Phillip Lindsay – December 22, 2021
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Wednesday, December 22, 2021
RB Phillip Lindsay
(You’re in kind of a unique situation here where you come back for one game and then you’re down for a few games and I think a lot of times when guys miss time they say there was an advantage to being on the sideline and kind of getting a chance to do the mental reps. Did you feel that this time around for the Dolphins?) – “Thank you guys for having me today. Definitely. I think it was a whirlwind for me. I came in real fast and had to learn on the fly and things happen for a reason, and I got to really just sit there and really get to observe and watch my teammates and understand the run schemes and just enjoy some football and understand what they’re looking for. It was definitely a good learning curve for me.”
(You haven’t been here for too long, but I wanted to ask you about the one day at a time mentality from Brian Flores. Why do you think this is working for this team?) – “It’s definitely working because we’re focusing on that one day. Pretty much like today. We just focus on Wednesday practice. Now we’re going to go into Zoom meetings here later on. We’re going to focus on that. We’re going to get better. We’re going to watch film and we’re going to understand what we did wrong and what we did right and we’re going to continue to move on from there. That’s the kind of focus and the mindset you have to have in this league because you can’t take days off because every day counts and every day matters leading up into Monday night. So that mentality that my teammates show every day, the coaches show every day, it’s a great mentality and you’re seeing it day-in and day-out and we’re seeing it on Sunday so we’ve just got to keep doing that.”
(Following up on a previous question – the flip side to being able to sit back and watch and learn while you were away. You come here, you were able to play a couple days after you get picked up and now it’s been November 28 since your last game. So how difficult has that been to deal with and how antsy are you to get back on the field?) – “Yeah, I’m very antsy. I’m very excited. I was brought here to just help the team and that’s in any way I can do so. And you can’t help the team by sitting there watching. But I definitely took a lot out of it. But yeah, I’m excited. I’m very excited to be back and do what I’m supposed to do, whatever that is at whatever time and go from there. I just want to help this team win and they deserve the wins – the Miami fans deserve this – so we need to go out there and we need to execute.”
(If I may follow up, what were you able to do while you were on the COVID list in terms of being able to stay physically ready?) – “Pushups, sit-ups, Zoom meetings. Mentally, it’s true, a lot of times – everybody’s physically gifted in this league – but a lot of times I would say 90 percent of it is mentally. Mentally, are you bought into it, are you dialed in, dialed up to what’s going on, seeing things? That’s very important. I think that even though you’re not physically out there, you’ve mentally got to take a mental sweat and mentally fatigue yourself with that so when it’s time for you to go out there, you can execute.”
(Obviously COVID-19 affects every person differently. How did it affect you?) – “Honestly, I didn’t have any symptoms. For me it was like everybody in the running back room was popping positive so I was like let me go and make sure I’m okay so I don’t bring it into anybody else, and sure enough I went in there and I popped positive for it. I did what the protocol asked me to do. I stuck to it and I’m just glad – I’ve had family members that actually had to be hospitalized because of this. I have a son that is 1-year-old. It was very scary just to know that even though nothing was wrong with me, how it was going to affect my family.”
(Answer this if you want – obviously we know you’re vaccinated because of the protocols. Would you recommend folks get vaccinated? Were the family members of yours who had problems, were they unvaccinated?) – “Everybody that got it before the vaccinations really started becoming a thing, that’s when they were really hospitalized. I am vaccinated. I do think that for me personally, I think it did help me with my symptoms, but that’s everybody’s choice and everybody – that’s their right. To me, it’s just like the flu shot or anything else. You can’t tell somebody to do it. I think that it helped me out. My fiancée is vaccinated, but our 1-year-old son is not because he’s so young. It’s one of those things where it’s just scary regardless.”
(I do have a football question, but I wanted to follow up. So you had no symptoms?) – “Yeah, so the only thing that I probably had was maybe get fatigued. Truly. Now my fiancée ended up getting it and at the beginning, she was the same as me and she thought she was tough and then two days later, she was sitting there and her muscles were hurting really, really bad. It just affects people differently. Even when I got the shots, people say that you kind of get something. I thought they gave me a placebo or something because I felt good. (laughter) My arm didn’t hurt or anything. But I definitely got (vaccinated) and I definitely think that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t have significant symptoms.”
(I appreciate you for your transparency because I’ve been asking everybody – not just football players – like what are their symptoms and what’s COVID like. But football question – you are known as an outside zone runner, which I think is a great compliment. What does it take to be an effective outside zone runner and a team that can run that outside zone?) – “Yeah, outside zone – you have to be cohesive with each other. Like that’s one thing I have learned over the times with a lot of my running back coaches. You guys have to mirror up with each other. One of the best outside zone runners or two that I’ve watched growing up were one, Jamaal Charles and two, Chris Johnson. Hands down some of the best outside zone runners there are. And that’s just about pressing. You’ve got to be able to be patient in press and be able to cut on dime. The faster you can do that and explode, the better off you’ll be with that and that’s all about just patience and being able to come 0 to 60 like that. I don’t know too many people that can do that outside zone like Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson did.”
