Vance Joseph – October 20, 2016
Download PDF version
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(Vance, your run defense last week allowed 128 [yards]. You take out the 60-yard run, 68 [yards] but it’s still 4.5 yards a carry. I just wanted to ask did you like that total? I mean I know 4.5 isn’t pretty but did you like that and did you see improvement as far as gap assignments and tackling?) – “Yes, I mean the total was okay. Now obviously the 60-yard reverse was four missed tackles and a bad angle on the backside. That can’t happen; but overall the gap integrity was fine. Guys played hard. Guys ran to the ball. So, I was pleased enough with the run game.”
(Vance, how did ‘Cam’ [Cameron Wake] respond to the increased playing time?) – “Yes. I thought ‘Cam’ (Cameron Wake) was fine. It was obviously, going into the game, a passing game. We thought that it would definitely fit Cam’s, his skill set, being able to play more snaps in that game.”
(Vance, what changes with this scheme with S Reshad Jones out for the season?) – “Well, that’s hard to say. I think every game you play is, you play weekly differently. Reshad, he’s obviously a great blitzer. He’s a great cover guy. He’s a great guy in the middle third. It depends. But the overall scheme should not change much. Some matchups may change – according to who’s covering who, who’s the blitzer? – from time to time, but the overall scheme won’t change much. But obviously not having Reshad (Jones), that’s a huge loss for us.”
(You have a lot of corners now, particularly with CB Chris Culliver coming along. Is there any thought to moving any of them to safety) – “Well, not really. (Jordan) Lucas plays safety, nickel and corner. So I mean, that’s already taken place. Michael Thomas, he’s playing nickel, corner, safety also. The corners – no, they’re corners. We won’t move anybody else to safety. I think we’re fine with Michael (Thomas). We’re fine with Isa (Abdul-Quddus). We’ve got Walt Aikens there. So we’ve got three guys who played it in an NFL game, so I’m comfortable there.”
(When you’re playing a physical team like the Bills who like to run football, does that really change what you’re doing as opposed to last week where you played more of a passing team.) – “Yes, again every week it’s a different challenge. Obviously this week, ‘Shady’ (LeSean McCoy), he’s averaging 5.6 a carry – that’s the most in the NFL by a whole yard – so obviously the mindset changes. It’s going to be a run-first, offense-first (game). So in turn, it’s going to be a run-stop defense first for us, and pass second. Every game’s different, but we always focus on what they do best, and that’s run the football this week.”
(Vance, some guys get really jacked up about facing their former team. With that in mind, have you noticed an extra jump in Mario’s step this week) – “No. I think personally, he wants to play well and help us win. That’s every week. Obviously when you’re playing your ex-team, you want to win; but I’m hoping as a pro he wants to win every game as bad as this game. I haven’t seen anything, but I think personally he wants to play well.”
(How has DE Mario Williams handled the decreased role that he had last week?) – “He’s been fine. I mean he understands that he has to play better when he’s in there. Last week, he played about 15 snaps and he was productive. He could have been more productive, but I think Mario’s (Williams) fine. He wants to earn his way back into a starting role, so he understands that.”
(What have you seen that’s a little bit different from the Buffalo Bills earlier in the season to what they’ve been doing now, kind of having a little bit more success?) – “I think they’ve simplified things. They’re running the football well, but their execution is really, really good right now. Up front, they’re blocking their guys, ‘Shady’s’ (LeSean McCoy) special with the ball. They’re doing some things with him in the backfield as far as direct snaps that can kind of cause confusion for a defense. They’re blocking their guys, he’s finding the holes and the quarterback is playing really well. He’s an elusive guy in the pass game so if the rush breaks down, he can run for first down on third downs. They’re playing well. It’s a great combination of obviously defense turning the ball over, their quarterback not turning the ball over and ‘Shady’ having a hell of a year.”
(How would you assess CB Byron Maxwell’s performance last week?) – “He played really well. He played well. Obviously you can see as a big corner versus a smaller receiver, he can get his hands on them; he can have success. But he played a smart game last week. He didn’t have any plays where you said, ‘What was that?’ He was solid. He was into it. He was focused and sharp. That was the key to that game last week.”
(Vance, we like to slap labels on teams and Buffalo, we like to call them physical – their offensive is physical. Do you agree with that? And if so, why would you agree with that and especially upfront?) – “It starts upfront. They’ve got a collection of guys who will block you, who will push you, who will hold you. And the back (LeSean McCoy), obviously, makes them special … He can find a crease. That offensive line is a physical group. They’re going to do whatever it takes to block their guy and that’s a nice trait to have as an offensive line.”
(If the starting safeties are S Isa Abdul-Quddus and S Michael Thomas, how could that affect how Isa is utilized in comparison to when he was paired with S Reshad Jones?) – “When you make a change like that, you’re hoping to keep the guy who’s played in the same role and the guy who replaces ‘20’ (Reshad Jones) out there in ‘20’s’ role. That’s sometimes tough to do. So we’re going to have different packages where Isa’s playing ‘20’s’ role and then Michael’s playing ‘20’s’ role. We’ll kind of play to both guys strengths, so it will be a little bit different than what you’ve seen with ‘20’ out there.”
(How did you react when you heard the news about S Reshad Jones?) – “Not good, but it’s the NFL. Everyone’s going through injuries. Again, if guys do their job, the best teams win. Obviously he’s a big part of what we’ve done in the past here and going forward, hopefully. But the best teams win. Just come in and do your job. We’re all paid professionals. I’m not overly concerned. It definitely hurts losing Reshad, but we can’t worry about that.”
(How helpful is it when you have a guy playing safety in S Michael Thomas that does have some pattern-matching ability?) – “It helps. Michael (Thomas) is a smart, tough, fully engaged football player. I have no concerns about Michael (Thomas) being a starter. He’s not Reshad (Jones). Reshad’s not Michael (Thomas), but I think Michael will do a fine job.”
(How concerning is CB Tony Lippett’s injury and if for some reason he couldn’t go, who is next in?) – “He’s fine. He practiced today full speed, so he’s fine. No issues there.”
(Vance, I think QB Tyrod Taylor has been sacked 13 times if I’m not mistaken in 84 pass attempts or whatever it is, it’s a good percentage. What’s going on there? Where do we see his legs being used? Is he not able to use them in those situations? Is there an opportunity for him?) – “Well, he’s using them. I think the Baltimore game, they had a bunch of sacks on the guy; but outside of the Baltimore game, he’s been pretty good as far as escaping the pocket. Like most scrambling quarterbacks, we’ve got to have a good rush plan and keep him in the pocket. He’s popped on a bunch of third-and-longs and he’s run for first downs. We can’t have that. It’s too hard to get into third down with this team. So once we get into third down, we have to keep him in the pocket and force him to be a passer from the pocket. So that’s a must that we do this week.”
