Anthony Campanile – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Linebackers coach Anthony Campanile
(With the amount of players you all have that can play off the ball as well as come down on the line of scrimmage, how do you and Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark balance that time on the field or in meetings – whatever it is – with a player like LB Kyle Van Noy, who has so many snaps both on and off the ball in his past?) – “I think that one of the awesome things about coaching here is we all coach defense. We all get an opportunity to coach our guys and I think it’s a staff full of guys who love to coach fundamentals and love coaching with each other. It’s something that as a group collectively, I think we all – at every position, to be honest with you – we all incorporate our own philosophies and get the opportunity to really coach all of the guys. It’s been an awesome experience that way.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on what this opportunity means to you jumping from Michigan to the NFL?) – “It means the world to me. It’s been a tremendous opportunity. The opportunity to coach with (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores was something I was really excited about. It’s a storied franchise, so the opportunity to come here, coach for him, coach at this place and coach these players, it’s been a fantastic experience so far. It was something I was really, really looking forward to. I was really, really excited about it and I’ve loved every minute of it.”
(LB Kyle Van Noy has so many facets in terms of what he can do to his game. How much does he help this defense improve and how many roles can he fill?) – “I think Kyle, as you said, one of his great abilities is he got a lot of multiplicity to his game. I think him bringing that to our system, and we’re a system where I think Coach Flores has done an incredible job and Coach Boyer has done an incredible job in their careers of playing to the strengths of all of their players throughout their entire career. We’re obviously really, really excited to have him here, and I think he’s going to be a great addition to our defense and he’s a great fit to what we do.”
(College football obviously has no preseason games. So I’m wondering with you and a few other guys who have come over from the college ranks, are there some things you can do – increase competitive reps, simulate competitive situations, scrimmaging. Not a lot of people think about that. You have to be ready to go – Michigan vs. Alabama – first game on national TV. In the NFL, we’ve always have the preseason, so what are your thoughts on that?) – “I think for the guys coming from college, it’s not much of a difference, so that might be an advantage for us. A guy coming like myself as a coach, that’s all you know – getting the guys ready through training camp. I think Coach Flores has done a great job managing everything up to this point and really, really organizing in a way that our guys can get better every day. It’s been meticulously done. I think he’s done a fantastic job with that. Having been through some other situations like this as a college coach, I’ve been really, really impressed with that. I think through the summer, like you said, this is the same situation for everybody in the league, and we just have to do a great job of coaching our guys every day. Everything is important, every meeting is important, every practice is important, and I think our guys understand that. I know they do because they prepare that way. It’s a little bit of a change, I’m sure, for a lot of these guys as professional athletes with no preseason games; but they’ve really stepped up to the challenge and done a great job preparing.”
(What kind of boss is Head Coach Brian Flores and what are the things about him that make you confident that he’s going to be successful here?) – “I can tell you this for myself, one of the things I was most excited about coming here was – I had spent some time in Boston. I was at Boston College. Coach Flores was a Boston College graduate and was coaching in New England at the time. I knew a lot of people that knew him very well, and everybody spoke so highly of him, not just as a football coach, but as a person. For myself and for my family, to this point in the time that I’ve spent here, he’s been phenomenal to us. He’s just a great person in that regard. He cares about people’s family. Football is what we do. It’s a huge part of all of our lives, it’s a huge part of all of our families lives. He understands that but first and foremost, he understands that as a father and as a husband, that’s the most important job all of us have in the world. I think he does a great job of managing that for himself, with the staff and with the players. He never loses sight of that. That I think makes him a special guy in that regard.”
(What is your history with Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and if you can share, what are your thoughts about what he’s going to bring to the defense this year?) – “Coach Boyer and I really got to know each other a little bit better through the interview process, to be honest with you. I felt a compatibility in getting the opportunity to speak together and talk about football together. The values that he has and what he believes is important about football – the way you play, the way to build a team, chemistry, toughness and character – those things are still really, really important in the game. I think guys that believe in those things have a lot of success. I felt that there was a common ground between the two of us, for lack of a better term. He’s a fiery guy. He’s a guy that’s going to get after you. He’s going to coach hard. I’ve learned a ton from being around him and the same I said about ‘Coach Flo,’ he’s a good guy. He cares about the right things and he’s going to coach guys hard every day. He’s going to coach the coaches hard and coach the players hard.”
(Is there a bit of a learning curve for yourself in getting to learn this defense and trying to teach it for the first time? And how do you think players like LB Jerome Baker and LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Kyle Van Noy, they’ve all played in this defense already. Do you think they are maybe a little bit of a step further ahead in knowing the scheme then maybe some other players on the team?) – “I think those guys have done a great job preparing. I think like any season, you’re going in, you start back at square one and you go through the spring, summer and right now obviously we’re in camp. Everybody gets re-acclimated to playing and learns the system. It gets installed the same way for everybody, but they’ve done a great job every day in the room of being engaged, like I said. Every meeting means something and they’ve prepared like professionals. They have been great in the meeting room like all of the other guys. I think they are doing a good job with that. In terms of myself, I kind of hit the ground running here. I think everybody – like I said, Coach Boyer did a great job explaining everything in the system. There was a lot of stuff that I came in and had a pretty good feel for, by the time I had already come in. I felt like honestly, it was a pretty good transition and it went seamlessly – for me, I can say at least. I’ve enjoyed it and I think the players have done a great job.”
Marion Hobby – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(Before free agency when Head Coach Brian Flores and maybe General Manager Chris Grier asked you about DE Shaq Lawson, from your background with him, why did you feel like he would be an asset here? What specifically do you like about his game that will help this team? And I wanted to ask you about DT Raekwon Davis as well in the draft process – what intrigued you about him?) – “Starting off with Shaq Lawson, you kind of have a good history with him and you kind of know where he’s from, what he’s about. We were looking for those smart, tough players that love football and team-first attitudes, and he fits it. It’s something that he’s been a leader all his career, even in college going into the pros with his energy level, and I thought he would be a really good fit for us.”
