Isaiah Ford – August 19, 2020
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Wednesday, August 19, 2020
WR Isaiah Ford
(Yesterday, a few of us saw that you were the last person to leave the field – putting in extra work at the JUGS machine. Where does that work ethic come from and what do you think about that opportunity over these next few weeks?) – “I think that’s something that was kind of instilled in me when I was younger, just growing up and watching my parents work extremely hard, working multiple jobs – my mom and my father. I think it started at a young age and just kind of carried throughout my entire playing career, whatever sport that was. If you want success, you’re going to have to put in work and put in extra work at times, too. I’m thinking that’s just kind of where it started.”
(You’ve kind of teased us over the last two years with strong early practices and then sort of faded with injuries. What is going to make this camp different than the past ones?) – “I joked around with our trainer, Kyle (Johnston). Usually it’s the second day of training camp that I’ve been injured, since I’ve been here. We’ve made it past that one, knock on wood. This offseason I worked extremely hard on just preparing my body mentally and physically. I’m actually 200 pounds now and that was a big goal of mine for a while. Me and our nutritionist have been working extremely hard on that and then this offseason, I’ve been working extremely hard on focusing on the little details and little muscles – stability, balance, core and all of those things to kind of strengthen everything around my major muscle groups.”
(This is unlike any traditional training camp in light of COVID-19. Has it been different from Day 1 to now? Different protocols? I know you can’t speak for your teammates but for yourself, are you getting used to all of this?) – “Yeah. I think the more you get into a routine of doing things, it becomes like a new normal almost. At the end of the day, we all want to play football, so we all want to take the necessary precautions and protocol steps that we have to take for us to play the sport safely. I haven’t had any trouble doing that or anything like that. It’s been fine.”
(How do you think CB Noah Igbinoghene has been doing out there the first couple of days?) – “I think he’s doing well. He’s going out there and he’s competing. You can tell he’s a really competitive guy. If he gets beat, he’s going to come back and try the next play. He’s not going to get down on himself or anything, which at that position, you have to have confidence in yourself. I think that the more reps he gets, he’ll continue to get better.”
(Last year I think it was, you mentioned how you had confidence in yourself the whole time. You had a chance to perform and you did that at the end of the year and yet, here we are again and you’re fighting for the roster spot and a prominent role on the offense. Up until now, how have you avoided saying ‘Jeez, what do I have to do to establish myself in this league?’ How do you avoid getting that feeling because you’ve been on that doorstep so long?) – “I just take it one day at a time. Throughout this entire process, I’m going into my fourth year, I’ve learned that you can only control what you can control. It sounds cliché but it’s the truth. Whether that’s me being intentional and getting to meetings early or staying after, doing work or studying extra – whatever I have to do, whatever that’s in my control that I can actually physically do and take control of, I try to do those things and let the chips fall where they may.”
(The last time we talked was about your foundation. I just wanted you to update me on how things are going with the Be The Change Foundation?) – “Things are going really well. We got a big donation right after we had that conversation last time. I don’t want to say who it was but it was somebody that was really near and dear to my heart, so I was extremely happy about that. The foundation is going well. We’re still raising money for the GoFundMe and if we raise enough money, we might even be able to do two scholarships, which would be pretty cool too.”
(Maybe it was a joke, maybe it was not; but QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said last season that you knew the offense a little bit more intimately than some coaches. I guess I wanted to get your take on Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s new offense and how it may be easier for players to learn, and kind of how everybody is grasping it so far?) – “I think the unique thing about Coach Gailey is that he allows us freedom within the routes that we are running. As a wide out, that’s something that you really want to hear. To be able to be creative and have that freedom to kind of paint your own picture when you’re running routes and not just have to go in straight lines. In terms of the offense, it’s just like any other offense. You’re going to have to actually put in time to learn the playbook and implement things. I think the more that we can do collectively as a group to kind of learn full concepts instead of just one position, I think the better we’ll be in terms of everyone being able to move around and things like that.”
(I know that obviously you guys had WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns opt out and obviously that hurts the team; but from a personal perspective, that provides more opportunities for the other guys. How have you looked at maybe the increased opportunity to not just make the team but play a significant role from Week 1?) – “I’m honestly just trying to focus one day at a time. That’s how I’ve been taking it my entire time being in the league, and I think that’s something that I’ve found to work for me – staying focused on living in the now, whether that’s one rep at a time or one meeting at a time, and so on and so forth down the line. Then at the end of the day, we’ll see where we are. But I think the more that I can focus just being where my feet are and focusing on the now, I think I’ll be where I want to be.”
(How much did the experience that you gained playing last season and working in the slot, do you feel helped you in terms of your development?) – “I think it helped a ton. Being able to take those mental reps from the guys that I’ve learned from in the past, whether it’s been Kenny (Stills) or Danny (Amendola) down the road to Albert (Wilson) and Allen (Hurns) when he came on. Just watching film with those guys and being able to pick their brains and things like that, then getting in the quarterbacks room and watching film with Josh (Rosen) and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) last year. Just seeing what they’re seeing and understanding the little nuances that help you see coverages and defenses better to get a better feel of where to be at and the timing and everything like that. I think that’s played a (big) role of not only building my confidence but helping me go out there and play, because now I’m not thinking so much. I’m just going out there and playing fast.”
(I’d like to revisit the opt-outs by WR Allen Hurns and WR Albert Wilson for just a second. Did you not think there was a door open that much more, not just to make the roster but for playing time, given there were two fewer receivers out here now?) – “We’ve got a room full of competitive guys. I think that’s something that has been stated before they decided to opt out, and even now. Our room has a ton of competitiveness, a ton of talent, and it’s just my job to go in each day and continue to work to get a little better each day and kind of just do whatever I can to be an outlet – whether it’s the younger guys bouncing ideas or things that I’m seeing that they may not be seeing or everything, just to make our group complete as a whole.”
