Brian Flores – September 18, 2020
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Friday, September 18, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know teams of course have the option this year of using six of the practice squad spots with guys with unlimited experience. Have you or General Manager Chris Grier decided you still instead basically want to use it as a developmental tool for young guys instead? And I was sort of curious why you guys added a long snapper and are protecting him after drafting LS Blake Ferguson. Has Blake struggled at all?) – “The first part of that question was about six practice squad – veteran practice squad – players, correct?”
(Right. Using them on young players as opposed as opposed to using them on older guys who can be stashed in case you have COVID issues.) – “Chris (Grier) and I and the scouting staff and the coaching staff; we’ve had several conversations about the practice squad. I think like you said it’s definitely a place – we want to develop all players, whether they’re practice squad or on the active roster. The development of players is important to myself, Chris and everyone in this organization. So I would say that’s kind of the thought process first and foremost. You can develop veteran players also, so we’re not taking that pool of players out of – we’re not saying that they’re not developmental players, but for the most part, anyone who we feel like can help this team whether they’re developmental players, whether they’re a veteran, whether they’re – if they can help this team, we’ll take a look. Again, with the practice squad, you don’t get whoever you want. These guys have options to go to different teams, so while you may think that we’re – we may have had some other conversations with players and felt like they had better places, better options elsewhere. There’s a lot that goes into it. I know you see what you see on the practice squad. There’s always a lot of conversations, like always, that you guys aren’t privy to and things that are happening behind the scenes that you don’t know – try to get this guy, didn’t get him, he went there – there’s a lot of those conversations. But we like the guys who are on our practice squad also. There was another part to that question also. I forgot. Was there another piece to that question?”
(Yes, on having a second long snapper available. Just what the thinking was in adding one and protecting him. Has LS Blake Ferguson struggled at all?) – “It’s very similar to what you just mentioned. With COVID and there being a pandemic and the possibility of losing players; we just felt like that was a position where you don’t want to lose a guy on a Saturday morning and then we’ve got to call you up and you’ve got to come in and snap for us. (laughter) So we just felt like we wanted to keep a guy on the practice squad for that reason. If you can long snap, then we maybe we’ll bring you in for a tryout and maybe we’ll get you on the practice squad. What do you think about that? (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you on LB Elandon Roberts, I know he practiced today. Is there an update and what’s the process? What’s the next step for him in the protocol?) – “(Elandon) Roberts – he’ll be out this weekend. He’s still in protocol. He practiced today. He’s in the protocol. He’ll go through the steps necessary and we’ll see about next week. Obviously it’s a short week next week also, so we’ll see where we’re at from that standpoint; but obviously his health and the health of all our players is priority number one and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he’s ready to go before we put him back out there.”
(On Sunday after the game, you were pretty quick to tell us that stopping the run would be a priority in practice this week. How do you feel now towards the end of the week that you’ve done at attacking that phase of the game and just where your confidence is when it comes to stopping the run on Sunday.) – “We’ve talked about it. We’ve met about it. We’ve walked through it. We’ve practiced it. At the same time, you harp on one thing – this is a dangerous team from a running standpoint with their backs, running with the quarterback; but they’ve also got good tight ends, obviously very, very good receivers and a quarterback who can toss it all over the field. So while yes, we’ve spent a lot of time on the run game, but we’ve spent time on really a lot of areas to include the pass game, the play-action game, the screen game. This is a very, let’s call it high-power offense. They’re very multiple from a personnel standpoint, from a schematic standpoint. Conceptually they do a lot of things and we’ve got our hands full. Obviously it starts with stopping the run, but they pose a lot of issues.”
(Are you expecting to have WR DeVante Parker and having him at full go on Sunday?) – “That’s probably going to be a little bit of a game-time decision. Obviously he’s practiced on a limited basis all week. We’ll see on Sunday morning, really. But yeah, it’ll be a little bit of a game-time decision. But look, DeVante, this guy’s competitive. He wants to be out there, so he’s going to do everything possible to be out there. But yeah, game-time (decision).”
Emmanuel Ogbah – September 17, 2020
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Thursday, September 17, 2020
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(I’ll ask you the same question I asked both DE Shaq Lawson and LB Kyle Van Noy yesterday. When it comes to defending the zone read, how much more of a challenge is it for a player at your position to kind of have to read that mesh point and it kind of slows you down as you approach the running game defensively?) – “It kind of just depends if you’re the force player or not. You’ve got to make sure the quarterback either doesn’t have the ball, or does have the ball, so you’re actually kind of real slow to react. We’re trained to do it, so we just got to do a better job doing it this week.”
