Adam Gase – November 28, 2018
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(How is WR Isaiah Ford developing? What is he getting good at?) – “He’s developed very quickly coming off an injury. he jumped right in there in training camp, did a lot good things in practice and really didn’t have a lot of opportunities in actual preseason games. I’d say throughout the season, he’s just kind of put his head down, grinded. He’s worked on the outside stuff as well just because basically he was trying to avoid what I did last week by bringing somebody else in to play outside. Now he’s got an opportunity.”
(You said you were going to have to look into how much you had QB Ryan Tannehill throw during the week, so I’m just wondering if you can give some idea of what you’ve scaled it back…) – “If anything has been scaled back, it’s just making sure that we’re not overthrowing in individual. Like a lot of times he would do a whole bunch of stuff in special teams, where maybe that’s like 10-15 throws throughout practice. He’s not really doing that as much. It’s more maybe like four or five throws in special teams. But as far as practice goes and routes versus air and stuff, he’s done his normal routine there. It’s not a ton (of changes). We’re trying to just take a few off of him.”
(DT Kyle Williams has been disruptive for Buffalo for a long time. When he’s going, what is he doing well? Is it hands, feet, hips, speed, power?) – “His knowledge of the game is probably something that he uses to his advantage. His effort, he’s a high-energy guy and just never quits on a play. He understands formations. He understands kind of technique that offensive linemen are trying to use on him. He just knows how to defeat probably any block you throw at him. He knows how to win.”
(Any update on WR Danny Amendola and C Travis Swanson?) – “I’m not going to know anything until … Friday is the day that we said that we’d get them out there and see kind of how it goes, if those guys can do something on Friday. We’ll kind of see how it goes. I’m trying to make plans as far … the percentage of them not being here. If we get them, it’s like a bonus for us.”
(The decision to go with C Jake Brendel at center against the Colts, what went into that?) – “That was kind of an in-game thing. We just felt like that was our best course of action for the game. We’re working a lot of different groupings this week. We’ve got to have contingency plans if something happens again. All of those guys will get work there.”
(Are C Jake Brendel and C/G Ted Larsen still the top guys in there now, or would C Wesley Johnson or G Isaac Asiata be competing for a job this week?) – “We’re going to look at everything this week; but I thought Jake did well. It was unfortunate because he’s been playing … The reps he’s had at guard, he’s been really good. The fact that we had to move him, that was unfortunate.”
(How much more difficult does it make it for QB Ryan Tannehill coming back here with all these moving parts?) – “I mean, it is what it is. We don’t really have a lot of options.”
(Where have you seen the most growth from T Laremy Tunsil this year?) – “I feel like his confidence is through the roof. He just looks so patient. When you watch most tackles set, they’re getting some depth, they’re kind of waiting for contact. Like, he almost sets like he’s blocking quick game all the time. His ability to move when a guy tries to run past him, he’s quick enough and long enough to push him past his quarterback. When a guy tries to bull rush him, he anchors so fast and he’s got great ability to get his hands on guys and position himself right to where he can just stop his feet. Watching him practice and play and go against some of these guys that are pretty good, he’s been playing outstanding.”
(Did G Josh Sitton have an effect on him?) – “I think it was just a good relationship they had starting in the spring. Laremy really respects him. Josh doesn’t say a whole bunch, but I think they had just really good chemistry. I think Laremy just watched him, how he worked in individual. I’m sure Josh told him a couple of things that he possibly does. I just see a different guy every day in practice than what I’ve seen in the past to where he’s a pro. That’s kind of Year 3. You kind of really understand what you’re doing. I think last year was a little bit of a feeling out because he was moving from guard to tackle. Even though it was his natural position coming out, that’s a big difference from in college where you’re just better than everybody else and now you have to work, you have to make sure that you know everything going on because those guys are pretty good on the other side.”
(In terms of what’s available to you on your call sheet that you’re comfortable using, is there much change with WR Albert Wilson and WR Jakeem Grant being gone – not a lot or some in terms of what you’re comfortable calling?) – “There’s a little bit of change there. I mean, we did a lot of different things with those two guys. The guys that are up right now, they’re not … Those two guys were able to be in the backfield, in the slot, outside. They just had a lot of variety. We have probably taller guys, that are more long-striders. It’s not so much the initial quickness-type things that those two guys had.”