(What did DE Andre Branch do much better at last week?) – “I think Andre played fast and played physical. That’s the position and that’s what’s being taught upfront. He played with a different edge. He played physical, he played fast and he played smart. That’s what we want from those guys – to be disruptors. That’s what he did.”
Clyde Christensen – October 20, 2016
Download PDF version
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(What is the verdict on the offensive line and having them intact? You guys rushed for 200 and didn’t have any sacks … all due to the offensive line being intact?) – “It sure helps. Continuity is huge. Those guys are tied together so it sure helps. I don’t know that you can ever predict a 200-yard rushing game in this league but it sure came at a good time for us and we’d sure love to see more of them. The more those guys play together, the more that’s going to happen. I do think just getting those guys together and the shower mats in the team hotel helped. (laughter) All those things contributed, I think a lot of those things contributed to it.”
(T Branden Albert said he really liked what he saw but he doesn’t think the team really found an identity just yet up front) – “I do think it’s an ongoing process. I think he’s probably right. I do think we’re moving towards one. I do think even for (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) as the play caller, you just see what guys do more. Again, we’ve talked 100 times about reps and the more reps you see guys and you see what does Jay Ajayi do well, what does our line do well, what can we be, what are we? It’s always fluid just because of injuries. This week, again, we’ll go in and probably be shorthanded at tight end. You have to adjust, but I do think systematically that you do just keep getting a feel for what guys can do and what you can be good at. How does it complement your defense? How does it tie in with everything? I do think he’s probably right on that but … We’ve committed to being an outside-zone team, so it’s good to see some of that pay off. Some of the things we’re trying to be, some we’re tweaking and some are improving. The continuity goes for the plays as well as the players. The more times you do it with the same guys over and over and they learn what Adam (Gase) wants, etc., what Coach Gase wants, etc., then the better it gets. Hopefully that’s a step forward in the right direction towards all of the above right there.”
(Speaking about T Branden Albert, how well has he been able to bounce back from the illness?) – “He’s been really good. He’s been excellent. I haven’t seen … I think once that was gone, unlike some of these other injuries, once it was gone, it was gone. I haven’t seen any residual effects of that, so that’s been good.”
(You mentioned RB Jay Ajayi, how helpful is it to have a running back that … things aren’t necessarily blocked up according to plan but he’s still able to generate yards and get positive yards) – “Absolutely. It’s a must, because in this league, it would be nice to say, ‘Hey, double teams are going to knock guys back 5 yards and you’re going to have a body on a body.’ That just doesn’t happen in this league and even when it does happen, there’s an extra guy in the box usually. You can’t play running back in here if you can’t create a little something on your own, whether it’s running over somebody, spinning off somebody or putting a move on somebody. Even if you get them all blocked, these guys are so good that they have an extra guy in the box anyway. So yes, you just have to have the ability. You can’t play running back in this league – that would be one of the quick disqualifications – if you can’t make that extra guy miss, then you’re going to have trouble playing running back in this league.”
(Can you talk about the difficulties of playing a Rex Ryan defense, especially considering they have the guy leading the league in sacks right now) – “That’s a good question. In our introduction to the team, it’s really unbelievably similar to last week. It’s a really hot team. It’s a really hot defense. It’s an established defense that has been doing the same thing for a long, long time. They’re statistically very, very good. It’s going to be the same thing. This team is playing extremely good defense. They’re in the top five in about every single category. They have good players. They have a scheme that they know. It’s the same scheme that they’re familiar with. They’ve been in it for a long time. They’ve drafted to it; they’ve signed to it. They’re always a problem. It’s an aggressive defense. They’re going to give you some different looks. They’re a little bit like Pittsburgh and New England in that you’re always going to get something that you didn’t bargain for so the system has to kick in. You have to be able to handle things on the run and see what kind of game it becomes. They’re very, very good.”
(One of the big topics of conversation around here has been QB Ryan Tannehill at the line of scrimmage. How much of Sunday was him at the line of scrimmage getting them into where they needed to be) – “(It’s the) same thing. I’d kind of tell you that we’re evolving into a little mix – that he has some flexibility and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase gives him some parameters. But he has some freedom. It’s not complete. What percentage was it this week? I don’t know how I’d say that other than just that he does have a lot of freedom and that he did a couple of good things at the line of scrimmage that kind of helped us out of some bad plays. We have tried to clean the thing up to where there’s less communication at the line of scrimmage and that guys know what they’re going to do. I think we’ve benefitted from that a little bit too. The huddle – that takes a little bit of stress off of him not having to communicate to everybody everything. We’re going to just keep working between them and mix in the tempo stuff. He’s done a good job with it and I know Coach Gase is trying to be really smart with how much of what and when. But it is a quarterback-driven offense and it’s an advantage-based offense. You’re looking where can we get an advantage and we’re going to always have the freedom for the quarterback to get us an advantage on a play.”
(Can you give one example where QB Ryan Tannehill got you into something that really worked?) – “He took a couple of those runs. One thing with Pittsburgh and these guys is that they come off the perimeter and there are some things you have to get an extra blocker to the perimeter; there’s some things you have to run away from it. There were a couple of times where he got us away from a perimeter pressure. There were a couple of times where he got us into a perimeter pressure but with something that we had a chance to block the extra guy with. That would be an example. It’ll be the same thing this week, when they do bring the extra guy – Pittsburgh loves to bring their strong safety and an extra edge player – that’s going to fall on the quarterback, picking his times where we run into it and what we run into it with and picking his times to run away from it and what to run away from it with. That did happen in the game and he handled it well.”
(Last week after the game, QB Ryan Tannehill said he saw a couple of their linebackers puking on the field – his words – and there is a video of Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons down on one knee and he’s throwing up. Was that weather or was that tempo?) – “I don’t know about that. I’d hate to speculate. It actually was on the film. It’s kind of an interesting league that it’s family television at its best. (laughter)”
(Can you guys take advantage with tempo?) – “Who knows what it was. A lot of guys play through some flu symptoms and these guys are tough guys. The Steelers obviously are tough guys too. I don’t know what was going on with him but one of the things we’ve tried to sell is that it has to be our advantage playing in this weather – being used to it, and then getting teams down here early when it’s really hot, the tempo and then playing at that tempo is hard to replicate and then playing at that tempo at humid, high temperatures is extremely hard to duplicate and simulate, especially coming from Pittsburgh or Buffalo. Those things have to be an advantage for us. I don’t think we’re fully ready to exploit them yet, just with us; but we have to. That’s what we’d like to get to. That’s what we’d love to be able to get to and gosh, you have to dread when you come down here because you know how many snaps you’re going to have to play – you’re going to have to play 90 snaps and it is hot and humid and these guys are on their stuff. That’s where we’re headed hopefully, but we’re not there yet. But it does need to be an advantage, sure.”
