Adam Gase – May 23, 2018
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Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Obviously, it’s very important to you guys – to the team – to have QB Ryan Tannehill back. Specifically for Ryan as an individual, what have you observed about him in the last couple of days getting a chance to get back into this for the first time in a long time?) – “I think he’s, more than anything, just excited to be back on the field and being able to work team periods and going through our individual periods and working on certain aspects of his game. He’s had a really good energy level. When you’re away for a year and you get your opportunity to get back out there, I think there’s something that … You’ve missed it and it’s taken away from you and now you have a chance to kind of start over again and get back going with your guys. There’s that excitement. It’s great to have him back out there.”
(Does he seem – what you just said – does he seem kind of renewed?) – “I think he was disappointed last year when he got injured, because we felt like we were headed in the right direction. The year before, obviously, that was … We had a lot of good things going on. Just to get back out there, there’s an excitement for him.”
(At this point, what are you looking for from QB Ryan Tannehill particularly and how has he done with benchmarks?) – “Just trying to get him comfortable again. All the little nuances of the offense, it doesn’t seem like he’s really missed anything. He’s probably further ahead along now than he was last year.”
(Do you look at this for QB Ryan Tannehill more like Year 3 for him or Year 2 for him?) – “Probably Year 3. I know he didn’t play last year, but we got it going in the spring and we were working in training camp and it looked like things were headed in the right direction. A year really watching, seeing what was going on and really viewing from afar, I think it helped him.”
(What do you think the upside would be … It seems like there’s a clear-cut first team offensive line at this point. Would your hope be to stick with that group just for continuity? And I know one thing your new Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains said to us a couple weeks ago was that he feels this interior of the offensive line is better than what you had last year. Do you agree with that?) – “I think we’re trying to develop a little bit of cohesiveness with that group. We’ll keep taking it one day at a time and see how everything goes. I don’t want to jump the gun and say, ‘Here’s what it is locked in stone.’ It’s probably written more in pencil than pen right now. We did make an emphasis (to) make sure we firm up inside and help the center and get those guards and the center working together well and letting those two guys work on the edges, which we feel like they can do a good job of. We’ll just kind of see how everything plays out.”
(Has there been anything normal these last two days where QB Ryan Tannehill did something on the field and you said, “Okay, we’re fine. All is well. I love that?”) – “Yes, most of the stuff that he’s done. I feel good. I feel good with where we’re at. As long as we don’t have any setbacks – I don’t know what that could be – but I feel like we’re in a good place. I’ve seen him move around just as well as he ever has.”
(I didn’t notice RB Frank Gore doing team things. Did I miss it or was he limited?) – “Frank is not going to do a whole bunch in the spring. He hasn’t done anything (in the spring) in four or five years, maybe six.”
(As far as WR Albert Wilson, I believe he had a touchdown out there. What have you seen from Albert in 11-on-11? What have you seen from him so far these two days?) – “When you get a guy that’s coming from a different team, he has plenty of experience playing and he has made a lot of big plays in his career. I just see a veteran guy that is just trying to get the terminology really down. There may be a few different techniques that we’re trying to do with him that he hasn’t done before or doesn’t have a lot of experience with. For the most part, he’s just playing football. When you have the kind of athletic ability he does, the speed he does, the playmaking ability, you just try to find ways to get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing.”
(You said you like this group, but what have you seen so far on the field? Has the vibe out there really validated what you’ve seen?) – “Yes. It’s been good energy. I mean we’re in Day 2 here. We’ll see what it looks like in the ninth practice, but the energy level has been good. The way the guys are chasing the ball on defense and the line working down the field, the receivers trying to turn and put themselves in good positon down the field, I just like the way guys are finishing.”
(What kind of early sense do you get from QB Brock Osweiler?) – “We’re just working on a few things to tweak a few things mechanically. Nothing big. We’re just trying to get him back in rhythm to where we were three or four years ago, however long it’s been. It’s coming back to him really fast. It’s not too far off from the last time he was really in this system. He’s been good. It’s been good to be around him again. He’s got a great energy level. I think he’s enjoying kind of being with that group and working with the receivers he’s been working with.”
(How do you plan to work things out with QB Ryan Tannehill with regards to the knee brace? Will we see him out there some days wearing it to get used to it or not at all?) – “That’ll be a question you’ll have to ask him. I know you guys are going to talk to him today, so you can ask him all the knee brace questions you want.”
(Can you talk a little bit about your new Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek and what attracted you to him?) – “He’s a guy that there’s a lot of experience with (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) there, them working together. I think the fact that him and (Defensive Backs Coach) Tony (Oden) both came from the same system, the same team, there was a quick gel there on that side of the ball. Kris, he brings juice every day. You will hear him from the moment you step on the field until the end. His guys, I know his guys are going to run to the football, because I’ve heard it enough over the last two days. He gets quite a workout himself out there.”
(We saw two instances where WR Danny Amendola was kind of upset or frustrated with himself when he fumbled the ball and then he nearly had a ball picked off. Is that common from what you’ve seen from him, in terms of the intensity?) – “That’s him. That’s how he has been his whole career. Our defensive guys found that out first-hand last year. (It) got a little heated there between him and Bobby (McCain). He’s a competitor. He’s a perfectionist. He’s going to compete whether it’s Day 2 of OTAs or Phase 2 or in the weight room, during game week. It’s just not going to change.”
(How much do you think that’s because of size or a chip on WR Danny Amendola’s shoulder mentality?) – “I think it’s just his makeup. That’s just how he’s been. He’s a guy that beat the odds that he wasn’t ever going to play in the NFL.”
(The NFL just released this new anthem policy. Have you had any conversations within the locker room or within the staff on how you want that handled?) – “No, I just walked off the field. I’ll probably get debriefed here at some point.”
(What have you seen from S Minkah Fitzpatrick from the little time you’ve had with him?) – “It’s hard to say over two practices. I know he’s trying to immerse himself in this stuff. He’ll do anything he’s asked to do. No matter what group he’s running with, he’s trying to put himself in position to make plays and make sure that he’s doing his job.”
(What are you looking for out of the rookies in this first set of OTAs and how they react to the veterans?) – “It’s really just trying to get them to where they are up to speed with the other guys. It’s going to be tough because there is a lot of things they haven’t seen. They’re going to make a lot of mistakes and our job is to correct them quickly and try to get them on the same page with the veterans as fast as possible.”
(When you think back to QB Ryan Tannehill playing so well for you at the end of 2016 and then how you thought he looked in the 2017 offseason, what are the things that you saw that made you look back and say that he did so much better at the point?) – “His calmness. When you have the offense to the point to where you’re reacting and you’re not thinking, I think he’s really to that point. He can do next-level things to where he can get us out of bad plays, he can make run checks and make sure that we are not running into bad looks. It moves slower for him in his brain and we can tell that by some of the things he does on the field. Occasionally we’ll have a hiccup here or there where we’d rather not have him do something or we’d want him to do something different, and he’s able to absorb the information and apply it fast. That first year when you’re out there and you’re doing a lot of the things that we do, it can slow you up and you can make poor decisions because of it. I don’t think we’re going to really see a lot of that.”
(How synchronized are you and QB Ryan Tannehill now, compared to where you were? What are the big leaps in terms of just him understanding you?) – “I don’t know if there have been any big leaps. This is our third year being around each other. We know each other pretty good. He can feel where I’m at on certain things and I can do the same thing with him. I have a lot of faith that if he tells me something, we’re going to run with it because I trust what he’s seeing and I trust what he’s telling me. That’s what you get. The longer you’re with somebody, the easier it is to play off of each other and then to make sure that when he says something, I’m going to listen and just go with it.”
(When it comes to the prototypes of your corners, you usually have long, rangy guys on the boundaries. Can CB Bobby McCain change your thinking if he plays well?) – “I have confidence. When Bobby goes out there, I feel good about it because he covers his guy, and he can make plays on the ball outside. I’ve seen him do it in practice. We haven’t done it a whole bunch in games unless we absolutely have to; but the spot that he plays, there’s so much nickel personnel that’s being played that he probably played 600-plus snaps last year. That’s just the way the game is. If he had to play outside, then slot inside and do things like that, it’s a lot of plays. It’s a lot on your plate. That nickel spot is a tough position. You’ve got to know a lot of things and know a lot of adjustments.”
(With LB Raekwon McMillan and CB Tony Lippett, are they cleared without any limitations to participate in OTAs?) – “Obviously they’re participating. We’re keeping an eye on both of them. ‘Lip’ (Tony Lippett), we’re just making sure … That’s kind of a different injury for his position. There’s a lot of plant and drive and a lot of stress on the whole Achilles thing. We’re trying to be smart and be sure that he feels good and get him confident and ready to go, to where he feels like he can play at the level that he was playing at the end of the season a couple of years ago. Raekwon, I feel like we’re in a good spot with him right now. I still think we’re all just kind of watching. Those defensive players are probably a little less protected. Ryan (Tannehill) is in a different spot to where nobody was really going to come around him as much. Those (linebackers) are kind of getting tangled up with bodies quite a bit. We’ll just keep an eye on it, but we feel good with where they’re at right now.”
