Bills lose two offensive lineman to injury
By: John Kucko
Updated: October 1, 2012
The Bills returned to work Monday following their epic collapse to New England on Sunday. Below are comments from this afternoon beginning with head coach Chan Gailey:
On having to play San Francisco with an offensive
line that is not at full health:
It is not your ideal situation obviously, but we have
guys that we have a comfort level with that have played in games. Maybe we are
ahead of the game compared to two years ago.
On OG Kraig Urbik saying he would miss at least one
game:
Yeah.
On OT Cordy Glenn's
status:
Yeah, same.
On if Glenn and Urbik are
week-to-week:
I would say it is going to be a week or two. It may be
two minimum on both of them, but we are not going to rule out the second game
today. I have not been very good about doing that lately. We are going to say it
is probably two, but I do not know about that.
On if there was any good news that came out of the
game versus the Patriots:
The punter punted
well.
On if RB Fred Jackson and RB C.J. Spiller both are
OK:
Fred and C.J. both came through
OK.
On how FS Jairus Byrd is
doing:
He has a hip bruise. It will take a few days to get it
moving again. I think he will be fine.
On what adjustments could have been made
yesterday:
We tried to play eight in the box and they were still
running the football, so we have got to make sure we play more on their side of
the line of scrimmage. We played on our side of the line of scrimmage too much.
We have to play the game more on their side of the line of scrimmage. We have to
create more penetration, get the linebackers more downhill and things like that.
That is the one thing you can do to create a difference. If (when) we play them
again, that would be our thought process. How can we play more on their side of
the line of scrimmage?
On if the base defense was a mismatch against New
England:
It is, but you have to choose what you want (the
Patriots) to do there because you do not match up nearly as well.
On his satisfaction with the defensive game
plan:
That was fine. I am fine with it. I have complete
confidence in Dave (Wannstedt), what they are trying to do and where we have our
people situated. That is the majority of it, is where do you have your people
situated. We have our people in the right spots. We are sound. We just have to
continue to get better. We have to be able to stop the run--which we did for two
games and we did not for two games. I think we are capable of doing
that.
On if how the cornerbacks played against the Jets is
an exception to his satisfaction with the defensive game
plan:
To me that is more of a thought process that we were not
playing tight enough coverage. I think we have done a better job of that as of
late--playing tighter coverage with our secondary players and getting on top of
people.
On if there were too many broken tackles
yesterday:
Yeah. A lot of missed tackles. We had a lot of missed
tackles yesterday, way more than we have had in games
before.
On how to stop a team's running game when they have a
good passing offense as well:
That is a concern and that is where you have to weigh
who do you put in there, how do you play your ends, how do you play your tackles
and how much do you blitz to try to offset some of that. We know the problems.
How do you try to offset some of that?
On the team needing to be more mentally
tough:
It has not been a concern, but you cannot be ahead 21-7
in the third quarter, and if we are mentally tough like we need to be, that game
does not end up the way it ended up. That is my responsibility is to work on the
mental toughness and the mindset of this football
team.
On his thoughts on the defense, which was thought to
be improved coming into the season:
After a game like that, you are dissatisfied with a lot
of things. Let's not just pick out one thing. There are several things you can
pick out. We are still a team. We all depend on each other. You cannot turn it
over and expect them to hold it out every time. In the first half, we turned it
over and they kept them from getting scores. It all works together and I think
that is some things I have to work on the mindset for this football team and
creating a sense of urgency every snap of every
game.
On if the veterans can help him create a sense of
urgency and mental toughness:
Sure they can. But we cannot put that all on the
players. It starts at the top.
On his assessment of DT Marcell
Dareus:
I think he has become a lot better football player than
he was last year. I really do. He had lapses yesterday, just like a lot of
people had lapses yesterday. We have to get everybody at that high level every
snap. That goes back to what I was alluding to earlier, a sense of urgency every
snap of every game.
On a veteran player saying you have to stay on
Dareus:
I do not see that, and again, I am not hands on with
that side of the ball as much. So I do not see it. I watch it and I see it from
afar more than I do hands on. I know his production has been pretty good this
year. That is a lot of what I go by. The stuff on the side, there has been, to
be honest with you, a lot going on in his life this year. I hate to evaluate all
of that by this year.
On if WR Donald Jones and TE Scott Chandler are
OK:
Got the report on Chandler this morning, I did not get
the report on Jones but all indications are both will be
fine.
On why turnovers seem to be contagious for this
team:
No. I wish I could (point to something), but I cannot. A
lot of those happened late, especially with the interceptions when (Ryan
Fitzpatrick) is trying to make something happen down the field--which I do not
like, but I understand a little bit. But we have not been a team that fumbles
and we fumbled twice the other day. You cannot fumble against a good team at the
one yard line and expect to have a good finish to a
game.
On if he is concerned about the loss
lingering:
It is not because I am not going to let that happen.
Getting back to the mental toughness part, that cannot happen. Of course, I will
not see them from now till Wednesday. They will be around a little bit tomorrow
but that is my responsibility to not let that happen. You cannot let one loss
cost you two.
