Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know you guys were down early and came back. What sort of your view of your team’s fight and then ultimately falling short?) – “I think we didn’t do enough to win the game. We had a chance during the fourth quarter. We made a couple plays, took a lead. But you know, just offensively, defensively, we just couldn’t finish the game. So you’ve got to finish in this league. If you want to win the game you’ve got to finish the game off. I thought we played well in the third quarter, but nothing is more important than finishing the fourth quarter. We didn’t do a good enough job there. We had opportunities. We didn’t take advantage. Thankfully we’ve got a quick turnaround and we’ll be out there Thursday night to get back to it and try to play better.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the performance of your secondary. Certainly when CB Byron Jones went down that, didn’t help, but some big chunk yards) – “Yeah, we struggled to cover them. Look, they’ve got good receivers. We struggled to cover them. They got open. They had time to — they had time to throw it. We didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback. I don’t want to put it all on the coverage guys. It’s a team game, but it starts with me, and we’ve got to do a better job of putting them in positions to cover them better. We struggled there for sure.”
(Do you have another update on CB Byron Jones? We only saw him for those first three plays.) – “Yeah, obviously he went out and didn’t return. I don’t have an update. Obviously he’ll get in and get treatment and we’ll take a look at that this afternoon or this evening and tomorrow morning. But I don’t have an update.”
(Obviously with the linebacker issues, did you feel like this is a game where TE Mike Gesicki had to be a factor, and was he as involved because of play calling or just him getting open?) – “He was getting open. And if you can get open, we’ll try to get you the ball whether it’s tight ends, back, receivers. He did a good job throughout the game and gave us some good plays, and we needed them. We just needed a few more today. But we’ll go back to the drawing board and try to turn this thing around and play better on Thursday.”
(You guys had the six plays after the delay, the ten-play drive, the 12-play drive and the touchdown at the end. What can you say about Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick being able to get the offense going there in the second half?) – “I think at the end of the day, we didn’t do enough to win the game as a team. We had some opportunities offensively, defensively, special teams. Didn’t take advantage and didn’t do enough, especially against a good team. They have got good players. They’ve got good coaching. We made a few plays, but not enough and it takes a team effort. So we have to play better offensively. We have to play better defensively. We have to play better really across the board. But they fought. They competed. It’s hard to win in this league and we need to play well for 60 minutes.”
(It looks like they had five long drives – 97, 84, 73, 75, 71 – what surprises you most about what you’re seeing when your defense is on the field?) – “We’ve got to play better across the board – run game, pass defense, pressures. I think we made a couple stops there in the second half and really even in the second quarter. We had it to a 17-10 game at halftime. We took the lead in the fourth quarter, so I thought we put ourselves in position to potentially win the game. And they are a good team. They’ve got good players. So they made some plays. But it was a competitive game. I thought we had our opportunities and we didn’t take advantage of them.”
(I’m wondering from your view what did you see on the last touchdown that the bills scored and was it surprising to you that they were throwing the way they were when conventional wisdom might have been that they just keep running the ball to keep you burning your timeouts?) – “We’ve got to cover better. That’s my thoughts. We’ve got to cover better than that, especially in critical moments of the game. We don’t know – we’re on defense – we have to react. We don’t know what they’re going to do offensively. We don’t guess that it’s going to be a run. We can’t do that or else you’re in trouble if they pass it. That’s kind of always been my thought process on that. So we’ve got to cover it better. We’ve got to play the run better. We’ve got to do a lot of things better. I saw some things that were better throughout the game. I think there was some improvement in a few areas, but it wasn’t enough and we need to continue to make those improvements, and we’ll try to do that this week. Thankfully we’ll have a quick turnaround and play on Thursday.”
(Would you count QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s play as part of that improvement and what do you think of how he played?) – “I think at the end of the day, we as a team didn’t do enough. I’m sure he has some plays he wishes he had back. Same thing in the kicking game. Same thing defensively. Same thing as coaches. Nobody likes to lose. So we’ll just go back and I’m not – we didn’t play well enough. I guess that’s the answer. We didn’t play well enough. We didn’t coach it well enough. We didn’t play well enough really anywhere. We had a chance and we didn’t get it done. I know that there were some bright spots. I get that. But at the end of the day, we are here to win. When you don’t win, you’re disappointed.”
