Robert Quinn – April 4, 2018
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Wednesday, April 4, 2018
DE Robert Quinn
(What was your first reaction when you had heard the news?) – “Well, actually I was worried about finding my phone. I got the news from my brother’s phone, so I’m like ‘Well, let me go finish finding my phone and I’ll figure the rest of lights out from there.’ (laughter). So I was a little shocked but … I mean I was pretty much shocked, honestly.”
(Has that shock worn off and, if so, what are your thoughts about being a Miami Dolphin?) – “Honestly, you know you don’t realize you’re suffocating until you can’t breathe no more, so honestly I’m glad I can have a new breath of fresh air down here in Miami. It’s allowing me to clear my mind and have a fresh start. It’s a new beginning and new possibilities. I’m excited for this new start. Honestly, I think it was best for me and my family, and sometimes things work out funny but they always work out for the best.”
(What did you mean by that when you said you were suffocating? What do you mean?) – “Well, how about this: I’m not a West Coast guy. I’ll just put it that way.”
(You had a few really fantastic seasons a few years ago. What have you been through since then as you try to work your way back?) – “Well, trying to make sure all my injuries hold up. Honestly, like I said, being here is more of just a fresh start. All of the old, old history … I don’t know. It kind of just, for whatever reason, seems to have gone away since I got here. There’s just something about when you walk into a place and you get this feeling that it seems like you’re supposed to be there. Like I said, I got one of those feelings being here. It’s still early, but I’m excited for the start.”
(When you talk about the feeling, I guess of optimism and a new start, is that because you’re with the Dolphins or because you’re away from the Rams?) – “Both. I mean it’s like this … This is the first time I’ve been traded. When you commit yourself to someone and basically have a family member turn your back on you, you realize who appreciates you around here, and you commit yourself to them. All it takes is one time for someone to rub you the wrong way and you have to just keep moving. I’ve got a new family now here in Miami and that’s all I’m concerned about.”
(Do you have a side that you prefer to play or do you play right and left side, both?) – “Long snapper (laughter).”
(You can stay in the league that way, right?) – “I can get 20 years right there, right? (laughter) No, but to answer your question, honestly it’s just pretty much playing defensive end. I’ve always been pretty much the majority right side and I guess I’m lucky Cam (Wake) loves the left side. Hopefully it works out for the best for the both of us.”
(What impresses you about DE Cam Wake since you just mentioned him?) – “Every time I hear about him – since I’ve been here I’ve bumped into him one time – I always hear about his work ethic, the way he eats, the way he takes care of himself and all of that. Like I said, I’ve only met him one time since I’ve been here. I never like to judge a book by its cover. I always want to get to know someone for who they are and not by word of mouth. He’s been here pretty much his whole career, if I’m not mistaken, so he’s earned his stripes. He’s committed himself and he’s been a heck of a Hall of Fame player whenever he decides (to retire). It makes you realize when you’ve got that type of caliber player, with that new breath of fresh air, it makes you want to get back to that level and expectation of being great. It’s exciting to be with a player and a teammate and I’m sure we’ll turn into friends. We’re going to do that in due time.”
(You and DE Cam Wake are two of the best in NFL history in the strip-sack. You guys are like No. 1 and No. 2. What’s the key to doing that successfully, getting that ball out?) – “Well, being on the right side, usually it is the blind side of the quarterback, where they can’t see you. Honestly, I forget what coach told me, (but it was) about a stat. Any time the defense gets a turnover, it’s like a 65-70 percent chance of winning and any time you score on defense, you are pretty much at 100 percent. That’s where my mind set is. Just off of those percentages, if I can get a strip, forced fumble and a touchdown on defense, that pretty much guarantees a team win. That’s what I’m about. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
(How much do you enjoy being reunited with DE William Hayes?) – “I’m excited. I was talking with him yesterday. I don’t consider a lot of people friends, but only my best friends. He’s one of my best friends. I’m definitely excited to be here and be reunited with him.”
(I’ve read a lot of stories about how you’ve had great success despite having issues with the tumor. I’m wondering how often do you have to have it checked and what’s the latest, if anything, that you know about thing?) – “Long story short, I’ve had this tumor since high school. I guess this would probably put it in a better (perspective). They told me that week that I wasn’t going to make it out of the hospital. That kind of changed my whole perspective of looking at life. That’s kind of just how why I am the way I am, just because … I don’t know if you were ever 17 and told you won’t make it out of the hospital in a week. It kind of messes with you a little bit. I think it did it for the better, just to make me realize there are more important things. Football’s fine. Everything’s fine, but the important thing is life. As long as you are happy with life and everything, at the end of the day, tomorrow’s not promised. As long as I can wake up with a smile, it’s a blessing.”
(Do they just basically give you a clear bill of health each year? Is that what they do? Is it like a once a year thing?) – “Yes. I get a checkup on it once a year and make sure it stays … not doing anything crazy. It’s been I guess about 10 years now – almost 10 years, 11 years now – I’m going on 11 years. Yes, so I get a checkup just to make sure it’s stable and nothing crazy is going on up there. It is your brain, so if that shuts down, everything pretty much shuts down. So it’s more of just checking on it and making sure it’s fine. Again, it’s going on 11 years so hopefully it’s found its resting place and will leave me alone.”
(If I’m not mistaken, you were a 3-4 outside linebacker last year. Is that right?) – “Yes.”
(What happens when you get to putting your hand back in the dirt? What kind of a difference does that make for a pass rusher?) – “I don’t know if you’ve ever watched the Olympics but I’ve never seen one of the sprinters run from a two-point stance. I think some people are gifted to push off that one foot – I’m thinking of Von Miller and stuff like that – but I honestly think if you want to get the best get-off, you’re supposed to get in a three-point stance. Again, to each his own. Some people are better doing one versus the other. Like I said, you can’t tell a person how to produce and make plays.”
(What kind of damage do you think you and DE Cameron Wake can do rushing the passer from opposite sides?) – “I don’t want to talk about ourselves too much but like you guys said, we’re the – I don’t know – No. 1, No. 2 at strip-sacks, forced fumbles? If we can do that once a game or twice a game, I think that gives our team a great chance of winning week in and week out. Again, I keep saying, it’s about the team winning. I’m just trying to do my part and hopefully … I keep saying these statistics because I had a defensive coordinator that made them stick in my mind. At the end of the day, I just want to get back to winning and some positive vibes because it seems like Miami is a great place to be.”
(What can you tell us about why you’ve raised your fist in protest at times during the national anthem and if you plan to continue that this season?) – “Well, let me tell you this. The way America was built and the way people talk … The President said we should build a wall to keep Mexicans out. This country was built off of … They killed Indians built off the backs of the blacks and yet they tell us to keep quiet. At the end of the day, let’s confront the situation and let’s bring humanity and friendship. Let’s get rid of all the ignorance. Let’s face it head on, look at each other as humans and I always live by this one law: treat each other like you want to be treated. You don’t ever want to smack someone in the face and don’t expect to get smacked back. It’s just that simple fact. Don’t treat someone bad and then expect not to get treated the same way. That’s just how it is.”
Adam Gase – March 27, 2018
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Considering you guys had so many big talented names leave, do you feel like you’ve brought in the talent to replace that or is it more the sum is bigger than the parts?) – “Really the way I see it right now is that we’ve added the pieces that really go with the group that we already have. Obviously when you have the players that have left, the caliber of players that we’ve had and the guys that have had the production that they’ve had, we know that you’re not going to replace one guy with one guy. We understand that. We’re just trying to find the best fit for our locker room right now. That’s what we’re looking for anytime we bring anybody else in.”
(Are you where you thought you’d be when you took the job? You inherit a lot of pieces where you don’t have any control over it. Now do you feel like this is a roster that’s more reflective of what you’ve been looking for?) – “I think this is closer than what we talked about when we first started. Sometimes you have to go through a couple of years and really figure guys out and who fits and who wants to either move on or you want to move on from. I think we’re closer to what we’ve been looking for heading into the draft. We still have some pieces to add. We’re looking really to kind of see how it plays out. We’ll see what goes on after talking with other teams in the league. You just never know who else is going to shake free from now until the start of the season.”
(What do you guys get in replacing C Mike Pouncey with C Daniel Kilgore?) – “That’s a tough one because I think Pouncey … It’s a tough word to use, ‘replace.’ I think when you have a guy that’s done as much for this organization as Mike has, I don’t know if you can really replace him. I know Daniel will come in here and really put his spin on that position. He probably has some different traits that are strengths to him. We’ll just see how everything goes and how that group gels together, because really that’s what we’re looking for: to see if we can get those three interior guys working well together and see how well we can play this year.”
(What was the thinking behind moving on from DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “I think it was probably just the right time for us. We have a lot of young players in that d-line room. We’re kind of moving some things around this year, both on offense and defense. You have to look at everything financially, just how you want to go about heading forward.”
(With that defensive tackle group, do you feel like DT Jordan Phillips and DT Davon Godchaux can play more snaps? Davon already had 500 snaps as a rookie.) – “Yes, we’ll kind of see. We’ll keep adding to that position and keep creating competition. We’ll see how it really plays out this season. You never know with injuries and the moves that are made, whether it be the draft or trading for somebody or picking somebody up. You just never know how it’s going to shake out.”
(In what ways can WR Albert Wilson and WR Danny Amendola fill some of the WR Jarvis Landry role?) – “I don’t know. It’s really going to be … I’m looking at that as more of a group effort of we’re probably going to spread it out a little more. Ball distribution will be a little more wide-ranging than one guy. We’ll kind of see how we play this out and who is playing where. We’ll probably have guys moving around in multiple spots. I think between DeVante (Parker) and Kenny (Stills) – those two – and now you add Jakeem (Grant) in there and you add (Kenyan) Drake in there, now you’ve got Frank Gore. We’ve got a lot of guys that we’re going to need to get the ball to.”
(What was it about WR Albert Wilson that attracted you to his talent level?) – “His speed is hard to ignore. We saw first-hand how fast he is and what he can do, how he can stretch the field vertically. Then I think I’d look at a guy that when you put the ball in his hands, he makes plays. I don’t think I’ve seen too many wide receivers where a team is actually handing the ball off to him and he’s running between the tackles. He’s not a running back; but he has toughness, he has vision and he has ability to do a lot of different things, which is very intriguing to us. We feel like we have a lot of things that we can do with him.”
(And why WR Danny Amendola?) – “I think Danny fits into this system probably really well. When we started this thing, we had Wes (Welker). He kind of originated that position up in New England. By getting (Amendola), we have the type of offense that really fits him. I think he creates a lot of separation. He’s one of those guys that makes the quarterback’s job really easy. He doesn’t just get a little bit open. There’s a big window there. The quarterback has margin for error. It’s something that we’re excited about and I think he brings that element that he’s a winner. He’s played in a lot of big games. He’s won Super Bowls. He’s made big plays in huge games – game-changing plays. I think he’s going to be a great example for the rest of our locker room.”
(Why did you bring in RB Frank Gore at this stage of his career?) – “I wouldn’t doubt Frank with anything. I know a lot of people are looking at his age but with him, it’s irrelevant. He’s a different dude. I’ve known him for 10 years. We were together a long time ago (in San Francisco). He just hasn’t changed. When you watch him run, the physicality he plays with, pad level, the way that he’s able to drive defenders when they’re hanging on him and carrying them still, he’s a good fit for us. I think he’s a great guy for us to have in that locker room and that running back room. I think he’s a great guy for (Kenyan) Drake to see work day in and day out, and those two guys kind of being able to do their thing together. That’s going to be a fun thing to watch.”
(So how do you envision using both RB Frank Gore and RB Kenyan Drake?) – “We’ll figure it out. This is no different than what we were kind of doing with Damien (Williams) and Kenyan last year. I mean it’s a long season. We got caught in a couple of situations last year where Kenyan (Drake) was the only guy we had, and he had to take the majority of the carries. Really, that’s not what we want over a 16-game season. That’s going to be tough. We’ll make sure that we spread this thing out well. We’ll use both of those guys the right way.”
(You’ve spoken so highly of WR Jarvis Landry, especially the first year when you took the job. Was there a point at which maybe your vision and his went different directions?) – “I don’t think so. I think when you get to that free agency point, it’s not as easy as you think. You’re talking the amount of money somebody else wants and what you think … Not necessarily what they deserve, but how it can work for your organization. We just couldn’t find a way to meet in the middle there. Really, the next step for us was with the franchise tag and then we ended up moving on from him. He’ll do well. He’s around a good group of guys now. That group is going to be good. He’ll do what he’s always done. He’ll have a successful season again and we’ll just see how it plays out for him.”
