Adam Gase – June 14, 2017
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(We saw obviously another good day from WR DeVante Parker today. He talked to us yesterday about all of the improvements he’s made with sleeping, nutrition – all the things you’ve talked about. I was curious who has pushed him to get him to this point? Has it been some of you and Wide Receivers Coach Shawn Jefferson? Has WR Kenny Stills sort of taken him under his wing at all?) – “I think it’s a combination of Shawn (Jefferson), during the season, putting a really good plan together for him with the strength staff – (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Dave) Puloka, all of that crew, (Director of Sports Performance) Wayne (Diesel), (Team Nutritionist) Mary Ellen (Kelly). There were a lot of people trying to help point him in the right direction; but at the end of the day, he has to do it day in and day out when he’s outside the building. I think he just gravitated to it and stuck with his plan that was made for him during the season. Then once the season ended, he really just carried it on, on his own. To me, it’s evident that he started working on things a lot earlier than probably what he’s ever done, or he’s been able to do. It’s really paid off for him. You see a different guy out there every day. I should say he’s not a different guy every day, but the consistency compared to what we saw last spring. He is constantly moving as fast as you see him on game day. He really treats every day like it’s a game.”
(What did you learn about WR DeVante Parker now that maybe you didn’t know when you first got here?) – “That’s hard to say. I guess I felt like I had a really good insight. Being in Chicago, he was a guy that we were looking at hard and trying to figure out what was the best move for us to make when we were picking seventh. We had the luxury of having two guys on our staff that had been with him – one was Mike Groh, who was our wide receivers coach and then (former Bears Outside Linebackers Coach) Clint Hurtt, who was at Louisville with him, as well. I feel like I was getting a lot of information before ever being here and then once I came down here, I was able to talk to both of those guys and Clint had a lot of really helpful things to tell me to know what to look for to help DeVante and to understand how he saw things, how he operated in college and when he did well and if he ever struggled, how he got over the hump. I think that was really helpful because we were able to relay a lot of that information with (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn (Jefferson) and (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach) Ben (Johnson) and (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen), so we could really try to get ahead of things and try to help him get to where he wants to get.”
(How have you seen WR DeVante Parker’s relationship with QB Ryan Tannehill evolve and grow since he ended last season and into this offseason?) – “It seems like the longer we get to do this and we’re all together every day in meetings and practice, it’s just the communication. When you come in here to watch film, guys talking to each other, giving reasons why they did certain things, what they’d be thinking and if a different coverage would come up on certain concepts. It’s just that constant talking that goes on. That’s really all you want to have happen is you give them an outline of what you’re looking for and you let those guys really take it to the next level and kind of make it their own. You don’t want to just say ‘This is what it is and live with it.’ We really just try to give them that framework and let those guys take it from there.”
(Have you been around similar wide receivers – young wide receivers – to WR DeVante Parker in the past and what this year gives you the confidence that he’s going to get closer to that potential that you see?) – “It’s strange just being with Demaryius (Thomas) and (Eric) Decker when they were rookies. I was coaching wide receivers. I saw a lot of the same … The way that his path has gone is very similar to those guys. There were injuries early in their career, they fought through some ups and downs and once they kind of figured it out, they just found ways to get better every day. I see him doing the same thing. He goes out there with a purpose and every day we watch the film and we see a guy getting better.”
(At this time of the year with no pads, how do you determine run defense progress or success?) – “We won’t really know until we get pads on and we actually start playing some preseason games and the regular season. You try to look at it the best you can as far as run fits and running to the football and just that consistency that you’re looking for in the defense. Everything looks good when we’re in non-pads right now. We just need to carry our techniques and our fits to training camp, and then when we get in a game, we just need to take the next step and do it in games.”
(What was your reaction when it came over the headset to you that bees had taken over the entire red zone?) – “I was standing right in the middle of it. I was starting to see all of those somethings flying around and I didn’t know what was going on, then a couple of guys were freaking out. I was like I guess they’re bees.”
(You called a play, you had WR DeVante Parker running straight into the bees and he made a catch. It was impressive.) – “We were just trying to score touchdowns so he had to run through a couple of bees. He’s going to be alright. (laughter)”
(Serious question, any treatment needed?) – “I don’t think so. It has not been reported to me.”
(Do you feel like you guys are adequately prepared now if a bee attack happens in a game?) – “We’ll be ready for that.”
(Where do you think WR Jakeem Grant stands as a receiver now that we’re near the end of the offseason. We saw some nice catches today and some drops as well) – “I think he’s made some huge strides throughout the spring. I know we were trying to figure out what was the best spot for him. We’re just trying to get him to play as fast as he can. He’s done a really good job of diving into the playbook, spending … You can tell when a guy spends extra time because some of the little mistakes that you would see as a rookie, you don’t see as much anymore. He makes some really good plays. It just comes down to consistency and just consistently making those catches – not only the hard ones but it’s those easy ones that can get you sometimes as a wide receiver where you think you’ve got it but the next thing you know, you have an easy drop and that kind of creeps into your head. When he has those days where he doesn’t have anything on the ground and he’s in the right spots and he knows he did everything right, those are the days you just want to try to keep building off of and see if you can get two, three, four in a row to where you can really start making some leaps.”
(So far, what are you seeing out of the rookie WR Isaiah Ford?) – “When you’re a young guy, you’re just trying to fight to get better and get as many reps as you can. That’s why we try to keep the reps fairly balanced because we don’t want to just throw those guys out there for a couple of reps and hope they get better. We’ve got to let them do it. We’ve got to let them prove it. All of those young guys, they’re all fighting for some spot to stay alive and when we get to training camp, it’s going to be the same thing. Then the reps are going to start changing, so you’ve got to make all of these count in the spring, because this is when you’re really learning because when you get into a preseason game, that’s when it’s really going to count for you.”