(I wanted to ask you a follow-up to the previous question on DT Raekwon Davis and also DE Emmanuel Ogbah. What do they bring to this defense do you hope?) – “Watching football on Raekwon Davis, even when he was young player at Alabama, and seeing him mature each year coming in and getting a chance to visit with him at the Combine, I thought he did a great job in the interview. Raekwon is different athletically, but he’s really a more conscientious football player. Football is important to him. His family is important to him and just getting to know those things about him after visiting with him at the Combine, it just gave us a good encouragement about that guy. Ogbah, he’s just been a pleasure to work with. Just visiting with him early, I didn’t know him beforehand; but just evaluating him off tape, asking other coaches about him, his work ethic, his smarts and all that, he’s proven to be exactly what they said. He’s very conscientious. He likes the game. He’s got a good football IQ. He’s smart. Man, he’ll work.”
(DT Christian Wilkins is heading into Year 2. How have you seen him kind of grow a little bit in the first year since he’s joined the team and what are your hopes for him in Year 2?) – “It’s funny when you watch Christian. At the end of the year, I thought he probably was in his better shape and it started showing up on the field because he started making those plays that we want him to make. I think he’s come in this year in better shape. He’s ahead of his – and that’s tough because we didn’t get OTAs, we didn’t get minicamp; but somewhere, this man went and really worked his butt off to keep his weight down. He really looks good out there. We want to see him step up a little bit more as a leader. Last year he came on at the end, stepped up a little more as a leader. It’s his second year in the scheme and knowing what’s expected of him, I’m looking for great things from him.”
(At the very end of April, we were able to catch up with Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban on QB Tua Tagovailoa and DT Raekwon Davis, and I got a quote here about Raekwon. He says, “he’s trying to get his ability to match his production.” What’s the best way to do that? What’s your plan?) – “I think he’s got to take accountability for that as well. That probably was the thing that I’m more shocked at with him being here and being around in the film room – that he has taken (accountability) – because I heard that statement and I’m going, ‘does he not take it serious?’ I didn’t get that impression from him from the Combine, and then (having) been working with him, I think he’s a little bit more conscientious about what he does, his game and getting better. But showing them on tape, where he can be better, holding him accountable to play at a high level. He’s in a meeting room where those guys are going to push him as well, on and off the field, to do the right things. It’s going to take some work, but he’s headed in the right direction.”
(You guys didn’t have much sack production last year. I know a lot of things played a factor in that, but what is the plan in terms of playing better as a unit to get pressure on quarterbacks?) – “I think you hit it perfect – playing as a unit. One guy gets a great rush and the other guy is not in the right position. This guy gets a great rush and it seems where we didn’t really play together. When you usually have four-man rushes, everybody has a rush lane, everybody has a responsibility. I think if we can improve there, where everybody is counting on the man next to them to do his job and produce, I think that really can be – if one of the things we can do is play together, it’s big time.”
(I’d like to ask you a little bit more about your comments on DT Christian Wilkins a moment ago. As you were speaking I couldn’t help but think at least if I’m reading it right it may be there was a level of professionalism that improved as things went along. What can you tell us about that? Was that something you think came form within? Something the coaches stressed? And how much can that help him in this season coming up?) – “I think it’s a little bit of both. If anybody knows anything about Christian Wlikins, he loves football. He’s a football guy and with critiquing him, showing him where he could be better – sometimes that, as a coach, can be critique or that can be coming down on him; but I think it has a lot to do with him – him wanting to do well and get better as a player. That’s where it starts. They’ve got to be self-motivators and then as coaches, we just continue to build on what they bring to the table. I think he matured as he went on. I think he had a lot of things going on early. He’s going to try do them all in the community, he’s going to try to do them all any way he can. (laughter) I just think he had a lot on his plate early. I talked with him about it and he said, ‘yeah, Coach, I had a lot going on, but I’m settling into my role.’”
Gerald Alexander – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander
(You’ve got the unique challenge – or the Dolphins have the unique challenge – you’ve got two former cornerbacks called on to play safety in Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain. What’s that challenge like in terms of helping those players make the conversion and is it one you think is the new wave in the NFL?) – “Well, for me, it’s a very familiar challenge, because I personally went through that myself as a corner in college and transitioned into safety prior to my career in the National Football League. So it’s something I’m familiar with. It’s different but those guys definitely have done the necessary things to transition into that role. It’s just continuing to have them improve throughout practice. When you’re not a safety, you’re not being that primary communicator as you are in that position. These guys have been doing a good job and we’ll continue to develop their communication out there on the field so they can take command and be quarterbacks of their defense.”
(What comes to mind when you think of your stint here as a player a few years back?) – “Probably the cup of coffee that I drank every morning. (laughter) I wasn’t here for that long. It’s good to be back in a familiar setting and being able to contribute in this way.”
(What did you see in the evaluation process in the two rookies you drafted – CB Noah Igbinoghene – what did you like specifically about his skill set? And S Brandon Jones as well?) – “We knew those guys have great athleticism coming in and great tools to develop in our program, and not to mention their athleticism; but just getting a chance to meet them throughout the process. You knew that they were guys that had the football character that we are looking for in our building. We haven’t really had the chance to see that on display on the field, we’re just getting to start practice. But you can tell just by their football character and their makeup that they are willing to be coachable and improve on a day-to-day (basis).”
(CB Byron Jones was on here a few days ago and he mentioned how you had been such a great teacher for him and it’s easy for him and the other defensive backs to learn from you. I was wondering throughout each step of your career, who had been teachers that have helped you out in terms of coaching and mentors and such?) – “I think my experience with Jimmy Lake, who is the head coach at Washington now, and Chris Petersen and his staff were monumental in my coaching career, and really had me think about developing the teaching aspect of being a coach, and really being a great presenter and making sure that I take all of the complexities of the game and make it simple for the guys to be able to comprehend and execute out there on the field, and just try to get better in that way and form. Some of the experiences that I’ve currently had here with the coaching staff has continued to challenge me as a teacher and develop these guys and getting those guys to understand what we are trying to get them to do on defense.”
