Eric Rowe – October 30, 2020
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Friday, October 30, 2020
S Eric Rowe
(This happens to be a similar Rams team to the team that you guys beat in the Super Bowl. How different are they from when you played them last and what’s the same?) – “What’s different is – not even really the players, not the coaches. Actually what’s different is at least offensive-wise – not much. It’s the same scheme, same players, obviously the same head coach. So actually I would say all those things are the same. Still great players over there. Still making plays. Still a good team. (They) have a really good scheme every week against whoever they play. Nothing really changed.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores told us that CB Jamal Perry – formerly Jomal Wiltz – sometimes I mess that up still – is out. So I don’t know if that means maybe some more time for S Brandon Jones or some more time for CB Noah Igbinoghene, but just in terms of Perry specifically, can you help explain to me what his role sort of generally is and what he does best – Perry?) – “His role is generally the slot defense, as we saw in the Seattle game when Bobby (McCain) went down – like the backup free safety. Really, he’s pretty versatile. He can go outside if you need him to also, and then on special teams. So his role is pretty deep on the team, so having him injured is kind of a little bit of a shock to the secondary, but that’s the season goes – how the NFL works.”
(I think we’ve all been curious. What is it about your skillset you think that makes you so good at locking down opposing tight ends? Tight ends can be such a tricky position to lock down based on size, speed and really the aspect they bring to the game. What is it about your game that you’re able to lock those guys down on a week-to-week basis?) – “I think a lot of it has to do with how the defense is set up – how (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) and ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores), how the system is structured. To me, I think I fit it, so I think that’s why I’m having a lot of success. Obviously it’s not just me. I’ve got d-line on the pass rush, sometimes me and Bobby (McCain) kind of – if it’s something over, I know I’ve got Bobby sitting there. It gives me time to catch up if he has the step on me. But kind of the other thing is coming just with the confidence. It’s all about your mentality on the field, so I just go in the game just telling myself I’m about to lock this guy up, about to make him not a threat on offense. Just leave him in the protection. So that’s just my mindset every game. Then that with how the defense – how the system is – I think all that kind of contributes to it.”
(Earlier this week, CB Byron Jones talked about how he thinks the communication is as good as it’s been for you guys in the secondary back there so far this season. With so many new pieces and the rookies and the young guys that you guys have had to kind of bring along, what did the bye week and that time off do to help you guys improve in those areas and get guys even more acclimated with maybe the mental side of the game?) – “Just more – the only thing you really can do is just get more reps. Just get more reps, have more film study together, talking about ‘we’re going to do this if they come out in this play.’ Just communication for it. ‘We call this play against this formation.’ All that. So even with the bye week, we had a practice. We kind of went through corrections – what we could do better, kind of just self-scouting and kind of just all that, pack that together because now we’ve got to go 10 weeks straight. There’s no re-dos, so we’ve got to bring them along and then all that communication; obviously we’re going to need it.”
(I wanted to ask you about the Rams in terms of all the motions and shifts and things that they do to try to create breakdowns in the secondary. How do you deal with that before the snap?) – “We’ve talked about that. We’ve got to keep our eyes on their huddle. So whatever play call that we have in – to the corners, even me – keep your eye on your man because they can come out with a receiver at the running back position and that can screw everything up. So just keep your eyes on your man. Don’t just line up in your spot that you may 90 percent (of the time) be in. Keep your eyes on your man so when they break the huddle, you’re on it, too, and then we’ve already got the communication ready to go so none of that breakdown stuff will happen.”
Raekwon Davis – October 30, 2020
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Friday, October 30, 2020
DT Raekwon Davis
(You’ve had two starts in the NFL. What did you think you took from the playing time and the opportunities?) – “It was a great opportunity, I tried to just keep going and moving forward, and continue to hope I get those opportunities.”
(The last game seems like forever ago; but if I remember correctly on the first defensive snap you had a pressure. I’m wondering if you remember that play, and if you felt like it was important to get off to a strong start in that particular game?) – “I don’t recall, but I was just trying to do whatever I needed to do to help the team in that situation.”
(I was watching the Rams game on Monday night and the broadcasters kept talking about the key to that outside running game is to get knockback on the interior. As an interior defensive lineman, how do you establish that? What’s the key for you to get knock back on an interior defensive line?) – “Knock back is important. It helps our linebackers get the edge right. It just helps everybody, When you’ve got that knock back and you’ve got control of the offensive line, it’s good for our linebackers. They can see things, they make the hole bigger, they can see what hole to run in. The linebacker has to read off of you, so that knock back is very important.”
