DeVante Parker – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
WR DeVante Parker
(We all saw the cartoon that came out this week. I’m curious, what sort of reaction have you gotten from people, whether it’s this week or in the past, and what has it meant to you?) – “A lot of people want to be on there. People from the team are always asking me, ‘Man, I got you.’ It’s something big to me. If people like it and they want to be a part of something like that, it makes me feel good, really – that they want me to be a part of something like that going on.”
(How have you seen QB Tua Tagovailoa respond to being pulled from the last game? How has he responded to that?) – “He responds well. Tua, his confidence is still there as well as in the game. His confidence is still there and he’ll be just fine. We’ve still got plenty of more games left, so he’s got plenty of time to bounce back.”
(As a player who expressed some confidence issues yourself in the past, what are some things you could probably tell QB Tua Tagovailoa moving forward to help him out in that regard?) – “Come on, man. I didn’t have no confidence issues with me. I’ve just probably got to talk to him and tell him everything will be ok. There are other games ahead. Just move on. We’ve got to move on. Like if I drop a pass, move onto the next play. That’s how it works.”
(This past week was the second straight week you’ve tried to make a miraculous catch. What do you think your best catch in a game has been?) – “My best catch in a game? Do we count onside kicks?”
(Whatever you want to count.) – “Yeah, I’m counting that. The last – the home game we just had (against the Chargers), the (onside kick) that sealed it away. I’d say that was the most important one right there. As far as the best one, you can count that.”
(I wanted to ask you about Head Coach Brian Flores. Specifically this year, what has impressed you about how he’s handled the team and everything?) – “I think he does a great job of handling the team, regardless of making sure everybody is out there doing their assignment right. Just checking on people to make sure everyone is good and stuff like that. Little conversations on the side. He’s done a great job of getting the guys together as a team. We’re all one. For that, we want to play hard for him and do whatever we can.”
(What are some of the things you guys need to do so QB Tua Tagovailoa can complete some longer passes in the game? I think in the Arizona game he had his best performance where plenty of passes were over 19 yards; but that hasn’t been the case in the other games that he’s started. How do you guys help improve in that area?) – “Improving on what?”
(To get longer receptions in the game. I think in the first couple of starts, they haven’t been over 20 yards, outside of the Arizona game. So how do you guys try to kind of expand the field together?) – “Have plays that are deep. That’s it.”
(Have you ever gone to a quarterback and told him ‘even if I’m not open by a lot, throw me the ball, I’ll make the contested catch?’ Is that something you’ve done with QB Tua Tagovailoa or might want to do?) – “I’ve done that in the past, like in college or something. I think I’ve mentioned it to him once before, but I’m not really sure. I feel like if you just throw it up and give me a chance, I’m going to come down with it. Either me or I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get it. That’s all I need is a chance; but we’re going to work on that.”
(Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. What are you eating good at DeVante’s crib?) – “DeVante – ain’t nothing gong on at his house for Thanksgiving. I’ll probably end up going somewhere else, but I don’t have nothing going on here.”
(I wanted to ask you more about the big explosive plays you guys need to get going. Do you go to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and say, ‘this is what I do well, this is what I don’t do as well? Maybe call some of the shots that have worked in the past?’) – “I’ll talk to him. He asks me what I want and I tell him exactly what plays that fits me perfectly well, like my strengths. We just have to execute them.”
Antonio Callaway – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
WR Antonio Callaway
(Can you give us a description of what this journey has meant for you and what it meant to suit up a few weeks ago? And obviously you had a catch since then. Just knowing the process and the steps it took to get this far?) – “It was a journey. It was a tough one, but my agent stayed in my corner, my agent stayed on me, and I just worked hard every day until somebody gave me an opportunity. I’m excited to be with (Head Coach) Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins.”
(Was there a point that you didn’t think this opportunity might come, that you thought your football days were over?) – “No, not really. No. It was always (about) me getting better with my knee, and once I got better with my knee, somebody would give me an opportunity.”
(I know a lot of people remember you from your rookie year and what you were able to do. How close do you think you are physically in football shape to where you were when you first came into the league?) – “I’m actually in way better shape than when I first came into the league because when I first came into the league, I really didn’t train as hard as I did for me to come back this time.”
