Mike McDaniel – September 13, 2024
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Friday, September 13, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I imagine you’re still waiting for more with regard to QB Tua Tagovailoa’s health, but I also imagine you and General Manager Chris Grier probably had the discussion about moving forward. Are you and Chris giving any consideration right now to going out and acquiring a veteran starting-caliber quarterback to compete with QB Skylar Thompson or do you expect Skylar to be your guy in the next few weeks as Tua heals and QB Tim Boyle as his backup?) – “That started late last night and I think the way to best articulate where we’re at is the team and the organization are very confident in Skylar (Thompson) and see there was a reason he was our backup quarterback. That being said, we will bring in someone. We’re just evaluating the pros and cons for the different situations and getting through all those possibilities to do the best thing for the team, but as it stands today, I’m expecting that Skylar is the next man up.”
(You didn’t have obviously a ton of information at the time and again, I’m sure there’s a ton of imaging you go through now. Was it in the moment, did it seem as bad as maybe some of his past concussions or is there reason for optimism that this might not be as bad as some of the ones in the past?) – “Realistically for me, first and foremost, I’m not assessing the injury through the lens of all right, so what does this mean for him playing? And so just what I know to be of the utmost importance and what I really care about, it didn’t really matter the severity of it. I think this is something that it’s super important to – the whole, all the science behind concussions tells you what we’ve learned is how delicate the time is right after an injury and how important it is that you don’t institute extra sources of anxiety. So from my vantage point, I feel it’s supremely important in understanding that, that I’m not giving off any sort of vibes, I’m not trying to even look at, ‘OK well, how serious is this relative to his past ones?’ Really, really for me, I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day and in that, the actual, the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint. And knowing that and with my relationship with players – specifically with Tua, but with all the players – it’s not in my DNA to think, ‘Hey, what does this mean for…’ What it means is that to properly prioritize what’s most important that I have to put his health as the primary. And so it’s been 10 hours since I last talked to you guys. For me, I absolutely positively will not do anything to make anything worse or hurt anyone of our players, specifically guys that are in concussion protocol. Ironically, I think there’s a lot of people that have vested interest in the Miami Dolphins. There’s a lot of fans and there’s a lot of people that want to support, but quite literally, questioning timelines; that gives forth anxiety. Trying to meet them, trying to assess what this means for playing. This is heavy stuff that you have to be diligent and deliberate and coaching up Tua, ‘Hey, your job is to be a dad and to communicate daily’ – and we’ll have daily assessments with experts in the field and handle that. And that is the only thing that matters because you don’t make matters worse by trying to – he would be able to feel if I was trying to vibe out and diminishing what this was based upon some symptoms. So literally I understand it completely and it’s not like I would’ve thought any other way until I was in a position of finding out information of what’s best for players in this situation, but talking about or having any sort of assumptions or planning – like I have no idea and nor should I, and I don’t want to because I want him to be healthy. And the best way to be as healthy as fast as possible is to not focus on anything but being present; for him with Ace and Maizy and Annah and that’s it.”
(And I’m sorry, I know there’s a long line of people waiting to ask questions, but I wasn’t asking from a football standpoint. There were a ton of players that had a real and outpouring of concern for him and so I was just wondering from a human aspect if you guys are super concerned about where he is right now?) – “Thank you for qualifying that. My energy is coming from my supreme care and concern for him and quite honestly it’s probably misguided that I wasn’t projecting that energy out on you, but I totally hear what you’re saying and it’s because you hear the outpouring that you want to say as loud as you possibly can that it is absolutely imperative that he is assessing nothing to football right now and in terms of – I guess there was no discussion of him not walking off the field and he was highly communicative in the locker room with the trainers and the doctors so I think relative to some other times you could black-and-white assess that. There’s just so much – the people that matter the most and their opinions are Tua and the doctors, the experts. And both of those people have – I called him about an hour ago, he was still asleep so I haven’t talked to him yet, and they should be meeting here shortly for the first after-action time spent with experts. But I get it and I appreciate that and I wasn’t triggered at you. It’s obviously something that there’s a lot of emotional tie to.”
