FAN ZONE

Bills November 2 Interviews: Chan Gailey, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Stevie Johnson, Donald Jones, Eric Wood, Dwan Edwards, Spencer Johnson, Marcell Dareus

Head Coach Chan Gailey – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On the Jets not getting a lot of live exposure to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick:

No, but they’ve got the film. When you’ve got the film, and they’ve got every game this season, they had an off week to study every bit of it. That will not be and I don’t think that’s an issue for teams anymore.

On what stands out from the Jets’ defense:

They can generate a lot of pass rush with their different looks. They can create problems for you in protection if you’re not careful. Their corners obviously are very good. They’re a good all-around defense. They have been for years and they are this year.

On the Jets playing more man coverage defense:

They play a lot more man than some teams.

On where this game ranks in importance:

This is the biggest game of the year and next week will be the next biggest game of the year. That’s the way we have to do it. We can’t do it any other way.

On if the Jets are hitting their stride after winning a couple games before their bye:

I know they’re a good football team. Strides are something for other people to talk about. I look at them and I see a good football team. They’ve gotten back to running the football which they’re good at. They had some injuries that hampered them a little bit and they got those guys back, in particular Nick Mangold. They’re doing a lot of good things right now on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game. They’re dangerous in the kicking game as well.

On what the Jets were able to do against the Bills defense in the run game last year and players remembering that:

I remember it, too. You don’t ever want to forget that as far as a learning experience goes.

On if they have to try to stay away from CB Darrelle Revis:

I don’t think they’ll be any doubt about where he will be. You just look for Stevie (Johnson) and you’ll find him. I’m pretty sure that’s the way it will go in this ballgame. That’s what they have shown in games previous that whoever is deemed their number one receiver he goes and lines up and takes him all over the field. He covered (Wes) Welker everywhere he went, just about. I wouldn’t expect anything different this week. You have to give Stevie his opportunities to catch the ball and make plays and you have to be able to go other places if they do things that takes something away. And that’s the one thing I think Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has done a great job of during the course of the season is not trying to force the ball into areas and taking what the defense gives you.

On what he has seen from former Bills LB Aaron Maybin this season in New York:

He’s hustling. He’s made a few plays for them. He’s the energizer bunny out there. He keeps going and going and going, he plays hard.

On if he pays attention to how Head Coach Rex Ryan approaches coaching:

I don’t pay attention.

On if WR Donald Jones will start practicing:

He’s going to try to practice and we’ll see if we can get him ready to play some this week. I don’t know if we can get him fully ready to play, hopefully we can.

On if Maybin needed a change of scenery to become this “energizer bunny”:

He hustled here. It wasn’t like he didn’t play hard here. He hustled every snap he was on the field here. Maybe the change of scenery was good for him, I don’t know.

On when Jones gets healthy, how much of a role will RB C.J .Spiller have at WR:

I think that’s yet to be determined. I don’t think that we have got a good idea about where Donald is right now to make that determination, so we’ll have to see on that.

On T Chris Hairston injury update:

Chris Hairston’s got a chance. I don’t know if he is going to be 100-percent, but he’s got a chance.

On what he has learned as his time in Buffalo as head coach:

I don’t even think about that stuff, I really don’t. We’re a product of everything that we do every day. I learn something every day, but I can’t remember what I learned from previous times. It just becomes a part of me. I think that we all are, everybody in here is what we’ve learned through the years. I can’t think of that kind of stuff. I don’t keep a log or journal or anything so I don’t know.

On some of the guys never being in a winning environment and if he senses a buzz in the locker room especially for the upcoming game:

It’s always a big game when you play a division opponent that’s right behind you. It’s a two for one game. Division games are big games. They take on a little bit more importance than those other games because not only can you get a win but you can give a division opponent a loss. They understand that and I think they have confidence about who they are. This time last year we were hoping to win. I think we’re at a point now where we expect to win.

On how dominant DL Marcell Dareus was at the NT position on Sunday:

He was extremely strong in there and made a lot of plays and created some problems for Washington’s offense. He’ll stay in there for the foreseeable future. Let’s wait until we have an issue. Right now we don’t have an issue. So let’s wait until we have a wonderful problem to have by the way if we can get Kyle (Williams) back and see how that goes. It may be best to keep him in there and put Kyle at the three. We just have to wait and see.

On what he expects from his pass rush this week after collecting 10.0 sacks against Washington:

I expect us to be more consistent in our pass rush. I don’t expect us to go from four in the season to 10 in one game and I don’t expect us to go back to zero. But the bottom line is to get pressure on the guy and you either need to get sacks or turnovers or sacks or out on third down. You need to have enough pressure on the quarterback to create problems. Sometimes that doesn’t end up in sacks but it does end up in turnovers or it will end up in incompletions, which all of those are good for the defense.

