answer but you threw for 300 yards. You threw three touchdown passes, but your team loses, so you leave the stadium today feeling, how?) – “I feel bad because, I mean, really it was two drives. It was the drive in the second half after they took the lead and it was the drive where we were inside their five-yard line and had the fourth-and-1 and couldn’t finish. And those were the two drives that kind of led to us losing the game. It’s great to throw for yards and touchdowns, but that’s not what we’re here for.”
(I’m just curious how the fans affected you or didn’t affect you in today’s game.) – “Way better. It was a way better environment. Way better atmosphere. Even though the place obviously wasn’t at capacity, it felt a lot more like a football game. It was not eerily quiet the whole game. That was I think huge for us and something that as players we all really enjoyed.”
(You mentioned that fourth-and-goal. It seemed I guess it looked like just a drop by WR Preston Williams. What do you say to a guy like that on a big play where he can’t come down with it for whatever reason?) – “We’re going to rely on him to make a lot of big plays this year, so that was just one opportunity, one moment. The ball is going to come back to him, and he’s a guy that we’re going to have to rely on to make some big plays along with some of those other guys on our offense and he knows that. And he’s made plenty in the past and I know he’s got a bright future in making a lot of them for us this year.”
Noah Igbinoghene – September 20, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 20, 2020
Postgame – Buffalo
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(Obviously a rough day for you at the office. How do you take how everything happened out there and how do you move forward with it?) – “It’s definitely a teaching moment. I learned a lot today, not only about this team but about myself. Of course, I didn’t play up to my standard at all. I’ve got to move past it and move on to the next game. That’s all I can do, just learn from it”
(Seemed like you were almost exclusively covering WR Stefon Diggs. He got the better of you a couple of times. Was that one of the biggest challenges you’ve had in your life from a football standpoint?) – “I’ve had many challenges. Of course, he’s one of the top receivers in the league, and it’s for a reason. He’s a very good player. Tremendous route runner, stuff like that. Like I said before, I learned a lot today, not only about him but about myself, as well. I’ve just got to respond and come back next week.”
(Just piggybacking off of that, with WR Stefon Diggs, I know you were backing up both CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones, did you know that if somebody got hurt, you would be the guy on Diggs or was it depending on who you went in for?) – “Yes, I knew. I knew. Byron went down so I just had to step up, so exactly what I did.”
(What were your first observations of playing against QB Josh Allen and just also observing his ability to extend plays and move around with his feet?) – “I never really seen a quarterback extend plays like that, especially as long as I played football, I never really experienced that, especially playing corner, that’s something new I experienced today. Like I said before, it’s a teaching moment, teaching lesson for me and I’ve got to respond and I will.”
(When CB Byron Jones went out in the first drive, what were some of the things that went through your mind?) – “Step up, lock in. I was locked in before. He went down, I just knew I had to step up and be the next man up and that’s exactly what I did.”
(You talked about this being a teaching moment, and obviously you want to rebound from this quickly with the Thursday night game coming up. Was there something the veterans said to you after the game to make sure you don’t get your spirits down?) – “It’s the league. It’s going to happen. It happens to everybody. I hold myself to a high standard, so of course I didn’t want that to happen but it did happen and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to move on as a man and that’s what I’ll do.”
Brian Flores – September 20, 2020 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 20, 2020
Postgame – Buffalo
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know you guys were down early and came back. What sort of your view of your team’s fight and then ultimately falling short?) – “I think we didn’t do enough to win the game. We had a chance during the fourth quarter. We made a couple plays, took a lead. But you know, just offensively, defensively, we just couldn’t finish the game. So you’ve got to finish in this league. If you want to win the game you’ve got to finish the game off. I thought we played well in the third quarter, but nothing is more important than finishing the fourth quarter. We didn’t do a good enough job there. We had opportunities. We didn’t take advantage. Thankfully we’ve got a quick turnaround and we’ll be out there Thursday night to get back to it and try to play better.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the performance of your secondary. Certainly when CB Byron Jones went down that, didn’t help, but some big chunk yards) – “Yeah, we struggled to cover them. Look, they’ve got good receivers. We struggled to cover them. They got open. They had time to — they had time to throw it. We didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback. I don’t want to put it all on the coverage guys. It’s a team game, but it starts with me, and we’ve got to do a better job of putting them in positions to cover them better. We struggled there for sure.”
