Mike McDaniel – August 3, 2023
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Thursday, August 3, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(The new offensive line coach, Butch Barry – what have you noticed, learned, observed in regards to his method of teaching and motivating?) – “He knows how to protect himself from the sun, first and foremost. You can find him by hat. He sweats a lot. I had a previous relationship with him, working relationship, and when you do have that, there are certain expectations that you have when you’re joined back together, and he’s met those expectations because of his diligent command of that crew. I think they’ve got a really cool thing going there where they’ve been working and owning techniques that really, it’s probably the best they’ve been able to understand what we’re trying to do as an offense. The thing about o-line coaches, if you have a good one, which I think we do have, they’re typically not satisfied. They’re typically ready to get a sucker punch from the side that they can’t see just because the nature of offensive line in general; you’re out-athleted because the best pound-for-pound athletes really are defensive linemen in this game, so you have to be on your p’s and q’s. You can’t be result-based. You have to be process-driven. And he’s really done a great job, but classic o-line coach for him; don’t ask him what type of job he’s doing because he’ll grumble and (be like) ‘we need to be better today.’ Which is what ultimately I think players really yearn for.”
(What have you seen from OL Liam Eichenberg so far and what have you wanted to see from him at this stage?) – “So Year 2 is very exciting for multiple reasons. Like what we do from an offensive line standpoint, there’s some trust fall involved, where you’re like, ‘Okay, we don’t want you to just block this person safely. We want you to aggressively attack, thereby making you vulnerable.’ That can – ebbs and flows. We felt it last year, the players know it, that sometimes, when in the heat of battle, you revert back to things that we don’t emphasize. Well, that doesn’t mean those things were bad; it means now you’re off with your teammate who’s trying to do it – it’s the synergy of it. And he’s really, really taken a step forward that way. Year 2, since you do know what words mean, what play calls mean, how we communicate, how we target, aiming points, timing. Since he does know that, he’s been able to do some things we were unable to do in Year 1 that I was adamant that we didn’t do in Year 1 which is move him around a little bit, too. I really love where he is at in the progression, but again, it is a progression that’s long, because like I was alluding to before, we’re trying to do stuff at a high level that you have to really kind of empty all of the old thinking and can’t revert in the heat of battle. That’s where our biggest problems came were people reverting, and he’s right now doing a great job. But what’s going to happen when the d-line is turned up today? Okay, then what’s going to happen next week when you have different people? Those are the things that are monumental for him, as well as all the guys that have been here to really make sure that what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis is ingrained and not just a practice technique.”
(OL Austin Jackson – same question) – “Austin being – he was out longer. I got to see less of him and it’s been exciting. Exciting for him because what he hasn’t done, what you’re fearful of – case in point, I know there are several guys that are very locked into one-on-one pass rush. And what happens to young offensive linemen especially when they are in an important year of their career, is you go and set on somebody and it doesn’t work. It actually is quite the opposite. You get up and under or do something like that. Typically, the response is, ‘Okay, I’m not doing that again.’ And where he’s at is he can turn and have a football conversation with myself, Frank (Smith), Butch (Barry), ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre), or Mike Judge. He can have a football conversation of what just happened, so that he can do the technique he just did better. He’s flashed some really good things and then there’s been great teaching done by the defense when he hasn’t done things correctly. So he continues to get better. He’s a better player than he was last week. And that’s where I’m at with really all those guys. We have a lot of competition across the board in the offensive line room, so everyone’s having to really go after it, which is a cool thing as a coach to witness and right now we are in Practice 7. And we have three opportunities to practice against each other before we practice against an opponent. So that’s what we’re focused on today for him.”
(I don’t think there are many people who have had a better camp than DT Christian Wilkins. Every day he seems like he splashes. The fact that he’s putting on this kind of performance in a contract year – what does it say about him that he’s out there, some of his peers are holding out, he’s out there playing his butt off?) – “No, it’s classic Christian. He goes about his daily business and gets satisfaction on earned things. He doesn’t – that’s not in him. I think his teammates appreciate that they know that when he comes to work, they’re going to get his energy and we’ve learned to count on that.”
(I wanted to address something, bring up old stuff that happened a week ago, but I just really want your thought process. In Thursday’s practice, there was a heavy blitz practice from Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. Does Vic have those conversations with you before the practice or does he like, “surprise”?) – “That can happen organically in like a non-scripted period, depending on what the emphasis of that day is. When it comes to periods like that, that’s pre-planned so that guys can have a legitimate – so coaches can prepare guys, just in general about – and it’s said on the practice phase, so that period you’re speaking of was a pressure period. That allows for us to work on the stuff that gives us issues with pressure, as opposed to just throwing plays out there so that both sides can be challenged appropriately. That way, it’s just like calling it a game – what are you going to call when you’re expecting pressure? Or what is not going to get called because you’re fearful of the result of pressure? Those two things get planned into it, which is why you have a period of it. It’s so that you can really get better on both sides and you kind of know what’s coming.”
(Saturday scrimmage – what will you be looking for from QB Tua Tagovailoa in particular outside of the ordinary?) – “Really in a scrimmage setting, you get to change the atmosphere. There’s extra people in the stands. You just get to ramp up in the progression and in those moments you want to see someone live in what they’ve been working on. Any time by happenstance, a situation comes up that – which almost every day in practice it does – where this is similar to a situation we’ve had before. The coaching development and scrimmage game is a wonderful opportunity to see where guys are at and to coach because if anything changes or deviates from the plan or what has been talked about, you can bring it up. And then if it doesn’t, that’s empowering. It’s solidified. So just any little detail that you can kind of change things up. I think there’s valuable coaching things to see and that’s what I want to see from him and a lot of other guys that way, too.”
