Justin Bethel – September 12, 2022
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Monday, September 12, 2022
CB Justin Bethel
(What was it like getting integrated with the team so quickly and making some key special teams plays?) – “It’s really cool. I got cut at the deadline then was literally here the next day, started practicing and getting acclimated to everything. The weather is definitely different than in New England, obviously. Being able to come out and play against the team that let you go is always a cool feeling. You know a lot of the guys. You’ve been practicing against them. I was there all training camp so I kind of knew how they were. Playing them in a live game is a little different than in practice. It was cool to be able to go out there and make a good play at gunner. That’s what I’m here for. That’s what I do. I’ve been doing it for a while. I just hope to keep going and make those same kind of plays.”
(You were born in Sumter, SC. Do you often visit a lot? What was it like growing up?) – “I was born in Sumter, South Carolina and moved to Columbia, South Carolina when I was about six. I went to Blythewood High School then went to Presbyterian College. I do try to go down – I throw a camp every year like a 7-on-7, and then I’ll go down and see my parents. They’re still out there. So I’ll go back every year, see them, spend a couple of days down there, see them, see other family. I’m always trying to find a way to get back down there. I still go back to my high school every now and then and go back to my college and just show some love.”
(The running game had a lot of new working parts, starting with Head Coach Mike McDaniel. There were two new offensive linemen, new running backs. Do you have any idea how long it generally takes a new running game to get in sync? A couple of weeks or a couple of months?) – “The guys got the whole offseason to try and get things going and it’s hard – a lot of things you can’t really tell until you’re hitting live bullets. I think they’ll get everything how they need to get it. From that, you just watch and see them make progress and get better every week.”
(Coming over from New England, were you able to reveal to the Dolphins valuable team secrets?) – “(laughter) I know every time somebody like the Pats pick up somebody from the Dolphins or the Dolphins pick up somebody from the Pats, they’re like, ‘Oh, they got him so they can tell him all of the secrets.’ You’ve got other guys who have played there. You’ve got coaches who have played there. Really, when you’re talking about a division opponent, they play each other so much that there’s a lot they already know. They didn’t really ask me anything. It was kind of this is what we do, this is how we run things and trying to get me acclimated to how it’s going to be here. We just kind of went from there.”
(What do you think it will take for you to get back to your Pro Bowl level that you had earlier in your career?) – “Truthfully, I always kind of feel that I’ve worked to reach that kind of level – Pro Bowl, All Pro. That’s my goal every year. I’m always criticizing myself on what I could have done differently on this play, what I could have done differently on that play. I feel like I should be able to make every play out there. But that’s my goal every year. That’s never gone away. I think I have the capabilities to do it. I might be a little older than everybody else but I definitely think I still have the gas in the tank to get it done.”
Elandon Roberts – September 12, 2022
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Monday, September 12, 2022
LB Elandon Roberts
(What do you remember about facing Baltimore last year and the success you were able to have defensively?) – “Last year, Baltimore came out and did some things that we expected them to do and stuff like that. But with their type of offense, they can give you looks and do a lot of stuff off of it and whatnot. Lamar (Jackson) is the engine of that offense. It’s all about Lamar. He’s a big part of their offense. I feel like he’s the engine that gets everything going.”
(You started your college career at Morgan State in Baltimore. What was that experience like playing at an HBCU?) – “From an HBCU standpoint, it was great. I was only there for a semester but it was great. I’m trying to rep Morgan (State). I graduated from the University of Houston and I always throw up the Cougs all day, but when Morgan State is balling, that’s near and dear to my heart. I loved everything about the experience there.”
