DT Christian Wilkins
(What did you think of the Browns DE Myles Garrett helmet swing thing that we all saw on television?) – “Obviously that’s the hot topic today because it just happened last night and you’ve never really seen anything like that happen in the league. That’s just it. You’ve never really seen anything like that happen in the league. A lot of guys feel differently about it, but there will be the consequences and go from there. Obviously I saw it, but it was just different. I’ve just never seen anything like it happen in a game, so it was a different situation for me to watch.”
(I was talking to you briefly about this yesterday: the Dolphins have a stat that you have the most tackles from the rookie class defensive linemen. That includes Raiders DE Clelin Ferrell and Giants DT Dexter Lawrence. Is that something you all have discussed on text or anything?) – “No, we haven’t talked about it; but hopefully I can keep things going in the right direction because we’re always competing against each other and we always like to just make fun of each other and talk a little trash. It’ll be good to have something to brag with, but I’m still trying to get them in every snap possible, too, so I can really just go clean-sweep and just have all the bragging rights for the year. (laughter) I’m just going to keep working and try to get better each week and just continue to improve, so that’s my main focus.”
(Defensive linemen always get real excited after a sack or tackle for loss, but I’m curious – are tackles, is that a number that does have some importance to you? Explain that.) – “Oh, definitely, because it’s a kept stat for a reason. They’re important, but in this league it’s real hard to get – I’m realizing it’s real hard to get tackles for loss and sacks. The big plays are harder to come by, so if you can make a tackle on the line of scrimmage for no gain, it doesn’t get shown up as a tackle for loss in the stat book, but it’s still a big play. If it’s a 1-yard gain, 2-yard gain, you force the offense in longer situations on second down. On second-and-8, second-and-9 instead of second-and-6, second-and-5 – it’s a lot harder from a game-planning standpoint for coaches to make those decisions, too, so they’re always important and always big, for sure.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said this week you’re coming into your own. Is there something that’s clicked the last couple weeks because you’ve been on this ascent? What’s sort of changed the last couple weeks?) – “Really just getting more comfortable with what the coaches are asking me to do and just taking more reps. That’s the biggest thing. When you’re a young guy, reps are the most important thing. It’s just really – I’ve been just trying to learn as much from the older guys as I can (and) take as much in from everybody and just put it all together, and hopefully I’ll just keep building each week. I’m never satisfied. That’s kind of my mindset. No matter what I do, no matter what I’ve done in the past; I’m always chasing something better and chasing greatness. It’s just kind of my mindset and my approach I’ve taken every week and every day I step on the field.”
(DT Davon Godchaux said earlier that the mentality with defensive tackles is to stop the run. How much extra challenging is it when the quarterback is a part of that run game?) – “That definitely presents a different challenge for us. You take a lot of pride in it as a d-line, like he said. You’re only as good as you are at the point of attack and stopping the run as a d-lineman, but that presents another challenge for us for sure, because (Josh Allen) can make some great plays with his feet. We’re just going to have to be ready and just read our keys and situate our technique and plays will come to us.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw that S Reshad Jones and DE Avery Moss were able to go full yesterday. Do you expect them to play Sunday?) – “We’ve got a good chance of seeing both guys. Both have been practicing, both have been getting better. They still need treatment and are getting rehab but there’s a good shot we see those guys both working their way back, yes.”
(Is there a good chance that T Julién Davenport will be activated?) – “That one we’re still kind of mulling through. We have to make a decision on the roster to do that. He’s practiced and he’s been out there the last couple of weeks. He’s definitely getting better. I would say from a technique, from a fundamentals standpoint, that’s improved over the last couple of weeks. Obviously it’s not where we want it to be quite yet but we’re making a lot of progress, so we’ll see.”
(DE Taco Charlton and LB Raekwon McMillan, do you expect them to play despite their injuries this week?) – “Both guys got dinged last week and were somewhat limited over the course of this week. I think, again, those guys I think it’s going to be a game-time decision. But both guys definitely want to play and are working hard to get back out there.”
