Tua Tagovailoa – September 13, 2023
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Wednesday, September 13, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You told us last week leading up to the game that you felt healthy and felt strong. Everything you did in the offseason with jiu-jitsu, whatever else you did, how satisfied were you Sunday with everything you put in?) – “It was a good team win. That’s how I look at it. That’s how I always look at it. Without the guys up front blocking, without the guys outside catching, without our run game, none of that for me was possible. And without the defense getting that stop against a good offense, I don’t think we’d all be here talking about the win that we had and the accomplishments that everyone on our side of the ball had.”
(We saw a video that you had worked on the exact throw from that third-and-10 where you ran up and threw the deep ball to WR Tyreek Hill. What’s the thought process in working on some of those plays that to some appear very rare that they would come up in a game, but when they do come up, it helps that you practiced it?) – “It always helps when you’re practicing something and you’ve practiced it to a point where it becomes second nature. That’s a point of emphasis that I’ve had this offseason. And it’s also things that we’ve been able to work with our guys this offseason as well – with our receivers, with our backs – is when plays are broken, when the first read’s not there, second, third reads not there or there’s pressure, where guys need to be, where guys are going to be in certain times when the pocket breaks down.”
(We’ve seen you have some of your best plays after a mistake where after a turnover or something like that. You have some ridiculous passer rating in the play right after. What has that process been for you in terms of forgetting what just happened, being resilient, and just going out to the next play?) – “Yeah, I think that’s been a big growth for me this offseason is being able to sort of erase the last play and really hone-in on what the next play requires of me. And the saying of each play stands on its own merit is sort of the approach that I take when I’m given a play to go and throw out there. Sometimes that play could be an interception or I could have got sacked on that play, and we call it again, you can’t think ‘Okay, since you threw this interception, you’re not going to read it this way anymore. You’re going to change how you read it.’ For me, it’s alright, each play stands on its own merit. How would you read this if you were in your flow? You’d read it this way. This OTAs, this training camp, that’s how I try to put my frame of mind in as far as each play and you just got to go out there and make the correction and continue playing.”
(We heard WR Tyreek Hill talk about meetings that receivers and quarterbacks had after practice or started doing after practice. Is there anything more that you can share about those meetings?) – “Yeah, I wouldn’t say started doing. I would say that’s something we’ve been doing since last year with our guys. We’ve been getting the guys together since last year to talk about where we want them to be, how we’re expecting them to run a certain route. If it’s a seam route versus this team, if it’s an out route versus this team, things to be aware of. And then there’s a lot of other things as far as communication that we talk about. On a Thursday, I get the guys together and we talk about third downs. We don’t have any meetings after that. The coaches aren’t in our meeting. So that’s been something that we’ve been doing since last year.”
(So nothing new, no new meetings?) – “No there’s no new meetings. Nothing. That’s how we’ve been doing it.”
(You said you don’t watch cable and don’t really watch TV. But after your performance, there’s a lot of talk about you and attention on you. Your MVP odds are I think the leader on a lot of sites. I was curious after a performance like you had, does your phone buzz a little bit more and if so, how do you compartmentalize and focus on maybe letting every game stay on its own merit?) – “Yeah, I would say it like when you start the season, it’s Week 1. Everyone overreacts on everything. (That’s) my personal opinion. Take that for what it’s worth. You’re either going to win the Super Bowl after you win your first game or you’re the worst team ever and everything that comes with that. So I would say for myself, that’s one of the reasons I don’t pay too much attention to the outside noise. But yeah, to me, that’s all it is. Like we still got to go on the road and we got 16 more games to play against 16 really, really good teams. And it starts with New England this week. And that’s our main focus.”
(Familiar opponent this week against the Patriots. That’s a defense known for really changing the post-snap picture compared with what they show pre-snap. How challenging do they make it on you with how they body things up post-snap?) – “Yeah, they do a lot of good things and it starts with their front, their front seven. How they’re able to maneuver where guys are, they’re exchanging personnels, making things look the same in that sense. Coach (Bill) Belichick has been coaching in this league for way longer than I think I’ve been alive. So he knows exactly what he’s looking at when he coaches his guys. Nothing new under the sun for that guy. So we got to come out, we got to be prepared. We understand that that’s a physical team and they’re going to make us earn everything that we can.”
(How has going against that schemed defensively in practice the first couple years of your career, how has that helped you have success against them?) – “It’s helped me have success because it’s tough with the way they set their fronts. Like for me, within the early years, protection was a big thing. And that’s something that if it’s not schemed up well, it could give you problems. Regardless if you have the fastest guys outside or if you have the perfect play called, it really doesn’t matter. So we’re going to have to really hone-in on our technique and our fundamentals as well going against this team.”
(What does Head Coach Mike McDaniel do so well from an external standpoint to get guys open?) – “We have a lot of moving parts in our offense. And that gives a lot of communication off to the defense. If they’re going to pass this, if they’re going to run with that, what they want to do if we go from a spread out three set to a condensed three-man side. If they want to triangle, if they want to box, like whatever they want to do, you’re forcing the communication. And then all the things with if we’re running right, we got guys sliding right, sliding left, you don’t know if it’s a run, if it’s a pass, if it’s a keeper. So there’s a lot of things that I think Mike does really well, given what the rules are for the defense to put our guys on the offensive side of the ball in good position.”
(Is it more complex this year than last?) – “No, it’s not more complex. I think it’s just the guys feeling more comfortable, hearing the plays in huddle, understanding what we want to do on this certain play, and then going out there and knowing what to do.”
