Head Coach Pat Shurmur -- September 13, 2019
Opening Statement (Pat Hanlon): (Garrett) Dickerson, (Sterling) Shep and (Darius) Slayton are out. (Cody) Latimer is questionable. He was limited today. Everybody else is fine and available.
Q: No Sterling. That’s a pretty big blow to you guys, it seems.
A: Well, he just couldn’t quite make it back. He’s getting better. He just kind of ran out of time this week.
Q: What happened to Cody (Latimer)?
A: He’s got a little bit of a calf issue.
Q: Did that happen in practice Wednesday?
A: Yeah.
Q: Was Shep able to do anything today?
A: Yeah, he was out here. But again, there are steps that you have to take. They are very defined in terms of coming back. We want to make sure we go through the proper protocol.
Q: You guys played, I think, 76% of your snaps with three receivers against the Cowboys. Without Shep and with Cody questionable, does that make you more likely to use two tight ends?
A: We’ll let what we’re going to do reveal itself.
Q: What do you miss by not having him, Golden, and possibly Cody? That’s essentially your top three receivers.
A: That goes without saying. You play with the players that you have, and anybody that you put out there, you expect them to make plays.
Q: Do you have to recalibrate the expectations a little bit?
A: No. We don’t recalibrate the expectations. We expect them to go out, play well and help us win a game.
Q: During the broadcast, (Troy) Aikman had a conversation with Dave (Gettleman) where he said Ryan Connelly could have a prominent role on this defense. How quickly can he get to that point, and what do you like about him?
A: Well, we really like everything that he’s done. We feel like he’s a very instinctive guy, he knows where he fits in the scheme and he actually had some good plays the other night. Yeah, there’s a chance that his role will increase here.
Q: Your comments on Josh Allen the other day seemed to have made some news in Buffalo. What was your reaction to that? Were you surprised by that?
A: Not really, because I know what I said and my comments were meant to be positive. I can’t control how some people will interpret them.
Q: Do you take comments from another coach, and would you use it as bulletin board material?
A: Listen, I wouldn’t discuss that. I’m basically very positive and very respectful of the opponent. As I mentioned, my comments were meant to basically give praise. They were interpreted differently.
Q: Do you plan on talking to Josh Allen to sort of say that, or do you not feel the need?
A: No. We’re going to get ready to play.
Q: What impressed you about the way he played in the fourth quarter (in Week 1)?
A: I think I mentioned it this week. He led his team back to victory. He’s helped his team win games, which makes him a winner. That’s impressive. For him to stay steady…they were down by 16, and he led a 17-point comeback. That’s impressive.
Q: What are you expecting from your crowd on Sunday?
A: We’re expecting them to be loud and very supportive like they always are.
