Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott addressed the media on Wednesday, as his team prepares for Sunday's AFC Wild Card Round matchup with the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium. (Courtesy of the Buffalo Bills)
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00:00Good afternoon, I'll give you the update I have as far as injuries and where we're at there
00:04So today at least your Marcus Ingram will not be here
00:08He's excused for a personal family situation
00:12Brandon Codrington will not practice
00:15He's dealing with a hamstring and then everyone else will practice including Amari Amari's back
00:20and he'll practice so walkthrough style practice for us today and
00:26And the time is yours
00:28How worrisome is the Codrington situation since he is your primary return guy
00:35Yeah, no, it's he's been our primary return guy all year so we'll deal with it
00:40We'll figure it out one way or the other if he can go great if he can't and then we'll figure something out
00:46Sean six year in a row in the postseason
00:48How many I got to the outcome you want to how do you create that different outcome this year without straying away?
00:53All things that made you consistently repeatedly successful in the regular season, I mean, you know, I think there's there's very few teams
01:00That go on a very, you know, clean straight line in terms of their path to to their goal. So most of the time
01:06there's a journey of
01:08Some ups and downs and some learns as you go through things and dealing with some adversity
01:12So no different for us in that way. We learn from it. We embrace it and and
01:18You know, we try to your point to keep things as consistent as possible, especially this time of year
01:23One of your main goal one of your main focuses has been the idea of unfinished business with this team
01:30I mean does that something that's on your mind like you've been a number two seed for what three years in a row
01:35Is that part of the mindset that we have a lot of unfinished business here?
01:40Every year is different. I know why you're saying that side every year is different
01:44And every team takes on its own identity. So I would say yes and no I say yes because of it is our it is
01:51in our history
01:53Of not getting to accomplish our ultimate goal year to year
01:57but at the end of the day
01:59we've had a lot of success and it's a hard thing to win in this league and and you're looking at an AFC that is
02:04loaded with with high-level teams and it starts right from
02:07Right from the start with a week one for us of a really good football team. The Denver Broncos here
02:13That's in that sense. How do you?
02:15With each team being different over the years. How do you feel this team is?
02:21Trending going into the playoffs
02:23It seems to be on an upward trajectory as opposed to maybe being a little bit flat in previous years or different
02:30Yeah, I mean I won't go into you know, the different
02:34Vibes of the different teams going to the playoffs. They're all different to your point John
02:38I think what's most important is where we're at as a team and and right now it's Wednesday
02:42we're focused on what we've got to do and
02:44Taking it one day at a time and going out to have a good practice. You guys know that I
02:48Think that consistent approach is what's best for us and got a lot of work to do quite frankly, you know
02:53Like I said, the challenge is a big challenge good football team with a Super Bowl winning coach and a team
03:00That's very talented across the board all three phases, you know, the returner game
03:05With men's Pro Bowl returner their defense or deep starting with their defensive line
03:09Very talented affecting the quarterback and and then their offense has done a phenomenal job in moving the ball and keeping the ball
03:16And not turn on the ball over so a big challenge for us
03:20Earl Bernard is trending in the right direction. What are you expecting for him? I'll be good to go. Yeah at this point
03:25He's good to go
03:27Facing one of the NFL's best defenses
03:29how does the balance your team has both in terms of pass run and just in terms of
03:34You know target share and the whole philosophy that goes right back to the OTAs
03:38How does that set you up to face their defense in this game?
03:42Um, you know, it's listen they're a really good defense Vance Joseph has been a great defensive coordinator for a number of years and
03:50They're talented as I said, so
03:53You know, we've got to make sure that we've got everything buttoned up the details we need
03:57in order to execute at the level we're gonna need to execute at
04:01and then we got to take it one play at a time and take what they give us at the same time because it's a
04:05It's a heck of a challenge
04:08Down to the fourth quarter, what's your message to the team about being prepared and comfortable for
04:14Tight situations and how much do you discuss that?
04:18Well, that's that's day one in in the offseason. That's day one in spring when we start the journey
04:24It's developing a certain approach a certain mindset of certain
04:29Expectations or processes as some people refer to it as so that really starts that doesn't change this time of year for us
04:37Josh has been overcoming
04:39Doubters critics challenges or whatever and this year overcoming the questions about his
04:45turnovers
04:47With all the doubters which seems to have been a theme a lot with Josh this year
04:51What do you make of Josh John Elway saying what one of his biggest regrets being not drafting Josh in 2018?
04:58Yeah, I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of people with those regrets. So
05:03you know, I'm we're fortunate that we have Josh Allen and and
05:07You know, he's been really good for us and he's a he's a great person
05:10that's as you know, not just on the field, but he's out in the community and making an impact in our community and I think
05:16That's just as important as the level of play to which he's played in particular this year
05:21How much has that fueled him? Do you think it's part of his DNA as you would put it just overcoming or showing up people?
