Mike Tannenbaum, Chris Grier and Adam Gase – January 3, 2018
Download PDF version
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum, General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Adam Gase
Mike Tannenbaum:
(In light of everything that happened this season … I’m asking about the discipline. Offensive Line Coach Chris Foerster, LB Lawrence Timmons, LB Rey Maualuga and the penalties, was there a discipline problem on the team this year and, if so, how did it contribute to the outcome of the season?) – “The season just ended. We were 6-10 and the three of us are going to take our time and look back at the season – what went well, what we could have done better – and do a comprehensive evaluation and look at everything. We look forward to putting a better product on the field next year and we’re going to look at all aspects of it.”
Adam Gase:
(Hypothetical question for any or all of you. As truthfully as you can answer this one, if QB Ryan Tannehill would have been healthy this year, how do you think the season would have played out?) – “I’m pretty sure you already know my answer to this. Hypothetical, it didn’t happen. It is what it is. We just know we get him back next year, so we’ll have a full slate with spring, training camp and preseason. There was nothing we could do once he got injured. We made the adjustments we had to make to try to put together the season we were hoping to have.”
(In light of how the season went, was signing QB Jay Cutler the right decision?) – “I think so. He was somebody who had been in this system before. We thought that we could get our guys moving in the same direction pretty quickly. It didn’t happen as fast as I was hoping. There’s a lot of good that he personally did. There was probably some games where we wish we could have done some different things. It’s always a … When you look back at it, it’s not like there were a ton of options to find a starting quarterback. We felt like Matt (Moore) was a good option for us, but we felt like having two guys that we knew that could play in a regular season game was our best chance.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Do you think this organization is as far from where it wants to be as 6-10 would suggest?) – “I think one of the main things I like about our sport is every year there’s great stories. You look at, I think the NFC in particular, it’s five out of the six teams (in the playoffs this year) weren’t in the playoffs a year ago, so 2018 will be a fresh start. It’s up to us to work with our owner, Steve (Ross), who gives us a lot of great resources to put a better product on the field. I believe in the people in our building, the coaches and how we do things. We’re going to have to tweak some things; but overall, I believe in where we’re going. We’re going to have to make some decisions like every organization; but again, our sport is set up where we can get this thing turned around. A year ago we had won 10 games. We’ve got to learn, again, what went wrong this year and try to get a better product on the field (next) year.”
(You mentioned Owner Stephen Ross, you probably heard what he said after the game Sunday and he dropped an f-bomb. Can you sense the frustration he has as an owner?) – “Steve is a very passionate guy. He loves the Dolphins, gives us great resources to be successful, gives us great support. He was disappointed on the season like we were and, again, where our energy now is trying to evaluate what happened, learn from it and make the proper and necessary adjustments.”
Adam Gase:
(I know there were a lot of disappointments this season. What area or areas exceeded your expectations?) – “I think it’s hard to really pinpoint either way, good or bad, right now. We have some time here to be able to go back and look through everything. When you go through a season, you’re so week to week. I know I’ve talked about this before, but it’s hard to go through an evaluation of any area unless you actually go back through it. During a season, there’s not a lot of time to do that unless you have a bye week. You can have a week, or so, to go through and make those kind of adjustments. Right now, this is a process we’re going through right now. We’ll get to that point where we’ll actually evaluate each group, each position group, scheme and things like that.”
(Do you expect that QB Ryan Tannehill will be your starting quarterback in 2018 and is it a risk to rely on a guy who’s had two knee issue in the past nine months?) – “Yes, I see him as the quarterback next year and that’s any player. Anybody can go down at any moment and really, I don’t look at it as two injuries. I look at it as he had the knee, we were advised and so was he to handle it a certain way and it didn’t work out so that’s kind of the part of the business that’s tough, where we went with an advice that we all felt like was good for us and it didn’t work out. Now next year, we get him back and he’ll probably be stronger than he’s ever been.”
(Do you feel you needed greater insurance at that position?) – “We’ll kind of see how everything plays out. We’ve got a long ways to go with whether it be free agency (or the) draft. We’ll see if one of these young guys that we have develops over that time. I like what David (Fales) did in this last game. I thought he did a good job. He battled for four quarters, gave us a shot and we’re going to kind of see where all this goes.”
