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BB: Well, I'm sure that last night
when all of us players and coaches sat around thinking about how this game
could go, the scenarios, situations that could come up, what plays need to
be made at the key times, I don't think anybody envisioned it going the way
it did. I didn't think we were going to be down seven points 20 seconds into
the game, down by 10 at the half, having a better third and fourth quarter.
So you know, that's opening day. I was proud of the team for the way they
hung in there and fought back from the 10 point halftime deficit. Obviously,
there are a lot of things that we need to work on. There are a lot of things
we could do better. We have had other times, good times and bad times out
there. Fortunately, we were able to make enough plays in the second half and
at the end of the game to win. So we are happy to be 1-0 in the division.
That is good. We have a lot of work to do and there is a lot areas we can be
better in and be more consistent in. Buffalo is a good football team.
They have a lot of explosive players, they are well coached, and the staff
does good job. We have to do a better job with good coaching and a better
job of playing. They gave us a lot of trouble for us to get better, so that
is what we are going to do
Q: The defense came, came back on the
second half and played pretty well compared to the way things have gone with Buffalo in the first half, a lot of improvement there in just one
half.
BB: Well I think we tackled a little bit
better from about the middle of the second quarter. We missed a lot of
tackles. We had some second and long situations they got out of there,
snapped the ball over the quarterback's head, hit a long pass, ran a screen
down behind the line of scrimmage, made a long run and stuff like that. And
they've got good players, I'm not saying that. You know, I think we've got
to do a better job at tackling, some long-yard situations and converting.
Their receivers were tough. They converted some third downs with some good
routes, good throws, and you know, kept us off balance. But our guys tried
to stay aggressive, and I thought we did play better as the game went along.
But we gave up too many plays early in the game.
Q: Don Davis made a big play on
the stop of [Willis] McGahee going in trying to get the fourth
down there. Is that the kind of play that on the pro level...does that still
motivate or is it just a general building?
BB: Yes, sure. I think it's like a
turnover. A fourth down stop is like a turnover. A missed field goal is like
a turnover. Those plays don't go down as turnovers, but they really are. It
is no different if you intercepted a pass or recovered a fumble. Of course,
the key thing after that was we were able to do something with it
offensively. You know, it was a great drive that we had there. Kevin [Faulk] made a great catch in the end zone, a good throw and catch,
and [Ben] Watson came down the middle on that throw. So we
made a few good plays there in the passing game and that balanced out some
... a decent job of running the ball ... whatever it was, 6-something left
to go in the game, and run the clock out. So we played some good football
when we needed to, but at the same time there is certainly a lot of things
that we can do better.
Q: Can you expand? Did that limit you a
little bit offensively?
BB: I mean, basically, the things we
worked on all week, we ran in the game. Some things we ran rather well, some
things could have been better.
Q: Did you make any adjustments at
halftime to get the passing game going or just the execution?
BB: Well, I think in the first half we
missed three or four tipped balls, made a little protection problem on a
couple of plays. So I think it was a combination of the protection, the
route running, the distribution of the receivers, throwing it, I mean all
the things. It was a compilation of factors. The perfect storm. I don't
know. Did we have any yardage passing in the first half? It couldn't have
been much.
Q: Could you expand on your running game
and Laurence Maroney, in particular?
BB: You mean expand on it from today or
expand on it next week?
Q: You said he ran the ball pretty well.
Could you just expand a little bit?
BB: Well, yeah, I thought we had a lot
of production from all our backs. Laurence ran hard, broke some
tackles. Corey [Dillon] ran hard. Kevin gave some hits.
I think all three of those guys did a nice job. And you've seen Maroney.
He's had a chance to run in preseason. He is strong, he is fast, he's got
pretty good vision; so hopefully, we can have production from that position
regardless of who is in there. He did a good job.
Q: Was it a no-brainer for you to go for
that fourth down later in the game?
BB: I wouldn't say it was a no-brainer.
It was a tough decision. You know, we're in field goal range, three point
range, we'd force them to go for a touchdown. But at that point in the game
you like to make one play. And that was the strength of our team is being
able to run the ball, at least in this game, you know, we felt like that was
the yard, that if we made it, it would end the game. And that is what it
did. And so, you know, fortunately, those guys came through. We got good
blocking and good running and that was the big play of the game.
Q: How would you evaluate the play of Ryan O'Callaghan?
BB: Oh, I can't. I don't know. I have to
watch a lot of stuff over there on the sideline. I will have to look at the
film and take a closer look at it.
Q: On the fourth down situation where Tom [Brady] had called timeout, was the keeper called on that
play but because of the way they lined up, you had to call one?
BB: Well, we had a play called that we
didn't think we had a great look on it. And when you're ahead in the game,
at that point you want to make sure you've got your best play called. And Tom didn't like the way it looked, and he was probably right. So we felt
like there was a better play we could run than the one we had called in that
situation and that was the play of the game.
Q: What were they doing to limit you
pretty much to a short passing game?
BB: Well, I mean they've got good
corners, they play a lot of two-deep coverage and they have a lot of push
rush. It's hard to hold the ball back there. We either got it tipped or got
hit. But you know, they are a good defensive football team. They have good
corners, good pass rushers, their linebackers are active. They give you a
good mixture of blitzes and pressures that you have to pick up. So you know,
we can do a better job, but they did a good job and they are a good
defensive football team. They are well coached and they've got good players.
Q: Can you talk about the play of McGahee?
BB: I thought he ran well today. I
thought he ran well. You know, he cut back and bounced out. He made a couple
good runs, made a nice play on the screen. But you know, we've seen him make
those plays before. He's looked pretty good for a while now. |
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