T Austin Jackson
(I know different players have had different feelings about how much they want to share on this with the media. Some have been open; some don’t want to talk about it. But are you able to discuss what your COVID experience was like? Was it bad? Did you feel good generally?) – “Yeah, I kind of don’t really want to talk about it. It was an unfortunate situation. There’s a lot involved in the situation. I think coaches and stuff would probably be better to answer that so I’m going to stay away from those questions.”
(Are you strong?) – “Yeah, I’m strong. I’m back to normal now. Yeah, I feel good. I feel great. I’m excited to be back.”
(What were you doing the week away? How did you keep yourself occupied?) – “I’m not really going to talk about that too much just because I don’t really want to talk about the protocols and stuff like that. I would say it was definitely difficult not having the access I have here (in the building). It was tough.”
(When you were cleared to join the team, did you think you might have a chance to play or did you know right away that it would be a reserve role?) – “That’s a tough one. I was out of the building for a while so I missed a lot of crucial moments in practice and stuff like that. Was I sure that I was going to play? Not really. There was like a bunch of stuff I had to go through. I can’t really even explain the specifics of it because it was so much; but I told coach I was ready to go and I’ll go out there and play if you need me. But we had confidence in Liam (Eichenberg). He had been practicing all week and is a great player.”
(Do you look at the protocols different now that you had to go through all of that?) – “Yeah, last year I was pretty much scot-free from all of that COVID mess. Having to deal with it this year, I kind of got to see what a lot of guys throughout the league have to go through. We’re in a pandemic right now pretty much, so it’s tough for everybody.”
(How weird was it to travel to an away game separate from the rest of the team?) – “It was definitely a first. It was interesting.”
(It seemed like, at least on the outside looking in, that it was sudden. “Oh, Austin is coming up” and boom, boom, boom. Was it a race to the airport kind of thing? Was it that sudden? What was that like?) – “No. You have to do tests and stuff like that – COVID tests. I think they let me know Friday, a couple days before, that if this happens we’ll do this and if this happens, we’ll do this. They kept me on standby and let me know what was going on beforehand.”
(You wouldn’t be the first player in NFL history to lose out on a spot for either injury or a situation out of your control. Did Head Coach Brian Flores tell you going into the week that you’re still our guy? How did it feel when he comes out and says it on Monday that “Austin Jackson is still our left tackle?”) – “That’s good. It feels good. Just throughout training camp and all the work we’ve put in, all the work I’ve put in, it’s good to hear that; but I don’t know. I didn’t think too much about it.”
(From a timing standpoint, how do you think today went for you? Just from not being around for whatever it was.) – “I forgot how hot it is in South Florida (laughter), especially during football practice with pads on. But it felt great to be back out there with the team, doing my job. I’m looking forward to getting after Buffalo.”
(I know the players don’t like to reflect on the past but going into Sunday, considering what the Bills did last year to this team in Week 2 and the season finale, is some type of payback in store for the Buffalo Bills?) – “The past is the past. I was there for that game. Obviously, no one enjoyed that on our team. It’s a new year. They have a new roster. They have a lot of guys coming back but it’s a new team. We are going to do everything on our end to make sure that we’re ready to do what we have to do to execute and win the game. That’s always our goal is to win the game. I remember that game last year. I speak for me.”
(You mean the regular season finale? You remember that?) – “Yeah.”
(What did you take away form that game personally that you can carry into this year and maybe learn from and bring into this week with a different approach?) – “I could say no game like that is ever fun. I think everyone has a game like that and they look back to see what they can correct. I know for me, there were certain instances with communication that I could have done a better job talking to other people, letting the line know what was going on in terms of adjustments and movements. That’s one thing I would say I remember.”
(How do you feel having been through COVID about your choice to choose the vaccination?) – “For me, I think the vaccine definitely helped. There’s a lot of – I’ve had family members heavily affected by COVID but everybody is different. I think people have the right to hold their own opinions about the vaccine. If you don’t want to get it, that’s fine; but for me, I know that it helped me.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Today is the 60th birthday of the greatest quarterback in Dolphins history.) – “Dan Marino! And don’t forget Jesse Davis. It’s Jesse Davis’ birthday too, guys. (laughter)”
(Do you mind talking about your relationship with Dan Marino? Do you talk a lot, how often do you talk? Does he text you ever? What’s that relationship been like?) – “I think Dan has done a great job being in our meetings. He has a lot of input in our meetings. Happy Birthday to Dan. I got to see Dan today and wished him a happy birthday. He’s not much of a texter. But in person, Dan sits in our meetings and helps us with things that we don’t see or we never thought of seeing. I think it’s really good to hear from his perspective, someone who has played the position.”
(Have you spoken to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick since he’s got hurt?) – “I have spoken to ‘Fitz.’ ‘Fitz’ is going through what he’s going through. I wish him the best. I think this is something that he’ll get through. Knowing the kind of person that ‘Fitz’ is, he’ll get through this.”
