Minkah Fitzpatrick – August 9, 2018 (Postgame)
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Postgame – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Miami Dolphins S Minkah Fitzpatrick (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)
(How would you assess your first NFL game action, even if it was preseason?) – “It was good. I went out there, tried to do my job as best as I could. Play fast, get to the ball, and that was it.”
(Do you feel like you were able to play as fast as you wanted to?) – “Not 100 percent, but pretty close. The final process is just learning the defense, mastering the defense, so I can start to just play fast and play instinctively. I think right now, I’m at a good place. I’m at a good spot and I still have three more games before the actual season, so hopefully by that point I’ll be at 110 percent, maybe fly around, make calls, see the offense, and all that stuff.”
(Compared to camp, was the speed any different?) – “No sir. It felt like we were just out there at camp, just a different opponent in front of us, because we go fast in camp. I’m really appreciative that we do that, a lot of teams don’t do that in the league, so like I said, it’s like practice.”
Raekwon McMillan – August 9, 2018 (Postgame)
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Postgame – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Miami Dolphins LB Raekwon McMillan (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(How were you feeling before kickoff tonight?) – “I was feeling thankful that I have the chance to play this sport again because in rehab, you just don’t when it’s going to come and it seemed like a long time but it’s here and back fast again.”
(How did it feel to share the field again with LB Jerome Baker out there?) – “My man went out there and made a couple plays. He was out there balling out. It’s just good to see him out here doing what we love together again so hopefully we can get a lot more where that’s from.”
(How would you assess your performance out there, just getting back on the field?) – “It was just a run through for the starters. I only got a couple of series, a couple of reps in there but, other than that, we did what we had to do and got out of there.”
Jerome Baker – August 9, 2018 (Postgame)
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Postgame – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Miami Dolphins LB Jerome Baker (transcribed by Daniel Chavez)
(It seemed like you were flying around the ball, demonstrating your speed a little bit on defense.) – “That’s just one part of my game. There’s a lot of things I try to work on. I try be more than just a speed linebacker. Overall, I think I did pretty well, but I have a lot to improve on.”
(How was the pace of the game for you playing against a different opponent?) – “The pace of the game … It’s still football at the end of the day. If you know what you’re doing, the game will slow down a little bit. It’s just a constant learning and getting better every day so that’s pretty much been my main focus.”
(Now the defense was having a little bit of issues, kind of stopping for yards and keeping them from getting big yards and stuff like that. How do you find a way to limit those big plays in the future?) – “You just have to read your keys and just really know what you’re doing. Going to go back tomorrow, watch film. The main thing is getting better every day. It’sthe pre-season, it’s the time to get better, so respect the game.”
Ryan Tannehill – August 9, 2018 (Postgame)
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Postgame – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB Ryan Tannehill
How do you think you did and how do you think the first-team offense did tonight?
RYAN TANNEHILL: I think we got off to a good start. It obviously wasn’t perfect. We definitely have a lot of room for improvement but to get on the field and move the ball down the field – obviously we didn’t end up with points, which is what you want to do – but I thought for our first time hitting the field, my first time hitting the field in a long time, it felt good to be back out there. I think we started off on a good foot and now we just have to be able to finish that drive and execute in order to get the ball in the end zone.
What personally did this night mean to you to get back out here and play?
RYAN TANNEHILL: It was huge. I think (it was) probably more appreciation than I normally have for a preseason game. I didn’t make it to this point last year and of course the long rehab process and everything it took to get back to this point. I think more appreciation for just every second that I was out there and I just enjoyed it a little bit more.
Was there a moment that you talked to one of your teammates and thought it was pretty cool?
RYAN TANNEHILL: It was kind of constant. I was just soaking it all up, soaking up every moment I could and enjoying it, because I knew what it was like not to be able to be out there and have to struggle through missing a whole year. So I definitely didn’t take any moment for granted.
On that first play, was that your call or was that…?
RYAN TANNEHILL: No. That was (Head Coach Adam) Gase all the way. He dialed up a good one and got us off on the right foot there. Kenny (Stills) did a good job coming across. He wasn’t open early but kept fighting his way across and was able to make a nice grab on the sideline.
Your protection tonight seemed strong.
RYAN TANNEHILL: Protection was awesome. The guys up front did an awesome job, not only in the passing game but in the running game, as well. It was that third down, third-and-11 I believe, and we ran a draw and they did a great job of getting up on the linebackers and giving us a chance for Kenyan (Drake) to get to the second level and got us to fourth-and-1. So the offensive line did a great job for us. I’m happy how we started.