(I know last week is in the past, but what were some of the issues you guys were having as edge guys picking up those read options?) – “Sometimes we get different responsibilities and it kind of threw us off last game; but we’ve got it better this game because it is a similar quarterback we’re playing. We’ve just got to do a better job stopping the power read and the zone read plays.”
(You guys struggled as a group defending the run, but DT Christian Wilkins made a couple of high-impact plays. What is it about his skillset that has impressed you from being around him on the field now for six weeks?) – “He’s a worker. Whenever he’s out there, he tries to make plays. That’s our goal as the defensive line, we just try to make plays to help the team win games. Christian did a good job last week. Even though we fell short we lost the game, he did a good job. He did his job.”
(I know as edge guys, you guys want to get to the quarterback. How does that change your mindset when you’ve got quarterbacks that want to get outside the pocket, that want to run? You can’t necessarily get up the field the way you want to.) – “First of all, we’ve got to stop the run. If we stop the run and make them one-dimensional, it’s going to take care of itself. We’ve got guys that can chase after and get after the quarterback. We have to focus on stopping the run first. That‘s the most important thing this game.”
(Do you feel totally back from the injury you had with Kansas City last year? Is there anything that’s missing or are you absolutely 100 percent?) – “Yeah, I’m 100 percent. I’m back where I want to be.”
(What’s the biggest challenge when it comes to setting the edge? Not necessarily against the read option, but having that responsibility and that role of being an edge-setter for the defensive front?) – “The most important job is getting to the offensive tackle or tight end as fast as possible. We try to set the edge one yard up the field. If we can do that, that will help a lot. We need guys corralling to the ball when we set the edge because if you set the edge without nobody running to the ball, then you’re just setting the edge and there is a free lane for him to keep running. It takes the whole team to get after it.”
(The Patriots rolled out that 350-pound dude in that heavy package. When they add that extra offensive lineman to your side of the formation, how does that change your approach?) – “It definitely changes the approach because first you’ve got to worry about that guy – either you’re getting a double-team block or a base block, so you’ve got to attack it a different way than if a tight end was right there, if that makes sense.”
Bobby McCain – September 17, 2020
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Thursday, September 17, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(I have a non-football question for you. Given your connections to Alabama, do you have any personal connections to the hurricane?) – “Yeah. Just with my family being down there, all prayers up. I’m hoping and making sure, praying, that everybody is okay. That’s a tough thing to go through but we’ll go through it. My people at home, they’re safe and they’re doing well.”
(On Sunday, S Brandon Jones caught some of us by surprise when he lined up with you back there. What did you think of his performance and what does he bring? A lot of people always talk about his physicality.) – “He’s a good football player. Fast. He’s got a lot of speed. He tackles well. He’s young. He’s a rookie, so he’s learning each and every day, each and every week. We’re all trying to get better and trying to learn. Him playing the way that he is and just making sure that he stays fast and tackles well, he’ll be good for us.”
(Ever since you’ve been in the league, it seems like it’s the Bills, not the Jets, that have really gotten the passion stirring in your locker room. Obviously you had an incident last year up in Buffalo. What is it about the Bills that gets you guys angry at times? It seems like there’s just some bad blood there.) – “It’s a division rival game. They don’t like us, we don’t like them. They’ve got good football players over there. We know that. We have good football players here. They know that. It’s going to be a fight – not a physical fight but a fight in the game, each and every quarter, each and every play, each and every series, because like I said, it’s a divisional rivalry and they count for two.”
(The experience of playing without fans last week, was it weird? Did you even notice it during the game? Will having 13,000 there on Sunday be any factor at all do you think?) – “It definitely will make a difference having those fans there, whether it’s 13,000 or 10,000 or 8,000. No matter who it is, just having those fans there and having the Miami faithful there will be lovely. It was weird at the beginning of the game, starting the game off when you come out and there’s nobody there and you just hear each other; but as the game goes on, you’ve got a job to do and it doesn’t really matter if the fans are there or not. You’ve got to win the football game.”
(When it comes to your exact position, how much more comfortable do you feel this year compared to last, with several reps under your belt?) – “I’m just getting better each and every week. I wouldn’t necessarily call it comfortable. I’m just getting better. I try to get better each and every week and put good stuff on tape. This is my second year playing safety. Like I said, I’m getting better each and every week, each and every day, and I feel a little better back there.”
(Going back to QB Josh Allen’s rookie season, he had like 100 yards rushing in that game and you had a sack on him. I was curious, when it comes to tackling a big quarterback like that, does your approach change? How does it work for you getting a guy that big to the ground?) – “You’ve got to tackle the body, tackle the legs and make sure you get him on the ground because he is a big body. He’s a good runner. He’s a good athlete. I think he’s about 240, 250 (pounds), so he’s a big athlete. He can get out of the pocket and make plays with his feet, make plays with his arm, so you’ve got to make sure you tackle the body and don’t fall off.”