(Did [the heat and humidity] get a couple of your linemen last week? G/T Laremy Tunsil? T Ja’Wuan James?) – “Yes. I think more of ours is just some guys have missed some practice time and then all of a sudden, that same thing. Sometimes it can get you too. The humidity is … the cold in Green Bay gets them too. There is some of that; but you do hope there is an advantage that you’re more used to it than anybody else. For us, all of a sudden our snaps went up 30, so they weren’t used to that. That’s our own fault for us to cramp because we’ve only been playing 50 snaps a game and it jumped up to 70 so I’ll put that in the self-inflicted category. We haven’t trained enough in long-snap games.”
(Can you talk about WR DeVante Parker and how you would assess him after six games?) – “I really think he’s coming on. I have the advantage that I see him in practice and he’s just getting better and better and better. He looks like a pro. He’s really a smooth, good athlete. I just get more and more impressed with him every single week and he’s a guy who can tip these games and can give you a big play – same as the run game. Sometimes everybody is covered and you have to have somebody jump up and make a play. He certainly has the ability to do that. I think he’s going to have some big moments down the road through this thing. You never know how games are going to go or when it’s going to happen, but I’ve really been impressed. He’s working. He’s bought in. He’s really been excellent, especially this last month. I think he’s just coming into his stride and I think some of these guys are just learning it. It’s just starting to get second nature. It’s hard to play fast if you are tentative and you’re not 100 percent sure what you’ve got. I’ve said all along, we’ve been throwing a lot of volume at them and I would hope that every week you see us play faster and faster and faster, and it’s not that we’re getting faster, it’s just that we know what we’re doing more. We can run faster without thinking about it. As soon as you start thinking, everything starts to slow down and people slow down. I think he’s a case of that, but he’s getting more comfortable with what we’re doing. He’s been healthier; he’s getting a chance to practice more. He’s been really, really impressive the last month.”
(It seems like G/T Laremy Tunsil lived in the second level of the Steelers defense last week. Was that kind of by design or was some of that because of the alignment of the Steelers?) – “I think probably both of those and then I’d add a third one, he’s getting more comfortable each week playing guard. Both those two guards, I thought it was the best week we’ve had of them just pulling and getting up to second levels and getting on to second-level players and just doing it more and more. Those are two guys who are tackles by trade. They haven’t played inside a bunch so they’re getting more and more comfortable, plus the two things you identified. But just playing guard more, I think we did see some benefit of it that hopefully there’s some momentum that we are getting better at some of these things just by doing it more.”
(Where is TE Thomas Duarte in his development?) – “He’s rolling right along. We knew when we drafted him that he was a developmental player and he needed it both physically and mentally. He needed to put on some pounds, he needed to put on some strength, he needed to get the technique of playing in-line, which he didn’t get at UCLA much. He’s developing. We’re pleased with his development. Is he ready to go block the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers? I’m not sure quite yet he is, but he’s coming. I said I don’t know when that time will be yet but maybe we’re an injury away from it. It might be this afternoon but I sure hope it … Our plan would be that it will be down the road, it’s next year. Our plan in drafting him was that, ‘Hey, this guy is going to need to get into the weight room. He’s going to need to put on some girth and some size and get some experience inside there. The ideal thing would be for him to have a full redshirt year. Sometimes it doesn’t work out quite like that but I think the ideal, the optimal would be for him to get his full redshirt year in.”
(Is this willingness there for TE Thomas Duarte as far as a blocker?) – “Absolutely. That was the No. 1 question, because you hadn’t seen him – it was all a projection – we hadn’t seen him inside. Probably the biggest –not surprising thing because we didn’t know – but the thing that was really good for us was that he’s willing (to block). That was evident right from the get go. He’s willing to get in there and mix it up. He goes against our three defensive ends every day and he’s gotten thrown out of the bar so to speak – a couple times – physically. You see him go in and then you see him come out head first, which is perfect for him. That’s what he needs. All of a sudden I said to him the other day, you look up and (Ndamukong) Suh, (and) ‘Cam,’ (Cameron Wake) threw him out of the bar, so to speak. I told him to just go right back through the door and you keep going and then all of a sudden, you stay. That’s really the case with him. That’s part of it. Hopefully he gets this whole year. Hopefully we can just keep going. He’s on kind of an extra weight, extra eating, extra calories (plan). We’ve got a good plan for him. They’ve got a good plan for him. Everyone has a good plan for him throughout the building. The plan is good and hopefully we don’t have to do something premature with him but this is football and we all know how that can change really, really fast. But yes, he is (willing to block). Going against these ends … That’s what I keep telling him, if all of a sudden you find yourself locked up with these guys and you’re holding your own, you can play. There’s nobody in the league who is bigger, stronger, more explosive than these three guys he goes against – or four – all of those guys – (Andre) Branch and all of them. Those are big, physical guys.”
Adam Gase – October 19, 2016
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Adam, losing S Reshad Jones, can you make up for him with one player, or what’s your philosophy or strategy on that?) – “We got to have the next-man-up mentality. It’s tough when you lose a player of his caliber, not only as far as a player, but as far as a leader. He has done a great job of showing guys the right way to do things. The way that he goes about his business on and off the field, he does it right. It’s unfortunate for him and for us, because he was having a good year. I know it hurt him a lot for the fact that he wasn’t going to be out there with those guys anymore. We’ll go through this process. I know he has got a tough rehab ahead of him, but he’s an extremely competitive and tough guy that’s going to be able to come back from this.”
(Do you know when S Reshad Jones did this? I remember at one point in the third quarter he was having his left shoulder [looked at].) – “I don’t know the … I don’t know exactly. I didn’t ask that.”
(Adam, DE Mario Williams said he may be thinking a little bit too much. I think Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph said he needs to play better, play harder. What do you see in terms of what he needs to do to get more playing time and to be more productive?) – “I think we’ve been talking about (the) efficiency of the amount of snaps we get. Hopefully, we can start turning around as far as the amount of reps that our defense is getting compared to what our offense is. I know it has been a little lopsided early in the season. I think those guys were probably a little surprised they had to play the run as much as they’ve had to, because we were so inefficient on offense and left those guys out there on the field way too much. Hopefully we can get back to having more offensive snaps than defensive snaps, which would help those guys (and) they can stay fresh. Now they’re really doing what we’re paying them to do and that’s rush the passer.”