(Did you and WR Jarvis Landry end the season in a good place, as far as your relationship?) – “I thought we did. The last time that we spoke, everything was positive. It’s just the business side of everything. It’s just not very fun.”
(Is there a common thread among the types of players that you’re trying to bring in now that you want to add to this group?) – “I think the common thread is we’re just trying to get guys with experience winning, who have been successful, have done it right, are professionals and are just good examples. But at the same time, (we want) guys that can play. We’re trying to get guys that fit into what we’re looking to do. Right now, we feel great about the guys that we’ve acquired.”
(How good do you feel about this offensive line that you have? You have depth. What do you like about G Josh Sitton?) – “I’m just glad I don’t have to hear about guard play anymore. (laughter) We’ll keep that one down for a while. I think anytime that you have competition, that you have veteran players … I like where we’re at with our tackles right now. I think those two guys (Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James) are only going to become better with the guys that they’re playing with. It will be interesting for us to watch. I like our depth. We’re just going to have to get that cohesiveness we need. I know that we’ve talked about that a lot, where we’re always trying to figure out what’s the best thing to do. Practicing together, does that matter? If it’s every day for three months, what’s that going to do? I think we’re all in the same boat when we’re saying ‘Yes, that’s going to be a major factor.’ If we can keep guys healthy and practice together and get those reps together, that’s going to be important.”
(When you think about what you plan to do in the spring and summer with QB Ryan Tannehill, is there any sort of easing in or limiting…?) – “I don’t know if there’s anything about him that’s going to be easing in. I think he’s ready to go. I already know I’m going to get some dirty looks when I say ‘How are you doing? How does it feel?’ He’s not going to want to hear it. He’s just going to want to go. We’ll just keep … I’ll just try to do a good job of not bothering him too much; but at the same time, kind of figure out where he’s at. I know our training staff is going to do a great job of just making sure everything is good. He’s been really honest with us as far as how he feels and where he’s at. We’ll kind of see how that plays out.”
(What are you going to tell QB Ryan Tannehill in respect to running and protecting himself?) – “I mean he’s going to play his game. I don’t think he ever really put himself in harm’s way to begin with. I thought he was always smart. Occasionally I would have loved to have seen him get down; but it was usually at the right time where he knew he had no choice and he had to lower his shoulder and try to run through a guy for a big play in the fourth quarter. I know it feels like forever ago, but he got hurt in the pocket throwing a ball. Really, it’s about … If we do a good job of protecting him and he gets the ball out on time, I don’t feel like he’s going to get hit as much as he has in the past.”
(How do you think you might be able to help with QB Brock Osweiler? What does he actually bring?) – “I really like the competition we’re going to be able to have between those three guys that we have on the roster right now (Osweiler, David Fales and Brandon Doughty). We’ll kind of see how everything else goes moving forward with the draft coming up. I think Brock has the tool set really that we saw when we drafted him in Denver. He’s had a little bit of a rocky road here the last few years. When you’re used to working with a guy and you kind of know each other already and you’re able to skip a few steps and get right into the meat of the action there and just get into fine-tuning a few things … I think he’ll do well in practice with us and he’ll be able to get on the same page with guys really fast. He kind of knows how things need to be done. It’s just going to be about when you hit the preseason, how does that really work out? Can you get those other guys to play well around you and can you make the right decisions?”
(Going back to QB Ryan Tannehill a second, so he will be ready to go at the start of training camp?) – “He’ll be ready go in OTAs. He’ll be doing stuff from the beginning of the offseason.”
(How do you see the linebacker situation taking shape right now?) – “We keep trying to look to address this … We’ve probably got one hole right now. We’re looking for either somebody to step up and take that spot or we’ve got to bring somebody else in, whether that be the draft, trade or somebody getting cut from another team. We’ll kind of see how it plays out going forward. It’s hard to predict right now. We’ve got some young players that we’re encouraged by. We feel like Kiko (Alonso) and Raekwon (McMillan) are two guys that we really like. We’ll be excited to get Raekwon back. We’ll just kind of see how it plays out. It’s hard to predict anything right now, especially since we still have the draft. We’ve still got a lot of time before the season starts. We’re just going to have to see how it plays out.”
(At that position, what did LB Stephone Anthony show you?) – “I think we got a good first look at him. I thought he did a great job in practice. The times that we got him into games, he did a lot of good things. We’re just going to kind of see how it plays out. I don’t want to promise anything to anybody. I think we’re just going to … Competition is going to be a good thing for us.”
(Without asking you to tip your hand regarding the draft or the future of your roster, do you believe it’s imperative for you guys to get a good, young quarterback in the draft this year at some point?) – “I think we just … I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) will do a good job putting the draft board together and we’ll pick the right guys. For me to say that, it’s just hard to know. I don’t know how the draft is going to fall. I don’t know who … What if three teams trade up even higher than what we’ve been seeing and everybody’s gone? Are we taking a guy just to take a guy? I mean I’d love to add a quarterback as much as anybody else but at the same time, I want it to be the right guy for us.”
(With the acquisition of DE Robert Quinn and DE William Hayes coming back, are you going to find yourself having a hard time figuring out how to get all of those d-ends on the field?) – “I was always told you can never have enough d-ends and corners by somebody, so we’ll figure it out. I’d rather have more than not enough.”
(What do you think, aside from QB Ryan Tannehill’s injury, the biggest issue with the team was last year? And how have you gone about trying to fix that this offseason?) – “I think we had a lot of … There were a lot of little … There were some big things and some little things that came up last year. A lot of us had to deal with a lot of adversity. I think it was a learning lesson for a lot of us. I know I went through a lot of things last year that were not in the handbook. There were some tough spots to get put in; but I thought some guys did well. They handled adversity well. Some guys didn’t handle it as well. We probably learned a lot about a lot of guys. It was one of those things that at the time you’re going through it, it’s not really the (most) fun thing to do, but it’s a great learning experience moving forward.”
(What did you learn about the job from dealing with some of crazy stuff?) – “Just to expect anything. You just never know what it could be.”
(Did it make you better?) – “Yes. I mean it was either adapt or die. You had no choice. That’s the way I saw it. You had to figure out a way to deal with the situation and still get ready for the game, work to get our coaching staff ready and make sure our coaching staff was getting our players ready. It was interesting. It was interesting to go through a lot of the things last year that we went through.”
(How do you think that impacted the team’s performance? All of those constant distractions.) – “You wish you could say it didn’t have any impact. I think a lot of guys would say … Just talking to them after the season, some guys got distracted by it, by certain things; but some guys assert things over others. I think everybody had a little different feel each week of if something came up, if that bothered them or it didn’t. I think everybody was a little bit different, but I think we kind of fell apart to that a little bit.”
(Is there an example of that adversity that we don’t know about that you can share?) – “No. ”
(I apologize if you’ve been asked this before but what attracted you to WR Danny Amendola and how do you see him operating in your offense?) – “Really just to know a guy that really fits into what we’re doing. He’s an experienced guy, a guy that’s been in big games, made plays in big games. He’s been part of an organization that’s won a lot and he’s a guy that can absolutely be a huge impact in our locker room. He can help other players on offense and help our team in general. I think it will be good for our guys to see how he works, how he does meetings and how he goes about his business. I remember when we signed Wes (Welker) in Denver, that was one of the biggest things that he did was when our young guys saw him practice, they were shocked because they couldn’t believe how hard he went and how fast he did everything. There was no half speed or take this play off. It just didn’t exist. He was full speed all the time.”
(What went into the decision to follow through on the fifth-year option for T Ja’Wuan James?) – “I think we looked through all our options. I think he had a chance to kind of think through how he felt. We had a lot of discussion with him, his agent, us – between (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and (Offensive Line Coach) Jeremiah (Washburn) and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Chris Kuper – and we felt like at the end of the day, Ja’Wuan wanted to be back. He wanted to be back. He wanted to get an opportunity to really finish off last year the right way. He wanted to continue in building on what he felt he was building on. We had a great conversation to where I think all of us felt really good that he deserves that shot to get what he wants, where he can come in, he can be a part of that group and be an impact guy for us. I think he … The biggest thing that excited me is that he wanted to be … It meant a lot for him to be back. He wanted to be on this team. He wanted to be a part of this. He wanted to be part of us taking last season, building off it and then finding out a way to win this year.”
(You lost a lot of veterans in the last offseason. Who do you think the leaders are going forward?) – “We’ll find out. I mean right now … feel like we’ve added more guys than we lost. I know free agency, a lot of guys were taken away there and whether we released guys or traded guys; but I think we’re adding good pieces to the puzzle here and I feel like we’re only going to get better leadership wise.”
(Regarding special teams, where do you see the leadership there and how do you see…?) – “Did (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi put you up to this? Did Rizzi call this one in? Darren from Fort Lauderdale? (laughter)”
(I just know you lost a good number of special teams players…) – “We lost a good player (in Michael Thomas). I think when we started this thing, we knew between Mike and Walt both being up, it wasn’t going to be an easy thing for us to get both of those guys back. I think what we kind of predicted for ourselves and what happened was two different things. I really felt like Mike was going to be quick. I didn’t think he’d last this long on the open market. We wanted to make sure we got Walt done and we were able to do that. There were a couple of things we weren’t able to get done to help our special teams. I think Walt is a guy that we’re going to see really step up in a leadership role this year. I don’t know if anybody can really replace Mike as far as his leadership goes and his ability to make plays was outstanding. He’s a tackling machine, but we also have a lot of guys that were impact players that we still have on the roster between Mike Hull and Walt and the rest of that group. We’ve got a good crew of guys and we’ve added some guys that are actually going to be able to help on special teams, so we’ll kind of see how it plays out.”
(What excited you about DE Robert Quinn, to be able to get him without a ton of compensation back and he’s still only 27?) – “We got a young player that (can) rush the passer, loves playing football and he’s got a great motor. When you watch him on film, the guy just keeps rushing the passer. I think adding him and then getting William Hayes back, that was big for us. Those are two guys to add to that room that we feel really good about. Getting William back, that was big for a lot of us. We really wanted to make sure he was in our building this year. He was very impactful. It was unfortunate he got hurt last year, but I think that was something that was lingering for a long time with him and somehow he’s played through it. I think it just got to a point where he couldn’t handle it anymore. The pain was just that extreme. The doctors were right. They said as soon as he has this surgery, he’s going to feel like he’s ready to go the next day, and he did. I’m excited to see a healthy William Hayes go.”
(In terms of your defensive tackles with DT Jordan Phillips, DT Davon Godchaux and DT Vincent Taylor, how much development are you expecting from that trio and also, do you feel like you have enough at that position?) – “We’re always going to look to add. We’re going to look to add competition. I think these guys will … They’re only going to get better. I like what we’re doing with (Defensive Line Coach) Kris Kocurek. He’s going to get those guys better. That’s all he has ever done in his career. He has taken guys that sometimes when you watch some of his past film, some of those guys that you’re not really sure who they are, but they’re playing hard, they’re getting to the ball, they’re harassing the quarterback. He gets guys better. I think those guys fit in the mold that he’s looking for, and he’s going to get those players better. If things play out the way they seem to always play out, we’re going to probably add multiple pieces somewhere to where we can create competition, and we’ll kind of see how that plays out.”
(How big was it bringing DE William Hayes back to the fold?) – “It was huge. He’s probably one of my favorite guys to just watch play, to play in games and play in practice. His love for football, it’s hard to match. I think he’s contagious. Other guys really feed off of his energy, especially on game day. The physicality he plays with … I know we love using this word, setting the edge. He does a great job doing that. That’s something that he brings that we need.”
(What kind of step could TE A.J. Derby make after being with the team through OTAs this year and training camp?) – “I’m really interested to see what we can do with him. When he came on board, I wasn’t really sure where he was health-wise. It was just kind of a weird situation. Being able to … Seeing him go out the first day and he’s running around and he’s fine and I could tell the quarterbacks really liked working with him. Anytime you get a guy that has been a former quarterback, he seems to have a great feel for where to be, where to fit in, kind of what that guy is thinking. We’ll kind of see what we can do developing him. I think he’s one of those guys that has a great feel in the slot and kind of that one-on-one spot versus a safety or linebacker. We’ll see how it plays out.”
