Adam Gase – December 3, 2018
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Monday, December 3, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What’s the overall message that you tell the team this week now that you guys are back at .500 and pretty much face the cream of the crop in terms of the AFC East?) – “Just prepare for that week’s game. That’s all we can do. Every game at this point in the season is going to be meaningful no matter who you’re playing. We have to just focus on preparing, correcting the things we need to correct and just focus on our guys doing their jobs.”
(The first possession of games has not been kind to you for quite a long time. Now, you’ve gone a couple games in a row where you’ve been able to get things going. Did you change up anything other than the results?) – “No. Nothing is different. We executed those plays. It’s hard to explain.”
(Do you guys script?) – “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. (laughter)”
(Did you script yesterday?) – “I don’t remember. (laughter)”
(Overall after scoring first, you guys are, I believe, 7-2 when you score first under you. Just having the first play, getting up early, what does that do for the rest of your team?) – “I think any time that you can get a lead, it helps the defense a little bit. If you could ever get a big lead, that really is ideal because then the other team becomes one-dimensional. All of these games are going to be close from here on out. We just have to do a good job of playing complementary football. We can’t turn the ball over. We need to get points when our defense gets turnovers, which we haven’t done lately, and have a play or two that are impactful on special teams.”
(The struggles that G/T Jesse Davis had in the first half – was that uncharacteristic of how he’s played at guard this year?) – “I think they had some tough matchups yesterday. Kyle (Williams) is … When you have a veteran player like that and he sees any kind of weakness, he’ll expose it quickly. You better figure it out and make some adjustments in-game because he’ll expose you as fast as possible. He’ll use everything he knows to his advantage. That’s what makes him as difficult of a player to go against as there is.”
(How do you think CB Cornell Armstrong came out of the game yesterday?) – “We’ll see how this week goes. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be something that’s going to be a long-term thing.”
(You’ve now been outgained by 1,168 yards including 240 yesterday. How has this team won six games?) – “Turnover margin. The amount of turnovers that our defense is getting is what we need, and then we don’t turn it over a whole bunch. I think the guys have done a good job ball security-wise of making sure we don’t have fumbles. The quarterbacks have both, for the most part, done their part. Yesterday, I can live with that (interception). We took a shot. I’d like to see either Kenny (Stills) break it up or (Ryan Tannehill) maybe just put it out a little further. I don’t know. There’s nobody really to blame on that, it’s just you wish the result would have been different.”
(Everybody talks about how turnover margin is important. Do we maybe even underrate it?) – “It’s just one of those things that you just look at records off of that. It’s insane probably with us. I think New England is probably – that’s crazy, their plus-minus. Just the wins that they get. When they end up winning the turnover margin, they’re not going to lose a whole bunch.”
(What did you think about how your offense played yesterday?) – “I feel like we had some good. The penalties that we had, they were just the wrong timing for us. I think we overcame a couple of things that were critical. It was the right time. We missed an opportunity there in the 4-minute situation to get a first down to try to keep our defense off the field. We made it probably a little more exciting than what we needed to. We just have to keep correcting our mistakes and figure out a way to execute at a higher level.”
(I think it seems like you used the Wildcat more yesterday than what we’ve seen. Why is that?) – “It was just the situations we were in. We had a couple plays that we really liked and that’s just how the game plan was. There’s been other weeks where we’ve had it up, but then something happened to where we didn’t get to it or we got down or it just wasn’t the right time.”
(What makes them good at that?) – “I think it just makes it very difficult for the defense. The number count is a little off for them. (Kalen Ballage) is aggressive when he runs and he’s downhill. You have guys moving all over the place because you’re trying to make sure that they handle (Kenyan) Drake with the way they’re running that zone-read stuff. Guys kind of get out of position and then he hits it so hard and the angles are poor for the guys trying to tackle, and he just runs through arm tackles.”
(Any rhyme or reason to why you guys struggled to run the ball yesterday? Was it just the defensive line of the Bills?) – “I think their defensive line did a good job. I think there was some good opportunities for us in a couple of the plays that we had called and we just didn’t finish the right way. We fell off a block late and they just got a hand on whether it be Frank (Gore) or (Kenyan) Drake’s foot or Kalen’s (Ballage). We just didn’t maximize the yardage that we possibly could’ve had on a couple of the runs.”