(So you’re talking about chemistry with the line?) – “Yeah, with the line. Everything has to match up. But you’ve got to help your offensive line by putting them on their blocks, by being patient, by setting it up with your eyes. There’s a lot that goes into it that you have to slow your mind down and then once you kind of get the hang of that, you can get the gist of it.”
(So it takes a minute to get that flow with the offensive line?) – “Yeah, it takes a minute to get the flow in anything you do, especially this all depends on the scheme set and what the offensive line is better at doing and what you’re good at doing at that time. So it’s just about being on the same page.”
(I have a football question, but first I’m glad things turned out okay for you with the COVID situation. I can’t imagine how that must have been weighing on your mind. Were you having to self-quarantine from relatives to keep them safe?) – “Yeah, yeah, so I stayed downstairs in my basement the whole time because at the beginning, my fiancée and my son didn’t have it so it was just me. And she ended up getting it and we kind of had no choice but to quarantine and keep our son away from us. It was one of those times where it was just like you just see how real this stuff is and you understand that it’s serious. It’s something serious that a lot of people are still dying from today.”
(On the football side I wanted to ask you about watching the team this past Sunday the running game really came alive. It was the best running performance this team has had all year. I wanted to get your views on how the running game is starting to come together and also RB Duke Johnson putting up 107. You must have been happy to see what Duke was able to do.) – “Definitely. Duke (Johnson) has been in the league for a long time. Actually me and Duke came from Houston so we had a lot of Houston stories to tell each other, but Duke has been – like I said – people look at Duke and I think that they see Duke can catch the ball well, but they don’t get to really see that he really is a hard-nose runner. Think about when he was at the University of Miami. That’s what he did best. And for us I think it’s just a mentality thing. I think that it’s breaking tackles, it’s offensive line moving down, getting on to the secondary. It’s about finishing blocks. It’s about finishing runs. That over time, if you do that enough, you can wear a defense down and you can get that momentum going, and I think that that’s what you’ve seen with the Jets and Duke did a hell of a job doing that, bringing some juice and breaking tackles. And as a running back, you have to be able to do that to move the chains. You’ve got to do that extra effort and that extra effort – that’s what you see out there and that’s how you get wins.”
(Seeing him in this past game, I’m a little perplexed on how the first thing you think of when you think of Duke is not for that determined running, that power running, that he does. Do people underestimate that?) – “I think for people – I don’t think people understand how big Duke really is. I think Duke is like 210 (pounds). He’s strong, he’s patient and he can catch. And I think that for people, Duke was hungry. Duke – coming from Cleveland and Houston, he did really well there and then he had to sit out for a little while and to get an opportunity to be in his home state – I know how it is to be able to play at your home state and get that juice flowing. It’s a great thing and I’m glad that Duke was able to have that experience at home. There’s no better feeling than that and I think that he took it, he ran with it and it was really good to see. I’m excited for Duke and you’re going to see it moving forward from him. He’s going to give you everything he’s got and that’s all you can ask for from any of us, especially Duke coming in, kind of like I did, where we just came out of nowhere and had to learn the system. It was good to see.”
(Kind of the converse of a previous question, the Saints are pretty loaded at all three levels in the middle of their defense with Saints DT David Onyemata and LB Demario Davis and S Malcolm Jenkins. The names go on and on. What kind of challenges do those guys present you on the interior in the running game?) – “The Saints are a physical team. They’re physical, they’re sound, they’re aggressive and they’ve been together for a very long time. The Saints have been through a lot of ups and downs. They’ve seen it all. They have gone through heartbroken times so as a team collectively they share that bond, which is very special and it’s hard to break. That’s why that defense is what they are today. For us, we’re going to have to go out there and we’re just going to have to play football. It’s going to be to be a hard-hitting game. Monday night. Everybody is going to be watching and at the end of the day, you’re going to have to bring your helmet and bring your pads and it’s going to be like one of those games where last man is going to be standing at the end of it … For me, I was unfortunate to play the Saints when we had no quarterbacks back in Denver, so it was very hard because they’re just an aggressive group and they’re a close-knit tight group that goes as one.”
Xavien Howard – December 22, 2021
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Wednesday, December 22, 2021
CB Xavien Howard
(You’ve been targeted only three times the last couple of games. You’ve allowed like one completion for very few yards if any yards at all. Do you get bored out there at all? I know you’re always on your toes but what’s that like being targeted so infrequently?) – “I try to take it one play at a time. I feel like teams try to lull me to sleep, then come out of nowhere with exotic plays and stuff like that. I just take it one play at a time. Just try to do my job.”
(Clearly the one game at a time, one day at a time philosophy is working. Why do you think you guys have been so receptive to that message from Head Coach Brian Flores?) – “I feel like it’s really about what game is in front of us. That’s really the game we really worry about. We have to take care of our opponents in front of us first before we even worry about what’s after that.”