(I wanted to go back to the third-and-10 play. It traveled like 50 yards in the air, and you’ve been taking deep shots. This past week anyway, you took more deep shots, than just about anybody in the NFL. What do you attribute that success to? How much better do you feel about your ability to strike deep? How did it all come together?) – “I think when you look at deep shots, it entails everyone. For those watching, it’s like, you can’t just take a drop in the NFL and just decide, ‘Hey, because everyone says I can’t throw the ball deep, let me just chuck this ball deep as far as I can.’ It entails everyone on the offensive side to work together, to be in symphony and guys to be at the right places at the right time. Timing has to be right, and if timing’s not right, like when the pocket breaks down and it allows for you to do that, then it does. But like being able to do that, that’s because of all the guys that I’m surrounded with.”
(Do you think that anyone is still saying you can’t throw deep?) – “I don’t care. (laughter) I mean, I don’t care. 466 is – that’s what 466 is if I can’t throw deep, thanks.”
(I say you’re 4-0 against the Patriots, you say what?) – “Every year is the new year. 4-0, 0-4, doesn’t matter. I don’t care, I don’t think those guys care. I don’t think my teammates care. They care about this year and what problems that team has to offer us, both offense, defense and special teams. We’re looking for a tough game. It’s always tough to go on the road against a team like that. It’s against a Bill Belichick coached team, so you never know what to expect.”
(We talked a little bit about that third-and-10 play, but what did you see from your eyes? We saw the play, it looked like a receiver fell down, but can you maybe take us through that play from your eyes?) – “Yeah, really I think they defensively they tried to play double robber with running Durham (Smythe) through the middle, which is what they did with their linebacker last year, No. 49. But with that play, we had a spin route, and then because of the timing of it, ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) had to kind of miss the count before he ran like a man-go basically. My read was to read it inside out, down to the back, and that’s basically what I did. I read the spin, it was unfortunate that Jaylen (Waddle) fell, but very fortunate that he fell, because we were able to step up in the pocket and find Tyreek down the sideline.”
(How nice was it to see T Terron Armstead back at practice today?) – “It was really good. It was really good. It was really good to see someone like Terron (Armstead). I don’t know if anyone was driving here early in the morning, but Terron had his car broken down, and I think I’m a bad teammate because I passed him and I didn’t come back. (laughter)”
(You didn’t come back?) – “Yeah, I didn’t. I wasn’t going to pull off to the shoulder and just reverse, you know what I mean? Like, ‘Yo, Terron! I’m coming to get you.’ (laughter) But yeah, I saw him, but it was one of those things where I saw him, but I wasn’t sure if it was him. I didn’t know what he drove too, so it was one of those things where I was just like, ‘Hey Drew, I think that was Terron on the side.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, that was him.’ I was like, ‘Well, I’m here already. I can’t go back.’ (laughter) But it’s good to have him back, his leadership, just his presence in the huddle, guys love him. But that doesn’t take away from the work that Kendall Lamm has put in as well as Austin Jackson and basically all those guys, Connor Williams, Rob Hunt and then we’ve got Isaiah Wynn. Those guys have done a tremendous job against (Joey) Bosa and Khalil Mack. So props to them, and I hope that’s something that we can continue offensively.”
(I want to ask you about TE Durham Smythe. Obviously, he put up a pretty productive game last week. Is there more potential for what he can do now that he’s kind of the featured tight end?) – “Yeah, I would say yes. There’s a lot that entails Durham (Smythe) in this offense. It’s a lot. He probably has maybe the second or the third most responsibilities, and that’s between Connor (Williams) – I got to take myself out of that – that’s between Connor and maybe Alec Ingold. But he definitely has a lot on his plate, and he makes it work. He’s one of those sneaky athletic guys that you wouldn’t think could do much with the ball, but I think he’s put more than enough on tape that guys need to be cautious about him.”
(Do you see parallels early in your career between you and QB Mac Jones because of the way he’s been judged through his first two seasons and now maybe has a chance to get things right with a better system around, now finally having an offensive coordinator, things like that?) – “I don’t think I’ve paid attention to the noise of anything for any of the other guys or basically myself. But I know that Mac (Jones) is a competitor. I know that he’s going to want to make things right, so it’s a no-brainer for me that regardless of the outside talk, he’s going to be himself, that he’s going to go out there and do all he can to help his team win. But yeah, ‘Bama (Alabama) on ‘Bama, that’s what happened last week with Jalen (Hurts) and Mac. Mac has got to go again, ‘Bama on ‘Bama. So we’ll see, it’ll be fun.”
Jaelan Phillips – September 13, 2023
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Wednesday, September 13, 2023
LB Jaelan Phillips
(The difference between turf and grass, can you feel the difference on your body?) – “Yeah, absolutely. Especially like practicing on turf for a long time, you can just feel it in your joints. Then playing on turf, it’s just not as forgiving as grass. So obviously that results in a lot of people’s cleats getting stuck in turf and, unfortunately, non-contact injuries. So yeah, left up to me in a perfect world, every field would be grass, for sure.”
(It’s a division game in Week 2. What’s at stake this early in the season with the Patriots?) – “It’s a big game obviously. We’re just going to prepare for it like we always do. Obviously they have a talented team and it will be a hard-nosed game. It always is when we play the Patriots.”
(What we saw towards the end of that game, what the defense did, is that the M.O. of this defense?) – “Yeah, obviously you don’t want to be in that situation every time. We want to be able to hold them to a lot less points and a lot less yards given up. But yeah, I guess that is the M.O. because no matter what happens, when push comes to shove, you’re always going to see high effort and high intensity from us.”
(You guys got the sack late but early on, it seemed like you had some trouble getting pressure with four. What was going on there?) – “Well, they weren’t really drop-back passing too often. They were either doing play-action or the few drop-back passes they did have, it’s kind of hard to get into a rhythm when they’re just running the ball on you. Like I said in an interview after the game, we didn’t earn the right to rush the passer. You have to stop the run before you can actually get to those third-and-long situations and second-and-long situations. They were really just having their way in the run game so we really didn’t have the chance to get much going in the pass game.”