(What’s your impression of the Bills’ young receivers?) – “They’ve been mainly kind of in that run game, play-action pass, take shots type mode. It’s obvious why, because Josh (Allen) can throw the ball a mile. Those guys, their biggest emphasis is to run. Run and go get the ball. That’s something those guys can do. And they can create separation. If you’re not careful, they’ll get behind you.”
(When you evaluated QB Josh Allen coming out of school, what else did you notice about him?) – “Besides his size and his arm strength, his athletic ability was probably surprising to me when I first started watching him. Now seeing him play in the NFL, I think last week he had a run on a draw where he stiff-arms a defensive end, makes one of the DBs miss and then runs through one of the linebackers, all in 14 yards. That athletic ability just surprises people because of his size.”
(How do you take advantage of a rookie quarterback’s inexperience? Disguising coverage? Different fronts? What do you do?) – “That’s some of the things that a lot of people try to do. You try to get them to look at coverage and think it’s one thing, and then all of a sudden they get their head back down the field and it’s something different. It might change their read of where they’re supposed to go with the ball. You’re trying to get them to really kind of mess up in that area. But you have to be careful with a guy that can really push the ball down the field like he can because if somebody gets out of position and he sees it, then it could be a short drive. That’s sometimes where you can take advantage of that when you don’t have a guy that can throw as far as he can where if you do get out of position, that guy might not be able to make that same throw under duress. Josh can make a lot of these throws down the field with defenders hanging on him, defenders hitting him. He’s not really shy. He doesn’t shy away from any kind of contact. He’s going to stand in there and get smoked and not care.”
(With all of the injuries at receiver, WR Kenny Stills is out there and his numbers are down. Is there any reason?) – “I’ve looked at the same thing. I’m going, how are we not hooking up with him more? That stretch when Ryan (Tannehill) left, we had a few opportunities down the field, but it was just something else always happened where we got too much pressure and we couldn’t get him the ball. When he’s had his opportunities, he’s made the most of them for the most part. We just have to be careful about not forcing it. Like last week we forced it to him. It was more on me than anything. It was subtle reminders of, ‘Hey, he’s running this route.’ Like that puts a bad seed in a quarterback’s head. We just have to make sure we do a good job of when it’s there, we take it and when it’s not, we progress and move to something else. He’s been so effective for us down the field with big plays and teams are doing a good job of taking him away.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills right physically?) – “I’m never going to say a guy is 100 percent, but I think he’s light years from where he was two or three weeks ago.”
(Facing DT Jordan Phillips, just your thoughts on that this week because it seems he was pretty bitter when he left?) – “I can’t speak for him. He’s getting an opportunity to play and he’s with a good group and that defense is playing well.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills the type of receiver that make get frustrated that his numbers are down, or is he the type who might say, ‘When my time comes, when the opportunity comes, I’ll make those plays?’) – “You want me to answer that like I want it to be or … (laughter) I mean, I know this, I’m probably more frustrated than he is because he’s a guy that’s scored points for us and shortened up drives and been very impactful and it’s been probably more frustrating for me why we’re not able to get him the ball as much as what we want to. He never says anything. He just works every day and puts his head down. He knows every position. He bailed us out of a pretty good situation last week where that could have been worse off where we’re moving guys around and he jumps in the slot and puts us in a position where we at least can move the ball a little bit.”
(Is WR Kenny Stills able to do any of the backfield stuff?) – “That’s not really his deal.”
(Has CB Xavien Howard proved himself as a shutdown corner?) – “It’s hard for me to say that. I feel like I’d have to be on the other sideline to say … I don’t if there’s been too many guys I’ve been around where … I remember (Darrelle) Revis and (Richard) Sherman were always kind of scary to go against, where you were like, ‘Man, you throw the ball their way, there’s a high percentage chance that they’re going to pick it off.’ I think he’s getting to that area where he’s making those plays. Like the ball is thrown to him and if he can get his hands on it, he’s catching it, and he’s actually getting the interception. That’s really the part you don’t see a ton with corners. You see them get their hands on the ball, but you don’t see the interception. He’s making those plays. He just has to keep coming along and become that all-around corner, which we’ve all seen him do, whether it be tackling, whether it be setting the edge in the run game, covering the best receiver on the team, inside, outside. He’s done all that. It’s just about just keep putting that type of tape out there and when people think it’s the right time or other teams start respecting to where he’s not getting any targets, that’s when you can say, ‘Hey, he’s that good where teams don’t want to even throw at him.”
