Bills eye trip to Candlestick and game vs. 49ers
By: John Kucko
Updated: October 3, 2012
The Bills are looking ahead to Sunday's game in San Francisco. The following are comments from the team beginning with head coach Chan Gailey:
On the strengths of the 49ers:
That is what you are looking for--they play from the front so to speak. They know what they want to do and they go do it. They have the people to do it and they are doing a great job of controlling the tempo and controlling the game.
On this being a tough group to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage against:
They are physical offensively and defensively on the lines. They are very strong and to move either side is very difficult. It will be a great challenge to go play against a team like this.
On the Bills and 49ers aspiring to be similar style of teams:
Yeah, probably go about it a different way but yeah. To be honest with you, I think everybody would like to be able to run it as much as you want to run it. Pick and choose your times to throw it. Play great defense every time you walk on the field. That is what everybody is trying to get to.
On having to be mentally tough against San Francisco:
I think that when you come off of a loss, you have to travel all the way across the country and you have to go against a good football team you are going to be challenged mentally. Your toughness mentally and physically is going to be challenged. That is what we have to get ready for--and we know that. Everybody on our team understands that.
On the decision to stay out West before the Arizona game:
San Francisco has done it the last couple of years. I talked with (Jim) Harbaugh and he thought there were some real positives of not making your team fly back-and-forth, putting them on a plane for five to six hours both ways and adjusting to the time change twice during the course of a year. That was the decision. I have never done this to be honest with you. It made a little bit of sense to me not to put your players through that. It is a little bit of a pain for everybody else involved: for the coaches, for the video people, for equipment and trainers. But it is better for the players. That is why you are doing it.
On how much of a hassle it is for the players:
We will be able to do our job, hopefully without the jetlag and all of that being a major issue. Taking that out of the equation. (The players) will still be able to do their job.
On if DE Mario Williams' wrist has been hampering him:
Only he can answer that. He has been getting some treatment, but it has not been a thing that has kept him from ever practicing or anything like that. How much it bothers a guy, we have guys with ankles, knees, hips and shoulders. Everything bothers you during a season. How much? Only a player can answer that. But it is not enough for him to not make every rep in practice and do what he is doing.
On Williams never appearing on the injury report:
No, we do not put every ankle, every sprain, shoulder that hurts or elbow. We do not put that on every injury report.
On assessing Williams' performance:
He is trying to play the best he can play, that is for sure. I think what happens a lot of times is that there is a great deal of respect for him. They chip him and put a couple of guys on him. Bang him around in there. Can he play better? Yeah, he can play better but there is a lot of guys that fall in that category. There is a lot of guys that can play better. I can coach better. Everybody can do better.
On if it is a disappointment Williams' has not been a difference maker:
Well I think if he had been one-on-one a lot we would have seen a lot different. You do not know how much of an impact it has been just by presence. Does everybody wish the numbers were up? Yeah, we wish the numbers were up. Sometimes that does not happen. Wait till we get to the end of the year and then evaluate everything.
On how he defines mental toughness:
Not letting things affect you that you have no control over. You cannot let things affect you that you do not have control over. We have no control over what has happened up until this point. It has happened and it is there. Now, what are we going to do from here? How strong can you be from here on? We learn from it and we go forward. We still have our destiny in our hands. We still have that. How strong can we be? How strong do we need to be to finish this season the way we need to finish it?
On if mental toughness can be changed during the course of a season or if it has to come in leading up to a season:
That is a great question. If you had that answer you could probably make a bunch of money. I do not know if anybody knows that. I think you either have it or you do not have it. Can it get better? Yeah. Can it worse? Yeah, during the course of a season.
On 49ers S Donte Whitner:
He has done a great job out there. Donte has made a lot of plays for them. He is playing that deep secondary safety spot for them. Getting involved in run. He is playing well for them and there is no need to talk about what happened here when he played here. He just felt like it was a better situation out there.