(When you’re out there in the slot, what’s it like playing with WR Preston Williams and WR DeVante Parker both being those big receivers on the outside, drawing that attention?) – “It’s a lot of fun. I think those two are so unique in their demeanors and personalities. They’re kind of two completely different people but on the field, they’re both monsters in their own way. They’re extremely gifted, extremely talented people and they can make a big play at any time. It’s a lot of fun. I think we’ve got a really good receiving group.”
Brian Flores – August 19, 2020
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Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We learned about LB Vince Biegel’s injury yesterday. How surprising was that and what is the plan to compensate for his loss?) – “It was unfortunate – him getting injured. It was a significant injury. It’s a tough loss for us; but as I said to the team, Vince embodies a lot of things that we’re looking for in a Dolphin. He’s tough, he’s smart, it’s important to him, he’s competitive, he’s a team-first guy. So it’s a tough loss; but as Biegel would want us to, we have to move on and other guys have to step up. We’ve got some competition, some depth, at the end position and at the linebacker position. While it’s a tough loss for us, we’ve got to move on and the next guy has to come in and compete and give us some good production.”
(I noticed WR Preston Williams yesterday wasn’t out there. What’s the plan for him? Was that unexpected or was that part of the plan?) – “Preston is coming off the knee injury a year ago. We’ve got a plan for him and that will include some days where he’s not out there. I expect that he’ll be out there today and he’s going to get his – you guys may not see him on the field, but he’s working whether it’s in the weight room or the bubble or the training room. He’s obviously always working hard to get back; but from a management standpoint, we want to take care of all of our players. So whether it’s Preston or anyone else coming back from rehab or injury, we’ve got a plan in place. In some cases, that includes – let’s call it load management or a day off here and there – and in some other cases, it doesn’t. It’s really case by case.”
(Load management, is that the same case it will be for QB Tua Tagovailoa? And what have you thought about his first two days in padded practices?) – “Like I just said, it’s case by case. As we go – I’m not going to get into specifically what we’re going to with each individual player. Obviously he’s coming off the hip (injury). I think he’s looked good thus far, from that standpoint physically. If guys can go and they’re feeling good, we revisit it really on a daily basis. Again, it’s case by case. As far as how he’s looked the first few days, some good, some bad. Lots to improve upon. Some good throws, some good decisions, some throws that aren’t so good, some not-so-good decisions. Tua, like all of the quarterbacks – you could probably say the same thing for all of them – obviously we’re evaluating all of the quarterbacks and all of the players on the roster. A lot of improvement needs to be made, but I’m pleased with all of our quarterbacks, as well as a lot of the players that are out there competing now.”
(What’s your view of the other quarterbacks? I know we ask a lot about QB Tua Tagovailoa, but what about QB Josh Rosen and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick? It looked like Josh had a really nice throw the first day. I just kind of wanted to get your gauge of how you’ve seen them practice so far.) – “I think all three guys are really competing. It’s a new offense, so the terminology and cadences – I think they’re all picking it up quickly and making good decisions, for the most part. I think that’s something that we’ve kind of harped on is constantly making good decisions – smart decisions – whether it’s throwing the ball downfield or checking the ball down or picking up the yardage for a first down. When we get into our 2-minute situations, getting us completions, getting us into field goal range rather than going for the big throw. But at the same time, we won’t be a check-down team the entire season either. There’s a lot that goes into it. I think from a communication, from a getting guys lined up, in and out of the huddle, leadership standpoint, I think all three guys are coming along fairly well. Hopefully we just continue on that trajectory.”
(Two things I want to cover real quick. One is a housekeeping thing, to make it official that LB Vince Biegel in fact tore his Achilles and won’t play this season. My real question is given the condensed nature of this offseason – what you’ve had to deal with with OTAs and now this training camp – what do you think the chances are that the injury risk is that much greater this year?) – “Well to answer your first question, all I can say about Biegel is that he’s got a significant injury. Once we make the transaction or any type of transaction or any type of statement on that, we want to get all of the information, all of the tests back. So I can’t say for certain what it was or wasn’t. As far as the lack of an offseason and the lack of training, I understand the question. I think it just kind of speaks to how important – I feel like the offseason is important for these guys, those OTAs, those reps, the conditioning of the body is all important. But I think our guys understood going on – it’s something we harped on in the virtual offseason. We talked to them about it. I think they were diligent as far as trying to work out, trying to stay in condition, trying to lift weights and do all of the things necessary to compete in an NFL training camp. But injuries happen in this league. It happens to every team in every training camp and for every team during the season. Nothing is more important than the health of the team. I think every coach in this entire league or really period – whether it’s NFL, college, high school, Pee Wee – the health of the team is critical. But injuries happen. You don’t want them to happen and we try to do everything to limit them from happening – from hydrating to stretching to getting into the training room for preventative exercises and things of that nature; but they happen. It’s unfortunate. I hate to see that with Biegel or any player. You see it around the league and I hate to see it for any player. I feel for all of those players because I know how important the game is to them and how much they put into it; so to see them get injured early in preseason or training camp is unfortunate. I think the guys in this league, each one of them – Biegel, I know for sure – is going to work extremely hard to come back stronger than ever, however long it takes for him to get back. And I’m sure it’s the same for all of the other guys across the league.”