Chris Grier:
(As you look ahead to next season, how high on the priority list is getting WR Jarvis Landry re-signed?) – “I think with all of us right now, as Adam (Gase) said, we’ve really just started the evaluation of our team. Through the season, we’re always focused on our opponents and doing that. And the coaching staff, they’ll get that done and they’ll start looking at the players over the season and writing it up; but with all of our players, we’ve talked about the guys that we want to keep are our guys we know we’ve developed and had here. Jarvis is one of many players that we’ll be talking about over the next couple of weeks.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(How would you describe you level of optimism at the moment about getting a long-term deal for WR Jarvis Landry done?) – “Any negotiation we wouldn’t comment publicly, but as Chris (Grier) said, philosophically we want to draft, develop and keep as many of our own as possible. We’ll see what happens with Jarvis and a few other noteworthy free agents. In a perfect world, we keep them all. There’s a salary cap, so we’ll make those decisions at the appropriate time within the context of what’s best for the organization.”
Chris Grier:
(If I can ask a philosophical question to General Manager Chris Grier first. Philosophically, is it off the table to draft a quarterback in the first round or is it on the table?) – “You’ve been around me for a couple of years now. We’ve said we’ll always take the best player on our board. I’ve talked from Day 1, we’ve talked about the J.J. Watt thing. At (defensive) end we have (Cameron) Wake and whatever; but if J.J. Watt’s on the draft board and we’re picking, we’re not going to pass on J.J. Watt because at defensive end we feel good about. So, all positions, I mean again, we’re evaluating everything. Every positon, it doesn’t matter – quarterback, tackle, defensive tackle, everything’s wide open for us.”
(With the emergence of some of the young players like WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kenyan Drake, does that give you hope that you can turn this thing around rather quickly?) – “I think we all feel good about the young players that got to play and are developing and a good young core. Again, everyone, we’re 6-10. We’ve got to get better. It’s not acceptable. We’re all ultra-competitive up here. You guys know Adam (Gase). He’d kill his own dog if he had to, to go to the Super Bowl. I probably shouldn’t have used that analogy but … (laughter)”
Adam Gase:
“I don’t have a dog.”
Chris Grier:
“At the end of the day, we’ll do whatever we feel is best for us; but we’re happy with our young core.”
Adam Gase:
(Adam, do you have a dog?) – “No. (laughter)”
(Is that the reason?) – “No. (laughter)”
(The question was raised about WR Jarvis Landry and we all know his passion for the game, but do you feel it boils over to a point where it’s negative and that he needs to grow up a bit?) – “I think this last game was probably the … I think that was the pinnacle of what I’ve ever seen with him during a game. I know there’s been times where some of those guys kind of got in the mix a little bit; but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it get to a level where it was extremely bad. Last game, that was about as embarrassing as I’ve seen in a long time. It’s just something that we can’t have happen. Whether people think we weren’t in the game or it was garbage time or whatever it was, all I know is we were in the game and we’re going on our last drive of the game and two of our best players on offense aren’t in there. That was very, very frustrating to watch and standing there, not being able to do anything. We need way better control from our best players in the heat of the moment.”
(How does that factor into deciding his future with the organization?) – “I think you can’t take one isolated incident and overreact. But at the same time you have to make sure that you look at everything we’ve been doing over the last couple of years. That’s where a lot of our decisions are made when you look at the body of work. Then kind of see what direction we want to go in.”
(How likely is some or a great deal of staff change for you?) – “We’re going through that process right now. I’m going to talk with all of these guys and have conversations with Mikee (Tannenbaum) and Chris (Grier), (Owner) and Mr. (Stephen) Ross. We’ll make decisions over the next probably week or so. I know this, we’re in no rush.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Quarterback position aside, how do you assess the free agents that you re-signed here, the contracts? Do you still feel good about what you guys did in 2017?)
– “Again, we were 6-10. We’ve got to look at everything. In a perfect world, we want to keep as many of our own guys as possible and we’re going to look at that. The decisions we made, did they live up to the value of what we paid? Why or why not? As we sat here a year ago and talked about the guys we wanted to keep, the Kenny Stills’ and the (Andre) Branches and the Kikos (Alonso), we all felt that that was the right message to send to the locker room coming off of the season we did, how hard they worked, how much they were pushed by the coaches and how they responded. Building a long-term program, that was a key building block for us, to try to reward our own as much as possible and then move forward from there. With that said, not every decision maybe worked out perfectly and we’re going to look at that; but we’re always going to try to lean towards taking care of our own before we look outward. Again, we’ll continue to be opportunistic; but the more we can draft, develop our own, get coached and have the standards that Adam (Gase) has set for the players, that’s really important to us.”