(As far as the rest you have at that position at the moment, has TE Thomas Duarte taken any steps as a blocker to make you think…?) – “I think so. We did something in the middle of the season last year where kind of talking to (Tight Ends Coach) Shane (Day) and Clyde (Christensen), we talked about putting him in with the ones and seeing what happened. Shane did a good job. He put him in there on a majority of run plays and pass protections. We’re in pads. It was great to see him really throwing his hat in there. He was being physical. He was doing things right. That gave us a lot of confidence to we feel like things are heading in the right direction. I think this is going to be a really important offseason for him, so when he hits training camp, he’s not thinking, he’s playing and reacting and he’s able to play physical. Then at the same time, when he gets his opportunities in the passing game, he makes the most of them.”
(How would you describe what G Josh Sitton and C Daniel Kilgore bring together and maybe how their skillset and their personality type might impact the overall production of the line?) – “I haven’t been around those two guys long enough to really … We’re talking about a couple hours I’ve been with them. I really need to experience this. I can go off of what I’ve heard, which has been positive for us. I’m going off of what two guys that were with them for two years, their experience with them in Chicago. I know with what we’re getting with Josh, we’re getting a guy that has been a Pro Bowler. He has won. He has played with an elite quarterback. I think he’s excited to have this opportunity, being able to help a young player that’s playing next to him. I think that’s something that really excited him. As far as Daniel goes, I’ve got nothing but positive feedback from those guys out there. I have a great relationship between Kyle (Shanahan) and John (Lynch), Paraag (Marathe) and Jed (York) and all of those guys. Those guys couldn’t say enough about him. I feel like we’re getting two good dudes that are hard workers, that want to do it right, that want to be part of the solution of us winning. I think we’re going to have the positive results we’re looking for.”
(I’m curious about one thing with the draft. A lot of the quarterbacks have said how much they enjoyed meeting with you, that they really liked you, that they really connected with you.) – “Don’t sound so surprised.” (laughter)
(Well, the one that really didn’t surprise me was Baker Mayfield.) – “Right.”
(Just personality-wise – I’m not asking for like a breakdown or whether you want to pick him or any of that – but personality-wise, he seems like he would be perfect for you. You guys seem almost the same.) – “We’re close in personality probably. I enjoy watching him play. I like the way he plays. That whole group of guys … It’s rare that you’re talking about this many guys at the top of the draft. Whoever is getting who, you’re getting good players across the board. You’re getting guys that are confident. You’re getting guys with a lot of talent. Really, it’s going to be kind of really your flavor as far as quarterback goes. I think Baker’s personality is something that’s infectious to other guys. I think there’s a competitiveness that you love to see. You can tell that he doesn’t want to lose at anything that he’s doing. It doesn’t matter if football … I don’t know what else he could possibly be doing, but whatever it is, he wants to win at. As a coach, you always love guys like that. You want to be around them because that gives you a little bit more. You want to give … You want to make sure you do more for that guy to put him in a better position. When you get that kind of energy from guys, it’s fun to be around. I’ve enjoyed the amount of time that we’ve been able to spend with him, whether it be the Senior Bowl, the Combine, when we do our workouts, Pro Days, things like that. It’s fun to go out and watch young guys throw and see how they act around other guys, kind of that evaluation process. You wish you weren’t so crunched with time, but it is what it is and it’s a great experience to go through those.”
(You seem to be a coach that lets his players have a personality. Do you think some of the stuff that QB Baker Mayfield does, even he admits, may have crossed the line, and that he learns from them?) – “I don’t want to expose myself as far as maybe how some of the things I do aren’t always great. Sometimes passion and emotion gets the best of you. Sometimes you do things that are positive and sometimes you do things that you look back and wish that you would’ve done something different. That’s part of this sport. That’s what it is, its emotion. It’s a violent game and a lot of things happen in a matter of split seconds. You just go with your gut and if you screw up, you try to fix it down the road.”
(It’s been mostly two quarterbacks here on the 53 since you’ve been here; but if you’re able to draft one, do you give more thought this year?) – “Probably. Yes. I think that’s something that – I mean I don’t know how many we … What were we carrying, five last year at one point? And we survived. I don’t know, it felt like it. It was a crowded room, I know that. We’re going to do what’s best for the team. We’re going to do what we think … That’s an important position. I like the guys that we have on our roster right now, and then if we add someone else, obviously we’re doing it for a good reason. At that position, the more guys that we can bring along and the more guys that we can develop, I think it’s hard to just say that we’re going to keep a practice squad guy. Last year we felt really good about how David (Fales) was coming along. That wasn’t an option. Letting him move on was not going to be an option for us.”
(Right guard, your thinking there? You’ve got a couple of options obviously with G/T Jesse Davis and C/G Ted Larsen?) – “Yes, we’ll see how this plays out. I don’t want to … We haven’t really got a chance to meet with those guys and talk football with them. We’re going to kind of work though this thing and see how it plays out. We’ve got a lot of time left.”
(With CB Tony Lippett coming back and all the young guys on the roster, what’s your confidence at cornerback?) – “It’s one of those positions you can never have enough of. We’re always going to look to add. That position, you guys always talk about drafting a quarterback every year, (you have to) draft a corner every year. It’s a tough position to play. It’s becoming a position where it’s high-priced. Now all of a sudden we’re looking at Xavien (Howard) is coming up on his contract here pretty soon. We see him getting better.”
(What kind of football player are the Chiefs getting with RB Damien Williams?) – “A tough, football intelligent, playmaker. He’s just a guy that when Sundays come around, he’s going to give you everything he has. When things are going bad, you get the ball to him and he’ll make something happen. He’s got passion for the game. He’s one of the guys I loved being around, whether it be practice or game day. Just seeing him grow over the time that we’ve been together, it was a great experience.”
(RB Damien Williams signed pretty cheaply. Why is he not back?) – “I think when he really entered this process, they were thinking more than what we were really at. By the time it circled back around, we were already kind of moving on. I was looking for what we ended up getting with Frank (Gore). I wanted that veteran guy that had a lot of experience and really could help (Kenyan) Drake take his game to the next level.”
(The way CB Tony Lippett played a couple of years ago and obviously the way CB Cordrea Tankersley came along last year, do you view that sort of as a competition?) – “I think at that spot, you’re always … I mean you play so many guys. I mean you’re playing five DBs at a time so much. Guys get banged up and they’re in and out. We’re just going to keep competing out there and see how it all unfolds and try to add as many guys as we can and try to get these young guys better. The good thing was we played a ton of guys last year, especially in the back end. I think we’re only going to get better out there.”
(CB Cordrea Tankersley’s rookie season, you would assess that how?) – “It’s hard to say. I think he got better. I think there were times where he wishes he could go back and do some things different; but that’s the rookie year. We’d love to see him come in really with the mindset of that’s his spot and he’s not going anywhere and really be aggressive as far as not let anybody take that spot that he’s had.”
(With K Cody Parkey gone, what’s your philosophical thought on preferring maybe a veteran kicker as opposed to a young one?) – “We’ll see how it goes. We’ll figure that one out as time goes on. I know (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi and ‘Moof’ (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf), they are getting put through the gauntlet right now. I don’t know where Darren is right now. He’s in Vancouver or I don’t know. (laughter) I don’t know where he is. He might be not … I don’t think he’s in the country. So it would’ve been hard for him to call from Ft. Lauderdale. (laughter)”
(WR Albert Wilson is going to be productive for the Miami Dolphins because of what doing what?) – “I think the variety of things that he can do. I think his speed. I think the fact that when you put the ball in his hands, he’s a guy that can take a throw behind the line of scrimmage and he can create a 70-yard touchdown. Things like that. It’s really impressive what he can do. It’s really about getting the ball in his hands. But at the same time, he has flexibility outside and inside. He has a wider range of route tree than what he did when he started in the NFL. I think he’s a quick study as well. When you watch him from 2016 to 2017, you see extremes of improvements in certain areas. I think that’s something we noticed with him right away. When you watch those two years, you went ‘Wow.’ He really became an impact player.”
(With G Josh Sitton, offensive line signings are never the sexiest thing; but what can he mean to your team?) – “He’s a veteran player, a guy that’s still playing at a high level, the leadership, the experience of winning that he has. Any time you get a guy that’s played with an elite quarterback, that’s always going to help your group because he understands how it should be. Those guys always help your quarterback because he can always ask … Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job when he gets around guys that have played with other guys and asks questions about how those guys did it as well. Those guys are always good information-wise, as far as what other teams have done, especially good teams. But getting a guy with that kind of veteran leadership, that was excited to come in for us and be an impact guy with some of our younger players, that was going to be good for us.”
(You said on WR Albert Wilson, outside or inside. He’s an elf. So how do you play him outside?) – “What did you just say? (laughter)”
(He’s very short.) – “That’s fine. That means it’s just hard to get your hands on him. That’s alright. When you see him, try to touch him and see what happens. (laughter)”
(But I’m saying, doesn’t that make it hard for your quarterback?) – “Jakeem (Grant) looked alright. We put him outside. (Albert Wilson) towers over Jakeem. (laughter)”
(Is that in the scouting report?) – “I put that. ‘Taller than Jakeem.’ They’re both taller than (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains). I know that. (laughter) He’s going to be so mad we’re talking about him right now.”
(What you got from the safety combo once S T.J. McDonald came back, with McDonald and S Reshad Jones, was that what you were looking for? What you were looking for in spurts?) – “I don’t think it really turned out as well as we thought with what we saw in training camp. I think that eight week layoff, T.J. did a great job of being ready to go and being able to really get in there and physically be able to do it, but I think we didn’t have that chemistry we were looking for. It took those guys a while to really kind of get that feel with each other. We’ll be better getting into training camp and for us being able to continue that growth. I was feeling something good there when we were in the middle of training camp. T.J. was playing really well and Reshad and him were really doing a good job of communicating with each other and there was a good feel.”
“(Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) says he’s 5-foot-8. Just a heads up. Don’t short him. (laughter)”
(There’s depth obviously that you need at safety with S Michael Thomas moving on. At this point, S Maurice Smith, did he show you enough before his appendicitis?) – “He did a lot of good things. It was unfortunate that we lost him for the season. That was one of our show up Friday and find out one of the guys you had plans to play that week isn’t going to play that week because he has appendicitis. He continued a good streak there, a good 10 weeks in a row. He showed us a lot. There’s a lot of good things that he did. I think like any rookie, (there were some) ups and downs; but I like that the guys he learned under in college are guys that I respect a lot. I think he knows what we’re looking for and he knows what he needs to do moving forward to contribute.”
(What do you think about how T Laremy Tunsil played last year and how does he get better?) – “I think I might not be the only one. There’s probably a lot of us sitting here that thought it would be an easy transition for him. It’s still left tackle in the NFL. I think it was tougher for him than what all of us anticipated; but I think at the same time, he felt the same way where there’s nothing easy about this. I saw a different side of him last year. I saw a guy that started to notice that it’s not that easy. He went to work and he practiced hard and he was great in meetings. The way he was watching film and his development as a professional improved last year. I think he’s excited moving forward, getting Josh (Sitton) in there and working with him, and to really be the guy that he’s wanted to be since he came out.”
(We haven’t talked about WR DeVante Parker. We’ve been hanging here for like 40 minutes and this is the first time that he’s come up. We’ve used potential and upside. Are we kind of past that now and it’s kind of like, if it’s going to happen, let’s see it?) – “I would say I feel like we know what he can do in our building. I don’t think there’s any question about what anybody feels of what he can do. I don’t even think it’s a potential thing. I think it’s a health thing. It’s just about how are we going to keep him healthy? I think that’s when we get our best DeVante Parker. I think we’re trying to do as much as we can to figure out a way to make sure when we hit spring, we start from there and we just keep building on it. It’s just unpredictable. We need a little bit of luck. We need him to do the right things and he has been. He’s been trying to do everything the right way. We’ve just kind of got to see … let the chips fall where they may.”
(We talked about the little guys. WR DeVante Parker’s skill set, because it’s different, how do you need his different skill set?) – “I’ve always been a big fan of having as many different guys as you can, and we’ve got a good variety. We’ve got a lot of speed. We have different sizes. We just need to keep guys healthy and on the field.”
