Andrew Franks – June 8, 2017
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
K Andrew Franks
(You’re looking a bit more rugged.) – “A little bit. A little more rugged.”
(What’s this transformation?) – “I don’t know. I just don’t like getting haircuts, I guess.” (laughter)
(Or shave?) – “Just letting it ride right now. We’ll see if I can make it to training camp with it.”
(Is it a superstition?) – “Not really. I just sort of felt like, ‘Try out some long hair. See what happens.’”
(You watch the guys in the NHL playoffs?) – “Not really. I’ve been trying to follow them.”
(Because they grow beards and…) – “I’m not there yet. Maybe (if) we get to playoffs.”
(Last time we talked to you at the Fins Weekend golf tournament, you told us what you did during the summer. Can you go back over that?) – “I did two externships. I did one with Under Armour for 10 days at their headquarters in Baltimore and worked, analyzed, learned from the guys that worked there and the whole business aspects of research, design, marketing, the whole flow of the system and how that really translates to the gear we have now and really understanding that. That was really informative. I had a really good time doing that. And then I had another one at Stryker – Stryker Medical – in San Jose in their endoscopy division. Really sort of the same sort of approach that I did with Under Armour really taking the full, whole scale look at it really from design, idea generation, how they do clinical trials, testing and all that back to marketing, troubleshooting – taking a look at all of it – (and) really getting what my degree in college would have translated to if I had went that route.”
(And how good was that? How beneficial was it for you?) – “I think one of the biggest things that I think lacked from my college education – I think most college education – is how it really translates to the real world. You can learn all these equations, learn all these different equations and how to use them but putting them towards an actual project that has real life applications is something that really I think is missed a lot. So really understanding that – what a biomedical engineer, electrical engineer, all those guys how they work together, how those teams work together and how they start from the beginning to the end – I think is really important.”
(Are you smarter than Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke?) – “I don’t know. I have no idea. Maybe in a few things.” (laughter)
(What do you hope to do with this now? Is it something what’s sort of setting you up for post football way down the road or what?) – “I think for me, it’s something I always want to keep in my back pocket whenever this career ends. It could be tomorrow, could be in 15, 20 years. You never know. I’d rather have that information and never use it than need that information and not have it.”
(Why don’t I take you back to Christmas Eve (versus Buffalo)? Obviously that was a turning point going with this team and you personally. A.) how many times have you watched the kick since?) – “I had a ton of friends send me the video, and I’ve watched it probably 10 times throughout the time. I watched a lot of it just to analyze the film itself to see how my form was, how the ball flew, everything – snap, hold, kick – from just an analyzing format. Beyond that, it’s a cool kick to watch. People will show it to me when I visit. I’ve seen it quite a few times.”
(In the moment did you know how big that was or you kind of have to be removed from it then?) – “I think, especially in an event like that, you really have to take yourself out of the game a little bit. I think I kick the best when you take the pressure of the game away from it. When you’re calm, relaxed, that’s really when you kick the best. I think at that moment it’s a rushed field goal. We got a couple of seconds left. It’s a long one in Buffalo of all places and at that point, you got to remember just to kick the ball. That was really my mindset towards it.”
(One more follow up. Associate Head Coach/Special Team Coordinator Darren Rizzi obviously knows the percentages of you at what point of the field and all that. What percentage of a kick do you think that was with all of the factors involved?) – “I can’t really put a percentage on it. It’s Buffalo, so you never know how the wind is going to fly there. You can look going left, but it can really be going right, especially in December. It’s a low percentage kick for the most part – I think for most guys – and I think it’s pushing the distance. I think it was what, 55? Around there? But it’s a low percentage figure I think for most guys in that sort of weather.”
(You got two field goals in a playoff game, how much does that help you considering circumstances going into next year?) – “I think it was big. That’s where you want to be. You want to be in the playoffs. You want to be competing trying to get to the Super Bowl. Being in that position, understanding the ramifications of every play during those games is really big. I think playing the games in … I forgot the temperature. It was like subzero temperatures in Pittsburgh, freezing cold with a ton of wind, getting those tough kicks out of the way, understanding that whatever the conditions are you can get the ball through, I think was really important for me.”
(How big of a confidence boost is it that the Dolphins have not brought in a kicker?) – “For me, I always like competition. I always like comparing myself. Just because there’s not a guy on the team roster that I’m competing with, I really look to everyone else in the league. I don’t want to be in the middle or the bottom of the league. I really want to aim for that top spot. It’s really looking at myself from last year, looking at everyone else from last year who kicked and really comparing and trying to keep pushing myself to be the best that I can be.”
(Doubling down on the confidence question, the way the season ended for you last year in the playoffs and the Buffalo game, do you think your confidence was at an all-time high?) – “I think I’m a pretty level headed guy. I don’t try to be too low; I try not to be too high. For me, it’s (about) trying to build one day after another. I think my confidence has always been pretty consistent. I’m confident in what I can do. I’m confident that I can help this team. I think that’s something I brought with me from the first day I came here.”
(The canopy at Hard Rock Stadium, did it have any effect on kickoffs or field goals or extra points as far as wind or anything?) – “I think it cut down a little bit of the wind. I think it created a few more different air channels in there that made the wind act a little funny when we first went there. It was pretty easy I think to figure it out. It’s definitely nice at least for the fans – as far as I can see – and friends and family that have come (and) cutting down on the rain dropping on their heads. They liked that a lot, and they love the shade.”
(It’s National Best Friends Day. Did you get P Matt Darr anything?) – “Is it? I did not know that. Where is he? Someone grab him.” (laughter)
(Going back to those two externship experiences you had, what the reception was like? They probably don’t get too many NFL players going through there all the time.” – “Not that I know of, I know for the Under Armour one that was through the NFLPA. There was 14 NFL guys in our group. I think there are a lot of athletes – college athletes especially – that work at Under Armour. For them, I felt like it was almost an everyday experience for them seeing professional athletes. But for Stryker that was just me. I think that was cool for them to see a guy who’s playing in the NFL, someone they see on TV. That’s 45 minutes from my hometown too. So, they’ve heard of Carmel, (California). They know my story for the most part. It’s cool for them to see a hometown kid trying do this on the side.”
(Athletes in general feel invincible, and they don’t look that far ahead. Do you find any other guys in the locker room entertaining down the road what they might do post career? Is that ever a discussion?) – “I think it’s a really common thing actually. I think a lot of guys are really looking at the fact that this career could end any day and (are) trying to gain knowledge in terms of what they want to do afterwards – whether they’re 30, 40, 50 – (and) trying to see where their future lays, where they want to end up, what jobs are appealing to them. I think those are huge things that people are really taking advantage of now. I think the NFLPA has done a really good job of helping us with that.”
(Styker, that’s medical equipment?) – “Yes.”
(20 to 25 years from now – I know that’s a hard question to answer – what might you see yourself doing?) – “Hopefully at that point I’m retired. That would be awesome. (laughter) Hopefully in 20 to 25 years I’m still kicking. K Adam Venatieri is still doing it. He’s still looking strong. That’s the plan for now and once that deviates, we’ll see what happens. I would like to use my degree at some point, but I’m not trying to push that for right now.”
Lawrence Okoye – June 8, 2017
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
DT Lawrence Okoye
(How did you get introduced to football?) – “It was accessible over in England, because we have the SkySports coverage. Just watching the game, it seemed really appealing to me. It became something that I really wanted to do. Luckily, I was given the opportunity to come over and do it. It kind of was born out of watching the game and seeing amazing plays and saying, ‘I can do that too.’”
(Where do you think you are in your development as a football player as opposed to when you first started playing?) – “Obviously, it’s night and day. It has been a huge learning curve, and I think my skillset has improved drastically. It has been a shame I haven’t been able to display that yet in competitive games, but hopefully that will change.”
(Did you have a chance to go to Oxford law school?) – “Yes, I was accepted. My place was deferred until this year. Obviously, I’m playing football right now.”