(If you guys look to restructure with DT Ndamukong Suh, do you sense that you guys have a good relationship with him when it comes to those kind of things, like that’s a good conversation you guys could have?) – “We really haven’t gotten towards the salary cap yet. In a perfect world, we try to give ourselves as much flexibility as possible. We’re going to sit down and look at all of our players and figure out what makes sense for us. Some situations, we may have a little bit more flexibility than others.”
(What’s been the level of cooperation between you guys and DT Ndamukong Suh during his time here?) – “He’s been a pro. He’s played well. He helped us win a bunch of games, helped us get to the playoffs a year ago. He’s played well for us and again, we’ll evaluate each player, their salary and what flexibility we have. I appreciate everything he’s done. He’s a hard-worker, does everything he’s asked and he does extra in terms of preparing himself for games; but like I said, we’re 72 hours out after our last game and we have a lot of work to do to evaluate everybody.”
Adam Gase:
(Do you guys have any idea of positions of need during the offseason?) – “We haven’t got there year.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Last year it was understandable that you wanted to keep your own. You had a 10-6 team, a playoff team. This year you have a 6-10 team. Why would you want to keep that team together?) – “Like I said, just philosophically, our disposition is to keep our own when it’s appropriate. Again, we’re going to continue to be opportunistic. I think Chris (Grier) and the personnel guys, if you look at it during the season, we continued to try and go add a guy like an A.J. Derby. Again, that might not be noteworthy or headliner; but he may contribute for us for another year or two. I think our approach and … (Owner) Steve (Ross) is constantly challenging us, ‘How can we get better?’ We’ll continue to be opportunistic and look outwards as well; but again, just talking about as much as we can within reason, we want to keep our own. We think that’s the way to have sustainability, to have an identity here, and it’s meaningful to be a Dolphin and if you do the right things, play well, do the right things off the field you’re going to get rewarded.”
Adam Gase:
(You have a number of player who are on the north side of 30 years of age. LB Lawrence Timmons, QB Jay Cutler so forth and so on. Have you gotten any indication or do you know for a fact if any of them will not be returning next year?) – “Certain guys have indicated their plans going forward, if they were still under contract or even if they were a free agent. Really, those are discussions that, as of the moment, I’m not ready to make public. We’ll see how all of this plays out and see if we’ll have to make a move to where we have to do something about it, whether a guy didn’t play as well as we wanted him to. I think this is part of the evaluation process. That’s included in it.”
Adam Gase:
(QB Jay Cutler said that he doesn’t want to be a backup quarterback. You’ve got QB Ryan Tannehill as your starter. So that means Cutler’s not going to be a Miami Dolphin next year right?) – “You could’ve asked me Week 1 if he wanted to be a backup quarterback. I was shocked you guys didn’t have any clue about that. It’s pretty obvious where he stands right now.”
(With WR Jarvis Landry putting up the best stats ever seen before for the first four years of a NFL wide receiver, can you talk about how important he is, just the identity of this team and what will the team look like without him?) – “I wouldn’t go into hypotheticals of what we would look like without him. I know that he’s had a lot of production, done what – as far as what we asked him to do – this offense kind of works with him well and suits him well. We’ve probably wanted to use him in different ways to where we could stretch him down the field a little bit on certain concepts. We haven’t always been able to get to it or I know he has had probably three or four big plays down the field taken away from penalties, whether it be a holding call or something that has gone wrong in those areas. He does kind of fit our system really well. Those three guys work well together, when we’ve got all three of those guys healthy and we’re rolling pretty good. For us, it’s more of a consistency thing and just keeping those guys going right and staying ahead of the sticks, so we can give those guys opportunities.”
Adam Gase:
(The offense struggled during the last season. What’s the missing ingredient?) – “We’re just inconsistent. We’ve just got to figure out a way to develop better chemistry, whether it be in the offseason. I felt good about it going into training camp from what we did in the offseason. I felt good about it when Ryan (Tannehill) was working there those first 10 practices of training camp and when he went down, it was a reset for us. We kind of knew coming into it when Jay (Cutler) came on board that we were going to probably go through some tough times. It probably lasted a little longer than we wanted, and that was frustrating, because you want it to click fast; but it just didn’t happen. That’s what happens, you have inconsistency throughout the entire season.”