(All that muscle QB Tua Tagovailoa has put on, how do you think that might help him and will you look for any of that on Saturday?) – “Arm wrestling competitions. He’s less prone to defeat. There are unintended consequences. He really took his training on his body serious this offseason for a multitude of reasons and I’ve seen various things, where he has a little more short-area explosiveness, where you’re able to manipulate yourself in the pocket at a more explosive rate. I don’t know this to be facts, but it appears by my layman’s eye that he has more pitches in his arsenal, like he can layer stuff and drive it just with even more command than he’s already pretty adept at, considering his accuracy. So I think it just overall helps him feel prepared and execute a lot of things and the residuals are apparent and various.”
(I wanted to ask about the QB competition with QB Mike White and QB Skylar Thompson. Just from your experience, are you looking for anything from those two guys or the backups in particular than you would maybe a starting competition because they can change or do you all kind of just view…?) – “It’s an interesting question because what’s unique about the quarterback position is there’s so much stuff going on. You touch the ball every play and if you’re off, it fails. So one thing with guys at the quarterback position competing, is I find you have to be even more resistant to making assumptions, determinations. You have to let it play out longer because so many – all of a sudden things can click and your game changes a lot. There’s a lot of things that they’ve been coached in the past and having an idea of what exactly we’re trying to get done. Sometimes you don’t know why someone’s not completing something and then all of a sudden, it becomes second nature and they’ll do it three times in a row. And you’ll ask them why and it was because they were thinking about it in an inverse way. Very, very common. So you kind of have to be a little more patient with the process and let it all play out at that position because as soon as you predetermine one thing, the next day, some guy will light it up.”
(General Manager Chris Grier went on the radio the other day and talked about the idea of bringing in CB Eli Apple and talking to WR Tyreek Hill ahead of time and chemistry and building a roster. I know fans often think it’s a Madden type of situation where you plug guys in, but I wanted to hear your perspective on the idea of building the right type of roster and making sure chemistry is right.) – “I have fallen victim of it as well in my life. It’s one of the things I think is valuable of remembering all those moments as a fan and remembering all those moments when I was a college player before I got into coaching, that these are a collection of human beings that have all the ills and all the strengths of all of us. So when you – and ultimately, players end up shaping what your team looks like. The players are the culture. And when you are when you’re adjusting something that is so significant to their lives, which is the locker room, you treat it like human beings in every sense and how that’s going to affect other human beings. We think a lot about the residual effects of A, in the whole development of the team because we’re recognizing that these are human beings, individuals that are all affected by things as well. So I think it’s important to remember that human scope in the whole process.”
(What factors go into the selection of the orange jersey recipient or is it strictly about practice performance?) – “It is about practice performance that day. There are underlying things. As a team, you’re writing your own story each and every day and within that story, there are things that go on all the time that the team is very privy to and when someone is able to make certain plays based upon coaching or based upon, hey maybe they messed something up earlier, that factors in as well. But it is solely about somebody that epitomizes what we are trying to do that day. So the jersey is really a reflection of what our team wants and that person’s effort that day. It doesn’t mean that they were perfect or they had the statistically greatest day ever. It’s about doing their job that day and how it affects the team and also you get to be the DJ. And the one thing that all the players know is we don’t have any time for people – their opinions really about your DJ set list – because if they don’t like the music, then just be the orange jersey winner. Flat out. So as much as it behooves me, there are some musical selections that I am not super excited about, but if I want to do something about it, I better win the orange jersey today.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – August 1, 2023
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Tuesday, August 1, 2023
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(You’re doing a lot of standing up. I don’t know, does this go back to anything you’ve done previously in your career, I know you’ve played in a lot of schemes.) – “I would say similar to Cleveland. I got drafted as an outside linebacker, so I stood up some in Cleveland. But yeah it’s definitely new again. I’ve got to do a lot more of that just to get accustomed to it.”
(Did you expect to be standing up as opposed to hand in the ground in this scheme?) – “I knew Vic (Fangio) was a versatile coach so he puts his best players in the best position available. I’m learning the three point and two point stances just to be able to do multiple positions.”
(LB Jerome Baker told us yesterday when asked what’s something surprising about Vic Fangio… for someone that age he’s actually really funny. Is that something you’ve noticed about him as well?) – “Yeah. You can tell he’s a no non-sense coach, but he does bring energy to the room, and he does make some jokes here and there just to keep us entertained.”
(What has LB David Long Jr. meant to the defense both in the meeting rooms and on the practice field?) – “He’s a good leader for us. He’s fast – fast off the ball. He moves very well. Yesterday he had one play where he came down, dipped on Liam (Eichenberg) and came downhill and smacked the running back. We like that from our linebackers, especially the d-line. We want those guys to come get those double teams off of us.”
(You’ve seen this offensive line with T Terron Armstead. What does he bring to that offensive line?) – “That leadership. That vet leadership. He does a lot for us. When healthy, he’s the best he can be. We definitely need him this year. I know he’s doing the best he can to get back. I can’t wait until he’s out there with the group to teach the younger guys.”