(You suffered the shoulder injury against the Jets. How is that coming, and do you feel like you’re capable of playing up to your talent level?) – “My shoulder is great. I’ve been practicing this whole week and I feel like I’ll be going this Sunday.”
(As a rookie, who are some veterans that you’ve been leaning on for advice, or little tidbits to help you improve your game as you’ve been going on this season?) – “I’d start with (Emmanuel) Ogbah. He’s helped me with a lot of things. He tells me that as a nose tackle, that knock back is important for him. If I get that knock back, the quarterback will try to go outside and he’ll get opportunities to get sacks. That’s why the knock back is so important; and like I said ‘E-Rob’ (Elandon Roberts), after practice we watch extra film on our opponents just to get ready.”
(I’m guessing that you and QB Tua Tagovailoa are pretty good friends. What has been your sense from him this week? How is he approaching and handling being the guy now?) – “I’m not over there just to see what’s going on, because I’m on defense when they are up. I just focus on what I’ve got to do, and what I’ve got to do to help the defensive side of the ball. Just knowing what type of guy he is, I know he’s going to start off great, and he’s going to do good.”
Bobby McCain – October 30, 2020
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Friday, October 30, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(What’s unique about the Rams’ offensive approach?) – “(Rams Head Coach Sean) McVay does a good job with (Jared) Goff and getting calls in, going up-tempo, getting you on the ball, trying to confuse you. They do the things that they do well. They do them very well. When you have a defense that’s looking for guys trying to line up, trying to get lined and you’ve got confusion and you can beat people in leverage, it’s really smart. It’s a really smart game plan and they do a really good job of that.”
(As one of the leaders on defense, what have you seen about the way that QB Tua Tagovailoa leads that you think is part of the reason why guys are gravitating towards him?) – “He’s a good kid. He does right. He comes to work each and every day. He leads in his own way. He’s going to be a really good leader for us and he has been, and he’ll keep improving. He’ll keep getting better. You can just see each and every day that he comes to work and that’s all you can ask for.”
(Two years ago, CB Xavien Howard tied for the league lead in interceptions. This year he’s got four in four games. Does it surprise you that quarterbacks are still throwing the ball where he can get it?) – “A little bit; but they have plays called they’ve got to execute, too. They’ve got good players on the other side of the football offensively, and if they want to try and throw it up, it’s way less than a 50-50 shot that you’re going to come down with it offensively, so we appreciate them keep throwing the ball up and hopefully he’ll keep making plays for us.”
(After you get your hand on the football for interceptions, I’ve noticed you do the guitar celebration. I was just curious if you were playing any specific song when you bust out the guitar?) – “No, not necessarily. (laughter) Not necessarily. Whatever comes to my mind, it’s just try to get the guys together, try to get them together and celebrate together as a unit and that’s just something we like to do.”
Brian Flores – October 30, 2020
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Friday, October 30, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(WR DeVante Parker has been dealing with a groin injury. How has he come out this week and do you think the injury since the Jets game will have some possibly lingering effects for Sunday?) – “Look, you never really know until we get to the game. We’re running game speed. In practice he was full today, so we expect him to play.”
(We spoke to RB Myles Gaskin and really every player this week about QB Tua Tagovailoa. Does having him in there add an extra layer for Gaskin? We’ve talked about RPO and all of that, but would you expect him to continue to come out and show out as he’s done all season?) – “Look, we need execution; we need good play from everybody – Myles (Gaskin), (Matt) Breida, the tight ends, the receivers, the offense line, the defensive line, linebackers, secondary, coaching. This is going to take a total team effort, to include the quarterback. This is a good team. They’ve got good players offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. Johnny Hekker is probably the best punter – definitely I would say – in the league. He might be one of the all-time punters. This is a tough challenge. We’ll need everybody.”
(The day before you became the Dolphins head coach, you were part of a Super Bowl win over a Los Angeles Rams team, whose offense anyway, looks a lot like the one you’ll play on Sunday. My question is I’m wondering if you’ve thought about that game at all in the last couple of weeks, and if there’s anything from that game you can take to Sunday?) – “I mean look, this is a good team. It’s a good offense, it’s a good defense, it’s a good special teams. They’re well coached. They score a lot of points. They run the football. Anytime there’s some history, you take a look at it; but things are so different. They’ve got different players. We’ve got different players. There’s a lot – I wish I could just cut and paste that game plan, but that’s just not how it goes. They don’t have the same players. Different team, different time. (Jared) Goff has a season-and-a-half under his belt just from an experience standpoint. So does Sean (McVay), so does the offensive line. There’s so many layers to that. It’s a good team, so we’re going to have to play well really in all three phases. I think guys are practicing hard. They’re trying to prepare. There’s a lot to prepare for. I understand the question and the familiarity as far as having played against this group before; but again, every game is just a little bit different. Every season is a little bit different. None have ever been the same. No game has ever been the same. Really, I don’t take much from it.”
