Carter, a rookie defensive tackle, echoed Andreessen and Steveson’s sentiments, saying it was exciting to be able to play his first preseason game.
“I was excited to be out there, emotions were high,” Carter said. “Obviously something I’ve worked for my whole life. So I’m just excited and thankful for the opportunity, health, safety and the ability to be out there.”
Although he was happy that so many players were used, McDermott said after the game that the team did not play to its full potential in the 27-point loss.
“We didn’t play to our level today,” he said. “That’s not how we play, so we still have a lot of work to do to prepare for this performance.”
“…But we have to learn from this. We have to be honest about what we saw out there… Self-inflicted wounds are hard to overcome, and then you have to play against an opponent on the other side. So, you have to give them credit. They played well.”
The Bills will begin practicing again on Monday at Orchard Park, with both players and coaches ready to get back to work and learn from this loss before traveling to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in their second preseason game.
“We’ll go back and watch the film, obviously I haven’t seen it yet,” Carter said. “And for me personally, I stick to my fundamentals and core principles. At the end of the day, I think that’s what wins games and that’s why there’s so much emphasis on it here. So for me, I just want to go back and see where I’ve been consistent in my core principles, where I haven’t been and where there’s obviously room for improvement.”