Were you touched?
RYAN TANNEHILL: I don’t think I was touched. So it was a good night.
Want to get that first hit out of the way?
RYAN TANNEHILL: I’m not too worried about it. It will come. It will come in due time. Hopefully we can keep this streak going as long as we can.
Did you feel like you could go one more series?
RYAN TANNEHILL: Yes, I always feel like I want to play more. I was excited to be back out there and got the juices flowing and when you’re in that competing mode, it’s always that you want to go more, you want to go more. So Coach had to take a stop.
Adam Gase – August 9, 2018 (Postgame)
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Postgame – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Head Coach Adam Gase (Postgame)
What did you think of the first team offense out there tonight?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: I thought it was good. Seemed like they were operating in good tempo. We robably have a couple things to clean up when we watch it but it felt right.
The idea of first play out of the gates was to put QB Ryan Tannehill on the move?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: I mean, it’s just — I wouldn’t look too much into that. It’s just what everybody liked to start the game.
Your first team defense was in there for two possessions. Was that a plan or did that evolve?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: We didn’t go in with — we had kind of a play number but we just wanted to really feel it out. So those guys wanted to keep some of those guys in. I think a few guys came out, a few guys stayed in. We have kind of a mixed group of guys. We felt like that was what we wanted to do after that first series.
The backup quarterback, QB David Fales and QB Brock Osweiler both did things. Did either of them…?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: I don’t know. This is going to take all of training camp. It’s going to take all preseason.
What’s one thing you liked tonight and one thing you didn’t?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: I liked the energy. I liked the focus that we had. Leading up to the game, I thought before we even got out there, guys were wired in and they were ready to go. Then when we got out there, there was a lot of good execution. There was some things that we have to work on. We were really shooting to get — you know, have zero pre-snap penalties. We fell short of that. Just putting the ball on the ground, that’s something that we just have to make sure that we don’t. I mean, first glance, you see (Kalen) Ballage go over the top of the guy but we lose the ball. So that’s just a young kid trying to make a big play and making a mistake and he’ll learn from that and he’ll get better from it.
The first-team defense, how did you feel they played?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: It’s hard for me to tell from just watching. When we watch the tape, it will be easier.
Any immediate thoughts on S Minkah Fitzpatrick and TE Mike Gesicki?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: I’ve got to watch it in detail to really evaluate anybody.
Any word on LB Mike Hull?
HEAD COACH ADAM GASE: Yeah, right now, I mean, I just know it’s a knee. I don’t know the exact details of what’s the timeframe and things like that.
Adam Gase – August 9, 2018 (Halftime)
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Halftime – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Head Coach Adam Gase (Halftime)
(You get a good drive going, put some points on the board. That had to feel good for you.) – “Yes, it was good. The first group, it was fun calling plays. They were moving well. I felt like we had a shot there on that third down. We had good protection, we just didn’t convert, and then we miss the field goal. Overall, the protection was awesome. He was back there peeling an orange. The rest was good, just a little inconsistent. We’ll get something going here in the second half.”
(Defensively, you faced three short fields. They put two touchdowns and a field goal up. Would you like to have seen a stop somewhere along the way there?) – “Yes. The fumble, that hurt us. I thought our defense did a good job clawing it up, trying to make sure that we got a stop there. I think Mike (Hull) getting hurt, that kind of stung. I think that took the wind out of us a little bit, but we’re bouncing back here and we’ll get a good second half.”
(RB Kalen Ballage was looking good. He left the ball on the ground but came back and covered up and he’s done some good things for you.) – “That’s supposed to happen with rookies sometimes. They have to go through the hard times in the preseason, but that’s what it’s for.”
(Do you like what you have seen out of QB David Fales?) – “Yes, he’s done a good job. He’s moved the ball, he put the ball in the end zone. I have to get Brock (Osweiler) in better rhythm. I haven’t really gotten him going quite yet.”
Mike Gesicki – August 7, 2018
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Tight End Mike Gesicki
(Why do you do your post-practice drills barefoot?) – “My cleats feel like I just jumped in a damn puddle. I just take my cleats off right after practice because my cleats are soaked.”
(You couldn’t do that in college during the season. You aren’t taking off your cleats.) – “Yes, when I go to Penn State, you’re not taking your shoes off in November. (laughter)”
(What’s it like to be here this week leading up to your first professional game. I know it is preseason, but what’s it like?) – “It’s exciting. It’s something that I have been working for and waiting for for a long time. You’re just going into it and just know that you’re prepared and know that you’re ready for this moment you’ve been working for for a long time. I’m just going in there relaxed, go out on that first snap and take a breath and just go out and play.”
