Braxton Berrios – July 27, 2023
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Thursday, July 27, 2023
WR Braxton Berrios
(You’re making the AFC East Tour. How has it been with the Dolphins so far?) – “I’m very honored and blessed to be here. My dad is from Miami. I have a lot of family in Miami. I grew up a Dolphins fan, so this is kind of a dream come true.”
(What are your early impressions of this offense, and what do you like about it?) – “It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously went through OTA’s and learned the playbook as much as I could there and then reinstalling and going over and getting the finite details of everything. It’s been a lot of fun and a pretty quick learning curve. There’s a lot of crossover there, but I’m excited.”
(What happened on your long touchdown?) – “Just a go-ball. Skylar (Thompson) put it in a perfect place and we just connected on a deep one.”
(How much does offensive playing time matter to you? You’re a team guy, but everyone wants to play. Was that something that was important to you when you signed here?) – “Yeah, I think it’s important every year. You want to contribute however you can and help the team win however you can. You get what you carve out, so we’ll see what happens there.”
(You’ve carved out a career in the NFL, with your first year being on the fringe. Talk about your development, what you can do now that maybe you couldn’t do when you got into the league.) – “Year-to-year you have to look back and self-scout and see what you have to do better. Especially early, it’s really everything. I’ve tried to really hone-in on the things that I thought I was worse at year-in and year-out. From 2018 to now, I think I’ve made some decent strides and hopefully in four or five years, if I’m lucky enough, I’ll look back and say the same thing. Year-to-year is different. I feel good about where I’m at right now.”
(What were you working on initially when you figured out what you needed to do?) – “That’s going to stay with me. Hopefully it worked but it’s a year-to-year process and just trying to be the best all-around football player you can be going into the next year.”
(The decision to switch over to number zero. Was it because it’s new and cool?) – “It was new, it was different, it was cool. When I got here there wasn’t much open as it was, so I kind of fell into it. I like it and I’m embracing it. It’s the first year ever, so there’s a nuance to it, but I’m excited for it.”
(Do you have any cool nicknames for it, like Agent Zero?) – “Well Gilbert Arenas, that’s him. But everybody says that. I guess it sticks, but I can’t say I coined that one.”
(You said you grew up a Dolphins fan, and yet there were plenty of times you made plays that hurt the Dolphins. What was that like?) – “It’s the NFL. You can grow up a fan but obviously when you get here it becomes a career, a business, and things change. When I signed back here, I became the biggest fan again. It’s really cool to be here.”
(What about your family, no more divided loyalty between teams?) – “No more divided loyalties. My dad’s heart was hurting for the last five years with my tour of the AFC East as he called it, but now he’s happier than he’s ever been.”
(Have you been out to the Inter Miami games? What do you think of Lionel Messi being in Miami?) – “I have not yet, I need to. I think it’s incredible. Miami and South Florida sports have been incredible really in the last year with the deep playoff runs from the eight-seeds. It’s really cool to watch and we have a chance to continue that. I think that’s the most exciting part. Messi coming to Miami is something else. It’s very Miami.”
(What have you learned from Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker, someone who has a similar build to you and has accomplished a lot in the NFL?) – “A lot. He did it for a long, long time. If you study him and the way he runs routes, it’s different and I think he coined that. There’s a lineage after that that took from that. I’ve been watching him since I can really remember football. There’s some things that he does that you just can’t replicate because of who he is and nobody can be that. Same thing on the opposite side of the spectrum with Tyreek (Hill). There’s some things he does that you just can’t replicate because you don’t exactly have what he has. But I think it’s the overall knowledge and the nuances and the intricate details of football and what we are trying to accomplish in a play. Hearing him talk about those things and picking up on that has been really cool from my standpoint because you pick up on those things. You might not get the ball that play, but you might have done exactly what you’re supposed to do to open up somebody else. I’m trying to be a sponge with the offense and Coach Welker as well, but it’s been really cool.”
(You’ve been around QB Tua Tagovailoa for four months, what are your impressions?) – “I’m very impressed. As a human from a character standpoint and as a leader and teammate, he’s very personable. He knows how to get the attention of a huddle and is very confident as he should be. He’s been extremely accurate, and really I just can’t say enough good things about him and I’m happy and excited to play with him.”
Connor Williams – July 26, 2023
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Wednesday, July 26, 2023
OL Connor Williams
(We didn’t see you at minicamp. It seems like it was a contract dispute. Why’d you decide to come to training camp and where do things stand with a new contract?) – “Yeah so let me get all of this out of the way. Obviously, I wasn’t happy with my contract. I had contract talks all of OTAs and stuff – it was a time for business and everything. But the pads are coming on now and it’s time for football. It’s time for camp. It’s football time. No business anymore. I’m forgetting about that and moving on.”
(Are you saying you wouldn’t want to get a deal done before the regular season?) – “I’m head down and focused out here. Everything upstairs, agents can talk. I’m working on me and focusing on me right now, focusing on my craft.”
(What are some of things you want to improve on in your second year here?) – “Just solidifying my game. Obviously coming in last year to a new position, things are picking up on the fly and now it’s just about solidifying that spot, feeling comfortable with all the blocks and all the positions and being able to solidify my role as a leader, as the center, and being able to lead better.”
(What were you feeling in OTA’s and minicamp when you decided not to be here?) – “You can’t be on this field if you don’t love football. I love football. I missed it, missed the teammates, missed the players and missed my time here. But like I said, it’s all in the past. We’re here now.”
(Are you at peace where things stand as far as there is no new contract yet. Obviously, the team likes you. Are you at peace mentally with where things stand?) – “I’d say so. I’m excited for football. I’m just excited to be back on the field.”
(Do you believe that you are one of the top-10 centers in football?) – “That’s up for you all to say. I’d say without a doubt in my heart.”
(Last year was your first year at center. It was a major change. Did you surprise yourself in any way with how well you performed at center?) – “My approach my whole career has always been steady, always been the same, always been the same approach. I think last year was just in the right light. It was a great year and great recognition and whatnot, but none of that (expletive) matters at the end of the day.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel talked about how he’s able to separate business and football and and he talked about supporting you and what you have to do in business because it’s not part of football. How does it make you feel when you get that kind of support?) – “Mike’s definitely supported me through this. He has been able to put aside the coach and everything and be human-to-human, which has really helped along the way. I love the guy, I respect him to death and I love playing for him.”
(Is the pursuit of a contract extension more about security or risk of injury?) – “Like I said, it’s about football right now. I’m focused on football straight on.”
(What’s something that you can do even better in your second full-time year here?) – “I think the scope as a whole. At this level, it comes down to the inches. It comes down to the detail. It comes down to preparation. Just being able to perfect your craft in every minute level helps you elevate your game.”
