Adam Gase – August 14, 2018
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Today was the last day of training camp. What is the significance of that, and what did you guys accomplish during training camp?) – “To me, I just look at it as guys can stay at home now instead of the hotel. To me, it’s not that big of a deal. Next week will just have a different format. I think this is the first time over the last three years that we’re actually going to be able to go through an actual mock game week. Just the time frame of playing Friday to Saturday, getting into game preparation, actually have a clean dry run. We’ve always had something that has kind of stood in the way of that. Last year practicing at Philly, we were kind of going through it, our game plan, with them. So there weren’t a lot of surprises when we got to the game. And the year before that, we were still kind of toying with a lot of things and we didn’t really have our regular week set.”
(Do you have a feel or understanding about who this team is identity wise?) – “I still think it’s going to take a little time at least in the – I shouldn’t say that – the next couple of weeks to really define that. I think our coaching staff has a better feel right now, but I still think we’re trying to sort a few things out of who our starters are going to be and who our role guys are going to be and what they’re going to do. Once we end training camp, I think we’ll be able to nail that down a lot better than right now.”
(What stood out to you during training camp?) – “I think we changed it up a little bit. I think this one was probably a little harder than what we’ve done in the past. We were out there a little longer and I think guys were – take yesterday out of it – I think guys acted professional and there was a lot of physicality. There was a better sense of what we were looking for as far as how we want to tackle, how we want our ball security to be, our turnovers. Just all these little details that we’ve been talking about – pre-snap penalties. We’re talking about that at a rate of … I don’t even know the word to use. But we had a very good point of emphasis in this camp. The first year we were trying to figure things out, like who are we and what do we need to work on, who’s staying, who’s going. The second year, I don’t think we were as clear as probably what we needed to be. I feel like this year everybody is all on the same page. We all know what we’re looking to do.”
(What led to the decision to cut DT Gabe Wright?) – “It was time for us to move on. I don’t really think I need to get into more detail than that. It’s part of the NFL.”
(Has the blocking of TE Durham Smythe translated from college to here, and is he as good a blocker as you have at the position? Obviously TE MarQueis Gray and some others are good blockers as well.) – “I do think it’s translated. There’s been a large amount of time where he’s done a really good job. I think any time he gets thrown in there with that first group, that’s really the big test for him, where he has to play fast and if he thinks too much, you’re going to pay for it because those guys are coming off the edge hard. I do think what he did in college has translated to the NFL.”
(Was there more than just the one incident that happened with DT Gabe Wright? You seemed like maybe you were irritated in general by yesterday’s practice?) – “We moved on. It is what it is. I know you want more, but that’s all I’m saying about it.”
(What can you share with us about the quarterback plans for Friday?) – “Nothing. They’re all going to play.”
(You said you didn’t want to rotate QB David Fales and QB Brock Osweiler in the first preseason game, and then you rotated?) – “I lied. (laughter) No, our plan was really, how many plays? And how the feel of the game was going. It kind of changed. It was really more me than anybody else of who was going first and how long they were going to stay in. I think I just kept flip-flopping as far as what I wanted to do and kind of waited until game time to kind of feel out the game and go, ‘All right, this is what I want to do. This guy is up, this guy is up.’ I felt like it worked out. We got both of them in a rhythm. It took me a little longer with Brock, but he ended up having a, whatever, 17-play drive. It worked out. The reps worked out and I thought both of them did a good job.”
(At the end of training camp, where does your offense stand compared to years past?) – “There’s just a better feel. With Ryan (Tannehill), this is his third year in the offense. He’s at mentally a different level. He’s able to really help some of the guys out. A couple of the moving pieces we’ve had, those guys have done a good job of picking it up. This offense isn’t too far off from what Danny (Amendola) has already done. The communication between, whether it be (Wide Receivers Coach) Ben (Johnson) or myself or (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Shawn (Jefferson), it’s easy for us … It’s probably easier for me because I can still talk to him in some of the terms that he’s used to and translate them over for him. I think Albert (Wilson) has done a really good job of grinding out the playbook. He’s very prideful in making sure he’s not making mistakes on the field. It’s been a very good transition for us.”
(You said something on SiriusXM Radio about helping QB Ryan Tannehill clean up third downs and becoming more efficient; what’s that process like?) – “It’s one of those things that you talk about it but it’s probably easier said than done, just being able to have that feel of when it’s there and when it’s not. When something breaks down, getting the ball out and see if we can get it on a short completion but not standing back there and holding on to it, taking a sack. That’s really my biggest thing is trying to make sure that he’s not taking unnecessary hits. There’s times where I understand he’s going to stand in there and he’s going to deliver the ball and then there’s times where there’s no hope to deliver the ball, so let’s get it out of our hands. I think that’s been a point of emphasis probably for the last two years since he really got injured.”
(Where do you see the cleaner practices with QB Ryan Tannehill most?) – “Probably when we do anything where it’s just the straight, he knows he’s got six to eight plays, move the ball and it’s more of a game feel. When we have the scripted-type periods to where it’s like one emphasis of red zone, third down, whatever it is, I think those don’t feel as natural. He doesn’t like those like he likes to move the ball because now it’s like, here’s third-and-6 and now he can go three plays in the drive or four plays in the drive. It just feels real for him and I think he does a better job when we’re kind of in that rhythm.”
(You mentioned Carolina LB Luke Kuechly a few times, what you think of him, how much you like or maybe dislike him, I guess, depending on how you look at it …) – “I don’t dislike him. I think he’s a really good player.”
(Why is Carolina LB Luke Kuechly so frustrating or such a headache?) – “Because he’s one of the few players that you go against that you might call plays and you know he knows. And he can watch and see how everybody’s stance is. He listens to what the quarterback is saying. He picks up on little things that a lot of players don’t and he uses that information and processes it fast and can get the other guys on board. When you’ve got a guy that’s basically saying, ‘They’re going left,’ or, ‘They’re going right,’ or, ‘It’s a pass,’ or, ‘It’s a run,’ that’s frustrating as a play-caller because you’re at a disadvantage. He has just an unbelievable ability to put his guys in great position.”