(How do you fix that?) – “I think it is just about discipline and technique, and things like that. These are our first live bullets of a full game with this new defense, so there’s going to be growing pains. I think just getting back to the drawing board and being disciplined with our run fits and things like that. It will be, not to say easy adjustments, but I don’t think it’s going to be the end of the world trying to figure it out. I think just getting in that meeting room, getting out on the practice field, we’ll be able to work it out.”
(When you put stuff like that on film, do you think the Patriots will try to prove that you guys can stop the run again?) – “Absolutely. It’s a copycat league so any time you are assessing somebody on film and you see a certain play or a certain formation or something has success, you’re most likely going to try to repeat that success. So we have to go out there and set the tone and prove that we can stop the run.”
Terron Armstead – September 13, 2023
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Wednesday, September 13, 2023
T Terron Armstead
(How are you feeling? How optimistic are you about Sunday’s game?) – “I feel great being back out there with the guys, running around and playing a game that I love. Just working. We’re working to try to get ready, get healthy and get closer to being back out there full time.”
(How will you know if you’re ready?) – “It’s a feel. I missed a lot of time in training camp so I don’t have many reps under my belt for this campaign, so I definitely have to get those in and get into playing shape, get my hands right, my timing right, my communication right with the guys. You never know without doing it so I have to get in there and get active.”
(I know you’re a guy that always wants to be out there no matter what. Just to give us some perspective, how did you do it last year?) – “I was able to get some camp work in and then getting banged up Week 1, it just goes to my preparation. I’m doing a lot more film study, understanding my limitations physically, and then my off-the-field preparation as well with the strength staff and the training staff to make sure that I’m ready to roll.”
(A back, ankle and leg were all listed on the injury report, which is nothing new in terms of multiple things, unfortunately. Of those three, which one kept you out last Sunday? One, in particular? The leg?) – “It was probably a combination if I had to say, because I wasn’t able to go out and do my work to get prepared and be able to play and help the team win. I want to be an asset when I’m out there and not a liability ever. So if I am not functionally able to do my job, it hurts the team. I would never do that.”
(What was last week like for you? Did it go up to Friday or did you kind of know on Wednesday?) – “We worked early in the week to see but I wasn’t going to be able to make it happen Sunday. But we kept pushing. We got off the field and did more stuff inside but I didn’t want to take away from the preparation from Kendall (Lamm) and Austin (Jackson) with those guys getting ready. This week I was able to get back on the field, get some reps and get moving, so we’re working.”
(How much do you think you’ll practice this season? Once a week? Every Friday?) – “Every chance I get. I love being out there. I love flying around, talking smack to my guys. So any chance I get, I will be out there.”
(How proud were you of the guys watching that game?) – “It was a great game as a fan of the sport. The back and forth, the energy, the momentum going back and forth. It was a great game, just as a football fan. But us winning just meant I was going crazy.”
(You heard the crowd right? It was crazy.) – “Yeah, Tua (Tagovailoa), ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) and all of the guys were talking about it was like a home game towards the end of the game. I saw them standing on the bench pumping up the crowd and I was like ‘We’re not at home.’ But I could hear it through the TV. I was like Dolphins fans showed up. That’s so important, especially on the road if you get that type of crowd noise and they’ve got to go silent now. That messes up their communication. That plays a part.”
(So you actually stayed behind and rehabbed right?) – “Yeah.”
(Is that unusual? Do you almost always travel even if you are banged up?) – “It was more so Mike (McDaniel’s) decision with the six-hour flight. We just stayed back and hit the ground running and stayed after it to be able to get out there today.”
(I remember talking to Zach Thomas once about how bizarre it was to be on the grill while his team was playing at his house. Were you at your house?) – “Yeah, I was at home alone. No distractions. I was locked in.”
(Was it weird?) – “It was weird. It is tough. Especially like right before kickoff. The adrenaline. I don’t even get nervous. I just like had some nerves for some reason. Then we kicked off and settled in. The first drive was going good and we fumbled. But those guys responded back to that. It was a tough challenge, handling adversity early in the first game of the season and I couldn’t be more impressed with the guys.”
(Will this just be seeing how your body responds every day and then Friday, you, Head Coach Mike McDaniel and the medical staff, if needed, will make a decision on Sunday?) – “I’ll be back out there tomorrow, hitting full speed and just trying to get game ready.”
(A lot of people are talking about the whole turf situation this week. Do you have an opinion on that?) – “I’m a grass fan. I’ve always been a fan of grass. I don’t know the analytics about spikes on turf or grass. But I’m a fan of grass. I’ve played this game forever since I was 5-years-old on grass, so I’ve always been a fan of it.”
Mike McDaniel – September 13, 2023
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Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I was going to ask you if you thought T Terron Armstead or DB Elijah Campbell would practice this week?) – “I think we’ll see a little of (Terron) Armstead today and we’ll see how that goes. Then the next day, we’ll assess that. (We are) starting to get Elijah (Campbell) into individual drills and go through that process as well because, again, the foremost priority is guys come back without having a setback. We’re just trying to do our due diligence, so it will be cool to see them.”
(With T Terron Armstead, is it more the injury? Or, is it the wind, just being able to play 50-plus snaps?) – “No, it’s more when players always want to play, we obviously want them to play. But there’s some, I don’t know, gut feeling that he might have to resort to a style of play just to get through. I don’t think that’s fair to him or his teammates. If there was a scenario that it was the only human being possible, you’d maybe consider that, but probably not. The biggest thing is that you have to have depth on your football team. For him and the Dolphins, you just don’t want him to gut through it for a cause and then the tape doesn’t go away. It’s part of our personal relationship and he respects it in regards to those types of decisions, which I appreciate.”