(Where are your thoughts first and foremost with QB Tua Tagovailoa’s health and these bigger-picture conversations are in the future if they occur at all, but knowing Tua for both the family man that he is, but also the competitor he is and also knowing his family dynamic and those conversations that are sure to take place, how realistic do you envision retirement consideration being for him?) – “I think it would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject and it’s more in line of actually caring about the human being and that’s something that entirely you’re talking about his career, right? His career is his, and that’s something that I really, really, really wish – I totally understand it and it’s not misplaced. I totally get how that’s where people want to go to. I just wish that people would for a second hear what I’m saying that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him, so I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care, that that should be the last thing on your mind because – what do you think if I were to answer that question, I’d be like, ‘All right, this is my thoughts on his career’ and he read it. If he agreed with it or he disagreed with it, either way I’ve just made him worse. So I’m not taking this opportunity. I don’t think it’s appropriate simply because of my care and regard, and I don’t think those types of conversations when you’re talking about somebody’s career – it probably is only fair that their career should be decided by them.”
(And if I could follow up, guardian caps are now allowed to be worn in games. Will you urge QB Tua Tagovailoa to wear a guardian cap when he returns?) – “I think specifically, if – I think just in general, the second people are telling me directly how much this, that or the other would specifically benefit a particular individual; when that particular conversation comes up, I’ll absolutely do whatever I can to follow up with things specific to individuals that could help them moving forward. I think those types of things are far away from me from my standpoint, but that hasn’t necessarily come up. This being the first year that they’re able to wear them, but I’m open-minded to absolutely everything to help players.”
(I wanted to ask you, I know we’re basically addressing QB Tua Tagovailoa and his health, but I wanted to check on T Terron Armstead. What’s his status? How serious was the injury? Could he have gone back in the game and also, I’m curious, why not T Patrick Paul in that situation?) – “I think there was a classic (Terron) Armstead moment where I think he was battling and to the point that he could’ve – if we would have allowed his competitive nature to kind of overtake the process, I could see where he would go back in the game in a situation if he was fighting for it; however, he knew something was wrong. I think so far with the information, I’m optimistic that it will be something where he’ll be playing here sooner than later, but realistically I don’t totally know besides the fact that it doesn’t look like it’s the worst-case scenario where you’re worried about the season and stuff. It’s not in that realm, so we’ll get more information here today, and with regard to Patrick Paul, I think he’s definitely capable. I think you have to take into account and in certain situations or if it was a different opponent in a different situation, I think I would’ve been more open-minded to that. In that situation, I think when you are coming off the bench as a rookie for the first time in a division game where there’s a lot of frustration based upon how we were coming into the game as a team with our expectations and then what was happening; I get fearful if I can help it from setting people up in positions of failure. And what do I mean by that, is I think teammates feel – inevitably in football you have good plays and bad plays, but in games like that if it’s your first taste, I try to avoid guys getting their first burn in the regular season in a situation like that. So that was the decision behind that. It was definitely considered, but I just thought it was best to go the direction we did with the experience and the productivity that Kendall (Lamm) was giving and whatnot.”
(You’ve touched on a lot of this, but you’ve never hidden that you and QB Tua Tagovailoa have a very unique, special, close relationship. Again, you’ve addressed part of it, but I’m just curious from within that realm, that space that you and Tua share, how difficult is it for you to do Dolphins football coaching stuff today when I’m sure that so much of your mind is just concern for him?) – “I would say it’s fair to say that that’s very difficult, however I also take my responsibility extremely, extremely serious. I regard it; I think about all the people that are counting on me to do hard things. It’s not lost on me. Really, none of it’s lost on me and the motivation to press through difficult times when – shoot. I hate disappointing our local sports writers and seeing people dejected after the game. I hate fans that spend all this money to go these games and have all the expectations, that’s – your guys’ experience, fans’ experience, players, it doesn’t end. That’s not lost on me, so when I tell you that absolutely it’s very, very tough. At the same time, there’s not a moment that goes by that I don’t take with absolute severity and sincerity how many people are counting on me to – in this job, honestly, a lot of people can do this job when things are going awesome. There’s a lot of people. I think it’s important that when you sign up for it, that you recognize that as a leader, it actually only matters when times are tough. That’s when you need to – I think that it’s moments like these that you really have to tap into that to handle it appropriately and in ways that in hindsight I won’t regret.”
