• last week
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen addresses the media following Wednesday's practice, as his team gets ready to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. (Courtesy of the Buffalo Bills)
Transcript
00:00Getting the receiver group settled, injuries kind of crumbled up.
00:05What are the challenges now, not knowing if you're gonna have a key on that?
00:09We don't know about Amari yet either.
00:11Yeah, I mean, throughout the course of the season, that's gonna happen.
00:13That's the name of the game.
00:15It's not if you get hurt, it's when you get hurt, right?
00:18So just dealing with whether we have new guys or
00:22we got to get them moving around a little bit today, that was good to see.
00:26So jury's still out and again, we rock with who we got.
00:30We do a good job in our offensive unit meetings and getting guys ready to go.
00:34So whatever the case is, we'll be prepared.
00:37So you were, I think you were probably 11 years old when Flacco was drafted.
00:45That's pretty crazy, isn't it?
00:47Yeah, no, he's an absolute baller.
00:50He throws one of the prettiest balls you'll ever see.
00:54I got the chance to spend a little bit of time with him in Tahoe at the golf
00:57tournament this last year, and he's an awesome guy too.
01:00So he's been around some of my friends, whether it was in New York with Sam or
01:05Mike, so I've heard a lot of good stories, a lot of good things about him, and
01:08I got to see it firsthand in Tahoe.
01:10So I got a lot of respect for him and his game.
01:12So Super Bowl winning quarterback, he's one of the ones.
01:19He's a fantastic player, but an even better person.
01:22I realize Navarri's been out, but just working with him in meetings,
01:26just how do you feel he's picked up the scheme in general,
01:29being an experienced guy that he is?
01:31Yeah, I mean, since day one when he stepped in the building, he was ready to go.
01:34And he's only, again, continued to learn the playbook and
01:38learn his role in this offense.
01:39And whether we get him back this week or the next or whenever that case is,
01:43I know he's gonna be ready to go.
01:44And it'll be kind of plug and play and feel pretty seamless out there.
01:48Couple familiar faces back, Jordan, Quinton.
01:52From your experience with them, what do they bring to the defense?
01:55What do they bring to the locker room?
01:56Well, big bodies, number one, the familiarity with what we got going on here
02:01in Buffalo and type of men that we have in this locker room.
02:05And they've been playing really good football.
02:07I think Q had 10 plus sacks last year, if I recall correctly.
02:12And I know Phil hasn't been playing much this year with an injury,
02:17but glad to have those two back.
02:19They've been, again, good locker room guys for us.
02:21And they'll make an immediate impact on the field.
02:24What do you see in this Colts defense?
02:26What are some of the issues you're gonna be dealing with?
02:28Yeah, I mean, I think they move around well.
02:30They're linebackers.
02:32They flow very, very fast.
02:34It's the hard group to run on.
02:36And they play a lot of bend, don't break defense,
02:38where they're gonna force you to take some things that are underneath.
02:42I think their pass rush unit's pretty dang good.
02:45And as we get more into the third down in the red zone today and
02:50tomorrow, we'll get a better sense of it.
02:51But you look at every game that they've played, they've been in every single one.
02:57And I think that's large in part due to their defense, creating some takeaways,
03:03and forcing field goals and
03:06not touchdowns down there in the red zone, so it's a really good unit.
03:10You saw that all day last week against Manhattan.
03:12Everything was, they wanted to just keep you in front.
03:15So you're seeing that with the Colts too when you watch them on film.
03:18It's gonna be similar, you think?
03:19Yeah, I think so.
03:22And again, every team's got different wrinkles when they play us.
03:24And we'll have to be prepared and ready to adjust in game.
03:28But typically, from what they've shown this year, pretty heavy in zone defense.
03:34Don't bring a whole lot of pressures on first and second down.
03:37But when they get you in third down, they're a good unit.
03:41So we gotta be prepared for their best punch.
03:43All right, to put you off, talk to Joe this week a little bit about how he's
03:47wanting to call plays that guys wanna see out there and that kind of thing.
03:50And from the Friday meetings and all that, what has been the impact from your
03:53perspective of running plays that guys maybe wanna see and that sort of thing?