(Yesterday TE Durham Smythe said that this is the best front seven in the NFL. From the pass-rushing standpoint, how good will you guys be?) – “As good as we want to be. We have definitely a bunch of talented rushers. We’ve got outside, inside, Christian (Wilkins) doing his thing, Zach (Sieler) doing his thing, Raekwon (Davis) is even rushing good too. We all can rush at different positions. Vic (Fangio) is going to make us …”
(You’ve been through this experience that a lot of these guys who are going into free agency have done before – finished out a contract, you’ve played on a contract, wanted an extension, didn’t get it, then you eventually got the extension. What’s that mindset for a player when they are in that business point of their career?) – “Like I was during my situation, I was just focused on the team. Focused on getting better. Control what you can. It’s definitely tough in that player’s position, but you just got to keep your head down and keep working. You never know what can happen at any time.”
(What was it like having CB Jalen Ramsey out there with you guys?) – “It’s been good. It’s unfortunate what happened to him. We’re definitely going to miss him, but I know he’s going to attack that rehab and come back fast. We’ll definitely miss him.”
Terron Armstead – August 1, 2023
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Tuesday, August 1, 2023
T Terron Armstead
(For starters, how did it feel to finally get to be back out there?) – “It was great. It was great. It was fun being back out there with the guys and cross the lines. To be right there, talk with them, do some drills, some handwork stuff, get ready to get going.”
(What can you tell us about your offseason? We understand you had a right knee procedure. How tough of a decision was that? Were there decisions to make about surgery on other body parts?) – “Yeah, it was a process. It was a process. I wasn’t trying to get any procedures done, but that one in particular, I really had no other choice. It was by far the best decision to go ahead and get cleaned up. I feel great.”
(How is your toe feeling at this point? I know you dealt with it a lot last year.) – “Yeah, it’s good. It’s good. I’m good, ready to roll.”
(How much work do you anticipate getting in over the next several weeks ramping up?) – “They’ve got a plan for me, program for me. I’m just trying to stick with it. We’re progressing, kind of going through a little bit of a slow progression in my opinion, but I’m not arguing or combatting. I’m here to play, so I’d love to get out there and compete. I’m also in Year 11 and I’ve been through 10 training camps before, so it’s a little bit of a balance.”
(As a follow-up, how much do you need?) – “It’s kind of hard to say, really, until you get out there and do it. Everybody is going to have rust. Even with experience and muscle memory, you still have some things to work out – timing, hand placement, getting the feel for certain things. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to grasp quickly when I’m in, but we’re sticking to the plan.”
(You say it’s a slow progression. Slow progression for you is probably a lot faster than what they want, right?) – “Yeah, for sure, but I’m being disciplined. I’ve been a professional, just taking it a day at a time.”
(How tough is that?) – “It’s challenging. It’s challenging, but working with my guys though has been great. I’m seeing so much progress from them, the intent, attention to detail and the execution has been great. So today, just being able to be on the field and be more hands-on in a sense and help out more than being off to the sideline, today was great.
(Have there been any takeaways from watching some of those team drills in the trenches before you got back?) – “It’s been a bit of a battle, some highs and lows. We want to kind of even it out more on a more consistent basis. We don’t want explosive plays and then big negatives. We want more consistency. So staying on that task and keeping that the focus – the goal of o-line play is consistency, that’s what you always want to see.”
(What seems to be the point of emphasis for the new o-line coach?) – “Speed, velocity off the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage. We want to dominate and dictate that line of scrimmage as much as possible. If we do that, if we knock people off the ball a yard or two, we have a great chance to win a lot of games.”
(I’m sure if I asked any player in that locker room, they would all say that they would love to play 17 games this year. But for you especially, how much would that mean?) – “That’s goal No. 1, man. Goal No. 1. I’m going to keep going for it, doing everything I can to make it a reality. I’m here to play. I’m here to play, so that’s goal No. 1. All I’m focusing on right now is today and then the next one and then the next one. I’m not going to look too far ahead.”
(Last year when you and QB Tua Tagovailoa were on the field versus when you weren’t, this offense was just clicking when you guys were together. Was that a realization that “Hey, we’re two pretty big parts of this offense, we both need to be available?”) – “That’s not a secret. That’s not a secret. You need your best players to play and play their best. Especially when you’re getting down into the stretch into the playoffs, we’re going to need all our players to be playing our best football. So me, Tua, Tyreek (Hill), (Emmanuel) Ogbah, David Long (Jr.), Christian (Wilkins) – we’re going to need the best players to be the absolute best.”
(I know you spend so much of your offseason kind of working with younger players, instructing o-line masterminds and things like that. I’m curious at this stage of your career, do you still find things to add to your game at this point of your career?) – “For sure. For sure. I think how I’ve been able to do it for a long time is continue to evolve and add tools to my toolbox. I learn things from first-year, second-year players just by watching them. The cool thing about o-line play is we’ve got all the answers on film, so you can go back and see what do guys do to combat this move or combat this stunt. So you’ve got the answers on film, so you can go back and watch and then you try to go execute. Try to add more tools to the toolbox.”
(Do you get your most beneficial work in joint practices or in preseason games?) – “Joint practice.”
(Why is that?) – “It’s been a minute since I’ve played a preseason game, for sure. I’m not against it of course. I’ll do whatever I need to do. But those joint practices, you get a chance in a more controlled setting to continue to practice and work on adding tools to your toolbox. So in a joint practice, I feel much more comfortable taking a jump set or switching up a set than I would in a game. In a game, you want to go through what you know works the most. In practice, we’re finetuning and we’re perfecting our craft. That’s more an advantage and a time for you to really work and perfect your craft.”