(Obviously you wouldn’t be available to the Dolphins in the first place had it not been for some of the things that you’ve gone through. What did the Dolphins tell you about maintaining discipline to stay on the roster, and what have you told them to assure them that you’re going to be there when they count on you?) – “I just take it day by day. That’s all. They basically told me a day at a time and stick with it. They gave me structure. I know that. It’s been making my journey easy.”
(Can you talk a little bit more about that structure? How has that kind of helped you stay on a good path and how would you say your knowledge of the playbook is coming along so far?) – “I meet with my coaches a lot – after practice, before practice. Right now, I’m on a schedule. I have something to do all during the day, so it’s like really no free time. And when I do have free time, I still find things to do to keep me occupied.”
(Do you think being back in Miami is a good thing or a bad thing for you?) – “It’s a good thing. I get to play in front of my family.”
(We got to see you play a little bit and get your first catch this past week. What do you think you can bring with your skillset to this offense?) – “Whatever coach needs, I can bring. Whatever coach needs me to bring, I’m going to bring it.”
(If you could have a conversation with your 17-year-old self, what would you say?) – “Why – I’d say why did I make the choices I’ve made. But you live and you learn. Lessons learned.”
(We’ve asked a lot of your teammates what’s it like playing with QB Tua Tagovailoa, and now that you got your first catch and you’re continuing to build chemistry with him, what is it like playing with Tua back there?) – “It’s great. He’s a great quarterback. He’s young like me. He has a lot to learn. With this coaching staff, we can do a lot of great things.”
Bobby McCain – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(I’m curious, is Head Coach Brian Flores tougher on you guys after wins or after losses?) – “He’s tough on us after both. Even when you win football games, you still have to make corrections and you still don’t – no one plays a perfect game so he still coaches even through wins and losses.”
(CB Byron Jones was gracious talking about this the other day. He and CB Xavien Howard are two of the best cornerbacks obviously in the league, but while Xavien has six interceptions, Byron doesn’t have one since 2017, which just underscores what a ball magnet Xavien is. What do you think of that, that Byron has been so unlucky in that category and Xavien just seems to come up with one every week?) – “I’m not going to sit there and say this guy is doing this and that guy is doing that. No one is unlucky; we’re all fortunate enough to be here and be in the position we’re in. If he’s not catching picks, the ball’s not coming your way, (but) you’re winning football games and you’re getting stops and you play good football, that’s a credit to him as well and a credit to ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) for being the ball magnet that he is. I don’t really look at it as ‘oh, he has this this many picks and he doesn’t have this many picks.’ As long as we’re playing on one accord, playing good football, playing as a secondary, playing as one unit, it doesn’t matter who gets the picks just as long as we get them.”
(You guys were on a high obviously on a five-game win streak and you finally took a setback this past week. Is it a different vibe at all this week compared to previous weeks after the loss?) – “No, you’ve got to just flush it and come to prepare each and every week. It’s a one-week season. We all believe in that and we all understand that – understanding that every Wednesday, you’ve got to come work and it’s your next opponent. So regardless of if you won or lost last week, you’ve got to put your hard hat on and go to work this week. It’s definitely good to get back out there after a loss and fix some of the things that we got wrong.”
(I wanted to follow up on the previous question about Head Coach Brian Flores. Since we met him and I’m sure since you’ve met him, he’s talked about wanting to be smart, tough and disciplined, and I feel like he’s moving the program in that direction. So my question is what have you found to be unique about him that has helped establish that?) – “He demands what he asks for and as a defense, as a team, offensively, special teams-wise, we all understand you have to be hard, smart and tough to play on this team and to do the things he asks. He’s a unique coach in a way that he can get the best out of his players and he’s a great teacher, great coach and we’re just trying to just be the best we can each and every week for him – and same vice versa, he is for us.”
(I’m curious how much have you been able to go up against WR Antonio Callaway at practice and what are your thoughts? We’ve only seen a handful of snaps with him in a game?) – “I know (Antonio) Callaway’s been in this league for a minute as well, especially with the Browns. I still remember the slant he took for like 60 yards to the house. I forgot what game it was I was watching, but he’s a good player. He’s coming along. He’s learning the playbook, I’m sure. I don’t know what you want me to tell you on his snap count. That’s not really my job, but I can say I know he’s a good player and he looks like he’s getting better and better each and every week in practice.”