(DE Andre Branch was talking about his offseason regimen yesterday and he mentioned MMA and things along those lines – physical therapy. Do you have a preference of what you want guys to do as far as if they’re taxing their body too much or if MMA is too dangerous? Any limits?) – “These guys, that’s their livelihood is their body. I don’t know if I’m really the poster boy for health by any means. Those guys do a lot more studying than what people realize of what’s the best thing to do for their bodies physically, what they’re putting into their bodies. They know that’s how you make your money. That’s how longevity occurs. We happen to have the guy that’s probably legitimately the poster boy for doing it right for a long period of time (Cameron Wake) and making everybody else feel like he’s 38 and he looks like he’s 26. He goes harder and longer than most of the players that we have that are actually 25 or 24. Him coming here was probably a great thing for him to see Cam (Wake) every day and see what he does, then taking whatever he was doing to the next level. He saw every day that there is proof that if you do it right, you can play for a very long time in this league.”
(As it relates to DE Cameron Wake, what did you guys learn last year in all of your research about snap totals versus performance?) – “Are you trying to throw the first five games into my face there? (laughter) I made a mistake. I should have been playing him more early. We were trying to think long term. We trying to think let’s get him the most important snaps during games. When we were getting down, it really put us in a bad spot because we didn’t want to stick him out there and all they were doing was pounding the football. We wanted him in there when teams were passing it, we just kept getting behind, and that was putting us at a disadvantage. That’s when we decided we have to make sure he’s out there more. That’s why we made that switch. We thought we were being smart and it backfired on us. We should have just went with … What we should have done was just let him play.”
(With T Avery Young, an incredibly talented guy. What led to bringing him in and how has he been?) – “When we finished the season, we were trying to figure out what direction we really wanted to go with … You start getting into the discussion of body types, physical ability, what fits in outside zone, we want to be firmer in protection. So you’re trying to figure out the best way to go about it. We did a lot of talking through at what point can’t you run outside zone. We had some long discussions with (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Chris) Foerster, (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen), we got with the personnel guys and determined that there’s ways to find guys that are athletic enough; but at the same time, we’re not having a group of guys that are 290 pounds. He was a guy that we felt like was worth us taking a chance on as far as working out. He did a good job. We brought him in, got him in the program early. Being with his brother (Willie Young Jr.) in Chicago, that probably didn’t hurt him at all because I got that text and I trust that guy a lot. He’s done a really good job for us. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and he just keeps finding ways to get better.”
(If T Avery Young plays guard for you, how do you grade that level of athleticism that he has for that position and at his size?) – “You just want guys that can move well enough to get moving laterally. It’s really about angles for the most part. It is angles and effort. If guys … If you really strain and you really max out on the effort, more times than not you’re going to be able to do what we need you to do.”
Jay Ajayi – June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
RB Jay Ajayi
(Head Coach Adam Gase was complimenting you on your route running and how much you must have worked on it in the offseason. How much time did you invest in this and was that your top offseason priority?) – “(I was) definitely working this offseason. Just being able to run better routes and being more detailed, that was a priority for me this offseason.”
(How do you feel your progress is?) – “(I) definitely feel a lot better than last year, and I’m still working. I’m still going out each day trying to get better, but I definitely feel like I’m a lot ways ahead this year than I was last year.”
(Can you explain the detail aspect of it, because sometimes the routes look the same. A curl is a curl, but what gets you to that next level detail-wise?) – “For starters, knowing your landmarks. Certain routes need to be broken off at certain yard lines. There are so many yards in each route. Really just making sure that when I do get into my brakes that I’m getting out of it sharply, not rounding my brakes, and at the end of the route, finishing the catch. That’s something I’ve been working on this year.”
(Is there a specific picture you have in mind of the complete back you want to be or is there a former running back you look up to?) – “I know I can do it, personally. During college, I was a guy who was able to catch the ball out of the backfield and also run. I prided myself in being able to do everything and be on the field for the whole game. Getting into the NFL, I know it’s a lot different, but I still believe I have that skillset. It was really about developing it even more now at this level and trying to push myself to become elite. That’s really what I’ve been working on, knowing that I have the skillset and really putting the hammer to the nail and working tirelessly at it (so) I can go out there Sundays and really become that weapon that I want to be.”
(What was your motivation for this offseason to really work harder on your route running and some aspects of your game compared to your first season?) – “For sure, my rookie year I had a lot on my plate. For sure, I was just trying to figure out what I was doing, learning how to be a pro and everything. But right now, having a couple years under my belt, knowing what I want to be, I want to be the best. I strive for that. I know that to be considered the best at the running back position, you have to be a guy that can do it all. Last year, I was able to do a lot of great things on the ground, but I felt like something was missing in my game. I knew I could do it, so I just wanted to be able to come out and practice and continue to work at it, continue to show that I can do it and be consistent.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase talked about how perceptive you are now about the details and nuances of the offense. He said you think about things almost like a quarterback does now. Do you look back at your beginning with the Dolphins and think, ‘I did not know what I was doing back then.’?) – “From the first year I was here as a rookie, I had some adversity being hurt and all types of stuff. It’s hard to get into the game, grasp it, get the knowledge of your playbook and all that. Then we get a new coach – all these different things. But now being in Year 3, having been able to have a good year like last year, I learned a lot of things. I feel like right now, I’m definitely a lot more comfortable on the field, a lot more composed. I do know little details out there that have been able to help me react faster, be quicker in my reads and also allowing me to be more confident on the field.”
(Did it help you at all being secure in your role now too being the guy this year as opposed to the last two offseasons?) – “It feels good to know that I have a role on this team that is going to help affect us winning, and that’s exciting for me and continues to push me each day to continue to improve my game.”
(At the end of last year, did you feel like you had more carries in you if that had been required? I know it’s a week-to-week thing, but do you want the ball more this year or was it about right?) – “Last year, I felt good to be able to carry the ball. At the end of the year, I did get banged up in that Bills game, but at the same time, each week I was ready to go out there and do whatever needed to be done, however many carries that was. Knowing what we want to do this year and knowing myself and how I felt in some of the games where I was able to get into a rhythm and get over 20 carries, I feel like we were able to do well. In those games that I got to a certain amount of carries, I feel like that was when our offense was doing the best. We were getting a lot of plays on offense, we were scoring points and both sides of the ball were also doing well. If that’s the case, then I’ll be completely for it, and I’m ready for that. That’s what I’m preparing myself to do. We’ll see what happens this year as the season comes up. Each game plan each week, like you said, could be different; but I know for myself personally, I’ll be ready to carry the ball however many times I have to.”
