Adam Gase – August 17, 2018 (Halftime)
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Friday, August 17, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase (Halftime)
(Not the way you wanted to start things off on that first drive but the defense came back and played pretty well until that last drive.) – “It was better. We just can’t let those big plays up. It’s got to get cleaned up a little bit.”
(Your thoughts on your first offense and QB Ryan Tannehill moving the ball.) – “We’re moving the ball but we’re getting field goals. We had a great opportunity after a turnover to put it in the end zone and we didn’t do it; we had negative plays. We have a lot of things to clean up.”
(You’re getting some good play out of your outside wide receivers. WR Jakeem Grant and WR Albert Wilson seem to be doing pretty well out there.) – “Yes. We had some good plays. We had some bad plays. We have to make sure that we catch the ball.”
(You finally saw the pass rush you were looking for. DE Robert Quinn came on and had some other opportunities out there.) – “That was good. That was one of our problems last year when we came here. We couldn’t get the quarterback down. I thought the guys harassed him and did a good job of causing some pressure.”
Ryan Tannehill – August 14, 2018
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(Are you excited about breaking camp officially?) – “Yes and no. I love camp. I think it’s the best time of year to get better. The competition, the focus on football, the amount of time that you’re able to spend in the meeting room and on the practice field, I think you gain so much from it. Part of me is sad that it’s breaking and it’s over; but it’s the next step. I’m excited for what’s in front of us and the opportunities we have in front of us. This just means that we’re moving on to that.”
(Are you feeling the benefits of having an offensive line together for a whole camp?) – “Yes, of course. I think the offensive line is really doing a nice job. I think the past few days especially, the pass protection has been really good. I’m really excited about the way that they’re moving around, passing guys off and just giving me time back there. It started off back last week in the game, they did a great job and I think they’ve continued to build off of that.”
(What do you feel is the biggest benefit that you’ve noticed right away when you have a line together instead of shuffling guys in and out?) – “The consistency. I think they know how each other plays. There’s a trust factor that ‘okay, I’ve passed this twist off with this guy 200 times by now, so I know that he’s going to be there in the right spot.’ Just trust in the man beside you and the consistency of knowing the flow of the offensive line. It’s huge having that being the same over the course of several weeks.”
(I saw you had a little moment with Head Coach Adam Gase right before kickoff. You said ‘you can’t even imagine.’ What was that conversation like?) – “I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it was something to the effect of ‘I’m excited to have you back out here.’ I was like ‘You don’t even know. You don’t even know how excited I am to be here.’ To be on this field, do what I do, get play the game that I love … it was a long time coming. So it was great to get back under the lights and play some football.”
(You talked about the trust of the players and the trust of your own body. Having that one game and that one series, does that give you more confidence in yourself, your body, your knee?) – “I think the trust has been there for a while now. I think throughout the spring, that’s when I really got the 100 percent trust back, being able to do everything that I need to do out here and more throughout the training process and practices. Doing all of the running, cutting, the movements that I need to do, I think that’s what gave me confidence and the trust. Now, I don’t even think about it. It’s just going out there and playing.
(On if he’s going to play this week.) – “I have no idea. (Head Coach Adam) Gase hasn’t let me know anything yet.”
(You want to play a little more though, obviously. You want to get out there a little more.) – “Yes. I wanted to play more last week. Especially my first time playing in a long time, I got the juices flowing and got a taste of the action and I wanted more. But Gase has a plan, he does everything for a reason, and I’m sure I’ll get to play a little more this week.”
(Do your goals progress each week in the preseason? Do you have different things, more advanced things you want to try to get out of this week compared to last week?) – “Yes. There’s specific things that we’ll go into each preseason game. Last week, it was a sense of urgency to the line of scrimmage, tempo to the line of scrimmage, getting the guys up and going and I think that we did that. I think that we did a good job of that. Now, that’s one series, so we have to continue that and we’ll add something else this week that will be a focus.”