(What was your feeling when you heard your coach say this is a defensive team?) – “Just as a defense, as a whole, we try to go out there and do what we’re paid to do. And that’s get the ball back to the offense. I think it’s a great compliment from him but as a defensive player, we’re just doing our job. I think the whole defense would say the same thing. So each week, we’re going to go out there and try to stop opponents and give the ball to our offense to give them a chance to do what they do best.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel was saying that there were no celebrations or parties today. As a veteran, how tough is it to put a game behind you like yesterday’s? And then how emotional was yesterday – a first-year coach, home opener, New England and all of that?) – “To answer your first question, I feel like that just shows the growth of our team. We’ve been young a couple of years now since I’ve been here and it shows the growth of your team to be able to put a win behind you and move forward because it’s not a one-game-a-year type of thing. Each week it’s a new opponent. No opponent is to be slept on. Every game is a big game. So being able to turn the page quick and getting focused on Baltimore, that just shows our maturity of the team and where we look to go this season.”
(Were there times in previous years where you felt like the team kind of celebrated a little bit too long and didn’t move ahead to the next game?) – “I feel like that’s a good question because throughout the NFL, you have teams that maybe you feel like celebrated too long. But like I said, I feel like we’re in a good place as the Miami Dolphins to be able to flip the page. We’re putting New England behind us. That was a good team win. But right now we’ve got our full focus on the Baltimore Ravens.”
(Early in the game yesterday, the Patriots were moving the ball well and by the end, the final statistics showed you guys had a solid defensive game. What flipped the switch or adjustment did you guys make to make it happen?) – “I think it was the first game. With the Patriots, you guys have seen it, you didn’t really know what offensive coordinator you were going to get. It’s not using excuses but just speaking facts. Once we got adjusted, we were able to put some things together from a total defensive standpoint.”
(What did you see from special teams yesterday? Two field goals and three punts inside the 20. It seemed like you guys were on top of it. What did you see?) – “I feel great about all of our phases – offense, defense and special teams. If you have those three and you can play complementary, sometimes you think offense can win it and sometimes you think defense can win it. But you need all three to come together and win a game. All three phases being on the same page, that’s what is going to take you to your ultimate goal.”
(What has LB Melvin Ingram done for your defense, do you think?) – “I think Melvin has done a great job for the defense. Just like the other guys on the defense, everybody is just out there trying to get better, do their job and whatnot. I think everybody, even defensively, offensively and special teams – from a whole team standpoint – you might get patted on the back for this and that but we’re looking at what we can better at as a team. That’s what we’re going to do, which we did today. Now we’re putting all of our focus on the Baltimore Ravens.”
(Then with CB Kader Kohou, was there a moment back in May or June where you noticed him and thought he might be something?) – “To be honest, anybody that gets an opportunity to play in this league and is out there making plays, whether it’s the first day of practice, it is what it is. Every man, we look at them like they must be here for a reason. If you can help this team be better, then we’re going to embrace you. I think Kader has done a great job of controlling what he can control when he’s in the game doing his job. That’s all you can ask for. I’m proud of him, with the first game, just as a defensive leader. We know as a defense that Kader can move on, put that game behind him and like I said, the entire defense and Dolphins organization, we’re all turning the page towards the Baltimore Ravens.”
(Did you know CB Kader Kohou could hit like that? He had the play where he jarred the ball loose.) – “The last three years, everybody on the Dolphins defense can hit. We’re big hitters. I don’t think you can name one guy that isn’t hitting. I think that’s what we do best is fly around and hit.”
Kader Kohou – September 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 11, 2022
Postgame – New England
CB Kader Kohou
(I don’t know if anyone had more fun out there today—how was that experience? – “It was a great experience for my first NFL game. I was nervous before until I got out there and then it was just kind of filled in from there.”
(Take me through the hit and then to the celebration afterward—it looked like you lost your footing when you jumped up? – “We were just in our coverage four-men with three-deep and I just read the quarterback and I broke on him and I got there before he had a chance to turn and run, so I took my shot. And on the celebration—Christian took me down. We both jumped up and he’s much bigger than me, so he overpowered me a little bit there.”
(This has to be the type of game you envisioned the night you weren’t drafted? – “Yes, most definitely. The night I went undrafted, I just had a chip on my shoulder from then on. I always envisioned myself making plays, but definitely being undrafted—yeah.”