(A couple times on this call you’ve alluded to some corrections you guys want to make from last Sunday to this Sunday. I’m curious from both your personal perspective and as a defense, what are some of those corrections you’re working on?) – “I can’t tell you that. Just stopping the run. Yeah, just trying to stop the run and play good defense as a whole – communicate, tackle better, tackle well. In that realm.”
(Thanksgiving tomorrow – what’s on the plate at your crib? What are you eating good?) – “For sure, I got dressing for sure. Collard greens, a little turkey, a little ham, a little bit of both. I’m not big on the yams. I’m not big on the yams. Some corn, green beans, couple rolls, warm rolls, butter rolls. That’s about it. A nice Sprite. I’ve got to drink so much water, I’ll get me a nice Sprite. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – November 25, 2020 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with N.Y. Jets Media
(Obviously both of these teams have young quarterbacks. Not specific to the Dolphins or the Jets but just generally speaking, what do you think is a fair amount of time to evaluate a young quarterback? It seems like 10-15 years ago, teams were more patient than perhaps they are now. What do you think is fair before determining, ‘hey, maybe this guy can be the answer for us?’) – “So you’re talking about (Sam) Darnold, not (Joe) Flacco. (laughter)”
(Yeah, I think QB Joe Flacco isn’t as young as he used to be.) – “Gotcha. (laughter) I think every situation is different. I think it’s case by case. I think we live in a world where everybody wants it right now. I would say, you’re right. Fifteen to twenty years ago, people were a lot more patient. I think that’s societal, I would say – the instant gratification. This is something everyone is looking for. We believe in developing players and helping them improve on a daily basis. But at the same time, this is a production league. There’s a balance there. There really is. I think every player is a little bit different and I think every person from a development (and) maturity standpoint, we’re all a little bit different. I think it’s no different for a football player except for the world is watching them and they’re looking for instant success. I think I would say the best players – really every player goes through some challenges early in their career and if they can improve and get better from it and continue to get opportunities, I think they’ll eventually have success.”
(So you don’t believe there’s any kind of point of no return? That there’s a sentiment that if a guy doesn’t develop after X amount of games or X amount of starts, it’s not going to happen for him?) – “It’s hard to say. Again, it’s case by case. Obviously you want success early. You want to see improvement. You want to see development. I think seeing improvement and seeing development doesn’t always necessarily turn into wins and things of that nature; but I think that’s in the eyes of the evaluator and the people making the decisions. Again, it’s case by case. I don’t think it’s a ‘hey, it’s got to be done by this amount of time or else it’s no good.’ Again, it’s a team game. So what else is going on within the team? Is Player X playing well enough to win but we’re not getting enough from the team standpoint? I think those are all kind of questions you’ve got to ask as evaluators and decision makers and make your decision from there.”
(Can I ask you specifically about QB Sam Darnold? Obviously you’re not seeing him every day, but just your assessment. You didn’t see him this year but just your assessment, preparing for him for a couple of games last year and potentially this week?) – “I think he’s a talented quarterback. I think he’s got a big arm. I think he’s mobile. I think he’s talented. I think he’s developing. I think he’s better than he was last year and two years ago. I think injuries have hurt him a little bit. But that happens at every position. What I see is a talented young guy. There’s a lot more to the quarterback position. I’m sure the people within that organization know about his leadership and his intelligence and things of that nature. Those are things I don’t know. Those intangibles are important for every player and especially the quarterback. I don’t necessarily know what’s going on there from that standpoint. But everything I read, everything I’ve heard, says that those are aligned the right way as well. And he’s got a guy like (Joe) Flacco who is an older guy, a veteran guy, someone who has won a lot of games that can help him.”
(On a non-quarterback related question, did you guys do a lot of work on WR Denzel Mims in the run-up to the draft? And regardless of whether you did or not, what do you see in the few games that he has played this year?) – “I see speed. I see talent. I see hands. I see play-making ability. I see a good player. Yeah, I see a good player.”