(As far as CB Xavien Howard’s consistency…) – “Yeah, I think he’s really close, though. I mean, last week was impressive. I feel like he baited him a little bit on that second one. When you watch it on tape, you can see him kind of creep in a little bit and right when he threw it, he just shot out of a cannon and that was a great catch.”
Ryan Tannehill – November 28, 2018
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(How are you feeling?) – “Good. A little general soreness after the game. (It was my) first time playing in a while. I didn’t take many hits, but (I had) general soreness from the first time playing in a while.”
(Were you surprised it wasn’t more of an issue?) – “No. I felt good. My confidence was built during the week, being able to throw Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and really didn’t run into any hang-ups there. I felt good going into the game that it wasn’t going to be an issue.”
(Did you have any moments during the game where you kind of held your breath for a second because you landed on it or got hit directly in the shoulder?) – “No. If you’re holding your breath, it’s probably too late. (laughter)”
(Any that you were kind of waiting to see how it reacted once you got up?) – “Obviously, it doesn’t feel good going down to the ground on it. I’m still not 100 percent. But nothing that lingered or anything like that.”
(There were a couple times during the game when you took a hit and you kind of gave a little thumbs up to the sideline. Was that to anyone specific or was it just like you letting them know you were okay?) – “Sometimes (Head Coach Adam) Gase will pop in my helmet and just make sure everything is all right. He’s like my mom, like ‘Are you okay?’ (laughter)”
(The harness – did you wear it in practice but not the game?) – “No, I wore it in the game.”
(How does that limit you at all?) – “I don’t think it limits me. It gives some support, some compression, but it doesn’t limit me in any area.”
(There were two throws that stood out to me – the first one to TE Durham Smythe and the long one to WR Leonte Carroo. Were there any throws you made that reassured you that ‘I can do this, I’m okay, I’m better than maybe I thought I was?’) – “I wouldn’t say in the game, no. Going through the week, I was able to make the throws I wanted to make and put the ball where I wanted to. Like I said, my confidence was built during the week and there were really no surprises in the game.”
(How easy or hard is a game like that for you?) – “It’s tough for a good 24-48 hours. You’re watching the tape, you’re learning from it, you’re thinking about all of the things you could have done differently. But you have to turn the page. This is the NFL. You have to start getting ready for the next one. Obviously, Monday was tough coming in, taking a real look at what we did well and what we didn’t do well, talking through it with everybody, making sure that we’re all on the same page and then yesterday, I started turning the page, getting the body right, working on everything and then come in ready to go today.”
(When you think of all the things you could’ve done differently, did you go back to the third-and-10 and do you think ‘I could’ve changed the play’ or ‘I could’ve audibled?’) – “No. That’s not something that I think about. I think (Coach Gase) had a reason he called that. It’s something we talked about throughout the week. Obviously, not at the end of the game, but in third-and-10 situations, they were extremely good on third-and-long situations. I understood the call when it came in and I’m not out there just checking all types of plays. Things we talk about during the week, I’ll check – if we get a certain look on a certain play. But it’s not often that he’s calling one play and I’m just completely waving him off to another play. He has a reason why he’s calling things and wants things ran a certain way, so that’s what we do.”
(On average, how often do you think that you audible in a game?) – “We have a lot of checks. I wouldn’t say completely waving him off probably ever. I don’t know. Ten, fifteen plays a game we have adjustments, checks that we can make.”
(Is there anything in the fourth quarter that you personally would like to have back?) – “Yeah, of course. We had that second-down pass to Kenny (Stills). That’s one we have to hit. They did a good job on first down of that second drive we had. They did a good job of taking away the screen to Frank (Gore), and then we had Kenny on that in-cut. We just weren’t able to connect there. We needed it. We needed it in that situation, so obviously you would like to have that one back.”
(I’m sure this isn’t a priority right now, but do you at all think that you have to play well the last five weeks of the season to be the quarterback in 2019?) – “I don’t know what the agenda is, but that’s my goal is to go play well and lead this team to wins. I don’t try to think about things I can’t control. (I) just go out and control what I can control and play as best I can.”
(Has anyone given you any assurances beyond this year?) – “No. I haven’t discussed it and it doesn’t matter at this point. It’s a matter of going out, playing for this team and winning games, giving us a chance to get in the playoffs.”
(Have you kind of gotten used to the shoulder pain as much as possible?) – “Yeah. It’s at a manageable level, like I said last week. It’s there. It’s tolerable. I don’t mind it. It’s something I can deal with and play through, so hopefully it just continues to decrease. It does feel a little bit better this week, so hopefully we just keep on that trend and keep getting better.”