(After the Buffalo game last year, I think you talked to RB Kenyan Drake about that ejection; was there a conversation yesterday and do you think that there’ll ever be a point where he can just either walk away or not be a part of it or do something else?) – “Yes, we had a conversation about a couple things. For me, I lost my cool a little bit because I was a little frustrated that he got upset because that’s exactly the first thing that popped in my head. It’s a little harder to call plays when he’s out of the game or he’s not even available. We talked about that and at the same time, I think he has a clear understanding of we’re counting on him. There’s a lot of people that if he’s not in the game or he’s not on the sideline or we don’t have him because he’s either ejected or he gets hurt because of something like that, he’s letting a lot of people down. I think that hit him to where he understands … He understood where I was coming from. I love his emotion, I love his passion. You don’t want to take that away, but at the same time, he’s a really good player and he’s young and we need to have him on the field.”
(I was asking QB Ryan Tanneill about the different speeds of the no-huddle offense. He said there’s a “ludicrous speed,” which I guess just by name, it raises expectations. What are the hallmarks of “ludicrous speed?”) – “There’s just different tempos. Most teams have similar versions of what we do. You try to block everything out with, ‘Here’s this package, this is the tempo we go at.’ ‘Here’s on the ball,’ and, ‘Here’s huddle.’ You just try to have as many options as you can to keep the defense off balance. When we want to be in an attacking mode, we jump into something like that and try to put pressure on the defense. When we’re down here, you get a team running, all of a sudden it’s an eight-play drive. It’ll take the wind out of them.”
(How have you guys been doing as far as the no-huddle overall in training camp and Thursday?) – “It’s been fine. I mean, that’s all we really do.”
(Is that the actual name of it, “ludicrous speed,” like “Spaceballs?”) – “You know it.”
(“Spaceballs?) – “Yes. There’s a lot of ‘80s terms. You’ve got to remember when we started this thing who the quarterback was. The only problem was, nobody else knew what we were talking about. (laughter) So it was good between me and him, but nobody else. (laughter)”
(How would you assess the play of your rookies throughout training camp?) – “I’ve been very impressed with this class. Very impressed. Very football-oriented. There is nothing else … These guys grind, they spend extra time, they study, they know what to do. They’re playing fast. You see the impact. It’s noticeable that these guys are going to help us this year. This isn’t going to be, ‘Hey, let’s see what happens over the next three years.’ We’re seeing four or five, six guys actually … We know these guys are going to help us.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill mentioned that he feels more comfortable this year being him, particularly with his teammates and how he speaks to them. How have you seen that?) – “I think it’s just the first conversation we ever had. It’s like whoever you are, just be that guy. I think he’s done a good job with that. He’s at the point of his career where all of the things that people kind of look at – stats and all of that stuff – he just wants to win. If there’s anything standing in the way of that then he’s going to address it. He’s not going to be shy about it. He’s going to bring it up. I don’t think he’s afraid of confrontation.”
(Regarding WR DeVante Parker, did he have an X-ray? Is there a broken bone? Can you tell us anything?) – “Right now we’re going to be going week to week. Right now he wouldn’t be able to catch the ball, so we’ll just keep evaluating that. We just need to make sure that we’re keeping him in great shape and when they tell us that he’s good to go, then we’ll have him ready to go.”
(On if he’ll be available to start the regular season.) – “I don’t even … I’m not going that far ahead right now.”
(Was WR DeVante Parker injured on that play where CB Xavien Howard broke up the past and it looked like he came down hard?) – “I think his hand got stuck in his shoulder pads. It was a very odd looking play.”
(A weather question … Week 1 last year was actually postponed by Hurricane Irma. What’s the mindset going into impending weather as the season starts?) – “I want it to be as hot as it can be. For me, I love being able to train down here. I really love the fact that our guys like being down here. It’s hard. There’s nothing easy about it. You don’t have to worry about creating adversity down here because you get it every day. You walk out into a sauna and then we’re going. There’s been some nice hot days and when you’re a coach and you’re standing around and you see those guys, they’re sweating. I can’t imagine what the guys that are actually in full pads (feel like). It’s probably 1,000 times worse. But I do think when we hit the game, these guys are in great shape. That’s what we want. To me, I kind of compare it to training in altitude. It’s just a different feel. I think it’s an advantage for us and that’s why I do like going on the ball and trying to get as many plays as possible. We just need to have success doing it because the more first downs we get, the more time of possession we get, it gives us a better chance to wear down the defense.”
(Beyond QB David Fales and RB Senorise Perry, it seems like a couple of other offensive guys have improved – G Isaac Asiata and WR Francis Owusu. Would you agree with those two? Anybody else you’d throw into that mix of guys you’ve really seen growth? It’s clear that Asiata has done a more effective job at run blocking.) – “I think those guys have done a great job.”
(With WR Francis Owusu, he’s obviously not a guy who played a ton at Stanford. Have you seen growth there during camp?) – “Yes. I know this, he’s been a guy … You know when (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi likes a guy, we’re going to hear about it. He’s getting those opportunities on offense and it’s all about the adjustments. When things change, can you adjust? When you get your opportunities to make plays, are you going to make them? I think in practice, it’s been a little bit inconsistent. It’s like right when he went into the game the other day, I’m going ‘I know this ball is going to go to him.’ I have no idea what the coverage is going to be but he does what he did the last time he was here, he makes plays.”
(I want to ask you about the preseason. I know it’s like asking somebody to go out with you on a date when you’re trying to arrange those preseason games, but you’re playing two of the teams that gave you your toughest games last year in Carolina and Baltimore. Is that coincidence?) – “Baltimore we were actually trying to set up to where we had a chance to go to them. It just didn’t work out. You know how in preseason, it seems like there’s a lot of conflicts in the schedule with things going on at their stadium, our stadium and things like that. I love playing Baltimore. I think it’s always a great challenge for us. Coach (John) Harbaugh has obviously done a great job there and their attitude is one of those attitudes that we’re striving to get to where they’re tough, physical, smart, do things right and (are) competitive every week. That’s why I love playing those guys. Carolina, that’s kind of a location but at the same time, we’re playing a good team. I think it’s a different team for us to play, especially for our defense. They have a new (offensive) coordinator this year, but any time you can go against Cam Newton, I think it’s a great test for our defense because he’s a hard, hard quarterback to defend.”
