Jake Brendel – November 12, 2018
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Monday, November 12, 2018
C Jake Brendel
(Obviously you guys love playing the game every Sunday, but I’m sure you guys enjoy getting a week off as well. How much are you guys looking forward to this week off?) – “It’ll be a nice chance just to get healthy. You just have to look at it as an opportunity to get some down time and kind of get out of the building a little bit and just make sure that you come back better than ever.”
(How frustrating is it when you guys go out there, practice all week and just can’t get into the end zone?) – “It’s tough. It comes down to all of us. We all have to do our job and we just didn’t execute the way that we needed to. That’s why we just didn’t get the points we needed to get.”
(After the game yesterday, QB Brock Osweiler must have said at least a dozen times that he puts the onus on himself because he’s the only guy that touches the ball on every single play. When the quarterback steps up and pretty much lays on the sword for you guys, I’m sure that has to make you guys want to go out there and battle for him as well.) – “Yeah, for sure. It’s not just his fault, obviously. It’s always nice to have somebody that’s willing to take the blame and just put in on himself like that. That’s really selfless of him. He’s a really good dude and he’s a really good player, so it’s really nice to have him on the team with us.”
(How much will this weigh on you? You have a whole week now.) – “I kind of have a 24-hour rule. Just kind of worry about it for that long and then kind of move on to the next opponent. You really kind of have to have a short-term memory and belief, just because it’s such a short turnaround most of the time.”
(Knowing that you were going to go up there and face that type of offense and that type of quarterback, when you weren’t getting touchdowns and you were kicking field goals, did you kind of feel like this might end up the wrong way here?) – “It’s kind of funny. Of course, their offense is a really good offense and you have to get points, especially touchdowns. You can’t really think like that mid-game. You just have to keep going out there and keep trying to do the best you can do and just try and get in the end zone.”
(How does it change? What do you think is going through Head Coach Adam Gase’s mind this whole week, because he’s probably going to be thinking all football?) – “We just have to get better in the red zone. Obviously, we have to get seven instead of three. Other than that, I feel like we kind of battled out there and we really held our own offensive line-wise against a pretty good defensive front. We just have to get healthy, honestly. That’s it.”
Kiko Alonso – November 12, 2018
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Monday, November 12, 2018
LB Kiko Alonso
(What do you have planned for the bye week?) – “Not much. I’m going to stay out here. We’re going to do a little yoga, go to the beach, play with my dog (and) watch some football.”
(Is the bye week time to rest and just relax?) – “Yes. It’s kind of funny because obviously we didn’t have one last year, and having one this year, it feels kind of weird. But yes, that’s a big thing. Get your body back and get ready for this six-game span we have.”
(How much does it help just with your mind also? It’s like getting fresh again.) – “Yeah. It definitely helps, obviously physically but as well as mentally.”
(How much do you guys have to reiterate that you’re still in the playoff hunt or does it need not to be said?) – “Everyone knows. We’re right in the thick of things. We have to just take advantage of this bye week and come back with a purpose and get after it.”
(Some games you guys had success stopping the run, some games you didn’t. This week, what were the issues?) – “Just details. It’s really just execution. As players, we have to just go out there and execute. That’s really on us. We have to go out there and do a better job.”
(Hanging out with the dog, going to the beach, it just sounds normal, like you live down here.) – “I do live down here. (laughter)”
Minkah Fitzpatrick – November 12, 2018
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Monday, November 12, 2018
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
(Two weeks in a row now of moving around at different positions. How has it gone, how would you assess how you’ve done at it?) – “I think I’ve done pretty well. I’ve done my assignment, done my job just about every play. We do a really good job of preparing during the week. We all move around, whether it’s me, Bobby (McCain) or somebody else. We just move around a lot, so we’re kind of prepared. I think we’ve done a good job overall as a secondary doing that.”
(The biggest difference for you moving to the boundary from the slot, what’s been the biggest difference?) – “It’s just a different position. Both places you’re covering guys, but one is a little bit more space than the other one. Just different feels. You’ve got to kind of ease your way into it and not overthink it, and just go out there and play ball.”
(What’s easiest for you of the three positions you’ve played?) – “The easiest one? I couldn’t say which one was easiest because they all have different things that are hard. The safety position is harder mentally than the other two. I think nickel is overall the hardest, both mentally and physically. Outside corner is a whole different monster on its own. Just being out there, I would just say all three of them are pretty hard.”