(So limited snaps?) – “I’d say Tony we’re probably a little more limited. Raekwon, I don’t know if he’s letting us allow him to be limited.”
(What do you think G Josh Sitton brings to your offensive line? Is there something already that you have noticed that jumps out at you the little time that you’ve seen him on the field?) – “Yes, from the time he’s really … In the amount of time that he’s been here, you can see that he’s a veteran player that has the type of swagger you’d want from an offensive lineman. He brings confidence with that group. He’s got something about him that’s probably different than a lot of guys I’ve been around. He’s very confident, very knowledgeable. He helps those other guys. It’s really a great thing to see how he works, him and Laremy (Tunsil), and how they talk through things and the amount of time they spend with each other. Then when we get on the field, you see the way he moves. He’s a big man that moves really well. He knows exactly what the defense is trying to do and he knows how to react to it. You’re not getting much pushback when he’s in there.”
(Your tight ends. You drafted two and you brought back a group of veterans. I’m wondering what you see and what you want to see. Are you seeing the veterans bucking up and saying ‘This is our job?’ And what do you want to see out there?) – “I think everybody is competing. That’s really what we want. I think it’s going to sort itself out. We have a long ways to go. It’s good to have as many guys as we have right now. We’re good with … Everybody has a variety of skill sets, everybody does a little bit of something different well. We’re just going to keep getting these guys reps and see who pushes themselves to the forefront; but right now, I like the way those guys are competing. “
(Would you like to see, and I know it’s early, but eventually, before the start of the season QB Ryan Tannehill handle adversity, be under pressure, have some real game-like situations where things go wrong? Or would you rather it be smooth sailing for him until the start of the season?) – “Well, something’s going to happen. We’ll go through some kind of adversity at some point. That’s just the way the nature of this business is. Something usually comes up, whether it’s an injury, whether we’re having an off day and we have to fight our way out of it and figure out a way to move the ball. Whether it’s in the spring, training camp, preseason, regular season – something is going to come up at some point. You just keep preparing and putting yourself in good positon and when those times come, you have to use the knowledge that you have, your ability and the guys around you to really push through that and find a way to be successful.”
Daniel Kilgore – May 23, 2018
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Wednesday, May 23, 2018
C Daniel Kilgore
(Obviously, you’re still in the first few weeks around new offensive line teammates, but do you have any sense yet of how this group could be, knowing you have first-round picks at both tackles and established guys in you and G Josh Sitton?) – “It’s a special group. Coming in, I knew right away just by the makeup of the room that you got a bunch of really good guys led by two really good coaches that care about their players. Just that first impact, I knew right away that this could be a really good group. Getting to know them on and off the field, we’ve got some players who’ve played a lot of ball and we’ve got some young guys who are able to step up and play. I think the offensive line room is in a good spot right now. There’s obviously a lot to learn early in OTAs, but we’re in a good situation right now.”
(What have your initial impressions been of QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “Ryan has been great. He’s a leader, obviously, in and out of the huddle. His ability to move in the pocket and throw the deep ball, it’s been great. (His) knowledge of the game is what you would want of a starting quarterback, and getting to know him and his wife and their little boy off the field has been great as well. Nothing but first class with Ryan Tannehill.”
(How long did it take for the shock to wear off over what happened, obviously being traded after signing a contract?) – “It was a frustrating 48 hours; but on that Thursday morning as soon as I came in here, I heard I was coming here and I was excited. It was great. My brother-in-law, he’s been a Miami Dolphins fan for a long time, so he was more excited than I was. It was awesome. Being able to be close to home and to get down here not knowing anybody and seeing the staff and meeting everybody involved with the organization, it’s nothing but the best.”
(Did T Laremy Tunsil just want to take an offensive tackle number or did you actually have to give him something?) – “I didn’t even ask for it. I think he wanted to go back to his college number, so I was happy with that. I’ve been 67 in high school and then out west as well, so I was more than willing to take 67 from him.”
(I know it’s sometimes hard to talk about your overall game, but if you had to point to something that you think you do really well, it would be what?) – “Knowledge of defenses, week in and week out, and the athletic ability, being able to work from first level to second level. Communication, obviously, you’ve got to have that with the quarterback and the four other guys. Those would be the top three, I guess.”
(Have you crossed paths or had any conversations with C Mike Pouncey?) – “I have not. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Mike and I respect his game. We came out the same year together in 2011. I’ve watched him. Obviously, he’s had some injures and whatnot, but he’s a great player and I have nothing but respect for him and what he’s done here.”
(How did you get to know the Tannehill family?) – “Actually the day that I was traded here. He just finished a workout and we met upstairs. We talked for about half an hour and then his wife reached out to my wife. Since then, we’ve just developed a friendship. It started there.”
(This might be weird, but do some quarterbacks have snap preferences that you need to actually learn about?) – “In the past, I’ve had schemes where shotgun snaps were important, placing it in different hips; but with Ryan, it was kind of a blank slate, so it was easy. If you can give him a spiral every time in the shotgun, he’s going to get it in the chest or at the waist. He’s not too picky when you get that good of a snap.”
Josh Sitton – May 23, 2018
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Wednesday, May 23, 2018
G Josh Sitton
(It’s been awhile since your days at UCF. Is this a little bit of an adjustment period getting used to the heat in South Florida after playing in Chicago and Green Bay?) – “Oh, absolutely. That was probably the biggest thing I was thinking about when I was signing down here was getting back used to the heat. I’ve been up north for 10 years now, so I’m used to the cold. Somebody … I think Ja’Wuan (James) was asking if I would rather play in 95 or 5 degrees and I said 5, and he was just shocked. Yes, it’s just what I’ve been used to; but I’ll adjust.”
(What do you have to do differently to prepare for practicing in this kind of weather? Do you remember what you did in college? Is there something you have to do that’s totally different to prepare yourself to go out there for a couple of hours?) – “I mean hydrating is the most important. When you’re in the cooler weather, you can drink a couple of bottles of water before practice and you’re good to go. Down here it’s a constant thing. You have to stay hydrated every day, all day. It’s just a matter of keeping the fluids in you. I’m sure there will be an adjustment period of what I have to do after practice with my body, like ice tubs and things like that. They’re things that I’ve always done but you might have to do it a little bit more. I’m sure there will be a period of getting used to that.”
(We’ve heard a lot from your coaches about the emphasis of the working relationship between you and T Laremy Tunsil. As the veteran in that relationship, how do you approach that with him?) – “I don’t know. I’ve kind of gone about what I do the same over my career, and I think I’ll continue to do that. I try to help out young guys, whether it’s the guy right next to me or the guy at the 3-spot, or whatever it is. I have guys that I’ve played next to when I was young, specifically Mark Tauscher, Scott Wells, Chad Clifton and guys like that, that kind of took me under their wing and taught me a few things. My approach is my door is always open and Laremy has been good about talking to me. I think we’ve already gotten off on the right foot with the communication and that relationship.”
(I know it’s early but do you have a sense yet of just watching T Laremy Tunsil and T Ja’Wuan James a little bit, knowing C Daniel Kilgore, of what this offensive line could be good at?) – “It is early but I know that we’ve got a talented group of guys. (We have) two first round tackles and some pretty good players on the inside. It’s only our second practice, so it’s kind of hard to tell everybody’s strengths and weaknesses but I think that we’ve got a group of guys that can compete. I think we’re going to be pretty good. We’ve got a couple of guys that have played that are backing up right now and you can’t put a price on that experience. So to have guys that can come in with game experience is extremely important.”
(How would you describe what you’ve seen and heard from QB Ryan Tannehill so far?) – “He seems like a great leader. He always takes command of the huddle. He takes command of the meetings, so from that aspect, everything has been positive. Like I said, it’s only been two practices; but I’ve seen him make a few throws, especially on the run. He rolled out yesterday after a play-action and threw a dime piece running to the left. I was like, ‘Damn, that was pretty impressive.’ I’ve seen some good things from him so far.”
(I don’t know if you heard but Head Coach Adam Gase just mentioned, when he was talking about you, that he thought you brought some swagger to the offensive line. What’s your reaction to that? And does an offensive line benefit from swagger, do you think?) – “What’s swagger? (laughter) I don’t know about that one. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. (laughter)”
(I think he meant it that way.) – “All I know is that I bring some vet leadership and I know how to win in this league. I’ve done it for a long time. I think this whole group, as an offensive line, can be really good, and that’s exciting. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.”