Raekwon McMillan – August 14, 2018
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
LB Raekwon McMillan
(What did you learn in your first preseason game?) – “I learned that stuff happens fast in the NFL. It’s a fast game, a high speed game. It’s just about a next play mentality. When things aren’t rolling in our direction, you just have to find a way to flip the switch and turn it back around.”
(With LB Jerome Baker being out there with you, is there any way that you guys look at things and kind of compare it to your Ohio State days together?) – “Not really. It’s a new team, a new goal, a new opportunity. We’re not dwelling on the past. We had a lot of success together at Ohio State but we’re here with the Dolphins now so it’s about winning Super Bowls and making the playoffs.”
(How much thinking was there instead of just playing in that first preseason game?) – “There was a lot of thinking but once I got out there and got my feet wet, it was back to reality. I got back to what I’m used to doing and back to playing ball.”
(So what do you expect here in the second game?) – “A lot more enthusiasm. The last game, I kind of was thinking a little bit but this game, I’m going out there and having fun.”
Matt Burke – August 13, 2018
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Monday, August 13, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(S Minkah Fitzpatrick, how has he looked so far through camp and obviously the first game?) – “He’s looked good. He’s done a good job. Again, we’ve been moving him and learning different positions. I think the positive from Thursday night was that he actually made some plays on the ball. He had a couple of break ups, one deep on the range and one dropping down in, that sort of thing. (There are) a couple run fits that he just hasn’t seen that he’s working through. With Minkah, I feel good about … He’s always learning from something happens in a game, the next time he corrects it or something happens in practice. Again, maybe it’s because he hasn’t seen it yet; but the next time he picks it up. He absorbs things really quickly. He’s very coachable and I’m happy with his progression so far.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase called S Minkah Fitzpatrick yesterday a relentless worker, football savvy. He’s here early; he’s here late. That’s got to be a good example to set.) – “It is. Again, I think, obviously it’s a credit to him but credit to (General Manager) Chris Grier and his staff for scouting guys like that and trying to bring those type of players into the building. Myself, I’m working pretty hard and usually Adam (Gase) is the last car in the parking lot when I leave and sometimes Minkah’s car is still there and I’m going, ‘I better go back in and see what’s going on. What did I miss?’ He’s done a good job. It’s important to him. He puts the time in and I think it’s showing.”
(Has there been a moment in practice when you’ve seen some of the growth from S Minkah Fitzpatrick?) – “Yes. Literally, even in the game that first touchdown we gave up, the call we’re playing, his fit … We don’t see a lot of two-back runs from Adam (Gase) in practice. It was probably one of the first two-back sets we’ve faced, so he was uncertain about his fit. It came up, the same play happened in the next series and he made a play for a 2-yard gain. Even within the game, for him to be able to adjust – to adapt like that – was positive.”
(A lot of times, coaches want to have their lineup set for the third preseason game.) – “Do they?”
(Yes.) – “Okay. If you say so.”
(I’m not saying you want it. I’m asking is that something you would like to have or is it not important to you?) – “Everything is important. Yes. I mean obviously as you progress through training camp and preseason games and the way you’ve sort of approached that progression, yes, you’d like to sort of have a group that’s working together and you can get a firm evaluation on (them) as you move towards usually that third preseason game, which is where they play the bulk of their snaps and that sort of thing. You’d like to sort of have a group that you can roll out there that you feel confident is getting the work that they’re going to be seeing two weeks later on Sundays. Obviously, that would be ideal; but at the same time, we want to get the right guys out there in the right situations. If we don’t feel comfortable with how it’s settled, then we’ll keep working and get more work in.”
(Do you feel like you’re close to having that 11 set?) – “I don’t think we’re close to anything right now to be honest with you. Again, we’ll keep rolling groups and keep rolling positions. It’s really up to them. Until someone grabs ahold of it and says, ‘This is my spot and I’m not letting it go and I’m showing you day in and day out consistently that I’m performing at the level you guys want us to perform at,’ then I’ll say, ‘Okay, that’s your job. Let’s go.’ But until that happens, we’re going to keep mixing and matching and find out who can handle that adversity and handle those adjustments.”
(I know last year was an unpleasant experience going to Carolina. Can you use this as a barometer when the first team plays the first team on Friday night?) – “Everything is a barometer. This time it’s a different coordinator up there, so the scheme isn’t going to be exactly the same in terms of that sort of thing.”
(QB Cam Newton is still out there.) – “He is. Yes. And (Christian) McCaffrey and that whole crew. I wouldn’t look at it compared to last year. It’s another opportunity to go against a talented offensive team with … I think the good part for us is they have some unique weapons with (Greg) Olsen and McCaffrey and Cam and that style of play. I think that’s really an opportunity for us to compete against those guys. Every preseason game has an element of a measuring stick. I’m not really looking back to last year and what we did. But in terms of going up against some good players and how they compete against that level of talent will be exciting for us.”
(How do you balance versatility versus chemistry, particularly in the secondary?) – “I think the chemistry part has actually been really good. (Defensive Backs Coach) Tony (Oden) has done a good job with them in that room. Understand (that in) camp, especially now, three weeks in roughly or whatever we’re in, those guys spend a lot of time together. Not just on the field, but that meeting room and off the field and locker room. I’ve been pleased with the chemistry. What we’re trying to do is stuff happens during the season, so we can’t get locked in. Even if we settle on, ‘This is our group and these are our starters,’ something happens and someone else has to go in there. It has to be that level of comfort and chemistry with everybody in that room. Really, the chemistry part we’re trying to take from a big-picture room standpoint and then play-to-play and series-to-series, those guys have to get used to working with each other in different capacities. I’m fine with how it’s progressing.”
(How do you know when rookies are ready to play? What do you need to see on and off the field?) – “Year two. (laughter) Look, I tell the guys this the day the come in the building. Yes, there’s rookies but it’s the same for everybody. If you show us you can play and compete on the field, then you’re going to play. Some rookies get it, some third year guys don’t get it. The rookie label, obviously there is a level of concern with just the adjustment coming into this league. For us, it’s just what you do on the field. I don’t look at it like that. If you show us as a staff that you’re lined up right, you’re doing the right things, you’re executing your assignments and you’re making plays on the field, then I don’t care. I’ll start 10 rookies if they all do that. I think those preseason game … I’ll say this about Thursday night. Probably the only bright spot was just out of all of our rookies, I didn’t think it was too big for them. They all competed, they all played hard, top down. All four quarters, they made some plays on the ball, batted … the line, everybody. That was encouraging, just (because that) was (their) first real NFL experience and they didn’t get too wide-eyed. They all went out and competed and played with some energy. That was encouraging just from the whole group standpoint. That rookie label is over. We’ve got to play ball games in a few weeks. We’ve got to find the best players.”