(Last year you said you were pleased making the move from guard to center. Do you feel that way? Do you still feel the rest of your career will be at center?) – “I love center. I feel like it’s home. I feel like it’s second nature. I feel like I should’ve been there all along. It’s been good.”
(What is it like to see the type of talent you guys have put together here? Your window is now.) – “It’s exciting. We have experience and talent. We have depth. We have a great group of guys with good energy and we all know what we’re doing. We all know the task at hand and what it’s going to take, so it’s exciting.”
Tyreek Hill – July 26, 2023
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Wednesday, July 26, 2023
WR Tyreek Hill
(There was some news last month about an alleged altercation. On Monday, your attorney and their attorney put out a statement saying that you resolved the differences. Can you kind of tell us what happened last June and where you stand?) – “As far as the story, I’m not here to get into that. I’m here to play ball. I understand your question totally, but the issue has been resolved, and I’m currently cooperating with the NFL, giving them all the details on what happened on that day.”
(Are you concerned about a suspension?) – “No. When I’m able to come here and play ball, I get a chance to get away from all of that at the end of the day. That’s the thing about football. God has blessed me to be able to perform and do what I do, and I’m blessed and grateful for that. I just can’t make boneheaded mistakes like that.”
(Have you been given assurances that there won’t be anything criminally coming against you?) – “Like I said, I have no idea. I have no idea, man. Like I said, it’s been resolved and I hope everything gets situated.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that he talked to you about it. What did he say? What did you say to him?) – “I can’t give you all of the details because that would be basically like me pillow-talking to you guys. But he did tell m, ‘You know ‘Reek,’ we got your back, full support.’ That’s all the details that he said to me and I didn’t respond back.”
(I know your goal is 2,000 yards this season. How much effort have you been putting into this offseason to make sure that goal is a reality?) – “I’ve been grinding this whole offseason. Obviously I’ve been doing the camps all over the U.S. But I’ve had time to fine-tune my game. When I come out here to practice, to me it’s not all about running fast anymore. Now it’s all about getting open and being in the right spots for my guy Tua (Tagovailoa), or whoever is in at quarterback at the moment. As you saw today, I was out there coasting, trying to find ways to get open, trying to be like Travis Kelce-ish. Yeah man, just learning the game a little bit more. I’m playing at my own pace and just trying to control the tempo for myself.”
(You mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa. How have you seen him grow since you’ve been with him?) – “He’s more vocal. I would say Tua is more vocal, and that comes with confidence, obviously. I feel like the year that he had last year gave him everything that he needed to go into this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he’s going to do this year. I know he’s going to do very exciting things this year.”
(The last time we talked to you, you talked about year two in this offense. Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned it as a foreign language. What does it feel like for you now having another year in it?) – “Like I said, just being able to play at your own tempo, being in the right spots, and then understanding every route and how to run every route. Like I said last year, I was just out there running routes and just getting open. But this year, I completely understand the offense, and how to use leverage against DBs and know where I need to be at in certain coverages. Everything has slowed down man.”
(What does that translate to?) – “Two-thousand yards. That’s what it translates to sir, 2,000 yards.”
(Was there a time last year where you thought 2,000 was in the bag for you? Because you were certainly on pace for that.) – “Obviously. As a competitive person, it never slipped my mind, or it never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t hit the goal of 2,000. But obviously that wasn’t my first goal. Obviously my first goal is to win a championship here, to bring something special to Miami.”
(Earlier this offseason, you mentioned that you were planning on retiring after the Dolphins’ contract is up. It caught a lot of people by surprise. How serious were those comments, and how many more years do you think you can play at an elite level?) – “I can continue to play this game for forever, I feel like. I’m feeling great. Obviously I’m still fast. My dad had a chance to talk with me the past two years. He told me, ‘you can make all the money in the world, but what is it for if you’re not able to spend it? You don’t want to spend your whole life working. You want to be able to enjoy your life.’ That’s kind of what I’ve been doing. I’ve been traveling the world. I was able to go to three countries this offseason. I really enjoyed that. I don’t know, man. If I keep traveling the country like I’m doing, who knows man. I’m enjoying life, having fun.”
(Zach Thomas goes into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Miami Dolphins. If you’re able to win a Super Bowl here, do you plan on going into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Dolphins?) – “Did you say would I want to?”
(Yeah) – “Oh yeah, for sure. Obviously I have a lot of history down in Kansas City. Shoutout to those guys down there. Andy (Reid), Brett Veach, John Dorsey, Mr. Clark (Hunt). Those guys brought me in and gave me a chance. A young kid from south Georgia that they believed in. But I feel like here is much more special. You’re in a great city with a bunch of legends. Being able to do something here similar to what the ‘72 team did would be remarkable. I would want to enter it here.”
Tua Tagovailoa – July 26, 2023
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Wednesday, July 26, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I guess first, can you take us through the tattoo? There’s a lot of excitement about this.) – “It’s something that falls off a piece that I had earlier this year. It’s a piece that represents my first child. There’s a lot of things that go on behind it, a lot of cultural significance, a lot of things that have to do with protection, guidance. Sort of things like that that we believe in the Samoan culture. So that’s what it is and then we implemented this piece that I already had with this so it’s almost like when you pray you take it off; it kind of has the sense of you’re taking part of the tribal out of this side.”
(How long does something like that take?) – “This was about three sessions. Took about two-and-a-half days. Took about two full days and then a half day. A lot of detail.”
(In comparison to last year, how much more comfortable do you feel Year 2 with your head coach being out there and he described it as a foreign language last year you were learning and now Year 2?) – “It’s been good. It’s been really good. It’s not only good for me, but it’s good for a lot of the guys that have been here as well, getting comfortable with the offense, being able to understand the logic, understand why we’re doing things more and not just going out there and running and trusting and hoping that this is what the expectation is from said coach to said player. So we all have the same expectation out there when we play with each other. There’s still some things that we’ve got to clean up, but I think overall it’s been a really good first day to be able to go out and compete against the guys that are going to be on both sides of the field. Tyreek (Hill) and Jaylen (Waddle) on this side and then obviously the other side everybody wants to see ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and also Jalen Ramsey. So it was good to see everyone.”
(Does it feel more like a continuation of last year as opposed to coming in, not knowing what to expect with Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “Yeah, definitely a continuation of last year. Everyone feels a lot more comfortable, like I said, and it’s not something that we had to really strain this offseason to learn. We could sort of use our strain on other things such as getting together outside of the facility, throwing, working on route timing, things like that.”