(What kind of a challenge is it to work with a new batch of wide receivers with WR Jakeem Grand and WR Albert Wilson in there, with WR Kenny Stills and WR DeVante Parker out?) – “Yes, it’s a little bit of a challenge. The benefit is they’re really talented guys. We have had throwing sessions in the summer. I was working with those guys out here. We’ve been trying to work them in. But it is an adjustment having different guys, different bodies, different body types. They’re both really talented guys and can play the position in a way that we need them to play. So, yes, it’s just a matter of getting the reps and getting comfortable with how each guy moves under duress, when he’s getting pushed and how he’s going to recover and little things like that. If you’re throwing and it’s free access then it’s like nothing, but it’s little things of alright, he’s getting pushed and one guy recovers a different way than another guy, but you have to throw it at the same time. Just knowing how each guy recovers a little differently is the adjustment.”
(You obviously have to pick your spots when it comes to – you had a moment I guess Sunday with RB Kalen Ballage – what goes into that as a leader, when is the right time to do something like that?) – “You don’t want to be an iron fist all the time, at least I don’t. I like to pick my spots like you said, and have a reason for everything that I do. I believe in Kalen. I know the talent that he has. He has every tool that we need him to have – he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he catches the ball well, he can pass protect. I told Kalen after the fact, I just want him to have more urgency. We want him to help us, I know he can help us; but we have to know what we’re doing when we’re on the field, especially in pass protection. I think he’s picked it up. I think he’s doing a good job of pressing forward and he’s going to help us this year.”
(Can you talk a little bit about the red zone offense, do you feel like you have more options this year than you’ve had in the past?) – “Yes. I think when you add some new receivers, a couple of new tight ends that are really talented – especially Mike (Gesicki), a guy who’s long and athletic, rangy – you have more mismatch problems than we’ve had in the past. I’m excited about the opportunities we have and trying to find those matchups that are better for us and get them the ball.”
(What’s it been like to see RB Frank Gore run the way that he’s running at this stage of his career?) – “I don’t even know how old Frank is. He runs like he’s 25. I’m excited to play with Frank, I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, how he plays the game, how hard he plays. The (most fun) part for me has been seeing him get through these little tiny cracks. It looks like he’s going to run right into the back of an offensive lineman and somehow he does a subtle little cut, shifts his shoulders and he’s cutting through a tiny little crack. It’s really amazing. I sit back in the quarterback room and watch these cuts and I’m like ‘Holy crap, did you see that?’ I don’t think people realize how tough that is to do and the vision that you have to see, the anticipation that you have to have to make that type of cut. He’s really one of a kind and I’m excited to play with him.”
(Where do you guys stand with the no-huddle offense? How is it progressing?) – “It’s good. We’re constantly working on it. I think we have a few different tempos that we can play at. We can go in the huddle and we can go on the ball at a normal pace. Or we can go – we call it ludicrous speed – and really push the tempo. I think that’s going to help us and be a tool this year more than it has in the past. We can change those tempos up and try to keep the defense on their heels.”
(How often have you guys gone ludicrous speed?) – “We had a few plays today in the last team period that they were out of the blue. It was like normal tempo, normal tempo, boom and then we jump into it and go really fast. I love doing that. I love getting the defense of their heels. Our guys do a good job of getting up on the ball and keeping that pressure on the defense. It’s kind of on Gase to initiate that and call it, but I love when he incorporates it.”
(And what are you guys doing better as opposed to previous years in the no-huddle or whatever speed, up tempo?) – “I think in 2016, going back, (it was the) first year in the offense for a bunch of guys and it was just difficult to be as consistent as we wanted to be, so we ended up huddling more that year. Last year with all the changes, it made it more difficult. Going into this year, we’ve had consistency for several years with these guys. They know what to do, they know what spots to be in and now we’re able to press the tempo.”
(Your thoughts on training camp being over?) – “I’m a little sad that it’s over. I love training camp. I love the grind. I love the time that we’re able to spend together, spend out here on the practice field, spend in the meeting room. I think you get your biggest gains in this time of year. You gain all times of the year, but I think your biggest gains are made in training camp. So, part of me is sad, but the other part of me is excited, because it marks the next phase, the next chapter of this season and getting ready for game one.”