(Do you believe in the term rookie mistake, and how much leeway do you allow?) – “No. Maybe in OTAs, that’s part of what we’re doing and maybe too now; but at some point, everyone thinks you have a lot of time left, but this clock starts ticking real quick in terms of the season and getting guys that have to play. The rookie mistakes are all cute, but at some point you have to be ready to perform for us on Sundays. That window, if it isn’t closed yet, its closing pretty rapidly.”
(What had you the most upset out there on Thursday?) – “How long you got? (laughter) I was just disappointed that sort of everything that we’ve been working on … Not from a schematic standpoint. We don’t game plan for that game that much. We just keep our calls simple and basic. I was like, let’s line up and go play fast. The theory behind that is you’re going to get caught on some schemes that you haven’t seen, that you haven’t worked on per se from the offensive standpoint; but the philosophy is, I don’t want us thinking about defense. Line up, play our base calls and go run, hit (and have a) real fundamental tendency of what we’re trying to get done. We didn’t execute that part of it. That was the most disappointing. The energy, knocking guys back, that attitude. We’ve been practicing like that and to not take what we’ve done on the practice field and put it onto the game field was extremely disappointing. Again, we can coach technique, we can coach scheme, we can game plan better for a scheme that we’re going to see; but to not just come out and line up, run hit and play with some passion and aggression and those sort of things, that was the most disappointing to me.”
(Today it seemed like that intensity was there.) – “Maybe, yes; but sometimes misplaced. You’ve got to get good work in too. It can’t just be … It’s got to be within the context of doing what we’re asking you to do and executing the scheme too. Just coming out here, being a jackass and running around, that doesn’t help us either.”
(On his disappointment.) – “I am, I am. I was disappointed in Thursday night, and I thought yesterday we had a pretty solid practice, but today was real sloppy. We can’t play like that. We can’t be up and down. We can’t have one good day and one bad day. It just doesn’t work in this league. It’s been a little frustrating the last week or so. I’m hoping we can right this ship and have a clean rest of the week and go show what we’re going to do on Friday night.”
Dowell Loggains – August 13, 2018
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Monday, August 13, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(Why do you think it was feisty out there today?) – “It’s the second day after an off day. Yesterday wasn’t an intense practice. Everyone is getting tired of hitting each other in camp. That’s what happens in the NFL about this time every year (with) every team.”
(How would you assess the work of the offense in the preseason opener?) – “There was good and bad obviously. I was really pleased with the protection with the ones. We left some yards on the field in the run game that way. It was good to see ‘17’ (Ryan Tannehill) get out there. I know he was really amped up for the game. You could just feel his energy and the energy in his feet. It was really good for him to get out there. I was pleased for the most part with how they performed.”
(How do you think QB David Fales performed on Thursday?) – “I thought he did a pretty good job. He made a couple of really good throws. He got us into a couple of plays. The post he threw to ‘82’ (Francis Owusu) was a really good throw. We keep telling these guys, how we’ll make decisions is the guy that gets the team in the end zone. He’s done a good job with that stuff. He needs to continue to show and improve every week.”
(Outside of his fumble, how do you think RB Kalen Ballage performed?) – “He was solid. The one big emphasis we put when starting the season was we need to eliminate all of the pre-snap penalties. You guys have seen that. We’ve got guys taking laps, running sprints after practice, and the turnovers. You guys have heard it. It’s a cliché, but it’s real. To win in this league, you have to find ways not to lose. When you put the ball on the ground on a third-down conversion … That’s the other thing, when you’ve run over two guys and sent two guys to the sideline, and then you’re hurdling people – it’s a great show of athleticism but we’ve got to keep working with him. He’s got to keep getting better, and he will.”
(What’s going to be the best way to minimize the pre-snap penalty issue?) – “Number one, these guys need to understand it’s not going to be tolerated. You’re not going to be here if that keeps happening. We have to clean it up. The ones did a good job with it. We had the one holding call, but it wasn’t all on ‘No. 70’ (Ja’Wuan James). The guard snapped out on a guy and pushed him and ‘70’ has to fit his hands up inside better. It needs to be this week that we need to be better with that. We don’t need to have any pre-snap penalties. We’re going to keep preaching it and there’s going to be consequences when it’s not happening or when it starts to happen.”
(Did any of the young guys catch your eye Thursday?) – “I thought Bryce Petty did a nice job. He came in and had a couple of checks and showed great energy, and kind of rallied the troops that way. I think all of them kind of flashed. The first one to me is just get out there and let them experience playing in the NFL for the first time. Let’s see how they do in Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4. The one thing we preach around here is don’t make the same mistakes twice. There’s going to be times when they mess up, like Kalen (Ballage) and these guys, but you’ve got to continue to make new mistakes.”
(How would you assess Mike Gesicki’s progress in terms of his blocking, since it’s such a hot topic of conversation in the media?) – “He was down at 9-on-7 today and I went to one-on-one, and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase went to 9-to-7, so when he walked down to one-on-ones, it was like, ‘Hey, get out here. We didn’t draft you to block. We drafted you to come catch touchdowns in the red area.’ And he’s had his best days of practice — you guys have seen it — in the red area catching passes. We’ll keep getting better with that. He’s working really hard. The good thing is he’s not afraid to stick his face in there. We didn’t draft him to be a killer at the point of attack. We drafted him to make plays in the red area, convert third downs, make explosive plays on first and second down. He’s going to have to learn how to block and stuff, but we’ll put him in good situations once the bullets are real. We’ll keep putting him out there and letting him go through these struggles. Blocking our defensive ends, those are good players.”