(What’s the toughest thing about being at the top of your profession in an Olympic sport and then having to start over? Do you get down, do you get up?) – “I think it’s a process of humbling yourself and starting from the bottom, starting from scratch and having no name recognition, no clout and just building yourself up from the bottom.”
(Going back to the Oxford law thing for a second, you said it was deferred until this year?) –“Yes.”
(How does that work? Do you have to make a decision by the end of this year?) – “Yes, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to take it up obviously given that I’m playing a professional sport. Hopefully it’s something that I can come back to when I’m done playing.”
(Do you want to do something in the legal profession or do you want to use that as a jumping off point for something else after you’re done?) – “At this point in my life, you kind of discover yourself – kind of discover who you are as a person – in your 20’s. I’m still in that discovery process, still learning what I’m about as a person. I can’t give a definitive answer (about) what I’d like to do at some point in the future, because it’s so day to day right now.”
(You know the prestige of Oxford. How difficult of a decision was that for you or was it difficult at all?) – “I think playing sports every kid has a … Most kids have dreams of playing professional sports. Passing up that wasn’t really an option for me.”
(Being from England, what was your reaction to the recent terrorist attacks that happened in London?) – “It’s obviously heartbreaking. It’s a tough situation all over the world, all over the western world. But, I think we should use that as an opportunity to grow together as a country and learn some of the lessons of our past and hopefully be stronger going forward. It’s obviously terrible for the people that were killed and their families and obviously everyone is upset for them.”
(Has your fellow Englishman RB Jay Ajayi taken you under his wing a little bit or showed you around since you’ve been here?) – “Jay has been cool. He has been a good resource for me. I think I’ve been welcomed by everyone on the team. I feel very grateful for that connection.”
(What’s the hardest thing about football for you?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a single thing that’s hard for me. It used to be very hard for me when I first started playing.”
(Why was it hard?) – “Because, learning anything from scratch … My first time ever playing was against Joe Staley in practice. That wasn’t easy. Now I’m very comfortable. I’m not saying I’m Bruce Smith, but I’m very happy with my skillset, and I’m improving every day. I feel very happy in my ability of going out there and dominating guys on the field.”
(Can you talk us through your Olympic experience, highlights and what you take from being a participant?” – “Any professional athlete goes into a competition to win, and I didn’t win. There were highlights and there were lowlights. I took away from that as a young 20 year old, how to be a more professional athlete in the mindset and how to perform at the highest level. That’s what I take away from that – being able to stay on your game at the highest level.”
(Opening ceremony a great thrill, the Olympic village?) – “I’m kind of all about the business side of it. I’m not really worried about that kind of stuff. I was there as an athlete to perform. I didn’t even go to the opening ceremony, because I was preparing for my competition. That’s not really a big deal to me if I’m honest.”
(Did you have the chance to go to the opening ceremony or was your competition an hour after the opening ceremony?) – “I was preparing in Portugal at the time before the games.”
(How do you feel about your chances of making the team?) – “That’s way above my paygrade. You can ask (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike Tannenbaum or (General Manager) Chris Grier, and hopefully they’ll give you a positive answer. I’m just playing football every day and enjoying myself.”
(Whose tougher, rugby players or American football players?) – “I think you’re trying to catch me right there. (laughter) Both games are tough. Obviously, football is extremely violent, but rugby is a violent game, too. They both are fun games.”
(Considering you’ve played both. Do you think football will change if the game was played without helmets?) – “You couldn’t play football without helmets, period.”
(What has been your experience here going against some of the guys that you’ve had to go up against?) – “I think I’ve been making plays. Obviously, we don’t have pads on yet, so there’s kind of a limit on how physical I can be. Hopefully when pads do come on, it will be even better. I think I’ve shown that I’ve got some quickness and some nice hand moves and some nice counter moves. We’ll keep that going as training camp comes forward.”
(Do you feel that this training camp coming up is when you’ll have your best chance to show everything that you’ve done to this point and what kind of football player you can be?) – “I think that I’m as good as I’ve been, obviously. I think everyone will see that. There’s no need to speculate. I think eyes will be opened.”
(Do you ever take the opportunity to test any of your teammates here on any of the skills you’ve had as a Olympic athlete, any of your discus skill to see if they can do what you used to do?) – “No.”
(Would you like to? Would you like to put them on the other side for a change learning something new?) – “Guys here are about playing football, and that’s all I’m about really. I don’t really think about the past if I’m honest with you. I haven’t really reflected on much. I’m very much focused on what I do on a day-to-day bases.”
(I think DT Ndamukong Suh was a shot-putter. Did that ever come up, I think he was really good at it.) – “Maybe. I’m not sure. He’s very likely to be good given who he is.”
Sam Young – June 8, 2017
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
T Sam Young
(How’s your house making it through the rain?) – “Luckily the roof is intact.”
(No alligators coming through the yard?) – “Got a lot toads. A lot of toads.”
(We saw a very colorful exchange when WR DeVante Parker scored a touchdown. How many opportunities does the offense get like that where you can really just gloat a dominant performance?) – “I think it’s just a testament to the competitiveness. I think both sides of the ball are out here taking this seriously, trying to get each other better. I think the more heated, the more competitive you can be, that just serves you better when it’s in a real game. You’re getting the best from both sides I think and it’s just going to make the team better.”
(Do you see the backup left tackle position as being yours?) – “No. Not by any means. I think my goal is just to continue to get better. It might be a cliché, but I think that every day I’m looking to improve, looking to fill wherever the coaches put me, whether it’s right, left, they need me to play quarterback. I don’t think that’s likely, but I’m just trying to help and continue to get better each and every day.”
(What has this team taken from the OTA’s so far? What have you noticed as a collective whether it’s playing better, playing more efficiently?) – “I think you kind of hit the nail on the head with the efficiency. I think being in the second year of the system – speaking from an offensive perspective – we’re starting to get into the details and hone in on those and take the lessons learned from the previous season, be able to improve. I think going back to a previous question was with the competitiveness. I think everything’s getting ratcheted up a notch being that, okay, we already kind of know what we’re doing and now we’re able to really pick up the tempo and pick up the pace.”
(Can you explain the logo on the t-shirt and does that apply only to the offensive line or the entire team?) – “It’s just a really comfortable t-shirt. It was one of the road trips last year given out.”
(Zero significance?) – “I just like … It’s comfortable.”
(Besides the position change of G/T Laremy Tunsil what kind of growth have you seen in him in his second year?) – “I think mainly just a comfort factor. I think the game is probably slowing down for him a bit. You’d have to ask him specifically what he’s grown on, but I think his confidence at that position. He has got some reps at left tackle, and I think he might even feel more comfortable there. It might be … You’d have to ask him, but it just looks like he has a home there.”
(What are you seeing out of G Isaac Asiata so far? Just his skills and what stands out.) – “A strong player. Moves his feet well. I think like any rookie, there’s going to be ups and downs. I know for linemen, we’re excited to get into training camp. This is great. It’s great to work your hands. It’s great to work your feet, great to learn the system, but once you put the pads on, it’s a whole new game. I’ll be excited to see how he responds and how the rest of us respond as well.”
(Can you be honest with us? How much of a disadvantage would you say offensive linemen are at during OTA’s with no pads?) – “To be honest with you, I think it’s what you make of it. I really do. I’ll speak for myself: I know it’s a great opportunity for me to work on my hand placement. When you’re getting those pads and you’re getting those bull rushes, sometimes you’re just like, ‘Okay, I need…’ Not survive, but you’re maybe not focused as much on your technique. I think this is a great opportunity to be able to say, ‘Okay, my hand placement needs to be better here. I don’t have to worry about some of the rushes maybe that you would have when pads are on.’ To answer your question, I think it’s just whatever you make of it.”