(The last two years you had to make moves within the locker room to try to get from what we understand maybe some bad culture out of there, whether it’s the trade of RB Jay Ajayi, some cuts after the Tennessee game two seasons ago. Do you feel like the veteran leadership in that locker room has stepped up enough to be able to get your message out there amongst players?) – “I think it’s probably a work in progress for us. I know that was something that I’ve talked to a lot of guys – especially after the season – about. It’s never going to be the way we really want it and the way we keep talking about it until guys really take control of this thing. There are a lot of things I can do to make things the way we need it; but at the end of the day, player accountability, making sure that everybody is on the same page, you need your leaders to step up, you need them to be vocal, you need them to actually do their part in a leadership role. The hardest thing about that is it’s exhausting. That’s why it’s hard. That’s why there’s not a lot of great leaders when you look at players. There are a lot less than you would think. I’ve watched it. I was around enough really good players and Hall of Fame players that I watched them do it, and I watched what they looked like after the season. It takes a lot of effort and it takes a lot out of them, because not only are they doing that, but they have a job to do and they have to play well. We need our veteran leaders to step up and really take handle of this locker room this year.”
(It’s too soon to evaluate, you’re going to do that in the coming days and weeks; but how about yourself as a coach? Is it too soon to take a deep dive into that?) – “That’s going to be something that’s going to be probably on the front burner for me. I’m going to want to do that. I know I spend a lot of time with these two guys and they’re not shy about telling me when I screw up. I’m sure I (don’t) handle it well at first, but I usually come around. We do need to take some time and just get away from it for a second, because it’s a long season. It didn’t go the way we wanted it to, especially two of the last three weeks where we were battling to try to find a spot, and we need to win one game just to stay alive and we just couldn’t pull it off. It takes a lot out of you because the frustration level goes up when it doesn’t work out the way you want.”
Chris Grier:
(How would you describe the opportunity and responsibility that comes with having such a high first-round draft choice being 11th in the first, second, third rounds; but especially the first pick?) – “For me, the draft, it’s always an opportunity. Like I’ve told you before, I hate when people say, ‘It’s a weak draft in this area,’ and stuff. It’s an excuse because guys don’t want to do the work or try and find guys. So for us, we’ll go through our process. I don’t want to be picking 11th. I know these guys don’t want to be; but it is what it is. We’re 6-10. We’re going to take advantage of it and draft good players. We’ll work through it and find the right person for us.”
Adam Gase:
(This organization has had a lot of turnover at the top over the years and Mr. Ross has obviously opted for continuity here. What do you see as the benefit of stability at the top of the organization going into another year?) – “Personally, I just never even worry about it. I was hired to do a job and that was try to win as many games as possible. We focus on doing all the things we need to do from the first day of the offseason until the end of this season and start it over again. I’ve kept the same philosophy just personally: I’m going to do my job with everything I have until somebody tells me not to. These two guys have the same work ethic and drive. We put everything into this. We’re trying to make sure that we do everything we can to put our players in a great position and then after that, it’s how far can we take it and can we actually play a season and do it the right way and give ourselves a chance to get into the tournament and when we do, can we make some noise?”
Bobby McCain – January 1, 2018
Download PDF version
Monday, January 1, 2018
CB Bobby McCain
(From all accounts, a good season for you personally. What are some of the goals that you set in the preseason that you felt like you were able to execute in the game?) – “Just being consistent in my technique, being consistent in making plays and trying to do the right thing. If you do things right, good things will happen.”
(How would you assess how this year has gone? You guys took a lot of body blows throughout the course of the season. Do you think the record accurately reflected how you all played?) – “No, it doesn’t. And this team, people talk about talent. This team has a lot of talent but talent doesn’t get you anywhere. This team does have … We work hard and the season didn’t go the way we wanted. We all know that and we had a lot of ups and downs; but at the end of the day, we’ve just got to come back this coming season and just know that things have got to change. We’ve got to put a stamp on it.”
(For any team, if they lose their starting quarterback the second week of training camp, the season is usually not going to go very well. You guys battled through that but do you think all of the things, like the hurricane, was just too much for this team?) – “No, I won’t say too much because even with the hurricane, we went down there and got a W. I wouldn’t say it’s too much, but just we’ve got to put distractions aside. Like you said, there’s a lot of things that happened. We lost ‘Tanny’ (Ryan Tannehill) early but guys have got to step up. That’s (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase’s (philosophy). He has a next-man-up mentality, always. If one guy is down, the next guy’s got to step up. Once everyone gets that mentality, I think we’ll be pretty good.”