(What’s the key to being more efficient and effective on third downs? I know you weren’t here previously but that’s been really an issue and a point of emphasis.) – “You can’t be frustrated when it’s third-and-11 and you don’t convert. You’ve got to look back. You don’t treat the symptom; treat the problem. If you’ve got a negative-yard run or pass up a progression, it’s second-and-11. If you pass on a progression on second-and-11 and now all of a sudden you’re in third-and-11. The key to that is you’ve got to be really good on first and second down. You’ve got to stay efficient and stay ahead of the chains. You can’t have pre-snap penalties. You can’t have holding penalties. You’ve got to be really disciplined in your progressions at the quarterback position and make sure you keep moving the chains. We talk to the quarterbacks all of the time about being aggressive in the timing of the play, so don’t pass up one to move to the second progression when one is open. That way, you have the ability to get in third-and-6 or less. We’ll be OK in third-and-6 or less, but you’ve got to be pretty dang good at quarterback and a pretty good offense to continually convert third-and-11 and third-and-10s.”
(What do you like about RB Senorise Perry when he gets in there?) – “’Coach Perry.’ Wow, he’s come a long way. We call him ‘Coach Perry.’ We had him in Chicago and he was predominantly a special teams player, but the one thing he’s done is he’s done a great job of studying and learning. He’s definitely a competitive guy. He plays with a lot of intensity. Where he’s come from, 2015 to when I got here, has been shocking to me, his knowledge of the offense. I’m really proud of how he’s learned and worked. He’s become a guy that we … He’s dependable. He’s available.”
(Is that how RB Senorise Perry got the nickname ‘Coach Perry’ from?’ Just the knowledge of the offense?) – “Well, it was. David Fales was with us in Chicago and when he was a young player, he made a lot more mistakes than he makes now. Now, he has an understanding. He’s over there telling, grabbing people. When he was in Chicago, David Fales would take him one-on-one during walkthroughs and be like, ‘Ah, what do you got here on this play?’ Now all of a sudden ‘Coach Perry’ is correcting people. Just to see him grow as a player and an individual has been pretty cool and I’m excited to see how the rest of the preseason goes for him.”
(With two players you have a history with, QB David Fales and RB Senorise Perry, how much of it is just comfort level in the offense?) – “It’s comfort level and the one thing David has made a huge … He’s a lot stronger than he was in 2015. He’s worked really hard with our strength staff here in the summer. He committed to pilates and all these other things, and you can tell he really put an emphasis on strengthening his core. And it’s shown up. He is a stronger player. I think it’s helping him be efficient in the offense and run it. It also helps when you’ve been in the offense for three or four years. You start to have a real understanding. That’s how David is going to make this roster, make this team and compete for the (backup) spot is he needs to master this stuff and know it inside and out.”
(What were your thoughts on the situation involving QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Kalen Ballage at practice Sunday and how Ryan handled it?) – “Ownership. Ownership. We keep telling these guys, Coach Gase can only tell them so many times. Eventually it’s their responsibility to control this stuff. We can only say it so many times. It means more if all of a sudden you bust a protection and the quarterback throws you out. There’s no one you want to disappoint (less) than your teammates and when you walk in the huddle and walk in the locker room, those guys have to trust you. So the level of accountability, that’s where Ryan took a step. It needs to be understood that if you step in the huddle with the ones and you get that opportunity, which a lot of rookies don’t get, you have to earn that right. So for Ryan to hold him accountable, I think that was absolutely the right thing to do.”
(How have you seen QB Ryan Tannehill grow in that area?) – “It’s hard for me to speak because this is my first year obviously, but for him to take that step and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t acceptable. This isn’t the standard we set.’ That’s what needs to happen. It needs to happen more offensively. It needs to happen on defense, and when things start to go that way, it has to come from the players. A coach can only do so much. We’re not in the huddle with them. The coaches aren’t the ones creating penalties. It’s our job to put them in situations to be successful, but they need to hold each other accountable and set the standard for themselves.”
(In terms of the red zone offense on this team, what do you see is the upside? How much talent do you see when you line up at the 20-yard line and you have all of those options?) – “Most importantly is staying efficient and getting down there; but we have some guys that should be … Danny Amendola has been a really good red-area guy for his whole career. I think the one thing that all good red-area teams do is they run the football well. You have to be able to run the football down there. That creates the one-on-ones for guys like Mike Gesicki and ‘11’ (DeVante Parker) and those guys to throw the ball outside the numbers, throw the fades, throw the back-shoulders and be able to create all those pick plays and all of the things this offense has done for a long time.”
(Does Head Coach Adam Gase have a separate playbook for the red zone, or is it just encompassed from the entire playbook?) – “Adam has a different playbook for everything. We definitely have a red-area package. For me, it’s been interesting. We were together in 2015; to get here and see where it’s at right now compared to when we got to Chicago and I got to see the ’12, ’13, ’14 tape when they were at Denver and we’re getting there where we’re getting it all in and we’re still not there. It’s probably operating about 60 percent and there’s still a lot of things that we haven’t gotten to and as we grew as an offense and we find out what each one of these players is … Coach will say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to do with this guy and this is what we’re going to do with this guy.’ We do create game-plan plays for those guys in different situations in the red area.”
(You guys have had some injuries at the tight end position, especially among the veterans and another one today. At what point does that become an issue? I know it gives the younger guys some playing time, but you kind of want to see those older guys too, right?) – “We’d love to see everybody. We’re going to worry about what we can control and we can’t control injuries. Our mentality is next man up. We can’t control that and we’re not going to spend a whole lot of time worrying about that because it should be a room that we’re getting better every day. We drafted two players in that room for a reason. Whoever is in there and whoever gets that opportunity better compete because it is a room that there is some competition in.”
(Do you feel like you’ve gotten a good look at TE A.J. Derby and TE MarQueis Gray? I know you saw them during OTAs and minicamp also.) – “I was with MarQueis in Cleveland in 2014 and Coach (Gase) has been around him. We have a good evaluation of him and A.J. He was here last year. So the most important thing is that we need to figure out these young guys as well. In the preseason, we’re not ready to make a determination on anyone at this point; but the more reps they can get, the more situations that they can get put in, they need all of it.”
(That tempo offense, it seems to me – I might be wrong – that you guys are doing more and more of it as training camp has gone on. It seems like you’re getting better at it, but can you take me through that and kind of how it looked in Tampa, and are you progressing at the up-tempo?) – “It’s something that Adam (Gase), it’s always been a big part of his offense. I don’t know if he huddled very much in 2013 and 2014 at all, and it was kind of a mixture in Chicago. It takes time. That’s the thing. In Denver, they had a little bit of time. We’re getting into year three, and it’s year three, four and five when all of a sudden, they have a complete understanding of that. It’s a big reason why coach liked Danny Amendola, is to be able to get him in there and operate in some of those no-huddle situations. We’ll be a team that huddles and we will run some no-huddle as well.”
