Buffalo Bills – outstanding football team playing very well, 32 points-a-game average. They only have five giveaways. They're 11 in the league. They lead the league in takeaways. They have 12 interceptions. Many of these interceptions have contributed to the opportunity for them to win. They have scored defensive touchdowns in three games, which is tantamount … hen you do the stats on that, it's normally between 75 and 85 per cent wins if you score on defense. They're doing all the right things. They have an outstanding passing game, obviously, but good balance. Jackson is rated very highly in the league, not only in rushing, but in total yardage from scrimmage. He's ranked second and third in both of those categories. They've got a good offensive football team. Of course, the quarterback is playing very, very well. And they are very productive. They have beaten the outstanding teams. The New England Patriots, the Philadelphia Eagles are two of their four wins. Defensively, they're a physical front, they play hard, they've got like I said, 12 interceptions so they're doing a great job in the secondary. A lot of tipped balls. They've been Johnny-on-the-spot. They've really reacted well with the ball in the air. They've closed on the ball, taken advantage of a bunch of those opportunities and put themselves in position where they've given up yardage, but because of the turnovers, they've kept the opponent out of the end zone. Two of their games the decision was made on the last drive of the game to score and win. They're down 21-0 to New England, so you know they are resilient, they can come back. They are doing a lot of really good things and deserve to be 4-1.
Q: You usually harp on the no turnovers. How much more are you stressing that point with playing Buffalo?
A: Usual is a lot.
Q: How do you avoid balls being tipped by your receivers?
A: Got to have great communication between quarterback and receiver. It's got to be decisive. Brady had four interceptions against them, so they obviously do a good job of that. So you work very hard to put yourselves in position where you're not so contested that the ball ends up being tipped. Some of it is because [the Bills] are aggressive too. They play aggressively, they knock the receivers around. The receiver's not clear, the ball comes in that direction anyway, you hope it doesn't, but it does. That's how some of those situations occur.
Q: When a defense scores like they have, is that by design, or are they just fortunate?
A: Well if you're in the right position. If you're off to the side, or depending on some of them, they're very close, you're down in their 25, 35 yard line – catch, run it in. A lot of it has to do with where the interception takes place and where the rest of the offensive people are.
Q: Technique-wise, is there a way to prevent tipped balls?
Q: If it's a high ball, you have to get your eyes up. A lot of those things occur when the eyes are the last thing up and the hands are up there and you end up tipping the ball, the high ball. The ball catches you by surprise. You don't want that to happen. You have to see the ball all the way. You have to get your head and eyes right back to the ball. Those are some of the things. If you're surprised by the ball, whatever your body position, if you're surprised by the ball and you don't catch the ball and it's a high throw, it's going to be tipped. Any time you tip the ball over the middle of the field it's going the other way. The level of play at this level is far superior and the ball is going to get caught.
Q: Update on Jacobs and the two injured starting linemen?
A: Jacobs is not going to practice today. Snee is not going to practice today. Baas is going to try to practice today.
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Q: Is Jacobs' knee better at all?
A: He says he is a little bit better.
Q: Is Baas going to only do individual drills?
A: No, he's going to work. We're in shells so we think that gives him a good chance to get started.
Q: Will Boothe practice at guard or center?
A: Well, Boothe can play guard, he can play center.
Q: How is Snee?
A: I think he's a little better today. He and Zak [DeOssie] both.
Q: How do you get the running game back on track?
A: What you see in an obvious fashion when the Bills played the Eagles was that they tried to control the ball and maintain the clock so they ran the ball more than they threw it. They had it for 33:38 so that would be a nice thing if we can control the ball. Of course, you are not going to control the ball unless you are running the ball and that would certainly help us. The style in which your running the ball, that really doesn't matter and that is exemplified by the Bills. They run from three wides, four wides, that type of thing. It would help a lot.
Q: Do you plan on balancing out the carries more between Bradshaw and D.J. Ware?
A: I don't know if that's the case but we certainly want him more involved. I can't stand here and tell you what would be an ideal circumstance. We just need to run it better, period.
Q: Do you plan on running it evenly with the running backs?
A: Not necessarily even but some distribution.
Q: Will you have somebody to replace Kennedy by practice?
A: No.
Q: What's your message to the team this week?
A: The message is positive energy. The message is that one is over and there is nothing you can do about it. You have to move forward. We have to get back on track as fast as we possibly can. We said what we needed to say on Monday. Here it is Wednesday; we have to focus and look forward and do what we possibly can. It is an exciting week. They are a good team and we feel like we have a good team. It is an exciting week for us and we have to get ourselves in the film room. We have to learn this team and they have to learn us. We don't know much about this team and they don't know a lot about us. We have to get to work and hopefully the focus of all our attention and energy, and being able to affect others. We need to try to do the best we can to be positive with everything and help make everyone as good as they possibly can be. The message is that we didn't play well. We wrapped up and handed a game away, we felt. It goes totally against what we believe in; nevertheless, it is over with, so let's go forward.
Q: Does your team play better as an underdog?
A: I wish that wasn't something that comes up every time, I hope we are better than that. Do we play better in that situation, I don't know. We certainly do have a challenge this week.
Q: Do you expect Kiwi to see more time on the defensive line?
A: He got a few snaps there at the defensive line last week and certainly we will adjust ourselves to personnel groups that we are playing against.
Q: Is this game more important because of the bye next week?
A: I don't know if it has anything to do with the bye week. It has to do with we are playing a good football team and wanting to win a game at home. That is what it is. We wanted to win all our games at home and that didn't happen last week. Get back on track and there are some examples of that when Cincinnati played them tough. They only had 273 against Cincinnati and that was on the road. Hopefully we will take all this into consideration as we go forward.
Q: How do you feel about Kennedy's suspension?
A: That is a league issue. It is between Jimmy Kennedy and the league. We knew about it. We talked about it when he first came here and we were very much aware of the (appeals) process that took place one day when he wasn't available to us three weeks ago. That is all I have to say about it.
Q: You were aware before he came here?
A: Yes. This was an upcoming event that had taken place and he was going to have his opportunity to go before the league.
Q: Did you consider not signing him because of this pending situation?
A: Possibly yes, and we signed him.
Q: Does Perry Fewell have a working knowledge of the Bills?
A: The players that were there when he was there, yes
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Q: Will that help?
A: Certainly.
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Q: Do you think Kennedy's issue is a one-time thing?
A: Where it affects us, we are concerned. Jimmy Kennedy, and everything he has done with me, has conducted himself as a Pro. He has done things in the best interest of the club and I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt. If it occurred as a one-time thing, let's get it over and done with.
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Q: How is Tuck?
A: He won't work today. I think he is going to run on the side.
Q: Will Hynoski practice?
A: No.
Q: How has Henry Hynoski done?
A: He has done a good job. He is a rookie. He knows his role.
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Q: Do you expect Prince after the bye?
A: He is still with the coaches after practice and trainers during.