(Was this year’s defense as talented as last year’s defense?) – “I would say so. I would say so, for sure. Like I said, our record doesn’t reflect it and our team stats don’t reflect it; but we had a lot of talent. We’ve got some really good players on the defense (and) on the whole team, really – offensively, special teams guys, just guys doing their job, guys doing their part. Defensively, we’re going to come back and we’re going to put it together. We’re going to make it a great one.”
(You’ve had a lot of young defensively players that got playing time. When you look at CB Cordrea Tankersley and CB Charles Harris and CB Torry McTyer right there beside you got some playing time – DE Cameron Malveaux and DT Davon Godchaux. You know the list. What do you think about the young defensive talent on this team?) – “They stepped up and did their thing this year. They stepped up and embraced their role. As rookies, you come in and you’re blinded and you’re wide-eyed but they stepped up and they embraced the moment. They stepped up in big games. Torry’s out there playing Tom Brady in his first game; but things like that, when you see first- and second-year guys, even third-year guys, young guys that are coming into their own and just embracing what they’re doing, that’s big. That’s what you like to see.”
(Have you kept in touch with CB Byron Maxwell at all?) – “Yes, I talked to him a couple of times – a couple of times here and there. I know he’s down in Seattle doing his thing. I don’t know what they’re doing from here.”
(How did CB Byron Maxwell handle what happened and how his time here ended?) – “I guess he handled it pretty good. He’s got a good head on his shoulder. He’s mentally tough and he can deal with things well. I can’t say ‘Man, we talk every day;’ but I’m sure he went down there and he did what he had to do.”
(Was that a surprise when they cut CB Byron Maxwell?) – “Yes. It sucks but that’s just the business. You don’t ever expect to come in and your brother to be gone, but that’s just how it is. At the end of the day it’s the NFL and you’ve got to do your job every day.”
(How tough is it to be cleaning out your locker a lot sooner than you wanted to?) – “It sucks. It sucks because the goal was to get to the playoffs and make a run; but it didn’t happen. I think I’m going to wait on mine. I’m going to leave it a couple of days and let it sit to let it sink in. It definitely sucks though.”
(Talk about recovering that onside kick last night. That was a pretty wild formation and everything.) – “Yes, it was a great kick by Cody (Parkey). We had the numbers that we wanted. It’s just crazy that in the Bills games, we recovered two onside kicks – the first one and then this one. I guess I can say when I’m out there on onside kick, we are 100 percent. (Laughter) It was a great kick by Cody and great execution by everybody, even guys like Neville (Hewitt) and Walt (Aikens), guys who were making big hits to jar the ball loose.”
(LB Neville Hewitt blasted that guy.) – “Yes, for sure. Guys executed the game plan. When you execute, good things happen.”
(Does K Cody Parkey have a good set of skills for onside kicks?) – “He does. Cody is a really good kicker. I think he went to the Pro Bowl his rookie year, I’m pretty sure. You go for a reason. Yes, he’s a really good kicker.”
(Is that really how you feel about the Bills, the Jills?) – “That isn’t for me to say.”
(What do you feel like will be the point of emphasis for the spring and summer for the whole secondary to take the next step forward?) – “Just consistency. Once we start making plays, once we start coming along, just consistency in what we’re doing because at the end of the day, we’ve got to put the team on our back. The ball is going to go up in the air regardless if you like it or not. How I see it is next year, when we come back, we’ve all got to have the mindset that there’s no 50/50 balls. The ball is ours once it’s up in the air.”
(Is it true that overall that there were actually more mental errors than physical errors?) – “I’m not sure. I couldn’t tell you.”
Jordan Phillips – January 1, 2018
Download PDF version
Monday, January 1, 2018
DT Jordan Phillips
(How do you feel like things went this year? You came into the year with a lot as far as you talked in the offseason about wanting to change some things, wanting to get better. How do you feel like it went?) – “Me personally, I feel like I accomplished what I was trying to do. I had a better year. It wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but I showed improvement. That’s all you can ask for.”