(A couple of personnel questions; LB David Long Jr., why was his snap count so low? Also RB De’Von Achane, why didn’t we see him active on Sunday?) – “So the game day actives are real and there’s only a finite (number). When you have areas of your team that necessitate certain things, you kind of have to go light on positions. That’s why De’Von (Achane) was inactive. Really, it’s kind of what I was getting in front of last week about Week 1 and how interesting it is, because it feels like Groundhog week, and I get why. It’s because there are all these thoughts and opinions and people care. Then something happens and you have a whole week to sit on it. Well, Week 1, in the first year of a system, I mean, how often does everything never change during the course of the season? I think especially with new players on this team and a new system, that is really the formula for that game. But that’s a far stretch to say that it’s going to be that way the next game. These are things that there’s only 11 on the field. We have some depth and every game presents different challenges and you have different tools in your toolbox. He’ll keep working and his teammates love him. I’m not expecting that to be the norm, but the players decide that not me, ironically.”
(What are some things you’d like to see cleaned up on defense this week?) – “I think the biggest thing is you want to see a constant mode of progression. So, whatever the outcome is, and literally, you could talk about both phases, are you going to have a game that’s not as desirable as you’d like? Does that mean now you should try to improve so then you have a game that you do like and you let your foot off the gas? The idea is that we have to improve on certain things. Specifically, if I could sum it up, I think there are a lot of people with the right motivations that were trying to independently make plays and not thinking about technique and fundamentals. So that’s been my message to them, which is my message to all players. Really, it’s humanity. If you’re able to worry completely about what you can control, and only that, it’s amazing what individuals can do. Case in point, if you asked Tua (Tagovailoa) about his game and say, ‘hey, what was the reason for that?’ Well, I worried about my technique and fundamentals every play. So that’s a process that is not easy. It is very hard in this world to not worry about all the stuff that you can’t control. But if you’re able to do that, you might turn the page and find yourself getting better at what you actually care about.”
(I just saw a stat this week that you guys, going back to Week 1 of last year, are the best team in passing against Cover 1. The Patriots, going back to that same time, are the best defending in Cover 1. What is it about their defense that makes them so difficult to attack in that package that’s kind of rare these days?) – “It is amazing to me, and I hope one day I can even sniff this, it’s amazing that the orchestration of the defense is so consistent, so fundamentally consistent and sound. The strain. Very, very detailed. And the leader of the ship was at the same job when we were all like, ‘what’s an iPod?’ The coolest part about what they do is it’s not because they’re entitled. It’s because they work at stuff. You can really see it. They have very strong and consistent technique and fundamentals that you can tell from the top down, and all the coaches on the defensive side, that it’s non-negotiable. Then they work together. I think they are unique in what they do, and that’s a testament from an X’s and O’s standpoint to one of the founding fathers of this generation of football. It’s pretty cool to watch. It’s a great challenge, and that’s what you want. You want to be challenged week in, week out with different things because, again, you’re preparing to try to be the best version of yourself against the best teams when it matters most.”
(I feel like the characteristics of the Shanahan coaching tree is the scheme gets guys open a lot. I was curious, when you go to coaches like high school coaches, college coaches, for seminars, and you tell them, here’s one or two things scheme-wise that can help you get guys open. Obviously, the answer is get really fast players like WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle. But from a scheme standpoint, what can you do to really enhance that?) – “That’s something that there’s a little bit of fortune involved. You kind of made the categorical consistency there, where you’re able to learn under somebody that does it the right way. And that is constantly challenging what has been done or relentlessly watching tape. That’s why I’m so grateful for Mike Shanahan and there’s so much that was embedded when that’s your standard. I think it’s hard to like, X’s and O’s. What are your players skill sets? What coverages are you seeing? What fronts? Everything’s so specific. Like, if you were to ask me, give me your favorite Cover 1-beater, I’d be like, what? Who’s the defense? Where are the matchups? What’s the structure? How do they treat stacks and bunches? Those types of things. When I talk to coaches, it’s not like I know how to coach in high school or college. I’ve never done that. But I think there’s an element of consistency with good and fair scheme that there’s a why for everything you’re doing. It’s abstract, but literally every alignment, every assignment, every motion, literally everything, if you exhaust that process, you end up coming out with a solid opportunity that doesn’t even matter unless your players are bought in and they fully immerse themselves and do all the hard work and labor. To me, we’re coaches. Professionally, we get paid to and inherent in that is a devotion to players and their success. I think that’s the standard that is inherent in being a coach, that you should be attempting to put your players in advantageous situations. You only do that when everyone’s invested. But I think the biggest point is that, I’ll draw up sweet, sick plays on this board right now. But they mean nothing. I’ve been drawing plays since I got started in 2005. It’s the players that make it come to life and that’s the cool thing to watch. Because you watch the whole process and know that the execution is earned not given.”
(When you have to make a decision during the game that’s not easy, not obvious, for example fourth-and-7, like last game, do you get a sense of adrenaline at that moment? Is that an exciting time for you? What’s that moment like?) – “It’s the purest form of living. You’re locked in every blink, like time stops really, and I get proud of whatever the decision is. And honestly, regardless of the result, if the decision’s made for the right reasons. When I recognize there’s a decision that before I send the play in, I know if it doesn’t work what comes next. But I think it’s very important that you take the job serious enough. For me, I wouldn’t be able to sleep if that factored in. And so in the moments, there is a little adrenaline only because what I’m able to execute on something with all of my information, with all the preparation, it’s the right decision for certain reasons. And that is far from saying, I know it’s going to work. But yeah, it’s living.”
