Patrick Graham – October 15, 2019
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(Can you tell us what led LB Vince Biegel making a start at linebacker? He’s a guy who seemed to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback. What does he do well to put pressure?) – “Vince – I’m familiar with him from last year at Green Bay for a short time when he was there. I think the thing about Vince is this guy practices extremely hard and prepares very hard. Preparation in the classroom, on his own and then it shows up in practice – that’s really what led to it. His ability to show in practice what he can do and that led to more time on the field. He’s a good football player. (He has) been a good football player since his playing days in college. Now he’s transitioning here to the NFL. I’m just happy to see him have some success.”
(Anything about LB Vince Biegel as a pass rusher stand out?) – “Oh, yeah. One, you start with – I hate saying this but he does have a relentless motor. That’s one. Two, then you go to the fact that he has some length. To me, the key is playing with extension and we could all do that a little bit better in terms of the pass rush; but playing with extension because we know these guys for the most part – unless you’re one of the different ones – they’re usually bigger than us, the tackles. If you don’t get any extension and be able to play where they can’t grab you, it’s going to be hard to rush. Usually when he’s had success it’s been because of those two things. From there, you get to the flipping the hips and all that – defeating the hands, defeating the inside punch – all that stuff comes along; but really it starts with your effort, relentless motor, going after them and then playing with some extension.”
(Statistically you guys had your best game of the year. Would you agree that last week was your best game so far?) – “Guys fought. We fought. We fought, but with a loss, I can’t – “best” and all that stuff – I’m not prepared to say that just in terms of that (the loss). We fought to the very end. It was a close game; but again, we’ve got a lot of stuff that we’ve got to do. There’s a lot of room for improvement from that game whether it’s improving the pass rush even though we had some success, improving the run game a little bit more and then keeping the points down. Two big plays there. We’ve got to keep the points down. Any time they score more points than us, I don’t know if I’ll be able to use the word “best.” That’s just me. Sorry about that.”
(You guys got off the field in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter. What was going right? Who was doing what there? Why?) – “It’s usually a combination of a few things. I’ve always taken it in terms of – okay, if we’re talking about third down, getting off the field, I thought we did a good job with the rush in terms whether they knew where it was coming (from) and again, trying to be multiple there which is going to be something critical for this week with Buffalo. I think they’ve got a good offensive line. They’ve got a very good quarterback that can make you miss. We’re going to have to have a plan for that. After that, really if you take a look at it, guys were covering. It was a young group out there and we’re going to need that effort this week because Buffalo, they have some good receivers. (John) Brown – these guys can play ball, along with the backs. I think guys were covering. They were playing the right leverage. They were competing to get through some of the picks and rubs. It led to that. Again, if you take a look at it, if you play with extension in the pass rush, relentless effort, and relentless effort in coverage, too, in terms of having to get through all that stuff – the meshes and all that stuff – I thought those guys really worked well doing that.”
(DE Charles Harris had limited playing time on Sunday. Was that game plan-oriented or was there…?) – “Anything we do in terms of guys being out on the field is game plan, what we think is best for that week, and then all of that stuff can change from week to week. Nothing is set in stone. Whatever happened last week, coming into this week – this week is a totally different deal. We’re going to do what we think is best for Buffalo and utilize the players’ skillset. Charles (Harris), Taco (Charlton), all those guys – we’re going to use all those guys to help us win the game so that’s usually what happens there.”
(Can you talk a little bit about two players – DE Taco Charlton and CB Ken Webster – what they contribute and the contributions that they made in this game?) – “I think Ken, Ken competed. He did a good job in terms of – there’s one play in particular that stuck out to me where there was something that went across the field and it wasn’t really anything that had to do with the play, so he came back and he was ready for the run game. That’s something that some veterans struggle with. I thought he hit that home, and his ‘competes’ out there were pretty good. I don’t know if that’s technically a word, but we use it in football lingo so don’t go to the dictionary on me. (laughter) His ‘competes’ or his competitive nature out there – I thought he challenged guys at the line of scrimmage. He was physical, tackled – that’s the stuff that shows up. Another tackle is in my mind. He tackled this guy; he did a great job with that. Taco – the thing that Taco provides us some awareness, versatility on the edge and a big body. He’s a smart guy that understands football, understands what they’re trying to do to him and it’s been fun to see him grow. Again, I told him I’ve been wanting to coach him since he was coming out in the draft, so I’m just happy to be around him and I’m going to coach him this week some more and see if we can get some more improvement.”