On if he has any idea when NT Kyle Williams will be back:

I can’t gauge anything. That’s up to those medical people. I don’t have any idea when or if he might get back, I don’t know. I hope so.

On how well TE Shawn Nelson and Maybin know the Bills playbook:

Not this year’s stuff, I don’t think. We’ve kind of evolved, even from training camp we’ve evolved. I don’t know he (Aaron Maybin) might. We have some of the same calls obviously.

On the production of RB Fred Jackson this season:

As I said earlier this week, I’ve never had one that does the all around that he does. He is extremely good at receiving, running and protection. You don’t find guys that are very good at all three of those. Like I said the other day, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the way he’s played this year.

On his opinion of the new policy this year of making the center wear a microphone:

I really think, now don’t hold me to this, but I really think that was done because we had a lot of defensive players without an umpire in there calling out the offensive signals and causing a lot more jumps and illegal motions by the offensive line. Without an umpire in there then how do they know if it’s happening or not? I think that’s why it was done to be honest you. I think they’ll take out anything that the offense, that somebody might get off the tape from offense.

On if the policy bothers him:

Not unless I find out that somebody can figure out what our checks are, then that would bother me.

QB RYAN FITZPATRICK – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On his initial thoughts of what he’ll face with the Jets defense:

They’re always a tough team to play. It’s somebody that we’re familiar with just because we play them twice a year. They’ve been giving us plenty of problems the past few years. They’re going to be in your face. They’re going to think that their guys are better than yours and they’re going to play man-to-man on the outside a lot and come after you and make you beat them. That’s kind of been their M.O. They’re really good at what they do.

On if they stay away from CB Darelle Revis or challenge him:

He gets a lot of publicity for being a great corner. Every time you look at him he’s probably better than you even remember. He’s a great corner and a great player. We think we’ve got some good players, too. I don’t know that you necessarily shy away from him. I think it’s a match-up because of his greatness you’re not going to win every time. We’re not going to shy away or shutdown that side of the field because he’s over there.

On how to approach CB Antonio Cromartie:

That’s how their whole defense is. They’ll take some chances every now and again, guess on some routes and do those kinds of things. For us, especially we do a lot of stuff on anticipation. When they guess it makes it hard for us sometimes.

On the job that LG Andy Levitre has done filling in at LT:

He’s played great all year. I don’t know if everybody realizes how difficult it is for a guy like that to be the guard and the backup center and all of a sudden have to be put at left tackle. That is such a tough position to play in the NFL. You see those tackles getting paid so much money because it’s hard to find a good one. He’s done such a good job for us the last few games when he’s been out there. I can’t say enough about it just because it’s such a tough move from inside to outside and he’s played really well.

On what RT Erik Pears has meant to the offensive line:

When you’re not hearing much from your tackles it’s usually a good thing. Erik’s done a really job for us. When he came to training camp you could just see he kind of bulked up and he kind of transformed his body, put some meat on his frame. You knew he was serious about coming in, really nailing down that spot at right tackle there. He’s played well all year. That’s been something we hope for and I think he’s played even better than we could have hoped for so far.

On if these games feel different because they are 5-2 and atop the division:

There’s more meaning going into this one than our eighth game last year when we were 0-7, that’s for sure. I think anytime you play a division opponent it’s serious. These are the games you have to win to get to the playoffs.

On if they have to maintain poise and control through the rest of the season:

This isn’t the Super Bowl, but this is a big game for us. I mean it’s our next game, that’s why it’s so big. All our games from here on out are going to be huge for us.

On the Jets overloading their blitzes:

They probably do it more than anybody else and it’s something they’ve really relied on in the past. They’ve done it this year again. They create a lot of problems for you because it’s one of those things you can’t tell where they’re coming from and then they’ll bring a lot of guys from one side. They’re not afraid to drop all their defensive linemen out. It’s one of those things where it’s tough for opposing offenses to prepare for.

On his thought about what LB Aaron Maybin has done with the Jets:

He’s just another player over there. It’s not like we’re going to focus all our efforts on him just because he played here. He’s a guy that you never wish harm or you never wish bad for anybody. So good for him but our focus is on winning and what we’re going to do.

On if there are added challenges when a team is coming off a bye:

I think they’ve got a little bit of an advantage to spend some time, just like we did coming off our bye. I think we had a little bit of an advantage just because we were spending more time game planning and preparing and really figuring out what we needed to do offensively and defensively to get better. That being said, we’re playing at home. I think that’s a big advantage for us.