(What’s the hardest part about playing in the heat and how does it work to your advantage early in the season as opposed to later? Does it help?) – “Yes, I think it helps. We’re accustomed to it. We’re out here every single day grinding in the heat pretty much no matter what the temperature is or the index or anything like that. We should be accustomed to it more than any other team and we have to use it to our advantage, especially with what I was talking about the tempo and things like that of getting teams on their heels and grinding them down. They might stay with us in the first, second and third (quarters), but hopefully by the fourth quarter we grounded and pounded them enough to where we can use the heat and the whole home-field advantage to the fullest.”
(What’s your impression been of some of the rookies you’ve faced on first-team defense – S Minkah Fitzpatrick, LB Jerome Baker – and how they’ve looked out there?) – “They’re doing a good job. I think Minkah really flashed in the spring and has continued to get better. They’re moving him around a lot. He’s playing safety. He’s playing nickel. He’s doing a little bit of everything back there. He’s an extremely talented guy. You can tell he loves the game of football and he’s a football player. He works extremely hard. So, he has all the indicators that I love seeing in a defensive player. I think he’s going to be big time for us.”
(On feeling more comfortable being himself.)) – “I think it’s just been a progression throughout my career. I think the more confidence you get as far as games under your belt, time spent with the guys, time in an offense, dealing with all the bull crap that you deal with in this profession, I think at some point you’re kind of like, ‘Screw it. I’m going to be me and do everything I can to win and if they don’t like it, then oh well.’ I think that’s part of it. Part of it is Gase and the support he has for me and the confidence he gives me to go out and be me and lead the way I want to lead.”
(On using his voice more this year.) – “Like I said, it’s just a progression. I wouldn’t say it’s something I’m really focusing on or anything like that. Just going out, being me and trying to drive this team every single day to execute and hold our standard and win football games.”
(I know you addressed this in the past, but take us back through the injury with LB Raekwon McMillan and the rehab and how you guys challenged each other? You’ve seen him go down and challenged each other in the offseason.) – “It was terrible seeing Raekwon go down. It was the first preseason game, kickoff and I was up in the box having a little pity party myself, wishing I was out there. To see him go down, I wasn’t really sure what it was. As soon as I heard it was an ACL, my heart was broken, because I knew the emotions that he was dealing with – pain, disappointment, the anger, all of those things that overwhelm you in that moment. I really felt for him in that. We actually had surgery on the same day, so we were neck-and-neck the whole way through our rehab, pushing each other day in and day out. Little things that weren’t a competition, we’d find a way to make them a competition and to just push each other. We’re competitors. That’s why I love … I found that out about Raekwon during that time and I love it about him is he’s a competitor. He loves competing and loves the game of football. Just being able to compete with him each and every day, there were some things that were really difficult. We did some BFR (blood flow restriction), which was a grind. It’s basically a cuff they put and it squeezes 80 percent of the blood flow out of your legs and then we’d ride the bike. It started off as we’d ride and then we made it a competition. How far can you go in 10 minutes? Boom, boom, boom, boom. Pretty soon we were hitting four miles. It might not sound like a lot, but when you don’t have blood flowing into your legs, your legs feel like they’re going to explode after the first 45 seconds. It’s really just a mental grind. We found a way to push each other and make each other better and I think get mentally stronger through the whole process.”
Kenyan Drake – August 14, 2018
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
RB Kenyan Drake
(What are your thoughts on the end of training camp?) – “I feel like we had a really good two weeks out here. (We had) a lot of competitiveness. We’re looking forward to getting to this game up in Charlotte. I felt like the offense really came together; the defense really came together. We just want to continue to mesh as we go into the season.”
(What are your thoughts on how the no-huddle offense has worked in practice and briefly against Tampa Bay?) – “You just have to rep it. (They’re) very short phrases so you have to hear the phrase, know your responsibility and just go out and execute. The more you do that and the more comfortable we get into it, the quicker we line up and see what the defense has to offer and maybe switch to another alternate play. As the preseason and the season goes on, we’ll continue to be well oiled in that and hopefully that will help us make a lot of big plays.”