(Could you take us through the thinking of the fourth-and-goal. Obviously the play was there but the pass was dropped, but when you look at the scoreboard, three points was the difference in the end. Just your mindset of going for it there off on fourth down?) – “We want to be aggressive. There’s a lot that goes into that, but I have confidence in our offense to pick up the one yard. We had a good play on. We just didn’t execute. I think that’s – just want to be aggressive. One yard for a touchdown and six or seven points instead of three, I think it’s worth it in that type of game, especially against that type of team. You’ve got to be aggressive to beat a good team and that’s kind of my thought process there. But we’ve got to execute, also.”
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Obviously you have a close relationship with Mike, but what type of growth have you seen from him from the time you got here to where he is right now?) – “I think a lot of it for him has been confidence. It’s been going out there and working hard in practice and seeing results in the games. I think everybody – I think all you guys saw that the last half of last year with how much better and more confident he was playing. But this year he’s taken another step and you know, he came out of that first game and I thought, I needed to get him some more targets. And every week is different, every matchup – is it man, is it zone. He does a good job of finding the spots and working hard in practice to figure those things out. So his confidence continues to rise and I think we’ll just continue to see him get better.”
(Obviously last week didn’t go as well as you wanted offensively but it looked like you guys had more chemistry, timing this week. What was your takeaway from your improvements this week offensively?) – “We played better, but in the key situations, not being able to punch it in, and especially on that fourth and one, for ‘Coach’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) to have faith in us and leave us out there; we’ve got to convert on that. But there was plenty of stuff early where we stalled a little bit. We weren’t converting third downs. We got into a better rhythm in the second half, and I think some of that was some of the adjustments that we made and some of it is just comfort level with the guys that we’re playing with right now. But I think we’ve got to continue to find ways to run the football and rely on the backs because they’ll be a big part of this offense as we get going, and just showing up in those critical moments and we missed out on a few of them today.”
(Six plays after the delay, the 10-play drive, 12-play drive, how did those long drives kind of help you in the second half, kind of gain your footing and tire out that defense?) – “They were good. I felt like in the second half, we used kind of the climate to our advantage. They were gassed a little bit. We went on some long drives. But again, they go and score and we’ve got a critical drive where we get the ball and have probably our worst drive – definitely our worst drive – of the second half where we needed it most. So there’s some stuff that we need to continue to get better at and a lot of it is just those critical moments, making sure that we’re doing the best we can.”
(What do you see as things to build on in this game?) – “I think we fought hard. We had a couple nice drives in the second half. We made some adjustments and were able to do some things in the locker room that really helped us in the second half. So those were all good things. I think the continued emergence of Mike (Gesicki) and the stuff that he’s going to be able to help us with. It was nice to have DeVante (Parker) out there for the whole game today, and Isaiah Ford made some really nice plays, as well.”
(I have an idea of how you’re going to answer but you threw for 300 yards. You threw three touchdown passes, but your team loses, so you leave the stadium today feeling, how?) – “I feel bad because, I mean, really it was two drives. It was the drive in the second half after they took the lead and it was the drive where we were inside their five-yard line and had the fourth-and-1 and couldn’t finish. And those were the two drives that kind of led to us losing the game. It’s great to throw for yards and touchdowns, but that’s not what we’re here for.”
(I’m just curious how the fans affected you or didn’t affect you in today’s game.) – “Way better. It was a way better environment. Way better atmosphere. Even though the place obviously wasn’t at capacity, it felt a lot more like a football game. It was not eerily quiet the whole game. That was I think huge for us and something that as players we all really enjoyed.”
(You mentioned that fourth-and-goal. It seemed I guess it looked like just a drop by WR Preston Williams. What do you say to a guy like that on a big play where he can’t come down with it for whatever reason?) – “We’re going to rely on him to make a lot of big plays this year, so that was just one opportunity, one moment. The ball is going to come back to him, and he’s a guy that we’re going to have to rely on to make some big plays along with some of those other guys on our offense and he knows that. And he’s made plenty in the past and I know he’s got a bright future in making a lot of them for us this year.”
RB Myles Gaskin
(It seemed like the second week in a row that you kind of got a lot of the touches in the backfield. How does it feel to have that trust that with some other veteran backs in the backfield, they call your number?) – “It feels good, but it’s running back by committee. I had some great runs. Jordan (Howard) got the touchdown. So I think it takes all of us week in and week out.”
(Do you feel like people are underestimating you? You’re the 14th-leading rusher in NCAA history. Do you feel like you have a lot to prove still in this league?) – “I have a lot to prove in this league, but I don’t think the second part of what you said has anything to do with anything else in college. College is college. I never even thought about college since I left college. But yeah, I’ve got a lot to prove to myself, to this team. Yeah, I’ve got a lot to prove.”
