Cameron Wake – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by Ted Leshinski)
(Cam, defensively you guys made a lot of plays and put a lot of pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and caused a lot of problems for him, knocked him out of the game. How did you feel going into this one?) – “It started way back probably Tuesday evening, Wednesday. It started with good a plan from the coaching staff and the guys buying in. Everybody saying, ‘Listen, I’m going to do my part,’ not over complicating, not thinking about all the stuff going on but just beat your man. And if everybody does that individually, we should have a good day. It started from the top and coach put a good plan together and guys executed.”
(You got the start. You got more opportunities. Does that give you a better chance to get a feel of the game and to play a game to the level you want to play at?) – “Well, everything seems to be a little bit more fun when you win. I’ve been a guy who believes in the process, believes in the coaching staff. They told me that I’d probably get a little more action this week, with the situation of the game and the plan, and I just made sure I was prepared for it. Things kind of worked out to the benefit of everybody and it was fun being out there.”
(How do you build on this game and help it to benefit you going forward through the rest of the season?) – “Well, the process doesn’t change. Regardless of what happens on Sunday – whether you’re out there licking your wounds or celebrating – Sunday night, Monday afternoon-ish, that’s kind of where you’ve got to put everything behind you and move forward. So, of course the guys and everybody are feeling good about themselves and I told them to celebrate tonight, but tomorrow afternoon it’s time to move on to the next one. I know the guys will enjoy it. We got another one coming up soon so we’ll have to be ready.”
(It was a strange week. You start the week off with a couple of guys being released, changes being made. Did any of that affect the way you guys played going into this game?) – “I like to think that football is a game for men. Part of this game is you lose guys – whether it’s a shoelace, hamstring or business. We made some changes on the roster but again, that’s not new. That’s happened over and over again through the history of football and you have to know, ‘Hey, next man up.’ If that’s the situation, you’ve got to be ready. You’ve got to be ready to go and you’ve got to move on with the guys you have in the locker room. I think the guys we’ve got here know what’s expected of them and, of course, the guys went out and they played hard today on both sides of the ball.”
(Cam, what can you say about how your DB’s did back there? It seemed like they got into Antonio Brown’s head a little) – “Well, a pass rusher’s best friend is always the guys in the back end, so doing whatever they can do to help, the quarterback makes bad decisions or maybe throws the ball errantly; and up front we’re doing the same things, trying to help them out and today they played to the level that’s expected. It’s not surprising to me. It’s not something out of the ordinary. I think that’s the way we expect them to play, day-in and day-out. We’ve being saying it for weeks – (we have to) play complimentary football, whether its offense, defense, front end, back end, all around. That’s the only way you’re going to win. You can’t just have the DB’s playing great and the front line stinking up the place; or the offense playing great and the DB’s dropping the ball. It has to be all facets – front to back, side to side, playing together and that’s the way you win games.”
(Cam, off the ball on the snap it seemed like you were really fast, even more than usual. Did you feel like you timed it better?) – “I looked faster than usual? What do you think? I guess I ate my Wheaties this morning, I don’t know. (laughter) I just felt good going out there and getting after it. I’d have to go back and watch the tape to see if I agree or not. But again, just getting out there and getting into a rhythm. My number was called and just going out there and doing my best to help the team, that part was fun. Of course the win helps everything feel a little better, and I look forward to the next one.”
(We saw one of the Steelers defensive players late in the game throwing up on the field. Did you feel like they were gassed?) – “Was it hot? (Laughter) It felt like a beautiful summer day out there in South Florida. That’s kind of what we’re used to. I didn’t notice anybody throwing up. To me, it’s just another day in South Florida. We practice in this every day. We play in it every day. What’s the temperature in Pittsburgh? I have no idea. It’s probably autumn already up there. That’s just part of football. Later in the year, we’re going to be in places where it’s freezing cold and you’ve got to deal with the elements. But, again, I think that’s why it’s the greatest game in the world because there are so many other factors you’ve got to factor in. You’ve got to beat not just your opponent but the heat, or pain, or whatever it is. That is just the nature of this business. You’d have to ask them if they were gassed.”