(A couple of, I guess, you would call housekeeping questions. You had mentioned at the start that your considering bringing in another quarterback. That leads me to wonder, have you already decided or how close are you to deciding whether to put QB Tua Tagovailoa on IR?) – “Again, that’s a fair question and I totally understand it – I literally will not know any sort of anything either way. Because again that would be – just knowing that, that’s how we’re operating as though we know nothing because we don’t. Again, the driving force behind any sort of move – let’s say playing any time, let’s say IR, let’s say whatever those things are – the absolute most important opinion, the most important person in this whole equation is Tua. His opinion and what he wants to do with his life and his career coupled with the experts in neuroscience, those are the driving forces behind those actions. I’m not hiding anything; I’m being as transparent as I absolutely could. I have zero idea what any sort of timeline is, and I’m actually extremely motivated to be in the gray because I’m extremely motivated to do right by the person that we’re talking about. That’s not an ideal way to do business necessarily, but this is more than business. So we’re operating as though – we just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation, and that’s all I want to do or we should do just because I’m not going to rush to judgement way prematurely. I’ll even throw this out; the only two people, the only two opinions that really matter that are the absolute driving force for what we’re doing at that position, Tua and the doctors. I don’t know, I don’t have any information from them. Me myself? If I’m a betting man, I’m guessing that those two people – I don’t see how he would play in the next game. I don’t see it, but who am I to know or judge? But I think it’s a fair assessment to be prepared to have three quarterbacks on our roster for the next game that we’ll need to add one for that game, but again, I have no idea and I am not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that aren’t in – I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of those. This is – literally all I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend, and then we’ll move from there. So there won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard and how long he’ll, when he’ll – none of that will happen without doctor’s expertise and the actual player. And again guys, I totally appreciate it. It’s not lost on me – I’m not trying to villainize. It’s more of like I’ve just learned this stuff, so I’m not trying to hold any cards or anything. But it is very important that there aren’t added anxiety pushed onto him right now, he just needs to be.”
(I can imagine the answer to this question, but what have the last 10 hours been like for you? Were you able to get home at a somewhat reasonable hour considering the time the game ended? Have you been able to sleep? Can you walk us through what the last 10 hours have been like for you?) – “That’s an interesting question, I hadn’t thought about me really. It hasn’t been – there’s just been a lot of thought. You get home at like, after I get to enjoy your guys’ company in a press conference, I think it was like 1:30 (a.m.) or something, and there’s just a lot of people’s journeys to bear. There’s a lot of – especially when I look back to pregame and seeing my daughter on the field and her wishing me good luck and whatnot, there’s a lot of people that didn’t see it coming. And then at the same time, this is something that is – there’s just a lot to digest fully knowing that there’s NFL opportunities a plenty and who needs what. Mind hasn’t really stopped; got a little sleep and hopefully tonight bedtime for my daughter, trying to get her to go to sleep, hopefully that will get me to get some much-needed sleep. But stuff like this, losses are tough; ones that you’ve really built yourself up to try to get done, when you lose in a surprising manner, that’s really tough; when you don’t give yourself a chance because of a turnover differential, that’s really tough and then you have your heart completely involved with it – I look at Tua as a family member of mine. When family is going through something, you know how it is. You’re trying to think about a ton of different stuff that people are counting on me to think about. Not easy.”
(I know you last night on the field were able to have a moment which we all saw and resonated with us that you were able to give him a kiss as he walked off the field. When you were on the field last night with QB Tua Tagovailoa last night as he was coming off, you were able to kiss him as he walked off. What did you tell Tua?) – “I told him he’s the starting quarterback of his family and to go in the locker room, take a deep breath and I’ll see you soon.”
Calais Campbell – September 12, 2024 (Postgame)
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Thursday, September 12, 2024
Postgame – Buffalo
Dolphins DT Calais Campbell
(Not only do you lose to them, but you also lose QB Tua Tagovailoa, you lose by that kind of margin. Just sum it all up. How tough is this loss? A loss is a loss, but it sucks when you factor in everything.) – “Yeah, they played better than us today. Thursday Night Football, primetime, we obviously wanted to play better, but we didn’t get it done. But we’re not going to overreact. It’s just one football game. The only thing this really says is that we’re not going to be undefeated this season, but I know who we have in this locker room. We’re going to bounce back. We’re going to be a good football team. It felt like it was very similar to last week’s game. We were kind of spotting them points and making simple mistakes that were very fixable. The second half, I feel like we had a lot of fight in there. We just kept playing football. It wasn’t good enough to win but the way I see just how hungry our guys are and the way we keep playing football – I like this team and we will be just fine.”