(In your experience, does players playing against their former teams add motivation to play a little different, or is that a bunch of media stuff?) – “I think every guy is different. Some guys look at these types of games if it’s their former team and they just want to make sure they play really well and there’s a little added intensity. Plus, when you’re with a certain group as long as you … Obviously, (Mario Williams) was there long enough to have relationships with a lot of those guys. He knows, probably, some of the strengths, some of the weaknesses, and that gives you a little bit of an edge, because you at least know how they do certain things (and) you see a lot more things, because you practiced against them every day.”
(Do you plan on replacing S Reshad Jones as one of the season captains or go game by game?) – “We’ll have to … We’ll get to that when it comes to Saturday night. Right now, it’s … Today was really the official (news) where I was told that he wasn’t going to be able to go. We’ll get to that point.”
(This team has had a really hard time with the Bills the last few years. How much do you look at games from the past seasons between the two?) – “I was able to watch a lot of games leading up to when I took this job, because it was … We took all the division games and made sure that we studied those to see how we’ve fared in the past. There are certain things that they may do versus certain players that we have right now offensively and same thing on the other side of the ball. I think we have more guys on offense than we did defense last year. But every season is a new year. It’s such a different group of guys, a different scheme. Rex (Ryan) will have a good plan in place for what we’re doing right now. I’m sure (Bills Offensive Coordinator) Anthony (Lynn), he’ll keep continuing doing what they’re doing, because they’re having a lot of success right now.”
(Adam, I know you guys have dealt with a lot of injuries defensively – LB Koa Misi, DT Earl Mitchell, S Reshad Jones, CB Xavien Howard. Has it been a lot of injuries or that’s just life in the NFL?) – “I think that’s just what it is right now. The way the rules are set up and the way that you have to practice and you don’t get as many padded practices, guys are breaking down a lot quicker. At least that’s what it feels like. Maybe it’s just I was younger, and I didn’t realize it earlier in my time when you’re still doing two-a-days and guys were really … You had a lot of padded practice before you actually a played game. I’ll be interested to see some of those numbers as far as injuries from before and after.”
(Adam, could CB Chris Culliver or LB Zach Vigil do team work today or just individual?) – “We just did some individual. I know they both were trying to jump in there, but we got to go through our process.”
(What do you attribute the change in RB Jay Ajayi from having done nothing and feeling a little bit entitled in the preseason – and maybe the first week of the season – to rushing for 200 yards and at least today talking, showing lot of humility?) – “I think a little bit of it was he was kind of handed that job early. You could get lost in that, and that’s probably a little bit on me not creating a better sense of competition maybe in that position. Things went bad there for 10 days, and what he did do though (was) he came back and got his head straight and focused on what he needed to do to get himself better, and he did a good job. The one thing that he had really going for him early was he knew things better than everybody else, which put him ahead of everybody. After the New England game, I noticed a big change in everything he did – practice, meetings. Obviously, he wasn’t making a lot of mistakes, and then when he got his opportunities, he just made sure he ran hard. It just continued throughout those games. And then (with) that Tennessee game, that was one thing we noticed was we didn’t have a lot of guys play real well, but he was one of those guys that did at least do his job and was running physical, made guys miss. He was trying to help change the game. He was trying to be an impact player. This game allowing him to get in a little bit of a flow and staying with it and us not going away from the run game – which sometimes when you have success in the passing game, it’s easier, because you’re getting huge chunks of yards and you can move the ball – but he was ripping off those runs, and it was, ‘Why would you go away from that?’ That was the one thing we kept talking about on the sideline was, ‘Just stay with him. He’s really running well right now. He’s running physical. These guys are having a tough time tackling him.’ His mentality on Sunday was outstanding.”
(Adam, how was your run defense Sunday? I know the numbers weren’t great, but were guys tackling?) – “Really, they had the one play. We let up 60 yards on one play, which that was going to be a big play for them, but hopefully we can prevent the touchdown if we do a couple of things different. But for the most part, we didn’t … Not allowing LeVeon (Bell) to go crazy, that was a big step for us. They did a good job. We just had that one miscue on a reverse, and that’s 60 yards of … What did they have, like 120 or something? That’s half their yardage right there.”
(Adam, in the past when you’ve had only two healthy tight ends going into a game, do you feel nervous about that? Would TE MarQueis Gray and TE Dominique Jones be enough this week assuming no TE Jordan Cameron, no TE Dion Sims?) – “We’ll have a plan. That’s what you do in this league – you adjust, you figure something out.”
(Are you hopeful that TE Jordan Cameron will play again at some point this year? I know you’re not a doctor, but do you have any sense of that?) – “We’ll just see. I’m not going to try to rush anything back. I want him to be healthy. I want things to be right. So, we’re just making sure we go through all the necessary steps. We’re going to keep talking to the doctors and making sure that he’s 100 percent before we even walk back on the practice field.”
(Adam, you’ve had a lot of things like that since you have been here that are beyond your control. How do you personally deal with some of these things that you might consider unlucky?) – “I think with a lot of the guys I’ve been around in with in the past, you try to move on very quickly, because (you can’t) waste energy on things you can’t control. Our coaching staff has done a good job of trying to get the next guy ready. And that’s all you can really … That’s what you can control is trying to make sure the next guy at least knows what to do, put him in the right position and then try to help develop him. That’s (what) a good coaching staff needs to do. You have to get these younger guys ready to go, because it’s a long season. Guys are going to be up and down, you’re going to lose guys for the season, things that are weird are going to happen, you’re going to slip in the shower – stuff like that. You don’t know what’s coming, so you just got to make sure you got the next guy ready.”
(Does it seem like it has been a lot?) – “I don’t know, it seems like there are always things like this happening every year. It’s just how much you magnify it and how much you worry about it. If you can just figure out a way to get the next guy ready, that’s really all that matters.”
(We asked briefly about CB Chris Culliver, but what do you need to see from him over the next week, or two, or three?) – “I think it’s just him feeling good. When you haven’t practiced and gone out there and competed on the field in a while, it just takes a second to get used to. He’s a competitor. You can tell he wants to get back and play on Sundays as fast as possible. It’s going to be a little bit on … We’ll take our data that we have and see where he’s at physically, but it’s going to be a little bit on him to say ‘Okay, I’m ready to go.’”
(With S Reshad Jones out, who could you see in the secondary stepping up to take on the leadership capacity?) – “It’s going to have to happen throughout the next few weeks as far as playing games and kind of seeing who’s making plays. Who wants to step up vocally? Obviously a guy like Mike Thomas has been a big vocal leader on special teams and now he’s going to play more defense than he was before. We’ll kind of see how that happens and who kind of becomes that guy that steps forward.”
(Adam, a question about a few of the inactives last week: DE Terrence Fede, DE Julius Warmsley and S Walt Aikens, who had all been kind of contributors at different times) – “Yes those were just all coaches decisions.”
(All performance-based?) – “Some of it was the packages we wanted to go up with, having a certain amount of guys up, whether it be on the offense or defense.”