(DE Taco Charlton wound up playing almost every snap on defense. Was that pre-planned or was it the way he was playing…?) – “’Pre-planned?’ In this league and in every game, I don’t know how much you can pre-plan because you might have certain personnel or a defensive you want to go out there and all of a sudden they come out in something totally different and you’ve got to play something totally different, so I don’t know if it was pre-planned. Most of it is, ‘okay, this is the thing that we think we’re going to use to try to win the game’ – just like for this week with Buffalo. We’re going to figure out what we’ve got to do to stop (Frank) Gore from rushing, what we’ve got to do to minimize the pass game from Buffalo. I don’t know if it’s pre-planned. It’s just us just trying to do what’s best for the game.”
(You brought up Bills RB Frank Gore. How many have you faced him and what are some of the challenges you have with him?) – “Don’t do that to me now, man. (laughter) Last year, I faced him. He is an excellent back. I remember the first time I was introduced to Mr. Gore – that game didn’t go too well. (laughter) He is one of the best to ever play the game. For the younger guys, in terms of whether they were kids watching him and wondering, ‘okay, now I’ve got to go play him.’ This man’s still got it now. (laughter) He’s a good player and I got a chance to meet him a couple times, and he’s one of the smartest football players I’ve ever been around in terms of just my brief interactions with him. He knew exactly the guys I coached, exactly how they played and I said that’s pretty impressive to me. It’s going to be a challenge. He’s a tough tackle. He’s good in pass pro. He’s one of the best to ever play the game, so any time you get a chance to go against those guys – we had one last week and now we’ve got another one this week – it’s a pretty good challenge. The guys will be up for it.”
(Kind of an open-ended question – when you find out you don’t have CB Xavien Howard, what does that do to your game plan? I’m guessing obviously, you can’t do as much one-on-one on one side of the field. What does it do?) – “We have confidence in all our guys. As a coach, part of our job is scouting the opponent, getting our guys ready to play, but then also, you’ve got to go through the scenarios because it’s a physical game. It’s a contact sport. If you’re not prepared for when guys go down, then we wouldn’t be doing our job. We have a lot of confidence in the guys that went out there. They played their hearts out. We competed but again, schematically, what we were not able to do and not do – I don’t know if I’ll get into that – but we have confidence in the players we have and confidence in our coaching and trying to get them up to speed.”
(LB Raekwon McMillan led the team in tackles Sunday and continues to make plays when he’s out there. What stands out to you about him?) – “The thing about him, he’s a physical presence out there on the field. You talk about the tackles; I think about the chances he had to press tackles, not make tackles. I’m talking about pressing the line of scrimmage and getting some knock-back. That’s what we’re going to need this week. That’s what we’re going to do need this week because again, we’re going up against a physical run team. Tackles is a team sport. I’m happy for him to have the most tackles, but we’re going to need the physical presence to show up this week against Buffalo in terms of the guys they’ve got climbing to the second level and knocking those guys back. That’ll lead to the tackles, but in terms of playing with power inside, that’s probably the stuff I was most pleased with.”
(We’ve talked before about mobile quarterbacks. You’ve said quarterbacks are mobile to a step, but Bills QB Josh Allen is probably a little different. How much he runs – does that change how you guys go about this week?) – “I think in terms of how much he runs, it’s different than last year. That usually happens in this league. A guy matures, he takes a few less shots, he’s seeing his progressing, going through his progression, getting the ball thrown out there. You’re seeing him maturing as a passer in this league. In terms of his ability to run, the thing that sticks out the most is his toughness because this is a guy who’s a big guy who can move with a big arm, but he’s tough. That’s a combination where you’re like, ‘okay.’ This guy is a tough tackle. He’ll run through some tackles. We’ve got to make sure we make the plays there, and he’s not going to be scared. In terms of the adjustment, we’re going to have to account for the guy because he’s a dynamic runner and a dynamic passer; and it seems like he’s been a pretty good decision-maker this season so far, too.”
(Do you find that they run a lot of their plays in the mesh point because they’re so run-heavy?) – “In terms of – what do you mean by…?”
(As far as – because they do some of the read-option stuff with him and Bills RB Frank Gore and so much of their offense seems like a power scheme. Do you find that you can kind of defend the certain line…?) – “(Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Brian) Daboll – I know him and have worked with him. He’s going to stress you out horizontally, vertically, however you look at it. He’s going to use the entire field. If you just watch from the formations to the whatever in terms of the mesh point, the different schemes; Brian (Daboll) has been a very good coach and very good coordinator in this league. He’s going to use every one of his players. He’s going to use every inch of that field to try to cause some confusion for us. I don’t know if I can answer because there’s so much to prepare for from those guys because they do such a good job of using their weapons and utilizing different schemes to challenge us and put a lot of stress on us defensively.”