(What have your impressions been of Head Coach Adam Gase and the entire coaching staff here so far?) – “Anybody that can wear jeans a flip flops, like myself, I’m a big fan of. (laughter) Coach Gase has been great. Since I got to meet him on my visit here, I’ve really liked him. I was obviously with (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and ‘Wash’ (Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah Washburn) in Chicago, and I’ve had a good relationship with those guys. So it’s nice to come in and have a couple of familiar faces. The scheme, I really love it so far. Hopefully that continues. Everything has been positive from the coaching staff, yes.”
(You’re getting ready to start your 11th year in this league. This isn’t a business where longevity often exists. Can you just reflect a little bit about how gratified you are to be able to do this for this long?) – “Yes, I’ve been blessed. Most of the time, injuries are what takes guys out of this league. I’ve been extremely lucky from that standpoint. I’ve had great coaching and great players around me that have always helped me out. I’ve just been lucky to stay healthy.”
(Do you think you’ll get pushed to the point with this heat that the beard and the long locks have to go?) – “That’s a good question. I’ve thought about it. I’m going to see how OTAs go and then it might be gone come training camp. (laughter)”
(Have you thought about that during drills? Do you feel that hair on the back of your neck and you’re not sure how well this is going to go?) – “Oh yes, because I used to have short hair back in college and I grew it out when I started up in Green Bay.”
(I take it that’s not a decision you’d make lightly.) – “No, I would not. I would probably cry. (laughter)”
(There are a lot of teams in the league that go into OTAs unsure who might be starting at one, two or even three offensive line spots. It appears there’s a pretty good sense of who your likely top five would be. What kind of advantage is that in terms of you all building continuity as a group over the next three months?) – “Well, I don’t know that any of the spots are for sure right now. I think we’ve got a group of eight or nine guys that can really come in and be able to play this year. That’s what this time of year and training camp is for, is to figure out who is going to be playing. My honest answer is that there’s going to be a competition at a few spots. There’s that many good guys in that room.”
(Have you done any group outings or planned any? Is that type of thing important at all with building communication among the offensive line?) – “Oh, absolutely. I think it’s extremely important. We spend so much time here at work just constantly talking about work. To get out of here and just BS about other things and get to know each other and get to know each other’s families, it just helps build that relationship. When you’re on the field, you can start trusting the guy next to you a little bit more. Yes, we’ve done a few things.”
(Once you were eligible to sign, you didn’t wait long. A lot of teams were interested in you. What ultimately sold you about the Dolphins? Just reflect a little bit about how rewarding it was to be in such demand.) – “A lot of the decision had to do with ‘Coach Wash’ (Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah Washburn) and (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and being familiar with those guys and being familiar with the system. I loved how they coached in Chicago and when I came here and met (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase, I kind of had a feeling that I was going to end up signing pretty quickly. I knew I liked him right away. Honestly, I look back at the season they had two years ago. I forgot how many games they won in a row, but I think they won nine out of 10 or something like that. You can see the foundation of a good football team here. I want to win. I’m in the last few years of my career, so I think I wanted to be in a place that I could win and I think we can.”
Albert Wilson – May 23, 2018
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Wednesday, May 23, 2018
WR Albert Wilson
(This is Day 2 of OTAs now. How many different places have you lined up on the field?) – “Pretty much everywhere inside and outside. I’m pretty much getting all of it right now.”
(X, Y and Z? All of the above?) – “Right.”
(What’s your favorite?) – “I really like working on the inside. I feel like I’ve got that down pat; but, I work good on the outside also, so it really doesn’t matter.”
(Have they stressed to you the importance of being able to master pretty much every position on the field?) – “Definitely. I think the whole offense, every wide out and tight end, works inside and outside. I think that’s a big part of our offense.”
(I noticed you had a 50-yard touchdown reception today on the right sideline. Can you tell us what happened on that play and what it showcased of your skills?) – “I had a take-off route, pretty much a go route. I got a little held up at the beginning but the quarterback gave me a shot. I pretty much took advantage of the opportunity. (I) was able to work inside, made a move on the safety and that was pretty much all she wrote.”
(What did that show? Elusiveness or the ability to get off the line of scrimmage? Ball tracking? What do you think?) – “Definitely. To be able to keep working in the route, to track the ball and to make a play once it’s in my hand.”
(You’re obviously established in your own right but do you enjoy coming here to a receivers group where it’s kind of run by WR Kenny Stills and it seems like WR Danny Amendola also, even though he’s new?) – “Oh, definitely. I think Kenny does a great job of letting us know what coach is looking for. He’s been around it and had a lot of success here. He’s a great leader and Danny, he’s coming over and has played a ton of football. To have him on our side and to pick his brain and see how he works, it’s a great thing for us.”
(Is there anything specific that WR Kenny Stills has instructed to you?) – “Pretty much just knowing the offense and like (you were) saying, to know every spot. We’re going to work left and right side, and (you have to) know every spot.”
(We saw WR Danny Amendola come off the field one time and he was kind of mad. He threw his helmet against the fence on the second day of OTAs. What does that say?) –”That’s Danny for you. He’s a perfectionist and he wants to do everything right. If it doesn’t go his way, he’s kind of down on himself. I think that’s what makes him a great player. He’s the hardest person on himself.”
(You obviously know that the wide receiver’s success is tied to the quarterback. What are your first impressions, what are your early impressions of your starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill?) – “I think he’s in the right place, especially after what happened to him this past season. I feel like he’s trusting himself, trusting all of the hard work he put in in the offseason, and I think he’s going to pick up where he left off.”
(What are your initial impressions of QB Ryan Tannehill as a thrower of the ball?) – “I love his ball. He’s definitely good with the timing. He puts it to where you can make a play on the ball. It’s a great thing.”
(I don’t know if you heard, but it’s just been announced by the NFL. They are adopting a new policy regarding the national anthem. If you’re on the field during the national anthem, you have to stand. You do have the right to stay in the locker room, although each club can adopt its own policies regarding all of that. What’s your reaction?) – “I haven’t really heard it until you just brought it up; but I’m pretty sure coach is going to have his say-so on it. Once coach gets with us about it, I’ll pretty much have something to say after that.”
(I was wondering about the hoodie. Is that from the team or is that your own brand?) – “It’s pretty much my logo; but I was able to get these Dolphins colors on there. I just wanted to show it off. (laughter)”
(Would you be willing to participate in a 40-yard dash with WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kenyan Drake?) – “Oh yes, definitely.”
(Will you do that when we’re out there on the field so we can see it?) – “If it sets up that way, definitely.”
(What do you think would happen?) – “I’ll win.”
(Are you the fastest guy on the team then?) – “Definitely.”
(Have you had some pinch-me moments being here playing in South Florida, growing up so close and now being a Dolphin?) – “It’s great. I still take it in every day, just coming into the locker room and seeing guys like Dan Marino walking around. His great legacy around here, it’s still breath-taking.”
(Was there another opportunity you had that you gave serious thought to the first two days of free agency or was this clear-cut without question where you were going to sign?) – “When things came down to it, outside of football, this was the right place for me.”
(Outside of football, you mean what?) – “Just bringing a whole different motivation to why I play the game. I’m able to get back home and play for my home state. It wasn’t a question.”
(Did your family play into it? Mom, dad, did they say something? You have a chance to play for the Dolphins, so you have to go for that?) – “Not really. They’re riding with me no matter what. Just the opportunity, it was a great one. A lot of people don’t get to go home and have a great opportunity like me, so I’m definitely taking full advantage of it.”
(You guys had a lot of other talented offensive players in Kansas City. I’m wondering what you thought about how you were used. Did you wish that you were used more or did you understand because of the talent surrounding you? What did you think?) – “I feel like what makes me a great player is just knowing my role. My role was kind of the back end of just stepping up when I needed to be called on. I don’t feel like I was used wrong; but I definitely feel like I could’ve been used more.”
Ryan Tannehill – May 23, 2018
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Wednesday, May 23, 2018
QB Ryan Tannehill
(How did it feel to go back out there yesterday and today?) – “It feels amazing to be back out there. It’s been a long road to be back on the field – a lot of hard work, a lot of time and effort put in by myself and guys in the training room working with me, rehabbing me and getting me right. There’s been a lot of help along the way and there’s been a lot of work to get back and put a helmet back on and step on the grass again. I was just telling the guys that I can remember sitting in the cafeteria looking through the glass like a little kid that’s not allowed to go outside and play. I just feel blessed to be able to go out and compete and play, and do what I love.”