(Coach, the running back group seems to be a competitive bunch but it’s hard to ignore just how close they are and how much they encourage one another. Is that kind of what you see from them and just how much they really do pull for one another.) – “It’s a pretty tight group. Those guys are around each other a lot and that’s the thing you kind of do like about that group, as far as how they … they’re like pulling for each other. There’s not one guy being like, ‘I should be in there and I can do better than this guy.’ You don’t see that. Whoever’s in there, full support and the thing is, they all play, and whether it be special teams or offense, they’re in there a lot. They’re contributing in some capacity so they all want each other to have success and that’s a good thing to have. When you’ve got a room that tight, that helps you build the culture you want.”
(Adam, any concerns about the field goal unit? Two blocked, one missed. I think K Andrew Franks is 7-for-10?) – “Yes, I mean obviously we’d like to make those. He’s been really consistent, at least since I’ve been here. We’ve had a couple of miscues there but that happens sometimes. That’s part of the development of that position. You come to the NFL, it’s a little different – the timing’s different, the speed is different. You’ve got to be on it every time. You can’t have the slightest mistakes. I know he’s working hard to make sure that when we get inside that area and we don’t score a touchdown that we know that’s a guaranteed three (points). I know that he’s going to keep trying to make sure that he does everything he can to put us in position where we get points out of those situations.”
(Ryan is fourth in the NFL in yards per attempt. What can we read or learn from that statistic?) – “That he’s probably a little more accurate on the deep ball than everybody told me when I got here, I know that. He’s just hitting everything down the field. He’s made some plays on the move. He’s been consistently accurate as far as when we get time, he’s able to get in the pocket and make a throw. He does it and we catch it. That’s probably one thing that’s been a big difference for us is guys are doing a great job of making sure if it’s around them, they’re pulling it in.”
(Adam, did you guys have heat-related things last week, specifically I guess G/T Jermon Bushrod, T Ja’Wuan James, G/T Laremy Tunsil and if so, is there anything you can do if it might be that hot again?) – “It was pretty good. It was getting competitive. I think that was the most plays we’ve had all season. It’s the longest a lot of those guys have played. It just gets to the point where you have one little misstep on your preparation for the game, it could affect you later in the game. We had a couple of guys that just needed some IV’s and then we made sure that we were good to go.”
(Is there a concern with DE Jason Jones?) – “No, we decided to rest him today. We’re just trying to make sure, I mean he’s played long enough to where, the amount of snaps he’s played so far, he’s getting banged around quite a bit. We just need to take a little off him.”
(And RB Arian Foster did practice today?) – “Yes.”
(You had planned to hold him out on Wednesdays and then he’s also hurt. Is this an indication that he’s better?) – “Well, it was more … he’s been … it was really, really him that wanted to go today and wanted to make sure … He wants to keep trying to see where he’s at and I know today he was pushing it. He was trying to really see if we can get to the point where he’s opening it up more and feel more comfortable. He’s coming back from something that’s just one of those nagging things. He just wants to make sure he feels good so when we get to Sunday, he could tell me, ‘Hey, I’m 100 percent. I’m ready to hit it if I need to.’ He wanted to make sure that his body felt right.”
Ryan Tannehill – October 19, 2016
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
(Ryan, the loss of Reshad Jones, you guys already lost Koa Misi for the season, but the Reshad (Jones) loss, what does that mean to the defense and to the team?) – “Well, it hurts for sure. Reshad’s (Jones) a great player for us. He’s a leader on our defense. He’s been making plays in this league for a long time. When you lose a player of his caliber, it’s definitely tough, but other guys are going to have to step up and make plays for us.”
(What did his leadership do for the team? I mean from the outside, it looked like he set a very aggressive tone. What did Reshad (Jones) do, can you put it in words?) – “Yes. He’s a lead by example type guy. He’s a guy that’s going to fly around every game day. You knew every Sunday he’s going to show up and make plays, whether it’s a play in the pass game, getting a bat or a big hit at the line scrimmage. He’s always going to fly around and make a big play when you need it so it’s going to be tough not having him.”
(You’ve had a lot of games now against these Bills. Is there a specific thing that they pose as a challenge for you that’s been consistent across the years?) – “They’ve got a Rex Ryan defense and they throw a lot of looks at you. That’s his calling card and has been for his whole career. He’s going to put a lot of looks on tape and really try not to have any tendencies. He does a good job of that of really throwing the kitchen sink at you and then seeing if you’re prepared enough to handle it. Our guys this week are going to have to do a good job of staying on top of what we’re doing. That way, we can react to how they decide to play us.”
(Has the mood changed this week after a win after things went really well for the offense last week?) – “I think we’re just kind of consistent. I think last week, when the outside world kind of thinks the sky is falling, we just kind of stayed the course in this building and understood that we have something building here and it’s not going to happen overnight. But we’re headed towards what we want to build and I think we’re just staying on that path right now.”
(The Bills, with the history in the series the last few years, to get that turned around, how big would that be for this organization?) – “Oh, it’s big. Just where we’re at in our season, being a divisional game at home, you really want to take advantage of those home games and have a big win against a divisional opponent. Like I said, we’re going to have to be on top of our stuff this week and show up on Sunday.”
(The play to MarQueis Gray that you made down field, got out of the pocket and made a play down the field, do you think that’s something emblematic of what you can do going forward?) – “It’s definitely always there. The offensive line did a great job of giving me time, allowing me to go to my first read, it was taken away. I was able to pull the ball back down and escape the pocket. The guys kept working, MarQueis kept working down the field for me, and I was able to get him the ball. When things aren’t there or the initial play isn’t there and the o-line gives you time, that’s a big part of an explosive offense. You look at explosive plays around the league and the quarterback is able to get outside the pocket and let the receivers work downfield.”
(How big can the scramble drill be going forward?) – “It’s always big. The receivers have to keep working. As a quarterback, you have to be able to make a play, throw on the run. And the offensive line has to give you time to be able to get outside the pocket. So it’s really on the full offense as whole.”
(I noticed you’re fourth in the NFL in yards per attempted pass. How does that fit into what you’re trying to achieve and what Coach Gase’s system is trying to achieve?) – “Well, you want to be efficient. I think that’s the biggest key is being efficient, completing the ball when you do have opportunities to throw. A big emphasis for us has been on third down, staying on the field and getting those first-down conversions. We did that, took a step in the right direction last week and we look for more of that in the future.”
