Bills Postgame Interviews

BUFFALO BILLS HEAD COACH DOUG MARRONE

Opening Statement
It’s a tough league to win games. We stuck together and won it, and it was through some ugly times and some times where some guys made big plays. The issue that I have, and I told the players this, is that we’ve got a lot of improvement to do. I’m upset about turnovers. We turned the ball over in the red zone, which we had three points. We turned the ball over twice and gave them six points, and turned the ball over again. You can’t do that and our players understand that. We have to do a better job there. My concern right now is the same thing. I’m already on to the other things. I will answer everyone’s questions. I’ve got to get back to work and get some things fixed. When I say fixed I just mean that we’ve got to get better. Now, I’m hoping that a win like this can be like a catalyst and that’s what I told the players. I said, ‘You win, you stick in there and you get a close victory like this.’ I told them ‘I’m going to be on the coaches. It starts with me. I’m on myself, I’m going to be on the coaches and the coaches are going to be on them. Enjoy it, because it’s the NFL and it’s hard to win. Let’s get our butts back and let’s get our butts to work.’

Q: Can you talk about your injury situation at running back?
A: Yeah, they’re out. Right? C.J. [Spiller] will be out for an undetermined amount of time. I think that’s out there already, from what they told me. We’re going to look at Fred [Jackson]. We really don’t have any timetable on that. We have Boobie [Dixon] and then, obviously, we have Bryce [Brown]. It’s not like we have to go out on the street to get somebody to come in. I have no problem bringing up Bryce. We talked about him last week, which I hoped wasn’t a jinx.

Q: Can you walk us through that final drive?
A: It was tough for me to really recall every single play because we’re trying to get a play to get the ball down the field. We’re trying to do that. He did a nice job, he knew where he wanted and we knew the matchups of who we wanted to get the ball to. Obviously, there’s a bunch of critical plays. The fourth down [for a] first down, [Chris] Hogan’s play [where] he rips the ball away, clocking it. Then there are some things on that drive, the ten second runoff and throwing the ball away to where there’s no one around. There are things going on. It was fast and furious. My recollection was that I just trying to get the ball down the field. They were mugging up. They were giving us the single high, even though they can mug up and go to the two shell. If they were going to take the chances I kept saying, ‘Get the ball down the field. Let’s get this ball down the field. All of you guys were saying the same thing too. You’ve got to get it down the field. It’s disappointing. You know in those situations, I want to make sure we can protect better. It’s unacceptable throughout the whole game. I mean it’s third down, third and eight. Everyone knows you’re throwing it. Protect. Okay? Don’t get in bad situations. I was upset about that.

Q: To what do you attribute all of the fumbles?
A: The person who has the ball is responsible for the security of the ball. Every fan, every player on the team, when you’re holding that football you’re holding it for all of them. You can’t give it up. High and tight. To say, ‘Well, hey the guy made a good play.’ No. Your job and your responsibility is to make sure that if you get tackled and you come back up that you have the ball. I think it’s more for like tipped balls or things like that, but not fumbling the ball. Even on the sack fumbles it’s not acceptable and the players know that. We talk to them about that.

Q: Can you talk about Sammy Watkins today?
A: He got involved early and he was playing well and we targeted him 14 times I think. We did. We get a lot of questions or I get a lot of questions during the week of where he is and everything. We’re just progressing with him and will keep going. The more that we can get stuff to him, we trust. He can get open, he has excellent hands, he can run after the catch and he can make plays. It’s something that every week we’re looking at. At the same time, we’ve got to be able to spread it out all over the place. It’s not as easy as people think. Everyone’s like, ‘Hey, you’ve got get him the ball. Get him the ball.’ There’s no doubt. We’ve got to keep devising ways to do that, but what helps us get him the ball is when there’s somebody else out there or multiple people out there that they’ve got to be concerned about.

Q: On the final touchdown, was hitting Sammy on the quick out the plan all along?
A: Yeah, we actually moved him over there. We moved him into the boundary. We knew the route and everything. We moved Sammy into the boundary and went there.

Q: How was the atmosphere of the locker rom at halftime?
A: From my perspective I can’t tell you how they felt. We made some mistakes in all three phases. We tried to squib the ball down the field to take it out of 84’s [Cordarrelle Patterson] hands and they get it at the 40. So there’s multiple problems that are going on. We come in at halftime and really it’s like, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing wrong.’ This didn’t turn out to be true, but I was like, ‘We can’t play much worse than we’re playing right now. We need to get our tails in gear. It’s a one score game and we get the ball first. Stop hanging your heads, if you are, and get together and get the hell out there and win this damn game.’

Q: You said some of the mistakes you made were unacceptable.
A: Sure. Unacceptable. Turning over the ball, fix things like the squib kick, fix things like the penalties, the block in the backs for the field position. There’s a list that goes on and on.