(What did you have to do to be able to play on Sunday besides wear the harness? Did you need anything else?) – “No, that’s it. I have a warmup routine – a program – that I go through to get ready for practice or a game and then just stuck with that. I got ready, got loose and I was ready to go.”
(What have you seen on film from the Bills defense and their challenge?) – “They’re a good defense. They’re playing well. They play fast. I think that’s one thing that jumps out on tape is the speed they play with, especially at the linebacker position. Those linebackers are flying around, playing extremely fast sideline-to-sideline. I have a ton of respect for them. Obviously, (they are) a top ranked defense against the pass. They’re doing a really good job. Their guys up front are able to push the pocket and get pressure. Jerry Hughes is a guy that’s been doing it a long time. Kyle Williams is another veteran that has been doing it a long time. They’re playing at a high level. Their secondary is playing well. I think they’re doing a good job of not allowing explosive (plays). They try to really limit those and make you go the length of the field, kind of like what we saw last week. They’re playing well.”
(When you left after the fifth game of the season, you had five veteran, really good receivers. It was probably the deepest spot on the team. You come back, two guys on the practice squad at the beginning of the year now are part of your receiver arsenal and a guy who wasn’t on the team in Brice Butler. How big of an adjustment has that been for you?) – “It’s definitely a little bit different, just the type of guys we have and the guys we lost – the skillsets that Jakeem (Grant) and Albert (Wilson) had just to stretch things a little bit for us. We have to adjust. That’s the game. You adjust to the players you have and I’m confident in the guys we have out there that they’ll get open and do a good job for us.”
(Did you notice any rust at all, either during the week of practice or during the game that you feel you have to knock off and maybe give you a higher ceiling this week?) – “Yeah, definitely. If you don’t play for six weeks, you’re not going to come out at your best. During the week last week, just getting comfortable and back in the pocket and getting used to moving around, feeling things is obviously not something that comes right back overnight. I’m working extremely hard on that throughout the week and obviously feel better than I did last week at this point.”
(With Bills QB Josh Allen, he’s a rookie quarterback and teams are trying to disguise things and confuse him. Do you remember your rookie season, what teams would do to try to do that to you?) – “Honestly that was so long ago, I feel like I’m 90 compared to my rookie year. (laughter) That was so long ago. I’ve learned so much since then. I don’t remember a whole lot of specifics on specific teams or anything like that; but, yeah, when you face a rookie quarterback, that’s something that I think that all teams will try to do is give you tough looks, especially if it fits what your defense does, specifically. I know our defense throws a lot of looks out there no matter who we’re playing, whether it’s Tom Brady or Josh Allen. They’re going to throw out a bunch of looks and try to make it tough, try to disguise and hopefully we get home this week.”
(With the standings, do you feel like the margin for error is pretty close to zero at this point?) – “Yeah, the margin is small. It is what it is. We have to go out and we have to win. That’s what it is. There’s not a whole lot of sugarcoating it. We have to go out and play well and win.”
(Do you think it’s fair for the Dolphins to evaluate you over your last five games of the season?) – “Yeah, if you’re on the field, you’re getting evaluated. That is what it is. Whatever you put on tape, that’s what every team, this team and every other team has to go on. If you’re on the field, you’re getting evaluated.”
Isaiah Ford – November 28, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
WR Isaiah Ford
(On being signed to the 53-man roster.) – “I was getting a little workout in and they brought it up to me and told me that it was going to happen. Then I talked to my agent and they said the same thing. I’m humbled for the opportunity. I’ve been working extremely hard. It’s just the beginning. Now I’m trying to help this team win games and try to make a run.”
(What does this mean to you after everything you’ve been through the last couple of years?) – “It’s a step in the right direction. Prayer works. I serve a God that is all-knowing and he can make miracles work. Just believing in Him, keeping my faith and then working extremely hard.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said something interesting about you wanting to show what you’re capable of outside, in light of them bringing in WR Brice Butler last week. When they bring in a veteran – nothing about Brice specifically – but when they brought in a veteran, did it sting you at all that it wasn’t you initially?) – “As a competitor, any time that you feel like your number isn’t called, you’re going to feel some type of way. But I just went back to the drawing board and worked hard and just focused on getting better each day, working on something to better my game so when that time does come, I’ll be ready.”