(What has been the key to having so many downfield big plays) – “We’ve had opportunities. When we’ve had opportunities, I think we’ve made most of the plays downfield. The receivers are getting open, allowing me to get them the football. The offensive line has protected on those plays and it allowed the time to get them the football. When you get the plays down the field, it really takes everyone. I keep saying it, but it does take everyone. It takes the offensive line to give me time I need to (make) a good throw and obviously the receivers running a good route on the outside. We have the playmakers to do it. Obviously, we have Kenny Stills, one of the fastest guys. DeVante’s (Parker) a big threat down the field. Jarvis (Landry) had a big one down the field last week. We have guys that can get down the field and get open and we went to be explosive. We want to be consistent in stretching the field vertically.”
(Did you notice something different about Jay (Ajayi) in the huddle whether it be his body language or whatever because he said he doesn’t want to be a one-hit wonder. Did you see something different besides the over 200 yards?) – “No, not really. I think Jay (Ajayi) kind of shows up the same every day, every week. He runs hard every time he gets the ball. I think it was an indication of how well the offensive line is blocking, just giving him the initial hole, and then he’s able to run over the safety or make the safety miss and make the tough yardage after contact. If they can get him to the second level like they were last week, that’s the kind of runs that you’re going to see from Jay Ajayi – a tough, physical runner that guy don’t want to tackle.”
(How much time have you spent this last week looking at your past games against the Bills?) – “I’ll take a look to see how the coach decided to play us but (they are) different offenses and things like that. I’m not going to put too much time into it. We’ll take a quick peek at it but definitely want to focus on how they’re playing this year and how we’re playing.”
Ndamukong Suh – October 19, 2016
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh
(The Bills have been running big on a lot of teams. Could this be the biggest challenge you’ve faced just from the standpoint of an opposing running game?) – “Yes, they have a great running game. Obviously, I’ve played against LeSean McCoy plenty of times when he was in Philly. Obviously, he’s now in Buffalo so I’m excited to go against him and their overall offensive line. It’ll be a good challenge for us in the running game and (we’ll) go from there.”
(Was there much improvement you saw from the defensive line against the run? Obviously there was a long run by [Darrius] Heyward-Bey, but it seemed like there was progress holding Le’Veon Bell to 53 yards. Was there progress you think, playing the run last week?) – “I think that’s up to the interpretation of people and their own judgment, but at the end of the day, we did what we needed to do to stop the run game enough. I never think it’s perfect unless somebody has 0 yards. At the end of the day, we have to do what we need to do to be successful and find ways to win.”
(Are you pleased with your season so far, just from a personal standpoint?) – “I haven’t even looked at it like that so I don’t have an answer for you.”
(Any change in terms of, obviously defensive ends changed last week, any different for you in terms of playing with Cam [Wake] and Andre [Branch] more?) – “I play with everybody so I mean I know how to play with Cam and Mario (Williams), as well as Branch and ‘J.J.’ (Jason Jones). I obviously played with ‘J.J.’ a lot more in previous seasons. I’m excited to play with whoever is out on the football field.”
(Ndamukong, do you guys feel a difference on the defensive side of the football? Maybe playing less plays against the Steelers compared to some of the other games where you played. Did you feel fresher at the end of the game?) – “I honestly didn’t focus on that. Just going out there and having opportunities to play, I thrive at playing a lot of the plays, so whenever we get an opportunity to go out there and play and produce, it’s exciting.”
(It’s a team sport and you’re only one guy but how much personal responsibility do you feel in terms of elevating where you guys rank against the run? You’re 31st this year, 28th last year. Do you put that on your shoulders, even being one of 11 [players]?) – “It’s early in the season. We have a long way to go so I think we have a lot of great teams, obviously Buffalo in front of us, who we need to play against – great run defense. We’re going to have plenty of challenges, plenty of opportunities to get where we want to be.”
(Reshad is out. How much of an impact is that on this defense?) – “I’m not sure of the situation, so I can’t really comment on it, but if Reshad is out, if he is or not, we’ve got to have a next man up mentality. But, it would be a great blow to us. He’s obviously a great player – Pro Bowl safety – and a guy I enjoy playing next to.”
Mario Williams – October 19, 2016
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Defensive End Mario Williams
(How did you think you performed in the last game?) – “The situation and the offense maintained the ball very well. The time of possession was good. With the few plays that I was out there, it could have been better. With more plays, have more of a rhythm. But the situation at hand is the situation.”
(What was it like for you to not start the ball game on the field?) – “I mean, that was different. But at the same time, what I’m asked to do is what I’m asked to do. You just go out there and play and try to capitalize on the opportunities you get.”
(What is it like for you to go against your former team this week?) – “For me, it’s another opportunity just to play football, do what you love and go out there and play. It’ll be great to finally play against the guys live for the first time. I still have a lot of friendships and communication with those guys, so I’m sure it will be interesting.”
(Is there any extra motivation since you’re playing Buffalo this week?) – “No. The only motivation each and every week that I deal with is simply having the opportunity and the blessing to be out there on Sunday.”
(What kind of a gut punch is it for arguably one of the best defensive guys to possibly be out in Reshad [Jones]?) – “With his leadership and everything, that’s definitely something that’s going to be hard to replace. But you know, we have to step up. In situations in the NFL, things like this occur, anywhere across the board. So, it’s something that we all have to deal with and we all have to make adjustments for.”
(Is there any air you’d like to clear about your time in Buffalo and how it ended? Is there anything you’d like to say?) – “No. No, because I’m here. I’m in Miami and that’s not something that I speak about.”
(Do you expect to be still coming off the bench this week?) – “I have no idea. Like I said, it’s just whatever the coaches say as far as schematically or the amount of plays or whatever. That’s not my call on that part.”
(Coach said last week that changing the starting defensive ends is partly because you got gashed by Tennessee. Do you look at this as a challenge, not starting? Obviously not starting is unusual for you in your career. Do you look at it as a challenge as I got to get better?) – “By all means, I’ve got to get better regardless. Not even talking about the fact of that, I’ve just got to get better. I think that each and every one of us has to do the same in order for us to get to where we want to be at. Each and every one of us, we still has a lot of work to do, we still have a lot of rhythm to catch up with situations in the pass game, run game and whatnot. I think everybody will say the same thing.”
(Was the news of not starting a shock initially?) – “No, I had already talked … That had been … it’s an open locker room for us. We had already talked about different ways to get guys sparked or get guys going, try to manage snaps and things like that. The first five games were pretty heavy on the defense as far as the amount of snaps and things like that, so no, that wasn’t a surprise.”
(Who would you say is one or two of your closest friends on the Buffalo Bills?) – “Probably Jerry (Hughes).
(Which guy?) – “Jerry Hughes.”
(What do you guys have to do to get LeSean McCoy stopped because he seems to be going on a tear right now?) – “The biggest thing with him is, obviously he’s a great athlete. He makes plays all over the field, no matter where it’s at. I think the biggest thing is the more hats to the ball, the better chance you have to minimize … You’re not going to stop an athlete like that completely. It’s very rare. If you don’t bring guys to it, he’s going to do it more often than you want. So, I think the biggest thing for us is that we all have to have those extra hustle plays.”