(Cam, what part about the way the defense preformed today can fit into sort of the ideal identity of the group moving forward?) – “It’s just complimentary football. I spoke about it earlier; it’s about the front end and back end playing together. You can’t, like I said earlier, you can’t have DB’s playing their butts off and the front end dropping the ball. It doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to play together. For weeks we’ve been saying, ‘Hey listen, once we get this thing a full game, 60 minutes, front end, back end, offense, defense, playing together, playing complimentary, I think everybody will be happy with the outcome.’ Today, that’s something we did well and, again, it’s fun for now but we’ve got to make sure we move forward and continue to build off that and take it into the next one.”
(Do you believe in the idea of statement victories or signature victories, and if so, would this qualify?) – “A win’s a win. It’s hard to win in this league. I don’t care who it is. I don’t believe in a win like a statement – to who? To you? Oh well, it’s a win. It’s a game where every game, every time you got to go out there, you’ve got to fight, you’ve got to scratch, you’ve got to claw. So to me, every game’s a statement.”
(At the beginning of the season you seemed comfortable with the plan they had for kind of limiting you a little bit to get going. Do you feel physically ready now for your regular work load?) – “Regular is a relative term, I guess. I’m ready for whatever situation calls for my services. If it’s the way it was before, if it’s the way it was today. I know that the situation of the game or the plan for the week can change. That’s just the nature of this game. When my number is called, I’m going to go in there and do everything I can to help the team. I’ve been comfortable with that since the day I stepped on the field.”
Branden Albert – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins LT Branden Albert (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(Opening Statement) – “We wanted to a statement today. We don’t want to get overconfident, but we are healthy – all five of us. I wanted to see what we can do, and I think we did a good job. We can play ball. We can play physical.”
(Are those power inside runs in terms of what you guys were doing?) – “We were doing everything today – whatever coach called. It was inside, double team, outside zone. We did it all today.”
(How comfortable were you given you had everybody out there?) – “I felt good. We had all our guys for the first time. It was good. (We) had our Pro Bowl center (Mike Pouncey), our Pro Bowl right guard (Jermon Bushrod). I was the left (tackle), Pro Bowl left tackle. We had our two young guys playing right (tackle) and left guard, so it was good today, man. It was a good feeling.”
Ryan Tannehill – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by Sara Perez)
(A little different than last week, you were protected well today. Can you talk about the job that the guys up front did for you?) – “Yes, (the) guys up front did a heck of a job all day – first and foremost, running the football. They pounded the guys up front and created running lanes. Jay (Ajayi) ran hard, (the running) backs ran hard, just falling forward (and) getting those tough yards. In the pass game, they kept me clean. I was able to go one-two in my progressions, and when you’re able to do that, you can actually throw the football and make a few plays. (It was) huge having those starters back in the lineup for us and the whole front just played really well today. Guys played hard the whole game; tight ends stepped up. Dion (Sims) went down and had MarQueis (Gray) and ‘D.J.’ (Dominique Jones) really step up and come in and play well for us. I think it’s something we can build off of, for sure.”
(How comforting was it for you to walk into that huddle and see those five guys there all together for the first time this season?) – “It’s huge. It’s huge. Just having our starting line in the game is huge. The ability obviously, to protect, to push in the run game, obviously changes the whole game for us. The confidence I had stepping into that huddle was huge. We had a couple of guys go down at times in the game and had (Kraig) Urbik and (Anthony) Steen come in there at different times, and ‘Bush’ (Jermon Bushrod) move out to tackle. So, (they) still got shuffled a little bit, but they had kind of set the tempo, the tone for the game early in the game and so when we had those other guys step in, they did a good job too.”