(WR Kenny Stills was able to take advantage of his opportunities and WR DeVante Parker as well. How important were those two guys for you guys yesterday?) – “It was good. It was good to finally get DeVante in the end zone. I feel like we’ve had some stuff, some plays for him and we just haven’t either gotten them called or it was the wrong coverage when we called them. The same thing with Kenny. It was (good to) kind of get him going. It was good to finally throw him the ball and he didn’t have to do it himself. (laughter)”
(What did you see on tape of that final play to Bills TE Charles Clay and how was he able to get as open as he did?) – “The longer the play extends, the harder it is for everybody because everybody is trying to kind of see where he’s going. We were in a zone, guys start moving and he kind of shook free. I think we just lost him. When I saw that ball go up and then I turned around and I saw who it was, I started thinking about what I was calling in 2-minute. That’s a rare thing to see.”
(What’s your take on the standings today?) – “We have a long ways to go. I know that.”
(What led to the RB Brandon Bolden carry? Was it something that you saw last week?) – “I’ve been waiting for a while to get Brandon involved. He knows what we’re doing. The thing I’ve always liked about Brandon offensively is he runs hard. He was a good running back when he came out of college. They used him a lot in New England early in his career. He had been so special teams-oriented the last few years in New England. They were pretty deep at that spot. So are we. We’ve got some pretty good players that are playing a lot and we haven’t had a ton of plays. It’s hard to get all those guys touches. It just felt like it was the right timing for us.”
(Who do you want to rely on on offense? I know you have a bunch of different options, but who do you want to be your guys?) – “I like all our guys. Our skill guys, they do a lot of good stuff. Explosive-wise, you look at the way that (Kenyan) Drake is, and Kalen (Ballage), Kenny (Stills), DeVante (Parker). Those guys are guys that can create explosive plays. I think you just need the mix of that and consistency, and who are the guys that can grind out the yards for you. It’s hard to say there’s one guy you want to do that with.”
(Have you gotten the level of production that you want out of the tight end position?) – “There’s some things that we’ve done better than what we were doing earlier in the year, especially run blocking and the pass protection stuff. Passing game wise, there’s been times when we’ve been open and we haven’t got them or we’ve had some kind of protection issue. There’s been times where I wish we could get open faster. We’ve kind of moved directions due to who we have available. It’s really not fair to them to say … Especially early in the year, it was hard to get everybody the ball when you had Albert (Wilson), Jakeem (Grant) and Danny (Amendola). I mean, you’ve just got a lot of people you’re trying to get the ball to. I think Mike (Gesicki) is pretty much on pace with the rest of the rookie tight ends around the league. If you look at all their numbers, they’re all the same. They’re 18, 19, 20 catches. That position is tough to kind of be impactful right out of the gate and be great at everything because they do so much. There’s just a lot of information. It’s probably the next-hardest position to play next to quarterback.”
(In your mind, is CB Xavien Howard playing at a Pro Bowl level?) – “Yeah, probably. I mean, he’s pretty good. (laughter)”
(With New England, how much of this is a rematch and how much is a completely different kind of test because your team is so different now?) – “Yeah, I mean, it’s a different game at this point, us playing so far apart. Last year, I think it was basically one game in between when we played them. They’re different. We’re different. We’re both trying to do the same thing and figure out a way to win one game. That’s really what it comes down to.”
(How do you hold up at defensive tackle? Obviously you lost DT Vincent Taylor and brought in DT Sylvester Williams and DT Ziggy Hood to complement DT Akeem Spence and DT Davon Godchaux.) – “I think those guys have done a good job of learning our system and coming in and trying to help us the best way they can and be effective, whether it be the run game or pass rush. I think they’ve done a good job of moving guys around. You see (Andre) Branch and Charles (Harris) doing a lot of different type of things. That’s the thing. (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) is just going to keep trying to find ways with who’s available to him and trying to find ways to be disruptive, whether it be in the pass rush or run game. When you had issues early in the season where you’re trying to figure out what’s going on and then how to fix it, you start trying to maybe tweak some things here and there. We’ve done some different stuff to try to help us and stop the bleeding in the run game. I hate to say that we had good success against the actual run game when they were handing the ball off to the running back. It was just being able to contain the quarterback yesterday.”
