Coach Olson:"They've got tremendous size. They play very well. They're a sound defense. They don't do a lot, but they are sound in what they do. They're very talented across the board."
Q: Seems like almost every week you're going up against a very difficult defensive front. Is that a good thing for the long-term development of your quarterback, to face some difficult challenges?
Coach Olson:"I believe it is. We just talked about that today with Derek [Carr], in that it may be awhile before you face a stretch like this of defensive teams. Certainly we haven't had the success we'd like to have and he hasn't had the individual success he's liked to have. But, he's also done some good things. He's learned a lot from it. I think it will help him in the future. If you'd ask him, I think he'd say the same thing. It's always been a learning experience for him. That experience will help him down the road."
Q: The line has protected Derek well all year, but he got knocked around a little last week. This line has particularly protected him well at home. Do you like your chances of bouncing back with the challenge they face this week?
Coach Olson:"I do. I think playing at home, our guys feed off the crowd at home. We've played well, particularly the last two games at home. I think there's a pride factor there, in playing the final game of the 2014 season at home. They're looking forward to the challenge. They know the match-up will be a difficult match-up, but we said that about San Francisco and Kansas City. They've faced some difficult fronts. We expect them to come out and play hard on Sunday."
Q: When you watch the film from last week, do you wish you had run the ball more often?
Coach Olson:"Going back to look at it, there may have been a series there in the third quarter when it was 24-6, there was a time I think we could have. We ended up in a pass, run, pass situation. We didn't convert the third-down and went down to 31-6. Then it became a two-minute game after that. Certainly would have liked to punch in the touchdown when we got the turnover in the red zone. That was a big point in the game there. We had been very good in the red zone this season. That, to me, was a turning point. Then to go around and fumble a center-quarterback exchange, obviously you can't do that. There was a succession there of about 10 plays where we needed to play better, and it would have kept us in the game and we could have stayed with the game plan and run the ball more."
Q: What's the difference in angles and leverage when Khalif Barnes and Donald Penn are blocking 4-3 ends as opposed to guys like Tamba Hali and Justin Houston?
Coach Olson:"That's part of it, but if you look at it, we haven't had a lot of 4-3. It's really the first 4-3 front that we've played all season, this team here. We got a little bit from Seattle. I think those guys and where they're lined up, they're seeing the same kinds of guys and alignment. Where your help is coming from is coming from a little different place up front. They've had a good week of practice for the most part because they're older veterans. They've played a lot of 3-4 fronts and 4-3 fronts throughout their careers. They're relying on their experience in blocking those types of players. They've blocked big-time players in their past as well. They're looking forward to the challenge and we'll do our best to help them out."
Q: If Buffalo does as little as they say they do, you'd think this would really be a big thing in regards to one-on-one match-ups.
Coach Olson:"Correct. Across the board, that's what it has become about for us a little. We've seen a lot of man coverage, when the wideout is out. On top, being able to protect one-on-one, we've got to wide consistently on the perimeter with our wideouts, tight ends and backs, because they're going to be manned up. That's going to be a big part of us having success on Sunday.
Q: When you're watching the Kansas City tape with Derek, is there something central that you hope that he can learn from that tape? Was there something that you hope he took from that?
Coach Olson:"I think situational football there. He, probably like some others, tried to do too much there. He started to press a little bit when it became 17-6, as opposed to just going back out and playing. There will be times, again, where it might not be clicking early on but you're in the game. It was a 10-6 football game there. At that point, we pressed a little bit. In the future, they'll realize that they need to stay within the game plan and think about it one score, one play, one series at a time and get ourselves back into this thing."
Q: Is there something where if you're getting hit a lot, it can wear on you mentally?
Coach Olson:"It depends on the player that you probably are. That hasn't been an issue for him and I don't believe he's been hit a lot this season. We've thrown it a lot but I think we've protected him for the most part. I said this when he came in, he's thrown a lot of passes in college and he's been back there in the pocket a lot. I don't think that the rush phases this guy, which is an attribute that you really want in a quarterback. He doesn't really seem to feel the rush or see the rush. He's done a real nice job, especially this year as a rookie as far as standing in the pocket. There have been times where maybe he's gotten it out a little too quick, but at the same time, I have plenty of examples where he stood there in the pocket and worked through his progressions and made some really nice throws. He's not a guy that's been affected by the rush."
