TRANSCRIPT: Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, 12-5-12
Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey
Conference Call with St. Louis Media
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Q: What kind of difficulties does preparing for a team you do not play that often present?
A: Well there are advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is we do not know a lot about them. We do not see them a lot. We do not have any familiarity with their defensive scheme or their offensive schemes. The advantage is they do not have any familiarity with us. It kind of works both ways. It is good and bad, but it is very difficult (because) you would like to have a better idea of what to expect.
Q: Your team seems to be playing better defensively. What have been some of the factors that have led to the improved defense?
A: Stopping the run. That is the one (thing). If you can stop the run and make a team somewhat one-dimensional, then you help yourself as a football team. We have given up fewer deep passes and we have stopped the run. Those two things, I do not care what defense you are, that helps you when you do not give up the deep pass and you stop the run. Then it is a dink and dunk game. That is the game you would like to be in.
Q: The Rams have RB Steven Jackson and the rookie RB Daryl Richardson. What do you see on film from those two?
A: Well first thing is you better not let Jackson get started because he is hard to tackle and hard to bring down once he gets going. We have talked to our football team about trying to not let him get free and let him get clear of the line of scrimmage because he is real trouble. He is tough enough in the line of scrimmage to tackle. Once he gets a head of steam up he is really tough to tackle. So we have talked about trying to corral him and keep him at the line of scrimmage or close to the line of scrimmage as much as possible.
Then when the other guy comes in he has speed to burn. So you have to be alert for the outside game when he is in there because he will bounce it outside and he is gone in a heartbeat. So you have to pay attention to that.
Q: What have you seen in the growth of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started his career here?
A: He threw some interceptions earlier in the year. He has got a lot of gunslinger in him. That is just his makeup. That is how he has made it to where he is. He has got that in him and you get a lot of touchdown passes, but you get some interceptions that go along with that. What we are trying to do is cut down on the interceptions, but still keep that gunslinger mode in him. That is a hard thing to do breaking a guy of that. He has done a good job of working through it. He has thrown a lot fewer interceptions in the last six games than the first six games. We have felt like his progress has been very good. I am excited to watch him play again this week. I think he brings some excitement and toughness to a football game.
Q: What is it like coaching a quarterback from Harvard?
A: Well it is not something that I relate to very well (Laughs). He is really so smart it is unbelievable. I say all the time ‘He knows a lot more than I do.’ I ask his opinion and we have a good give-and-take about what we need to do. He sees his picture extremely well and I try to add the big picture thought process to it. Between the two of us hopefully we come up with something that is good enough to win with.
Q: Has this been RB C.J. Spiller’s best season in his career and is RB Fred Jackson all healthy now?
A: Yeah (Jackson) is. He is very healthy now. C.J. (Spiller) is a dynamic back. He really is. I think he is a lot stronger than people give him credit for. He is able to run through some tackles that he was not able to run through as a rookie. He sees things a lot better. He has more patience behind his blockers now than he did when he first got here. He was trying to make everything just first cut, first thing he saw he took off and he has learned some patience. It has helped his running a great deal. We look at him and Fred as we have two really, really good backs. We are fortunate to have two great players. So we have a one-two tandem that we feel good about at any point in the game.
Q: FS Jairus Byrd went to high school here in St. Louis. What does he bring to the game?
A: He is an extremely smart player. He is dedicated in that he studies the game and he works at it. He is a true professional and he has a great instinct about finding the football, getting to the football and making the play. I do not know how many interceptions he has got. It has to be five. He has done a great job of getting around the ball. He had an unbelievable year his rookie year and he kind of set the bar extremely high, but he is playing well again this year.
Q: Can you coach that ball hawking instinct or does it either have to be there or not be there?
A: I think for the most part it is either there not there. A guy has instincts and he sees the field, understands the routes and can feel where a quarterback is getting ready to throw the football at. I have always had a hard time at trying to get that taught. I think it is something that a guy either understands the game or he does not understand the game.
Q: Are the playoffs an incentive or is your mentality it is a one game at a time kind of deal?
