BUFFALO BILLS RUNNING BACK LESEAN MCCOY
(Hangs up cell phone)
LeSean McCoy: That was my mom asking about my knee.
Q: What did you tell her?
A: That it was alright. It took me a couple carries to get it feeling good again.
Q: What happened?
A: It was a weird play. I mean I was catching a pass and I was making a cut, well faking it and then going the other way. But he was facing my back. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him and I guess instead of hitting me up top I guess he wanted to chop me down. Which is, that was a first for me, I gotta say that. That was a first. I’ve never experienced that, but it was okay. I’m kind of my knee was stuck in the turf and it shifted a little bit. You know, but it was fine. I mean it was a quick one. That could have been bad. God willing I’m fine.
Q: You clearly played well. Did that affect you moving forward at all?
A: Nope, I just grabbed it. It was one of those things where you just miss out. You know, it could have been something bad, but I feel fine. There were a few plays running on it where it was feeling kinda gimpy, but as the game got on, the adrenaline was pumping, I was fine.
Q: You obviously saw that the other opposing running backs were going for the line, opposed with the running backs, you guys do a lot of power runs there were a lot of 21 personnel there.
A: Nice! 21 personnel there, okay. Yeah! Just as like you said, we watch a lot of tape. The breakdown on the team they’re an athletic tall group. They tend to get tired and there’s been tons of tape on guys, you know getting to the open field. Today just the line, I mean if you want to give any game balls out today, today you need to give it to the offensive line. They whooped them up and down the field. I mean they made my job real easy. I mean every once and a while a guy would miss a tackle here and there. Other than that they did great. It will show from tape and they’re on a roll. They’re on a big roll, so I’m just gonna ride that train.
Q: Would you be fine going head on head and just coming straight at it, there was no problem with that.
A: No problem. We do so much I think for offense in the running game for sure. It can be at you, around you, miss-direction, option, power, fake, I mean our quarterback can run. We have a lot, so when you kinda prepare for us, you have a lot to prepare for. You know we have the athletes, then we get open space, it’s tough to tackle with.
Q: What’s the biggest difference for you? Is it simply health, because last year you said at the end that you didn’t feel great about your game.
A: I’m just going to be honest with you. You know last year I played okay. I was hurt, you know. Instead of sitting out and not playing I would rather go out there and be 75-80% and that’s how I am, that’s how I’ve been. And another thing, it’s the guys up front. I mean, they’re really getting their blocks. They’re hitting every time. There’s not a favorite left or right, they’re all blocking together. That’s a lot of credit to the guys up front and they’re making my job easy just to go one on one with defenders, that’s not that hard, so that’s the reason I think I’m playing like this. And also I’ve been working hard and as a player you read things sometimes. You see things and you know, it drives you. I think that, the hard work and the guys up front. That’s it, simply.
Q: I know that the trade was hard on you, but you didn’t mention Chip Kelly this week at all and didn’t make a big deal.
A: No. I’m passed that. To sit here and tell you that it didn’t affect me last year, I would be lying. It was tough. I think anybody, and of you guys, if you’re doing so well at your job and they basically passed that. That’s a whole year later, I’m here with this team. This Buffalo team and everything’s Buffalo. Sure there were people texting me about this and that, but I didn’t care about that. I care about winning games for Buffalo. We’re 4-2 right now. We have a chance to go get another win, you know 5 in a row. Yeah so everybody right now is in a great place.
Q: Rex said that he felt that you were more driven, you had said just a second ago that you’re ready to go. There were people that were saying “maybe they should cut this guy,” do you feel with the group that you’re with right now a little vindicated?
A: Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and I don’t fault you for that, but if you ever ask players from other teams, because I didn’t have a great year last year. If you ask before last year, the team this and that, the players I’m for sure they’re going to tell you about me, because players have played me and they know what I can do. I can give you all the excuses in the world. They won’t mean anything. Just this year we’re rolling. The guys are really blocking well. I’m healthy. Coach Lynn is calling some great calls and it is that simple. That’s it.