(I wanted to ask, you’re facing another quarterback in Taysom Hill who is kind of more known for his ability to run the ball. He will throw the ball but that is kind of a run-first offense that they use in New Orleans. As a cornerback, do you prefer to face the mobile guys or do you relish the opportunity to face the guys who are going to throw it 40 times a game?) – “It’s football man. They pass and they run the ball. I’m really just out there on an island just trying to do my job. That’s really it. “
(To that point, I know a lot of folks maybe don’t know about WR Marquez Callaway and WR Tre’Quan Smith around the league. I was hoping to get your take on some of the strengths they offer in their game?) – “Those are some guys that are targeted and that (the quarterback) looks at. I respect their game a lot. You’ve got to respect your opponent. It’s really just preparing for them guys and really just to face them is really it.”
(What are your thoughts on playing on primetime Monday Night Football? Do you really enjoy those moments being on the big stage?) – “Most definitely. You got to treat it like every game. Every game we play, it’s a big stage. Even more of a bigger stage on Monday night. Everybody is watching so we really got to be on our toes with everything.”
Brian Flores – December 22, 2021
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Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Just checking to see if WR Jaylen Waddle, S Jevon Holland and RB Phillip Lindsay will be able to practice today?) – “Yeah, so Jaylen (Waddle) and Phillip (Lindsay) came off of the COVID list the other day, so they’ll be available for practice. Jevon (Holland) has not, so we won’t see him today.”
(And anyone else beyond Jevon that you think will miss practice today?) – “Albert Wilson will be out for personal reasons and then injury-wise, I don’t have that in front of me. DeVante (Parker) will be – it’s just a rest day for him.”
(And one last thing on WR Albert Wilson, do you expect to have him available next Monday?) – “Yeah.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa is going into his first Monday Night Football game. How do you envision him responding to that and he had a couple of turnovers this past game – what he needs to do to get past that?) – “I think his approach has got to be like any other game. His preparation – it needs to stay the same as far as getting to know the Saints and what the players on their roster, their schemes, how they want to play situationally. We know it’s a tough opponent. Very good defense, well-coached. Dennis Allen is – I have a lot of respect for him and I think he’s done a great job with that defense for a number of years. We understand that. Tua has just got to prepare the right way but understand that this is going to be a tough test and he’s got to play well if we’re going to move the football.”
(And just on his turnovers, what he can do to correct that?) – “I think the best way to kind of answer that question is for him to just continue to prepare. We always want to be smart with the football, be accurate with the football and no one’s tougher on themselves than he is on those things and how important that stat is. So we’ve got to protect it and he understands that.”
(I wanted to ask you about Tua’s angry run in the last game. I don’t know what your thoughts on about whether you like that or not, but do you think there was some sort of message that was delivered to anybody watching, including his teammates, on that particular play?) – “I think it was a scramble and we got a positive gain. It was an 8-yard gain. We ended up second-and-2 on the plus-side of the field and he was excited about making a positive play on the field as he should be. And he got back in the huddle and moved on to the next play.”
(I get it. Separate topic. Motor and effort – I’ve noticed that a lot of defensive guys and a lot of guys in general are bringing motor and effort and I wanted to ask you about how you think the best way to identify in the draft and free agency players who are most likely to bring motor, effort, motivation, drive on a consistent basis?) – “I think you can see it on film. Guys who are running to the football, finishing blocks, playing in the kicking game. I think you can see on film guys who enjoy playing, play 100 miles an hour, 100 percent, great effort really on every snap. So that’s what you see on film and then you just kind of confirm it in a meeting setting where you kind of get a feel for how passionate they are about the game.”
(There was an Inside the NFL clip from last Sunday’s game where it showed Tua after his touchdown to WR DeVante Parker where he said “I audibled” I guess to that slant. I was just curious, I know we kind of asked you about this earlier in the season with Tua, but when it comes to audibles and making checks at the line, is that something where is that kind of a part of the practice reps as well or is some of it just kind of trial and error, just kind of trusting your gut with what you see on the field and on game day?) – “I think it’s something that we talk about if there’s an advantageous look or an opportunity to make a play. The stars align, then you choose to make that decision, but we’ve got to get everybody on the same page. He was able to do that on that particular play and that happens really throughout the game. I know you make a mention of that one, but that happens throughout the game in all phases and that’s about just overall awareness, understanding matchups, understanding what we’re doing, what they’re doing. And it’s not easy to do. You’ve got 40 seconds to make that decision – really less than that – so it was good. It was nice to see him do that and we’re going to need that thought process, that type of decision-making this week against a very, very good football team in New Orleans.”
(There are 10 teams in the AFC with either six or seven losses. What can you say about the parity within the conference right now with so many teams jumbled? Where do you see yourself in this playoff picture?) – “That’s the National Football League. I think it’s hard to win every week. That’s the beauty of coaching and playing in this league. There are a lot of great players, a lot of great coaches. It’s a slim, slim margin for error. I think we’ve made mention to that the entire year. You’ve got to prepare the right way, you’ve got to perform, but your preparation gives you an opportunity to perform. You’ve got to make good decisions, play good situationally and even then, because there is so much talent in this league from a coaching standpoint, from a playing standpoint, it’s not easy and every game is tough.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa bowled over a defender. What’s your opinion on that from your QB? Would you prefer he just slides in that case, avoiding injury risk and not trying to get two extra yards falling forward? What’s your take on your quarterback doing that?) – “I think when you’re in the moment – you want to see – most guys slide in that situation. I’m not sure if he thought he was going to get a first down. But when you’re in the moment, those guys have to make decisions. Obviously we want them to protect themselves and we want him to protect himself. I’d prefer that he slides and keeps himself out of harm’s way. But I’m not the one that’s out there and I’ll tell him that. He’s got to make decisions out there. But he got up and moved on to the next play.”