A: It is both. I think you talk about it. I do not think you just do not talk about it, but at the same time I think it is one game at a time and you do the very best that you can each game. I have said you work as hard as you can work, win as many as you can win and after 12 games you stick your head up and see where you are. Then you put your head back down and you go to the end. We are past 12 games so we know where we are. We put our head back down and keep going. So yeah, we talk about it but we understand it is one game at time too.
Q: You have to figure like you are right in the mix, don’t you?
A: Well we have a chance. What I told our team was ‘The World Champions were 7-7 last year. Let’s get to 7-7 and see what happens.’ That is how I have kind of talked to our team.
Q: QB/WR Brad Smith played at Missouri. You use him in a lot of different ways, don’t you?
A: Oh gosh. He is such a valuable player for us. Kick returns, kick coverage, running our Wildcat, playing wide out and he is our third quarterback on game day. He wears a lot of hats and he wears them extremely well.
Q: If you are the other team you have to prepare for all of that, don’t you?
A: I hope so.
Q: So what is the weather going to be like up there?
A: It is going to be rainy, cold and maybe spitting a little snow. It is just ideal.
Q: Not ideal for a team that plays with a roof over its head, right?
A: Well I am just speaking for my team.
Q: Does seeing the Rams play against teams that you are familiar with help at all?
A: A little bit. Not a lot, but a little bit. You can see how they played and how they matched up. Really you get to see match-ups as far as you know the Jets, Miami and New England very well so you get to see how they matched up with those teams and you get a feel for it. Just like I think we are a different team now than we were four or five weeks ago, I think the Rams are a different team than they were four or five weeks ago, too. I think they are playing a lot better than they were.
Q: What are your impressions of QB Sam Bradford and what are the challenges that the Rams defense presents?
A: Sam (Bradford) is a very athletic quarterback who has some gunslinger in him, too. They’ll throw the ball down the field. They are averaging about seven shots a game down the field, so it really presents a challenge. You cannot sit there, squat, play the run and do those things that you would like to do versus a strong run team like them. Doing what they are doing really creates a problem for defenses. He is playing well. I think he is playing better as of late than he did early in the season. They are hitting a few of those deeper balls. They hit some and they do not hit some.
Their defense is…probably the front four is as active and as strong as we have played all season. And we have played some pretty good front fours. They get after it now. Does not matter who they put in there. They play extremely well and make it tough for pass and run for you to get anything established and get something going point wise.
Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Conference Call with St. Louis Media
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Q: What makes the Rams defense so dangerous?
A: I think it starts up front. They are really good at getting pressure on the quarterback. They have a lot of sacks on the year, a lot of hurries, pressures and hits. And so anytime you can do that I think you have a real chance to be successful. They have just got playmakers on the backend who have just done a great job all year. A couple young guys and Cortland Finnegan, you know when he signed there he was going to improve their defense just by the type of player that he is.
Q: What kinds of challenges does it present to have to play with a new center Sunday?
A: It is really the one position on the offensive line you do not want to lose. You never want anybody to be injured, but Eric (Wood) being the one that communicates everything and gets everything set up front. It is a tough blow for us. He is a real leader for us. We just have to take the next man up approach, move on and move forward.
Q: You had one of your most complete games of the season last Sunday, despite missing some receivers. What was the reason for you clicking?
A: Every week is different in terms of what you are going to get from a defense and what you are trying to do offensively. Last week, especially a pretty nasty game in terms of the weather, the wind and the rain. We wanted to put up a lot of points, were able to hit a couple deep balls, but really pounding the ground. I thought we did a good job of that.
Q: How much does it help open up the passing games having such a potent pair of running backs?
A: That is huge for us. Those two guys have had great years. Fred (Jackson) has been out a little bit with injuries. C.J. (Spiller) got a little banged up. But when they are both healthy, which they are right now, it is a great combination to have. It really opens everything up and we try to get those guys involved as much as possible.
Q: Is there an advantage for your guys playing in the cold, snowy weather or should everybody understand how that works?
