**
Head Coach Bill O'Brien**
(on if DE J.J. Watt had the day off) "Yeah, just day off."
(on if he still gets impressed by what DE J.J. Watt does on the field) "Look, I think that it's been well-documented on what type of player he is. I mean he's a great player. Every week, the thing that always impresses me about him is how hard he plays the game and the level of work ethic that he brings every day to the building. That's what impresses me. This play versus that play, I don't know. It's just the consistency of his work ethic and his level of play is pretty impressive."
(on what he's seen from Bills WR Sammy Watkins) "Yeah, Sammy, very fast, explosive player, big guy, really strong hands. Man, they had quite a receiving core at Clemson, no question about it. He's a guy that you better know where he is on every single play."
(on if they scouted Bills CB Ronald Darby and what they've seen from him) "Yeah, we studied Darby, fast, very fast guy, smart player, instinctive player, good football player."
(on the weather in Buffalo and if this team is well-suited to play in cold weather) "Well we'll have to find out, but I think that that's something during this time of year that you have to deal with definitely. I know that supposedly the forecast is for the temperature to be in the 40s. I remember coaching a game there one year where I think it was 65-mile-an-hour winds and it wasn't very fun. I think we threw the ball 15 times and ran it 50-something times. You never know what the weather's going to be in Buffalo and our guys, like we said, we try to put a team together that's built for all kinds of weather, and whatever it is, we've got to play in it."
(on how important it is to have a guy like veteran T Duane Brown in the locker room to help get through the ups and downs) "Duane is a great leader. He's been an excellent leader this year on offense. He's been great with the younger players and like you just said, he has been through a lot in this league. He's played a lot of years at a very high level. He's had a lot of different experiences. He's able to talk to the younger players about staying after it and sticking with the grind and the day-to-day operation is what's most important. I think that he does a great job of leading for us."
(on if there's something the players are doing differently during this win streak) "Not really. These guys work hard. I have tremendous respect for this football team and the way that they work. I think that we've made some changes to the scheme and personnel-wise and things like that, but I think overall these guys, there was never a time where I questioned any of their work ethic ever. They put a lot of time in. They care about winning. They care about each other. Hopefully the key is, can we keep it going?"
(on the importance of holding a veterans council every week) "Well I think, in my opinion again, when you're the head coach of a pro football team, you need to communicate with the veteran players. These guys that are on this council, most of them have been around for a long time. They've seen a lot. They've all won their fair share of games. They understand the game. So I think it's just more about communication. Sometimes those meetings last five minutes. Sometimes they last 20 minutes. It's all about communicating with the players. That's the most important part of coaching I think in this league is communication with the players, making sure that everybody is on the same page."
(on if the offensive line is playing better because they've had more reps together) "I think that's part of it. I think that over the last I believe three games it's been basically those five that you see out there and that's always good when those five guys can play together. They get used to each other's calls. They get used to each other, how they react to different blocks and how our blocking schemes apply to the different fronts and blitzes and all the different things that they see. I think having the continuity of those five and being able to play together for the most part over the last few weeks has been good."
(on if changes are easy to make during the bye week or difficult because it's in the middle of the season) "I've said that, I think I'm on record as saying that the bye week came at a good time. It was about halfway through the season, came at a good time as it relates to right now. I think hopefully we're saying that again next week. I think that's the key is that for where we are right now, yes, the bye week came at a good time. Now it's important for these guys to keep this thing going."
(on if evaluating during the bye week is difficult) "I don't think so. I think we put so much time into this thing, we're here so much, that you're going to make time no matter what to figure out what's going right and why that's going right and to figure out obviously what's going wrong and how you can fix it. I think no matter what, you're going to be here morning, noon, and night anyways so you'll get it figured out hopefully."
Offensive Coordinator George Godsey
(on if he thinks this team is built for playing in cold weather) "Well it'll be the first time for us obviously this year. Whatever it is, we're obviously going to have to play with whatever environment. Certainly when you can run the football it helps and sets up play action. Brian (Hoyer) has played in the cold weather too as far as throwing so I mean we haven't talked about it much to be honest as a unit."