(The Patriots game, what stood out to you about the success you were able to have in the opening drives and not being able to finish drives later on. What stood out to you?) – “I think they made some good adjustments defensively. We came out and we knew what we wanted to do as far as our game plan. We’ve got to execute and we’ve got to finish drives. I think it’s tough for our defense to go out there and have 12, 14, 16 play drives and we’re going three-and-out the next series and things like that. I think that comes down to communication for us and execution.”
(I know you were able to generate some explosive plays and it just so happens that every time you were able to generate explosive plays, it resulted in scoring drives. Is it also an understanding that as well as making big plays, you still have to kind of methodically drive down the field sometimes and score?) – “I think it’s just the mentality of literally taking what the defense gives you. If you look at the Patriots defense, they try to keep everything in front of them. They try to minimize a lot of the chunk plays, if you will. Whatever they gave us, that’s what we were out there to take.”
(What’s your level of comfort from a timing standpoint with WR Will Fuller and what does he add to the mix?) – “I think it’s fun and it’s good to have Will back. We can see in the game plan what things he can do to help us win this game. It’s still things that we need to work with Will on – with me and his timing. That’s what special teams is for. When special teams is out there, I’m pulling him to the side and throwing routes to him – single routes, whatever routes he has in the game plan and things like that.”
(With WR Will Fuller working with one of your strength coaches, how important was that time in the offseason to build some familiarity?) – “I’ve always had a relationship with Will since we picked him up in the offseason. We’ve texted; we’ve chatted. But really when I asked him to come out and throw and he moved down here, he came out and it was just a conversation that we had. He asked me who I was training with and the rest is history.”
(Going back to Dan Marino, what’s the best advice he’s given you about being a quarterback and trying to lead this team? Or just a general theme that he always stresses with you?) – “Pick a guy and let it fly. (laughter)”
(I don’t know if someone has ever told you this, but I was told that you are the youngest quarterback ever to win in Foxborough. Based on that, and based on the game and getting the ‘W’ of course, what did that game do for your confidence as you lead this offense now and you are the starter?) – “It’s good. It feels good to win the game obviously. For myself, I would say I’m a pretty confident person in the things that I can do. That’s what I would say to that. Obviously it feels good to win, but I think my confidence comes from within and trusting in my preparation. I felt like we came into that game well prepared. There were just things that we needed to adjust on. And like I’ve said before, it really comes down to execution for us on the offensive side of the ball.”
(Did anyone tell you that, that you were the youngest quarterback ever to win in Foxborough?) – “No. You’re the first, so thank you.”
(In your 10 NFL starts, you’ve had a lot of success up-tempo. You did at the start of the game on Sunday. At this stage of your career do you have a comfort level to encourage Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville on the sidelines to go up-tempo and they maybe don’t want to? Or do you feel like it’s not your place to this early in your career?) – “I think we go into these games having a game plan. It’s a mutual game plan. There is a lot of open communication with me, with (Quarterbacks Coach) Charlie (Frye) with George, with Eric and with ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) as well. We kind of talk through that pretty much starting today and throughout the whole week. It’s really not set until the day of the game. It’s continued communication with all of us. Yeah, that’s what it is. If us getting on the ball is going to help us execute a lot better this week, then that’s what we’re going to do. If getting guys spread out is going to help us, that’s what we’re going to do.”
(WR Will Fuller was saying that there’s kind of this element of surprise when it comes to the two of you playing together because there is no film, no video, of what you guys can do together. Does that excite you at all?) – “Yeah, it really does. I’ve obviously seen his film while he was at Houston. Seeing a lot of the routes that he does well in, and then also talking to him about the routes that he likes and he does well in as well; yeah, I think it’s very exciting.”
(The Bills have a couple of safeties that have been together for a long time Micah Hyde, and Jordan Poyer. What kind of challenges do they present for you in your pre-snap reads and your post-snap going through your checks. What kind of challenge do they provide to your game?) – “They provide a good amount of problems for us. It’s a veteran defense, so with Jordan on one side and (Taron) Johnson on the other side, (Matt) Milano inside, (Tremaine Edmunds) on the other side, you never know what’s going to happen. They could spin the coverage, they could bring 58 or 49. You never know what’s going to happen. For us offensively, if you don’t know, you’ve just got to stick to your rules. Revert back to your rules and you’ll be fine.”
(Near the end of the last game, there was a passing play called when you guys had a 1-point lead and you dropped back near your end zone and threw a slant to WR DeVante Parker. What kind of confidence and what kind of message is that for you to be called upon to pass in that situation where it could just be let’s run a bunch?) – “It wasn’t necessarily a pass play. It was really a run play but there is force in the box and we can’t take care of it. We don’t have enough guys unless you want me to block. But I’m not going to do that. (laughter) By taking care of that, that’s how we do that.”
(So you switched it to a pass play?) – “We had that in. That’s what I’d say.”
