Buffalo Bills Transcripts: Rex Ryan and LeSean McCoy

Buffalo Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan

Friday, August 7, 2015

Opening Comments:

Alright today unfortunately had some injuries. First one, Fred Jackson with a hamstring, it’s not a terrible but one. Those things last a couple weeks so that was really unfortunate. Then we had (Ron) Brooks got kind of stepped on, they described it to me as a…It’s kind of like getting hit in the funny bone, but on your ankle. So it’s painful but I’m hoping that he’ll be back tomorrow for the scrimmage. Then we had, Marcell (Dareus) just had a little back he’s fine, (Chris) Hogan with a finger–he’s fine, he’s got nine others.

Q: How about Aaron Williams at the end?
A: No I think he’s fine, I think he just wanted you guys to write something about him.

But no overall…Yeah (Jerome) Felton’s too tough to, I mean yeah he can’t get hurt. You know right when you saw him it’s like oh shoot, because you do really worry about that kind of hit. You know it being like a shoulder or something, but he ended up bouncing back. Anytime you go goal line you have to go full, that’s the only time you really get anything out of that and so you put the ball down there and see what happens. I was impressed the first play, balls on the two and we got Shady, ya know LeSean (McCoy) stuck it in the end zone from the two – just driving and showing that he’s a powerful, powerful guy. He’s not just the shake and bake and all that, but he can stick it in there and he did. That was good to see. And then you know our seconds and our thirds, obviously the defense had the better of it – not yielding a touchdown from the three, on first and goal from the three. So that was…You know it’s good to see defensively, not so good on offense there but were, you know you’re trying to stick it in there and we gotta find a way. But overall I thought the practice, it was a tradeoff. Some defense looked really good on some opportunities, and then I thought the offense had a couple of big plays – throwing the ball over our head on defense. So that was kinda good to see as well. But with that I’ll open it up for questions.

Q: Was it a rest day for Percy Harvin?
A: Yeah we rested…You know it’s a goal line day, we rested both Sammy (Watkins) and Percy today. Both of them should be ready to roll for the scrimmage. You know the offense is smart, they’re resting ‘em so they’ll be ready to go on that scrimmage.

Q: Just to clarify on Fred Jackson. Is he out on tomorrow and are you calling it for a few weeks?
A: Yeah he’s definitely out tomorrow and I do think it’ll be probably two weeks.

Q: Are you excited to finally get this quarterback competition going?
A: Yeah I think that’ll be right when you…You know the level of play has to pick up and we’ll see who rises to the occasion. You know I think all guys they’ve been great. They all compete, they’re all pulling for each other but at the end of the day they want to win the job. So let’s see what happens and will see if there becomes a little bit of separation, will see.

Q: With Fred Jackson and Boobie Dixon both out, do you plan on bringing anyone else in?
A: Well (Marcus) Thigpen, you might recall Thigpen was a running back when he came out his first couple years in Miami, he was a running back. So we might do a little double duty with him as well. But you’re right we picked up that kid, have no idea what his name is right now but what is he Eastern Michigan? Eastern Michigan. You know big kid, so we’ll see.

Q: What was your assessment of the quarterbacks today? We have to ask you every day.
A: Just go to my answer that I had yesterday, we’ll go to that one.

Q: You said there is going to be some separation between the quarterbacks, how close are you to that?
A: Well yeah I’m saying we’ll see if there’s any separation. You know but they’ll all have opportunities to be with the ones. Were gonna have six possessions with the ones, six with the twos, six with the threes and all quarterbacks will have two possessions with the ones.

Q: I mean in your mind do you see it narrowing to two before it goes to one or directly from three to one?
A: No I would think it would…I don’t know I guess will see but I would think you know there’s a possibility to go to two I guess or ya know… But we’re going to, like I said this will probably play out and Indianapolis might not know who the quarterback is until we play ‘em. We may know, but they might not know.

Q: What are your thoughts on Chris Gragg and his extra reps today?
A:  Yeah I thought it was good. You know Chris is a guy, very athletic guy and he can really stretch the field. He’s probably had a few mistakes through camp but I thought today was a really good day for him. I like the way he pass protected today. We were doing a one-on-one drill, pass protection drill, I thought he did a nice job on that. So will see how he’s coming, but hopefully as we get going it becomes second nature to him. Obviously we love his receiving skills and you know I like seeing that toughness that he had in that pass protection drill. I gotta make a correction. Yesterday I said that (Matt) Mulligan dead lifted 650 pounds, I was corrected today by him. So here’s his numbers, and I rounded some of them up – deadlift, 700 pounds. He squatted 650, he benches 500 (that’s actually rounded up from 493), and then he power cleans 450 pounds. So this is the…There’s no way there’s a stronger tight end in the league then this kid. And like I said I was right on when I made the comment that he’s a meathead so I’ll stand by that comment.