(One point that T Ja’Wuan James made last season is that it was a real adjustment going from one offensive line to another just because coaches teach technique in different ways. The fact that this is the second year for Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Chris Foerster is that a factor or shouldn’t it make it easier for a linemen to have been in the system now for two years like you and C/T Laremy Tunsil, etc.?) – “I think going back to what I said earlier, I think whether it’s having first or being in (Head Coach Adam) Gase’s system, I think it all is just beneficial. I think there’s a comfort there – to your point – whether it’s the techniques being taught or whether it’s the plays or (saying) ‘This is the angles we were taking this year. It wasn’t as good as we thought, and now we’re going to hone those in a little bit.’ Instead of starting from scratch so to speak with a new coach or a new system, we now have that familiarity we’re able build on something.”
With Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Chris Foerster’s way of teaching technique, was it much different from what you had in previous offensive lines?) – “I think everyone has got their own techniques. Everyone has got their own way of doing things. But at the end of the day it’s about you being in between your guy and the quarterback.”
(Are you getting reps exclusively at left tackle or both tackles?) – “I’ve had reps at both.”
(And mentally how does that play with bull technique and having your head straight getting everything in the place that you said that you were?) – “Luckily it’s very similar. It’s just your right hand versus your left hand. There’s slight variations in the types of plays you might see down the road, but overall the way I view it is just right hand versus left hand in the ground.”
(I noticed after the last play today Head Coach Adam Gase was on the ground with you guys doing pushups. I guess that happens if the offense loses the last play on Friday. What does it say that your coach is the kind of down there with you guys?) – “It’s pretty cool. We’re all in it together. It also goes back to being competitive. I think that be it calling the offensive plays, he probably is all in with us. It’s pretty neat to see.”
(Have you noticed anything about DT Lawrence Okoye, No. 96, and do you know his Olympic background? Do you know much about him?) – “I was listening a little bit before. The one thing he’s a lot better than most of us (at) is juggling a soccer ball. (laughter) We were messing around one day in the locker room and let’s just say he’s a lot better than most of us in that department except with the exception of Jay (Ajayi). He’s a tremendously talented athlete. As he gets better and better learning American Football, I think it will only help him and help our team.”
(How would you describe his American Football skills? Is he raw or is he second level?) – “I think he’s a very explosive athlete. I think anytime you’re picking up a new sport there’s obviously development. I’ve been playing the game professionally eight years now – or going into my eighth year – and I’m still learning things. I think as he spends more time in the game, like I was saying, I think he’s just going to continue to develop and become a better player.”
(There’s been a topic today about post football life. Amongst your stops, have you noticed that there’s more emphasis on that situation here at the Dolphins than anywhere else? I know you’ve been a part of the internship program, but within the locker room, are there conversations amongst the players?) – “Compared to some of the other teams I’ve been with, I would say there’s a lot more emphasis in just the complete person here, whether that’s charitable endeavors, whether that’s – to your point – doing some of these business combines. I think it’s creating a complete person. We had 17 guys go to New York for that (Dolphins) Business Combine with Mr. Ross and some of his companies. I think that just speaks volume to not only the type of leadership we have upstairs but also the guys we have in the locker room.”
MarQueis Gary – June 8, 2017
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
TE MarQueis Gray
(Were you close to WR DeVante Parker touchdown today? How far were you when that happened?) – “I think I was blocking on the other side, but I got a good view of it. It was a great catch by him. There was a lot of competing going on today. He came down with it and got us the win.”
(What was said afterwards?) – “He just said … I really don’t know what he said. I know he got in his face a little bit. They were having fun. Anytime you go against the defense, it’s going to be competitive. I pretty sure that’s what they were talking about.”
(How quickly is the success you had on offense last year given you the confidence to have that edge and have that swagger, if you will?) – “Just going off on the winning streak, that’s what got us into having that swagger going throughout the whole season. And then with the addition of the new guys also. We’re just having a lot more fun and playing loose, and that swagger is playing a big part of our success so far.”
(We only get to see so many OTA days. Most of the days that we’re here, the offense pretty much gets beat down by the defense. How many days like today have you guys realistically had?) – “It’s pretty hard to say. The best way I can put it is, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and we finished pretty good today. It has been competitive all OTAs. It was really competitive today.”
(A lot of changes in the tight end room this offseason with TE Julius Thomas and TE Anthony Fasano coming in. You’re pretty much the one veteran who remained. How do you see the changes and how it affect your overall potential?) – “It’s a lot of help, mainly (for) myself. I’m still new to this tight end thing and having those two veteran guys – Fasano and ‘J.T.’ (Julius Thomas) – in that room is helping out a lot. Learning different tricks and trades of playing the tight end position as well as being able to run routes, they’re helping out our young guys a lot.”
(Are you still one of the emergency quarterbacks?) – “I have no idea. I’m just playing wherever they put me. We’ll see when that time comes, but as of now, I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do.”
(Theoretically last year you were. How many snaps do you think you actually took over the course of the year to practice?) – “Really none. Like I said, I didn’t do anything really. If they needed me, I would’ve tried to prepare myself the best that I could and get put in those situations to be successful. But other than that, I was just strictly doing tight end last year.”
(Do you ever throw for work? I know you occasionally pick up a ball and throw it, but would you ever throw on purpose like that at any time?) – “Other than just playing around with the guys trying to hit the goalpost at the end of practice. But other than that I’m just strictly … My thing right now is pass blocking, trying to get stronger in that. Then whatever else needs to be done, I’ll focus on that.”
(Has the room changed – the tight end room – with the addition of a couple of veterans such as TE Julius Thomas and TE Anthony Fasano?) – “Just to reiterate what I said, they are helping out a lot. Those veteran guys … This is my fifth year in the NFL, and they are helping out with a lot of tricks and trades (like) getting on defenders, getting off defenders and also just giving us signals (about) what to look for on defense pre-snap.”
(What are the biggest things you think this offense has accomplished now that OTAs are complete?) – “Just a lot of running around after the ball. Everyone is getting a lot of running around. Getting in shape is one thing you have to be a part of in this offense, because guys lineup in different positions a lot of times, you just have to be able to know your assignments. Everybody is having fun and being able to run is very positive for our offense.”
(I noticed at the very end of practice that Head Coach Adam Gase was doing pushups with you guys. How often does that happen, and what’s the background on that?) – “He’s with us through the end. We even had the special teams coaches with us too. Everybody picks their side, but Gase is our guy. He knows where his heart is at. We know where he’s going to be at the end of it, and he was with us. It’s always good to see your coach participating in things like that.”
(What are the circumstances to which you guys have to do pushups?) – “The defense wins, we have to do pushups. If we win, they have to do pushups.”
(On the final play right?) – “Yes.”
(How many pushups?) – “I think today it was five. Nothing too crazy.”
(You had mentioned blocking a minute ago. If you could breakdown what you think you can offer this offense and what you think you offer on special teams, what would some of those main things be?) – “Overall, just being able to play more than one position, being flexible. That’s why I take a lot of time in the playbook. Just in case somebody were to go down, I have to make sure I know that play, so I can be one of those guys they can have no problem (saying), ‘Q, go play this.’ That’s one of the things I believe has kept me around in the NFL so far.”
Adam Gase – June 8, 2017
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Thursday, June 8, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(We saw Chip Kelly here today. Was that the Joe Vitt connection?) – “I’m trying to remember the first time I met him. I think when he came in the league, there’s a lot of things that I was interested in what they were doing (and) kind of hearing about. Things not just football-wise, but some of the sports science stuff that they did in Oregon and that they brought to Philadelphia. I was really intrigued by it and I was able to go to Oregon for a visit when Scott Frost and myself we kind of hooked up and (I) was able to go up there. When I finally met Chip, (Kelly) we’ve kind of stayed in touch. Good guy to bounce things off of. He has been through a lot of experiences, and he had a chance to come down here and kind of hang out and talk some ball. Just kind of trying to learn a little bit of something.”
(Has he had an influence on you in terms of your scheme or what you’re coaching?) – “In 2013, for sure. I know we studied a lot of his stuff and just being able to have some discussions over the last couple of years and just figuring out ways to change tempos of the game and some of the ways to practice and to do things not only on the field, but off the field. Always trying to ask questions to pick a guy’s mind that has had success in both levels. Any time you get an opportunity to be around coaches that you can learn from, it’s a great opportunity.”
