Marcell Dareus Addresses Bills Media

DT Marcell Dareus
Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Q: Marcell you released an apology on your Instagram account yesterday. What can you say about that?
A: I really don’t have much to say. Words really don’t mean anything now. It’s all action and that’s all I’m going to do. I’m going to come back and do the best I can. I just apologize to my team, my family, I embarrassed my kids, and who I am and who I’m working to be. Still have a nice career and I want to thank God for that and at the same time apologize to Terry (Pegula) and Rex (Ryan) and everyone else. And everyone that have my back, that say we’re a family, we’re going to stand by you, but at the same time like I said words don’t mean anything. Now it’s all action.

Q: How difficult was it to face your teammates?
A: My team loves me to death and they know what kind of person I am. And they know who I am and they don’t have – they’re not on the outside looking in. They know who I am and they have my back. They said Marcell we are going to hold it down and we’re going to make sure that everything is going to be okay. And we know you’re going to be around, we know you’re going to support us and I know you’re going to help us regardless and you’re going to be ready. And that’s just what it is.

Q: Is it difficult when you read the team’s statement yesterday saying that you put yourself first. How do you react to that?
A: I put myself last for the most part. I’m a big-hearted person and I never put myself first. I mean, you watch me play you’ll see that. It’s not about me, I sacrifice myself and sacrifice myself for my family. And so it’s never about me, but everyone makes dumb decisions. Nobody’s perfect. At the same time, I’m just going to continue to work and move forward and I’m going to—talk is cheap. Talk is cheap. We can say anything, y’all will see me when I get back.

Q: Was it a missed test or did you test positive?
A: People are going to say whatever. You guys are going to write up what you’re going to write up.

Q: Well, clarify it rather than having us guess.
A: It was a missed test, but at the same time things got out—people said this, people said that and I got scolded about it. But at the same time, I know who I have to answer to and that’s what it is.

Q: How difficult is going to be watching the first four games, knowing two are division games?
A: I can’t even express how I feel about that. I give my life to this team so it’s hard to even watch these guys practice knowing I can’t really be a part of it the way I want to.

Q: When you’re meeting with the fans and signing autographs, what do you tell kids and fans about you feel what happened?
A: Most of the kids come tell me and most of the parents are like, we have your back, we support you. And I just say I’m sorry, I’m going to do better. Talk is cheap, I’ll show you. It is what it is and we’re going to have to move forward.

Q: Marcell, what do you do now? Whatever you’ve done hasn’t worked. What’s the thing you have to do to get back on track?
A: I’m just going to have to figure it out. Like, I can say whatever, whatever I tell you really doesn’t mean—I’ll show you. I can show you, but I can’t tell you. Talk is cheap.

Q: How long have you known that this might be coming out?
A: Honestly, I didn’t know. It got released to me and when I got it, it was like right after the game. I got notified and we talked to everyone and from there we just kind of kept moving on and here we are now.

Q: At that point did you tell the team?
A: Of course. I’m not going to waste any time.

Q: Saturday’s game, right?
A: Yeah.

LB Manny Lawson

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Q: When you saw the report, what was the reaction?

A: ‘What’s going on?’ You know, I didn’t hear anything, I don’t know anything and I don’t know what’s going on.

Q: So you haven’t been functioning or operating like there’s something hanging over, an investigation or something?

A: No.

Q: Response to your acquisitions?

A: Yeah. I saw the tweet and I’m as shocked as everybody else is. I don’t know what’s going on, I’ve reached out to the NFL, I’ve reached out to the organization and we’re trying to get to the bottom of this.

Q: Is there any incidents that could be misinterpreted?

A: There isn’t anything besides this pec that’s happened this offseason.

Q: So you reached out to the league yesterday?

A: Yes.

Q: What did they tell you?

A: I haven’t heard back from them yet. Granted, that was like, I don’t know when the tweet came out but we reached out last night and I’ve been in meetings and practice until today. So, we’ll hear and find out what goes on.

Q: How tough is it dealing with this distraction though?

A: Man, you just don’t know because all I want to do is play ball. That’s all I want to do. But, it has to happen unfortunately. I’m terribly sorry that my family and friends have to go through this, those that are affected. But we’re going to get to the bottom of this and find out what’s going on.