(Does this feel more like Year 3 in Head Coach Adam Gase’s offense to you or Year 2 after going through last year and having to watch through the glass?) – “I think it’s kind of a different situation. It’s tough to say what year or whatever. While I wasn’t getting physical reps last year, I got a lot of mental reps. I was in all of the meetings, going through the game plans and talking through practices after practice. I was getting all of the mental reps that I would if I was playing but obviously didn’t get the physical reps. Nothing can compare to the physical reps, but it’s not like I wasn’t along for the ride last year and didn’t see what was happening and try to stay sharp and engaged as much as I could mentally. I definitely grew last year and learned a lot of football. Now it’s just a matter of putting it into action physically.”
(You’re not wearing a brace right now. What’s the plan going forward, especially when the games begin? Are you going to wear one this season?) – “Yes, I’ll wear a brace. Like I said before, it does nothing structurally. It’s purely to kind of prevent what started that whole train wreck of my injury, just getting hit right on the side of the lead leg. The brace can help prevent that and minimize that damage, and hopefully make it a non-issue moving forward.”
(With the last year and a half, is there anything you wish you had done differently or a decision you wish you had made differently as far as the knee?) – “No. I think obviously with how things ended up, it’s like, ‘Dang it. Did we miss something?’”
(Yes, but taking that out of it. Without playing the result, do you feel like any mistakes were made?) – “No. Going back to the process we went through after I first got injured, I got multiple opinions. Everyone’s opinion lined up on the plan of action and we followed that plan precisely. Everyone was in conclusion on what the answer should be. Going back, I would do it the same way. Obviously it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. I wish maybe someone else – a doctor – would have given me a different opinion that might have changed that, but we sought out the best options we could find and everyone was in agreeance and the knee was stable. It was just unfortunate the way it turned out.”
(How were you able to get through the toughest times? Was there someone in particular or something you did mentally to get you through the darkest times?) – “My wife, honestly. Having her supporting me throughout that season was tough. It was a long year. There were some dark times. I tried to stay positive and take it in stride as much as I could and just do the best that I could in rehab and grow and get stronger each and every day; but it’s hard. It was a hard time for me just not being around the guys, not being out at practice. I was around in meetings but it’s just not the same. You can’t replicate that time of grinding it out on the practice field together and going through the ups and downs of playing games and going through practice. That was the hardest part for me. I think initially when you get hurt, you kind of think, ‘Oh, the games will be what I miss the most.’ And yes, I really missed the games. It was tough every Sunday seeing the guys run out there on the field and not being a part of it. But what I miss the most was day in and day out, the grind of the preparation, of competing with the guys, pushing them and trying to make them the best players that they could be, making the offense the best it could be and just driving the offense. That was the hardest part for me.”
(Can you take us back to the injury very briefly and what you thought when you made the cut? When you were walking off the field, did you know the severity or did you suspect?) – “Yes. I felt it shift and I knew it wasn’t good. Obviously you don’t really know, but I knew it wasn’t good.”
(Not good but did you think really not good or you might be out for a few weeks or this could be an entire season?) – “Yes, I knew it wasn’t good. Honestly, I wasn’t really processing all of that. I just knew it was bad. I don’t know. I kind of went into a shock a little bit of ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ It’s been a long time since then and it’s tough to go back to that state but I’m a long way from there and feeling really good right now.”
(Have the doctors put any limitations on you, even just rolling out or stuff like that, at this stage? Or do you just do whatever they ask you to do?) – “I just went last week – I had my surgery in Dallas – so I went back last week and got fully cleared to play football. I’ve been a full participant in the offseason program so far and I’m cleared to play football. So fully, whatever that entails, I can go do it.”
(When you hear that, obviously there has to be some … A little bit in the back of your mind it has to be ‘My God, please don’t let this ever happen again.’ Do you have to get past that? Do you just let yourself let it rip and go for it? How does that work for you?) – “Yes, honestly at this point it’s just let it rip. Throughout the rehab process, you’re pushing it. I’m grinding it out, I’m running, I’m cutting. I’m doing a lot more agility and movements that I won’t really be doing playing football. The knee has been tested to the ninth degree of pushing it as far as it can go. When I’m out on the field, I’m just playing football. It’s past thinking about it or questioning it. Now it’s just go out and do my job.”
(You had a moment today where, for example, you stepped up and kind of buckled, and then you threw the ball. It didn’t cross your mind at all, ‘I buckled there and I’m fine.’ Or ‘I buckled there and don’t do this?’) – “No. I got stepped on. I was looking to the left. I had Danny (Amendola) on an in-and-out route. They in-and-outted him and he got covered up, so I had to move in the pocket and got stepped on right as I started moving. I was just playing. I didn’t even think about it. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it since it happened until you asked me the question. So yes, I feel really good. I don’t question it and don’t really think about it. I’m just playing and trying to get back in the groove of playing football again. It’s been a while, so I’m knocking some dust off, getting back on the field, being in the pocket and moving around – command at the line of scrimmage and all of those types of things. It’s not as clean as I want it to be yet, but I’m getting better and just being on the field is a lot of fun for me.”
(Do you consider yourself to have had two separate knee injuries or just one knee injury?) – “I mean it happened on two separate occasions but one ball started the whole thing rolling and then it just kind of finished it off. Yes, obviously (they were) highly connected and the ACL just wasn’t the same after the first knee injury. Yes, it was eight months apart but it was one chain of events.”
(You have a much different set of skill position players around you since the last time you were in a football game. The idea of WR Jarvis Landry, who was one of your targets moving on … Your thoughts on that? And also, getting to know all of these guys that you have around you now.) – “Yes, losing Jarvis is tough. He’s a heck of a competitor. He’s one of the most competitive guys on the football field. He loves the game. He loves playing. He loves competing. He loves winning. I think everyone saw that. Obviously he’s not the easiest guy to replace and he’s tough to replace, but I’m really excited about the guys that we brought in. I think we’ve brought in veteran guys, guys that have played at high levels, guys that have played for championships and can really help us. With the combination of the guys we have, we really have a stacked receiver room right now and you feel really confident that no matter who is in the game, we have good matchups and can win. When you add Albert Wilson, when you add Danny Amendola, Frank Gore in the backfield, all of these guys have played at a really high level for a long time. I’m excited about playing with them.”
(Can you describe your offseason workouts with WR Danny Amendola and then can you talk about what he brings attitude-wise to this team?) – “Yes, Danny is a grinder. I’m excited to play with him. Like I said, he’s been around a while. He’s played a lot of football. He understands the game and he works really hard. That’s the first thing that impressed me is just how hard he works day in and day out. We’re throwing back in March off-site and he’s grinding. He’ll just keep going, keep going, keep going and he’ll never question, look tired or anything. He just keeps going. He’s been a lot of fun to play with so far and we just have to keep building that relationship and get fully on the same page. That’s what we have this time of year for is to do that, to iron out the kinks, and then once the fall comes, we’ll be in good shape.”
(The back half of 2016 – the last eight games that you played – how did you feel about that as far as was that maybe a little bit of a breakthrough for you? And how were things going for you and Head Coach Adam Gase at that point?) – “We kind of went on a run there and I felt like I was finally starting to play really good football, being in command of the offense and understanding what we were trying to accomplish with each play call, the situation and what Coach Gase is trying to get out of the different play calls that come in. So I felt like over the few weeks before (the injury), I finally got over the hump of learning the offense and really just feeling good about knowing what Adam wants and then going out and executing it. So yes, it was tough.”
(How fluent are you in the way that Head Coach Adam Gase thinks now that you’ve spent a year just standing next to him on the sideline?) – “I think now there’s no question. Obviously we’re still ironing out little things here and there but most of the time, I know exactly what he wants when a play comes in. Like I said, I learned a lot last year, not only offense-wise but just watching guys operate and how the course of a season goes up and down, and how to deal with guys. I would never choose to be in that situation but I think I learned a lot that’s going to help me for the rest of my career.”
(During the offseason, Head Coach Adam Gase said many times that you would be the starting quarterback. I’m wondering if he told you that and if you had an eye on the draft because there were rumors about QB Josh Allen and all of that. Were you ever worried? And Adam told you specifically that you would be our starting quarterback?) – “Yes, he told me that. No, I wasn’t worried. Obviously every team has to evaluate positions and make the best decision for the organization that they think is appropriate; but I never changed my course of action or my plan, or my security here. I knew I would have to go out and perform, whether they drafted somebody or not, and that’s the case this year. That’s the case every year. You have to go out and perform or you won’t be around. I’m excited to have the opportunity to go out and do it.”
(There’s been a lot of talk about the culture. Head Coach Adam Gase has talked a lot about bringing in guys who fit the kind of culture he wants in the locker room. How do you compare what it was to what it is today?) – “I don’t think we had a bad culture. I think the guys that we brought in have already bought in and now we’re fully aligned and we can just drive forward. I think that’s a big factor in the performance of teams is everyone being on the same page and not having any subtractions. We always want to be adding to each other and providing opportunities, providing energy to each other and feeding off each other. I’m excited about the guys we have and the opportunities that we have in front of us.”