(You mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. With all the work he put in, whether it be jiu-jitsu or whatever else he did during the offseason to be stronger, as you watched this Sunday, was it just something that you felt this was going to happen right out of the gate considering he didn’t play since last Christmas against Green Bay?) – “It’s funny, I talk about it with the coaching staff, because we’re very fortunate to be around some really, really good players that stand the test of time. And so when we’re practicing and as we’re evolving in our techniques and getting better and better, there’s certain things in practice that you’re like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen that in the game before.’ However, it didn’t surprise me that guys were able to execute. It made me very proud of all the training that it took because I know how it was for all people involved. You’re witnessing their most invested, intentional, deliberate execution of whatever they’re doing. But I didn’t know it was going to work. Players decided on the field and sometimes players decide to be the best versions of themselves and you don’t know what’s going to happen on Sunday. But I knew with the way they invested, it was either going to live up to their expectations, or it wasn’t. Either one, we have to flourish at. It’s literally that’s cool, that’s well earned, but that means nothing on this Wednesday for the Patriots. Literally, zero. I checked with the league. We can’t take the points from last game and put them in the points of this game. (laughter) So it was a really, really cool little thing that you’ll look back on. And that night, as a team, it felt nice to see some of those rewards. But the goal this offseason, the goal for these guys lives wasn’t like, ‘Man, I’m going to have a good game.’ So you have to keep that in perspective. But I’m excited to see what they do with that moving forward.”
(I don’t know if you were watching live on Monday night, but obviously Jets QB Aaron Rodgers injury is a big league story. What’s your reaction to him having his season end?) – “I was watching the Patriots, but I heard a couple of people came down and told me and I’m not going to lie, you don’t want to ever see that. I think it’s important for all teams that they’re the best of their ability for the sake of the game and the product that we want to deliver on. But I also think that – I did check, someone also did tell me, that they won the game. And I think there’s a lot of players and coaches that I know on that team, that all their hopes and dreams as NFL players in the organization wasn’t to hang out with and play with one guy. They still have a lot of players and I promise you that the Miami Dolphins won’t be the team that overlooks them because of anybody not being there. Granted he is one of the greatest players to ever do it. And so that is supreme adversity, and if I was a betting man, I think that that team will find a way but we shall see.”
(What are some of the qualities that WR River Cracraft possess that make him a guy that you want on your team?) – “I think he’s been cut seven times, I think, before making an active roster. Do you realize how – well first of all the professional athlete, the investment it takes, and then the lack of control that you have in situations like that if you’re an undrafted player or something of that nature, and then the fortitude to say, ‘No, you guys are wrong,’ and to keep coming back means he’s spending a lot of time not worried about stuff that he can’t control. And I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I couldn’t do a lot of things. Generally, whatever I’m doing the first time, people see me and they’re like, ‘You can’t do that.’ Whatever it is. So there’s a place in my heart for it. But the bottom line is you have to be a special individual when you put that much on the table. And then when the moment comes and you’re able to produce, I think that’s what all the players see. And he makes his teammates better around him. So that’s an important part too.”
(How have you seen the Patriots offense change in the limited sample size of Bill O’Brien taking over as the offensive coordinator?) – “You can tell there’s some good relationships going on there. Bill O’Brien has always done a really good job and I think they’re doing some things that, you can tell when there’s connectivity between coach and quarterback, and there’s stuff that he’s playing very confident in. It’s a good litmus test when the quarterback is playing better. Generally everyone is because they go hand in hand. And he can only be successful if his players are in the right spots doing the right thing. So there’s definitely some tempo going on. There’s some different formations. There’s different ways to attack, similar to what he’s done in the past to a degree. But then there’s new things. The crazy thing about NFL Sundays is then you could just come to work on Sunday and he could have five wide receivers, no running backs or tight ends every play. You just don’t know. There is some unknown in that regard for what they’re doing. You have one team that is known on how they want to do attack. But outside of that, you have to defend everything. So it’ll be a good challenge for us.”
(What time are you going to bed if you’re waking up and go to work at 2:30 a.m having seen the ESPN piece?) – “I mean it just depends. I think for the most part, you try to compensate. Science keeps telling me that you do need sleep to function. So you do compensate with earlier nights when you can. There’s some late ones, but I’m super fortunate because my wife and daughter get my back and as long as I make it to Thursday or Friday, really, they positively reinforce naps. So although the science doesn’t support, cram sleeping – yeah, I debunk science with that. With a lot of coaches, there’s just a lot of stuff to do. And in the morning, I might be the only person for a little while, but there’s always people here when I leave. So I make sure to stop by and say what time did you get in? I was earlier. (laughter)”
Raheem Mostert – September 11, 2023
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Monday, September 11, 2023
RB Raheem Mostert
(I wanted to ask you about the resilience that the team showed yesterday. Obviously CB Jalen Ramsey isn’t there, T Terron Armstead isn’t there, back and forth game. You guys showed this resilience last year, this fighting spirit. What does that do for a team? How do you acquire it, how do you use it and what does it do for you?”) – “It’s apparent, just to see the guys that can go out there and step up and make the plays. Even in a shootout game with the Chargers, it was a little bit of – not revenge, but we were still thinking about last year and how that game turned out with some key guys that we missed at the time. To be able to go out there in Week 1 and get the win that we did, that team was really good in all aspects of the game, especially with how their offense was rolling on all cylinders and it just seemed like we had to come back and fight even more so on our side. The resilience by all the guys is second to none. You could just see how it all played out, especially with the win that we got. Fairly happy, I know it’s Week 1 and we still have some wrinkles that we need to iron out but all in all, you can’t be more impressed.”
(What was it like in the huddle there on that final game-winning drive? What were you guys talking about and just going through mentally in that last drive?) – “Just act like you’ve been there before. It was one of those things where we knew we were down by however many points and then all of a sudden, just got to go down the field and make the plays happen and connect. Obviously you see what Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill were able to do on that last play. That’s something that we’ve been working on this offseason and even into training camp. It paid off fairly well I could say and it’s just awesome that we were in that position. No team wants to be in that position in the last few minutes of the game, but for us, it was one of those things where you just have to get the job done so we were able to do that.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said a month ago that he thinks that QB Tua Tagovailoa looks like the best version of himself the explosiveness off the top of the drop, different clubs in his bag on different types of throws. Have you noticed that in a second year with Tua?) – “I even mentioned during training camp when I was being interviewed. He definitely has that mindset of going out there and getting it and being dominant. He’s a guy that puts a lot on his shoulders, but at the same time he can handle it. You see what he’s doing out there and it’s just amazing. I mean, to go from Year 1 to Year 2 in the way that he’s doing it, he had a good start at the beginning of the year, last year, but yesterday was an even better start. You can only grow from there. Whether that be in the pass game, in the run game, he’s going to do what he has to do, and he’s going to make the right calls and we believe him.”
