Nik Needham – August 26, 2020
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Wednesday, August 26, 2020
CB Nik Needham
(I wanted to get your thoughts on how different this year has been for the secondary than last year. It seemed last year every week there would be a new DB who was signed and they would potentially even play that Sunday. Here you have a lot more depth and competition. What’s the difference been for you?) – “The difference is just I think for me coming into my second year, just the game is kind of slowing down a little bit for me and just in training camp, we’ve had the same guys out here – all competitive, all willing to work, all trying to give it their hardest – so it’s just been a real competitive camp this year, for sure.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores talked a little bit last year about recognizing some talent in you pretty early on during camp. He mentioned some things you hard to work on to get off the practice squad. Then you get called up and have that immediate impact right away. I’m curious what are some of those things that you worked on and is there anything in particular this offseason you worked on the same way?) – “This offseason, last offseason, it’s the same things – just getting in shape. Last year I came into camp at 205 and I wasn’t able to run at my full potential and finish a whole practice through that heat. Definitely this offseason that just came up right now, I was more focused on that and didn’t want to let that happen again, so I came in and had one of my best overall body compositions; so I was a good body weight and body fat. That’s what I was focused on – just eating right and really taking it more professionally.”
(We heard a little bit about I guess the emphasis on turnovers and getting hands on the ball, and they told us a little bit about the point system. Can you kind of take us behind the scenes on the point system and how things are going in that realm for the DBs?) – “We get points for scoops – it doesn’t matter if it’s an incomplete pass or not. He wants everybody focused on getting to the ball, get to the ball, get to the ball. So any ball on the ground he wants us to scoop and interceptions – obviously that’s the biggest key to change the game – so we do like a little pushup contest and then at the end of the year, we’ve got another contest. It’s the ‘hood’ versus the ‘burbs’ – those are the names of the teams. It’s all about getting to the ball though. It’s all mainly focused on getting to the ball, stripping out the ball, trying to force as many turnovers as we can and that’ll help us win a lot of games.”
(We talked to CB Noah Igbinoghene the other day and he mentioned you by name and a couple other guys. What’s it been like working with him and just being in the same secondary with him?) – “It’s been cool. It’s crazy that he’s only 20 years old. The dude’s physically gifted, for sure – 205, runs a 4.3 – so I’m in awe of him as well. I’m like, ‘damn, that’s crazy.’ But no, he’s a great player – physical, always willing to learn and a great teammate to have, for sure.”
(Before I get to my question I want to ask what your weight is now. You said you slimmed down. What is it now?) – “193.”
(It seems that Head Coach Brian Flores is pretty good at pushing buttons. Do you remember an instance last year where he may have kind of played some games with you and helped you become a better player?) – “No, I just didn’t – I failed my first conditioning test, which was very embarrassing for me because I was one of the only ones and that was just being out of shape; so it was like a little team joke. Everybody was calling me like fat and stuff, so in my mind I was like, I can never have that again. So I was just always pushing my hardest to never be that guy again. Like I can’t be the only one like that. I was talking about how I got a gut at DB and stuff, (laughter) so we used to make little jokes like that so I was like, never again. I can’t have that happen, so I set my mind to it. Spinach. (laughter)”
(I want to ask you about CB Byron Jones but before I do that since we’re getting all these statistics, I know CB Noah Igbinoghene probably has like the most ridiculous body mass index. You mentioned BMI. What are the numbers for you?) – “I think I was 193 and 7.3 percent body fat; but like that’s what I’m saying, that was my ideal and best one I could be at because last year I was like, 205, 10 or 11 percent body fat. It’s just maintaining that and keeping that. I’ve felt it on the field as well. It’s definitely paid off.”
(The CB Byron Jones question. Obviously he’s got a lot of years of experience. What, if anything, has he said or what have you observed that’s kind of helped you?) – “Just how he approaches everything – practice, meetings – anything he does, he treats it just like the same thing and he just attacks it. He’s very focused. He’s very, very focused and he’s very intellectual; so he gives me a bunch of tips, smart tips that I can use on the field and just from his experience in being out there. He’s played like, 59 games – that’s a lot of experience out there – so anything on film he sees, he’ll give little tips on how he’d play something in the game or something of that nature. So I just use that all in my tool box.”
(Last year you started a good amount of games. What did you learn from that and did it humble you a little bit to begin this camp as a backup?) – “We’re all just working out there, but I just always came in and just worked – worked my hardest – and whatever Coach (Brian Flores) tells me to do, I’m going to do that. So I just try to do it to the best of my ability. I’m not really worried about positions or anything like that. Wherever they need me, I’m willing to go and give it my all.”
(Regarding the change in weight that you were talking about earlier, did that include a major change in diet? Is there something you gave up that you really miss?) – “Like I said last year, just not as much fast food and really locking in. I didn’t think that eating a bunch of nonsense really affected me like that, and I would watch guys like Chad Ochocinco – said he eats McDonald’s before every practice – so I’m like, ‘oh see, it doesn’t even matter;’ but to me, it definitely matters. I’ve heard there’s only a couple people like that in the NFL that can do that; so I definitely learned it didn’t work for me, so I had to figure that out the hard way.”
(Just kind of following up with what we were talking about with the point system if I ask a two-parter on that. One, what’s sort of the delineation for what you get point-wise for interception versus hand on the ball versus PBU and all that stuff?) – “Picks are the most. I think it’s five points for picks. For a scoop – if you get a scoop of a fumble – it’s like three points; and then PBUs is one point. We’re trying to get to pick, but – and also if you drop a pick, that’s missed opportunity. I think that’s minus-five as well, so we’ll holding everybody accountable. If the ball touches your hands, you need to make a play on it.”