Q: Do you feel a little bit vindicated from that?
A: Yeah I mean I never, I’ll say this; ever since my rookie year in the league I’ve never really been doubted, you know. I think this is the first year that I’ve ever really been doubted. Is this kid too good, or is he not good, are we wasting our time? So to be honest yes, even since high school I’ve always been in the lead. So to hear you say that, yeah it can definitely drive you, there’s training. There’s things I’ve done mentally, I won’t go into that, but to kinda get it to drive me hard. But yeah, to be honest yes. Overall, that’s not the big picture. The big picture is winning. I go out there, I have 30 yards we win, I’m not going to be pissed. The defense did their job, or I didn’t play well, we win. I see that when you win games, the credit can go to this player, that player, but overall it goes in that win column and that’s all that really matters.
Q: Tell me about your 22 yard run on 3rd and 20, walk us through that.
A: I’m trying to be like the Bills in the ‘90s. I’ve been those type of runs since forever, so I kinda just felt the guy, or saw the guy and just cut around. I got a first down, that was it. All the other runs, to be honest, the guys up front have been whipping butt. A guy misses, every once and a while a guy will make a play, it’s real simple up front. I give a lot of credit to those guys for sure.
Q: Your aunt was out there for the breast cancer survivors, how did that make you feel to see her here?
A: Yeah I gave her a kiss. It was special just to see her and she’s doing well. We talk a lot. My cousin, Chris Henderson, he’s always back and forth to see me, so it was cool to see her. Actually watch me up close and play, so that was good.
Q: Talk about blocking those guys up front, tell us about Jerome (Felton).
A: Jerome, out of the running backs for sure, he’s scoring the highest, he’s playing well. This is more of his offense. I see my guy, I go blow him up and then there’s time I don’t follow him and I don’t do as well. I may get one or two yard gain, but Jerome is blowing it up. You know it’s kinda tough now cause we’re trying to mix it up and a lot of the plays have been going to Jerome so we need to mix it up, throw the defense off a little bit, but when we need some runs we go behind Jerome Felton. I’m happy to have him.
BUFFALO BILLS QUARTERBACK TYROD TAYLOR
Q: Tyrod, you guys were able to run the ball, it looked like you were flying runs straight at them. Can you talk about how you felt the power run worked?
A: Yes. Coach Lynn did a good job of getting us on the same page as far as the running game attack going into the game. We were able to go out there and execute it. The line did a great job of creating holes and creating space for Shady and the running backs in general. Just being able to create holes and go out there and make some plays.
Q: Over 300 rushing yards, when you hear a number like that, I know the wins and loses are the most important thing, but when you have a game plan that’s supposed to run the ball and that’s the number at the end of the day, this has to feel good.
A: It feels good. The win trumps all that. If we did that and it wasn’t a winning effort, we wouldn’t be up here talking and smiling about it. The fact that we were able to do that in a winning fashion, definitely was big for us. We were able to create some plays down the field and in the passing game too. I think definitely getting the run game started definitely opened up some things for us in the passing game.
Q: What did you see on the Hunter play there? It looked like you got behind those guys good, buying some time, for you to get back there to see them.
A: We were in the zebra personnel and got them trapped into base personnel, where the safety has to come down and cover one of our receivers and a linebacker has to go out on Clay. We like those matchups and Justin did a good job of getting past the safety and setting high angles. We always say set a touchdown angle and let me come down with the football. But, there was no need to pull him down. I was able to keep him on his path and he did a great job of making a play.
Q: Did you have enough time to see the play?
A: Yeah, I had enough time to step into that one.
Q: Between you and Colin Kaepernick, you’re two of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league, were you able to give any insight to your defense as far as the types of things as a mobile quarterback that bother you when you’re on the move?