(I noticed you boxing on the sideline. I know it’s something you’ve been doing for a while, but what exactly has boxing done for you in your career since you took that up?) – “Just cardio, low impact on the joints as opposed to running as much. So just getting a lot of cardio, then precision with the hands and once you get tired, just that mental fortitude that it builds, that mental toughness.”
(Are there things that carry over from that to your initial punch when a play starts?) – “I try to make it correlate as I’m training, but it’s two different worlds, two different sports. I box from a left-handed stance because I play left tackle even though I’m right-handed. So I try to make it correlate as much as I can, but not necessarily because (Emmanuel) Ogbah is doing all this (moves his arms). If he’s boxing like that, I’m going to knock him out. (laughter) Doing all of that, you feel me?”
(Your boxing or QB Tua Tagovailoa’s jiu-jitsu?) – “I’d whoop Tua. (laughter)”
Tua Tagovailoa – August 1, 2023
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Tuesday, August 1, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Opening Statement) – “I think the team looks really good thus far. There’s a lot of things that still need to be done as far as work. Special teams is looking good out there. I was going to say great but they look good. Still working to great. Good back-and-forth offense and defense.”
(About 15 minutes ago, T Terron Armstead said he would whoop you. No context needed, but no he’s talking about jiu-jitsu versus boxing. Your reaction?) – “I give respect to him. I give respect to the OG. That’s it.”
(Staying with that physicality topic. We’ve heard a lot about the jiu-jitsu, but that itself didn’t help you bulk up this summer. I’m curious, what was your workout routine? What went into the pounds, the muscle that you put on over the offseason?) – “Just a lot of heavier weights. A lot more reps with the heavier weights, things like that. But everything that I did this offseason entailed to what would keep me on the field for the entirety of the season. We understand that freaky things can happen. It’s football. It’s a physical sport. Not everything that you prepare for is what you’re going to get. So, I did the best that I could to get myself ready and prepped for this season as far as injuries go.”
(Can you describe the difference that you’ve felt on the field so far with the jiu-jitsu? Coach mentioned a backflip during OTA’s, stuff like that and what you foresee this doing for you in games?) – “Yeah, so let me give you context. I did not backflip. I got hit from someone in front of me. I have no idea who it was, but I sort of hit a little somersault going backwards and I flipped backwards. No backflips over here though. But I think to that, it was cool to see because now, in a weird way, it’s like the quarterback room cheers when we start to do that. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing that we’re doing jiu-jitsu falls. But it’s hard to gauge that because that was the first time I’ve done it. It’s hard to gauge it because these guys on the opposite side of the ball have got to stay away from the quarterback. No one can really touch me. So, the only time you can really put that to use is in a real, live situation game.”
(What is an example of some of the instinct and muscle memory that jiu-jitsu training can do for you?) – “Yeah, I would say with the muscle memory thing of it, it’s not to where it’s something that’s muscle memory yet for me. I don’t think that’ll be something that, you know, become muscle memory unless I do it for like a year or two years. And I think that’s for anything. You’re very conscious of it. It’s in the back of your mind when you do end up doing it. But it’s not like, ‘Oh, if I’m falling this way, I know exactly how to fall right here.’ Unless I’m actually thinking of doing it that way. So I’ve just got to continue to work on it and practice it.”
(You’ve talked about staying healthy for the course of the season. Your helmet looks a little bit different this year. Was that designed? Did it come from what happened last year with the concussions. Was that part of it?) – “Yeah, definitely took into consideration the helmets. It was like a percentage better than the helmet that I had. Everything matters and so I’m going to play that percentage. So if you look at it last year, it wasn’t anyone really hitting my head. It was really just the ground.”
(Do you plan on wearing that helmet?) – “I think I’ll start out with that helmet. I feel very comfortable with that helmet. The helmet feels good. So, we’ll see how that goes.”
(Are you one who needs preseason work? You haven’t played since December. Is that something you’re looking forward to or do you think maybe it’s best to just wait for the regular season?) – “I think whatever work we need as an offense, whatever Mike (McDaniel) thinks we need, I’m for it. Whether I play in all the preseason games, I play in none, I play in one, it doesn’t matter.”
(I wanted to ask you about the back-and-forth at practice and we have seen a lot of that except for that 12-sack performance. What does that do for you guys from a corrections standpoint and from a progression standpoint?) – “I would say the way we look at it is not result-based. It’s basically letting everyone finish with whatever technique they got, so regardless of if it was a sack, our defense gives us the opportunity to continue to read it out, to extend plays. It also gives the guys on the back end an opportunity to continue to play within a broken-down play or if a quarterback escapes the pocket, they’re going to have to move around and maneuver how they’re going to cover guys. So I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily result-based, although there are things that we have gotten corrected in every area whether it’s a blocking scheme, a route, how the guys are running the routes, how we’re looking at reading certain routes, our progressions in the plays, then where the checkdowns are, all of that. I think it’s really good when we’re able to look at it like that and not ‘oh, I got sacked.’ Next play.”
(We’ve seen what happens when T Terron Armstead is out there before our eyes. What are some of the things that we don’t see that Terron does for this offense and this offensive line?) – “He’s a coach. ‘T. Stead’ is a coach. He’s in the offensive line room. He’s coaching them after practice. He’s grabbing a lot of guys. He’s helping them with their technique. He’s in the back there coaching them, although he’s not in. He does a lot. He expects a lot out of those guys up front regardless of who’s in and he’s just a great teammate.”