05:30Yeah, I think most of us Josh included except those challenges and use them in the right way
05:35Faced Sean Payton a few times his offense over the last few years here, but going back to Carolina twice a year against his offense
05:42What makes it so challenging to face his offense?
05:45Well, there's a lot of
05:47You know intricacies to his offense
05:50There's a lot of different personnel groupings used
05:54and he does a great job putting his players in position and as was mentioned earlier with the two-dimensional offense and
06:02You know, they're tough to defend for for a lot of reasons one of which is what he's able to do from a
06:08from a play color standpoint
06:10Seasons worth of tape now on bone X, but he is still a rookie
06:14How do you evaluate or prepare for a player with less experience versus a quarterback?
06:20Who's you know a veteran who's maybe seen a lot more of the NFL game? Yeah, you know, it's interesting because
06:25In in this case, he is a rookie, but he's I think he broke a record for the number of snaps
06:31played, you know in collegiate in the collegiate game, so
06:34He seems extremely
06:37poised for a young quarterback
06:39and
06:41I've been very impressed with his
06:43Mobility his ability to extend plays
06:46He makes a lot of plays with his arm as well. And I think they got a real good one over there
06:52Unimpressive as their pass rush been going up against your team. That's given up a few of sacks
06:56Yeah, you know, like I said earlier they're their top team in the NFL in terms of rushing the passer
07:02I think like one in every drop back passes turns into a sack. That's that's that's what the stats say. So
07:09You turn the film on it. It pops off the film and how well they come off the ball
07:14And how fast they play like I said extremely talented then you have they have a number one corner and certain back there and
07:20usually when you have that type of that
07:22Formal if you will, you've got a you've got a strong defense on your hands and that's the case in this situation
07:27I see the production for Vaughn vastly different this year than a year ago
07:30What have you seen from him throughout this season that is different from what you saw from him a year ago?
07:36Maybe physically or even just his presence with the team
07:39Yeah, I mean he's he's certainly healthier
07:42removed another X, you know X amount of months removed from the injury and
07:46you know that frees you up a little bit more so
07:48You know, I just appreciate how he continues to take it one day at a time
07:51Talked on Monday about how much of an emphasis is being put on their down defense
07:56From your perspective when you guys have struggled in that department this season. What's been the issue?
08:02Boy, it's it's not just been one area. I don't think it's every one area if it was you'd be it'd be easy to pinpoint
08:08And and solve, you know overall, how do we get how do we get there with our front four, right?
08:13That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to figure out what's going on. We're trying to figure out what's going on
08:16How do we get there with our front four, right? That's where it starts. You guys know I talk about that every year
08:20I feel like as we talk about their defensive line, you're talking about our front our defensive line
08:25How well can your front four affect the quarterback and then that symmetry between them and your and your coverage?
08:31You know units in terms of you got to be able to make the quarterback hold the ball
08:35It's got to pair up together and then when you pair up the blitzes with the blitz coverage, so it all it all works together
08:43Separate but but
08:45But in addition to how many third and longs can you get a team into versus third and short so
08:51That's kind of the the statistical side of things
08:53Sean a lot of times after games one you credited winning the battle up front a lot of times after games
08:59You've lost you said that you lost the battle up front. How important is it as simple as that in this game is winning that up front?
09:06I
09:08Guess I could leave and go home then today, right?
09:11We wouldn't need to practice no, I mean that is that's big every week Josh to your point
09:16and and it is important this week, so
09:20You know, we get into that a little bit more tomorrow with our team and in terms of what the plan is
09:24But our o-line and our d-line
09:26Every week they've got to play at a high level
09:29And that's that's that's a big part of who we are
09:33Every year up to this you had safeties that have had a ton of experience in the playoffs at a comfort level
09:39Taylor's obviously had some of that before too and a little bit last year, but how comfortable are you?
09:45I know they played a lot of snaps in New England
09:47How comfortable are you with those guys where they've been and now going into this next step of the playoffs?
09:52Yeah, there'll be some newness to it a little bit Mike with
09:55You know just you know DeMar getting back out there
09:59You know and Mike and Jordan were out there for a number of years to your point
10:03Maybe the last couple not always as fresh as and as healthy as they would have liked to have been
10:07But but they gave us all they had and so this is a new opportunity for a new a new a new
10:13Tandem out there and so I'm excited to watch those guys and then yet factor Cole into that and what he's been able
10:19How he's been able to grow this year in the last three or four outings. Um, so I'm excited about about those guys