(Okay and then I guess you said the teams – the “Hood” versus the “Burbs” – how did that come about and which team are you on?) – “That was ‘Coach G.A.’ (Gerald Alexander). He brought that here. He just had two team captains. It was Byron (Jones) and Bobby (McCain). Byron’s captain of the Burbs and then Bobby is team captain of the Hood, so Bobby had drafted me I think in like the fifth round or something (laughter) to the team. But yeah, that’s how it went down.”
(I’m curious to ask you about the competition you’ve seen – not just in the NFL in general but this year in training camp – coming out of UTEP, obviously you’re not going to find DeVante Parkers and Preston Williams down there. What have you learned from those guys but also your experience last year going up against some of the league’s best as you played so many snaps at cornerback last season?) – “I’ve definitely learned – definitely from DeVante (Parker) and Preston (Williams) that you can be draped all over them; the quarterback is still going to trust them to make a play on the ball. He’s going to throw it up there to only where they can reach it, so you’ve got to be good at playing the hands and sometimes you may not even be able to look back because you don’t know exactly where that ball is going to be placed because they have such a long reach and extension. And that’s also what I learned in the NFL. Just because you’re all over a guy doesn’t necessarily mean he’s all the way covered. They’re still NFL receivers, too, so they can make plays on the ball no matter what.”
Durham Smythe – August 26, 2020
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Wednesday, August 26, 2020
TE Durham Smythe
(We talked to Tight Ends Coach George Godsey last week, and he talked about you sort of playing that unheralded position – the in-line position – where you might not get 50 or 100 catches in a year. How have you sort of maybe embraced that role that doesn’t necessarily get the acclaim from everyone?) – “Well, that’s something that I’ve kind of – a role I’ve fulfilled for a while in my football career, dating back to college and obviously through the last two years. I think it’s an important part of the game. There’s a lot of guys on a lot of other teams that do the same thing. They come in, kind of fulfill multiple roles, benefit the running game and things like that. You kind of throw yourself in the same boat in terms of not getting the recognition, just with the o-line, because those guys always say you only get the recognition when something bad happens. You kind of throw yourself in the same boat as that and just kind of appreciate what you bring to the table.”
(I just wanted to ask about TE Adam Shaheen. We haven’t heard much about him and obviously you’re in a room where you’re constantly around each other. What’s he like as a teammate and what has he brought to the table?) – “Yeah, Adam is a great guy. He fits well in our room. He’s smart. He’s caught the offense – from a mental standpoint – very quickly. He’s one of the guys. Like I said, he kind of came in and just fit right in for us. He’s taking the offense mentally very well and now he’s just kind of one of us. It’s been a very smooth transition, I think, for him.”
(Even though you’re an excellent blocking tight end, I’ve noticed that you’ve made some catches out here during this training camp. How have you improved yourself as a pass-catching threat?) – “I think I’ve kind of benefit from being in a room the last few years with guys who have natural talent in different ways. I think with me and Mike (Gesicki) going into our third year here, we kind of took a step back after last year, and thought ‘How can we benefit this offense by something more than just what we’re good at personally?’ I think we worked this offseason a lot on trying to become more versatile – more multiple – which I think will eventually kind of eradicate some of our tendency-based things within our offense. Obviously I spend a lot of time talking to Mike talking about how he releases, routes, stuff like that. I’ve spent some time with him about the nitty-gritty in the run game. I think hopefully if we can both benefit in those areas, we’ll be a lot less tendency-based in this offense.”
(Your first impressions catching passes from QB Tua Tagovailoa, what thoughts came to mind about how he throws the ball? And also, what’s the locker room experience been like this year where obviously you’re not close and bunched together, you have those devices that could go off if you’re close to other people. Has it been a strange existence in the locker room?) – “First of all with Tua, he’s got a great arm. That’s evident to everyone immediately. He’s also a great teammate. I’ll throw that in even though that wasn’t really a part of it. He’s one of the guys already. He fits in great, (is a) smart guy and can make all of the throws. I guess that answers the question: what jumps out at you immediately is he can put the ball anywhere he wants. Obviously he’s a rookie quarterback and in your first couple of weeks, there’s things you want to shake out and everything; but he’s a guy that obviously can make all of the throws. To answer your second question, yeah it’s odd. Especially being a guy that really loves that locker room culture. It’s weird not being able to just kind of come into the locker room, throw off your pads and go jump into a locker next to somebody else and start talking face-to-face right there. It’s definitely odd. You can still do that to an extent behind some glass, behind a mask and things of that nature; but for now, it’s what we have to deal with, so we’ll continue to do it and I think we’ll try to build a culture around it.”
(You played in a lot of 12 personnel with TE Mike Gesicki last year. As you mentioned, part of that unheralded role – you guys two play two different roles, as you mentioned – so how do you think you guys balance each other in that package?) – “Like I said, I think we have natural talents in different areas. I think mainly because of what we have physically – whether it’s size, speed, maybe a history with the run game or a history with running routes. I think that’s where a lot of the narrative comes out is that I’m the guy that’s going to come in and be the in-line blocker and he’s going to come in and catch all of the passes. Which, to this point, it has been. Like I said, I think this offseason, going into Year 3, I think we understand the game enough to where we kind of took a step back and thought about how we can both become more versatile to benefit this offense as a whole. I think that’s something that hopefully through this training camp and through this season, we can bring about.”
Brian Flores – August 26, 2020
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Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you about having practice officials out there yesterday and kind of the benefits of those guys out there for you and for especially the rookies with no preseason, just kind of getting them used to the NFL game.) – “Yeah, I thought it was great to have the officials out there and get more of a live, real look at what the game atmosphere would be like. As you would imagine in a training camp setting, there’s a lot of chatter about ‘that would have been a foul,’ or ‘this would have been holding,’ or ‘this would have been pass interference.’ It was good to get them out there. I tried to talk to the players about not worrying about the officials and moving onto the next play, so it was nice to let them call it, let them handle it and whether you agree or disagree, we just have to move on. There’s also just some things that we could have done better. We had a couple of delay of games yesterday. There was a potentially close 12-men in the huddle (situation). Those are penalties that we can take care of ourselves as long as we’re paying attention to detail and we’re, as a coaching staff and as players, on top of things. It’s always great to have the officials and to have a game-like atmosphere. It really felt like football.”
