Austin Jackson – August 14, 2021 (Postgame)
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Saturday, August 14, 2021
Postgame – at Chicago
T Austin Jackson
(How was your first preseason game?) – “Oh, you know. It was my first preseason game. I haven’t seen the film yet. I know I gave up a pressure on my last play in. I’m just learning stuff. Getting back into the groove of the game. Having fans outside, it was different last year with that; so it was a lot of excitement and it was good to get out there.”
(That was your first career preseason game. How different is it as opposed to a regular-season game?) – “I didn’t really notice a big difference. I guess the only difference is kind of more people have to get reps in. We’ve got a very full roster right now so knowing a lot of people have to get reps in versus a regular-season game where you’re in until 0:00.”
(I know this is a very good Bears defensive line but what do you as an offensive line take away from this week’s practices and then the game?) – “I definitely take away a lot, especially me going up against veteran guys like Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack – guys I’ve been watching since I was in high school. Getting the opportunity to compete against them all week has been great. I’m taking it one day at a time and I enjoyed it. I took a lot. I love competing against that type of talent.”
(How frustrating was that red zone? You guys had two chances to run it in and didn’t get the touchdown.) – “Yeah, it’s difficult. One of the things we stress is getting into the red zone and scoring. To have – I know one was a turnover and I think the other was just loss of downs. It’s frustrating for sure.”
(I was talking about the specific one where you guys ran twice on the left side and it was like no gain and a loss of three.) – “Yeah, it’s frustrating at the end of the day. We’ll go back and look at the film, see what we could have done better. One of the things we emphasize is getting in the red zone and scoring. All we can do is take it one day at a time and get better at it. Get better next time, for sure.”
(Did any of those two guys that you mentioned before – Robert Quinn or Khalil Mack – show you a move or anything this week that you can kind of file away and go now I know what to do the next time I see this? Or had you seen all their stuff before?) – “Yeah, Robert Quinn had a good like jump-chop kind of swim karate-chop move. It was the most efficient I’ve seen it done before. It was good to go against that and learn how to beat it really. I’m just taking away a lot from those guys, really. I’m not – I like to compete. That’s what I like to do. I like to go in there against the 10-year vet, this, this and that, and see how much I can learn and get better, and help them get better too.”
(So the next time you see one of those from them, you know right?) – “Yeah, but those guys are pros. You never know. Every down is different. You don’t know what move they’re going to throw; but like you said, when you see it, it’s less surprising, I would say.”
(Where do you feel you guys are from an offensive line standpoint in terms of being where you want to be right now?) – “I think where we are right now versus where we want to be, that’s a tough question to ask in Week 1 of the preseason. Definitely. It’s like our second or third week of camp. I don’t even know what day it is. That’s a tough question to ask, especially with all of the moving pieces going in. We’re putting in the offense right now, so we’re all learning; but I know one thing we do do is we come in and compete every day. The effort part, if you’re not lacking the effort part – which is a struggle for a lot of people and teams – then you can go great places. We’re staying on that track and just keep building until we get a brick wall.”
Jacoby Brissett – August 14, 2021 (Postgame)
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Saturday, August 14, 2021
Postgame – at Chicago
QB Jacoby Brissett
(So the touchdown to RB Salvon Ahmed, can you tell us what went into that play working?) – “It was a play that we practice a lot. I saw the coverage for him and threw him a ball to give him a chance. He made a great play and had a great time on it. I’m excited that he did that. He made a good play for us and scored.”
(There was a period there where you had five or so completions in a row. Did you personally feel like you were in a good rhythm today?) – “Yeah, for sure. We were running plays that obviously that I knew and that we had talked about. I had time and guys were getting open. A lot of those guys made plays. Like you said, I felt like I was getting into my rhythm so I was happy about that.”
(In your experience over the years, how long does it take before a quarterback and a set of receivers kind of sync up or feel like they know each other, like they have instincts for each other?) – “I think it’s an ongoing process, year in and year out, game in and game out, because every game is so different. You get put in different situations and you hope that within those situations you get to learn more about each other. Then when you go back and watch the film, you get on the same page and things like that. It’s a never ending process.”
(What are you enjoying about being a member of this team so far?) – “I love team. I love football. I love being in the locker room. I love competing. I love going out there and playing football. I think that’s just it. Getting an opportunity to play in the NFL is a huge dream of mine. It’s a huge honor so I don’t take it lightly.”