Q: You make it sound like it’s a missing identity or something. Did they mix you up with somebody else?

A: I honestly don’t know what could have happened. I’m not going to speculate anything. All I’m going to say is we’re going to get to the bottom of it.

HC Rex Ryan

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Opening Statement: I thought today’s practice went pretty well. We did an end of the game—not a scrimmage, but an end of the game situation. You know we had some things that we can learn from. Obviously we’d never take a penalty in those situations so you learn from those things. Purposely it looked like we had a sack or whatever, nope, keep the play going. And defense kind of gets like “Hey I had this,” well guess what? Sometimes it doesn’t lay out that way so you play the thing off and I think we’ve been doing a great job. If you’ve noticed, we’ve done a ton of those this year. We’ve done a ton of two-minute, end of the game situations because last year quite honestly that’s an area that we really thought we had to improve in offensively. And then you’ll probably also notice that we spent probably twice as much in the redzone this year as we’ve ever done in the pass so we’re trying to identify those areas, and the things that we’ve got to get better at, and we’ve worked extremely hard in those areas. The injury front, same thing with Robey. He was out of the boot today, but he’s still nursing that. And with Aaron Williams, he’s still in that concussion protocol. So outside of that, Cordy Glenn you’ll see he’s walking around rehabbing. Same thing with Richie [Incognito]. Richie is working extremely hard so hopefully we’ll get those guys back soon. Other than that, no new injuries to report so I’ll open it up for questions.

Q: Rex what is your level of disappointment over Marcell [Dareus] being suspended?

A: Yeah it’s—obviously you mentioned disappointment. I think without question, you know. That and frustration. I think those are the two big words right there, and I’m frustrated and disappointed as is everybody in this organization. Every teammate, from top to bottom, and I’m sure our fans are feeling the same way. We all know the kind of player that Marcell is, and you know what? Marcell is a good person too, but he’s got to make better choices, he’s got to make better decisions, you know? And understand that it affects the whole football team and not just himself and so I think that’s it, you know better choices. He has to make better choices off the field and, you know, the way the team feels. We all care a great deal for Marcell and I think that can’t be overlooked either, you know? We want to see this be a thing that’s behind him. You know, once and for all that this never happens again to him. And if that is, he’ll be better for it, his team will be better for it, and also the team now has an opportunity of, “Guys you need to learn from this. Somebody else’s unfortunate thing happened but you need to learn from it also.” And hopefully we don’t have these things. I realize and I recognize nobody’s perfect. But we’ve got to learn from these things and hopefully moving forward we don’t have these things occur anymore.

Q: Are you putting things in place to help him? Or is it just something that he’s got to do on his own?

A: Well I think we have—we will support him as an organization in any way we possibly can. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Will we formulate a plan for him, you know, while he’s suspended? Absolutely 100-percent we will. But I think it comes down, most of the time, regardless of the help you provide, it comes down to the choices of the individual. And again, I’m not preaching, you know nobody’s perfect. Trust me, I understand that. I know I’m not, but you got to make better decisions and, you know, Marcell has to. And you know you can see I’m frustrated because I really am. Because obviously he’s one of our best players, if not the best, I mean he’s right there, and it’s going to hurt this team.

Q: As a head coach, at what point do you stop giving chances?

A: Well I think first off, we’re not close. I want to see—I look at it as an opportunity for us to, you know, help a young man out in any way we can. I always say, “well what can I do personally?” I don’t know. But I’m going to look deep and if there’s something I think I could do personally, then I’m going to. And that’s this whole organization. We’re here for this young man and we’re here for all of our players. But I don’t want to even broach that topic of the ‘what if’s’ or anything else.

Q: When did you learn about the suspension?

A: I don’t know, probably the same time when you guys learned, probably a day ago, two days ago, whenever.

Q: What about the report that you knew in June?

A: Well I can tell you about that report, 100-percent false. I mean 100-percent false. I mean I had no idea.

Q: Do you replace him on Saturday knowing that you’ll need to work the other players?

A: Well we’re just crossing that bridge right now so we need him in shape and he still needs to work. Same thing with Karlos [Williams]. You’ve got to work. But you’re right, at the same time you’ve got to prepare these other guys.

Q: Adolphus Washington. What have you seen out of him during the first couple weeks of camp?