(I just wanted to get your thoughts on what your philosophy would be in the organization about draft picks. You could have obviously held onto DE Curtis Weaver for another year with another administrative decision. How do you view draft picks? And some teams might hold onto them longer than others. In your view, if you have a feeling on a player right away, is that enough to move on?) – “There’s a lot that goes into that question. Obviously draft picks are very valuable but every situation is a little bit different. I liked Weaver. I thought he was a good player. I thought he had some potential. But his situation – like I said yesterday, when we make these decisions, there’s a lot of things that go into them that, quite frankly, you guys don’t know much about – whether it’s the injury itself, salary cap implications, depth at the position, next year’s draft. There’s 10 different things there. We make the decision that we feel is best for the organization. Obviously there’s a lot of – when we make a selection, we feel good about it then and the transactions that happen after that, we live with them and we move on.”
(On that DE Curtis Weaver situation, like you said there’s stuff that maybe we don’t know or aren’t as informed on as you. I wanted to ask, can you kind of educate us on the rule on maybe why you decided to go injured/waived rather than putting him on IR directly?) – “I understand the question; but look, we waived/injured Curtis Weaver. He was claimed. I wish him all the best. He’s a good kid. He had a great time here; but I’m more focused on the team today and trying to improve and trying to get better. We’ll basically leave it at that.”
(I’m curious about your evaluation of the running game and the running backs, in particular. How do you evaluate running backs in a situation where maybe the tackling isn’t necessarily live, and how would you evaluate your running back room so far through seven days of camp?) – “I think there’s a lot of competition in that room with Jordan (Howard), with (Matt) Breida, (Myles) Gaskin, (Kalen) Ballage, (Patrick) Laird and Chandler Cox. I think there’s a lot of competition in that room and guys each have their own unique skillset. It’s been a physical camp. Obviously we’re not taking them to the ground but there is contact defensively on our offensive and defensive lines, so you get a pretty good feel for who is getting yards, who would break what tackle. But at the running back position, are they making the right cut? I think each guy has had some good moments, has had some not-so-good moments. We’re all kind of getting better after each rep. The blocking, from a protection standpoint, has been good for the most part, at least as far as knowing who to block and where to go. In the pass game, I think they’re doing a good job in the pass game as well. It’s a good group, a lot of competition. We just still have seven training camp – I don’t know what day it is – seven or eight training camp padded days left, and they’ll keep competing.”
(What was your reaction to the Detroit Lions protest yesterday and how much discussion was there with your team about staging some type of protest in response to the shooting in Wisconsin?) – “Well, I know (Lions Head Coach) Matt (Patricia) very well – and (Lions General Manager) Bob Quinn over there in Detroit. They’re great friends. (I have) a lot of respect for them and that organization. A lot of history with that organization. I know a lot of the players there. Their protest, I have a lot of respect for what they did there; but our focus is on us and what we’re doing here and practice. Yeah, we had some conversations about that. We’ve had conversations about the many injustices that have gone on, in our locker room, with this team. We’ll continue to do so. As far as what they’re doing in Detroit, we respect it. We respect their organization.”
(CB Byron Jones was a pretty big acquisition this offseason. What have you thought of his camp so far in terms of how he’s getting acclimated to new surroundings, new teammates and obviously the personnel?) – “I think he’s done a good job; but as you put it, he’s getting acclimated. I think the heat down here for a lot of players is something you’ve got to get acclimated to. I know when I showed up here, it was something I had to get acclimated to as well. I think he’s doing a good job. I think practices have been competitive between he, DeVante (Parker), Preston (Williams), Jakeem (Grant) – really that receiver/DB competition that’s gone on there has been good. Byron’s a good player. I think he’s improving every day. He’ll continue to improve. He puts the work in. He’s very diligent. Obviously it’s a new system. He’s still learning some of the nuances within the system, but I think he’s progressing well.”
(Without live action, it’s hard to judge or assess or maybe I’m wrong, the run game and what’s happening in the trenches. Do you feel like you need a live period and maybe a scrimmage? And if you do plan to have a scrimmage, when do you think is the right time for that and how many can you handle before the season?) – “You really want to see some live tackling. (laughter)”
(Oh, I do. I do, absolutely.) – “It’s very evident. (laughter) That’s something we talk about on a daily basis. Look, the health of the team is the most important thing. Maybe at some point we’ll get some live tackling. I think, at least I can evaluate the run game without live tackling and get a sense of whether or not we’re getting yardage or not getting yardage. But again, I think it’s something that as a staff, we’ll talk about. As far as the live tackling in the scrimmage, we’re actually going to go to the stadium and practice on Saturday. We may have live tackling there; we may not. We’ll see then.”
(Obviously you guys lost some reps at that slot receiver position with WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns opting out. I wanted to see what your comfort level is with that particular position and if you see WR Jakeem Grant as an option to maybe get some of those reps inside.) – “I think there’s a lot of competition at the receiver position. As far as a slot, we’ve had a few guys working in there. We’ve had some of the outside receivers working there, as well. DeVante (Parker) has been in there a little bit. Preston (Williams) has been in there a little bit. Jakeem, like you mentioned – Isaiah Ford, I think he’s done a good job in there, Jakeem as well. I think there’s a lot of competition at that position. We’re going to bring – let’s call it the five, six or seven best guys, that we feel are going to help us win and will be productive and block and do things in the kicking game and do things in the slot. I think that whole group has done well. Jakeem is part of that. You mentioned him specifically and he’s part of that, as well. I think they’re all working and all competing.”