(From an offensive execution standpoint, did it feel smoother as they looked up here compared to last week in New England?) – “Yeah, I think everybody took a step in the right direction. Obviously we need to do more as an offense converting all those big third downs. It takes everybody, but I think we took a step in the right direction getting better as an offense, yes.”
(You talked about taking that step forward. How do you guys kind of build on this moving forward?) – “Got to watch the film first before I can answer that question, but definitely just prepare, prepare, prepare for the next week and learn from the mistakes we did have. Just communicate as a team what plays we like, what plays we didn’t, what plays we can get better at, such things like that.”
TE Mike Gesicki
(When you saw that those linebackers, their starting linebackers, were not going to be playing in this game, did you look at this as an opportunity for you to eat in the middle of the field?) – “No different than any other week. Just attacking it. Just trying to do to the best of my abilities. Trying to do what the coaches put a lot of guys on this team in position to be successful and I’m just trying to play my role.”
(From just a fan’s perspective, seeing people actually in the stadium, what was that like for you as a player, and did it kind of pump you up even a little bit? Better than the crowd noise, I assume?) – “Yeah, it was great. It was awesome to have fans there. It was a good atmosphere compared to obviously having none last week. It felt good to get some people back in the stadium, but we’ve got to be able to close some things out and win some games for them.”
(Can you just tell me about some of the things that enabled you to have success on the field today? Just some things that went into it.) – “I think it goes back to coaching. I think George (Godsey) does a great job with us. Chan (Gailey) does a great job with the scheme and then all the guys on the field, whether it’s ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) putting the ball exactly where it needs to be, o-line doing a great job blocking for him, and the backs and the receivers running their routes and getting open, making plays; it makes it a lot easier on everybody else to go out and make plays.”
(Can you take us to the play where you went cut back and caught the football like that and also how does it feel – I know even though you guys did lose – but how does it feel to offensively get into some rhythm and put points on the scoreboard? How much can that help you guys moving forward?) – “I feel like as a team, we played well, but just have to be able to do a little bit more and finish. Overall I feel like everybody exceeded in their roles and did what they had to do, but as a team, I think we’ve just got to come together and do just a little bit more to come out on top. Ultimately, I was just happy to go out and make the most of my opportunities, but I think that we’ve got to just finish a little bit.”
(In terms of your evolution as a tight end, do you feel like the ability to move you around and flex you out is helping you sort of get in position to make plays?) – “I think that the coaches have done a good job putting people in position to be successful and then I think just going out there and playing with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and him putting the ball in the position for receivers, tight ends, running backs, anybody that’s catching the football from him. He does a great job looking people off. He does a great job throwing the ball away from the defender. He does a great job giving people a chance to be successful. I think he deserves a ton of credit for everybody’s success on the field because he makes all of his teammates better. That’s what makes him special.”
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(Obviously a rough day for you at the office. How do you take how everything happened out there and how do you move forward with it?) – “It’s definitely a teaching moment. I learned a lot today, not only about this team but about myself. Of course, I didn’t play up to my standard at all. I’ve got to move past it and move on to the next game. That’s all I can do, just learn from it”
(Seemed like you were almost exclusively covering WR Stefon Diggs. He got the better of you a couple of times. Was that one of the biggest challenges you’ve had in your life from a football standpoint?) – “I’ve had many challenges. Of course, he’s one of the top receivers in the league, and it’s for a reason. He’s a very good player. Tremendous route runner, stuff like that. Like I said before, I learned a lot today, not only about him but about myself, as well. I’ve just got to respond and come back next week.”
(Just piggybacking off of that, with WR Stefon Diggs, I know you were backing up both CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones, did you know that if somebody got hurt, you would be the guy on Diggs or was it depending on who you went in for?) – “Yes, I knew. I knew. Byron went down so I just had to step up, so exactly what I did.”
(What were your first observations of playing against QB Josh Allen and just also observing his ability to extend plays and move around with his feet?) – “I never really seen a quarterback extend plays like that, especially as long as I played football, I never really experienced that, especially playing corner, that’s something new I experienced today. Like I said before, it’s a teaching moment, teaching lesson for me and I’ve got to respond and I will.”
(When CB Byron Jones went out in the first drive, what were some of the things that went through your mind?) – “Step up, lock in. I was locked in before. He went down, I just knew I had to step up and be the next man up and that’s exactly what I did.”