(Any surprise that you’ve played a lot of snaps outside, at least yesterday?) – “Was there any surprise? Not really.”
(Not just yesterday specifically, but from the beginning of the season when really this wasn’t discussed as a possibility to now you doing it.) – “It was (discussed). Really, just behind closed doors, they always told me to be prepared to move out there. I’ve always made sure I knew what they were doing out there. They knew I could do it. They trusted me to do it. There was no surprise really.”
(How much do you enjoy being able to move from position to position. How much pride do you take on being able to maintain a high level at every spot?) – “I take a lot of pride in it because it’s not something that a lot of people can do and it’s not easy to do. Sometimes I do wish I had one position just to be safe and sound at. But I think it just adds to my stock, my value to the team. It’s not just me that’s moving around, it’s other guys, other pieces that are moving around. Just as a secondary, being able to do that is pretty special.”
(Which of those spots do you think suites you best?) – “I’m not sure yet. I’m just out there doing what I got to do. I’m still a rookie, still trying to find my way and do what I’ve got to do to make plays.”
(How do you feel going into a bye week? Are you fresh? Do you need it?) – “I feel pretty good, honestly. We do a good job of taking care of our bodies here. I have a couple of nicks and bruises, but a couple of days rest and recovery and I’ll be alright.”
(You’re a rookie in the NFL and you have your first bye week. What’s on tap for you?) – “I’m going to hang out with my family for the first couple of days, then I’m going to head back to Tuscaloosa and hang out with some of my people back there and check out the team. That’s it really.”
(You’re going to watch freshmen play this week?) – “That’s all right. That’s all right. (laughter)”
(You always take pride in that. At Alabama, you guys are kicking everybody’s butt. How much pride is that for you?) – “It’s really good seeing my boys ball out. A lot of the young guys that I (took) under my wing when I was there, just seeing them make plays and having fun out there and playing with that passion and energy that we all try to play with is really awesome. I get really excited every time I watch. It’s Bama. You always take pride in that.”
(I know most of your film study obviously is on receivers. But, over the years, just even going back to Alabama, are there any boundary corners you admired watching that you might have maybe observed anything they’ve done and now incorporate that now that you’re playing some out there?) – “One guy I’ve always loved was Patrick Peterson. I love watching him play. He is one of the best, if not the best cover corner in the league. I just look at how he’s an athlete and he uses technique. A lot of guys are athletes out there and they just use that. He uses his athleticism and his technique and that’s what makes him who he is. What is it, six or seven years in the league (for him)? He’s been dominating year in and year out as one of the top cover guys. I just love watching him play.”
(Do you angle to return punts and stuff? CB Patrick Peterson does all of that.) – “No, we’ve got guys here. I could do it, but we’ve got guys here that can do it.”
Adam Gase – November 12, 2018
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Monday, November 12, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Any indication yet whether WR Jakeem Grant or WR DeVante Parker will be back again this year?) – “They’re getting MRIs right now. That hasn’t even been brought up to me as far as those guys missing the rest of the season. I’ll know more as the week gets going here and then we can kind of come up with a plan to see who is available for the next game and further down the road.”
(CB Bobby McCain is in the concussion protocol?) – “Yes.”
(Can you update us on QB Ryan Tannehill and the plan with him?) – “Yeah, so he threw yesterday. That was kind of the start of their throwing progression after so many days off. It seemed like it went well. I mean it’s not like he’s out there throwing 60-yard throws. They have a progression of how they want to do it. They said it was a good first step and he felt good, so that’s a positive.”
(How are your two tackles doing?) – “I’m not really sure quite yet. I have to get with those guys and see where we’re at. Rest is always going to be good for those guys so this week came about the right time.”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill, do you think he’ll throw every day? Every other day? What’s the plan?) – “Yeah, there’s a good schedule they have planned out for the amount of time they can work this week. We’ll just progress through and see where we’re at next Wednesday.”
(It seems as if the one consistently positive area each week has been special teams. Can you talk a little about that and the way they played Sunday and in general?) – “Yeah, that was a big point of emphasis for this game was we had to get something going there. We needed some kind of … whether it be a turnover (or a) return, we needed some kind of steal-the-possession type moment. We had more than one. We just didn’t take advantage of it. It was close to being played out the way we wanted to. We just didn’t execute in the red zone. We need to find a way to score touchdowns in the red zone and then we need to find a way to get one or two stops with the defense and hold them to a field goal. Then at least we’re in a position at the end of the game to where it’s either us or them with the ball at the end of the game trying to win it.”