(There was obviously a lot more attention national attention on Tua after his performance yesterday, but it seems like in talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel and teammates, this is what you got to expect from Tua. I was curious, as somebody who came in as a new player to the team last year, at what point did you realize like, “Okay, we’re going to be alright,” because obviously you didn’t know to up from afar, but at what point did you know?) – “Being a player in this league, and for me, I’ve been fortunate enough to go into year nine and just watching the surrounding league and just witnessing different quarterbacks and of course, offenses and stuff like that. But when I first got the impression of Tua, I knew that he was a sharp young man that was ready to take on any challenge. I know that prior to me coming here that he had some setbacks of his own and I don’t know necessarily what that entailed in regards to the other coaching staff, but at some point it does have to kick in for yourself as a player. It doesn’t matter what offense that you’re put in, you just got to go out there and try to put your best foot forward and he’s been able to do that. I watched tape with him at Alabama. He stepped into a role when a quarterback got hurt and he took that role on with nothing but conviction and full confidence. And that’s what’s happening right now. You see the confidence that he has, and the ability that he’s able to – alone, just the simple fact that he threw a ball in a tight window to Braxton (Berrios) and the way Braxton caught the ball, it was just, you don’t really see that on a day-to-day basis, let alone in the NFL. So for him to make that type of throws just yeah, you want to you want to believe he can do it. We all believe that he can make those throws and we all believe that he has that capability. Tyreek even mentioned it when he first got here that he can throw the ball with precision. It’s no shock to us, but at the same time, he’s really taking that step forward and you could just tell the confidence in the in the build that he has.”
(The offensive line, as you guys watch the tape or discuss it today how admirable of a job against that front T Kendall Lamm at left tackle and OL Isaiah Wynn first start at guard for this team?) – “Oh yeah, look at what happened yesterday. We put up a stat just a few minutes ago, Frank (Smith) did, about between two players on that defensive line, there were seven Pro Bowls. And a guy that’s won – has been a sack leader in the league and stuff like that. And we didn’t give up one sack. That just tells you the growth that this line has. To be able to go out there and just to dominate and move the line of scrimmage and to be able to protect and then it just reflects on what Tua can do in the pocket. It just – everything is clicking, but still there’s is always going to be some work to be done to improve and man, I’m excited. That’s very compelling that that happened yesterday and more so, you’re just ready to roll for the rest of the season.”
(I’m not going to ask you to compare what the system Head Coach Mike McDaniel runs compared to 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan ran when you were there, but how has it evolved? It seems like guys just get open, obviously talented people, but the scheme is tailor-made for guys getting open.) – “The scheme is tailor-made for guys to get open and you see what happened with Tyreek yesterday, he had a 200-yard game. And then also Jaylen Waddle and then even getting River (Cracraft) and Braxton involved as well. It just shows you that this team is very dynamic. We got a lot of playmakers on this side of the ball and we’re going to try our best to expose the defense one way or the other and just try to make plays when the plays need to be made. It’s nice to be out there, I’m not going to lie. The speed is crazy. You got a lot of guys out there.”
(At the risk of sounding crazy, why is WR Tyreek Hill so difficult to defend?) – “This man, he’s literally like a little jitterbug out there just running around just going crazy. You just see the separation that he’s able to have against these DBs and to be able to get in these windows. Then like I said and I alluded to Tua (Tagovailoa), to be able to make those throws, they’re rolling right now. They’re on these high ceilings, man, that can’t be stopped. Once everybody else gets involved, man, you see what we were able to do yesterday. It’s just going to carry over and hopefully it carries over in a plentiful way.”
(Two areas you guys worked on in the offseason – penalties and getting the play down to the huddle – seemed to be great yesterday. Six penalties for 38 yards, which is good. I don’t recall any issues, delay of game or anything like that. In your point of view, how did those two areas go yesterday?) – “Yeah, we improved in those areas, but I will say, we still have to understand the game of ball. At the end of the day, that’s what you have to do as this job, to understand the situation, understand clock management. I know the time of possession wasn’t in our favor, but obviously that’s what you want as well, is to win the time of possession ratio. There’s still a lot of work to be done and we’re just going to go back to the drawing boards and get those things corrected, too.”
Jevon Holland – September 11, 2023
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Monday, September 11, 2023
S Jevon Holland
(You guys didn’t blitz a ton yesterday, but when you did give me an account. Just take us through that last possession and what the importance that was to this team.) – “We needed that to win the game. Bar none, that’s basically it. We needed that to win the game and we went out there and executed.”
(What does it tell you about this team that no CB Jalen Ramsey, no T Terron Armstead, you’re on the road in the opener against the team that beat you last year and you come out with a gritty victory, what does that say about this team?) – “We’re a gritty team. We needed that to go out there and win. It feels good to win that Week 1 even though we’re not satisfied with our performance as a defense. We got stuff to build on and everything is easier when you’re building off of a win, not a loss. It feels good.”
(What was the message from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio today when you guys were watching film?) – “We need to be better. Plain and simple.”
(Any challenges moving to a defensive coordinator who calls games differently – there’s clearly a question in terms of the number of blitzes, the math would show you that. Is there an adjustment for players when moving from one coordinator to another when it’s a different approach like that?) – “Yeah, it’s completely different. It’s in a completely different defense with a completely different person with a philosophy, completely different defensive coordinator, so obviously there is going to be an adjustment period and it’s going to be different because it’s not the same human that was calling the defense last year.”
