Ndamukong Suh – October 8, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 8, 2017
Postgame – Tennessee Titans
Miami Dolphins Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by Lexie Balboni and Savanna Bell-Stevens)
(It seems you guys put a lot of pressure on QB Matt Cassel today. I think you were like 11, 12 hurries and a few sacks. Talk about the mental pressure.) – “We obviously wanted to shut down the run, and I think we did a pretty good job of it for the most part. Still a little too many yards, but we put them in a situation where they had to pass the ball to move the ball. We knew when we made them one-dimensional that we had the opportunity to hit the quarterback, and he wasn’t going to be able to get the ball because our secondary is going to do what they do and obviously make him hold the ball, and we had the opportunity to hit them.”
(We asked S Reshad Jones about the play where it was a fumble and nobody seemed to know. But from your vantage point, how did that play out? ) – “We’ve talked about it all week and many weeks before – even in camp – that obviously (if) the ball (is) on the ground, first guy who is there, pick it up. You never know what’s going to happen. I’m looking right at Reshad, and I saw him pick it up, so I turned to him and was getting ready to go to block, but he was already in the end zone by then.”
(Do you guys feel like a 2-2 team? Do you feel a little better? A little worse?) – “I think we’re a 2-2 team because that’s what we are. Nothing really more to say in that regard. But at the end of the day, we did what we’re supposed to do which is protect our home, and we’re getting ready to go to Atlanta.”
(It seems like when Head Coach Adam Gase, QB Jay Cutler come in there’s a sense of we have a long way to go. And the defensive point of view, this is as well as you guys can play. Do you feel that sense of that half of the locker room is pure joy at the moment, and the other half feels like not that they lossed the game, but they turned in a third string performance where they don’t look like themselves?) – “I wouldn’t say there is pure joy by any means. We’re not playing a perfect game. I think we’re playing well in some particular areas, especially in the run. Obviously, there are things we can always do better. They understand what they have on their particular side of the ball, and I wouldn’t say they are disappointed from the standpoint of they can’t do it. They’re disappointed because they know what they have and they can be very successful. Even though we are happy that we won, and we’re going to continue to strive to win, we obviously want to play at a very high level. That’s what excellent players as Jay Cutler is and a winning coach like Adam Gase is.”
(You’re getting guys coming back now. LB Lawrence Timmons comes back, LB Rey Maualuga come back, and you’re playing better. Does it have something to do with those guys and is it a matter of a lot of new faces in there, getting used to [each other], getting better as you go, is that part of getting to know the guys that you’re playing with in that room?) – “I think it’s a combination of everything. Obviously, there are a lot of new faces on this defense as well as some old faces, me being one of them. We understand what we have. We understand that we got to go out there and execute. (Defensive Coordinator Marr) Burke is going to put us in great positions as he is a very, very smart guy – obviously Ivy League guy – understands the game. I’ve been around him for a long time, and he’s going to put us in great places. As we are placed in those places go out there and execute and things are going to happen the way they are.”
(As far as the frustration level on the sideline today, we saw you go through it, we saw WR Jarvis Landry go through it. Does this win help take care of some of that situation?) – “Frustration in what regard?”
(You guys yelling, getting upset on the sideline.) – “I’m not much of a yeller so I’m not sure what you saw in that particular standpoint. But in regards to probably yes not playing at the best of our football, we’re always going to have conversations. We’re always going to push for us to be at the best of our best. We’re never going to always obviously get there but we want to strive for that. We’re going to push each other and be hard on each other until we get there.”
(I think the question was asked before: when one side of the ball is maybe playing better than the other that locker rooms tend to pull apart. What’s your sense as to where the Dolphins are?) – “I think we are a very strong team, and we understand that we’ve unfortunately been through this a little bit. We’re going to see some great things from the offense, we’re going to see some bad things from the defense and vice versa. It’s the ultimate team game. I think special teams did a great job, especially our punter. Our punter did a great job switching the fields and putting us in good situation. From the defensive perspective, we understand as a defense we’re going to get the ball and have an opportunity to give it back to our quarterback and our offense to go and make plays.”
(Do you have a formal event to go to after this?) – “No, I don’t. (laugher) I missed that earlier this week, but I like to dress up every now and then.”