(What does a game like this do for your confidence going forward? I know you were pretty confident anyway, but what does this do for your confidence?) – “Since training camp, my coaches have harped on building up my confidence. Always telling me, ‘you need to be ready game one, you need to be ready game one.’ So it’s a credit to them and then in the game just add a little bit on to it.”
Tyreek Hill – September 11, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Postgame – New England
WR Tyreek Hill
(How fun was it to get Head Coach Mike McDaniel a win in the first one? Does that mean anything to you?) – “Yeah, it means a lot, man. I don’t know if you guys know the history of Coach Mike (McDaniel). He is a team coach and has been through a lot in his life, so this means a lot, not only for me, but for this whole team. It means a lot. A lot of guys take pride in what they do around here and they really look up to Mike (McDaniel) as a role model, and so far he’s done a great job teaching us how to be pros, leading us in the right direction and creating moments for us to be a closer team. So far so good.”
(What were your thought’s on WR Jaylen Waddle’s touchdown right at the end of the second half?)– “That boy looked fast, man. It was a great job by Jaylen (Waddle), Tua (Tagovailoa) put the ball in a perfect spot and Jaylen (Waddle) did a great job of catching the ball and really just splitting three defenders, I believe. We talk about that all the time in our meeting rooms as a wideout. If you want to be good, just get the catch, but the great ones, they get drunk off the YAC (yards after catch). (laughter) He obviously did that and made a big play in a big moment for the team, and it carried over to the next half.”
(That catch you jumped the ladder for, what were you thinking when you came down with that one?) – “I used to be a big man in middle school. (laughter) A lot of people don’t believe that because I’m 5’9-5’10ish. A lot of people don’t believe I was a big man. My main thing is, that’s my ball, I’ve got to go get it. I’m going to make sure I protect that. That’s my whole mindset.”
Jaylen Waddle – September 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 11, 2022
Postgame – New England
WR Jaylen Waddle
(When you got the play-call for that fourth-and-eight play, what was going through your mind?) – “Nothing really goes through your mind, you try to read the coverage. I just try to be prepared when my number is called and try to make the play. It was a great ball and the o-line held up, I tried to catch it and do something with it.”
(What does it say about your Head Coach Mike McDaniel to roll the dice like that?) – “He’s just got confidence in us. We had a good offseason, a good camp, so he’s got confidence in us. We have confidence in him. Every decision that he makes, we are just going to try and go out there and do it.”
(Does it excite you that your Coach (Mike McDaniel) wants to go for it on fourth-and-eight and try to get a huge lead at half?) – “I trust Mike (McDaniel) to know what he’s doing, I trust him play calling, all that good stuff. Great head coach, great first win.”
Brandon Jones – September 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 11, 2022
Postgame – New England
S Brandon Jones
(What is that like? What is the realization when you know, “damn, nobody is gonna touch me on my way to this quarterback”?) – “I know my eyes are probably huge. It was a great feeling. I think I celebrated a little early though, I didn’t realize the ball was right beside me. That’s what (Emmanuel) Ogbah said – ‘you didn’t pick the ball up.’ (laughter) It was a good play.”
(Last year, no other defensive back put more pressure on the quarterback than you did. No one rushed more often as you did, but how important was showing up your game, your pass rushing, over the course of the offseason?”) – “Yeah that was huge. Obviously I’m really big on just trying to grow every aspect of my game but for sure man. Coverage has been something I have been working on. I work on everything before practice. It’s a huge emphasis. Not just that, but just anything. When it comes to blitzing, to making those hunting drops, playing the middle of the field safety. I’m always looking for ways to grow my game and continue to better myself as a player.”
Melvin Ingram – September 11, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Postgame – New England
LB Melvin Ingram
(It looked like you just snatched that ball out of the air [for the touchdown]. Was it just seamless? You just saw it in front of you? Tell us about the play.) – “See ball, get ball. When I’m out there, see ball, get ball, baby – that’s all it is. Just trying to make a play though. All jokes aside, I’m just trying to make a play. That’s the idea, I’m here to try to make plays to help this ball club win.”