(So a little bit more is better?) – “Yes. I feel like I’m a workhorse, and I get better as the game keeps going as I continue to be a part of the game. Yes, I feel like if I can get a certain amount of carries, then that’ll be good for our team as well.”
(Did the Pro Bowl experience change your approach heading into this offseason or how you study the game and the demands for yourself?) – “It was motivating for me personally. Being there, getting to see a lot of elite players, being around them, some guys who’ve been in Pro Bowls since they got in the league, some guys were just being at their first Pro Bowl, and they had been in the league for like eight years – all of those different things were inspiring and motivating for me. It definitely made me want to continue to work harder and push myself, because I want to be on that level every year, being able to be recognized as such type of a player.”
(Was there anybody’s brain you picked when you were there in particular?) – “Yes, I got to talk to Ray Lewis. That was a really cool thing. He was explaining how he had watched how my season had went from the start to the end, and he was proud I was able to push through the adversity and everything. Other guys, such as some of the guys on the Broncos, I got real close with and being able to tell different stories. They knew (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase as well, so they were able to tell me about some of the stories when they were back with him. And just other guys that were on my team in general, like DeMarco Murray and being with my boy Melvin (Gordon). All of those experiences, it was a great time, and I definitely learned a lot.”
(Did they have a good Head Coach Adam Gase story that you can share with us?) – “No, I don’t. (laughter)”
(How familiar, if at all, were you with DT Lawrence Okoye before he joined the Dolphins and were you among the Brits who was cheering him on in the Olympics?) – “I wasn’t too familiar with him on a person-to-person contact level. I do remember though reading an article a long time ago when it said a British Olympian was trying to play in the NFL. I think this was back when he first started. When I saw that article, I do remember being like, ‘Wow, this is a big guy knowing he wants to try American football for the first time.’ For me personally, it was like, ‘I hope he does really well. I hope he can translate, because that’ll be so great for the U.K. having more players that can translate and figure it out to where they can play in the game that we play in.’ Now being his teammate, it has been really great. He has been working really hard, and I get to see it day by day. I’m just rooting for him and trying to be a great resource for him whenever he needs one.”
(You guys talk a lot of soccer with DT Lawrence Okoye?) – “Yes. Me and him, (Director of Sports Performance) Wayne Diesel, (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Burke – we always chat (about) soccer. They’ve got their teams; I’m always rooting for mine. It’s always fun.”
(I’m guessing at Boise you guys ran a lot of up tempo, no huddle. You guys tried it last year. QB Ryan Tannehill said it’s a point of emphasis in camp. How do you think that could potentially help you and the offense?) – “For us, we want to be able to dictate the tempo of the game, whether that’s doing it in no huddle and using that to our advantage – using the weather to our advantage out here – and really putting teams on their toes. We want to be able to do that also us huddling up, being able to do all our checks and balances and everything and being able to pick defenses apart that way as well. That’s why right now, we’re really focusing on the details, being able to know the ins and outs of each style of game and being able to execute at a high level doing both.”
(How are you planning on spending the coming weeks after you guys wrap up?) – “We actually finish on my birthday on the 15th, so that’ll be great. I’ll get to celebrate. And then I’m actually going to be going back to London on the 19th, for about three weeks, so that’ll be fun as well. I’ll get to go out there, be with family and train as well.”
(How difficult was it for you in particular to process all that’s happening in England with the terrorist attacks? It must feel differently for you than your American teammates.) – “It’s a tragic thing to watch. I actually watched a little (of the) concert that they did for Manchester Strong and I was really proud to see all of that. It was a really amazing thing for them to bring out all those musicians and everything. I thought that was really cool. It’s even more interesting (with) my mom knowing I’m going back, she was just making sure she told me, ‘Stay safe,’ and everything. It just shows that there are issues going on outside of the U.S. that’s going on in the world and people need to be aware. Also, we hope that things like this cannot continue any longer.”
DeVante Parker – June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
WR DeVante Parker
(In the second year of head coach Adam Gase offense, QB Ryan Tannehill was talking about the speed of the plays is much improved?) – “We come out wanting to play a little faster than we did last year. We’re getting a hang of the offense now. We’re just coming out playing faster than we did last year.”
(You probably saw a quote from Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen saying that he expects you to have a ‘gigantic year.’ What was your reaction to that?) – “My reaction to that is coach knows what I can do and seeing what I’ve been doing in the offseason and how much I’ve progressed sense last year, and being a lot healthier than last year too.”
(Specifically, where are you a better player, if you can point to a couple of areas?) – “I’d say route-running has improved. I’ve just been a lot more physical and out there playing fast.”
(Is there any conversation you’ve had with a former NFL receiver or anyone that really opened your eyes about wanting to get better. Was there any talk with anyone?) – “No, I’ve just talked to myself really. I just knew that I wanted to play better than I did last year. I was really big on … Because of me not being healthy, I couldn’t do what I wanted to do.”
(How are you planning on spending your down time in the coming weeks?) – “I’ll probably just rest for a few weeks and then I’ll probably go back home and then just come back and start working again.”
(We saw emotion from you last week after a play in the end zone against CB Byron Maxwell. Is that something you do a lot when reporters aren’t around or is that something new – letting your personality out more?) – “It’s something newer now. I just feel 100 percent and I just express myself and let it all out now. I just feel better.”
(What are a few of the things you have added into your routine that you feel will keep those legs and hamstrings feeling good for the long term?) – “Before practice I get stretched by (Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach) Jim (Arthur) and after practice I get stretched by him too, so I’m just keeping my legs in shape, the cold tub, whatever I need to do.”
(Talk about what you’ve learned from watching WR Jarvis Landry and also from watching WR Kenny Stills?) – “The things I learned from them is to just go out there and play and give it their all. That’s something I want to do and I just like being on the field with those guys. I like being out there with them, tired or whatever, just giving it our all.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase used the word hungry. He said ‘I see a hungry WR DeVante Parker.’ Why are you hungry?) – “I know what I can do when the ball is in my hands and when the ball is not in my hands. I’ve just got the ability.”