(I just wanted to check back in on LB Kyle Van Noy, S Bobby McCain and TE Adam Shaheen, and if you expect them to be available to play or questionable.) – “You guys will see the injury report. Van Noy was full. We expect him to go. Same thing with Bobby. Shaheen was limited, so he’ll be questionable.”
(Forgot to ask about the guy who was working on the side in CB Jamal Perry. I’ll try to couple Jamal Perry with CB Noah Igbinoghene. I know they don’t play the same position, but how is Perry looking and how has Igbinoghene practiced? Is he still focused almost exclusively on outside corner?) – “Yeah, Noah has practiced well. He really has. I think he’s prepared well. He’s practiced well. Jamal Perry is going to be out for the game. You guys will see that on the injury report, if it’s not out already. But yeah, Noah has practiced well and he’s prepared himself to play, as he does every week, as he should every week, as everyone should every week. As we all know in this league, guys get injured, things happen. So everyone, we try to stress on a weekly basis that everyone’s got to be ready to go. That’s Noah, that’s all of our backup or second-team type players. We try to stress that there are no backups and that everybody could be in there for an extended period of time. They all have to prepare.”
Robert Hunt – October 29, 2020
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Thursday, October 29, 2020
G/T Robert Hunt
(I was just watching an interview with Tim Tebow on Twitter. It was with USA Today where he was talking about being a left-handed quarterback. They asked him what changes, and he said that ‘everyone on the offensive line needs to be aware of what his blindside is.’ What sense of responsibility do you and G Solomon Kindley feel in protecting not just any quarterback, but QB Tua Tagovailoa’s blindside?) – “I don’t think we feel pressure. I think that everybody wants to be on the same page including the left side and the center. I think that everybody wants to be on the right page, and keep Tua up, and if Tua goes down, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) or anybody that’s in to keep them up and keep those guys healthy. And keep them off the ground as much as possible.”
(Because he’s a left-handed quarterback, how does things change for you in terms of the fact that you are protecting QB Tua Tagovailoa’s blindside?) – “I don’t think anything changes. I just continue to try to be myself and continue to try to prepare, and keep preparing the way we have been preparing and get better each week, and each day, to do my job the best I can do it.”
(You just had your first bye week as a professional football player. How did you spend that time off, and if any of the veterans or the guys that have been around the block a few times have said ‘hey, here’s a good way you can get better on the bye week?’) – “I was here a lot. I was up at the complex – a lot of guys were up here getting workouts in, here and there. Getting treatment on your body, staying proactive on your body and stuff like that. Things I think I need to work on personally, for myself, I worked on. I just enjoyed some down time at home.”
(Obviously you guys have DT Aaron Donald as part of your assignment this week. I know he lines up mostly inside, but he does line up everywhere. Whenever you get that chance with him, whether it’s one-on-one or double teams, what do you think that’s going to be like, and what is sort of the key to naturalize a guy like him?) – “I don’t know what it will be like. I’m confident in all of us to do our job and do what we have to do to move him off the ball or – it’s the game of football. You win some, you lose some; but I think once we get our chance and get our hands on him, we’ll be fine. They have a lot of good guy. He’s the main piece, but they have a lot of good guys.”
(I was also going to ask about DT Aaron Donald and I do get it, overall they’re a good defense. I think the thing about Donald that is kind of unique is that he has both strength and quickness. What do you view as what he does best?) – “He does a lot of good things. He’s mostly inside. I’ve definitely watched him and everybody knows who he is. He does a lot of good things. He’s fast, he’s twitchy, he’s powerful, like you said. They work some finesse moves, but it’s not just him. All of those guys work the same. If you watch the tape, all of those guys have the same moves. You can definitely tell it’s been drilled and practiced and stuff like that. They all are pretty much the same type of guys – fast, strong guys, that can rush the passer.”
(I wanted to get your opinion in terms of they have the athleticism and physicality. Most people, including myself, believe this is the toughest defensive line that you guys have faced. Where do you see them stacking up in terms of what you guys have faced so far?) – “Me personally, I’m a rookie, so I think that everybody that we’ve played so far has been really good. This is the National Football League, so everybody is good. These guys – I haven’t seen them yet, I haven’t played against them yet; but on film, they are fast, they are strong and they do a lot of good things on defense.”
(Has QB Tua Tagovailoa popped his head into offensive line meetings this week and how would you describe him? Has he been loose?) – “He’s Tua. He’s always himself. He definitely has a good head on his shoulders. We do stuff weekly – offense, the o-line and QBs and stuff like that. We do stuff weekly, so we’ll get that done today.”