(Just generally speaking, when you’re playing divisional games, is it an advantage to the team that won the first game or an advantage to the team that’s looking for revenge typically in the second game?) – “I think it’s the advantage to the team who executes better. That’s kind of my thought really on a week-to-week basis. I think a division game, I think they know us, we know them. I think the Jets have played some good, competitive football over the last few weeks and could easily have come out of a couple of those games with wins. I think they’ve got young guys who are playing hard and playing tough. You mentioned (Denzel) Mims. Getting (Breshad) Perriman back helps and (Jamison) Crowder is a good player and (Chris) Herndon made a catch last week and (Joe) Flacco is playing well. (Mekhi) Becton came back. He’s tough to handle over there. Defensively, they’re playing some young guys but they play hard. They’re well coached and I expect a very, very competitive game. That’s what I expect. Neville Hewitt makes every tackle. This guy is all over the field. I’ve been impressed with him. Harvey Langi, I’ve been impressed with him. Ashtyn Davis is a good, young safety. I like some of the things they’re doing from what I see, just from my evaluation standpoint. I expect a very, very competitive game against a divisional opponent on the road.”
(I know you expressed your confidence in QB Tua Tagovailoa and said that with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, you felt more comfortable in the 2-minute. Is that just a feel thing? I’m sure you’re aware many, many years ago, QB Kurt Warner was the de facto 2-minute quarterback for Arizona when QB Matt Leinart was a rookie. Is that something that is a consideration or was that just kind of an in-the-moment gut feel for you to make that switch at that point last week?) – “I’ve got a lot of confidence in Tua. A couple of weeks ago, we were down in Arizona and he took it down the field and scored. It’s a gut. It’s a feel. Yeah, it was a gut thing in that particular moment. We just felt like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) gave us the best chance in that particular game. But Tua is the starter. Again, he’s young and he’s developing and he’s done some good things – I would say a lot of good things. Hopefully he continues to develop. This week is going to be a tough challenge against Gregg (Williams) and the multiple looks that he gives quarterbacks and really offenses in general. They’ve done a good job. They’ve done a good job stopping the run, they’ve done a good job in the red zone. I think this will be challenge and again, I expect a tough, competitive, physical game against these guys, like it always is.”
Brian Flores – November 25, 2020
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening Statement) – “I want to send our thoughts and prayers to Markus Paul. He’s the strength coach for the Dallas Cowboys. I’ve known him for a long, long time. This is a great man of faith, a great coach. He was a former great player. I just want to send my thoughts and prayers to him and his family, to the Cowboys, their entire organization, their coaches, their players. When you’re dealing with health, a lot of things seem trivial and that’s certainly the case here, so I just wanted to make sure they know that they have our full support, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
(If G/T Jesse Davis and G Solomon Kindley are unable to play on Sunday, who would be the next man up in your mind? Has C/G Michael Deiter, even though he’s worked some at center in practice, has he still gotten many guard reps this year?) – “We’ll have to see how this goes in practice. We’ve got a few guys who haven’t played much, but have practiced well in training camp and throughout the course of the year. You mentioned Deiter. (Adam) Pankey, (Julién) Davenport, we’ve got some guys who’ve played in games, have some experience and we’ll see how it goes in practice. I think they’re all looking for an opportunity. If that opportunity presents itself – we’ll have to see how it goes at practice and get the best five out there and the best combination of players.”
(How has QB Tua Tagovailoa responded to having been benched?) – “He’s been fine. I think it’s – a little bit of adversity has never hurt anyone. He’s fine. We did our normal Tuesday meeting yesterday and went through the Jets. No issues.”
(Where are we with RB Myles Gaskin? Is he someone you could potentially get back this week and how would that change what you guys do in the run game, if so?) – “Myles is doing everything he can to get back. He’s eligible to come off (injured reserve) and we’ll make a decision on that here, whether or not he’ll come back to practice. He’s definitely made some gains over the last few weeks and we’ll see how it goes.”