(Of all the things that Wide Receivers Coach Shawn Jefferson tells you, what stands out from him the most – the message he gives you the most?) – “Run and just come off the ball. Just come off the ball fast and the DBs, they will be scared of you.”
(What is the ceiling for a healthy WR Devante Parker?) – “I don’t know yet. We’ll just have to see.”
(Are you having fun? More fun? Tell me about practice and life. How do you feel about things right now, just in general?) – “I feel good about things right now. I am having a lot of fun on the field, interacting with those guys, talking smack to the defense whenever I can. It’s just fun. We both go back at it – back and forth at it. I just like being out there.”
(When did you start to make some of the changes for the better in terms of hydrating more, diet? Was that during the year last year or was it during the offseason?) – “It was during the season last year, towards the end; but it’s been a lot more this offseason.”
(What types of things?) – “Just hydrating more, eating right and sleeping habits.”
(With work being more enjoyable for you now, is that something that had been kind of missing for you the last couple of years when you got hindered by various things and you couldn’t perform the way you wanted to?) – “Yes. It is kind of hard when you’re injured. You can’t have the fun that you want; but you go out there and you try to do what’s best for the team and you do what you can do.”
(Is there kind of a little bit of a dragging process coming to work some of those days?) – “No dragging or nothing. It’s just you have to go out there and give it your all.”
(But not as enjoyable?) – “You can say that.”
(DE Andre Branch mentioned that he has a chef. Is that something you ever considered?) – “Yes, I had someone cook for me a little bit last year. Somebody came here and made food for us and I’d just take it home. I started to cook at home now and make some healthy food now.”
(Has that made a difference in how you feel?) – “I’d say it has a lot. A big difference.”
(How about sleep-wise, how much do you try to get at night now?) – “I try to get at least eight hours of sleep.”
Andre Branch, June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
DE Andre Branch
(How do you spot running game improvements at this time of year?) – “I think everybody just doing their job and being in the right place. We can’t be as physical as we want to be; but at the same time, you can be in the right place and continue working to do your job.”
(Is that definitely better than at the end of last year?) – “No question, no question. We were still learning the defense last year.”
(What have you seen from DE Charles Harris?) – “Very explosive, and he wants to learn. That’s the biggest thing. He always ask questions. He’s not an ‘I know it all’ type of guy. He’s a kid that wants to learn and just keep getting better and wants the respect out of his brothers, and that’s what we are going to give him.”
(Any of the other younger guys standing out to you?) – “The whole group, they’re all willing to work. I don’t think that there is anyone that thinks they’re bigger than the team, so that’s always a great thing.”
(What have you seen from the DT Davon Godchaux’s and the DT Vincent Taylor’s that shows they can help you in terms of the interior players?) – “Get off. The get off and if they do something wrong, they want to get another rep. They don’t just go to the back of the line. If they mess up on their rep, they want to go again and correct it.”
(The last time we talked to you, you were critical of the run defense last year. It’s obvious why when you look at the numbers. Did your teammates say anything about your comments being so blunt about the run defense?) – “No, I think we all have one voice. We speak for each other. There is no one bigger than the defense, bigger than the team. If one person says it, we all agree on it. We know we have to improve on that and that’s an emphasis that we put on this offseason and we’re getting better each and every day.”
(Who are the ‘emotional leaders’ on this team and what does an emotional leader do for this football team?) – “This is a new group, so we’re still developing that. We look amongst each other. It might be me one day, it could be Cam (Wake), it could be Reshad (Jones), it could be (Ndamukong) Suh. You never know who it’s going to be that day, because at the end of the day, everybody’s going to have a down day; but we pick each other up and we make sure that we’re all on top of our stuff.”
(I envision that yourself, C Mike Pouncey and WR Jarvis Landry are the heart of most of it.) – “There are a group of guys that other people rely on to give them juice. I’m not going to say it’s me. You can ask my teammates who that is. If they say it’s me, then I appreciate it. I’m just out here to make my teammates better and make sure that I’m playing up to par.”
(Do football teams need such a…) – “No question, no question. There are players in the NFL that are amazing players, but they don’t voice everything. They can just do what they do and they can be a Pro Bowler without saying a word. But then there are other players who get things rolling and are very emotional and make sure people are doing what they have to do and speak their mind and have that voice for the defense, offense or special teams. You definitely need that, and that type of stuff is in my personality, and Pouncey for sure and Jarvis as well. It comes with it and if that’s what the team wants you to do, then you’ve got to do it.”
(Why do you think this team is so emotional?) – “I think this team just plays with a chip, at the end of the day. We just play with a chip on our shoulders and we compete with each other each and every day. We just want to make sure that we are the best that we can be. I think that’s the main part and no matter what, we know what we have in our locker room and we know we’ve just got to keep on going.”
(Your team competes against each other on a regular basis. Why do you think you guys compete any differently than Jacksonville does?) – “I have no clue. I’m on the Dolphins now. At the end of the day, my mindset is making the Dolphins better. I can’t speak for any other of the 31 teams; but I can speak for the Dolphins and say that we want to be the best team we can be when it comes to the beginning of the season.”
(Is it tougher at all this week because the offseason program, knowing right after this is your one big break before training camp?) – “No. If you do that, than your practice is going to be terrible. We have a coaching staff that will call you out on that. I don’t think it’s that. I think we just try to go into this thing attacking it each and every day, knowing what we have to do to get better each and every day. We’re going to compete until the end, and the same thing tomorrow and the same thing on Thursday. That’s how we are.”
(You mentioned the chip. Where does that come from?) – “I think it just comes from the players that we have in our locker room at the end of the day. There are a bunch of players that really want to be the best that they can be and that chip just comes with the territory.”
(Is it any disrespect from outside or anything?) – “I haven’t listened to anything outside my entire life. I listen to my family, my friends and my teammates. That’s all that matters to me. For me, I can’t say it comes from the outside, for me personally.”
(Is there more juice on this defense now with the investment the Dolphins have made by bringing in free agents and draft picks?) – “I would definitely say that the people they brought in definitely help. There are a bunch of long-term guys that have been in this league for a long time, playing at a high level. Then we have young guys that just bring it and want to be the best that they can be. That’s all you can ask.”