(Is facing QB Josh Allen pretty much the same as facing QB Cam Newton?) – “No.”
(Because?) – “Josh Allen, he’s – Cam Newton is a good quarterback. He’s been a good quarterback in this league. He’s made some plays with his feet, he’s made some plays with his arm; but Josh Allen’s arm is really strong. We know he can throw the ball down the field, probably 100 yards if he tried. And he’s a good athlete with his feet. He can run. He’s faster than people think he is. With those weapons they have over there, just putting it together, you’ve got to make sure you stop the pass and you’ve got to make sure you stop the quarterback, as well. And the run. Stop the run.”
Ereck Flowers – September 17, 2020
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Thursday, September 17, 2020
G Ereck Flowers
(I wanted to get your thoughts on finally getting a home debut in the town that you grew up in, playing your first home game as a Miami Dolphin in Miami.) – “Yeah, it’s great. I mean I’ve played here about three times before, so it probably would’ve been better if I never did; but it’s going to be cool.”
(I guess growing up, what were your thoughts on the Miami Dolphins? What were your thoughts that you might someday be a Miami Dolphin? They didn’t have the greatest amount of success I guess when you were young, but was this a dream for you? Or was simply making the NFL a dream?) – “At first it was making it to the NFL, then you look at your possibilities of going places and you’re like, ‘I would really love to play for them.’ It’s been great. I grew up coming to training camps, going to games from Pop Warner – you know how they set it up where Pop Warner (teams) get to go to games so I’ve always followed the Dolphins. It’s really a dream come true for me. Sometimes when you’re here, you don’t really sit down and think about it. Probably my family more so than me is realizing what’s going on.”
(First I want to know what Pop Warner team you played for but my more important question is when you look at how the rookies performed, when you went over the film, what did you say to them? Because you’ve kind of served as a mentor for them all.) – “I played at Ives Estates. When I watched this film, I kind of knew going into the game that this was the first time we were going to play, it was the first time – I kind of know how it goes the first time. You don’t know what to expect as far handling game situations and all of that stuff. I thought they were really confident in going out; but I think as a whole, we’re just really trying to get better and the things that we’ve got to work on. I kind of take it as, ‘ok this is where we started; ok this is where we’ve got to see improvement on the next week.’ So really we’ve just been trying to emphasize what we did wrong that game and try to fix it going into this game, and being cleaner.”
(Obviously one sack allowed but how would you assess that game?) – “I guess it all depends on your standard. I want us to be really good, so I think we could have played a lot better; but I’m not mad because I know that we’ve never played together. I’m just looking to get better every week. Just coming out this week, ‘ok we’ve got everything out, this is a new game, we’ve worked on what we need to work on,’ and really just try to show some improvement every week and try to get better. I know you can’t just go first game and be great. It’s really just trying to get better and just keep getting better, work on what you need to work on and keep getting better out there as the year goes on.”
(I was curious, when you came to camp when you were a kid, do you remember did you get to meet any players? Did you get any autographs?) – “I never really met players. I never really got a chance to – I was just in there. I’ve been in the stands with my dad or at the games. I used to watch Jake Long and all of those dudes, from Ricky Williams and all of those dudes. I used to listen to WQAM in the morning. I’ve always been involved with that. I’ve always followed it and my family too.”
(You’ve had a couple of high school teammates that made it big, right? RB Duke Johnson was on that team? Did you play with CB Xavier Rhodes as well?) – “No, I started playing after (him) but we had Rashad Fenton with the Chiefs. He was younger but he was on that team with Norland. Man, who else? Some dudes transferred after I came. There’s a few of us.”
(In the moment when you were a 16- or 17-year-old kid, everyone has the dream of going to the NFL. But was it a realistic dream do you think at that point?) – “My first couple of years of high school, I was trying to play basketball. I’ve always played football growing up but then I just got kind of into that little basketball groove and then I came back to really just trying to focus on football and leaving those pipe dreams alone. (laughter)”
(What’s your vision for the identity that you want this offensive line to have?) – “For me, I want our identity to be technical. Technical and I would say really more hard-nosed. Physical but technical. The good offensive lines are technical, from hand placements to everything – the combo blocks, the games – just technical. That’s what really wins a matchup is being technical. I want us to go in that direction of just being technical. That’s what would be my perfect envision. Like the Cowboys in those years, they were just super technical – their hands.”
(We were talking about your roots and everything from around here. Do you have any plans to have family or friends at the game on Sunday?) – “Yeah, I have a few. Not too much because of this whole situation, but I guess it kind of saves me money. (laughter) I’ll have a few.”