(on if WR DeAndre Hopkins makes simple catches look hard at times) "Well, he's made quite a few I think when – the quarterbacks and myself have talked about it – he's going to make some plays that maybe we don't make the right throw or the perfect throw. Then other times we're just going to have to give him a shot, so we're happy with his production I know from a quarterback perspective."
(on if they indulge WR DeAndre Hopkins in showmanship if he makes the plays) "Yeah, well we do tell him a lot to make sure because of the rules to ensure the catch before you do anything else. It's part of the process of completing a ball. That's kind of how the rules are so that's how we've got to play."
(on the offense being efficient in the last few games but still not scoring a lot of points) "I think just drive by drive there's a lot of things that I wish I could maybe call a different play or maybe wish we could execute a little bit better. Certainly when you get the ball down close enough where you get a field goal you're disappointed and I think that was kind of the one series down there. Then the penalties are another issue. If you get knocked back and it becomes a little bit longer, sometimes we end up having to punt there in those series, so the self-inflicting or bad football, how we like to call it, try to eliminate those."
(on QB Brian Hoyer and how much he dwelled with him on the interception in the Saints game) "For me, it's about the next time it's in that situation making a better decision. As a coach, I'm trying to put more information into his head to make that decision a little bit quicker so he doesn't hold onto the football, maybe it's another outlet, maybe it's a route design. It's every rep, every decision is dissected and then we talk about it."
(on if he saw any effects in the game from QB Brian Hoyer's previous concussion) "No, I mean to me he seemed just Brian doing business as Brian does. We're going to proceed that way."
(on if this is a normal week for QB Brian Hoyer) "Yeah, I the thing is it's a challenge for us, not only on the road, but just the opponent. He's got a lot on his plate and the first day it definitely seems overwhelming so we'll have to get on it."
T Duane Brown
(on it being the anniversary of Duane Brown Day) "It's an honor. This is my eighth year in Houston. I love this city. I consider it my home, so everyone enjoy it."
(on how important it is to give back to the city of Houston) "It is extremely important. Like I said, this is my eighth year here, and I think for us as athletes, in general, it's important for us to give back to the community. We have been given so much. It is only right for us to give back to the less fortunate or give back to children, so I try to do all I can do to donate time, anything money-wise, to any cause that I can. It is very important to me."
(on the job the offensive line is doing) "We have been working hard. Everyone is healthy for the most part. We have a great group that has been together for a few weeks now and we have been able to gel and kind of just continue to incline and we are just trying to keep that going. It starts with (Offensive Line) Coach (Mike) Devlin, he has really made it a point of emphasis of trying to get the running game going and guys have really stuck to it. It hasn't been easy and it's not going to get any easier, Buffalo has a great front, so we are going to be up for that challenge."
(on Buffalo's defensive front) "Number one, is just playing in their environment, it's going to be pretty loud out there and that always helps out the defense. They have a lot of talent, Jerry Hughes, (Marcell) Dareus, Mario (Williams), guys that have played a lot of football and then playing at a high level, playing great together. They have a pretty good secondary, but their front is the strength of their defense. They have some size in there, but they also have some speed, so the running game is going to be important because if you get into a passing game with them, that is kind of what they want."
(on going against Bills DE Mario Williams) "It will be nice. He is a great player. Whenever we face him, he is usually on the other side, but I might get one or two plays against him. Dominant, dominant player so we got to prepare for him."
WR DeAndre Hopkins
(on going up against former college teammate and Bills WR Sammy Watkins) "Well I played against him last year. It's always exciting being on the same field with somebody I played two years with at Clemson. I've seen him grow up, seen him come a long way, so it's going to be exciting seeing him."