(When you look at the various metrics from last season, you led the league in passer rating, top 10 in a lot of key stats. Reasonably in Year 2, what can people expect from this offense after another year of what you guys did?) – “I think if God willing we all can stay healthy, I think this offense can do crazy things. I think we can be dangerous. I think we have the potential to do something really, really special for the city of Miami, to do something special for the organization, to do something special for guys on our team that don’t really have that opportunity, but it’s almost like we all have some sort of influence in others’ lives when we play together and when we win and when we do something special, whether you’re a two, a three, whether you’re a practice squad player. Guys want people that win, so I would say that’s the expectation, that’s the hope and that’s what we’re looking for.”
(Did you see Justin Herbert’s contract? What was your reaction to a number like that?) – “Yeah. I mean, it’s big. Big. First off, congrats to him and congrats to Jalen (Hurts) as well earlier on his contract. I think it’s really good for the quarterback market. That’s what I would say. It’s really good for the quarterback market. It gets me excited, gets me going. But at the same time, they got what they deserve and I’m happy for them.”
(Do you think it’s best for you and the organization – for everyone – to wait and see and put the contract aside for the season and see how everything goes?) – “I think regardless of what it is, if they wanted to do it now, if they wanted to wait, whatever; I think for myself I’m always a person that wants to prove to myself that I deserve whatever I get. So for me, I feel like this is something that I need to work for. It’s as plain and simple as that.”
(You were named the on the list of Top 100 players this past season. Were you surprised with your placement and how cool was it?) – “No, I wasn’t surprised at my placement. I got hurt. I had a good season but I never got to finish it, so I wasn’t surprised at all.”
(You’ve been in South Florida a few years now and you talked about the fans and what they expect. Do you get that sense that they’re thirsting for it? How much responsibility falls on you?) – “I think South Florida is hungry. I think they’re hungry for something, a championship. You’ve seen it when you went to the hockey game with the Panthers. You’ve seen it when you went to the Heat games, so these guys are more than ready and I think as players, being able to watch as fans, to see the city turn up; that’s something that we’re excited for and we’re really hoping that we can get this group of guys ready to do that.”
(One more question about the contract. Would you categorize it as ongoing talks? Have they been tabled until the season is over? Where do things stand with you?) – “I haven’t talked about any contract since what I’ve understood with my fifth-year extension. I don’t think that’s a worry of mine. When things come, they’ll come because you either deserved it or it’s supposed to happen that way.”
(You talked to Head Coach Mike McDaniel. What have you noticed about how he approaches an offseason now that you’re entering your second year with him?) – “I would say Mike (McDaniel) is the same. Mike has always been the same. His approach might be a little different… (laughter) but that’s his sort of mantra for the team this year, is ‘different.’ He’s the same person. He’s here at like, 2 o’clock every morning working hard trying to do everything he can to put players in the right position and whatnot.”
(There’s been a series – “Quarterback” – that came out. I’m curious if you’ve seen it and if that’s anything you would have interest in doing?) – “Yeah, I have seen it. There have been talks about going on it, but I feel like right now it just isn’t the right time. But even, too, because I’m a very personal guy, I felt like the series was a lot more personal. It was a lot more about their personal lives than it was more so what they did on the football field; and for me, that’s not something that I like to do, especially show my kid on national television or people seeing what I do. It would just be too hard to turn off. After a loss, a loss is tough as it is. I don’t know how that would go trying to talk about a loss in my car.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned today – he always mentions opportunity cost around us and I’m sure he mentions it a lot around you guys. He mentioned it was big and where he first started thinking about it when he became sober. Is there a different part of your career where you really focused on opportunity cost so far?) – “I think for my life, everything is an opportunity. I think for you guys, as well. You guys look at everything as an opportunity as well, whether you’re interviewing someone like me, whether you’re interviewing someone like Tyreek (Hill) or the o-line. I feel like everything is an opportunity for us and that’s what makes us who we all are, is our perspective on how we see things. So yeah, I look at all of this as an opportunity. This is an opportunity for people to see my tattoo. It’s an opportunity for people to hear what I have to say about our team this year. There’s a lot of things that are opportunities and we’re excited to have the opportunity to go out there, practice and hopefully become the team that I know the city wants us to be.”
Mike McDaniel – July 26, 2023
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Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(The four guys starting on Active/PUP, if you wouldn’t mind anything that you can share on those four? With the particular question about whether you expect all four CB Nik Needham, T Terron Armstead, T Isaiah Wynn, TE Tanner Conner to be back by the regular season.) – “Hmm. Well, so fool me once. I tried predicting the future last year and failed miserably, if you guys recall. Having said that, I think if I would order where the guys are at, I’m expecting sooner with Armstead and Wynn, then Nik, then Tanner. As far as when that is, like I said, I’ve kind of learned my lesson on that. But we feel pretty good about each and every one of them in terms of where they’re at, where they need to be and where they’re going. We’ll keep you posted.”
(It was reported that T Terron Armstead had a knee scope. Is that accurate?) – “He had some cleanup work done. I’m not sure the technical term. But yeah, that was part of his offseason.”
(Did T Isaiah Wynn hurt himself off the football field, or was it like a spring thing?) – “This is something that – it’s athletic football that he was playing. So he was training. It was light. But it was football activity, training to get ready and he’s diligently working himself there.”
(How does that impact what you want to see from your offensive line? I know T Isaiah Wynn was going to be in that mix in terms of competing for a starting spot, maybe filling in for T Terron Armstead.) – “I think in our particular situation, we have some competition that I’d be a fool to try to crown X, Y or Z. So, on one hand, the time that you miss is unfortunate to not seeing certain players. But wow is it an opportunity to grasp and gain some momentum for some other guys. So as long as the timeline isn’t too drastic, as you know, we’ll let time tell. As long as it’s not too drastic, there can be some benefit in that in terms of you can get a little more clarity or make sure that everyone gets their full due in that important competition.”
