Ndamukong Suh – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by Armando Gonzalez)
(Can you take us through that last play? Obviously, it was due or die pretty much there, and you came from behind and made the tackle.) – “(It was a) pass play. (I) came inside, made an inside move, and (Colin Kaepernick) tried to escape and get up into the B gaps. I had to work back and try and eliminate that.”
(How difficult was it with QB Colin Kaepernick and his ability to run? It seemed like his ball fakes were really causing some problems early on. He was able to pick up the running game with 110 yards rushing. How tough is it to play against a quarterback that has that ability?) – “He’s a mobile quarterback. We know we have a tough job ahead of us whenever we have that. He likes to escape, likes to find the open gap – open window – and make plays with his feet or, obviously, find a throwing window to make plays. At the end of the day, I think we eliminated him from making points with using his feet, and we came out with the win.”
(You guys have been wearing shirts, t-shirts, that say ‘strain’ I believe on them. On that last play, did you strain to get to get to QB Colin Kaepernick to make sure that he didn’t get into the end zone?) – “We have to strain each and every play, find a way to make a play and get the job done.”
(How do you feel like the defense played overall in the second half?) – “I think we had a lot of plays, and at the end of the day, we have to find a way to get off the field quicker. Obviously, at the end of the day, we got our job done but there are ways we can clean it up and get more three-and-outs and get the ball back to our offense.”
(On that last play – QB Colin Kaepernick had been breaking contain all day – did you feel like it was going to happen again that he was just going to try to make something happen with his legs?) – “I just played what I saw. I had a one-on-one versus the guard, needed to beat him and then, obviously, get to the quarterback.”
(How rewarding is it making that play in the most critical time for this team?) – “At the end of the day, we don’t want him to score. We’re up by seven, we wanted to see the clock hit zero and obviously neither him having an the opportunity to run the ball nor pass the ball. That’s the way I look at it. We got the job done, got off the field. It’s not the cleanest or the best way to get it done, but we got it done.”
Ryan Tannehill – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (transcribed by Sara Perez)
(First of all, your 100th career touchdown pass. It’s a pretty impressive milestone for you. How do you feel about that?) – “It was cool. I didn’t even know I was however many away, but I came to the sideline and someone told me. I forget who it was, but yes, it’s pretty cool.”
(The 49ers made it tough running the football, did you feel that was going to be the case going in or was that something you had to adjust to during the game and start to throw the ball a little more?) – “Yes, we knew it was a possibility and we kind of figured that out early in the game that they were going to load the box and make it tough on us. We tried to stick with it there for the whole game – just tried to keep pounding away. I think finally in the fourth quarter we did crease one when Jay (Ajayi) got – I don’t know how many – 20 yards or so. They did a good job in the run game. They were physical up front. We knew it was going to be a battle up front and they loaded the box and made it tough for us.”
(You had C/G Anthony Steen, C/G Kraig Urbik and T Sam Young over there on the left side. you have to feel pretty good about the way they protected you throughout the course of the game.) – “Yes, (I’m) really proud of those guys. (I’m) really proud of all five of those guys, the way they battled up front. We knew it would be tough in the run game, but they battled. And in the pass game, they did a great job of giving me time and running lanes. When there was someone on the edge, they were covering up enough where I could move around and get outside the pocket.”
(At 7-4, how do you feel about this football team and how far you’ve come and how far you can go?) – “I’m proud of these guys, but we’re on the process and we’re taking it one game at a time. We just have to stick to what we’re doing. Nothing changes around here. We have to take advantage of every day in our preparation and practice and get ready for the next one.”
(It looks like the passing game is a little smoother. It looks like it’s clicking better than it was early in the season, in every facet – do you feel like that and if so, what are the improvements that you guys have made?) – “I hope it’s going better than earlier in the season. We’ve had a lot of practice, had a lot of games since then. We just want to keep on the course of getting better each and every week. The pass (protection) has been really good and that’s been one of the biggest factors, allowing me to go through my reads and let the guys work downfield. We have good playmakers on the outside that are making plays and that’s what you want to have.”
(What is it about this team that it comes down to the last play, last drive?) – “I don’t know, but we find a way to win. I’ve been saying for weeks now, that’s the kind of team you want to have – a team that finds a way to win, whether its offense, defense or special teams. Most games it’s going to take everybody. I’m proud of the guys that played today and the way they battled.”