(When you come into this game, did you have any thought that you’d have RB Jay Ajayi rush for 204 yards in a game like this against a physical defense like Pittsburgh?) – “I probably wouldn’t have said 200. I knew we were going to come in and be aggressive rushing the football, but when you can rush for 200 yards – I don’t know how many total we had – but when you have a guy go over 200 yards and definitely the team over that, you’re going to be in a good position to win a lot of games. Obviously, you’re not going to be able to do that every week, but if you can establish a run like we did today, get positive yards in the run game, get first downs in the run game, it really opens up a lot of the playbook for us and things down field. It takes pressure off the pass-rush and the receivers because there’s just more time to get them the football.”
(This seems like the first game all season we’ve been able to see Adam Gase’s offense through 60 minutes and a lot of different things out there. Were you happy being able to get everything, to do the different plays, to do the different things that he wants to bring in this offense and see it out here today?) – “Yes, it’s huge. When you’re staying on the field converting third downs, getting first downs on first and second down, it’s huge. You get some momentum, you get to run more plays, have more chances to have explosive plays and that’s what we’re looking for. I think all year we’ve been looking for our offense to come out, play well and keep the defense off the field. We’ve had our defense on the field way too much through the first quarter of the season and really that’s kind of what we’re looking for – to get a lead, to get our defense some rest on the sideline, let our pass-rushers come out and pass-rush. So, you can kind of see when we get in that position what can happen.”
(Early in the game you were moving the ball, but you had a penalty that erased a touchdown, you had a dropped touchdown pass and you were settling for field goals. Was there a concern that we’re not maximizing, this could come back to hurt us later on?) – “Honestly it never crossed my mind. Obviously, (we were) frustrated to leave the field without scoring a touchdown when you have opportunities to; but I felt confident in the way we were moving the football, the way guys were making plays that, ‘Hey, it’s a long game of course.’ As the year goes on, sometimes those things are going to hurt you. We need to be able to make those plays and get it corrected; but the way the guys were moving the ball up front, the time they were giving me in the pass game, just gave me a lot of confidence that we were going to be able to move the ball the whole game and get down there and have other opportunities. We came into this game saying, ‘Hey, let’s move the ball and get points.’ So, coming away with a field goal when you’re down and tight is not what you’re looking for, but we were moving the football and getting points and now we just need to be better with our efficiency once we get inside the red zone.”
(Ryan, is this an indication of what this team can be and what does it mean for your team going forward?) – “Yes, it’s definitely an indication. Like I said, we finally played complementary football – we let our pass-rushers rush, kept them off the field, moved the ball on offense, converted on third down and kind of played the way we want to play. It’s definitely a glimpse of what we can do, now we just have to build off of it and show up every week like this.”
(Ryan, besides the obvious, not getting sacked, your uniform stayed clean – does your body feel different right now even after a game like this where you’re not taking those hits?) – “What do you think? (Laughter). We’ll line you up there and let you get hit a few times (laughter). (You don’t have any red blotches on your body) – “Yes, not too bad. Like I said, it’s a different game whenever you’re able to go through a progression and not get hit, give me a clean pocket to let our receivers get open, able to go one-two to three in the progression and that’s huge. You’re able to just keep getting positive plays and not have that negative setback that makes it second-and-long, third-and-long. When you’re in third-and-manageable, you’re going to have opportunities to keep moving the chains.”
(LS John Denney had spoken to the team yesterday, is that accurate?) – “Yes.”
(What did he say, how did that come across, longest tenured player on the team.) – “Yes, we have a player speaker every Saturday night. It was John’s turn and he did a great job. Just telling us you reap what you sow and if you want to expect success on the weekends then you have to put in the work during the week and it’s a true statement, no matter where you are in life – whether you’re playing football or working in accounting. The work you put in is going to directly affect the success you have. It was good – a guy who has played a lot of football, been around, seen a lot of good football players throughout his time here and it’s a great lesson to live by.”
