Jaylen Wright – August 23, 2024 (Postgame)
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Friday, Aug. 23, 2024
Postgame – Tampa Bay
RB Jaylen Wright (transcribed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
(On what he has learned so far in his rookie season) – “Everybody is good, (and) everybody knows football. I feel like me playing in the SEC has prepared me a lot, everybody flies around, so I mean I was really prepared for everything. Just learning the schemes on offense, the details and everything, so that’s what I’ve learned.”
(On where he thinks he is on learning the offensive scheme so far in his rookie season) – “I think I’m doing a good job learning it. Of course, I still have a lot of learning to do since I’m a rookie. I have a lot of growing to do. But, so far, I feel like I’ve got all of the important stuff down to where they trust me on the field in the regular season, so when my opportunity comes, I’m ready to take advantage of it.”
(On where he thinks he has improved so far since the beginning of training camp) – “Just understanding the blocking scheme, understanding the tracks, aiming points on runs and just understanding the game of football. Just being patient and controlling my speed through the line of scrimmage.”
Skylar Thompson – August 23, 2024 (Postgame)
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Friday, Aug. 23, 2024
Postgame – Tampa Bay
QB Skylar Thompson (transcribed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
(On how the game went for him) – “Man, I had a lot of fun tonight. Obviously, you want to come out on the other end of the scoreboard, but I had a lot of fun tonight. I thought it was a great rep for me, coming into the game and not starting, kind of getting a rep at that – getting into the flow of the game, getting into the rhythm of the game. I thought that was a great opportunity for me tonight. I don’t know, I had a lot of fun. That sums up everything, kind of, for me tonight, a little bit.”
(On the next two days before rosters are cut down) – “I’m going to spend time with my fiancée and chill, kind of relax. I’ve really been going at it hard these past couple of weeks. We get a little rest time here before we’ve got a week of practice, and then I’m getting ready for Week 1. I’m just going to relax. I feel like I’ve left everything on the table, and I have no regrets.”
(On how he feels he’s grown throughout this preseason) – “I think that’s the thing, when I said that I had a lot of fun tonight – there [were] a lot of plays tonight [where] I felt growth and I felt the reward of putting time into getting better. I think everyone can relate in every aspect of life, when you put time into something and feel the results and feel that pay off, it’s a pretty cool thing. This whole camp, my mindset has been the same, I’ve just been really focused on the right things and just trying to get better each and every day and just trusting that – even when it doesn’t feel like it, still trusting it and putting in the work to do so.”
(On if he’s worried about how the new roster rules allowing quarterbacks to be elevated every game affects his roster status) – “To be honest with you, I didn’t put any thought into anything. What good is that going to do for me, you know? Like I said, my mind has been in the right spot coming into this camp: it’s all been, ‘I’m going to make this roster.’ That wasn’t even a question for me. Like I said, I feel like I’ve put my best foot forward and left it all on the table. At the end of the day, you’ve got to control what you can control and everything else will take care of itself. When you do the right things and your mind is in the right spot, good things happen, regardless of whatever that is. That’s been my focus and my mindset.”
Jack Driscoll – August 23, 2024 (Postgame)
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Friday, Aug. 23, 2024
Postgame – Tampa Bay
OL Jack Driscoll (transcribed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
(On how he thinks he performed at center against DT Vita Vea) – “Obviously there’s stuff I have to get better on, he got me on that third-and-1. Good player – I’ve got to just get my feet down quicker. It’s good to go out there and play against the best though, you know what I mean? You have to test yourself against the best and you know that’s how it is. Sometimes you lose some reps, but you learn. [I’ll] go back and watch it with coach and see what I can do better. I did a few good things too, [but] obviously there’s a couple plays I wish I had back but that’s every game you ever play, so just some things to clean up. [It was a] good experience, you know. It’s awesome that [Tampa Bay] played the ones because, again, for us, those are the guys who are gonna be out there on Sundays. They test you, so yeah it was good.”
(On what he felt he showed the organization) – “You know, just being able to compete at different positions. Playing center – I never played center until I got here – guard, tonight I played tackle. I was able to play at multiple positions and compete. I think the versatility just coming in [and] learning a new offense and just showing teammates, ‘Hey, you know, I want to be here. I want to be part of this organization, this team and help this team win games.’”