Jakeem Grant – August 25, 2020
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
WR Jakeem Grant
(How do you feel like your training camp has gone. I know obviously you missed today, but overall?) – “I feel like it’s going pretty smooth. It’s going really good. I’m going to continue to go out there and get better every day at everything that I do, continue to gain the coaches trust and be consistent every day.”
(Obviously WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns opted out earlier this offseason and you guys lose them; but that means that somebody has to pick up their reps and I know you’ve always been looking for that bigger role. What does their absence mean for maybe what potentially you can do in this offense?) – “It means a lot. I hated that those guys opted out, but I know that they have family issues or anything that they have going on, and I definitely support those guys on that record. I’m ready to take on whatever role that coach has for me. Whether that’s picking up the slack with those guys opting out and catching those targets, I’ve been waiting for it, and I’m ready for it. I’ve been pushing that message that I’m a receiver before a returner for the longest now. This year will be the biggest year to show it.”
(I warn you that I’m going to stir it up a little bit here. Who’s the fastest guy on this team?) – “Me. You don’t even have to say it. Me, of course. I’m going to say it every single time. I don’t care about – I told Matt (Breida), I don’t care about him running a 22.3 (miles per hour). I don’t have to run full speed to beat guys to the end zone. I don’t have to do all that. I’m going to continue to say that. If he wants to race, it’s nothing. I’ll continue to tell him, ‘you’re not going to beat me bro. I’m just telling you.’”
(To piggyback off of what I asked before, those guys talked about playing a lot of slot. You’ve been playing more outside as of last year, but you have played slot before. Where is your comfort playing slot if they need you to?) – “My comfort is at an all-time high playing the slot. Like you said, I played the slot probably throughout my whole career until I got to the NFL. When I got here as a rookie, I was playing in the slot. I got to learn behind Jarvis (Landry) and they moved me to the outside; but I’ve been playing the slot my whole life. It’s nothing to play it, just more communication with the quarterback, identifying coverages and just knowing where to be at all times. I feel comfortable playing that without a doubt.”
(I’m wondering about the left-handed quterback thing. Obviously you guys have a lefty now. Is there some adjustment? Is it any different?) – “I would say not really. As a receiver, if the ball comes your way, you’ve got to catch it. It’s as simple as it gets. I feel like there is nothing different, besides the spin rotation of the ball. It’s nothing different. Like I said, if you’re a receiver, catch the ball when it comes your way.”
(We saw you telling WR DeVante Parker that you’re 200 pounds these days. I wanted to ask you if there is any truth to that and how did you get all of that weight on?) – “I’m not 200 but I always like to tell him I’m 200. (laughter) I’m close there, I’m close to 200 though. I’m getting there. I just tell him that because I like to mess with him because he likes to weigh in with his backpack on, with his shoes on, with everything on. He’s always like ‘Yeah, I’m 225 (pounds).’ And I’m like ‘No, you’re not. You’re like 215 after you take all of that stuff off.’ That’s why I kept saying that I’m 200 because if I weigh in with my backpack and all of my clothes on, I’d be 200 too. That’s where that all started.”
(On that WR DeVante Parker tip, we saw that he had that cartoon out this week or like last month. He had the annoying nephew, and a lot of us couldn’t help but ask, are you the inspiration for that nephew? Do you know?) – “I think that I am. We’re trying to do a little feature on that with him being ‘Unc’ and I’m ‘Neph’. That’s probably what it is because as you can see with the mic’d up (segment), I’m always messing with DeVante. Whether anybody has film on me or the cameras are on me, I’m always messing with DeVante. I’m just trying to tell him that I’m bigger than him, I’m better than him, just the typical ‘Unc’ and ‘Neph,’ just to continue to get that rolling. Everybody loves it. It’s just something that we did just playing around. I guess it just blew up.”
(You’ve got Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier who are the only black GM/head coach duo in the league. I wanted to know from a player perspective what is it like to kind of see your leaders kind of look like you?) – “It goes a long way just to see that those guys – that you’ve got a GM and a head coach that are black. That speaks volumes for the black community, as well. For me, I wouldn’t say it’s different if I had a white GM or a white head coach. It doesn’t mean anything to me. But I would say it does speak volumes. It’s something that a lot of people look to in the black community and to show that black people can reach that level of success too. With me, it’s the same as anything. If it was white or black, it doesn’t matter to me; but it’s great to see black men take that type of empowerment.”
Josh Rosen – August 25, 2020
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
QB Josh Rosen
(We haven’t talked to you in a bit, but obviously this has been an eventful offseason for the team and for that room. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the team obviously drafting QB Tua Tagovailoa and what that means for you.) – “It is what it is, and I’ve just got to come out and try as hard as I can and compete as hard as I can every day and hopefully get the nod at some point in the future. Right now, I’m just focusing on improving every day. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is an awesome guy to learn from and I’m sort of trying to continue that progress I had near the end of last year. I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it and we’ll see what the future holds; but I’m just focusing on my development at this point and I think it’s been going pretty well.”
(That development that you’re focusing on – what are the specifics of that? What is it that you’re trying to improve on?) – “Defenses. Not just watching film, but being able to apply information from the film room onto the field and what that means for my particular play. So I think I’ve been able to – more so than I ever have in my career – been able to eliminate guys pre-snap and start to zero in a little bit quicker on who I want to throw (to); and that’s helping me get the ball out quicker than I ever have and make fast decisions and not make my offensive line look bad by holding onto the ball. (laughter)”
(We’ve asked QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB Tua Tagovailoa and Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown about the atmosphere in that quarterback room and I’m curious to hear your perspective on what it’s like working in that room every day and some of the things that you glean from the collective brain trust there?) – “’The collective brain trust?’ That’s a good one. (laughter) There’s sort of previous relationships everywhere in the room. I’ve known Tua (Tagovailoa) since I played him in high school and then he almost came to UCLA so I knew him at that point. And then ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and Chan (Gailey) and Robby (Brown) all have their history; so we all have some sort of familiar connections and it’s pretty hard not to goof around with ‘Fitz’ and Chan in your room, so it’s a really awesome atmosphere. I’ve learned a ton. I think we all have really good attitudes and we’re trying to make each other. And I think it’s been working. I think we’re all getting pushed in a very positive direction. I think it’s good for the Dolphins.”