(You’ve mentioned the word ‘confidence’ and how the blocking up front gave you more confidence and allowed the team to build, can you explain to folks that don’t play, that haven’t played how that affects performance, how that affects how you feel about the game and your job?) – “Yes, it’s huge. Just knowing that you’re going to have time to get to number one, to get to number two in the progression is huge. Just having that confidence that you’re not going to have a free runner come and hit you before you’re able to really do your job. So, it’s huge and I think our guys set the tone early with doing that and then were consistent throughout the game.”
(Ryan, it’s a pretty muggy day out there, did you sense the defense wilting in the second half a little bit? They were on the field a long time and they looked like they were gassed.) – “Yes, it’s big whenever you can put those long drives together (and) keep pushing the ball down the field. I think right at the end of the half, we were on the goal line after the big play to Jarvis (Landry) and I saw a couple of their linebackers puking on the field. When you get in that position, when you’re able to use South Florida to our advantage – we train in this every day and we’re ready for it. So, obviously it does affect us too, but we should be in better shape and able to handle it better than anyone that comes down here. So, we need to be able to use that to our advantage and to do that, we have to stay on the field and keep marching the ball down the field and we did that today.”
Adam Gase – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(Coach, you didn’t get the chance to enjoy your first win here at Hard Rock Stadium. This one, it feels a little better to you?) – “Yes. That was good, team football right there. That’s what we’re looking to do. I’m sure there are going to be some things we’ll want to clean up, but that’s what we need to be more consistent with.”
(When you look at this game, that offensive line being intact for the first time, how much did that affect the game?) – “You tell me. A lot, right?”
(204 yards rushing for RB Jay Ajayi, 474 yards.) – “It makes a big difference when you have holes and the quarterback is not on his back.”
(Can you talk about the day that RB Jay Ajayi had for you?) – “He did a good job of being patient. He did exactly what we talked about all week as far as what we wanted to do run game-wise, the scheme. The line did a great job of pushing those guys vertically and letting him get some space and stick his foot in the ground and go. He was very good at what we were trying to do today.”
(How much is the game easier for QB Ryan Tannehill when all of the other things are going well out there?) – “When you’re not getting pressured and hit every other play, it makes a big difference. That’s any quarterback in the league. When you’re protected, you’re able to run the ball, you can get an eight-, 12-play drive, you get a little bit of a rhythm. It makes a big difference.”
(Your tight ends made a big impact in the game. Everyone that was in there it seemed made big plays for you.) – “It was a shame that – Dion (Sims) was playing really well – (and) he goes out. ‘D.J.’ (Dominique Jones) and ‘Q’ (MarQueis Gray) did a great job though of coming in and being ready to go. ‘D.J.’ – for the fact he has only been here a couple of weeks, and kind of getting thrown in there, and all of a sudden he had a huge role. Both those guys, they played tough. We didn’t lose anything in the running game. They were aggressive at the line of scrimmage, even though that’s not really their forte. They did a great job.”
(CB Byron Maxwell on WR Antonio Brown made some good plays as well.) – “The way that (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) had the defense set up – how they wanted to play him – the guys executed exactly what we talked about all week. They did a great job of making adjustments on the sidelines and just making sure that everyone was good technique-wise. That was going to be the big thing for us: we needed to do a good job as far as if we’re supposed to be outside technique, we stayed there, and we pushed him to the safety. At the end of the day, I’m sure we’ll go back and look at a couple of things as far as our tackling, but guys were flying at the ball, trying to make plays, and were trying to gang-tackle.”
(Defensively, what was the best thing that you guys did, whether it’s keeping QB Ben Roethlisberger in check, RB Le’Veon Bell, WR Antonio Brown, the two sacks, the two interceptions?) – “Anytime you get turnovers and you change the field and you get points off turnovers, that’s always going to be big. That’s going to change the game; it shorts the field. Those guys did a great job as far as … When I say they executed exactly what (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) wanted them to do – (with) listening to what they talked about and what they practiced and watching them practice – they did exactly what they were coached to do.”