(We’ve heard a lot about the complexity of this defense from some of the guys on defense. I know it’s only six days of practice so far, but how is that work against that defense on the field and the film room kind of helped you so far?) – “Very tough. It’s very tough. It’s hard to distinguish what’s going to happen pre-snap and post-snap. I think Vic (Fangio) does a good job with his defense and aligning guys where they need to align and making everything look the same for both run-action, pass-action and I think what I see a lot more this time, this year with the defense is there’s a lot of communication. So I know everyone sees the camera that we have on our head. When we watch it, we get to see when we’re motioning guys, there’s a lot of communication going on in the back end and up front. It’s a lot more than what I’ve seen the past couple years.”
(For you as a quarterback, how tough is it to live to see another play? Just throw the ball away it isn’t there. How tough is that because you like to extend plays?) – “It’s always tough to live to see another play. It’s always tough. We want to do good. We all want to have the big play. We want to get the ball completed to the right guys, the open guys. But that’s tough. It’s just tough. I don’t know how else to explain that.”
(I know you said it was a good back-and-forth throughout the first week-plus of training camp, but I saw the way you were celebrating on the RB Chris Brooks run. It seemed like you guys were really executing. Do you think this was the best day of practice for the offense so far?) – “Like I (said earlier), it’s not result-based for us. It’s really how can we all get each other better and we’re looking at what everyone did right, what everyone did wrong at our position, and it’s not just me being in there, but it’s also the other guys in there, things that I can learn from them and other guys are doing the same with their positions as well.”
(That was a sweet touchdown to RB Chris Brooks.) – “Yeah, that was crazy. That was awesome. He was running fast.”
(You celebrated that for a minute, you were high-stepping.) – “Yeah, I was excited. That was cool. Any more questions?”
(Your chemistry with WR Tyreek Hill – have you seen a little bit of an improvement so far in training camp compared to last year? Obviously the chemistry was really good last year, too.) – “Yeah, I would say my chemistry with Tyreek (Hill), my chemistry with Jaylen (Waddle), my chemistry with everyone on the field, it’s continuing to be a work in progress. You get comfortable at one point, but you’ve got to continue to work at it with their route depths, with where I’m expecting them to be, with where they’re thinking they should be, things like that.”
Jaelan Phillips – August 1, 2023
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Tuesday, August 1, 2023
LB Jaelan Phillips
(Opening Statement) – “I know I spoke to a few of you guys (a couple days ago) but real quick, I just wanted to make a little announcement. DCC registration opens today. It’s going to be the 14th annual (event) on February 24, 2024. Obviously DCC is an amazing cause doing cancer research for Sylvester (Comprehensive Cancer Center). All of us have either been affected directly or have had a loved one, someone they know, affected by cancer. If you guys could spread the word for me, I’ll be serving as a board member for the second consecutive year and obviously participating in the ride this year, as well. A lot of fun things happening. A lot of money going to a great cause. If you guys could help share that information, that would be great.”
(Why did you decide to join the board and why is it so important to you?) – “Me personally, I’ve had several family members both die and be affected by cancer. So for me, it was important to join the board. I think it is a great initiative. To be able to represent my team and show what the Dolphins do as a community and the efforts that we make, it was just important for me to do. It’s really the least I can do, honestly.”
(I’ve heard you’ve ridden 100 miles the last two years. Is there training involved in that?) – “There’s a little bit of training but for me, it’s more of a mental thing, honestly. Obviously I want to do the ride because it’s a great cause but it was also a little bit of a challenge for me. When I told my girlfriend and my parents and stuff like that I was going to do it, they were like, ‘No way you can do 100 miles. You’ve never ridden a bike like that before.’ So I was like, ‘Alright, watch me.’ So yeah, it’s definitely intense. Funny enough, they’re actually changing the distances this year. They’re going to do 99 miles for Jason Taylor, 54 for Zach Thomas, (39 for Larry Csonka and 13 for Dan Marino) and kind of coordinating it with our Hall of Famers. It’s pretty cool.”
(When does your butt stop hurting?) – “(laughter) I think the better question is when does it start hurting. It starts hurting around mile 50 and then mile 60 then mile 80 is real rough. That last stretch you’re just absolutely dead and waiting for that finish line. Like I said, it’s such an amazing cause. Once you get to the finish line and see all of the people you rode with and all of the cancer survivors and stuff like that, it really is a truly fulfilling feeling.”
(This is a passing league and pass rush is kind of the counter to that. Tell me how you think this pass rush can control games or alter games, especially under Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio this season?) – “Yeah, I mean obviously pass rush is one of the major components of the game and being able to have a successful pass rush can really determine the success of the defense. Obviously everybody is important and marrying, like I’ve said before, the back end with the pass rush is important. But to be able to affect the quarterback play in and play out, whether it’s sacks, pressures, hits or hurries, it is really invaluable when it comes to – it definitely plays into the quarterback. I think with our team, we have incredible talent all around. We’ve got a lot of depth. We’ve got guys who can rush inside, outside, guys who can really do it all. So I’m really excited to see how we keep jelling together. A really cool thing about it too is I’ve played with a couple of the guys for three years now and they’ve played for four years, so we’re really cohesive as a unit. We have a lot of fun playing together.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel gave a good scouting report on the edges. He said you guys can basically do whatever you want so it’s hard to get a book on you. Is that accurate?) – “I mean not whatever we want. There’s limitations obviously. (laughter) But 100 percent. I think there’s obviously a little bit of freedom within the constraints of our defense. I think that’s one really cool thing about this year is being able to use our athleticism and really just attack them in different ways. I would also say the same thing for our offense, too. Not that they can do whatever they want but they’re very multiple and so it gives us a lot of challenging looks and really trains our eyes.”