(Does it make it any easier at all that you know Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll so well?) – “You know what, people always ask that question. (laughter) No, because they know us, too. (laughter) It’s like if you were going to play against your brother. Yeah, I know him; but he also knows me, too so that might be an issue there, too. It comes down to the players and how they execute on Sunday. I know he’s up there preparing, working his hardest to get these guys ready. We’re down here working to get our guys ready to go and we’ll rock and roll on Sunday.”
(Regarding LB Jerome Baker, it seems like we haven’t seen the play-making – the sacks and things that we saw in preseason and training camp. How is he doing and why are we not seeing those numbers?) – “I think ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) is still a young player. He’s a young player and he’s improving. I’ll give you that. Trust me, in terms of – if you trust my vision in terms of being a coach and seeing it, he’s improving. I think one of the things that I’ve asked him to do is just get better every day. I know it’s cliché, but he has whether it’s block destruction, whether it’s recognizing routes, whether it’s being able to come back and ask good questions. ‘Pat, okay, what if they give us this versus this call? What do you think about that?’ ‘Bake, that’s a good question.’ That’s what I’m looking for, the growth there, because the athleticism, the football player – once they start to merge and come together for a young player, that’s when you start to see the dynamic play. I know he’s working hard. He’s working hard to get better. He’s been successful on the field for us. It’s just – I can’t define the plays what you’re talking about in terms of what you’re looking for, but I know he’s getting better every day for us if that makes sense.”
Chad O’Shea – October 15, 2019
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, obviously, provided quite the spark when he came into the game. What did you see from him?) – “That’s what he did, he provided a spark. I thought that he came in and really – we were able to move the ball with him in the game. He’s a veteran player at the position that has been in this position before where he’s come off the bench and provided a spark and he certainly did that for us and it was good to see. It was a real positive for us.”
(There was a great shot of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick celebrating with WR DeVante Parker after the score. What does that say to you about Fitzpatrick and his enthusiasm and his zest for the game?) – “As I’ve said all along about ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), he brings a lot to the table as far as his intangibles. I know that he has a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to play the game even being a veteran that he is. He really has a lot of energy. I think it’s contagious. I think the players enjoy playing with him. But he certainly has a lot of intangibles and one of the intangibles he has is just his overall passion and enthusiasm and energy to play the game.”
(How hard is it to come in cold like that and as a play caller do you have to ease him in or do you just let it rip?) – “I think it’s something that you have to consider when you have a player that comes off the bench. Probably at any position, there are certain considerations that you have as far as play calling and what you choose to do early with them because physically they are just coming off the bench. But certainly one area that we have a tremendous amount of confidence in ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) in is his ability to function mentally and to be well prepared to run the offense. There’s no limitations in regards to that. There might be a different approach early just physically coming off the bench. But from a mental standpoint, ‘Fitz’ is so well prepared and knows the offense so well, there’s really no limitations to what we do early when you have a guy come off the bench like ‘Fitz’.”
(Did QB Ryan Fitzpatrick get a single snap with the ones last week?) – “During the week of practice, there’s certainly different combinations that we have. ‘Fitz’ being in the backup spot, you’re limited in the amount if reps you have, but you certainly work with the first group as well as the second group. You’re just limited on the reps you have as the backup quarterback. I think that’s true of all players in the NFL at that position. Certainly, there’s opportunities throughout the week for our backup quarterback to work with the players that he was playing with during the game.”
(Can you take us through the two-point conversion, both the decision to do it and how that play went?) – “The two-point conversion as well as other critical situations during the game are well thought out prior to the game or they are discussed in our planning both as an offensive staff and with the head coach. I think Brian (Flores) has done a great job of having opening communication with us as an offensive staff on those plays that might come up in a game that we consider critical situations (and) certainly the two-point play was. It’s a play that we had talked about and discussed and it’s the play that we thought was best for our team at that time. It’s no different than the other situations that may come up in the game, whether it’s a third-down – a critical third down – or the play before that was a critical play that ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) made a great play on, that we were able to score on to put us in position to run the two-point play. Those things are all discussed at length prior to the game and even discussions prior to the play.”
(How much as you in that situation? How much are you talking to Head Coach Brian Flores or are you just with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and your guys?) – “As I said, I think ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) has done a great job of being a great communicator with us. There’s an open line of communication with us during the week in preparation and on game day. He certainly allows us to do our job as offensive coaches and myself as the play caller. There’s definitely input. He’s the head coach and I have a tremendous amount of respect in his input. Certainly we’re all on the same page in most of the decisions we make that are critical.”