(A lot of people have the perception that football players, once mini-camp wraps, they’re just doing nothing. What does your offseason, three week break, entail?) – “MMA training three times a week, strength training five times a week, boxing four times a week. I have a chef that I eat very, very healthy. I only drink water and coconut water. PT (physical therapy) twice a week. A chiropractor three times a week. Pilates three times a week and yoga twice a week. Steam room every day.”
(You ever have a day when you don’t do anything?) – “Sunday.”
(What do you get out of things like MMA and boxing training?) – “I think you get to know your body. Well, boxing of course, is hand speed. That’s all it is when it comes … I’m going against a guy who’s bigger and stronger than me every play. So hand speed and leverage, that’s where the MMA comes in. Just knowing your body and knowing what position you can put your body in – no matter how big or strong they are – you being able to just leverage them and get them off of you.”
(Is that why you see the growth of MMA mostly in professional athletes?) – “I think so. I’m not about to, after I retire, be an MMA fighter, by any means; but it helps me on the field and that regimen I have – like you guys said, I have to be that emotional guy. For me, I have to play at a high level and also talk the entire game and not come out of the game. That type of regimen, I have to do that in order to do what the team asks of me.”
(That dedication, did that come from you or when you came into the league, a veteran took you under his wing?) – “No, I think … No, I wasn’t doing this my rookie year. I think around Year 2, it was like, ‘we need to do more.’ I just kept building from there. I’ve been doing MMA for three years, boxing for about three also. PT (physical therapy) and chiropractic work and all of that type of stuff, I do that every day. That didn’t come just right when I got in the league. I didn’t start getting in the cold tub until my second year in the league because I didn’t think it worked, because I just thought it was freezing me. But it definitely works.”
(Have you seen this early in the process with the young guys observing what you and the other veterans do and sort of emulating that?) – “There are some young guys out here that ask questions of what they should do, so that’s great. The earlier you get on it, the better. I wish I would’ve done it my rookie year. I might not have hit the wall so early. It’s great if you have a young guy that gets it; but it takes time. I know it definitely takes times because they have a ton of stuff going through their mind right now.”
(Why does it take them so long to get to understand what most of the older pros…) – “Because you’re not doing it … I’m not doing it in the building. I’m getting stretched in the building and I’m getting some body work done in the building; but most of the stuff is outside of the building, so they don’t see you doing it. They just think we’re probably leaving and going home. Plus, they are still in meetings and they’re still doing a ton of stuff. It’s tough, but once you get more free time, that’s when you start going through and experiencing different things.”
Kenny Stills – June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
WR Kenny Stills
(QB Ryan Tannehill said that the one thing he notices in the second year of Head Coach Adam Gase’s offense is the speed of play is increasing. Do you see that?) – “Yes. I just feel like guys are more comfortable. Obviously in anything that you do, the second time going around, you’re going to be more comfortable and be able to go out there and just play fast and think less.”
(Does CB Xavien Howard seem to be a better player to you than what he was a year ago and in what ways?) – “I think it’s hard to say, being that he was down a lot last year; but ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is a great player and he’s been locking guys down on defense. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do this season.”
(WR Leonte Carroo said you all spent a lot of time together this offseason and did Pilates, things like that. Whose idea was that to get together and how has that worked out?) – “This offseason, I kind of took it under … on my shoulders to kind of take the younger guys and say ‘Hey, this is what you can do. This is what I did. Here’s kind of the recipe for what I think has worked for me.’ And so a couple of guys followed and a couple of guys did their own thing and so it just was up to those guys if they wanted to be a part of the routine that I had kind of put together. But the staff that we have here really helped me with the conditioning stuff I was doing, and then working with Pilates, and so I guess I just told the young guys ‘Hey, this is what you can do if you want to be successful,’ I guess.”
(Have you seen improvement in WR Leonte Carroo this offseason?) – “Oh yes. He talked about him dropping his weight, but he’s faster. Just like we said, he knows the offense better. He’s a little bit more confident out there and so he’s made some major improvements.”
(Can you see yourself leading this team in receiving touchdowns again this year? Can this offense support with the additional weapons?) – “You’ll never hear me talk about stats. That’s not really a question I feel like answering.”
(We saw an emotional WR DeVante Parker after his touchdown last week in one of the OTAs. Of course we only see a small sample of DeVante. You’re around him all the time. Do you see any difference in him on the field, off the field at all this year?) – “He’s healthy and he’s confident in that, and he’s playing hard and he’s just prepared. I feel like he’s talked to you guys. I think I saw a quote about him talking about just him not being injured and ready to go out there and show what he can do, and so just be prepared for that.”
(When you hear the term emotional leader, as in the emotional leader of a team, what does that entail? What comes to mind?) – “What are you referring to? Who’s an emotional leader?”
(That was going to be the second part of it [laughter]. I want to know if that is a necessary role on a team and who are the guys on this team that get you guys going like that?) – “We tend to look at Jarvis (Landry) a lot of the times to see what he’s doing. The way that he plays, he leads by example, and so we’ve got some ‘rah, rah’ guys; but I mean we’ve got a young team and we’re always ready to go. We feel like we’re the underdog and so that’s part of our mindset.”
(But is an emotional leader, is that just a ‘rah, rah’ guy? Does he have to be a good player? Does it have to come natural? Can it be forced?) – “The majority of the time, the leaders on the team are guys that are contributing. It happens that it’s not that way sometimes; but yes, most of our guys that are … All of our guys are out there making plays, so it just depends on who wants to step up and lead for that day, I guess.”
(Can you talk about the overall versatility of this offense? You’ve played in some different places in the past but can you talk about what this year’s offense brings in your opinion?) – “We just feel like if we can continue to master this offense and play fast, that we have the potential to do great things. We’ve got good players at every position and we’re coming together and we work hard, and so it’s an exciting time for us.”
(What are your plans after we get through this minicamp?) – “Back to work. I do Pilates twice a week. We do a lot of conditioning. I try to get on the sand on the beach and do some beach workouts. We hang out a lot, but we live in South Florida. You’re going to work out, you’re going to relax. That’s pretty much it.”