(We heard that you’re going to be doing that joint practice with the Eagles before that preseason game. What was some of the thinking that went into that and what are some of the benefits that you see getting for you team? – “We wanted to do it last year. We just couldn’t really find the right match. In the first year of the program, you’ve got a lot of things going on. You kind of get a late jump. It was something that our front office and their front office talked about. Doug (Pederson) and myself had quite a few discussions starting last year. We felt like it would be beneficial to our players to go get out of the environment, go somewhere else, play against some different guys. My experience has been it has always been very helpful, because you get a lot out of practice. It has that game feel to it. There’s a great speed to practice. You talk about not a wasted day when you do those type of practices. There’s great competition there. When we’re doing it, it’s later. We’re probably going to be done with … Training camp technically will be over, but you’re still kind of in that mode. I think our guys will probably enjoy going up there and being able to compete.”
(Would you like to do something like that each year do you think?) – “I think every year is different. You have to try to find somebody you can partner up with a little bit. Some years, some guys are for it and some years when the preseason schedule comes out, it doesn’t really fit what you want to do and you always just kind of see who’s the best teams for you to partner up with, and if you’re lucky enough to get that preseason schedule to fall the right way, then it’s a great opportunity for the players to get better.”
(Is it the Monday and Tuesday before [the game]?) – “Yes.”
(You have this good culture your building here and then you have guys with great personalities like DE William Hayes. Can you just talk about keeping this team loose and also staying on task with the building of your culture here?) – “I don’t think it’s hard to keep guys loose. We want guys to be who they are. We don’t have a ton of rules. Guys know what the structure of our program is and it’s not hard to follow. If you go out there and treat every day like game day and go out to practice, get better and play fast and be on time, it’s not real hard. Our guys have embraced it, and I love how the veterans (are) holding guys accountable. That’s really the biggest thing, because it’s easy for guys to get loose and you fall off a little bit and get complacent with what you’re doing. You think you’ve accomplished something and when you have veterans that make guys realize, ‘We’re starting over and nobody cares what you did last year,’ when you got that mentality, it gives you a chance.”
(Based on the practices we’ve been out here, we haven’t seen the kind of offensive sets you’ve had today. Was it just players needing to get comfortable with what they were doing or you just caught them on a good day?) – “I think there has been a couple of day where the offense has had some good production. We’ve done some good things. We try to work a lot of these situations. I feel really good about our defense, because they do a lot of really good things and it makes it very difficult for our offense to consistently move the ball. There’ll be some bad plays in there and today I think we caught them in a couple of things. We had really good execution which was good to see and every day is a … It’s a new battle. It’s a new situation. We might be working on some different things. Sometimes one side of the ball over the other, it can become difficult for you. Which that’s what you want. You want to try to stress somebody a little bit. You want to make it a little uncomfortable for one side of the ball to the other or both sides. Today, offense had a little more success, but defense sure had their fair share of plays.”
(Through these OTA’s – and the defense knows and sees these plays over and over again – how difficult is that to execute against?) – “That’s why you keep changing it up. You come in with maybe a couple of little wrinkles here, especially at the end where you try to stay in the framework of what you started with and then as you move along, you give them a different look out of the same formation or switch up the formation, run the same play. You keep trying to change it up.”
(A couple of personnel questions: We didn’t see DE Cameron Wake or RB Damien Williams out there. Anything you could tell us about that?) – “Not injury related.”
(G/T Laremy Tunsil, WR Kenny Stills and DE Nick Williams were working on the side?) – “Yes. Just holding them out. Just being careful.”
(And TE Julius Thomas he didn’t complete 11 on 11s is that correct or did he…) – “No. I mean we move guys in and out. He’s alright.”
(You’re playing a game London this year and that town has had struggles of terrorist attacks the last few weeks. What is the concern there? What is the team’s plan for staying safe?) – “When you hear about these things, the first thing you think of is just … You can’t really put it together in your mind of why things like that happen. I think with the NFL security, our security team, you can feel good about that where they do everything they possibly can do to make sure that we’re safe. Travel, game day, the time we’re there, leaving – all those things. And that’s really what you rely on. You rely on those guys doing what they do best, and they do a great job. That’s what you have to lean on and you have to … Like for us, we have to focus on our job, and they have to focus on their job. That’s really … That’s all I can do. That’s all our players can do. They’ve got to focus on what they need to do.”
(Are you going to limit the players going out into places like London Bridge?) – “I don’t think I’m there yet. It’s kind of a ways away. When we get to that point then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do.”
(How good of a vantage point did you have on the WR DeVante Parker touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone? How impressive was that play?) – “I didn’t have a great look. I just saw everybody running to the end zone, so I assumed he caught it. I saw the throw and at first I wasn’t sure if he was going to get there, but it was a great play. I’m sure when we watch practice today, I’ll get a better view of it.”
(When you go into practice, you were talking about you caught in the defense on some things. But you and Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke are talking a little bit about … How does all of that work going into a practice knowing what you’re going to do and you knowing what he’s going to do, but you guys seem to be competing against each other a little bit?) – “Some of it’s more a theme of, ‘Here’s what we’re trying to work on situationally,’ or if we’re saying, ‘It’s all third-and-6 and 9. Let’s work these three things,’ and he mixes it up. We’re trying to treat it a little bit like a game. We always look at it as if we just go in blind, it’s just not realistic for us, because we’re going to have a plan usually for whatever the other team does. We just try to make sure that we’re both on the same page as far as what we could be getting. It at least focuses our players, and we can treat that day – when we’re preparing for practice – as though we’re preparing for a game. That’s why we do it that way. Today was … It was really … We didn’t have anything specifically like that. We just went in straight first, second, third down and we had some different areas of the field. It was both of us calling plays. We script them, and it’s just kind of how it falls.”
(I’ve seen both you and Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke come in here kind of gritting your teeth about something that had happened. How real is the rivalry between you and him when you go into each of these practices?) – “I think it’s like how our players are. You want your side of the ball to win. The hardest thing for me is I got three phases I have to help out. Sometimes I feel like I give them too much and tell them too many things that we’re doing, and he takes advantage of me. (laughter) That’s what happens when you get a Darmouth guy. (laughter) He learned our stuff very quickly.”
(You guys ever started yelling at each other or anything?) – “No. It doesn’t get that bad.”
(Not in like a controversial way or anything like that, but like how heated does it get when he beats you or you beat him?) – “It’s more subtle.”
(Regarding DT Lawrence Okoye, what appealed to you about him and what have you seen from him since he has been here?) – “You got a big, athletic guy that has been in high-performance sports. Even though it’s not this, it’s still an elite level. I think any time you get a chance to bring a guy in your program that works hard and tries to do everything you ask him to do, give him a chance to compete, and I think he’s trying to make the most of it.”
(Is there something about DT Lawrence Okoye’s skillset that pops out to you that feels different, because he had a different path to get here?) – “For him to pick up a lot of things he has picked up in a short period of time over the last few years, that’s impressive to me. When you’re changing sports … A lot of these guys have been playing football since they’re seven, eight-years old. They got a lot of experience. I think that has been impressive to me and his quickness, and his change of direction is pretty good for a guy that size.”
(We don’t get a lot out of WR DeVante Parker – he’s not the biggest talker – but he seemed to talk pretty good to CB Byron Maxwell after that catch. Is that something you see regularly?) – “Yes.”
(Care to elaborate?) – “No.”
(Any particular reason?) – “Since I’ve been around him – the longer you’re around him – the more he opens up. I just don’t think he’s somebody that … He doesn’t talk to just talk. If he’s got something to say, he’ll say it. He’s understanding how we run the program and where he fits in. It has really been good to see him, especially this spring, not afraid to ask questions, not afraid to have a little trash talking with the DBs. It’s good. I think it’s a good thing. The more he opens up, the better it is for us.”