A: I think everybody understands how it works, but at the same time we have to do it more often than most people. I think for us we have to make it an advantage. We have to make sure when we get to home games in December and it is windy, rainy or snowy that we are using it to our advantage. As a quarterback, I do not know if you wish for those types of games where it is going to be a lot more running and tough conditions, but I think as a team that is something that gets us going a little bit because we feel like that is our kind of weather and our brand of football.
Q: How have you thought about your season up until this point?
A: We have been disappointed. We did not expect to be right here, but this is where we are right now. I think we have been playing more consistent in all three phases. We have started to find a little bit of a groove. For us, the only way we have a shot is if we win out. Last week was a nice win for us just to gain some momentum. Now it is another home game.
Q: What are your thoughts on QB Sam Bradford?
A: I do not know a whole lot about him to be honest. I have not seen him play all that much.
Q: What is the philosophy in Buffalo towards talking about the playoffs and is talking about it any advantage or is it better to take things one game as a time?
A: I mean there is an outside hope. Anything that keeps you going, but as a professional you have to be able to just go out there and put everything you have into the game. You are playing because this league is too good and the players are too good to either a) overlook anybody or b) have your mind elsewhere during a game.
Q: What do you remember about your time with the Rams?
A: I feel like it was a long, long time ago. There are not a whole lot of people left whether it is around the building or on the team. That is where I got my start. I have a lot of fond memories just in St. Louis in general. That is where my first son was born. I have got fond memories of being there, but to be honest it is kind of hazy at this point because of moving onto Cincinnati and now being in Buffalo for four years.
Q: Were you surprised by that trade?
A: I was only because it was on essentially the day that they made the roster. I did not know, it was probably very naïve of me at the time, that they had been thinking of just going with two quarterbacks. That was kind of what initiated it. Everything has worked out well for me. I got traded to Cincinnati and had a great opportunity to play there. Then here with Buffalo.
Q: Do you still keep in contact with any of the guys you played with here in St. Louis?
A: I do, but they are not guys that are on the team anymore. I still talk to Gus Frerotte a good amount and I am still in touch with (Marc) Bulger. A few of those guys. I usually see (Scott) Linehan once a year, usually in the preseason. Anytime I run into those guys I make sure to pull them aside and talk to them a little bit.
Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey
Conference Call with St. Louis Media
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Q: What kind of difficulties does preparing for a team you do not play that often present?
A: Well there are advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is we do not know a lot about them. We do not see them a lot. We do not have any familiarity with their defensive scheme or their offensive schemes. The advantage is they do not have any familiarity with us. It kind of works both ways. It is good and bad, but it is very difficult (because) you would like to have a better idea of what to expect.
Q: Your team seems to be playing better defensively. What have been some of the factors that have led to the improved defense?
A: Stopping the run. That is the one (thing). If you can stop the run and make a team somewhat one-dimensional, then you help yourself as a football team. We have given up fewer deep passes and we have stopped the run. Those two things, I do not care what defense you are, that helps you when you do not give up the deep pass and you stop the run. Then it is a dink and dunk game. That is the game you would like to be in.
Q: The Rams have RB Steven Jackson and the rookie RB Daryl Richardson. What do you see on film from those two?
A: Well first thing is you better not let Jackson get started because he is hard to tackle and hard to bring down once he gets going. We have talked to our football team about trying to not let him get free and let him get clear of the line of scrimmage because he is real trouble. He is tough enough in the line of scrimmage to tackle. Once he gets a head of steam up he is really tough to tackle. So we have talked about trying to corral him and keep him at the line of scrimmage or close to the line of scrimmage as much as possible.
Then when the other guy comes in he has speed to burn. So you have to be alert for the outside game when he is in there because he will bounce it outside and he is gone in a heartbeat. So you have to pay attention to that.
Q: What have you seen in the growth of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started his career here?
A: He threw some interceptions earlier in the year. He has got a lot of gunslinger in him. That is just his makeup. That is how he has made it to where he is. He has got that in him and you get a lot of touchdown passes, but you get some interceptions that go along with that. What we are trying to do is cut down on the interceptions, but still keep that gunslinger mode in him. That is a hard thing to do breaking a guy of that. He has done a good job of working through it. He has thrown a lot fewer interceptions in the last six games than the first six games. We have felt like his progress has been very good. I am excited to watch him play again this week. I think he brings some excitement and toughness to a football game.