(I’m wondering, if you have 13,000 fans in there, how many do the ‘Canes usually get or used to get? Is it similar or is that less?) – “It depends on if we’re winning. I remember playing Florida. (laughter) For Florida, it was like – you know what I mean? Then you play like Bethune-Cookman. (laughter) Some guys it was like – if we won, the year we were doing good in the first half, it was looking good and then we went down the drain and people just started watching on TV.”
Brian Flores – September 17, 2020
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Thursday, September 17, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I guess any team is probably only going to have a few defensive players who played most every snap. I sort of figured, perhaps I was wrong on this, that LB Kyle Van Noy would be one of them. He went 41 of the 64 (snaps) last week. Was that because of physical issues and rounding back into form after the hand injury or was it a game plan decision or maybe a little bit of both?) – “We’ve kind of moved on to this week. As far as snaps last week, I think for everybody – everybody had a different snap count. Last week was last week. We’ve kind of moved on to this week. Obviously we think highly of Kyle, as well as a lot of other players. I wouldn’t take one game and try to put guys into buckets as far as every-down players or situational players. I wouldn’t take one game and do that, especially in this type of season.”
(How important was it to you guys to try to get WR Preston Williams going in the game on Sunday, and how important is it going forward for him and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to kind of reestablish the connection they had at the beginning of last year?) – “I think it’s important to establish a connection with quarterbacks and all of the receivers, not just one in particular. That’s something that you build that rapport in practice, and hopefully it shows itself in the game. That’s why we go out there and practice. We’ll do that again today and try to establish that rapport with – you mentioned Preston, but it’s the same with really all of the receivers, the backs, the tight ends. It’s the same thing defensively as far as guys playing together, the same thing in the kicking game. It’s something that you build over the course of time and through practice and we’ll continue to do that.”
(I had a question about LB Elandon Roberts. He wasn’t announced with a concussion in the press box. When did that happen and when were you guys alerted to it?) – “This is a case where every once in a while, someone has some symptoms the next day. Nothing is more important than the health of the players, and we’ll always do what’s in their best interest. He’s in the protocol now and we’ll get him back when we get him back. We’re not going to rush it at all.”
(With LB Elandon Roberts down, obviously you have to get guys prepared to work as the inside linebacker. Who can fit that role? LB Sam Eguavoen played it some last season and then I’ve seen you guys use him sort of as an edge player. Is that how you view him now? And, can you talk about LB Kamu Grugier-Hill in terms of his growth in the defense?) – “First off, Roberts we’ll see how that goes. We’re not counting him out. We obviously have some more guys in the room. (Kyle) Van Noy has played linebacker, Kamu obviously played linebacker, (Jerome) Baker, Sam Eguavoen, (Calvin) Munson, we’ve got some other guys in the room. If that’s the case and somebody is down, the other guys will step in. It will be based on the game plan, based on what they give us offensively. We may have different types of bodies in there. The good thing about that group is they are flexible and they all have versatility and they play multiple positions. We could have a variety of options.”
(I wanted to ask about the safeties with S Eric Rowe and S Bobby McCain. How much benefit is it going into year two that they have several games at the position? And also being able to incorporate the physicality of S Brandon Jones in that group?) – “I think Eric and Bobby played together for let’s call it a half a year – maybe less than that, but they played together some. They have a little bit of a rapport, so you add Brandon to that, you add Kavon Frazier to that and you have a mix of different people. We’re still trying to build that communication, that rapport; but those two guys, it’s very important to them so they’ll do what it takes to build those relationships and try to do it the way we’re asking them to do it. Brandon Jones, he’s a young player. He’s improving on a daily basis, but he still has a long way to go, just like all of our young players. Every practice is good for him. Every game experience is good for him. They are working hard this week to prepare for a very, very tough opponent in the Bills with the quarterback, and the running game and some receivers who are explosive and tight ends. This is a good offense that has tempo in their offense so we’ve got to prepare for that as well. We need as many guys like Bobby and Eric to communicate and play at a good level, and bring other players with them. I think they are trying to do that also.”
(Many signs up in Buffalo that says that they are a franchise that is trending upward. Do you see games against the Bills as important as any you’ll play if you’re going to get to where you all want to go?) – “I would agree that they are trending upwards. This is a good football team offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. They are well coached. They are tough. They’re physical. Every game is important. It doesn’t matter who you are playing in this league, they are all tough. They are all important. Obviously division games are very important. We take these one game at a time. We want to compete. We want to put our best foot forward. We’re trying to practice in a way that gives us an opportunity to play well and be competitive, but every game is important.”