(How did QB Ryan Tannehill get through the game? I know he got hit pretty good early.) – “Yeah, I mean, he’s as tough as they come.”
(How optimistic might you be regarding WR Danny Amendola and C Travis Swanson for this week?) – “We’ll see how the week goes. Hopefully by Thursday we can get a gauge. Both of those guys, they want to be out there. They want to be able to help us. I’m sure Danny is going to want to do everything he can to be ready to go. I don’t know how realistic anything is until Thursday, maybe even Friday.”
(How difficult has that been in terms of building an offense or coming up with a game plan when you have to go into a game with, like, WR Brice Butler, who’s been here for two weeks, as your starting receiver and figuring out what works at the slot?) – “It’s just more … When you get a new guy you’re trying to figure out … Like, you watch as much film as you can. With Brice, the good thing is he’s played a lot of football. So at least you can go back, watch his targets, watch maybe a game or two to say, ‘Okay, here’s what he does well. Here’s what we can emphasize with him. How fast can he learn the whole offense?’ Which he’s done a phenomenal job with that. That helps us because now he’s played two different positions. We’ve been able to move some guys around, then we can go out there and Ryan (Tannehill) is not just telling him what to do. He knows what to do, which is great. Just keep trying to get him to the point to where he can play fast. He fits in with those other guys. They do a great job working together. The chemistry with that group has come together pretty quick, which is good to see, because I think that’s rare to get a guy in that fast. It gets a little hard when … Really, like our body types have changed because you had Albert (Wilson) and Jakeem (Grant), who we were kind of using in a different way but now we’re taller guys. Everybody is like a tall, fast guy now. So we’ve kind of lost that element of different body types because everybody is kind of the same right now, but that’s where we’re at. There’s nothing … We can’t go back in time and change that right now. We’ve just got to kind of use those guys and use their strengths to our advantage.”
(One question out of left field: I don’t know how well you know Mike McCarthy. Any reaction? Were you surprised at the news yesterday?) –“Any time anything happens mid-season, you’re surprised; but that’s the NFL. That’s all I’ve got.”
Kiko Alonso – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso (transcribed by Savanna Bell-Stevens)
(What were your thoughts on the last play of the half and of the game?) – “What’s the saying? It’s better to be lucky than good.”
(What’s it say about this team to win the way you did today?) – “I think it shows that we have a lot of fight. I think that’s what we showed today. I think it also shows we had a great week of practice. When you have a great week of practice, you come out here and no one is surprised about the effort we get because we see it all week. That’s it.”
(Defensively sometimes you need to put the game on your back. I know you guys say it’s a team game, but defensively sometimes…) – “Whatever it is. If the defense needs to make a play, we’re like ‘Alright, we need to make a play.’ Likewise for offense and special teams. It’s a three-phase game. Everybody needs to go.”
Robert Quinn – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins Defensive End Robert Quinn (transcribed by Paige Jefferson)
(On getting the defense to consistently play at a high level.) – “I guess it starts with the man in the mirror. Look at yourself and how great you want to be and you focus on being consistent yourself. Like I said kind of about the defense, you have to just trust everyone. We practice during the week, you work your craft and come Sunday you got to go out there and execute. As long as you believe in your technique, your coaches, your scheme, everyone believes in each other, we can make a run. Look at our record, it could be better, it could be worse. We keep giving ourselves a chance that’s all we’re looking for.”
(Is it frustrating chasing QB Josh Allen all game? The guy is pretty elusive.) – “Yeah, my lungs hurt. (laughter) What do you all call those? Dashers? Like I said, he’s deceivingly fast and elusive. It was a headache, but we made the plays when we needed to.”