(I was thinking about how in college football, you have these four or five star recruits sometimes and you’re not exactly sure how they are going to perform when the lights turn on. There’s no benefit of a preseason game. To draw a parallel to the rookies you’re working with, how can you best prepare, how can you best make sure that especially the youngsters – the newcomers – that you know what you have, that you know how prepared they are, without the benefit of those preseason reps?) – “Well, everybody got dealt the same hand in regards to what’s going on. We’ve got to have not only our young players but really everybody, every single repetition that we take out on the field whether it be at a practice setting or a walkthrough setting, or every single meeting or every moment that we spend and energy that we spend towards trying to get ourselves prepared for a season, is valuable. We don’t have those preseason under the lights opportunities to make a trial run at this. It’s going to be live when we get our first opportunity to compete. We’ll just continue to heighten the level of urgency on a day-to-day basis with every single drill. That’s our challenge as a coaching staff, that’s our challenge as a team, to get ourselves ready for a month from now.”
(I wanted to ask you about the young players in terms of S Brandon Jones and CB Noah Igbinoghene. What’s the challenge of getting them to learn this defense so that they can contribute right away? What’s that like?) – “There are so many things that young guys have to learn and it’s just learning really how to practice, how to be a professional – not to mention all of the things and all of the responsibilities and the communication that it takes to be able to feel comfortable and develop in this defense. It’s really going to just take reps. It’s going to take repetition and being able to see different plays and experience different things at practice. Obviously as we start to intensify the practice, they’ll be able to make those full-speed mistakes and learn from them and develop as we go. It’s just going to take time and reps and being able to get those reps to feel ready, and continue to develop from there.”
(How did you and Head Coach Brian Flores first get in touch with each other, maybe when you first met? What was your reaction when he first reached out to you about this job?) “I got a chance to meet ‘Coach Flo’ and these guys really through Tiquan Underwood, who I played with in Jacksonville. I was here really locally and visiting Blake Baker, who I coached with at Arkansas State and who was the defensive coordinator at the University of Miami. While I was in town, I came and visited Tiquan and got a chance to meet some guys in the building and got an opportunity to be here and really kind of shadow in training camp last year during an internship. Going back and taking some of that information to Cal, where I was coaching at the time, it was valuable information just being here for a week. I learned a lot from this coaching staff. When the opportunity came, obviously I was very excited and grateful for the opportunity, which I still am. Now that I’m here, I understand what my responsibility is to be able to lead the secondary and contribute to this team as much as I can.”
(You talked a little bit about the character of the two rookie defensive backs you guys drafted. Head Coach Brian Flores talks a lot about communication as an important trait on his team with an emphasis on players that can communicate on this defense and in this defensive backfield. How much does that help you guys acclimate quickly in this condensed offseason program?) – “Communication is a must in our defense. All guys have to be on the same page, especially at the safety position. We have the depth of the defense and we’re responsible to really get everybody in line, so it’s very important that whether you’re young or an older vet, that the communication is on point. We know that big plays always run through the secondary. Whether it be in the pass game or the run game, the easiest way to give up an explosive play in the backend is lack of communication. What I tell those guys is lack of communication leads to disaster. We have to make sure that all of our communication is on point, regardless of the condensed offseason and not a lot of reps in the offseason. Through practice and walkthrough, we have to understand what certain terminology means and get everybody on the same page. Those guys are going to be the ones that are playing on Sunday. It’s not how much I know, it’s how much those guys know and their awareness out there on display on the field, and understand what words to say and what communication to make, to make sure everybody is on the same page.”
(I’m wondering – the focus is on how players adapt and learn a new system and techniques. As a coach new to the techniques, how did you do it?) – “How I did it is obviously listening to the guys who were experienced in the system. I have great resources with (Defensive Coordinator Josh) Boyer, and ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores). I have experience myself as a player, which really doesn’t matter; but taking all of my experience in coaching and as a player, and really applying it to some of the things that are being taught that we want done in our defense. At the end of the day, taking all of that information and relaying to our players in a simple form, where those guys can comprehend it and go out there and rep it, and continue to develop and get better. I’m looking forward to what that can look like over the next couple of weeks as we start really ramping up the intensity of practice.”
Josh Boyer – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(I wanted to ask you about the defense in terms of the changes that you guys made this offseason adding DE Emmanuel Ogbah and DE Shaq Lawson. What was the intent and what do both of them bring to the equation?) – “I think in the offseason, I think our goal was to add as many good players to the defense as we possibly could. I think with all defenses, each year you start over and you try to – whether it’s a coach’s influence or whether it’s a player influence, the defense will kind of evolve. I think you’re always trying to build as much competition as you possibly can and I think obviously (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) did a good job of acquiring as many good players as we possibly could.”
(You’ve mentioned coach’s influence. I’m pretty sure that you have a different view of the world than anybody else, so how is your influence going to change or affect what the defense looks like?) – “Obviously I would say Coach Flores and I have worked together for a long time. We have had many conversations over the years. I would say it’s not really a ‘Flores Defense.’ It’s not a ‘Boyer Defense.’ It would be kind of a ‘Miami 2020 Defense,’ and again, Coach Flores will have influence on it, I’ll have influence on it, our assistant coaches will have influence on it and importantly, our players will have influence on it. Again, I think there’s core fundamentals that we believe in that we’ll implement, but the defense itself will evolve over time.”
(Do you think your pass rush will be better than it was last season and if so, why?) – “I think whether its pass rush, run defense, pass coverage; I think all of those things, we’re going to try to improve on a daily basis. Look, we get 16 shots at this over the course of a season. Our main goal has always been the same. We’re going to try to be better today than what we were yesterday and we’re going to try to be better tomorrow than what we were today. As coaches, as players – we believe in that and we strive for constant improvement. We’ll see on Sundays. We get 16 shots at it. We’ll see what it is and we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and get better. That’s kind of the way we approach it.”
