HEAD COACH JOHN HARBAUGH
Opening Statement: "I appreciate everybody being here. It's good to see you. [We're] getting ready for a big game. A big Divisional [Playoff] game against a very tough opponent who we know well. We're looking forward to it. We're very deep into the preparation for that, and we're looking forward to the week, and we're looking forward to the game. What questions do you have?"
Obviously, you're familiar with this team after playing them earlier in the year, but just from watching them recently, what kind of stands out to you about the Bills in general? (Jamison Hensley) "It's a big question because so many things stand out – they're such a good team. All three phases are playing at a very high level. I think the biggest thing that stands out is how well-coached they are, how well-tied together they are – they play complementary football. All three phases play off of each other – they have a defined personality in every phase. And as a team, they're very physical; they play very hard; they're cohesive; they're on the same page. I think offensively, they're very coordinated in terms of blocking schemes and timing of routes and pass protections and how it's all put together. The quarterback obviously is playing at a high level. Josh Allen is a great player. They're well built around him – they did a good job of building the offense around him, and they have a lot of complementary pieces. All of their wide receivers and tight ends and [running] backs – and the backs also serve as receivers – but they're all very talented and skilled catchers. They all understand the passing game really well. They run hard, they protect the football, [and] they're all good ball carriers, whether it's handed to them or after the catch. [They] have a big physical offensive line. Defensively, [they're] very active [and they have] a very tied together defense. [From] the back end to the second level to the front. [The] pass rush, run defense, defensive backs showing up in the run game, linebackers playing downhill in the gaps in the run game, punching out in zone coverage as well, getting their depth, breaking on the ball, tackling – just all of the things you would expect from a well-coached team like they are. So, that's the type of challenge that we're facing."
In a general sense, when you play a team back in Week 4, about three-and-a-half months ago, how much weight do you put in that in terms of reviewing that and prep, compared to what they've done in their last five or six games? (Luke Jones) "Well, you do both. It's both. I don't know what the percentage of it is, but that's definitely in your breakdown. You kind of go back, and you pick the games, you watch all of the games, and you even go back to past years. That's part of your breakdown as well, and then you choose the games that you want to put in there and that you want to kind of emphasize and that you think apply to the game coming up. So, there are games we throw out, too, just based on what we see. There might be some recent games that we don't use just because we don't think they apply. The last game of the regular season we're not using. We've seen it, we know what's in it, but it's not applying necessarily to our gameplan. So, we use all of that."
I'm sure you will have a better sense of it later in the week, but are you confident that WR Zay Flowers will be able to play? Or is that still very much up in the air? (Brian Wacker) "Yes, that's in 'we'll see mode.' [Zay Flowers] is working hard to get back, and we'll see toward the end of the week if he's practicing. And he can play without practicing – for sure – if he feels healthy enough and if it's safe for him."
The excitement to see this matchup seemed immediate. You had Tony Romo almost salivating on air talking about it. Is there a part of you that can step outside of it for a second and just say, "As someone who loves football, this is a matchup that everybody should want to see?" (Childs Walker) "Absolutely. Absolutely. You kind of feel grateful to be a part of it. It's a privilege. It's a privilege to be a part of a game like this. This is a big game. It's a Divisional [Playoff] game. These Divisional [Playoff] games are really hard to win because you're playing the best teams. The four best teams in the AFC [and] the four best teams in the NFC are still alive. To get to the Super Bowl – if you want to take a step out – you have to win two games now. Whoever gets to the Super Bowl has to win two games against the best in their conference. That's tough. [It's] really tough. So, to be a part of that just in that sense is really amazing, and then you get a chance to play a team like the Bills who have been perennially in that group. [They are] just a super talented, well-coached type of a team. On that stage, in their place – it's going to be cold; it's going to be blustery [and] all that. I can just kind of picture John Facenda coming down from the heavens and narrating the preview to the game. It's great, yes. We're excited about it."
You mentioned you looked at the Week 4 game and more recent games. You guys won that Week 4 game big. What worked well for you in that game as you go back and look at it? (Bo Smolka) "You saw the game; you were there; you know what worked well. The first play was a good play – that was a good play for us, but it's just a football game. We look at it from kind of a scientific type of football perspective, in terms of what did they see? What are they going to try to stop? What are they going to play against us? What are they going to run against us? Where are the matchups now that weren't there then, or that are different or the same? It's just all of those kind of little things because just watching the game gives you some insight on what they were accomplishing. They had a lot of good plays against us, too, so it's more that, as opposed to the outcome. You don't really look at the outcome – the outcome is kind of irrelevant. It's more just the predictive aspect of it, in terms of what you think you might get going forward."