(The OL Connor Williams situation, how nice is it that he’s here to start training camp and in your conversation with him, what kind of feel did you get from where he’s at right now?) – “As a head coach, I think one of the things that I try to value the most to do my job up to my own expectation is being connected and having empathy for every player we have. So, whatever a player is going through and however they conduct themselves, I try to first see their issues and their plight. The business of football is tough. So, the biggest thing for me and Connor is being able to communicate the “why’s”. The whole time, I have lost zero relationship with him really at all. I feel very good about us working through that, really pumped to have him, think that he can put together a good year for himself, and I know he’s pumped to be back. So these are things that come up, will continue to come up as long as people keep paying tickets to watch football players, and it’s something that we work through. But the biggest thing to me is that you have to have a relationship with each and every one of your players because the business is real. Too often business can affect relationships. (General Manager) Chris Grier is the bad guy. I’m the good guy. (laughter)”
(How much more comfortable are you here because it’s year two, you’ve established your culture, your coaching style, as you head into day one of camp?) – “Comfortable? I think there’s some confidence that comes with knowing exactly what to expect. As I’ve talked about before, I did not take this job lightly and my work up until coming here, I tried to do my best to know what the job was. That being said, you don’t know what the feelings that are going to be produced when you’re doing it. So for this year, I think that each and every year of my career that I can remember, my sole focus has always been to be better than the previous year. That’s a lot easier when you know exactly what you’re getting better at. So that’s exciting. But the level of – it’s not anything like oh, yeah, I got anything ever. I think it’s so important for me to never get comfortable or complacent because the second I do that, how am I not going to expect everybody else, player, coach alike, to do the same. It is cool knowing what to expect, but the energy and the focus, I wouldn’t say I’m more comfortable. But it’s exciting that you guys have me back. (laughter)”
(What’s one thing you think you’re better at in year two?) – “Smiling. (laughter) I have to smile a lot. In year two – I think one thing that just going into last year, I would have told you that my core principles and just my foundation of what I believe in, you could never get me to waver. I think I learned in real time how important that is simply by the rollercoaster of the NFL season and how you can’t deviate that. I kind of got empowered to some things, I think, that I thought before, which is really, players respond to genuine, consistent, authentic intent and that was a really cool part of last year. You find out that although losing five games in a row is pretty miserable, there’s nowhere to hide in that process. I think this year’s team, the players that were a part of that, I think we’re closer because of it. You have to go through things to have the type of bond that is necessary to do great things in the National Football League with the parity and just with all the pressure on everyone. So my favorite part, really, of last year was going through that with them because there’s a lot of scars that people have from their past. It’s a heck of a responsibility that I take super serious and you gain belief in each other when you see what it looks like when everything’s not going your way.”
(The term “opportunity cost” has been one of the most common ones you’ve used around us in these press conferences. I was curious when and why that started to become important to you and is there any kind of message you impart on the team to start a season?) – “Yeah, hmm opportunity cost. It’s one of my favorites. I think that really started to generate, you know, the obsessiveness that I had with it, probably when I became sober. Only because, in that, you kind of realize when you’re doing one thing, when you’re not addressing an emotion, for me, in my experience, whereas using alcohol and not addressing stuff, that opportunity cost of doing that instead of addressing it manifests itself throughout your life. That example, and then you start thinking about introspectively, hey, every time that I’m worried about something that I can’t control, I just made myself worse at whatever I care about being. So, if I’m worrying about the fact that I’m not ascending in the coaching profession in the speed with whatever made up thing that I made up in my head, me worrying about that just made the whole process even worse. The time that I was really going through all that, it, I didn’t have anywhere to turn but my work. Then all of a sudden, I realized, hey, I’m doing better work and I let go of stuff that I can’t control. In that time, that opportunity I used to worry about what I can control. All of a sudden, my product as a human being, as a husband, as a coach, was a completely better product. I think those lessons really, in the time of my life, sealed the deal for me in terms of that. So I say it a lot because everything is an opportunity cost. If I’m doing one thing, I’m not doing another.”
(A lot of the offensive players have talked about how the continuity of the scheme will make it easier to pick up in year two. At the quarterback position, what are maybe some nuances into the execution and what you’re excited to see with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “At the starting point, I would equate it to language. When you’re learning a foreign language, you have to translate in your head. Then at some point in time, if you’re fluent enough, you can think in terms of that language. Last year Tua was – we put a lot on the quarterbacks in terms of how to communicate and being in charge of everything. He was literally speaking a foreign language and doing it at a pretty high level. This year, he owns the language. What that manifests? Everything. Ask a player what conviction does in a play call within a huddle. These little nuances are a big deal. All of a sudden, your conviction, the quarterback, you’re saying the same play, but with authority and ownership. Guys believe in it that much more. All of a sudden, your pre-snap penalties are less as well because you’re getting to the line of scrimmage faster. That, in combination with other people doing their part, including myself, gives the potential to have a really cool product. There are so many things we ask Tua to do that was a first for him last year. To his credit, he was able to do a lot of really cool things. Ownership of it and knowing with conviction and confidence exactly why you’re doing something so you can self-correct gives you a chance to take your game to another level. He’s had a tremendous offseason.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Tyreek Hill. He had that incident a while back. You had a conversation with him, I’m sure. Were you comfortable with that conversation and do you have any concerns he’ll have to miss time?) – “Yeah, I communicated with him, communicated with the league. In situations like that, everybody’s disappointed in what we’re talking about. I think it’s important when you’re in charge of making decisions to reserve as much judgment as possible until all the information is collected. The league’s still looking into it and we’re in communication with the league as we’ve been from the beginning. Outside of that, I’m looking forward to practice and to be continued as information comes our way.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa, T Terron Armstead and DT Christian Wilkins were named to the NFL Top 100 yesterday. Regarding Tua specifically, after the career he’s had, the ups and downs, and kind of the whole moment last year with the sideline report talking about ‘Do I suck?’, that whole thing, the confidence that comes and goes. I’m curious how you feel about his peers rating him that highly in the NFL ranks?) – “Those things are really cool. I think that’s awesome. When I talk, Top 100 stuff does come up naturally every year. It means a lot and it means nothing. Respect amongst your peers is a big deal. What does that mean? Is it right and what does it mean for you moving forward? Not that much. But you want to talk about something that you know without a shadow of a doubt, is earned respect. That’s what that one tells me, because I looked really hard and I didn’t see his name the year before. I think that is something, knowing Tua, he may not even know that it happened, nor would he care, because he’s forward focused. But I think deep down, I mean shoot, when you’re begging, you’re begging for a little positive reinforcement, and you’re considering if you suck, I do think that I can officially say if you’re on that list, you don’t suck.”
(You talk about trying to get better every year, specifically to training camp, when you evaluate how training camp went last year, how much self-scouting did you do on that, and what are some specific changes you wanted to make coming into this camp?) – “It’s important to always evaluate everything you do. I would actually be self-conscious if I was like no something is good and I’m not going to visit that. In terms of schematically, you’re always diving deep into what’s best for your players. Any time your players change at all, your scheme should change. It’s organic. What’s very unique about last year to this year is last year you’re putting forth, specifically for offense, a scheme not totally knowing what your players do best. You are projecting what they do best but you’re having them learn it and kind of seeing where your offense goes. This offseason you can kind of structure it more, tailor it toward your players, evolve the scheme towards the players, because you know things that they are comfortable with, things they have room to grow in, things that they can make plays and be the best player that they’re trying to be. That alone has been so powerful, and even just defensively, we have a new scheme, but knowing players strengths and weaknesses, being able to talk through with Vic (Fangio) and know who you can lean on. All that stuff changes, for me, the most because you know the people, and that’s a very cool thing in year two.”