(Obviously you’ve been a lot of places but what does it mean to play at home or for your hometown?) – “It’s awesome. You get to feel that when I do go back home, my hometown, and you know all of those old guys that were longtime Dolphins fans and seeing those guys at stores. It’s been awesome. Knowing that it’s not too far from home, my family and my friends can come and see me play that haven’t had the opportunity to see me play and practice and stuff like that. It’s been good so far.”
(You grew up in South Florida. Was today a special feeling or do you think that the regular season debut will be your “Dolphins debut?”) – “(laughter) No, today was crazy. When I walked in and saw my jersey, I was like ‘wow!’ My first NFL game was the Patriots versus the Dolphins, that I ever went to in my life. Then I got drafted by the Patriots and now I’m playing for the Dolphins. It’s crazy to be on this side of it. Like I said, it was surreal when I walked in and saw my jersey with my name on it.”
(How do you feel like camp overall has gone?) – “It’s getting better. I think kind of like the mindset of coach always says we’re just taking it one day at a time, and really embracing that mindset coming to a new situation, a new offense, a new team, a new city, a new everything. Trying to find and navigate my way, while at the same time, being the guy that I am, being the man that I am, and trying to get better at being a better teammate, being a better player – whatever I can get better at and trying to do that. It’s been a one day at a time process but it’s been good.”
(Are you going to try to get a couple of friends or family members out to the joint practices at y’alls place?) – “Oh, for sure. A couple of my family members have come to practice so far. I’ll definitely try to get them down next week too.”
Nik Needham – August 14, 2021 (Postgame)
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Saturday, August 14, 2021
Postgame – at Chicago
CB Nik Needham
(I thought you had a forced fumble but somebody said they gave it to LB Shaquem Griffin.) – “Aw, that’s crazy. (laughter)”
(Who actually forced the fumble?) – “I have no clue. All I know is I spun around and the ball came out, so I was like, ‘Oh ok, maybe I’ll get a half forced fumble.’ I don’t know. (laughter) But yeah I’m not sure who did it. I just knew the ball was on the ground.”
(What did you think of the defense in that first half? I think you gave up 79 yards.) – “I think we were executing pretty well, just trying to get that level of communication and chemistry going. I think as far as the first half, we were really connecting as a group. Just trying to build on that next week and the week after and into the regular season.”
(What was it like in the secondary? You were missing a couple of rather important cornerbacks.) – “Oh, yeah. Just step up to the plate. Whatever they need you to do, just go out there and compete. When those guys get back in there, I’ll play my role and whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it.”
(It seemed like you had a lot of hands on the ball, especially on the deep ball too.) – “Yeah, that’s what we preach every day as a point of emphasis. No deep balls and get your hands on the ball. Every time the ball is in the air, turn around and look. You want to come down with the interception but if you can’t, just don’t let the receiver catch it. I think we did a pretty good job of that.”
(How important is it for you to have your teammates and coaches know that you can be a reliable guy for them and they can count on you?) – “It feels good but at the end of the day, it’s up to me. I’ve got to keep going out there executing and doing what I need to do to be available and reliable. It feels good if the coaches feel that way and my teammates feel that way; but at the end of the day, it comes down to me and I’ve got to execute.”
(After you make your first play, does the confidence just ooze?) – “This is what, my third year? I just feel a little more comfortable out there. It felt good with the fans out there. It just felt like yeah, it’s football time. I wasn’t really too anxious as before the past couple of years. But yeah, to get the first target and get a PBU (pass broken up), I felt good. It was in the first series too; so yeah, I felt good to get that rolling.”
Mike Gesicki – August 14, 2021 (Postgame)
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Saturday, August 14, 2021
Postgame – at Chicago
TE Mike Gesicki
(You had 50 yards on your first catch of the preseason…) – “I’ve got to work on the speed, man. I’ve got to work on the speed. (laughter) No, it was fun. It was a good day. There are a lot of things to improve on and build on but like you said, preseason game one, a lot of things went well. Just continue to…”
(But you feel like you should have scored on that?) – “(laughter) Any time you get in the ball in your hands, you’ve got to go make a play. That’s my thing. You’ve got to make the most of your opportunities. I was able to make one miss but I don’t know.”
(What did you like about what QB Tua Tagovailoa did on that particular play?) – “I thought Tua did a great job all day, honestly. He did a good job just trusting his reads, going through his progression, being patient, making plays, stepping up on the pocket. We connected twice. He throws a really catchable ball. Good touch. Puts it in good spots. For me, personally, I just wanted to be able to be dependable, reliable and let him know that if things break down or if he needs somewhere to look, I’ll be there for him.”