(I wanted to ask you about DT Davon Godchaux. I know he’s on IR. I know he’s eligible to come back. Is that a possibility for this season or is the bicep injury too much and he’s done?) – “He’s as tough a guy as there is on our team and as I’ve been around. It’s a tough injury, but he’s doing everything from a rehab and treatment standpoint. I wouldn’t rule anything out. He’s eligible to return. Obviously that’s the rule this year, that anyone can return after three games; but he’s still treating and rehabbing. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t like to put a timetable on things like that. I do know he’s been in here, he’s been treated, he looks good. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
(I wanted to ask you about the COVID situation. You put G/T Jesse Davis on the list on Monday and you haven’t put anyone on it since, which to us is a sign that maybe this thing has been contained a little bit. How have you managed to play a game and travel home together with presumably Jesse on the plane, and not have anybody who pops a contact tracer? How have you avoided that?) – “We take the tracing and the spacing and the distance and the mask wearing, we take it very seriously whether that’s on the bus, on the plane or in the building. I think the intensive protocol helps in that we only see them during practice and then everything is virtual. We work with the league and talk about exactly who is in, who is out and things of that nature. But from a contact tracing standpoint, we all wear the tracers and everything we do, we try to keep distance. I would say that’s the main reason – whether it’s the plane, the bus or definitely in the building. We do our best from that standpoint. I think (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and our medical staff, we’ve tried to educate the players on how important it is to keep their distance. From a tracing standpoint, if you’re within six feet of somebody, you beep so you get away from them. I don’t know how much more we can do.”
(With Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow and the NFL’s more stringent policy toward players gathering, what are you telling the players regarding tomorrow, especially your single guys who may not have a family around here to gather with?) – “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I try to be honest with them about that and I understand that families are going to come in, but we also try to educate them and tell them that limiting the amount of people you come in contact with just helps the situation. I understand that. I think they understand that. At the same time, family is important, too, and we just try to educate them and tell them how important it is to mask and try to keep your distance as much as you can. For our single guys, I can’t definitively tell you what those guys are doing. Again, these are all adults. They’ve got to make decisions and hopefully they’re making good decisions. We’ve been preaching that really the entire year. I think this is a year of sacrifices. I don’t think we’re any different than a lot of other families and people around the country. There aren’t going to be the big gatherings that you normally have. I’m used to having 30-40 people in the house for Thanksgiving. That’s not the case – not going to be the case this year. That’s how I grew up – big family, everybody gets together. Those are great holidays and I have great memories from those times. That’s a sacrifice that we’re making as well as a lot of other people around the country are making. I think our players are no different and I’m sure you guys are doing things differently on Thanksgiving as well, so we’ve all got to make sacrifices, especially if we want to continue playing this year.”
(I’ll stick on the theme of Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this year? I think this is a year where this holiday hits a little different just with everything that we’ve been through.) – “I’m thankful for health. I think that’s the first thing that came to mind. I’m thankful for my wife, who puts up with my nonsense on a daily basis and who handles our household and is a great mother to our kids and a great wife and a great everything. She’s the first person that comes to mind. But (I’m thankful for) my family. I’m thankful to be the head coach of this team. I’m very blessed. My life could’ve gone a few different ways and to be sitting in this position, I’m thankful for it.”
(I’ll just continue on that Thanksgiving theme. You said it’s your favorite holiday. Do you have a favorite meal? Does Jennifer cook a specialty meal? Is there turkey versus ham? How do you feel about the whole Thanksgiving food?) – “We’re a turkey and ham family, so you’ll see both on the table. My mom, this was her holiday, so she actually – I think Jenny stole a few of her recipes, so I still get a little taste of Mom’s cooking for Thanksgiving. But yeah, we’re a turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, greens; there’s a lot on the table. There’s always too much.”
(I’m going to be the spoiler and get back to football. How do you guys improve? It’s been an issue all season – the run game and the struggles that you guys have been having sustaining the run and then helping it build the pass game.) – “I think it’s the same answer. You’re probably sick of hearing it, but we’ve just got to continue to practice and then it’s about execution. I think we’ve got to try to find different ways to put the players in better positions to have some success in the run game on both sides, offensively and defensively. I think there’s a lot of different ways to do things in this league – different personnel, different schemes – so we haven’t tried every avenue. I don’t think any team has; but we have to keep looking for those different ways to create some opportunities for ourselves and if it’s something that we’re unfamiliar with, then maybe we do that. But at the same time, the things that – there are always ‘hey, if we got one block, we would’ve sprung that one’ or ‘if we handled that movement, we would’ve sprung this one.’ So there’s a little bit of back and forth on the best ways to try to make those improvements, but they’re constant conversations and we’ve been having them. We have them every day and not necessarily just on the things that we struggle with, but even the things that we haven’t struggled with. That’s coaching. There’s a lot of different conversations and communication and we’re all just trying to get better. I think (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer), (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny (Crossman); they’re just constantly trying to do everything they can to help put these guys in position to be successful and we’ll continue to do that.”