(Is there any way that that one-on-one blocking drill with those guys coming full speed – is there any way that could be fair?) – “I think that the more challenging it is, the better it’s going to make us in the games. It’s definitely something that I need to continue to focus on. Knowing our coaches, (Tight Ends) Coach (Shane) Day and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and everybody that is there for me, they’re not going to let up on me and they’re going to help me become the best complete tight end that I can be.”
(You did make up for it, though, with the one-on-ones on the outside.) – “That’s something that is my strength, and I’m trying to make my weaknesses my strengths as well.”
(I know it’s a preseason game, but is there some extra excitement to get into an NFL stadium and having that experience?) – “Absolutely. Getting off this practice field, going and playing a different team, lining up against a different color, just all of that stuff. It’s going to be exciting and it’s something that all of us on this team are excited about.”
(How would you describe what it feels like when the ball is going to be high in the air and knowing you have a chance to jump up and catch a touchdown in the end zone? How would you describe what goes through your mind and the emotion) – “When the ball is in the air, that is all I’m focusing on. I’m not thinking about anything else besides going up and getting the ball at it’s highest point, because I know that the highest point that I get it at is higher than anybody else on the field. So, if it’s up there high enough and I can go get it, nobody else is going to be able to get up there. That’s kind of my mindset. A lot of people call it 50-50 balls; but for me, when the ball is in the air, it’s all or nothing. It’s 100 percent. It’s me or nobody.”
(When you catch a touchdown in a game – thinking back to all those touchdowns you caught in your last stop – what is that like?) – “That’s why you put in all of this work. That’s why you stay after practice and you make these catches and you go out here and you work hard each and every day, for moments like that. This way, when your opportunity comes and your number gets called, you go out and make the play.”
(I know you guys have been rotating, but when you’re in there with the one’s, is there a different feeling just being out there?) – “There’s definitely a sense of urgency. You’re with guys that have been doing it for many, many years. They have a bunch of years under their belt, a lot of experience. There’s not a lot of room for error. There’s not a lot of room for thinking or for overthinking anything. It’s just listening to the call, get the call, line up and just go play and do what you do.”
(Did you get that sense of ‘don’t screw this up?’ Is that the first thought?) – “When I first got here, that was kind of my mindset. It was ‘don’t make a mistake.’ Now, it’s just to go do what I do and just go make plays. That’s what I’m here to do.”
(How much more confident are you heading into this game now than 11 days ago?) – “Absolutely. I think that the more reps you get each and every day, and the more installs that we have and the more plays that have come in, it’s definitely taking another step up in terms of challenging and all that kind of stuff. I think that not only myself, but everybody has handled that really well, studying the playbooks and gotten out here and for the most part, been right on their assignment.”
(Were those fresh gloves for the jug? have you figured that one out already or what?) – “I bring two pairs of gloved out here because it’s so hot. My shoes are soaked. I should start bringing out two pairs of cleats. I bring out two pairs of gloves and I switch them about halfway through.”
(What do you think is the best way for any rookie to gain the trust of the coaching staff before the regular season?) – “Know your assignment, know your role, be accountable and just go out and make plays when it’s your time. When the ball is in the air, go make a play. When it’s your block, go make the block. Whatever it is. If I’m running down on kickoff, if I’m on kickoff return, if I’m on the wing on field goal, or if I have to go catch a touchdown. Whatever it is, if you want to earn trust in people, you have to go out and do the right things.”
Adam Gase – August 7, 2018
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What can you tell us about the decision to sign RB Jeremy Langford? He’s a guy that you’re obviously familiar with.) – “Really, we had an extra spot. We felt like we needed a little bit more depth there really for the preseason games. It’s somebody that can come in here and he’s familiar with the terminology. He’s able to jump right back in. He’s healthy. He was coming off some injuries in the past. Last year when we brought him in, I think we were still a couple of weeks away. And then he ended up going somewhere else. We felt like we needed another body at that position to come in and compete and we thought he was a good guy for us to sign.”
(On that position, obviously as you explained, you want to see some of the young kids with the ones at times. We saw RB Kalen Ballage there today. How would you assess his camp overall?) – “(He’s) learning. It’s a lot and especially if he gets in there with the ones, being with Ryan (Tannehill), he’s going probably a little quicker tempo. I think between David (Fales) and Brock (Osweiler), they’ll slow it down occasionally and make sure they over-communicate because they know there are a lot of young guys in those groups. They want guys to know what to do. They don’t want … If a guy has a miscue and he doesn’t know what to do, that’s going to hurt them more than anybody. So I think those guys slow it down where Ryan, he’s going. It’ll be 10 out of 11 knowing what to do.”