Reshad Jones – June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
S Reshad Jones
(From the little you’ve seen of QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Jay Ajayi – and we know there’s no pads – are they going to be better as a duo, as a passing/running duo? And if so, why?) – “It’s a little early to tell. I think the main objective and the main goal is for everyone to just get better. They’re looking good right now. Like you said, we don’t have pads on and stuff like that. I think they will be better because this is their second year of gelling together. Jay is the starting running back coming into the beginning of the season and finished off strong, so I’m looking for those two guys to do very well.”
(What is different about this offense going against them in practice? Where are they better? Again, obviously, without pads.) – “I think the chemistry. Everybody knows their role. Everybody knows the position they’re going to be playing. Jay (Ajayi) came in last year, didn’t come with us the first game, he knows he’s the starting running back now. This is Ryan (Tannehill)’s fifth or sixth year. He’s a veteran guy now in this league. I see him taking charge a little bit more. DeVante (Parker) is healthy. ‘Juice’ (Jarvis Landry) has still been Jarvis. The offense is looking good. Like I said, I think the chemistry is there now. Those guys know where they’re going to be and everybody knows their role.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill was asked that same question and he thought maybe the speed of play has improved. Do you notice that?) – “Yes, it’s the second year in the offense. It was hard for those guys to pick up the offense last year; but now, I think they feel comfortable and more reliable. They know where each other is going to be. Ryan is feeling a little bit better throwing the ball. He’s got weapons now with all of those guys on the offensive side of the ball. It should be fun and interesting.”
(When an offense runs a no-huddle offense, what are the challenges that it presents to the defense?) – “Getting the play in. The defensive coordinator has to make a perfect play (call) within a split second. We’re tired. The defense is rushing back to the huddle (and) we’re tired. It’s challenging.”
(So that is probably the most challenging aspect that you face when you’re facing the offense?) – “Yes, just getting the call in fast and you’re gassed. New England does it well.”
(Would it also be matchups as well?) – “Of course. Subbing, you can’t get guys in. You can’t get your d-line … You can’t get those guys subbed out.”
(Where are you in terms of building chemistry with S Nate Allen and S T.J. McDonald or is that something that’s just going to come in training camp?) – “I think it will come. I think we’ve been building chemistry out here within spring ball and OTAs, different things like that. Nate is a veteran safety. He’s played a lot of ball. He’s been around for a while and he knows football. I think it’ll come as long as we keep working out here on the practice field. I think the chemistry will be there.”
(When you were in here before you said stopping the run is definitely one of the priorities for the defense. At this time of year, how can you tell whether you’ve made improvement in that area?) – “Just running to the ball. You really can’t right now. Like you said, we don’t have pads on or anything like that, so just everybody getting to the ball. That’s the model. There’s one ball on the field so everybody getting to the ball and taking the right angles when we’re pursuing the ball, I think that’s how you work on it right now this early in the season.”
(What are your plans for after this week and before the start of training camp?) – “Just relax and get my body back well. I’ll start working out with my trainer and get ready for camp.”
(It looked like WR Isaiah Ford had a couple of nice catches out there today. Are there any other younger guys standing out to you so far?) – “Not really because I’m not really going against the younger guys, so I haven’t really been noticing too much.”
(I know this is something you guys probably never talk about. You might not even think about it. But do you think making the playoffs last year fully regained national respect? Because with oddsmakers, you still see Dolphins win/loss totals predicted in seven, in that range. Do you feel like as an organization, because there have been a number of years out of the playoffs, that you need to show everyone a second playoff caliber team?) – “I don’t think we’re worried about anything outside of this building. Everybody in this building knows what we’re working for and I think it’s bigger than the playoffs. As long as we continue to improve and work amongst ourselves, it doesn’t matter what anybody says outside of this building.”
Ryan Tannehill – June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
QB Ryan Tannehill
(How would you describe your accuracy and ball placement in today’s practice and then also since the start of OTAs overall?) – “I’d have to go back and look at it. There were some throws I was really happy with and some that I’d like to have back. I think that’s probably pretty standard for every practice throughout the whole year. There’s always something where you want the ball a little higher or a little lower, a little more outside, whatever it may be. So it’s something we’re constantly looking at. We’re looking at on tape. We’re giving ourselves grades on ball location and then trying to improve it.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said that you are hard on yourself. How is the ‘hard on myself’ angle sort of developed throughout your career?) – “I think I’ve always been, tried to be, hard on myself. I think as soon as you think you’ve got it, that’s when you run into trouble. You’ve seen a lot of good players over their careers get to the point where they think they have it and that’s when they start to fall off. I’m constantly trying to improve. I’m constantly trying to take little steps. It’s not one big step you’re going to take. It’s not like in a two-week period you’re going to make some giant leap. It’s a series of consequential small steps that happen over the course of an offseason, over the course of training camp and throughout the season. So you’re just constantly pushing at yourself, seeing the things you need to improve upon, seeing them on tape, taking the notes, taking the time to realize what you’re doing, seeing what you need to do to improve those things and then going out and doing it.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said just now that RB Jay Ajayi has really improved his route running. He didn’t know if he worked off campus with you or somebody else, but did you work with him and if not, what’s the difference you see thus far?) – “Yes, Jay put in time, starting back in March with us. We had the receivers out there. Jay came back in town. He was in California training for a while. He came back and was out there working with us. So I’ve seen him, I think take particular care in his routes and have an effort into each route. I see him run around and he’ll come back and talk to me ‘Hey, what did you think about here?’ If he doesn’t like the way he ran it, he’ll run another one. With running backs a lot of times, those things can get overlooked as far as the details of route running and being that weapon; but I think he wants to expand his role in this offense. We use our backs out of the backfield a lot. I think it’s a big weapon for us and he’s a guy that can do it. He catches the ball well. He understands concepts well and so it’s something that we look to get him the ball a lot this year out of the backfield.”