(Going back to the question about statements that were made throughout the offseason that you were going to be the starter … How gratifying was that to keep hearing that?) – “It’s great. Obviously I don’t follow what all is said, but I know (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) told me that, and once he told me that, I was good. Yes, it’s satisfying. Coming off the injury, you don’t know what the team’s plan is going to be moving forward. It was definitely a vote of confidence in me and gave me some juice in the offseason to keep grinding and get ready to go again.”
(You haven’t been hit in a long time now. Are you a little curious as to how you’re going to react to that? Do you know what it’s going to be like? Are you eager to get back to that point? How would you describe that?) – “Well I’m never eager to get hit. (laughter) That would be sadistic. (laughter) I don’t look forward to being hit but I don’t think about it any different than I would any other season going into a new season. It’s part of the game. It’s part of the competitiveness – I don’t know the word for it, the anger? – It’s part of the game. It’s why it’s the game I love. Guys get to square up and line up against each other and play one-on-one. It’s a physical game and I love that. Yes, I don’t think about it any differently than I would any other offseason. Who looks forward to getting hit? Honestly, sometimes getting hit settles you in the game. If you get hit, you’re kind of like, ‘Boom. Alright. Let’s go play.’ Yes, you don’t want to have to have that every game; but sometimes it’s a good thing.”
(Is that a new tattoo on your right arm?) – “Yes. I got it last year.”
(What is it, if you don’t mind me asking?) – “It’s laurel leaves for my wife. My wife’s name is Lauren. Lauren means ‘by the laurel leaves,’ so that’s it.”
Dowell Loggains – May 12, 2018
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Saturday, May 12, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(Opening Statement) – “I’m excited to be here. Obviously I feel good about being in the situation I am with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and the offensive staff, with what we got going. I’m really excited to get rookies in here and be around these guys. We don’t do a whole lot on the field, but getting them set up for next week when they start entering practice with the vets and you get to see how bright these guys are and how excited they are about football. We’re early in the offseason program. We’ll go into the Week 5 starting next week. It’s been really good to get these guys out here and see guys like Ryan Tannehill and Kenny Stills lead. The throwing sessions … You don’t get to do a whole lot. We’ve only got to get on the field two or three times. It’s been impressive to watch Ryan really throw the football and the command he has of the offense. The 2016 season, he had such a good year. For me, the first thing I did was turn on the OTAs and the training camp right before he got hurt and got to watch how much improvement and how much jump he had taken in Year 2, and it was unfortunate that he got hurt because obviously the offense was affected by it. I’m really excited about some of the additions we’ve made to the roster and how we’re going to use these guys. We’re really early in the process of trying to figure out how we’re going to use each one of these guys, and find out their strengths and weaknesses and go through that process. So any questions you have, I’m open.”
(Have you fixed everything yet?) – “We’re in the process of it. (laughter)”
(What are the specific areas that you think you could most help Head Coach Adam Gase on game day and leading up to game day?) – “Just the process of game day and getting through game day and going through the game-planning process. We’re really familiar with each other. And with the staff. Adam and I have worked together, (Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah) Washburn and I have worked together. We brought in a great addition at running back coach with Eric (Studesville). (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo Hardegree and I have worked together. (I just want to) help clean up and get to game day with some of those things and obviously helping the quarterbacks room as much as I can.”
(How important is it that you have Head Coach Adam Gase’s total trust? Because he has told us that you have that? How important is that in this ongoing relationship?) – “I think it’s really important for everyone that walks in this building. Really, you live by the philosophy of I walk in and give advice when asked and outside of that, I’m fulfilling the vision of the head coach and I hope that everyone on our staff and everyone in our building is doing that.”
(When you were talking about QB Ryan Tannehill, can you teach us a little bit about what you saw? You said you were sitting there watching OTA tapes and comparing that against game tapes from the previous season.) – “Yes. You guys know in Year 2, a lot of players take huge jumps, especially in the same offense. Ryan’s had to go through a lot of different systems. He’s a really intelligent guy. He works his tail off. The one thing that I didn’t know about Ryan until I got here is how much he loves football. He throws the ball really well. I was excited to see that. You see the tape and you’re like, ‘Hey, this guy can sling it around a little bit.’ He’s done a really good job of overcoming that stuff. You just see the growth in the offense from Year 1 to Year 2, especially in OTAs and training camp, that second year going into it before he got hurt … Just his command at the line of scrimmage and his ability to fulfill (Head Coach) Adam (Gase’s) vision with the offense and getting in and out of good and bad plays. You start taking command because you have confidence. The first year, you’re learning the system. The second year you’re going in and you’re making the ‘Mike’ (middle linebacker) points and you’re controlling the line of scrimmage and checking and signaling and doing all of those things. Some of those things in the offense in 2017 didn’t get going that way we would have liked to get going that way because when you lose your quarterback, you lose a huge part of your offense.”
(The past few years has not been the offense that Head Coach Adam Gase wants to run. If things were working this year, what does it look like? What is this offense supposed to do?) – “We’re still in the process of trying to figure out what each guys does well. I think that’s when you go back and you look at Chicago and you look at Denver, the one thing that I’ve always been impressed about with Adam is his ability to get guys in position to be successful and by doing what they do well. He takes a lot of pride at that and he works really hard at that and hespends a lot of time at night studying not just the game, but studying individual players to know that Albert Wilson does this well, DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, Jakeem Grant, they all do … This is their skillset and then building around number one the quarterback, number two the offensive line and then the skill guys and getting those guys in position. Obviously we want to run an up-tempo, no-huddle offense. That’s what Adam has done in the past and that’s where our vision is and we’re trying to get going that way.”
(Personnel wise, they ran a lot of 11 at times. Do you see that continuing? Obviously you have the personnel to go four-wide if you want?) – “Yes, we do. We’re deep at wide receiver. It goes back to the statement of we want to do whatever our guys are good at. Obviously, going into it, before the draft, I was like, ‘We’re going to be an 11 team. We’re going to be a 10 personnel team. We have really good wide receivers, we’ve got depth and great competition.’ Now, all of a sudden you come out of the draft, or as the draft is going on and we’re a best-available-team but all of a sudden a position need … We were able to take two guys that happen to meet up with a position need and how the board fell. Now that gives us the flexibility to be in 13 personnel and 22 personnel and 12 personnel and do those things that creates multiple personnel groupings that makes it hard to defend you.”
(When you talk about up-tempo, no-huddle, they’ve tried that here before and for whatever reason, it hasn’t worked. Are there two or three keys as far as recognition or quarterback being able to communicate to the other players or the receiver’s knowledge?) – “It’s really the quarterback and the play caller getting on the same page that way, and then the quarterback being able to communicate everything at a very fast pace to the wide receivers, the tight ends, the running backs and the offensive line.”
(Can you talk about what this opportunity means to you personally?) – “I’m just excited to be here. When you walk into the building, I didn’t really know much about the Dolphins outside of Dan Marino and the history they had and competing against them a couple of times. But when you walk into the building, (General Manager) Chris Grier, (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike Tannenbaum and (Head Coach) Adam Gase, the support staff that they have from the equipment room to the video guys, the video room, everything is top notch. Everything they do, you can see with (Owner) Mr. (Stephen) Ross, it starts there. He wants to win. And you feel that when you walk into the building. Then you get to come and work with a guy that you’ve worked with and have a common belief with. I believe in his philosophy and how he’s trying to do things. That creates a connection automatically when you believe in something and you can coach it and everything you do, you believe in what you coach. I think that’s a big part of why things are good fits for some people and some people it’s not, because I believe in what we’re doing here.”
(You’re very familiar with G Josh Sitton. What kind of difference can he make with on the offensive line?) – “He’s a really good player. You guys will get to meet him. He’s really surly. He speaks his mind. You guys will have a lot of fun with him. He’s really intelligent. You drop a really smart player into that room, with a young room and it’s a talented group of starters, and all of a sudden guys like Ja’Wuan (James) and Laremy (Tunsil) can really lean on him and his veteran experiences. He’s bright. He’s really, really intelligent. Put him with Daniel Kilgore and the interior offensive line has gotten a lot better. You guys know this. I’m not telling you guys anything you don’t, but being able to protect from the inside out, that’s something (Had Coach Adam) Gase really wanted to do and get better at, and give Ryan (Tannehill) the ability to climb the pocket and do those things. That’s what Josh does really well. He’s really good at outside zone, he’s a really good pass protector and just the intelligence. He’s not a vocal leader. He’s a lead-by-example guy and there’s certain things, like the way he finishes in drills and stuff. We’re early in the process, two weeks in, but you start to see some of these younger guys watch him. He doesn’t talk a lot but they start to mimic what he does and how he finishes. Those are the type of leaders (we want), like Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson. What they’ve really brought … They’re not vocal guys. You don’t hear them a lot, but all of a sudden you see Drew Morgan trying to copy something Danny did or DeVante (Parker) watching something Albert did or what Danny did. I think he’s a lead-by-example guy that’s really intelligent and really good at those two things we mentioned.”