(For the last three days, you’ve been getting limited work in 11-on-11s. I don’t know if that’s injury-related or just how the rotation is working. How do you take that?) – “Definitely not injury-related. I’m all healthy out here. But I don’t know, that’s not really up to me. I’m just trying to control what I can control. I think I’ve played pretty well. Definitely a couple mistakes that I’m trying to fix here and there, but I’m just trying to put the best product of Josh Rosen on the field that I can. It doesn’t really do well to focus on much else.”
(I guess just listening to you for the last few minutes, you seem positive and comfortable with where you are. I know a lot of people wondered if you were going to ask for a trade or ask out given your situation. Why is that not the route that you chose to take?) – “Because I like competing, but I think a lot of it is there is just a lot to learn and I think you kind of have to treasure the moments that you’re with a 16-, 17-maybe-year vet with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and a coordinator like Chan (Gailey) who’s been around the game for a long time. So I don’t really know when or where. Hopefully this year, here, I’ll get a shot to play; but I’m just trying to focus on preparing for that shot as best as I can. That’s within my control and I’m actually pretty satisfied with how I’ve come out and played this training camp. Obviously some holes here and there that I definitely need to improve on, but I really think I’m sort of trending in the right direction. I’m enjoying it more than I ever have actually.”
(Your positivity is just so radiant right and at a point where it seems kind of – you have an awkward place in this quarterback competition with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick being the expected starter and QB Tua Tagovailoa kind of being the heir to it. Just how do you find this positivity because I don’t think your career is probably gone the way you probably wanted it to go or maybe envisioned it going, versus how it’s gone so far?) – “I feel positive because I’ve noticed I’m a lot more comfortable behind center this year than I was last year. And I’m walking up to the line of scrimmage with a plan, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve put a lot of work in this offseason, and after I got benched – got benched the first time – but the final time, the last time before (against the Washington Football Team), I sort of did kind like a big mirror reality check and just wanted to completely turn inwards and see what I could do better. I kind of flicked myself in the head, like, ‘you’re literally in the room with one of the best minds to ever do it, and that’s ‘Fitz.’’ So I basically just sat there and tried to swallow up as much as I could from him and I took that sort of process into the offseason, and I’m pretty happy with how I feel behind center at this point. I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I think I’ve only scratched the surface with what I can do. I guess the reason that I’m sort of positive outside of this situation is because really all I can control is my development, and I think that’s going in a good direction and I’m pretty – I don’t know the kind of word to pick here – but I’m doing well.”
(We were looking back dating back to your college days and we think it’s been five or six straight years where you’re going to have a different offensive coordinator. You just mentioned Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and I was just wondering, how do you kind of overcome the challenge and does it ever become overwhelming at some point just going through so much change?) – “It’s overwhelming every single year and then there’s always kind of a moment – usually it’s like spring ball in college or like OTAs, where you feel like you’re drinking from a firehose and there’s always kind of a moment where it clicks and you’re like, ‘okay, I’m starting to feel this is my language.’ Each year it’s just kind of a rough road to get there, but once you get there, you’re pretty comfortable. They’re just different styles and this offense that Chan (Gailey) runs is very player-oriented, so it’s just put your guys in position, let them make plays. He wants us to play fast, make quick decisions and let our playmakers make plays, and we’ve got a lot of them. This a pretty stark contrast to what we had last year. It was a very different style and I’m not saying one is better than the other, but I’m just enjoying my time in this one right now and learning some of the nuances that – Chan and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) have worked together and it’s really cool, actually, to go back and watch old Chan-Jets film with ‘Fitz’ at quarterback, so we can see those specific plays and we can see and ask and talk about the thought process of that play call and what ‘Fitz’ was thinking and why he threw it somewhere, and reliving some of the heartbreaks and celebrations on some of the plays. (laughter)”
(I found it interesting where you were talking about that soul-searching that you were doing. Given how you were drafted as high as you were and had whatever amount of expectations you may have had on yourself or your career, how difficult was it to reach this point where you’re as positive as you are in where you are and would there a point you could see yourself saying, “okay, I tried to win a job here in Miami, maybe it’s time to try and win a job elsewhere?”) –
I’m not really focused – maybe my mindset will change at some point in the future – but I’m not really focused as much on winning a job as I am just getting better, because I feel like I’ve bounced around a little bit at this point in my career; and when you focus on this, you kind of forget about this. I’m not saying I forgot about one or the other, but my peace right now is in my development as a quarterback, and I feel like that’s been going in a positive direction and that’s why I feel good about where I am right now. I was drafted in the first round and I think around the league, people still think I can play to a certain extent; and just whenever that opportunity comes wherever it comes, I just want to be prepared for it because they’re few and far between, and I didn’t do great with the two that I already had. Not many people get third chances, so I’m definitely going to seize the opportunity when it comes.”
Ereck Flowers – August 25, 2020
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
G Ereck Flowers
(I wanted to ask you what the experience was like with COVID and how you got through that.) – “The first couple of days were rough. Then it’s like, you slowly just get over it. Then you have to work your way back with conditioning and your breathing and all of that stuff. I think they did a pretty good job of helping me work back before just throwing me onto the field. I think it went pretty smooth.”
