Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel (left) and head coach Dick Jauron (right) spoke to the Houston media via conference call on Wednesday.
Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron and defensive end Aaron Schobel spoke to the Houston media via conference call on Wednesday. Following is a transcript of their respective interviews.
Bills head coach Dick Jauron(on not having a better run defense giving his extensive defensive background) "Well, it's not where we want to be, but we'll always take a win no matter what, and we like the fact that we've won a couple here in a row. So we'll stick with that and we'll just keep working on trying to get better against the run. We do it every week. We try to work on our fits and what the opponent does specifically and what we think we need to do to try and stop it, but it's an area where we need to improve."
(on QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) "He came into a very difficult situation, obviously, two weeks ago in New York, entering the game relatively early in the football game and down 10 points in an away game in our division, and he rallied us. He did a really nice job. He's a very football smart guy, understands the game, very into the game, has a good feel on Sunday on the field when we're talking to him about what's happening. He can explain it, he understands when you give him information and he relays information well. So really happy that we were able to get him in the offseason in free agency, and he's done an outstanding job for us."
(on RB Marshawn Lynch) "We're really happy to have Marshawn back. He's a terrific football player. He's playing very well. He's a guy that, over the course of his career here, a short career here, he's rushed for 1,000 every year and he knows what to do with the ball when he gets it. He's a hard man to bring down. He's a terrific teammate and he's very unselfish, so when he came back, it allowed us to give Fred (Jackson) a break to some degree. We'd like to split those carries in an ideal situation, and on game day if we were lucky enough to be going well, to go a little more to the one with the hot hand. But ideally, we'd like to keep them both healthy on the field and performing."
(on if it was difficult for him to give Jackson less touches given how well he was playing) "Not really, because the season is so long and running backs over the course of a day get worn down because they just take so many hits. So if we can, that's what our goal was going in, to kind of split them and try to keep them both as healthy as we could working through the season."
(on Texans assistant head coach/defensive line Bill Kollar's tenure with Buffalo) "Well, you can't say enough about Bill Kollar as a person and as a defensive line coach and his career in the National Football League, both as a player and as a coach, he's just been so productive wherever he's been. He works very hard at it. A great guy to be around and a great guy to have on your staff; wish he wasn't going to be across the field from us, but that's it and I know we'll both do our best."
(on DE Aaron Schobel) "Aaron's a terrific player. He's got all of the intangibles that you really can't teach. He's got a terrific feel for the game. He's got a driving desire to win, very competitive guy, and obviously he's gifted. He's born with some natural talents, but he sure developed them, he sure worked hard at developing them and he's just an outstanding player for us and, again, a really good teammate."
(on what Texans QB Matt Schaub has been doing well) "He's very calm. I think he does a great job of reading the field, a great job with his eyes. He clearly knows what's happening. He's got the complete confidence and comfort with the system, and then he's got talented players with him. He's playing at a very, very high level right now."
(on WRs Lee Evans and Terrell Owens playing together) "Lee is a very skilled player, as is Terrell. Their production, certainly Terrell's over a much longer career at this point, but Lee's to this point speaks for itself. They've both been very productive and are hard-working players. Both of them are very professional in their approach and their practice habits. It doesn't surprise you that guys like that do perform well and have a history of performing well on Sundays because they prepare very well, both of them. Really, a good, a terrific pick up for us with Terrell. He's been a great addition. We haven't been as productive as we need to be, obviously, and we'll just keep working on that and see if we can make it work the way we'd like to have it work."
(on the development of the offensive line) "I really like this group of guys and clearly, very, very inexperienced except for Geoff (Hangartner) at the center. And Geoff brings a good deal to that front, but essentially we're playing now with four rookies and Geoff. And I just really like the way they go about it, their energy. Clearly, there's a learning curve there. Things show up on a weekly basis and they battle through them and keep fighting, but it's not an easy position to play and they're learning. They're learning on the field and hopefully we can minimize their errors, but a team as talented up front as Houston is going to be a huge challenge for us."
(on Texans rookie LB Brian Cushing) "He's playing outstanding football. Very athletic, has good size and excellent speed. I think they use him very well in their scheme. They'll bring him, they give the chance to do a number of different things: to cover, to pressure, to read. He's a very athletic guy with size, strength and speed, and he's stepped right up, playing at a high level."
Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel(on his relationship with Texans defensive line coach Bill Kollar) "He is probably mad at me because I beat him in golf this summer. He beat me, but he was better than me when we first started playing, so it irritates him that I got that close to him. He missed the last putt and he lost. Knowing that he did lose to me makes me very happy."
(on Kollar's coaching style) "Loud. I mean, if you have been around him you know he is loud. He is pretty loud, but he is a good coach. He lets you know what you are supposed to do and he gets the most out of you. I liked him and I enjoyed being around him."
(on a memory he has of Kollar) "On Sundays, he is a maniac, he is not human, and he is as loud as it gets. We have gotten into it just because of his personality and my personality, but that was only during a game. When the game was over, he was back to normal, but I enjoyed it."
(on the Houston vs. Bills game in 1993 [greatest comeback]) "They show highlights, people will never forget about the (Jim) Kelly era and the Bruce Smith era. I think when I first got here when Gregg Williams and Jerry Gray and being a part of the Oilers organization, I heard more about it."
(on playing well at 243 pounds) "I am probably a little bit heavier this year, but throughout my career, I have been as low as 238. I have always felt the less body fat I carry, the better I play. I feel that my weight as far as my muscle mass does not really change. So as long as I'm not tired, I feel strong."
(on the key to beating big tackles at his weight) "A lot of people consider me an effort rusher. If you are going to be successful, you just have to keep going. You're not always going to win, you just have to keep going (and) eventually the quarterback holds it or someone messes up. That is the way I play. I study a lot and I know what works for me. I try to figure out the guy I am going against, his weakness, and use my strength. I always play with pretty good leverage. I try not to stay on a block too long and I am not going to be head-up on a guy for too long, and if I am, I try to be low at him. As long as my hands are below his shoulder pads, I feel like he really can't move me."
(on Texans LT Duane Brown) "He is an athletic player, and a very good player. It looks like he is going to be pretty good. I am getting up there in age and I have to know what to do and what works for me and what doesn't work for him. At this point, he is probably more athletic than me, at this point in my career."
(on Texans QB Matt Schaub avoiding five sacks against the 49ers) "He gets the ball out, he gets the ball out and looks like he is a pretty athletic guy. From our perspective, we have to get him to throw the ball way faster, try to make him run, make him throw the ball on the run so he is not just sitting back there. If we do that, that gives us a chance. I compliment his athletic ability to make plays like that."