(When you watched tape on some of the skill players that you have, that you brought back and some of the free agents. Was there anybody that just struck you immediately like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe they have this guy. I can do some things with this?’) – “All of them. (DeVante) Parker, (Kenny) Stills, Jakeem (Grant). Those guys … When I walked in, that was the thing … I probably could have answered better, but the thing that got me exited was the skill guys. All of a sudden you’ve got two tackles and all of a sudden you’ve got these skill guys that can run. They all have different traits and different qualities. I think they’re a fast group that, as their knowledge of the offense grows, and going back to no huddle, they’ll play faster. Knowledge builds confidence, confidence allows you to play fast, but the thing that showed up was speed.”
(You mentioned the willingness or wanting to go no huddle. How important is position flexibility, guys who can do multiple things?) – “(It’s) huge. Every spot on the offense, defense is very important. Running the offense that we run, you have to be intelligent. You have to be able to play multiple positons. Sometimes we’re flipping the receivers from left to right and sometimes they’re moving with formation. All of a sudden when a concept is called, DeVante (Parker) has to know, ‘Hey, sometimes I’m going to be the Z and (Kenny) Stills is going to be the X.’ You’ve got Jakeem (Grant) and Albert (Wilson) and all of these other guys that are competing for spots. You have to be able to move around. That’s when you throw these two new tight ends into the group with a group we had and all of a sudden you have position flexibility to do a lot of different things and do things that are different and appear different to the defense, but they’re the same concepts to us. We’re just moving pieces around.”
(Obviously, QB Ryan Tannehill’s knee was the storyline of the season last year. When you watch the OTAs, did you watch how he moved and have you compared to just the casual throwing out here and is there something you could share with us about how the knee looks?) – “I didn’t pay too much to that. Unfortunately I’m a coach and not a doctor. I trust our medical staff here, they’ll tell us everything we need to know about that with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase. We’re in the process of putting together a good plan for him coming up with OTAs. What I’ve been able to see from him is that he’s a good thrower that can make all of the throws. He can attack you 53 1/3 (yards across the field) and push the ball down the field the way we need him to do. There’s not a throw he can’t make and we’re just in the process of cleaning up the communication things. There’s some fundamental stuff that we’re working hard on. As far as throwing, I haven’t seen any limitations in anything.”
(You said you’re already completely sold on him?) – “On Ryan Tannehill? Absolutely, absolutely. I’m really fired up to work with him.”
(The two tight ends you drafted. What jumped out on tape to you about them? And considering that you guys want to run an up-tempo style and no-huddle, will they be able to make an immediate impact?) – “I hope so. Any time you draft people, you expect them to come in and make an impact early on. The one thing that stuck out obviously with Mike (Gesicki) was his athleticism and his ability to be flexed out and do things that (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has done in his past with the tight ends flexed out. The thing with Durham (Smythe) was he’s a really intelligent guy that can play and block at the point of attack and stuff. I think that both of them are really good players on their own, but I think together, in the rotation of tight ends, they complement each other very well.”
(How do you feel about your red zone possibilities? It seems like TE Mike Gesicki would be a valuable weapon and WR Danny Amendola perhaps?) – “Yes, you said it. There’s a leading question with what we expect in the red area with Mike, because he does have the ability to play above the rim. I’m sure you guys have all seen the YouTube dunk video. If that doesn’t get you excited about the red area then something’s wrong. We do like the option to be able to have him down there and obviously Danny has done it at a very high level in the red area – in Super Bowls and in big games. (We are excited) not only about what he’s going to bring down there, but what he’s bringing to the offense and to the team in the wide receiver room.”
(When it comes to RB Kalen Ballage, what gets you excited about him and wanting to work with him. It looks like he also may have some positon flexibility.) – “He does. When he walks through the door, that’s what they’re supposed to look like. He’s big, he’s put together and he’s a really smart kid. We’re excited about trying to tap him out and make sure his head is hitting the ceiling. He’s got size, he’s got height, weight, speed. Doing those things, we’ve got to figure out what he does well and find out quickly with that stuff because he does have good hands. He can move around and do different things. He’s got the size to sit in there on third down and be in pass protection that way. He’s a guy that shouldn’t have a lot of limitations and limitations, we’ve got to figure out those quick and we’ll put him in spots to be successful.”
(Is he a running back or an H-back?) – “He’s a running back because of his size and sped and the ability to catch the ball, he can play all three downs. But you guys know this, on third down, you’ve got to be able to protect – to sit in there and block linebackers and do those things and release and catch the ball. He’s got all of those traits.”
(With WR DeVante Parker, other than health, what’s one thing you’ve seen that has limited him, that has held him back a little bit?) – “Just obviously injuries. Just being able to get out there and be consistent through his career here. The one thing that’s really impressive about DeVante is for a long-cut guy, he can get in and out of breaks. That’s been really impressive to watch on the field. To run those comebacks and be able to drop his hips, a lot of long-cut guys struggle with that. DeVante has the ability to do that. I had the advantage of seeing some of the OTAs and training camp cut-ups that we go through and the first cut-up I turned on was Day 1 of training camp and he’s playing above the rim and catching a red-area touchdown. We’ve got to make sure that we max out his potential because it’s there. We’ve got to get it out of him and I think familiarity with the offense, being in it for another year and playing with Ryan (Tannehill) consistently and just his (fourth) year, that the light comes on and he’s the player we expect him to be.”
(Do you see anything specifically though besides health? Do you see anything on the field where this is one of the main things you want to work on with him?) – “Just consistency. Just the fundamentals here and there, that he hadn’t gotten to really master because he’s been limited. It’s been impressive to see him fight through some of the stuff that he’s overcome – being banged up, being hurt and doing those things. Once he gets healthy and plays consistent with Ryan (Tannehill), I think that his production will go up and be the player we think he can be.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said that RB Kenyan Drake is a guy that has breakout potential this year. What have you seen with him so far?) – “On the tape, the same thing (Gase sees). When we were going through the draft and if you had three Kenyan Drakes, you’d be really excited because he’s a guy that can play all three downs. I’ve been sitting through some of the special teams meetings and you don’t realize how good he is on special teams, as well. He’s a complete football player. He can play on first and second downs, run outside and inside. On third down, he’s big enough to protect and catch the football. We’re really excited about that room and with the addition of Frank Gore, the rookie (Kalen Ballage) and the things that these guys can do, we should have good competition.”
(RB Buddy Howell is another running back. What do you see out of his game and how he will fit in the offense?) – “It’s been early, so we haven’t been able to see a lot outside of what he did in college; but I’m excited about him. I’m excited to get him on the field during OTAs and it’s going to be interesting to how we drop these guys into the competition. For running backs, it becomes a little bit more difficult because they flash in OTAs and you go off of their college tape but until you really put pads on and see these guys, it’s limiting that way. We’ll get them up to speed as quick as we can and see how he fits in the competition.”
(Was coaching something that you’ve always wanted to do? What was the genesis of that? As a player, did you look to that, or how did you get involved?) – “Since a very young age, I knew I wanted to coach. Every decision I made, where I went to school … I was a high school quarterback at Abilene Cooper in West Texas. Then when I got done with that, I decided I wanted to walk on with Arkansas because I knew I wanted to coach. I had a couple of smaller school offers; but I knew I wanted to coach. I thought I wanted to coach at the collegiate level, so I decided to walk on at Arkansas and ended up playing in 50 games and earning a scholarship and doing some of those things. I went there because I knew the connections that I would make there – it was where I always wanted to go – but the connections I made there would help transition me into coaching and is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been really fortunate and around a lot of really good people at an early age. I’m excited about coaching for the Miami Dolphins.”