(Coming out of the timeout, was there a decision – was that the play before a timeout was called? Was that still the play after the timeout was called? Did you have any apprehensions on calling another play because a timeout was called?) – “What we try to do is rely heavily on our week of preparation and the plan that we have in place. There are certain things during the game that might come up that are unforeseen circumstances call it, whether it be something defensively they’re doing different or it might be an injury to a certain position. Those are all things that factor into whatever play we run, whether it’s the two-point play or a critical red zone possession. I think that when there is a stoppage of play, there’s going to be discussions on everything that we do. Certainly there was on that play. Again, as I’ve said from day one, we’re always going to try to do what’s best for our team and certainly that play was what we thought was best for our team. Obviously, we were very disappointed in the outcome of that, but I think that we’ve talked about these things at length and prepared and that’s our jobs as coaches to put us in the best position we can and what we think is best.”
(Was C Daniel Kilgore’s injury a factor that played in too?) – “I think there’s a lot of factors. Obviously, Dan’s our starting center and he was in there a majority of the game and he wasn’t on the last snap. I would say that during the course of the week, there’s a lot of different players who rep different plays that might not come up in the game. So, that certainly was true in this case. There’s times – just because of practice reps that you have 10 reps at practice, you can’t have your starters out there for 10 reps just because of maintenance and those things physically. So, there’s plenty of times where there’s other people that are repping certain plays that might not necessarily do it in the game or it might come up and be the opposite.”
(It’s easy to play the result. Obviously, the outcome as you mentioned wasn’t what you wanted. Have you had any introspection in the last couple of days, “Maybe this would’ve been a better call?”) – “I think the one thing I’ve learned in the positon that I’m in now – and this is a new role for me – is that there’s going to be decisions that you make during the week and there’s going to be a lot of decisions that are made on game day. I think it’s easy to obviously look back at those decisions and I’ve learned from all the decisions I’ve made. I’ve tried to look back and have confidence in the decisions I’ve made and tried not to second guess myself. I’ve certainly learned from the decisions I’ve made. But when you put as much preparation and planning as we do on certain plays in certain areas of the game plan, you have confidence that you shouldn’t second guess yourself. I think you always learn from certain things, but certainly there’s no – you can’t second guess every call that’s made in a game.”
(On that play, I thought I saw a missed block up at the line of scrimmage. Head Coach Brian Flores said the pass could’ve been better, the catch could’ve been made…) – “If we would’ve scored on this play, we would’ve saved a lot of time today. (laughter) I do want to talk about the Bills in a minute, if we can.”
(How much went right on that play for you guys? It seemed like there were a few things.) – “On the two-point play?”
(On the two-point play.) – “That play was something that we had worked on quite a bit. There were a lot of things that were aligned to work on that play. Certainly, there were some parts in place that would’ve allowed the play to be successful, but at the end it wasn’t. We’ve always stressed that it takes all 11 guys and perfect execution for an offensive play. Certainly, we didn’t have the execution we wanted on the play. We’re just moving forward at this point.”
(How did you evaluate QB Josh Rosen’s play throughout the game and what’s the plan sticking with him going forward this Sunday?) – “I thought that there were areas that I’ve said he needs to improve on that it was good to see. Early in the game, we had some communication things that go unforeseen to you guys or maybe the people watching the game, but he did a good job on some communication things early. Certainly, our number one goal in every game is to have ball security and we had two interceptions, which was disappointing. He’s disappointed in those two interceptions as well as we are offensively. There were some things that he did well as far as communication, running the offense early, getting us into some right runs checks and some things like that. But obviously when you throw two interceptions, that’s something that we want to be better at.”
(What led to the decision to start RB Mark Walton and how would you evaluate his performance?) – “I think Mark played well for us. I think that Mark leading up to the decision to start him has really impressed us with both his work ethic at practice, his production on the field when he has been in there. He’s a great example of a player who has taken great advantage of his opportunities, who has made the most out of everything that we’ve given him from an opportunity standpoint. Certainly, he was very deserving to go out there and start for us. I’m glad he’s on our football team. I think he can make some very positive contributions moving forward and we were pleased with his effort in the game.”
