Buffalo Bills Postgame Comments for October 22
Sunday, October 22, 2023, following-game press conference
We simply didn't do enough, said SM. We didn't position it in the right way. I didn't set up the
defense well, and I also didn't play good complimentary football in general.
Two short fields in the first half resulted in 10 scores, and the first
offensive play ended in an interception. Good field position on the punt
return, followed by too many first-down yards for their offense and a lack of
third-down and long-yardage opportunities for us to pressure the quarterback
more, I believe, resulted in 10 points. Early in the game, they did a nice job
of dominating the line of scrimmage with their running game, so we tried to
make some adjustments.
A total of 10 points have been scored in the first half of your last three games. Have you
been able to identify a cause for the sluggish start here?
SM: Would that I could tell you. Really, I do. Would that I could tell you. We discuss it here.
We discuss being more thorough, settling into a routine early, playing
complimentary football, and having all three phases operate in tandem.
Obviously, in the first quarter, we were unable to establish a solid rhythm.
Start there for now. Overall, we must therefore locate the solutions there.
A: Sean, you do take the lead in the final two minutes thanks to your offense. How frustrated
are people feeling overall about not being able to stop them in that
circumstance defensively given how quickly they were able to move down the
field?
Yes, SM. I believe
their opening play was a significant one for them. When they throw a screen, our
defense is in four under, three deep. We didn't put enough effort into
utilizing the formation and making the tackle when we needed to. That was a
gain of 32 or 34 yards, I believe, and all of a sudden you onto the field and
start speaking. Hey, they just had
two minutes left there, and I believe they were in the middle of a timeout.
they could operate it. They could paint. They were able to screen early and did
so. Additionally, we need to do a better job of not letting it harm us the way
it did. 34 yards is too short. Leveraging the formation, in my opinion, is part
of the solution. After forming a four-by-one formation and making a tackle,
they went after the ball wherever they could. There were still a few timeouts
there, and I believe it was over midfield. they could operate it. It would be
difficult right there if they were to toss it.
Q.Is there still a lot of optimism in
this locker room, Sean, that things will get better quickly despite today's
problems in all three areas?
SM: Yes. Indeed, it
is. Our guys have my full confidence. Our coaches have my full confidence.
Again, they were in control of the game today, and that is the strategy they
chose to use to push us into some third-and-long situations, throw us off our
game plan, and then lessen their exposure on third downs, particularly third
and longs.