Q: Can you describe your mood coming off of this win?
A: I told the players that before. I’m the worst at this. My mind is already going ahead and it’s my responsibility. To come in here to you guys and B.S. you, come on. We’ve got to get some things done. We’ve got to push and fight and push and all of those things. I’ve said those words before. Am I going to be going home and be happy and smiling on my face? Me? No. Now, do I want the players to? I absolutely do. Do I want the coaches to? Yeah, I do. I do. For those of you who don’t know me that well, I’ve always been like this. It’s always been difficult for me.

Q: Are you at a point with any part of the offensive line where they aren’t progressing, facilitating a move?
A: I’ll tell you I’m going to look at it. I really am. I’m going to look at it closely and, if it does, we’ll make that move. I can promise you that. We’re going to look at it and see what the issues are and figure this thing out. We had some good tips. We knew certain things that we were going to be making this call and they were going to be running twists and things like that. You can’t afford to do that. You’re giving those players every opportunity to be successful and they have to get it done and we have to coach it better. I’ll look at it.

Q: You seem grumpier after this win. Is that a fair assessment?
A: I would hate to be categorized as grumpy after win, but I don’t help myself here right now. I know where I want to go with the team. I do. And I’m just fighting to lead this team to where I want to go.

Q: Is it safe to say that the goal is the playoffs and a performance like this isn’t good enough?
A: I think when you go down to the wire like this then you’re not going to win as many as you need to to get there. Yes, I would say that. The one point I want to point out is what’s the most important thing for me. I told this to the players and, again, I don’t know if I’m asking for a favor or anything, or maybe it could just be quotes. I am not taking this win away from the players. I’m not taking it away from the coaches. I’m just telling you how I take the win, okay? So I’m not speaking for anybody else. It’s important, now. I wouldn’t tell you that because it’s important. It’s hard to win games in this league. If you could win 16 games like that, we’d all take them. I understand that we all understand where we’re going with it.

Q: When you enter the second half of the season with Boobie Dixon and Frank Summers in the backfield, are you thinking of putting more on Kyle Orton’s shoulders?
A: Obviously, I trust Anthony [Dixon]. We were getting him more involved anyways, as we were going. We had to make a move on special teams, which caused us to make some decisions. We took him off of everything, I believe, but punt. That’s how it goes during a game and you know what, I really didn’t have a problem putting Frank back there. I really didn’t. Frank has played tailback before. He’s done a good job. From that standpoint there wasn’t a sense of, ‘Uh, okay here we go.’ Plus we know we could’ve used the short passing game and things like that and screens. If Anthony would’ve been hurt, yeah. Do you know what I’m saying? If something would’ve happened to him and more to Frank then I would’ve been more concerned.

Q: Who was the emergency running back?
A: I had one, two, three, four, five of them in the game. I don’t think many people have emergency guys after that. We weren’t prepared for the sixth running back in the game, which I don’t think anyone is going to give me grief about that.

BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK, KYLE ORTON

Q: Kyle, can you walk us through that last drive?
A: I’d have to go back and watch it actually, it happened so fast I kind of forgot about some of the plays I think. Everybody kept their poise and determination. A lot of guys made different plays, (Scott) Chandler on the big fourth down, (Chris) Hogan to get us down there. Sammy (Watkins) I think had a big third down as well on an end cut and obviously the touchdown catch. Everybody hung in there and made plays when they were asked to.

Q: 2nd and 10 Kyle, you went to Sammy on that drive and then you converted that third and long to Sammy also. What was the sequence in your reads on those plays?
A: I’ve got to go back, I know on the end cut they were playing cover two, their Will linebacker dropped back and got pretty good depth, I thought I could just get it right over his head and I did. I think I barely got it right over his hand and Sammy went and made a nice catch on it. I know we hit him on a slant route, I think they were pressuring us on that look. I had a good window to throw it to, he made a nice catch and a good run after the catch.

Q: Kyle, Boobie (Dixon) said something about during that drive you came into the huddle and you were smiling just trying to relax guys. Tell us a little bit about putting them at ease.
A: We’re a good offense, when everybody does their job we go down and score points. It’s pretty much that simple and it’s been like that for the past three weeks. When we execute the plays, execute our responsibilities, we have a lot of success. We have to do a better job of doing that on a more consistent basis.

Q: Kyle, to go from sitting at home, basically not playing, maybe your career done with to a moment like this how does that feel?
A: Any time you get a chance to go on a game-winning drive it’s awesome. Like I said, to have so many different people during that drive make plays, good protection, guys really stepped up and it’s a good experience. We’ve got a tight group in there, everybody enjoyed it together and that’s what counts.

Q: Is it the 10 years of experience that you call on when you’re facing a situation like this and you don’t allow yourself to be burdened by the fact that it was a really ugly game by this offense. Four turnovers, two by you. What’s the mindset with all that?
A: I think you just go out and say, ‘man we’ve got a great chance to win the game and it doesn’t matter how you win it.’ You don’t ever apologize for winning a game in this league, it’s too hard. (Minnesota) is a good defense, they’re a good football team. We hung in there, made some mistakes but in the end we got the win. That was our goal.