(I noticed that QB Tua Tagovailoa is no longer on the injury report. We haven’t had a chance to talk to him in a minute, so I wanted to ask you how he’s feeling and what’s changed?) – “He’s doing well. He’s going into – from a rehab standpoint or just from a strength training standpoint, he’s doing what everyone else is doing. We felt like we could take him off. He’s doing well physically and mentally, and getting practice reps and trying to improve from a football standpoint, from a learning and being professional standpoint like all rookies. He’s doing well and he’s learning. Health-wise though, from a health standpoint, it was obviously a serious injury and he’s done a great job as far as getting himself back healthy and getting himself to a point where he can practice and take a lot of reps. He’s trending in the right direction from a health standpoint.”
(I wanted to ask a two-parter on WR DeVante Parker if I could. How did he come out of practice with the hammy yesterday and does his past history with soft-tissue injuries have any impact on how far you push him as far as playing on Sunday?) – “As far as the history, I don’t really kind of look into that too much. How are we right now, where we are right now – that is kind of where my conversations with DeVante are and our training staff. I thought he – look, he was out at practice yesterday. We’ll see. We’re taking this thing one day at a time. We’ll see where we’re at for the game. That’s really all I have for you right now. It’s still early. We’ve still got a couple of days before we’ve got to get there. He’s doing everything he can to get out there. But no, we don’t take previous hamstring injuries – we really just focus on this particular one, which has limited him some, but he’s doing everything he can to get back out there.”
(I wanted to ask you what were your thoughts on the memo that came out about coaches and personnel on the sidelines wanting to wear more masks and how you guys can be better in that area?) – “We’ve just got to wear them. There is some difficulty trying to communicate with the guys up in the booth. At the end of the day, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our team and the people around the league. We’ll do a better job from that standpoint. We ask our players to be more diligent in the building and it’s important. You can be mask police. I’ve got no problem with that. I’ll wear it and I’ll try to do a better job. But if a guy can’t hear me, then I got to find a new mask and that’s just some of the things we’ve just got to work through. It’s not just me; it’s coaches around the league. It’s new and different for everyone; but we all have to adjust. That’s the game, that’s the league. That’s what we ask the players to do, so we have to adjust also.”
(I wanted to ask you about young players. When you play young players as early as you do, I know you give them small roles at first. When do you come to the point where you realize, “hey this isn’t too big for them.” Is it film study? Is it when you’re meeting in the meeting rooms in preparation for the game? When do you realize that what I’m giving them isn’t too big enough for them?) – “I think it’s case by case. I think It’s a small role and then that role turns into a little bit more and a little bit more. I think you guys will see that over the course of five or six games. When do you realize that it’s not too big for them? That takes a little bit more time. You need stretches of games of consistency to really feel good that they understand how to be a professional, that complacency doesn’t set in and ‘we’ve got all the answers and watch a little less tape.’ To me, those are the things that I try to harp on. Good performance or bad performance, you still have to watch the film. We have to know our next opponent, we have to get our lifts in, we’ve got to stay on course with our nutrition, we’ve got to stay on course with our conditioning. Those are the things. It’s not one game, it’s not two games. Once you start a string of four of five games together, that means you’re doing something, you’ve been doing something over the last four or five weeks. That’s just my belief because I think the guys who have become complacent and the guys who think they have all of the answers, eventually it catches up to them. That’s been my experience with players. We just try to stay on them about keeping to their routine and just the importance of not veering off of that, because in this league there are so many good players and so many good coaches. It will find you if you’re taking shortcuts. We try to not allow that but it’s something individually for each player. They realize it oftentimes when it’s too late; but as you know with the amount of – three years that guys are in the league, oftentimes it’s too late. So the young players, if they can figure it out early enough, that routine, that attention to detail, the discipline of playing play after play after play and playing consistently, once they realize how important that is, then you can see those – what you’re talking about it – and whether or not it’s not too big for them.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – September 16, 2020
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(How important is it for you to just get back out there and have another start under your belt after Sunday’s performance?) – “The best medicine for a performance like that is getting back on the practice field and getting back out there. Today was a great day for us, just a new opponent, new week, starting fresh, just getting into the preparation. Obviously you don’t want to have weeks like I had last week. That can’t happen if we’re going to win football games. Put everything that I have into this week and move on. For me and the rollercoaster I’ve been on, I have an easy way of putting things like that behind me and moving on.”
(How important it is having WR DeVante Parker on the field, not only because of the talent he brings but I’m assuming his presence also opens things up for other receivers on the roster?) – “We always want to have our best players out there and he’s definitely one of them for us. It’s definitely better with our best guys on the field and just hope that he’s out there. Whoever it is that’s out there, nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody on our squad is going to play any softer. We’re all going to give it all we have to try to win the game. We’ll have a plan to go out there and do just that.”