Christian Wilkins – September 11, 2023
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Monday, September 11, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(This is not a question meant as an excuse because you all are a no-excuse team. But is there a natural adjustment in terms of playing for a coordinator that calls games much differently than the previous coordinator? Is there a feeling out period or adjustment that you all are going through?) – “I’d definitely say the first thing, to your point, no excuses need to be made. We all know that wasn’t our standard. We’ve got to play better defense and that starts with me as an individual, as a leader. As the leader of the defense, it starts with me. We’ll definitely be better this week and moving forward, we’ll definitely be better. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it. We’re about business moving forward and about improving moving forward, so that’s what we’ll do. But just naturally, there’s obviously a little bit of adjusting but that’s no excuse. We’re all professionals so we all have to do our job regardless of how plays are being called, what’s being called. If there is a good play called, we’ve got to execute it. If there’s a bad play called, we still have to execute. Regardless, there’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. We just have to be better.”
(What did the film show you?) – “Again, just that there are a lot of improvements to be made. There’s just a lot of areas that we weren’t so great at. But at the end of the day, we did get the win so I was excited for that. And I was excited for what the offense was able to do and how they were able to have our backs through it all. That was definitely good and we definitely needed a full 60-minute game and full team effort.”
(Was the in-game operation any different like with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio calling plays from the booth? I think Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile was kind of running things down. Does it change anything as far as communication?) – “Not for me because I’m not the green dot. That doesn’t really do anything for me. I get the calls from the linebacker and then line up and get ready to play.”
(What was the biggest issue in the run game?) – “We just have to be better technique, fundamentals and just executing the plays that are called. Each one of the 11 doing their job.”
(Can you take us through that last drive?) – “I would say those last two series, maybe the last 10 plays or so – obviously it wasn’t great, wasn’t pretty for most of the game, but we can build off of how we finished moving forward. Guys playing at a high level when we needed it the most. Jaelan (Phillips), Zach (Sieler), we were all able to focus in a little bit more. We know we needed it. The offense did their part. We couldn’t let them down. We were able to pull it together and do a good job.”
(Was it surprising because of obviously it’s not your standard and it’s surprising any time, but what you saw during training camp, did what happened yesterday completely throw you for a loop after – did you feel you were much better in training camp?) – “I would say no we’re not rattled, again, it just wasn’t the performance that we expected and when you put a lot of work into this, when you invest your all at this and when you know the guys we’ve got on defense and you’ve got the right coaches in the position; you never expect anything like that. But like I said, we will be better moving forward. We really don’t have a choice.”
(I don’t know how much you get to see of WR Tyreek Hill, but when you see him and when you see a game like yesterday, what comes to mind? How do you defend this guy?) – “He’s definitely a pretty damn good football player. I’m glad he’s on our side. Really a lot of the guys on offense, they all stepped up and played pretty well. That damn No. 1 was pretty solid, too. And just guys were making plays left and right and it was just fun to see and like I said it was just good that they’re on our side and they had our backs even with everything going on. So that was definitely a lot of fun to watch and just to see guys putting a lot of work and who it means a lot to and an underdog like River Cracraft goes out there and balls out, catches another touchdown. Just everybody. Just good to see the o-line step up and do their thing. Just a lot of respect for those guys on that side of the ball and what they did yesterday.”
(And what does that tell you about this team? All that stuff you just said – no CB Jalen Ramsey, no T Terron Armstead, hostile environment, team that beat you last year? What does that tell you about this team?) – “Just that we’re going to compete and that we definitely all care about each other and we’re not – as I started at the beginning – we’re not an excuse-making team and I won’t allow us to be that regardless of who’s on that field, what we’re doing, what’s going on, what’s happening – good, bad or indifferent. We’re all going to play hard and do our best to have each other’s backs through it all.”
Mike McDaniel – September 11, 2023
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Monday, September 11, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(What led to the decision to use T Isaiah Wynn at guard for this team now after four years at tackle for New England? And then on WR Erik Ezukanma, the idea of actually lining him up in the backfield, is that something you drew on a napkin one night? Drew on your iPad at 2 a.m. in March? What led to that usage for him?) – “Isaiah Wynn wasn’t new. I’m a young old guy, so when he was coming out, that’s how I evaluated him. I saw him as having some good skill sets there. I think the experience at tackle helps an interior player tremendously if they have the skill set to cross over because of the types of athletes that you face on the edge. He’s been a wonderful addition to the team and earned his opportunity to start through his play, which is the only way we accept it here, so I was pumped about that. What if I told you that Erik wasn’t even supposed to line up there? Just kidding. (laughter) That’s stuff that you try as a coaching staff to see and open your mind to the unique skillsets of certain players. For that game, it made sense to try to introduce that a bit. Whether that’s something that we expand upon just depends on the opponent and the pros and cons of what that does, if anything. We felt like that was a good way to get him the ball that way and get him some opportunities and get the defense talking a bit. I believe he was in the backfield during the go-ahead touchdown, right? I’m pretty sure he was lined up in the backfield, at least that’s what I called. It was a long flight. (laughter) Those are fun things that you’re able to do, especially in year two where you can move people around a little bit more just because of the inherit understanding of what words mean.”
(When you reviewed the tape today, there were a lot of QB Tua Tagovailoa completions. Which one was your favorite?) – “Well, which one presented as though adversity was an opportunity?