Gerald Alexander – November 24, 2020
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander
(I wanted to ask you two questions for the price of one. One is why is S Brandon Jones playing more? What’s he doing well? And also how would you assess the quality of CB Nik Needham’s play in the slot over the past few weeks?) – “For Brandon (Jones), I think that when you see Brandon play, he plays with an incredible amount of speed. So he does a good job when he kind of diagnoses the play and he’s able to be disruptive in the backfield and do some things from that perspective, so that’s one aspect that we love about his game – we’ve always loved about his game – which is why he’s gotten an increased amount of reps whether it be normal down situations or possibly even situations like third down. As far as (Nik) Needham, he’s been a guy that has developed at the nickel position really over the course of the season. Obviously it’s different than perimeter corner. I think we’ve mentioned this before, but he’s starting to get a feel more for how to fit in the run game, how to zone drop, how to utilize his leverage and his help. That’s a lot different than being on the outside as a perimeter corner, so I think over the course of the season you start to see some production and some improvement and obviously we’re going to need more improvement especially this week against a division opponent.”
(Yesterday in talking with CB Byron Jones, he said that when he looks across the field and sees CB Xavien Howard with the ball in his hands with another interception, he’s thinking “that freaking guy again?” I want to get your reaction – what are you thinking when you see “X” with the ball in his hands and secondly is it just a matter of time before Byron gets his?) – “I think when the opportunity comes – I always talk about technique and opportunity, and when they meet, that’s when splash plays happen. And ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) has been very good as far as those opportunities that come and the one thing that ‘X’ does which is very elementary in a sense, but he catches the ball. He catches the balls that are thrown to him and when I see it, it’s just another opportunity for us to score on defense or possibly get the ball back for our offense. And that’s just the way the game goes at times. That’s the way sometimes seasons go and sometimes Byron (Jones) will have his opportunities as well as everybody else on the defensive side, and when those opportunities do present themselves, you have to do the elementary thing and that’s catch the ball.”
(The past draft was pretty deep at the safety position with a bunch of guys, including one of the guys you coached at Cal. What was it about S Brandon Jones that really stuck out to you guys from an evaluation standpoint?) – “I think again, kind of going into what we talked about prior to just getting this thing started with Brandon is just his play speed. He does a really good job once he diagnoses a play and you can see that there’s a significant difference in speed when he transitions and he goes and he’s active. As a tackler, in the zone, underneath zone defense; he’s got a very quick trigger and obviously there’s more to just the evaluation side of what we see on film and when we got a chance to know Brandon throughout the process. He’s a guy that really cares. He really loves the game. He’s doing everything he can to prepare himself to be able to play at the speed that he plays. So all in all, the football character, obviously the physical traits that he has, really went into our evaluation of Brandon.”
(I know we were talking I guess at the start of the season about the turnover game that you guys were doing in camp and you guys are tied for third in turnovers so far, so it seems if there’s any correlation, it’s paying off. I’m curious what you’ve seen in your team for the turnovers to be happening as much as they have?) – “I think it all goes down to really the mindset and the culture that we’ve tried to create as a defense. It’s not just starting with the turnover game in the secondary. We talk about disrupting the ball every single week, whether it be guys who are attacking the quarterback or attacking ball carriers and tackling, and then obviously when we have the opportunity to grab the ball when it’s in the air. We understand what that does for our team. It’s about scoring on defense or getting the opportunity to get the ball back for our offense and really it just goes down to a mentality and pursuit when we’re chasing ball carriers and we’re just attacking the football. It’s kind of like body blows. You may not knock one out every single time you throw a punch, but if you just keep on attempting, then you will have an opportunity to get one knockout and get the ball back for our offense.”