(on how much Clemson Co-Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Jeff Scott has to do with what he and Bills WR Sammy Watkins have been able to do in the NFL) "He talks to us a lot. We're athletes. Nobody can really take credit to what we're doing right now, but he has definitely helped us out a lot. He's taught us a lot on and off the field."
(on his relationship with Bills WR Sammy Watkins) "It's been good. We always knew we were going to have a relationship because of the relationship that we built at Clemson. No matter where we went, if we were rivals in the same conference, we knew we would still be brothers off the field. We keep in touch a lot."
(on if it surprises him that Bills WR Sammy Watkins still looks up to him for fashion advice) "No, it's not at all. He's still probably got some of my clothes from Clemson. I think like draft day when I saw him in New York he had a jacket of mine, but I didn't say anything to him. That's my little bro."
(on friendly competition in practice with Bills WR Sammy Watkins in college) "It was really just during practice, who could make the better catches or go out there, and we knew we could catch the ball with two hands, it's just who could make a more spectacular catch in practice."
(on if it's competitive with other receivers in the NFL to see who can make the best catch) "No, it's not really competitive. I mean not while you're on the field, you don't really think about it. It's more so like when you see Odell (Beckham Jr.) do something it's like, man I need to step up my game. I need to have a better catch or something like that. It's a friendly competition. It's really not something we really talk about or compete, it's just when he goes out and makes a catch, you congratulate him but in the back of your mind you're like, I want to go out and make a better catch."
(on Bills WR Sammy Watkins saying what DeAndre Hopkins is doing right now doesn't surprise him because he's seen him make even more amazing catches) "I mean, it's true. I've seen him make some amazing catches also at Clemson. It goes both ways."
(on how special it will be to see Bills WR Sammy Watkins at the game) "We see each other in the offseason, so this is going to be something we can talk about during the offseason, win or lose. Right now, 1-0 against him so hopefully we can keep that going."
(on if they've been texting this week) "Oh yeah, we talk all the time."
(on if they've made any bets or been trash talking) "No, we don't really talk too much trash. We go out onto the field and let our play show for itself."
(on Bills CB Ronald Darby and Texans CB Kevin Johnson being two of the best young corners in the game) "Both of those guys are doing an amazing job. That's one of the harder positions to come in the league and actually have success at as a rookie. Both of those guys are doing good jobs."
(on what the Texans defense has been able to do over the last few weeks) "It's great, man. We're 4-0 so hopefully they keep up what they're doing."
(on if the offense feeds off of the defense) "Oh yeah, without a doubt, it's complementary football. They go out there and get a quick three-and-out, that just gives us more want-to to go out there and score a touchdown."
(on how proud he is of what Bills WR Sammy Watkins has been able to accomplish so far) "I'm not proud of him at all, we don't talk like that, me and him. It's a long career for both of us so we don't really talk about the short success that we have right now. We're kind of hard on each other."
QB Brian Hoyer
(on this week's game in Buffalo and how it is the start to a playoff run) "I think for me and for our team it's really just focusing in on Buffalo, all that other stuff you can't really worry about, you have to take care of the business of the Buffalo Bills. Offensively, it is going to be a great challenge, when you match (Bills Head Coach) Rex Ryan's defensive scheme with the players that they have. We came out and we had a good day of practice today. We have to continue to get better and get ready for Sunday and I think that is the only thing we are worried about."
(on running the ball well and how that will help against Buffalo) "I don't know. I think for us as a team, we are just playing together more, I mean offensively, defensively, special teams all had key parts to winning the game last week and it's going to take that again against Buffalo on the road, hostile environment, good team and it's going to take all three phases."
(on the Bills defense) "Yeah, I think that is why you have a lot of respect for (Bills Head Coach) Rex (Ryan) and what he does because he is a 'game-plan defense', which you don't get to see a lot of. With my time in New England, having played against him, watching the film from this year, you never really know what you are going to get. It keeps you on your toes and really puts the pressure on the offense to read and react and see what they are doing and then, like I said, you pair his system with the guys they have, it's definitely a challenge for us."