(How difficult was it to see QB Tua Tagovailoa go down the way he did when he has a history of concussions? I’m sure that’s got to be tough to see. As a veteran, have you seen this many times before?) – “Yeah, you never like seeing them go down. Tua’s such a great guy and given his history, it makes it a little tougher. He’s tough. He’s resilient. It’s the worst part of the game. I’m hoping he’s ok. I’m definitely going to reach out to him and pray for him and go out there and continue to fight for him. I don’t know what the situation is or how things are going to go from here, but just be a good teammate, be there for him and support him until he gets back.”
(Although it’s a violent sport just how scary is it to still see it? I’m sure you’ve seen it many times before, but still every time, it’s still a scary situation for you, the media, everybody.) – “Yeah, but anytime you get up and walk off the field on your own power, that’s a good start. That makes you feel good about it. It’s always scary and definitely not anything you ever want to see, but I definitely feel good about the way he got up and walked off the field his own power. He’s a tough guy, a very tough guy.”
David Long Jr. – September 12, 2024 (Postgame)
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Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins LB David Long Jr.
(When you look at it – losing to a division opponent, that’s had your number now, losing by that kind of margin and then losing your quarterback. Just sum it all up, how tough is this loss? Every loss sucks but this one has to sting just a little bit more with all the factors.) – “It’s tough but it’s also early. Let’s not jump to the end chapter of the book. This is football, get back and see how Tua [Tagovailoa] is doing and go from there. But the standard and the mentality, it shouldn’t change. That’s the (expletive) that stays. That’s the foundation we are built on so that stays put, but anywhere we go starts from the foundation. So I think we built that, I think we know how to come back from bad losses. We will do it again.”
(As an athlete how tough is that when you see one of your fellow warriors…) – “It’s very tough cause it’s a very violent game we play and any play can be your last. We’ve seen it before. But we know what we got in this game for. We know the highs and the lows that come out of it. And if you are playing scared or plan for that, like trying to avoid that, then it messes up your game. You have to go out there and be fearless and you take whatever comes with it.”
Alec Ingold – September 12, 2024 (Postgame)
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Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024
Postgame – Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins FB Alec Ingold
(On Tua trying to make a play and his injury) – “I saw him go down. He tried to protect himself diving head first and it’s an unfortunate situation. All the prayers are out to him, his family. I know his kids, his wife. We’re all a pretty tight-knit family right now on this team. First and foremost you’re just hoping that he’s safe and we’ll move forward with that but you’re always praying for our guys to come out healthy and yeah, it was a tough one to see.”
(Knowing what QB Tua Tagovailoa has been through in his career, how much more heart-wrenching is that to think that this could be more serious than for other people?) – “I think you always take that perspective into every single game. You’re always taking every single game as an opportunity to do what you love to do, to do what you’re made to do and we just hope that everything moving forward can be as positive as possible, uplifting every single human being in this locker room, praying for safety and health for everybody on the field always, and obviously it’s always tough to see your leader go down like that. So we’ll all be praying and moving forward having his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Mike McDaniel – September 12, 2024 (Postgame)
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Thursday, September 12, 2024
Postgame – Buffalo
Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Q. Have you talked to Tua and what have you observed from his condition?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, I talked to him in the locker room. Obviously I talked to him on the field, then talked to him in the locker room before he was headed home. He was in good spirits.
Q. What was your immediate thought when you saw him go down into the fencing position?
MIKE McDANIEL: My thought was concern and I was just worried about my guy, so yeah, it’s not something that you ever want to be a part of. You hope not to.
Q. Obviously it’s very early in the process with Tua. Do you foresee a trip to the injured reserve list? Do you have any insight on that?
MIKE McDANIEL: Right now it’s more about getting a proper procedural evaluation tomorrow and taking it one day at a time. The furthest thing from my mind is what is the timeline. We just need to evaluate and I’m just worried about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are. But we’ll get more information tomorrow and then take it day by day from there.