With trying to stop your offense, a lot of it is trying to stop that second-and-3rd with QB Lamar Jackson – similar with Buffalo's offense. How important will it be to stop some of those long-winded plays? (Cordell Woodland) "Long-winded plays, I like that. A long-winded play – that's a good way to say it. The 'two-play quarterback,' I might add, [offensive coordinator] Todd [Monken] needs to acknowledge the fact that he got that from me – just for the record." (laughter) "I know he likes to credit for that, but just so you know where that came from."
Is there evidence of you saying that? (Childs Walker) "Just ask [offensive coordinator Todd Monken], he'll tell you. Everybody knows. Everybody that's in the inside knows. So, I get an opportunity to get that out there finally, because I don't think he's acknowledged that yet, I've noticed. He liked it so much he kind of took credit for it. My brother has that same thing about him. Where were we? The long-winded quarterback; the long-winded plays. It's critically important. That's the challenge, because the first play the run is really good, too. The on-time and rhythm play – run or pass – is really challenging. Then the second play or the third play – in the case of Josh [Allen] or Lamar [Jackson] – becomes the next challenge. So, everybody has their part in the first part of the play, in the pursuit or the plaster or the keep the ball in front, or the tackle or the angle part of the play – whatever it might be. Continue the rush – make a smart rush – in terms of how you tackle, how you push your guy out of bounds – all of those things are a big part of it."
The drone incident on Saturday was the second time that that's happened at M&T Bank Stadium. Can you walk us through when you learned that it was a drone, and what does that do to you as a coach? (Phil Yacuboski) "Well, I believe we were at the line of scrimmage and all of a sudden, the referees ... You could tell they were buzzed in their ear, and they stepped up, and they stopped the play. We have one of the referees that's not doing the game is with the coaches, so you get a little quicker information. Normally it would be [that] the side judge would come over and tell you, but now he's there to tell you, 'Hey, they're going to stop play. There's a drone.' He just told me that they're looking at a drone. So, I just told our play-callers that's what we're doing. Really at that point, you just wait. [There]'s not really anything you can do about it. It becomes like a [TV] commercial timeout just a little bit. You continue to kind of talk about your strategy, really, is what you do. It's just an opportunity to kind of make sure that we're thinking the same way within the game. That's about it. We don't think too much about it as a 'drone' situation, per se."
In the second quarter versus Pittsburgh, QB Lamar Jackson got knee'd in the back pretty hard. Do you anticipate that limiting his participation at all throughout the week as far as practice time? (Jamison Hensley) "It doesn't look that way from what I've been told."
How would you say these two teams have evolved since your earlier matchup this year? Is there anything that you can discern between the difference from the first time you met the Bills? (Jerry Coleman) "Yes, I mean I just think across the board both teams are better in every way, really. I don't think either team has taken a step back in any way – both teams are better across the board. Both teams [have] kind of defined their personalities a little bit more over the course of the season. [It's] ind of what you'd expect at this point."
On the season that Kyle Van Noy is having: (Giana Han) "Well, Kyle [Van Noy] is ... Obviously, the sacks kind of speak for themselves, but it's not just that. There's so many situations where there's kind of the unsung aspects of a play that a lot of our guys have done. He's been the same guy. Sometimes he'll be in a position where a quarterback can't escape, and someone else will wrap around and get the sack or squeeze in on a run and force the run back to a linebacker, or bounce them out to a DB like he's supposed to. I just think he's playing good football. I do think it's kind of reflective of the whole defense, really. I mean, everybody's just really focusing on doing their job in a really physical way and a real disciplined way. That's what everybody's really trying to do. Kyle's a great leader that way, too. He leads. He talks to the guys about that and a lot of experience that way, like in the playoffs. So, he's been talking to the guys about playing good [and] disciplined high-effort football."