(on the offensive creativity that the team has been using the past two weeks) "It's been great, I think. It's definitely working for us and, if anything, the defense has to prepare for it, especially when you got two different guys you can put back there with Cecil (Shorts) and (Jonathan) Grimes. For me, it's all about what it takes to win the game and for us it's been helpful, it has got us a few first downs and it's another thing to add on the defense's plate when they are preparing for us."
(on the job that the offensive line has done keeping him upright) "They have done a great job. All along even before I signed here, I knew the type of offensive line that the Texans had. They have some really good leaders between Duane (Brown) and Ben (Jones) and Brandon (Brooks) and Derek (Newton) and now Xavier (Su'a-Filo) is really coming along at that left guard position. They have done a great job."
(on if he is completely over his concussion) "Yeah, I wouldn't have gone out and played last week had I not been."
(on any lingering symptoms last week or did he take any hits) No, thankfully. Hopefully, it stays that way, but like I said, it's going to be tough against this defense."
CB Johnathan Joseph
(on gaining confidence over the past few weeks) "You look back at some of the tough games, like a game against Cincinnati, where it was a tough fought game all the way down the stretch and we played those guys all the way to the end and we came out with a victory. That kind of shows the confidence we have as a team now, knowing we can go into a tough game and come away with it. We don't just have to have a lead the whole game and things like that, so I think that was big for the younger guys to see in this locker room."
(on the matchup with Bills WR Sammy Watkins) "He's a tough task. He's a big-play guy, you know, big, strong, can go up and make the tough catch and can run by defenders as well, so you know it's a full day's work. It's one of those things to where you just have to go out and do your job and focus on one play at a time."
(on playing in Buffalo at this time of year) "I think if you want to be a good team in this league and play in some of these late games, you have to go and play in any climate. Whether it is pouring down rain, it's snowing, freezing or if you are in a dome here at home, whatever that situation calls for that Sunday or Monday or whenever it is, you have to go on and play in it and adjust."
DE J.J. Watt
(on why he took a day off today) "Whatever Billy O (Head Coach Bill O'Brien) said, that was the thinking."
(on being the Houston Texans nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award) "It's an honor. Something that we all strive to be is somebody who can be looked to both on and off the field as a role model, as somebody who does it the right way. So that's an honor. I appreciate it."
(on Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan calling him the best player in the NFL) "Extremely high praise. I'm very humbled by it. But I think it always means the most to hear compliments from guys who watch the film every single day, from guys who study the tape, who know what they're looking for, who watch every play. Because there's people out there that have a lot of opinions and things like that, but to hear from people who day-to-day know what they're looking for and actually watch all the plays, it means a lot."
(on how much getting time off helps him to stay fresh) "Yeah, of course. You have to make sure you take care of your body properly. I think in this league, with as many games as you play and how physical the game is, you have to make sure that you do a great job of taking care of your body from ice to massages to everything that our training staff does. Our training staff here is absolutely incredible. Those guys are some of the first ones here in the morning and last ones to leave. They do so much work, they barely get any time to themselves. Those guys are truly incredible, so they help us and they're awesome."
(on how much the entire team feeds off the defense playing well) "I think our team in general is playing well together. I don't think it's one side of the ball. I don't think it's one phase of the game. I mean, you look at what our offense did in the final drive of that last game. They take the ball with five minutes, 45 seconds or something like that and finish the game with the ball, that's incredible. Those are the type of things that help you win ball games in this league. They scored on the first drive of the first half and I think the first drive of the second half last game, so I think anybody who's trying to give the credit to just the defense is sorely mistaken. Our team as a whole is playing well."
(on the difference in the locker room now that the team is winning more games) "A lot more smiles, that's for sure. I think that winning can cure a whole lot of things, whether it's aches and pains that don't necessarily feel like aches and pains anymore, whether it's just the overall attitude, confidence, whether it's studying more, it's just a much better place when you win, that's for darn sure in this league. But we also realize why we're in this situation, because of the work we put in. People can try and look at it like it was some sort of overnight switch from five weeks ago, but it's really been a day-to-day process to make this happen and it's going to continue to be a day-to-day process. We just come out here every day and we work hard to make sure that we continue this streak that we've been on. I think we're doing a great job of that."