(You know what having good chemistry with a quarterback is like. You had it with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. How close are you with QB Tua Tagovailoa to having that chemistry?) – “I feel great with Tua back there. I feel really comfortable. I think that today and however many plays it was – on two targets – I feel good. I feel like we’re on the same page. On the other third down one, I knew he was coming to me; so right then and there it’s like alright. You’ve got to know once he hits his third step in his drop and the ball is coming out, you’ve got to get your head around and just know that the ball is coming out. Right there he put it in a great spot away from the defender where I was going to go out and get it. That’s just another thing that like I said, he’s doing a great job of – just trusting his progression, knowing right there it’s third down, picking a matchup that you like and going to it. That’s where I’ve got to come in and like I’ve said, be dependable, be detailed in my assignment and go out and make a play.”
(Where does that come from? Where does that sync come from?) – “I think it just builds up over time. We played together last year obviously and had a ton of reps in practice and in games on Sundays. This year during OTAs and coming back in, it just builds up over time. I think for Tua, my thing – like I said – is I just want to be there for him. I just want to be ready and just let him know that if things break down or it’s a big play or it’s third down or we’re in the red zone, I’m going to be there and I’m going to be dependable. I’ve got to go out and make a play. I think I’ve said it a thousand times to you guys, you’ve just got to make the most of your opportunities when they come. That’s just kind of what my mindset is.”
(When you’re playing with a quarterback like QB Tua Tagovailoa that has that level of accuracy and anticipation, how much does it change for you in terms of when you’re coming out of your break?) – “It’s great for a receiver like myself to understand that Tua is going to put the ball where it needs to be. Like I said, he puts good touch on it. It’s a very easily catchable ball. Like you said, he’s extremely accurate. On that third down on my second catch, he can put it away from the defender and he can put it low where only I can go get it, so it makes it easier for me to know when I’m coming out of break that the ball is going to be here. It’s not like where is the ball and you’ve got to track it. You know where it’s going to be. It’s going to be third down, I’ve got a guy on my back so it’s going to be low. Just kind of putting all of those things together while you’re running your route in pre-snap.”
Solomon Kindley – August 12, 2021
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
G Solomon Kindley
(It started to get a little chippy out there. Is that football at it’s finest?) – “You already know, it’s football. That’s a very good defensive line. The offensive line is a young group. We’re just playing football, like you said.”
(Is it always like that in a weird kind of way?) – “We’re offensive linemen, defensive lineman. We like to scuffle. (laughter) We do that every play.”
(How do you think today went for you?) – “It went pretty good. Everybody has something to work on every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s my technique or my hands or my run blocking or pass blocking. Everybody has something to work on. I can always get better.”
(How do you feel the one-on-one drills went?) – “Like I said, I’ve got to get better with my hands. That drill is particularly for the defensive linemen anyway. I can always get better with my hands and my base and everything; but other than that, I feel like I was doing pretty good.”
(Do you think today back with the ones was sort of an audition and a chance to show that ‘hey, I need to be in here and stay in here?’) – “I’m just playing football, my man. Whatever decisions the coach makes, I’m going to be out there. I’m just playing football.”
(The running game got going out there today, I know you got to love that.) – “No doubt. The offensive line loves running. We love running the football; so yeah, that was good.”
(What’s the key to getting that going?) – “Just grit. Grit, anger and giving effort. That’s all an offensive lineman needs.”
(What do you think of RB Malcolm Brown down by the goal line, the way he bulldozes and gets the ball across?) – “Like I said, we came out with a lot of effort today. We came out with a lot of grit because we knew this defensive line was good. We put our heads down and worked. Don’t worry about what nobody else says.”
(Obviously you didn’t have a chance to have a preseason last year. With that being said, how much are you looking forward to your first NFL preseason game?) – “I’m ready for it. I’m ready for it. Growing up, I always looked at preseason games, then coming out to play Sunday. Like you said, it’s my first one and I’m very excited for it.”
(With T Liam Eichenberg having an injury yesterday, what was your mindset relative to you have to run in there? You never know when that’s going to happen.) – “The offensive line group we got is next man up. Everybody is good. Doesn’t matter if you’re playing right side, left side, tackle or guard. Everybody is good, so we just plug on in. We’ll be there for our teammates.”
(Does it help to have some chemistry with guys?) – “No doubt, no doubt, no doubt. Chemistry is big for the offensive line.”
(What would be a message that QB Tua Tagovailoa has given all of the linemen throughout the summer and here in Chicago?) – “He said he loves us and we’re a family. That’s all we need.”