A: I’ve been really pleased with him. I mean he works extremely hard and he’s done really well. Especially, take a guy like Kyle Williams that really helps but he’s—and Marcell. The problem is not really on the field, you know. But he’s been a leader also, you know, on the practice field.  But he’s buying in to how we play and he’s doing a nice job for us.

Q: Having Corbin Bryant step in for a guy like Kyle last year. Are you comfortable with him?

A: Oh, without question I mean Corbin Bryant is an outstanding player in his own right. The thing I love about him, I mean he’s probably not an ideal nose, per say in a 3-4 defense but yet he makes it work. He’s tough, he’s smart and he’ll make a good account of himself.

Q: It’s difficult to look at some of the things that happened to your defense this offseason. Shaq, Ragland, IK, and now not having Marcell. I mean do you almost throw up your hands in frustration wondering what else might go wrong?

A: No because I see the big picture. I also see this defense is improving. And I’ve said it from day one, we’re going to be better. We will definitely be better than we were last year in my opinion. And regardless of those things that you mentioned, this defense will be better.

Q: Even to start the season with these setbacks?

A: I’m just saying we will be better.

Q: What was the reaction from ownership knowing that the organization could face a fine because of a couple of players?

A:  Well I quite honestly haven’t talked about that.

Q: Are you worried that everything that’s happened off the field reflects on you?

A: No, that’s fine. You know, that’s what you sign up for when you’re head coach and that’s fine. I like this football team. We’re not perfect. We’ve had a couple of guys make mistakes. But I like this team. It’s a hard-working team. It cares. We’re not above, you know and we’ve had some guys make some mistakes. That’s disappointing. But I’ll take it in the total thing. I’ll take whatever happens with this football team. I’ll sign up for it.

Q: Any concern that the level of distraction from the numbers of things happening? How do you view that with injuries and suspensions?

A: Well I think the fact that it’s happened now when guys are competing, you know, to make a team, and your roles may change a little bit. But as far as things like this that just pop up, you know we’re just rolling right now and we know we have to get better as a football team and we’re working hard and I think that’s all you can do in this situation. And really all those things. It’s more about our team than “Well you worry about this or you worry about this,” or whatever. We get it, you know? But our focus is now getting ready to play against Baltimore, and quite honestly, getting ready to play these preseason games. You know, we’ve got a big one coming up against the Giants. That’s where our focus will be.

Q: Rex you said that you care about Marcell and want to help him get better. How much does he care?

A: Well I think he cares a great deal. This situation might not be that much different than some other guys that I’ve had but he has to make those decisions and I understand that there’s going to be some people that are cynical of him, there are some people that aren’t going to give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. But for the majority of people, it’s more of a show-me thing. And I believe that moving forward, this young man will learn from this experience and become a better person for it.

Q: Rex, he’s apologized for his previous drug suspension, this one, being late for team meetings before you got here, a crash a couple years ago. At what point do his apologies ring hollow?

A: Well I think that’s what I’m getting at. I think some people will look at him differently now and the only way he can change that public perception of him is to go back and do the right thing and even become a better person. I truly believe in an ideal world, that’s exactly what will happen.

Q: Rex, considering the past challenges you’ve faced, having this many defensive starters out to start a season, what experience do you look back on to get you through something like this?

A: I’ve been in the game long enough that I’ve probably experienced a lot of things so we’re just forging ahead and we’re excited about what’s in front of us. We think we have a good collection of talent and one thing we know is we have a team. We’re excited about the fact that we seem to get better each day we hit the field. We’re really starting to dial in to what we do and as I mentioned, I truly believe we’ll get better. I truly believe that.

Q: What your reaction yesterday with the reports that Manny Lawson could be facing a one-game suspension for domestic violence?

A: Well, I never even heard about it yesterday. I saw it the paper today and I was like, ‘Whoa when did this happen.’ So, I never even knew about it last night, or whenever yesterday, whenever it came out so I can tell you this I don’t know anything about it. So…

Q: Rex, today on the field Eric (Wood) had kind of a blow up on Walt Powell. Is that something you encourage?

A: Wait, I’m sorry who did?

Q: Eric Wood kind of blew up on Walt Powell after having a penalty in the two-minute drill. Is that something you encourage?