(Can you talk a little bit about the red zone offense, your impressions so far and if you feel like you have more options there this year than you had in your first two years?) – “It’s hard to tell sometimes in practice with how good you could be. When you watch it, you’re going, ‘Okay, there’s a lot of good things.’ It’s just the game changes so much when it’s the flow of the game. How is your running game that game? The concepts that you call. Right now it’s going against our defense and we may have some things that aren’t necessarily great against them, but we want to rep so the quarterbacks kind of get used to seeing certain patterns of the concepts that we have going on. A lot of the things that we’ve done so far have been positive. I do think we have a lot of options. It feels that way. It’s almost like who do you want to get the ball to? Especially with the running backs. I think they do a good job of if they get downhill fast and get low … Frank (Gore) had a couple of good runs the other day to where he kind of squeezed through some holes and Kenyan (Drake), the same thing. I think he got the edge a couple of times. An effective running game down there is always a positive because you keep yourself third and short. The last thing you want to do is get third and eight from the 16. There’s just not a lot of options.”
(You guys have had some good days on offense, some not so good days on offense. At what point do you want to see that consistency day in and day out?) – “I think a lot of times in training camp, it swings like that because if one side has a good day, then the other side probably didn’t have as good of a day. You see that jostling of just back and forth. I think anytime that if we would see three or four straight days of one side dominating the other side, there’s going to be concern, probably on my part more than anybody, because I have to look at the big picture. The fact that we’re competing and battling every day, that’s a good thing.”
(Are you comfortable with where your offense is at this stage?) – “Yes.”
(Can you expand a little bit about the position change of DE Robert Quinn as far as why it matters so much to have him up at defensive end as opposed to – there was another NFL team that obviously thought that he could do just fine at outside linebacker, but he’s clearly more comfortable in this spot. Can you just teach a little bit about that here?) – “I think this defense is really what he was raised in. I guess that’s the best way to put it. When he came in the league and this is what he did, it’s what he did in college and when you switch to a 3-4 defense, there’s some more mechanics that go along with that when all of a sudden now you’re standing up. I do think he’s comfortable having his hand in the dirt. He did a good job last year. I just don’t think he was comfortable doing that. Sometimes guys have a certain ability to get off the ball a certain way. Cam’s (Wake) stance might be a little different than his, but they’re successful doing it. I think he doesn’t have to worry about coverage and dropping and things like that. That’s a different role for him if he has to do that, and he was asked to do that a little bit last year.”
(Outside of the comfort level that everybody should have in this offense considering very few people are new, why do you think that this offense should be getting to the next level?) – “I like the chemistry that they’re developing. I like that the skill guys seem to be working together with the quarterback. It’s not like we have one guy out there and two other guys are in the locker room. They’re all working together. They’re all trying to help each other and I do think Ryan (Tannehill) understands about spreading the ball out and making sure we’re using everybody that’s involved in the offense. That’s really key. When the defense has to make sure they account for every guy that’s on the field, that causes them problems. That’s what opens up your running game. If you’ve got five guys in the offense that are threats in the passing game, all of a sudden ‘Hey, we have to play some kind Cover 2 look or middle field open.’ Now, you have a better box to run the ball. I think it’s really just the chemistry of that group is good right now. These guys are working together.”
(What has led to your discomfort right now? Is it just high expectations?) – “I don’t think I’m … I’m good with what’s going on. I like the direction we’re heading. Really, it’s going to be about what do we do in preseason games? How are we going to come together? How are we going to handle any kind of adversity? Are guys ready to step up? Sometimes in practice there’s less pressure, and all of a sudden you get in a game, you know one mistake can cost the whole team a game. Guys are working for that perfection part of it.”
(We saw TE Mike Gesicki make a great jumping catch but also maybe miss a block. It looked like he was mad at himself on one play. As a coach, how do you process, manage and eventually make game-day decisions when you get there – not preseason, but regular season – about how much to trust inexperienced or rookie players?) – “I think it comes down to putting all of the reps that they get in practice together plus the preseason games. Really, you want to start off with do they know what to do? Are they trying to use the right technique? Then, at the end of the day, you can you do it or not? I think that’s where our adjustments have to come in as coaches, to where if a guy can’t do a certain thing, let’s not ask him to do something that he’s going to really have problems with. Really, that’s where we’re at as a coaching staff of keep evaluating. We might start crossing things off of the list eventually. I think we want to get into games more before we do that, though.”