(You played left in college. Does it feel more comfortable being back at left now?) – “Like I said, it’s just football. You’ve got to really get into your playbook. I played right all of last year; so you got to get into your playbook because the technique, the feet placement, the man that you’re going to (block) pretty much changes; but it’s the same assignment. You’ve just got to really get into the playbook and really study your plays.”
(What are you looking forward to Saturday?) – “Very exciting. We haven’t played football on TV in a long time. Had a very long offseason, so I’m ready to be on TV and let my momma see me. (laughter)”
Justin Coleman – August 12, 2021
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
CB Justin Coleman
(How would you say your first camp with the Dolphins is progressing?) – “Everything is going well. We got everybody out here competing. I like to see everybody enjoying practice. I’m just looking forward to this next practice, getting on top of things and making sure that we are correcting all the errors and mistakes that we made and getting on top of everything.”
(For a guy that has been in the league for a bit, do you still look forward to that first preseason game?) – “Of course. That’s like the kickoff of the season just to see how everybody is going to react to game situations. Also to see how the younger guys are ready to get in the game and make some plays. I’m looking forward to that.”
(How do you feel camp competition has gone for you?) – “It’s going well. Those guys are out there giving us that work and we are competing with them. We’re making plays, they’re making plays. It’s healthy competition. They aren’t doing anything but making us better and we are just going to go from that.”
(How similar is the defensive structure and/or verbiage from last year when you were with the Lions?) – “Coach (Josh) Boyer has his own style. I’m just going to go with that. He’s going to make his play calls and he has a way he plays the game. I just go by what Coach Boyer goes by.”
(How happy are you to be in the slot, which seems to be the position for which you are best suited?) – “Man, I’m happy to be on the field. (laughter) Most definitely in the slot. It’s tough in the slot but once you learn the ins and outs, you can get the hang of it. You know your abilities, you know the plays, you know how to do everything and you can get the hang of it.”
(Is it weird that you move to Miami and the first opponent you see is an NFC North team?) – “Nah, it ain’t weird. (laughter) It’s football, it happens. I always look forward to playing a team that I already played before.”
(Relative to the slot position, what part of your strengths do you think fits that well?) – “Really my mentality. I’m very aggressive. As long as I get my hands on guys, I can dominate.”
(With the NFC North experience, is there any familiarity level with the Bears? Anything that maybe you tell the guys on this team?) – “Yeah, we played them quite a few times. With that, you kind of adapt to how they play and you know how some of the receivers play and how the coaching style is with the coaches. I can kind of help the guys on our team understand how they are going to attack the game and how we can respond. That’ll help us.”
Eric Rowe – August 12, 2021
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
S Eric Rowe
(Very chippy practice and we’re going to blame you for it because you got the first – not really the first; the offensive and defensive line, the tight ends – what led to all this chippy nature?) – “It’s just the sport. Just out there competing hard and sometimes things just get chippy; but then just like ‘Coach’ (Brian Flores) said, ‘You’ve just got to put in the back; you just go to the next play.’ Can’t let it affect you the rest of the game.”
(The play – you see him make the catch on the fly and then you’re just playing football – what happened?) – “No, I just saw him catch the ball and I just gave him a little shoulder tap and he fell and pushed me in the back; and then after that, it just – swarm. I wasn’t even mad about it. I was just laughing.”
(How do you feel the defense performed overall in the two practices with Bears?) – “Defensive-wise from yesterday to today, we made progress. Especially in the back end, our communication. Yesterday we missed a couple checks. That’s why we have these practices against someone than our own color. It’s good for us to see what we need to work on. So from yesterday to today, I even saw progress even within myself.”
(When S Jevon Holland is back there do you even feel like he’s a rookie? Do you even sense any of that when he’s there?) – “Honestly, I’m locked in on my job, (laughter) but he’s still growing. He’s growing pretty fast, too, within the defense. He’s getting the checks out. I keep telling him he’s got to be louder with the calls. He’s working on that. Nothing with his physical ability – he already has that. It’s just all mental now.”
(What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about S Jevon Holland since the time you first met him?) – “He’s a smart kid. He picked up the defense like that. I think he’s played in it in college. I’m not sure, but he’s picked it up fast. He’s already had the physical ability. I’ve seen the range. He’s already made a few picks even yesterday and then even in training camp in Miami, so the biggest thing with him – yeah, he’s progressing fast.”