(The Bucs won on Thursday night and the defense looked pretty strong against the offensive line. Do you any concerns with the offensive line right now with maybe the cohesion that they have?) – “No. I was actually pleased with our twos as well versus their ones. I thought they did a good job. I thought we did a good job in pass pro. The biggest thing that we wanted to see with our ones was not anything other than pre-snap penalties, sacks, turnovers. Go out there and get used to playing in a game together for the first time. Each week it needs to get better. We’re not going to be instant evaluators and make the evaluations based on that, but it is a good start for us.”
(Is it better at this point to have QB Ryan Tannehill mobile – obviously we saw it on that first play of the preseason game – but to have him mobile out there, is that something you’re looking to do a lot this year because of maybe some of the blocking depth that you might have?) – “He had a lot of success in 2016 on the move and doing those things. Obviously, he’s a good athlete, so we’ll continue to mix that stuff in as the defense allows us. We felt like we could get on the edge against Tampa and do all of those things and he did a pretty decent job. He obviously had the first play, an explosive pass right out of the gate on the move. It’s good for him to get out there. He does it in practice, but to do it in a game is completely different, just so he builds confidence in going out there and doing that. ”
Darren Rizzi – August 13, 2018
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Monday, August 13, 2018
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(You see the intensity of training camp now that we’re getting down to the last couple of practices. Obviously, some of the players, I’m sure they’re getting tired of hitting each other.) – “Sure. You go through OTAs, you go through mandatory minicamp, you go through training camp and these guys are going against each other every day. So, (I think this is) typical training camp stuff. The guys are flying around today. We had full pads on and it got a little physical out there. I think that’s just kind of chalk it up to training camp. This is the time of year. The preseason games come at a good time, (so) we can hit somebody else.”
(What do you look for in the second preseason game now, after having a chance to look at the film from Thursday night?) – “Special teams-wise in particular, you’re looking for the younger players in particular to make big-time strides. You always hear that game one to game two analogy, and I think it’s true, but really for the younger guys. There’s a lot of younger players that haven’t played a lot of special teams before – forget about here (but) anywhere. So, you’re looking for those guys to make that jump, that next step in the progression. I think there was a lot of good efforts the other night from a lot of good younger guys, but I want to see improvement. We’re not there yet. There’s some younger guys that we’re really trying to evaluate, so that’s going to be the big thing for those guys.”
(Who stood out to you on Thursday night?) – “There was a bunch of guys that flashed. The one thing we have to be is more consistent. There were some guys across the board – there were a bunch of younger guys that probably made some plays in the open field. As I think through, the running back position, those guys – Buddy (Howell) and Kalen (Ballage) and Senorise (Perry) – those guys all played pretty well. Rashawn Scott and the receiver group did a good job the other night. On the defensive side, a bunch of younger guys, again, all flashed at times. It was a little bit too much of a roller coaster for me. I want to see some more consistency. No one is a finished product just yet at this time of year, so again, (I’m) just looking for that improvement.”
(Where do you assess LB Quentin Poling and his role on special teams?) – “Obviously, he’s a guy that came in and was a guy that can move around on film and can really flash his speed and ability. He’s a guy that played a lot of defense in college and not a ton of special teams. So, again, he’s a guy we’re evaluating. He’s one of those guys that falls right into that roller coaster. He had some good plays the other night; he had some plays that we can’t have on film. Again, we’re going to get him a lot of plays in these next few weeks. He probably had the most special teams reps of anybody the other night, so we’ve got at least a good evaluation on film.”
(As far as the adjustment to the new kickoff rules, how is everybody handling that, and how long do you think that will take you?) – “I have to be honest with you, I think it went pretty smooth. I had a chance to watch that Hall of Fame game to kind of see that first glimpse of it, then obviously with our game. I was a little concerned about some of the intricacies, but I thought it looked pretty clean. I think what you see now, if you look through, there’s a lot of returns in the preseason. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in the regular season, but I thought the dynamics, logistics of the play, I thought everything looked pretty good. I think it’s going to be a much more wide open play. A lot of faster guys on the field, not just us but around the league. I think it’s been pretty good so far.”
(What are you looking to see out of your kickers going into the second preseason game and third week of training camp?) – “The same thing with them as everybody else – just improvement. It’s good that they both got that first kick out of the way. Neither of their first rep was very good. Greg (Joseph) kicked the ball out of bounds and then although Jason (Sanders) had plenty of leg on that 53-yarder, he obviously pulled it a little bit. I think he was a little excited. The good thing for both guys is that they really bounced back the rest of the game. They played very well. It’s kind of like (they got) that first one out from under their belt and then both did well. Again, I want to see them have a better start to the game. I want to see both guys keep improving. I’m really happy with where they are the last couple of days. Both guys have had great practices, so I’m happy with their progression; but again, we have three more preseason games for those guys, so you just want to kind of see the improvement, steady improvement. You want to kind of hit your peak in the first week of the regular season.”
(Can you foresee one of those guys being a starting NFL kicker in Week 1?) – “They both have the talent to do it, there’s no doubt about it. I think you saw the other night, kind of like I said, once they got that first one out of there, that’s kind of what they’ve been throughout training camp. There’s no doubt that both guys have NFL ability. It’s just a matter of putting it together week after week, the consistency. I’m overall pleased with their first performance. I think both guys will kick in the NFL. I do.”
Jakeem Grant – August 13, 2018
Monday, August 13, 2018
WR Jakeem Grant
(What did you guys notice after looking at the game tape from that first preseason game, and what changes can you make moving into that second one?) – “I would just say, we’ve got to eliminate penalties, pre-snap penalties. As you look at it, we were only killing ourselves. We were making big plays downfield. We were doing a lot of things right. All I’ll say is to get back to the basics and the fundamentals and get those things corrected, and the next thing you know, who can stop us?”
(Last year that seemed to be an issue as well. Is it the case in the locker room where you guys get on one another about that issue?) – “No. We just have to zone in and stay focused and eliminate those pre-snap penalties. I feel like that’s all it is, is just focus. We’ve just got to have that, a little bit more focus, especially when we get going and we’re getting a little tired. That’s usually when those happen, but I feel like as time passes we will get that all cleaned up.”