(How do you think you’ve improved as a pass rusher? What is something that you’ve really gotten better that you are excited to kind of showcase when the season starts?) – “I think I’m trying to keep improving, honestly. But one thing I’ve been working on this offseason is keying on my hands, on my technique in general, my bend, top of the rush, things like that. This game is really a game of inches and I think a lot of my pressures last year, if I had just been a little bit better with my hips, with my hands, with my feet, I could have turned those into sacks. So that’s something I’m steadily trying to improve on and trying to be a technician and really master the art of pass rushing.”
Durham Smythe – July 31, 2023
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Monday, July 31, 2023
TE Durham Smythe
(Did it finally feel good to put the pads on?) – “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I tell everyone all the time, as a tight end blocking on the edge, that’s no fun without pads, especially with some of the athletes we have on the edge. No pads, you can’t get into them. It’s no fun. So, I love when the pads come out, for sure.”
(What could you tell today about the team in pads that you couldn’t tell last week out of pads? – “I think the one thing that was pretty evident was just how professional this team is. A lot of teams that I’ve been on and that you see throughout the league, day one, day two of pads, there’s a lot of wasted time with fights or whatever, people tapping out. I think everyone came in today with a plan to attack. There were no skirmishes or anything like that that wasted time. So, I think more than anything, this team is very professional.”
(What do you see in the front seven, defensively this year?) – “Yeah, I mean, really, you could say front 11. We rotate those guys and they’re all very talented. I think it’s the most talented front seven in the NFL. It’s definitely the most talented I’ve seen here in five years. I think there’s obviously star players in every position, but the depth too. Guys can just roll in and there’s no slack. It’s definitely a chore to go up against every day, but it’s an iron sharpens iron situation.”
(So much has been said this summer about the heat. Number one, how do you deal with it? Number two, do you feel any kind of difference? It’s always hot here. But is there any difference this year?) – “Yeah, I mean, you’ve got to just embrace it. When I first came here in 2018, I was falling out of practice every day during training camp because that’s how tough it is. Especially with guys who sweat a lot. You have to embrace it, though. You know it’s coming. There’s really nothing you can do besides know that you have to be prepared in terms of hydration and stuff. And then, just you have to attack it. That’s going to be the same every time. You can definitely notice a difference. In September, when teams come here, or we go somewhere else and it’s a little cooler, there’s obviously a very large difference.”
(A lot of the offensive guys have talked about how much more comfortable they are in Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense. From the tight end position, in your experience, what are some of the little nuances that you’re more comfortable with?) – “Specifically this time of year. Last year I think we were all just kind of figuring it out. Now I can turn to a tackle or Alec (Ingold) in the backfield and we can change a play basically without having to change the play. We can go to different spots, whatever – we all know we’re on the same page. So, I think that, above everything else, is very evident at this point during the season. Whereas last year, I think we we’re just going out there and trying to play fast and kind of just wishing.”
(Is it weird having your first training camp without former Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki here?) – “It is. I tell people that OTAs was kind of weird, because that’s a long time spent in the building without him. But now, it’s kind of business as usual. We’re back to it. We brought in a lot of good guys. So, there’s still a lot of good people on this team that I can hang out with.”
(So who’s your replacement best friend?) – “Oh, man, I can’t say that because if I said that, I’d get a call in 10 minutes in there and (Mike Gesicki) would be yelling at me. But you know, I think the tight end room in general is great. We brought in a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, kind of know how to be a guy in the locker room. So it kind of picks up where we left off last year.”
(What have you seen from the young tight ends Julian Hill and Elijah Higgins?) – “Very talented, both of them, honestly. Every year we bring in people and you know, everyone’s talented that gets to this level whether you’re an undrafted free agent or you’re drafted. But these guys, I think, are different than a lot of the guys we’ve brought in in the past just because of how physically ready they are. They feel like they’re NFL guys. A lot of times it takes time to transition to that. You’re kind of swimming for a while. Both of these guys are physically ready. Obviously there’s things that rookies have to deal with. But in terms of being football players, these are two good football players.”
(Can you talk about the front seven and the talent there. For guys like yourself who have been here for a long time, how have you guys kind of raised your expectation or level of play knowing with everything that’s come in…?) – “I think, like I said, with the guys on the edge and how much depth we have there. Every rep for us on offense, especially on the edge, tight ends, tackles, fullbacks, it’s every rep you’re getting better or you’re going to get embarrassed out there. I think that’s something that in the past, you know, you go out there, if there’s not as much depth, you can not have your best rep and still win it. That’s not how it works anymore on the edge. I think when you have that on the other side of the ball, we’re getting better every play and I think that’ll continue to stack and show as the season goes on.”
(When you talk about no skirmishes, no wasted time, professionalism out here, what does that mean in the grand scheme of things? How will that manifest itself in the regular season?) – “I think it translates in a lot of ways. When there’s adversity in the middle of the season, teams can quit or fight with each other, things like that. Obviously, it’s one day of pads so I’m not saying that we’re perfect out there by any means. But I think we showed specifically compared to the years in the past, that this team is capable of that. When adversity comes, I think these are a bunch of professionals in that locker room that’ll handle it well.”