(Why does it take so long for young receivers to develop in the league?) – “It’s just there’s a lot of options. There’s a lot of moving parts. There’s volume. I wish I could say ‘Hey, it’s easy. We’ll just do this.’ Then as soon as you go down that road, five minutes later your guys are going ‘They know what we’re doing.’ Or you start hearing people say ‘you’re too predictable.’ If you want to increase the volume, you better have guys that can handle it.”
(Do you know if TE Julius Thomas wants to keep playing?) – “I could not tell you. I don’t want to speak for him.”
(With where you’re at with your tight ends, is that anything you would explore? Bringing TE Julius Thomas back at the minimum or something like that?) – “I haven’t … When I talked to him at the end of the season, we had a good conversation. Really, anything past that, you guys would have to ask him.”
(And with TE Anthony Fasano?) – “We talked at the end of the year. We‘ll kind of … As of right now, we’re probably going to be in a holding pattern. We’ll kind of see what happens – whether it be the draft or after the draft – and if we feel like we have to still address anything, then we will from there.”
(What does WR Danny Amendola bring to your football team?) – “See? You guys all think I’m crazy, huh? That’s the third person to ask me about it. (laughter) Leadership. He’s a guy that has a lot of experience in big games. He fits into our offense really well. We’re excited to be able to bring in a guy like that into our locker room. He’s going to help all of our young guys, especially.”
(Was that something you thought was missing? That you thought it was an important thing for you to bring into your team?) – “It’s a similar experience that I’ve been through before, when we brought Wes (Welker) into Denver. We had a bunch of younger wide receivers that had a lot of positive things to bring to the table, but I don’t think they quite saw it through the eyes of a true professional. When Wes came in, he changed our culture and environment. He was part of the reason why we had a big swing there. Those guys saw him practice, they saw him play in games, they saw the way he did things in meetings and in the locker room. He was a big reason a lot of things changed there. Danny has a lot of the same personality traits and I think a guy like Ryan Tannehill is going to benefit a lot from being around a guy like that.”
(Last year you talked about how it was 0-0 going into 2017. The 2016 season was over and it didn’t matter. You needed to start over and that was like the mindset, the mentality and the message. I’m wondering how you would describe the mindset, the messaging and the mentality for the group entering this offseason and this season.) – “I think we have so many different guys now, I don’t think anybody really cares about what happened last year that’s in that locker room right now. There’s a different feel. There’s going to be a lot of different bodies and a lot of different guys; but that’s what happens. If you have a 6-10 season, you’re going to have a lot of change-over. That’s just part of it, whether it be on the coaching staff, whether it be in the locker room, the staff around the building. We made a lot of changes and that’s what happens.”
(Is it difficult to be honest with yourself at some points and say we’re not just a couple of pieces away? Because generally everybody would like to think they’re that close.) – “If you take the pieces of the puzzle that you either have or you’ve added and really once you get through the draft, you’ve kind of got to figure out a way to make it work. The league is so close talent-wise. Right now we look at everything in a positive light because we get our starting quarterback back.”
(Yes, but at the end of a season though.) – “I think at the end of the season we were …”
(At the end of the season, to be honest with yourself. Is that a challenge?) – “No. It’s not. That’s the easiest thing to do. We’re critical. Nobody’s ever afraid to say what either went wrong or whether they made a mistake. It’s brutal honesty. It’s not always fun to hear but that’s what it is. That’s what this league is. No one’s ever shy about telling you that you screwed up or you did something wrong or you should have got this guy over this guy. I mean that’s just part of it.”
(Based on what you said about you got your quarterback back, are you a better team now than at the end of last season?) – “Yes. I’m always going to think that way, especially when you’ve got a guy that you had a lot of confidence in, you lose him and then now he’s back. We went a long time without him. I know there’s a lot of guys that are going to be in that locker room that feel the same way because if I had to hear we get ‘17’ back one more time at the end of the year, that said a lot to me. I wasn’t the only one thinking that.”
(With QB Ryan Tannehill, obviously physically, he has to get healthy. What growth do you expect to see in this year, the second year in the offense?) – “Sometimes when you sit and watch, you look at things in a different light. I think he did a great job of trying to help where he could, but understanding I’m not the starting quarterback at the current moment. He was trying to give those guys their due, their role, and let them be who they needed to be. I think what he saw was things really … The clarity really picked up for him as far as why I was calling things when I was doing certain things, the way I’d install something. He understood things a lot better than what he had before and that gets me excited thinking ‘Wow, the fact that he didn’t play the entire year and now it makes more sense than it did before.’ And I think he understands why, when I called certain things, how the ball can come out faster and what he can do protection-wise. His brain is just moving faster just from watching. I think he’s just ready to take that next step, get back in there and get things rolling and then being able to do it.”
(You obviously have DT Jordan Phillips and DT Davon Godchaux. You know DE William Hayes can play some tackle. You’ll probably add a player. Did DT Vincent Taylor show you enough to where you can project him for any sort of meaningful role next year as you evaluate?) – “Yes, he was a guy that we felt like was playing well for us. You know it was unfortunate he got hurt. I know it was late in the season, but anytime you’ve got to go through any kind of rehab and things like that, it’s no fun. He was a guy that if he was inactive, it didn’t set well with him. You’d see a guy that would just terrorize the practice field and he’d want to make sure that everybody knew he was out there. He’s our kind of guy. I’m excited to watch him really improve in the year coming forward.”
(You mentioned a few minutes ago when I asked you all of that stuff about theme and everything, that there was a different energy in the building because it was new people, new players and new coaches. Can you expand upon that a little bit in terms of how would you describe that new energy?) – “I think you’ve just got to feel it. I think you guys will notice it kind of when we get going and you guys get around. I don’t know. There’s just something … there’s something about a lot of these guys that we brought in. Seeing Frank Gore, that gets me going. It’s been 10 years since we were together. I mean it seems like forever. The guy looks exactly the same. Just everything about him. I’m excited to see what he can do to help us and we’ve got Danny (Amendola) and Albert (Wilson) in at the same time. And then Josh (Sitton) was in there, and then Daniel (Kilgore). These guys were excited to be here. They wanted to come here. This was their decision to do it. I think they’re looking to be impact players for us.”
(The way CB Bobby McCain played last year, do you feel good about that spot?) – “Yes, I don’t know why everybody always wants to replace Bobby but all he does is just consistently play probably better than everybody else. He’s one of our guys that’s probably one of our top leaders that we have in our locker room. He’s a guy that we’ve counted on for two years and he just keeps getting better.”
(What do you hope changes in that locker room from last year to this year?) – “I mean I’m not hoping. I know it’s going to be different. We’ve got different animals going … You’ve got some alpha dogs going in there. You’ve got some guys that will go in there and they’re not going to accept a lot of the (expletive) that’s gone on in the past. We’ve got the right guys for what we’re looking for.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake, what’s the next step for him as a player? I know you don’t believe in feature backs but what’s the next step for him in terms of his growth?) – “I think it’s just consistency and doing a great job. It’s always just the amount of … It’s processing the information at a high rate and when things change, being able to be like (snaps fingers) that’s happening, I’ve got to do this. I think that’s really that next level, that next step. I really think that’s his biggest thing. There were a couple of times last year where we’d make a change and he’d kind of freeze there for a second and it’s just that he’s a tick late. That’s just time and experience, and I think we’re going to see a big jump there.”
(With you and the offense, I know that you’re a pass guy; but does it bother you that you had the least amount of rushes in the NFL?) – “A lot of the stuff we do in the passing game, I mean the ball is coming out. It was quick. We’ll be more balanced this year. I have no doubt about that. I mean we tried to do everything we could to win games. That’s all we were trying to do. I mean certain games, we had to throw it. That’s what we had to do. We got behind way too much and I feel like the only game that we were ever up was the New England game, and Denver. That was it. Besides that … I mean those games we ran the ball a healthy amount of times, especially against Denver. We’ve just got to do a better job of getting ahead and trying to play with a lead a little bit. That’s really what we need to do.”
(With respect, you’re putting a lot on QB Ryan Tannehill. He’s a .500 quarterback. He’s an 87-rating quarterback. You expect to go to the playoffs and you expect to compete with the New England Patriots because Ryan Tannehill is back?) – “I think with Ryan coming back and the amount of guys we’ve brought in on offense, I think that’s going to help us a lot. It’s not all on him. I know for us to have success, he has to play well. That’s the way this league is. There’s not a lot of times where you’re saying, ‘The quarterback is not playing well and they’re winning.’ It’s rare that’s happened. A majority of the time, the quarterback has to play well. He knows that. I know that. You guys know that. It’s no secret. The good thing is after our first four games in the first year we were together, or five games, he played pretty well. He was playing at a high level. We were excited. We had high hopes coming into last season. It didn’t work out the way we wanted to, and now we’ve got an opportunity to start over again and get going.”
(So the next time that QB Ryan Tannehill plays, he will have missed over 600 days. You see that there will be no rust, no issues relative to …?) – “That is what these guys do. They practice and then we get into the preseason. He’ll be fine. You’re worrying about something that you don’t need to worry about. Did it count when he played – everybody told me – (he played 77) straight games and never missed a snap and all that stuff? He’s played 13 out of 32 or 33 games that I’ve been here. (Expletive) happens. This is what guys do. They bounce back. They have a couple seasons where things like that happen and now he’s going to be back out there and ready to go.”
(I asked you during the season and you said, ‘Yes, it’s true, but I’m not going to be able to address it until the offseason,’ about why in each of the two years the offense started slow and then turned it on at the halfway point? Six months removed now or whatever it is, how do you explain that?) – “The first year it was really … Probably the first year was more on me trying to figure it out. I don’t know why, but it was very difficult for me to figure out how to call plays for Ryan (Tannehill). I struggled and just couldn’t get in a good feel. I think once that Pittsburgh game hit, it became a different feel for me. The next year it was really, it was a lot tougher than what I think any of us had anticipated by losing Ryan and bringing Jay (Cutler) in. It was kind of like things got flipped around for us and a lot of things that we had been working on, we weren’t doing anymore. It was like we were starting over in front of everybody. It was very tough for us to go through that first half of the season, because we looked terrible.”
(Anything with Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains that you’re going to give him to take anything off your plate? Obviously, you’ll keep calling plays as you should, but is there anything that you will give him different?) – “Dowell … We have a very easy-working relationship to where he knows me well enough to where he was doing a lot of the things that I needed him to do. I don’t really have to say anything. He just goes and he does it. He knows how to organize and he knows how to manage the staff. It’s a very smooth transition. Still having Clyde (Christensen) around is extremely helpful for us and we’ve got him doing a lot of different things with some of our younger players. Dowell knows exactly what he needs to do, what he needs to get done and where I kind of fit into this whole equation.”
(We obviously will always remember the press conference of yours after the Baltimore game, in which you talked about players not preparing. As you look back at last year, just from an introspective standpoint, is there anything you’ve decided ‘I want to do this differently as a coach now,’ whether it’s enforcing learning the playbook even more than you had or anything else?) – “We have some good thoughts on how we want to do some things moving forward. We feel confident in some of the stuff we’re looking to do this offseason in that Phase I, Phase II areas, of how we can get our guys to learn better and take things with the seriousness they need to. Sometimes you’ve got to add the right guys to show other guys the right way.”
(As you go through every corner of your roster evaluating, are you worried at all that LS John Denney has lost a step?) – “(laughter) No. I’ll tell you what, he did a great job for us last year. I’m glad that he’s back. He looks way better than I do. I know that. I think he’s older than me. Is he older than me, or am I older than him? It’s close, right?”
(You’re older than LS John Denney.) – “I’m older than him? Really?”
(I think so, no?) – “That’s a great question right there.”
(I think he’s 38.) – “We’ve got Rizzi from Davie on Line 2. (laughter)”
(Dave DeGuglielmo, what kind of coach are the Colts getting? It’s obviously an important position.) – “You’re getting an old-school line coach. He gets after it. He works hard. I think the players can feel his energy right when they step on the field. He does a great job in meetings. (He’s) very creative. He has seen every scheme known to man. It was fun for me to be around him, because we’ve worked with a lot of the same guys. Being able to talk football in generalities, that was a great experience for us. I’m happy he landed in a great place.”
Albert Wilson – March 16, 2018
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Friday, March 16, 2018
WR Albert Wilson
(Tell us about your strengths. How would you describe your strengths as a player?) – “I’m pretty versatile. I can stretch the field down field or I can pretty much get the ball in my hands quick and can make something happen. I pretty much have experience with the slot, outside and lining up in the backfield. Pretty much whatever they need me to do, I’m pretty much up for it.”