(Generally on special teams this year, what have you seen?) – “It’s probably the one area that we’ve stayed healthy, where our core guys are healthy and playing.”
(How much does the bye help, particularly with the timing?) – “Well, we haven’t had one in two years so it’s great. (laughter)”
(But with the timing?) – “I don’t even know if we’d have enough for 46 (active players) this week. It’s probably the right time. It’s a long, grinding season. We wanted a late bye. I’d rather have it now than Week 4, so I’ve got no complaints about that. I just wish we would have stayed a little healthier leading up to this; but this gives us a chance to … The guys that were kind of banged up to where they probably wouldn’t have played this week, now we’ve got a shot to get more guys ready to go for the next one.”
(With the injuries, obviously you lose guys. But also you just go through so much uncertainty, like with the tackles this past week. Can you just talk about that and the degree that which you’re handcuffed because you can’t even plan?) – “Well, we have a general idea of how we can get to certain things. The way that the system is set up, it’s just a quick change in the protection of we want to slide this way or we want to do this kind of … these three have these four or these three have these two, however we have it set up. So we can make adjustments up to the game within the game if something happened. Our guys have done a good job of handling those types of adjustments. It’s a lot easier when you don’t have to do that, when you can actually go into the game and what you think is going to be Wednesday ends up happening on Sunday. We just haven’t really had a bunch of those. It just seems like something always comes up.”
(I know this is football but the level of injuries that you guys have had this season is on a very high level. Have you looked at maybe you need to be doing something different from a training staff standpoint?) – “We’ve looked at everything. It would be one thing if we were having all of these soft tissue injuries but we’re having season-ending type injuries. And it’s always on game days. I think a lot of it is it’s almost across the league where every week you see big-name players going down. I don’t know if we’ve really been hit any harder than anybody else. It feels like it to us because we’re here every day. For me, it’s our team, so it’s affecting us directly. I don’t know if it’s any different anywhere else. It feels like it is, but it’s probably not. I wish I had an answer for you because some of these are just unexplainable. Like a guy gets tackled and jacks his shoulder up. How do you prevent that?”
(Of the four fill-in offensive linemen, obviously C Travis Swanson has been doing it for a while. Have you gotten a sense yet from who among that group played particularly well among C Jake Brendel, T Zach Sterup and T Sam Young?) – “Those guys did a good job up front. They executed a lot of things in the run game very well. I thought for the most part, the pass protection when it was tight and more of a run/pass balance, those guys did a good job of getting those guys covered up. I thought there were a few times where it looked like … I was worried that Zach maybe got beat by Clay (Matthews) and he did a great job of pushing him around the quarterback. I thought those guys did a pretty good job of kind of getting thrown in there and having to work together, where that five hasn’t really done a whole bunch together.”
(What did the tape tell you about the hit on CB Bobby McCain?) – “I mean I just know that it wasn’t good for him. There’s nothing we can do about it. We’d rather that not happen. We’d rather not lose a guy.”
(What’s your thought process on how you’re approaching this week with the players?) – “They’re done. They’re gone for the week.”
(Is that because of the injuries?) – “I mean it’s just we’ve played 10 games.”
(Six games to go and you’re in the mix. What needs to change?) – “I think it’s really, for us, it’s get healthy as much as we can. If we can find a way to clean up our red area stuff on offense and eliminate the explosive plays on defense, I know that sounds like a broken record but that’s what this season is about. Can we get those types of things fixed to give ourselves a chance that week to win? It becomes a one-game season. There are certain teams that have kind of separated themselves from the rest of the pack; but right now, the only thing that’s really been eliminated for us is an undefeated season. Everything else is on the table. Other teams are having a lot of the same issues we are and it’s really who can pull it together these last six games and find a way to get in.”