(It looked like the first play of the game that you ran, you hit… when you get to that late in the game, how much are you talking to Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey, Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville and Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye to say “Hey, this is what I like, this is what I’m seeing, this is what I feel comfortable with?”) – “With it being that late in the game, as a quarterback you’ve got to understand situational awareness. You’re really not trying to give them the ball back to go down and drive and kick a field goal. Really, we’re trying to run the clock down. They had three timeouts. We’re trying to make them use their timeouts; but more importantly, we’re trying to get a first down. I think two first downs in that situation is really what helped us kind of take over that ending of the game. I think there was about three minutes and something (left). I think it was big. I think that was really big.”
(One more question about Dan Marino, but “pick a guy, and let it fly.” I’m sure he’s sharing a lot more than that obviously; but is that a reminder that even in a game that can seem very complicated sometimes, there is some simplicity to it that sometimes really can be…) – “We have a saying in the quarterback room: keep the easy things easy and then try to make hard things simple for yourself.”
(Where do you think you are in your progression and getting to your second or third read?) – “I’d say I feel good. Obviously it’s a continued process for me. It’s a continued process for all of us to continue to learn. Week 1, we got a win; but we’re moving on to Week 2. This is our focus now.”
WR William Fuller V
(How does it feel to be back? Honestly, we’ve been asking Head Coach Brian Flores about you and he said that you need to get the chemistry back, the timing. Where do you feel that is with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “It’s getting there. Like he said, I haven’t played in a while. I haven’t been able to practice so just being back out there catching some balls from Tua in live practice was good. It was good to be back out there. It felt good.”
(I’m sure you watched the season opener. Finally getting into this offense for real for games that matter, what are you most excited about? – “Just being back out there playing, helping the team win. That’s why I play the game. I like helping my team win. Whatever it takes for me to go out there and help my team win, that’s what I’m going to do.”
(What was that perspective like watching games form afar, watching games from home or wherever you watched from? I can’t imagine it was too enjoyable for you but maybe it was. Did you look at it differently than you would on film?) – “I was just trying to make it as positive as I could. Just learn from a mistake that I made. Just not taking football for granted. Watching it on TV, wanting to be out there and help my team win in Houston and in Miami. Like I keep saying, I’m just happy to be back playing football. I can’t wait for Sunday.”
(I know that at one point in your life you ran 40 yards in 4.28 seconds. How close do you feel to top speed at this point in your career?) – “I’m still confident with my speed. I do a lot of work in the offseason – speed and strength. A lot more than I did earlier in my career. I feel good. I feel good with where I’m at with my speed and my strength.”
(How do you feel your speed impacts the strategy that defensive backs use on game day?) – “In a defensive room, the first thing they are telling the DB is don’t get beat deep. Don’t get beat deep. So I use that to my advantage just to play as fast as I can, and that gets the defense on their heels. Like I said earlier, we’ve got a lot of speed so a lot of guys can do that.”
(We saw the offense mostly work underneath in Week 1. How much does the infusion of a deep threat, like you present, now affect things?) – “We are going to see. We are going to see. I love throwing the ball deep, so we will see what the coaches do with the game plan. I’m just going to go out there and execute whatever they have for us. If that’s underneath, that’s underneath. If that’s deep, then I’m going to give it whatever.”
(You’ve done so well throughout your college and pro career tracking the deep ball. That’s one thing that I’m always curious about – when the ball is in the air and you have to make certain adjustments. If you were talking to a bunch of ninth grade receivers right now, what would be a tip that you would give them that they should try to keep in mind when tracking the deep ball?) – “Actually my second year, Randy Moss told me this – he came to training camp. He said when he ran his deep balls, a lot of receivers when they run their posts or go’s, they turn back and look at the quarterback. The quarterback, he’s probably already thrown the ball. He told me look up when you turn around, don’t look at the quarterback because the quarterback doesn’t have the ball anyway. That’s helped me a lot, getting the ball in the air quick, not turning around and looking at the quarterback but looking up for the ball. That’s helped me a lot and just running out of your break. Run three or four steps out of you break and then look up and try to find it.”
(Is there one part of game day that you are looking forward to experiencing again? It’s obviously it’s been such a long time since you’ve gotten to play an NFL game but is there one thing? Like putting on the pads or something.) – “Definitely playing in front of fans. Just watching teams around the league last week, it was electric. I’m ready for the fans to be back out there because I played last year without any fans. I’m ready to play here in Hard Rock (Stadium) for the first time.”
(When you are watching at home, the Patriots are driving late, CB Xavien Howard makes the play and you guys win the game. Are you calm in those moments? Are you reacting as a fan or as you would on the sideline?) – “I’m always more nervous when I don’t play. I don’t have any nerves when I play football. I don’t remember the last time I got nervous playing a game or got butterflies or anything like that. But when I’m watching, I don’t know why but I always am a little jittery. I guess because I just want to be out there so bad. It’s tough just watching from home.”
(The speed that this whole team has; you have you, WR Jaylen Waddle, WR Jakeem Grant and a lot of guys. We talked to Jakeem earlier this offseason and he said he was the fastest guy on the Dolphins. What is your thought on that?) – “We are going to have to set up a race after the season or something and get that out the way. (laughter)”
(I’m guessing you feel good about your chances?) – “Yeah, I mean I’m confident in my chances. I feel like I’m one of the fastest guys in the league. If we line it up, we’ll see.”