Q. Regardless of how he progresses through protocol from here, how will what happened in 2022 impact how you and the team handle Tua this time around?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think it’s important to approach each and every situation much like you approach every injury, which is basically we’re going to handle this particular situation with this particular player. Every situation is unique to its own. I think for me, I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands in terms of I’m just worried about the human being. And he’ll drive the ship when we get the appropriate information. But it’s day-by-day health really. Try to approach all that stuff that way, particularly with concussions.
Q. Do you think it’s safe for Tua to play football considering he’s had four concussions in I think four or five years?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, I think from a medical standpoint, I don’t approach things that I’m far inferior of expertise. I’m just there to support my teammate, like I said. I think for me to go ahead and forecast things that I don’t know in my non-field of expertise, I don’t think that’s appropriate. I think we’ll find out some more information tomorrow in terms of where Tua’s at. He’ll be able to spend a good amount of time being evaluated, then we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate. Like the rest of his teammates, who he went around the locker room and connected with as a leader, he was trying to keep the guys’ heads up, he’ll be in the office tomorrow to have the appropriate care.
Q. Even before that injury, it wasn’t the kind of night you probably expected. How do you explain what played out there?
MIKE McDANIEL: It’s a tough one that I think there was a lot of high expectations and ambitions for the game, fully knowing that it was going to be a tough one. But I think every person on the team would tell you when playing a good football team, if you’re minus three or four, whatever it was and then with the fourth downs on top of that; no one foresaw that. You might be able to win one out of a hundred with the nuts and bolts of that. And I think that’s the main thing that the football team is feeling, is supreme disappointment, because they’ve put a lot into it. They have high expectations. And you can’t even evaluate appropriately when you’re playing football that way and giving it to the opponent, giving them extra possessions, especially a quarterback like that. I think football’s a tough, tough business. Like I told the team, this hurts for a reason. And then you have to find out if you need – I think we have enough veteran players in that locker room that understand the belief will come from within because quite frankly, you can already turn the page, know what’s going to be said about us. And that’s probably going to last for a while. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to really take the sheer frustration and anger out on the way we approach our jobs day in, day out. It’s also very much Week 2 and that was our first division game. It feels way bigger than that because there’s a lot of history to this matchup and there were a lot of things we thought we were going to take care of that are definitely not taken care of. So I think it’s a gut check for the team early in the season. I look at things like if we would have won by 30, what does that mean? I think that puts the game in perspective. It’s one loss that really cuts deep. But that can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you respond to it. So I really believe in the locker room. I believe in the coaching staff and I better believe it cause it’s going to be a while before it’s going to be anybody but us believing that and that’s okay. I think these types of moments where your expectations and what you put into things far exceed the result, you can’t hide in situations like that. And so I am expecting to move forward as a team and have this be a galvanizing moment in our season as we look back on it down the road. And how do you do that? You handle tough situations, you come together as a group and you make sure that you clean up the things in your game that led to this. The team wasn’t given a fair shot necessarily tonight because we had some absolutely catastrophic misgivings with the football. That’s what’s going to happen. I suppose it’s best to know that. It’s better to learn that sooner than later. We have a gigantic season ahead of us. We’re 1-1. There’s some adversity. Welcome to the NFL.
Q. That said, the adversity and the season ahead, with the uncertainty on what’s next for Tua, how much confidence do you have that you’re going to be able to bounce back with this Skylar for whatever foreseeable time it is?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think as a rookie – I know everyone doesn’t get to see Skylar play. I don’t know what our timeline is. I’m not concerned with that. We played with Skylar as a rookie with the season on the line, and found a way to win an elimination game and go toe-to-toe with this very same organization in a playoff game and he’s a much better player than he was then. Those are things that the team feels. I think guys really believe in Skylar. I have the utmost confidence in him. That’s why he’s our backup quarterback. And you’re always very aware that injuries happen in the National Football League. You can’t do anything in the National Football League getting ahead of yourself. You can look at one opponent and you can look at the next day and try to get better at something, then build on that and get better at something else the next day. That’s kind of the way this team will approach it. I think we have a very experienced team with a lot of leaders and leadership is called upon in moments in like this. I don’t see people putting all their – this was not the Super Bowl, although it was a very, very hard game to take. I know this will be imprinted in the minds of all our guys for the rest of the season, for sure. Storylines evolve every single year in a multitude of ways and you have to as a team, just like you can’t – a season ago or the season previous, it was new to the team to get excessive praise. That’s something that you have to defend yourself against. On the same token, when you’re 1-1, there’s going to be a million people that say we can’t and so you have to decide if you want everyone to be right or wrong. I think that’s what’s at stake. Is your team motivated by outside sources or is your team worried about the right stuff and getting better and continuing to evolve as a team together? Adverse times really, really suck on the front end, but are very, very validating when you push through them, especially on a team collectively. So that’s what we’ll be chasing here in the near future.
