Cordrea Tankersley – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins CB Cordrea Tankersley (transcribed by Savanna Bell-Stevens)
(So what happened, you got the game ball today?) – No, I just took my first career NFL ball you know, you don’t get too many of these, they hard so I took this for me, preseason or not.
(Did someone find the ball for you or did you hold on to it?) – No I held on to it for dear life. Um I just took it. Them boys was like let me get the ball so I can get it I was like nah I got it, but somebody took it and said they’ll hold on to it so whoever did it I appreciate it.
(Walk us through that play that was kind of a bang bang play, you kind of stripped it from him on the way down) – “I just saw him run a slant, I just wanted to break on it you know and then I knew, my new. My neuros were to just get the ball out, swipe it. And then once I felt it go to the other side, I just like tugged it, I was like I got the ball, so score. It happened so fast you know.
(You got a lot of playing time today, what did you think of your own performance?) – “I think I did pretty good, still a lot of stuff to clean up technique wise and also assignment wise, but there’s always room for improvement so it’s back to the drawing boards.
(You talk about technique wise, talk about the importance, or how difficult it can be for a cornerback to drive on, or pick off a slant.) – It’s really hard, it’s definitely really hard, because you never know what you’re going to get in this league. I just went with my gut instinct, coaches put us in the right play and I just went and made a play.
Adam Gase – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(What was your assessment of QB Jay Cutler?) – “I thought he was good his first time out. He looks like we really weren’t apart for a year. I thought his tempo was really good. I think we have to get used to that a little bit, the rest of the guys, because he’s ready to go a little sooner than everybody else. That’s going to take a minute. It’s going to take game experience. It was probably good for him to get hit and to have to move in pocket. He did a good job there and he made some good throws.”
(Was the attitude going in with QB Jay Cutler, ‘Just a couple of series and that’s it?’) – “I wasn’t really sure. I just told the starters to be ready to go half. I went off of that and once you got enough pocket movement and we kept getting in those third-and-longs, we had that screen where he got hit pretty good and I was like, ‘Well, he’s experienced everything so…’ I didn’t want to overdo it and plus I wanted to get Matt (Moore) in there with that first group.”
(It looked like they were getting a pretty good rush in there.) – “Yes, that’s how it’s going to be. It’s the NFL. These guys are coming pretty good. When you have your ones in there and you’re in the second preseason (game), everybody knows there’s only so many snaps that you’re going to get, and every guy is going to try and make the most of them.”
(What was the decision process to play RB Jay Ajayi and how do you think he did out there?) – “I thought he did (well). It’s preseason. You’ve got to play. It’s part of the process.”
(RB Jay Ajayi took a shot, took a pop there towards the sidelines – did he shake it off? Is everything alright?) – “Yes.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill – did he have knee surgery today?) – “No.”
(Was the idea going in … it looked like QB David Fales and QB Brandon Doughty got most of the work today.) – “I was just trying to switch up who went first. I really thought – my plan initially was once David had enough plays, I was going to try and get Brandon like a whole half. It didn’t work out as well as I wanted it to. Next week we’ll flip them again and we’re just trying to get those guys as many reps as possible and get as much tape to keep evaluating. We just couldn’t really get anything going with either guy. We kind of had some busts and missed a couple of opportunities. We just couldn’t really sustain anything. Nothing was clicking, really.”
(Your cornerbacks, they seemed pretty active – CB Byron Maxwell caused two fumbles, CB Xavien Howard had an interception, CB Cordea Tankersley had an interception…) – “It was good. It was good to see. I thought it was an unbelievable catch by ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). It was good to see that. And then ‘Max’ (Byron Maxwell) – I guess that was my experience going against Max so many times, he comes out of nowhere and knocks the ball loose. That’s kind of his ‘M.O.’ It’s good to see our guys active. It was good to see that first team defense. They only gave up seven yards rushing, I think, in the first quarter.”
(LB Mike Hull, I think he had five tackles, or six tackles, one tackle for a loss – was he active enough and good enough for you?) – “Yes, he’s always going to be active. That’s what he does. It was a different scenario for this year. Last year he was filling in for Kiko (Alonso) and we were playing with other guys who were our second-string type guys. This year he’s got ‘L.T.’ (LB Lawrence Timmons) and Kiko next to him. That makes it a little different.”
(The special teams overall had some miscues there.) – “That’s the fun part of the preseason. You’re looking for guys. When you get to the second, third group, you’re looking for guys on the bench because they’re playing defense and then you’re running them back out there on special teams. You’ve got 90 guys on the sideline. You’re trying to find guys. It’s not easy. We had 10 guys on the field on the one where we snapped it (early). That was a disaster. We had a fumble. It’s just unlike our special teams.”