(A lot of people are excited for camp this year, specifically seeing WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle go against CB Jalen Ramsey and CB Xavien Howard. What is your interest in seeing those two receivers and two defensive backs square off against each other in one-on-ones or team?) – “Have you seen their collective paychecks? My interest is high. (laughter) Since most of us aren’t elite athletes that excel in a professional sports league, it’s hard to kind of relate. But being a good player and getting paid a lot of money has its burdens too. What I’m pumped about is those four guys specifically are competitors that want to win in the worst way and want to be the best version of themselves. So what the gives you a chance to do is dictate the competitiveness of your entire team, but it’s also a burden because if you don’t come to play one day, it affects a lot of people. Those guys specifically know that their actions can influence a lot of the team and where we’re going, even if it has nothing to do with their stats or production. Having those types of guys is invaluable in terms of talented players that want to be great that are willing to work, and I would categorize all four of those guys as that.”
Xavien Howard – July 25, 2023
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Tuesday, July 25, 2023
CB Xavien Howard
(So Twitter rebranded itself as “X”) – “Why did they do that?”
(No more Twitter. It’s now called “X”) – “I’m not even on Twitter. It’s too negative on there.”
(What do you think about the name choice though? Do you think it’s good?) – “It’s cool. Yeah, it’s cool.”
(Do you get royalties?) – “No, not yet. I’ve got to look into that.”
(How was the softball classic, having those guys out and just the support from the community?) – “It was a great event, man. Some guys came out and supported me. The fans love us down there. Hopefully we’ll do it again next year. I’m looking forward to it being next year though.”
(You saw CB Jalen Ramsey today. What was the first thing you said to him?) – “We dapped each other up. Everybody came in, we dapped each other up. Just happy to be here and work with this guy.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey was just talking about always feeling like he’s a top corner in the game. I know you have confidence too. What is this situation now with you where you’ve got that guy who’s a true number one like you believe you are and y’all grow together?) – “I believe? I am a true number one. What are you talking about? (laughter) But we’re cornerbacks. We have that. That’s part of our game.”
(Do you guys go back-and-forth with that?) – “No, no we don’t. We respect each other’s game. I feel like every cornerback, they come in believing they’re the number one cornerback in the league. I feel like you’ve got to have that confidence playing on this level, going against these top receivers in this league.”
(You’ve had I think groin and hamstring issues last year. I’m wondering.) – “It’s 2023 now, brother. We’re not going back. (laughter)”
(I’m not asking you to. I’m wondering if they did load management on you, if they rested you in training camp and joint practices and preseason games, do you think that would have a benefit in the regular season? Or are those issues totally separate?) – “It probably would have helped. But we didn’t have many cornerbacks so I had to do what I had to do and be on the field.”
(Would it help this year if they started doing that do you think? Would it help you be healthy in December and January?) – “No, I feel like you’re in the NFL man. You’re going to have nicks and bruises like that. A lot of guys aren’t 100 percent playing on the field on Sundays. But some guys push through.”
(We heard QB Tua Tagovailoa did something different doing the jiu-jitsu this offseason. Did you do anything different this offseason to prep your body? Yoga or anything like that?) – “No. Same old stuff. Massages, a little bit of Pilates I’d say and that’s really it. Working out, running, doing a lot of running on the field.”
(There’s a lot of expectations and hype for what this defense can be. In your experience, especially given some of the good defenses you’ve been on here, what separates the great defenses from the so-so defenses?) – “I feel like the little things. I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys on the defense this year and a lot of playmakers on this side. So I feel like with our defensive coordinator (Vic Fangio), he’s going to put us in a great position to make plays, get a lot of turnovers and continue to thrive on defense. I feel like we’ve got a lot of great guys on defense and the sky’s the limit for the defense.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey and WR Tyreek Hill have been somewhere you guys are trying to go this year. How have you seen Tyreek’s experience in that area help you guys last year and how do you think CB Jalen Ramsey’s experience getting to a Super Bowl can help you guys this year defensively?) – “The first thing when Jalen got here, one thing he said when we worked out and he saw the guys around him, he was just like ‘man, this team has way more players and better players on this team than where I was at.’ So, I feel like it’s from there, from believing in each other. It’s just approaching every day and winning every day as a group.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey talked a bit about his Madden rating. I don’t know if that’s something that’s even on your radar. Some players are into it, some aren’t. Are you aware of your rating?) – “No. I’ve never really been a guy looking at the Madden ratings. I don’t even play Madden to tell you the truth. I probably hoop, basketball, or something like that. But other than that, I’m not worrying about no Madden ratings.”
(Do you know what your rating is?) – “No, what is it?”
(It’s an 84. You’re not even a top 10 cornerback to them.) – “Damn. I’ve got to talk to them. I need their number. (laughter) But it’s cool though, man. You know I’ve never been a guy to rah rah, talk, do this and that. I just show up and play. I let my play on the field do the talking and we go from there.”
(Does that kind of signal people might be sleeping on you in 2023?) – “(Expletive).”
(You’ve been here in Miami through a lot of stuff. From when you got drafted to 2020 to now. It seems like a lot of expectations now. You’ve got a lot of star power. How have you maybe seen the growth of how Miami and the Dolphins are viewed?) – “I feel like every year man, the Dolphins, the fans, everybody has expectations for the Dolphins. It all depends on us, how far we can take this team. Each year everybody has the goal of winning a Super Bowl during this time. So, I feel like we’ve just got to put the work in and continue, like I said, continue getting better each day.”
(In regards to Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, one thing he mentioned to us when he first got here is he had been working on a new defense when he was on sabbatical. Have you guys got a taste at all of what that looks like?) – “Not yet. We’ve seen a little bit, but not that much. We don’t know what Vic is cooking up but I know he’s definitely going to get us right on that defense.”
(You’ve always been the guy that shadowed the best wide receiver. Obviously when CB Jalen Ramsey is here, that gives you guys a lot of flexibility. What do you think that that’s going to do for your game?) – “It’s going to open up some doors for me man. I feel like my game’s been my game. Intercepting the ball, that’s what I want to do. I want to get touchdowns and stuff like that. I feel like without playing as much man like we did last year and me also traveling, playing, following a guy here and there, it’ll also help a lot. I won’t have to travel, be tired during the play. Some teams, I feel like in my career, when they found out I was following their best guy, they put me in motion a lot, get me tired before the rep, then do what they do. Just staying left and right man, I feel like it’s going to be easy, easy for me.”
(In regard to the defense as a whole, how big is the job that DT’s Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler do up front for you guys?) – “They do a great job up front, man. Also ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips), a couple of guys, (Bradley) Chubb. They do a lot of great things and I feel like it’s going to help the back end even more.”