(17 points, you’ll take that every week?) – “I’ll take that every week, especially when the offensive put up however many they put up. We’ll take it.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick (transcribed by Anthony Gutierrez)
(Your thoughts on the run that CB Xavien Howard has had this year with interceptions, especially the last couple of games?) – “Yeah I mean, four in two weeks, that’s a pretty big deal. He’s been playing really well. I mean, the whole year he’s been playing really well, shutting down whoever is in front of him. Now you’re just seeing the picks roll in. It just comes from ‘X’ doing his job. That’s what he does day in and day out. In practice and off the field, he’s always doing his job. He’s a great player. He’s kind of an under-the-radar type guy. He’s one of the best in the league right now, no doubt about that. He’s going to keep doing what he’s doing.”
(What was going through your head at the end of the game when the ball was sailing through the air?) – “(Laughter) I put my head right down just like this, and then I heard our crowd go crazy and I looked and saw the ball was on the ground, and then I said, ‘Alright, we won.’ Man, my heart was … I was sweating a lot when I saw that ball in the air.”
Cameron Wake – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake
What was your reaction when you saw the final play?
CAMERON WAKE: Yes! (laughter)
Can you take us through what happened?
CAMERON WAKE: He zigged left, he zigged right. I guess everybody knew it was going to be the last play of the game and he was doing whatever he could to buy time to get his receivers down the field. I don’t remember who it was, but I know I was one of the guys chasing him around. He kept giving ground and he launched it up there. I don’t know who it was. Was it (Charles) Clay? Buddy Charles back there in the end zone. He didn’t make the play, so I guess that’s pretty much it.
There are people I talked in the locker room that said they had no idea who he was throwing to because all the action was going to the left and there was nothing to the right.
CAMERON WAKE: I can assure you I wasn’t looking at receivers or coverage. I had a job to do at the time, so I didn’t know what was going on back there. I’m focused ahead. A win for the good guys.
I imagine that it’s a royal pain when there’s a guy back there holding a football and he’s doing that. But what is the toll that, that takes over four quarters?
CAMERON WAKE: I think it’s two sides of the sword. If you have a guy who … (If) the necessity is for him to do that, that means obviously your front is getting after him, there’s pressure, guys are winning. Getting back there, I don’t know, I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it wasn’t necessarily the issue. It’s once you get back there, now you have to go from pass rusher to linebacker and you’ve got to corral somebody who’s trying to not necessarily throw the ball but run and get yardage and there’s more of them blocking there than there is of us rushing. It’s going to be a lane somewhere and good guys are going to find it. He got out there a couple times. But again, pick your poison: you want them throwing it or you want them running it? I think over the course of a game you can look at it either way. But it was exciting to say the least. I’ll say that.
I know you guys get measured by sacks. But what you just said is true. You were winning at getting, kind of, to the quarterback. It’s just that he wouldn’t cooperate.
CAMERON WAKE: Just stay there. (laughter) Generally, that’s not the case. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. Defensive line is hard. You’ve got to wait for the ball to snap. 300-pound man to deal with. And once you get him off of you, now you’ve got to contort your body and get to the point of point of contact. And once you contact, now there’s a whole other set of rules about how you contact. So it’s a lot, again. But at the end of the day, that’s our job. We got one part right, getting back there, but then we got to probably do a better job of getting them down. But yardage is yardage one way or another. That’s defense.
CB Xavien Howard is a guy who is making a name for himself this year. What have you noticed about him, maybe since training camp or since the offseason?
CAMERON WAKE: He must have a tremendous d-line that’s forcing some errant throws that he’s getting lots and lots of interceptions. (laughter) Make sure you tell him I said that. (laughter) No, I’ve said it all along, obviously we have a thing: left side, we want to make sure … I’m going to help him out, he’s going to help me out. But take nothing away from him. He’s a tremendous football player. We call them ball hogs. A pass rusher’s best friend is a great corner. I say it all the time. I’m going to do my best to keep getting errant throws and he’s going to do his best to keep getting quarterbacks to pump the ball. We work hand in hand. It’s not just him and I, but obviously that’s how it should work, complementary football – front to back, side to side. He’s been on a run and I have enjoyed watching every time he’s been out there and I’m looking forward to continue.