(You talked about CB Byron Jones and CB Xavien Howard a little bit earlier, but there was one play I wanted to ask about – a general what it does for you defensively – there was a Cover 0 blitz look where he got a tackle on the outside in open space and it just looked really impressive to me. I’m curious what having those guys that can tackle and cover so independently on their own, the ripple effect that has on the rest of your defense?) – “I think you have to have corners that are willing to tackle people, whether it be just off of ‘0 blitz’ or in the run game when they’re trying to crack block on the safeties and make the corner be the one to tackle the ball carrier. Those are guys are tough, willing tacklers and obviously those guys cover well; but it definitely gives you just the security as a defense where you have guys on the perimeter who are willing to tackle, who are willing to get dirty in there and get guys on the ground because it definitely gives you an opportunity to play another set of downs on defense and not give up more yards on defense as well.”
Anthony Campanile – November 24, 2020
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile
(I was just curious about why LB Jerome Baker played by far his fewest snaps as a Dolphin on Sunday, which continues a trend from the previous week.) – “I think every game plan – we have a game plan going in and sometimes those things change in the game. You’re just trying to adjust personnel to the offensive personnel. He’s done a tremendous job for us the whole year and he’s played a ton of snaps for us this year, so really nothing more than that. And the snaps he played the other day, I thought he played really, really well. I think he’s doing a really good job for us and some of that is just like I said, within the game, sometimes things change.”
(Thanksgiving is coming up this week. I’ve got to know – I know you’ve got some good Italian food coming up on the menu. What’s a Thanksgiving look like in the Campanile household?) – “Thanksgiving is – that’s one of my favorite holidays, obviously. So you’ve got to start with antipasta. You’ve got to have that before everything else. Then you’ve got to go with macaroni and then you go for the bird and all the Thanksgiving food after that. That’s a New Jersey Thanksgiving, for sure. I think everybody does that. (laughter)”
(I imagine in any other year, this week coming up would probably be a big family week for you obviously with the Jets game coming up, your first I guess NFL game as a coach back home. I imagine – what will that be like for you and your family? What have conversations been like? Obviously you guys can’t see each other and things like that, but I guess how happy are they for you being in this experience that you’re dealing with now here?) – “It’s been an unbelievable experience. Obviously – all my brothers are coaches. My brother Vito is a coach. He’s the head coach at Bergen Catholic (High School). My brother Nicky is a coach at DePaul High School in New Jersey and my brother Nunzio is a coach and has been at Rutgers for the last few years. So we always – obviously my father is still coaching. He coaches the freshman team at Bergen Catholic, so everybody is addicted to coaching. We talk about it all the time. A lot of our family life, social life, professional lives; it’s all intertwined. So football is really front and center in most of our conversations. The hardest part about all that is I haven’t seen my family in a year. We’re very, very close – like crazy close – so for my children and my wife and myself and everything, that’s been the hardest part. So I’ll be excited to get back to New Jersey and obviously really, really excited for this game this weekend. Wish I could see them, but that time will come soon enough.”
(Earlier, Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman mentioned that LB Andrew Van Ginkel maybe brings a little more juice than we get to see as media. I’m wondering if you can elaborate on some of that since he seems to be a pretty quiet guy for the most part.) – “He’s just such an extremely detailed guy. Always looking for extra tips, and like I said earlier in the season, he’s constantly doing extra work. Every little bit of information you give that guy, he puts it to good use. You can see him trying to work it on the field. He’s all over pretty much all the coaches. Whether it’s myself, ‘Coach Hobbs’ (Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby), Coach Crossman, Coach Clark (Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark), (Assistant Defensive Line Coach) Robbie Leonard, (Defensive Coordinator) Josh Boyer, everybody; and I think everyone really appreciates that on the team and on the staff. He’s just a really diligent worker and really a great person, too.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Kyle Van Noy. It seemed to me that the Broncos ran towards him and I know he’s been playing through a hip and a foot and a groin and a hand. He’s showing toughness, but what does Van Noy and anybody who’s in the position that he was on the field, need to do against the run?) – “I think more than anything, I think I’ve got to do a better job coaching at times in the game. I think he did a lot of really good things the other day, to be honest with you. I think I’ve got to do a better job in the game. I said that to the guys with some of the things. It’s a team game and that’s staff and players together. He’s a guy I couldn’t ask more of in terms of trying to do things right, working in practice and getting the most out of himself mentally and physically every day. I thought he did a lot of good things the other day. I think I just have to put him in better position at some points in the game, so that’s something that coming away from the game, looking at myself, looking inward, that’s something I want to make sure I’m always doing.”