(With the run game philosophy, did you get the right mix with RB Kenyan Drake in there?) – “I don’t know. It’s never going to be perfect. We’re trying to get those two guys in there and get them as many touches as we can. Frank is doing a good job of keeping us ahead of the sticks. I think Kenyan does a good job of bringing us that element that he could take it the distance any time. We’re trying to find ways to get him the ball where he can get space. Some of the outside zone stuff, he gets to the edge but if we miss one guy on the second level, he’s dealing with some traffic issues there. We’re trying to find ways to just get him the ball to where it’s like him and one or two other guys in space to where if he can split them or if he makes a guy miss, then maybe we have a chance for a big play.”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill, I know you’ve paid attention to the medical stuff but is your understanding that he can throw softly this week and practice next week and be ready to go for a game on Sunday?) – “Right now it’s such a one … Because of what we went through the last whatever weeks where there was some soreness one time, they’re trying to get it to where every day we’re not getting him saying ‘I’m having pain.’ It’s the progression of when we hit Wednesday, hopefully we can get it to where now they’re saying ‘let him practice and this is where you need to keep the throws at.’ Or they just say ‘let him go, he’ll be all right.’ I’m just waiting for those directives from those guys. If we can get through this week and he feels great every day, then we’ve got a shot.”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill’s throws, you’re talking about a pitch count for the week of practice?) – “I think it’s a pitch count, distance … I mean there’s a lot of factors involved. It’s just like what they’re doing right now. It’s like ‘Hey, don’t throw any balls over 15 yards. Don’t throw any over 20, 25 (yards).’ It’s going to be a progression. He didn’t throw a ball there for a while. We’ve got to be careful because it’s going to have to be built up from that.”
(Do you have any idea how much distance QB Ryan Tannehill had on his throwing session the last couple of days?) – *shakes head* “I’m sure you’ll find out. (laughter)”
(Another one of your favorite topics I’m sure, but you weren’t asked about S Reshad Jones yesterday. Was that a difficult decision for you? What were the factors that you considered in going the route you did?) – “That was just what I told him that I wanted to do. He didn’t have anything to say and we moved on. I told him after this is done, we’re done with it. We’re moving on.”
Kenny Stills – November 11, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Postgame – Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins WR Kenny Stills (Transcribed by Green Bay Packers)
(on why the offense struggled today)
“We didn’t finish in the red zone. We didn’t capitalize on the blocked punt. We have to find a way to score touchdowns that will keep us in the game.”
(on how they can get better in the red zone)
“It is just focusing on the details, eliminating penalties and then executing. We have good plays called and we have guys that can find the end zone so we just have to figure out a way to get it in there.”
(on heading into the bye week at 5-5)
“We are still in the hunt. We need to get healthy, come back, have guys step up and figure out a way to win a game.”
Robert Quinn – November 11, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Postgame – Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins DE Robert Quinn (Transcribed by Green Bay Packers)
(on Miami’s defensive line)
“We didn’t stop the run early and as a defense that hurt us and gave them momentum. Then we had to start making plays. We affected them, but we didn’t do it enough because they still put up enough points to the win the game.”
(on Green Bay’s offense)
“It was really two busted plays, explosive plays for them that really kind of hurt us. 12 is going to be 12; dink and dunk, get the ball down the field. They just made plays consistently when they needed to. Of course we can play better, but we didn’t. They did so that’s why you get results like we did today.”
(on if he has been on a team this impacted by injuries)
“No, but this is the National Football League. They say that no one ever makes it out of this game healthy 100 percent. We haven’t really been out of any game, besides two all year, so at the end of the day we just have to make the plays that come our way. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Frank Gore – November 11, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Postgame – Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins RB Frank Gore (Transcribed by Green Bay Packers)
(on his offensive line)
“I think they stood up and did a great job. They played hard. I just wish we had gotten the win.”
(on not getting into the end zone as a team)
“I have to watch the tape. I wish we would have gotten into the end zone. That would have best for us, especially playing against a guy like Aaron Rodgers.”
(on where this team stands)
“We are in a good position. We just need to stay as one, believe in each other, believe in our coaching staff and try to get the next one.”
(on his long first quarter run)
“That is just playing football. The line did a great job.”
Brandon Bolden – November 11, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Postgame – Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins RB Brandon Bolden (Transcribed by Green Bay Packers)
(on his blocked punt)
“It was just a good call. Everyone had their assignment and I just made it happen.”
(on the cold weather)
“There was a couple of guys that had never been in the cold weather before, but I felt like they went out and attacked it like they should have. I don’t think the weather played much part today.”
