LINEBACKER JEROD MAYO
Q: What direction are the Bills headed in?
JM: They're playing good football. [They're] 4-2 in their last six games. [They] really should've won the Pittsburgh game, so they're a tough team and they're playing very hard.
Q: What are the Bills doing different since the last time you played them?
JM: [Ryan] Fitzpatrick just looks real comfortable in the pocket. Fred Jackson is still doing a lot of the running for them. He's doing an excellent job for them, so they have a lot of weapons.
Q: Is Ryan Fitzpatrick staying in the pocket?
JM: Well, he can do it all. Pretty much like last week, you've got a guy like Matt Flynn who can roll out and make all the throws, same type of quarterback.
Q: Can you talk at all about how it's a hat and t-shirt week for you if it goes well?
JM: It's a division game, first and foremost, so we know the magnitude of the game. We need it. We're fighting for home-field advantage for a bye week. We're preparing hard this week, and hopefully we'll go out and play well.
Q: What is the mindset on the defense being on the field to secure victories in the final two minutes of games?
JM: Everybody does their job like Bill [Belichick] always says. We've been fortunate enough to play well down the stretch, even though we probably bent a little bit during the game. When it really counted, we came up with big plays and that's what we've been doing this year.
Q: Why is that?
JM: I'm not sure. It might be a mental toughness. We've been talking about that all year, all during training camp and things like that. I think guys have taken heed to Bill's words and went out and did it.
Q: Is it more challenging for you to get the signals to guys when the opponent is in its two-minute offense?
JM: It is. It's pretty tough as far as making sure everybody is on the same page, but at the same time, we practice those things against a great offense and Tom [Brady] does a great job in practice of giving us good looks.
Q: Is your first priority against Buffalo stopping Fred Jackson?
JM: I think it has to be. He's been a great running back for a long time. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He can run it between the tackles [and] outside. I think he has to be the number one focus.
Q: You guys have won six in a row and want to extend that to eight in a row. How tough would it be to come back the following week if you lose to Buffalo this week?
JM: Like I say after every loss, as long as we learn something from it and it doesn't repeat itself, then it's worth it.
Q: What did you learn from the loss to Cleveland?
JM: Just finishing games and tackling. We had a little hiccup, obviously, against Green Bay, but we made plays when we needed to.
Q: Listening to Bill Belichick, the Green Bay game felt like a loss. Do you treat the Green Bay game like a loss?
JM: Yeah, you do. You have to. We have to treat that game, watch the film, learn from it, and hopefully improve this week.
Q: Buffalo's record is bad, but they've been playing well. Do you need to convince yourself that they aren't as bad as their record?
JM: You watch the film and see they're playing top football right now. Like I said, they should've beat Pittsburgh. They've won four out of their last six. After their bye week, they've really turned the shift.
TIGHT END ALGE CRUMPLER
Q: How much more of a challenge is Buffalo this time compared to when you played them earlier this season?
AC: They're a much better team. They gave us problems the first time that we played them. Since [their] bye week, they're 4-2. They could easily be 5-1 with the Pittsburgh game, so they're playing very well.
Q: What are they doing defensively?
AC: Well, they're getting after people. That's the thing that they're doing. Kyle Williams, up front, is just a beast. He's just handling guys and playing exceptionally well in there. I guess those guys are just buying into their program. It's taken a little while, but they're playing really well.
Q: How difficult is it that each week, down the stretch, you're getting each team's best shot? Buffalo's talking about if they beat you, it makes their season. How much harder is that to prepare for?
AC: Well, we prepare for our opponent no differently than anybody else. I think for us, we're just striving to get better, striving to do things. For us, it's a game that we really need to win, so we'll prepare accordingly.
Q: How much does having goals help? If you win this weekend, you win the AFC East. There's no relying on anybody else. How important is that?
AC: I think every team wants to control their own fate. That's what we talk about and now we've put ourselves in this position. That's a good thing. So I mean, getting this win would be great.
Q: Being known as a passing team, how much pride do you take in that, as an offense, you've been able to show great balance this year?
AC: Well, I think everybody is trying to do our job. If we run the ball when we want to run it, great; If we need to make a play in the passing game, we've got everybody on this team that can make the plays. We're really excited about the work that we're putting in and seeing it translate to the field, but we've still got a long ways to go.
Q: It's a regular week for you guys, but it is Christmas. Do you even acknowledge it or are you just out there doing your job?
AC: Those of us with wives, we have a good time with that. They help a lot.
CORNERBACK KYLE ARRINGTON
Q: What do you see when you look at tape of Steve Johnson?
KA: The Bills have had injuries with Lee [Evans] and Roscoe [Parrish], so guys had to step up and that's what guys do. He's been the guy who has stepped up. He lines up all over the place, too, and he has made a lot of plays. We just have to go into this game plan and get right on it today and in practice. [We must] prepare and get ready for it, try to be in his face as much as possible.
Q: Alge Crumpler mentioned that the team is only allowed to read 'The Belichick Times'. What does that consist of?
KA: You know, I can't give that out. You have to ask Bill on that one.
Q: How well do you think you are playing as a unit?
KA: We're coming along. As long as we're making more progress each week, that's the goal. We're still not where we are capable of being and we're going to try to give another 60-minute effort this week.
Q: How much does the secondary making an adjustment happen throughout the game?
KA: That's part of the game. A huge part of the game is making an adjustment because you come in with a certain game plan, but things never go according to plan, as you can imagine. Adjustments are a huge part [of the game].