(You’ve obviously taken on a bigger role here with some of the coaches out the last couple weeks. What has that been like for you? I know we probably can’t get into what the end goal in coaching probably is for you, but could you also see yourself maybe hiring some of your brothers or some of your family members on a future staff maybe down the line?) – “My dad said we all got into coaching because nobody would hire us for a real job. (laughter) But no, I actually worked with my brother Nunzio when we were coaching in high school back years ago. That was a great experience and it was probably one of my favorite experiences ever obviously in coaching, and if that day ever comes, I would be grateful for that opportunity to coach with any of them again. I’m trying to answer your question the right way, but I think the guys here throughout the season, with everything that’s going on with the pandemic, have done an unbelievable job – our players, really is who I’m talking about specifically in terms of taking a lot on themselves. I thought they did a tremendous job with that throughout all this these past few weeks and really through the whole season so far. So really like I said, I’m grateful. Obviously I’m grateful for the way they’ve handled everything as well.”
Austin Clark – November 24, 2020
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark
(I know coaches don’t come in with preconceived notions about players but with that being said, has the impact LB Andrew Van Ginkel has made in various areas maybe even exceeded a little bit what you thought a second-year guy with six games coming into the season would do for you all this year?) – “Yeah. I can tell you that I do have a preconceived notion. I actually remember ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) was coming out of a JUCO when I was at Southern Cal. I joked with him that he was a highly recruited JC guy and we get a good laugh out of that. Yeah, he’s definitely exceeded all expectations. Having not really known him, getting to know him personally and how he approaches every aspect of the game and how he operates, how he’s wired – he’s a tough, smart, physical guy that is a team first (guy). He’s becoming a technician, I think, on the field. I think he’s seeing the fruits of his labor and I think he’s only going to continue to get better.”
(I’d like to follow up on LB Andrew Van Ginkel. Looking back at some of his history, he was a high school quarterback and defensive back, a skinny little guy, kind of like myself. You talked this year about his work in the weight room and his improvement both getting stronger and better in the pass rush. I’m curious now that you’ve got that timeline to work with, what have you seen from him as far as development from the time he was a kid back in JUCO to now a NFL player making big plays every single week?) – “I think you’re seeing kind of what you just described. You’re seeing a guy that everything he’s done physically – in terms of just if you took last season to this season, I know that’s something that he said, from the minute that I met him when I got here, he’s said ‘I want to become more physical.’ He had all of these goals in place from last year that he wanted to accomplish. I think that’s kind of what he’s done through his journey, his unique journey, through different colleges. Obviously he was great at Wisconsin. I think that’s exactly what you’re seeing. He’s doing a hell of a job and I love the guy.”
(When LB Andrew Van Ginkel punched the ball out down there at the one, did you realize what was happening in live action? Or did you have to see it on replay on the scoreboard of something? What was your reaction when you realized the ball was out?) – “’The ball was out. Let’s go.’ That was it. Yeah, absolutely. He knew right away. It was a hell of a play by him. That’s a big-time player making a big-time play to give us a chance. We preach takeaways and we need them every week.”
(I don’t know if you’re a big coffee drinker, but I feel like if you’re in the same room with Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile, if you didn’t have your cup of coffee, he’ll give you the juice you need with his energy. What kind of person is he, or coach is he, and how does his energy permeate through the coaching staff and into the players?) – “I love ‘Camp’ for a variety of reasons. I think energy is No. 1. I think his passion for the game of football and the fact that relationships matter to him, both as a coach and to our players, I think make him a great coach. Me as a young coach, I think I learn a lot from the guy. I think he’s doing a hell of a job and I’m fortunate to work with him. And he’s got a good taste of food. (laughter)”