(You’re the longest tenured Dolphin, which is weird to say. What do you tell guys as they begin training camp? What do you say to them in terms of expectations for the season? Because it seems like this is a different level of your team.) – “Yeah, I feel like you feel an energy though when you come into this locker room. I feel like guys are walking around here like they’ve got to get stuff done. I don’t feel like anybody’s comfortable being here or being in a position they’re in right now and I feel like you’ve got to have that. Especially being here, you know. There’s a lot of great guys on this team and I feel like from pressure there I feel like it’s a lot of pressure from there.”
(Is this the least amount of turnaround in this roster? It seems like this roster has gotten the opportunity to grow. How much is that going to help?) – “This is a big jump from the roster, just being on the previous team, especially with the talent they brought over here. It has been a big jump real quick, though.”
(We talked a lot with the offensive guys about them being in year two with Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s system. Do you guys feel you might need to catch up or need to learn a little bit faster because you’re in year one of a new system?) – “Yeah, I feel like it’s definitely that. I feel like a couple guys bought into the defense. We ran a little bit of it, but a lot of guys ain’t got it down to the end, because we’re just getting a new defense. I feel like I’ve been in several defenses, that’s one thing about football is you can learn quick. I feel like the coaches won’t put too much on the guys neither though.”
(You’ve seen it up close. Is there a guy or two you’ve seen so far this offseason that we should look out for this year?) – “Kader (Kohou). My boy, Kader. Dude is a straight dawg. His mentality he has, just being an undrafted guy, I continue to see him grow and get better on the field.”
(How much did CB Kader Kohou surprise you last year as a rookie?) – “To tell you the truth, I saw it during training camp. When I saw him playing, I was like, ‘Who’s 38? I like him,’ when he was lining up against Tyreek (Hill) and everything. I’m like, ‘OK, I like him.’”
(And he overcame No. 38, too.) – “(laughter) Yeah, he’s got my college number (now). I was really upset. (laughter)”
(Sticking with CB Kader Kohou, how have you seen him respond to all the additions that y’all made at corner this offseason?) – “I feel like he responded good. There’s a lot of competition at the nickel spot also with what we brought to the team, but I feel like the best guy is going to be out there. If you’re the best guy, you’re going to be out there,”
(S Brandon Jones and CB Nik Needham both got a chance to come back. What have those two guys done in their short times here and how do they help you guys defensively?) – “Man, Nik (Needham) played a big role being here with me and everything, and I’ve seen him grow. Just a little hiccup he had in the road, everybody deals with that. I overcame a lot of injuries being here. Nik brings a lot to the table, and also Brandon (Jones) too. We call him ‘Blitz Boy,’ but he brings a lot to the table, man. He does his thing. When he’s out there, he’s going 120 miles per hour every day.”
Jalen Ramsey – July 25, 2023
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Tuesday, July 25, 2023
CB Jalen Ramsey
(How was the summer? What did you do this summer?) – “Played with my kids. That’s about it.”
(Physically how are you feeling after kind of being limited during the spring?) – “I’m good. I’m good.”
(What’s this day like when you’re starting a new training camp with a new team?) – “Football as usual. Work as usual. Just being back with everybody. My day is the same as everybody else’s. There isn’t anything special to it.”
(Do you expect to go full-go during training camp?) – “Yeah, I’m sure I will. I’m sure we’ll have a good plan for me.”
(This team has heightened expectations. You dealt with that in Jacksonville after you guys went to the AFC Championship. You dealt with that in L.A. How has this team handled this from what you’ve observed so far?) – “It’s just Day 1 of training camp. We’ve got to do the work first. The work comes first. When you put the work in, you don’t really worry about none of that. You don’t really worry about what other people say. You know what you have done to prepare and you just stand on that and whether it works out for you or not, you know if you put the work in.”
(In June you were telling us that people’s expectations, you could use it as motivation – positive or negative, if they believe in you or if they don’t believe in you. Are you seeing any evidence of that? Did you see evidence of that from this team in OTAs or minicamp that they’re aware of the heightened expectations?) – “Yeah, maybe, but the work comes first. We’ve just got to focus on the work right now and then everything will fall in place how it needs to.”
(Acclimating to the weather, it seems a little hotter out there, but how are you guys managing yourselves just trying to stay physically fit, trying to stay hydrated and things like that?) – “It’s just our job. We can’t ever control the weather so we just go do our job. Work through it. It’s all good. It’s hot for everybody.”
(How does this compare to Jacksonville?) – “I don’t know, man. I haven’t been to Jacksonville in a while. I’m not really worried about that either, to be honest with you. I’m worried about right here in the present. So I’m not going to compare or nothing to any other team that I’ve been on honestly. Just got to work.”
(I meant the weather, I’m sorry.) – “The weather? I don’t remember. I haven’t been there in a while.”
(When you look at this defense, what makes you like most optimistic? What are you most looking forward to with this defense and the pieces you have?) – “The whole defense really. I’ve been a part of his defense for the past three years so I kind of know how to play it. I know what’s needed to play this defense and be one of the best defenses in the league and be elite. And we got all the pieces – edge rushers to the secondary. We even got the linebackers and all that. Like I said, I don’t compare, but I look at other teams I’ve been a part of and I feel like we, on paper, we stack up well. But the work comes first.”
(With your experience and knowledge of this defense, do you kind of feel a responsibility to be almost like a coach on the field for the rest of the guys who maybe are new in the system?) – “Yeah, I don’t force it though. If they need my help or guidance or if I see something that can help them or guide them, then I’ll give them my input, but everybody can kind of figure it out on their own and people like figuring things out on their own. And that’s what OTAs are for and that’s what training camp is for, to kind of figure some things out. You can’t micromanage or baby grown men through stuff. We’re going to get it. We’re going to put the work in.”
(In your experience, what separates the truly elite great defenses from the average or so-so defenses?) – “You’ve got to have the pieces. That’s of course, right? You’ve got to have the talent which I believe we have, but then you got to – I just keep saying it – we’ve got to put the work in. It’s a crazy amount of work that we’ve got to put in, but it’ll all pay off and then we’ve just got to play as one. We’ve got to have unity as a defense and as a team. So those are all things that we’ll for sure work on during this training camp.”
(One of your former Florida State teammates happens to be in free agency, has flirted with Miami. Saw it on social media. Dalvin Cook. What do you think adding Dalvin Cook to this team would do for this offense?) – “Any of my friends, I always want to play on the same team as any of my friends or any elite player, but that ain’t none of my business to be honest with you. I’m here with these guys that are here currently. If we add ‘DC 4,’ I’d be happy. I promise you I will and I’ll come up here and I might give you a longer little speech about it. But right now, I’m focusing on myself and my teammates who are in the building right now and we’re going to get after it.”