(No preseason. I’m wondering as a play-caller do you know these two things – are you an upstairs guy or a downstairs guy? And I know in college with no preseason, sometimes guys who are going to start calling plays actually go out to the stadium and simulate. Maybe you’ll get a scrimmage or two to make sure anything you plan to do?) – “I think again, it’s very similar to the players. The closest thing that we can get to game simulation is practice, so as a play-caller and as a coaching staff, we try to put ourselves in game situations as much as possible. I think over the course of the years that things have come up, you just try to practice and then once you get to a game, you feel pretty comfortable of what your thought process is. I think the players need to feel comfortable with what the thought process is. We work very hard on our players, one, understanding the situation, because every play in and of itself is a situation. Is it a drive-start play? Is it a second-and-long? Is it second-and-short? Third-and-short? Third-and-medium? Are we in two-minute? Is it in the red area? Is it in the fringe? Every play in itself is a situation and what we try to strive to do for our players is they understand what’s getting called. Again, once they have an understanding of what the offense is in, what we’re in, it eliminates variables which decreases – call it anxiety – and allows them to play at a little bit faster pace. That’s the ultimate goal and I think in practice we kind of work towards that way so that the coaches and the players, we’re all on kind of the same page and know and understand what’s coming. There’s not a lot of surprises. It’s not like, ‘oh damn, he called this’ or ‘are we going to be in this defense on this?’ There shouldn’t be a lot of surprises. That’s the goal.”
(I wanted to ask you a quick two-part question – No. 1, on a personal level what does this new opportunity mean for you to become the defensive coordinator and also what’s your overriding philosophy when it comes to playing defense?) – “It’s kind of interesting. I guess they say timing is everything. I really enjoyed being a position coach and that was something that – I would say being a coordinator was not like, I didn’t have huge ambition for that. I enjoyed having a room. I enjoyed coaching a position; but I’ve really enjoyed the new role. It’s been good. It’s been good with the interaction with the coaches. It’s a different interaction with the players. One thing that I was really excited about and in fact it just so happened that Bill Arnsparger was awarded the Dr. Z Award (for lifetime achievement) this year, which I think he’s more than deserving. I read his book years ago and reading his book and then being in the NFL for as long as I have, and to see some of the terminology that’s in his book that still carries over to today, it’s a pretty amazing thing. And you’ve got to understand, I grew up 20 minutes southeast of Columbus, Ohio, so for Arnsparger who really – he got his start in coaching at Miami of Ohio and you guys might have to check my dates on this, but I believe it was in 1950. (In) 1951, he went with Woody Hayes to Ohio State and in ’52, he was on the same staff with Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes. So growing up as a kid in Southeast Ohio, Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes were as big as it gets; and then you look at the things that Bill was able to do in his career. One, the guy fought in World War II. He was in the Marines. And then I would say in 1964, Bill was probably on the greatest defensive staff that may be ever assembled in the NFL. Charley Winner was the defensive coordinator, and again, there’s another World War II veteran – he was actually in a German prison camp – and Bill Arnsparger was the defensive line coach … and the (head) coach was Don Shula. Then you go all the way – Arnsparger, his career, it’s pretty amazing – and I’m going to get to my point here in a second. You guys are probably like, ‘what the hell is he talking about?’ But in 1986, Bill was the head coach at LSU. They ended up winning an SEC championship. I was able to spend some time this summer with a guy that was on that staff with him. We had some conversations about him and then obviously some general conversations with football. So I would say being the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins – and there’s a rich alumni history here and knowing that the standard’s pretty high with Bill Arnsparger – I consider it an honor and a privilege. It might not personally have been something that I was looking to do, but I’m very honored to do it. I take my job very seriously. As far as being a defense – again – we look at fundamentals. We need to be able to tackle. We need to be able to play with good effort, but I would say it goes back to a lot of things you hear Coach Flores say, which is we need to be a smart team. We need to be mentally and physically tough. And I think him and Chris (Grier) did a great job trying to put the team together with guys that are fiercely competitive. Again, we get 16 shots at it and we’ll see where we lie when it’s all said and done; but being a coordinator, I’m honored for that position, kind of knowing where it’s been here at the Miami Dolphins. I’m pretty excited about that, so hopefully that answers your question. Obviously I think it’s awesome for the Arnsparger family that he was honored and I think it’s awesome for the Miami Dolphins, and I’m really privileged just to talk about having the same position that that guy had. It’s a pretty big deal to me.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Byron Jones in terms of what do you hope that he can contribute to the secondary, particularly when put on the opposite side of CB Xavien Howard?) – “Again, I think for Byron – like everybody else – we’re looking for consistent play. Obviously to be able to cover, to be able to tackle, to be able to get in and out of the calls. Byron is a diligent worker. He’s done a good job for us. We’ve got a long way to go. Obviously as you guys well know, we haven’t even been in pads yet. We’ve had one OTA day, but he’s working hard. We’re pleased with it and we’re going to strive to continue to improve. Those are the things we’re going to ask him to do. We’re going to ask him to tackle, we’re going to ask him to cover – man and zone – and he’s working hard at that, and hopefully we continue to get better.”
(I wanted to ask you about having three specific assistants on defense with Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander, Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark and Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile coming from the college game. First, what are the challenges with that that you might foresee and then also to that end, do you think it’s a benefit in your regard that they are a little bit younger and that they can relate a little bit more with the players?) – “I think for everybody, it’s a little bit different (based on) where you come from. I think the one thing that’s consistent with all those guys is they’re good teachers, they’re good communicators and they work hard. I would say the other thing that’s important in coaching is they don’t have egos. It’s amazing what you can get accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit. I think our head coach, Coach Flores, he exemplifies that. He’s a very humble individual, a very hard worker and I think you’ve got guys that are young, hungry, intelligent, hard-working, that give very little to who gets credit for what. They just want to work hard and be successful as a team and an organization, which is what we’re all trying to do.”
(When you look at your bio, one line that jumps off the page is “South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.” Tell us about that school and your experience there.) – “I had a brief stint there. Basically the head coach at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, he was a wide receivers coach when I was coaching at Kent State, and he got the job I would say – I got there in late August actually. I took the opportunity. It was kind of a rebuild. We knew it was going to be a rebuild. I was looking forward to that. Very good kids. It’s an engineering school – very smart and intelligent kids. You could do a lot with them defensively. We just didn’t have a lot of guys in the program at the time. I would say one of our corners was a running back. The other one was really an outside linebacker, so we were kind of moving guys all around there, but great kids. Some of them still text me from time to time. A lot of them are very productive and successful in the world today and then really after New England got beat by Denver in the 2005 playoffs, basically I got a call from Dean Pees when they landed, and then I had an opportunity to go to New England so my stint at South Dakota (School of Mines and Technology) was cut a little shirt. I just thought it was a good opportunity to go to New England; but it’d have been interesting to see what happened if I was able to stay there and try to build the program a little bit, as the head coach was trying to do as well. That’s kind of what that experience was. It was a good experience – great kids. They worked hard. Like I said, a lot of them are very productive in society today. I still keep in contact with a handful of them.”