(What does it mean to you at this point in your career to get this kind of opportunity and this kind of contract?) – “It’s definitely a blessing. It’s just what I’ve been wanting, just my hard work to be paid off and I still have a lot to do. I’m excited for this opportunity.”
(Can you tell us a little about that journey, about the difficulties you had? Just trying to get recruited out of high school, trying to make it to the pros out of Georgia State and just scrapping to make the Chiefs’ roster?) – “Yes, definitely. It’s been a journey of pretty much having to fight from the bottom of the pile and show what you have at the end of the road; but, this time around, God gave me an opportunity to where I’m pretty much in front of the pack. We’ve got a pretty good starting point where I’ve never had in my career, and I’m excited to see what I can do with it.”
(What does it mean to you to be back in South Florida?) – “It means a lot – just for my family itself – definitely to be closer to them and being able to have them see me on the regular and seeing me play on the regular. Not only for my family, but the people in my city to where I come back as much as I can and they only get to see me as much as possible. For those kids that are back in my hometown, to be able to see me and see what kind of work that I’m doing just a few hours away is definitely a great thing. Growing up in Florida, pretty much in the South, you grow up watching these guys play in the (aqua) and orange. It’s a dream when you play football, to get in this jersey, and now I have the opportunity. It’s an outright blessing.”
(In what ways will you try to bring energy and enthusiasm to practice, games and to the fans? I kind of noticed you tried to bring something different or special during that Dolphins/Chiefs game this year. How do you do that?) – “Definitely. That’s just who I am. It comes with me. As soon as I wake up in the morning, the energy is there and that’s part of my game. I feel like it helps the offense; not just the offense but it helps the defense. So when I come out there and I strap it up, I bring the energy. You’re going to get a dog out there that’s ready to put up a fight every battle and I feel like when somebody is fighting and giving it all you’ve got next to you, that man next to you is going to want to fight and give all he has.”
(Can you still play quarterback?) – “Oh, I’ve been working on my arm this offseason. Opportunities are coming, so you never want to set yourself short. (laughter)”
(I mean is that really something you could add as kind of a trick play or something like that?) – “Whatever the coaches need me to do. I’m just excited to be down here and get in a playbook and work with these guys and pretty much get some wins for this team.”
(Why Miami? How did this come about?) – “It was a great opportunity. We had some other options and when we lined everything up and saw what was the best thing for me and when … (Jarvis) Landry did a great job down here. He did a lot for the team. They split their ways and I felt like it was a perfect opportunity for me to step in and do some great things for this team.”
(WR Tyreek Hill was a guy the Chiefs oftentimes lined up in the backfield, and you got some of that work as well, lining up in the backfield. That’s part of your game. Is that something that you can also bring to the Miami Dolphins?) – “Yes, definitely. I’m very comfortable lining up in the backfield. Actually (I was doing that) before I first started lining up as a receiver in college. Before that, all I knew was lining up in the backfield. So I’m very comfortable with lining up in the backfield, in the slot and in the outside. It’s going to be fun getting with (the) coach(es) and putting a lot of things together.”
(What do you know about any of your fellow receivers? I know it would probably just be casual observations, but WR Danny Amendola, WR DeVante Parker and WR Kenny Stills. Do you know anything about anybody on this receiving corps?) – “Yes, definitely. Kenny … This receiving corps from last year, we’re flying right now. Just off of what you’re looking at, we’re straight up flying and I feel like the way we’re going to put a stretch on some defenses, it’s going to be crazy. The speed just outright shows itself. It’s going to be great getting with the guys and putting our speed to test. You know Danny is a straight-up dog. I feel like he’s very similar to myself in the slot and he’s going to work and win when you need him too. When you can count on a guy like that, they’re special.”
(You brought up WR Jarvis Landry a few minutes ago. What are your thoughts on him as a player and what attributes do you think there might be some commonalities?) – “He’s another dog out there. I love to watch him play. He’s a great receiver, has great hands. He’s definitely saucy. He’s a great guy and I’m definitely – as a football player and a fan of the game – I’m definitely attracted to see what he’s going to do in the future.”
(Reading about your background growing up around Port St. Lucie, you obviously went through an awful lot as a youngster. How do you look back on that experience? What do you tell people when they ask about your background?) – “It made me who I am today. A lot of things that I go through right now, it was pretty tough going through as a kid. It’s pretty much … I just look at it as a blessing. I took all my toughest battles early on as a kid. As an adult, I’m much stronger, so I feel like there’s nothing (that) can knock me down. It definitely was a blessing in disguise.”
(What do you think was a turning point in your life?) – “I would say around high school. I got around the right friends. I’ve got a mentor in Dr. (Marylin) Pryor. I had a football coach named Coach (Hilary) Poole, and they just showed me how talented I was as a kid and how smart I was as a kid. They showed me that outside of this neighborhood, there’s bigger things for you playing football, and we just took it one step at a time and now we’re here.”
(Are you surprised at where you are, looking back at how far you’ve come?) – “I wouldn’t say so. I worked really hard for this. I put in a lot of hours and a lot of work in for this opportunity. I’m not surprised that it’s here. I’m very excited for this opportunity, and I’m just looking forward to taking full advantage of it.”
(What was your impression of Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “He’s a great guy. Exciting. The energy that I got from him when we first met, it brought some butterflies to me, just how excited he was to get me in the building. I’m looking forward to putting in a lot of work with him.”
Josh Sitton – March 16, 2018
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Friday, March 16, 2018
Guard Josh Sitton
(You’ve been in this free agency process for a while now, considering you got released earlier. What was the process like for you in terms of finding a new home and what really allowed you to wait? What was the wait for?) – “Well, to be honest with you, I wasn’t a free agent until March 14th. The Bears just declined my option but technically I was still on their roster until 14th; but the process was a lot of waiting around. You’re just waiting to talk to teams. It’s a waiting game. It’s kind of annoying because I’m a pretty impulsive person. I just wanted to figure out where I was going to be. I was extremely happy to get this thing done and it worked out good.”
(Does it matter to you whether you play left guard or right guard and what is the difference between the two for you?) – “I think I prefer to play left guard. It’s more of a natural position for me, which is weird because I was always a right side guy throughout college and my first five years in the league. After I made the switch in 2013, I don’t know what it is. It’s just the way my body works, the way my hips move or something. I just like the left side better. I’ll obviously play wherever these guys need me to; but I think I’m better on the left side. The difference is, if you’re used to something, used to those body motions, and you make a switch, it’s difficult. I can compare it to trying to wipe your ass with your opposite hand. That might be a little bit too much for you all. (laughter) But it’s different when you’re not used to a position. I hope I’ll end up on the left side.”
(About offensive line continuity, I guess this is going to be your third offensive line in the last four or five seasons. How important is continuity and does talent outweigh continuity or where do those two stack up?) – “It’s extremely important, but something I learned in Chicago rather quickly is that you can build that chemistry and that continuity pretty quickly. I didn’t sign there until September 3rd. We had a game … I think (I signed) Monday and I played that Sunday. In six days, I was playing with two guys I’d never played with and I only had two practices there. We gelled pretty quickly and became a pretty good offensive line pretty quickly. It’s extremely important and it does take some time. That’s why you have the offseason program and things like that, and that’s why you have training camp. I think that we’ll be able to do it. The thing about offensive linemen, we’re all pretty much the same people. We’re the same breed of people and we always get along really well. I think that kind of makes it feel like it’s an easy transition switching around from team to team. The offensive line are all kind of the same.”
(Why the Miami Dolphins and were there other teams involved in the chase?) – “Yes, there were; but honestly it worked out to where I was down there already. My wife’s family lives down here in Homestead, so taking my visit was obviously right up the road. I’d say ‘Coach Wash’ (Offensive Line Coach Jeremiah Washburn) and ‘Coach Dowell’ (Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains) being down here and the familiarity with those guys played a big part in it for me. (Ryan) Tannehill coming back and being healthy, I think there’s a lot of good parts to this team that are in place and I think we can be a really good football team. I want to be somewhere I think we can win, and I think we can do that here.”
(I wanted to ask you a little bit about your relationship with Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains. Can you kind of describe how well you guys worked together from the time that you were together and how big a role that played in choosing Miami?) – “We’ve had a pretty good little friendship over the past couple of years. I love his style of coaching. I love his offense. I love the system that they run and like I said, we’ve become friends over the past couple of years. So, honestly it’s probably really good for me – and (Offensive Line) Coach (Jeremiah) Washburn as well. He’s one of my favorite coaches that I’ve had in my career. They definitely played a big part in it.”
(How would you describe your style as offensive linemen?) – “My style as an offensive linemen? Well my style, the way I dress and stuff, is pretty simple. I’m a flip flops and shorts guy. (laughter) My style as an offensive linemen? I don’t know. I’m a hard-hat, lunch pail-type guy that likes to get to work and grind out there on the field. I’m just trying to go out there and win every play. I don’t try to … I’m not the type of guy to try and kill someone every play. I want to be very good on every single play and just be consistent. I think I’ve been able to do that over my career and I think I’ll continue to do that.”
(You know the Dolphins have put a lot of resources into T Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. Can you explain how you, as a veteran, could possibly help a young guy along, that’s playing right next to you at a very important position?) – “I think that the experience in this league is invaluable. You learn things over the years and you continue to learn. You learn smarter techniques. You learn to watch defenses. You learn to look at coverages. You learn so many small things that as a young player, you don’t realize. You’re so focused on yourself as a young player, and your own technique and things like that. As you grow, you learn these different things, and those are the things that I’ll be able to help him with – the small things from a step here, a step there, an angle here, an angle there, watching the linebacker if he moves over a couple of feet. It’s really small detail things that you don’t think about as a young player because it’s such a difficult position. It shows you how good a left tackle has to be to be putting all of your focus on the guy, that speed rusher coming off the edge. So just little things about the game that you probably aren’t thinking about as a young player, I’ll be able to help him with those things and help him grow as a pro and learn how to be a pro in this league. Hopefully I can teach him a lot about longevity in this league and how to achieve that because it’s taken me a few years to figure out how to train my body and do certain things to be able to play for a long time. Hopefully I’ll be able to teach him a lot of things.”
(It sounds like you’re more than willing to do it. Is it something that was brought up also by the team, kind of asking you if you could or would?) – “Yes, it was something that was mentioned. That was something that I brought up myself. I think that I am that. I’ve always been that type of player, to give my knowledge or whatever to anybody that is younger than me, and especially going into Year 11 now, I’ve learned a lot, a lot thing. I think it’s your duty as an older guy to bring those young guys along with you. So, yes; that was something that was brought up and that was something that I brought up myself.”
(I’ve got a question for you out of left field. I’m doing a little research here on you yesterday I came across a connection that I’m not all that clear on, but you and a WWE guy by the name of Roman Reigns. Can you tell us a little bit about that?) – “Yes. I played two years of high school ball with Joe (Anoa’i), and then he moved on and he played football at Georgia Tech. But yes, we’re from the same hometown, so I’ve known him for 15, 18 years, or something like that. I went and saw him actually in Green Bay, doing his thing and wrestling a few years back. It was cool to see. Him and his (family) too went to my school for a couple of years – the Usos Brothers. They have a big wrestling family. So Roman’s uncle, Rikishi – that’s the Usos Brothers dad – and he used to come watch our JV football games. Nobody would be watching the game. They’d all be watching him in the stands. There would be all these crowds around him. So yes, I’ve known those guys for a long time.”
Daniel Kilgore – March 16, 2018
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Friday, March 16, 2018
Center Daniel Kilgore
(Just with everything that has happened in the last month, your head must be spinning. What has this whole sequence of events been like for you? And how do you feel about where you landed in the end?) – “It’s been a crazy week. A month ago when I signed the extension, I never dreamed about being in this position; but where I’m at today and after meeting with the coaches, I’m really excited about where this team is heading. I can’t be more excited about coming to work and getting here and meeting all of the guys.”
(What did you think about Head Coach Adam Gase when you first met him?) – “I’ve heard a lot of great thing about Coach Gase just from previous coaches. Meeting with him today was very casual and being ourselves, being just another guy in the room. I think from his record, and track record and guys that have been around the league for a while, they love him. I’m sure with all of those guys that love him, I’ll do the same.”