On if the 49ers can stop the run with seven and how he would characterize their defensive style:
Yeah, that is what they do. They play a soft secondary and then when they read run they come 100 miles-per-hour up there. For the most part, they are trying to keep everything in front of them and trying to play the run with the front seven.
On the 49ers front seven:
As good of a tandem as there is in the league. They are big, strong, physical and they play pass and run. They do it all. They are very, very good players.
On Williams getting one-on-one matchups against the Patriots and not excelling:
I cannot speak to that really. I will be honest with you, I cannot. A guy goes out there and he is trying to do what he does best. Sometimes you get it and sometimes you do not. You would like to see him have the opportunity to do that on a regular basis to see exactly what would happen. It comes sporadically and he has to take advantage of it just like every one of them do. You have to take advantage of it when you get the opportunity.
On Williams being the target of criticism:
Yeah, that comes with the territory. Everybody understands that. I am the object of criticism, (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is the object of criticism, everybody is the object of criticism when you do not win.
On the public perception of Williams:
I cannot control people's thoughts.
On S George Wilson saying it is the players responsibility to make plays:
That is nice of him to say that, but we are all in this together.
On how much better the offense can be with a healthy RB Fred Jackson and RB C.J. Spiller:
It is a lot better having both of those and knowing you are going to have both of them. You never know for how long but that is the nature of the game. It sure helps our planning to know you have both of those guys and going to be able to do some of the things you hoped you were able to do earlier in the year.
On if he has figured out a rotation for how to use Spiller and Jackson:
Not yet. To be honest with you, I would like to get them through two or three games before we get back to all of that about how we are going to use them. There may be a spot or two to use them in the game at the same time but you really do not want to do that too much.
On if S Jairus Byrd will practice:
Not today. He will not practice today, but I think he is going to be fine for the game.
On how WR Ruvell Martin is coming along:
He is going to practice today. He is coming along better.
On if TE Scott Chandler and WR Donald Jones are OK:
Yeah.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
On the 49ers being more of an old-school football team:
It is interesting to see that and to see that they have been very successful at it. That is another thing with this team. They are able to possess the ball and sustain long drives. You have to be able to take advantage of when you have the ball. You have to be able to take advantage of putting seven points instead of three on the board. That goes into it too. We have to be able to do a good job of that this week.
On if this is a daunting stretch of the schedule upcoming:
I think as a player you try not to look ahead at the next game or games coming up. We all know the schedule. We know going to the West Coast and playing is a tough thing. We have two of them in a row. We are going to put all the focus and effort into San Francisco. This is a stretch of games here that we are really going to figure out what kind of team this is.
On if he has been able to let the Patriots loss go:
Yeah, we are ready to hit the practice field and go. I think it is human nature to still be pretty disappointed about it. Disappointed about my performance. I think everybody is disappointed in their performance and how we played in the second half especially. It is human nature. That game happened, you cannot just erase it from your memory. But we are professionals and we are going to move on. We have to because we have another great opponent coming up this week.
On if this team can step up on the road against really good teams:
That is exactly right. The East Coast-West Coast thing is harder. It is not an easy thing so that adds to it as well. The fact that we are playing two teams in a row here that take care of business at home, that will be tough for us. I am from Arizona so it is kind of a home game for me.
On spending a week practicing in Arizona:
It will be interesting. I have not done that before. I think a lot of that stuff we will talk about next week. We are leaving on Saturday just like a normal away game and playing on Sunday. That is where our focus is right now. After the San Francisco game we will be able to talk about and figure out if that is a good strategy and all that. We are looking forward to getting a great week of practice here, leaving Saturday and playing on Sunday.
On what stands out about the 49ers:
They have been very dominant. Not just solid in areas. They are very dominant in terms of being able to be physical up front and really setting the tone for a football game. I think that jumps out on film, which is not something you see all the time.
