Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott
Postgame Press Conference
Monday, October 29, 2018
Q: Sean, at what point can you get anything to work with this offense? What's it going to take? You have two touchdowns in five games. You can't win with that.
A: Yeah, it's clearly not good enough. I thought the defense came out and played well at times. Offensively, we shot ourselves a little bit in the foot there at times and just couldn't get it going enough. We had some first downs but couldn't get it going enough, in particular when we started to get it going to your question. We've got to continue going back and find answers, find solutions.
Q: What's been the biggest struggle for LeSean [McCoy]? You don't seem to be able to get him in particular going? It almost seems like Chris [Ivory] is the better fit right now because of his running style.
A: I thought Chris ran the ball hard. He ran the ball hard and hit it, you know, on some of those runs; he was decisive. We just have to see and make sure we give LeSean opportunities. I have to go back and look at the tape, but you're right. We couldn't get him going.
Q: Coach, what was it about third down defense, specifically, that went so well for your defense tonight?
A: Yeah, I thought they were five for 14 or something around that. I just thought that Leslie [Frazier] had a good game plan and the guys executed, guys played hard. Give them [Patriots] credit, they won the game. They're a good offense. So, we go back and learn from this tape and move forward, get ready for the Bears.
Q: Sean, are you wasting a great defense?
A: I feel like we're developing a football team. [We've] got some young guys on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Unfortunately, we lost Tremaine [Edmunds] there at half and Julian Stanford came in and did a nice job for us, which was good to see.
Q: Is it concussion protocol for Edmunds?
A: Yes.
Q: What happened to Derek [Anderson] at the end of the game?
A: Yeah, he's being evaluated right now. I haven't caught up with the trainers yet.
Q: How concerned are you with the short week and the injuries?
A: Yeah, it's a challenge for every team that plays on Monday night, especially when you come out banged up. It's important we learn from the tape [and] turn around and have a good week of preparation. It'll be nice to play at home again. I appreciate the way the fans supported us tonight.
Q: Coach, Zay [Jones] has been kind of coming on here in the past few weeks. Just [talk about] the growth that you've seen from him and do you see him being a bigger part of the offense?
A: Yeah, I mean he's working hard. At times, they played some man coverage, which you saw. He was able to get some separation and Derek got him the ball. [I] love how he practices; the way he plays is how he practices. He practices hard and he plays hard.
Q: Sean, in your time in the NFL, can you recall an offense that struggled more than this one? I know you had good quarterbacks in Carolina and Philadelphia there for a while, but is there anything you can compare this to, he way you've struggled?
A: Yeah, I'll stay out of the comparison business overall. We've got to come out and establish the line of scrimmage early on in the football game. I thought we did some of that early with the different types of runs we were using early. They made some adjustments and we weren't able to sustain it, really, the rest of the game.
Q: In respect to [Stephen] Hauschka, [it was] a big milestone tonight and he got you some points.
A: Yeah, he's big for us. Everything from the way he approaches his preparation during the week and that, I think, affects the young players and the way they see him from a veteran leader standpoint; the way he prepares and gets the results on the field because of it.
Q: Coach, what did you think of Derek Anderson's game?
A: It obviously wasn't good enough. We weren't able to move the ball enough offensively and the quarterback plays a big part in that. I thought he made some good throws and there were some throws he'd like to have back.
Q: What is that a function of, the familiarity with the offense or is it at this point recognizing or not recognizing what he sees from a defensive standpoint in front of him? Is it execution? Can you put your finger on what you think is holding him back?
A: I just think overall, a lot of what you said; all of the above. That's what typically holds people back: being able to establish the run game and then the play action off of that and then making sure you're in third down manageable situations, guys making plays on the ball. I'd say all of that.
Q: Why has first down been such a problem? It seems like you're never in a good first down position. What is going on with first down?
A: Really, down success, we haven't been able to have that. We talk about it, we practice it and [we] just haven't been able to get it going.
Q: Sean, you've discussed controlling the line of scrimmage for weeks now, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Now that you're halfway through the season, is now really evaluating time and if you do need to make changes since you're this far through the season?
A: We're going to continue to evaluate personnel, and we do that every week. We're going to continue to do that as we move forward here.
Q: What was it like in the tunnel seeing all of those Hall of Famers? Aside from the game, what was that like?
A: Yeah, congratulations to Thurman [Thomas] and [it was] a neat environment [and] really, really special. We were able to get back out there after half there for a minute or two to see some of it. To see all of the support, the fans, it was a really special moment and I was glad to be a part of it.