(You had two veteran wide receivers opt out a week ago or a couple of weeks ago. What are your thoughts about the depth at wide receiver that you have currently, based on what you’ve seen the last couple of days?) – “I’ve been pleased with that group. Obviously working through some – like we talked about with Preston earlier, we’re working through some guys who we are trying to manage. But from DeVante (Parker) to Jakeem (Grant) to even some of our younger players – Matt Cole and Ricardo Louis, we got him back – I think these guys are all working hard. I think ‘Grizz’ (Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard) has done a good job as far as working the techniques, the fundamentals and getting them up to speed on what we’re trying to do offensively. I like the group. I think they understand the importance of blocking in the run game and getting open and catching the football consistently. We just need to continue to keep working on those things. We had the two opt-outs and again, we were very supportive of both Albert (Wilson) and Allen (Hurns). Then we brought Chester (Rogers) on and we brought Ricardo (Louis) on and I think those guys have done solid so far, but we still have a long way to go. It’s still somewhat early. For those new guys, especially the young guys, getting used to the speed of the NFL, getting used to – Kirk Merritt, Malcolm Perry, Matt Cole – getting used to the speed, getting used to the physicality of corners in this league, that takes a little getting used to and I think they’re all working through that. But I like the group. It’s a tough group.”
(The Patriots announced that there aren’t going to be any fans Week 1 when you guys play there. I’m just curious of your thoughts on playing an NFL game – any football game; it seems like in other sports guys have played games maybe in empty arenas but in football, these guys have probably never played a game with empty stands. So I’m just curious of your thoughts on playing a game with nobody in there.) – “That will be very different. When I was in high school growing up in Brooklyn, Brooklyn is not a big football town. I think we had two, three, four-hundred people at the game. But we had some loud fans at my high school – parents. (laughter) But yeah, it will be a different experience. It will be something that really no one – I would say from college to the guys who play in this league – nobody has kind of played in an atmosphere like that. I don’t know how it will feel. It will be the first time for all of us when we get there. We’ll try to make the best of the situation. At the end of the day, football is played between the lines and we’ll just focus on that and try to execute offensively, defensively and in the kicking game, try to coach it well on our end position by position, try to manage the game effectively and not worry about who is in the stands or not in the stands.”
(I wanted to ask about LB Andrew Van Ginkel in terms of his development. Now that LB Vince Biegel is gone, what do you want to see from him? And also, some of the new guys – LB Kamu Grugier-Hill and LB Elandon Roberts – can they fill that role?) – “I’ll start with Van Ginkel. I think he’s had a good offseason. He really works hard. His strength is up. I think the first to second year leap, as some would call it, is an important one. I think he’s kind of taken that seriously and made a lot of improvements, and you can kind of see it in his game right now. Whether or not that translates into on-field production, that remains to be seen; but I’m happy with where he is. I know you mentioned Kamu and Roberts. I think both guys have come in and have some familiarity with the defense already. The little tweaks that are different from when they were last in it, I think they’ve picked up on those quickly. There’s leadership from both guys. Look, filling Biegel’s shoes will be a collective effort from the linebacker group from the end group to the kicking game. Biegel played a lot of roles for us a year ago in the kicking game as well. There’s a lot of roles to fill. Again, Roberts, (Kyle) Van Noy, Kamu, Van Ginkel, (Curtis) Weaver will all have a shot in there. We’ll see how this goes. When a guy goes down, there’s a little bit of what we call depth chart madness that happens. We’re kind of dealing with that on a day-to-day basis with injuries and with things like the Biegel situation where you just have to go back and say ‘we thought it was going to be this and now we’ve got to switch.’ But I think our staff, they’ve done a good job of adapting. Being flexible, that’s what basically 2020 is all about. If you’re not that then you’re going to struggle.”
Mike Gesicki – August 18, 2020
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020
TE Mike Gesicki
(This will be your third offensive system in as many years in Miami. How have your first two years prepared you to take this latest scheme change in stride and continue building on what you finished with last year?) – “I think that that’s just kind of the mindset. It’s just something new again this year; but at the end of the day, it’s just football, so you’ve just got to come out, know your role, know your assignment and go out and execute to the best of your ability. That’s really all that you can do no matter who’s calling the plays or what the plays are called or all of that kind of stuff.”
(Congratulations on your engagement. I was wondering if you could kind of talk about your fiancée and how she has…) – “Hey, thanks. She’ll love this. (laughter) Yeah, absolutely. I just got engaged this past summer. Her name’s Halle and I met her at Penn State. She’s from New Jersey, actually has like a summer house where I’m from in New Jersey down by the beach, so it all worked out really well. She’s the best. We’ve really grown together and all of that kind of stuff and are excited now for our future together, so it’s cool stuff.”
(Transitioning a bit more towards football – I know that you played a lot in the slot last year and Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense tends to use a lot more receivers and tight ends, I guess, in the pass. What do you look at, I guess, the slot role and how it fits your game playing out of that?) – “I think that this offense is kind of built for people to make plays, so no matter what position you’re in, whether you’re a running back, tight end, receiver, quarterback; it doesn’t really matter. I think that if you’re going to get open, if you’re going to know your role, know your assignment and go out and execute to the best of your ability, then you’re going to be put in a position to be successful and help our offense make some plays. In terms of just playing that slot that you’re talking about, I think that’s just the same mindset as well. If you’re in the slot and no matter who’s covering you and no matter what the coverage is, whatever it is – your role – go out, get open and just let everything else take care of itself.”