(I’m curious what the doctors and trainers are recommending relative to whether or not guys who are coming off the COVID-19 list – like WR Jaylen Waddle for example, need to be eased back into practice and participation and snaps. What are you learning about that?) – “I think it’s case by case. Myles (Gaskin) is a good example. He came right off of the list and was at practice Friday. We saw what that looked like – walkthrough Saturday and played on Sunday. But it’s case by case. That example, I’m not sure if that is easing someone in, playing in a game two days later. I certainly think it’s case by case and I think the individual, whoever that person, can tell us a lot about what they are feeling and what they can do. Obviously the health and safety of the players is priority No. 1. Those questions are really for the medical staff. I think (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston and our medical staff do a great job of going through that process with those players, whether it’s off of COVID or off of injury or whatever the situation is.”
(Throughout the losing streak, you always said and you always told us that you guys are going to keep doing your job, stick to the plan and get through this. But I was wondering if there is any additional pride or additional sentiment knowing that this team, this group of guys, believed and trusted in you enough to really pull through and really come out here and win six in a row like they have done?) – “I think it’s a hard-working team. I think it’s a competitive group. I think they enjoy playing together. I think they play for one another. I think they prepare the right way. I’m not really looking back. I’m not looking forward either. The one thing I’ve been consistent on is focusing on getting better today. We’ve got a great opponent coming in – well, we’re going there, into a hostile environment. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and that’s where my focus is. We need to have a good practice today and try to string some good practices and good days together amid a lot of things that are going on with Christmas and the holiday season. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
(I know you’re focused on what your team needs to do week to week, but especially this week since you play on Monday night, do you watch any of the other results on Sunday with regards to how they impact your playoff chances? There is one in particular that makes a huge difference this Sunday.) – “I’m just focused on today’s preparation. That’s where it is. I think we’re going to be on a plane when a lot of those games are going to be played. You only have so much energy. I want to put all of my energy into our team and this game, and we’re going to need all of it against this opponent in this environment. They are very talented. They’ve got great coaches, great players. You can go down the list. Defensively, (Cameron) Jordan, (David) Onyemata, (Marcus) Davenport, Kwon Alexander, (Marshon) Lattimore, Malcolm Jenkins, (C.J.) Gardner-Johnson, the rookie (Paulson) Adebo. Taysom Hill, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram. I’m going to put all of my energy on that group and not worry about anything else.”
Josh Boyer – December 21, 2021
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Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(I wanted to ask you about your top three guys in terms of snap counts off of the edge right now with LB Andrew Van Ginkel, LB Jaelan Phillips, and DE Emmanuel Ogbah. They are in the top 30 in terms of quarterback pressures this year and it seems like they are really playing their best ball right now. I just wanted to get your perspective on how that strong edge play has helped your defense.) – “I think that any time you look at individual stats, there is obviously a lot that goes into all 11 guys being on the same page. But at the same time, guys doing their jobs well sets somebody up on the defense for production. Like we’ve said all year, our guys work extremely hard, they’ve put a lot of work in and I believe we’re still improving and we still got room to improve. It’s really a credit to them for the execution, the communication, the understanding of what goes on in each given play and the ability to get some production and pressure. A lot of times our guys are very unselfish. You’ll see other guys actually open up stuff for other players and they’re just as happy that we’re succeeding as a team.”
(Going with CB Nik Needham at free safety last game, how did that come about? It had to be a difficult week to deal with given the uncertainty of who could be available and whatnot.) – “Nik’s a hard worker. He’s very intelligent. He’s played inside and outside from a corner position. He’s involved in a lot of the communication, especially when he’s on the inside. He’s a strong communicator, he understands where guys fit and where they are supposed to be. Obviously he has a skillset that allows him to do multiple things and he puts a lot of time and effort into it. It’s a credit to him for it to be a smooth transition for him even though it was a foreign position. His ability to understand concepts and handle conceptual learning at a fast and high rate. I would say this is something that he’s improved each year that he’s been here. He’s worked very hard at it to know and understand how everybody fits. Like I said, he’s a strong communicator, he’s confident in what he’s saying and he’s just a good all-around football player that can play multiple spots.”
(The level that CB Byron Jones is playing at right now, how would you describe how well he’s playing?) – “He had some production for us last week. I thought he had a very solid game. I think he does a lot of good things. There are a lot of things that he does on the field that even when the ball doesn’t go his way, a lot of people don’t see. He’s one of those guys that works on his craft on a daily basis. He’s very good at film study. He seems to be playing some of his best ball, and we’re going to need that this week with the Saints coming up. This is a big game for us and I’m sure Byron will come in here, work hard and continue to do some of the things that he’s been doing. We’ve been getting a lot of production out of Byron, for sure.”