(on playing in Buffalo in December) "I grew up in Wisconsin, so I'm looking forward to this weekend's weather. This is going to be good. I mean, if you lack bounce in your step going into December when you're in the situation that we're in, then you're probably in the wrong profession. We're in a great situation where we get to go on the road into a great environment with great fans up in Buffalo. We get to play a game that means a whole lot. So, we're very much looking forward to that opportunity. We're very excited about it. We can't wait to get there."
(on if he is growing his beard) "I'm just seeing what happens. I kind of like it now. It's pretty red though. It's weird. But I don't know. I kind of like it. It's been working."
(on if it's more satisfying to get sacks and be successful when the other team is game-planning for him) "It is. It is. I think that you always look at it like a challenge. If people are going to put two or three men on you to try and stop you, and then you still get there, that's always an accomplishment. It always feels good because you know that they're doing everything that they can. But it also helps open up other guys on your team. That's what's very cool about it from my perspective. That's fine, if you want to put a few guys on me, we got other guys over here that will make plays. And you're still not guaranteed to stop me either, so it's been fun. I enjoy the challenge. But I prefer just one, that'd be my preference. But it does make it fun when you get there."
(on if he thinks the game is harder now that he gets so much attention or if it was harder when he had no experience) "It's always difficult. It's always been difficult. It's the NFL. Everybody's a dang good player. So it's very difficult to get there. It continues to be difficult to get there from both the scheme and just the physical standpoint. But I love the challenge, that's why I'm here."
(on CB Kevin Johnson) "Kevin is a very good player. He's a very active player. He's very smart, physical. He's come in here as a rookie and if you just put on the film and you didn't tell anybody who he was or what number he was, I don't think you'd say that's a rookie. He's playing very good football. He's doing a great job for us and he's going to be a good player for a while."
Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan Conference Call
Q: What's it been like having Tyrod Taylor and the duel threat he instills in the offense? It looks like he's been doing a great job for you.
A: Yeah he has. Tyrod's been doing a great job. We haven't really run as much as maybe we'd like to because he was a little banged up and things. But yeah, he does give you that duel threat and that's something that everybody has to be aware of. So that's a real positive for us.
Q: Two of Clemson's best, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins, will both be playing in this game. What do you see from Hopkins in particular and what he brings to the Houston offense?
A: Well you mention it and it is funny. You got two of the best receivers in the game, and they're both from Clemson. The kid from Pittsburgh's from Clemson as well, number 10 there, (Martavis) Bryant. So just typical Clemson receivers. All those Clemson receivers have the same exact skill set. Well maybe not – my son is not quite there…
Q: He's working on it…
A: He's working. There's no doubt he's working. But when you look at (DeAndre) Hopkins, I mean the thing that jumps out on you is obviously that everybody sees the great catches. They talk about (Odell) Beckham, this guy makes the same kind of catches all the time. He's a big guy. Super competitive and that was something I remember him coming out of college with. You know there's some faster guys, but I don't know how many are more competitive than he is. He is a tremendous receiver obviously.
Q: What are your thoughts on what the Texans defense put together in the past month?
A: Well it's funny, people never jumped off the bandwagon when they had some struggles. Kind of like this group is. But no they, obviously they've righted the ship and they've done a tremendous job. They've got a great coach in Romeo Crennel so obviously that's a big plus. And having the best player in the NFL also helps.
Q: What can you tell us about J.J. Watt? Any fresh thoughts on him?