(Do you have guys blitz TE Mike Gesicki when he’s out there?) – “No. They went through a whole period today where they did pass protection. Today, we didn’t have as many plays, but there were more runs called and there was some of our two-minute stuff where we end up going seven-man protections where he has to stay in, and he’s had some one-on-one situations. Those are good for him. Every time he has trouble with a guy, we can learn off of that. He does a good job. He doesn’t get hung up on one bad play. He moves on to the next one very quickly.”
(What would you like to see from the first-team offense in the first preseason game?) – “I mean, we all want to think the same thing. You’re hoping for a nice 10-play touchdown drive. I don’t know how many of those I’ve had in my career. It never goes exactly as you want it.”
(Can you go into a season with baseline stats for a quarterback for you to make the playoffs?) – “No.”
(Why not?) – “It’s so team oriented. Really, at the end of the day, it comes down to turnover margin. As a group on offense, are we protecting the football? And on defense, are we taking it away? And both of those areas, if we obviously have any kind of improvement from last year, we’ll be in a better spot. That was ridiculous.”
(One word that QB Brock Osweiler used to describe his training camp so far was “tremendous.” Do you agree with that?) – “That’s him personally? He loves the coaching, is that what you’re saying? (laughter). I mean I don’t know what he said. He’s a positive guy. I think Brock does a good job of focusing on what he’s trying to do. He has a purpose for every day at practice. I think this is what I almost forgot about him is that he does go out there with a purpose. That’s next-level type things. A lot of times a lot of guys just go out, here’s the period and I’ve run the play that the coach called. I think he’s got a different mind-set sometimes. Ryan (Tannehill) is kind of in that area too. He’s going out there to work on things. Plays might not go a certain way … I know there were two or three things today that they talked about before they went out there that came up that they were able to work on. To me, Brock is saying that because he has a good feel for the offense. I think he likes the guys that he’s rolling with, whether it’s that second or third group, and that confidence allows those other guys to be confident. So when he’s throwing the ball, I think those guys are on the same page. I think he’s having fun and he’s having a lot of success, especially when we do those move-the-ball periods, like when we did the scrimmage. You see why he was playing in real games. He’s calm. He doesn’t panic when things break down. He has outs if something doesn’t go as planned. He should have a good feeling right now.”
(So during the preseason, do you give QB Brock Osweiler snaps with the second team, and then Fales snaps with the second team? Or are they going to roll like they’re rolling out there today?) – “I’m not going to do that because I want each guy to get into a little bit of a rhythm. We’re trying to figure out how we want to do it for this game. We’ve had a couple – between (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree) and myself – a couple of discussions of how we want to handle this. We just want to make sure that we give both of these guys legit opportunities to where – you want to say on paper – work an equal amount of time with each group. I don’t know if that’s realistic because every game goes so different; but our goal is to be like, ‘you have this series.’ And maybe it’s two series in a row, then the next guy comes in for one series. I think it’s really going to come down to how many plays per series that we’re talking about.”
(Are these games the most important thing for those guys in that battle?) – “I think so. I think it starts on the practice field, but when we get going and it’s live tackling and you can get sacked, it’s just a better measuring stick.”
(In regards to Thursday’s game, how will you instruct your players regarding the national anthem?) – “I’m not instructing anybody for anything.”
(How do you expect to use QB Ryan Tannehill in the preseason games?) – “We’ve got to talk to him first before we do anything. I think I told you, we have a very sketched-out plan but we have nothing set in stone yet, and we haven’t gotten there yet with him. We still have a walk-through this afternoon; we’ve got a walk-through tomorrow. We’ll sit down and kind of talk through stuff. I know what he’s going to say already. He wants to get out there and get going because in his mind, these are important. Really, that’s the mindset. Every quarterback I’ve ever been around that gets put in these situations, they want to be out there to play because they want to get that feel back of a real game because they know when that first game comes, they’ve got to be on. It can’t be like, we’re going to feel our way into the season.”
(So if you do get a player who kneels, what happens next?) – “Talk to somebody else about that. I’m coaching football. I’m not dealing with all of this.”
(How is CB Tony Lippett?) – “We’ll see. We’re going to evaluate him and we’ll kind of see what happens. When I saw him on the field, he looked irritated. I don’t know exactly what happened. After this, I’ll be able to go in there and kind of find out what’s going on.”