03:58Yeah, I think a lot of it's ownership, guys taking accountability of,
04:01if I told Joe that I want this play and he calls it, I gotta go and
04:04make it work, because we're putting ourselves on the line there,
04:09in terms of him trusting us.
04:10And as long as we keep executing some of the plays that we like,
04:15he's gonna keep calling them.
04:16So again, the more you do, Joe always talks about
04:21the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.
04:24So that's all it really is,
04:25is just making sure that we're holding ourselves accountable.
04:28And if he's gonna go out there and be a friendly play caller like that,
04:33that we gotta make it work and make him look good at the same time.
04:36Obviously, he wants to call plays that you're comfortable with, especially.
04:39But do you have any examples of maybe something you were really passionate,
04:43that he called that maybe he wasn't sure, or there was conversation about?
04:46Yeah, I mean, I think it comes down to even going back to a couple weeks ago in
04:51Seattle, third down, third and short, there was a timeout, go over to the sideline.
04:56I told him a play that I wanted, and he called it, and it worked out.
04:59And it's fulfilling for me that it works, but for him too,
05:03I trust this guy and what he's seeing.
05:06And to have a healthy relationship like that with your OC and
05:10he trusts you like that, it's a dang good feeling.
05:12When you go into an offseason, what is your kind of process for
05:16how to go about year over year improvement?
05:20And has it evolved at all over your career?
05:22Yeah, I think each and every year,
05:24it's just again finding something that I wanna improve on.
05:27There's always something.
05:28I think this last year especially was the mental part of the game and
05:31understanding the offense.
05:32And just making sure that I'm making good decisions with the football,
05:37trying to limit turnovers.
05:38And I'm not going out there and not trying to throw interceptions.
05:41I think I'm just going out there trying to make the right decision.
05:43And then trusting my arm, trusting my feet, and trusting the guys around me.
05:48And being okay with whatever outcome comes with it.
05:51You mentioned the command you've got now with the team and
05:53the offense, as something that stuck out to him for you this year.
05:58Is that a natural outgrowth you think of?
06:00You just getting a year older, being around?
06:02Where does it come from, the team getting a little younger and a little?
06:05Yeah, I think it's a natural progression throughout the years that I've been
06:08in the league.
06:08And I wouldn't say that I had this type of command in my first couple years.
06:13And every year that I've, again, grown and seen more football and
06:16been in different situations.
06:18And been with different teammates and
06:20learning how to handle different personalities, that all plays into it.
06:25And again, that offseason is a good time to sit back and reflect and
06:29bank those mental notes.
06:30And really figure out how to be the best leader and
06:33the best teammate that I can be.
06:34So how do you do that?
06:36How do you hone a mental approach when you're not playing football?
06:39Is it just watching film?
06:40Was it talking to coaches?
06:42What's- Yeah, I mean, talking with coaches, obviously watching film.
06:46But again, talking with teammates and staying in touch and
06:48making sure that we're on the same page.
06:51And trying to get, again, as many mental reps as possible.
06:55Whether we're on a football field or
06:57we're just hanging out, if we're on the golf course.
06:59Again, talking, getting to know somebody deeper.
07:02Cuz I do believe that pays dividends on the football field.
07:05What's it like when the switch goes on for
07:09the offense that's happened after that turnover in the third quarter on Sunday?
07:14There's been several games where you guys have just went touchdown, touchdown,
07:17touchdown.
07:18What's that like and why is it?
07:22Well, I think it's a good feeling when the switch is on.
07:25And hopefully we can get that switch turned on when the game starts.
07:29But I think it's a culmination of a few things.
07:33Whether it's early on, just again, being mentally prepared, ready to go.
07:38But also wearing on teams.
07:41Committing to the run game and getting the screen game involved and
07:46taking our shots.
07:46But when they're not there, checking it down and
07:48making sure that we're holding on to the ball and
07:50ending every possession and a kick.
07:51Albeit a pun, a field goal, or a touchdown, or a point after touchdown.
07:58Just again, I think the more plays that you can run,
08:01the more opportunities that you have.
08:02And again, our O-line's done such a good job of creating lanes in the run game.