(Obviously, it’s never a good feeling cleaning out your locker a lot earlier than you guys wanted to. Obviously, the playoffs are always the goal and you guys didn’t get to reach that goal.) – “Yes, we had a lot of ups and downs this year. We couldn’t connect on all levels every game like we needed to. Like I said, we can only go up from here.”
(What specifically is better this year for you? What do you feel better about than you did at the end of last season?) – “I’m not going to hit anything specific, but you can turn on the film and see what I did.”
(Is your mindset different going in?) – “Same mindset, just different results.”
(Why was the run defense better this year? I know it was a point of emphasis in the offseason. Why did you guys execute better and play better in that area?) – “It was just, like you said, a point of emphasis. We had … they brought in Will Hayes. He did a hell of a job. (Davon) Godchaux did a hell of a job. Vincent (Taylor) did a hell of a job. (Ndamukong) Suh did a hell of a job. Cam (Wake) played the (expletive) out of the run. I tried to do the best I could. (Andre) Branch did his thing. Our (line)backers, they played downhill. We have two of the best safeties in the league. Our corners did well. We have all the pieces; we’ve just got to put it all together.”
(Going into this year, the coaches wanted information on you to see how you fit in going forward. Do you feel like you’ve shown enough to be part of a long term plan here?) – “I’m going to let them decide that. Whatever happens, happens; but I put what I could on film regardless. So, we’ll see.”
(And one quick follow up: you can sign an extension this offseason. Is that something you’re going to request? Any thoughts about that?) – “That’s something we’ll get into when the time comes. Right now, I’m just playing ball.”
(What’s the offseason like for you? Are you going to take any time off before you get back to work?) – “I haven’t seen my son very often. He lives in Kansas. I live out here. It’s time to go be a dad. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
(How do you feel about where your career is at right now as opposed to a year ago? You were kind of down on yourself last year. You were very hard on yourself when we talked to you in May is why I ask.) – “It’s just disappointing the way that I came into the league and I’m just trying to change the views from your guys’ perspective to everybody around. I want to be a great player. I want to be an elite player and I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve got to do to get there.”
Reshad Jones – January 1, 2018
Download PDF version
Monday, January 1, 2017
S Reshad Jones
(On the 2017 season.) – “We weren’t able to do what we set out to do. This is a playoff team. We fell short of that. It didn’t go too good for me. Personally, I feel like I played pretty well, but I could have played better.”
(What did it mean to you to have the season you did coming off last year’s injury?) – “It means a lot. I put a lot into it. It was a long offseason, a lot of hard work and dedication. I had to sacrifice a lot; but it means a lot knowing that my shoulder held up for a full season. I played well. I made a lot of plays for this team.”
(How bad was the rehab for your shoulder injury, because guys say a lot of times that that’s worse than being healthy and being able to practice even?) – “Yes, shoulder surgery is one of the worst. Rehab was tough. It was a long process, but I’m happy I was able to get through it.”
(Do you expect to play in the Pro Bowl?) – “Yes, I probably will play.”
(What has to change around here? You’ve been here for what, seven years, eight years?) – “Eight.”
(What has to change?) – “I think we’ve got the right guys in this locker room. I’m not sure what we need to change, but something has to change. I can’t my finger on it right now. I’ve got to take a moment and evaluate the whole season and look at a couple of things. Like I said, I think we’ve got resilient guys in this locker room. We’ve got the right pieces in the locker room. It’s just a tough league to win in.”
(The players only have a finite amount of time in the league, and certainly their prime is even smaller of a window. Do you feel like your best football right now might be going to waste because there’s not the team success that goes along with it?) – “No, I think I’ve still got a lot of good football ahead of me. I feel good. I took care of my body a lot this offseason. I still feel like I’ve got a lot of good football left ahead of me.”
(That being said, is there regret that you haven’t gotten more, from a team perspective, out of your career so far?) – “Yes, I mean I would like to make the playoffs and do bigger things; but you’ve got to deal with the cards that have been dealt. (I’m) just (going to) continue to do what I’ve been doing, taking care of my body and come out and lead this team and try to help this team win football games.”
(When you talk about wanting things to change, how much do you think it will change things to have QB Ryan Tannehill back next year?) – “I think Ryan is a great piece. I think he was coming along. He was having a good spring. I think he’s a valuable piece to this team.”
(Have you ever been part of a year when so many things have gone sideways?) – “I’ve been here eight years, so yes, I have. (laughter) I have, for sure.”