A: No. The looks we give our defense, whether it’s me going against them in training camp or them practicing against EJ or Cardale, helps them prepare as far as a mobile quarterback goes. Any time the defense can come to you and ask questions, I am always open to help them. They didn’t have too many questions this week. They had a strong game plan they were able to go out and execute.
Q: How cool was it to score and then you make a special teams to play to get a fumble?
A: Definitely have to capitalize on the momentum swings. We were able to do that today. That was a great play by our special teams and we were able to go right back out there and punch it in and put it in the end zone. Those are big momentum swings and at home you need that, as far as riding the wave and doing what it takes to win.
Q: Now that it’s four straight wins, looking at the bigger picture, how well do you feel you’re executing overall, the offense at this point, and what has been the impact of the change at coordinator?
A: We haven’t been playing our perfect game by any means but guys are definitely going out there and making in plays in the running game and the passing game. We’re learning each other weekly. We’re taking it one day at a time. We’re definitely taking steps in the right direction. We just have to continue to keep getting better, correct some of things we didn’t do so well today, and put it behind us and get ready for next week.
Q: When LeSean (McCoy) went down, he was laying on the ground, what goes through your head as he’s grabbing his knee?
A: Trying to get the play for the next call. Of course you don’t want to lose Shady, but I went over there and was able to talk to him while he was on the ground. Fortunate, very fortunate that it wasn’t as bad as it looked, but he’s a warrior, whatever it was I knew he was going to fight and try to continue to get back out there to help our team.
Q: No worries, though?
A: I try not to worry in the game. Some things you just can’t control, whether he went down and it wasn’t how it ended up turning out, we have guys that can come out there and play well at his position, too. But it wasn’t that way, like I said, as a quarterback you got to do a good job of keeping everybody ‘in the saddle’ as they would say and keeping everybody focused. We were in the red zone then, at that particular time, so we needed to finish the drive with points.
Q: I know you’ve been asked about McCoy as a player several times, is there a word association that fits best for what he can do out there on the field?
A: He’s just very dynamic, and I’ve said this before. Whether it’s in the running game or the passing game, he’s a playmaker. He wants the ball and when he gets the ball he knows what to do with it and he can create plays. Some of those plays that he made out there today from the backfield position, there’s only one or two guys, maybe just him, that could do that in the National Football League. I’m glad to have him behind me and I’m glad to be on a team with him fighting each and every day.
Q: I know we’re only six games in here, but red zone and third down were two points of emphasis for this offense, 50% on third down again today, and you were perfect n the red zone, where do you feel this group is at with those two areas, knowing how important you guys made it?
A: Definitely. We knew that was something, going into this year that was something we needed to clean up. We’ve had opportunities on third down and in the red zone to be better at that. I think the attention to detail and guys focusing up, challenging themselves throughout the week to be better on game day, it’s definitely carried over to game day to the point that we are going out there and executing at a high level.
Q: Tyrod, you shared a moment with Colin (Kaepernick) after the game ended, a few of your teammates did as well. What he’s doing, what does that mean to you?
A: As far as playing football, that’s what we talked about. On the field, Colin is a great friend of mine, we met coming out of college, trained together in Atlanta for combine prep, so we’ve remained friends ever since then. Told him just that I was happy for him, it’s his team now, be the leader that we know that he can be, go out there and continue to keep fighting each day.
BUFFALO BILLS HEAD COACH REX RYAN
Opening Comments: Alright, obviously good win for us. Really a good job on all three phases of the game. We did blow a coverage, I’m sure that will be the lead thing that we talk about, but really it’s one of the only ones we’ve blown, I mean bad, all year. So it seems like we’re doing a good job communicating but that was something that obviously was maybe reminiscent of last year so we got to fix that. The young kid (Jonathan Williams) fumbled the ball at the end but other than that I thought—we grinded out 300 yards rushing I think, so that’s pretty good. I thought we were in control of the game, yet when we made that mistake, I loved the way our team responded. It was clear at halftime we never had to do a whole lot of adjusting, we just had to play better defensively and that’s kind of what we did. So with that, I’ll open it up for questions.