(Where does WR DeVante Parker sit?) – “I don’t know. I think he has to just keep getting better. I think there’s a lot of room for him to grow. He has really made a lot of strides this spring. You’re seeing a guy go full speed every day. It has been impressive. He has really done a good job of learning the offense better than what he knew it last year, coming out to practice every day … He has not taken anything for granted. Every day he has been out there, he has really grinded. From the time he steps on the field, to the time we have to get off the field, he’s always doing something. I’ve really enjoyed watching him improve over the spring.”
(They’re introducing that new safety helmet designed to protect the brain a little bit more. Have you had a chance to get one in your hands? Do you have any thoughts on its effectiveness, comfort level?) – “I haven’t. Usually (Equipment Manager) Joe (Cimino) will bring me certain things that are that being talked about. He tries to pick a good time to where he knows that he’ll have my full attention, and he can explain what’s going on, and we haven’t been able to have that. It has been pretty fast and furious. When those type of things come up, Cimino does a good job informing me of what’s going on, either what the league is looking at or if there’s new products or anything from shoes to helmets to shoulder pads. He does a good job of keeping me informed. Usually sometimes it does take a little bit of, ‘We’re through OTAs. We got four days.’ Those are the type of times where he’ll come to me with stuff.”
(I think at the very end of practice, I saw you do pushups with the offense. I hadn’t noticed that before. How often does that happen, and what’s the thought process?) – “It was something … When Jack Del Rio … When Coach (John) Fox, when he got sick in 2013, Jack implemented this last play of the game on Fridays. It was one play. Usually we would just make it fourth down with 3 seconds left and winner take all. It was something as simple as five pushups. It gets competitive. There’ll be a lot of talking going on afterwards. They’ve won a few more times than we have. It’s not calling very good plays, I guess. It’s good though. I like the competition. I like when guys get ready to go for that last play. It has been interesting how a few little situations actually came up last year – San Francisco being one of them. We had the exact same yard line, exact same time. It was kind of eerie how we went through that thing. I remember on the head phones we were all saying, ‘We did this. We did this live. Offense versus defense. See if this pays off.’ Those situations come up in a game, and it’s not the first time our players have been through it, because they go through it every Friday.”
(We’ve had a few people come up on that podium and talk about how committed they are to being better – DT Jordan Phillips, WR Leonte Carroo, WR Jakeem Grant. How much do you pay attention to that, or are you more of an action-type guy? Do you pay attention to those words?) – “These guys are very open with our coaching staff. A lot of times you don’t have to tell a guy what his faults are. They know by playing time whether they’re active or not. When guys really take it on themselves and come to you and say, ‘I need to get better. How do I do it?’ and they keep following up on that, to me that’s the action you’re looking as the starting point. At the end of the day, you have to go out there and do it, and it’s consistency. Everything you do is consistency. As soon as you have that drop off, that’s when you can get the … It’s the same thing. You just want to avoid that. You want to be consistent. When you get put in that kind of situation where things don’t quite go right, how are you going to battle back? I know a lot of people, that’s what they’re going to look for. Are you going to fight and do everything you can to win your job or to go from good to great? I think every one of us is always looking for, ‘Who are the guys striving to get better?’”
(There was a moment it seemed like you were really pleased with WR Jarvis Landry, particularly on the sidelines. What was he doing that had you so happy?) – “I think the entire spring, he has really done a great job with the consistency of the way he has practiced. Today, he got some really good opportunities. It was one of those practices where the ball kept finding him. We were getting some right coverages for some of the plays that we had – we were running in practice – and he did a great job. He made the plays. He got himself open and made some tough catches. He was doing all the little tiny details that would make him to where if he was just a little bit open, he really did a good job of getting himself wide open. When he’s rolling like he was today, you just keep trying to find ways to get him the ball.”
(Looking ahead to next week very quickly, what changes? We know it’s mandatory attendance, but what changes with minicamp from OTAs?) – “Since it’s always at the end, I don’t try to go too far from what we’re already doing. Our guys are on a pretty good schedule. I haven’t had any guys coming up complaining about what we’re doing. I think they like the format of how we change some things up. It allows us to have those walkthroughs at night or in the afternoon and have some more meeting time. It allows you to cover more things, watch more film, be able to really take a deep dive into what we’ve done in practice. Coaches (are) making cutups and try to find some things that we didn’t do well and see if we’ve improved or if we’re getting stuck somewhere. It gives us a little more time. In OTAs sometimes, it’s tough; your window is so small. Those meeting times really … They go by quick. You want to watch every little thing and teach all the stuff that we have. You’re constantly playing catch up. The minicamp allows you to really take that deep dive and help your players as much as possible.”
Matt Burke – June 7, 2017
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Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(A couple of things on DE William Hayes. He told us last week he thought he would play inside some. How often do you envision that happening and him playing at tackle? Then the other thing is obviously it was established earlier this year, it might have been Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum or General Manager Chris Grier talking about DE Cameron Wake coming back as a starter and that you’re not going to experiment like you did last year with him coming off the bench. DE Andre Branch is obviously returning as a starter. So knowing that DE William Hayes is at his best in base against the run, what’s the challenge there of where to play him and when to play him?) – “Well, hopefully it’s not a challenge. Hopefully it’s easy for me. He’s been working a lot of places. He’s played a lot of football in his time. Obviously we value what William brings to us as a base end, setting edges for us. One of the reasons we brought him in here was to help us in the run game. For us, he’s actually pretty versatile, moving inside a little bit. Right now, I know what we’re doing with a lot of the positions is moving those guys around. So Will has gotten some work inside and outside, and (we’re) just trying to get the best fit. To me, again, it’s a benefit if we can have players that are playing multiple positions and have the depth that maybe we haven’t had there in the past that we can … If we’ve got four or five ends that we’re rolling through and working in different spots, we can week-to-week – what the matchups dictate – use them there. He’s been getting work at a lot of different spots. All of those guys have been. I think his versatility is just a bonus for us, so we’re going to try to use him in a lot of different spots.”
(At his size, can DE William Hayes be his No. 3 defensive tackle if your two rookie draft picks don’t develop to a point where they’re ready to have that work?) – “Man, that’s a dark cloud already. (laughter) No, I don’t envision him in that sense. He’s an end for us. It’s a matter for us of just in early downs and in passing situations, just how we are using guys and moving spots around, in that sense. I don’t see him bumping in as a full-time inside guy for us.”
(We’ve asked you a bunch about how you’re going to use the linebackers. How is that coming into focus the last three weeks?) – “It’s a work in progress. They’ve done a good job, honestly. We’ve been moving those guys like we said we would and just trying to get different combinations. Again, some of playing linebacker is playing with each other and getting used to Kiko (Alonso) getting used to what Lawrence (Timmons) is going to do next to him and having a rookie (Raekwon McMillan) in the mix. Mike Hull and Neville (Hewitt) have both taken some big steps for us. We’re really trying to work those groups and just try to find the best fit, but also get those guys comfortable playing with each other. Again, for me, having a more versatile ability to have different packages and move those guys around a little bit, they’re good. They’re all working really hard. (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Coach) Frank (Bush) has done a good job with them. It’s probably harder on him – that was my room, so I’m probably harder on Frank and try to put a lot on those guys to do that now and find out how we can utilize them. It’s good. It’s coming along.”
(Is this something that until training camp it might be until you have a firm idea on the linebacker position?) – “It’s fluid; but yes, at some point we’re going to have to play these guys. Right now, we’re working the groups and moving guys around, like I said. Probably we’ll keep doing that through this portion of the season or the offseason. As we get closer to the season, you hope that the roles will start crystalizing a little bit and we have a better feel for where we want to utilize those guys.”