(I asked you this about this on Sunday, but now that you’ve had a chance to digest and you’ve seen some film and everything, the incorporation of RB Myles Gaskin, just knowing the weapons you guys have with RB Jordan Howard and RB Matt Breida, how does that third kind of element with what he does in terms of breaking tackles and being elusive bring to the table, and being able to see him do that one the field on Sunday?) – “It was fun. Myles has had a great offseason and training camp. It was good to see him go out there and put it together in a game and do some good things for us. I think we have a lot of talent back there in the backfield, so those touches will get spread around. It’s a good problem for us to have and (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) will do his best to figure out how to do it. It’s a good problem to have that many talented guys in the backfield for us.”
(When you went back and watched the tape, were there some throws where maybe your progression didn’t take you to the open guy? Do you have to beat on yourself a little bit to not be reliant on WR DeVante Parker, reliant on TE Mike Gesicki, that your third guy in your progression might be your best option?) – “Every week is different. New England is such a big man team, so a lot of times it’s who is going to win the one-on-one matchup really. When you play against a zone defense, sometimes the progression comes in a little bit more in that regard. If you’re reading top down or left to right. Some of it was me not making the right throw or picking the right match up. Just stuff that I need to get better at. For me, knowing that there are things that I need to improve, I think that I can get those done and I think we’ll be in a better spot this week.”
(You’ve talked about bouncing back and moving on. You’ve obviously got a lot of experience at those things. How has your ability to do that evolved over your career and what do you see as your secret? We’ve all heard all of the clichés, but what do you tap into?) – “It’s hard though. It’s one of those things where you walk into the locker room after a game when you know you didn’t do your best as a quarterback and let the team down, that’s hard. It’s hard to face those guys. The best thing that I’ve learned is just to pour everything that I have into the next week of preparation, into the next game. There is a fine line there, there is a balance too because I can’t sit here and put so much pressure on myself to go out there and be perfect. At the same time, I’ve got to move on from last week, I’ve got to do a great job of getting everybody where they are supposed to be, throwing the ball to the right spot and doing the best we can on offense to generate some more confidence and some more rhythm, and that falls on me. A lot of it for me is just the week of preparation and how we’re doing practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, the discussions, the communications, the talk, making sure that everybody is into it and everybody knows that this is a new week. Those are the type of things you really try to focus on after a bad week.”
(How expansive or advanced did you feel like you were able to be with the offense given it was Week 1? Were you able to do as much of the playbook as you wanted to?) – “Yeah. The great thing with Chan and the way that this system works is it’s really you try to figure out each week the best way to attack a defense. He’s very multiple in what he can do. Sometimes it will evolve week to week, sometimes it will look the same. I think we felt very comfortable going into the game with the plan that we had. I think guys did a good job of understanding what we were trying to get done. We just have to do a better job of going out there and executing it. So far so good this week. A great day at practice today. It wasn’t perfect but in terms of the intensity and the way that we practice and starting to understand and digest how we are going to attack the Bills. Each week is definitely different and one of Chan’s strengths is being able to change it up from team to team and make it easy on our guys mentally.”
(You talked about the challenges of going against a man and zone defense, and how you want to best approach each week’s opponent. This Buffalo Bills defense couple of guys that really get ball production in S Micah Hyde, and S Jordan Poyer, and CB Tre’Davious White, How’s your approach going against those guys in more of a zone-based defense?) – “Really this defense is just very multiple in what they do. They can do a lot of different things. You look at some of that stuff. Micah Hyde is definitely a ball hawk. If you put it anywhere close to him, he’s going to catch it. Tre’Davious White, obviously I have a little bit of experience playing against him and he does a great job and was rewarded for that. He’s a tough guy, a tough match up; but at the same time, there are certain things. When we’re going, we’ve got to play at our strengths too. We’ve got to rely on our guys to go out there and make plays and put them in good position. Each week is a different challenge. They have a very good, fast, experienced defense and everybody understanding what they are trying to get done. It’s funny, every week this is a lot different looking defense then New England’s was; but in terms of productivity, these guys are really tough to play against as well. It will be a good challenge for us.”
(Yesterday a couple of coaches talked about QB Tua Tagovailoa and the learning experience that Sunday was for a rookie, his first time on the sidelines. Your primary goal has to be to win the ballgame, I understand that. But looking back, what can you share in terms of how much you think Tua may have learned from watching you on Sunday and maybe talking to you in film study over the past day or two?) – “I probably talked more on the bench than I normally would inbetween series. Just talking with him, talking through what I was seeing, what they were doing, and it’s good for me. It’s good for me to walk through those things, but I especially in talking through some of those things, want him to kind of understand what I’m seeing and to be able to ask questions even if it is in a game-like setting. I thought we had a good back and forward, a good rapport on the sideline. He asked some really good questions. It seemed like he saw the game pretty decent from the sidelines in terms of the stuff that we were talking about and the questions he was asking. It was good. It was a good start just to build on that communication now, just being another set of eyes for me to be able to trust. I thought he did a nice job.”
