Buffalo Bills QB EJ Manuel
Monday, November 4, 2013
Q: How’s the knee?
A: Feeling a lot better working out on it the past week. Had a good workout yesterday before the game. Felt really good. It was good to get out there in the cold too, to move around in that and see how it felt after. So it’s feeling good.
Q: What is the expectation in regards to you practicing Wednesday and then Sunday?
A: Definitely looking forward to getting to practice, full course, taking as many reps as coach allows me to get. Then moving forward from there it’s his decision at the end of the day, so I’m just going to go out there and continue to work hard and get back to where I was.
Q: You’ve been cleared for everything?
A: Yeah.
Q: How did that session before the game yesterday doing some things that you weren’t doing during the week?
A: Yeah, I was doing that during the week. Not so much during the practices, but after practice and before practice. I was definitely getting a workout in with Coach Vrable and obviously Coach Hackett too. Just throwing to a couple receivers after practice.
Q: Were you able to learn and progress while not actually being on the field and in the games?
A: Yeah, definitely. Whether I was up in the box watching it from up top or on the sideline watching my teammates play, I still took a lot away from it, the good and the bad. From Thad (Lewis)’s success and Jeff (Tuel) yesterday watching the game, just try to learn from everything.
Q: Have you had to make any adjustments while working back through this injury?
A: Not really. I haven’t really felt any difference in what I’ve always naturally done. You just rehab it, get it better and just move forward.
Q: How much do you feel you’ll be able to hit the ground running by throwing to the guys last week routes versus air?
A: I think I’ll be fine. I’ve been throwing to these guys for the past however many months. I don’t really think that will be a problem.
Q: Do you have an idea of what your chances might be to play Sunday?
A: That’s up to Coach. I know I’m going to be out there ready to go to practice and get back to work with the guys.
Q: Are you experiencing any discomfort or soreness still?
A: Just continuing to move on it. Haven’t felt anything bad.
Q: Do you have confidence in the leg?
A: If you’re going to be out there trying to play, thinking about an injury you can’t play. I don’t really think about it.
Q: How much do you think this injury has setback your development?
A: I don’t really look at it that way. Like I said, when I wasn’t playing I still took the mental reps and people can say that’s a cliché thing but I really took it to heart to try to make sure I was still getting those reps I would’ve got if I wasn’t hurt. Mentally just making sure I was prepared and try to be a smarter player than I was before.
Q: How much have you learned from the experience of possibly getting out of bounds and not taking those hits?
A: That’s just a part of playing football. That could have happened playing basketball too. I’m not going to play scared or anything like that. I’m going to continue to try to get as many yards as I can, but at the same time just slide or get out of bounds or throw it away when you get out of the pocket.
Q: On that play that you were hurt on, should you have gotten out of bounds?
A: Get the first down, get down and get out of bounds. It happens, it’s over with now. I’m just moving forward now.
Q: Do you realize the potential lift your reinsertion to the lineup could provide the offense?
A: I would hope so. To be able to come back and get in the flow with the rest of the guys. The o-line has done a great job since I’ve been out, Thad did a great job when I was out as well and Jeff did good too. Hopefully I can get back in to it and just pick back up.
Q: As the franchise quarterback, do you feel a responsibility to protect yourself from injury?
A: Yeah, when you can you get down. We call it the Peyton Manning rule. If you’re in the pocket and about to get crushed, try to get down as soon as possible. Those veteran guys do a great job of that of understanding they may not be able to take off, but if you don’t have anything get down and protect yourself.
Q: Is it now a matter of telling Coach you’re ready and then he has to give the go ahead?
A: He knows where I’m at so I think it’s more so on him and obviously how we practice as a team and moving forward to Sunday.
RB Fred Jackson
Monday November 4, 2013
Q: Does this one still sting as much as it did yesterday afternoon?