(From an offensive standpoint, what’s the biggest challenge picking up Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense?) – “I think it’s a lot of things. I think structurally, it’s the disguise. The secondary obviously does a great job. A lot of smart guys in our secondary and with Vic’s defense, they can disguise things until the last second. What that does for us in the middle of the field is number three receivers, tight ends, slot receivers, you’re looking at the safeties after the snap and you’re having to change your route five, 10 yards down the field. So that can definitely get confusing at times. I think on the edge it’s letting those guys kind of be themselves. They can do whatever they want as long as they win and when you have athletes like we do on the edge, that’s tough when they’re kind of let loose like that.”
Jerome Baker – July 31, 2023
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Sunday, July 30, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(We saw LB David Long Jr. flying around today. Just what’s it been like kind of working with him in the middle of the defense?) – “Super fun. He’s fast, strong, super smart, kind of feed off each other. He’s a similar personality to me, so we definitely connect and we’re just around having fun.”
(When you say similar personalities, what do you mean by that?) – “Laid back. We have our moments when we’ve got a lot of energy, but for the most part we’re just laid back, do our job, come in. We just go to work. Every day we just come in, go to work. We’re still football players, we’re still regular people, so some days you don’t feel like going and that’s when me and him jump in. It’s definitely been fun.”
(Do you feel like you guys complement each other athletically, too, in this system?) – “Oh yeah. We’re kind of super similar. He’s fast, I’m fast. He’s strong, I’m strong. We kind of just feed off each other. When I’m feeling sluggish, he’s up and ready. When he’s feeling sluggish, I got his back. It’s one of those things we kind of mesh real well.”
(How about the whole back seven? We’ve heard some of the DBs talk about the amount of communication in this system and how you guys feel like you’ve been picking it up so far in the first week?) – “It’s only the second week of camp so it’s still a work in progress, but for the most part, we’re starting to see how fun this defense can be once we’re getting rolling and we’re taking advantage of it. We’re just getting as many reps as we can and just getting ready.”
(What’s the most out-there thing you’ve heard DT Christian Wilkins chirp at the offense?) – “That I can say on camera? (laughter) I mean, this guy is a character. I have one that’s always going to stick with me, but I know I can’t say it. It’s funny. (laughter) He’s a character. He doesn’t care if it’s first down, second down, third down. He’s always going to talk. I always tell the stories of there have been times in games where he’s talking so much and I get tired of him. (laughter) This guy is just a character. I’m glad he’s on my team. I’ll say that.”
(I was just wondering are you still wearing the green dot for communication because I know in years past maybe we asked if S Jevon Holland was doing it. Are you still …?) – “Yeah, I mean pretty much all the linebackers have it right now. I think Vic (Fangio) is one of those old-school guys of ‘it’s a privilege’ so he’s going to wait and see who deserves it. Right now all the linebackers got it and we’ll see later on.”
(Does Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio slow down in the heat?) – “No, he’s got the old-school hat, the bucket hat. You would think he’s just fine, but I know this heat is getting to him. (laughter)”
(How do you handle it? Do you feel has this summer been any worse?) – “I mean, hot is hot. It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 degrees or 120. It’s still hot no matter what. For me, I’ve been here for a few years so I kind of got used to it. I know how to prepare myself. Hydration. Young guys don’t understand how much that really helps, so for me it’s just hydration. I walk around with a two-liter jug of water and hydrate the whole day. I come out here, it’s going to be hot regardless, but my body is – it helps recovery.”
(What have you noticed about this team – offense and defense – the first day in pads today?) – “We’ve got the potential to be good. I think right now, the first day, everybody’s got energy. Everybody’s ready to go. It’s easy on Day 1, but when you get to Day 6, 7, 8; that’s when you really see how good you can be. Today was a good day. It’s always going to be a good day on Day 1, but we’ve got some potential. We’ve just got to keep going.”
(What did you think of LB David Long Jr. today? I really noticed him today, but maybe that’s just me.) – “No, everybody noticed him. He was flying around. I don’t know who’s going to have the orange jersey next, but my guess is it’s going to be him. He was flying around. He was just having fun flying around and it was definitely fun to watch.”
(TE Durham Smythe said he thinks this is the best front seven in the NFL. What do you think of the potential of this year’s team up front especially having been here for a while?) – “We’ve got some special guys. We’ve got a good mixture of older guys that have been here. We’ve got young guys that are ready to prove themselves. It’s just a good mix of guys wanting to be better and we’ve got the potential, but potential only gets you so far. You’ve got to actually execute and put the work in, so it’s going to be a good one this year.”
(What are some things that have surprised you about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio during your time working under him?) – “To be that old, he’s actually pretty funny. (laughter) He’s an older guy, but you would never tell. He’s truly like – when he goes out on the practice field, he’s just watching, having fun, seeing what guys do, coaching up as much as he can. But once you get in that classroom, that meeting room, you can tell he’s an older coach. He’s going over everything, every step and it’s just a great balance. He’s definitely a great balanced coach. He understands that we’re young and we like things a certain wait, but man, it’s definitely great playing on (his team).”