(Eight years, you’ve been through this day after the season a lot. What’s it like for everybody?) – “It’s tough not making the playoffs, knowing the potential we have in this locker room. It’s just another season I feel like we’ve wasted. I think we’ve got the right guy in (Head Coach) Adam Gase. I know he’ll get this thing turned around.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase talked about playing with a deficit, playing from behind a lot. Defensively, what changes when you guys have a deficit as opposed to a lead? Do you have to be more conservative defensively? What changes?) – “You are able to make a team one-dimensional. When you get a lead, now teams have to pass the ball. I think we’ve got one of the best front sevens in football. Those guys get after the quarterback pretty well. Making a team one-dimensional, it plays into our hands on defense. Like I said, I think we’ve got a great front seven and it helps us be able to get after the ball a little bit.”
(So then when you’re trailing, on the other hand, you have to play run and pass as opposed to if you have a lead, you just attack. Defensively, now you have to play run and pass.) – “Exactly. I think the call sheet changes up a little bit once you get a lead.”
(This is the first offseason you’re going into in a while where you have the financial security, you have that contract. Is that a different type of deal for you now that you’re not worrying about that in the offseason?) – “Yes, I think it makes a lot of difference. I just go out and play. I don’t have to worry about, like you said, financial situations or where I’m going to be at. I can put all of that behind me and go out and do everything I can to help the Miami Dolphins win football games.”
(Did you have any added incentive coming in off that contract, and everybody here knowing that you’d been played like that, to play up to it?) – “No.”
Kenny Stills – January 1, 2018
Download PDF version
Monday, January 1, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(On what happened in the scrum that led to the ejections of WR Jarvis Landry and RB Kenyan Drake) – “Honestly, I have no clue. I saw Jarvis had scored and then I saw a scrum break out.”
(You got flagged. What was your role in all of that?) – “I think they flagged me for trying to pull somebody off the pile but (Kenyan) Drake was underneath a guy with his helmet off, so I wasn’t going to just let him get beat up.”
(Are the Bills a dirty team?) – “No. It’s just part of the game.”
(How disappointing is it to be cleaning out your lockers earlier than obviously you and the rest of the team want to?) – “Yes, I mean when you don’t win games, you don’t make the playoffs, it’s disappointing. There’s not much else you can say about that.”
(How do you view your season from a personal standpoint?) – “I honestly haven’t had time to really look back and reflect on my individual season. I’m sure there are areas of improvement. I’m sure there are areas that I got better from last year. I’ve just got to get a chance to watch all of the film. I like watching the TV copies. Just get an opportunity to see how I played. I know that right now, off the top of my head, I can think about things that I want to improve on and my goals for next year. I’ve just got to get back to work and start preparing myself for next season.”
(Every year, players try to grow their game. What are some of the things that you would like to do going into next year?) – “I really don’t want to put them out there like that. I guess when you guys come back next year and watch, you’ll see what parts of my game I’m trying to improve. You guys all watch the game and know the game so you know players’ weaknesses, or you think you know players’ weaknesses, so you’ll see where I try to make improvements next year.”
(Did you have a broken hand earlier in the year?) – “I had a tear in a tendon in one of my fingers.”
(Was there ever a point where you felt normal during the season? Or did you play through that?) – “Yes, it’s just part of the thing where you just start playing through the pain a little bit but you guys saw I didn’t practice or I didn’t catch balls one of those weeks. It was just trying to get through the week and make it to the game because regardless of what’s going on, I’m always going to try and be out there for Sundays. Yes, it’s fine.”
(Do you need surgery or no?) – “No, I’m good.”
(You guys have had QB Ryan Tannehill around a lot this season. He’s been very involved. What are your thoughts about him coming back next year and what that might do for your offense?) – “Just him being healthy and him playing?”
(Yes, having QB Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.) – “Yes, I think we were making a lot of improvements this offseason in OTAs and training camp. We were pretty excited at the improvements that Ryan was making and the timing and us getting on the same page and knowing this offense, and so I think that’s where we’re back to, knowing that he’s going to be back, he’s going to be healthy and just continue to work on the chemistry that we’ve built these past couple of years.”
(What was your year like with QB Jay Cutler as the quarterback?) – “Like I said, I haven’t really had time to reflect on that. As far as Jay, I love the guy. He’s a good man. I think people in other places have kind of given him a hard time and I got to know him as a man and as a player, and I appreciate him and I like him. I’m thankful for the experience of playing with him and catching some balls from him.”