(Do you have another update on CB Byron Jones? We only saw him for those first three plays.) – “Yeah, obviously he went out and didn’t return. I don’t have an update. Obviously he’ll get in and get treatment and we’ll take a look at that this afternoon or this evening and tomorrow morning. But I don’t have an update.”
(Obviously with the linebacker issues, did you feel like this is a game where TE Mike Gesicki had to be a factor, and was he as involved because of play calling or just him getting open?) – “He was getting open. And if you can get open, we’ll try to get you the ball whether it’s tight ends, back, receivers. He did a good job throughout the game and gave us some good plays, and we needed them. We just needed a few more today. But we’ll go back to the drawing board and try to turn this thing around and play better on Thursday.”
(You guys had the six plays after the delay, the ten-play drive, the 12-play drive and the touchdown at the end. What can you say about Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick being able to get the offense going there in the second half?) – “I think at the end of the day, we didn’t do enough to win the game as a team. We had some opportunities offensively, defensively, special teams. Didn’t take advantage and didn’t do enough, especially against a good team. They have got good players. They’ve got good coaching. We made a few plays, but not enough and it takes a team effort. So we have to play better offensively. We have to play better defensively. We have to play better really across the board. But they fought. They competed. It’s hard to win in this league and we need to play well for 60 minutes.”
(It looks like they had five long drives – 97, 84, 73, 75, 71 – what surprises you most about what you’re seeing when your defense is on the field?) – “We’ve got to play better across the board – run game, pass defense, pressures. I think we made a couple stops there in the second half and really even in the second quarter. We had it to a 17-10 game at halftime. We took the lead in the fourth quarter, so I thought we put ourselves in position to potentially win the game. And they are a good team. They’ve got good players. So they made some plays. But it was a competitive game. I thought we had our opportunities and we didn’t take advantage of them.”
(I’m wondering from your view what did you see on the last touchdown that the bills scored and was it surprising to you that they were throwing the way they were when conventional wisdom might have been that they just keep running the ball to keep you burning your timeouts?) – “We’ve got to cover better. That’s my thoughts. We’ve got to cover better than that, especially in critical moments of the game. We don’t know – we’re on defense – we have to react. We don’t know what they’re going to do offensively. We don’t guess that it’s going to be a run. We can’t do that or else you’re in trouble if they pass it. That’s kind of always been my thought process on that. So we’ve got to cover it better. We’ve got to play the run better. We’ve got to do a lot of things better. I saw some things that were better throughout the game. I think there was some improvement in a few areas, but it wasn’t enough and we need to continue to make those improvements, and we’ll try to do that this week. Thankfully we’ll have a quick turnaround and play on Thursday.”
(Would you count QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s play as part of that improvement and what do you think of how he played?) – “I think at the end of the day, we as a team didn’t do enough. I’m sure he has some plays he wishes he had back. Same thing in the kicking game. Same thing defensively. Same thing as coaches. Nobody likes to lose. So we’ll just go back and I’m not – we didn’t play well enough. I guess that’s the answer. We didn’t play well enough. We didn’t coach it well enough. We didn’t play well enough really anywhere. We had a chance and we didn’t get it done. I know that there were some bright spots. I get that. But at the end of the day, we are here to win. When you don’t win, you’re disappointed.”
(Could you take us through the thinking of the fourth-and-goal. Obviously the play was there but the pass was dropped, but when you look at the scoreboard, three points was the difference in the end. Just your mindset of going for it there off on fourth down?) – “We want to be aggressive. There’s a lot that goes into that, but I have confidence in our offense to pick up the one yard. We had a good play on. We just didn’t execute. I think that’s – just want to be aggressive. One yard for a touchdown and six or seven points instead of three, I think it’s worth it in that type of game, especially against that type of team. You’ve got to be aggressive to beat a good team and that’s kind of my thought process there. But we’ve got to execute, also.”
Blake Ferguson – September 18, 2020
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Friday, September 18, 2020
LS Blake Ferguson
(Your brother is obviously coming to town this weekend. I just have to ask you if ‘Hype City’ is coming to Miami?) – “(laughter) Hype City has been in Miami. It’s going to be a fun game. Obviously this is something that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. It was a dream of ours as kids, and this dream is quickly coming for fruition. We’re looking forward to it on both sides.”
(How would you assess your performance on Sunday and what was it like to suit up in NFL gear for the first time?) – “It was a cool experience. Like I said earlier, this is something I had been looking forward to for a long time. A lot of hard work has gone into this experience and to get to where I’m at. The work is only beginning and I’m just trying to help the team win the best I can. Sunday wasn’t perfect, but I’m glad to have the first one under my belt.”