Q: Kyle, Doug (Marrone) was pretty clear about the fact he wasn’t happy with the overall effort and some of the issues that were just alluded to. You’re a leader on this team, what’s your take on that?
A: We’ve just got to get better, I think everybody did a better job this week of getting right to work, being focused, being ready to go on Wednesday. Obviously we didn’t hang on to the football like we wanted to, but I thought from an execution standpoint we did some good things. Any time you’ve got a young team and a young offense you’re going to have some growing pains. We’re going to continue to get better and continue to win games.

Q: Talk about the guys stepping up.
A: They did great. Boobie (Dixon) did a great job, Frank (Summers) came in and ran some halfback for us. That’s how it goes in an NFL game. You have a ton of adversity, take a look at Hogan. Has a fumble on the first drive then comes back and makes a huge catch on the last drive of the game. Nobody blinked, nobody panicked.

Q: Do you feel you had to take a little more on yourself in the passing game because of Fred (Jackson) and C.J. (Spiller) being out?
A: When you’re in the middle of the game I don’t think you really think about it, we’ve got quality backs, coaches are going to call the plays and we’re going to execute them. I try not to go much further than that.

Q: 4th and 22 to Chandler, what did you see in coverage on that one?
A: It was two man and they actually had a difficult time getting lined up so we kind of went fast and snapped the ball. I saw the linebacker go to Chandler and thought I had a good chance to put it around his head, I threw a pretty good ball and he made a good catch.

Q: On the winning touchdown, did you see the man coverage on Sammy?
A: I was going to Sammy, he was doing a great job for us and we had beat those guys on some slants earlier, we thought we had a good look to hit that play. He ran a great route and made a nice catch.

Q: Sammy admitted that he could feel some of the pressure of the situation he’s in, the guy they made the big trade for. Did you see any of it on the field?
A: I think he’s just a competitor, he wants to help the team so much. That’s the deal with wide receivers. I think some of the stuff gets overblown that he wants the ball and wants to help the team. That’s the way wide receivers help the football team is to make a bunch of catches and get a bunch of yards. I don’t think he needs to put too much on his plate, if he keeps on getting open we’ll keep on getting him the ball.

Q: Is it safe to say we’ve seen the last of the mustache after today?
A: I don’t know, we’ll see.

Q: The first half touchdown to Sammy, just describe that.
A: Great play call, we worked on it all week, just four verticals, looked out in press coverage on Sammy, did a nice job slipping him inside, getting back away from the safety and made a nice catch.

BUFFALO BILLS WIDE RECEIVER SAMMY WATKINS

Q: Will you walk us through that touchdown catch?
A: I was just making the play. I saw they were heavy inside. I just came back outside. That was the read; just made the great play.

Q: Chris Hogan talked about the poise that Orton showed. Can you comment on what you were hearing and feeling about his performance?
A: He’s a leader. He knows where he’s going with the ball. He put us in the greatest situations. He knows how to help us out on the field; put us in different areas. That’s what we need – a veteran quarterback. I think we played good as a group today. Everybody made plays.

Q: Have you felt the pressure put on you here because they traded a pick for you?
A: Of course. I’ve got to come out and make plays. I’ve got to be dominant early. That’s the results of the day I think. We played well as a team. We dominated on offense even though we had turnovers. We moved the ball.

Q: What was different today from last week that allowed you to break out?
A: We just had that plan. We just look at film, watch those guys, and see what they do. I think we had a great plan. We executed on offense, and we took advantage of what they were giving us.

Q: Last drive before the touchdown, you had the 20 yard catch. Can you talk about what you saw then from their defense?
A: I was just really running my route. I did my job, and I didn’t think I was getting the ball that play. He just came back side, and I was wide open.

Q: How did it feel to catch a game-winning touchdown during your seventh game in the league at home?
A: It’s great. Making the last one to win this game in Buffalo is the best feeling ever, but you’ve got to keep doing those things on the field and keep getting better as an offense – keep moving on.

Q: Do you feel like a rookie after this game?
A: I’ve never really felt like a rookie unless one of those guys make me feel like one. (Laughs)

Q: After halftime, did you and the rest of the passing game feel a greater sense of urgency because Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller were out?
A: That was our game plan earlier. We need to come out passing. We need to be physical on the ball, run the ball, do both things. I think when those guys went out, we still had the same mindset, but the game plan was a little bit different. We just went out there and played; played for those guys.

Q: What was the mindset for the last drive?
A: It was really the look that they gave us. It was to go out there and beat the man in front of me. That’s what I did; beat the guy in front of me. He threw me the ball.

Q: Coach seemed upset overall that the performance wasn’t better, and he’s looking ahead already. Does the team share that feeling?
A: First of all, they’re a great team – just look at the turnovers we had. We were driving the ball; we had great drives. From the offense, we gave up the ball, and that’s unacceptable. There’s things that we’ve got the fix, the whole group. We put the defense in some situations, but overall I think we played well. We fought back, and we ultimately won the game.

Q: What was the locker room like at halftime after one of your leaders, Fred Jackson, went down?
A: We can only do one thing – get together as a team, go out there and try to win the game, and I think that’s what we did. We got ourselves in a group and talked about things. We executed the plays that the coaches wanted us to execute.

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