Q: Is this a more emotional week because of who the opponent is?
A: No. It's just a game that we have to win. I just happen to know those guys on the other side though.
Q: Your first duty as head coach of the Bills was to make Fitzpatrick the starting quarterback.
A: Yes.
Q: Did you ever foresee what he has done these past few weeks?A: Oh yeah. I thought Ryan was an excellent quarterback when we had him there and I thought that he was the better quarterback. That's why I played him and he was the starter. It doesn't surprise me that he's doing what he's doing.
Q: Did you ever feel you had a chance to become the head coach there?
A: It's been two years and whether I did or didn't, I think that's irrelevant. I'm happy to be where I am now.
Q: Can you give your team any special insight about the Bills?
A: I can definitely give them my insight on how their players play, what I think their strengths and weaknesses are. I've tried to do that and share that with them. Does that help our team? I hope it does from a preparation standpoint, but we have to play the game.
Q: Schematically, are they completely different from when you were there?
A: Offensively, yes. No doubt.
Q: And defensively?
A: I haven't really watched them defensively. I apologize, but offensively yes. No doubt.
Q: How has Fitzpatrick grown since you worked with him?
A: He looks very comfortable in this offense. He's making quick decisions. He's getting the ball out extremely fast. His receivers and he are on the same page. He just looks like he's in total control and he knows exactly what they want to do with this offense.
Q: The way they play – shotgun, spread out – is it a different type of preparation?
A: Yeah. You have to defend 53⅓ yards on the field and they make you do that the whole entire ballgame. And they have good skill with Spiller and Fred Jackson. They can spread you out and they can create some mismatches. That's what they've done.
Q: Are you concerned about your own defense?
A: We're trying to learn how to play together. That's the biggest problem that I think we have right now, learning how to play together. So yes, my focus is more on us than it is the Buffalo Bills because we have to learn how to compliment each other and we don't know how to compliment each other at this point in time.
Q: Do you have to learn how to play next to the guy next to you when that guy is changing?
A: Yes. You have to learn how to play when Dave [Tollefson's] at tackle and when JPP's at another place and the linebacker's a little bit different. You have to learn how to play with those guys in front of you. That's what I'm most concerned with with our defense right now.
Q: What's the progress that you're making?
A: It's in baby steps. What you see is we have some youth back there in our linebacker corps. Then with some of the guys moving in and out, we're not consistent. I said that to you last week. We're not a consistent defense. We've been forced to do that a little bit because of some injuries. But we will become more consistent. We will get better. I think we'll push and we're striving to be a more consistent defense.
Q: The players were supposed to know the system better.
A: The system they know. It's being together. It's working together. You're missing five guys out of our defense right now. That's a little bit more different.
Q: Have you added more to your scheme?
A: I don't think I've added more. I've challenged them more from a schematic standpoint than I did a year ago because I think we have smart football players. I've challenged them more mentally than I did a year ago, I think.
Q: So it's more of a personnel thing with the injuries and the young guys?
A: Yes.
Q: What's working with the pass rush?
A: I think the individuals are talented and they're doing a good job – JPP, just to have Osi back doing a nice job. When people focus on them, Dave Tollefson comes in and he does a nice job. Teams have thrown the football on us a lot and that gives those guys more opportunity to rush the passer too.
Q: Kiwanuka has looked good too.
A: Yes, Kiwanuka looked good last week too. He looked like he got back into form of being a defensive end last week.
Q: And it seemed like he enjoyed it.
A: Yeah.
Q: With all the nickel you're playing it seems like Kiwanuka is on the field less.
A: Because of our situation right now, we had to move him and let him play a little defensive end for us. We didn't want to wear the other guys out. We still plan to use him at linebacker, but because of the situation that we're in right now we're trying to play him at both spots.
Q: How do you counteract the no-huddle?
A: I really learned something last week in that the no-huddle is effective. It's about communication. I think we weren't communicating. When you use that form of communication verbally everybody doesn't always get it at the same time. I think I need to do a better job and maybe [install] wristbands on the guys so that everybody knows what the call is. If one person doesn't know then he has to say it to everybody else. I think I can do a better job and help our players if I do that for them.
Q: Are teams playing more no-huddle against you than what you see on film?
A: I can say yes and no. We had planned on Seattle playing no-huddle. The up-tempo offense that we've been getting in the past, I would say yes. But we did plan on Seattle playing no-huddle.
Q: Does Buffalo do no-huddle?
A: They have. They're not consistently a no-huddle team, but when they've fallen behind, like against the Raiders they fell behind so they up-tempoed and they got going. You see it from time to time in their play. You don't know if that's part of their system or if it's because they're behind and they just have to come out and do this because they're behind.
Q: Assuming teams are going no-huddle, what package do you start with?
A: I normally put a five DB package on the field. I'm going to try to stop the run as best I possibly can so I'm going to put our defensive tackles in and our defensive ends and have five DBs in the game.
Q: How has Jacquian Williams progressed?
A: He's growing. Last week was a tough week for him, in my opinion, because he had to play a lot of plays. He had to play a lot of plays at a no-huddle tempo. It wasn't that he made a lot of mistakes or what have you, but he wasn't as crisp and as sharp as we wanted him to be. But he is gaining experience each week and he's doing a good job each week. Some of the runs he doesn't know how to exactly fit those runs up like we wanted him to. He gained a lot of experience last week in knowing what to do and how to do it.
Q: On the Baldwin touchdown, was it a miscommunication between Rolle and Ross?
A: Yes. It was miscommunication on their part and then I think they froze a little bit when Osi jumped offsides. That's on me, too. I've got to coach them to keep playing. I've got to make sure that they get the communication right.
Q: Is having hybrid players like Tollefson and Kiwanuka unique?
A: I think that's the NFL today. Based upon on your situation I think that if you have a guy like Dave and a guy like [Kiwanuka]you can do some things like that in a limited capacity.