(TE Mike Gesicki had the acrobatic catch on the middle of the field on the last drive. How would you assess his development route running and what needs to happen for Mike to become an even bigger part?) – “I think (Tight Ends Coach) George Godsey has done a great job with him at the tight end position. They’ve worked so hard on the details of route running and route recognition and those things. Obviously, he made a great play on that ball to keep the drive going. We wouldn’t be talking about the two-point play and some of those if he doesn’t make a great play on that. Certainly, that was a positive. I think he worked really hard with his position coach. Again, they’ve really tried to focus in on a lot of the things of the route running, the detail and the overall top of the routes and releases. I think he’s continued to develop. Again, like I said, with Mark (Walton), if he makes the most out of the opportunities, we’ll continue to give him opportunities.”
(Going back to the RB Mark Walton question, do you feel like he could give more with the potential to be a featured back?) – “I think the one good thing, again, about that running back position for us and that room is that you have a lot of guys that fall into that category of – I sit there and today is our game planning day and it’s always a challenge to try to get those guys the touches, because you want them with the ball in their hands. Mark is certainly in that category. I was happy with what he did in the game. We were happy with what he did in the game. I think that if he continues to progress, then he’s going to continue to be a part of what we do in our game planning. Certainly, it’s a room, it’s a running back group that I think a lot of and I think we have guys that can do things with the ball in their hands and Mark is in that category.”
(When you talk about it takes all 11 to make a play, the up-tempo offense worked well for you guys. Going beyond QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, why did it work so well?) – “I think that a lot of those, the decision to go up-tempo, there’s a lot of factors involved. One is where you are in the game, what you think defensively they’re going to be, schematically what they are going to be doing, how do you think they are going to respond, what do our players do best. I know certainly ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has always functioned well within a no-huddle and a tempo situation, so that’s something that he does well. I thought that he really functioned well within the – we’ll call it the two-minute or tempo offense, and was able to get us two scores and that was a positive for us.”
(Was it offensive line-wise, running back- wise, route running? What were those guys doing?) – “The offensive line, I thought, during those drives that we scored did a great job of allowing us to play on time in the pass game. I thought the protection was good during those two drives. I think from a route-running standpoint, we always say that the responsibility of playing on time is just not on the quarterback, but the responsibility of all involved including the route runners to play on time, to get into your routes fast, to be decisive and detailed in where you’re going. I thought there was a lot of examples of us being very detailed in the pass game from the skill standpoint and that includes the running backs. I thought Mark (Walton) did a nice job of being exactly where he needed to be and taking the ball and doing something with it after the catch. I think that the ability to protect, the ability to play on time in the pass game – We always talk about individual accountability in critical situations and I thought that there was a lot of good examples of that during that drive, it just wasn’t ‘Fitz’ at the quarterback position. I thought there were a lot of guys that shared the positives that we had during that.”
(What concerns you about the Buffalo Bills?) – “This Buffalo Bills team is absolutely well coached. They have a great scheme. This is a great challenge for us. There are solid at all three levels of their defense. Their front is an issues. They’re very disruptive. Their linebackers play with great energy and run to the football. Their secondary – their two safeties are veteran players who are smart players who play very well within the defense and have been playmakers for years. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Buffalo Bills defense. I have a tremendous amount of respect for how well-coached they are. Coach (Sean) McDermott does a great job. I’ve worked with (Defensive Coordinator) Leslie Frazier at the Vikings as their defensive coordinator, so I have a personal relationship with him and have a lot of respect for him as a coach. But the reason I’m talking so much about it is because I’ve been in there looking at them for the past several hours and I really do think a lot of them. I think this is a very good defense and it’ll be a great challenge for us to play on the road versus a good team that, again, we have a tremendous amount of respect for and we certainly have a lot of challenges here moving forward.”
(Is there one thing that scares you the most I guess?) – “What scares me the most about this team is they’re so fundamentally sound. They’re so sound in what they do schematically. They know the defense. They play well within the defense. I think that’s why they have the ranking that they do is they play well together, they play with great energy and run to the football. Again, this will be a great challenge for us this week.”
Brian Flores – October 14, 2019
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Monday, October 14, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Was RB Mark Walton on the sideline for the two-point conversion attempt due to injury?) – “There were a lot of guys dinged up on the sideline at the end of the game – a 60-minute ballgame. Yeah, he got dinged a little bit, along with everyone in the game who had a bump or bruise or something. Yeah, he was dealing with something.”
(The only reason I asked about RB Mark Walton specifically is because RB Kenyan Drake and Mark said that Mark had practiced that play all week. Knowing that Mark was unavailable, how did that impact calling that play?) – “Well, we have a lot of confidence in Kenyan that he would be able to execute the play. He’s run it before in the past. Mark got them last week. Kenyan’s gotten them in previous weeks. I think we were all confident that we would get the play executed and it just didn’t work out that way.”