(When you look at yourself and RB Jay Ajayi as a one-two punch running and passing – I know you’re not the only ones involved in those aspects – what would you like to see you guys do better this season than you did last year, whether it’s sustaining drives, third down, red zone? That kind of stuff.) – “I think as an offense we’ve got to stay on the field longer. I think we didn’t have enough plays as an offense and we’re trying to combat that in a number of different ways but ultimately it comes down to getting first downs. We’ve got to be able to get first downs, convert on third down and keep drives alive. Find a way. It’s not always going to be scheduled plays. You’re going to have to make plays on scramble drills. Receivers are going to have to catch and run. There are a lot of things that go into it but ultimately it comes down to putting yourself in third-and-manageable situations and then converting on those third-and-manageable when you get them. When you get third-and-6 or less – which we feel really confident if we get third-and-6 or less then we should be able to convert a high percentage of those – we have to make it happen. We have to do what it takes to make those plays and keep drives alive.”
(Why are you and RB Jay Ajayi better equipped this year than last year to make that happen, to extend the drives and convert the third-and-6’s?) – “I think Jay’s second year, my second year in the offense, where we’re all more familiar in what we’re doing and how we’re attacking. I think he – like you just talked about – he is taking a step, as far as a receiver out of the backfield, where we were splitting him out wide. We saw him catch a pass today split out wide, down in the red zone, or he’s coming out of the backfield. Or even my check counts. Check downs can be huge plays where second-and-10, you call a pass, it gets covered up, you dump it down and now you’re in third-and-3 because he gets 7 yards. I think that’s one area where we look to improve upon. If we don’t like what we see down field, then get the ball to the back and let him make a play.”
(It’s the second year in this same offense. Where are the noticeable improvements that you’re seeing from your unit?) – “I think speed of play, first and foremost. I think last year, we were trying to do the no-huddle, but we struggled with speed as far as getting up, communicating quickly and running the play. This year we’ve put a lot of emphasis on that, being able to communicate quickly, not over-communicate things, but communicate clearly and get up and go. I think from OTA 1 to now we’ve seen a big increase of that, and we look to continue that throughout training camp. Last year we kind of got away from the no huddle, like Week 4 or 5 right there. So hopefully we can keep that going throughout this year and put pressure on defenses in that way.”
(Why didn’t the no huddle work last year? What was it that wasn’t working?) – “I just don’t think that we knew as an offense all the details of what we needed to do to make it happen quickly. We were able to do it, but we weren’t doing it quickly, and when you don’t do it quickly, you might as well just huddle and everyone get some time to think about exactly what they have to do. The whole point of no huddle is to keep the pressure on the defense and if you’re allowing defensive linemen to sub in and sub out and not keeping that heat on them, then you might as well just huddle. So I think that’s kind of the crossroads we hit last year.”
(What about Head Coach Adam Gase has made you feel more comfortable making the off-schedule play?) – “I think he just encourages me and what I see. He’s always supportive of … obviously he coaches me and corrects me obviously when things aren’t done right, but he’s a big supporter of whatever we feel – what you see – then you can’t think about it. You’ve got to just let it rip and make it happen. So that’s something I’ve been trying to work on this offseason is ‘Hey, don’t think about it. Just play what you see and let it rip.’”
Adam Gase – June 13, 2017
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What are you looking for specifically from QB Ryan Tannehill in this three-day minicamp?) – “Really, nothing has changed for us. This is just a continuation of what we’re doing from OTAs. We just have a different format with us being able to do the walkthrough in the afternoon. I’m just always looking for consistency and mastery of the offense and communication with him and the skill guys and the offensive line.”
(When did you lose your voice?) – “The last couple of days.”
(Are you sick?) – “Yes, a little bit.”
(How would you describe QB Ryan Tannehill’s consistency throughout the OTAs and into today?) – “He’s gotten better throughout the entire offseason process. You can see he’s more comfortable with what we’re doing. He has a really good grasp of every little detail that we’re trying to fine tune. When you start being able to put your spin on how you see things and you have the ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage, when you feel really great with where you are in the offense, you have a lot of confidence to make those adjustments before the ball is actually snapped.”
(I know you guys probably track every single throw he makes. How has the accuracy and ball placement been throughout?) – “It’s been really good. We’ve had some days where he’s probably a little picky on when he misses a throw. He’s pretty hard on himself. It’s a good thing because he wants to be held as accountable as anybody else. He wants those guys to have extreme confidence that when they really run a great route and they create major separation, he’s putting them in a position to not only catch the ball but he wants to give them a ball where they can catch and continue their momentum and give them a chance to run after the catch. I think that’s a high priority for him always, is making sure that he’s throwing the best ball possible to give those guys a chance to run after catch.”
(Will DT Ndamukong Suh be out the rest of minicamp or was it just today?) – “No. He’ll be back tomorrow.”
(WR Isaiah Ford kind of showed up today. How would you describe his spring so far?) – “He’s improved as it’s gone on. Any time you’re a younger player and coming into this league and you play wide receiver, it’s a little more difficult than what you realize. It’s a lot of adjustments. There are a lot of things that you haven’t seen coming to this level. The defenses really do a good job of changing things up and making things difficult and you have to read a lot of things on the run. He’s able to visualize what we’re talking about in the meeting rooms and then transfer it onto the field. It’s not an easy thing for a young player to do because a lot of times these guys need to see it before they do it where he actually can see it when we’re talking about it, showing it to him on tape, and he’ll get it a lot of times on the first attempt. It’s just the volume can kind of overwhelm you every once in a while. You’ll see it occasionally catch up to him. We’ve got a few OTAs in and you can see it kind of bogging down and slowing him down a little bit; but then he bounced back and started really having some practices where he improved and made some strides. That’s all you’re looking for. You want these guys to keep improving and then once you get into training camp, you want them to be able to play as fast as possible.”
