Gerrid Doaks – May 14, 2021
Download PDF version
Friday, May 14, 2021
RB Gerrid Doaks
(I just wanted to start off here and ask you about the difference in terms of classroom setting from the college game to the pros. How’s that kind of acclimation period been for you so far in the early going?) – “When it comes down to just learning, playing football, it’s pretty similar; but I’m just trying to come in and learn everything and get to know my teammates as best as possible.”
(When it comes to looking at the backfield in terms of what team you’re coming into, does it help that you know the two guys had the opportunity to play last year were a former seventh-round pick and then also a guy who was picked up off the waiver wire – an undrafted rookie?) – “I don’t think any of that matters, really. I’m just trying to come in, get to know my teammates, get to learn the playbook and become the best team that we can.”
(What was the most impressive thing you saw on the field today and what was the most impressive thing you did on the field today – you personally?) – “I wouldn’t say anything specific. I’m just trying to come in and like I said, learn the playbook, get comfortable with being here and learning all my teammates and how they play, just trying to get to know everybody and become a better teammate.”
(How about what you saw from somebody else?) – “I feel like that’s just something you’ve got to stay tuned to see. (laughter)”
(I think in these past three minutes, I think you’ve said three or four times that you’re trying to learn your teammates. Maybe what’s one thing you have learned? It doesn’t have to be on the field, but maybe who’s the funniest guy so far in the class, who you’re vibing with in the classroom or on the field? Just maybe a tidbit that you learned about someone in the class.) – “Everybody’s pretty cool. We’re still getting to try to know each other, but we feel real comfortable with each other so far.”
(As the beard resident on the Dolphins beat, I’d like to congratulate you on a very nice beard that you have there. You can fit in really well here, especially with me. I wanted to ask you what was – with earlier picks, you kind of have the idea of how the teams reach out to the player, where first conversations started. I guess where did the Dolphins first make contact with you and how was your relationship like whoever did make contact with you whether it’s Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville or not?) – “With all due respect, I’m here now. Everything that happened in the past is in the past. I’m just trying to be here and get to know my team and learn the playbook and make the team become better as a team.”
(Obviously you’re not yet running a ton of practice plays early in this minicamp, but just being around WR Jaylen Waddle, I’m sure obviously you saw Alabama on TV. Any initial impressions of him in terms of how fast or explosive he is that was evident to you on the field?) – “Knowing Jaylen, he’s a great player; but I think we’re all just here trying to do the same thing. We’ve all got the same mindset – just come in and work hard and learn the playbook and get to know the teammates. Like I said, just make this team better as a team.”
(What kind of running back are you? What are some strengths that you believe you bring to the table as a player and as a person to the organization?) – “I’m just trying to be a back that can do anything the team needs, really. I’m not going to limit myself, so I’m just trying to help the team.”
(Just to follow up on that, so I understand you not wanting to limit yourself, so let’s do this. What part of your game would you say would need the most improvement based on where you are now in your game?) – “I honestly can’t really answer that for you right now. I feel comfortable with where I’m at, but there’s always room for improvement in everything, in every aspect of the game. So as time goes, I’m just going to try to make myself the best Gerrid Doaks I can be.”
Larnel Coleman – May 14, 2021
Download PDF version
Friday, May 14, 2021
T Larnel Coleman
(I just want to get your take on the first day of practice and how the first weekend of getting in the classroom, getting around the coaches and your teammates, and putting a helmet on and playing some football, how is it going for you so far?) – “It’s been going amazing. Just getting out there and being with the team, being with my teammates and whatnot, it is an unbelievable experience and everything. I’m really happy to be here, really happy to keep learning and keep improving. It’s just been really good.”
(How good a group could this rookie offensive line be? With T Liam Eichenberg obviously, he didn’t give up a sack the last two years. You were highly regarded. Some people thought you might have been a fourth or fifth rounder. Robert Jones is a guy who could’ve easily been drafted. How good could the three of you be as a class of linemen?) – “Honestly, we’re all improving day by day. We’re taking each minute, each moment, just one step at a time. Right now we’re just focused on the current moment and getting better each day.”