(I wanted to ask, the other day Tight Ends Coach George Godsey mentioned how you and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick were working together, how you were I think trying to get an idea of how plays develop from a quarterback’s perspective. I’m wondering how that process went and how that can help you from a tight end perspective.) – “I think playing ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) helps everybody, no matter your position. With his experience and his knowledge of the game, you’d be stupid not to ask him questions and try to see it through his eyes and get his perspective, so this way you kind of get some of his experience as well. So I try to talk to him no matter what the situation just to kind of ask him how he sees it, how he sees me getting open, getting some of my releases – that kind of stuff. Then it’s just kind of understanding where you fall in the progression of the play. So I think that all those things are super important because if you’re not the first read and you’re on the back side or you know you have more time to get open, you can run your route a little bit differently, so I think understanding those minor details of the route rather than just, ‘hey, I know I have this backside in-cut at 14 – like, understanding the full concept of the play just like the quarterback does.”
(Kind of a similar question in regards to what you just finished up on that last question, with the personal groupings, when you guys have you WR DeVante Parker and WR Preston Williams on the field, and all that height and leaping ability the three of you guys offer, how does having those guys on the field help create mismatches for you or maybe change the way you approach to how you execute your route?) – “I think after the seasons that those guys had last year, obviously Preston before he went down, was making a ton of plays for us, and DeVante, it seemed like every time you put the ball up to him, he was making a huge play. To have those guys on the outside, I think it’s hard to send more attention to a tight end or to a slot or anything inside just because of the threats that they are in their individual positions. Having those guys out there definitely helps. When you get your man to man or when you get your single coverage, you have to be able to win and dominate your matchups, this way there is more trust in you to go out and make plays. Then also maybe you can draw a little more attention to those guys who are getting their opportunities, as well.”
(I saw some statistics from Week 12 to the end of the season, you had a big increase in the number of end zone targets and red zone targets. I’m wondering what you’ve come to learn about the best way you can create a possibility of a touchdown in those situations as your career has progressed?) – “I think down in the red zone, I think it’s an area of the field obviously where you’ve got to get the ball in the end zone no matter what the play is. For me specifically, running routes and getting open and trying to make plays down there, I think you have to understand that you don’t have to rush the route, stay patient and you have more time than you would anticipate down in the red zone. Also, the majority of the time it’s going to be a tight window throw, it’s going to be a contested catch, so be prepared for – have strong hands, be ready to take a hit. Then do whatever you’ve got to do, whether it’s a high ball and just keeping it away from the defender or whether it’s across the middle and you’re got to take a hit – whatever it is. Understanding that and just finding – I think it’s more of finding open spaces down there, just because it’s a more condensed space.”
(Obviously you got to know QB Ryan Fitzpatrick well last year. I wanted to see what’s your relationship been with QB Tua Tagovailoa in the early process and how well you have gotten to know him as a person and as a quarterback?) – “Tua has been great – great around the building, great on the field. He’s really just a kid at 22 years old. He could’ve still been in college, which is crazy when you think about that stuff. For him to come in here and really grasp the playbook, grasp the feel of the locker room and then go out there and make plays and put the ball where it needs to be, I’m super excited about his future and all of that kind of stuff. It’s been good to have him in the building and it’s been good to be around him. He’s a really good dude.”
DeVante Parker – August 18, 2020
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020
WR DeVante Parker
(I wanted to talk about your breakout season last year and picking up where you left off the last couple of days in practice on these deep balls and jump balls. Head Coach Brian Flores talked this morning about your work habits and your workout regimen in the offseason. I was curious coming into this year, what are some things you feel that you can work on and how did you attack those in the offseason?) – “For me, I just feel like I have work to do on the comeback routes and things like that, and just getting this offense down pat so I can be ready to go.”
(In a year where you broke out last year, where there is more film available for defenders, how can you better prepare knowing that they have more film and study on you from last year?) – “I would say that coach – it’s almost rare to know. He moves guys around, so it’s hard for the defense to stick on you at one spot. I think that can be a big advantage for us.”
(You’re no longer a young player. You’re one of the oldest players in your room. With the loss of WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns, how important do you feel it is for you to step up and be a leader in that room?) – “I would say just teach the guys the things that I experienced as a rookie. Just tell them what they need to do and what they are doing right. Just be there for them whenever they need it.”
(I know last year, 1,000 yards was the big number for you and staying healthy for 16 games. What’s sort of your goal for this upcoming year?) – “Staying healthy (and) playing 16 games, that’s it.”
(How much time have you gotten to spend with QB Tua Tagovailoa? Have you been able to work with him one on one and how does he throw the football?) – “I’ve spent a little time with him and he has pretty good spin on the ball. He’s got a lot to learn but I can’t wait to see how he comes along in the next couple of years.”
(Based on your early impressions of Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s playbook, what are some of the different parts of your game you feel like you may be able to showcase more this year than last year now that you’re in a different system?) – “I’d say we have a little bit more freedom to do different things this year in this offense. I would say that.”
(A minute ago you talked about giving the young receivers advice. If you gave advice to yourself as a rookie today, what would that advice be?) – “Stay in the playbook, get your rest, just try to stay healthy, get whatever you need – massages and everything like that – just so that you’re prepared.”
(I wanted to ask you about film work. I think one of the things you’ve done as your career has progressed is watch more film. Are you watching more film than ever this year and how has the way you watch film changed?) – “I watch film this year, and the way I watch it now, it’s changed a lot. You have to see who you are going up against that week, especially if they are one of the top corners. You just have to be prepared to come out. The defensive back might switch up their technique or something and you have to know that, things like that.”
(We got to see you and WR Preston Williams work together for about seven or eight games last year before he got hurt. How do you guys build off each other in that duo and what do you look forward to this season working with him again?) – “Preston is one of our big guys. We both have big-play ability down the field, and we feed off of one another. I see him make a big catch and I’m going to come out and make a big catch also. That’s just how we do it.”