The offensive line has obviously been pretty critical to the team's success. If you just think back to the beginning of the season to now, what has stood out to you about guys like G Daniel Faalele playing a new position and OL Patrick Mekari doing what he's been able to do throughout the course of the year without missing a beat? (Brian Wacker) "The offensive line is just like every position, but there's a lot of individual stories in there. [You have] five individual starters, and then there's others, too, in the depth part of it. If you get into that room, you kind of see that each guy has his own story, but probably, as a whole, it's probably just steady improvement. They've been through a lot. You look back at the 'Joe D' [Joe D'Alessandris] situation, and the fact that it was three new guys [starting] and all of that kind of stuff. Some of the doubts and all that kind of stuff, but they dealt with them. We feel good and proud of them, but really, we don't think about it too much right now. It's just more about preparing for this game and the challenge that this defense presents our O-Line, just like every position."
When people talk about Bills QB Josh Allen and QB Lamar Jackson, they'll talk about that 2018 NFL Draft. Do you think because of that they'll kind of always be linked in that regard? (Jamison Hensley) "Yes, probably. They came out in the same draft [and have been] highly successful. They'll probably always be linked, yes."
Obviously, the QB Lamar Jackson touchdown to RB Justice Hill at the end of the first half is such a highlight play, but right before that TE Isaiah Likely had a 19-yard catch, had a big stiff arm, didn't get out of bounds, and he takes the ball and sprints all the way to the hash, and you guys were able to clock it really quickly. How impressive – understanding it's a playoff game – was that situational awareness and knowing how important the time was on that last play? (Luke Jones) "[It was] so impressive. I mean, there [were] so many situational aspects to that game that our guys really did a good job of that you may notice, and you may not. And you noticing – that is a great point. I mean, that's one of the things that we work on really hard. We work on it all the time, but [Isaiah Likely] takes that ball right back to the hash, [and] gets it on the ground [and] everybody sprints up. Lamar [Jackson] made sure everybody's set first [and] everybody's legal, [and the] ball gets snapped. [Was] 11 seconds the difference; there was 11 seconds left, I think, with the play as opposed to nine or eight or something like that. That's the difference, right. To your point ... And then you think about just the fact that we were able to be in that situation. I believe Tylan [Wallace]; didn't Tylan have the conversion on the ... Was that that drive? Was it that drive? I think it was, where he caught the ball on the sideline, right. And we were at second-and-[20] on that. So, Lamar, with the clock running down – there was only about 28 seconds left [in the first half] at that point – and he pushes forward for the first down. I mean all of those things give you a chance at the end to have a great play like that happen."
When you talk about those two-play quarterbacks, did you feel like those guys existed when you first started coaching in the league, or is that something that you guys have had to account for more and more over the years? (Childs Walker) "They existed, yes. But you have to account for them more and more. [That's] exactly right. It seems like most guys now are kind of like that. Like a guy like Bo Nix comes into the league this year, and he's that kind of a guy, and Justin Herbert's that kind of a guy. I mean, they're kind of everywhere now. It seems likes more the mold now. It used to be breaking the mold, [but] now it seems like it's becoming the mold."
I remember former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger gave you a few second plays? (Jamison Hensley) "Oh, well yes, we're used to it. We've been talking about plastering extended plays in Baltimore for a long time. You're right with 'Big Ben' [Roethlisberger]."
You missed CB Taron Johnson and LB Matt Milano in that Week 4 matchup. How important are they to how Buffalo wants to defend the ball with lighter personnel? (Jonas Shaffer) "They play that nickel pretty much against everything, except when they put the really big people out there, and those guys play so well together. They are experienced players, and Taron Johnson, he's a DB, but he plays like a linebacker in there. He gets in the box, and he plays the SAM or the WILL nickel backer, based on your formations, just like a linebacker would, and he's 190 pounds, or he shows up, and he's out there in the apex. Boom, he's in the B-gap before you blink an eye when playing the run. He does a great job, and those are great players."