(Your thoughts on that last possession San Francisco had?) – “I was just pulling for the defense – just rooting them on, trying to get the crowd to be as loud as possible. It got quiet a few times there and that’s when we need the crowd to be the loudest, so I was trying to do my best to pump them up. (You) can’t do much on the sideline.”
(Did you think the way they played defense that you would have some shots downfield? the way they were setting up to take away the run?) – “Yes. We knew … We kind of figured it out, like I said, early in the game that they were loading the box and we were going to have to push the ball down the field a little bit, and we were able to hit a few shots down the field.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said there was talk on the sideline that it was disrespectful to the passing game – did you feel that way?) – “I wasn’t part of those conversations or anything. I knew, obviously, we’ve been a heavy run team and leaned on the run, and they came in and decided they were going to load the box and make us throw to win. So that’s what we did.”
(How big was WR Leonte Carroo being able to step up in there and get a touchdown?) – “It was huge. I’m proud of Leonte and him just hanging in there. He’s been there, kind of our fourth, fifth guy all year, and for him to come in, in a big situation, in the fourth quarter and have a big run after catch – a physical run – after he had the ball in his hands for a touchdown. (I’m) really proud of him.”
(Head coachAdam Gase told us this week part of the reason he took the job is that he believed in you. You’re starting to have success. He’s going to get some of the credit. What does he deserve credit for as far as how you’ve transformed a little bit and played better this year?) – “He’s done a great job – not just (with) me, but with our team. The way he leads, the way he installs, teaches the offense, communicates and just keeps guys on track – whether it’s me or anybody else. (He) just keeps (us) focused each and every day on trying to find something to get better at. I think as long as you’re doing that, you’re going to continue to get better and find success.”
(What is something specific that you are better at because of Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “I’m better, I think, at a lot of things. Just playing fast with my feet, I think has been the biggest emphasis since we started this year and obviously there are times where I want to be faster, but that’s been a big emphasis for us and I feel like I’m getting better.”
(Speaking of your feet, are you going to do some sliding at some point when you are trying to pick up extra yards?) – “(Laughing) Yes, probably so. There are definitely a couple situations where I probably should have slid today, but I’m a competitor and I want to find a way to do everything I can to help the team win. Obviously, I can’t put myself at risk and not ever slide. I just have to find those spots where it’s a good situation to slide.”
(Have you noticed the town where the fans are being more behind this team recently? I know you guys don’t get out a lot, grocery shopping and all that stuff, but how do you figure out how much the team loves you and what their attraction is to you at a specific time of the season? Is it just by the cheers or how do you figure that out?) – “I don’t really know. I just kind of keep my head down and keep working. Obviously, I feel it the most on game day, when we have a full stadium; it’s loud when the defense is on the field and creating that home field advantage. That’s what I want to see; that’s what I think our team wants to see. Obviously, the support is nice outside the building, but I don’t spend a whole lot of time anywhere other than the building and my house (laughing). So, I don’t see it a whole lot, but it’s great to have the fans excited about it and we need them to create our home field advantage.”
(On the touchdown pass to WR Kenny Stills, the safety was out of position. did you notice that or did you move him out of position?) – “They were bluffing, they were showing a middle safety look and ended up rolling to a Cloud look on that side and I was able to get the ball there before the safety got there.”
(Is that a situation where the disguise lasted a little too long and you were able to take advantage of it?) – “Yes, possibly. I don’t know exactly how, or if, the safety ended up out of position, but he wasn’t close enough to make the play.”
(I think you were asked about the offensive line, but there’s a sense that if you guys can get through this stretch with your guys banged up, G/T Laremy Tunsil was close this week to playing, you can get them all back in a week or two, is that kind of the belief that ‘we just have to survive now, win somehow and get our guys back’?) – “I didn’t really think past winning this game. It makes sense what you’re saying, but honestly, I was just completely focused on doing everything I could to win this game. We’ll do the same thing this week.”
(When you said playing fast with your feet, are you referring to moving around the pocket or awareness?) – “Just faster through the drop and being ready to move – being in a position to either make a throw or move or whatever I need to do.”
(How did you feel about your pocket awareness today and also your decision making when you were under pressure?) – “I’ll have to go back and look at the tape. There were a few times when I left the pocket and felt good initially about when I left and what made me leave, but I’ll have to go back and look and evaluate and see where I can improve there.”