(How would you assess the execution of the play overall?) – “I mean we didn’t score, so it wasn’t executed very well. A lot of things could’ve gone a lot better. We’ve got to make a good throw and a good catch. That’s really where it starts. If we don’t get that, then the rest of it doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, I think it looked a little bit better watching it again. We may have had a little bit better of a shot watching it last night. At the end of the day, we didn’t execute it, we didn’t get it done. We didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
(This is your first late-game situation as a head coach. I’m wondering if you could offer us any insight into the process from the standpoint of did you and Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea discuss that two-point conversion? Or did you give him the freedom to make that call and did you listen in? How did that go?) – “We talk about that over the course of the week. We’ve got a two-point play menu. Obviously those plays we like, we like them all. Yeah, there was a lot of discussion about what we were going to do, what we liked. Really anything that is on the menu we like or else it wouldn’t be there. That’s kind of how we handle those and some other situations – anything on third down, anything on red zone. If we don’t like it, it’s out. At the end of the game, there were a lot of situations. If we wanted to take a timeout, how much time? Are we going for two? There is a lot of conversation going on there. That part of it, I thought we handled all of that well. We gave ourselves a chance at the end to score. To kick the extra point, or go for two, we chose to go for two. We had a play that we liked, we could’ve executed it better, we didn’t and we learned from it.”
(When you were the coordinator, did you want the head coach offering his input or did you want it to be your decision? How does that influence how you handled it yesterday?) – “I think the head coach and coordinators are normally on the same page. That’s kind of been my experience. Again, that’s not a split-second decision within the game. I think it’s something we talk about – or I know it’s something we talk about – over the course of the week, especially in what’s called the ‘got to have it’ situations. We’re all on the same page on what we want to do offensively, defensively or in the kicking game. If we’re not, then we need to get on the same page. There are only a handful of those situations, so if it comes down to this, we’re doing this. That’s really kind of how everybody operates.”
(Do you have an analytics guy, or do you consider analytics in that situation, in late-game situations?) – “Yeah, we – analytics is a big part of the game now. If it gives us any type of advantage or anything that gives us any kind of advantage I look into, so analytics is a part of that. So yeah.”
(The two-point play, is that a play where it’s most ideal coming out of a timeout or is it ideal when you’re having a couple of plays and you’re at the line of scrimmage?) – “I think it’s either or. I think timeout, no timeout, if we execute it, it’s a good play. If we don’t execute it, it’s not a good play. I don’t think the timeout had anything to do with whether to or not to call it.”
(With CB Xavien Howard, when was the decision not to play him? Are you concerned now that he’s had issues with both knees before the season, are you concerned that he’s got a knee problem?) – “I think four, five or six weeks into the season, everyone is dealing with something. I’m not concerned with Xavien from that standpoint. He just couldn’t go. He tried all week, just wasn’t ready to go. He’s working his way back. He’s obviously in there today working to do everything to get back out on the field. Hopefully we see him this week at practice and hopefully in the game next week.”
(Are you worried – I know DE Avery Moss left the locker room in a boot yesterday – is his going to be a long-term deal?) – “It’s still early. It’s Monday. We’ve got the rest of the week to kind of go through the progression, the treatment, the rehab. It’s still so early. It’s hard to say long-term, short-term. I know he’s – if you ask him, he’ll tell you he’ll be back tomorrow, so we’ll see how it goes.”
(I guess by that answer, it’s not a season-ending type of situation?) – “It’s early. I don’t think so but there’s no way to know.”
(Was there a conscious effort to try to get some shots down the middle of the field to TE Mike Gesicki or was this a matter of what the defense was giving you?) – “Obviously you want to take what the defense gives you. I think there are some opportunities, especially when the team is playing split-safety coverage to try to get down to the tight end or receiver down the middle. We had a couple shots at it. We missed one. We hit one. Those are big plays if you can make them, but it’s a tough throw. It’s a tight throw. You’ve got to get it out now. One we fired it in there. One we probably gave them an opportunity to make a play on it, and that’s kind of how that works. We gave it a shot. We got one. We didn’t execute on the other one, but I thought Mike (Gesicki) made a really good catch on the one down the middle.”
(Does your message to the team change at all after losing a one-point heartbreaker as opposed to the other games this year?) – “No, it doesn’t. We try to at least stay the course. We continue with our process, which I think has been better. We continue to prepare. The one part of the message that may change – or not ‘may change,’ as it was my message to them today – is these types of losses really sting and they can linger. The challenge now is for us to move on from that as quickly as possible because if we don’t, it’ll make that preparation for Buffalo that much harder, and this is a good team we’re playing. That’s part of being a professional. That’s part of the maturity this team has to have to move on to the next challenge, which is the Buffalo Bills.”