(Since the season started, what percentage of reps would you guess you’ve taken on the inside or slot position?) – “I don’t know. Honestly, I’ve been all over the place since the season started. I’m comfortable playing inside and outside as well.”
(How much has your patience been tested waiting for this moment?) – “My patience has been tested since entering the Combine, entering the draft. Like I said, it’s not on my time, it’s all God’s time. I’m just doing my part, working extremely hard and being ready for when that time does come.”
(What kind of weird year has this been at receiver. It was probably the team’s deepest position going into the first game of the season and now two guys who were on the practice squad – you and WR Leonte Carroo – are on the 53 as well as a guy who wasn’t here two weeks ago – WR Brice Butler. How weird of a year has it been?) – “Extremely weird. We know that football is a sport where anything can happen; injuries do happen and they hit every team at some point. We’re just getting hit a little harder in that position. But in our room, we preach that it’s next man up. We have a tight bond together and we have great leaders to where we don’t want any drop off whoever is in the game.”
(Having said all of that, what are you going to bring to the table when you get in there?) – “The same thing that I’ve been doing – be myself wherever they put me at or wherever I can help the team win, playing as hard as I can and honing my craft.”
(How much can you get into the games when you’re watching from the sidelines? Are there spots where you’re like, ‘I could’ve done this?’) – “No. I never want to do that because you don’t know what that guy on the field, what he’s seeing or what happened to make a result of the play happen that way. I do try to watch the game as I’m playing it and pick their brains when they come to the sideline to see what they see and things like that.”
(Guys have talked about WR Danny Amendola being a leader and what he’s shown from the second he got here. Now there’s a chance that he does not play this weekend, what do you lean on from what you’ve learned from him?) – “Watching film with him, seeing what he sees so we can start speaking the same language on things that we see and how we want to run routes and things like that, if that’s the job that needs to be done, if a spot needs to be filled.”
Jake Brendel – November 28, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
C Jake Brendel
(How meaningful was it for you last week that C/G Ted Larsen was back and you still got the start?) – “I don’t really think of it like that. I feel like we were kind of rolling right from the Packers game into last week. I feel like that was the reason why. I feel like our focus now should just be on this week’s opponent.”
(How difficult is the transition in game to go from left guard to center?) – “It’s not as drastic as going from left guard to right guard. Luckily I’ve played a lot for center, so I can kind of fall back to the already ingrained technique that I’ve had at that position. I feel like it wasn’t that bad of a transition.”
(How are things falling together as in you do have a few moving pieces on the offensive line and then the guy behind you QB Ryan Tannehill is sort of new but not new. How do you feel about how the way all of these moving pieces are coming together?) – “Tannehill is definitely not new. Even when he wasn’t playing, he still was a very big part of this team. That for sure wasn’t a new component. I feel like we, as an offensive line, act as a unit no matter who’s in there is kind of a big deal. Just be all on the same page and make – especially at the center position – make your calls and make the right adjustment depending on what the defense does.”
(You’ve had quite an interesting season starting on injured reserve and then getting activated and now in the starting lineup. How would you describe the ride?) – “You just have to trust the process. It was kind of unfortunate what happened to me in training camp; but luckily the Dolphins believed in me and believed in me as a player, so I worked as hard as I could to get back. I did exactly what the training staff and the weight room staff told me to do and it worked. Now I’m back and I’m healthier than ever, so I’m ready to work.”
(You showed what you could do obviously in the second half of the Falcons game last year. You’ve played well your two game. Has it changed for you as far as going from I just want to be an NFL player to I’d like to prove that I can be an NFL starter at some point. Has it gone from that to that?) – “Starting has always been a goal. It’s always been something that I’ve worked towards. I just made sure I was available at every single interior position on the offensive line. Really, it was just waiting for the opportunity and making sure to work in the offseason and make sure you work at practice.”
(As you mentioned what happened to you with the injury stuff – and the wide receiver group – the next-man-up mentality is the buzz phrase in the NFL. How difficult is it to embrace the mechanisms of actually doing it versus just saying it?) – “What’s really helped me was just watching the guys ahead of me. Last season I watched (Mike) Pouncey and this season I watched Dan (Kilgore), and just Ted (Larsen) and the older leaders on the offensive line. You just kind of try and emulate what they are doing as much as you can because obviously what they do works. As back-up guy, you have to wait and see what happens, but you also have to make sure that you trust in the coaching staff and make sure you go out there and practice. Even if you get in a game, you have to make sure that you show them that you can compete.”