(I’ll ask you about studying history. I find that interesting that you were talking about your interest in football dating back to like the 1950s. What are some of the things that you look at – because I know you like to study film but also in studying the history of coaching and coaches and old school football – what do you enjoy about that and what do you get away from your research and studying?) – “I think first of all, I’ve been around football since I could walk. My father’s a high school coach and he’s still coaching, so I guess when I was a little kid and they had the film projector on, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world when the players went backwards. That kind of sparked my interest there. I think no matter what your vocation is in life, I think you always are seeking knowledge. There’s so many coaches that have done it for so many years and there’s always good things you can take from everybody, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent. I think as much as you kind of open yourself up to ‘what was this guy doing here, what was this guy…?’ I mean, there’s a lot of good books out there and some of them – Bill Arnsparger’s book is one of those – if you have a pretty good knowledge, you’d think it’s a pretty good book. If you’re a little bit novice in it, it could be a tough read. There’s other books that I like to read as well, too. Some of them are tough reads for me, too, but I would say the history of the game – and you always hear like, ‘oh, this guy’s innovative,’ ‘this guy’s innovative.’ The Wildcat was really the single-wing offense that people were running before they had facemasks. I think it’s always interesting. I think there’s things that you can pull from everything. I do enjoy anytime that any of the old games are going on – I mentioned Charley Winner earlier and I believe he might be the only living coach from The Greatest Game Ever Played – what they titled ‘The Greatest Game Ever Played.’ It’s interesting to have conversations – I feel very fortunate to be a part of the NFL and I would say my paths have crossed with a lot of guys and there’s a rich history here in Miami, and there’s a lot of guys and a lot of alumni that come around and there’s always things that relate to today’s game. It’s not a completely different game. At the end of the day, there’s still 11 guys out there and a lot of their experiences, and they’ve been great, so I’m excited. I’m excited with our past and I’m excited for our future. We’re going to work hard, and like I said, we get 16 shots at it and we’ll see what we are. I appreciate everybody’s time today. Thank you.”
Austin Clark – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark
(I wanted to ask how did you first get in touch with Head Coach Brian Flores? How did you guys first meet and coming down to South Florida and joining the Dolphins, how did that come about?) – “I got a call from Coach Flores. I didn’t know him previously. We talked a little bit and finished the call. Right after the season, I came down here, met with him and Coach (Josh) Boyer and those guys, and it went great. I’m fired up to be here.”
(A new position for us in terms of an outside linebackers coach. Who all is in your group and what specifically are the roles for that position?) – “I’d say it’s a collaborative effort. We’ve got ‘Coach Cam’ (Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile), (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer), ‘Coach Hobbs’ (Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby), myself. We all coach defense together so I wouldn’t say it’s specifically certain people or anything like that. I’m really excited about where the season is going.”
(I’m curious if it’s a challenge for you to find reps for all of the guys that have a lot of snaps and production on their resume? Does the multiple nature of the defense kind of help you carve out roles for everybody?) – “I think here with ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) and Josh (Boyer), they have a saying that your role is what you make it. I think that applies to all of the guys. We’ve only had a couple of days so far – we haven’t even had a padded practice – so that’s a little tough for me to say right now; but I think everybody is doing a hell of a job so far.”
(What kind of first impression does Head Coach Brian Flores make? And what were the things about him that made you say, ‘Hey, this guy can win?’) – “I would say first off, he’s a hardworking guy. When I came down here to meet with him, I looked him up and researched him and saw his path through coaching. That immediately to me was like, ‘Hey, this is someone I want to work under and learn from.’ Just how he came up and the grind and where he’s come from, his story, all of the obstacles he’s gone through. Then on a first impression basis, I would just say he’s a teacher. To me, coaching is teaching. There’s an element of how he interacts with players and coaches. He’s got a mission. He’s a tough guy and we want tough people that are smart and love to play and are physical. That’s what impressed me about him and I’m really, really excited to work for him.”
(On Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer, how would you describe kind of his personality and his approach?) – “I would say tactical. I think Josh has a philosophy of what he believes in that I think aligns directly with our head coach. Those guys have been working together for so long. I would say that he knows what he wants and he’s going to demand that out of his players and us, as coaches, to do it. That’s the environment that I want to live around. It’s been great so far and I’m really, really excited.”
(I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that the pass rush was lacking on the team last year. How do you intend to solve that with the guys in your room? Who are you looking to improve the pass rush on this team?) – “First off, I would say it’s a new season. As far as looking at last year, I really don’t think any of that matters. I think it’s about what we’re doing right now. I would say I think we have some great players across the board. I would say the pass rush is a collaborative deal in terms of the different guys and combinations and who they’re going against and what they do best. I think as a defensive staff, we’re doing a great job of finding out what those guys are and what they do well. Again, it’s only been three days, but it’s been great so far with (Shaq) Lawson, (Emmanuel) Ogbah, (Kyle) Van Noy. There are so many different guys that can do it. We’ll see where we’re at here in three or four weeks.”