Matt Burke – May 12, 2018
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Saturday, May 12, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(Can you please talk about the challenge of replacing DT Ndamukong Suh and how you guys plan to do it? And if you wouldn’t mind just going over briefly the top four guys you have there, each of them – DT Jordan Phillips, DT Davon Godchaux, DT Vincent Taylor and DT Akeem Spence now.) – “Is that your top four guys? (laughter)”
(Well I guess DE William Hayes, obviously if he plays tackle. Is there someone I’m missing?) – “I don’t know. We’ll see. Obviously, I have a long history with (Ndamukong) Suh. He’s a good player and (an) organization has to make decisions on certain things. It’s always hard to move on from guys and obviously, on the field and guys you have relationships with; but that’s part of the business, so we’re prepared to do that. I’m excited about that room. We’ve got some young players in there with Jordan (Phillips) and Davon (Godchaux) that we’re expecting to make leaps from. Bringing in Akeem (Spence) was a nice piece for us. We feel, especially with his history with (Defensive Line Coach) Kris (Kocurek) … I’ve worked with Kris for a long time. I feel pretty strongly about his influence in that room and what he’s going to bring to the table. Really, it’s going to be an open competition. We’re looking to get … In an ideal world, we’d play four tackles and rotate them through. The way we want to play and the style that we want to play, we want to keep them fresh and roll those guys. We’re asking guys to play full speed and chase the ball and attack and do those things. It’s hard to do that if you’re asking them to play 80 snaps or 60 snaps or whatever it is. So ideally, we’ll have four guys that we’ll feel comfortable rolling through there and all getting equal reps. Whoever earns the starting spots, earns the starting spots; but our two backup tackles are going to play football for us. Vincent (Taylor) played some football for us last year. Gabe Wright got in at the end of the year. We’ve got some guys we’ve added to the mix and like I said, it’ll be a good competition. Again, it’s early. It’s four weeks or whatever it’s been; but it’s been a good work ethic. Again, Kris has done a good job of kind of connecting with those guys and getting things started. I’m looking forward to that room. I think it’s going to be a surprise for people.”
(Has that been the catch-22 with DT Ndamukong Suh, that he was such a high-volume player and he was on the field so much you really couldn’t have a four-man rotation?) – “It’s obviously a valuable piece to have – a guy that can perform at a high level and take those reps, that’s rare. I don’t know if I would phrase it that way, but obviously those are snaps that we have to replace and we think we have a pretty good plan moving forward to do that.”
(With S Minkah Fitzpatrick’s versatility, are you tempted to use him in a lot of different ways or would you rather him focus on one spot?) – “I think that’s going to be up to him and how much he absorbs and takes on. Again, it’s been 48 hours or whatever it is. In the limited interaction I’ve had with him, he’s shown the ability to be sort of a big-picture thinker and he understands football and he’s a student of the game from that sense. So, I think he, again, my initial impression is that he’s got the ability to absorb a lot; but we’ll have to see how that goes. We’re just kind of starting him out. It’s going to be up to him how much he can take on and how good we feel about expanding his role into certain things. Once we get everybody together – it’s just the rookies this weekend – so once we get the whole squad and that whole room together and sort of how we’re utilizing those players, I’m hopeful we can do some different things with him.”
(On linebacker, if you can talk about LB Jerome Baker’s skillset, and also there’s clearly a job open in your starting group. If you could throw out people you envision being in the mix for that.) – “You know I’m going to name every linebacker in the room right now? (laughter)”
(I know you could easily say that, but I think logic would suggest … You know you have guys that play more than others – LB Stephone Anthony and LB Chase Allen. Just you vision for the spot alongside LB Kiko Alonso and LB Raekwon McMillan, presuming Raekwon returns to health.) – “Man, you answer a lot of your own questions. (laughter) Okay, sure. I’ll try to remember all of the questions you asked. (laughter) There’s a multi-part there. (laughter) Jerome … Obviously, the skillset for Jerome Baker, as an athlete, we like his speed. That was obviously the first thing that stood out. He ran well in Indy, but even talking to a lot of guys up at Ohio State, they even felt like he’s even faster than what he tested at in some things. Put him in the category of some of those guys that’ve come through there in terms of the (Darron) Lees and the (Ryan) Shaziers and those type of athletes. That was obviously a strong point for us in terms of a starting point for a skillset. We want to add speed to that room and he was one of the faster linebackers in the draft and we felt good about getting him where we did. Again, in terms of a starter … What’s the date? May something? All of those guys have had … The guys that were here last year, all of them played for us. Chase (Allen) started for us. ‘Steph’ (Stephone Anthony) started for us. Mike Hull started for us. Obviously getting Raekwon back and getting back in that mix, we feel good about where he is. Again, I think it’s a pretty open spot right now. We don’t have, per se, a returning starter. Obviously, Kiko (Alonso) in one spot and we’re hopefully projecting Raekwon. We feel good about putting him inside and letting him play ball there. I think we’ve just added a lot of pieces to that room and I think there’s going to be a lot of … Again, hopefully some cross-training and some mixing and matching a little bit and it may again … This may come down to putting it on myself and the coaching staff in terms of there may be packages that Jerome fits in better than ‘Steph’ or Chase or whatnot. We’ve got some different body types and some versatile players in there that may end up shaking out. Again, looking ahead, it’s sort of package to package or week to week and things like that. All of those guys are going to get a shot to work through that and we’ll go from there.”
(The offensive guys have been talking so much about QB Ryan Tannehill’s return over and over and over. You guys, it’s not exactly the same position, but you get your middle linebacker back. And in this case, we don’t actually know that much about LB Raekwon McMillan because we haven’t seen him play. You do, because you’ve seen him on the field.) – “Not as much as I’ve wanted to.”
(How big of an acquisition is this essentially for you guys, that you’re brining in a starting middle linebacker?) – “If it works out the way we think it can and hope it does, that’s a huge acquisition for us. We obviously had high expectations last year for him coming out of the draft as a second-round pick. It was tough, obviously. Not just everything that went down, but we kind of … (Linebackers Coach) Frank (Bush) and I had gone back and watched – getting ready for some of the stuff – we went back and watched some of the offseason last year and watched some of his snaps. He was really getting to that point where he was about to make that move. We really felt like we went through training camp and we wanted to make him earn it. Some of those guys and Mike Hull had been here and had been getting some time and had played ball for us. We really felt like he was just starting to take that step when we got him going before he got injured. We had high hopes for him last year. Nothing he’s done since then has discouraged that. He’s been really in-tune, been really sharp. He’s got all the leadership skills and things that we look for, especially at that position. He’s worked his ass off to get better. He’s rehabbed. He’s in here every day. He hasn’t shown any limitations so far, which has been encouraging. Hopefully he’s a big piece for us. I’m encouraged by him and I’m excited to see him get some work.”
(I know that it’s May and…) – “Disclaimers already out there. (laughter)”
(Can you explain the vision of S T.J. McDonald, S Reshad Jones and S Minkah Fitzpatrick – three safeties. How does that play? How does that work?) – “Did you say it was May? (laughter) Listen, it’s always good to have different weapons for me. Again, I know I mentioned this last year, but the way offenses are going, even when you look at some of the guys that we drafted on offense at the tight end spot and running back spot and those sort of things. We’re going to put this best 11 players on the field – maybe play to play, week to week, game to game – in terms of our matchups. I have a little bit more comfort level now with how to utilize those guys. Again, we’re going to let those guys compete in terms of safeties; but again, I look at it a little bit like the linebackers now. There may be some three-safety packages where they’re all on the field together. There may be times where T.J. and Reshad are a better grouping for us or Minkah and Reshad are a better grouping for us or something else. I don’t know. I think our challenge, again, as a coaching staff, is to get the best feel for how to utilize those guys best – what each of their strengths are – so when we get into a game plan situation, ‘Hey, this guys is better at doing this,’ or, ‘We can put all these guys and maybe use this guy this way,’ or that sort of thing. Again, it’s early. Again, just through our scouting process with Minkah and how we felt about his versatility and his ability to do a lot of different things on the field at a fairly high level, so that’s another piece we’ve added in the room and we’re just going to let it play out. I would just, again, I’m anticipating – if I’m going to be honest with you – I’m anticipating having different packages where there’s going to be different groupings on the field at different times, whether it’s all three of them or different groupings of two of them at a time or whatnot. That’s going to play out as we go through. I’m anticipating having to control that a little bit – whether it’s in the linebacker room or the safety, DB room, however you want to call those guys – having multiple packages were we’re going to have the ability. I think is a good thing. We’ll have to manage it, but it’s a good thing that we’ll have the ability to put different people on the field in terms of how the offense is dictating what we need to stop.”
(When you have three safeties on the field, what are some of the things that you can do, some of the options available to you that you wouldn’t normally have?) – “To me, it’s all about matchups. So if we feel that those body types or those players, whether its Minkah (Fitzpatrick), T.J. (McDonald), Reshad (Jones) at our safety spot are better matchups, whether it’s on tight ends or backs or whether it’s having a bigger body as a nickel on … Say it’s a first down and Minkah has absorbed a nickel spot better, then maybe we can use him as a first-down nickel, for example. Or maybe Jerome Baker has a role in that sense or whatever it may be. We played a little bit around with that last year against New England. We played some three-safety packages. They’re such a tight end heavy team and things like that. I just think the more players you get, again, that are multi-dimensional and have different skillsets, the more you can play around with how you’re utilizing them on the field on defense. It’s hard to say right now. It’s going to be week to week. We’re going to see how it plays out in the next, whatever we have here, six weeks of the offseason program and going into training camp. We’re going to try to get all of those guys caught up to speed and in multiple spots and have the versatility to do a lot of different things, hopefully.”