(The 35-yard touchdown) – “Boom. Those are things that are not easy to do. It was my favorite because it was more of a team moment. That was a series of plays, starting with the interception that he targeted Braxton (Berrios) on, because on that specific play, the Chargers got the ball on the four-yard line because they intercepted it, and (Jaylen) Waddle and ‘SA’ (Salvon Ahmed) didn’t stop playing, and got a tackle on the four. Got the ball back following a really good play by Kader (Kohou) on a well-timed blitzed that is rarely executed to be honest. Free runners at quarterbacks generally miss for whatever reason. We’ve been emphasizing some technique, he got the sack, and then we had a great punt return blocked up, but it was a short kick. So we had a short field and off that momentum, Tyreek Hill started making it very known that he was ready to make a play. I fancy myself as a great listener. That throw culminated a team effort that is very, very important playing off each other in the various phases that are important to winning close games like that.”
(I was thinking of the third-and-10 where he scrambles forward and…) – “That was another good one.”
(We have seen QB Tua Tagovailoa off-platform a bit but that throw in particular, we haven’t really seen that. Was that…) – “I need to open more practices to you guys. (laughter) That’s really cool stuff from a developing quarterback that is finding his own footing in how he plays because he went through his progression, felt the pressure in a good interior pocket, utilized that and then did something that most people can’t do with their writing hand let alone their non-writing hand like he does it. That was a good one too, but I really liked him taking advantage of everything that he’s learned and really focused on and had a game application, similar to the preseason rep where you throw an interception and then what? And in a game like that, for all three phases to come together at that moment, and then for the three phrases to play off of each other, when the offense scores the final touchdown but leaves a solid amount of time left on the clock, Jason (Sanders) is one of the guys we count on most on the entire team and pushes one, and then the defense comes and saves the day and wins the game. Those ones, especially where he was participating in big team moments like that one, were the most important to me.”
(One thing that I noticed that was a wrinkle in Year 2 was instead of motioning WR Tyreek Hill and other pass catches across the formation, you kind of had him as a flex in the slot and then put him in motion. I’m curious if that’s a way to get pass catchers free releases, to prevent communication with the defense or maybe a little bit of both?) – “I was just bored. (laughter) We work hard here at the Miami Dolphins as a collective group. Coaches bring forth things. You see stuff on tape. Players bring forth things. I think it is important to be constantly pressing the envelope. I believe that players deserve schematic advantages. It’s hard enough to do their job and a coach’s job is to try to generate those. But man, I’ve drawn a lot of stuff on paper. It’s a lot harder doing it. So on the road, to execute that with the crowd noise on a silent (count) is a credit to a lot of people working deliberately. I think Tua (Tagovailoa) and Tyreek (Hill) did a really good job with that as well as the rest of the offense that’s doing it in a noisy situation.”
(The decision to go for points at the end of the second quarter, was that situation-specific or was that a general Mike McDaniel, here’s an opportunity, all points matter?) – “I think it’s important that you constantly evolve as a coach and a play-caller. At that point in time, I thought our guys would block them well enough to pump the ball down the field and see if our playmakers could do something with it. There had been a good amount of plays made by the skill positions in the first half so shame on me if I just mailed it in. It was great execution by a lot of people on those plays and a good job by (Jaylen) Waddle running fast and getting out of bounds, and then a good job with Erik (Ezukanma) putting enough stress on the defense that they had to hit him before the ball got there.”
(I know you do a lot of situational stuff but something like that, where a lot of people were confused at first when you did take the timeout, do you practice or go over those things outside of practice?) – “A little bit of both. I have situational meetings with our analytics department in the offseason then I do every Thursday night. You can’t rep enough situational football because what you don’t want is to be in a foreign situation for the first time when the box score matters. So that exact one, no. But I think you do enough situational reps, knowing how much time things take, and felt pretty good that we could get an explosive within six or seven seconds, with the proper execution. I hadn’t done that one. I think when I started the process of calling timeouts, most people knew what was going on but I was very aware it was going to be unusual and if it didn’t work, people would be like, ‘What were you doing?’”
(I can’t remember a time if a touchback with less than 10 seconds left would result in a field goal. Touchdowns obviously happen. But can you remember an instance where that happened?) – “No. But if you can’t remember an instance, you might as well create one, right? The players did a great job of executing crucial points. Then on top of that, for us to take advantage of it, means that the field goal team needs to properly do their job. Blake (Ferguson) and Jake (Bailey) need to operate and so does Jason (Sanders). That’s the type of stuff that if you can take advantage of every second and every yard, you have a chance to win. It proved very beneficial for us yesterday.”
(A couple of small injuries. I know you addressed WR Jaylen Waddle after the game. Any update today on him and his soreness or stiffness?) – “It was a positive interaction with Jaylen in terms of the soreness is where we kind of had hoped. We knew it existed but we didn’t want it to be something debilitating. That’s something that he’ll continue to work through. For him, he does such a good job of developing his game within practice, so it’s very important to him that he gets out there and we’ll just manage it accordingly. But he should still be able to get some reps in this week, which I know is very important to him.”
(WR Tyreek Hill went to the locker room early. Obviously he was ok. Cramps or was that anything…?) – “Preventative hydration is what we’ll call it. Well no, we weren’t preventing hydration. (laughter)”
(Preventive methods to keep hydrated?) – “Boom.”
(WR Tyreek Hill mentioned yesterday that some of the receivers have been getting together after practices to work on being in the right spot and things like that. I’m wondering as a coach, how is that helpful for you when position groups are kind of proactive in that way and get on the same page?) – “This is the difference between being average and good or good and great. It’s a very, very big deal when guys are able to communicate directly with each other. It lends for little to no gray area. You don’t know some questions or maybe uncertainties that players will have a lot of times in the environment of student teacher. The great thing about those meetings are there’s no federal agents, as they would call them (laughter) and they can just discuss stuff freely. That type of ownership gives you a chance to max out your current situation and your current locker room and phase of football. I think that’s something that I haven’t been on a team that’s done anything worthwhile that hasn’t had players do that. That doesn’t mean that it’s always done. It means it’s vitally important if you want your product of football to really meet your expectations.”