A: Nope. I mean because what are you gonna say? I remember when he came out. I was like, well this guy's gonna be…he reminds me of Dan Hampton and no offense to Dan Hampton, but he's maybe better than that. And Dan Hampton's in the Hall of Fame. So the other one that I remember when he came out was my brother was with Dallas at the time and they had the tenth pick in the draft. Or whatever it was, ninth pick or something. And I remember telling those guys, in our draft room, I made a gentlemen's wager that there was no way that J.J Watt was going to last past the Dallas Cowboy pick cause they were picking there. And they picked a good player, the offensive lineman from USC, who is a good player. But he's not J.J. Watt and my brother was there – I was like there's no way – my brother's gonna be standing on a table for this guy and all that. And I ended losing that bet by one spot or something. But I shouldn't have lost it. Dallas should have taken him. My brother was wanting him. He was standing on a table. But they chose the offensive guy. So that's when you have an offensive head coach or whatever. But either way, I knew he was a great player back then. But he's even exceeded that, you know now. I love the way he plays. I mean he's taking over games. Probably two of the last few games that I've seen on tape where he clearly has been the difference. But obviously you have to make sure you know where he's at and just a tremendous player.
Q: What do you see from rookie cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Kevin Johnson and did you scout Johnson at all?
A: Yeah, but I think…Obviously he's done a real nice job. Darby has been absolutely terrific. So you're right, there's some young corners in this league. We faced one last week – the Peters kid from Kansas City. You know, I know he's given up seven touchdowns, but he's had a good year also. If you can say that a rookie belongs, that you can see it immediately where a rookie belongs, and that's what you can say about Johnson and obviously Darby as well. That's a hard thing to do when you're a rookie in this league. Clearly both those guys belong and they're gonna be here, playing good football, for a long time in this league.
Q: What have you seen from the Texans run game in the last few weeks?
A: Mike Devlin I think is one of the best line coaches in the league and clearly you see him there, and the influence that he has. They're doing a lot of that wild cat and the direct snap runs to running backs. That's been a big shot in the arm for them I think on the run game. Obviously you got to prepare for it and things. So that's kind of been a big boost. But I think they're doing a good job. They do it really by committee. It's not just a bell cow type guy as a running back. So they do it by committee and the guys are running hard.
Bills WR Sammy Watkins Conference Call
Q: How close are you following your former teammate DeAndre Hopkins this year?
A: I have no choice. I see him on SportsCenter like every week. So basically a lot.
Q: Are you surprised by some of the one handed catches he's been making?
A: Not at all. He's did crazier things at Clemson than those catches. I mean he purposely does them so it's not something that appears just to happen. When he catches it one hand, he's definitely trying to catch it one handed.
Q: How would you describe the differences between you and him, both on and off the field?
A: Honestly I think we are kind of the same type of dudes. The same players, the same mentalities, the same off the field things that we like. I mean he got a little bit of dress code that he live by and I mean I changed mine in Clemson. I kind of dress like him. So it was all just, really I learned from him. So I was trying to imitate everything that he did.
Q: So you dress up now because of him? He is really into his clothes.
A: No I was actually from Florida. So we were kind of baggy clothes, baggy jeans. Then when I got to Clemson it was like man, what are you doing with those baggy jeans on. You need to put some tighter jeans on. That's when I kind of changed up my swag.
Q: How much do you credit what he, and yourself, have done to you coach at Clemson?
A: A lot. Not just the skill, I mean we was kind of blessed with that. But how well they coached us hard, how well they stayed on us and discipline us as young men, and it was bigger than just football. We had the talent and the gift that God gave us. It was more so just being hard on us. Not letting us get away with little things and not letting us…making us be great rather than taking plays off of being a superstar. They definitely coached us the hardest on the team.
Q: Do you feel like you are starting to come into your own coming off this big game you just had?
A: Yes sir. Just trying to really get back in the groove of things. I missed five or six games and that can hold you out. You got to get back in the groove of things and now the quarterback trusts me, the OC trusts me. And it's really about going out there, having fun, and executing plays.
Q: Did you and DeAndre Hopkins ever have races or things like that, and would you beat him?