08:08Our running backs are running it hard.
08:11And that puts the defense in a tough situation throughout an entire game.
08:14Josh, you talked with Elena that there are times this year where you've said on
08:18third down, I wanna run this play.
08:20Is that something new this year?
08:22Or is it your confidence level with the offense and
08:25where you are in your career that you've started to say, hey, I want this?
08:30Is that something new?
08:31Did you do that your rookie year?
08:32Or is this just something that-
08:33Yeah, I don't think I did it my rookie year, but it's not entirely new.
08:38But again, for really a first year play caller, if you will, with Joe and me.
08:45I know we had half a year last year, and this is the first full year.
08:49But for him to have that trust in me so early,
08:50that's obviously something that we've talked about.
08:53And we trust each other and feel good about.
08:56And our relationship's only growing.
08:58So I appreciate and respect him for that and
09:01trusting me in those types of situations.
09:03But ultimately, again, whatever he calls, I'm gonna go up there and
09:06try to execute to the best of my ability.
09:09Any major moves, trades in terms of yesterday?
09:12What do you think that says about his belief in this roster?
09:15Yeah, I know he trusts the guy in this room, trusts the guys in this room.
09:19And we've got a lot of love and a lot of faith in each other in this building.
09:23And ultimately, that's the only thing that matters.
09:26You mentioned Joe's a first time play caller with this organization.
09:32Coach Curry comes in.
09:33What does he bring to the table as quarterbacks?
09:35RC's been awesome.
09:37He brings familiarity with Joe.
09:39Obviously, they were in New Orleans together for quite some time.
09:43He's been around really good offenses.
09:45He's been around Drew Brees.
09:46He's one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
09:48A lot of good tidbits of information.
09:52His ability to not just to speak to the quarterbacks, but
09:55when we meet as wide receiver group, he's played the position.
09:59He's done that.
09:59He understands sometimes the way communication needs to be had
10:06about certain routes or concepts with certain guys.
10:09And he's been a tremendous help for me.
10:12I owe a lot of success to him this year because he's been fantastic.
10:16And really, everybody in that room has been so great.
10:17Over the years, you've talked about taking guys off the field and
10:22getting them to the courts.
10:23Where did you learn that?
10:25Because we've never really asked you, where did you see that?
10:27How did you learn that that was an important thing?
10:30I mean, I think it's just kind of how I grew up.
10:32I actually grew up in the middle of nowhere, really just had my family.
10:37Mom was a stay-at-home mom and took care of us, and Dad was working a lot.
10:40But when we got into high school, whether we were hanging out with friends or
10:46teammates, my parents did such a good job of having everyone at our place.
10:51And maybe I just, it's a learned trait of seeing that.
10:55It was just spending time with other people and just getting to know each other.
10:59Again, not a whole lot to do out on the farm, except to play cards,
11:03play outside, play some video games with each other.
11:05So I think that's kind of where it stems from.
11:08Can you mention what it does for, when Joe Brady calls a play that you like and
11:12what it does for you personally?
11:13What happens when he calls a play that one of your teammates like?
11:16What's it like to see them get something they've worked hard at kind of
11:18affirmed by him?
11:20They know it, they understand, they appreciate it, especially early on in
11:23the game when we're sitting in that meeting like,
11:27what play do you want to get going early, Khalil?
11:29What would get you going?
11:30And he gives a play and Joe's like, all right, that's play number three, right?
11:34So early on, it's a good feeling as a receiver or a tight end or
11:40a running back or even an O-line to know that what I'm saying is being heard by
11:44the guy that's calling the plays when we're on the field.
11:46One more question about Joe.
11:47Do different offensive coordinators have different ways of sort of approaching
11:51adjustments at halftime?
11:52How does Joe approach that specifically and
11:54maybe how has that allowed you guys to be so successful in the second half?
11:59Yeah, he's been as consistent as possible in terms of when we're in there,
12:02it's hey, we're not gonna blink.
12:04We're gonna keep calling what we're calling.
12:05Let's keep wearing on guys and just hit our opportunities and play better.
12:11It's what it comes down to is going out there and
12:12executing the play that he calls.

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