(What are the stakes at Ferguson Bowl I? Is there a bet going on? Does the loser have to do anything? What’s going on there?) – “We’ve talked about potentially taking a picture in the other team’s gear or something like that; but that may break contracts or something. I don’t know if there are rules against that on either side. (laughter) It’s bragging rights. We’ve been going back and forward since the day I was drafted in Miami. This is something that’s going to be a lot of fun. Mom and dad, I think, have the split jerseys so they are ready to rock both sides. It’s going to be great.”
(What have conversations been like this week with you and Buffalo LS Reid Ferguson?) – “It’s been somewhat limited. He and I are trying to allow each other to focus on the game. We spoke pretty heavily last week just leading up to my first NFL game. That was good to know that he’s looking out for me and he wants me to succeed. This week has been somewhat limited. We’ve checked in to seen how the week of practice has gone. It’s all business this week. Just trying to help the team win.”
(I haven’t spoken with you since Coronavirus – COVID-19 – became a real issue. Did you at any point consider opting out? Was there any thought process there?) – “It was definitely something that I had to be mindful of being a type-1 diabetic. I was able to speak with several of my trusted physicians both in Baton Rouge at LSU and family doctors we’ve been going to see for a long time. They told me that with Type-1 diabetes, if it’s well controlled and you are taking the proper measures to be healthy, you’re not really at any higher risk than anybody else. For me, it’s definitely something I had to think about; but I feel like I’m in a safe place and we have a great setup here with the daily testing that I feel like I’m in a great spot, and they are taking all the proper measures to make sure we stay as safe as we can.”
(I know you said your parents have the split jerseys. Have you tried to figure out which parent is rooting for who? Are they really 50/50 or does mom have a favorite and does dad have a favorite? How does that work?) – “(laughter) It’s funny you say that because I got on a Zoom call with one of my financial advisors the other day and my dad was on the call. As he was getting on the call, he was putting on an LSU shirt and I was like ‘what are you doing?’ He was like ‘well, you might not have been happy with the shirt I had on underneath.’ He had to quickly throw on his LSU shirt and we had a good time laughing about it. They are hoping for great play from both sides, from both myself and my brother. For us, it’s all business just trying to help the team win.”
(Everybody has a theory on who their parent’s favorite child is. What is your theory? Let’s break it down.) – “(laughter) It’s something that we like to banter about and argue about and joke about, but our parents have been incredibly supportive of both of us. Really up until last week, they had not missed a single game since my brother went to LSU. They were at my brother’s games and my games while we were there. It was something like 100-something consecutive games. To us, that is incredibly special and just the support that they show every single week to make the travel arrangements, to miss work if they have to on a Friday or a Monday, just to be at our games, it mean so much to us. As much as we joke and banter about it, it’s going to be a great weekend. With them being in the stands this week, it’s going to be unreal.”
Eric Rowe – September 18, 2020
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Friday, September 18, 2020
S Eric Rowe
(You’ve got many roles in this defense. Where is your comfort level in playing nickel? I know you’ve worked against tight ends, you’ve worked in the box, but where is your experience level with nickel?) – “In my third year, I did play the actual nickel the whole year against slot receivers. It’s nothing new to me. If I’m in the middle, I already know what goes down in there. It’s nothing foreign, so if I got to go out there, I’ll go out there.”
(Now that we’ve talked about the rookies throughout training camp and you’ve got a chance to play along side next to S Brandon Jones and CB Noah Igbinoghene to see them on the field Sunday, what did you think of their performance, and also just what they bring?) – “For their first game, with no preseason games in the NFL, both of them did really good. Brandon was making some good open-field tackles. Noah had some nice coverage and tackles. Obviously there was rookie mistakes. Everyone has them in the first week. Even all vets have mistakes, this was the first game kind of getting back on our feet. But them two, yeah. They proved that they can play in the league.”
(What’s the balance as a DB trying to fill your run responsibilities versus staying home and making sure you don’t get beat over the top with the pass?) – “With this team it’s tough, because you got Josh Allen who can – he’s a really good runner with the ball. But also with that, he has a strong arm and they have receivers that can – that’s a lot of speed, lot of speed. Everybody just has to play their technique. The plan against Josh, everyone’s plan is to contain him, kind of make him throw the ball because if he runs the ball, that will hurt. It will add to the run game and all of that. Really, you can’t think about getting beat deep or running back and being blind to the QB because they will hurt you both ways.”