Myles Gaskin – October 29, 2020
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Thursday, October 29, 2020
RB Myles Gaskin
(How familiar are you with RPO? Did you guys run it at Washington and what are the pros and cons for a running back about that style?) – “I am familiar with it. We ran it at Washington, yes. I don’t see any pros or cons about it. It’s just offense. There are pros and cons in every offense. I just try to do what I can when I get the ball and then just run out my fake when I don’t.”
(What are your impressions of how it’s gone for QB Tua Tagovailoa – how he’s looked, etc.?) – “He’s looked great. He’s always looked great since Day 1. I think he’s getting more comfortable obviously with the role, now that it’s his right now. I think he’s stepping up. He’s communicating a lot so he’s doing everything you want to see out of an NFL quarterback. I think ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has taught him a lot in the pass game. I think he’s still teaching him, so you kind of see the trickle-down effect. I’m real excited for him.”
(Do you and QB Tua Tagovailoa have to practice that running back-quarterback exchange more just cause of lack of time together this week?) – “I don’t think so. I think we worked on it. I think that’s what camp is for. We’ve done RVA (run vs. air) all the time, so it’s just like anything else at this point. Maybe during camp it was a little weird, but I don’t even remember it like that. I think it’s been no troubles at all.”
(I wanted to ask you just about general running back vision. I’ve seen a lot of folks out there that really compliment you for your vision. I’m curious if that’s something you can work on or is it just something more instinctive you have to react to when it comes to getting the ball and seeing the way blocks develop on game day?) – “I would say a lot of it is God-given. Thank God. And definitely throughout the week you see tendencies. ‘Coach E’ (Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville) has always been great about teaching us about fronts, about what this front may lead to, what a cut-back may be or where a cut may be or where a hole may be. So obviously pre-snap, you’ve got to diagnose what you want and what you want to do with it; but as soon as the ball is snapped, you’re playing football and things close fast. Games are ran on the front line, so you’ve got a good idea, but I would say a lot of it is just God-given and just kind of playing football all my life.”
(We talked a lot to the o-linemen about DT Aaron Donald and them facing them up front. As a back, do you have to be aware of where he is? I don’t know if you can run away from him. Is that something that’s in your thought process as you’re coming through the hole?) – “Obviously he’s, you know, a great player when he’s on the field. He’s going to have his plays. He’s going to do what he does and you’ve just got to keep playing. It’s onto the next play whatever may happen. So yeah, you know where he is; but that doesn’t stop nothing. You’re going to play the play. You’re going to do what the call says.”
(I’ve got one more question for you about the bye week. At a position that is so physically demanding, and I guess all of football is physically demanding, but as a running back that’s got the most touches and the most reps on the team what does a bye week do for you to kind of physically and mentally and get recharged?) – “Definitely physically, you get to rest your body. You get to get kind of some of the kinks out or whatever – get a massage or two, whatever anybody’s routine is – but I think it made me a little bit more hungry watching everybody else play personally. Just missing out – not missing out – obviously everybody gets a bye, but just watching other people do good is inspiring, motivating, however you want to call it. I’m just excited to be back in the building, back with the guys. It’s weird with COVID. You don’t really want to be around anybody, so the bye week was kind of – I’m kind of excited to be back here more than years in the past.”
Jesse Davis – October 29, 2020
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Thursday, October 29, 2020
G/T Jesse Davis
(Fun times facing Rams DT Aaron Donald. I’m trying to remember if you were part of – no, I don’t think you were a part of the 2016 team that played him, so this will be your first time. What’s it like preparing for a two-time Defensive Player of the Year?) – “We prepare the same way every week. Obviously we have our challenges, but we just go into a game trying to figure out what’s going to work best for us, what’s going to be productive for us. He’s a great player, no doubt about it, and we just try to do our job.”
(Obviously QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is a veteran. With the calls that you guys have upfront, does it change with responsibilities at all because QB Tua Tagovailoa is a rookie a little bit? Do you guys on the o-line have to take on more? How does that work?) – “It’s been the same. Tua has done a great job. We have good leadership in the room; we have good leadership in the quarterback room. I don’t think anything is going to be changed. I think everything is just going to be the same. It’s the same thing every week – we’ll try to go out there and win the game.”
(How would you describe how QB Tua Tagovailoa has comported himself this week? Prepared? Relaxed? What type of words come to mind?) – “Tua, he’s cool, he’s comfortable in the pocket. When he’s in the huddle, he’s confident. I walked in here on the bye week and he’s in the quarterback room watching tape, studying. That was very pleasing to see. He’s doing his job for sure. I think he’s going to be a good player. I can’t wait to see him play on Sunday.”
