Buffalo Bills Monday Media Session

Head Coach Doug Marrone
Monday, October 27, 2014

Q: Injuries?
A: Scott Berchtold: Quick injuries coming out of yesterday. Robert Woods, everybody knows he went back in the game, but he had a back contusion. Kenny Ladler injured his arm. Those are really the only ones to report. I know that in-game we had mentioned Kyle Williams, but obviously Kyle was back in for the majority of the game and he finished out fine.

Q: This team has been 5-3 three other times since 2000. What gives you the sense that this is sustainable?
A: We’re going to come back and we’re going to get ready for the third quarter [of the season] and the first game. I don’t really look beyond that. I talked to the players about it today. We looked at the past quarter, which we won. Obviously, we’re proud of that. When we get back we have to get ready for this third quarter. The first team that we play is Kansas City and we have to be prepared for that. That’s how I address it. I don’t think of it any other way because every game you’re putting everything you have into it.

Q: Do you need to remind them about guarding against being overconfident?
A: No. I understand the question, but I don’t think that’s the case at all when you haven’t been to the playoffs in such a long time. I think the one message that I tried to tell them today is that it doesn’t get easier, it gets harder.

Q: How does it get harder?
A: Pressure. Go out there and play and perform. It gets harder as it goes. You start competing against teams that are in the same position you are. When you’re not, you’re playing against teams that want to knock you off. We’re not even in that position yet, so we’ve got a long way to go before we get into that type of position.

Q: Do you think Kyle Orton’s even-keeled demeanor is a good influence on the team?
A: I probably would think that, like everyone else, he gets up and he gets down, but you don’t really see that in his performance out on the field. I would agree with that. What I see, and I’ll go back to the same thing, is I see someone that’s extremely competitive, that’s fully aware of everything that’s going on around him. I think that’s a great asset to have. I think that he’s always striving; that competitiveness is always striving to get better, first, with himself and then, with the unit.

Q: What have you done better on the road this year compared to last year?
A: I don’t know. I know it’s hard to win games on the road. We really haven’t changed anything in our schedule. I do think that the team is preparing better than they have internally. They’re doing a little bit of the extra things that they are making themselves accountable for. I think that’s something that has helped us, especially in some of the close games. We’ve got to continue that and we actually have to do a better job with our preparation moving forward.

Q: Is the defense where you thought they would be at this point? Have they surprised?
A: I’ve said this before about the defense. We have a lot of good players on that side of the football. I never put a ceiling on where those guys can be. I really think they can be as good as they want to be. I really do. It’s not going to be a matter of talent. I think that the coaches are doing a very good job, along with the players, of stepping it up when it’s time to step up. I think our secondary did an outstanding job in coverage yesterday. I thought that up front we played physical. We were concerned about the running game. We missed tackles, obviously, on the quarterback in the scramble situations. We have a lot of good players on that side of the ball; guys that have played a lot of football.

Q: Sammy Watkins called it a boneheaded play on his part. How much can he learn from it so he never does it again?
A: One is that you hope that never happens. Two, I don’t look at it as in the game that you want to look at it.. You want to look at it in that series. Obviously, we came back and we were able to score, but that’s not something that we want any of our players to ever feel free about. There’s been enough history in this league to prove that you shouldn’t do that and that’s not what we want our players to do, that’s not what they should want to do and it’s definitely not what their teammates want them to do.

Q: Can you talk about the bye week plan? Is it any different than last year?
A: I think most teams do the same thing. You go back and you self-scout, looking at things and looking to see what you can improve on. I think we’ve got to take a little be of an advantage of this bye week, knowing that we come back and play a Sunday-Thursday game so we’ll have a chance to look ahead a little bit earlier in this week before we start with the Kansas City game. For players, with the collective bargaining agreement, they have to have four continuous days off plus the weekend so they’re pretty much set in what they’re doing. We’re just trying to get healthy and get our players back.

Q: Is there some discussion or thought about making a move at the trade deadline tomorrow?
A: I haven’t been involved in any discussions, personally.

Q: Wouldn’t you be, as coach of the team?
A: I would hope so. I’ve learned in this league that you never know. You never know. But no, there haven’t been any discussions.

Q: How did you feel that the offensive line played?
A: Not as good as I expect them to. I think that we did a little bit better job in protection. I think that we had a protection breakdown in the backfield and up front. They had covered us pretty good on the other two. I thought we did a good job in protection, but I think that we still have to make an improvement in the run game. Too many times it’s one person. Like I said, it was one person here or one person there, so that has to improve.

Q: What led to Chris Gragg playing the most snaps at tight end?
A: I just think that personnel-wise it was a good matchup for us to get in there. We were able to run and pass. I think Chris is, at least from our standards, a tough matchup coverage-wise, especially when you have him and Scott [Chandler] out there on the field from a passing standpoint. It was more game-plan-oriented, but I do think that Chris is playing better.