(T Sam Young had a couple of holding calls. I think one was negated. Do you worry about him?) – “No. I don’t worry about Sam.”
(What about the decision to start T Jesse Davis at left guard?) – “Once C/G Kraig Urbik wasn’t going to play, we just wanted to make sure that we didn’t have two centers on that starting line. We wanted to make sure that we were good throughout the game.”
(With QB Jay Cutler, how do you strike that balance between doing things that he’s comfortable with, as he said, ‘putting good things on tape’ with guys he’s not used to yet, but also kind of pushing him out of that comfort zone since it’s a game situation.) – “It will come naturally for us. I’ve got a pretty good feel of how to call plays for him. He’s really honest with me as far as what he’s feeling and how he’s seeing things. I feel really good with where we’re at right now. This next week will be really good for us because going against another team and playing that third preseason game. We’ll just keep trying to improve and get in that game flow. I liked what I saw tonight. I’m ready to get this going next week.”
(That chemistry between QB Jay Cutler and WR DeVante Parker. It seems like they’re already on the same page.) – “I think Jay’s had a lot of experience playing with a lot of different guys. He’s able to adjust. He comes in nine days ago, figures out what these guys do, and gets them the ball.”
(On kickoff returns, is WR Jakeem Grant still in the mix?) – “Yes, we just don’t want him back there. We wanted to see what these other guys could do, too.”
(Did WR Jakeem Grant injure a foot?) – “He’s had a couple of things bothering him. We’ll hold him out every once in a while when it starts bothering him and see if we can kind of get him right again. (With) a couple of days off, he’ll probably be feeling better.”
QB Matt Moore – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Matt Moore (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(Not sure how many plays exactly you had out there. I think you had one series though. How did it feel?) – “It was good. It’s always good to get live reps. Midway through the preseason here you always want to see how it’s going and what you can do better and what you can learn from. So, I thought it was alright.”
(Where do you feel you can improve the most?) – “It’s football, pick anything. We’re getting better every day, constantly working on things individually, as a unit. It’s an everyday deal at getting better.”
(There wasn’t a whole lot of offensive production from the whole team today. Was it just a fact of you guys trying new things out?) – “There are a lot of factors. We’re experimenting. That’s a good defense over there. We’re halfway through the preseason here. And again, I think as a unit, we’re evaluating and seeing where we’re at. There was some good stuff to learn from, for sure.”
(What do you think of QB Jay Cutler’s first start?) – “I thought he looked good for a guy who hasn’t done it since whenever it was – November or whenever it was. I thought he moved around good. I thought he threw it good. It was fun to watch him out there.”
(Explain the experimenting.) – “I’m not calling the plays, but you’re in camp, you’re running everything. You’ve got the whole book that you’re trying things from as opposed to the regular season where you’re probably more narrowed down and things like that. There’s a lot that can be called and a lot that we are running. I think that’s it.”
Davon Godchaux – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Defensive Tackle Davon Godchaux(transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(How hard was it for you to keep focused and keep moving?) – “It was very hard but I knew where I wanted to go the whole time. I took that as my motivation.”
(When did you figure it out?) – “Growing up when I saw the streets. I could have easily gone in that direction but I went the opposite way.”
(How did you go into LSU freshman year and do what you’re doing here and turn heads?) –“Somebody got hurt and it’s the next man up. That’s what we play the game for. It’s part of the game. You know someone is going to get hurt and you have to be the next man up.”
CB Xavien Howard – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Cornerback Xavien Howard (transcribed by Lexie Balboni)
(You had inside position the whole way right?) – “I had the position the whole way, just trying to make a play on the ball.
(You had him covered like a glove, like a book. Why would they throw the ball there?) – “I guess they were trying to see if their receiver could make a play and I ended up making a play. I just saw the ball in the air and I took it.”
(You had a pick, CB [Cordrea] Tankersley had a pick, two forced fumbles from CB [Byron] Maxwell, what can the secondary do?) – “We’re just getting better each day. Each week we’re trying to learn from what we did last game and try to get better each day.”
(How is this preseason different from last preseason?)– “Last year I only played in the last preseason game. I didn’t really do much because of the injuries. I’m just trying to get better each day. Each preseason I’m trying to learn from other games that I’ve had and just trying to get better each day.”