Noah Igbinoghene – September 18, 2020
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Friday, September 18, 2020
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(You were needed on the boundary last week. Are you getting some work in the slot in practice?) – “No. Primarily I’m playing outside. Honestly, I’m playing whatever position they want me to play. I can’t really go into details with that.”
(Were you pleased with how things went in your debut on Sunday?) – “No. We lost,so I wasn’t really pleased. Yes, it was my first game so I was excited; but we didn’t come out with a ‘W’ and that is the main goal of every single game. I wasn’t happy of how it turned out though. But yes, I was excited to play.”
(What did you learn about the speed of the NFL from that Patriots game?) – “It was a lot – I feel like the amount of reps I got in practice really helped me slow the game down a little bit mentally. Of course it was just a little bit faster than college I would say. It wasn’t a big transition like I thought it was going to be. Maybe because the fans weren’t there. You never really know. It wasn’t moving as fast as I thought it was going to be, so it was a good day.”
(Generally whenever a rookie class comes in, those group of guys form a pretty tight friendship and bond over the first couple of years in the NFL. With you and S Brandon Jones specifically, you guys being those guys in the secondary, what kind of friendship have you formed, and what was it like being out there together on Sunday?) – “Brandon is my guy. I’ve been around him ever since this whole COVID thing has started and we all came to Miami and started training and stuff like that. He’s a great dude, a great teammate. I’m glad and blessed that he’s in the rookie class with me. I can’t wait to grow with him and see where we will be in a couple of years.”
(I don’t know if you’ve seen, but I saw this stat or nugget that you’re the youngest player to play in the league this past week. What did it mean to you when you saw that you are the youngest guy out there in the league?) – “It’s humbling. It’s crazy. It’s really crazy just to see how far I’ve come. I am the youngest. This is crazy. I can’t really explain it. I don’t really know. I’m blessed. Just blessed to be here at this young of an age, I’d say.”
(I was wondering what you’ve noticed about No. 14 Stefon Diggs on film?) – “He’s a very great player. Very great. He does a lot of things really well. His route-running, he’s fast, he’s strong, he comes in and out of his breaks well. He’s a very good route-runner. I can’t wait to play him this Sunday and see what we’re going to get. It’s going to be an exciting game.”
(RB Matt Breida told us – we know that WR Jakeem Grant wants to race him, but he said there’s others who want in on the action. We’ve been trying to figure out who wants in on the action. Knowing that your parents have a track background, you’re one of our leading suspects. Can you provide us an update?) – “Definitely. I’ll definitely join that race. I’ll happily join that race.”
(How do you go about prepping for WR Stefon Diggs, him and WR ‘Smokey’ John Brown? Both of them have different skillsets. Do you prep for one more than the other based on what the game plan is? How do you go about that?) – “Yes, it’s about the game plan; but I also do my extra work outside of it. Of course we have meetings throughout the day every single day and practice and stuff like that; but I really study every single guy. If that’s my matchup, I’m still studying every single receiver we have as a team that week. We have a lot of time meeting as a team, as a DB group. It’s more time than I had in college, so I really appreciate that time. Just outside of it as well, I should do more work extra.”
(Did any of the Patriots receivers say anything nice to you during that game, or try to talk to you during the game, and are you typically quiet when you’re out there?) – “I try to be quiet. I really just focus on my game, I don’t really say too much. I’m focused; but if somebody does say something to me, I’m going to say something back. Nobody said anything surprisingly. Maybe it’ll be different this game.”
(How does your personality kind gel with the cornerback group? CB Xavien Howard seems to me to be a little quieter, and CB Byron Jones can be a little talker. How do you kind of fit in that group?) – ‘I feel like I’m a quiet dude. I don’t really say too much, especially on the field – off the field as well. I want my game speak for itself. But like I said before, if somebody does start talking to me, of course I’m going to start talking back. I just try to focus on the game. I don’t really talk as much. I feel like I gel well. We all have different personalities.”
(I was wondering if CB Xavien Howard or CB Byron Jones said anything before or during the game that you found interesting or helpful?) – “I’d say just before the game, they were talking to me because it was my first game (and said), ‘just to be relaxed. Play confident like I’ve always did this whole training camp. Just be myself and have fun most importantly.’ I feel like some people, the fun comes out of the game because you feel so pressured at times. They just told me to relax and have fun. They know how much work I put in going into that game. That’s exactly how I played.”