(What’s it like playing with this defense? I’m sure you’ve seen it from afar before, but to see how the defensive backs can get into the backfield and do that to a quarterback?) – “It’s amazing. That’s special when you have ‘DBs’ and linebackers and all that play like that, it’ll make your job easy. It’s all 11 guys out there getting to that ball, and it’s something special here.”
(Is the gameplan you saw from New England so of what you were expecting? Week 1 is always such a question mark.) – “Yeah, it was what we expected. We stayed in the film room, and coaches do a great job preparing us. So it was everything we expected.”
Mike McDaniel – September 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 11, 2022
Postgame – New England
Head Coach Mike McDaniel (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q: Little Gatorade shower?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yes, ice cold. Courtesy of Christian Wilkins, so my glasses are a little splotchy, but what do you guys got? (laughter)
Q: When the game clock hits triple zero and you’re walking off and it’s Miami Dolphins W in your first game as head coach, what goes through your mind and what was it like celebrating with your team?
MIKE McDANIEL: It was a very, very cool moment, against my wishes. They just showered me in Gatorade and made it about me, which I know for a fact it’s not. But the team celebrated together, and just being happy for the direction that we’re going in. That’s why you get into team sports. I can also tell it was a good excitement and celebration because it wasn’t like a satisfied celebration. They were happy that we got it done. I think a lot of guys feel like the Miami Dolphins’ fan base and the organization deserve to win, but there was a lot of frustration, including me, on things in the game that we really left out there. That was pretty cool. When the clock hit zero, I only have a couple of reps, so I was most concerned with finding Coach Belichick and expeditiously going over there to shake his hand and then trying to figure out really what I want to say to the guys. It’s more of, okay, what’s the next step in the job than anything else. It’s maybe with friends and family I’ll take 15 minutes to appreciate it, but that’s not why I’m here, is to bask or cheer; I’m here to help lead a team of people. We’ve got Game 2 next week on the road against a team that’s very hard to play at, so that will be our concern. Other than that, I’m very happy for the team overall because they’ve put in the work. It wasn’t really since April, even before that, the whole organization has really worked in one direction, and you like to see that get rewarded.
Q: If you go through the fourth down call that led to the WR Jaylen Waddle touchdown?
MIKE McDANIEL: It was a cool moment for really our whole team, but the mechanics of working with the game management guys and talking through the different scenarios, we were just at the fringe of Jason’s (Sanders) range. Yeah, you can push the envelope, but the flip side is you miss it, and you’re a first down away from giving up points. So then it became, all right, it does kind of make sense to go ahead and go for it, have a couple of thoughts in mind. Then in communication with the offensive staff, I think it was Jon Embree kind of tipped the scales because they had a couple up. Then from that point on it’s all players. So we decided to do it. Had a couple thoughts in mind. You try to prepare yourself so it’s not the first time you’ve thought about that scenario. That does come up in the half. I had a couple of thoughts, but then once the play started, I think Cedrick (Wilson) motioned down, and we had anticipated a certain type of leverage in the man-to-man coverage, and we got it. Then we got the protection, and then Tua ripped a strike. Part of the reason that you hear so much praise from Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle about Tua is because he throws that catchable ball that you can get yards after catch. Waddle, that’s something that we’ve emphasized a ton, and you want to talk about deliberate practice coming to life in the biggest moment is catching that in-break and then having a mindset. Not being surprised that he is catching it. No, he only scores because he immediately transitioned to take it to the house. I was glad to have him back. I told you guys. I was very confident he would be back. That was a cool moment for all of us. You know, just wish we could have continued that momentum in the second half, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Q: The way the defense stepped up on multiple plays, whether it’s CB Xavien Howard taking it to S Jevon Holland or the strip sack from S Brandon Jones for a touchdown by LB Melvin Ingram, CB Kader Kohou late…?