(Do you think releasing guys after five games in any way affected or motivated the rest of the team?) – “I don’t know. You’d have to ask them. For me, it was just time for us to make a change.”
(Speaking of changes, RB Arian Foster didn’t play a whole lot. RB Jay Ajayi played a lot. Injury related?) – “Coming into the game, that was kind of the plan. We were probably going to use Arian a little more on third down, and keep Jay in there and let him get going, get a little bit of a rhythm. Arian, he was trying to give a little bit of a burst. That was my fault leaving him there on the third-and- 1. That really wasn’t smart on my part. He’s trying to fight for us. He’s trying to be out there, because he knows his leadership is valuable. Him just being on the sideline is valuable when he’s able to play. If he can give us a couple plays – even though he’s not 100 percent – for him to come out there and want to be a part of what we were doing, that was outstanding effort on his part. Obviously, I put him in a couple of bad situations.”
(Adam, big picture, as you just talked about – you were staring at 1-5 down the barrel if you don’t get it done today. Just talk about the importance of not only winning this game today, but beating a team like Pittsburgh.) – “This game was just the next one. That’s not how we go about it. I’ve never think about it like that. I’ve never look at records. Until someone tells you you’re out, I never worry about it.”
(Did today suggest to you what this team can be if guys are on their stuff?) – “I think today does make me feel like when we play team football, it makes a big difference when our defense has 53 plays over 76. That’s because the offense actually stayed on the field for more than three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out. That’s why when the offense gets going, that helps the defense and vice versa. When the defense is three-and-out, and we’re getting eight-play drives, it makes a big difference. You can see what happens: those guys get going, we’re able to play coverage, all of a sudden they’re in there with four, we don’t have to pressure, everyone does what they’re supposed to do. It’s a big difference.”
(Adam, RB Jay Ajayi didn’t travel to Seattle Week 1. Today he rushes for 204 yards. Can you just explain how far he’s come from that point to today?) – “He just had about a bad five days. I’m sure all of us have had that five bad days at some point in your life. That’s what happens sometimes. We’ve got a lot of young guys. We had a meeting the other day with maybe it was 26 guys – first or second year players. That’s a lot of guys. We’re going to have guys make mistakes. We’re going to have some growing pains, and we’re going to have some issues as far as guys being late, guys not being where they’re supposed to. We’ve got to grow through that; we’ve got to grow up quick.”
(You’ve had tough Sundays before this where you felt confident. Does this serve as proof, as evidence, that you can be this kind of team? Does it help you going forward coaching your guys?) – “I think the thing that today proved to a lot of our guys, and a lot of our coaches, (was) what you possibly could be, but this league’s week-to-week. What we do today has no merit on what we’re going to do next Sunday. Nobody will care. Once we hit next Sunday, no one’s going to care what we did this week. So, we have to go back to work. We’re 0-0 again on Monday, and then we’re going to get ready for the next game.”
(Can you talk about the decision to play DE Cam Wake in running situations and DE Mario Williams didn’t play as much?) – “We decided to make some changes. That’s all it was. We felt like that was the right move for us for this game.”
(Can you sum up what this past week has been for you from where you left a week ago here to tough decisions to changes results-wise? Was it just a typical NFL week?) – “It’s the same as it has always been. Make some moves, and that’s a part of the business, get to Wednesday and start everyone at practice. And then you can’t wait until the next one, because then you can forget about the last one.”
Jarvis Landry – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(Jarvis, it’s been a long time since this locker room had this much joy, how good does it feel to get a win against a team that a lot of people kind of picked you guys to take an L?) – “It felt great, it felt great. Like I said earlier, to see all the hard work and effort these guys put in every week; for this to be the outcome. It feels great, it feels great.”
(Jarvis, what did you see on the onside kick?) – “The ball, my job on that play is to pretty much go up and get the ball. Regardless of the circumstances, obviously understand that I’m going to get hit but trust in my guys in front of me to go get those guys. If not, the whole point of that play is for us to get the ball. For me I just want to get it at its highest point and that’s what I did.”