A: Well, I think so. I think sometimes when you look at it you realize you’re affecting more than just yourself. You’re affecting your team and that was kind of the message, I’m sure. That was the message that Eric got through, was trying to get through to Walt that way and it was a similar thing we talked about to the whole team. Because in that situation if (Ronald) Darby pushes back, or whatever, he gets the penalty now you have to defend it again where the clock would have run down, nobody would’ve gotten the play off so, the game’s over. So, those are things you have to learn from and hopefully if something like this happens you realize a selfish act is – those are the things we’re trying to avoid as a football team.

QB Tyrod Taylor
Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Q: Tyrod, coach was talking about how much more you guys are going into two-minute and red-zone, packing in the areas you guys wanted to get more work in. Now that you’re almost three weeks into camp, are you picking out fine points within those drives or series that you’re pulling out? Like being really detail-oriented now?
A: Oh, for sure. Situational football is definitely something that we wanted to put a focus on throughout OTAs and mini-camp and training camp. Just thought there were certain areas we could be better in as a team as far as getting our offense going in certain areas, paying attention to details in certain places. So that’s definitely something that’s been big for us and we’ve got a lot of reps in it, so it’s definitely beneficial and we’re going to continue to keep focusing on working in those areas.

Q: Do you see progress there and if so, at what points of the game are you seeing progress?
A: I’ve definitely seen progress. Everyone’s getting on the same page. Getting the ball out faster in that area is definitely something we’ve come a long way from last season. Just got to carry over those reps and the things that we learned in practice towards a game situation.

Q: Rex just talked about how selfish acts affect the whole team…
A: For sure.

Q: Not just Marcell but even on the field today with Eric (Wood) grabbing Walt Powell by the shirt collar. Is it nice to see some of the other leadership demanding better?
A: Oh, for sure. Just got in another situation and of course the fight on the field is never good but in two-minute (situations) that definitely hurts the team. It ended up being a call on the defense but we have to be smart in those situations. It’s already end-of-game situations where we need all of the field position that we can get, so just got to be smart. Pretty sure that Walt will learn from this situation, but it was good to see Eric basically coach him up. It might not have been the way he wanted to but he got his point across. He wasn’t tipping the wrong way, the biggest thing was tipping the right way and Walt understands the situation.

Q: Tyrod, with Marcell now having multiple things like this, as a teammate do you hope he can figure it out himself? Do you step in to be a leader like yourself? How do you handle it?
A: I mean our jobs as players and as coaches is to pick him up and we understand people go through things in life. As a teammate, I’m going to encourage him and support him. He understands what he’s done and I’m pretty sure he’s working to whenever he gets back on the field that he can go out there and prove himself.

Q: Yesterday the team issued a statement on Marcell stating that they’re disappointed that Marcell put himself first, ahead of the team, ahead of the fans, etc. Do you agree with that?
A: I mean of course whenever you lose a player like that to a situation like that, it’s definitely disappointing. Pretty sure he’s addressed it. I think he released a statement on how selfish the act was. Like I said, as a teammate, all I can do is try to lift him up at this time that he’s down and leave some encouragement but at the same time, we have to move forward as a team and realize once he gets back, that we know that he’s going to be ready and go out there and make plays. But until that time, we have to pick up the slack on offense and defense.

Q: Any indication yet on how much more time you’ll see this weekend and is there anything in particular you and the offense want to iron out in particular?
A: I’m not sure how much time we’ll get. Preseason is kind of a game-flow as far as how many reps you’re going to get but the main thing is that we execute. We only played five plays last week. Had a chance on the third-down conversion, something we can be better at looking back to last year. Just execute overall. Of course, play smart, situational football if we get the opportunity to do so but just go out there and execute and we’ll go from there.

Q: Tyrod, in light of everything that’s happened with the defense, do you guys feel any more pressure on offense?
A: No, business as usual. Go out there and score points. Definitely have to score points in this league to win, so we don’t feel any more pressure. Losing a guy like Marcell to the team is definitely something big but as far as the offense goes, we don’t feel any more pressure than we did before. My job is to go out there and put points on the board and that’s what we’re going to have to do whether he’s out there or not.

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Tagged with: Buffalo Bills, Manny Lawson, Marcell Dareus, Rex Ryan