(Is Fangio’s humor kind of different from Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Does it kind of sneak up on you? Because I’ve heard that, too…?) – “Yeah, it’s that old like, ‘oh, that was a good one.’ He’s one of those. Just an older guy and his jokes are – it’ll hit. You’ve got to process it, but it’ll hit.”
(They hit you when you leave the meeting room?) – “No, you would notice. It’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s what you meant. Okay. I got you.’ A lot of his jokes are like old players, sometimes – his soul, you don’t really understand, but if you know football you’ll catch onto his jokes.”
(We’ve seen Fangio throw a couple penalty flags. Have you noticed that? Do you pay attention to that? Like what’s the deal with that?) – “I don’t know because sometimes he just throws it just to throw it. Like the one he threw it on – it was like an incomplete pass. I’m like, what did you throw it on? Like who was it? You could just tell he was just like smiling, just laughing. But he’s like one of those guys of he just truly wants you to get better. Even if you make a good play, it can be better. That’s just a credit to him. He truly just wants us to get better.”
(Does Fangio make a conscious effort to keep it loose, do you think?) – “I think once we get on the field, he kind of just lets us do our thing. He has expectations. Any time we’re in the meeting room, he holds us to that, but for the most part, when we’re on the field, it’s players just playing. But he’s one of those coaches where he kind of fits. He goes with the flow, but he’s got his certain ways and we just live up to it.”
Robert Hunt – July 31, 2023
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Monday, July 31, 2023
OL Robert Hunt
(Was today your favorite day? Kind of shut those guys up a little bit on the other side?) – “No, I wouldn’t say my favorite day. It’s fun to compete against those guys though. It’s a back-and-forth type of deal. One day they have our number, the next day we might have theirs. It’s good man. Just fun competition.”
(But it’s not fun when you don’t have the pads on, right?) – “Yeah, but that’s when they kind of think they got a little more than they probably would have in a real setting. But we let them have it, and then we try to come back and do what we do. It wasn’t perfect by no means, so a lot of work needs to be done still.”
(You mentioned that back and forth. Is that good to see the competition? It’s not just one side always winning. You guys are on the same team, so you guys are both getting after each other?) – “It’s really good to see, man. We’ve got a team full of competitors and guys, that’s good. It’s fun to compete, man. It’s good to see that it’s going back and forth, it’s not just one side just taking off. You know how they go, and we know how the media like to put it. It’s fun to go back and forth. (laughter)”
(Hold on, so you’re saying we’ve been wrong?) – “I’m a fan of you guys. That’s not what I’m saying. (laughter)”
(Because we saw Friday’s practice. As the offensive line, how do you respond to that?) – “You just got to come in the next day and see what we messed up at on the film where they had all those good plays. They had a really good day, man. They were amped up, and we just didn’t match their intensity nowhere, you know what I mean? So we had to come back the next day, which I think yesterday we did. We came back and we kind of got it rolling a little bit. Today was a back-and-forth type of deal, so it was good.”
(TE Durham Smythe talked a lot about the professionalism of this team, the first day in pads how there’s no fights, there’s no skirmishes. Is that something you guys talk about beforehand? Or is that just where you guys are at?) – “Honestly, do you see how hot it is? I doubt that anybody wants to fight. If you fight, that’s just on you. You different. You got a little more energy than everybody else, you know what I mean? (laughter) Like I have no will and want to fight anybody with that heat. So, we can call it professionalism or whatever you want to call it, but the heat is what it is in my opinion. (laughter)”
(A lot of the offensive guys are talking about how much more comfortable they are in year two of Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme. At right guard and maybe for the offensive line, what are some of the little things that you guys are able to kind of fine-tune more as a group in year two compared to last year?) – “It’s just a lot smoother because it is year two, so a lot of this stuff is repeat things. Everything is like repeat, all the players are repeat. So the only thing you have to do is tune up the small things, the small little things of your game. You work on that and then everything else should be easy, because it’s year two (in the) same system. So it’s pretty good.”
(How would you compare Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry’s coaching style and philosophy to the previous coaches?) – “I won’t compare him to anybody, but Butch is his own guy. He does a fantastic job. I love what Butch brings. He’s a loud personality, but he means well. He knows what he wants, and that’s what you have to respect as a player. Somebody to come in and know what they want, you’ve got to respect that, because that means it’s the standard and that’s what we want to have is a standard. So it’s good.”
(I think my favorite drill is 1-on-1 o-line verse d-line. Do you guys love it as much as I do?) – “No. d-line may. They might love it. It’s a defensive line drill, man. It’s a defensive line drill, but we just got to hold on and do what we do. It’s a lot harder for offensive linemen to win right there in that setting, o-line versus d-line. It’s a lot harder for o-line to win. But if you can in that, you can win throughout the game and throughout the practice.”
(Is that because of the space you guys have to operate in?) – “Yeah, it’s the spaces. I just feel like we know what it is. We know what it is. They’re going straight for it. You just have to try to do what you can do.”
(I thought you handled DE Christian Wilkins pretty good today in that period.) – “Thank you, I appreciate that. (laughter)”
(You mentioned the heat. There’s been talk of record heat and all that, does it feel worse? Do you feel it this year?) – “Yeah, I have felt it this year, especially training in the offseason later on, so maybe late June. It was pretty scorching.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that you can take advantage of that heat when teams come to play here. Do you think that is possible in football?) – “One-hundred percent. Yeah, I think we definitely can. It is our advantage of playing in South Florida. We’ll take advantage of it as much as we can, so hopefully we can do that.”