(How does going up against CB Byron Jones on a regular basis make both of you better? You had a nice catch early in practice today against him.) – “Byron is a good player. We just feed off of each other and we’re here to get each other better, that’s the biggest thing. He plays a different technique and sometimes you have to adjust to that, because I never have gone against him like that. We’re going to be making each other better.”
Eric Rowe – August 18, 2020
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020
S Eric Rowe
(It went so well obviously at safety for you last year. What did you go into the offseason thinking were areas you needed to improve on and did your play exceed even your expectations once you moved there?) – “There’s always stuff to work on, no matter what position or how long you’ve played. For me personally, I always work on man-to-man technique, press technique; but another thing I needed to work on was actually run game and run fits. As a corner, that’s not something you see a lot of and at safety obviously it’s a lot more prevalent, so I know that’s a thing I need to work on. Well, it was tough to work on in the offseason because there wasn’t anybody around; but for this training camp, work on my run fits and kind of seeing the run quicker than I did last year. As far as exceeding my expectations of last year, kind of – when they moved me there, I just worked on it game-by-game and I found it easier obviously to cover tight ends – they’re not as quick as receivers in the league. Some of them are pretty fast, but not all of them. Whichever one I covered, it was just my goal out there just to dominate them.”
(Earlier today, Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned that it was actually Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer’s idea to move you to safety last year. I’m wondering if he was the one who broke the news to you and if I were to give you a truth serum, what were you honestly thinking the moment they said safety?) – “(laughter) Shoot, the moment? I remember it because it was after the bye week and it was kind of like a transition. We were playing the (Washington Football Team) – not coming off the bye week, but that was the fourth game, and I remember the transition of one, because we had injuries at safety and then two, I guess when I was back there, he saw I was a good – I have a really good knowledge of the defense and I was making communication calls way from the corner spot, way out there making safety calls way on an island. It was kind of a mix of injuries and him seeing that and then I guess once I started covering tight ends, it was just already a done deal. So the minute I heard it, I was not thrown back, but I was like, ‘okay, we’ve got to help the team.’ We were super low at safety. Right now we had some pretty good (cornerbacks) – ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and Nik Needham was kind of coming on the rise. We had some good corners, so I moved back there to help the team out, however it goes down.”
(Obviously this is the second year for a lot of you guys in that secondary. It looked like you all had a good day today at practice. What’s realistic to expect from you guys as a secondary this upcoming year?) – “What do you mean ‘realistic?’”
(As far as you guys as a unit. Like what you guys want to achieve. Obviously building off last year is the first step, but like do you guys have goals as a unit of what you all want to achieve whether it’s pass defense, whether it’s interceptions – whatever you guys quantify as success?) – “Oh, yeah. First, our goal is to gel together because every year it’s a new team. So we’ve got new players in the secondary. We’ve got Noah (Igbinoghene) and Brandon (Jones) and Byron (Jones) and even whenever ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) comes back, so our first thing is we’ve got to gel together and then our second goal is to get the ball. This year we’re putting a huge emphasis on getting the ball – like getting an interception, getting the pick, batting the balls, tipping the balls to get a pick – however we’ve got to get it, that’s our huge emphasis for this year and it starts right now in training camp. We’ve even got a point board. Like whoever can get the ball out, everybody’s got like a little point list. That’s how far we’re emphasizing it.”
(We saw CB Noah Igbinoghene get some points today, I guess from that list you were talking about there. What are some things that you’ve seen from him whether it’s working with him over at Bonmarito’s and even here during training camp now? How much potential does that kid have?) – “He has a lot of potential. He’s explosive, strong, quick, and obviously he works hard as hell. He doesn’t care that he’s first round or whatever round he went; I can tell, you can see in his eye that he wants to great from the start. So what I’ve seen from him in camp … he still makes rookie mistakes like everybody does; but I can tell his learning progression, he’s going to be a good guy in the league.”
(I wanted to ask you what is the toughest aspect of this transition? You played safety in college. Is it the film study, the run fits? What is the most difficult part of making that switch from cornerback to safety?) – “Even though I did play it in college, I was mainly a free safety so I was in the post a lot. I didn’t really have to deal with run fits and all that, so when I made that transition, that was probably the most difficult thing, was knowing that I actually have a gap that I need to fit and it’s not like a corner has like the D-gap or the most outside gap. That’s easy. Like there’s some plays I actually have to read o-linemen, watch the pull – that happens fast – and at the same time, focus on my tight end in case it’s a pass play. So that’s probably the most difficult thing for me, was trying to pick up on the run game, try to understand fronts because now I’ve got to understand what front is our d-end in or the d-line in. At corner, you’re kind of like, ‘eh, I don’t really need to know that because I’m on an island;’ but now at safety, I have to know which front we’re in, which gap I have, if the o-line pulls and my guy flashes I have to get to this gap or there’s going to be a gaping hole. All that, so that’s probably the most difficult thing when I had to transition.”
(This is the second year you’re playing defense on this team along with a teammate of yours LB Vince Biegel. What are some things that Vince brings to the table as far as a teammate and a defender on the field?) – “He brings energy. Every day, consistent. Even last year when we traded for him, he brings energy every day. He can be gassed out, but he’ll still go 110 percent on the field and that’s what we need. Everybody sees it and we all know how hard he works and it kind of is a trickle-down effect, so him in (his) second year on the team, it’s the same as last year. He’s consistent, bringing the energy all day.”