A: Not necessarily races. But we had competitions in college – catching the ball, having the crazy catches, one on ones and really having stats in the whole season, who got the catches and yards. We really competed with other teams more.
Q: He called you his little brother when you entered the draft. How often do you keep in contact and have you talked this week?
A: Yeah he contacted me this week. Actually he's shipping something down and we gotta ship it back. So we keep in touch. I was having bad times with not getting the ball, and little situations, and he just told me to stay focused and you can't control everything. Then the next thing you know I have a great game. 158 yards, two TD's, and he texted me 'God got a plan, man, just take it slow.' And that was big when he reached out to me.
Q: When we asked DeAndre about his season and his catches, he doesn't think he's doing anything great, he just wants to go out and win games. He doesn't really think it's much of an accomplishment. Does that surprise you at all, how humble or understated he is about it?
A: I think for us really, we're blessed to go out and catch the ball, yards and all that. It's really not such of a big thing to us. We've been doing it in college, from high school, from Pop Warner, and it's really just going out there and having fun. It's not about the big plays we make. It's about helping the team win out and getting wins and that's what it comes down to.
Q: Sammy, what's it like playing with Tyrod Taylor with the things he can do as a dual-threat quarterback?
A: It's great. He gets out of a lot of trouble and now he's really looking at me a lot, so that's a plus. Really, just playing with a young guy that's becoming a great leader of this team and he's a positive guy, he's a leader on the team and he's only getting better. That's the good thing about it.
Q: What do you think about Houston's defense and how well it's been playing lately?
A: Oh man, it's crazy. You got to do a lot of different things with those guys. I mean, you got everybody playing to the same beat. You got one of the best players in the league I think on the defense, No. 99 (JJ Watt), then you got (Jadeveon) Clowney playing well, (Brian) Cushing, their whole secondary is playing well so you really got to have fun to play against those guys. You can't really focus on Watt because he's going to do his job, he's going to do what he does, and he's going to make plays. You really have to control what you can control and play your best against them.
Q: When you look at Tyrod, when he was in Baltimore they called him the best athlete on the team because of some of the things he could do, even with playing basketball. Do you think he is one of your best athletes and what do you see from him in terms of athleticism?
A: He's everything you want in a quarterback. A guy that can get you out of trouble, a guy that people don't really know how smart he is with getting you out of calls and getting you out of looks and things like that. He's definitely, I would say, one of our top athletes on our team with how versatile he is and how he can use his feet, use his arm, he can do just about anything.
Q: What's it like playing for Rex? People call him a player's coach. What's kind of his coaching style to you?
A: A great dude. Very fun, very outgoing, and he's a guy just like you said, he's a player's coach. He helps out when you need help, he understands when your body's sore, just little things like that come in play with him. It's great because I've been feeling a lot of difference with this team with change and everyone is following his plan and everyone is getting better each week. We're playing better, we just got to continue to fight hard in the third and fourth quarters and finish.
Q: Back to DeAndre's fashion and how it's influenced you, did he ever get you into any capris like he likes to wear?
A: I actually just bought some. He got me on that in college and I always laughed at him and he said, "Man, you got to have swag, you got to be different." He's definitely a guy you can say is different with wearing hats. And he's loosened up, that's the great thing about it. He doesn't care what anybody says about it, what anybody looks about it. He's got his thing that he does with swag and that's what it is. He doesn't really care.
Q: So you think he's helped you take your swag to another level maybe?
A: I wouldn't say swag, I don't really dress up unless I have to but he's definitely, "Whatever you want to wear, whatever you think will look good. As long as it's matching and you like it, wear it. Who cares what someone else says."
Q: Sammy, did you watch Hard Knocks at all? What did you think of DeAndre there? He wanted a man bag and some dogs.
A: Like I said, he's an outgoing guy. He's going to do what he wants to do. He's a great dude and who's going to say something to him, he's one of the top receivers in the league. Who's going to care what he wears or what he's got?