On it being more important this week, facing the Jets defense, for him to make the right choice and to find the right match-up:

It’s always important to make the choices back there. This is just a team that maybe makes you stay on it that much more and they’ll try to force you into bad decisions. It’s a matter of sometimes you’ve got to eat it and sometimes you’ve got to throw it away. You’re not going to score a touchdown on every play, but eliminating the bad plays the big thing.

On getting the chance to put a division opponent two games back:

Again, it’s a division opponent. We’re not looking at it big city New York. It’s another division game and we’re excited about it.

On the Jets playing press coverage:

They press a lot. They play a lot of man coverage. They play more man coverage than most teams.

On getting WR Donald Jones back:

That’d be big for us. He’s obviously a really good player. He’s had some good games for us this year. To be able to have him back out there running around will be good to see.

On winning this game and becoming part of the discussion for playoff contention:

You keep it all under perspective though. This will be game eight of the year so there’s a lot of games left after this one. It’s not an all-in or do or die type of situation. But it’s a situation where we continue to talk about when we play New England, the Jets, and Miami. You have to win these games in the division.

On having the most personalized t-shirts in the league:

I don’t think there’s any doubt. I don’t know how it keeps happening. They just keep showing up in my locker. You guys have seen me enough now to know that I don’t care about what t-shirt I’m wearing. I’ll put on anything. This one’s sweet though, I do care about this one cause “Fredex” does deliver.

On the play of RB Fred Jackson this year:

Obviously he’s been our go to guy. If you want to crown a MVP, the guy that really gets this thing going, it’s Fred. He’s had such a big impact for us. We talk about it every week. His stats are showing up but there’s so many other things he does for us that doesn’t show up in the stat line. He means a tremendous amount to us and we’re just going to continue to expect big things out of him.

On leading the league in first down yardage:

That makes second and third down a lot easier. I didn’t know that but I’d say a lot of that stems from the way we’ve ran the ball. The things that Fred has done, the way those guys have opened up holes and blocked for him. It certainly makes the drive easier when you’re looking at those short down distances on second and third down.

RB Fred Jackson – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On the Jets defense stopping the run

That’s what we’re anticipating, it’ll be a good test for us.  I think our offensive line is looking forward to it, I’m looking forward to it.  We are going to have to do that to take some pressure off Fitz.  We know they like to play one on one and hopefully we can establish the run and allow him to make some plays down field.

On how the Jets beat them last year

This will be the biggest game of the year for us, it was a huge win for us when we beat them (Patriots) but we got a good test coming in for us this weekend.  We know it’ll be crazy out there when we come out for the game.  So, this will be the biggest game of the season for us.

On getting positive yardage on first down

Definitely, it will be something we’re aware of this weekend just because they like to do such crazy things on third down and long situations.  We’ll want to keep ourselves out of that.  We know if we get in those situations they’ll definitely bring the house at us so we want to make an emphasis at making positive plays on first and second downs to keep us out of those third and long situations.

On the statistics he’s putting up this year

The coaching staff putting faith in me, I’m in on a lot of plays so the more touches I get I think the more plays I’m able to make and I’m getting a lot of touches this year.  The coaching staff showing faith in me leaving me out there even in passing situations putting me out wide and things like that and our offensive line is doing a great job blocking this year that’s allowing me to make plays in the running game.

On hearing the respect from Rex Ryan

That’s huge, you want to be respected in the game.  You want to have coaching staffs know who you are and prepare for you.  So, that means I’m doing some right things, but I still got a lot of work to do.  I know they’ll come in here prepared to stop me and that allows other guys on the team to make plays.  I’ll do my part, show up, hopefully make some plays and take the pressure off those guys.

On MVP talk

Obviously you want to be the best in the game when you play, but I think that’s just a credit to everybody else on the team making plays as well.  I’m just going out trying to make plays and allowing our team to be successful on offense, and anytime you get an individual accolade that’s stuff you relish at the end of the season, but I think the number one thing is to get to the playoffs and make a deep run.

On talking to Buddy Nix about his contract

I had the opportunity to sit down with him and he told me what he felt like, and I expressed to him what I felt like.  I’ll just put my faith in him and see what happens, we got a good understanding of each other and as far as that I’ll just put faith in him and see what happens.

On getting “insurance” something will be done

Yeah, just like I said I have a lot of faith in him and hopefully something is done.  I would like it to be sooner than later but I have a lot of faith in him that something will get done about it.