(You obviously re-signed with San Francisco because you wanted to stay there. Do you regret now re-signing and what do you think about how they go about business when they sign you to an extension and then trade you a month later?) – “I don’t regret anything. I did want to stay there. Ultimately I had the goal of starting my career there and then finishing my career there. That obviously is not going to happen; but I’ve been fortunate enough that I was there for seven seasons and I’ve seen it all – playing in the Super Bowl and having down seasons. This happening, I don’t regret it. This is a new chapter for my family and I. I think the change will be good. As far as how they handled it, I appreciate how (49ers Head Coach) Kyle (Shanahan) and (General Manager) John Lynch got me in a position where I can be successful. They could have traded me anywhere but I think they did the right thing by putting me in a position that they know I can be successful, and putting me with a staff that loves the game and that are good people.”
(What do you know about your new teammates or your coaching staff? I know it’s very early in the process but do you have any familiarity with these guys?) – “Yes, I’ve been coached by guys who’ve coached with (Head Coach) Adam Gase before, and (have) just some of the same offensive strategies, I guess, that I’ve done in the past. Of course, I’ve been through different offenses. Yes, it’s pretty early. I really don’t know much about the roster or a lot of the guys that are on the roster, so I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
Adam Gase – February 28, 2018
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Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On the NFL Draft) – “I think for us, and we’re going to have to see kind of how free agency goes before we really narrow it down. We really have the philosophy of drafting the best player on the board. So we’ll kind of see how everything goes. Usually it works out the right way for us. It has the last couple of years.”
(On the philosophy in franchising Jarvis Landry) – “We were trying to figure out the best way. We knew (what) we were going to do. We weren’t sure when the best timing was for us. We just decided to do it on that first day. We felt like that was the best thing for us to really … For him to know that that’s there. We’ll just kind of see how this plays out.”
(Do you want WR Jarvis Landry to be part of team next season?) – “Yes, if it works out the way that we’ve kind of looked at things. Really, that’s why we franchised him. We’ll just kind of see how it goes.”
(Have things gone well between you guys and WR Jarvis Landry in the past few months?) –“I mean since the season has ended, you can’t do anything. You can’t really talk to your guys. If you see them in passing, you can’t talk any football.”
(Regarding WR Jarvis Landry’s contract) –“That’s (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) and (General Manager) Chris (Grier). (They) kind of handle that stuff. I stay out of that. We’ve got time for everything. We’re not going to get in a big rush just because everybody wants to figure out what’s going on.”
(How would you describe the void there would be if WR Jarvis Landry isn’t on the team next year? What would be missing?) – “I think anytime you have a player that’s really been elite at his spot, if that guy is not there – we found this out last year, at least we felt at the quarterback position – it makes a big difference and you have to make adjustments. That’s why we’re trying to make sure we put this team together the right way. Right now we’re at that standstill where we can’t do anything. We’ve got the next 14-15 days until we can actually do anything.”
(Have you talked to WR Jarvis Landry personally?) – “I have not since the end of the season.”
(If you did, what would you say to WR Jarvis Landry about his future with the Dolphins?) – “You guys know this about me. Any time I have a conversation with a player, that’s going to stay private. I’m not going to talk about anything publicly.”
(On starting the process of scouting players) – “Chris (Grier) does a good job of setting everything up for me personally, and then our coaching staff, to where they narrow down a list in free agency to start. Our guys go and become part of the evaluation process and then he narrows it down even tighter for me so I can really maximize my time. It’s the same thing with the draft. He narrows the list down and I’m able to sit in a lot of meetings to where they’ve already gone through it a couple of times before, and the scouts do a great job. Between the scouts, Chris and Mike, they do a good job to where when we do hit those meetings, those meetings are very effective and not really short, but our time is used well.”
(What is intriguing about this quarterback draft class?) – “I haven’t really dug into it as much as everybody wants you to at this point. For myself, I’m still evaluating last year, our scheme and free agency.”
(On RB Jay Ajayi going to Philadelphia, the way the Eagles used run-pass options, and if he looked at how his team could use that) – “We take a peak at a lot of different offenses. I know (Eagles Head Coach) Doug (Pederson) is somebody I have a lot of respect for. We practiced against them in training camp, so there were a few things we actually took from them for our season. We always do projects at the end of the season where we break things up to where guys can go back and look at schemes or the way that their run-pass options were throughout the season. That’s always going to be a team we’re going to take a peak at.”
(How would you evaluate your rookie class from last year and what kind of step do you expect them to take?) – “I thought they did a good job. It felt like we had a lot of guys play. I thought our college free agents, we had so many guys either make it at the beginning or ended up being on the roster toward the end of the year. And our draft picks, the ones that ended up staying healthy – we lost a couple of guys – but I felt like that group did a really good job. They were a good example of how we want to do it going forward.”
(Where’s QB Ryan Tannehill at in his rehab?) – “Well, as far as what the trainers and doctors have told me, everything has progressed extremely well. He’s always going to be ahead of where he’s supposed to be. He’s a physical freak and we’ll just kind of play this one as the week goes on, throughout the offseason. Really for me, I won’t personally know until we get into those stages to where we can be out at practice, throwing. All I can do is hear things are going good, he’s moving around well, he’s able to do what he needs to do to play quarterback.”
(How excited are you about the idea of having QB Ryan Tannehill back?) – “I’m extremely excited. I know really our entire roster is. The guys that I talk to at the end of the year, everybody appreciated what he brought to the table in years past. Sometimes you lose perspective of what somebody does for your team and what he did for us in 2016 when we lost him and going through an entire season without having him. I think the appreciation for him, not only for the coaching staff but other players, is very high.”
(On the transition going from coordinator to head coach and if he could explain what goes into that and what stands out about Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia?) – “I think the hardest thing in that first year is just managing your time because you want to be involved on the side of the ball that you’ve been working on for your entire career. You’re trying to manage your time between offense, defense and special teams. It depends on if you’re calling plays or calling a defense, that’s going to occupy more of your time. Then you’re more involved in personnel and more involved in so many decisions and then you’re dealing with a lot of managerial type things to do. You have to manage your time extremely well because next thing you know, you’re not hitting things you need to hit. Matt’s been in New England so long, he’s seen how it’s done at the highest level and I’m sure there’s a lot of things he’s going to take from that and those experiences and use those to his advantage.”
(On what Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia does defensively) – “I’ve had games where we’ve gotten yards and no points and I’ve had games where we haven’t gotten many yards and they’ve done a really good job to where we haven’t scored many points either. He’s always challenging to go against. There’s games where you feel like he knows what you’re calling before you’re calling your plays. It was always a fun game to call games against him because I knew, with him being a good friend of mine, it was kind of that rivalry to where you’re trying to beat one of your good friends. We get to play him again this year, so I guess it doesn’t end yet.”
(Is T Ja’Wuan James is healthy?) – “As far as medically, he’s healthy and we’ve got to make a decision here coming up. We’ve still got a couple weeks before we have to make any kind of decision.”
(On if the success of Minnesota and Philadelphia playing backup quarterbacks this year changes the premium placed on that position) – “For us, we felt like we were in a pretty good position with Ryan (Tannehill) and Matt (Moore) going into last season. We felt that way the year before and it really paid off for us the year before when Ryan went down and Matt was able to come in and finish that season off to where we got a playoff berth. Last year, when Ryan went down so early, that was one of the main reasons we felt like bringing Jay (Cutler) in was our best option because that gave us two guys in case something happened and Matt had to play. I think it’s really hard for quarterbacks to stay healthy for 16 games. It’s a physical game. These guys are taking some shots and a lot of times they don’t see them coming, and that’s when the injuries occur. If we can get into a situation where we have two guys that we feel confident about, that’s going to benefit us.”
(On if he wants to know where prospects stand on social issues as he gets to know them in the coming months) – “No. My biggest thing I’m always looking for is everything’s football-related to me. We support our guys when they do anything outside our building to try to help our community. In Kenny’s (Stills) case, he’s really branched out to (help) not only South Florida, but outside of there. We’re very supportive of trying to help as many people as our players can try to reach. I feel like our guys do a really good job of that.”
(On RB Matt Forte retiring) – “I just heard that walking over here. It surprises me a little bit. I thought he was going to keep going there for maybe another year; but he’s a great player. I’m very fortunate that I was able to be around him for one year, and the last two years with him being with the Jets and getting to see him play a few times. He hurt us when he played us. He had our number, it felt like. He’s a great player. He’s so versatile. He’s a great guy, a great locker room guy. He did it right. He’s what you look for when you talk about a pro.”
(On evaluating WR Jakeem Grant) – “Jakeem got some opportunities this year and made the most of them. We had high expectations going in, especially after training camp, that we felt like there was going to be a little bit of a jump there. I think it just got tough for him where he was getting beat up just a little bit on some of the kickoff returns and punt returns, and he lost a little juice there in the middle of the season. Then once he really got comfortable, he made an impact on our offense. We’re looking to build on that. I feel like we have a good idea of what’s the right amount for him and what he can do and what we can have success with him. We’ll kind of see how this year goes and what else we can do with him.”
(On WR Leonte Carroo) – “We’re still just bringing him along. I think he has a better feel for the offense. Sometimes it’s tough to find that role when you have those three guys really that we all trusted and didn’t want them off the field. We were doing a lot of ‘11’ personnel where all three wide outs were on the field, and when we go to our ‘12’ personnel package, it was Jarvis and one of those other two guys. It’s a tough, tough lineup to crack. His biggest thing is always just keep finding a way to get better, and when he gets his opportunity, he’s done a good job when we’ve thrown him in there and he’s made some plays when we needed him to.”
(On the importance of finding versatile guys on defense) – “We’re always looking for that just like everybody else is, especially this time of year. It’s just finding the right guys that fit what we’re looking to do. I know (Defensive Coordinator) Matt’s (Burke) always looking for ways to tighten down our defense. What do we do well? That’s really what we’ve been talking about. We’re just going to keep working on that as we go through the offseason.”
(On if G/T Jesse Davis is a tackle) – “We’ve had a lot of discussion about this. For him, really playing the majority of his snaps at right guard, I think he did a good job there. Him and Sam (Young) really developed something there toward the end. We’ll just see how everything kind of plays out. We have a lot of time here. We have to make decisions on so many players and kind of see how free agency goes and see how the draft goes. We’ll kind of sort through all this stuff. We want to just try to get as many guys as we can to compete in that room and try to find a way to make ourselves better.”
(On the philosophy of drafting a quarterback every year) – “I’d love to draft a quarterback every year. It doesn’t always work out that way. We’ll see how the board falls for us. That first year, we felt like Brandon (Doughty) was a guy that there were a lot of us that were very interested to see what we could do with him, and he had a lot of success in college. We’re still working through things to try to help him get better and we’ll see how this year goes. It’s hard to predict.”
(Can RB Kenyan Drake hold up at the same volume?) – “He’s one of those guys that hasn’t had a lot of wear and tear over his career. We’re really not ever looking to be a team where one guy has 20 to 25 carries. We kind of want to spread it out. We like using multiple backs. We started doing some things with other guys like moving Jakeem (Grant) into the backfield every once in a while. Kenyan has done a better job of taking care of his body and getting himself ready for games. A couple of those games where he had 20-plus carries, he’s walking in and acting like he didn’t play a game the night before. So I think youth plays a part in that a little bit. He’s put together well.”
(On if RB Kenyan Drake improved in pass protection) – “I don’t know that there was anything that really told me that he wasn’t good at pass protection. I think he’s had more opportunities. There have been a few times where I wish he would have done some different things; but I think for the most part, he’s going to stick his face right in there, take a linebacker on, and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure it’s stalemated at the line of scrimmage or he drives the guy out of the way of the quarterback. He knows who to get. It’s just sometimes he’s got to use the right technique, so we’re going to just keep working on that as we move forward.
(On evaluating himself and the offense the past season and what led to wanting to get more help running the offense) – “I think once (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) really became available … We’ve worked together in the past. Obviously we were running the same offense. He just did some different things because of personnel than what we did in 2015. We’ve evolved a little bit here. Dowell knows how I think and we’re able to communicate very easily. There is something about our connection that it works well for me and him.”
(On how he envisions that Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains will help him) – “I think Dowell can really jump ahead. He seems to have a good knack for knowing what I’m thinking before I say anything. That’s always something that is a good thing to have when you’re a head coach and you have a lot of things you have to accomplish.”
