BILLS COACH DICK JAURON Transcribed by Allen Wilson ON LOSING SPIKES, CLEMENTS AND FLETCHER AFFECTING DEFENSE There's no doubt that we're going to miss the guys we lost. We're going to field the best team we can. We feel pretty comfortable with the guys we've been developing. But you don't lose players the quality of Nate Clements and London Fletcher in free agency and Takeo in trade and think they are going to be easily replaced. We've got to count on some younger people and some young veterans to step up and play at a higher level than they have. Of course we've got the draft coming up and free agency is not over. We'll move along and try to replace the people we've lost and fill in with the guys that we've been developing. CAN DEFENSE GET BETTER GETTING YOUNGER There;s every reason to believe that it can get better. That being said, we've got to be realistic, too. We've got to give our organization and our players a chance to do that without being unrealistic. Depending on who is in there, there's going to be a learning curve. If that's the case, we as a football team have to pick up the slack. Offensively we need to run the ball better, we need to score more points, we need to keep our defense off the field. Even if our defense is playing great, we still have to do that on offense. But if we're developing a little slower on defense, then we'll really need to do that on offense. And our special teams can't take a step back. A lot of pressure on everybody. WAS TAKEO SALARY CAP RELATED OF PERFORMANCE I think it wouldn't be totally honest to say it wasn't a combination of both of those things. I was very impressed by him. I really liked having Takeo on our football team. As he moves forward, I think there is a good chance that he may recover the skills that he had. I'm not saying anything he didn't say about himself. He didn't feel like he had played up to what he's done in the past. We just thought it was a good time in terms of those things, where he is in his career, where we are with a young team developing, that is was a good trade for us. ON PERCEPTION THE TEAM HAS TAKEN A STEP BACKWARD It depends on who's perception it is. We love to be underestimated, let's put it that way. We'll see and the answers will all come out. ANGELO CROWELL REPLACING LONDON Crow is a very smart guy, and that's going to be important for us. With the departure of London, we not only lose a talented linebacker we lose leadership and a high-character player. And we're a team that values that. With him we have those things. He's just coming into his own and he's a willing guy. He doesn't mind trying something new. He doesn't mind learning and working at it. If that's the way we go, we feel like we'll have a guy in the middle of our defense that is certainly bright enough to make the adjustments, make the calls, control the huddle and lead the group. REPLACING SPIKES ON STRONG SIDE In the draft we'll look at the best available guys. If we get to that point and it happens to be a linebacker and he's got the best grade we'd take him. THOUGHTS ON DARWIN WALKER I always liked how hard he played. I've always liked his effort. He's a talented guy. You don't play for the Philadelphia Eagles and [coach] Andy Reid and not have a good deal of talent. So we feel that he'll fit right in with our group in terms of effort. In the research we did, we were really taken by his intelligence and character. We're really excited about it. We think he'll fit into a rotation with us. We're a team that plays fast in a rotate and we demand our guys play fast on every play. We're excited about this trade and feel it benefits both teams. OTHER D-TACKLES We're counting on John McCargo to come back and play well. We know he can. Kyle Williams had a great year for us and we think he's only going to get better. We added Darwin, we've got Tim Anderson, Jason Jefferson from a year ago and of course we've got Larry Tripplett as our three technique. ENCOURAGED BY DRAFT LAST YEAR We feel good about a lot of things we've done in the draft. It will take more time to really know how good the draft was a year ago. We're really happy with it now. We got a lot of production from a lot of guys. It wasn't just playing time. I thought the young guys played well. They've got to move forward. ON PICKING DONTE OVER D-TACKLE LAST YEAR Obviously a lot of conversation went into that player. We thought there was a real good chance he would be there. We thought he was really good and he's going to get better. ON PERSONAL CONDUCT I believe it's necessary. I think it's an obligation inherent in the position these guys hold and the opportunity that they've been given by a society to be some kind of role model for other people. I think there's value in the direction that the league is taking. I don't know if there are significantly more problems now than when I was a player. I do know they are more highly publicized. There's a lot more pressure on them. But they are responsible. They should be held accountable for their actions. When you have talented young male athletes that play a sport of aggression and the personalities they have, they tend to be aggressive people. Are they responsible for controlling that? Absolutely. Some of the other things that money is the seed of, that's another issue. ON JP LOSMAN NEEDED TO KEEP IMPROVING With any player, a lot of times they may only be as good as the people around them. The better we can be around J.P. the more opportunity he has to develop. At that position doesn't develop, the odds of your team winning isn't very good. We have to focus on getting him better every day, which is not an easy thing but it's made a lot easier because he's got a great attitude about work and about what he wants to be. We've got a real chance there and we have to develop the players around him to give him that chance. Then the whole thing moves forward. ON BEING SETTLED AT QB Going into last year it was an open position. J.P. won the job in camp and he got better as the season went on. He's clearly the guy now and I feel good about it. This is not a guy who thinks he's arrived and I hope he never does. He likes to work, likes the game and wants to be good at it. And he's a skilled athlete. We're optimistic about it. KNOWING WHO STARTING QB IS RATHER THAN COMPETITION It's infinitely better. The other way, it's a constant question not only from us but to us. Now that the question has been answered, there's a lot more pressure. The expectations are a lot higher. The pressure on J.P. is a lot more. He'll have to handle that. WHO IS GOING TO RUN THE BALL WITHOUT WILLIS If we end up going through the draft and the rest of free agency and don't add somebody, I'll feel fine going into the season with Anthony, Shaud and Freddy Jackson. And we'll find some other people to put in the mix to compete. If we feel like we can upgrade, we will. But I like the guys we have. With the additions to our offensive line, with a year of maturity and knowing the system we'll get better at coaching it too. We're going to have to run the football and run it well to win in Buffalo. It doesn't mean running 40 times a game. It just means run it effectively, make people fear the run and make them have to `defend the run. THOUGHTS ON PATRIOTS OFFSEASON The Patriots have been such an outstanding and steady organization for a number of years. What they do doesn't surprise us. You know they're doing their homework, and you know they're looking at their team and analyzing it constantly. Replace and repair, then you're always going to be competitive. It always makes it difficult. Their offense is led by a terrific quyarterback that knows how to win games. HAS GAP WIDED IN AFC EAST I don't know. We've also done things in free agency. We know they're a good football team and we'll play them twice. They're good and they've made themselves better. ON EXPECTATIONS FOR TEAM I believe you don't want to hide from the truth, and the truth is we have high expectations. If we have them why shouldn't our fans? J.P. did get better and played at a high level as the season went on. I think people have a right to expect that to continue. We've got to have made the right decisions in free agency, and there's lots of questions about what we have done and we understand that. We have to make them be the right decisions. We have to get our team ready for when the season begins we're performing. You feel like you took a step backward as an organization if there weren't expectations. We're believers. We believe we're doing the right things and we have talent. So we'll see what happens.