(Last year your offense obviously went through a transformation. Earlier in the year you wanted to be more up-tempo at the line and then in the huddle, you went RB Jay Ajayi-heavy. Is this kind of the time to figure out what that’s going to be again? Do you want to be that no-huddle, fast-paced type of offense?) – “I think every year it’s, once again, we’re starting over from every facet – offense, defense and special teams. We’re always going to kind of start fast. It’s easier to hit the brakes than it is to try to speed up. You always try to stay somewhat up-tempo. I think it helps the defense as well because it forces guys to make the calls and it keeps a great tempo for practice and guys moving around. There’s not a lot of standing around and that’s what you want. Today was a good deal for me just kind of standing back and watching and just seeing how fast some of the calls were coming in and how fast those guys were getting lined up and ready to play, and the calls were coming out and they were ready to go. I think when you can do that in this part of the season to where every week is kind of a little bit of a different theme as far as what we’re doing situationally, it’s a good start to our process. When you hit training camp, once again, you somewhat start over to see where you’re at, at that point. Then as you go through training camp, you try to figure out who you’re going to become during the season. Last year, we obviously found out that it can change midway through the season or at the beginning of the season. It’s just an evolving process. You’re just trying to set yourself up to where when you get into those November and December games, you have some kind of identity of what you really want to become or what you have become, and now it’s about mastering that through those two months and see if you make that push to get into the tournament.”
(Obviously the ‘Zero In’ thing is kind of the slogan this year. Having the players know what they’re doing, would that make it a lot easier to go fast this year?) – “It would, but it’s an entire group effort because it doesn’t do any good if we go three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out and we keep putting the defense out there and we’re not moving the ball on offense and they’re constantly on the field. Now all of a sudden we’re lopsided play-wise to where there’s 40 defensive plays and 15 offensive plays. Then you get into the fourth quarter and you get back into the game but now all of a sudden your defense is dead tired and it’s hard for them to stop anybody. That’s where we put ourselves in some bad situations last year to where the defense played so well for so long and then when you need them to help finish that game off – because we finally got back into the game – they’ve burned it all trying to keep us in the game. That’s where we just need to do a better job of keeping those two sides of the ball more balanced, as far as the play number goes. If we can do that, then you have the opportunity to kind of keep that higher tempo of speed on offense; but if you’re not moving the ball consistently, if you’re not getting those first downs and staying on the field, then there’s really no point to doing it.”
(When you look at RB Jay Ajayi now versus a year ago, are you seeing a lot of really fine-tuned improvements, particularly mentally, from him?) – “Yes, that would probably be beyond an understatement. It’s slowed down for him a lot from where we were last year at this time compared to where we are right now. The questions that he brings up to us are very detailed. They’re really beyond next-level questions. They’re almost kind of quarterback-ish questions for a running back. I love the way … His intrigue into every little detail of what’s going on at his position has been outstanding. He wants to be a guy that can be counted on first, second and third down. You can tell he does not want to come off the field. I know everybody gets concerned with the amount of carries and his physical style of running, and we’ll handle that as we go; but I love the mentality that he has right now of he wants to be a guy that is relied on as he’s our bell cow. At the same time, he’s our top third-down guy and red area and 2-minute guy. He wants to be the guy that no matter what the situation is, that we will have him in the game.”
(With the way you’re working now, non-contact, are you going to be able to see any kind of manifestation of some of those mental improvements from RB Jay Ajayi?) – “Absolutely. Just because it’s no pads doesn’t mean you can’t see where … A lot of times it’s going to the right guy in the right situation, especially in protection. You start getting into some of these exotic fronts that teams run and we’ll set some periods up to where we’re doing some fronts that are tough pick-ups, and he’s got to be on it with the quarterback and go to the right guy. You can see on film, you can watch how their heads are kind of looking around or if he’s looking at the right guy and then going to the right guy. As far as everything I’ve seen right now, he’s really, really taking it to the next level.”
(In your eyes, has RB Jay Ajayi become a better pass catcher or route runner at this point?) – “Yes, he’s really spent a lot of time on that. A lot of it is to his credit because he’s done it when he wasn’t around here. I’m going to say he must have spent a ton of time with his routes on his own and catching the ball. Whoever he was either … The guys he was working with, whether it was Ryan (Tannehill) or the other quarterbacks or if he was working with somebody else or working out somewhere else, he really must have spent a lot of time because he is on every little detail and way more comfortable catching the ball. He’s very hard on himself. Even if he slightly bobbles a ball, it’ll almost … You have to de-compress him a little bit because you don’t want him to be as angry as he gets because he’s striving for perfection so hard. We’ve been talking about, ‘Hey, when something like that happens, we’ve got to move on to the next play and we’ve got to clear the conscience and move on and learn from that experience.’ As we’ve gone through this, he’s done a better job of even that, of trying to make sure if he has a slight hiccup somewhere, ‘I’m moving on to the next thing.’
(I think there a point where you were sort of half kidding when you said that you would be open to giving RB Jay Ajayi the ball 22-25 times a game, because that would mean that you’re going to be doing a lot of winning. And that got blown into ‘You’re going to give him the ball 350 times this year,’ or 400 times. Is that serious?) – “I guess every game is so different. It’s hard to make end of year predictions, because every game is such a story on its own. You wish you could say it’s going to be 22-25 times every game, but I’ve been involved in games where we’re had 47 plays on offense and scored 42 points. It’s so crazy. Then we had 12 rushes. You just never know what’s going to happen within a game. You stay aware of what’s going on. You understand how many carries there have been. Nobody probably even counts – how many carries did Jay have last year where we had a holding penalty or something like that and it doesn’t get counted on the stat sheet officially. We look at the amount of attempts he had last year, well how many of those were considered no-plays? I know he didn’t consider them no-plays because he got stroked by somebody. You have to be conscious as a coaching staff of ‘we’re getting up there in numbers. Let’s be aware of it.’ Each week, that’s our job is to come in and take a look at that. Sometimes there are certain running backs that find ways not to really take that square shot. The way that he runs, he’s taken … He’s taken some big hits last year but there were a lot of times where they’re glancing blows or he sees a guy coming or he delivers the blow. Every run has its own little narrative behind it. As coaches, you just have to stay on it. The communication is really a huge thing as well with him. Constantly, every week, I’m always going to him and am like, ‘How are you feeling?’ I’ll check on Monday, Tuesday, even Wednesday to see how is he recovering, how does he feel compared to where he was last week, because if he says he’s still hurting on Thursday, then I knew we worked him pretty good last week and it’s affected him a little more than what I initially realized. You have to stay on it throughout the week and then throughout the year.”