(In your third year, what makes you more ready for more of a feature role in the offense?) – “I would say confidence and also just knowing everything, every position on the field and knowing exactly what everybody is doing, from the running back to the receivers to the tight ends, and just knowing exactly what everybody is doing. If I know exactly what everybody is doing, I know my role and I know exactly where I’ve got to be at that right time. All it takes is repetition and having that confidence that you can go out there and make a big play or go out there and spring one of your guys open. I feel like my rookie year, I didn’t know it that much and I feel like I was kind of shaky. The confidence level wasn’t always there and now this year, the confidence is through the roof and I’m just ready to go out there and make plays.”
(Have you thought of growing out the hair a little bit to be a little bit taller?) – “What I do is wear probably like six pairs of socks. So people think like, ‘Man, Jakeem, you’ve got on high heels?’ Nah, man, I’m growing an inch every day. My goal when the season starts, I should be 5-foot-8.”
(With the confidence high, how good a player can you be in this league?) – “Man, there’s no telling with the confidence really high. I’m going to continue to come out here and practice and grind and grind with the confidence level extremely high, and I’m just going to continue to just go off of that. Whatever I do in practice can turn over to the game. You never know. Continue to play with that confidence and just continue to go out there and work hard every single day.”
(What did last year show you about what you’re capable of doing?) – “I would say the Patriots game, it was just showing that I was having confidence and knowing that I can make those big plays and I can help this team out in the passing game. That just sprung my confidence and made me bring down … stop trying to rush and make a play, and stop trying to do all this. Whenever you try to rush and do something, you end up messing up. So my biggest thing was let the big play come to you.”
A.J. Derby – August 13, 2018
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Monday, August 13, 2018
TE A.J. Derby
(How good does it feel to be back at practice, and how tough was it to have to miss some time because of your injury?) – “It feels good to be back. Unfortunately, I was hurt a little bit, a little sore. I’m just happy to be back. I’m going to work to make up for the time I missed and just try to be out there and be the guy I can be.”
(How much do you feel like you set yourself back, being out so long?) – “Mentally, I was very engaged. I don’t think mentally I got (set back) anywhere. Physically, I’m just working myself, getting my legs back under me and getting ready to play against Carolina.”
(How do you look at this battle for playing time and spots at tight end?) – “I can’t really look into it. I don’t make the call on who goes on the field. I just work to do the best I can and then I’m going to try to make plays when I’m in there.”
(The intensity level seemed to be up there today. What was different about today?) – “I don’t know if there was anything different. It’s just the dog days of camp. Everyone is tired. Everyone is working. We’re just trying to get better and we’re just going to keep pushing each other.”
(This camp, how important do you feel it is for you to put good film on in the preseason?) – “It’s always good. It’s always important. Everyone is watching. Every team is watching. I always try to play the best I can and I’m going to keep going forward.”
Adam Gase – August 12, 2018
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Sunday, August 12, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(We saw a lot of LB Jerome Baker with the first group today. What did you guys like about how he worked Thursday?) – “He made plays. That’s all we’re looking for guys to do is to get lined up, be in the right spots, find the ball and make plays. That’s it.”
(An update on LB Mike Hull?) – “I don’t know the exact amount of time he’s going to miss, but it’s going to be a little bit. We’re just still gathering information. You know how that works. We think we have things diagnosed and then is anything else going to come up? We just want to make sure that we know all of the details of the injury.”
(How have you seen QB Ryan Tannehill evolve in the area of holding teammates accountable? We kind of saw that today.) – “I think it can be difficult because you’re trying to keep the tempo at practice and you can’t kick a guy out of the huddle all of the time. You can’t shut it down all of the time and have big discussions. It’s a feel, timing. When is the right time to be like, ‘You know what? We’re not right here. We need somebody else in here.’ He was right today with what he did. I would have been upset if I was him because he knows what the result in a game would have been. It would have been painful for him, for sure. I think he was in the right to kind of make an example there. When he does things like that, I think for our offense, that’s a good thing.”
(We saw some changes to both the base and the nickel first-team defense. I know nothing is set in stone but when we see changes like that, is it more based off the preseason games or an accumulation of OTAs?) – “I think it’s accumulation. We’re always going to be moving guys around and trying to figure out what’s the best 11, whether it be offense, defense or special teams. We’re always going to be challenging guys and keep the competition alive. We need guys to win their job every day.”
(When you watch the tape, particularly of the defense, what did you see?) – “Obviously I thought (Jerome) Baker played pretty good. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to. I know (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) wasn’t real happy. I know the coaching staff wasn’t real happy. We need to have a better performance this next game.”
(How is S Minkah Fitzpatrick developing throughout camp and the preseason? You had him on the first team today…) – “I mean he picks things up very quickly. The amount of time he puts in by himself is probably more than I’ve seen in a lot of players, especially a rookie. The guy is a relentless worker. That allows him to go out there and play fast. He’s just football savvy. You can throw him into a lot of different situations. He understands what’s going on. It’s probably a little bit of where he went to college and who trained him. That combination allows him to come out here and do a lot of the things that he does.”
(S Minkah Fitzpatrick talked today a little bit about playing all of those different positions that you guys have him at. Are you guys cognizant of how much is on his plate and when to put him where?) – “Yes. It’s really right now, how much can he absorb? I’m sure at some point – I can’t give you the exact date – we’ll say this is what we’re going to do. The more you can do, the better. You just never know what’s going to happen in a game where when you have guys that can play multiple spots … I always felt like Bobby (McCain) was good for us because we had him at nickel but he can always go outside. There’s just a lot of jobs that he can do. At some point, we’ll probably get to be able to say, ‘Here’s your two spots,’ or ‘Here’s your three spots that you’re going to be working at the majority of the season,’ and then if we need him in an emergency role, he knows what to do, he’s heard those calls and he’s played those spots before.”
(You mentioned CB Bobby McCain. He played some outside corner today. Is that something that you anticipate more from him going forward?) – “Really, it’s about getting our best 11 on the field. If that’s what it is, that’s what it is. We’re just going to keep competing. I think that’s something that Bobby, he’s the one guy that’s able to do that. He can give those receivers fits because he’s aggressive at the line of scrimmage. He can run with them and he can get his hands on the ball. He’s very aware of concepts, which gives him an advantage over a lot of corners.”