(On how familiar this offense’s run scheme is compared to the run scheme in Philadelphia) – “You know, it’s different. There’s some carryover, some things that are different. [In] Philly, we were more inside zone, here is more outside zone running. Philly was more vertical, here is more get on your angled run, create movement that way and attack the line of scrimmage. Like anything there [are] some differences, some carryover so just kind of retooling my game a little bit to get my angles down and all that stuff.”
Mike McDaniel – August 23, 2024 (Postgame)
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Friday, Aug. 23, 2024
Postgame – Tampa Bay
Head Coach Mike McDaniel (transcribed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
(On if QB Skylar Thompson earned a spot) – “I think Skylar did a great job tonight. I think in terms of – we have a lot of information to take in. I’m not in any position to name [a] 53-man roster or backup quarterbacks or anything. I thought that he was competitive and made some plays and kind of got us going tonight.”
(On QB Skylar Thompson’s growth from the past couple of seasons) – “With Skylar, he got the opportunity to play early in his career and I thought, as a rookie, he demonstrated some aggressiveness and ability to make plays in this league. It’s been about, since then, training his craft and really owning the quarterback position within the offense and I thought this preseason, he’s exhibited growth and what that means. It means you are the leader of the unit, that you have to orchestrate play calls, decision making, all of those things, and I thought he took a good step forward tonight.”
(On what he took from WR Malik Washington’s play tonight) – “Oh aggressiveness. He played as though the game was slow to him, it slowed down, and was able to get into some space. I think we hadn’t gotten the chance to see something we saw in college from him that he put on display tonight, which is his balance and ability to break tackles, and get edges to defenders so, it was cool for him. It was definitely a big spark for us and I was happy to see him really own the moment. He’s a football player and I could tell pre-game, he was ready to go by him saying ‘it’s time.’”
(On the injuries the team has on both the offensive and defensive line) – “I think that’s something that I’ve been specifically, with this past joint practice, kind of counterbalancing the work that we did a year ago against Atlanta (Falcons) versus what we did this year. I’ve been very happy with their technical development. Really both groups have had a ton of development. There’s more depth than I think people really appreciate and there’s a lot of technical growth, which is huge in both phases or on both sides of the ball. For what we do, we ask guys to be technicians and commit to certain techniques that other players are depending on and trying to play off of. It’s been a really good training camp for both of those units, specifically interior.”
(On his confidence going into next Tuesday with the current roster) – “I’m very happy with this group. Those are things that (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and I will talk about across the board just because we’re always open minded to what makes the Dolphins the best. I’m way far away from even knowing what the 53(-man roster) will look like, in terms of you have to watch the tape and sit down with all your coaching staff, and Chris, and his department, and iron those things out because there’s a lot of tough competitions. We’ll be, like we are every year, trying to see if things make sense. Sometimes you have discussions that don’t go through, sometimes you have no discussions. It just depends on how the overall complexion and getting some of the health back from these guys that played tonight and assessing all of that.”
(On his assessment of QB Mike White) – “I think he faced some challenging situations. I thought he did a good job getting the team in and out of the huddle and played clean in that way. I think there [are] some opportunities – I have to look at the tape – that he was in there against their starters and competed and did some things that I was happy with, that we’ve been emphasizing. But before being able to say the extent to which both guys completely played, I’ll have to watch the tape first.”
(On the health status of WR Erik Euzkanma and S Patrick McMorris) – “I would say at this point that what I do know is it’s not longer than week to week. It could be more expeditious – they’re just a little recent.”
(On the outlook for S Jevón Holland) – “He had a really good workout today that he was excited about, so I would say it will be day to day at this point now.”
(On his confidence in C Aaron Brewer being ready for Week 1) –“Aaron Brewer – nothing has really changed with that, I feel pretty good about it, but I don’t know [anything] concrete. I think that’s why it was important tonight for us to feel really good about where Rob Jones and Lester Cotton had been at, and I tried to get them some game experience. Really, that was an earned opportunity to be in a jersey, and not pads by Liam (Eichenberg). It was more so a reaction to what he’s been doing, day in and day out. He’s probably had as good of a camp as anybody and has really put together some good practices.”