(You weren’t here last year for the 56-26 loss to finish the regular season; how much do you hear guys talking about it in the locker room?) – “We always talk about this a lot, about how in this league it’s always close games. That one got away from the Dolphins last year. I wasn’t here but we don’t want that to happen. It left a bad taste around the locker room. I can tell from just being around the guys hearing them. We are working hard this week to make sure that doesn’t happen and it’s a competitive game. Just go out there and try and get this win.”
(I thought Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville and QB Tua Tagovailoa showed some nice aggressiveness late in the game, in particular Tua throwing from the goal line on that slant to WR DeVante Parker. What has been the messaging that you have heard about the coaches and the offense and how aggressive you guys would like to be?) – “That just comes from confidence. I think we are just going to keep building that throughout the year as we keep practicing and playing games. Just having that confidence and knowing that the guys on the outside can win. We can run the ball and win. Just having that change of pace – run the ball, throw the ball and just being able to win wherever and just playing confident. I think we’ve got the guys that play confident and score points.”
(This offense seems to run a lot of the RPO scheme. I’m curious from a receiver standpoint, what you think of that style of play?) – “It’s real tough on the defense. You put someone in a bind. He has to make the right decisions. If we play it right, the defense is never right. I love RPOs. Like I said, you put a linebacker in a bind or a safety in a bind. If they make that wrong decision, we can go 70 (yards) or like last week we were hitting big runs. It’s fun.”
(How is your relationship with QB Tua Tagovailoa? Do you talk with him at all or do you just rely on what you do on the practice field?) – “Actually, Tua introduced me to his strength coach down here. That’s who I was working out with so me and Tua were throwing a lot in the offseason, working out together. We’re close, we’re cool.”
(I know players don’t like to look back, they look ahead. But your numbers last year across the board – even yards after catch – like everything, were the best in your career. What was working? Just older and wiser or there something that you changed that was allowing things to click?) – “One of the biggest things was ‘Hop’ (Deandre Hopkins) wasn’t there. He got a lot of targets when we played together. When he left, I changed my role to playing X. The X is the boundary receiver and just gets more balls in general. I just took advantage of it. I changed my workout routine a little bit in the offseason and like I was saying, I got bigger, stronger and faster. I was just playing a lot more confident and I’m working to get back to that now, being out here practicing and playing.”
(Without there really being any tape of you being out there playing with QB Tua Tagovailoa or on this team, is there an excitement of what can be without the Bills being able to scheme on anything you’ve done here in the past?) – “Yeah, I just try to be consistent and play my game. I think it’s a surprise. I don’t know what it’s going to look like, the Bills don’t know what it’s going to look like; but I’m going to do my best to get open and catch the ball. We’ll see how Sunday goes.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(How tough was the news about not having DT Raekwon Davis for some time? How do you pick up the slack? I’m sure it’s good having DT John Jenkins around.) – “Obviously that is definitely tough for Raekwon and everything because he’s such a hard worker. He’s fun to play with, fun to be around. We’re still going to need his energy and his spirit around and everything like that. At least we still have that. It’s nice to have other guys who can step up and have played a lot of football in this league and have a lot of experience. Guys are just going to have to pick it up some way, somehow.”
(How would you grade how you guys did against the Patriots run game?) – “I think it was a solid start. Not saying we played bad, but we’re obviously going to have to get better and improve each week if we want to get to where we want to go. That definitely starts on the practice field, in meetings, and taking it one play at a time, one meeting at a time, and just getting better and better. That’s where it is all going to happen, so we’re just going to try to make improvements this week because you’re never 100 percent.”
(How would you describe the Bills offense?) – “They are really talented. They’ve got weapons everywhere – a really good o-line, really good quarterback, really good skill guys, good running backs. They’ve got talent everywhere. They are a heck of a team. We’re really going to need to prepare well if we’re going to take care of business this weekend.”
(Does your pass rush plan change at all against a guy like QB Josh Allen who, if you get to him, maybe he can shake off a tackle and make a big play after that. Do you have to change your approach when you face a guy like that?) – “You can see what he can do and everything. You can see what kind of ability he has. We’re just going to focus on our game plan and control what we can control and take the right approach in order to slow those guys down.”
(QB Josh Allen progressed from Year 1 to Year 2, and then from Year 2 to Year 3, he took that big leap. Where have you seen him improve the most?) – “He’s become a more complete player. He really doesn’t have many weaknesses so he presents a great challenge for us. Like I said, if we want to do well this week, we’re going to have to prepare well.”
(I know players don’t like to look back on what happened last season; but they beat you in week 2 and then the finale in Week 17. Do you feel that maybe some type of payback is in order Sunday?) – “Not really. It’s a new year, it’s a new team on both sides. We can’t necessarily worry about that. It’s not a grudge match or nothing like that. Yeah, it’s a division game so It’s important, and it’s the most important game of the year because it’s the next one. But we’re just going to have to prepare well. You can’t think about anything else except the task at hand and one play at a time.”