(You and WR Tyreek Hill have kind of been somewhere where this team hasn’t gone being the Super Bowl. How does that experience kind of help you in training camp to kind of maybe fine-tune things or offer advice or insights into some of your teammates?) – “A lot of will be instilled right here in training camp and we’ll start doing a lot of things, but it doesn’t end right here. We’ve got to continue being leaders throughout the year and helping our teammates throughout the year because there will be adversities throughout this training camp, throughout the season, that we’ll have to overcome and help those guys overcome, and kind of realize the big picture and always have goal in our mind of what we’re striving for as a team. But other than that, just every day. Just every day working and every day helping guys as much as we can, but just working. Being present and working.”
(You were the highest-rated corner in Madden. I think it’s the fifth time it’s happened in your career. I know it’s just a video game, but where do you kind of see your respect as the top or one of the top corners in the game at this stage?) – “The top. Yeah, about right, but I’m never one to – like I don’t care if I was a 70 on Madden. I’m going to still play the game, I’m going to still edit myself to 99 anyway. (laughter) Like I don’t really care. That doesn’t really matter to me, but it’s more so about being on a video game. Like that’s a blessing. Like as kids, I was playing Xbox and PlayStation. Being on a video game, I don’t necessarily have to create myself. I’ve got to edit myself a little bit, but I ain’t necessarily have to create myself so it’s a blessing. I don’t take that for granted. Like, ‘oh, they gave me this rating or that rating.’ It’s a blessing to me regardless. It’s cool.”
(So what do you edit?) – “99 everything. (laughter) For sure. 99 everything.”
(You always hear the statement “iron sharpens iron.” How much do you look forward to those one-on-one battles with WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill? You and CB Xavien Howard?) – “Yeah, I look forward to it a lot.”
(A minute ago, when someone said “one of the top corners,” you corrected him. You said “the top.” How important is that to you to be the top?) – “Well, I have been for many years in my career, so it’s very important to me. I think people get things confused sometimes when guys show an individual goal for themselves or have individual hype for themselves. But honestly, it’s like, why wouldn’t I? Right? Why wouldn’t I want to be the very best and me being the very best is going to also help the team be successful. So I’m always going to strive to be the best and I got other guys in the secondary who should be doing the same thing and probably are doing the same thing. You ask ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), I hope ‘X’ will say he’s the best corner. You ask the safeties, I hope they will say they’re the best. If you ask me honestly, I’m going to say I’m the best DB in the league, the best DB in this secondary, all of that. And I’m going to challenge those guys to push me and make me prove it, right? And I’m going to challenge them to do the same. So you got to have that pride about yourself, especially playing this position. Like you got to have that ultra confidence in yourself or it’s going to be over for you. So yeah, I’m going to always have pride in what I do.”
(Just kind of on that same topic. Earlier this offseason, there were some of the younger corners like Sauce Gardner and some other guys debating that topic, best corner and whatnot. How do you maybe see some of these younger corners coming up and how you compare to your longevity and consistency?) – “To be honest with you, I never compare myself to them. Just because we all are our own individuals. And there’s this running thing that DBs hate on each other. and I actually don’t think that’s true to be honest with you. Like it’s a competitive fire where each individual should think that they’re the best, but you can ask – honestly, I challenge y’all to ask any of them like any young DB who does hit me up – Sauce (Gardner), Pat (Surtain), like literally anybody. I’m always sharing my knowledge with them. I’m always giving them positive words, showing them some love. I’m never tripping about that. What they do doesn’t control my career. They don’t control what I do. It doesn’t control my legacy or anything like that. I got to do what I do. So to answer your question, I just don’t compare myself to them. I wish them luck unless they’re playing us, right? But I got to do what I do regardless. Like it doesn’t really matter to me. I hope all of them do their thing to be honest with you.”
(A question about the current NFL. It seems like at this point of the season, teams put more emphasis on joint practices than preseason games to get work for veterans, experienced players like yourself. I’m wondering what are your thoughts on that? Is a joint practice more beneficial to a veteran player than a preseason game?) – “I’ll let the coaches handle all the logistics stuff like that. I just go out there and play whenever I got to play. I don’t care where we at. I don’t care if we’re in the offseason, in joint practices, in preseason, in the regular season, playoffs. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to play regardless. But I’m sure there’s benefits. There’s pros and cons to everything, right? And I’m sure there’s some benefits of being able to have joint practices and get a certain situation to work in, in certain times that you might not be able to get during a game just because the game has so many highs and lows that go on and unpredictable things. So I’m sure there’s benefits to it.”
Raheem Mostert – July 25, 2023
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Tuesday, July 25, 2023
RB Raheem Mostert
(We just heard from CB Jalen Ramsey asking him about Madden ratings. It doesn’t matter to him because he’s going to boost up to 99 anyways. Are you going to have to the touch of speed up?) – “I guess that’s the case. I tweeted at EA (Electronic Arts), probably what, two days ago or yesterday? Just basically saying like, ‘Hey, do I exist?’, and they sent back an image under my reply, like, a picture of the top 10 running backs. I’m like, no, no, no, that’s not what I mean, I want to be a top-10 overall. But it’s all good. Once you show that speed in-game, that’s when the adjusters come. I’m going to be talking to Chad (Johnson) hopefully here soon.”
(At the end of last year, you said, when you talked to Head Coach Mike McDaniel at the end of the season, and he said he wanted to run the ball more, did you get that in writing?) – “I should have gotten it in writing honestly, but no we had talked and it was a great conversation. I personally took on the challenge of being more of a productive back, just because last year, I was coming off of a knee injury, and then having to settle back in my ways, and I started picking those things up towards the end of the season. He realized that too. Early on, I wasn’t technically myself, just because like I said, I had that in the back of my mind. But once you gain that confidence in yourself, especially coming back off an injury, it’s definitely eye opening. Once the season ends, and you reflect and now I’m like, hey, look, I got one full year being healthy. Now it’s time to ride. I’m ready to go. Just having that conversation with him was definitely enlightening.”
(Players say in the second year coming back from that knee injury, they feel like themselves. So was it at the end of the year you started to feel like yourself? Or what are your expectations for year two?) – “When you come back from an injury, the first couple of months is almost a mental game. And that was the case for me, I was in a little bit of a slump, because I didn’t know if I was going to reinjure it, if the game was going to be a different pace than I’m anticipating or normal. But once you start getting that groove and feeling yourself, I mean you saw it towards the end of the year, I was starting to gain more confidence. Even you know, Coach (Studesville) mentioned that too. A lot of errors I was making early on and now I started honing in on my craft a little bit more, feeling more comfortable and then it was time to go. But like you said, coming into year two is definitely a little bit easier. Especially the fact that I’m not thinking about the knee. My focus now is solely on improving my game and how can I be elite at the top, upper echelon of the running back game. So that’s my main focus now.”