(On DT Benito Jones and if he could be healthy enough for the start of the regular season) – “It’s hard to forecast Week 1 for a lot of the guys, specifically because in the last couple of days such major focus goes to all these huge opportunities for a lot of guys. As of right now, I’m not nervous about it at all. I think I also need to sit down and wrap my head around some of those guys, including Benito because it’s just so important to me to really invest and be 100 percent present with the guys that are completing our roster. This is a really, really cool game for me, in terms of watching some of these guys compete and get a good amount of tape out there for us to really digest, and for the other 31 teams to digest. So, I’ll have information coming on those guys here soon.”
(On the status of DT Brandon Pili) – “Just talking to him on the field, he felt like it wasn’t serious. Him talking to me, he’s not a doctor, we have to get imaging and stuff, but he seemed like there was just no reason to stress a guy that just got a ding, so we will be evaluating that here shortly.”
(On LB Channing Tindall leading in tackles) – “What a cool game for Channing (Tindall), so much growth. This is his third year and third defensive system, so you’re always nervous about that when you sign up for it. I can’t say enough about the job Joe Barry and Anthony Weaver (have done) just in general, with the position – I feel it’s a position of strength. Case in point, I think Channing Tindall, I don’t know this to be facts, but I think that will be his high of pre-season tackles and that’s another example of the good stuff we got (have) going on that defensive side of the ball.”
(On if WR Odell Beckham Jr. will be able to practice before the season starts) – “Yeah. I’m hopeful about a lot of things, again I’m not nervous about it. You hope, but you have to listen to people’s bodies and be very communicative. I know he’s feeling very optimistic about how things are developing, but you just take it one day at a time. Like I said before, I’m not at a position of nervousness because of the way he’s been involved. He’s found a way to be a leader of sorts without playing, that’s tough to do but his mindset is right, so I feel good about that.”
(On if CB Jalen Ramsey will be able to practice before the season starts) – “Jalen Ramsey was able to get some reps this week, the practice before the joint practice. So, I feel very good about that. We didn’t practice him in the joint practice because coming off the injury I just know too much about my personnel. He’s already a competitor. Thankfully, he’s already a such a good teammate and such a good leader, you know, when he goes against our offense, he manages his competitiveness as much as one can. He himself knows that (if) another colored jersey goes against him, he might step out the comfort zone. So, getting him some reps, I feel pretty good about him and he’s done a good job, so no concerns about him.”
(On giving Assistant Head Coach Jon Embree the chance to serve as acting Head Coach in the second half tonight) – “I think it’s important to me to always try and get better at things. This is my third year, and we haven’t gone though that exercise. Bottom line is it’s still too soon for my memory from the COVID year, so you just want to be responsible to the organization. As far as (assistant head coach/tight end coach) Jon Embree the coach, it was also really cool to give him the opportunity that he’s overly deserving of. This is a guy that our team really responds to and he [received] an applause when I notified the team and has spoken to the team in serval instances since then and their response to him is all the reason that he’s deserving of the opportunity. He a great leader of men and does well in that position and has had that experience before at the University of Colorado. So, it was a good opportunity for our team and great opportunity for him.”
Terron Armstead – August 23, 2024 (Fourth Quarter)
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Friday, August 23, 2024
Fourth Quarter – Tampa Bay
T Terron Armstead on CBS Miami Broadcast (Fourth Quarter)
(We’re getting closer and closer here to the regular season. I know you’ve been ramping up with your process and getting to Week 1, so how are you feeling right now?) – “Feeling good. Feeling good, man. It’s a lot of excitement, a lot of anticipation, ready to get rolling.”
(This is the first time you guys have ever had three joint practices with three opponents in the preseason. How do you think that prepared you guys for the upcoming year?) – “It’s all about your intent, your mindset when you’re going into the joint practice. Never done more than two, I haven’t, but with us and the way that we try to approach every day – it’s put our best foot forward every day. We have a standard that we never want to let drop, so it really doesn’t matter if we’re going against each other or going against another team. That standard is the same, so the joint practices, doesn’t matter if it’s two or three. For us, we like to approach all of those practices with full intent.”
(I’m really curious what the next couple weeks look like for you. Obviously, you have a break before Week 1, is it more finetuning, more ramping up or do you guys turn the page and start to look toward the Jaguars and Week 1?) – “Yeah, once we’re able to close this chapter of the preseason, all eyes on the Jaguars for sure, for sure – game planning, all-in preparation, ramping up, I’ll be doing a lot more reps for sure in anticipation of Week 1. It’s going to be a big matchup, we got to start fast coming out this season.”