(You guys were effective in the red zone defensively Sunday. What’s the key for you guys when you get down there?) – “Again, just preparation and understanding that in those situations, in those critical situations, we have to be at our best because things do happen throughout the course of the game. So third down and other situations, red area and things like that, that’s when you’ve got to step up and be at your best.”
(A full Hard Rock stadium on Sunday. Not that you guys need a lift, but what can that atmosphere provide?) – “I’m definitely looking forward to that. We’ve got some of the best fans in the country. It’s always exciting to play at home so I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m excited about that. To your point, it’s all about what we do. The fans aren’t playing for us, so we’re going to have to prepare well. But it’s going to be exciting to be home with a packed crowd.”
(How concerned are you about some of the quarterback draws that they like to run and what can you do to try not to give QB Josh Allen that lane, because once he takes off…) – “Like I was saying earlier, he presents a great challenge for us. We’re going to have to stick with our game plan and stay within our scheme in order to get the result we want.”
(From what you saw in the Bills/Steelers game, what did Pittsburgh do so well to limit that offense?) – “They did some things really well. You can learn from every opponent and every opponent they’ve faced as well. They did a really good job of executing their game plan and that’s we’re going to need to do. Whatever the coaches decide that we’re going to do, that we’re going to go with, players have to lock in on that and execute the game plan very well.”
(There is nothing specific about how they brought pressure?) – “I’m not going to speak on that. I don’t know what they necessarily were doing, but I just felt like they executed what they were doing well.”
(The turnover battle was so important on Sunday. Is that something you guys have talked about again for this week?) – “We just try to create a mindset here where it’s all about the ball. That’s always important every game – not one game over the other. It’s important every game to take care of the ball and try to get takeaways.”
WR DeVante Parker
(What do you think WR Will Fuller is going to add to the offense?) – “Speed down the field. Spreading the ball down the field and probably having other guys open with his speed. Anything to help the team out.”
(What is it about the Patriots? It seems like you have a good day against them every time you play.) – “It’s nothing to do with the Patriots. I just want to have a good game every Sunday no matter who it’s against. I just want to go out there and play hard every play.”
(What happened on the long pass on the right side of the field there? What do you remember about how that play worked?) – “Tua (Tagovailoa) just got the ball, read his reads, threw it up and gave me a chance to attack the ball. That’s what I do best. It was a big play that we needed.”
(What do you remember about facing off against Bills CB Tre’Davious White? What do you enjoy about it? What are some of the challenges that come with it?) – “He’s a great corner right there. He’s hard to beat and you just know you have to be on your q’s and p’s against him. Good athlete right there.”
(What makes him Bills CB Tre’Davious White hard to beat?) – “I would say he’s very patient. He’s not going to go for that first move and you’ve got to switch it up against him at all times.”
(On that 1st-and-14 late in the game that QB Tua Tagovailoa threw that slant to you that set up 2nd-and-1. The first downs kept the clock moving late in the game. A lot of people would have run in that situation. What does it mean to the offense to see confidence in the passing game in a late-game situation backed up like that?) – “It means a lot that during that time in the game, we can still pass the ball and get good yardage. It’s something we will always need every Sunday. It helped us that game.”
(Do you keep track of your favorite corners and most difficult corners to face?) – “No, I don’t.”
(With the Dolphins putting in a new offense, where is the maturation? Are you guys still adding plays? Are you still sorting out what you like, what you don’t like?) – “For right now, like the game?”
(Just in general. Obviously it’s early in the season and you just finished the first game. Where do you feel like the offense is?) – “I think we’re in a good spot right now. We got the first win. We are going to take it one game at a time and see what happens from there.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(On DT Raekwon Davis) – “I don’t get into anyone’s medical situation. He’s going to take it day-to-day. He’s going to work to get back as quickly as he can, like any player who is dealing with something. Obviously he’s on IR, so it’s a minimum of three weeks. We’ll take it day-to-day. I understand the question. I don’t like putting timelines for a number of reasons. I’ve had injuries. I’ve had setbacks. So if I tell you it’s three weeks and then it’s not three weeks, then everybody is wondering what happened. That’s the reason why I don’t give timelines. I’ve personally had injuries and personally had setbacks. That’s kind of the thought process on that.”
(I know it’s just Week 2, but a win would put you two games up on Buffalo with a tiebreaker. Getting these division wins early in the season, knowing that you’re coming back or you’re going to face Buffalo later, how big will that be?) – “Our focus right now is on the preparation. Buffalo is a very good team. Obviously they were in the AFC Championship a year ago. They have a lot of good players, a lot of good coaches. They’ll be ready to go, so we’ve got to prepare in all three phases, situations. We’ve got to have very high execution to have success against this particular team, which is a very good team.”