(Where are you physically right now?) – “I am physical. I’m healthy. I’m really just working every day. Right now I’m just healthy and I’m just continuing to try and stay healthy the whole season.”
Jay Ajayi – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Running Back Jay Ajayi (transcribed by Ted Leshinski)
(Did it feel like it has been too long for you? How did it feel out there?) – “It was good, good to get back out there with the team. (It was) nice to get first reps of the new year.”
(Any hesitation getting hit for the first time out there?) – “No. Just running the same way I always do. Running hard.”
(They got you on the sideline.) – “It’s football.”
(How do you feel like QB Jay Cutler felt out there? How did it feel with him?) – “It felt pretty smooth. I felt we were moving the ball well. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. We would have loved to (have) scored on those drives.”
Jay Cutler – August 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Jay Cutler (transcribed by Bruno Zayas)
(Was it like riding a bike for you?) – “A little nervous to get it going, but once we got out there it was fun. These guys are really talented on the outside, so they make it pretty easy for me.”
(What was the most challenging part about tonight for you?) – “I think it was just waiting – pregame, just getting out there and waiting for the anticipation of getting going. Once we got out there and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) was in my ear, we started rolling around. It was fun.”
(How do you manage this situation with the clock ticking, the season is four weeks away, you have to learn a whole new set of teammates?) – “You have to immerse yourself as best you can, be around these guys constantly, ask a lot of questions, see what they like, what they dislike. It takes a little bit of time, but I think with this group they make it a little easier, because it is a younger team, but they’re really good guys that want to win, and they’re good football players.
(Were you surprised there were only a couple of series because with your need to really work with these receivers you might be in there a little longer?) – “Not really. I’ve played football before. These guys are … They’re football players. Once I know what they like, what they dislike, how they get in and out of stuff … I mean we’re playing football. There were no real miscues out there with them today. I think as we progress, we’re only going to get better and better.
(How do you gauge what the offense did tonight as far as you were missing two starting offensive linemen? You did have some penalties that wiped out some good plays.) – “I don’t think we’re into gauging where we’re at. We’re just trying to get better each outing. With the first group, we had a couple of penalties there that kind of took some momentum away, a few mistakes here and there. We’ll take a look at it tomorrow. We got a really good opportunity; we’re going to Philly, practice against them for a couple of days and then we get to suit it up one more time.”
(What have you thought so far of WR DeVante Parker as a target?) – “Really good player, really good player. I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s big, he’s fast. He can do a lot of different things, gets in and out of things, deep threat, knows everything we’re doing. I think that’s the fun part with these guys – with Jarvis (Landry) and Kenny (Stills) and DeVante – is they know everything. You just whisper to them something, and they’re good to go.”
(You’ve played with some good ones in your day. Does WR DeVante Parker remind you of anyone?) – “I think he’s kind of a faster Alshon (Jeffery) a little bit. He has got a lot of range, back shoulder, over the top. He has got great hands, but then he can burn you up if you get a little flat footed.”
(You and WR DeVante Parker have a good back shoulder throw rhythm going on?) – “That’s just him. He knows where the ball is going to go. He can feel the defender, whether he’s on his top shoulder or if he has got him beat. Some of these guys have a better feel than others, and he is one of those guys that knows where the ball is going to go.”
(When you took that hit at the end, were you looking up at the broadcast booth going, ‘Eh’?) – “No, I went over to talk to the doctors, and I said, ‘I think I’m good to go.’ I was kind of glad to get that one out of the way. (I) landed right on my right shoulder and didn’t feel anything, so Dr. (Mark) Bowen in Chicago, nice job.”
Adam Gase – August 17, 2017 (First two questions of postgame)
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Head Coach Adam Gase
Postgame – Baltimore
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (transcribed by Michelle Stone)
(What was your assessment of QB Jay Cutler?) – “I thought he was good. First time out, and it looks like we really weren’t apart for a year. I thought his tempo was really good. I think we have to get used to that a little bit, the rest of the guys, because he’s ready to go a little sooner than everybody else, but that’s going to take a minute, that’s going to take game experience. It was probably good for him to get hit and have to move in pocket. I thought he did a good job there, and he made some good throws.”
(Was the attitude going in just a couple of series, that’s it?) – “I wasn’t really sure. I just told the starters just be ready to go a half and then I kind of went off of that. Once you got enough pocket movement and we kept getting into those third-and-longs and we had that screen where he got hit pretty good, I was kind of like, “Well, he has experienced everything,” so I didn’t want to overdo it and plus I wanted to get Matt [Moore] in there with that first group.”
