Everything Matt Rhule Said Following the Win Over Buffalo

RE: Opening Statement

"I’d like to thank the team. I just told them that the last six weeks has been just a fantastic time with them, starting in Wofford. They’ve worked really, really hard and I hope everyone is proud of them. I’m glad to see us be able to get so many guys in tonight. I want to thank the fans. Our showing at Fan Fest and tonight, just to brave that rain and that storm, to see the turnout that we had here, was really, really, really fantastic. I appreciate everyone who stayed to the very end. Obviously, a good game. It’s a lot of things we have to work on but it was good for us to get a whole half played for our offensive line and for our whole defense under our belt. Sam [Darnold] looks like so far it’s an ankle. We will have to wait and see. I can’t give any timelines or prognosis on that. Early indications are that we believe it is not a fracture but hoping it is an ankle sprain. We will have to wait. All they told me is that it looks like that. But I just know I thought last week I thought maybe it was a fracture and it wasn’t for Bozeman so I just want to make sure I don’t put anything out there. I don’t know exactly so I’m waiting to find out. It sounds like it’s not a fracture but we will have to wait and see. Derrick Brown, oblique was tight. They said he was good to go back in and I held him. Gio [Ricci] with the groin. Obviously, you guys saw Zane [Gonzalez] with the groin. So we held those two guys. [Stephen] Sullivan at the end with a stinger. So we had a couple guys banged up. Hopefully, everyone will be healthy here soon."

RE: Observations of starters

"I thought we got some guys open. Obviously, playing without Robbie [Anderson] and DJ [Moore] only taking a couple snaps, without Christian [McCaffrey], I thought some of those other guys did a nice job of getting open. I thought for the most part we protected. Well, I’ll have to look at the tape. A couple times Baker[Mayfield] flashed but when you looked up at the replay it looked like good protection. But he kind of moved and saw some things. Just disappointed with 3rd and 1, not being able to knock the ball in the endzone on a run play. 4th and 1, short yards, not being able to knock the ball in. That’s why you play these guys in these games. They need to have those live looks at those things and see what we need to improve on. Then I would say defensively, not being able to stop some of those 3rd and 2’s, 4th and 1’s. Obviously, they had a unique situation so they were going for it on 4th down. That long drive, we got bailed out, but we would like to stop some of those drives earlier. The last thing – tackling. We missed some tackles. Part of training camp, you are thudding, you are tagging off. It was good for some of our secondary guys to have some live tackle work tonight. A lot of things that were probably really, really good and a lot of things we will probably have to improve upon."

RE: Baker Mayfield’s performance

"I thought Baker did a nice job of moving the football. The thing I like about Baker right now is he plays so steady. You can’t tell after every play if it was a drop, if it was a completion. Then obviously, the touchdown played above the X’s and O’s. It wasn’t there. Escaped. Made the play. So have to go back. I can’t say anything about his footwork or all those things but I thought he made good checks. He recognized the game that they were playing. A lot of safety pressures where they played man and got us in the right play."

RE: Shi Smith’s performance

"Shi continues to make plays. I think the biggest thing is him being able to get open on third downs and catch the ball with his hands. I think that is part of his skill set. Did a nice job. That’s what he has been doing all camp. We feel like he has really evolved. Hey, this guy can be in this three-receiver set, play all the spots and get open. I think he is a playmaker. I think he can run after the catch. We just have to keep growing him because I think the best is yet to come for Shi."

RE: Seriousness of Zane Gonzalez’s injury and the likelihood of working out additional kickers

"I don’t know anything yet to be quite honest Joe. I was standing there and literally, we were kind of down in four-minute range, either Hekker or JJ said, ‘Zane just tweaked his groin kicking.’ So I said ‘alright, he is obviously down, we will just go for two.’ Then we said let’s take this opportunity to give [Johnny] Hekker an extra point but I know nothing beyond that right now. I’m sure if he is out an extended amount of time, we would obviously work out some kickers. But I don’t know yet where that is at."

RE: Follow up to above question concerning upcoming cuts

"There is a lot of things that will happen over the next couple of days. But it is just still so early for me."