(Does that go both ways with QB Tua Tagovailoa? Does Tua tell you something that he saw that maybe you didn’t see? Also, it seemed like after QB Cam Newton scored the first touchdown, you were putting on your helmet and he tapped you on your helmet, maybe you said a joke there or something to make him laugh?) –“I don’t really remember that moment; but there are certain things that maybe I’ll ask him to watch for during the game that I can get some feedback on. At the same time, you know your role a little bit too in terms of what you can say and can’t say sometimes. There is definitely some stuff – as quarterbacks, you just see the game differently sometimes. There is some stuff I’ll tell him to keep an eye on, whether it’s safety depth or corners and how we’re doing out there, or something that happened in two minute. He’ll be a good asset.”
Shaq Lawson – September 16, 2020
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020
DE Shaq Lawson
(Obviously this defensive front seven has guys who have stopped the run well in their past with you and DE Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Kyle Van Noy, etc. How hard were you on yourself after the Patriots ran for 217 on Sunday? How upsetting and surprising was that?) – “I was hard on myself. As a leader – as a defensive line, period, it starts up front and all the guys on the d-line, we took full responsibility of that for not stopping the run. We just hold ourselves accountable and we’ve just got to continue to do better and stop it this week because that’s what the NFL is going to try to do. It starts with the run and things like that.”
(A few of us talked to Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott just a couple hours ago and he was complimentary of what you did for that team and what you brought to that defense. First, are you excited to go up against some of your former guys and also do you feel like it’s a benefit to be able to communicate maybe some tendencies to your current teammates?) – “I’m excited to go against those guys. I’m excited to go against those guys. I talk to those guys every week – some of them – about every week, so I still keep a good relationship with those guys and even the people around. I’m looking forward to this game going against my former team, a place I’d been there for four years out of my whole career and get the chance to play. But it’s great. I really don’t know about tendencies because teams change up things. There might be a whole different system from where it was when I left last year, so I can’t really – I know a lot of players and things like that – but as far as tendencies, no.”
(I’ve got to know which one of your former teammates you want to hit the most on Sunday.) – “(laughter) Man, none of them really. I just make a play when it’s my time to make a play. Like I said, those guys are my guys. Josh Allen – that’s my dude. I talk to him from time to time; but at the end of the day, it’s ball and I want to win. I want to beat those guys; but at the end of the day it’s ball so I don’t really care who hit as long as I make a play to help this team win.”
(My question is about the challenges of the zone read and what that presents. Their quarterback kind of reads you on that play. How different is your approach defending the run against the zone read opposed to a team that maybe has more of a traditional drop-back passer and traditional running game?) – “It basically depends on what defense we’re running at the time. People have different responsibilities on the zone read, so it really depends on the call. But the zone read, it’s been around for a minute. It’s a college play. They’re bringing it back in the league. Successful mobile quarterbacks do the zone read a lot, so we’ve just got to defend it in the right way and we’ve got to get 11 hats to the ball.”
(Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott earlier pointed out that the Dolphins have spent a lot of money to improve their defense in the offseason. I’m wondering how close was the money was the Bills’ offer versus the Dolphins?) – “It was a little off a little bit. It was a little off a little bit. It ended up being the warm or the cold, so I ended up coming here. But it was a close decision. I respect everybody up there. I talked to them, told them and thanked them for the opportunity they gave me; but at the end of the day, I just had to make the best choice for my family.”
(I wanted to ask you about obviously you’ve got to know some of these offensive linemen and some of their tendencies because you faced them in practice on a regular basis. Do you have to not overthink that situation?) – “Like you said, I know a lot of these guys. I’ve seen them play. I was with them every day and things like that, so everybody has got a weakness to their games and stuff. I just help our guys on stuff that we need and can help us succeed and stuff that I can remember those guys were doing and how those guys block and things like that. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be a great matchup because it’s a great d-line versus a great o-line.”
(After this past game obviously there was a little incident with Patriots QB Cam Newton with the chain, and he felt like some folks were pulling at his chain. What was your recollection of that situation?) – “I’ve got my own chain, man. (laughter) I don’t even know. That’s behind me now. It’s onto a new week for real. That situation is just – that’s out the window now. I can’t look back on that situation.”