Q: What is it like coaching a quarterback from Harvard?
A: Well it is not something that I relate to very well (Laughs). He is really so smart it is unbelievable. I say all the time ‘He knows a lot more than I do.’ I ask his opinion and we have a good give-and-take about what we need to do. He sees his picture extremely well and I try to add the big picture thought process to it. Between the two of us hopefully we come up with something that is good enough to win with.
Q: Has this been RB C.J. Spiller’s best season in his career and is RB Fred Jackson all healthy now?
A: Yeah (Jackson) is. He is very healthy now. C.J. (Spiller) is a dynamic back. He really is. I think he is a lot stronger than people give him credit for. He is able to run through some tackles that he was not able to run through as a rookie. He sees things a lot better. He has more patience behind his blockers now than he did when he first got here. He was trying to make everything just first cut, first thing he saw he took off and he has learned some patience. It has helped his running a great deal. We look at him and Fred as we have two really, really good backs. We are fortunate to have two great players. So we have a one-two tandem that we feel good about at any point in the game.
Q: FS Jairus Byrd went to high school here in St. Louis. What does he bring to the game?
A: He is an extremely smart player. He is dedicated in that he studies the game and he works at it. He is a true professional and he has a great instinct about finding the football, getting to the football and making the play. I do not know how many interceptions he has got. It has to be five. He has done a great job of getting around the ball. He had an unbelievable year his rookie year and he kind of set the bar extremely high, but he is playing well again this year.
Q: Can you coach that ball hawking instinct or does it either have to be there or not be there?
A: I think for the most part it is either there not there. A guy has instincts and he sees the field, understands the routes and can feel where a quarterback is getting ready to throw the football at. I have always had a hard time at trying to get that taught. I think it is something that a guy either understands the game or he does not understand the game.
Q: Are the playoffs an incentive or is your mentality it is a one game at a time kind of deal?
A: It is both. I think you talk about it. I do not think you just do not talk about it, but at the same time I think it is one game at a time and you do the very best that you can each game. I have said you work as hard as you can work, win as many as you can win and after 12 games you stick your head up and see where you are. Then you put your head back down and you go to the end. We are past 12 games so we know where we are. We put our head back down and keep going. So yeah, we talk about it but we understand it is one game at time too.
Q: You have to figure like you are right in the mix, don’t you?
A: Well we have a chance. What I told our team was ‘The World Champions were 7-7 last year. Let’s get to 7-7 and see what happens.’ That is how I have kind of talked to our team.
Q: QB/WR Brad Smith played at Missouri. You use him in a lot of different ways, don’t you?
A: Oh gosh. He is such a valuable player for us. Kick returns, kick coverage, running our Wildcat, playing wide out and he is our third quarterback on game day. He wears a lot of hats and he wears them extremely well.
Q: If you are the other team you have to prepare for all of that, don’t you?
A: I hope so.
Q: So what is the weather going to be like up there?
A: It is going to be rainy, cold and maybe spitting a little snow. It is just ideal.
Q: Not ideal for a team that plays with a roof over its head, right?
A: Well I am just speaking for my team.
Q: Does seeing the Rams play against teams that you are familiar with help at all?
A: A little bit. Not a lot, but a little bit. You can see how they played and how they matched up. Really you get to see match-ups as far as you know the Jets, Miami and New England very well so you get to see how they matched up with those teams and you get a feel for it. Just like I think we are a different team now than we were four or five weeks ago, I think the Rams are a different team than they were four or five weeks ago, too. I think they are playing a lot better than they were.
Q: What are your impressions of QB Sam Bradford and what are the challenges that the Rams defense presents?
A: Sam (Bradford) is a very athletic quarterback who has some gunslinger in him, too. They’ll throw the ball down the field. They are averaging about seven shots a game down the field, so it really presents a challenge. You cannot sit there, squat, play the run and do those things that you would like to do versus a strong run team like them. Doing what they are doing really creates a problem for defenses. He is playing well. I think he is playing better as of late than he did early in the season. They are hitting a few of those deeper balls. They hit some and they do not hit some.