(You have about 14 other players on the injury report that have participated fully in practice; but with the stretch you have the rest of the season, does that kind of concern you – the number of bodies?) – “I think that’s the norm throughout the league. I think when you play 9, 10, 11 (games) as we go into the latter stage of the season, guys are dinged up, guys are sore, guys are dealing with things. By league rule, we have to report it. I would love to come out of a game clean with no injuries and no dings. That’s unlikely. We’ll just kind of work through it. I think these guys have really worked through it. I think our medical staff does a really good job. (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnson), Dave (Puloka) – our strength coach – and our entire medical staff, I think they do a really good job. They work tirelessly trying to get these guys up to speed and ready to go as quickly as possible. I’m really happy with that group.”
(What have you seen from WR Gary Jennings in his week and a half of practice and how would you describe where he is in terms of his readiness to contribute?) – “I would say Gary – he’s been here just over a week I think. He’s in here early, he stays late. He’s a guy that’s really done a good job, I would say, over the last week (both) offensively and in the kicking game, trying to learn the verbiage, our communication offensively – which that’s extensive – and I think he’s making some strides. Is he quite ready to get out there? We’ll see. But (he’s) a young player who’s talented, can run, has some size and I think he’s – I would say over the course of this first week, he’s shown some things that work in his favor as a person and the way he prepares. Hopefully – we’ll see how it goes. It’s still very early.”
(Is there a player you’ve coached before that you can compare to LB Vince Biegel?) – “I’m not really into comparisons. Each player is their own individual. Vince, he’s tough, he’s smart, he loves to play. He’s got good play strength. He’s still developing in a lot of areas – tackling, pass rush, coverage. He can do a lot of things. Comparing guys – I’m not really into that. I think in some cases, it’s unfair and in other cases, it’s not a good enough comparison so I try to stay out of those. But I like Vince a lot. I think he’s brought a lot of energy, a lot of effort, a lot of enthusiasm. I think he plays the game the way it should be played. He loves to play. He gives maximum effort on every play. It’s been fun having him, coaching him and watching him improve and get better. I think there’s a lot more room for improvement for him.”
(What do you think your reaction would be – going off of what happened last night – if one of your players swung a helmet at another guy’s head? How do you think you would react?) – “I don’t want to get into hypotheticals on how I would react. There are a lot of variables. Obviously it was an unfortunate incident. I’m not necessarily even sure what the repercussions are going to be. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want to see that in a game. Look, people make mistakes. For all intents and purposes, everything I’ve heard about players from both sides, they’re good guys. I’d leave it at that.”
(Your team has been disciplined in the area of penalties throughout the season. I know you said you don’t want to jinx that. But have you or will you discuss and/or show last night with your team?) – “We show a lot of clips throughout the league – situations where guys lose their poise, situations where guys do a great job of keeping their poise, third-down situations, red zone situations, penalty situations. We try to educate them in a lot of different areas. Whether or not that one makes the list, we’ll see. I think – it’s one that everyone will have seen. I think our team understands or I hope they understand, how important it is to keep your poise. In order to play good football, you need to have that. But I also know it’s an emotional game and sometimes things happen. Again, none of us who have been involved in the game long enough – we all have experienced that in some form or fashion. That’s not to make excuses or to say it’s okay – it’s never okay and I think there’s consequences for your actions at all levels for players, coaches, personnel, you guys, everybody. We’ve got to show poise in certain situations, and really all situations.”
(How does CB Tre’Davious White elevate the Bills pass defense?) – “I think he’s one of the best corners in the league. The thing I love about him is he’s tough, he’s physical, he tackles. Forget the production, those are the things for me that I think you need in a defensive player. When you get him at the corner position and you’ve got corners and secondary players who tackle and are tough, that goes a long way to making your team and your defense tough. He’s a really good cover player – off coverage, man coverage, tight coverage, working through bunches, stacks. They do a good job collectively as a DB group. It’s not just one guy. He works with that entire group from a communication standpoint, working through things. He’s a good player and they’ve got a lot of good players over there, so it’s going to be a tough test for us.”