(After getting a chance to watch the film, do you still expect QB Josh Rosen to be the guy going forward?) – “I thought ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) played really well when he went in there. I thought he did. Yes, I anticipate Josh (Rosen) being the guy, but I think we’re going to do what we feel is best for this team. That’s what we did yesterday in the fourth quarter. I thought ‘Fitz’ played really well. I thought Josh has played well in spurts, also, so we’ll see how this goes in practice – this week of practice – but yeah, Josh will be the starter.”
(How did you go about making that decision? Like you said, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick looked good. What made you decide to go back to QB Josh Rosen?) – “Just trying to keep some – I don’t want to say continuity – but I just feel like Josh (Rosen) has played well. He’s made a lot of strides. He’s developed over the course of the last, let’s call it six weeks – training camp, even more than that. But he’s done a good job. You never want to just pull a guy for one bad game, but I think this is still an ongoing conversation between myself, our coaching staff, and we’ve really got to take a look at Buffalo and see what they’re doing. We’re always going to try put what we feel is the best group out there.”
(What role does the long-term view of getting a fair evaluation on QB Josh Rosen – making sure we know what Josh is by the end of the season – play in your decision?) – “I wouldn’t say that’s part of the thought process. Right now it’s one game at a time and we try to win every game and try to put the best group out there each week. I would say I think by now, we’ve got a pretty good evaluation of him. We’ve had him since April and all of OTAs, all of training camp, three starts and the guy’s developed to get better. As far as the development part of that, I don’t think that’s necessarily a part of it. It’s more what we feel is the best for the team.”
(Do you happen to take any special care at all when you make quarterback decisions given how important that position is to the team and organization?) – “I think every decision we make is – you take thought and try to do what’s best for the organization and for the team. I don’t like to look at the quarterback position as any differently than I do the punter or the kicker or the center. I realize that obviously it’s the premier position, but at the end of the day, we try to do what we feel is best for the team. I think that’s something for me personally, that’s what I think about when making any decision.”
(How would you grade the offensive line’s play yesterday?) – “I thought we struggled in the first half, especially the first let’s call it two, three series. They’ve (Washington Redskins) got a really good defensive line. Powerful. They were in the middle of the pocket early. (We) kind of settled down after some time and then played better as the game went on. Things kind of settled down after let’s call it the first three series; but overall the group was, like I said, played better as the game went on. But we still need more consistency.”
Evan Boehm – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
C/G Evan Boehm (transcribed by Katharine Bohlmann)
(What changed after the rough start on the offense?) – “We just started playing football, I guess. We did get off to a rough start. We weren’t – they are good defensive linemen. They are a good defensive line. Don’t put it past those guys. They came out and they played ball and we didn’t match the intensity of who we were playing and we’ve got to make our own and set that level of intensity, and go out and make sure we protect Josh (Rosen) and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) if he is out there, and create those holes for the running backs a lot better in the first half than what we did.”
(What was the difference for you guys when the quarterback change was made?) – “I mean there is no difference. We were supposed to do our job when Josh (Rosen) is out there versus when ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is out there. There is no difference of ‘oh since Josh is out here, we can slack off’ or ‘If ‘Fitz’ is out there, we have got to block so much better.’ It is we have got to do our job play after play after play and there is no excuse for that.”
(Was it something that maybe just the sense of urgency there late in the second half that it was two-minute offense, you guys are just moving faster? Is that what maybe kept their defense line off guard there in the final quarter?) – “I mean, you can say that; but it comes down to making plays as an offensive line and protecting the quarterback and we left a lot of plays out there just because of what we did as an offensive line earlier in the game. That is solely on us and we have to get better at that.”
Davon Godchaux – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
DT Davon Godchaux (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)
(Was there anything that changed with you guys this week as far as being able to contain your opponent in the second half and keeping it close for the offense?) – “I think we did a good job, especially in the second half, of coming out and playing fast. We just couldn’t get the ‘W.’ (It was) two teams that didn’t have a win, somebody was going to have to come out of here with a win, and they came out with a win.”
(It seems like as competitors everyone in here would loved that call to go for two at the end, how did you feel?) – “Oh yeah, I’m with it because I think at the end of the day, if they were in the same situation, they would have gone for two. It’s two teams trying to get a win and they came out, and we dropped the ball and didn’t score, so the Redskins came out with the win. It’s sick. We come in and practice hard – all you guys know we come in and we put work in, and we can’t come out with a victory so we have to keep going. We have a shot at it next week against the Buffalo Bills – a division (opponent). Those games count as two (in the standings). We have to come out with a win, somehow, some way. We need that.”