Davon Godchaux – November 28, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
DT Davon Godchaux
(Was the third-down play at the end of the game by the Colts a good play call by them or you guys not in a good play call?) – “We were in a perfect play call. Andrew Luck just made a play. That’s what he gets paid for. He made a play. We didn’t make a play on defense and they end up executing a game-winning field goal.”
(When you have the game in-hand for so long and then you kind of give it away like that, how frustrating is that?) – “It’s tough. It’s tough because the offense scored enough points for us to win the game. Any time your offense scores 21 points or more, your defense has to shut them out under 21. They gave us a chance to win the game and we just didn’t finish on defense. We had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and we have to close that out.”
(How important is it for you guys to bounce back now this week?) – “It’s very important. Buffalo is playing good football. They won their last two games. They’re going to come in here and try to be hungry and be physical, so we have to come out and be more physical than them.”
(What have you seen from Bills QB Josh Allen? He’s a little bit like Colts QB Andrew Luck isn’t he?) – “No. I mean he’s a big guy but he’s more like a ‘Big Ben’ (Ben Roethlisberger). He can scramble. He’s faster than ‘Big Ben.’ Like I said, they just won their last one against Jacksonville and have won their last two. They’re feeling pretty confident so we have to come out and play fast.”
(Having said that, the responsibility of doing your part when you have RB LeSean McCoy back there …) – “Oh man, everybody has to be on their Ps and Qs on defense. That’s running to the ball, tackling. If one guy misses, the other guy (has to) make sure he’s doing a good job of wrapping a guy up. With ‘Shady’ (LeSean McCoy), he’s elusive. I had a chance to train with him in the offseason. He’s very elusive and I’m pretty sure he’s looking forward to this matchup.”
(You guys are probably going to play them like you played the Jets where you’re just trying to stop the run and see if the QB can beat you.) – “I can’t tell you the secrets. (laughter) At the end of the day, we’re going to come out and we need this win. We lost two in a row. We came off a bye and we got a loss so we have to get these two at home. It starts with the Buffalo Bills.”
(Isn’t that always the recipe though? You guys are always saying you have to stop the run first.) – “You’ve got to stop the run to have some fun because if you don’t stop the run, then you’re in third-and-1 and third-and-2, and then you don’t get to rush the passer. So it’s going to be a long day if you don’t stop the run.”
(Is Bills DT Kyle Williams a guy you’ve followed being a fellow LSU guy?) – “That’s my guy. When I first saw Kyle, it was a funny story. I was a junior at LSU when I first saw Kyle and I said ‘Man, this guy is a football player?’ He had a collared shirt on and he looked like a guy who was just working like a mechanic. But I respect him so much and the things he’s done in Buffalo – Pro Bowl, All Pro. It speaks for itself. (He was) a fifth-round draft pick. It speaks for itself.”
(Like somebody else from LSU that was picked in the fifth round?) – “(laughter) I’m not going to comment on that one.”
(Are you expecting your buddy DT Jordan Phillips to run a little hot on Sunday?) – “I’m pretty sure he’s going to be intense coming back to the team that drafted him – the Miami Dolphins. He’s going to be intense but at the end of the day, I’m just controlling what I can control. We’re just focused on playing the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.”
(Have you kept in touch with Bills DT Jordan Phillips at all?) – “I mean I’ve talked to him. I hit him up on Instagram. ‘What’s up, J?’ and stuff like that. He’s going to come out and he’s going to be a competitor, which I expect him to be. But at the end of the day, the focus is on the Buffalo Bills.”
Leonte Carroo – November 26, 2018
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Monday, November 26, 2018
WR Leonte Carroo
(What did your phone look like yesterday?) – “I had almost 300 text messages. It was a long wait for family and friends to college buddies to see me go out there and make a play. A lot of people back at home and just everywhere showed me a lot of love. They were excited for me, but I wasn’t as excited as you guys probably think I was because I would have rather (had) the win over anything. The touchdown would have felt a lot better if we would have won the game.”
(You fight for that ball, you get it, you turn around and you have all that real estate in front of you. What’s that like?) – “(I was) just excited to make a play for my team, especially at a desperate time when we needed it, right before the half. I guess that was the biggest excitement, to know that I was once on the practice squad and now I’m able to go out there and help this team try to win a game.”
(What’s the mood in here? Is it disappointment, anger at the way that game ended yesterday and sort of slipped away?) – “Obviously, it sucks to lose; but we still have a lot of season left. Just like any other loss or win, you have to move on. We have to get ready to be 1-0 for this week coming up and that’s our main focus now.”