(I pretty much watched you grow ever since you were in high school, seeing you working out at the L.A. Fitness gym back in the day. How has it been for you now coming full circle, playing high school ball here, college ball here and now coming back to your hometown to do what you’ve pretty much grown to want to do?) – “Yeah, it’s crazy because down here growing up, I’d go to the Dolphins camps, to their practices at the stadium, to their games. Then growing up in optimist, we had little – the stadium provided certain people – teams, like their optimist clubs and high schools – to work at the stadium to get fundraisers and all of that stuff. So I’ve grown up around it this whole time, from UM football to the Dolphins. It’s pretty crazy being able to play at all three levels at where you’re from; but I wouldn’t trade it for nothing, really. I’m extremely happy.”
(You stepped up and have sort of been the leader of a lot of these rookies, having them out here after practice. How important is that for you to step up and serve as a leader, considering you’re one of the most experienced offensive linemen on the team?) – “It’s very important. I didn’t learn the importance of that – practicing the right things and taking that extra time – it took me about four or five years. Coming into the league is all about what type of room you’re coming into. Every room isn’t the same. Everybody doesn’t come into rooms with a veteran or a coach that really teaches you the right way of how to become an NFL linemen. The past year I got to play with Bill Callahan, who by far has been the best teacher – not just in football – I’ve been around since I’ve been playing football. He’s taught me so much and being able to play next to a Pro Bowl right guard, Brandon Scherff. (Callahan) showed me some of the stuff he did with the Dallas o-line and just his resume, the proof is in the pudding. Going into my fifth year in the league, I kind of just forgot everything I knew and just tried to learn his way and the right way, and be around guys that do it the right way. That’s just how they do. Good players go before practice and stay after practice, and they put in countless reps to get any type of production.”
(I just wanted to ask you about the rookies in your room. You guys have maybe two or three rookies that may start or play for you guys at some point. What is it like to play with young guys now, as the veteran in the room?) – “It’s kind of crazy because this has been – it’s crazy to think that because this has been the fastest, kind of slow but fastest – like I’m in my sixth year. It’s kind of crazy looking at these young guys and they’re actually looking at me. I’m like, ‘Damn, just yesterday I was the young guy trying to find somebody to teach me how to do something this way.’ It’s been cool, man. All of them are open-minded. All of them are trying to learn. They’re all trying to get better. Me personally, I’m just trying to give them everything I know and take what I know and go on with their own experiences. I’m just doing what I can. They know if they have questions, they can ask me. Anything I see, I just try to tell them and I ask them to tell me what they see on my end. We just work together.”
(You talked about your practice habits and your career began at tackle and then you kicked inside to guard, and you have your best year last year in Washington. What do you think it is about playing inside that really suits your skillset so well?) – “I think I have decent length and arms, as far as getting on guys faster. I think that kind of plays a little bit more into my strengths as opposed to having shorter arms, as far as trying to get on guys. I’m taller, so I think that kind of helps. Also, I’m kind of a bigger dude, so I think it’s easier like right now, as opposed to trying to time it. I think I could play tackle but I wasn’t equipped with the right – what I know now, going back to it, it probably would’ve been different. But as far as guard, I like it because it’s right now and I’m more of a right now type of person.”
(You already mentioned that you’re in a teaching role now. Do you find yourself teaching G Danny Isidora a little bit more considering you both are from South Florida, both went to The U. Although you guys are around the same age, do you find yourself teaching him a little bit more since you have a little bit more of experience than him?) – “Yeah. I came into the league with Brandon Scherff and he taught me more than all of the older dudes I was with. I’m just relaying the info that was relayed to him and how it’s supposed to go. Me and Danny actually worked out together in the offseason. I brought my equipment and we tried to work, because COVID kind of messed a lot of things up. I think Danny is having a great camp. I think his hand placement has been really good and he’s doing really good out there; and it’s not me teaching him, I’m just relaying info that I got from somebody else to him.”
(With the size that you guys have, this whole line, you’re one of the bigger guys but you guys have a lot of girth. Do you think that will play well for you this season, especially in this heat?) – “I hope so. I really hope so. But it’s one of those leagues where any game – you just never know. You just try to go in there the most prepared as you can. I kind of hate that we don’t have any preseason games. We didn’t have OTAs. We didn’t have time to really gel. I think we’re going along fine but we’re going to have to wait and see. We’re going to have to get better every week – week after week after week – and really just continue to get better. I think that has to be the mindset to get to where we want to be. Wherever we start, just get better. It’s kind of unfortunate how it is right now.”
(I was wondering about Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall. I haven’t gotten to know him too well just yet. Is there something that he says all of the time?) – “Yeah. ‘Marsh’ has been great. I think he’s doing a great job with rookies like learning their assignments, and really trying to get them together. It’s really just going to take everybody. It’s going to take everybody because of how it is and how we just jumped into camp and guys are finally getting together and meeting each other, it’s kind of hard for him to go to every single player. But he’s trying to get to every single dude and get as much as he can get done. I think he’s doing a great job. Like I’ve said, we just have to keep getting better.”
Brian Flores – August 25, 2020
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to get your update on a couple of things. First of all, the decision to put DE Curtis Weaver, waive him with an injury designation. Are you expecting him to be back? And two, how is LB Kyle Van Noy?) – “Weaver – I’ll start there – a lot goes into these decisions: the injury itself, player performance, salary cap, depth at the position, next year’s draft. There’s a lot that goes into it. Those conversations happen with myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), the coaching staff. He’s waived. He could get claimed. It’s a small percentage of players who do get claimed in this situation. We’ll see if we get him back. We’ll know this evening. As far as Kyle, he got banged up a little bit yesterday. He’s getting treatment. He’s feeling a little bit better. We’re just going to take this thing day to day and we’re hopeful he’ll be out there – I know he’ll try to get out there – as soon as he can.”