(I asked Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander the same thing right before you came on here but throughout your career, who have been some coaches or mentors that you’ve been able to rely on and kind of look up to and idolize in a way?) – “I would say I’ve been extremely lucky with the people that I’ve been around. I would say Pete Jenkins is probably the most influential person in my career by far, in terms of technique, fundamentals, how to approach the game. Ironically, he coached – he’s worked with some of our guys before. Coach Jenkins, by far, has been the most influential in my career. I would say with that, I’ve been lucky to work for a man in Lovie Smith that is second to none. From a character standpoint, he taught me a lot as a young coach and things to do, not to do, how to approach the game. In terms of coming into this role in the NFL, he’s been great for me. He’s a guy that really cared about my career and has influenced me. Then I would say everybody really from my time at Cal under Tosh Lupoi and Jeff Tedford, Sonny Dykes, all of those guys. Then getting to USC with Clay Helton and Clancy Pendergast, who’s been in the league. Clancy has been to a Super Bowl before. All of those guys have been phenomenal to me. I keep in contact with them. It’s good for me to lean on and I’m really excited to work for a guy in ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) and Josh (Boyer) right now.”
(I wanted to come back to how you and Head Coach Brian Flores connected and everything happened for you to get this job. Was there anybody in common that maybe put you guys in touch together? Did you send a resume into the Dolphins? Is there like a Tinder for coaches where maybe you swipe right together and just match? How did this all really come together for him to just cold-call you up for it?) – “I would say there are a few mutual people that we both know, in terms of Pete Jenkins, Brendan Daly, all of those kind of guys that have worked with Josh (Boyer) and ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) throughout the years. I would say that we had some mutual people we knew like them and kind of put us in contact, and we met and I was able to come down to Miami and talk with them. I’m from Florida. Shoot, my mom’s house is three hours away from here so this was an easy deal for me.”
(I’d like to ask you about the coaching staff in general. It’s not every year that a team has a coaching staff where half the guys are new. How are you guys coming along in terms of getting to know one another? Is that still happening now? Was there something special that you were able to do over the summer where you guys were able to all get together and know that you were all on the same page?) – “I would say a few of us, like I knew Gerald Alexander prior to this. He was coaching at my alma mater. We were able, through the month of January when I got here to February, to kind of be around everybody. We did keep in very close contact. I think the camaraderie is great. I think we have some really, really good coaches and we’ve worked really well together so far. I’m excited to be here and I’m excited to work with them.”
Danny Crossman – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I wanted to talk about something that Head Coach Brian Flores talks about and that’s the importance of the kicking game. This offseason had several acquisitions of guys that both have return ability and core special teams experience with other clubs. My question to you is what do you personally look for when trying to reveal which guys can be core special teamers?) – “I think it all starts first and foremost with getting our kind of guys – smart, tough, team-first. Then (it’s) having the athleticism to be a multi-faceted player. Everybody talks about the core teams and the four phases, but the more guys that we have that can play multiple spots on those four phases are the guys that really end up being your core guys. Now you like to isolate them, but the more they can do, the better off you’re going to be.”
(No S Walt Aikens on this team. How do you expect to build a unit from a leadership standpoint and also add that core special teams guy that you rely on every snap on every unit?) – “I think when you look at some of the guys that we added – Kavon Frazier, Clayton (Fejedelem), Kamu (Grugier-Hill) – we’ve added some guys that when you look at their history and their experience and what they’ve put on tape in the National Football League, not to compare them to what Walt did but (they are) similar guys. (They) have veteran leadership, have made plays, have made big plays in several different phases. Like always in this league, to get some, you’re going to lose some. That’s just how it’s always going to work. We feel good about the guys that we’ve added and how it’s building from a leadership standpoint.”
(What did you learn about Head Coach Brian Flores from the way he dealt with last season?) – “I’ve known ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) for a while. When he was an assistant special teams coach (in New England), we had a little rapport. But to watch how he handled the good, the bad, the ugly throughout the season, he was the same guy. I think as a player and as a coach, when you know what you’re getting on a daily basis and where that person is coming from and their values and what they’re teaching, I think it’s invaluable because no matter what happens, when you walk in the building, you know what you’re going to get from a leadership standpoint. For me personally and I think for the rest of the team, to know where ‘Flo’ stands on what he’s going to demand, what he’s going to need and if you’re not on board with that, it’s going to be a long day. But if you are on board with that, it’s going to be a fun rebuild for where we’re trying to get to.”
(I’m putting a lot of pressure on you to top Mountaineer Shot. I wanted to ask how much time have you spent looking up plays and trying to draw up something really special for when those situations do occur this season?) – “We’re always working on stuff. The thing with those plays is a lot of time it’s the situation presenting itself. As you guys all know, that was a particular play that we had worked on for a while; but the situation (has) to come up where it’s going to be useful to help us win the game, because that’s the bottom line. We’re not going to do anything just to do it. We’re going to do stuff to win the football game. Like always, and I’m sure every coach that you’ve ever had on these Zoom meetings or sat in person (has said), we’re always trying to come up to find a way to turn a game in our favor, if we need it.”
(I feel like every year, about two guys make the initial roster based on things they do to open eyes in preseason games. That’s my over/under is two guys. So are you going to plead/beg for some extra live special teams reps or is that just something that is not going to happen for you because it’s the NFL and we don’t do that?) – “I don’t think it’s that. I think more times than not, a lot of times what happens is that a lot of those things you see that guys do in a preseason game, a lot of those traits and a lot of those things you may see – in that game or in that particular play or in those several plays – you see a lot of the build-up in that practice. So as a coach, a lot of those things, they don’t surprise you when that guy does that in the preseason game because you’ve seen evidence of it in drills, in group work, in team work on the field. We’ll work. We have a great plan for how we’re going to work and how we’re going to get things done. I think to your point of making sure you have the situations and certain drills that put guys in positions that maybe you’re not going to get in a preseason game. You’ve got to make sure that you get that work done. We feel very confident in being able to find out the traits of our guys through practice because the analogy that I always use is I may have a guy that I’m planning to use on punt and we go into a preseason game and the offense has a great day and we don’t punt the football. Or we punt two times but it’s not his time to go. So you better do a good job of your evaluations in practice.”
(So who is going to be challenging WR Jakeem Grant for those return specialist roles out there?) – “We’ve got a couple of guys that have both done it in the professional ranks, we have guys that have done it in the college ranks and then we’ve got some guys that we’re trying to train – it’s amazing how many guys want to show you their high school highlight tape and show you how good they were. They all think they can do it. But we’ve got a good group working. Like always, it will play its way out and then how those roles develop (will be) based on what else is happening offensively and defensively.”