Q: It seemed like the running game, it looked like you had a plan. It seemed like they were very aggressive and if you opened a hole, there was going to be a lot of room to run. Is that what you noticed on their defense, that they were susceptible?
A: I think they were 31st in the league against the run so we thought we were going to have a chance to be successful running the football obviously, and we did have a great plan. Anthony (Lynn), (Aaron) Kromer, all those guys did a great job of putting a plan together and then our players went out and did a great job of executing, more importantly.
Q: How amazing is LeSean McCoy to you, especially these last two games?
A: Well I think Rob (Ryan) said it best when he was talking to the team last night when he said, he’s going over our team and he goes, “And what did we have to give up for LeSean McCoy? What, three first-round picks?” And I go, “No, not really.” But I’m glad he’s on our team.
Q: What was going through your mind when LeSean was down on the ground in the second quarter, when he got hurt?
A: I’d rather not say. I mean, I think I had the same concerns and everything else that every single Buffalo Bills fan had and everybody that lives here in Western New York. So obviously we had to hold our breath, but he’s tough and he bounced back.
Q: Since Anthony’s taken over, Jerome’s (Felton) really been a lot more involved in the offense. How important is he for the running game?
A: Well he’s done a great job. He is a tremendous blocker, I think this year even more so than last year. So yeah, he’s done a great job for us.
Q: You often joke that people say you forgot how to coach. How validating is this for you and your brother and your staff to do this?
A: Well I think in red-zone (defense), we did a decent job there again. We were upset we gave up our first first-down completion for a first-down down there, so we’re doing a great job. Coaches are doing a great job of running things and we got a good plan and we stayed with it. Never really altered from the plan at all, we just stayed the course and things worked out. I know (Colin) Kaepernick—I looked in there and he had (a) 144.0 quarterback ranking at halftime, I’m like, “Seriously? Like you’ve got to be kidding me.” But I thought we tightened down the screws obviously in our pass coverage and played much better in the second half.
Q: Along the lines of the question just asked, do you feel this win validates you? After an 0-2 start, you put together four wins in a row. What does it do for you?
A: No. Nothing man. We just won four games. We gave up over 20 points against the Jets, I think that’s the only team that’s scored over 20 all year, I’m not sure. But we feel pretty good about where we are defensively and then offensively obviously since the change has taken place, we’re doing a great job and like I said, you’re seeing a football team. I think that’s the big thing. Everybody talks about complimentary football but we want to win, that’s the only goal we have. With this staff, there’s no hidden agendas. We just want to play and coach our guys to the best of our abilities, put them in plays to be successful and that’s what we’re doing as coaches and our players are doing an unbelievable job. Because they’re the ones who get all the credit.
Q: Can you sense any type of difference in McCoy given what happened in the offseason when he came back?
A: No. I think, talking to LeSean, he was really disappointed (with) how he played last year. And all of us as we know, and I’ve told him several times, like all of us here in Buffalo, we think, “Hey man, you’ve played great.” And he’s like, “No, I can play better.” And I guess he was right but we would have been happy with how he played last year. But he was driven, he wants to win and he wants to be the best player he possibly can be and he’s in great shape.
Q: Were you concerned with the winds and kicking game today?
A: No I wasn’t because I wasn’t punting or kicking, so it never bothered me a bit. But yeah, Dan’s (Carpenter) like, “It’s a little breezy out there today,” as he came off. But no, that almost is what I thought I was signing up for when I took the job here, it’s like get a little breeze and hopefully we’ll have that in our next home game.
Q: Is that kind of what you expected from Kaepernick? And when I say that, I mean you knew he could make plays with his legs but really, his passing was his problem in the last couple of years. He could not sustain the passing attack. Is that kind of what you thought you were getting from him today?