(We’ve seen LB Raekwon McMillan at the middle linebacker position a decent amount. How big of a challenge is that mentally for a rookie to get everybody lined up and make the calls?) – “It is. That’s obviously something we put on (the middle linebacker). He’s done a really good job with it. He’s a very bright kid. He’s very serious about it. He’s all about ball and he wants to do it. That’s always a concern with a young kid coming in and putting him in that role, but he’s taken to it. Obviously he did a lot of that in college. He definitely has a presence about him. He doesn’t present like a rookie, so that’s helped him – his presentation. He’s got something to him that helps him in those roles, so he’s done a good job with it.”
(Beyond the obvious with DE Charles Harris – we know he’s a great athlete – but what do you think about him and what are your observations about him as you’ve had him working for you for about a month?) – “Honestly, probably the biggest thing with Charles is his work rate. He’s non-stop. It’s every snap he’s going. He’s playing hard. We’re working him and he’s responding. He never lets up. Like you said, the athleticism and all of those things are obvious; but for him to practice at the tempo that he practices at and with the work load – we’re putting a lot on him and he’s going and going and going – he never stops. I think that’s as much as some of the sort of flashes he’s made in camp as anything is just his effort and his energy out there. So that’s been pleasant to see because … It’s been said in here and it’s been said by a lot of people, until we put pads on, nobody is getting overly excited about anything; but just to know that’s the foundation to what he’s doing is his work ethic is through the roof. So that’s been fun to see.”
(How do you guys decide who to cross-train and who to leave in one spot?) – “Again, it’s a lot of things. How we feel, obviously, like can they handle the mental workload? Just physically, what their traits are that if … Some of those guys it just doesn’t translate. They don’t have the ability to play multiple spots and we’ll profile at one spot. Sometimes we’ll just try it out. Sometimes we’ll just take a day and say ‘Hey, why don’t we throw him in there and see how that looks,’ or see if that’s a fit and if he can do it. Maybe we’re like ‘No, that doesn’t look right.’ Or we’ll feel guys out. Just the whole staff, we watch the film every day and we’re evaluating mentally is he grasping what we’re trying to do and then obviously as a physical fit, can he physically do the things we would want him to do in whatever those spots are.”
(It seems that the one position in the secondary that is kind of up for grabs is the slot corner. Obviously CB Bobby McCain and S Michael Thomas have played there. Are those the two main guys that you’re focusing on or has there been a third option?) – “Again, we’re rolling groups. Bobby started every game for us last year. Bob’s had a good spring. He really has. He’s competing. He has the – whether you call it the fortune or misfortune – of going against one of the best slot receivers (Jarvis Landry) every day. For us, it’s obviously a great evaluation tool to see him compete against Jarvis. He’s been holding his own. I really like … One of the benefits for us last year of playing a lot of those young guys – Bobby, ‘Lipp’ (Tony Lippett), I mentioned Neville (Hewitt) and Mike Hull and those guys – they’ve all taken that next step because they got so much playing time last year. Bobby is in that group. He’s done a good job. We’re rolling a bunch of guys through there as well. Bobby hasn’t done anything to discourage us from what he’s shown.”
(What have you seen out of S Walt Aikens? He’s also gotten some work there as well.) – “Walt’s another guy that we’re moving around a little bit and cross-training. He’s played some safety; we’re playing some corner. He’s a big athlete. He’s obviously a huge asset to us on (special) teams. We like having a versatile player in that role on the roster, so Walt has done a good job. Again, we’re trying to put him maybe in a spot that he’s not as comfortable and see how he responds, and he’s done a good job working for us so far.”
(You’ve been in this job for a few months, I doubt you’re really surprised by much because you’ve been around, but what have been the most interesting challenges you’ve had to deal with in this new role?) – “What do I do during individual period? (laughter) It’s crazy, I just stand there and I don’t know what to do with myself … My hands moving. (laughter) It’s hard. It’s just a different relationship with the players. Interaction with the players, that’s been different. Usually you have … I’m a very hands-on coach. When I was with the linebackers, I’m in there and I’m all with it and stuff. So it’s a little different being slightly removed from that. You kind of train your eyes from a different spot, seeing the whole field as opposed to in practice we’re watching a play and I’m watching the linebackers. Now I have to see everybody. If a mistake happens out here, I have to be on top of that too. It’s been hard just sort of shifting my focus in terms of that stuff.”
(Does it change your role in terms of personnel decisions, too, I’m guessing? Eventually when you pare down the roster.) – “I’d like to have that power. (laughter) I think the organization does a great job here. (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase), we’ll have those conversations once we get back to camp and those things are progressing. There’s really ongoing conversations. Like I said, it’s similar where the roster is fluid. They’re really good here. I like … Chris handles it. He’s always talking to me. He’ll pop into my office and ask ‘What are you thinking? How is this looking?’ or ‘What if this happened? What would we do here?’ Just kind of playing out scenarios. Those conversations are ongoing. I don’t know how much weight I have on that but at least my voice gets heard.”
(And that’s new, right?) – “Yes. Usually … It’s just hard. You just have too many people in the room. If you have all of the coaches in the room when everyone is sort of trying to fight for their own guys and push for this. Usually it’s sort of pared down to the coordinators where I’m the voice of the defense and (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen) is in there and ‘Rizz’ (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi) and we’re just kind of all … If you have too many voices in the room, it’s tough. So I’ve been kind of more involved in those conversations.”
(What can you do in the offseason to prepare yourself for calling defensive signals and, by nature, how would you characterize yourself? Are you overly aggressive? Do you tend to side with caution?) – “Everything is different. One thing I actually really appreciate with (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) is he’s giving me those opportunities now. We have a … I hate to say, he kind of got me today a couple times. We had a couple of 2-minute drills where he beat me on today, so I’m a little disappointed; but we have a lot of periods in practice where we’re calling off the cuff. Even when we script, to be honest with you – what he does when he scripts practice is he actually gives me just what his down and distance and personnel are going to be for the period, which is basically the information I go off of in a game, for the most part. So pretty much every day that I script, I try to play each play as a scenario. ‘Okay, it’s first-and-10 on the minus-20, here’s what I’m thinking. Okay, it’s second-and-8 on the 30-yard line, this is what I’m playing.’ So I’m trying to play that game now as it is and then within practice, usually one period a day or a couple of times a week he has periods that are unscripted that we’re literally just calling off the cuff and trying to move the ball down the field, whether it’s a 2-minute drill or just sometimes he just has to move the ball. So getting that experience right now in terms of putting myself … Adam does a really good job of just every period in practice is a different situation, whether we’re working third downs, red zone (or) a specific coverage. So I’m trying to always play the game, even at practice. As for my play style or calling style, I mean every week is different. It’s a tough league. Every challenge is different so week-to-week – I’m avoiding it a little bit – but that’s a pretty fluid thing. I try to put our players in the best position to make plays. I keep saying that every time I step up here, but that’s all I’m going to do.”
(Among the dozen or so obscure players on your unit – I know you don’t think of it in those terms – but guys like DE Praise Martin-Oguike and DT Lawrence Okoye and LB Deon Lacey and S Maurice Smith – who comes to mind as guys who have flashed to you? I know it’s without pads but the first couple of names that come to mind?) – “This might be like recency bias but ‘Mo’ (Maurice) Smith has done a pretty solid job. He’s a headsy player and he’s another guy where we’re moving around a little bit and he’s been able to sort of take to that to some extent. You’re putting me on the spot here. (laughter) I thought (Davon) Godchaux is actually showing a little bit. He’s got some power in his body. He’s another guy that’s a real worker. He doesn’t say three words to me, he just goes out and does everything every day. I see him really watching (Ndamukong) Suh and those guys and trying to just puppy dog him and follow him around and do what he does. In terms of the rookie class, obviously besides the top couple picks, those are two guys that have definitely kind of shown a little bit.”
(Is your vision with S T.J. McDonald during the preseason – because of his suspension – do you play him a lot or less so because he’s a veteran and you just treat him like he’s a veteran?) – “No, we haven’t come to anything close to those determinations. That will partly be from (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) and how (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and those guys want to see the roster. But we’re going to have to get him so work. As much as he’s a veteran, he’s new in our system. We’ll ask him to do some different things. Obviously then we’re going to have to know that he’s not going to get any football for however long that’s going to be. We haven’t come to … We literally haven’t even had that conversation yet, but that’s something we’re going to have to decide, as an organization, what the right price point is for him to get the work we need him to get but also not steal work from guys that will obviously be able to start the season with us.”