(The last time you played them, it didn’t go so well for you. What can you take from that game as you prep for this one?) – “Yeah, it didn’t go so well. But last year is last year, just like last week was last week. We’re focused on right now, we’re focused on today, we’re focused on our preparation. Obviously we’ve studied the game. There are a lot of things we didn’t do good enough. We’re trying to make those corrections and not make those mistakes again. They’ve got some new players and so do we. It’s different. We’re starting from scratch from that standpoint. It’s about the preparation this week.”
(What are the difficulties of a quarterback like Josh Allen? He can use his arms and use his legs. How do you contain something like that?) – “He’s a very talented player. He’s improved incredibly over the course of his career. He’s got a lot of confidence. He has total command of the offense. He has autonomy to make changes at the line of scrimmage. He can throw it; he can run it. They have good backs; they have good receivers. They’ve got good skill all over the field. They’ve got a good team. It’s about communication, it’s about everyone handling their assignment, their responsibility, playing team football, tackling well and having good execution overall as a team. That’s a tall task and this is a good team. We’ve got to prepare and that starts with preparation. We can talk about it all we want, but we’ve got to prepare the right way, we’ve got to practice the right way, just to get an opportunity to have success on the field.”
(With Buffalo’s ability to disguise how they blitz, what kind of onus is on QB Tua Tagovailoa’s ability to create outside of the structure and improvise as the play develops?) – “You’re right. They do a very good job of disguising. That’s not just a one-person situation. Our receivers need to know what the coverage is, the backs need to know what the coverage is, the line is looking at some of that stuff too as far as some things from a protection standpoint. It’s a team. Tua is a big part of that, there’s no doubt about that. He’s got to have good awareness and good overall knowledge of what may or may not happen. But everyone is involved in that and we really need everyone on the same page. Tua can know, but if someone else doesn’t know, it still doesn’t work. To put it on one person I think is unfair; but with that, said as a team, we’re going to have to all prepare and be on the same page if we want to be able to execute.”
(The process of making corrections, does it differ coming off of a win as opposed to coming off a loss when you’re asking the guys to be self-critical?) – “I don’t think so. I think corrections are corrections. I think our guys are open to that. They understand that. They want to get better, they want to hear the critiques and they want to play better and help this team win. We try to make the corrections but every week is a little bit different. We’re going to see some things that are different this week than we saw last week. Some of the corrections that were made against a fullback in the game, we may not see as many of those plays this week. Hopefully somewhere done the road when we do see a fullback or a big fullback team, they hopefully remember the corrections from Week 1. But that’s the game. We try to get them to rely on their fundamentals and techniques and their rules. When they make a mistake in one of those areas, we try to correct it. Hopefully there is some recall the next time that situation arises.”
(What do you think of Bills CB Tre’Davious White?) – “A very good player. Good cover corner, good tackler, good ball skills. A very good player. It’s hard to get open against that guy.”
(With TE Mike Gesicki getting 21 offensive snaps, do you envision utilizing him more often moving forward? Was it a matchup thing against New England?) – “There are so many things that go into that question. There is situation, matchups – there is a lot that goes into it. They had the ball 36 minutes in the game, so we didn’t really have that many offensive snaps. There is a lot that goes into it. We’ve got a lot of different groups. Mike is in on a number of them. He’s not in on some. The down, distance, situation can play into how much a player does or doesn’t play. It’s the same really across the board – offense, defense and in the kicking game. We had 21 kicking game snaps. It’s normally 30. So all of those guys’ kicking game numbers were down too. There is a lot that goes into it. Obviously we have a great deal of confidence in Mike and think he can make some plays for us. We’ll try to put him in positions to do that, but every game is a little bit different.”
(Last week we were talking about facing a rookie in QB Mac Jones. You said that your thought process was always to impact the quarterback. Normally you’d think that means to blitz but is there also an understanding that maybe you can do that in other ways – not necessarily to blitz but in disguising coverages and stuff like that. What are your thoughts on that?) – “All of that is a part of potentially affecting the quarterback and the offense. You can blitz them, you can not blitz them, you can send eight, you can drop eight, you can do a variety of things – blitz safety, post safety, there is fire zone. You can do a lot of things. At the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you think you do well. If somebody asks me to go out there and play man coverage, it’s not going to go very well. Just because it might be a good disguise, it’s not going to work out. I’ll tell you that right now. At the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you think do well as a team and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
(Regarding the timeline of DT Raekwon Davis, are we looking at surgery or standard rehab?) – “Again, I don’t get into people’s medical situations, surgeries, things like that. I think it’s just common courtesy to stay away from people’s medical situations. If Raekwon wants to talk about that, he can; but I’m not going to.”
(Can you say definitively though that the injury is not season ending?) – “He’s going to take it day-to-day. That’s what he’s going to do, that’s what I ask our players to do on a daily basis on really anything. He’s going to take it day-to-day. He’s going to rehab it. It’s IR, so it’s a minimum of three weeks. We’ll see after that.”
(How are T Austin Jackson and TE Adam Shaheen doing?) – “Good. Adam will be back today. Austin’s back. They will both be at practice.”