A: Well especially in the first half, that’s what I was concerned that I’d get, a guy that can make plays with his legs. I mean it’s so dangerous and it keeps you out of your rhythm. You get upset because you play him a certain way unlike other quarterbacks just because of the threat he is as a runner and he led their team in rushing so obviously, he played well but shoot, he’s a dangerous guy.
Q: Did you spy him at any time?
A: We tried to do a bunch of different stuff but mainly it was a four-man rush and we tried—we thought we could time-up coverage wise but the kid made some plays on us. I mean, he avoided that safety. I don’t know who had him (Jerry Hughes), but man, I mean he did a nice job.
Q: Is what happened the last few weeks here with the running game working, is that what you envisioned when you first got here? There was so much talk and it didn’t work as well as you had hoped it would last year but now you’re seeing the results you’re getting from the ground game.
A: Well, I know it’s boring football, that’s what people say, but we just want to win and whether that means we’re going to put it up 30 times a game or 40 times or just run the football. Obviously I prefer to run it, there’s no question about that, maybe that’s the old school (approach) in me, but I still think you run the ball to win games but we also know we have to do a better job in the passing game. I thought we did today. The main thing is about being efficient. I don’t know about what the quarterback rankings were or whatever but—he (Tyrod Taylor) had a 110.0 quarterback rating. We’ll take that each week.
Q: This model went to two title games with Mark Sanchez in New York. Can you still do that?
A: Well the difference is we don’t turn the ball over. I know we turned it over twice today, it’s unlike us. We protect the football which protects the team, so I think that’s a great formula. If you can be successful, if you can run the football and you can protect the football and then create turnovers on defense, them obviously that will be the formula for success.
Q: Once San Francisco cut it down to a one-score lead, Tyrod and Shady had great rushing plays back-to-back. Have you ever seen an offense in the league that can present a quarterback and a running back at the same time that can be so elusive back there?
A: Well it’s tough. Their offense was like that. That kid (Kaepernick) made some plays on us today, the quarterback did, that it’s like, oh man. It’s tough to defend. And obviously Seattle’s a team that does that as well as anybody with Russell Wilson and the stable of backs they have, but it is hard to defend and we’re pretty smart with what we do with those guys.
Q: Any update on Charles Clay, who left the game with an injury?
A: Yeah, he’s got an ankle, so we’ll see how that goes during the week but he did not finish the game with an ankle. And then (Kevon) Seymour did not finish the game with a shoulder injury.
Q: Rex, is that the type of game that a playoff contender wins? You’re playing well, they weren’t, you got them in your building. You got to win that game and you guys did.
A: Yeah, I mean I don’t know about all that other jazz but for us, we lined up to play this week. We put absolutely everything into winning this one game, not thinking about anything else on the horizon, and that’s where our focus was and we accomplished our goal.
Q: You mentioned earlier this week that you wanted to see Justin Hunter take advantage of his opportunities. Did you feel he did that?
A: Yeah I thought he did pretty good. I was like, “There’s my guy,” after he caught it. But really what happened in the week, he missed two vertical balls, and I’m like, “You have to get those, man. I mean that’s why you’re here.” Big dude, big target, and he’s just like, I don’t know, he had a little pro glide to him. It kind of bothered me so that’s why I kind of zinged him.
Q: Coach what did the atmosphere of the stadium feel like to you right before the national anthem?
A: Oh I thought it was awesome. Our fans are here, there’s a butt in every seat, so it was a great atmosphere. It’s what you expect here in Buffalo. The crowd’s fantastic and you know, you’re right. We got to win games that were supposed to win at home, especially in front of our fans. I mean it should be tough to come into here and it is.
Filed under: Buffalo Bills
Tagged with: Buffalo Bills, LeSean McCoy, Rex Ryan, San Francisco 49'ers, Tyrod Taylor
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