(Do they have you at both tackle spots early on? Has coach indicated to you where you will be?) – “Everybody has been switching each position, just trying to get the best feel for us and whatnot. Everybody has been everywhere.”
(One of the other writers likened offensive line play – right tackle to left tackle – kind of as wiping your back side. It’s very different when you switch sides. It’s like using different hands. Do you have that same feeling? What is it like switching from the tackle positions? What kind of goes through your mind and what goes into learning both positions?) – “Honestly for me, it’s never been too difficult to me. It’s just opposite. I guess at least for me, it’s been very easy to be like ‘ok, I did this on this side, let’s just flip it for this side.’ I don’t really see too much of a difference. Obviously you have one foot up instead of the other one, but I don’t think it’s that big of a difference.”
(You say that it’s not really that difficult for you, but do you have a side that you would prefer to be on if you had your choice?) – “Honestly, I’m going to do whatever the team needs. I’m a team player at the end of the day. Wherever I fit in, that’s what I’m going to do.”
(You talk about your teammates and I know that’s a big mentality here, team-first players. Is there a specific theme you’ve noticed with your fellow draft class here, in terms of what guys are like and your first impression on your new teammates here?) – “Yeah, the vibe that I get off everybody is that everybody is here to work. We’re all here to improve and be the best as we possibly can for each other, the team and the organization. They come off as ready to work.”
(Has anybody challenged you to a game of basketball or vice versa yet?) – “(laughter) Nothing just yet. Maybe soon.”
(What was the message from Head Coach Brian Flores at the start today about what he wanted you guys to accomplish this weekend?) – “He told us that this is a real learning weekend. Make sure you are in your playbook, especially getting used to the weather down here and everything. Just making sure that we come out of this weekend healthy and that we come out better in terms of knowing the playbook and everything. That’s really what it was.”
Jaylen Waddle – May 14, 2021
Download PDF version
Friday, May 14, 2021
WR Jaylen Waddle
(This morning, the news came out about your contract. What did it mean for you to get it done before you hit the field? You were the first pick of, I think, the top 15 or 20 picks to get it done; so what does that mean for you?) – “Of course, it’s a blessing. But it was really just time to get back to work. I was really trying to make it to practice (on time).”
(I wanted to ask you about last season in college and kind of the four games you played, where it seemed like you really showed more of your evolution as a route-runner. I’m curious about how that process went for you in terms of making every route look the same and really expanding your route tree. What did that season for you last year at Alabama under Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian do for your long-term prognosis here in the NFL?) – “I think it just showcased a lot of ability that was in question. I really showed my route-running ability and he just gave me an opportunity to showcase talent.”
(I just wanted to get your impressions of the Dolphins coaching staff and what it’s like working now with an NFL coaching staff.) – “It’s great. Honestly, everyone here is like real personable. You can go up and talk to them and they’re willing to coach you. All of the things that you look for in a good organization, a good club, is pretty much here.”
(Your first practice in a rookie minicamp, what was the most impressive thing you saw? What was the most impressive thing you did?) – “The most impressive thing that I saw was the sun wasn’t out and it was cloudy. (laughter) That was like the most impressive thing … that was really it.”
(Obviously you have a history with QB Tua Tagovailoa. When you got drafted by the Dolphins, how excited were you to know that you were going to get to hook up with your former college teammate now in the NFL?) – “I’m just excited to just really be a part of the team and be a part of the organization. I’m just learning new things and going out there to compete, honestly. The call was great. I’m just trying to compete and just learn and fit in.”
(Have you communicated with QB Tua Tagovailoa much since you’ve now been drafted by the Dolphins? How has that been like?) – “Definitely. If I’ve got questions, I call him and he gives me advice and helps me out. I definitely talk to him.”
(This may seem like a very simple question but at what point in your life, do you feel like you realized that you were fast and faster than everybody else?) – “I don’t know, honestly. (laughter) I don’t know.”
(Pop Warner? Little league?) – “I’ve always had pretty good speed just growing up. I don’t really remember like, ‘this is the day.’”