(You didn’t want to talk to the Bills media this week?) – “I didn’t?”
(They asked for you on the conference call. It never got to you?) – “I’ve got a good filter, I guess. (laughter) I never got (that).”
(I didn’t know if you knew it happened) – “I know now. No, I didn’t know.”
(I just figured you put it behind you, if that was part of the decision) – “It would have been but I didn’t know. I really didn’t know that one.”
Cameron Wake – October 19, 2016 (Conference Call)
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Defensive End Cameron Wake Conference Call with Buffalo Media
(How do you like how the defense responded as a unit against a very good offensive Pittsburgh Steelers team last weekend?) – “I think we did alright. For a while, I’ve been preaching that as a unit – not just a defense, speaking as a team – we’ve got to come out and play complementary football. The offense does their job and helps out the defense. The defense does their job and helps out the offense. The same is true for defense – front end, back end, side to side – everybody has to play complementary. I think we did a decent job of that.”
(We read the reports coming out of Miami last week that [Head Coach] Adam [Gase] really may have tried to kick you guys in the pants in some ways by saying you have to play better. Did people make too much of that? Or did you guys maybe respond to what Adam said?) – “To be honest, we’ve needed to play better for about four weeks. It’s not something that is any different. Obviously he is a guy who is good at motivating the team. He’s got practice set up so that we’re put in tough situations and making sure that we try to simulate the things that we’re going to be seeing in a real-world game situation. Needing to play better, is there more made of it by guys on the outside? I think that’s just a general rule in football. We have to take care of the business that we take care of in this building and I think when we do that, we’ll be alright.”
(What have you seen from Mario [Williams] since he has joined the team?) – “(He’s a) hell of a guy, great football player, great teammate, and I’m glad that he is on our side.”
(What have you seen from the Bills running game so far this year, especially the last couple weeks) – “It’s something they’re doing well. It’s a situation, of course, where on our side, we’re focusing more on getting our job done. It doesn’t matter who you put back there or who you are playing, if guys are doing their job and in the places where they’re supposed to be, I think most of the things will take care of themselves. It’s just another week where you have to focus on your job at hand and I think the rest of the stuff will take care of itself.”
(When you look at what [the Bills] are doing with that run game, a lot of power runs and LeSean McCoy running as well as he has in his career, does it seem like a daunting task for a defense that obviously has had issues against the run) – “It’s a daunting task to play football in the NFL. No matter which team you’re playing, which week you’re playing, you’re going to be playing against the best of the best, the best to do it ever, the best in the world, so on and so on and so on. We did it last week and we’re going to do it next week and the week after. That’s just what happens when you play in this league. Any week where you’re not playing up to the best of your abilities, teams are going to find that missing link or find somebody out of their gap or find somebody not doing it right and take advantage of that. It’s no different this week, next week and for the next 10 weeks of the year. Daunting? It’s always daunting. Every week.”
(Is LeSean McCoy a different kind of back – unique – where maybe you have to approach him differently when he comes into a hole, because he’s so shifty and has such great vision, like maybe even slow-play him a little bit, whereas maybe other guys you can be a little more aggressive with, otherwise you might miss?) – “What do you think? How would you play him? (laughter)”
(Probably that way. I don’t want to tackle him. You have to do it.) – “You have to play your game. Be aggressive. Again, (LeSean McCoy is) a great running back. We played great running backs before. There will be more great running backs to play. There will be great receivers. There will be great quarterbacks. If every week you’re playing to them, then you’ve already lost. So, it is another week. Like I said, we’re going to go out there and do our job. When we do that, it doesn’t matter who’s the running back.”
(Are you surprised that Mario Williams got so few snaps last week?) – “I wasn’t surprised or unsurprised. I don’t really count snaps. I don’t even know how many snaps he played or not.”
(Mario Williams played 13 (snaps). It’s kind of small for a guy that got such a big contract.) – “Really?”
(I’m just wondering … You mention him being such a great teammate, a big part of the addition this offseason, I thought maybe you might have noticed that he wasn’t on the field that much.) – “No, I was worrying about the great football players I was playing against when the ball was being snapped.”
(Some people here questioned Mario [Williams’] effort, including his teammates. What have you noticed from him in that department?) – “I haven’t had any issues or noticed anything of that nature. Like I said earlier, he has been a great football player, great teammate, great guy. We’re semi-locker mates. We have great conversations, long walks on the beach – all that fun stuff.” (laughter)
(Have you noticed anything different? Is [Mario Williams] extra excited or nervous for the Buffalo game?) – “You have his number?” (laughter)
(No, I was asking you. You’re locker mates.) – “You want to call him (and) ask about what he’s got going on? (laughter) Honestly, I’m worrying about the quarterback, the running back, what plays they’re playing, how they’re playing, the tackles. I’m not a psychologist worrying about other guys and how they feel and what they’re doing. I couldn’t care less about of that business, because it doesn’t help me on Sundays. That’s really all I’m concerned about. If you all want to ask him when his birthday (is) or his astrological sign, maybe you guys should call him and find out about that. It’s not really (any) of my concern, and this is really a pointless conversation as far as football is concerned.”
(What do you make of the Bills offensive line, speaking of what you have to face, and how they seem to be working as a unit coming back in tact after last season?) – “The guys play well together. That’s something I think that – being a guy who has played against not this exact unit, but played against the Bills – that’s something they’ve been good at for a few years. Again, that’s another situation where we as a front, we’ve got to do the same thing. We’ve got to match as far as any kind of schemes or whatever they got put together. We’ve got to go out there and put it on the line. That’s the nature of the beast. If they’re going to be running the ball, you’ve got to be out there and play physical and play hardcore and see if they’ll be able to match our intensity.”
Adam Gase – October 19, 2016 (Conference Call)
Download PDF version
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with Buffalo Media
(Adam, what was the biggest difference you noticed last week that got you guys back on track?) – “I think the biggest thing that we did different was that we did a better job of executing our game plan and guys were on it from start to finish. We didn’t have too many mental lapses, which we’ve had in the previous games. That was really the biggest difference for us. Our energy level was really good and guys were really into the game and it was just 60 minutes of good football.”
(Why wasn’t Mario Williams more involved last week?) – “We made some changes. We’ve been moving some guys around. We’re just trying to find what the best lineup is for what we’re doing. We cut back some of his snaps to try to make sure that we use him as efficient as possible (and) put him in on some situations where there were more pass-down emphasis and just trying to make sure that when he’s able to go, it’s full go. We’ve had a lot of snaps on defense leading up before this last game. We were averaging close to 75 plays a game on defense and our guys were playing a lot of the run and between Mario and ‘J.J.’ (Jason Jones), they were getting pounded on pretty good. I think it just finally caught up to us as far as those guys taking so many snaps.”