Q. You’ve grown particularly close to Tua. I was curious how you just focus your mind completely on football after seeing a scene like that? I think you gave him a kiss on the side of the head when he walked off the field. How do you coach the rest of that game thinking about his well-being?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, I always have those extremely human moments just with all the things that come in football. In particular injuries are difficult for me. But at the same time there’s so many people depending on my focus that if I don’t really see, like, there’s a lot of other people that are also depending on me, just like Tua is. You have to look at it like that. That’s where my mind goes. It’s not the easiest thing in the world, for sure, but nor is having this job, so you’ve got to step up.
Q. Terron – is he okay?
MIKE McDANIEL: I’ll get more information. He was battling and I don’t really have much beyond what tomorrow’s assessment will be. It’s always super fast right after the game to be able to sort through that. We’ll have more information tomorrow, for sure. To be determined, I guess.
Q. How would you assess how De’Von played tonight, especially with the injury?
MIKE McDANIEL: I thought De’Von really showed some really cool professional growth in a short week. He was in the training room non-stop trying to take advantage of this opportunity. He knew we had already taken a shot at that position so what he was able to do tonight, I thought he performed very well. The only reason he was able to have the opportunity was because he really went all in, and in the process showed his teammates how much he can be counted on. He was literally living in the training room to get out there. I thought it was a cool individual piece of growth in an otherwise pretty miserable experience.
Q. On the first interception, why were neither Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle on the field for that?
MIKE McDANIEL: On that interception, they were coming off. We were trying to put Jaylen back in the game, but we were kind of downing the clock and quite honestly, the way the defender was playing, the ball was a little behind Grant (DuBose). I’m not sure what difference that would have made. Early in the game, you’re trying to rotate guys and make sure that they’re fresh. We do that often. It was unfortunate that that was the result.
Q. When you see Tua checking on other guys in the locker room after the night that he’s had with a smile on his face, what goes through your mind?
MIKE McDANIEL: How much he loves his teammates, how much he loves being out there with his teammates really. Just another example of his great character and leadership. I think that when something happens to an individual and you see their response is less – I mean, he’s concerned about his teammates. That tells you everything about the type of person he is. He knows what he means to this team and shows a lot of awareness in that regard because he knows there’s a lot of guys that are worried about him, so yeah, I think what goes through my mind is he’s a great, great human being and a great teammate.
Skylar Thompson – September 12, 2024 (Postgame)
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Thursday, September 12, 2024
Postgame – Buffalo
Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson
Q. What interactions, if any, were you able to have with Tua?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: I haven’t had an interaction with him. I don’t really have any information or anything to expand on that. When he went down, I immediately started getting ready and I have yet to have an encounter with him yet.
Q. How scary was that to see?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: I tell you what, it makes me sick. I think anyone for the human eye, like it sucks. In my position, you never want to have your opportunity come with something like that and have a lot of love for Tua. Built a great relationship with him. Yeah, you care about the person more than the player. Everybody in the organization would say the same thing. So just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.
Q. How do you think it went for you after you came in?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: I felt like we moved the ball a little bit. It’s always a good thing. Definitely want to score in the red zone there, those two opportunities. But had some positive plays and some stuff to build on. There’s always things to clean up and whatnot, but I feel like we got some first downs and had some good plays out there so that’s definitely a positive out of that.
Q. Tua last year missed two games after the first concussion, then three after the second. Why do you think you’re better prepared if it’s going to be two, three, four weeks with you as a starter to lead this team?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: This is my third year. I’ve gotten some really good experience, especially that first year. This entire time I have just kept working, trying to get better, just preparing for opportunities. What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though. I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job. Not going to look too far ahead, but whatever is to come, I’m excited for, I’ll be ready for it. It will be fun.
Q. There’s a lot of complexity with what Tua was running in terms of the ball fakes and things like that. Do you feel like you’re prepared to run the entire playbook?