(I got to ask you about the sideline right now. I was over there on that side when you guys got the touchdown, Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree is the head coach at the moment. What’s it been like watching the keys get turned over to him for the second half?) – “It’s been great. ‘Embo,’ (Jon Embree) he’s deserving. He’s been around for a very long time, been highly successful. He’s poured so much into his guys, into that position group and we all got so much love and care for and respect for Embo. So we want to go out here and win for him.”
Mike McDaniel – August 23, 2024 (Halftime)
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Friday, August 23, 2024
Halftime – Tampa Bay
Head Coach Mike McDaniel on CBS Miami Broadcast (Halftime)
(It seemed like every time WR Malik Washington touched the ball something really cool happened. We’ve heard all the superlatives about him this camp, how impressive was that first half from him?) – “It was really, really impressive. Just in how decisive he was. You could tell the speed of an NFL game doesn’t rattle him so it was encouraging. We’re looking forward to more to come in the future.”
(We know Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree is going to take over head coaching duties here for the second half. How much will you be in his ear tonight?) – “I’m going to return favors. Really excited for him, the guys are pumped. He just spoke to the team; we were fired up. The adversity is an opportunity to see how a head coach operates down ten.”
Skylar Thompson – August 21, 2024
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Wednesday, August 21, 2024
QB Skylar Thompson
(This is the first time we’ve ever seen camp where you’ve taken the majority of the second team reps. What has that experience been like and what have you learned about yourself?) – “I’ve learned a lot about myself. It’s been probably one of my favorite camps because you truly have to just take every day as its own, and not look ahead, not get ahead of myself but just attack the day in front of me and making the most of the opportunities that I get whatever group that’s with. The twos, threes, whatever the case might be, just taking advantage of the opportunities and getting better. You strive for perfection at this position and everybody wants to be perfect, but I think what I really have enjoyed this camp is honestly making mistakes and then correcting them, whether if it’s in a live rep, later on a couple of practices later, or whatever the case may be. Just seeing the learning really apply to the actual practice or game, whatever the case may be, but seeing the time put into a mistake and being able to learn from it and apply it and not make that same mistake again has been huge for me. Just showing my leadership, I think that’s the thing that I really take pride in and hone in on in my role is just being a great leader and being a great teammate every time I step into the huddle. The guys believe in me and feel the confidence in the way that I speak, the way that I talk, the way that I call the play, all of those things, they make a dramatic difference in the huddle. Just being myself and having fun playing this game, it’s a great game. It’s a kids game, just reminding myself to have fun each day I’m out there.”
(How much different is this than during the season running the scout team, preparing the defense for not your offense?) – “It’s tremendously different, because you know when you’re running the scout team, we’re running the schemes of the teams that we’re playing. Sometimes where there is some carryover as far as we try to put it in our words, our terms so that we can get reps even though it’s not technically our offense. There are some times where it’s kind of hard to do that and you’re running some concepts that you haven’t really experienced or I haven’t experienced running before when you’re reading them out. But just trying to get the most out of it in those situations on the scout team and help the defense be prepared, whereas this, we’re in our offense every single day and we’re learning new stuff, taking it from the classroom, and applying it to the field. It’s all the stuff that we run each and every day and I’ve been doing for the three years, so it’s a little different in that way.”
(How has QB Tua Tagovailoa taken another step this year?) – “I would just say you hear his voice more. I’m not saying that in a way of like you didn’t hear it in the past. He’s done a great job of communicating with everybody and just telling receivers what he wants, whether it’s coming out of a route a certain way or running it a certain way or whatever. He makes it known how he wants it to be done and guys respond well to that. That’s been really cool to see from my perspective. But Tua is Tua. That guy – from the day that I came in here and met him, he’s the same person. I think it speaks volumes of who he is and his character and the values that he has. It’s been super cool to be a part of the room with him and Mike (White) and being able to be so close with those guys and grow with them through the journey. So it’s been really cool.”