Q: How much do you admire the grinder that Kyle Williams is?
A: I think we all appreciate all of the players that are out there. There’s not a player that’s not playing with something. When I say that I’m not talking about an injury report type of situation. I’m talking about some bruises or just fatigue or just the wear and tear. Obviously, we had a long preseason and camp, so I think there’s a great appreciation for those players who go out there and do it. I think, for Kyle, he’s been that player from day one. He’s always had a high motor, he’s always been a productive player and he’s always been a player that his teammates can rely on.

Q: How much credit does Kyle Orton get for settling the offense?
A: We acknowledge it. I don’t know what the percentage is, but obviously he threw four touchdown passes. The one to Scott was a great throw. The one to Robert [Woods] was a little bit behind. Robert made a good play on that. Managing the game, knowing where to go with the ball and things like that. He’s done a good job. I think he had a really sky-high quarterback rating and I thought his ball security was better, even though we had to take some sacks.

Q: How much fixing of the run game can be done during this period?
A: It’s got to get better. It’s got to get better from top to bottom. It’s got to start with me to Nathanial [Hackett] to Pat Morris to the players. We’ve got to get better there.

Q: Why did Boobie Dixon get so many more snaps than Bryce Brown?
A: Probably just for the formations and what we were running. More play-oriented than it was one way or the other. If we would’ve went to a more spreading them out type of game then Bryce might have been in there more, depending on plays that we were calling. It was probably just more play-oriented.

TE Scott Chandler
Monday, October 27, 2014

Q: What kind of presence has Kyle Orton brought to the offensive unit here?
A: I think it’s been big because he knows what he wants out of the receivers and out of the protections and things like that. We’re able to communicate how we want things to look and it’s been good for us with those young guys out there. He’s been able to really tell them what he wants.

Q: What sense of belief do you think Kyle’s play has brought to the group?
A: I think that we’ve got a lot of faith in his ability. Obviously, two of his first three games we won on the last drive of the game. I think that him coming in and taking the reins like he did, there wasn’t anybody that doubted that he could get the job done. We’ve been pretty happy with him so far.

Q: Kyle said that he felt that, although preparing hard, not enough of the guys in the locker room knew how to prepare the right way. What was he getting at?
A: I think that’s what I was referring to when I said that we need to continue to mature as an offense. We have been maturing. It’s learning how to go about your business, what it takes to win in this league, what it takes to be really prepared. Not what you think it takes, but what it actually means to be prepared in the film room, in the playbook and knowing what we’re going to see on Sunday. The better idea you have of that going into the game, the better you’re going to play. I think we’re starting to come along.

CB Corey Graham
Monday, October 6th, 2014

Q: Some people are surprised that you’re 5-3.
A: Some people are. I wouldn’t say we’re surprised. We went out there and played a good game. We expected to win. We found a way to get it done.

Q: Kyle Orton said that he felt that, although preparing hard, not enough of the guys in the locker room knew how to prepare the right way. Can you shed some light on that?
A: It’s different. Some guys watch film and think they know what’s going on, but there’s a difference between watching film and studying film and knowing how to prepare. There’s different ways of going about things. Playing with veteran players like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, you tend to learn different study habits and how to really study the game and what you’re going to get. As time goes on, the more guys get together and talk, the veteran guys talk to some of the younger guys and show them some of the things they should be looking for on film, it helps a lot. It’s pretty much just getting more acclimated with the veteran players and teaching the young guys what to look for on film and, if they see that, how to adjust to it.

Q: Do you feel as though more and more of those younger players are getting it?
A: Yeah. Definitely. Definitely. We have more time together. Guys are spending more together, guys are watching film together, guys are talking about what they see on film. It’s different when you may have been seeing something different, but then you hear another guy who sees something totally different while watching the same film. You’ve just got to communicate with each other, get used to each other and just learn. Every week you’re learning more and more and you’re going to get better and better.

S Aaron Williams
Monday, October 27, 2014

Q: What are your thoughts on the game the defense had?
A: I think it’s amazing. Anytime you get six turnovers, it’s going to be a fun day. In this league, if you get that many turnovers, there should be no reason why you don’t come out victorious.

Q: Do you think that you, as a defense, did your part to make those things happen?
A: I honestly don’t think it would’ve mattered what quarterback was in the game. I felt like our game plan was just a great game plan coming in. We prepared really well and everybody knew what they were doing. I don’t think we had very many mental errors and we didn’t allow big plays really. As long as we control the big plays, it’s really hard to beat us.

Q: How much of that was game plan and how much was execution?
A: It’s more 50-50. The game plan is very important. The execution is what really counts and we executed really well.

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