WR Stevie Johnson – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan calling CB Darrelle Revis the best player in the NFL:

He’s entitled to his opinion.  I’m not going to sit here and debate with him. He’s done his thing throughout his year’s he’s been in the league.  He can say what he wants to say about his team. That’s his team. I’m pretty sure Coach Gailey would say the same about the players on our team.

On what makes Revis so good:

I don’t know him personally but maybe he does a lot in the film room it looks like.  He’s gone against a lot of different type of receivers coming from Chad (Ochocinco), Steve Smith and playing against (Wes) Welker. He’s had a niche on pretty much every one of the wide outs and they’re not all the same. They all run their routes different, so I would assume the way he watches film. He’s good in the film room.

On how the Jets’ defense is different:

I think it’s more so confusion. They try to use their line and linebackers to confuse you and get the ball out fast so the defensive backs don’t really have to cover for too long.  I think we’re a better team. I think we’ll put up with all the junk that they try to throw at us and I think we’ll still have an advantage on their defensive backs and their entire defense.

On RB Fred Jackson’s production thus far:

No surprise to us. We’ve already seen what Freddy can do.  Practice is only practice but we’ve seen it from practice.  He’s been this type of player now and the world is finally getting to see what Freddy is all about.

On talk of Jackson being considered for MVP:

Yeah, it’s most definitely deserving just watching what he does.  He opens it up for everybody. This is his year so I think all the talk about MVP is necessary.

On facing another high quality secondary:

We don’t back down at all. This is a league to where if you back down you might as well be out of the league.  We’ll go at anybody but for the most part when be played against Nnamdi (Asomugha) we prepared how we would prepare against any other defensive back.  We had a game plan and we went out and executed what Coach Gailey wanted us to do just like this week. We have a game plan and we are going to go out and try to execute what Coach Gailey gave us.

On the numerous options on offense for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick:

That’s how I feel when if you’re going to try and shut down Freddy, you’re going to have to worry about me and try to shut me down or you’re going to have to worry about David (Nelson). We have Donald (Jones) coming back and we have Naaman (Roosevelt) in there. I think we are pretty good.  C.J. (Spiller) split out at receiver and (running) back.  I think we have pieces all over the place and our offensive line is much better than they’ve ever been and I think we’ll be solid. 

WR Donald Jones – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On how he feels:

I feel good and we’ll see how I feel come the middle of practice. But right now I definitely feel good and we’ll see how it goes.

On testing the injury fully:

I’ve ran routes full-speed, cutting and everything.  I still feel something in there, but it’s nothing that will hinder me from doing anything. The next thing is running against defense so we’ll see how that goes.

On how excited he is to get back on the field:

I’m real excited to play against these guys, really. They’re a rival and it’s a big divisional game. And to be back and playing against a big divisional opponent is big for me, especially training with those guys back in Jersey. I know like half their team so, it’ll be fun. 

C Eric Wood – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On the Jets’ third-down defense:

They’ll run a 3-1 defense with seven defensive backs and come at you from all angles. They do a great job of getting after the quarterback and they’re really good on third-down defense. That’s something you have to prepare for.

On gaining 7 yards per first-down play:

That’s ideal and when you look at every team in the league the best teams on third-down are the ones who do better on first and second-downs.  Most teams are good at converting the third and shorts but definitely this week we have to be able to run the ball effectively and move the chains.

On playing a “meaningful” game in November:

It’s a lot of fun.  You’re getting the butterflies before these games. When you come out the crowd is going nuts and it’s a good feeling. It’s fun having the city behind you and it’s fun winning games.  Obviously we are a long way from where we want to be but being able to look forward to hopefully getting another win, hopefully staying at the top of division.  This is what you play football for. It sucks coming to the facility on a Monday after however many consecutive losses and everyone’s down and you feel like crap and you got your head beat in and you just got to get right back into it.  It’s fun winning ball games. 

On this being the biggest game to this point:

At this point it’s our biggest game by far.  People are expecting us to win now, expecting us to do well and you have to keep that chip on your shoulder. We realize what these guys have done to us in the past and we approach it with a chip on our shoulder as we have the rest of the games.

S George Wilson – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On New York TE Dustin Keller:

Anytime you’re still developing a young quarterback, he has a good relationship with his tight end who bails him out of a lot of situations and it helps him get in the rhythm of the game with quick throws to get him in the grove and build his confidence as the game goes on.  So we know those guys go well together and we have to do a great job of limiting their production.