(What kind of camp is QB Josh Rosen having?) – “Like all of the quarterbacks, he’s had some good moments, some bad moments. All in all, I think he’s competing. I think he’s made some – of all the quarterbacks, he’s probably got the biggest arm. He’s made some incredible throws. Consistency – I would say we need to always be more consistent at every position, specifically the quarterback. There’s a lot of competition there from ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) to Tua (Tagovailoa) to Josh. But he’s a talented player. He’s been competing. Consistency, really at that position, you need it – situationally, from a leadership standpoint. I do think he’s making a lot of progress and hopefully we’ll continue with that progress.”
(I know you’ve talked about it in different situations before but there was another black man that was shot in a public manner by police with Jacob Blake. I wanted to see if you wanted to say anything about how that impacts you and your team going forward, and if that’s something that you’ve discussed with them.) – “There’s a lot that goes into this. I think for me, when a situation like this comes up again, it just reminds me that there’s a lot of fear in this world, there’s a lot of anger in this world. There’s racism, there’s classism, there’s sexism. There’s a lot of division. And what we need is unity. That’s what we need. Unfortunately, situations like this create more division and I think it’s sad. I haven’t watched it because I’m not ready to watch it emotionally. I think I have a pretty good idea of what I’m going to see; but there’s just a lot of division. We need more unity. I haven’t talked to the team about it yet, but we’ve had conversations about race and injustices. I think they know where I stand on this. I think individually, we all need to be better. We all need to be more empathetic. We all need to take more ownership of how we treat people. Again, there’s a lot of fear, there’s a lot of anger on all sides. It’s unfortunate. There’s a lot of division. Hopefully, I just try to do my best to improve the situation anyway I can. I think our team tries to do that and use our platform to create more harmony and camaraderie in the world. Hopefully we take the situation and try to make something good out of it; but when it continually happens, it’s frustrating. We’ve got to do our best to try to make a kinder, more empathetic, more unified world.”
(We’ve talked about G Ereck Flowers before but in speaking with the three rookies yesterday or two days ago, all three of them were very complimentary of what Ereck has done for them in kind of a mentorship role. Is there a way to describe just how valuable that can be, especially when there’s so many newcomers and rookies on the line?) – “I think it’s very valuable. Ereck has had a lot of experiences in this league. He was a high draft pick, has played for a few different teams, has had a lot of ups (and) downs over the course of his career. He’s learned a lot. I think he’s really kind of taken those young players under his wing to a degree. To me, what better of a guy to do that than someone who has had as many experiences as he’s had. He’s been in different places, been in different systems and had some success also – success and failures. When he talks to a young guy – a young offensive lineman – he’s talking to him with a lot of knowledge. I think if they just do a quick Google search, they’ll read about it and know that he’s been through a lot; and he’s gone through it and he practices hard every day and it’s important to him. He goes about his business the right way. I think he’s learned a lot over the course of his career. That’s been nice to see. It’s Ereck but it’s also Ted Karras, it’s Jesse Davis. I think Julién Davenport, (Adam) Pankey. They all work well together. Danny Isidora. They all kind of work together and helping those young guys get acclimated to the National Football League. Obviously there’s no preseason games, so they don’t get to go out there and bang with another team, but I know there’s a lot of conversations about what it’s like to play a game in this league. Those conversations are happening and guys like Ereck, Ted and Danny, they’re leading those conversations.”
(This is kind of a two-part question. I wanted to ask you about your thought process on rookies because last year, especially with G Michael Deiter, you put him in there and threw him in the deep end to see how he played. It seems like you’re doing the same with a lot of these rookies from CB Noah Igbinoghene to the offensive linemen. Is that just your coaching philosophy? I also wanted to ask you about CB Nik Needham, because he’s gotten a call up to the first team because of Noah’s injury. How has he done so far in training camp in your opinion?) – “I’ll start that with Nik. I think Nik has made a lot of improvement over the course of the year. How Nik came into training camp, he’s learned a lot. I think he’s matured a lot. I think he’s taken a lot more of a professional approach from his rookie year. He’s made some strides. I tell these guys, when you get your opportunity, you have to take advantage of it. It’s like basketball. When you get your opportunity, that’s like getting to the free throw line. You either make it or you don’t. That’s kind of some of the things we talk about. So when Nik goes in because somebody else goes down and plays well, that’s what we’re talking about as far as taking advantage of your opportunities. And that’s not just football, that’s life in general. Nik’s done a good job. As far as rookies in general and throwing them into the fire versus not throwing them into the fire, look we play the guys we feel give us the best chance to win. That was the case with – I know you mentioned Dieter. Last year he played a lot of football – a year ago – and we felt like he gave us the best chance to win. But at the same time, there’s a little bit of forecasting and predicting that we need to do as coaches, as an organization and as a personnel department, where a guy may not be better than somebody else Week 1; but the prediction and the forecast is that he may be better in Week 12. Those are decisions we have to make. Every team is making those decisions in some form or fashion. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case. We might feel like he is better right now – not Deiter, I’m not talking specifically about one specific player; but in general, we may feel like ‘Player X’ is better than the veteran. But we may also feel like ‘Player X’ is going to be better. That’s a lot of what goes into the decisions here. You guys will never really know what I’m thinking at the end of the day. (laughter)”
(We were asking about G Ereck Flowers. Obviously he spent some time on the COVID list. CB Xavien Howard has been out for a while. Common sense says if they’re on for more than a few days, they’ve got something going on. For those guys have had long absences because of COVID, have you noticed just the normal conditioning they lose from a week of not practicing, that the illness might have some effect on them or that it takes another week or two to get that breath back?) – “I think every case is different. They are. Everyone responds to an infection, that infection, sickness, injury – everyone responds a little differently. Obviously if you’re out for an extended period of time, your conditioning – whether it’s a world-class athlete or you or I – is not going to be as good as it was the 10 days or two weeks prior. That’s always going to be an issue, it doesn’t matter who it is. We just take it case by case and try to work the guys back and work them back into shape, and get them out there as quickly as we can. Everyone needs to practice. Everyone needs to prepare. We’re closing in on cuts and the first week of the season, so we need the guys out there. But yeah, to answer your question, everyone is a little bit different.”