You opted against bringing WR/RS Deonte Harty back off Injured Reserve. Do you anticipate he'll be available this week, or are you still not sure yet? (Bo Smolka) "I'm not sure yet. [Deonte Harty] had been gone for quite a while, and he had the physical situation, had some personal things he was dealing with, but he was working hard in practice last week. We just need to make sure a guy is ready, in shape and mentally ready. He tells me ... In his mind, he's ready; I can tell you that. He wants to play, and we'll just have to see, but Steven [Sims] is a guy that we also have confidence in. I know he had a couple balls go on the ground last week. It was windy. [The Steelers' punter] was a lefty. He was bombing the ball, for sure. On the very first one, I don't know if he lost track of where he was at, but we don't want to be backing up inside the 8-yard line and catching those kinds of punts. Just let that ... Give it a chance to get in the end zone, so he'd like to have that one back. Then, he decided to not field two other ones, and it turned out OK for us the way they bounced, but he's done well. He's an experienced guy, and he'll do well back there, too. So, we're confident, or if Tylan [Wallace] was back there, we'll be confident with Tylan, too. Those guys all do a good job."
It seems like defensively, offensives are – whether it's the schematic things you guys are doing or whether they're just making a concerted effort – but it seems like they are trying to attack DB Brandon Stephens. How do you feel like he's handled it, and why does it seem like the ball continues to go that way? (Cordell Woodland) "That's what people ... They decided to do what they do, for whatever reason they do, and it's definitely been challenging. [Brandon Stephens] is getting a lot of targets, and when you get a lot of targets, you're going to have more completions, for sure – that's just the way it goes – but you also make more plays. He's made a real, good number of plays, as well, and also, there's an opportunity there, too, for us a little bit, because if we get the sense that an offense is targeting a particular part of the field or a particular player, in this sense, he plays right corner, so that's where they go in nickel. Now, he's playing dime backer – it's a little different when we put dime [package] out there on third down – but OK, now we have an idea where you're going to kind of target. We can roll our coverage that way. We can put the strength of our coverage over there, too, so it's kind of a two-way street that way."
There was a moment the other night when you had to quiet the fans down. It got a little too loud. I don't know if you'll have that luxury in Buffalo, but what about going up and dealing with the Bills Mafia and their fan base and whether or not a lot of Ravens fans may make the trip? (Jerry Coleman) "Yes, no doubt. I doubt the Bills fans are going to listen to me. What I might do is try to quiet them down when their offense is out there. Do you think they would respond if I went like this," (uses hand gesture) "Do you think they'd start screaming, [and it would] go the other way? Kind of play the opposite game? Do you think that will work?" (Reporter: "I meant by scoring a few touchdowns.") "A few touchdowns would quiet them down. Yes, that would be ideal. That would be ideal. I thought you meant by me walking out there [against Pittsburgh] like I did quieting them down."
What do you think about the ethos of your defensive line? It seems like a lot of guys just love to work out, be physically strong and impose their will on gameday. As a guy who works as vigorously as you do, what do you think about the way this group has been constructed and how they've put themselves in positions to succeed? (Jonas Shaffer) "I'm all for it. I'm all about it. I love it. We do have a bunch of guys that work hard, and you see it in December and January especially, but we do believe in training and being ready to ... It's a physical sport. It's not just won and lost in the trenches, but it's won and lost with trench warfare. A corner has to shed a wide receiver and make a tackle on a sweep. You have to be strong to do that. It's a strong person's game. It's a strong person's game physically, and it's a strong person's game emotionally [and] spiritually. You have to be strong to play football, and that's why I have so much respect – and I think you guys cover the sport because you have so much respect – for the game and for the people who play it. It's just a great sport, and it's so tough and demanding, and it's just a test of wills, and I do. I love our guys. Our guys are strong minded. They're physically strong. They're spiritually strong. They care about one another. That's why they're in position to play a game like this at this time of year, up in Buffalo against a great team, a great city – a city of winners – up there in Buffalo, and they are. They have a great coach, they have a great organization, and they have a bunch of tough players, too. I think that's why probably everybody is so excited about this game."
Do you factor in officiating crews and any tendencies with their penalty calls into your gameplan or technique coaching throughout the week? Is that at all a factor? (Kyle Phoenix) "We try to coach technique to be winning technique, which means clean technique. We don't ... People do push the envelope sometimes – I think that's a strategy that people might use, and I've tried in the past to understand the officiating crew and how they might call a game, and I found it just to be a red herring. I just think it's a waste of time. In the end, you need to focus on just doing things well the right way, and I think the officials do a great job. Carl Cheffers is going to be [officiating] the game. He's got a great crew. I expect them to call a great game. They do. It's a really great crew. Carl is a common sense guy, always calls a good game, and if he calls something, there's a really high chance it's true. You committed the penalty. You just have to go on and play the next play and try to do it the right way."