(I wanted to ask you also about DT Raekwon Davis. Where is he now in his career compared to where you, Head Coach Brian Flores and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark think he can be?) – “You will have to ask Austin and ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) on that. For me, you take things as they come. You’re looking for constant improvement from each player. It’s not just unique to Raekwon. Sometimes you feel that you’re getting that, and sometimes on Sunday it doesn’t show up like you quite think it will and sometimes it does. I’m not saying that it did or didn’t last week. I think Raekwon is improving. I think he’s a hard worker. I think he loves football. There is no question about that – he loves football. He studies it. He works at his craft. I think for every individual, it’s not unique to Raekwon, you’re constantly working for improvement but that’s just the nature of the business. Sometimes as you’re working to improve, you have a setback here or there, but the ability to overcome that, which obviously Raekwon has showed the ability to do that, and push forward and continue to get better, it’s really a credit to him. I’m glad to have him. He’s a good football player for us and I really feel like he is improving. As far as where ‘Flo’ or Austin think he is, you’d have to ask those guys. I don’t want to speak for them. But I’m really glad we have Raekwon in the building.”
(It seems like every week there is a play that gets made because guys are running to the football. I want to get your message to the team or the coaching point to get the guys to play so aggressive and so fast and always chasing the football?) – “I think ultimately when you’re playing team defense, you definitely want to get everybody with a relentless pursuit to the football. I don’t know who said it or what quote it was – a long time ago somebody said ‘you can measure your love of to your teammates by your distance to the ball.’ I think you see our guys. They play hard, they play for one another, there is a joy out there and they know that people are counting on them. Their effort to the ball is very important and obviously we highlight that when it’s done well and when it’s not to the standard that we believe it should be, then we get on that too. We’ve got a lot of guys that fly around to the football out there and again like I’ve said, we’re going to need our best football this week because we’ve got a great opponent coming up. Coach (Sean) Payton and Coach (Pete) Carmichael are phenomenal offensive coaches. They make it really hard on you defensively. They’ve got good offensive line, they’ve got great skill players, they’ve got really good running backs, they’ve got a dynamic quarterback that can run and he can throw. It’s going to be a big challenge for us and we’re going to need everybody, all 11 guys to be on the same page, to communicate well, to play with good fundamentals and good techniques for 60 minutes, one play at a time. That’s what we’re going to need this week. But we’re excited about the challenge.”
(Can’t let you go without asking about one of your defensive players scoring an offensive touchdown on Sunday in DT Christian Wilkins.) – “The funny thing about that is I have not seen it. A lot of times when we’re on offense, we’re always preparing on what situations could be coming up defensively. I haven’t watched any of the offensive film. I’m happy for Christian. Christian will probably tell you how athletic he is, which he is athletic. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for our team. I don’t care who scores. Any time we score, that’s a good deal for us. But I have not seen the play.”
(Did you get to see the celebration at least?) – “I have not.”
Danny Crossman – December 21, 2021
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Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I want to ask about the fake punt attempt to S Clayton Fejedelem last game. Was everyone just not on the same page? What happened there?) – “Yeah. The old adage, failure to communicate. As much as we harp about communication, we had miscommunication there on exactly the process of what we were trying to get done in that situation and you end up with a bad play.”
(I wanted to ask you about P Michael Palardy. It looks like he’s kind of coming on here of late on the average on his punts. I wanted to see if there was any difference in his approach or his routine in the last couple of weeks to get that average up?) – “I think like we’ve talked about on several occasions, in this particular game, especially based on the field position and where we were punting from, we had several games this year where we were punting from the 50-yard line or plus-50. This happened to be a game where a lot of our punts were backed up, so more of an opportunity to flip the field and more of an opportunity to get the ball down the field in terms of looking at gross (average).”
(What ultimately was the reason for opting for WR Tommylee Lewis as your returner on Sunday instead of your other available options such as WR Albert Wilson, WR Preston Williams, WR Isaiah Ford, CB Noah Igbinoghene?) – “I’m chuckling because as you guys know, it was an odd week. There were so many things going on and that was something that we just felt in that situation, with all of the possibilities of maybes and maybe nots, and the roles were constantly changing for a lot of possible actives, inactives, how we were going to use them offensively, defensively. We felt that was the decision to go for in that game.”
(What did WR Tommylee Lewis show in such a short time with the team? He had only been signed the Monday before. What did you guys see from him there?) – “I think like we’ve talked about several times, you go back and it’s not just what the guy has done here. You go back and look at his track record, and what he’s done both in college and if they have experience in the National Football League, you go back and look at those tapes. Then most importantly, when we do get them in the building, where he’s at in terms of confidence No. 1 and ball security, and making decisions and catching the football. We felt good about it and we went with it.”