(What was QB Jay Cutler like as a teammate?) – “I don’t know, man. It’s kind of hard to explain somebody like that off the top of my head; but he’s a quarterback. He leads by example and he’s got that veteran presence in the room, and just really understands the receiver position to the point where we’re watching film and we see things one way, and he sees it that way, and we’re able to kind of make that connection real quick and get on the same page.”
(Is this team as far away as 6-10 would suggest? Or is that misleading?) – “That’s a tough question. I think there’s plenty of games that we should have won and we didn’t come out on top of those games. Like I said before, this team has a ton of potential and it’s about us going to work this offseason and building on that potential and making it come to fruition.”
(Was this year’s offense as talented as last year’s?) – “We have all the pieces. When Jay (Ajayi) got traded, Kenyan (Drake) stepped up and started making plays. Jakeem (Grant) came into the game and started making plays. We’ve got talent all across the board. It’s just a matter of us not shooting ourselves in the foot with the penalties and the turnovers.”
(Was that the story of the offense, do you think?) – “Some games. Then in other games, we just weren’t able to get it going and put points on the board.”
(Do you have anything planned community-wise this offseason? Any big initiative that you’ve got…) – “(laughter) That’s funny that you asked me that. Yes, so right now I’m putting in a little plan to do some traveling in the country, hitting some of the states and doing some volunteering and some community work. We’ve (been) playing and the season hasn’t really ended, so I haven’t been able to finish the plan; but basically, I want to drive my bus to a couple of the states close and volunteer and see how I can see some of the issues that people are dealing with in other states.”
(Do you have a commercial driver’s license?) – “No, I do not. But like I said, it’s a plan that we’re putting together right now and now we’ve got the time to kind of get that thing going.”
(Do you know what states yet?) – “No. Like I said, it’s just something that I thought of that I wanted to do. I reached out to people that I know that can help me out and we’re going to start putting the plan together.”
(What kind of volunteer work? Community stuff?) – “I want to find some grassroots organizations that need the help or might need the recognition, and reach out to them and come and lend a helping hand in any way that I can.”
(When you say bus…) – “My Volkswagen bus. (laughter)”
(What year is it?) – “I think it’s ’72 or ’73.”
(How many people can you fit in that thing?) – “Probably four or five comfortably.”
(Would that be the crew then?) – “I’ve got some buddies, yes. So the whole idea kind of would be to film the trip, let people track the trip and then possibly collect donations while we go on the trip. Then, at the end of it, being able to put all of that money back into the organizations that we stopped and visited with and worked with throughout the journey.”
(I know you haven’t mapped out your itinerary but are you thinking like the Southeast United States? Or are you talking something crazy like driving across the country?) – “Yes, it would be cool to – initially I think – going back to the West Coast and kind of making some stops all of the way there; but also too, I understand where I am on the map and how hard that would be. (laughter) So maybe (we’ll) just potentially hit some of the southern states or going up to the Carolinas. I’ve got to figure out what organizations I want to work with, who needs the help and go from there.”
(How many miles on the bus?) – “I’d have to look. There’s a lot. There’s a lot, for sure. I don’t know how many, for sure.”
(You’ve got an 8-track deck in there, the whole thing?) – “(Laughter) No, there’s a tape player in there.”
(Cassettes?) – “Yes. I’ve been getting it worked on throughout the season, making sure everything is good to go and kind of updating it a little bit.”
(You’re comfortable taking it across the country?) – “Yes.”
(Does QB Jay Cutler make you laugh? Has Cutler been funny?) – “Yes.”
(We haven’t seen a lot of his personality behind the scenes. Can you tell us like one good QB Jay Cutler story?) – “No, I don’t have any good Cutler stories.”
(Just one, man. Just one. I didn’t ask for five. Just one good QB Jay Cutler story.) – “I mean I’m sure you guys have seen him talk a little bit of trash to the referees during the games. Have you guys seen that?”
(No. You have?) – “That’s some good stuff right there. (laughter)”
(Like what? What’s one funny one. You don’t have to name the referee.) – “I’m not … I’m not going to tell you any specifics, but Jay … It’s funny. It’s interesting to see the relationship between a super veteran quarterback and all of the referees around the league. That’s all I would say.”
