BILLS HEAD COACH DICK JAURON
Monday, November 19, 2007
Opening
Really a disappointing night, no doubt about that. At this point in our season there are very few people that thought we'd be 5-5 so I give our players a lot of credit for how they've worked to get to this point. We were really excited about the opportunity to play an undefeated team and the opportunity to possibly give them their first loss in front of our fans, in our stadium, in a night game and a nationally televised game. Unfortunately we didn't get it done. They were, as I said afterwards, they were a buzz saw. We didn't slow them down. Our fans were great and we knew they would be. We just needed to keep them in it and we couldn't keep the fans in the game either because the score got out of hand so quickly. But my hats off to the Patriots. Disappointing for us, but again we're at a point where very few people thought we'd be. We've got six games and we're looking forward to getting past this one. It'll take us a day or so to get past it and then moving on quickly and getting ready for the next one.
On if he will show the game tape of last night's loss
I don't know that we'll show the whole thing just because we'll like to get by. They'll definitely see parts of it because we need to learn from it. We've got a lot of young players. They need to see it and then we need to get on real quickly. But they definitely need to see some of it first.
On if getting over a blowout loss is easier to get over than a one-point loss
I'd like to say that they're all the same; I don't think that they are. It's a little harder, for me anyway and I can't speak for everybody, to get past these kinds of games. They are losses so you just have to get past them eventually, but you go back and replay every single thing -- not that you don't in a win. But we knew that they were really good going in. We knew we'd have to play our best by far game of the year and then see where it went. It was disappointing.
On if Marshawn Lynch has a chance to play this week at Jacksonville
Based on what I know about Marshawn, I wouldn't count him out. And I say it because I don't really know him real well yet. I've only spent this much time around in this first year. He came so far this first week and he was so determined that he was going to play the whole week until Saturday when I told him in fact he was not going to play. He really thought he would be able to play so I don't want to discount him ever because he did heal fast, but it is a substantial sprain and injury. I'm not optimistic but again I wouldn't count him out just for the reasons I said. He's young and he's different.
On if Dwayne Wright will have a better opportunity to see more time of Lynch is out
We'll think about that as we go through the week, but I see him in the same role that he's played. He's got a ways to go. We have a lot of faith in him. We think he's going to be a good back, but he's just learning how to play in this league.
On if he has decided on the starting quarterback for Sunday
Normally we wait until Wednesday to make any of these announcements. I don't anticipate any changes and that includes the quarterback decision.
On if the quarterback decision will be based on play and health
Both, but Trent's pretty healthy. That wrist is pretty much back.
On JP Losman not having much he could do last night against the Patriots
You'd say probably the same thing about him you'd say about anybody. He made some good plays, he made some errors that we'd like to correct but it clearly wasn't him.
On if Lynch is still wearing a protective boot
He was up until the end of the week. He wasn't for a good deal of yesterday (Sunday).
On what he saw to challenge the kickoff
I saw the ball come out. Unfortunately I didn't follow it. I didn't follow the whole play and then our players came to the sideline and said it was clearly out and we got it. I told them that in order to get that ball it has to be out and the officials have to see that we have it immediately in order to reverse that play. This is my opinion; there are plays sometimes you challenge just because your players feel strongly that you should challenge them and also the nature of the game. It was one I thought was worth a chance at that point.
On how he can keep the momentum from the winning streak going
They're professionals and they love to play. When you watch the tape, our guys played really hard. They played hard. The other team just was hot and we were not and they're really good anyway. We have to get through this day so we present the game to them, we'll show them the tape, explain what could have happened in certain situations, what they could have done better, what they did alright, things that they did alright and then we just all need to go right past it. We just need to drop it. These things happen in sport. This year they've happened a lot to Patriots opponents. We're not alone, we're humbled but we're not alone in the thing. And today's a new day, that's one of the great things about sport.
On the game Sunday vs. Jacksonville being a big game
Well it is now. It is now. In our business it's always the next one. It's always going to be the next one, but you do have to learn from them though. We've got to find what we can take from this one, improve on it and then really just go. We just have to go. I don't worry about them. They're such a good group, there's a good mixture of youth and a little bit of age. They like to play, they like each other I think that they're not happy, but they'll work right through it.
On if the magnitude of this week's game helps it move on
Yes it does. Regardless though you've just got to go. You have to go to the next one, but it does and it'll help. That'll definitely help to focus on that.
On his thoughts about New England
What we said going in is kind of how I feel. They don't have a weakness. You're looking for a hole in them, there's not any weakness in their football team. The pressure is always on you. You've got to play. I don't want to say you have to play a perfect game, but that's how you feel. And then when they start scoring, the pressure is on more and more and more. It's on both sides of your ball. Your defense struggles to stop them at all and then your offense presses because they've got to make plays, you've got to score somehow, and you've got to stay in the race with them. They're very impressive.
On if he feels a team has a chance to beat the Patriots
I think so. I definitely do. I thought that we did. We knew that a lot of things would have to happen. It just didn't work out at all that way, but next week is a new week. Again it's probably why we love sport because you never know. You've got to play the thing.
On if Tom Brady's play last night was a result of his ability to see the field
I think after the game, Scott told me one of the things he said he feels like there's almost nothing he hasn't seen in the league now. And so whatever you do he feels like he can respond to it. Unfortunately for us and for a lot of people that's what it looks like, but we didn't succeed but I felt okay and good about our plan. We didn't want to sit there in one coverage because we've seen him do that and we wanted to try to pressure him. We tried to pressure him. They picked it up. They did a nice job. We pressured him a few times. He came out and ran a few times. It just didn't work, but I think you just have to keep trying. You definitely got to keep trying, but he's playing at an incredibly high level.