Their defense is…probably the front four is as active and as strong as we have played all season. And we have played some pretty good front fours. They get after it now. Does not matter who they put in there. They play extremely well and make it tough for pass and run for you to get anything established and get something going point wise.
Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Conference Call with St. Louis Media
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Q: What makes the Rams defense so dangerous?
A: I think it starts up front. They are really good at getting pressure on the quarterback. They have a lot of sacks on the year, a lot of hurries, pressures and hits. And so anytime you can do that I think you have a real chance to be successful. They have just got playmakers on the backend who have just done a great job all year. A couple young guys and Cortland Finnegan, you know when he signed there he was going to improve their defense just by the type of player that he is.
Q: What kinds of challenges does it present to have to play with a new center Sunday?
A: It is really the one position on the offensive line you do not want to lose. You never want anybody to be injured, but Eric (Wood) being the one that communicates everything and gets everything set up front. It is a tough blow for us. He is a real leader for us. We just have to take the next man up approach, move on and move forward.
Q: You had one of your most complete games of the season last Sunday, despite missing some receivers. What was the reason for you clicking?
A: Every week is different in terms of what you are going to get from a defense and what you are trying to do offensively. Last week, especially a pretty nasty game in terms of the weather, the wind and the rain. We wanted to put up a lot of points, were able to hit a couple deep balls, but really pounding the ground. I thought we did a good job of that.
Q: How much does it help open up the passing games having such a potent pair of running backs?
A: That is huge for us. Those two guys have had great years. Fred (Jackson) has been out a little bit with injuries. C.J. (Spiller) got a little banged up. But when they are both healthy, which they are right now, it is a great combination to have. It really opens everything up and we try to get those guys involved as much as possible.
Q: Is there an advantage for your guys playing in the cold, snowy weather or should everybody understand how that works?
A: I think everybody understands how it works, but at the same time we have to do it more often than most people. I think for us we have to make it an advantage. We have to make sure when we get to home games in December and it is windy, rainy or snowy that we are using it to our advantage. As a quarterback, I do not know if you wish for those types of games where it is going to be a lot more running and tough conditions, but I think as a team that is something that gets us going a little bit because we feel like that is our kind of weather and our brand of football.
Q: How have you thought about your season up until this point?
A: We have been disappointed. We did not expect to be right here, but this is where we are right now. I think we have been playing more consistent in all three phases. We have started to find a little bit of a groove. For us, the only way we have a shot is if we win out. Last week was a nice win for us just to gain some momentum. Now it is another home game.
Q: What are your thoughts on QB Sam Bradford?
A: I do not know a whole lot about him to be honest. I have not seen him play all that much.
Q: What is the philosophy in Buffalo towards talking about the playoffs and is talking about it any advantage or is it better to take things one game as a time?
A: I mean there is an outside hope. Anything that keeps you going, but as a professional you have to be able to just go out there and put everything you have into the game. You are playing because this league is too good and the players are too good to either a) overlook anybody or b) have your mind elsewhere during a game.
Q: What do you remember about your time with the Rams?
A: I feel like it was a long, long time ago. There are not a whole lot of people left whether it is around the building or on the team. That is where I got my start. I have a lot of fond memories just in St. Louis in general. That is where my first son was born. I have got fond memories of being there, but to be honest it is kind of hazy at this point because of moving onto Cincinnati and now being in Buffalo for four years.
Q: Were you surprised by that trade?
A: I was only because it was on essentially the day that they made the roster. I did not know, it was probably very naïve of me at the time, that they had been thinking of just going with two quarterbacks. That was kind of what initiated it. Everything has worked out well for me. I got traded to Cincinnati and had a great opportunity to play there. Then here with Buffalo.
Q: Do you still keep in contact with any of the guys you played with here in St. Louis?
A: I do, but they are not guys that are on the team anymore. I still talk to Gus Frerotte a good amount and I am still in touch with (Marc) Bulger. A few of those guys. I usually see (Scott) Linehan once a year, usually in the preseason. Anytime I run into those guys I make sure to pull them aside and talk to them a little bit.