(Are you guys better at the no-huddle offense and if so, why?) – “Yes, we’re better at it just in terms of it being the third year for a lot of people that have been in this offense under (Head Coach Adam) Gase. So it’s real familiar. I know myself included, just going back to my rookie year, it’s like night and day in terms of going out there and executing and knowing exactly what to do down in and down out. (I’m) being able to see what the defense has to offer so I can make up (my mind) in where I have to be in a certain given situation. I feel like it’s just experience.”
(What’s the biggest difference and the benefit you noticed in having the offensive line together the whole camp when you go out there and play?) – “I feel like in any situation, having the o-line out there and all of the receivers and everybody out there full hands on deck, it really builds that camaraderie. It builds that familiarity where you can go out there and understand that you’re going to have that guy for 16-plus weeks. It’s really cool just to build that camaraderie and go out there and execute it on a daily basis so when you go into the season, it’s the same thing from camp to the season.”
(What happened yesterday with DT Gabe Wright?) – “Just a misunderstanding in terms of things got out of hand. It really is what it is, honestly.”
(Were you surprised that DT Gabe Wright was released?) – “I was definitely surprised but that’s not a decision I have to make. That’s a decision that the head man and everybody else upstairs has to make. It was really out of my hands.”
(How much of a benefit is it to learn from a guy like RB Frank Gore?) – “It’s definitely very beneficial. That guy with that type of experience and how he comes out, it not only permeates from his experience but also him just coming out here and running around at his age. It shows that if you take care of your body and you do what you need to do on a daily basis year in and year out, you can come out here and be successful for however long you want to.”
(To know that you’re the featured back going into this season, how different is your mindset with that?) – “I just try to take every day for what it is and be where my feet are at. It’s really kind of being in a routine to where I know I can put my best foot forward at the end of the day. (That includes) eating when I need to, having the right hydration, the right setup to where I can be available for 16-plus games this year so I can help this team win games and make plays.”
(What do you expect to get out of this second preseason game?) – “Just continue to build confidence going out there with the rest of my teammates. The ability to go out there and continue to make plays. I might not get 20 carries in the second preseason game but making the most of the carries and making sure that I execute the game plan accordingly.”
(Is it nice to get past the training camp stage?) – “Yes, the work is going to continue regardless, so I feel like I’m going to put that work in. We might not be up here as long up until 8 o’clock but I’ll still try to be up here as long as possible to get the most out of the day. I feel like that’s the mindset that I have, becoming more of a professional as my career kind of progresses. There’s no rush to get out of the facility. I can take care of my body and take care of my mind and make sure that I put my best foot forward each and every day.”
(How important is keeping your composure because obviously yesterday the team had some breakdowns. As a team, how important is it?) – “Obviously it’s very important. It’s kind of hard … Hindsight is very 20/20. First, when it comes to the severity of somebody getting cut in that situation and two, we’ve been banging for two weeks now. It’s easy to sit from the outside looking in and being like, ‘You should have more composure. You shouldn’t do this. You shouldn’t do that.’ But anger and tempers flare and things of that sort. You just have to, in that moment, have the ability to be proactive with how you can look forward to make sure that I’m here the next day. It is what it is. It’s a very unfortunate situation and I wish nothing but the best for him.”
(You’ve been in thousands of practices in your life and I’m sure you’ve seen that happen before. Have you ever seen anyone hurt? And are you alright?) – “That’s the thing too. You have to always have your teammates best interests at the end of the day, whatever the case may be in terms of mild tempered, me getting involved in something, coming to somebody’s help, me starting something, me trying to finish something. At the end of the day, you have to always think ahead and think about the future actions of what you do. That’s on and off the field. At the end of the day, you just have to make sure that you put your best foot forward to be who you want to be and who you want to represent for this team and for yourself.”
(It doesn’t sound like you’re holding any kind of grudge here.) – “No, I don’t have any grudge at all.”
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.”