(You’re about to get to December and at 1-4 it didn’t seem like you would be playing meaningful December games and now you control your own destiny. Does the turnaround in the season surprise you? What goes through you mind when you think we just rolled off six straight wins?) – “It’s exciting. I think it is exciting be where we’re at right now. Obviously you want to be playing meaningful games in December to get yourself playing in January and February, and we’ve done that. I’m not surprised because we just kind of stuck to the process. We believed in each other and just kept growing as a football team. Each and every person just doing everything they could to just improve and get better and so when you finally see the success and see the run, it’s not by accident. It’s because guys have stuck to the process and put in the work along the way.”
(Are you at a point with WR DeVante Parker where you feel comfortable throwing him jump balls?) – “Yes. He’s obviously strong and has the talent to go up and get the football and he showed it again today. He didn’t get the catch; he got ruled out of bounds, but a jump ball situation and I gave him a chance on the sideline and he was able to go up and grab it. I don’t know how close that thing was. It was a couple of inches away from being a big catch for us.”
Adam Gase – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(What did you think of Ryan’s [Tannehill] decision-making under pressure today?) – “He did a good job. I’m sure we want to get back that sack that we had there late in the game when we had a chance for a field goal. I think it was after [Kenyan] Drake’s kickoff return. That would probably be the only time. It was more the play call than anything. You heard that call come in. He’s turning away from Jarvis [Landry], coming out of his break, and the pocket collapsed on him. For the most part he made some great decisions. He got outside of the pocket. He saved us a couple of times, made some great plays on the move.”
(Were you surprised at how well San Francisco’s run defense held up against you? It seemed like they kind of sold out.) – “Not really. They’d been showing that with what we’ve seen on tape. That’s what we go off of. We don’t look at the rankings or anything like that. We just knew that we had a tough matchup and we had some new bodies in as far as guys trying to play together so far as chemistry goes. There were a couple of times where we may have had a couple of things that were just kind of click off. It’s something that we have to learn from. Guys being able to jump in there and play together…Jay [Ajayi] did a good job of sticking with his courses. He did a great job so far as trying to make some suggestions that he felt like he could contribute and gain some yards on.”
(With them controlling the running game, how important was it for Ryan [Tannehill] to have the type of day that he had today?) – “That’s what we were talking on the sidelines [about]. We noticed how they were playing early. We look at is as [being] a little disrespectful, as they didn’t think we could really throw the ball, so we thought that was something we wanted to lean on.”
(How comfortable – it looks like Ryan [Tannehill] is a lot more comfortable just doing everything out there – getting out of the pocket, throwing the deep ball, doing everything. It just seems like his confidence is getting better and better every week.) – “Any time you get in a new system, it takes a second to kind of get used to it. You have to go through some growing pains. Obviously we did. I think just the timing, the group being together, and the group being able to practice together, develop through some games, go through some rough patches, that’s just part of the process. The longer the season goes, the better you hopefully get. You just don’t want to go down. I don’t think we have. I think we’ve gotten better. This week was a tough week for us as we’re a little banged up again outside, so we didn’t get as many reps as we wanted to in the passing game. I thought the guys went out there and executed our plan pretty well.”
(There have been times where you guys have won and you haven’t been pleased. Are you pleased with the way your team played today?) – “I’m pleased with the way our guys fought. That was a tough game. I thought San Francisco really came out today as tough as anybody we’ve played. They had a great scheme. The defensive scheme was tough. Any time you go in there against Colin [Kaepernick] it’s tough. You are slightly wrong as far as what you’re rush scheme is. And if someone just makes the slightest error, he’s able to get into the open field. It’s tough. He’s a tough guy to bring down. He makes good decisions as far as when he is running, when to get down, when he can keep going. Then he made some really good throws on the move. It’s a tough offensive. You start getting a little bit of the up-tempo, the fatigue…there are a lot of factors that go in there when you play that offense.”
(San Fran has one play at the two-yard line to tie, fans are holding their breath – how do you experience that and the result?) – “The good thing for us is that every Friday we do a ‘last play of the game,’ offense versus defense. I feel like the defense has won the last seven weeks. I was like, if they don’t win this one, I’m going to be slightly upset because they drum us every week, so it was good to see. It was what they practice. It’s what they do every week. They do a good job of figuring out how to stop the offense on one play.”