(S Jevon Holland said that when he was on the field yesterday he was looking around. He’s like, “Man, that’s Andy Dalton. That’s this guy.” There’s still some of that, you know what I mean? Is raising his voice a little more, getting more comfortable?) – “He hasn’t told me that, but when I was a rookie, I was like that, too. I think I went against Calvin Johnson. In my head, I was like, ‘Oh my God, there’s Calvin Johnson right here on me.’ I figured he’d probably do the same thing.”
(Did you shut him down? Calvin Johnson?) – “No. (laughter) No. Can’t even lie about it. No, did not do that.”
(There’s probably rookie receivers saying, “Oh my God. That’s Eric Rowe right there.”) – “I don’t know about that. (laughter)”
(What’s this process like for you guys in terms of tightening up what you need to do to get back to where you guys were last year?) – “It’s still a long way to go. No one’s in obviously midseason form. That takes time. Things I know that we’ve got to do just to tighten up is just our communication and really just getting lined up, because we’ve seen it when we play our assignments and we execute that we’re stopping the run, we’re stopping the pass; but right now it’s just little things that I’m sure every team has that work through training camp with just some alignment issues or we missed a check on a call or we blow a coverage. Once we just get those things tightened up, we can back to where we were.”
(Do you feel like you guys are where you need to be at this point as a defensive backfield at least?) – “Yeah, defensive backfield – we’re making progress. From Day 1 until now, it’s exponential. So that type of growth, it’s good to see where we’re at because if we were still making the same mistakes from the first couple days of training camp, I’d be pretty worried.”
Adam Shaheen – August 12, 2021
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Thursday, August 12, 2021
TE Adam Shaheen
(Was it good to renew acquaintances with the Bears? It seems like you got particularly re-acquainted with LB Khalil Mack early on in that one-on-one drill. Can you describe the atmosphere of the practice and how it got a little bit chippy there?) – “Yeah, it was a good, competitive day. I think you’re going to have that. That’s why we do the joint practices. They got us, we got them, and it was just a good practice I thought all around.”
(Can you share anything that LB Khalil Mack was telling you after you guys broke up and he seemed to be still yapping quite a bit?) – “That’s just guys talking. It’s going to happen. It wasn’t just me, it wasn’t just him. It was back and forth. It’s going to happen now and it’s going to happen in the game. It was nothing crazy.”
(You keep making a lot of catches in practice. How excited are you about the prospects for what your role could be in the offense this season?) – “Yeah, I mean I’ve still got a lot of work to do as far as there are a lot of nuances to put in a lot of stuff. I’m really learning and grinding down on this; but that’s what we’re here for in training camp to do is to keep preparing and learning this stuff so that when it comes to Game 1, we’re ready to roll.”
(After you caught a touchdown, it looked like you considered dunking the ball on the post but then changed your mind. Why not dunk?) – “Well, I don’t know if it was a little downslide or something but my feet got tangled up and I thought, ‘you know what, I might as well just run with this one back.’ (laughter)”
(It would have been bad if you tried to dunk it and couldn’t get to the rim.) – “Exactly. That’s why I didn’t even jump. I didn’t want to even jump. (laughter) There was a little pocket on the Earth, that’s all it was. (laughter)”
(Leave that to WR Mack Hollins.) – “Yeah, we’ll leave that to Mack. That’s his thing. (laughter)”
(What’s it been like since TE Mike Gesicki came back to the tight end group?) – “It’s good. I mean we love Mike personality-wise and then also what he brings to the game. It’s been awesome having him back.”
(Last year you were traded the week training camp began and didn’t have any preseason. What’s it like to have a whole year in a similar offense – not exactly the same – and now to build on that?) – “I think it’s huge. Also being with kind of that group for the whole year last year and then starting off right now, I think it’s building those relationships and that trust is something you can’t do when you get traded and you’re playing right next to the guy for the first time last year. I think it’s been good for me and hopefully good for everybody else as well.”
(Last year, you and TE Mike Gesicki and TE Durham Smythe caught a lot of balls and caught a lot of touchdowns, and that was interesting because they said the Chan Gailey offense didn’t suit tight ends and it did. I’m curious what do you think of the Godsey/Studesville offense and how it fits tight ends?) – “Like I mentioned last time, I think right now as we’re earning those reps and earning those targets and stuff and earning those opportunities, I think if we keep showing and keep doing what we’ve been doing, there’s no reason we can’t be even better than we were last year, which I think we were one of the top five tight end groups in the league as far as production goes. And we have an influx of new guys as well that are awesome as well. So who knows, but the sky is the limit for our group.”