(What would you assess was the issue with the first-team defense in terms of how easily Tampa Bay was able to drive down field?) – “I mean we just weren’t good in fundamental things – getting in our stances, getting aligned, making sure we’re in the right gaps. We have to do a better job with that. That was such a point of emphasis from the start of camp. We didn’t get it done. That’s where it was nice today to see when you get ‘20’ (Reshad Jones) and ‘91’ (Cameron Wake) out there, all of a sudden things look a little different because those guys grab a hold of what’s supposed to happen and if somebody is not right, they make sure it’s right. You don’t have to say much when those two guys are around. We need other guys to keep stepping up and being able to do that if they’re not in there. We went 10 games without Reshad two years ago. Last year we were fortunate to where he was able to play every game. We have to understand when one of those guys aren’t in there, somebody else has to step up.”
(What did you see out of LB Raekwon McMillan on Thursday?) – “Like it was the first 14 plays of his NFL career. We’ve got to keep working. We expected it. He was pretty juiced up before the game. That’s kind of done and now we’re moving onto the next one and this week, just keep getting better and when we hit that game, just play fast and make plays.”
(With WR DeVante Parker, it’s kind of hard to assess what’s going on there because CB Xavien Howard knocks down just about every pass thrown at him. Is that Xavien’s really good or is DeVante not running crisp enough routes?) – “I think Xavien is really good. He’s a hard guy to throw against. It doesn’t matter who has been on him, all of the receivers. He’s playing situational football really well right now. That last knock down, he was daring him to run by him. That’s not what I called. DeVante did what he was supposed to do. It was unfortunate that he kind of jammed his finger up there in the middle of that one period, because I finally felt like we were getting in a little bit of a rhythm there to where we had a lot of man coverage in that period, and then he had to duck out. We still had a few plays left, then he came back in and we couldn’t get him the ball like we kind of started to.”
(What did you think of how CB Xavien Howard played against Tampa Bay?) – “What did he play, six plays? He didn’t play that many plays. I thought if he uses the other hand on that ball thrown to the sideline, he probably gets his finger on it. I was standing right there. That thing was as tight as you get. I’m always going to encourage him to be aggressive, because he does have the ability if a guy does win on the line of scrimmage, he can catch up. I just want him to play as aggressive as he does in practice.”
(At what point do you get concerned about chemistry with QB Ryan Tannehill and WR DeVante Parker?) – “I’m not concerned about that. Those guys have been doing this for a minute together. They didn’t have any problems in the spring. It’s just, sometimes, the ball goes other places dictated by coverage. DeVante’s the kind of guy you want man-to-man. You want him to be able to use his size and his body and box a guy out and go get the ball. You need to see press coverage to get that. We’ve had some opportunities. We haven’t made … some of those 50-50 balls haven’t been completed, but we’ll just keep working on it. I’ve seen a turn with those two guys before.”
(Is there a significance in meaning to the rookies getting the decals on their helmet for the first time?) – “They had to have them for the games. That was it.”
(You didn’t take them off?) – “That’s a lot of work for (Equipment Manager) Joe (Cimino) and those guys. (laughter) I’m not trying to make the equipment guys mad.”
(TE Mike Gesicki was telling us that nobody outside of this building thinks that he can block. Do you have to tell him to ignore social media and all of that kind of stuff?) – “He’s never said that to me. He knows how I feel about anybody else’s opinions. I’m always killing him on it anyways, just a reminder of what everybody thought. The thing that I really appreciate about Mike is he wants to do it. He wants to get better at blocking and he doesn’t want to be a receiver. I see him go out there and he tries to do it and he’ll get crushed a couple times; but you don’t see him shy away from it the next time. I’ve seen tight ends in the past that when that happens, they don’t want any part of it because they don’t want to be embarrassed. He just lines right back up and does it again. So, we’ll keep getting better in that area. I like that he’s embracing it, and he wants to be able to be left on the field. He doesn’t want to get taken out and everybody says what (you guys) think, (which is) when he goes onto the field it’s pass. (laughter)”
(How has CB Cordrea Tankersley done from last season to now?) – “I think we’ve had ups and downs. That’s the hardest thing about playing corner at this level, it’s the consistency. It’s being able to come back from getting beat, because you’re going to get beat at this level. I think he’s had good days where it looks like ‘here we go,’ and then we’ve had days where he’s probably wanted them back. We just have to keep finding that consistency. That’s why we have training camp, that’s why we have preseason, that’s why we have all this time to get ready for the regular season – to get your mind right, get better at your craft, and that’s what he’s trying to do.”
(Guys like S Minkah Fitzpatrick, TE Mike Gesicki, LB Jerome Baker – how soon do you know you can throw a bunch of stuff at them and know that it’s going to be okay? It seems like they’ve got it.) – “Those guys, they’re just running through walls right now. It’s just the way they operate day-to-day. If you walk into this building and everybody’s gone, they’re around. They can see there is an opportunity for them to play and at the end of the day, that’s what everybody wants to do. Sometimes when you get rookies that are hungry, they want to get out there. They’ll go earn jobs.”
(Do you have any word about WR Kenny Stills’ ankle?) – “He keeps trying to get out there, and we’re trying to make sure that he’s going to be okay. He tried to run with the team yesterday. We had to hold him back from that. He tried to go out there today. I want to make sure that he’s healthy before we put (him on the field). I don’t want this to be a thing that’s going into the season, or we’re four weeks in and he’s still hurt. I don’t want to do that because we keep having setbacks, so we’ll be smart with this.”
(Is this a good opportunity for some of those other receivers like WR Albert Wilson and WR Jakeem Grant to get that work with QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “One-hundred percent. That’s why we talked in the spring about Jakeem and Albert kind of working with Ryan. It’s going to work out. It usually does. We can do different personnel groupings to get those guys in there with him. I think Ryan’s done a good job trying to grab those guys after practice and keep working on certain routes and the timing of things. This usually happens – especially with wide outs in training camp – you usually have one or two that miss time and then the next guy has to step up. Sometimes it’s good because now, you get thrown in the fire. You have to know what to do, so that’s why everybody has to stay up on it.”