(Are you going base jumping this summer?) – “No, I’m going actually to Uganda to hike with mountain gorillas.”
(Mountain gorillas you said?) – “Yes, we’re going to go trek some mountain gorillas for a couple of days. There are only like 700 left in the wild, their natural habitat, so we’re … Literally the day after the minicamp I’m flying out and going to be in Uganda for about two weeks.”
(You just go over there with a backpack and that’s it?) – “Pretty much. You’re only allowed like 15 kilograms on the little bush flight, so it’s about 30 pounds or so that you can bring and that’s it.”
(Do you guys cross-train your safeties or do you keep them pretty much at free and strong?) – “Both. We have a free and a strong but really we ask them to do … They’re similar. What so much has evolved to is with Reshad (Jones), obviously we try to utilize him in some ways and put him in some spots so we end up kind of cross-training because sometimes we want him to do a specific thing or stuff like that. We do have a strong and a free but we’re flipping guys around a little bit there. Some of that revolves around how we want to use ‘20’ (Reshad Jones).”
(How much are the lines blurred between strong and free safety any more in the NFL?) – “Honestly, just in terms of generically speaking for me, body type-wise, and the way we play, we don’t – this isn’t universal, this is sort of me – I think it’s blurred. It’s hard – I know I’ve mentioned it here before. Honestly, we see it at practice with Julius (Thomas). Tight ends, the way they are these days, it’s hard for me to have a true old school in-the-box strong safety that can’t play in space. To me, that’s difficult. To me, the way we do things, we’d have to cover up a little bit and do some things. For us, when we say strong and free; for us, that’s more like ‘Is he aligning passing strength? Is he aligning a way where we’re lining him up more than our strong safety is always down in the box as a hard run player.’ Those types of things. For us, that’s more part of the evaluation process in the offseason of ‘These are the types of safeties we’re looking for. We’re not just looking for sort of a one-dimensional player.’ So they’re blurred in that sense of we’re trying to get multi-dimensional talents back there. The strong and free part is more of how we are lining them up in the course of a game.”
(So it has more to do with alignment than the actual skill set?) – “Yes.”
(How long are you going to Uganda? Who are you going with? How many people?) – “It’s just going to be me and my girlfriend. I don’t know if she’s going to be happy or mad that I’m talking about that. (laughter) We’re leaving next Friday. We’re flying through Amsterdam, so we’re taking a few days there just to break the trip up. It’s about an 11-hour flight from Amsterdam down to Entebbe, Uganda, and then we’re in country for about nine or 10 days – I think in Uganda. You have to get permits and a lot of stuff to do this so we’re basically spending time at this place called Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It’s up in the mountains on the Western border of Uganda. There is a base camp lodge that we’re staying at that has about seven little cabins out on a ridge on the side of a mountain. You go out during the day and you track the gorillas and get to sort of witness them in their natural habitat.”
(First time, I assume?) – “This is actually not. Well, it’s the first time for gorillas. I’ve been to Uganda before. This will be my third straight year to Africa. I went to Uganda two years ago just out to do some missionary work with Jeremiah Washburn and his family. That same year I went and hiked Mount Kilimanjaro afterwards – I went to Tanzania. Then last summer, we actually went to South Africa and Botswana and Zambia and did some safari stuff and trekking around there. This is my third straight year to Africa and second time to Uganda. (It is my) first time with gorillas, hopefully.”
(What’s the level of risk with this?) – “We’ll find out. (laughter) I don’t know. I think you’re not supposed to approach gorillas and all of this stuff. Apparently you’re supposed to just not make eye contact. That’s like a pretty threatening situation so eyes down and just no sudden movements hopefully. (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) told me, he said if I die over there he’s going to come and kill me twice. (laughter) I don’t know if I’ll have cell phone service there so I’m not sure I can check in but he told me I have to check in as soon as I get a couple of bars on my cell phone. I don’t know. It’ll be fun. It’ll be good.”
Leonte Carroo – June 7, 2017
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Wednesday, June 7, 2017
WR Leonte Carroo
(What have you been working on this offseason?) – “Just getting accustomed to being a better NFL player. I realize that last year didn’t go as well as I wanted it to, so this year I really honed in on working as hard as I can to not only be a better receiver, but a better student to the game. I lost a ton of weight off the field, eating better, eating healthier. Kenny Stills got me involved in pilates. I was doing that to loosen up my hips and become a more fluid receiver. (I’m) just doing the little things that I didn’t do before to make my Year 2 even better.”
(How much weight have you lost?) – “This offseason the lowest I was down to was 210. Last year when I came in, I was 220.”
(Does that make you faster? Quicker?) – “Yes, definitely. That was the goal – to lose some weight and to become a faster and more quicker receiver.”
(Besides the weight, was maybe last year problematic due to effort or intensity? What was the problem last year?) – “Last year, (I) didn’t have as well of a year as I wanted to. I kind of took getting drafted for granted. I wasn’t doing all the little things I used to do right in college. I was excited more with the whole draft process than really focusing on being an NFL player. Now I realize that this is my job and I’m taking the NFL life more serious and becoming a better student of the game and a better player.”
(This is no reflection for your view of WR Rashawn Scott, I know you have great respect for him; but was it a wake-up call, was it upsetting to you to not be active as a draft pick as opposed to an undrafted player being active late in the season and for the playoff game?) – “It definitely made me upset. It had nothing to do with any of the coaches or the players. I was just upset with myself, because it was totally on me. I was playing bad on special teams. I was performing poorly in practice. I wasn’t doing enough. I wasn’t asking my coaches to watch extra film or anything like that. (I was) not really focused on being a better player last year. You take a guy who has probably been starting since Pop Warner and then he comes to an NFL team and things aren’t going his way and I honed in on that instead of focusing on getting better and better every single day. Now, same approach. I got three guys ahead of me, but my whole mindset and philosophy is different. I’m attacking practice every single day to get better, because I want to prove to these coaches that I’m going to be a better special teams player, and I’m going to be a better receiver. When we went on that winning streak last year, to see how guys were doing, it made me upset that I wasn’t doing anything to contribute as a third-round draft pick. This year, I want to focus on having that respect for my team and for my coaches and go out there and make plays and contribute to the wins that we’re going to have this year.”
(With all that being said, those three guys are still here. How are you going to make your impact this year?) – “Definitely have to start with special teams. That has to be my main focus. When guys go down … God forbid guys go down this year, I’ve got to be ready. It has to be just like clockwork. If any one of those guys go in, I’ve got to … The coaches need to have enough confidence in me that I can take any one of those guys’ place. Today was a perfect example. I went right in with the ones and I performed pretty well. I have to keep that confidence and keep that mentality going.”
(It seems like every time your name was brought up, it’s not just Leonte Carroo, it’s Leonte Carroo, a third-rounder who Dolphins gave up multiple draft choices in a future draft for. When you hear all that, what has gone through your mind? How do you process all that?) – “That last year the coaches and my teammates had a lot of expectations of me. I did a poor job fulfilling those expectations. Last year is totally behind me. I’m a new guy this year; I’m a new person. I’m just excited for these OTAs, these next couple practices and then training camp and controlling what I can control, and that’s getting better on the field every single day and proving to these coaches that I’m not the same Carroo from last year. I’m a different player and I’m ready for the new year.”
(Are there any other guys in the room with you that you look at set an example and say, ‘What he’s going to do, I’m going to do.’?) – “I would say Kenny Stills is a prime example of that. I look up to all the older receivers – Jarvis (Landry), DeVante (Parker) – but Kenny really took me underneath his wing this offseason. I came back about two months earlier to train. I was down here probably the end of February. I was running, doing pilates and training with Kenny every single day and getting better and also watching film with him. He’s a guy that I look to, to follow his lead.”