Q: How do those numbers compare to yours?
A: Very similar. You know obviously I was a tremendous weight lifter, and I’ve been told I have buggy whips for arms and things – but they’re long you know what I mean? I can tie my shoelaces standing up. So that was my excuse I always made for the low bench press on the team and actually I think I beat my brother though. So my brother’s absolutely not exactly a powerlifter himself, but no it’s ugly. You know what I use to do honest to goodness – I would bench press 225 every year, just one rep, and this was when I was coaching and all that. I’d suck it up, alright I’m gonna do it, 225, I was good. Well remember I made the mistake of doing it in front of everybody on ESPN’s camera? Cause I’m like, I got this right, 225? I think I almost had a brain aneurism, I was like but I got that bad boy – did not attempt another weight the rest of my life, I’m done. So I’m much better at just…I’ll point, you lift the weight.

Q: Did you have any issues with Marquise Goodwin and him competing over the break?
A: No you know what, you’re competing and all that kind of stuff. He’s gonna run anyway, he’s gonna do those type of things. It’s just an unbelievable opportunity for a young man you know to be in those games, Pan Am games and all that and will see. Hopefully he gets an opportunity to represent our country in the Olympics that would be terrific. It is in Brazil, I will definitely go to that one and I’ll see him also. So we’ll see.

Q: As a coach if Marquise Goodwin had to miss a lot of camp for this, how would you play that?
A: Well I mean we’ll get to it, I think I’m just gonna play hardass and no I’m not gonna let him go. Yes we would have, we would have let him go, no question. He would of got the chance to represent our country then come back and also represents our franchise and this a guy…We have one of the fastest guys in the world and we’re proud of that fact. He’ll come out here and be ready to roll. We know what he is, you know as a player but now he’s all here but will see as he goes next spring how it is.

Q: Have you seen Dez Lewis take advantage of this opportunity with other wide receivers out?
A: Not really. I’ve seen him do some decent things. I seen where he got his helmet knocked off a couple times so that’s what stood out to me. But you know this is gonna be tough on him and I don’t expect him to jump in there and be Sammy Watkins and things. The opportunities that he’s getting, will see how he takes advantage of it and as we get through these preseason games I expect him, his level of play to go up.

Q: What have you learned about Tyrod Taylor as a guy since he has been here?
A: Well he is a terrific person and I am sure that anybody…. all his teammates will tell you the same thing. When you guys in the media have to deal with him you will know what I am talking about. I mean he is a really sharp young man and when I met his parents he is just like his dad. Who is an impressive guy also.

Q: Karlos Williams can you assess him running the ball as he gets more carries?
A: Powerful guy. He hits it in there hard. He is one of these straight ahead no fair dodging type of guys. Which is good. That’s what you want, you want him to run to his style. And that’s it. He is a power back. Great job in pass protection today. Very physical kid, and he has got good straight line speed.

Q: Are we seeing attrition start to set in with the bumps and bruises?
A: Yeah and we are trying to…we do a great job of that, our strength coach Eric Ciano, is good as it gets. Everyday he gives me these sheets, and I am just like give me the readers digest version. And he is like alright this guy needs to back off a little, this guy needs to back off a little. So we are protecting our guys. And before they break down. And this is the time and unfortunately like with Freddy [Jackson] it is just one of those things. You know he has been getting a ton of reps, and as soon as it happened as soon as it happened A[nthony] Lynn came over and was like, ‘I should have…’, he was thinking about doing but you can’t do that. But you know we are definitely mindful of it.

Q: Bryce Brown put another ball on the ground today and that has been his problem.
A: [Knocks on wood] I forgot to do that when I said yesterday he hadn’t fumbled. He did not fumble the entire time, he put one down today. But yeah that has been an issue, but has got to just hit it. Like I say he has got the best guy in the league in Anthony Lynn working with him. You just got to believe in it. And take a look at the video and see what happens and improve from it.

Q: How much of a nudge did you give Cordy Glenn as he has tried to solidify himself on the left side?
A: Really that wasn’t why I did it to motivate him or whatever. We got to look at it. He is built and he run blocks like a great right tackle, like a premium right tackle in the league. Does a nice job at left tackle. Seantrel [Henderson] has a skill set to be a left tackle also. So when you are looking at him you are trying get the best combination that works for you, not maybe the individual. I get it you want to paid like a left tackle I get that. But we are going to do what is best for out team. If worked out that way that’s what we are going to do. But right now seem pretty comfortable with where we are at. We are getting Seantrel and [Cyrus] Kouandjio some reps at left tackle.

Q: Have you seen Cordy elevate his game?
A: He is doing a nice job, him and Richie [Incognito] over there are more than solid.

Q: Should we read into Kraig Urbik taking first team reps at center?
A: No, I wouldn’t read anything into that. But you know he may have to. You go in there and if something happened to [Eric] Wood then you do that. But I wouldn’t look into that to far.

Q: How do you feel the tackle spot is coming at the right side?
A: Yeah, I think it has been really good. I think it has been great for both guys. They are pushing each other and both of their play is elevated. This is the ideal situation that you want as a coach. You want both guys pushing each other and at the end of the day both guys will be better for it.

Q: Matt Simms made some nice throws is he in this competition at all?
A:  Well it is still a three man race right now. Matt does a good job. I know about Matt. I think when we start playing some of these games and all that we are going to see it. Matt is a better 11 on 11 quarterback than he is a drill quarterback. He is competitive, he is all those types of things. But it’s hard to work three guys let alone four right now. That’s kind of where we are at in this process. That doesn’t mean we don’t believe in Matt Simms. I think as I mentioned to our team I believe we have four guys who can play in this league.