(On if QB Ryan Tannehill would be okay if the team drafted a quarterback in the first round) – “Ryan would never shy away from anybody coming in at that position. Ryan is going to be our starting quarterback and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I can’t wait to get back out there in the spring and get going. I just know it’s going to be really good to have him back.”
(On Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski) – “I don’t know what’s going on with all of that. I just know when he’s in there, it’s very difficult to handle their offense. He’s a game changer for sure. He makes plays that not many guys can make.”
(On rumors that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski may retire) – “I don’t want to root for that quite yet because that will probably draw him back in if enough of us start rooting for that. (laughter)”
(On Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains) – “I think as soon as I heard that he was moving on and I knew that he was interviewing, when I was able to talk to him. We had a spot open and I knew that was really the fit that I was looking for. Being back around him has been great for me. When you’re around guys that you’ve work with before and they know your system, they know how you want to do things. He was able to walk right in. It felt like he never left. It’s been fun being around these guys I haven’t been around in the last couple of years.
(On if he likes the discussion of making defensive pass interference a 15-yard penalty) – “It probably changes for me if I’m on offense or defense. If I was on defense, I’d be excited about it. I’d tell them any time you get beat, just tackle the guy. It’s only going to be a 15-yard penalty. If I’m on offense, I’m probably not real happy.”
(On what RB Kenyan Drake needs to take the next step) – “Just keep growing. Just don’t get stagnant in his development. I think there’s a lot for him to still learn. He just needs to keep gaining knowledge. He’s been watching other guys. I know that was one of the things this offseason that he was going to try to do was watch more film on other guys to see other people’s running styles and how they do things. I think the longer he plays in this league, the more he’ll realize you just have to stay with it. You have to study. You have to find ways to learn. You just can’t stay the same every year.”
(What steps forward to you want to see from Charles Harris?) – “I’ll be excited to see him have a bigger role this year. We kind of tried to use him more in those passing situations and making him more of an every-down player. It’s always interesting that first year when d-ends come in from college, that transition from play-action passes or the run game, then have to transition to a pass. It’s not as easy as you think. When it’s third down, you can see that’s really where he’s more comfortable. The more football he plays, the better he’s going to get. I thought he had a pretty good year this year. He did a lot of good things and we’re excited about what he showed us.”
(Does DE Charles Harris get a chance to compete for a starting job this year, or do you see it as DE Cameron Wake and DE Andre Branch?) – “He’s going to be compete for a starting job.”
(On if he wants RB Kenyan Drake to develop more as a pass catcher) – “That was one of the big reasons we drafted him was his ability to run the ball inside and outside, run routes from the backfield and spread him out. He was one of those constant guys that would like to remind you of how good of a receiver he is outside and in empty (formations) and things like that. I always would tell him, ‘I know, we drafted you. I remember. We got some situations to put him in where we got some man coverage and we got linebackers out there on him and it’s a good matchup for us. When that happens, we’ve just got to make sure we hit our shots.”
(What are the characteristics in a running back, either in free agency or through the draft, that would complement RB Kenyan Drake?) – “I think anybody that can play all three downs. Really, that’s the biggest thing I look for, is a guy that can both run the ball, pass protection and catch the ball out of the backfield. I think that’s why Kenyan and Damien (Williams) were such a good … both of those guys, we never really looked at either one of them as the starters. It was kind of 1A and 1B. They both started games and we felt good about both of those guys being in there. I never looked up to say, ‘Who’s in the game?’ It didn’t matter because I felt like they both had complementary skill sets. Both those guys really did a good job. They fed off each other. They were happy for each other when they had success.”
(From our eyes, LB Kiko Alonso didn’t have as good a year in 2017 as he did in 2016; how did you see him play last year, and is he a Mike or a Will linebacker?) – “He had the same amount of tackles this year as last year, right?”
(There were some breakdowns in pass coverage…) – “Do you know who was supposed to cover who? Was it a safeties issue? Was it him? Was it man-to-man coverage?”
(Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke said some things that indicated…) – “Everybody is going to have some issues every once in a while, but I don’t think it was as bad as everybody kind of portrayed it.”
(Do you think LB Kiko Alonso is good at covering tight ends?) – “When we put him in the right position and he gets up there and he’s aggressive on them, I think he does a really good job. I think when he plays off and kind of waits for that guy to make a move, that’s when we’d rather him be more aggressive and trust the fact that he’s faster than most of these guys. When he does that, that’s usually when he had the most success.”
(Is LB Kiko Alonso more of a Mike or Will?) –“He’s played both. Our linebackers are so interchangeable. We can put him at either one.”
(What do you want to see at the tight end position this season and does Jarvis’ presence raise or lower the importance of the tight end position?) – “That’s always going to be a position we look at and try to figure out what’s going to be best for us for this season. Any time that you can have a tight end that can be effective in the pass game and still be effective in the run game and pass protection, that’s what you want there. The last two years, we’ve had some movement where guys have been in and out. We’ll kind of see what happens this year. Picking up A.J. (Derby) late last year was good for us. He did some things that really impressed us in practice and we tried to get him involved a little bit in a game. It was good to kind of get … that last game was a good experience for us where we played a ton of guys that really hadn’t gotten to play all year, so we at least have a good idea of what those guys can bring to the table.”
(How anxious are you see to LB Raekwon McMillan back on the field and whether he can pick up where he left off last year?) – “I’m excited to see him get back on the field, along with our quarterback.”
(When you’re evaluating a quarterback prospect, how much do you get from watching them throw?) – “I think any time you can watch somebody throw live, it helps you because you can kind of see in between plays kind of the reaction to things. How do they come back from a throw that wasn’t really great? Those Pro Days are valuable. Private workouts, when you can get up in close and watch these guys, I think it’s very valuable.”
Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier – January 24, 2018 (Senior Bowl)
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Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Executive VP of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Chris Grier
Mike Tannenbaum:
(So who are you picking?) – “I’m picking the North 20-17. (laughter)”
Chris Grier:
“We were actually laughing. You know you guys are here every year. You always see one team that looks so great during practice. You’re like ‘Oh, they’re going to kill the other team,’ and then it’s the opposite. They’re blown out or something and you’re just like …”
(What are the most important attributes in any quarterback that you would want on your team?) – “I think the big thing is leadership. You need a guy that’s kind of a dynamic personality that knows how to handle people, both good and bad, because you’re going to have ups and downs. (You need) a guy that’s steady and I think the important thing is a guy that a winner. I think it’s important for a guy that’s won in high school, won at the college level. You’re trying to look for a lot stuff that may translate to our level but the college game is different than our game. It takes a lot of work and our scouts do a great job in terms of background and digging and stuff. Those are some of things we look for and then, as we get to know the people. This is just Phase 2 really of the whole offseason process. We’re still early in it but we’re looking forward to get to know not only quarterbacks, but a lot of guys at other positions as well.”
(When you’re watching them on the field, what are the traits – film or field – what are the traits that you look for from the quarterback position?) – “Obviously, how he carries himself. It’s important here – for Mike (Tannenbaum) and I – we were talking and we like to watch the guys and how they handle themselves around the group with their teammates and coaches. This (event), they’ve been thrown in like a fish bowl here. Media’s here and (they have) new teammates (and a) new coaching staff. You just watch how they interact with that but when you watch it on film, again, you don’t really … I like to see them when they’re in their worst, when they’re struggling in a game and how they pull themselves out of it or how they rally their team. Those are always things you really look for. Again, just being able to see these guys live helps us tremendously with the evaluation process.”
(Wyoming QB Josh Allen I believe and Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph both said that they had time planned with you this week. I’m sure you’re going to talk to all of them if you haven’t already. What in those interviews has stood out to you and what do you look for I guess when you sit down and talk to them?) – “We’ve talked to some guys but we haven’t finished. We still have a whole day today. Really again, we’re just getting to know the players at this level at this time. I think for us the important thing is to get to know the person. We have the information from what the scouts have, so we’re just trying to see if that marries up and if there’s any red alerts or red flags that we need to look at as we go towards the Combine and the Pro Days, when we’ll spend more time with all of these players at other positions. I think for us right now, it’s really just getting to know the person and just see if they’re a fit and what kind of person they are and if they’re a fit for us.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Just hypothetically, without getting into the specific guys or anything like that, you guys have a quarterback that you like right now, on the roster. So what would be the rationale philosophically behind considering drafting someone at 11?) – “For us, we’ve always talked about it – Chris (Grier), Adam (Gase) and I – we just want to give ourselves as much flexibility as we get closer to the draft and we’ll see what happens. Staying at 11, moving up, moving back, regardless of the position, we want to try to have as complete of a team as possible heading into the draft, so if things occur, whichever way they may, we’ll be prepared. You always hate going in saying ‘Boy, we’ve got to get position X to start this year,’ because things never work out that way and you don’t want to kind of force your own hand. We’re going to work really hard over the next couple of months to give ourselves as much flexibility as we get closer, and assuming we stay at 11, so we can take the best player for us at 11.”
(How comfortable are you with the 11th pick?) – “Well, I mean it is what it is. We’ve earned it, whether we like it or not. We were 6-10. We have to take advantage of that opportunity. History shows that if we do our work correctly, we should get a good player there. Again, we’re going to worry about the part we can control which is the preparation and being thorough and (we will) see how things unfold. A lot of things will change between now and draft, we all know that. There will be trades that none of us see, players that will go up the board or back down. A lot will happen between now and draft day.”
(I’m just trying to better understand your thought process roster building-wise, because if everything goes according to plan, QB Ryan Tannehill would be around for the foreseeable future. So what would be the logic behind adding any rookie quarterback this year?) – “Again, I think you have to balance winning for today and developing for tomorrow. Last year didn’t go, obviously, the way we hoped. It gave us a chance to reflect on some things we could do better. Part of that is making sure that we have good depth at as many positions as possible, knowing that over the course of a 16-game season, they’re going to play. That’s what history shows us. You look at the teams still playing, to their credit, they had excellent depth. For us, we’re always going to try to put the best team together, where we’re going to have players, not only in starting roles but in backup roles, that can go in and contribute right away. I think that there’s always a balancing act of trying to put a good team on the field but knowing that you’ve got to have quality backups behind them as well.”
(Where do things stand with WR Jarvis Landry?) – “Jarvis is a pending free agent. We have a lot of respect for him. He was drafted here, developed here and coached here. He’s obviously had very good production. In terms of negotiations, that’s something we wouldn’t comment on with any of our players. He’s one of several free agents. Damien Williams and Matt Moore are guys that have contributed here for a long time. I’m sure we’re going to keep some of them. We can’t keep all of them. That’s just the nature of our sport. There’s still some time before the upcoming deadlines.”
(There’s been a lot of talk in the newspapers from WR Jarvis Landry’s side on the record. He’s felt disrespected at some point in the negotiations. Did you speak to him at all about those concerns and do you feel like that’s behind you?) – “Yes, we’ve had a number of conversations for a long period of time. I’ll keep those conversations private, the ones that Chris (Grier) and I have had (with him). I’m sure they’ll do the same; but there’s been a lot of communication between us and them for a long period of time.”
(Prior to this offseason, what has your guys’ relationship been like with WR Jarvis Landry?) – “Again, he’s a Dolphin. He was drafted here. He’s been productive. I think Adam (Gase) has used him and he’s produced and he’s gotten better. Again, as the three of us (Gase and Chris Grier) said, we want sustainability. We want to keep as many of our own players, within reason, draft and develop them; but again, you can’t keep them all. That’s just part of the system that we all live in.”
(One of the strategies the Dolphins have employed in recent past is the use of the transition tag, which I’ve tried to read and learn about some. I know at least two guys you guys have used it with. Can you explain to me the philosophy of when that is used? Good? Bad? How it helps?) – “Yes, that’s obviously just one possibility that a team could use. Again, every situation is going to be different. Usually you have the right to match, I think it’s the player average of the top 10 at his position. Again, we’ll see what happens. We have some time until any of these deadlines come up.”
Chris Grier:
(How much do you guys rely on Special Advisor to the President and CEO Dan Marino’s input with quarterbacks? I saw him here.) – “It’s good to have Dan around. Obviously, a player that was of his caliber when he played and one of the all-time greats and someone that is very respected, it’s great having him in the meetings. We’ll sit and we’ll pick his brain and he’ll ask us questions, as well. For us, it’s great. It’s another opportunity for us to learn and for him to learn as well. I think the players are excited when they meet him too, which is always cool. It’s not just the quarterbacks. Last year we had a linebacker walk in. He walked in and he was like, ‘Oh, I loved you in Bad Boys 2.’ (laughter) And that’s how he knew him. That’s how the players and kids nowadays know him. It’s always cool to see how the guys react.”