(Can you express how big Friday is for a guy like you? How do you approach it?) – “Yeah, I’m approaching it just like I did the last two games. It’s no different, it’s just what’s next. That’s, like I said earlier, kind of the approach that I’ve been taking is just one day at a time. Whatever is at stake for the day, I’m going to attack the day and win the day, whatever that may consist of. I know it’s a great opportunity for me and a lot of guys. I think that’s what’s really cool about this time of year is you’ve got guys fighting for roster spots in their positions groups and all that type of stuff. It’s just making the most of your opportunities and being a great teammate on top of all that. I think that’s what’s been really special about this group of what we have this year and the culture that we’ve built here. It’s special, and there’s a lot of guys that are rooting for each other, pulling for each other, wanting their teammates to have success and see success. So I think that’s super cool to be a part of and very special what we’ve got going on here. Thankful to be a part of it, for sure.”
Jaylen Waddle – August 21, 2024
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Wednesday, August 21, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(This is usually the space where the bet on the wide receiver room, the draft, is paid. Is there a winner? Is it determined yet?) – “No. No, actually it’s a tied ball game, 10-10, and I think today we just tied it up. So it’s going to all come down to this preseason game. We’ve got a lot riding on this game, me and ‘Reek’ (Tyreek). We’re coaching our players up, and I’m confident that we’re going to come out victorious, man.”
(Can you take us what you’ve been going through the past couple weeks and now the process of working your way back?) – “Just getting back right. Just listening to (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and the guys, listening to my body. Something minor but something that we had to respect, and I’m just happy to be back out here working with the guys.”
(Something that normally you would be able to work through if it was regular season?) – “Definitely, I’m always ready to go. Sometimes they just got to pull me back and keep me from myself and ultimately having me out there for regular season.”
(So the assumption is you won’t play on Friday?) – “I don’t know. They want to go out there, I’m always down to get out there and play so whatever they want me to do. I guess y’all got to ask (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel).”
(Last year I don’t believe you played in the preseason. Did it feel any different going into Week 1 not having any preseason reps?) – “Yeah, definitely. It definitely is, because that’s the first time being tackled in six, seven months. So it is a little different, but ultimately, it’s about health and the best thing for the team and for myself.”
(You were pretty snakebitten last year, right? It seemed like every week even if you didn’t miss time, you got knocked out of a game for a series or two getting checked out. What was that like going through all those bumps and bruises last year?) – “It’s definitely difficult, just getting the minor little nagging injuries. It’s just part of the game. Obviously something that you don’t want, but you’ve got to respect sometimes, but yeah, it’s football.”
(Going off of that, your past three years what has being sidelined – briefly or at length – what has being sidelined taught you about how to pay attention to the game, what to watch for when you’re not actually able to be on the field?) – “You see a lot more, especially when you’re not playing. You get to watch the offense work especially from the sideline view and when you get back in the game, you kind of can take some of the stuff you learn from the sideline. It’s just like a different point of view knowing that you don’t have to focus on listening to all these special teams and having players around. You really get the feedback of receivers, what they’re seeing and going to the quarterback and telling him. So you kind of get a different view and it definitely helps you when you get back out there.”
(Where would you assess where QB Tua Tagovailoa’s game is at right now?) – “Man, y’all see it, man. Day-in and day-out, he’s just making tremendous plays, playing with a lot of confidence, leading our guys and I’m excited for him. I’m excited for the year, excited for the team and what he’s going to contribute to the team.”
(Combo of practices – when you have two different NFL franchises practicing together and against each other in drills, take us into what that is and what that’s like – Dolphins and Bucs – and just give thoughts to that.) – “It gets real competitive out here playing against someone. We love it. I know receivers love it because you get to go against different DBs. You get to not go against the same DBs every day that know kind of how you play, what you’re going to do; so you get to try different moves and see how it works and you get to really try all the stuff you’ve been working on throughout the year so it’s great. I know it’s great work for the DBs and everybody here, but we love it.”
(What do you think the biggest growth will be in Year 3 of this offense for you guys?) – “I think the understanding. I think everybody understands where to be, the scheme, kind of understand what (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) is going to call. We’ve got a lot of chemistry and banked reps with Mike (McDaniel), so it’s just having that chemistry and knowing the offense, play-in and play-out, what we’re going to see.”
(What is the biggest thing you’ve seen from an improvement standpoint with QB Tua Tagovailoa because you’ve been with him since freshman year?) – “The biggest improvement? I’d say his communication, really leading us out there and in the huddle. He was kind of not as talkative when he first came in just due to culture, and I know just being at Bama with him, the standard was already set so I feel like it’s something that he learned. But he’s much more talkative, really does a good job of telling us what we want, what he wants and just leading the guys.”