(How are you feeling to get this close – the highs of that and the lows of losing?) – “It’s sick because you work so hard in practice each and every day with ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and (Defensive Line) Coach (Marion) Hobby and ‘Coach P.G.’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham). When you can’t come out with a win, it’s sick. At the end of the day, you have to keep going. I’m a fighter. I’ve been fighting all of my life so I’m not going to quit now.”
Kenyan Drake – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
RB Kenyan Drake (transcribed by Anthony Gutierrez)
(How did you feel about the comeback that the team had in the second half?) – “We are a resilient bunch so, the situation that we had in the game when we were down by ‘X’ amount of points – everyone kind of knows the woes we have had in the second half throughout the season, so for us to come back and give our team something to make sure that we put ourselves in a position to win; that’s all you can ask for, to continue to improve on a week-to-week basis.”
(What do you think about Head Coach Brian Flores’ decision to go for two?) – “I respect it. I love it. I want to be in the situation to win the game each and every time. We know he has the utmost faith in his offense and the ability to go out there and call a play, run it, and execute it and make a play. I personally did not hold my bargain of the deal. That’s what we do as professional athletes in this game. This world, this league, it’s all about what have you done for me lately. As a professional in any aspect, you are expected to perform and hold your job up to the utmost of your ability. I did all I could out in that game. Everybody from a team standpoint, we went out there and did our best and just fell short.”
(On the two-point conversion.) – “Like I said, I have to hold my end of the bargain up. Everyone has their job to do, their 1/11th, and my job is to catch the ball and get in the end zone. Regardless of what the situation was, I have to make sure that I hold my end of the bargain up and make the play that needs to be made, especially when (Head) Coach (Brian Flores) puts us in that situation to go and get the win.”
Mike Gesicki – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
TE Mike Gesicki (transcribed by Katharine Bohlmann)
(A big catch in a big moment. What did you see on that play going up, rising up on that ball?) – “That is just a play we have been repping a lot in two-minute situations. The o-line did a great job giving ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) some time to step up in the pocket and make a play. I appreciate him giving me a shot and for letting me go up and get it.”
(To go up and get the ball and be trusted in that moment, what is that like?) – “Yeah, it is great. That is kind of what I envision myself in this offense. That is kind of the role that I see myself having in this offense. When the ball is in the air, you’ve got to go up and make (the play). There were a couple of plays out there today, some of them got batted down and things like that; but just knowing that the coaches, the quarterbacks, and the system is kind of trusting me to go make the play, that is kind of a big feeling for me just because it has been a while.”
(What kind of lift did QB Ryan Fitzpatrick provide at the end of the game?) – “Honestly, I think Josh (Rosen) has done a great job with our team the past couple of weeks and kind of giving us a spark as well. When ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) got in there today, he is a good leader for us. So, when he got in there, we all rallied up behind him. He came in there with some energy. He kind of knows the ins and outs and the X’s and the O’s and he kind of knew what to expect and who to throw the ball to and that kind of stuff. So, he did a great job and I am happy for him.”
G/T Jesse Davis – October 13, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 13, 2019
Postgame – Washington
G/T Jesse Davis (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)
(The pass protection in the first half was not so good; the second half, a lot better. What happened there?) – “I don’t know. I was wondering that myself as I walked off (the field). Unfortunately, Josh (Rosen) did get hit a lot and that starts with us. I think when we went up-tempo on them, the game changed a bit for them. I think we put some stuff together and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) did a great job coming in; but we have to clean that up. We can’t get our quarterback touched.”
(What is your reaction when you’re going on the field and you’re going for the 2-point conversion? Typically it’s a kick and you play for overtime. What were you thinking?) – “I was like, ’Hell, yeah let’s do this.’ I don’t want to play overtime. (laughter) I think it was a good call. I think we’ve got to be aggressive doing that. What do we have to lose? You go for it. If you kick (and go to) overtime, you string it out and maybe end up in the same situation. I like the call.”
(The lift that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick provided you guys when he came in was pretty obvious to us. Could you feel it on the field, too?) – “I think at the time we were playing so fast, we’re just communicating and then everything was just a blur to us. It was the next play, next play. I think ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) did a good job coming in and doing what he did. It was encouraging for us to move the ball and get the ball around to everybody. ‘Mike G’ (Mike Gesicki) made a good catch up the middle. I remember that was awesome. For us, we were working in a good concert together, which was nice.”