When you say the left side, how aware are you of the cornerback? Do you guys play off of each other?
CAMERON WAKE: We do. I tell him all the time, ‘You give me two and a half seconds and everything else after that is on me.’ As I’ve said all the time, again, you’re getting the quarterback to his second and third progression, that’s my job. You shouldn’t have to cover it for five seconds. If that’s the case, that’s not on you. These are elite receivers. That’s the d-line. I put it on my back that I should have been there by then. Now, if he’s getting the ball out in one and a half (seconds), hey, come on now, let’s tighten up, let me do my job. Again, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. He’s obviously doing a tremendous job at that and we’ve got to continue to help him out.
Big topic of conversations this week was missed holding calls.
CAMERON WAKE: Missed holding calls? That never happens. What are you talking about?
I feel like you got held by two different people on a potential safety. Do you remember that?
CAMERON WAKE: Just drawing a blank here. I can’t remember ever being held. It’s an interesting game. There’s some interesting calls that happened today. Obviously, football is changing. We had a couple … Was it helmet to helmet? I don’t know the actual … Kiko (Alonso). I don’t know what the word is that they used. Targeting or whatever. I think I had a personal foul today for shoving the quarterback, so o I got to stop doing that I guess. I don’t know.
It’s huge. Takes points off the board. There are two different guys that held you on the play.
CAMERON WAKE: I had two guys blocking me on the first play. It’s interesting. I told you this, was it Friday, I don’t ever want to put them in that position. You wouldn’t leave your keys in the car and leave it unlocked, because you don’t want it to get stolen. I try my best not to allow the holding to happen. If it happens, I can’t blame them. I’ve got to blame them myself. I let them do that. My job is to lock my car and eliminate that process from even getting started. You saw it. You said it. I didn’t.
Overall, having this win, still being in the picture for the playoffs, how can you take this and build on this the next couple of weeks?
CAMERON WAKE: You’re probably thinking much further down the line than I do. Especially in December, it’s a one-game season every week. I think everybody knows I’m not a statistical guy. I don’t count. I don’t look. But in December every game you’re playing is probably going to be meaningful. I say it all the time: it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. You’ve got about 24, 36 hours depending to enjoy it or to lick your wounds. Tuesday afternoon, you got to wipe your slate clean and get on to the next one. Playoffs and end of the season is not on my radar. I’m looking forward to, like I said, 24 hours of enjoying this win and then it’ll be on to the next game.
DeVante Parker – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins WR DeVante Parker (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(Coaches said after the Texans game that getting you more involved, getting you more plays so you’re more comfortable in the mix has helped you into being more of in the mix in the games. Did you feel more comfortable being involved early and being able to catch that touchdown that you were able to help the team?) – “I felt comfortable. Even if I don’t get any targets, I’ll focus on other things – blocking, doing whatever I can to help the team.”
(How important was it for you guys to get this win today?) – “It was very important. We’re still in it. Take it one game at a time.”
(With all the injuries that you guys have had, how significant is it that three different guys got into the end zone and it really was a spread-out effort on offense despite all the injuries and all the problems you guys have had?) – “Injuries are tough. Sometimes you can’t avoid them, it just happens. People step up and make plays and it’s what we need.”
Xavien Howard – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins Xavien Howard (transcribed by Savanna Bell-Stevens)
(What was it like there in the second half because it felt like that game was slipping away from you guys) – “We got the W. That’s all that matters right now. We got the win. There is still some stuff we can work on and we can get better at. We’ve just got to watch film and see what we do.”
(Can you take us through that last play, what you saw, and your reaction when Bills TE Charles Clay didn’t catch that) – “The ball had hit the ground. It was short. Thank the Lord for that. The ball was short and came out of his hands so he didn’t catch it.”
(What’s this stretch been like now with back-to-back games with two interceptions. What’s the feeling like when you are out there and you see the ball thrown?) – “I want to be a ball hawk. I want to be around the ball every time the ball is in the air. That’s what we preached this whole offseason … I see it paying off.”