(There were some reports this summer about some teams reaching out about QB Josh Rosen’s availability. Obviously I know you won’t divulge much into that but it seems that whether QB Ryan Fitzpatrick holds up or he doesn’t, or you may not be ready to unleash QB Tua Tagovailoa, that Josh has a role to play here. Can you expand a little bit on where Josh kind of fits in with that quarterback competition?) – “Josh is competing. He’s competing like everyone else. I think we’re – let’s call it halfway through training camp. We’re not anointing anyone the starter. This is still a competition. I think he’s going to fit in and his role is going to be what he makes it, just like we say with every player at every position. Unless you’ve seen our depth chart and you know what I’m thinking – to me, we’re still going here. We’ve got a practice here. Guys will be competing and trying to get better. We’re going to work first, second and third down, and red area and two-minute. We’re going to work some two-point plays today. We’ll just compete and see how this thing shakes out.”
(On LB Raekwon McMillan, where is he in his development?) – “Raekwon has obviously started a lot of games in this league. (He’s a) good tackler, good communicator, smart player, plays in the kicking game. He’s still ascending. I think he’s doing well. He’s playing well this training camp. There’s a lot of competition at the linebacker position between Raekwon and Elandon Roberts and Calvin Munson and (Jerome) Baker and Kamu (Grugier-Hill). We’ll see where the chips fall. Yeah, everyone is still competing. This is practice seven of 14 of training camp, so we’re right at the halfway point. No decisions have been made but we’re closing in. We’re definitely making our evaluations and some people are ahead of others. You’re not going to get that out of me today. (laughter) We’re just trying to – we’re going to try to field the best team we can and try to compete for an entire season. Raekwon is playing well and I think he’s a very good player in this league.”
Preston Williams – August 24, 2020
Monday, August 24, 2020
WR Preston Williams
(We haven’t had a chance to talk since I think October, so I wanted to ask you about the injury, the rehab, what your mindset was like and how you feel now?) – “Getting injured – it’s not my first rodeo with the ACL, the knee injury. I just knew I needed to work as hard as I could to get back in time for camp. I just came here every day, stayed here the whole summer, all offseason, worked my ass off. Now I’m getting my reps at practice, so I’m just happy to be out there with the guys.”
(When did you have a knee injury before? At what level – was it college, was it high school? How did that experience teach you about what you needed to do to get back now?) – “I had it in high school my senior year on my senior night. I left high school early to go to college and start rehab. Jumping on it quick helps a lot and being really dedicated. It’s all about how you work. I knew when I got this one, I just needed to work very hard to get back.”
(We got a taste to see what you could do on the field last year. You kind of balled out a bit. What can you take out of that rookie year going into year two, and obviously want to do better than that?) – “Last year, I was just getting my feet wet. Just improve as a player from last year. A lot of the balls I could’ve caught, I’ve got to catch those and make those plays. Overall, just be a better player. The game slowed down a little bit to me, so I think I’ll have a better year this year.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was just talking about how you, and WR DeVante Parker is a nice duo to have because you guys have a lot of similarities. I’m curious, do you and him have any kind of competition going at all between you in terms of who is going to have more catches, who is going to have more yards, touchdowns, all of that?) – “Nah, we just feed off of each other. If DeVante makes a play, I want to make a play. If I make a play, DeVante wants to make a play. We do whatever we need to do to help the team.”
(How are you adapting to the new system and the new terminology here under Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and how this offense benefits your skillset?) – “I’m adapting pretty well, learning more positions. It’s more simple, I can say that. I feel like I fit in this offense pretty well, just by looking at the past people he had, with Brandon Marshall and all of them. Just the same body frame and stuff. I think this offense is real unique and I like it.”
(Do you have any statistical goals for yourself this year?) – “Stay healthy.”
(With this offense, we hear a lot about how you can make your own route adjustments as a receiver. Can you go through that for us, like what is the freedom that it gives you and how you think that benefits you?) – “Coach Chan (Gailey) always says get open. That’s our No. 1 job. They give you a lot of freedom, and you know you have time. He says you have a lot of time to work the DB and get open. Getting open that’s all we know, that’s all we try to do.”
(Just wondering your thoughts on the stadium allowing a limited number of fans. Is 13,000 fans better than none? I’m also curious what’s it going to be like going to one stadium where there are going to be some fans and maybe an empty stadium the next week? What’s that kind of going to be like?) – “I guess we’ll just treat it like practice. There is nobody here right now, so I guess we’ll treat it the same. I don’t know exactly what the number is. I haven’t heard anything about the fans being in the stadium. We’ll see when we get there.”
(What’s it like having another 6-3-plus guy on the other side of you in WR DeVante Parker? Do you all have any good nicknames yet for your duo?) – “Not yet. Hopefully we can find one or the fans give us a nickname or something. Hopefully we’ll get one.”
(I’ve been real impressed with how you look. I didn’t really expect you to look so up to speed. I’m thinking you’re about 90 percent. Can you tell me if that’s good or if it’s actually higher? But also, I’m wondering what’s the moment where you said, ‘I’m back, I’m good, my knee is good?’ When was that moment?) – “Probably in the summer. Just being here with the training staff and in the weight room, just getting that work in. We were just working on all the little things. Percentage-wise, I don’t know how I feel. It’s up and down. The first day we stepped on the field, it felt back to normal to me.”
(Did you have that moment when you said, ‘Ok, it’s good?’ You said during practice in the summer; but did you have that moment when you said ‘Ok, I’m past this?’) – “I had that moment where I knew I could go back and compete. Just from my last injury, I knew my timeframe and what I did to be back at a certain time. I just did the same thing I did last time.”