(Today is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month and it happens to be Independence Day in Honduras as well. Can you shed a little bit of the core values that still help you to this day coming from a Hispanic household?) – “Obviously I grew up in a Hispanic household – my parents. It’s a family environment. Aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone is at the house. We spend a lot of time together. We eat dinner together. It’s something that’s very important to me, I do it now with my family. That’s very important to me.”
(This is a little bit open-ended, but what does WR Will Fuller’s return do for this offense?) – “Today will be his first day back after last week. He’s had some practice time with us. We’ll know what more to expect after we practice and get into it a little bit. If we are just going to go off of past history, obviously he has had some production in this league. He’s got speed, he’s a good route runner. We will practice today and see how it goes and make a determination on who plays, how much people play and if we think he can help us, he’ll be out there.”
(Specifically, I know you said you have to see him at practice, but is WR Will Fuller kind of a counter against a Bills defense that traditionally doesn’t give up big plays given his history as a deep-play, big-play kind of guy?) – “There’s a lot of layers to that. Again, if you’re going to create any type of positive play, it’s not just one person; it’s the entire team. It’s the o-line, it’s the backs, it’s the tight ends blocking, it’s the quarterback throwing an accurate ball. It’s not just send the player out there and he’ll make a big play. I understand your question in that he’s had some explosive plays over the course of his career, but there’s a lot that goes into it. I don’t think it’s just he’s in and it’s automatic. There’s a lot that we have to do as a team to create those – a lot of execution that has to be made to create those types of plays especially against a defense like this who, like you said, limits big plays. We are going to have to execute. We will see how Will does in practice, we will see how all the receivers do in practice. At the end of the day, we will put the guys in there that we think will help us move the ball down the field, get first downs and try to create some chunk plays.”
(We’ve all seen WR Albert Wilson’s upside over the years of course in between his injuries and years off and stuff like that. How confidant are you that he’s going to be able to get back to that key contributor game-in and game-out type guy? What are your thoughts on his development so far?) – “He’s done a good job. He did a nice job in training camp. He’s another guy who missed some time due to injury, worked his way back, got back out there 10-12 days ago, had a good week of practice last week and we are just trying to string good days together. We had him in the game last week. It’s a new week and our preparation on Buffalo is ongoing and he’ll be part of that. His role will be what he makes it.”
(Rewatching Sunday’s game, a play that jumped out to me was late in the game when QB Tua Tagovailoa hit WR DeVante Parker on a slant. I think it was a 1st-and-14 and he was on his goal line. What about the aggressiveness from the play-caller and quarterback in that situation, considering it might have been easy to run the ball. What are your thoughts on aggressiveness in spots like that?) – “I talked to the team this morning that we were done with last week and we are really focused on Buffalo. We always want to be aggressive and I think you need to be, especially in that situation. We’re going to need to be against Buffalo. We are. We are going to need to be against Buffalo.”
(How much can T Liam Eichenberg playing the way he did, how much could that accelerate a young kid’s growth? How much can that fast track – not to say skipping steps – but how much can that opportunity help him?) – “I think playing in games, regular season games and preseason games, I think that gives you – every play is an experience. Good or bad, it’s an experience and it’s one that you can learn from. He definitely learned about the speed of the NFL game, the power of the NFL game and I think he probably gained some confidence in some of the things he did in the game. We want to build on that. We want to build on that today in practice. There’s a lot of things we have to get better at, a lot of situations we have to get better at, our awareness on some things has to be better. I think he understands that too. He’s working at it.”
(It’s not every day that you see a first-round draft pick of a year ago inactive for a team. What does CB Noah Igbinoghene have to do to get back in uniform and on the field on Sundays? How close is he to that spot?) – “I thought he had a good training camp. At the end of the day, you can only bring so many players to the game. Some guys have to be inactive by league rule. Last week it was him and we’ll see how it goes in practice. We have to have inactive players, that’s per league rule. He’ll continue to work hard, he’s a hard-working kid, it’s important to him. We are going to do what we feel is best for the team.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa’s development as far as how he goes through his progressions and his second, third or fourth read) – “I think he’s a young player who is getting better every time he steps on the field. That’s in a lot of areas; that’s calling the play, reading defenses, his decision making, his progressions and it’s all getting better. I think it’s getting better.”
CB Xavien Howard
(When teams don’t throw at you, is there ever a time in the game where you would actually like some action in the passing game? Or are you just accustomed to that some weeks – teams aren’t going to attack you because of how good you are?) – “I feel like teams are going to try me. I feel like some teams probably (try to) lull me to sleep. Some teams probably give me less opportunities to try to intercept the ball. The mindset of the defense is getting to the ball. That’s our main thing and that’s what everybody on the field wants to do is get to the ball.”
(Does last year change perspective for quarterbacks and offenses and how they approach you?) – “No, I feel like – the crazy part is I still see the stuff that they attacked me with last year that certain teams are doing. It’s only the first week. There’s a lot of football left. People are going to have different game plans to attack me. I’m just ready for it.”