(I wanted to ask you about the importance of stopping the run. I know it sounds real basic when you get down to it, but I’m wondering about the importance of it not just in terms of winning and losing, but just in keeping your spirits up as the game is going on because I don’t have to tell you New England ran for over 200 yards. How could that not affect you mentally as the game is going on?) – “It does. It does because you’re not getting in that world – that drop-back zone, make them pass. So yeah, that was kind of frustrating, but that’s how the league starts. Each offensive coordinator in the NFL, what they always want to do is start the game off by running; but basically you’ve got to try to make them one-dimensional – get them in the air – so it’s a big part of stopping the run. You’ve got to take pride in it. It’s basically somebody running up your gap, so after last week’s performance, I took pride in and I put that on me. I put that on me. I didn’t do my part and things like that, but this week I’ll definitely do better.”
(I want to go back to Bills QB Josh Allen. It sounds like you guys are kind of close. Where have you noticed the biggest change or improvement in his game from the time he came into the league until now? Everyone criticized him for passing, but last week he goes out and throws for over 300 yards.) – “Yeah, I’ve seen that, too. That guy got better every year and I saw that develop his first two years as a player. He’s a dog. I said that when I was there. The guy is a dog and that’s what you need at quarterback and things like that. He’s grown a lot. Just watching his film now, he looks a lot better than he was last year – 10 times better. Throwing the ball – the guy can already run – and just a strong, physical guy and just a dog. I respect Josh Allen (since) Day 1, since he came in there. We know the challenge that we’ve got to face this week. It’s the same thing we had to do with Cam (Newton). It’s another similar type player. Pretty much out of the pocket, Josh Allen is probably a little faster than Cam – so things like that. We’ve just got to be ready for the challenge and like you all said, stop the run. If you stop the run, the whole game takes care of itself.”
Ted Karras – September 16, 2020
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020
C Ted Karras
(I wanted to get your thoughts on how you would evaluate the performance of the offensive line in the opener and the kind of challenge the Bills defense will present Sunday?) – “I thought it was a good start for the o-line – a lot of challenging looks and obviously every NFL game, the o-line is going to come back wanting a few plays here or there. But I think we went toe-to-toe in a tough battle, had a chance to win and just got to do little things better. This week, a lot of good players on the opposite side of the ball. A lot of up-field, quick players and we’re going to have our work cut out for us. We had a good start today in practice and we’re going to continue working, get ready for Sunday afternoon.”
(I was wondering what you thought of the two rookie linemen not giving up a sack in the opener, a combined one pressure I think between those two – G Solomon Kindley and T Austin Jackson – how impressive was that to you and were they confused at all during the game in your conversations with them or did they have a firm command of what you all were doing?) – “I thought they had great command of what we were doing. I think the o-line as a whole, going in there with all the looks that we had, did a great job from Jesse (Davis), Ereck (Flowers), Solomon (Kindley), ‘A.J.’ (Austin Jackson), Rob (Hunt). We’re pleased with that but didn’t do enough to win obviously; but a lot of good things to build on and looking for a lot of improvement here in Week 2.”
(I know you guys didn’t have any preseason. I wonder how much were you guys able to I guess skew from your bread and butter? How expansive were you able to go into what you want to do offensively?) – “I think that we had some good looks. Obviously I’m just running the play called and whatever we get looks-wise, we have to execute. It’s a little bit more of a traditional style of defense here this week and we got a good start on our game plan this week, and really looking to just keep moving forward, keep elevating our play every day.”
(You mentioned some more traditional defense this week in the Buffalo Bills. One player on that defensive line who’s not traditional is DT Ed Oliver because he’s big and athletic. I’m just curious what you’ve seen on tape from him so far and maybe how you kind of go about approaching and getting ready for a player like him?) – “They have a lot of great players on that front seven. Ed Oliver’s been a really, really good player since the moment he stepped into this league and a guy that we’re going to have to really prepare for and look at, and obviously all of us are going to have to step up. They’ve got (Quinton) Jefferson as well, (Harrison) Phillips, (Justin) Zimmer. They’ve got a whole – (Trent) Murphy – they’ve got a really, really good front with (Tremaine) Edmunds and (Matt) Milano right behind them, so it’s going to be a big-time game and as an o-line, we’re going to have to come through to be successful for this team.”
(What were your impressions if you watched any Bills film? It seems to me like they’re a team that’s ready to kind of take the next step and get back to the playoffs.) – “The impression I get – everyone wants to make the playoffs. I think they’ve been obviously really good for a long time. This division obviously got shaken up a little bit this year, so there’s a lot of people vying for that spot. They’re coming to town in our first home opener at Hard Rock (Stadium) and we’re going to need our best performance when it counts the most Sunday afternoon.”