On if the turnovers are the main reason the offense
has not been consistent:
I think you have to say what is consistency? To me, the
turnovers have been the thing that has been the most inconsistent, by far the
most inconsistent. Everything else has been kind of on par. It has just been the
inconsistency factor of turning the ball over so much, which we do not want to
do. We do not like to do. We talk about not doing it. We have had way too
many.
On if QB Tarvaris Jackson could have come in when the
game got out of hand:
No. He was not active.
On if giving up 100 points in two division games so
far causes him pause:
Again, you can throw statistics and numbers out all you
want to if you get punts returned and you get interceptions returned and all of
a sudden points start piling up. Short field and points start piling up. I am
more concerned about how we play, the intensity and quality of play than I am
the numbers that are thrown out there right now. Our quality of play is not
where it needs to be.
On if he would consider resting Jackson or
Spiller:
Yeah, if they need some. If they need some sure. Anybody
that needs time, we give them time.
On the rotation of Jackson and
Spiller:
I was trying to split it about even and I think the
carries were fairly even. Or the plays were even. I do not know if the carries
were even, but the plays were even during the course of the ball game. That was
trying to not put too much on either one of
them.
On if he envisions that same split going
forwards:
Do not know. I do not know
yet.
On the health of the running backs going against San
Francisco:
It is very important. We need to have all hands on deck
to win this one. We need as many guys out there. This is another big game. Then
next week will be another big game. They all are big. There is, what, 10 teams
with a winning record right now and after night there will be 10 teams. All the
rest of us are kind of piled up in there. You have to start to separate yourself
at some point during the season.
QB Ryan
Fitzpatrick
Monday, October 1,
2012
On the changes the team will have to make along the
offensive line:
It is always tough disrupting that chemistry and we had
some continuity going there. Fortunately for us, the two guys stepping in have
been here and have played. In that sense, bringing in guys that have experience
in this system does help. It is something we will see as the week goes on how
they do and how the other guys are doing. It is just something we will have to
deal with.
On the game plan not changing despite having new
faces on the offensive line:
I think we expect that they are going to get in there
and do their job. I do not think you can go into a game and change who you are
because of one or two pieces up front. We expect guys to come in, step up and
play well. We are not going to change who we are because of what is going on up
front.
On what is going on when he underthrows a
pass:
It is just something I have to work on. Putting it out
there and really letting him use his speed. You saw it on that play, just how
explosive he can be and blow right by somebody. It's just something that I have
to work on and continue to improve at.
On why the offense has not been consistent and if
turnovers are the main reason for that:
Yeah, I would say turnovers are number one and nobody is
going to win games in this league turning the ball over like we did in game one
and game four. Obviously those were two big time losses and turnovers really
said it all in those two games. I think when you talk about consistency-it
starts with possessing the ball and not giving it up to the other team. It is
something we thought we were better at in Week Two and Three. Unfortunately we
are back to square one. We have to continue to make that a main focus for
us.
On how much of a bad taste yesterday's game is in the
team's mouth:
It was tough. To be up a couple scores in the second
half and to really have the game get away from us as quickly as it did, it is
hard for guys in this locker room to swallow. It is one that will hang with us.
You try to block it out with Chan's 24-hour rule and all that. You hope it does
not linger into the next game. That is the battle we will fight this week in
putting all our energy and effort into San
Francisco.
On people wondering if this is the same team who has
continually struggled in the division:
We have not done anything to prove otherwise. We came
out of the gates and struggled versus the Jets and the Patriots. In order to
change that perception (it is) in order to win games. Unfortunately, our first
two division opponents we played poorly
against.
On if it is hard to get past the loss because of how
much stock was put into the game:
It was a big game for us. I think Buddy (Nix) said you
use this as a measuring stick of kind of where you are. I think it showed us
that we are not as far along as maybe we thought we were. That being said, I
think just like that Week One loss this is a great group of guys, an experienced
group of guys that have been through it all before. I have all the confidence in
the world that we are going to be able to put this one behind us and move on. Go
out on that West Coast trip and do some good
things.
On how to seize the momentum back within a
game:
That is something that is tough. And with the Patriots,
the last two times we have played them, they really captured the momentum and
not let it go. I thought in the Browns game, that was a game for us that we came
out on fire early. They responded and really took all of the momentum away from
us. Then we were able to get that touchdown late to Stevie (Johnson) and our
defense was able to close out the game. So I thought we showed some growth in
that game with a situation like that. Unfortunately we took a step back versus
New England.
WR Stevie
Johnson
Monday, October 1,
2012
On having opportunities to stop the momentum from
swinging the Patriots way:
Yeah, there were opportunities out there and we just
have to play a full game instead of halves. We cannot be a team of either first
half or second half. We have to be able to play hungry throughout the entire
game.
On how to bounce back from the other team gaining
momentum mid-game:
All I can think of right now is just killer instinct. We
have to build up our killer instinct. How? I do not know. We just have to make
plays I guess. We need to develop that killer instinct as an
offense.