(What’s the challenge of lining up against WR Stefon Diggs? Or what do you enjoy about lining up against him?) – “You’ve got to line up against five guys. They’ve got Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Isaiah McKenzie. You’ve got the quarterback also. There’s a lot that they have. It’s going to be a tough battle. You just have to be prepared for it. He can extend plays, run the ball, everything. There’s a lot of stuff that they do well.”
(QB Josh Allen, how have you seen him evolve as a quarterback?) – “Each year, just seeing him from his rookie year, he’s taken a big jump each year. I feel like he was a top five quarterback last year.”
(I know you have a lot of respect for other AFC cornerbacks like Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore and Bills CB Tre’Davious White. What do you like about White’s game?) – “He’s a baller. He tackles well. He plays the ball. He does a lot of great things well. He’s also quick. Just watching his game – I try to watch a lot of guys’ game, especially when I’m playing against them. Each corner, I try to learn from and try to see what they do well.”
(Have you ever swapped jerseys with either of those guys?) – “No, I haven’t.”
(I know you don’t play directly against Bills CB Tre’Davious White but when you play an elite corner, does that give you motivation that you’ve got to make sure you have a better day?) – “For sure. I want to be the best corner on the field when I’m playing, no matter who the opposite corner is. I try to be the best corner each game.”
(You guys had a lot of success punching the ball out last game and the Bills fumbled four times in their opener. Is that something you guys talk about, that there are more opportunities there?) – “Yeah, I feel like there will be a couple of opportunities out there and how they play ball. Punching the ball, interceptions, everything – forced fumbles, everything that we’re going for. That’s what we do on defense is try to get the ball.”
(The season finale last year didn’t go the way this team wanted it to go at all. Is there any type of revenge maybe when you see the Bills this time around? I know you guys don’t want to look back but the way they beat you.) – “I’m definitely not looking back but it’s in my head, though – what they did last year. But it’s a new year. It’s a new team. New personnel. There are a lot of things that are going on and we’ve just got to be prepared with what they bring this year.”
(There’s a team that throws out four or five wide receivers that you’ve got to cover. How valuable or how important is it to make sure the communication is right with the rest of the cornerbacks and the rest of the DBs, because you could see some bunch formations and rub routes and stuff like that. How valuable is that communication?) – “Last week, it felt like we saw a lot of bunch routes, pick routes and a lot of stuff they do well. I feel like we’re going to see the same thing. Depending on what coverage we’re playing, they try to attack us in this way or that way. We’ve just got prepared for whatever they bring.”
(Going back to the way quarterbacks approach the way you play defense and all – you mentioned lulling you to sleep and that sort of thing. If you’re a quarterback – put yourself in a quarterback’s head for a minute – how would you attack you?) – “I played quarterback. (laughter) I played quarterback in high school. I feel like I’d just try to take advantage of the opportunities they’ve given me or whatever the quarterback is doing. I won’t give people the up on me on how to attack me. They’ll see. (laughter)”
(Is this an opportunity for you guys to set the tone in the division? You get a good win on the road in the first week. The second week, you’re playing one of the top teams in the division. Is this that opportunity for you guys?) – “We’re just taking it one week at a time. It’s still early football. We’re only going into Week 2. There’s a lot of football left. We’re just taking it one week at a time.”
(Does your quarterback experience from way back when, does that in any way help you in what you do now?) – “Yeah, I feel like it does help me. I played everything so playing receiver also helped me, just looking back and finding the ball. I feel like a lot of cornerbacks panic when the ball is in the air and that’s probably what I do well is just look back. No matter if I’m beat or not, I try to make a play on the ball.”
(What were your QB stats?) – “I ran a lot. I wasn’t passing that much. I really was like a zone read quarterback. It was decent. I’ve got to look it up. I forgot. But I did my thing. (laughter)”
(QB Lamar Jackson style?) – “For sure. RG3. (laughter) That’s who I thought I was. (laughter)”
(Defending WR Will Fuller in the past, do you remember your reaction in March when you heard the Dolphins had signed him?) – “Yeah that game we played them in Houston, that was crazy. I was happy about the signing. I said there’s a lot of speed on offense. They’re going to open up a lot for a lot of guys on the ball.”
(WR Will Fuller was saying something about tracking those deep balls, that Randy Moss taught him to look up and not back at the quarterback. Is it a similar concept when you’re running side-by-side with him?) – “Right. Like he said, Randy Moss – wow, that’s crazy. I didn’t know that. Randy Moss taught him to look up? Yeah, that’s crazy; but that’s the mindset I have. I try to look up because the ball is in the air. Especially being in the NFL, a lot of guys like Russell Wilson are throwing moon balls, so you’ve got to be prepared for stuff like that.”
(Is there a moment where you have to train yourself or fight the urge to turn and jump for it?) – “I try to read the receiver also and sometimes if I’m on my sideline, everybody is yelling ‘Ball!’ and that gives me the leeway to look back also.”