On what he saw on tape from the New England game:
The turnovers were the biggest thing. There were a lot of positives coming out of that game that we had offensively, but you cannot turn the ball over like that and expect to win games in this league. You cannot turn the ball over once or twice and expect to win games. The way that got out of hand at the end, how sloppy we got by the end of that game was not what a professional football team needs to do and it was not us as an offense. Unfortunately we have had two games like that this year. I have had two games where I have been pretty careless with the ball and we have lost both of those. That is the thing that has been fairly disappointing in my mind.
On what leads to the turnovers:
I wish I had the answer for you. We evaluate that game and try to figure it out. There were just so many different factors that went into it. Chan (Gailey) talked about our mental toughness and really kind of challenged us in that area. And I think rightfully so. I think everything did snowball in that game and it affected us.
On not matching the high expectations of the preseason:
I think it was gone after the first game and after the next two it came back a little bit. We cannot continue to lose games in our division and expect people to expect things out of us. Especially in the fashion we have lost games in our division. This is a big stretch for us. A big stretch of games not only for us as a team but being away from home for a couple of weeks, coming back and really trying to get everybody reenergized.
On how to still be aggressive but not worry about turning the ball over:
It is something as a quarterback that you have to be able to do. We are always going to be aggressive. We are always going to try to take our throws in one-on-one coverage and that kind of stuff. Interceptions are going to happen at times, but I have to be able to limit them and not be careless with the ball like I was on Sunday.
On the 49ers performance against the Jets:
That was an impressive game. I watched the defensive film obviously. The way that they were flying around, hitting people, taking away the run game and not giving any big plays in the pass game. It was definitely a statement game for them. I think everybody in the league, they have their attention in terms of what they did last year. But to come out this year and come out the way they have. For us, it is an unfamiliar opponent. To be able to watch them on tape a little bit, it has been as advertised.
On needing mental toughness against the 49ers:
It will be a great week for us to show that. Plugging in different guys in different positions. For us this will be a big game in terms of where we are mentally.
On the persona of the 49ers:
I have not played them in the last few years so maybe I will be able to answer that better on Sunday. It jumps out at you that they are a physical team that flies around, I think that is apparent when you watch the film.
RB Fred Jackson
Wednesday October 3, 2012
On having the better rushing attack:
Yeah, I mean it is something that is going to control the game. If we can go out there and get a ground game established it will take the pressure off a lot of people. Also it will be a good thing for us to do. We know we are going to go up against two good running backs out there. I think that Brandon Jacobs says that he is healthy so he will come in and so will Frank (Gore). We know what he is capable of doing and it will be a good challenge for our defense, but we feel that we can run the ball too.
On his thoughts about matching up with their physical front seven:
Yes, it is the best for a reason. They do some tremendous things so for us to go out there and be able to move the ball effectively, running the ball, is going to be huge for us. It is a challenge I'm looking forward to.
DT Marcell Dareus
Wednesday October 3, 2012
On having a bounce back game this week as a defense:
Yeah, we have to have a bounce back game. That was a tough loss, like I said a tough two halves. We have to bounce back and have a moral victory for us. We need something.
On his thoughts about improving from Sunday and having a stand out game against the run:
We really just have to focus in all eyes on the run and pass, just them all the way around. They have a lot of run plays that we have to defend against and we are going to do our best. We are going to do the best we can to stop them.
On his thoughts about playing a physical San Francisco team:
Well you know I am a tough guy and guys around me play tough. I rise to the challenge. I don't care whatever they got. We are going to do the best we can to be ready for them.
On his thoughts about playing the next 4 out of 5 games on the road:
We don't look at it we just play; don't really look at it just go out there and do the best you can and play. Don't put too much thought into it.
WR Stevie Johnson
Wednesday October 3, 2012
On if staying on the west coast will be disruptive:
It is not going to be disruptive. Every team has done this before so we know it is nothing new. We just have to go out there and take care of business at the end of the day, no matter if you're traveling to San Francisco or traveling to New York City to play the Jets. It is still another game that we have to play.