BILLS LEFT TACKLE DION DAWKINS
Q: Why has it been such a struggle for this offensive, especially the last few games with only one touchdown in the last eight quarters, what can you put your finger on?
A: I have no idea. It's stressful. We have great practices, day in and day out, and you know we don't get the outcome that we want, but what can I do? Just keep playing until the whistle, guys are going to be beat, guys are going to win, we're all human, and we just have to keep chugging along.
Q: Do you think one of the problems is you guys are pressing so hard to score that they become mistakes?
A: I don't know man. I really don't know, but if you're talking about if a play doesn't go right, and then the next play you definitely give more effort, but you know mistakes happen. Guys win and guys lose, and we keep on losing, so it's just the way it is.
Q: Is there any sense that you're letting the defense down when you see the performance's they put in week in and week out?
A: If that's a question for myself, then yes. The defense plays hard, man, and it's a beautiful thing to watch. We have a three-and-out and they go out there and they stop them. They keep them to a field goal and that's special. As a team, it's a complementary game and we have to do our part to help this team win.
Q: For the second straight week you guys have moved the ball. Derek almost finished with 300 yards passing. So, you were able to move the ball. You end up settling for field goal tries. Is there a reason you get the ball down, kind of, once you cross the 50 yard line?
A: No idea. The plays are called and we have to execute. If we don't, that's what happens, three and out. Derek Anderson is a great player and he got hurt at the end and it's sad. I'm sad. My quarterback is down, another one. So, what can we do? We have to improve on ourselves and get better as individuals and as a team. Coach McDermott does everything that he possibly can to get us ready. We have great weeks at practice but, we just have to finish on top for him and for ourselves.
BILLS WIDE RECEIVER ZAY JONES
Q: One touchdown in the last eight quarters, what can you do to figure out why it as been so tough for you guys?
A: I can't pick anything specific right now. I would have to watch the film to see. It's just not enough, it's not good enough. Offensively it wasn't good enough. We expect to compete at a high level and do the best that we can, and we're not getting the job done. It's frustrating, and it hurts, especially when you have a great fan base that supports you.
Q: What did it feel like to play in front of this crowd tonight?
A: It was great, it was packed. We saw all of the energy. It was an incredible honor for Thurman [Thomas]. That meant a lot to him and his family. A lot of people in the stands, and everyone watching, you want to do better and perform better. You want to represent your organization to the best of your ability, and we could've done better.
Q: How frustrating is it for the offense to play how it is and the defense to be playing so well?
A: Our defense played a great game. Hats off to them. Those guys are giving it everything that they absolutely have, but it is an entire team effort. There are three phases that need to be in sync in order to win. We preach complimentary football, that's what we base ourselves on.
BILLS S JORDAN POYER
Q: It kind of seems like we have this conversation a lot after games, the defense obviously deserved a little better fate. Can you take anything positive away from the way you guys played against the Patriots?
A: Of course. I think on that side [defensive] we did a lot of great things. That's [Patriots] a good offense, a good football team. The one thing we didn't do was take the football away. We knew coming into the game that that was going to be a huge key to our success. We fell short in that category today.
Q: Is there a level of frustration with how well this defense continues to play and the offense can't get points to support you guys?
A: It's a team game, I don't care what anybody says. Offense, defense, special teams. It's a team game. At the end of the day, our job on defense is to put out offense in better field position to be able to score points. Like I said we fell short of that today, we didn't take the ball away one time and they had two takeaways.
BILLS CORNERBACK TRE'DAVIOUS WHITE
Q: Can you guys take the positives or feel good about how you played defensively?
A: It's tough. We come out and we hold those guys [Patriots] to one touchdown and we still can't get the win. It's tough, man. We can't do anything about it. We've got a short turn around, we've got a game on Sunday. We just have to get back on the drawing board.
Q: How frustrating is it when you guys are playing like that on the defensive side of the ball and the offense can't really move the ball or find the endzone?
A: It's a team game. Obviously we didn't get enough stops on defense to stop them from scoring twenty-five points. It's a team game, we're going to win as a team and lose as a team.
Q: How aware of you of the struggles of that unit [the offense] week in and week out?
A: I'm not on the offensive side of the ball, so I don't know what's going on. I don't know much about it.
Q: I know you say it's a team game, but how exhausting is it, though, when you guys are constantly playing like that and then the offensive side of the ball can't do enough?
A: It's the game of football. You win as a team, you lose as a team like I said. That's all I have to say about that.