(Does Special Advisor to the President and CEO Dan Marino function, basically, as an extra scout for you with quarterbacks?) – “Yes. He sits in on the coaching meetings with the coaching staff. Dan is a great guy and great to have around. He’s all-in with all of us and wants the best for us and the Dolphins as well.”
(This is Head Coach Adam Gase’s first trip to the Senior Bowl from my recollection. What does having him here bring to the evaluation process?) – “It was good. Last year we were in the playoffs so he didn’t have time and then I think this year, we didn’t have the year we wanted and so it gave him a little more time to come down. He came down for a day and wanted just to see everybody. It’s always good to see all of the quarterbacks live. He wanted to see all of the guys we’re interested in seeing, but also at other positions, as well. It was good having him here. He had some good talks yesterday and enjoyed his time here. I think he enjoyed it here; but he hopes he’s never here again. Hopefully we’re winning too many games for him to be here.”
(How would you describe the approach that Head Coach Adam Gase takes when he’s in the room with the players, especially quarterbacks?) – “Adam’s the same guy. (laughter) You know how he is. It’s no different. He’s always going to talk, challenge them and engage them. I think that’s what players love about him. You guys talk about how he is. He’s no different with any position.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(How would you evaluate the season WR DeVante Parker had? You’re going to have to make a decision on his fifth-year option. What are the plusses and minuses for a player that hasn’t yet played up to the level you guys are hoping?) – “DeVante is another guy we drafted here. We want to see him reach his potential. I know it’s important to him. Obviously, he’s dealt with injuries, which is I’m sure as frustrating to him as it is to us. We’re going to keep working with him and try to get him to be the best player he can be. Obviously he has a big ceiling and a lot of ability. He works hard at it. Like I said, I think it’s important to him. In terms of where we’ll go with his contract and his option, we have plenty of time to make that decision, so that’s a ways down the road.”
(Understanding his health, obviously an option year is not guaranteed unless it’s an injury. Would you feel comfortable betting on WR DeVante Parker to continue to develop and maybe show a little faith early? Would that be something you’d be alright with?) – “Again, we’ll look at it as the offseason evolves and where that goes. Again, we like DeVante as a person. We see his ability and, again, hope that he can grow and develop to reach his potential.”
Chris Grier:
(Last year’s first-round draft pick, DE Charles Harris, mixed in. Obviously you guys had depth at defensive line. How do you assess the two sacks and the overall performance and where you think he’s headed?) – “I think with us, it was a learning year for Charles. We didn’t expect him to come in here and be a great (player right away); but what he is is he works hard, he loves the game and he’s very competitive. I think probably over the last six games, he played really well as he kind of learned and got his feet wet and developed. That’s what, when he met with … He spent a lot of time with Jason Taylor early in the year and Jason kind of told him … Jason was like ‘I had (five sacks) my first year.’ He said ‘As the year goes on, you’re trying … As your body gets used to the long season, you’ll kind of figure it out.’ He played really well in those last three or four weeks of the season. We’re excited about his future. The guy loves football. He doesn’t say much. He just comes in. He’s a grinder. We’re very excited for him in the future.”
(How would you overall assess the rookie class and how they contributed?) – “I think it was good to get them a lot of playing time. I think like every class, you’d love for all of them to come in and be these star players but I think we’re excited for Charles’ (Harris) future. I think Raekwon (McMillan) is one we’re looking forward to getting him on the field. He was a big loss for us and we have high expectations for him. Davon Godchaux and one of the rookie free agents, Chase Allen … That whole class, overall, we’re very happy with them. We’re excited for the future; but again, we’re not settling. We know we need to get better.”
(Speaking of LB Raekwon McMillan, where is he at in his recovery at this point in time?) – “He’s right on or ahead of schedule. He’s in there every day. That’s from the coaching staff, the trainers. He’s in the meetings all of the time, and they just talk about how he is and his approach to everything. He should be ready to go in May and be out there at 100 percent.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(You guys have had a month almost since the end of the season to assess things. Do you feel like after 6-10, this is something you guys can turn around in one offseason? Or is it a more long-term project than that?) – “When you just look at the big picture of our sport, I think that’s one of the things that is attractive about our sport is how things change. When you look at the NFC playoff teams, like five of the six teams were new this year. Over the last couple of years, the AFC has kind of turned over and you have almost as much. I would say we have a lot of work to do and we’re trying to have … I think to have sustainability in our system, you have to evaluate your own correctly. We’ve been spending a lot of time talking about that and trying to learn from what happened a year ago. As Chris (Grier) just touched on, from the draft class to the work ethic of our guys, we’re very excited about our future. We have a lot of work to do but we do feel like things are going in the right direction. We’re going to have make some obviously hard decisions and choices along the way, but in terms of our view of the program and what we want it to be, we feel like it is going in the right direction.”
(What is your level of optimism that you can do that with what you have right now though, as far as getting back to the playoffs next season?) – “Again, because our sport is so close – the games, how competitive they are … We were all there for our last game and the Chargers are hanging in the balance, and the Ravens. Buffalo gets in to their credit. Things can change so quickly by just a handful of plays. For us, we’re going to start 0-0. We have a lot of work to do but we also know there is great opportunity there if we work hard and do things the right way.”
(What did you learn from last year’s turnaround, the opposite way?) – “I would say when you look at … When you sit there and look at your team on paper and the depth and say ‘Okay, we feel pretty good.’ Some of our depth was tested early and it didn’t respond as well as we had hoped. Again, I think the three of us (Chris Grier and Adam Gase) talked a lot about that – building a team for a long season knowing that the way our sport is now, all of these guys are eventually going to play and some may have to play sooner than others. Are we, within reason, prepared for all of those situations that may occur? We look at every year as an opportunity to get better and to learn, not just because we were 6-10; but we try to go through that process every year.”
Chris Grier:
(What did you learn from last season?) – “Again, like Mike (Tannenbaum) said, for us with the evaluation, you’re learning every day, every game, every week, every month. For us, I don’t think you look at it as the season’s over, it’s done. I think if you’re a good organization, you’re always evaluating and doing a self-assessment. We’ve been doing that. Right now we’re in a big phase of Adam (Gase) has got this new coaching staff. We brought in new people so we have fresh eyes and a fresh look at our team and we’re going to get together as a staff here in a couple of weeks and again, we’re going to hammer it out for two days. We’re going to knock out everything and talk about what we’re going to do offensively and defensively, what we need to get better at and what we do. Everyone, the whole organization, is going to be on the same page and I think that’s important if we want to sustain success here. For us, again, we learn every day. We were 6-10. It is what it is. We feel we’re a better team than that but we just have to prove it.”
Dowell Loggains – January 19, 2018
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Friday, January 19, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(I’m wondering what you’ve been up to your first two weeks on the job?) – “I’m just trying to get settled in, going back and watching as much Dolphin tape as I could and (getting) caught up. I’ve been traveling back and forth between here and Chicago and trying to find a place to live and all of those things before we get the staff settled and really get going on self-scout and the college process and evaluation process.”
(Tell us about your relationship with Head Coach Adam Gase?) – “I’ve known Adam for a really long time. I had an opportunity to work with him in Chicago when he was the offensive coordinator and I was the quarterbacks coach and we’ve had a really good working relationship. We see football the same way – offensive football and quarterback play the same way – so for me, it was a no-brainer to have the chance to come back here and join up with him.”
(You mentioned you see things the same way as Head Coach Adam Gase. Can you be more specific? What exactly do you guys share? What traits?) – “Just the philosophy and the way that offensive football is supposed to played. The stuff that we do, we have a common vision for how we think that way, how we think you go about the process of practicing and developing young players and developing quarterbacks. I think that’s our common bond with the vision we had – the evaluation process of the quarterbacks, the way you coach them on the field, the way you develop them in offseason. I think we have a shared vision and we became close quickly because of that.”
(What will be your role as far as play calling and working with QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “(Head Coach) Adam (Gase) will be the play caller and then I’ll be involved in every aspect of the offense, including being with (Quarterbacks) Coach (Bo) Hardegree and (Director of Football and Player Development Clyde) Christensen, and being around the offense, especially the quarterbacks”
(I know you said you’re going to get more into the self-scouting as we go along, but first impressions – when you took this job, you obviously had some familiarity with what the Dolphins were doing. What went wrong last year and what needs to get better?) – “It’s hard. During the year, I always watched the Dolphins. Every offensive coordinator in the NFL is watching a couple of teams weekly, whether it be the Saints, the Rams, the 49ers, the Dolphins. A lot of people watch those teams. Obviously, I was able to, in the first year in (2016), to watch every game. This year, I’m trying to get caught up right now in watching these games, so I can’t really comment, because I wasn’t here. I know we have a talented group of young players that we’ve got to do a better job with next year than we did last year. I’m really excited about diving in with these coaches. It’s hard to talk to players right now because of the CBA rules, but diving in with the assistant coaches and figuring out where we failed and where we need to get better going forward.”
(What’s your impression of QB Ryan Tannehill coming into the job?) – “I’m excited about working with him. He’s been in the league for a while now. I had the chance to evaluate him when he was coming out. He’s a guy that’s got a lot of physical traits. I know (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) thinks a lot of him, so I’m excited when the offseason starts, to be able to get in the classroom, start grinding on the field and doing those things to help him get better.”
(We’ve gotten to know Head Coach Adam Gase pretty well over the last two years. He’s definitely an interesting personality. How similar are you guys in that regard, and why are you laughing? Can you shed a little light on how you guys interact with each other?) – “We see football the same way, so that helps our relationship. I don’t know that we’re the same as far as personality and those things go, but just the way … We’re able to communicate very well with each other, very blunt and to the point. There’s no … I think when you have mutual respect for each other, you cut through a lot of those things and get right to the point. I think that’s what we both appreciate about our football relationship. I think the number one thing is … It’s the offseason right now. I’m here by myself staying at a hotel, my wife and kids are in Chicago, and when I leave the office every night, the only person left in this office is Adam Gase. I respect the heck out of his football work ethic. When you see him in the office in the offseason at 10:30 at night grinding tape and trying to figure out and make the corrections that you need to make and figure out how you’re going to evaluate the roster when the season didn’t go the way you wanted it to, I have a tremendous amount of respect for that and those are the type of football people I want to be around.”
(Why did you laugh when I asked you that?) – “I think you know why I laughed when you guys asked me that. (laughter) Adam (Gase) is a very passionate, intense person that loves football. I’m glad to be back in those interactions that we had in 2015 in Chicago and good to be around. It’s been enjoyable again (to be around) someone that that’s passionate about winning and wants to succeed that bad.”
(I know it’s early but what are you first impression of the receiver corps you have to work with?) – “We’ve got a young, talented group. I haven’t gotten to watch all the tape that I want to watch. I’m really excited to sit down and talk to (Assistant Head Coach/Offense Shawn) Jefferson and (Wide Receivers Coach) Ben Johnson about those guys each individually. When you watch the tape, you see splash plays on splash plays. It could be a really good group. We’ve just got to keep coaching these guys hard to get them to where we want to go next year.”
(I see that you’re listed at 5-foot-6 and I know that you played quarterback at Arkansas. What was it about your skill set that allowed you to be a Division I quarterback at your size? Was it talent or skill set?) – “It was work ethic. It was knowing your own limitations and knowing what you had to do to separate yourself when you’re playing with guys that are a lot more talented than you. You just work your tail off and put yourself in good situations. It’s kind of the same way with coaching. You might not always be the smartest guy. You have to know your own limitations and just try to work harder than the next guy. I think that’s how you get jobs in this league and stay in this league is just develop an unbelievable work ethic, try to out-work as many people as you can and have self-awareness.”
(Given your size, have you already taken a liking to WR Jakeem Grant?) – “It wasn’t the size, it was when I watched that slip screen that he took to the house. His play strength for being a small guy, he plays very physical and very strong. I’m really excited about him. I’ll probably try to stand next to him as much as I can on TV games and pregame warmups. (laughter) I’ll enjoy talking and being able to look eye-to-eye with him.”