Eric Studesville – December 21, 2021
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Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville
(I know who starts isn’t a big deal to coaches. It’s more of a thing of interest to fans and us. But with the approach now at running back after RB Duke Johnson’s excellent game, is Duke your starting running back? Is RB Myles Gaskin your starting running back or do you guys go into this week with an open mind and a competition on that particular issue?) – “Hopefully we’re always creating competition with things. I get the concept of the starting running back position, but we are going to determine more by the gameplan and how we want to start things and what we do and what we thinks gives us the best chance. All those guys are going to play and participate hopefully as we put things together and it will all work itself out. We’re talking about one play at the beginning of the game as opposed to we’re going to need all the plays in the game to be successful.”
(One unrelated question, how do you think G/T Austin Jackson has played in recent weeks? He’s now been at left guard for more than two months.) – “I think he’s continuing to work and develop at that position. Obviously it’s a new experience for him going from tackle to guard but he’s committed to it, he’s working at it all the time and constantly working to get better. I think we’re seeing improvement in all areas with that. All of us have to do (that) in every position – we have to keep getting better and keep working to improve all the time.”
(I wanted to ask about trusting DT Christian Wilkins at fullback there who provided one of the most fun moments of the game. Tied game in the fourth quarter and throwing to him, just the trust that the team has offensively in making that call to Christian Wilkins, a defensive tackle?) – “I think with all plays, we are going to call the plays that we think are going to give us the best chance. It wasn’t trying to call one necessarily for Christian. We thought that was the best play at the time that we had on our call sheet for that situation being down on the goal line. We had scored previously – Duke (Johnson) had scored earlier in the game on a goal-line package play and that was our next play up that we had listed and so we went with that. We had great confidence in all the execution – the line selling it, the tight end route, the fullback route with Christian and then the back in protection and then obviously Tua (Tagovailoa) making the throw.”
(What was it like going through the uncertainty in the running back room the past week and then you end up having your best rushing performance of the season? Has the team found something in the ground game that it can take through this final stretch?) – “I hope we have but every week is brand new so we’ve got to re-focus ourselves to make sure that we lock in on the run game that we want to put together this week for the Saints because it’s going to be a big task for us. This is a good defense and ‘DA’ (Dennis Allen) will have these guys ready to go. The environment in New Orleans is always loud and involved. We’re going to have to stay focused and continue. We can’t just rest on what happened last week and think that’s going to happen in the current week. We still have to focus in and we’ve got a lot of work to do this week. Part one of your question, as far as who the running backs are, I’m happy to have them all and figure out who’s going to contribute and do what on a week-to-week basis. They’re all competitive, they’re all focused, they’re all intensely prepared to contribute in whatever way they can.”
(Re-watching the game, it looked like a lot of the big runs came behind double teams with T Liam Eichenberg and G/T Austin Jackson, I just wanted to get your take on how they executed those combo blocks and also how those combo blocks benefit both of their games?) – “There’s a lot of different runs in there and they hit different places where it’s not always dependent on a certain tandem. We need everybody. Everybody has got to do that. There was a lot of line movement that happened in the game against the Jets so we had to shut line movement off. Obviously we did run good behind some double teams. We had a number of good double teams where we moved people off the ball. Those big runs and things that happen, those are involved in a lot of different things. It starts with the offensive line. Certainly the back gets all the credit for the yards but it starts with the offensive line. It starts with the wide receivers coming in and blocking for us and pushing people by to get extra yardage downfield. It’s a group effort with everybody involved in it. There was some good double teams in there but there’s a lot of good things that happened in there too with everybody on the offense trying to contribute to the run.”
(You guys lose WR Jaylen Waddle late in the week. I was just curious the process of having to adapt your gameplan when you had him in the beginning of the week to not having him later in the week?) – “Unfortunately, those situations happen where your personnel changes. When that does happen, they’re not going to stop playing the game on Sunday so we’ve got to have an opportunity to get somebody else ready to go. Somebody else has got to take advantage of that opportunity to be ready to go and then we’ve got the expectation for everybody – coaches and players – that we have to perform at a high level when that opportunity comes up. Does it change your plans? To a certain extent, certainly it does with a good player that you’re missing in there. But we’ve got to be ready to go and someone has got to step up there because they’re going to put a ball down on Sunday.”
(The process of the week when you start creating a gameplan Monday and Tuesday and begin implementing it on Wednesday, at what point do you work it and then see it and say, ‘eh I’m not liking it, don’t feel it,’ and sort of move along? Or is that something that you just continue to work at? What’s the thought process as coordinator when you have an idea and then it doesn’t practice out the way that you want it to?) – “We usually throw it out. (laughter)”
(That’s it? It’s just thrown out?) – “We look at it and we talk about. We say, ‘Can we fix it? Can we get it? Do we need to use a different technique? Do we need to change a scheme? Do we need to do something if we like the concept?’ But if it comes to a point where we don’t feel like that play has a chance to be successful, then we don’t want to call that play. Just because the play drew up good on paper on Monday or Tuesday, it’s got to be a play that we all feel comfortable about – coaches and players – and we feel like we have a high level of execution for on Sunday. That’s the dominant decision-making factor in there is do we think this has a chance to be successful on Sunday?”