(WR Kenny Stills is known as a burner, so to speak. Was there any speed training involved in that?) – “That’s a plan that we have set for this upcoming summer. I’m going to be here with Kenny, and we’re going to work on a lot (of) speed training and things like that. I don’t think I would look at myself as a guy that really needs speed. It was just the weight that I was dealing with last year. When I played at Rutgers and I was the fastest and my healthiest, I was about 205, and then I get here and I’m 220. It’s just a total different player. My whole thing is keep maintaining my weight, and I’ll be fine.”
(Last year, I think you were taking practice reps in the positions that WR Kenny Stills, WR DeVante Parker and WR Jarvis Landry all play, right? So this year, has there been more of a focus on one of those positons?) – “I wouldn’t really say that. Last year, I would say probably a lot was thrown at me at one time and now I have a better feel for the offense. I’m able to … Instead of learning … Last year, I was trying to learn each position – X, Y, F. But now, I’m learning the whole offense as a whole, like a concept. Just to get the concepts down pat will help me be able to play either position. Now that I have a better feel for the offense, I’m able to play any one of those three spots.”
(You said you ran with the ones today?) – “Yes.”
(Who was that for?) – “I think Kenny (Stills). Kenny went out during practice. Nothing serious. I don’t know what happened. I was just in with the ones.”
(And do you feel like you took advantage of the opportunity?) – “I played pretty well, especially with the mental side of the ball and stuff like that, just lining up right, putting trust in (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase that he knows that I know what I’m doing. I went out there and I made a couple plays.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase has said back in March that he has a better idea of how to use you, what kind of routes to use you on. In your mind, what are you best at this point? What type of routes do you feel like, ‘I can beat an NFL cornerback at.’?) – “I would say in college I was a receiver that I used my physical ability to get past defenders, deep balls and slants and things like that. This offseason, working with (Wide Receivers) Coach (Shawn) Jefferson and (Assistant Wide Receivers) Coach Ben (Johnson), I’m trying to become a whole wide receiver. I want to be able to run the same routes that Jarvis (Landry) can run and things of that nature. I’m really honing in on becoming a better receiver period so that either way, I can be out there and any route they ask me to run, I’ve got to be able to run. That’s what a receiver is.”
(You said the X position, Y and F. When you say F, you kind of lose people a little bit. Can you explain?) – “The F position is more like a slot position – what Jarvis (Landry) plays. Kind of that inside player. X and Z is kind of outside.”
T.J. McDonald – June 7, 2017
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Wednesday, June 7, 2017
S T.J. McDonald
(What motivated you to sign over the last couple of months as opposed to just waiting to see what team had an injury in September or October and had a need?) – “I think that just the culture here and (Head Coach (Adam) Gase reaching out. Just seeing that the team is on the rise, I felt like I had a great opportunity to play here, given my circumstances or whatnot. I came out here on a visit, I liked the vibe, I liked the culture and I went ahead and did it.”
(Do you want to play a lot in the preseason to kind of get accustomed to the system?) – “I’m a football player. I want to play. I want to play no matter what. Preseason is definitely a stride for me, just to be able to get used to the system at full, live bullets and whatnot; but at the same time, there’s going to be guys that also need to get some time that will be there for Week 1. I understand that. So however the coaches want to use me, I’ll be ready for whatever.”
(How awkward is this? Going through this, then minicamp and training camp but knowing that when the bell rings on the season…) – “I mean, it’s different for sure. It’s something that I don’t take for granted, I don’t take lightly. I know that I love football more than anything. This is something that is an experience that I’ve definitely learned from. I’m taking it all in but I’m treating every day right now like every day is a game for me. I’m just going out there, giving it my all and trying to take it all in and make sure that when my name is called, I’ll be ready to go. I’ll have my rest and all of that.”
(What lifestyle changes have you made?) –Just the people that I’m around and have my family close – I just had a son not too long ago, about three months ago. That’s something that has been a huge change in my lifestyle, having him close to me and whatnot. Just throughout all of this, I just want to make sure that I continue to do the right thing and make my family proud.”
(Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke just got through talking about the traits he likes in a safety. What is it you feel you bring to the table as far as your ability at safety?) – “I feel like I can do a little bit of everything. I feel like I’m a physical safety. If I’m down in the box, I have some range where I can go. I have some ball skills to go catch the ball. I feel like I can do a little bit of everything. Whatever the coaches, whatever the position they want me to play in, or whatever the case may be, I like the scheme that we have going on. I’m getting comfortable in it. Whatever they ask me to do, I’ll be able to do it.”
(Has that been established, what position you might be in, whether it be free or strong?) – “Right now, I’ve been working at strong, which is something that I’ve been used to. It’s a little different in this scheme than what I’ve done in the past; but, it’s nothing I can’t adjust to. It’s going pretty well right now. I’m just learning everything and soaking it all in.”
(Do you have much of a history with S Reshad Jones? And your thoughts on observing him close up?) – “I don’t have much of a history with him personally. I’ve definitely watched him. I know he’s a great player. He’s a guy that flashes on film. He can do a lot of great things out there on the field, so I have a lot of respect for him as a player.”
(How good could this trio of safeties be once you’re back in November or December with you, S Reshad Jones and S Nate Allen?) – “I feel we can be as great as much as we put in. I think that we can be definitely great. We’ll see how all of that works out. It will all work itself out. The best players are going to play and that’s how it’s always been in this league. I think we definitely have a lot of talent back there, for sure.”
(Have you put any thought into your plans in September and October when you can’t be here? What do you plan to do? How you plan to stay in shape?) – “I’m just going to continue to working out. I think that for me, I still will be in the building. I won’t be on the practice field. I still will be able to work out and stay in good shape, stay on top of the film, making sure that I don’t fall off in that aspect. So all the fine details, we’ll see how all of that goes. I got a little bit more time to figure all of that out; but I’m figuring that out now, talking with all the coaches, talking with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase. We’ll definitely have a plan making sure that I’m staying on top of both the game mentally and physically.”
(A lot of the players and coaches are talking about getting hands on the football. Are you satisfied with what you guys have been able to do so far during OTAs and how are you going to try to accomplish that going forward?) – “Yes, just staying around the ball. I think that we’ve done a great job flying around. That’s something we definitely emphasize, just staying around the ball, making sure that we finish and not being complacent with giving up any catches. They’re going to make plays. The offense has some great players, so they are going to make plays; but as long as we are consistent and staying around the ball and trying to make plays and not being content with anything, I think we’ll be alright.”
(You’ve been around DE William Hayes. What stands out to you about him as a person and as a player?) – “His personality is one of a kind for sure. (laughter) His energy is great. He’s a guy that took me under his wing when I first got into the league. We have a good relationship. He’s a funny guy. He’s going to bring energy day-in and day-out. The best thing about him is he’s going to be the same Monday through Sunday. He’s definitely a great locker room guy and a good guy to have in the locker room.”
(From a player standpoint?) – “High energy. He’s going to be stout versus the run. He’s going to have a high motor at all times. You feed off of that as teammates. We are all out there, we’re going to war together. You feed off of that energy. He definitely brings that.”
(What do you think of his theories?) – “I don’t want to get into his theories. His theories are way out there. (laughter) His whole dinosaurs thing. If I go over there in the locker room right now to talk to him about it, he’ll talk for 30 minutes. I don’t want to even hear all of that.”
(When you and your agent talked about how you would approach this year in terms of looking for a team, did you all talk about trying to find something for multiple years or was it the conclusion to try to do something for one year, try to re-establish your value as a quality safety and then go back into the market next spring.) – “Yes, that’s something that … I’ve been a four-year starter in this league. I’m going into my fifth year. This is unfortunate; but for me, I feel like I’m confident in my ability on the football field and that’s something that I have to re-establish. I understand that; but I’m willing to put that confidence in myself and be able to go out there and do what I do for this year and see where it takes me from here.”