On playing an important game in November:

It’s extremely important right now.  We know November sets up how you’re going to close the season or the position you put yourself in.  As a team we always talk about where we’re trying to get to and this is another step in getting us in that direction.  We’re pushing to position ourselves for the playoffs as the season continues to draw to an end and we have to do our job of winning each individual game and putting ourselves in the best position as we go down the stretch.

On how the Jets ran the ball against the defense last year:

We certainly remember how they dominated us at the line of scrimmage a year ago.  They had their way with us in the running game and over the past few weeks they’ve gotten back to that brand of football. So we know they’re going to come in and challenge us in every aspect of the game and we have to do a great job as we did last week limiting their running game to make them as one dimensional as we possibly can.

On how a win would change the landscape of the division:

We continue to try to prove that it’s changing with each and every game and it just so happens that we play the Jets this week.  It’s a divisional opponent that we know this game counts twice as much, especially trying to win the division so we don’t have to depend on anybody as the season draws to an end to have to win or lose to have our ticket punched.

On Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan:

He’s a great head coach.  He does a great job of leading his team. His players buy into what he’s selling, they support him in every aspect and he brings a lot of energy to the game.

NT Kyle Williams – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On how he feels about his injury

I am as much as I can be its frustrating sitting at home watching so that gets you a little bit more excited to get back out there and help out.  Like I said I’ll tell you exactly how optimistic I am on Tuesday or Wednesday after I get to take this boot off and hopefully move around a little bit and see where we are.

On his injury being somewhat unknown

Yeah it is, like I said we’re going to take the boot off Monday, going to have it re-MRI’d and we’ll see exactly then.  I’m hopeful, I feel a little bit better but I won’t know until I try to do some things on it and I can tell you to sit around Sunday watching that massacre was not fun.  I can tell you my wife had to leave and take my kids to go to dinner. 

On watching the win vs the Redskins

I’m happy for everybody and I’m glad we won obviously we are in a position to be where we are but what’s inside of me doesn’t allow me to sit there and enjoy it that much I can promise you that.  It’s been tough, talking to coach, been here so long, playing so hard for so long, I’ve really struggled through some tough times or however you want to phrase it and now I think we have a really good team and everything’s right in front of us and here I am.  So, I am happy we won, I hope we win this Sunday, I hope I can come back and play but it won’t feel the same unless I can go out and help.   

DE Dwan Edwards – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On playing against Rex Ryan

I loved him, I still have a lot for respect for the guy. Definitely want to beat him on Sunday.  He was my defensive line coach coming in so I learned a lot from him.

On what makes Rex Ryan an effective coach

He’s a competitive guy, he wants to win.  He wants his team to believe they’re the best team in the world regardless if they are or aren’t.  I guess if your team feels like they’re confident, you’ve won in your approach I guess.

On Rex Ryan taking pressure away from the players

Definitely, I think he definitely puts some of the pressure and attention on himself and I guess depending on what kind of team you have it could help you, could hurt you too I guess, but I guess it works for them.

On Rex Ryan’s personality

I think he’s entertaining, I guess mainly because I know him, I know what kind of person he is.

 DL/LB Spencer Johnson – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On the opportunities to prove themselves without NT Kyle Williams and LB Shawne Merriman:

Whether you’re a back-up or a starter you prepare like you’re going to play just like a starter.  We have guys that have been around the league and we have young guys who can play the game. We understand that when your opportunity comes you have to make the best of it and as a player that’s what you want. You want an opportunity to get out there and show what you can do.

On the meaning of this week’s game:

It’s a division rival. The Jets have been good the last couple of years and they kind of ran over us a little bit so we are going to take a little more of a center.  First of all because it’s a division game and where we want to get to win a championship this is a must game for us. 

On extra motivation from what happened last year against New York:

That’s for anything.  The division games are the most important and how they won the last couple years is going to be important for us to go out and establish this is not a fluke, this is a good game.

On former Bill LB Aaron Maybin’s playing better in a change of scenery:

Maybin is a good example of that. The guy works hard and he’s been making plays.  He’s made some really good plays for them so definitely a change of scenery obviously helped him and getting a fresh start.

DE/NT Marcell Dareus – Wednesday, November 2, 2011

On going against Jets OL Nick Mangold:

Going against the best, there isn’t anything like it.  You have to anchor down and be prepared for it. I’ll watch the extra film on him and try to capitalize on some of his tendencies. But he doesn’t give up too much. I’m just going to try and be ready for him.

On playing inside and outside along the defensive line:
It really doesn’t matter.  I like to move around, nose, end or tackle. It really doesn’t matter.

On what the Jets have done against the Bills the last couple of years:

The players tell me about it and that was the only team that had real convincing wins both games.  So that’s something that we talk about a lot.