(Is this when you are running it against the scout team? So, if the scout team just sniffs it out then it’s just like ‘ehh, it’s not good,’ or just the level of speed that they’re playing? What are you guys looking for when you say this isn’t going to cut it?) – “It’s all those things. Obviously we are repping it against a scout-team look that we think is simulating what the opponent is going to do. Sometimes it’s angles, sometimes we’re trying to anticipate how the defense will react on gameday, what their potential adjustments would be to something. We look at a lot of different things on that. But again, we’re talking through, ‘Do we have good angles? Is the scheme right? Is whatever happens in there?’ That’s all things that we are constantly talking about throughout the week. That’s on every play. That’s run plays, protections, pass routes. It’s every part of the offense. That’s what we call running a string through.”
(When we talked to Head Coach Brian Flores yesterday about G Robert Jones and his 10 offensive snaps, he referred to him as a tight end on those plays. How long has he been working at that position in your heavy packages and what made you guys think he would thrive at that spot? He seemed to play well.) – “It’s something that we’ve talked about and have the capability of doing. You can utilize an extra player in a number of different ways and it was an opportunity to get Rob in there. We felt that it was something that would give us an advantage and again, we thought that it was something that would give us productive plays potentially. We do those things on different personnel groups at different times and different plays, whatever that is. We have the capability of using different players much like we used Christian (Wilkins) as the fullback in the goal line package. A very similar sort of concept.”
(Had DT Christian Wilkins over the last two months good naturedly reminded you or Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey to use him or was this something you and George had always been thinking about just waiting for the right time?) – “Regularly he reminds us. (laughter)”
(I wanted to get your perspective on that final drive to go ahead late in the game. What’s your message to the offense after they go down off the interception and the message to come back and say, ‘Hey, we have to go out there and put a drive together right now?’) – “I think the message is consistent and it starts coming from Coach (Brian Flores) all the time that ‘hey, we’ve got to play for 60 minutes.’ This game is going to be 60 minutes and we are going to have to play right down to the end. We don’t know how it’s going to end up but we know if we’re in it at the end, we believe that we’re going to play hard enough and find a way, so we’ve got to play for the full 60 minutes. When adversity happened, our players responded really well in that situation and gave us a chance to win the football game. We’ve got to play the whole game for 60 minutes and Coach preaches that all the time.”
Brandon Jones – December 20, 2021
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Monday, December 20, 2021
S Brandon Jones
(We just heard from CB Nik Needham that it was his first time playing free safety. Playing back there with him, can you tell us how you thought he did?) – “I think he did a really good job. Especially the free safety position in our defensive scheme, a lot is on their plate when it comes to formation adjustments, getting people lined up, making the calls. I know I was in here sitting here listening to him and he said it was his first time but I was a little shocked on that because of how confident and comfortable he was out there. He did a really good job, like I said, getting people lined up, making plays and not letting the ball hit for however many yards and getting the guy on the ground. I was really happy for him. He did a really good job.”
(There’s only a few games left. How realistic is it for you to catch LB Jaelen Phillips in sacks?) – “How many does he have now?”
(He’s got like 8.5.) – “See, I ain’t catching him. I ain’t catching him. (laughter) It’s actually funny because me and Jaelen before every game we talk to each other and I tell him, ‘Hey, you get one for me and one for you.’ The last two weeks when I wasn’t playing, I came up to him and told him, and he got me one and got him one. I was like, ‘Who’s the first one for?’ and he’s like, ‘That was for you bro, that was for you,’ and I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ That’s kind of our thing now. We kind of go into it and our sacks that we do end up getting if we do in the game is usually for, we do it for each other. I think that’s something pretty special and pretty cool that we’ve been able to do these last few weeks.”
(What’s the thing that’s happened with the defense in the last six weeks that you really hope continues in the last three games?) – “I would say just continue to play at a high level and I think we play our best ball when we’re having fun. You can definitely see that in the second half yesterday. I think the first half we were trying to do too much, everybody was trying to make a play and I think we got a little over excited just having that bye week, having that time off and we definitely started flat in the first half. I think once we re-grouped and got back together in the locker room, we said, ‘Guys, let’s just relax. Let’s calm down, let’s play our brand of football and go out there and have fun.’ I think once we do go out there and have fun, we end up playing our best ball. I think moving forward, we just have to continue to do that and understand the situation and not put too much pressure on ourselves.”
(Now that you guys have turned the season around and gotten it back to .500, can you talk a little bit about the challenge of keeping the momentum going? I know it’s a one game at a time approach but now you’ve got the nation watching a Monday Night Football game that’s supposed to be the biggest platform for NFL teams. What’s it like knowing that the whole nation is going to be watching the once 1-7 Dolphins?) – “I look at it as obviously the situation that we are in is a little different than it was at the beginning of the season but kind of like how Coach (Josh) Boyer told us, the best football is played in December and you’re going to see everyone’s best. Everybody is going to be playing at 100 percent and the stakes are always higher in December for every team. With that mindset, kind of like you hit on, it’s still the one game at a time mentality and approach but I also think that we just have to continue to play and have fun. I think when you’re having fun out there, it takes away a lot of the pressure and the stress of thinking about ‘Oh, we have to win this game, this is a must-win game,’ and just go out there and play like I said, our brand of football. When we do that, good things usually happen.”