(Sort of following up on that last question, with the return game, there are some guys on the team skill-wise who are coming off injury. I’m wondering if that factors into whether you’re willing to put them back there and also whether WR Chester Rogers figures into it given his experience with the return game?) – “The first part, if they’re healthy and they’re able to be out on the field, they’re out on the field. It’s an equal playing field. Whatever they’re able to do, if they’re green-lit to be able to go, they’re green-lit to do everything. As far as Chester goes, yeah he has a good history. Again, he’s one of those guys where we’re excited to have a guy that’s got a good history and has some success in this league. We’ve got a good group.”
(Do you want to see CB Noah Igbinoghene as a returner? He obviously had success at Auburn doing that.) – “Yeah, he’s another guy that we’re looking at. Again, anybody that’s had any history, they’re out there before practice, they’re out there during practice. We’ll put eyes on all of them.”
Davon Godchaux – August 13, 2020
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Thursday, August 13, 2020
DT Davon Godchaux
(I know that you’re looking forward to a big year and an improved year. Talk about universally the defense – how much better can this unit be than last year?) – “I think we’re just taking it one day at a time. Starting slow. Got on the ground yesterday and started fast with it. Just taking it one day at a time. We’re just – like I said – we can do a lot of things, but we have to come in and work hard, keep communicating as a team, as a defense; and like I said, we can do whatever we want as long as we do those things.”
(I heard this summer that you were the guy that coordinated the players-only workouts.) – “Man, who told you that? (laughter)”
(After getting in your feelings about seeing the Jets and the Bills come in your community and do their players-only workout, what was that process like coordinating it and what was the motivation?) – “It was kind of tough because you’ve got a lot of guys in the offseason – we would’ve been at OTAs, but the coronavirus – but you’ve got a lot of guys wanting to have their free time to themselves. A lot of guys got wives, a lot of guys got kids, so having to get it coordinated – we had to get a group message started specifically with the defensive line and get those guys, ‘hey, you’re going to be here at this time.’ And of course, you’ve got other teams doing that; I, of course, want to get my guys rolling and get my guys a head start on things like having rookies coming in and trying to get ahead, trying to get the playbook and things like that. So of course when I had the opportunity to do that, of course I took advantage of it.”
(Since you’re in charge of organizing things. I have an idea. What about a team private viewing of “Tua” the movie?) – “’Tua’ the movie? I mean, hey, if he’s got a movie – he’s got a movie coming out or something?”
(Yeah, it’s going to be on Fox.) – “Hey, I’m excited to see that. I hope they have the last game when LSU beat them (laughter), but hey, I’m just … That’s my guy though. He’s a great guy. He’s a great guy.”
(I wanted to ask you about some of the offseason additions made up front this year on the Dolphins defensive line. How do those additions help you guys be more multiple up front?) – “We have guys – Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah – both of those guys can rush the passer. Both of those guys can set the edge, so I think when you look at those two guys, they’re very big, very strong, very physical guys; so with me and Christian (Wilkins) inside and to add some other guys to it, I think we’re just going to start off being a physical defensive line. We want to rush the passer. We want to stop the run first, but I think when you add those two guys, you’re looking at two guys that can really set the edge and really can play on third down, too.”
(I know you probably are keeping a very close eye on what is happening with college football. I wanted to get your views on what you think – what you’d like to see happen – and also there’s some talk about even spring ball and I can’t help but wonder, if you go to spring, is anyone who’s an NFL prospect going to play that kind of ball?) – “Probably not because you’re kind of throwing it off schedule with the guys are usually playing in the fall. Then the spring they’re usually getting ready for draft time, Combine time and things like that; but I don’t know. I’m very interested. I hope teams – if the ACC doesn’t play, I hope teams like Clemson can join the SEC and play a couple of those teams. Teams like Ohio State – the Big Ten – can come down and play the SEC, ACC. It’s very interesting. I see the Big 12 is going to still go. I think the SEC is going to go. I think the ACC is still going to go, but the other two – the Pac 12 and the Big Ten – hopefully some of those teams can come down and play SEC and ACC and Big 12 teams.”
(You were obviously on the COVID-19 list for a quick couple days there, but I just wanted to ask what was that process like and what do you think of the process of players jumping on the COVID list, being quarantined from one another – do you think it helps the teams keep their goal of keeping guys COVID-free and able to continue in practice and things like that?) – “Absolutely. Once you first jump on the COVID list – I mean, me, I jumped on it, but I knew it was like a false positive because I didn’t think I had it because the antibodies said I already had it back in June sometime. So I didn’t think – when I first saw it, I’m like, ‘hey, this can’t be right,’ but I got a second test, got a third test and both of those were negative. I’m just glad the NFL, I think they fixed it or something like that. Like once you test positive, you can test the next day where you can get it like, cleared, so I’m glad they fixed that because I think a lot of guys are going to be screwed in the season if you test positive on a Friday and you had to test two negatives, you’re going to miss that Sunday’s game. So I’m glad they fixed that, but at the end of the day I think it’s a good thing, a good protocol we’ve got to do. If you test positive, you’ve got to leave the building. You can’t be in the building. You can’t come in the building because right now you have 79 other guys on the roster. You can’t mess with those guys. You can’t screw those guys. So when you test positive, I think it’s absolutely a red flag (and you need) to leave the building.”
(I wanted to ask you, everybody always looks at sacks where there are teams or individuals to kind of grade things and I know Head Coach Brian Flores talks about scheme and pressure – what do you think about the concept of scheme and pressure and how effective that can be for a defense maybe in lieu of the exact numbers?) – “It works well. You have ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) was with New England and they had the scheme – scheme pressures – and you just have to have everybody do their jobs. If the nose tackle’s got to penetrate, he’s got to penetrate and the Buck probably has to do a stunt or he’s got to do something; so you’ve just got to have everybody on the same page. I think once you do that as a defense, you’re going to get sacks, you’re going to get the numbers you want. You’re going to get the TFLs. You’re going to do all of that, but you have to do it as a team. It’s 11 guys on the field as a defense. I think once you do that, you can do pretty much anything you want – like I said the first time – but you can’t have guys out there being selfish. ‘Oh, I’m going to jump this gap when I should be in this gap,’ to try to make a play. It’s not going to work like that. You’re going to have teams getting gassed in the run game and in the pass game opening up big lanes for the quarterback.”