(What were you thinking when the ball was in the air? I don’t have to tell you that that’s the vision that the Dolphins had when they drafted you, exactly what happened.) – “The ball was in the air – it’s my ball. The first thought process is obviously don’t let him intercept the ball, but then the next mentality in your mindset has to be that it’s my ball or nobody else’s. I was just able to go up and make a great play.”
(After that play, it seemed like you guys were holding on, on offense. Do you think you guys maybe could have been a little more aggressive to put that game on ice?) – “It’s all in Coach (Adam) Gase’s hands. We just have to go out there and execute plays. He calls the plays. As we watched the film, we had a lot of little mistakes that we could’ve made where we could’ve had a lot of explosive plays. It’s just little things here and there. We just have to continue to go out there and execute plays and do our 1/11th.”
(Obviously, you stepped up. Everybody has to step up because of the injuries, but do you feel like the game plan changes because you guys are very shorthanded, especially in the receivers room?) – “No, not at all. That’s what this league is about. It’s about next-man mentality. Coach (Adam) Gase is going to trust that anybody who steps up now has to know their job and has to go in there and execute just like any other starter would if they were playing. They don’t expect anything less than me to go out there and do what Jakeem (Grant), DeVante (Parker), Kenny (Stills) or Albert (Wilson) has done all season. I just have to go out there and do my job.”
(How satisfying is it for you to keep making big plays like this and validating the decision to promote you from the practice squad?) – “It’s obviously exciting, but this is something that I felt like I could’ve always done. It was just about the right timing and me having that confidence, and just going out there and executing and performing. Now that my teammates and my coaches know that I’m able to make plays, maybe they’ll have a little bit more trust in me. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
(Despite the loss, this is the first time this offense has gotten in the end zone in a really long time. How do you not only build on that, but what positives do you take away from yesterday?) – “We do have a lot of playmakers on this team. We just have to find a way to continue to execute plays and go out there and put great drives together. (We) have to be third-and-manageable. Once we do that, we’re able to make big plays – myself, Kenny (Stills), Kenyan (Drake). We just have to continue to go out there and execute the game plan to the best of our ability. That’s it, really.”
(From the outside, a lot of people believe this team is really banged up and really injured. A lot of the starters at the beginning of the year are out, and then you guys from the practice squad are moved up. When you look at the situation, do the guys in the locker room feel that way, that it’s a really injured team?) – “No, not at all. Like I told you before, the thing about this league is it’s a next-man-up mentality. We just have to continue to practice hard. Guys that do step up, they have to learn the offense, continue to study and continue to practice hard. If you have a good week of practice, I feel like it will pay off. Last week, I had a really good week of practice and that’s why I was able to make a big play in the game. No matter who you are, what position, just practice hard and go out there and you’ll be fine.”
(I remember one thing you told us the day before Labor Day, after they made the move with you to the practice squad, you talked about wanting to do some things differently in terms of details and stuff like that. How has that translated to your success? Have you done more of that of stuff?) – “Yeah. Just being a better pro, whether that was studying my playbook a lot better or coming in on the off days. Take a guy like Kenny Stills, who I see as the ultimate pro. He’s been carrying me along well and making me do things on my off day like Pilates – stuff that I wouldn’t have done the last two years. Just taking care of my body and just doing the little things in order to be a better player on Sundays.”
(Have you answered all 300 texts yet?) – “No, not at all. I do appreciate the love and support that I got from all my family and friends; but like I said, I would’ve rather had the win for my teammates.”
Kenyan Drake – November 26, 2018
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Monday, November 26, 2018
RB Kenyan Drake
(On being close to a win yesterday but not being able to pull it out at the end.) – “That’s football. It’s unfortunate that we ended up on that side of the win/loss margin. We have to finish better.”
(The offense finally seemed to get going. Is it a little more injecting finally now that you got into the end zone and see what you were capable of for a while?) – “Regardless of if we lost by 30 points or 1 point, the result is still the same. We have to find ways to move the ball when it matters. We just came up short.”
(Maybe things have calmed down a little bit overnight but what’s the mood of this team right now coming off that loss?) – “We understand that a lot of the situations that we put ourselves in are self-inflicted. We have to correct that. Whether it’s physical or mental, we have to put ourselves in the best situation to be able to win the game at the end of the game, which we are doing; but we have to finish it off. That’s our main goal.”