On if it will feel special playing in Candlestick Park:
Yes, I have never played there but I have been there two times. I think it is going to be something cool just for when I come out onto the field, but after that it is all done.
On if his friends and family will be attending the game:
Yes, if they are not there they will be watching. I know everyone in the whole area will be watching the game. Hopefully, I can do what I do and we bring a win and I have the bragging rights.
On his thoughts about playing a tough road schedule:
It is a great opportunity for us. It is not going to be easy; no one said it is going to be easy. It is going to be tough, but you know at the same time we look at it as an opportunity to elevate our status and in this division and overall as a team. We got these tough opponents, first the (San Francisco) 49ers then Arizona (Cardinals). If we win them then we will be back where we want to be, back where we need to be.
On the 49ers defense:
They are fast, they are aggressive. They're not too complicated as far as mixing things up with blitzes and all that. They are pretty confident in their schemes and stuff, but they don't make too many mistakes as a defense. It is pretty much the same people on every play. They are a smart defense and we have to be able to be on the same level if not better when we go out there and play on Sunday.
DT Kyle Williams
Wednesday October 3, 2012
On if he knew the fine was coming on Monday:
I figured it was but I mean at the same time I asked the official during the game 'what do you want me to do?' He didn't say anything and I wasn't exactly calm when I asked him. But I am trying to figure out when you are getting blocked down and you are going down and the guy still has the ball... I didn't dive into the side of his leg or spear into the side of his leg... I hit him with my forearm in his calf and he went down. I mean you have guys out there hitting (Ryan Fitzpatrick) Fitz in the chest with their helmet when he is going down. I don't know what you are supposed to do.
On rebounding from last week and defending against a good running attack:
Well you know I think it is a little different running game. These guys more are going to come off and try to knock you off the ball and out play you physically and give it to the guy downhill and let him get his yards. They have a lot of different running games that you have to be prepared for. We have to be pretty sharp on what we are doing. It is going to be a big game and a big challenge.
On if their running game is pure power:
A lot of it is. They line up and they will come off on double teams and try to knock you off the ball. They try to be physical. They want to run the ball no matter what you are in and to step up their pass game. It will be a big challenge.
DE Mario Williams
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
On shutting down the 49ers rushing attack:
We have to get back to our assignment football, playing our keys and being in our gaps when we are supposed to. Get after it.
On the 49ers trying to copy the run plays New England found success with:
Yeah, it is a copycat league. As long as we go out and fix the mistakes of being in the proper gaps and assignments we can handle it.
On if he is satisfied with his play:
I have to have more impact, more of a role in things and get back to playing like I used to play. Just get back there. Being able to use my hands and stay healthy. Just get better.
On what is wrong with his wrist:
Just a little deal going on, but we have already mentioned that before and it is just lingering a little longer than expected. Just have to get back out there, try to deal with and play better with it.
On what his wrist limits him from doing:
I am a hands-on player. It is all about power with my game. It has just been a little odd having a little nick or not being able to use it to the full extent. You have to play. When you are out there on Sunday you have to play regardless of what is going on the field. You have to make it happen. The biggest thing in just finding ways to heal and get out there and play at full speed.
On how long his wrist in going to hinder him:
I do not expect it to hinder me all year, but it has already been almost six weeks now. It is a little longer than normal. I did not expect it. It is what it is and we have to find a way to get through it. Be able to play like normal.
On if it is frustrating:
Yeah it is definitely frustrating for it to happen when it did happen and not when anything counted. That was the biggest thing. Coming out of the fourth preseason game and that happening with the whole wrist and everything. But it is fine. Like I said, it just limits you and it is kind of frustrating.
On how much pressure he puts on his wrist:
I put a lot of pressure on it. It comes down to finding a way to do it and try to overlook it. It is a big part of my game and I just have to go out and do it. If I am playing on Sunday, I have to go out there and do it. At the end of the day, that is the way it is.
On if his torn pectoral muscle (from last year) is still bothering him:
No. That is fine. That is fine. That is not a big deal.
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