(Sorry to bombard you with the QB Tua Tagovailoa questions; but how do you think his maturity, not just this week, but since he got here dating back to all of his experiences at Alabama. How do you think that’s helped him prepare for this moment?) – “He had a good scenario coming into this season with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) being his mentor, showing him defenses, showing what to expect out there. Watching him progress from OTAs to training camp to now has been cool to see. He’s gotten a lot better. He’s throwing the ball really well. He looks good.”
(I wanted to ask you about the bye week. We just had G/T Robert Hunt on and he said that all of you guys were here for most of the bye week; but I’m just curious, you know the old adage says that you’re never 100 percent healthy in a football season. I’m curious how much better do you feel coming off of that long rest period and what it does for you in terms of just feeling better for game day coming up on Sunday?) – “Yeah, I think we had four days off or whatever it was. It helps the body actually relax and heal some old wounds, but just recharging the batteries is probably the best way I could put it. Getting away from the facility or football a little bit, and now we’re coming back and we’re more energized. Wednesday was probably one of the best practices we’ve had – the energy level with the scout team giving great looks to the quarterbacks putting the ball on the money. I think that bye week was a good spot for it.”
(G/T Robert Hunt basically just said that you guys get with the quarterbacks today. Is that just a film session or is that sort of a social thing?) – “I think Ted (Karras) has been doing it more than most of us; but just going over some blitzes, just normal stuff that you’d actually do throughout the week. We’re just going to get a little bit extra in with Tua.”
(I know you said that you haven’t faced Rams DT Aaron Donald before, but you’ve faced some star defenders, some big name guys. How do you balance having to send some extra attention at a guy like him versus worrying about the other guys who you’ll probably have to have a lot of one on one battles with?) – “I think we’ll all have to do our jobs and set at the same level, and kind of keep what we’ve been doing and don’t freak out when he’s over you, I guess is what I’m trying to say. Just play as a unit and not try to do too much or try to do too little. I think we’ve done a really good job of passing stuff of and talking, and that’s what will have to be heightened this game. It will be fun a fun matchup.”
Byron Jones – October 29, 2020
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Thursday, October 29, 2020
CB Byron Jones
(Now that you’ve had several games here with CB Xavien Howard, just what does it feel like to be out there with what we see as one of the better corners in the league? Obviously he’s got four interceptions over his past four games, but to be out there with him on opposite sides for several games now?) – “It’s fun. We’re starting to build the chemistry as a secondary. The young guys are paying attention. They’re learning, they’re getting up to speed; but it’s nice to be out there with the vets. We’ve been out there for a while and we’re kind of building our chemistry and we understand each other. We’re communicating a lot better, so that’s a big plus of having everyone out there at the same time.”
(What’s it been like – we’re pretty much asking everyone – but what’s it like going against QB Tua Tagovailoa in practice now that he’s getting those first-team runs?) – “He looks good. He’s zipping the ball. You can tell he’s confident back there. It’s cool to see young guys do well in this league and I think he’s definitely going to be one of them. So for him, it’s learning as much as possible from ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and putting it to use. I think we’re in a good spot.”
(This is an offense that uses a lot of motions and shifts and throws a lot of bubble screens. What’s the challenge from a communication standpoint to be on top of what the assignments are?) – “One of the biggest components to an offense like this is communicating pre-snap, so understanding where the motions can come from and understanding how that changes our defense. So if you have a receiver in attack position and he’s looking in towards the quarterback, it’s communicating to the DBs to the other side like, ‘hey, this guy may go in motion, make sure you check this or check that.’ It’s just really about as a defense being on the same page and communicating because they have different snap counts, they have different motions and different shifts, so this is a game where we have to communicate and we have to do it pre-snap as opposed to when the ball is being snapped.”
(This is kind of a tough question, but I’m sure as much as you like to avoid any speculation that gets thrown out there, I’m guessing that you probably heard the other day for about two minutes there, there was speculation that CB Xavien Howard might be traded. And even for those two seconds, was there ever that moment when you said, “oh no” before you realized that the club had come out and said that it’s just not going to happen?) – “No. My first five years I played with the Cowboys and you get a lot of outside noise, and one of the things that I’ve learned there is just eliminating outside noise. Yeah, we see it; but we don’t really care for it and we don’t really bring it in the locker room because we’ve got more stuff going on that’s more important that we need to focus on. I think one thing football teams do generally is keep the noise outside and just focus on football on the inside to be honest, because we can’t control that at the end of the day.”