RE: Clarification on if it is a high sprain or unknown for Sam Darnold

"Yeah, I’m not in a position to say that yet. I usually wait for them to MRI it. Once they MRI it, they tell me what it is."

RE: The number of quarterbacks the team will keep if Sam Darnold is out for a few weeks

"I’ll have to wait and see. That’s kind of why we let PJ [Walker] throw a little bit instead of handing the ball off. We wanted him to play. We will have to wait and see what it is. Sam is a tough kid. He usually comes back pretty quickly but we will have to wait and see. I don’t want to hypothesize but nothing is off the table. We will have to react. They will get the MRI tomorrow. Sometimes they go in and get something else after that. Once I know, Scott and I will sit down and we will have some decisions to make."

RE: On whether the team would consider re-signing Cam Newton once Same Darnold was injured

"Scott (Fitterer) and I would talk about that. Cam (Newton) would have to weigh in on that. There would be a lot of things we’d have to look at. You guys know my feelings about Cam (Newton.) My time with him was fantastic. Probably too early right now to say much about that."

RE: On the list of players who didn’t play during this preseason game

"We had some different guys with some strains. No one, right now, we think will be out for Cleveland. (Bradley) Bozeman we think will be back this week. We have guys that have some hamstrings and some muscle pulls. Some different things like that. Those guys were all held."

RE: On why he held those players

"They were not cleared to play today. We played (Brian) Burns. We played DJ (Moore). We played (Jeremey) Chinn. We played everybody that was able to play. Anybody that was out, was out. Like Sam Franklin. He’s got a bruise on his foot. He was ruled out. Julian Stanford was ruled out."

RE: On the running backs

"We didn’t have a great run game the first half. I have to watch the tape to see exactly what it is. I thought we found a couple things a little bit later. There were some tough catches. Some balls that I’m sure Chuba (Hubbard) would like to have back. I thought D’Onta (Foreman) made a great catch on the goal line. That’s one of the things that D’Onta (Foreman) has been trying really hard to prove. Hey, I can catch the ball as much as a power back. Overall in general, I’d have to watch the tape to see what’s really going on with the run game. From the field level on the 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1. It looked like they got some penetration. Some surge. They brought a lot of pressure. That’s kind of who they are. They do a great job on defense. Coach (Sean) McDermott does a great job. You have to kind of throw a little bit more. I think the backs both did solid. Both those guys did solid. (John) Lovett. Special teams player. Does a nice job of running the football when he’s in there. And Christian (McCaffrey) has had a great camp."

RE: On Baker Mayfield and his performance

"I think the biggest thing is. I guess he’s played two preseason games. He’s protecting the ball. Kept the ball out of harm’s way. At the same time, not afraid to make aggressive throws. The ball he threw to Chuba (Hubbard) was an aggressive throw. The play he had with Shi (Smith), he was outside the x’s and o’s. I think we have a good feel for it. At the same time, he’s just getting started in this offense. He’s just getting started. Hey, what can I do? That’s what excites me. I think he has a lot of room to grow. I think we have a lot more weapons. The guys tonight did a great job. I’m anxious to see him really get all of that chemistry with Robbie (Anderson), DJ (Moore), and Christina (McCaffrey.) Get Ian (Thomas) back. I’m excited about what Baker’s (Mayfield) done. I guess the thing about him. Everyone’s like he’s this fiery (guy.) He’s fiery, like I said, after the fact. He’s very in the moment. And that’s what I want. I want a guy that’s in the moment. Locked into football. That’s what Baker (Mayfield) is."

RE: On the offensive linemen and Baker Mayfield

"I would have normally pulled them in that last drive. And put Sam (Darnold) in. I thought it was really important for those guys to have to protect in a two-minute situation. That last drive took so long on defense. We were kinda like, hey. We’re going with Sam (Darnold) next. Kind of the part of preseason. You hate to telling a guy he’s down and he’s going back in. Wanted to get Sam (Darnold) in. They’ve got a lot of work. We have a lot of things that we want to work on together with those guys. I thought they responded from the 4th and 1. And all that. Which was important. We wanted to give Sam (Darnold) a good look at those guys. I was pleased with the second offensive line for the most part. Cam Erving I think has had a really great camp for us."

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