SKYLAR THOMPSON: Absolutely. Absolutely. I’ve gotten a lot of reps in this system. All the stuff that Tua is doing and has done with the ball-handling stuff, all the motions, everything; I’ve gotten three years under my belt now of digesting that and learning it. Yeah, I feel like I’m fully equipped to run whatever Mike wants and not be limited at all whenever I’m in the game.
Mike McDaniel – September 11, 2024
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Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Just to address running backs first, do you expect to have RB Raheem Mostert and RB De’Von Achane on Thursday?) – “Raheem, no. De’Von, we’ll see how it plays out today. Thursday night games are probably the – it probably should be your triggering point, because I (don’t know). You got to realize – what is today? Today is Wednesday, right? OK, guys are just typically – when we do have padded practices, we don’t even have them until Thursday because typically, after an NFL game, Wednesday, guys are still working through their ailments from the game previous. So there’s several guys that we’ll be feeling out and we’ll go from there.”
(I asked you about this at the owners meetings with WR Tyreek Hill and his off-field adventures and had you guys talked to him about them. Have you talked to him after this latest episode? And what was the response, if you can share any of that with us?) – “Meaning like what?”
(The incident at the marina, and the incident with the social media influencer – just the things that he’s gotten into off the field. Have you talked to him about trying to straighten up or anything like that?) – “I talk to these guys about everything that occurs, good and bad. I talk to Tyreek (Hill) about all the days that he’s not in the headlines, because there’s a lot of those too. And I think it’s important to just as people, in my role, where I’m trying to find every way to squeeze out all the potential in the human being. The name of the name is growth, and I think a lot of times it is what it is, like you are held accountable for the things that people know. And when you are in the headlines in any negative way, that’s everyone’s timeline, that’s fair. However, there’s much more to that. Sometimes while you’re taking a lot of steps forward, there’s a step back. We talk through everything so that we can be our best versions of ourselves, which I think Tyreek is a different human being than when I first met him. He just continues to evolve, and I think that’s the nature of a lot of guys’ journeys right now.”
(What was your reaction to the body cam video?) – “I think I’m emotioned out, so I’m going to try to use words that don’t – I mean I just, enough people have seen me cry. But there was that. It wasn’t shock; it was sadness. Right when you see it, and then for an hour or two afterward, what was that Monday night? Spent time talking to some players on the phone and then spent some time talking to some staff members that I knew with our history together that had experienced similar things firsthand. You just don’t – not shock but sadness, for sure.”
(Now that you’ve seen the video, is there anything you think WR Tyreek Hill could have done differently in that situation?) – “Yeah, I mean there’s always things you can do. I think we are conditioned here in what we talk about everyday is things that you can improve upon. I think it’s important to say that – I mean that’s a totally separate conversation than I think should be the one focused on at hand – but for sure and absolutely. That’s the first thing you do when you’re talking to an individual directly. I think the conversation about what provoked unnecessary is trivial to the unnecessary.”
(With RB Raheem Mostert, when did the chest injury occur in the game?) – “It was early, and part of the procedure on our team, the working relationship that I have across the board, it’s very much need to know in a situation where, particularly running back, where we like to rotate. He was working through it during the game, and I’ve learned – honestly, might be the last guy I will ask if they’re good because he’s quite literally, case in point – his injury, not many people play with. So the information that I get from him when I ask him, he’s going to tell me he’s good. He showed his tough – he just gave his teammates another example of how he’s built different.”
(Is this an injury that is rest related, primarily for Thursday night’s game on a short week? Or is this an injury that could sideline him for a couple of weeks?) – “I would say closer to the former, but not ruling out the latter. But it’s like right – my sense is that it’s not something that time won’t take care of, however, I’m definitely not going to make him worse by setting forth my expectations of when he’s going to play again.”
(Is OL Liam Eichenberg OK?) – “(Liam) Eichenberg is always OK.”