On if he gets angry when something goes wrong
offensively:
Yeah, but that will anger anybody. If I was to miss a
pass I am sure (Ryan Fitzpatrick) would be mad at me. So when he misses
something where I am open, yeah I will be mad at him also. That is with
anything. That does not mean there is an issue between us. That is just
competitors wanting to compete and win. Yeah, it frustrates you but you have to
move onto the next play. That is pretty much
it.
On if this game stings more than
most:
It is all the same. A loss is a loss. We wanted to win,
yeah we wanted to win but we have to move onto San Francisco. This is going to
be a big week now.
RB C.J. Spiller
Monday, October 1,
2012
On how he felt when he woke
up:
Disappointed from the game. Physically I was fine. I was
able to get a lot of treatment in last night before I went to bed, so I woke up
a little sore. Whatever, it is better but just disappointed from the outcome of
the game.
On how to stop things from going wrong once they
start:
You just have to have the mindset that things are going
to happen during the course of a game. You are going to have your ups-and-downs.
You just have to know how to handle both situations. I think we are a team that
will figure it out, hopefully sooner rather than later, how to get rolling. I
thought we left some opportunities out there. We just have to try to correct it
as much as we can and we will be fine.
On how to improve the team's mental
toughness:
Every man has to look in the mirror and ask themselves
are they mentally strong. Coach Gailey can get up there and try to give us
scenarios, but at the end of the day it is going to come down to that
individual-if you are mentally strong or not. I think we have a lot of guys on
this team that are and hopefully it will rub off onto the rest of the team. Once
we become a mentally tough team, I think we will be fine. I think we do a great
job knowing how to put wins and losses behind us and knowing how to move onto
the next opponent. That is what I expect us to do this week.
OG Kraig Urbik
Monday, October 1,
2012
On getting injured and losing to the
Patriots:
It is always a disappointment to lose a game and
obviously going out in the first quarter like that. It is always heartbreaking
to not finish the game.
On how he is
doing:
Fine. Going to take it day-by-day and see how it goes
from here on out.
On not being able to avoid his
injury:
Yeah, you cannot really avoid if a guy falls on your
leg. It is just part of football and it happens sometimes. Unfortunately it has
happened to me the past three years. It is just
disappointing.
On if he has a timetable for his
return:
They have not told me anything yet. I will probably be
out this week for sure. We will see how it goes after that.
OT Chris
Hairston
Monday, October 1,
2012
On his familiarity working with OG Andy
Levitre:
I played a few snaps with Andy (Levitre) last year. I
think every one of those snaps will help me with the continuity, with the
communication and the fits on blocks. We work on it every
day.
On having a chance to help this unit
rebound:
Anytime I get a chance to be out there and help the team
it is great. I think this week is going to show how this team comes together,
circles the bandwagons up and goes out to play a good game.
On the 49ers being a big physical
team:
Yeah. O-line takes pride in playing against good teams
and doing what we can and asserting our dominance. This week is going to be a
tough test with the guys we got coming up
against.
On not getting as many reps at left tackle during
Training Camp:
I would be lying if I said it was not frustrating, but
that is how the game is. You just have to understand my role on the team.
Whenever my name is called, I have to be ready to do what I have to do.
DT Marcell
Dareus
Monday, October 1,
2012
On if the defense has suffered a
setback:
No, no setback. Just have to move forward. Thing happen.
A tale of two halves.
On if mental toughness can be
developed:
I really think it can. When I was in college it was
grown. Coach Saban really instilled it in a lot of the players and that is where
we are now. It was a tough one. We still have to work on
it.
On why the defense could not do something to stop the
run:
(Run) fits. That is what it all came down to was (run)
fits (in) the defense and they found holes that kept working. They found
something that kept working. We are going to fix it and we will see them next
time.
DE Chris Kelsay
Monday, October 1,
2012
On what to do when a team has the passing and rushing
attack the Patriots do:
That is a good question. Dave (Wannstedt) addressed it a
little bit this afternoon in our meeting. He talked about last night laying
there wondering if we should have been in our base defense or not. Really, it
comes down to whether or not you think matchup-wise if a guy is good enough to
play in certain situations or if in the passing game if you are better apt to
cover guys. But really this game came down to us, in the second half especially,
not playing with that sense of urgency that we played with in the first half.
We said at halftime that we wanted to make them match
our intensity and they came out and played with attitude that they were not
happy with the way they played in the first half. Obviously, we could not match
their intensity. It definitely did not turn out the way we wanted it to. We were
bad in fits versus the run. The frustrating thing about it is they did not do
anything we had not prepared for all week. It is just a matter of getting it
corrected and moving forward.
On if they prepared for RB Brandon
Bolden:
I do not know if we necessarily (did) with the exception
of their key guys (Rob) Gronkowski, (Wes) Welker and those guys. With a
quarterback like Tom Brady, he can make a lot of people really good. To single
one out there, we did not do that.
On if he knew who Bolden was before the
game:
I do not pay attention to that. I pay attention to the
guys up front and matchups I am likely to face.
