This Interview was taken a day after the Jets upset loss to the Bills:
Interviewer: Coach, we tried to talk to you after the game but you went straight into the locker room. Now that you have had time to cool off, what went wrong out there?
Head Coach: Man that was a tough loss. First off, let me give credit where it’s due. The Buffalo Bills came out here and beat us. They played a great game but we also made some very crucial mistakes. Take some of those mistakes away and we would be having a different conversation. We’ll take this as a lesson and be better next week.
Interviewer: It was a great game for both teams. I know that a loss can kind of blind you from the good things that went on. One highlight was how your team went down the field late in the fourth. Take me through the last Jets offensive drive down 35-42.
Head Coach: All we were thinking was punching the ball into the end zone. That fourth down I was debating on kicking the field goal and trusting our defense to get a stop, but ARod told me he wanted to go for it. I trust in ARod and we converted on the fourth.
Interviewer: That being said, at the time, did you feel that there was too much time for the Bills or did you think your defense could get a stop in a game that was all offense?
Head Coach: Honestly, I do think we gave too much time to Allen and the Bills offense. They can score in bunches, but at the end of the day, if we can score, we’re gonna score. We have great players on defense, and they deserve respect too. They couldn’t get a stop tonight, but we all still trust in each other.
Interviewer: Do you feel some relief now that the pressure to go undefeated is off? I mean you guys still are the SB favorite. Do you guys see any light at the end of the tunnel or are u guys still frustrated?
Head Coach: I will say we do. It’s better than a playoff loss. The mission is not forgotten. We know what the ultimate goal is. The last undefeated team in the regular season and playoffs was the Dolphins in 1972. So it’s a challenging thing to do. Now we can truly shift focus on preparing ourselves to be the best version of ourselves come playoff time.
Interviewer: It was all offense last night. Barely any defense. Are you guys looking to find some defensive guys on the trade block or are you confident in this team as constructed?
Head Coach: I’m confident one loss won’t shape the whole team. We have to work on the mistakes we made. We have to minimize those and play our game. We always look to improve, but I think it’s more on me and the scheme than it is on the players
Interviewer: Wow, a great coach in putting it on yourself rather than the players. The last two questions. Speaking of putting it on yourself and not the players, have you talked to Dalvin Cook? I know he had to feel terrible after the fumble.
Head Coach: I talked to him when we walked into the locker room. He put it on himself, but I told him it was not his fault. We still were in the game and we still had a shot. This is a team game. No one player can decide a whole game. ARod, Garrett, Q, and Sauce all came to him to show they still believe in him. We’re not gonna use this moment to tear him down but build him up. He has been great for us all year. Heck, He’ll be over 1,000 yards by the end of the season. We love having Dalvin here.
Interviewer: Last Question: What do you have to say to all the people who are glad to see ARod lose? Happy to see the Jets lose? What do you have to say to them?
Head Coach: Be happy for now. We will come back. We got our heads up and are ready for the next game.
Interviewer: Thank you, coach.
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