Q: Any starters planning on sitting out for the scrimmage tomorrow?
A: No.

RB LeSean McCoy
Friday, August 7^th, 2015

Q: On his play in the red zone today.
A: No, I mean the guys up front really got to their keys and blocked well. I had the easy part, just kind of get in there, get skinny and get in the end zone. (Jerome) Felton plays a big role in that running game, so the guys up front mixed in with him, it’s a great combination.

Q: What are your thoughts on being used in many different ways?
A: No, it’s excellent. Greg (Roman) finds a lot of ways to get the guys in space, especially the backs, I mean that’s what a running back wants to be utilized in that situation where he could go outside and catch passes or be in the backfield. And even with the run plays, I mean he has so many creative plays for the backs, so I mean once I kind of realized what was going on and the plays he uses, I fell in love with the schemes.

Q: Is your sore toe something that lingered from last year or is it new?
A: I’ve hurt my toe in the past, but just I think it’s the way I got, kind of wrapped up … made my toe a little sore, but I’m fine now. Training staff is doing a great job of helping me out and preparing me to go out there and play.

Q: What do you see from Karlos (Williams) when he’s out there?
A: Yeah, a lot of guys are a little banged up, but he’s smart, intelligent, he works hard, I mean he’s a tough kid, he’s from a winning program, it shows, so he’s playing well. I look forward to seeing some big things out of him. He’s one of the young guys that will help us out later down the line.

Q: What are you hoping to get out of tomorrows scrimmage?
A: Not to get hit. No I mean, just kind of minimizing the small mistakes, doing all of the little things to be a good team, not so many mental errors, and just playing out, play hard, play this game we’ve been playing for years, same type of tempo, hard and aggressive. But just like I said before, minimizing all of the small mistakes

Q: Have you been preparing yourself differently this year in comparison to other years?
A: Not really, not really. Just I think the biggest thing is the huddling for offense. You know I kind of just got used to going, where here you huddle. Get a timeout, get a breather, get your thoughts together, but it’s similar as far as the mindset. You want to be in shape, you want to know your plays from your spot and the offensive lines and quarterbacks responsibilities. You try to learn everything, so I think it’s just physically and mentally all the same.

Q: Are you mentally prepared for knowing that you’ll probably be the offensive engine of this offense?
A: Well I’ve been in this position before, not knowing who the QB will be, I’m going to leave that in the coaches hands, but I’m used to it, it doesn’t phase me, I think it’s not a lot of pressure because for one, we have so many weapons on the offense that you just can’t focus on one player. And also, Greg Roman, like I said before, finds plays to get his guys the ball in space with different schemes, so that’s not really my main concern. I’m going to run the ball for sure, I think on any teams scout report from game one to the last game of the season I’m sure I’ll be a big key, you know, so I don’t necessarily think that it’s just going to go through me. I feel like we’ve got so many weapons, it’s going to be hard really just key on one person. I mean just like any other team with good players, you always have to know where they’re at, prepare for them, but as far as all the focus, I don’t think I see that. At least until the middle of the season, or we really get it going, but I feel like the quarterbacks we have are confident enough where whoever it is, they all do something special. They all do something good.

Q: Does Tyrod Taylor change the running game?
A: It’s still early in camp, but I mean that’s pretty obvious I think. He runs the best, he has that similar like Mike Vick type of movements, and he can run, he can run for sure, so I think if he wins the QB battle maybe teams will actually play a little different, knowing that he can … his skill set to run the ball. If I was a coach, I would pay attention to his feet also, as well as his arm.

Q: Does playing with Vick in the past help you better adjust to Taylor’s style?
A: A little bit. It’s fairly new, you know, just getting to camp. I played with Vick when I got in, you know, five years ago maybe, so it’s so different. I’m used to him. I know when he’s good and bad, I know what he’s going to do so it’s a lot different with Tyrod, I’m just feeling him out, I’m just learning what he does. It’s trying to figure somebody out vs. somebody I actually know, it’s a difference.

Q: What’s Tyrod like off the field?
A: We actually trained in Arizona together. He’s very intelligent, he’s smart, he’s a competitor, I’m sure he competes very hard. And he’s good. He has a nice ball, and he wants to be the guy. You know a lot of guys can be the backup for so long and they kind of fall into just being just the backup, where he wants to be the guy, and he works hard at it every day. You can see it. It’s pretty cool practicing and playing with a player like that.

Q: How much does having experience impact you coming back to training camp?
A: Yeah, I mean I think just a lot of, if you haven’t been through it, you don’t know, so, you get kind of comfortable with one of the quarterbacks, you like him, and you have your feelings about that guy, but you don’t know who the quarterback will be. You just go out there and focus on your job and whoever wins it out, they win it out. You have to encourage them equally, and make them all feel comfortable with you. It doesn’t matter what your relationship is off the field with them, that’s the biggest thing, you know, being a complete teammate. Letting the feelings set aside from playing the game.

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