(Are you starting to feel more and more about this football team that it’s becoming the complete football team that you’re looking for?) – “I think it was a good sign for us as far as if one side struggled on a series then the opposite side would try to get something going. The same with special teams where we’d allow a score and then all of a sudden we’d have a good return. It’s just that everybody is trying to pick each other up. That’s part of the team-building part of this, and that’s what our process is. That’s what we’ve been talking about since the beginning. Things haven’t always gone right and guys haven’t wavered. They’d just keep on working, they practice hard. It’s great to see our guys have fun at the end of the day. That locker room was excited because they understand that a win in this league is hard to come by. It’s about being 1-0 at the end of that week.”
(How about those three guys on the left side of the offensive line. It seemed like they held up extremely well.) – “That was not an easy thing to do. Just jumping in there and know you’re starting…they did a good job as far as the reps they got this week. Feeling what’s going on with the quarterback, the running back. You try to get that chemistry brewing as fast as possible. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but I thought our guys did a good job of wiring it in, staying on the details, and they fought. They fought for 60 minutes.”
(When you saw how they were playing defensively early, were you tempted to go away from the running game? You did – you had 17 passes, 16 runs at the half, I think.) – “My thought was, it’s always going to be stay with Jay [Ajayi] because as the game goes on, he wears on the defense. He’s a big guy who if he breaks loose of just one-arm tackle it can be an explosive play. A couple of times he came back and he was a shoelace away from popping a couple of these and there were a couple of situations where we felt like the passing game was the best call with what they were doing. So that’s why we leaned on him a little more today. When we start up next week, we reevaluate what’s the best thing to do for that week.”
(We saw Kiko Alonso make a few more plays today. What has he meant for the defense?) – “He’s been consistent all year. The energy level he brings, he works, like every team does, from the beginning of the week to Sunday. He’s been a great addition for our organization. He’s one of those guys where you’re glad he’s with you. We just love watching him play. The way that he hits and tackles, his ball skills are probably rare for a linebacker. He really plays with a passion for the game and that’s what you want all of your guys to have.”
(Any news on DeVante [Parker]?) – “We’re still in the evaluation stage right now. I know he fell on his back and his lower back just kind of locked up on him. We’ll evaluate that a little more. I’ll know more tomorrow.”
(Jakeem Grant – what about his status as a punt returner?) – “He’ll be back there next week. It happens. That was a good decision by [Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren] Rizzi as far as what he felt like we needed to do for the game. It’s just like everything else. You reload next week. You’ve got to just keep getting them better and just know what he can do when he gets into a rhythm. He pops one of those, no one will be upset.”
(You guys came to a decision…I think it was fourth down, I think it would have been a 57-yard field goal. You didn’t try to get them to jump.) – “At that time, it was fourth and…I don’t know what it was, forever, right? I mean, they’re not going to jump. That was my decision. I just felt like the way that [P Matt] Darr seems to come through for us – it was a good punt, I think he slipped on the play. We had a chance to pin them back there. I know it’s not really something that everyone looks at and loves when it’s a touchback, but I have a lot of confidence in him to put that thing inside the five.”
(Did any plays or passes of Ryan’s stand out to you? You know the calls, you know what goes into the decisions he has to make.) – “He made a lot of them because there are a couple of them that were really bad calls, and he did a really good job so far as making the play. It would have been nice to see if DeVante would have got the – that was a really, really good play. Anytime I see him move to his left and he starts to throw it downfield, I get a little nervous. But that was a great throw and he made a great catch. It’s just that his hand touched the ground first.”
(This team hasn’t won six straight games in 11 years. Is this significant?) – “We’re not looking at it like this. We just know our job is to win each week and now we’ve got to reload and we have another tough game coming up. We have to go on the road again and we’ve got to find a way to be 1-0 at the end of next week.”
Jarvis Landry – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(You guys were able to spread the ball around pretty evenly throughout the game, how proud are you of this wide receiver unit for you all to get involved today?) – “We knew it would come down to a game like this, and we’ll have a few more opportunities. We made the plays when we needed them. Kenny [Stills] stepped up big, Leonte Carroo came in when DeVante [Parker] went down, and scored a touchdown actually within the first couple of minutes of him playing. So it says a lot about this team, a lot about what we got going in.”