(Yesterday was your first game back in about a month. I wanted to ask you first of all,how you felt back out there. And also, did it take a few snaps to feel totally back in the swing of things?) – “Yeah, it was fun, obviously. Being on the sideline those last two games was tough, especially when the defense was making plays and I couldn’t even run out there and celebrate with them. It was tough but it was really good to get back out there. Like I said, I love playing, I love being out there with the guys. Personally, I felt just a little rusty at first. I think I was trying too hard to make plays early on. But yeah, it was definitely fun to be out there with the team.”
(Is that tough to resist the urge when you haven’t played in about a month? You mentioned wanting to go out there and make everything happen right away.) – “Yeah. I don’t know, I guess it’s just my overall approach and my mindset on things. My biggest concern, obviously, was playing – here in December when it’s still super humid and super hot – I was worried about not cramping in the game because of not playing for three weeks. That was kind of my mindset going into it was stay hydrated because with this heat and humidity, these cramps are real. They real out here.”
(Did you drink more than usual?) – “Yeah, definitely. At one point on the sideline, I felt super full from all the fluids I drank. I was trying to stay a step ahead because I know once you cramp, it’s a wrap. You’re probably going to cramp the rest of the game.”
Albert Wilson – December 2, 2021
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Monday, December 2, 2021
WR Albert Wilson
(I‘m not sure if you saw the news, but RB Duke Johnson is signing to the 53-man roster after yesterday’s game. What are your thoughts about that, your reaction and obviously his performance yesterday?) – “I think he did a great job of taking advantage of the opportunity he was given. He came in and did a lot of great things for us, and I think he’ll do a lot of good things for us for the remainder of the season. It’s a good thing for him and the whole team.”
(I know you’re a receiver and of course you like to get targets, but does it kind of feel like an extra sense of pride and maybe feel even better when you’re able to run against a team and they can’t stop you and they can’t move that front? Does it feel better as the game goes on and you’re having that success on the ground?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. Everyone knows football starts with being able to run the ball and if you can get into a game and do that successfully, you’ll definitely have a good chance of winning a football game. For us to get in there and get that done, it felt great.”
(After seeing you all these years with the afro and the cornrows, what went into the decision to cut it all off?) – “No real factor to really cut it. I was just getting tired of it. It was getting long. It was fighting inside of the helmet of getting all the hair inside. It be hot down here in Florida even though it’s the winter. I think it was just time to cut it off.”
(How do you feel about the performance of everybody stepping up in WR Jaylen Waddle’s absence?) – “Good. When we can get into a game and run the football well against a tough divisional opponent, it’s always a plus on our side. Then to go into a game with so much going on with COVID and the roster changes, for us to get in and focus and face a little adversity at first, but get things going and pull the game off, it was a good thing for the team.”
(The NFL and NFLPA recently made changes that basically said players can get tested whenever they want to and that’s on the league. Do you think that’s a positive step in terms of keeping you guys safe?) – “I’m not too sure what was their whole point behind that. I can only do what’s for me at this moment. Test as much as possible, stay masked up and keep my distance. We’ve done a good job at the Dolphins of being home and being virtual. I think our organization itself is doing a great job to keep us safe. As long as we stay by the guidelines and do what we need to do outside the field, I think everything will turn out good.”
(The next game is on Monday night. In your career, do you have a special Monday night memory or moment?) – “We played in some good Monday Night Football games. Nothing in particular that stands out to make it. The next one will be the best one. I’m looking forward to getting to the Saints and playing a good football game.”
(The most important part is it’s a ballgame. But in general, do you like the idea of everyone is watching and it’s a big game? Does Monday feel like a big game?) – “Prime time football, that’s what it’s all about. Everyone is watching Thursday night, Sunday night, Monday night. Even when we get done playing a game, we look forward to watching that Sunday Night Football game. Or leaving here after meetings on Thursday and getting settled down for that Thursday Night Football game. We know everyone is watching. People on other teams are watching. To get out there and play in front of your peers and not just the fans is special. We all look forward to that, to those prime time games.”
(To follow up the question about the new COVID changes, they also put in an opportunity for guys to opt out again. I know you did it last year. I don’t know what your feelings were about it, whether you have regrets when you did it or didn’t do it. But is there any thought to that and what would you recommend to guys who are considering that?) – “I have no regrets from last year. I think I did what’s best for me, my family. It worked out pretty well for me. Everyone stayed healthy and fortunately no one in my circle has gotten the virus. As for opting out now, like I said, I think our organization is doing a good job trying to stay proactive on all of these things. The season is coming to an end and there are not too many more weeks to go. I’m just going to try to do my part and just stay ahead of this thing as much as possible.”