MIKE McDANIEL: I told the team last night I thought it was important that you guys were introduced to the offensive players and the offense, but this is still the defense’s team until proven otherwise and they valued that. That was important to them when they heard that, and they wanted to prove me right. They sure did. Defense is funny where you can have so many guys that are competitive and have high standards and then you’re giving up some yards and you’re driving down the field. Well, it’s a classic example of the other team has to score, so don’t panic and then wait for your opportunity and seize it. That was a huge momentum-turner. The pick with X’s PBU (pass breakup) and then Jevon coming and making a play on that. Who knows what the game looks like without that one? Those are a ton of examples that we’ll be able to learn from, but I thought it was good that the defense deserved to get some – they’ve put in the work. It is the stage now where they’ve been able to play together for a while. That means a lot to them. They have a standard that they want to employ that everybody knows when a Miami Dolphins game occurs that you’re going to have to deal with this defense. You know, we’re plus-three in the turnover margin, which that’s probably the biggest indicator that you’ll ever have. I think that’s factual, actually. 87 percent or something. Anyway, you guys can check that, but that was the real story of the game, was being able to protect the ball and end the game plus-three.
Q: WR Tyreek Hill, was it the plan to get him involved that early that much and just the fact that speak broadly on the impact he had today?
MIKE McDANIEL: Tyreek made some plays. Our plan is always to get him involved. Defenses can kind of dictate the terms, so you try to – this is a difficult game plan process with him in that regard because over the years he has been doing it for so long. Coach Belichick has done a ton of presentation, so you’re not really sure how many times you want Tyreek at the point of attack. There were a couple of times that he was No. 1. There were a couple of times he was No. 2, but he made a couple of plays and Tyreek is the same way. He was frustrated. There was an incompletion over the middle that he knew that Tua was throwing on time, and he knew he should have been flat already. He kind of faded away. He got mad at himself there. There was a couple during the game that he was frustrated, which is what you love about him, and that’s what you need from your captains. I think each and every game we’ll do our best to feature him unless the defense has to fully commit to take him away, which is good news for the Miami Dolphins because we have some other playmakers, which you guys saw today. There was a lot of plays that were made by a lot of guys, and then guys in space, and I think there were a couple of third downs that the running backs really, really kept us on the field. So all of those things, we’re just trying to involve all of our players to the best of their ability. Some games they’ll get a ton. Some of the games they won’t, but they’ll keep working and getting better, which is the point.
Q: You were talking earlier in the week about visualizing this moment and the national anthem and soaking it all in. Was it what you expected, and what about the build-up as you were coming into the stadium today and all? Was it as planned, or was there …?
MIKE McDANIEL: It’s interesting with this role. You may call BS on this or not, whatever. I’ve talked about it at length before. You’re so dependent upon so many people to do so many things. You’re almost removed because you are in charge of so many people, you’re delegating, but you are also — you’re not hands-on with a lot of stuff, so you are so dependent. And as a result, I never felt isolated in the least in this moment, so in probably the last, I don’t know, decade of football, it was probably the most relaxed and comfortable that I’ve been for a game. That’s the honest truth. It’s because from the scope, you are – yes, you are making play-calling decisions and a lot of your planning, you have to pay the piper. It’s black and white win or loss, but it’s not about that. It’s about doing right by all the people in the building, by the players, facilitating them coming together, and then we go out and have fun doing what we do. Because if you work the right way, you shouldn’t feel stressed or nervous. To be honest, it was what I was kind of starting to piece together in the preseason that – maybe this is right, wrong, or indifferent, we’ll see if each game how it plays out – but I felt very comfortable, and there wasn’t really any nervous energy or anything like that, which was cool that I felt like the players were that way, too.
Q: First NFL win as a head coach against Bill Belichick. Your thoughts on just that statement alone, and what do you think about when you hear that?
MIKE McDANIEL: Man, I wish all you had to do is win one game because that would be cool. (laughter) That’s not the case, so I’m kind of thinking about Week 2. Again, time for reflection will come on my own time, not other people’s. Right now people don’t need me to sit and think about my win/loss record. They need me to do my job, and that’s what I’m focused on.