(You talked about this being a teaching moment, and obviously you want to rebound from this quickly with the Thursday night game coming up. Was there something the veterans said to you after the game to make sure you don’t get your spirits down?) – “It’s the league. It’s going to happen. It happens to everybody. I hold myself to a high standard, so of course I didn’t want that to happen but it did happen and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to move on as a man and that’s what I’ll do.”
S Bobby McCain
(I’m sure it’s disappointing for you guys to go from not being able to stop the run Week 1 to being beaten in the passing game in Week 2. How do you try to rebound as quickly as you can?) – “Like you said, it’s got to be quick. We’ve got a quick turnaround. We have a Thursday night game so we have to come out here and go have two good days of work and have a good travel day. You know, clean up the things that we made mistakes on today, clean up in the back end, clean up in the front end, stop the run, stop the pass. We have some things to work on this week.”
(We just got a chance to talk to CB Xavien Howard and he took responsibility for the WR John Brown touchdown. What did you see, what happened on that play?) – “We were in a specific call, I’m not going to tell you the call, but we were in a specific call and I peeked over on the other side and I tried to help as much as I can. I’m not sure what he told you, but it’s not just on him. As a defense, we could have played better throughout the game and was giving up big plays. But we’ll get it corrected. We’ll get it fixed.”
(Was it tough losing CB Byron Jones at the beginning of the game and having to incorporate a guy like CB Nik Needham?) – “Yeah, tough losing him. Hopefully we can get him back this coming week. I’m not sure all the details of his injury, but tough losing him. We have some guys that stepped up. We have some guys that can play football and step into roles when asked to, so we got a lot of corners on this team that can play football. We got a lot of DBs on the back end, a lot of guys that can play different positions. We’ll be better this coming week.”
(Looked like they got you guys a lot on the crossing routes, I guess those are more man-beater routes. Does that put stress on you as DBs when you see that time and time again when they are going to those crossing routes?) – “It’s tough on DBs. It’s tough on corners for sure trying to play, keep leverage — all crossers do, overs and crosses — they just beat your leverage and they just run away from your leverage. We made some corrections and we we’ll … You live and learn. You play and learn and that’s what we’ll have to do quickly. We’ve got to turn it around quickly.”
(How close or how far away is this defense from being where it needs to be?) – “We didn’t win the game, so as a team, we want to be better, offensively, defensively and special teams. But defensively, we have some things to clean up. We have some really good football player players on the defensive side of the ball, so understanding that we all got to put it together, the rushing areas with the coverage and understanding that everybody has got a job to do, you’re 1/11 while you’re out there. That’s the biggest thing. Everybody’s got to do their job.”
CB Xavien Howard
(Obviously you guys lost and QB Josh Allen had a big day. Were you surprised that they didn’t have you covering WR Stefon Diggs more? Seemed like CB Noah Igbinoghene had a lot of that responsibility.) – “I wasn’t surprised. It was the game plan. I knew the game plan what was going on. Coaches did what was best for us and at first Byron was covering and something happened with Byron, so Noah ended up coming in. It was the game plan that we had.”
(What happened on that last touchdown to WR John Brown? I saw both you and — were chasing, what happened there?) “He ran to open space. That was my guy. I take fault of that, he scored a touchdown. I just got to be on top of it.”
(How did CB Byron Jones going out in the first series impact the game?) – “We have a next-man-up mentality. You know, during this time, COVID, there’s a lot of stuff going on. You never know who will be playing, who won’t be playing. We go with the next-man-up mentality and we just got to keep going.”
(How do you grade the improvement QB Josh Allen has made in the time you’ve been facing him in the NFL?) – “He improved a lot. We knew he had a strong arm and can throw the ball deep. I feel like he’s getting better making smart decisions with the ball.”
(Last week we saw QB Cam Newton running for an awful lot of yards against and you today Buffalo had 526 yards total offense. What’s wrong with the defense and how are you going to get it fixed?) – “We got a quick turnaround, so we expecting the same thing the team did today. Just got to do our job. I feel like the coaches put us in position to do our job. It’s not all on the coaches. They have a plan. It mostly on the players. We have to do our job and we should be good.”
(What are some things you guys in the secondary can do better, including yourself CB Noah Igbinoghene, CB Nik Needham as well. What are some things you guys can do better?) – “We have to put ourselves in a better position to make a play and make a play on the ball. We just got to – Teams know what we doing, what we’re going to do, so we just got to put ourselves in a better position to make a play.”