(Raheem, just kind of piggybacking off that. You mentioned this offseason, you don’t have to worry about rehab. So what does that growth been like for you like for you?) – “The growth has been unbelievable, just being back, running full speed, taking advantage of the opportunities that I have off the field during the offseason and really just honing in on myself and my abilities. I’ve been involved in the pass game throughout my career, but now I’m starting to really see myself being more of that elite pass catcher just solely based off of just focusing on that. It’s very enlightening. Like I said, I’m excited. I’m so excited guys. You really have no idea.”
(The team drafted RB De’Von Achane and you were really open to bring him in and taking him under your wings. Now there is talk of even adding another running back in RB Dalvin Cook. What would you think if the backfield got even more crowded?) – “When I was in San Francisco, we brought in Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida just to name a few guys. They’re all starters, they’re all elite guys. And they’ve all made unbelievable plays in their career. Just to add somebody like Dalvin would be good in the backfield. But at the end of the day, it’s more so about what’s on the team right now, the guys that we got to work with, and just be better as a group. It will always be a bonus to add a running back in. We all learn and piggyback off each other. You see what happened last year, when we added Jeff Wilson to the mix, you see how the game went for both of us in the in the running back room. So a lot has come from the value of adding another running back, it’s more of a running back group than rather than going against each other because we’re all on the same team at the end of the day. That’s the approach that you have to have and be a professional about it when you bring in somebody.”
(You guys obviously added a few pieces in the running back room and on the offensive line, but by and large, the same running back room back from last year, same starting lineup from the opening day offensive line is back again. How does the continuity of all those guys being back together for a second year benefit the offense?) – “The continuity is just going to get more and more explosive and you’re going to see, even with a guy like Tua (Tagovailoa), him settling in for his second year. I know, in previous years, he had a new offensive coordinator every year he’s been in the league, but to be able to finally hone-in on the second go round on the offense, I mean, the sky’s the limit. I’ve been in situations where I’ve had an offensive coordinator come in and then be gone the next year, and then another offensive coordinator come in, and next thing you know, he’s here for another year and just revamped, the offense just got better and moved more fluidly. I trust (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) that he’s going to get the job done and call the correct plays and doing what he has to do, as both the head coach and the coordinator and Frank (Smith) and everybody else on the offensive side of the ball. So the continuity is going to be there, it’s going to be great. I already know it. I’m truly excited about it.”
(This is your second year with QB Tua Tagovailoa. You worked out with him in the offseason. What have you seen in terms of growth from a leadership standpoint from him?) – The growth and leadership standpoint, he’s natural at that. But now he’s starting to take on that role of truly getting everybody in the right position, doing what he has to do. I was throwing with him a couple of weeks ago, with a lot of different guys. He was just on point, just the way he tried to have everybody aligned and made sure that ‘Hey, look, Raheem, I know you don’t play this position all that much wide out, but you have to be right here at this point so that way, when you break in or have an in-breaking route, then I can throw you the ball right on time.’ Just to see the maturity in a guy like Tua man, he knows that he wants to be on point. He knows that he wants to be a great quarterback in this league. And he’s doing everything in his in his power to do that and make it happen.”
(Going back to Head Coach Mike McDaniel, over the years that you’ve worked together. What are some things that you notice about how he approaches an offseason, and how he comes out of an offseason? Does he tend to maybe obsess over things that went wrong the year before?) – “With Mike, the beautiful thing about him is he’s going to look back at the season from last year. He knows everything that he did that was not his best work, and he’s going to readjust and do everything he possibly can to not make that same mistake twice. That’s the saying that he uses a lot. ‘I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.’ So in year two, being a head coach, I think that you’re going to see a lot of a lot of different changes with him, more so dialing in on different aspects of the game. He’s very intelligent, as you could tell. He understands the game a lot and he’s going to be working his tail off to make sure that he gets all the guys in the right position to win. I know that from firsthand and seeing it, when we were in San Fran together, to now. He’s going to make those corrections and he’s going to get on the same page with everybody.”
(Speaking about that firsthand experience, any specific memory come to mind of something that you just saw him change over the offseason?) – “There was a game where I know he will be on the plane, and me and him would talk. I would go up to him because as a friend of mine, and I would just talk to him on the plane, we’d have a long ride or whatever. I would ask him what are your thoughts not only on the run game, but overall? And a few instances where he was just like, ‘I made a couple bad decisions, I made a couple bad calls on my end and I can’t put you guys in that position.’ Which is understandable, as a head coach, but then you also have to look at as a player aspect too. If you call a certain play, you expect that play to be executed, regardless of the situation. For both of us, I know that is very important to him that he really wants to adjust and grow and mature in that aspect of not making those mistakes, and that’s what he’s been able to do so far.”
(There was recently a Zoom call among running backs talking about your role in the game. I’m wondering what you think about the running backs role league-wide financially, the running backs role league-wide on the field and the running backs role specifically in this offense? Because you talked about Head Coach Mike McDaniel wanting to run more.) – “It’s a very touchy subject right now, especially in the position of the running backs. This game is evolving, more so than ever, into a pass game. And you have to look at it as hey, look, this is something that we have to adjust to, but at the same time, we still understand our value. As you could tell, you can see what’s going on with all the different running backs not being paid the way they’re supposed to be, which is unfortunate, but I think it’s definitely one of those points where you do have to make a stand. I mean, think about other positions in the league that back in the day, they were nonexistent. Receivers were definitely that case, and now they’re being blown up in the aspect of being important in the offense and vice versa. So, in regards to the running back, we do have to do a lot. It’s definitely sad that it has to be at this point, but it’s understandable too just because the game is evolving. If you see what we are able to do, we’re the ones that are taking the hits. We’re the ones that are blocking guys that are two-three-four times bigger than us. And we’re also running the ball and catching out of the backfield and being in a position where we have to run routes too out of the slot. The value of the running back position is definitely going down. But it’s time for teams to make a stand and guys like us to make a stand that is definitely an important (part of the) game because when the pass game is nonexistent, who are they going to lean on? That’s just a question that you have to ask yourself and it’s definitely the run game. I was a receiver once. That’s my natural position. I understand the receivers’ aspect as well. But in this league right now, you definitely have to value the running backs and it has to happen, so something has to change.”
(Did you see OL Connor Williams come in today and if so, how nice was it to see your center after he wasn’t around for offseason workouts?) – “Yeah, I saw Connor and it was exciting just because I want to see all my guys out here. All the guys should be out here but if it holds true and guys feel like they need to do whatever they have to do, then so be it. But it was good to see Connor out here. He’s definitely a bright, bright guy in this offense and he’s a key aspect to it.”