(DE Robert Quinn, was this a guy that you kind of got on the table for when they were discussing a trade and is his best football still ahead of him?) – “Yes, yes, yes, yes. When (General Manager) Chris (Grier) called me … I don’t remember what the timeframe of it was, but Chris kind of reached out and was like, ‘Hey,’ or maybe it was (Head Coach) Adam (Gase). One of them or both of them kind of reached out and was like, ‘Hey.’ He’s like, ‘Take a look at Robert Quinn and let me know,’ when the possibility was starting to be discussed. I thought he was joking. Literally he called and I was like, ‘Yeas, I’m good. Absolutely, 100 percent. I’m on board.’ He was like, ‘No, seriously. Watch him and just make sure.’ Kris (Kocurek) and I sat down and probably watched about five or six games. I called back and said, ‘Hey, my answer is still the same. One-hundred percent, yes.’ He’s a guy who, honestly, even going back to when he came out of the draft, we were really high on him when I was in Detroit. We thought he was a really good scheme fit for what we were trying to do. I think he’s … He’s a rare … He has a rare ability to bend. It’s kind of freaky to watch sometimes, even just going through drill work. He’s one of the most loosest, kind of bendy, athletes I’ve ever seen and I’ve ever been around at the end position. He battled through a few injuries the last couple years but it wasn’t … It was two or three years ago or whatever when he had 19 sacks or something in a season. He’s got that kind of ability, and he’s been great. He’s been a good worker. He doesn’t say much. He’s kind of a quiet guy. He just comes to work every day with a smile on his face and gets after it. I think he feels comfortable being in, hopefully, a scheme that fits his skillset; but I’m really excited to see what he can do for us. I think that positon is going to be an area of strength for us.”
(Your pass defense has added a lot of weapons in the past couple of years among DE Charles Harris, DE Robert Quinn, CB Cordrea Tankersley, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J. McDonald. How much different should it look this year? Are you expecting just an all out game-changing attacking unit?) – “You put me on the spot. Yes, I have high expectations. I do every year. Obviously, we’ve been fortunate the last couple drafts and offseason to add some pieces. Chris Grier and those guys have done a good job in trying to get … I’m like the broken record in terms of me always wanting more, more, more and ‘Give me this,’ and ‘I don’t have this,’ and all of that. They’ve done a good job of providing some of those weapons and pieces. Again, right or wrong, I have high expectations every season. But the more that we develop these guys and the more we kind of get the pieces that we think fit our scheme … I don’t know if you can put it on one guy like all of a sudden Minkah is going to be the end-all, be-all and change everything or Robert Quinn is the X-factor. But the more of those guys that we keep adding to the puzzle and the more we can get them comfortable playing the techniques we want to play and doing the things we want to do, obviously the better we should play. We have high expectations in the defensive room, on this staff, for this unit, and I expect that we’ll perform better. If not, I’m sure I’ll hear it from you guys.”
(Going up against Head Coach Adam Gase’s offense every day for the last two years in practice, he doesn’t seem able to run the up-tempo offense he wants to – the hurry up, the no huddle. Why has he been handcuffed by that situation? Do you envision he’s got the opportunity to do that this year?) – “You guys get to talk to him too don’t you? I don’t want to speak for Adam. Again, I’ll say this, just again, in terms of some of what we’ve been talking about here. As a play caller, I think the best coaches, your job is to take what you have in hand and utilize it to the best of your ability and put the players that you have in the best position to succeed and to make plays, whether to score points or to stop points from being scored or whatnot. I think Adam has just been conscientious of, ‘Okay, these are the pieces that I have at my disposal,’ and trying to put … I think if you look at Adam’s history, one of the things I really respect about him if you go back to … (He) had success with Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning to Jay Cutler in Chicago (and) all of these things here. I think that’s just what he’s done. So I’m not sure if he has used those words about feeling handcuffed. I think he’s just said, ‘Okay, this is kind of what we have at our disposal and these are some of the best ways to utilize the skill players or the pieces I have.’ I’m sure, just like myself, you always have sort of the perfect vision. I’d love four top line d-tackles and four top line d-ends that we can roll through and three linebackers that can play every spot and 10 safeties. That’s your ideal; but then you get to the season, you say, ‘Okay, this is what I have to work with. What’s the best way to put these 11 guys on the field for this game or this play or this season and have success?’ I think that’s just what Adam and the offensive staff have done the last couple of years and said, ‘Okay, here’s what we’re working with and how do we utilize it to the best of our advantage?’ I think this year is going to be the same. I’m assuming he feels the same way that I do in that we’ve added some new pieces through the draft and the offseason program the last year or two, and he’s going to look at the weapons he has now and what he has at quarterback and getting Ryan (Tannehill) back and those sort of things and say, ‘Alright, you know what? I think we can do this.’”
Cornell Armstrong – May 12, 2018
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Saturday, May 12, 2018
CB Cornell Armstrong
(How have things been going in the short time you’ve been here?) – “It’s been pretty good. I’m just adjusting, getting into the playbook and just trying to learn the terminology that goes on here. We actually ran the same defense, so I’m just getting used to the terminology.”
(How fast are you?) – “I’m pretty fast. It runs in my family. With the great training that I did over the offseason, leading up to Pro Day, I got faster. I can run.”
(It runs in the family? What do you mean? Can you talk about that?) – “My uncle, Eric Booth, was actually once the fastest guy in Mississippi at a time growing up. He went to Southern Miss, where I went to college at, and actually holds the (record for) return yards there.”
(How much, if at all, do you know about CB Patrick Surtain?) – “I don’t know much about him. I know he went to Southern Miss and I know he came here and was a great DB. He actually hit me up on Twitter when I got drafted. I’m trying to get into contact with him just to meet up with him and just to get to know him a little bit.”
(How would you describe yourself as a player?) – “Just competitive (and) hard-working. Like I said, I like to go out there and compete and try to win every battle. Even though you just can’t win them all, I’ve just got that mindset that I can.”
(Have you raced your uncle?) – “No, I haven’t raced him before. (laughter) No, I haven’t. Hopefully I could beat him. (laughter)”
(You’re coming into maybe the most talent-rich area of the team in the secondary. Have you looked at things and figured out where you will fit in? There’s a lot of returning corners and things like … Have you looked at a depth chart? Or have you gotten that far?) – “I mean I looked at the depth chart, but I’m just here to embrace my role and do whatever the team needs me to do. I’ll play anything. I’m just here to embrace my role and be my best.”
(Part of that role early on might be special teams. I’m sure you’ve probably been told that.) – “I’m pretty sure it’s like that for every rookie. Every rookie knows that you’ve got to get in there and get on special teams. Like I said, I’m just here to do whatever they need me to do. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
(Have you played special teams before?) – “Yes, sir. I have.”
(What did you do on special teams?) – “Freshman year I played all of them – kickoff return at 160 (pounds) on the front line in my first college game against Mississippi State. (laughter) Ever since then I’ve been progressing and getting better on special teams, so I’m pretty good at it.”
(Can you tell us a little bit about yourself off the field? What are your passions, your interests?) – “I just like to get better as a person. I’m a man of faith. All of the time I’m in in the Bible; I’m in the Word. I like to hang with my friends and enhance my game anyway that I can.”
(Where you’re from, just your high school – Mississippi has a strong tradition in the NFL – but did anybody else attend that school as well?) – “You’re talking about Bassfield High School?”
(Yes. Is there any other football players that made it to the NFL from your high school, from your area?) – “Yes, sir. We had Wilbur Myers and Jeffrey Posey. Also, we have a few guys that graduated with me that are free agents somewhere else.”
(But you’re the first draft pick from that high school. Can you talk about how big that was for you?) – “Words can’t even explain. It’s such a blessing. I just want to give a shout out to God for that. Just for being the first person that ever really (did that), it’s a lot of motivation.”
(Have you been back to the high school recently?) – “I haven’t.”
(At Southern Miss, you had experience playing on the boundary and in the slot, as well?) – “We played field and boundary.”
(Do you feel like that’s something that you’d be able to do, coming in here to Miami, to be able to play both if necessary?) – “Yes, I believe so. I’ve been working inside and out, working nickel and slot. I’m not saying here because we haven’t started OTAs yet, but during my training I was making sure I could be versatile for the team.”
(You compared yourself to CB Brent Grimes, I believe. Why?) – “(He’s) just a feisty guy. He loves to compete. I watched his film and I like the way he plays. He goes and gets it.”