(You see Leonte [Carroo] go out there and get the touchdown the way he did, the first reception of the game for him. How proud of you are?) – “Man, extremely proud, just watching him come in, and the way that he’s worked to even have an opportunity to be the next guy up. For him to come in there, we don’t miss a step. Ryan [Tannehill] have the confidence to still go to him, being he’s a new guy going in there, and he made a play for us.”
(How important is it to remain a balanced offense when you know the running game is struggling like it was today?) – “It’s very important, it’s very important. Obviously we know there’s going to be games we may not be able to run the ball. We’re going to have to pass the ball like 30, 40 times a day. I love it, I love it. But at the same time, there are days we have to be more balanced. When it doesn’t permit, we have to step up and make plays in other areas.”
DeVante Parker – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver DeVante Parker (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(You’ve been playing for this offense as far as being the guy who stretches the field, and kind of come back on passes if they’re a little bit off target, things like that.) – “I feel good with that. Anything that helps out the team, gets the wins. It’s going to be out there.”
(Your last three games were so back injury aside today, you looked like pretty good. How have you been physically as far as being full speed, being able to leap, things like that.) – “I’ve been feeling good. Just been getting treatment every day, come in early for treatment, I’ve been staying on top of that. I’ve been getting it done.”
(And then the play you landed on your back, what exactly happened there?) – “Just jumped up and landed on my back, my back was just hurting.”
(Were you able to come back, were you wanting to come back, or was it clear to you that you wouldn’t be able to?) – “I wanted to come back, but I just couldn’t.
Jay Ajayi – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Jay Ajayi (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(What can you say about this team just the way the team has been winning – now defense, last week offense last minute?) – “Resilient, at the same time we definitely don’t want to put ourselves in those situations. We need to find ways to close out games better but we still find a way to win and that’s all that matters.”
(Been a bit of a struggle running the ball today, what was the difference?) – “Just got to go out there and get what you can get. They did a good job. They got good players over there. It’s tough but at the end of the day we got the win.”
(What’s it like seeing this team take on a six game winning streak? Seven hasn’t been done since 1985.) – “It’s huge. We know the goal we want to get to at the end the season and we’re taking the steps to do that, winning these games, stacking them up so I think we have a really good mentality, good mindset, we just have to finish the year strong.”
Leonte Carroo – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Leonte Carroo (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(Was that something you dreamed of growing up scoring an NFL touchdown and did it feel like the way you thought it would?) – “Of course, it’s everybody’s dream who wants to go to the NFL and soon as I got in there I actually thought there was a flag on the play or something. Because I actually looked back and I didn’t see anybody running towards me. I was like, ah I hope it didn’t get called back and then Kenny (Stills) was the first person to greet me in the end zone and he gave me a hug, and I was just very excited.”
(That made the score 31-14 at the time. It looked like it was comfortable as it turns out it was a big touchdown. Does it make it even more special?) – “That just goes to show you never know what can happen in this league. You have to continue to go out there and make plays and like I said just have that next man mentality, just go out there and finish. We did a great job, credit to the offense, defense, and special teams. We all worked off each other and played hard.”
(Seem like it’s been a while since you got significant action on offense, what were your emotions like when DeVante [Parker] went out and you went in?) – “Just go out there and continue to help the team, continue the success. The offense was rolling. Just because DeVante went down doesn’t mean that we have to stop as an offense or Head Coach (Adam) Gase has to be afraid to call plays my way. That’s exactly what we did, he got the ball in my hand and I was able to make a play.”
Kiko Alonso – November 27, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
Postgame – vs. San Francisco
Miami Dolphins Linebacker Kiko Alonso (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(First off, talk about that last play. What did you as you were tracking 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick down?) – “I was just sticking on my guy, and then it looked like he was going to take off and run, so it’s just vice tackle with me. I think it was me and Jelani (Jenkins).”
([You] made a couple of big plays today – the interception, the fumble recovery. Talk about your day today.) – “People are going to say I have a big day, but those … (Byron) Maxwell stripped that fumble, so that was a great play by him. I think it was (Bacarri) Rambo who broke that pass, which was a great play. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
(Talk about this turnaround – after this 1-4 start – where you guys are at right now.) – “We’re just taking it one game at a time. We know that, obviously, it’s not going to be easy, and we just have to keep grinding.”