(Is there anger? Disappointment? What are the feelings in here right now?) – “This game is not really meant for a lot of feelings. We just know we have to do a better job at the end of the game to finish the game and that’s it.”
(What about in terms of the big picture and playoff hopes? What’s your mindset right now in terms of that?) – “We play to win the game so at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing: to put yourself in the best situation at the end of the day to win games. That’s our number one focus.”
(Have you looked at the standings?) – “No, because I know for us to control our destiny, we have to win out. So it doesn’t really matter what anybody else is doing. It matters about what we’re doing and that’s the most important thing is focusing on ourselves and focusing on our next opponent, then going out there and taking care of it each and every week.”
(You said you have to win out so is there a pretty big sense of urgency in here right now? Are backs against the wall?) – “No. We’re taking it one game at a time. At the end of the day, whoever we have next, that’s our next opponent. We (have to) do what we have to do (and) put this game behind us. We already looked at film so it’s on to Buffalo this week.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said you fell on the same shoulder again. How much pain are you playing through?) – “Football is a physical game so everybody is nicked up. I’m doing my best to be in the game so I can help this team win more games.”
(What did you see on your two touchdowns? It looked like your speed came into play.) – “I didn’t get touched really on either one so that’s a testament to the linemen, the receivers, everybody being in the position they need to be in and me just trying to make a play with the ball in my hands.”
(Do you expect to practice this week and do you expect to play Sunday?) – “Yeah. I mean it’s football. Everybody is hurt so I’m going to be out there.”
Frank Gore – November 26, 2018
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Monday, November 26, 2018
RB Frank Gore
(After yesterday’s game, you were very upset. You let people know that you had to finish. How frustrating was yesterday’s loss?) – “It was very frustrating because we were dominating the game all of the way through until there were seven or eight minutes left in the game. We let it go. When you dominate the game, you have to finish the ballgame. It’s already hard to win games in this league. I thought we had that one.”
(I know you wouldn’t give up on a team but what’s the mood? What are you thinking the day after?) – “We’ll be okay. We just have to continue working, continue believing in us and stay as one believing in our coaches. It starts Wednesday. Get ready for Buffalo.”
(Do some losses hurt more than others?) – “Yeah. When you’ve got the win, you want to get it. We didn’t. We let it go. We were playing good ball all of the way until the last seven or eight minutes of the game, so that was tough.”
(Do you look at the standings? Do you know where you guys are right now?) – “No. I don’t look at that. I don’t even know where we are. I don’t look at it.”
(The passion that you spoke with yesterday after the game, is that one of those instances where you talk with the coaches and kind of find out what’s going on there?) – “No. I let coaches be coaches. I know that we’ve got great coaches. They’re going to come up with the right plan to make us be successful and I’m going to go with whatever they want to do. So no, I don’t.”
(Do you feel like the margin for error is close to zero at this point?) – “We’ve got to do something this week. I don’t know where we’re at in the hunt, in the playoffs, but we have to win. We’ve got to win this week. If we win this week, it’ll be better for us. I know that.”
(When the stadium started getting nice and loud at the end of the game, did you feel like you just have to make one play?) – “Yeah. We had them quiet the whole game. That’s why I say we were dominating the game. If we would have just made one play when we were backed up, we would have gotten them back quiet. But we didn’t and we lost.”
(If you had to point to what went wrong on those final two drives, does anything stand out to you?) – “We just didn’t make the plays. When it gets down to that time of the game, you have to make a play. I can’t point out anything. Whenever a play is called, we have to make it happen, and we didn’t.”
(I know this doesn’t mean anything to you after a loss but your season average now per carry is over 4.5 yards, which is pretty impressive at this advanced stage at anyone’s career. Do you take pride in that because not a lot of people that age have done?) – “You take pride in your yards per carry. You take pride in that. I’m just going to keep working hard and playing hard and trying to do whatever it takes to be successful to try to help my team be successful.”
(As a veteran, you’re not very vocal it seems like, when you talk to a lot of players. Is this one of those losses where you step up and start talking to these guys?) – “I’m not talking to guys but when I feel like it’s the right time for something to be said, I’m going to say it. The way we lost that game, we gave it away and I know we should have won that game. So that’s why it was hard for me.”
(Did you say anything to the team? Is that one of those moments?) – “I talked to some of my guys. I talked to some of the veteran guys who are the leaders of this team and told them we can’t let that happen.”