(You’ve talked a little bit about today working closer to the line of scrimmage this season knowing that was going to be on your plate. Did your offseason training have a little bit of a different focus this year, coming in knowing and understanding that that was going to be a more prevalent part of your usage?) – “No, because it’s tough to train run fits in the offseason. I can’t ask like, four and five guys, ‘hey, you pull, you block down, you do this, you do that.’ So my offseason training was working on my man technique, press – because I know that’s like 90 percent of our defense playing man. I just kept with the same offseason training, just working on my feet, working on my hands, working on my route technique and then I know it’s usually supposed to be OTAs, but now this year it’s training camp, working on a lot of run fits, kind of seeing the run quicker, working with all that.”
Elandon Roberts – August 18, 2020
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020
LB Elandon Roberts
(What strikes you as most similar to the way New England does business from your first few months here? And also, how scary was it to see LB Vince Biegel go down today?) – “Being over here, we just take it one day at a time. (We’re) practicing hard and just trying to get better each day and whatnot.”
(I noticed yesterday that you jumped into the backfield during 11-on-11s and you were very, very vocal, kind of letting everyone on the offense know who you were and letting everybody feel your presence. What is it about you that gives you pride in doing so and just being so vocal in that sense on defense?) – “Every day I walk into the building, I just try to be the best teammate I can be – the best coachable player I can be, the best leader I can be. That’s all. And have fun out there. We’re all out there playing a game that we’ve been wanting to play since we were all little kids. It was just more so being competitive, being a great teammate, being a great leader on the field also.”
(I just kind of wanted to go back to that first question and have you expand on that. Two days in now, I just want to get your opinion on the physicality of practice and how intense it has been out there under Head Coach Brian Flores.) – “Well, you know Coach Flores comes from a background of scouting. He started off in scouting. He did a little special teams; he did a little offense. His pride and joy is defense. You know the physicality of practice is going to be up because that’s a part of the game and stuff like that. Like I said, we’re out there being physical; but at the same time, we’re taking care of one another, having fun and within that fun, doing our job.”
(I know you were used as a two-way player in New England. Have you gotten a little bit of chance to play some fullback and use your versatility in that way yet?) – “Right now, I’m just doing whatever the coaches need me to do. That’s all. Whatever the Miami Dolphins want me to do, that’s what I’ll do.”
(We saw a sight today that I’m sure no player wants to see with LB Vince Biegel getting carted off. How difficult is that to see a guy in your room get injured like that?) – “In practice today, I was so focused on what I had to do. I didn’t even notice it. But at the same time, when you get the opportunity, you’ll just have to ask Biegel.”
(Obviously you’re down here with LB Kyle Van Noy. What does he bring to the table in terms of a teammate, you guys both coming down from New England?) – “Kyle is a great guy on and off the field and whatnot. He’s the same as me. Whatever the coaching staff, whatever (Defensive Coordinator) Josh Boyer, (Brian) Flores – whatever these guys ask us to do, we’re going to do it. That’s throughout the whole team. Every guy kind of has the same mindset on the team: do my job, be physical doing my job, have fun and be a great teammate.”
(When you are able to – during training camp – operate with the first team, what kind of an opportunity do you feel that is for you, because I know everyone gets their chance at some point?) – “Whatever opportunity I get – just like every other player out here, all 80 players – whatever opportunity that we get as a team, you’re going to take advantage of it. Whether it’s the ones, the twos, whether I’m on special teams, whatever – I’m going to take advantage of my opportunity. I think that’s the same mindset with all of the other 80 players.”
(You touched on LB Kyle Van Noy in terms of what he brings to the team. What is he like in the meeting rooms? He’s the second oldest player on this team. Can you talk about the leadership he brings?) – “You know me and Kyle have been together for four years. It’s fun in the meeting rooms. (He is a) real smart guy. Great teammate. Great family guy. Our kids are like two or three weeks apart. Me and Kyle have a great relationship and stuff like that. Him being in that room and stuff like that, the environment, just seeing him is great. At the same time, it’s kind of the culture around the organization so every day we walk in, we’ve got a job to do. But you know that you’re going to get better, you’re going to have coaches to push you, players pushing you and stuff like that, because of the expectations.”
Brian Flores – August 18, 2020
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(What type of growth do you hope to see from WR DeVante Parker this year and what are the areas where he can improve his game and contributions to the team?) – “Obviously DeVante had a solid year last year. What I liked about him over the course of the offseason, virtual meetings, it just seemed like he was – I know he was working extremely hard from a conditioning standpoint, catching balls, route-running. I’m hoping to see improvements in all of those areas – catching the football, route-running, obviously it’s a new offense so understanding his position and a few different positions offensively. I think he’s done a good job. I think we’re still in the early stages here. I think he’s feeling more comfortable within the offense and he just needs to keep stringing good days together. I’m very pleased with DeVante thus far.”
(I know you want competition everywhere on the roster. I’m wondering where you see the most interesting competitions in the roster and does that involve rookies?) – “I would say it certainly involves the rookies. I think there are – we brought in some free agents, we brought in some rookies, we have some holdovers from last year, so I think there’s a lot of competition on the team – o-line, d-line, secondary, receivers, quarterback, running back. We tried to create a situation where there was competition everywhere, like you said. I’m anxious to see who rises to the top at all positions. It will be a good two weeks here in pads – three weeks – so 14 padded days (and) we have 13 left. I thought yesterday was a good day of fundamentals and technique, running the football, getting in and out of the huddle, communication. I thought the guys did a good job from that standpoint. Hopefully we’ll build on that. From a competition standpoint, we want it at every position. We feel like we kind of created a situation where there would be a lot of competition. The guys we feel best about are the guys who are going to play; but we have a long way to go until we get there. Well, not a long ways. It’s right around the corner.”