(The one moment or few games I did see you play, I think the moment for me when I realized you were that dude was the Auburn game where you just kind of crossed your arms after every touchdown that you scored in that game. What is that feeling like when you get the ball, you get into the end zone, the crowd is going wild, you’re putting points on the scoreboard and you cross your hands like that? What’s the feeling of emotion and going through your mind? What’s going through your body when you get to do all of these things on the field?) – “Obviously that was great but that’s kind of in the past and none of that is going to help me out now. I’ve got to just keep working and try to get better each and every day. But really, that’s in the past and it’s not going to do anything for me now.”
(But just your excitement as a football player. Like when you get to score a touchdown and make a play, how does that make you feel as a person?) – “It feels good, of course. Just helping out the team. Making a big play for the team, it’s obviously going to feel good.”
(What’s the experience this week been like for you? Do you have a roommate? Aside from QB Tua Tagovailoa and DT Raekwon Davis, is there anybody on the team that you know or that you’ve touched base with? What has been Head Coach Brian Flores’ message to the team, or at least the rookies, this week?) – “Yeah, just being around all of the new guys has been a great part of this weekend. Getting to know everybody, getting familiar with everybody, being in the facility, of course. We’re all just learning. It’s our first couple of days and we’re honestly just learning and trying to learn and really be in the right place and be in the right spots.”
(I had an idea to write a story about the name Jaylen. I know that you and LB Jaelan Phillips spell it differently but there’s a lot of athletes who are about your age who have the name Jaylen. And a lot of them were named after Jalen Rose. I’m wondering where Jaylen came from – was it Jalen Rose or something else? And do you have any kind of plan to have you or Phillips go by a nickname so there’s no confusion when coach says Jaylen?) – “Yeah, as far as the name, my mom did name me after Jalen Rose. I don’t know how you knew that. That’s kind of weird. (laughter)”
(It’s a popular thing, actually. A lot of kids who are about 20 years old were named after Jalen Rose.) – “Yeah, for sure. I was named after Jalen Rose. I know Jaelan Phillips goes by ‘J.P.’ I go by what I go by. That’s kind of what I call him.”
(The ‘Magic’ nickname, does anybody use that? Or did that get dropped now that you’re in the pros?) – “No, that’s dropped. (laughter)”
(Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban is very complimentary of your skillset as a teammate. And then also, we saw you get emotional talking about your Alabama teammates on draft night. I was just wondering what have you noticed about your teammates here in Miami, this rookie class, in the early going? Is there kind of one theme that connects to all of you guys? Is there a certain class clown that sticks out? What have you noticed about your new teammates here in this rookie class?) – “Everyone is like – you know why everyone is here. Everyone is like really talented, really focused and all got to go. I think that’s important just in the class and that’s something that I can say stands out when you get here and get to meet and be around the guys.”
(Now that you’ve got the contract all wrapped up, what are you either going to buy yourself or someone else? What are you going to splurge on?) – “I don’t have anything in mind right now. I’m really just trying to learn everything right here. Money and all of that is not really on my mind.”
(What makes QB Tua Tagovailoa a good leader?) – “He’s just a natural leader, honestly. He’s just a natural-born leader. He’s confident. He knows what to do. He’s very smart. Everything you look for in a leader, I feel like Tua showcases and presents.”
(We know your speed is obviously going to translate to this level but have you wondered to yourself, are you kind of curious, to what extent it will in terms of are you going to consistently run past defensive backs at the NFL level? Have you thought about that? What does your instinct tell you?) – “Honestly, I’m just trying to learn the plays and be where I need to be. I’m not really thinking that far into that. I’m just trying to do what the team wants me to do and really just learn everything, be in the right position, not make the same mistake twice and things like that.”
(If I was as fast as you, I would cross my arms after every time I scored a touchdown. I would talk [expletive] and be that dude if I were you. What keeps you humble? What are some things that keep you very, very levelheaded like you’ve shown with us here today?) – “Just knowing where I came from. My mom, my parents, my teammates and everyone that helped me get to this point really just keep me humble. With everything that I’ve had to do to get to this point, there’s no time to be complacent or things like that.”