(How good does it feel to finally get everything you guys have practiced on the field all at one time? Finally coming into play) – “Again, we put it in during the week. We put it in during the week, from just coaches forcing Jay (Ajayi) to run to the end zone every time he touches the ball. Then, our receivers coach forcing us to run behind him every time. Coincidentally, that’s how it ended tonight. For us it’s something again, that I’ve seen these guys do week in and week out. You know for it to end like this against a team like that, it says a lot.”
Mike Pouncey – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins C Mike Pouncey (transcribed by Frank Brill)
(What was the jersey exchange, did you have to get a game worn Maurkice Pouncey jersey and that’s the only way you could get it?) – “I’ve got a lot of them but that was the first time we were playing against each other in the NFL so that jersey is going to mean a lot more than just a regular jersey.”
(The offensive line has been a beleaguered unit this year and part of that has been because of injuries, how did it feel to see that group play well today?) – “It was great. It was the first time all five of us were on the field together at the same time this year, and it looked really good. This is something our football team can build off of. This offensive line has been taking a lot of heat the first four or five games of the season and it feels good for it to finally pay off, all the hard work.”
(Has there been a sense in that corner of the locker room of guys wanting to redeem themselves and to play with a little bit of an edge?) – “I wouldn’t call it that. For the most part, everybody that’s involved and that knows what’s going on, they were always supportive of us. It’s the outside noise that didn’t really believe in us; but today, hopefully we proved them wrong.”
Byron Maxwell – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins Cornerback Byron Maxwell (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(How much did this team need this win and how does it feel to get it?) – “It felt great to get this win. We needed it, boost the morale of the team but it feels good though.”
(How were you able as a team take care of Antonio Brown?) – “It was just team ball. We disguised and just played ball hard and we just ran to the ball. It was just a team effort.”
(How did it feel different as a defense? What clicked so well today that hasn’t in recent weeks?) – “Just the practice, the work we put in during the week. I think made a difference on how we practiced and how we went about things getting ready for this game.”
Reshad Jones – October 16, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2016
Postgame – vs. Pittsburgh
Miami Dolphins S Reshad Jones (transcribed by Frank Brill)
(Is this a springboard victory to take you guys to better things this season or is this just another NFL game?) – “It’s just another NFL week but it’s a big win, a huge win. I think overall it was a total team effort; they’re a good football team and a quality win.
(How big of a difference does it make when the defense is not out there for all of those amount of plays that you guys have been out there for previously, does that help?) – “Most definitely, when you give a defense time you can make adjustments and different things like that on the sidelines so it does help.”
(You were kind of questionable going into this game, what were you able to do to get yourself ready to play?) – “I’ve got to give credit to our training staff. We’ve got one of the best training staff’s I think in the NFL. They did everything throughout the week. I prepared mentally, I got mental reps on the field and I went out and played and helped this team win a football game.”
(Can you talk a little bit about the tackle that you missed that went for the touchdown and then making up for that with the interception?) – “It’s just part of the game. I’m not going to make every tackle, I try to. I pride myself on tackling but I went with my shoulder and missed it. You have to put that behind you. As a DB there’s going to be some good plays and some bad plays, I had to put that play behind me and just keep fighting, go out and play my technique and made a great play.”
(I know you’re looking at every game one game at a time, but when you beat a team like Pittsburgh who’s been to the playoffs and who’s probably going to the playoffs, do you figure to yourself we can redeem this season, we’re not done yet?) – “Oh yes, most definitely. I think we just played how we’re capable of playing. Like I said it was a total team effort. Special teams, offense and defense, we just put it together today in all three phases of the game and we found a way to win this football game.”
(Can it be carried on to the point where the season is not lost?) – “We just want to take one game at a time. We’ve got a division opponent coming in and we want to just worry about that game and just continue to take one game at a time and build from that.”