(I wanted to ask you about S Eric Rowe and the decision last year to move him to safety. How was it received from his end and how do you look back on it now? Is that one of the best moves you can recall making as a coach?) – “Well, Eric is a team guy. That wasn’t my decision. That was actually (Defensive Coordinator) Josh Boyer’s idea. It was something that he thought would be a good fit for Eric. He’s coached Eric. He’s spent a lot of time with him and obviously Josh felt like – we had a conversation about him. It wasn’t a thought I had. He had been playing corner really his entire career and I thought it was an interesting move, so we made it. There were some bumps early on but Eric worked at it, he watched a lot of film (and) he improved over the course of last season. He’s still early at the position. He’s still pretty new at that position but you could see some growth there even in these early stages of training camp. From a communication standpoint, playing corner and safety is very different. There’s still some things that he can improve on from that standpoint, but he does a lot of good things. Hopefully we can build on some of the things we did a year ago and continue to improve the fundamentals and techniques, the tackling, the communication at the safety position. We’re pleased with Eric, as well.”
(Whether it’s a long way to go or right around the corner, Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer definitely have their roles to play in helping you lead this team. What can you say from their work that they’ve done so far to let you know that they were the right moves to make for your coaching staff this offseason?) – “It’s Chan, Josh, (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Crossman, it’s the entire coaching staff. There’s no one person on a team that is the reason behind good, bad or ugly. It’s a team effort. We try to talk to the players about that. With there being 11 guys on the field, it’s the same as the coaching staff. Obviously Chan, Josh, Danny – they’re the leaders of offense, defense and special teams. I think they all do a really good job – and have done that thus far – of trying to implement a scheme under the current circumstances and teach the fundamentals, teach the techniques, teach the basic terminology – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. The virtual period was good but now getting them out on the field for walkthroughs and practice and seeing it live and seeing who can learn and who learns better in the classroom – does it translate to the field? Some have been better from in the classroom – they weren’t as good in the classroom and they’re better on the field; and some guys, it was better in the classroom and it doesn’t look as good on the field. We’ve just got to work through it. Every player is a little bit different. I think Chan, Josh and Danny have a good grasp of trying to figure out the best way that each individual player learns, and trying to find the best 11 guys or combination of players. I think they work at it. They work extremely hard at it. Obviously I’m part of those conversations; but yeah, I’m pleased with those guys.”
(With the pandemic, one of the challenges for players has just been to stay in shape, and now you’ve got the limited scheduling in training camp – the limited practice scheduling. How satisfied and how comfortable are you with your team’s conditioning given all of this?) – “There’s always room for improvement but I would say by and large, most of these guys came in in fairly good condition. Obviously there’s some guys who need some extra conditioning and need to work at it. I’ve been – I don’t know if you want to call it surprised, but I think for the most part, I think these guys are working. I think they were working in their garages, wherever they could during the quarantine. But we still have a long way to go. We do. A lot of that is – for us as coaches, let’s make sure we’re hydrating. Let’s make sure we’re (using the) cold tubs and hot tubs and doing all of the things off the field correctly, so that we can get out there and practice and work the fundamentals and techniques and get better. There’s a lot this year. Let’s do a good job off the field from a protocol standpoint as far as wearing a mask and distancing and trying to quarantine as much as you can; but it’s also from a football standpoint, let’s hydrate, let’s stretch, let’s do some extra conditioning on your own. I think they all understand that there was no offseason program. We didn’t have OTAs or minicamp. Specifically for the young guys, this will be the least amount of practice or OTAs probably in NFL history for these rookies – for any rookie class. Just knowing that and understanding that and putting some extra work in, I think our guys have done that. It’s one thing to do it for two or three days. It’s another thing to string together two to three weeks, months, etc. That’s the goal for us and we’ll continue to hit that as a coaching staff. Hopefully our players will do those things.”
(With CB Xavien Howard still on PUP with the knee injury, given how close the season is, do you have to prepare as if he won’t be ready for you guys Week 1?) – “There’s a lot of competition at that position with Byron (Jones) to Noah (Igbinoghene) to Nik Needham to Jamal Perry to Tae Hayes to Ken Webster. There’s a lot of competition. We’re kind of focused on the guys who are here. Obviously Xavien is one of our top players so we’re hoping to get him back as soon as we can. He’s on COVID/IR right now and we’re just working through the protocols from that standpoint. To answer your question, as of right now, we’re working without him. As far as answering that specific question, yes, we have to. It’s really our only option. But as far as the season goes, we’re really just taking this one day at a time. Yeah, we’re working without ‘X’ right now. When he comes back, that might be a different conversation. I hope that answers your question.”
(RB Malcolm Perry is an intriguing guy to me because of his versatility and his college production. What part of his skillset do you think might translate well to the receiver position?) – “He’s got good quickness. He’s got good hands. He’s an instinctive player. He’s just got good feel for the game. But look, he’s a college quarterback. The receiver position, the running back position, they’re all different. We’re asking him to do a few different things. The techniques, the fundamentals, playing at this level for a rookie against a higher level of competition, getting used to that, getting used to the speed of the game – all of those things, that’s kind of what he’s going through and really all of the rookies are going through right now. I think so far he’s done a good job, but we really have a long way to go in a short amount of time. He’s doing a good job but he loves to play. He loves to compete. There’s a lot of things we like about him. We’ll see how this shakes. Obviously there’s a lot of competition in the wide receiver room as well.”