(And you have been happy with [Mario Williams’] effort so far this season?) – “He’s done a good job in practice and there have been a lot of positives coming out of training camp and through the beginning of the season. I think some of our issues as far as what has happened to us on defense is we’ve done such a poor job on offense that we left those guys out on the field. When you’re taking on the blockers that they are the amount of times they are, I think our guys got worn down a little earlier than what we needed to. Last week we were just trying to get some fresh bodies going and try to get these guys back to being as healthy as possible and as fresh as possible.”
(Do you sense any added motivation from [Mario Williams] this week playing against the Bills and playing against Rex [Ryan]?) – “I haven’t talked to him about it yet. I know he’s had a couple of really good weeks of practice. He did a good job last week in the game. He made some plays. In the amount of snaps that he had, he was impactful for us. Hopefully we can just keep putting him into position to where he can make more plays.”
(Coach, is Reshad Jones definitely out and if you can tell us if he is, what kind of impact that has on your defense?) – “Yes, he will be out. We won’t get him back this season. It’s a big impact. Any time you’ve got a Pro Bowl player and you lose a guy … the leadership that he has brought for us has been something that I’ve asked of him about him speaking up on certain things and becoming more of a vocal leader, which was something that was outside of what he had really done in the past. But he embraced that role and has really done a great job as far as leading on and off the field. The thing we have to do now is we have to step up. Guys have got to move into some positions here that they need to make some plays and we’ve got to play great team defense.”
(Is there one player that will kind of take his spot so to speak? I know that he’s not a very replaceable player but how will your personnel look behind him?) – “We’ll go through this week of practice and kind of figure out what our best personnel package will be back there. We have a lot of moving pieces as far as what we like to do with defensive packages. We play a lot of different guys.”
(What did Jay Ajayi do to earn a bigger role and what made him take advantage of it last week?) – “It just kind of came where when Arian (Foster) got hurt in the New England game, we were trying to get a feel for what was the best way to go about it. We were rotating four backs there for a little bit. We just didn’t have a lot of plays. We went into the Tennessee game thinking that he was going to carry more of the load. For the amount of plays that we had, he was our high guy as far as attempts. He only had 13 carries but we only had 44 plays or something like that. That was kind of the point of emphasis going into that Tennessee game and then this last game, we finally put ourselves in some third-and-manageable situations, converted on some third downs, kept drives going and went more first down, second down, first down and stayed on the field, so that allowed him to have more attempts and he took advantage of it.”
(How do you approach it now though, with Arian Foster trying to get healthy, Jay Ajayi has a giant game, do you play the hot hand? Do you go that way? Or do you still try to have some kind of a mix?) – “Every game is going to be a little different. It’s really the flow of the game. That’s at least how I’ve gone in the past of how to figure out how you’re going to go about rotating the running backs. The hot hand thing, that’s real. When you get into a game and a guy really starts rolling, it’s hard to pull him out of there. We go in there with a certain plan of how we want to play guys. Obviously, it makes it easier as a play caller to have an idea who’s 100 percent, who’s healthy and what you can use guys (for) in certain situations. We need to go through this week of practice and figure out where Arian is at. I know last week, I felt like he wasn’t really where he wanted to be, but he knows his leadership is important for us. Guys really respond to him when he speaks. When he’s out on the field, there’s a comforting factor there, because of his veteran presence. I feel like I put him in a couple bad positions considering he wasn’t healthy. He wanted to be out there. He wanted to make sure that he could help if he could, as far as trying to help us turn things around.”
(Coach, can you just shed some light on the time you spent growing up in western New York before your family moved out to Michigan?) – “That feels like forever ago. I think I was there three years. I remember high school a little bit, but I don’t remember much before that. I enjoyed it. I remember going to a lot of Buffalo Bills games with my dad when Jim Kelly and those guys were still playing. That was fun to be around, because they were so good. Watching those offenses back then was impressive. It just felt like the ball was moving up and down the field all the time and remembering how dominating that defense was.”
(You spent one year at Williamsville South [High School] or how long were you there?) – “I was there one year.”
(What have you noticed about [Bills Head Coach] Rex [Ryan’s] defense and what makes it a challenge to prepare for?) – “I think the first thing you notice is how fast everybody is playing, how well that they’re flying to the ball; they’re getting turnovers. It looks like he’s able to keep his multiplicity of looks. We’ve seen – at least I’ve experienced in the past – to where guys are right with what they’re doing, and they’re executing what they’re putting in from week to week. They do such a good job as far as putting their guys in great position to where they can make plays. It makes it tough on the offense. You try to figure out what possibye could be going on, but at the end of the day, you need your players to react, because there are going to be some things you haven’t seen before. You try to put together a good game plan to where your guys aren’t confused by what’s going on, which is hard to do, because there is going to be looks that you haven’t seen yet.”
(Is the role you had in place for Mario Williams last week sort of what you envision for him going forward considering the effort you guys had on defense?) – “Every week is going to … It’s going to vary a little every week. We don’t try to put ourselves in a hole and say, ‘This is exactly what we’re going to be from here on out.’ We’ll make changes when we need to make change and if guys start playing well, we’ll start giving them more of a role. Every week it seems to change. It seems like somebody’s in one week and then out the next. So, we keep evaluating what we’re doing scheme-wise and then seeing who fits right – and where we’re at health-wise as well – plays an important part in that whole decision-making (process).”
(Coach, how does the potential return of Shaq Lawson to a defense that’s already doing a great job of pressuring the quarterback [and] getting sacks, impact what you’re doing?) – “I think any time you get players that can affect the quarterback and you get them back in the lineup, it just makes it that much more tough to prepare for. You have to find ways to make sure that you’re not putting your quarterback in a bad situation where he’s taking a ton of hits. It’s a tough assignment to do as an offensive lineman, because it’s one more guy coming in there that can affect the quarterback and affect the run game. We have to be on it as far as making sure we get guys covered up the best we can. The hardest thing with these guys (is) they play at a speed that’s tough to match sometimes. We have to do a great job as far as making sure we play the entire play.”
(Coach, what have you liked from Kiko Alonso this year?) – “He has been kind of our bell cow. He has done a great job as far as chasing the ball all over the field. He’s borderline reckless with his body. I know you guys got experience with him. You talk about a guy that just sells out every play, he’s the poster child for that for us. The good thing last week was we did a better job as far as our run-fit goes. So, he wasn’t saving the day as much last week as what he had to do the previous weeks where there’d probably be some more explosive plays if it wasn’t for him with his pursuit and just straight effort.”