A: Yeah, without a doubt. Had a chance to look at some of the film and we were able to do what we wanted to. We just didn’t get a couple things to bounce our way. Just have to keep coming to work.
Q: You’ve been around a lot of frustrating losses, where does that frustration rank?
A: Got to be top three of all-time since I’ve been here. Good opportunity to win a football game against a good team, a team that was 8-0 coming in to our house. Had the fans behind us and we did what we wanted to. We controlled the ball, moved the ball, ran the ball, passed the ball, no sacks and any time you do that you want to win that football game. We were able to do what we wanted to, we just didn’t get a few breaks there. It cost us the game.
Q: Not getting it done on the goal line again has to really eat at you doesn’t it?
A: Yeah. That’s an opportunity that we relish ourselves, myself I pride myself on goal line situations and didn’t get the job done. In the end that could be what cost us the seven points. When your number is called you want to get in the end zone. First two carries I didn’t get it in there and to end up we threw the ball and we didn’t get any points and gave them points at the same time.
WR Stevie Johnson
Monday November 4, 2013
Q: You’re historically grumpy after losses, was yesterday more frustrating?
A: Yeah, yesterday was frustrating because we felt like we had the game. We controlled the game and ended up coming out with another loss. If you’re not frustrated about that, then you shouldn’t even be in this locker room right now. We should be filled up with fire and ready to go at it next Sunday. That’s how I feel right now.
Q: It has to kill you to look back at the pick six and you were wide open. Is that the play you look back on as the main source of your frustration?
A: Yeah, it’s one of them. We talked about it throughout the entire week, me and my coach, Coach Hilliard. We knew what the matchup was going to be. It was going to be me and 27 and having conversations and being the interception like that and not being looked at, it was very frustrating.
Q: How much is this not a moral victory, but a lost opportunity?
A: Yeah, no moral victory at all. At all. That’s all it is, a lost opportunity. No moral victories.
QB Jeff Tuel
Monday November 4, 2013
Q: How do you feel about yesterday?
A: Just got here, got a good workout in. I think the mood of the team is good. Guys are ready to work and get better at whatever we can.
Q: How about yourself personally, what do you expect from this week moving forward?
A: Honestly I’m not sure. Just going to show up and continue to practice and watch film and grow as a player and just get better. That’s all I can do.
Q: You haven’t watched film yet right?
A: Not with the coaches.
Q: What are you looking for when you watch it later?
A: Obviously you learn more from the mistakes you make than from the good plays, so I definitely want to see the interceptions I had and just whether it was a footwork thing or just a misread or whatever. I want to see those things obviously. Film, like I said, you go through a basic mental check progression of the things you’re supposed to do at the line and make sure you did those things right.
C Eric Wood
Monday November 4, 2013
Q: As an offensive lineman can you talk about the frustration of not being able to get it in from the one yard line?
A: Yeah, but it’s a group effort. That’s an off tackle run that we started with, we threw a pass down there, but we have to get things fixed because that’s twice that we’ve struggled on the goal line this year. As physical as we generally play on the offensive line and as a team in general in the run game, we’d like to be more successful.
Q: Is the quarterback sneak an option in those situations?
A: It can be, but with the way defenses are playing now unless you hurry up and kind of catch them off guard the way they align just doesn’t really allow for it. Generally you’ll have d-lineman diving at the ground right there, backers sitting over the top. You have a high risk of fumbling with the quarterback generally trying to reach that ball over. It just seems like now in today’s football it’s not available.
Q: How much does the loss sting given how well the team played for the majority of the game?
A: Yeah, it’s a tough one to swallow. We didn’t make the plays again and that’s the name of the game. We have to figure out a way to make them. We’re playing hard; a lot of the film we’re putting out is pretty good. I talked to guys after the game and guys hate playing against our defense, they fear our run game, they fear our fast receivers. We’re making some plays, just not enough.
Filed under: Buffalo Bills
Tagged with: Bufalo Bills, EJ Manuel, Fred Jackson
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