(You’re really good at challenging guys and getting the most out of them by pushing buttons. What do you have to do with WR DeVante Parker this year to make sure it’s not just a one-year wonder with him?) – “With DeVante, I don’t really have to push many buttons. He’s a self-starter. He’s self-motivated. He’s a competitive guy. I think he pushes himself and occasionally I’ll find the right buttons to push. For him, there really aren’t many. That’s been my experience over the last 18 months. I like where he’s at. If I feel like he needs a nudge, I’ll give it to him. I don’t have a problem doing that. He’s a motivated young man. I don’t – there are other players who may need a nudge. He’s one who competes every day.”
(I wanted to ask you about S Kavon Frazier. He was a late addition to the team. We saw him out there yesterday working with a prominent group. What is your vision for him and what does he add to the defense?) – “Well, Kavon we got as a free agent. He played in Dallas. He’s tough, he’s fast, he’s had a lot of production in the kicking game. I liked him coming out of college. (He’s) smart. He’s done a good job thus far. He’s a physical player. Right now, we’re working a lot of guys in a lot of different groups, just trying to find the right combination of players. He’s shown up positively so far in the OTAs and the walkthroughs and now one padded practice. I’m happy with where he’s at and hopefully we can continue to grow and improve over the course of training camp. He has some experience in this league, provides some leaderships – or has the potential to provide some leadership. We’re pleased with him as well.”
Jerome Baker – August 17, 2020
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Monday, August 17, 2020
LB Jerome Baker
(How was the first day of practice?) – “It was good. Everybody was excited. It was hot, like always; but I was definitely excited.”
(We’ve seen the Dolphins post some videos of you – your normal energetic self. Have you taken pride in being that role – the Energizer bunny, so to speak – for guys in this difficult time coming back to football?) – “Oh yeah, definitely. Before everything that happened – I like being that energy. I like being just my fun self. It’s still football. It’s still a game we all love and it’s definitely something we all just have fun doing, so I try to be that and show pretty much anybody that it’s still a fun game.”
(There’s another year for you to be a team leader and a team captain, especially on this defense. How do you take this role into the second season that you’re going to be in it?) – “For me, I kind of just take it day by day in the sense of I just try to be myself. I try to get better every day, help this team in every way, and that’s my approach every day – just doing anything and everything I can. It’s all to help us win, so that’s just how I take it.
(How did the virus make today different?) – “There’s a lot of safety protocols, but when you’re on the field, it’s still football. You go hard. You don’t really think about anything like that; so for me, once we touch the field it’s still football. It’s still just go hard in everything you do and off the field, our medical team, they do a great job of taking care of us. That is my approach. When you’re on the field, just play football.”
(What is your vision for this Dolphins defense in 2020 and how do you feel you guys have grown and improved from last year?) – “Honestly, we’ve just got to build off of what we did last year and that’s just kind of our approach to – today was our first day in pads, we’re going to watch this film and tomorrow we’re just going to get better every day. Honestly, if we really do that, we’ll definitely be a good defense. So that’s just going to be our approach for now, just take every day as the days come and honestly we’ll be all right.”
(I’m sure you want to do as much overall improvement in your game as possible; but if I could pin you down into one thing that you’re focusing on that you hope is a better version of Baker this year than last year, what is that main focus you have?) – “One thing I’m definitely working on is my pad level. This offseason, that’s what I’ve been working on every practice. I really am just conscious of my pad level. Yeah, that’s just like the one thing I’ve been focusing on; but every day I try to work on something new. I just try to ultimately get my game better as best as I can, so this offseason I would definitely say my pad level.”
(You spent some time on the COVID-19 list. How was that experience? Was it shocking when you were put on it? How did you manage it and how are you feeling now?) – “It is what it was, but (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and those guys – our medical staff – they did a great job of just taking care of me, making sure I had everything I needed and honestly it was just, I really just wanted to make sure our team was safe, so I stayed home and pretty much just watched our Zoom meetings and did that. It was definitely unique, but I got through it.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Kyle Van Noy’s experience doing some of the same things you do. He just told us he was a bit of a dying breed in terms of a guy that can do a little bit of everything and being one of those guys yourself, how much does his knowledge and experience in this defense help you in that regard?) – “It helps me every day. Kyle, since the day he walked in, he’s kind of just been in my ear about anything and everything – if it’s on the field, if it’s off the field, whatever it was – he’s definitely been a great mentor, just an older vet, so I definitely appreciate that. I always make fun of him because I think he’s like the second-oldest player on the team. He’s definitely unique, but he’s a great person and also a great player.”
(I’m wondering if there’s anything that you learned about this team today, the first time you’ve been in pads?) – “I don’t know yet. We still didn’t watch the film yet, but guys just went hard. I think that was the big thing. We just went hard. We did everything we did as hard as we possibly can and it might not be perfect, but we definitely got better today.”
(Just the value of having linebackers who are skilled in coverage – obviously you do that well. LB Kyle Van Noy, he can do a ton of things. He has good metrics in pass coverage. LB Kamu Grugier-Hill did in Philadelphia. What’s the value of that?) – “It’s a great thing. He can definitely mix it up as far as our defense; but also it just adds to our overall depth in our linebacker room and it definitely helps us. It’s kind of cool that we all just kind of pick each other’s game and help each other get better. It’s definitely a fun aspect.”
(I know a lot of times defenders have competitions when there’s a new quarterback, especially a rookie quarterback, on who gets the first interception off of him. Do you guys have anything of that sort?) – “(laughter) No, we don’t have anything like that, but I definitely – not just the rookie quarterbacks, but pretty much any quarterback – I talk a little stuff here and there. That’s just what I do. That’s just how I play the game. We don’t have anything yet, but if we do, hopefully I’m the first one. (laughter)”