(I do want to ask you a question about how important it is for you to step up your role as a leader. I know you were a leader last year, but you did say something that kind of confused me and lit up a red flag about false positive tests and being on the positive list and the NFL changing some of the rules. Can you clarify that so – this is the first time I’m hearing about it?) – “I think the rule – I was talking to (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) the trainer – usually when you get a false positive test, you have to be out for two days. You have to take two negatives in order for you to get back in the building. Now they have a thing where if you test false positive, they can get you immediately to the cardiologist – correct me (if I’m wrong). They can get you to take some tests that same following day or the next day, and you can get those results like in 10-15 minutes. And you do that and then you see whether you were negative or you were really positive and you come back and be back in the building or you’re at home.”
Byron Jones – August 13, 2020
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Thursday, August 13, 2020
CB Byron Jones
(I’m wondering from what you now know of the Dolphins defense, what kind of defense are you all going to have in 2020 and how personally does that change from what you’re used to in the past?) – “In terms of our defensive style, it seems like we’re more man, which is fun. We have the corners for it. We have the secondary for it. I’m used to it. I’m used to being out there guarding receivers, running around with tight ends, slot receivers and X’s and Z’s; so it’s nothing different, per se. It’s just a different roster, a different system. It’s exciting but definitely new.”
(I thought of you when I saw UConn Football wound up being one of the first schools to say they were not going to play football this year. That was a sad deal and obviously a lot of dominos after that. You can comment on that if you want, but my football question is if CB Xavien Howard is not able to return quickly, how do you feel about your confidence level, your comfort level, in opposing and covering the opposing top receiver?) – “I feel great. This is a big reason why I was brought here. It was to build on the already-good secondary. We have really good young players. We have good players who have been here in the past, so it’s really just, I’m just another piece to the puzzle in terms of a really good and just really excellent Dolphins secondary. Hopefully we’ll have ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) back. As soon as he gets back, we want to make sure he’s fully healthy first. We’re not going to rush him at all, but we’re good. We’re a good team up and down the roster, I’d say.”
(I wanted to go back to when you first signed here with the Dolphins. You mentioned that you had heard great things from around the league about Head Coach Brian Flores and the program that he’s putting together down here and your opportunity at being a leader. I just wanted to get your up-to-date take on how that’s going now that you’ve experienced the atmosphere here firsthand and taking on that leadership role with such a young team.) – “It’s been very exciting to actually be here in person and get to know the coaches, get to know my teammates. This is a young roster. There’s no going around that, but that’s exciting. These guys are hungry. They’re hungry to build a name for themselves. They’re hungry to build a special team here and you see it every day, and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) has been great with his communication – definitely during these times where things are very different. Meetings are different. The way we practice is very different. His intensity when he speaks to us, it’s apparent right away. It’s very exciting to see that in person instead of just on a Zoom meeting, so it’s something that I’m looking forward to trying to build on this and going in the right direction.”
(You and CB Xavien Howard are two of the top-paid cornerbacks in the league. Do you feel like you can be the top duo in this league and why so, if that?) – “We’re certainly working towards that. There’s no doubt about that. We both excel at playing man coverage. I think he excels at attacking the ball better than me, so that’s something I’m learning from him, but it all – what we need to understand is nothing really matters what you did last year or the year before that. What matters is what you build today and now and going into the 2020 season, so our focus is really on building our skillset now and not really relying on what we’ve done in the last. So it really starts all over again in 2020.”
(I know a lot of corners like to look at each other and compete and rank each other, who’s the best corner in the league. How do you choose to motivate yourself? Do you view yourself as one of the top corners and how do you kind of do that sort of ranking system?) – “For me truthfully, I pay very little attention to outside noise because we’re all different. We all play in different schemes. We all play different systems. Some guys follow the best, some guys don’t. It’s really hard to compare. It’s a fun game for fans – no question – but for me, I focus on myself. I focus on making sure my craft is the best it can possibly be – my footwork, my eyes, my hands, my feet, my tackling. I just choose to focus my intention on myself and that’s how I’ve been since I was young and I just want to keep that same mentality.”
(You talked a little bit about Head Coach Brian Flores and what he’s like. Can you talk about Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and just what it’s like interacting with Gerald? Does he offer that unique perspective just because he is younger and maybe a little bit more relatable?) – “I’ll tell you this. He is a really good teacher. Him and ‘Coach Chuck’ (Coaching Assistant Charles Burks) together as the secondary coaches, they do a really good job at making sure the DBs understand what defense we’re in and where our help is and understanding what our leverage is, how the entire defense works together in our favor; so those guys have been on it in terms of leverage, in terms of where your help is, where the rush is coming from, looking at quarterback tendences. Both coaches – ‘Coach Chuck’ and ‘Coach G.A.’ – they’re both very good teachers and they’re really implementing these important lessons and foundational lessons on us very early, and I think it’s going to pay dividends in the season.”
(I guess you’ve had now two practices. I assume you guys practiced already this morning. Have you had a chance to defend a pass thrown by QB Tua Tagovailoa and if so what has gone on in those matchups?) – “I have not. No, we haven’t gone against the offense, per se. It’s been more of a walkthrough pace, so we haven’t had a chance to really go one-on-one yet; but that’s coming in about a couple weeks, so hang tight.”
(Just to piggyback off of something you said, how do you tangibly prove attacking the ball better? How do you work on that?) – “It’s a skillset, so like any skillset you work on it on a daily basis. When there’s a special teams period, I go with ‘Chuck’ (Charles Burks). We go off to the side and we work seeing the ball in all the way, and then we work on high-pointing the ball as the ball is in the air, looking back, looking over the opposite shoulder. We make the drills uncomfortable so that when it happens in the game, it’s natural at that point, so it’s just a skillset. It’s a skillset like anything else – eyes, hands, feet. This is what we work on daily basis, so it’s a skillset that I’m working on and every day we’re doing something to improve in that category.”