Ryan Tannehill – December 2, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Postgame – Buffalo
Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill
What was your reaction when you saw Bills TE Charles Clay’s drop?
RYAN TANNEHILL: Well, I was holding my breath for what felt like an eternity. I saw him scrambling around. (Robert) Quinn was trying to corral him. He went left, right, back left. When he turned and wound up the throw, I looked out and saw Charles scot-free over there. From about that point until the ball hit the ground, I was holding my breath. Thankfully, they weren’t able to connect.
You guys have been on the bad side of a lot of these close games. Now you’re on the fortunate side. What is that like?
RYAN TANNEHILL: It beats the heck out of the alternative, I’ll tell you that much. To finally be able to pull one out feels really good. I’m proud of the guys, the way they battled. It took all 60 minutes today and thankfully we were on the right side of it.
Your touchdown to WR DeVante Parker seemed to be kind of the play that you have been hoping from him for a while now. What happened there?
RYAN TANNEHILL: It was a big-time catch. It was a great call. We got the coverage we were expecting there. I got hit as I was making the throw so I didn’t get to put as much velocity on it. I kind of adjusted it as I was throwing it. DeVante did what we expected him to do – go up and make a big-time play for us. (I’m) excited to see what he can do there. Obviously, we have seen that from before, but great to see him make that play.
Your best throw of the day might have been the WR Kenny Stills touchdown. Take me through the play. It was double coverage. You just laid it up there for him?
RYAN TANNEHILL: Yes. It’s a play we’ve been working for a while. The safety played more to the left than we wanted him to. It took a while for Kenny to get around him and make the play. I just trusted him that he was going to get around that guy. He did a great job of getting around and making that play on the football.
What were they doing – you go down, score the first touchdown and kind of struggled to get first downs after that. What were they doing that created issues for you?
RYAN TANNEHILL: They did a great job up front. I think that’s where it started for them was up front. They were doing a good job shedding in the run game, making our runs short. Especially there in the first half, they were doing a good job of getting pressure. I wasn’t able to get the ball off downfield. I have to give a ton of credit to their front and the way they were playing.
Were you involved in any of the conversations with Bills DT Jordan Phillips out there?
RYAN TANNEHILL: No. I talked to him a little bit before the game, but no on-the-field conversations.
What is this team’s offensive identity?
RYAN TANNEHILL: I think it’s something that’s kind of changed throughout the year. Obviously, losing the guys that we did, we’ve kind of had to navigate that. It’s tough. It’s tough when you lose — ultimately, we’ve lost five or six day one starters on offense when you include (Josh) Sitton, (Daniel) Kilgore, MarQueis (Gray) at tight end. Jakeem (Grant) and Albert (Wilson) played a lot. You lose those type of guys, you kind of have to shift the way you’re attacking defenses and change things. It’s tough to say exactly what our identity is at this point, but I know we’ve had to change it a couple times throughout the season.
Frustrating for you, I would imagine?
RYAN TANNEHILL: Yes, it’s tough. It’s tough whenever you lose guys and you feel like you’re finally starting to get an identity and then you kind of lose guys and have to change it. But that’s football. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game and you have to be able to adapt and respond.
Like you yourself?
RYAN TANNEHILL: Yes, unfortunately.
You were pretty banged up and bruised in terms of the amount of hits they got on you. Your jersey was pretty gray. What was that experience like and how much of that was just what Buffalo was doing?
RYAN TANNEHILL: They did a good job. I think most of the hits were early. After that first drive – a couple in the first drive – and then right after that the consecutive drives after that. (I spent) way too much time on the ground. I think they did a good job of giving us different looks up front, moving guys around, running their games up front and got a couple guys free. It made it tough to get the ball off.
What happened on the pick?
RYAN TANNEHILL: We had a double move outside to Kenny (Stills). They played quarters. The backside safety did a great job of coming across. I tried to put it more on the line, let Kenny go up and make a play, and the safety was able to get in front of it.
Was your arm hit or no?
RYAN TANNEHILL: No. I put it where I wanted to. The safety made a good play of getting in front of Kenny (Stills) as opposed to the other way around.