(Can you take us through your hoodie? ‘Miami Different,’ it kind of seems like the saying – what does it represent inside this building?) – “I forgot what I was wearing, and it happens to be black on black, but it’s a t-shirt. I don’t know – the early attachment I made in life from my vantage point was a greatness is inherently different. So if you’re trying to win more than you lose, if you’re trying to do something that maybe the organization maybe hasn’t achieved in 24 years, if you’re trying to stand out in the world, I think different is an analogous with everybody that’s achieved anything is inherently different than the rest of the population. I think leaning into that, I think creating our own standard for what we think our football should look like, creating our own standard for how we treat each other and how we go about our brand of football. I think the Miami Dolphins, the word play Miami Different – all of it plays a part in it, but it’s something that I kind of have to lean into because have you seen me? I mean… (laughter) So it’s something that I think describes the way our group of players, coaches and the building, what they’re attempting, what they’re working towards is to be different.”
(Team-issued shirt, or a team-produced shirt?) – “Team-produced shirt, this was – I generally allow all information to come at me before we start doing designed shirts. I think this might have been a three in the morning the Tuesday previous to get it done before our first game.”
(Going back to WR Tyreek Hill for a second, we could hear him in the video saying I just had surgery on my knee and alluding to some discomfort he was in. What can you share about any surgery he’s had or if he’s expressed to you in the past few days of any discomfort that he’s been in?) – “Minor procedure that he makes sure that he takes care of and keeps out of a compromising position as best as he can control.”
(This happened before the season?) – “Yeah.”
(In the offseason?) – “Yeah.”
(DT Zach Sieler said yesterday, “It’s time to take the East, let’s go for it.” I’m assuming that with this being Bills week, that that is a theme and a mindset that you embrace and endorse?) – “If you want to do anything in this league, generally you can’t skip over the much-mandated step of winning your division. There is one team that has won the division consecutive years that you can say that they, by de facto, own the division until somebody takes it from them. I think it’s pretty obvious, but I think it’s also something that they have earned and we would like to be in the situation where we earn the same thing. There is one way to do that, you’ve got to beat your division opponents. We have our first of six division games.”
(Between CB Jalen Ramsey and LB Jaelan Phillips on the short week, could they play a similar snap count that you saw on Sunday? Could they have an uptick? Will you draw back a little bit, which one?) – “That is very much in all literal terms so we’re planning on the gray. We have to plan for uptick, same or downshift. In a short week, that’s what’s tricky is you kind of don’t know until they’re at the stadium. It just takes an extra layer of preparation that guys are definitely prepared for.”
Tyreek Hill – September 11, 2024
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Wednesday, September 11, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(Opening statement) – “Before we get started, I just want to say this is a very important day in history so just want to say to the fallen soldiers, to everybody who was a part of 9/11 – my prayers are with you and your family always, to the police officers, to the firefighters across the world. We thank you.”
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel at the owners meetings whether he had talked to you about some of your off-field incidents. He said “Yes, Tyreek has been very transparent. We’ve had clear communication.” And I asked him today about that and he said, “Tyreek has grown in a lot of ways since he’s been here.” In what ways do you think that you’ve grown since you’ve been here?) – “He’s right about that. I’ll tell you what, man. I was talking to my mom and my wife last night. I told them, what I went through the other day has happened at the right time in my life because of the way I’ve matured, the way I’ve been handling myself with my kids, stepping up as a father, just all of that. So the older I’ve been getting, the more I’ve been realizing how important it is for me to just be a pro’s pro. Obviously when you first come into the league, you just want to have fun, do whatever you want to do. I’ve done all that. I now see how important it is to be a father, be a husband, be a son and just be a family man that my grandparents raised me to be. So that’s the maturity he’s talking about, so when my teammates see me now, I’m with my wife, I’m with my kids; I’m enjoying life, man. I’m slowing my life down. I’m not doing the crazy things that I used to do when I first came into the league. I’m handling myself with a lot of dignity now and a lot of respect and I’m representing my last name well.”
(And a follow-up to that – do you think you did anything wrong in this situation? Do you think that your attitude could have been different to the police? Do you think you could’ve kept your window down? Have you thought about that?) – “Yeah, I have. I have. My whole life is all about accountability. Like how can I get better? So right now, I have family members who are cops. We’ve had conversations. Yes, I will say I could’ve been better. I could’ve let down my window in that instant, but the thing about me is I don’t want attention. I don’t want to be cameras out, phones on you in that moment. But at the end of the day I’m human. I’ve got to follow rules, I’ve got to do what everyone else would do. Now, does that give them the right to literally beat the dog out of me? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, I wish I could go back and do things a bit differently.”
(When I spoke with Head Coach Mike McDaniel, he said that when he first saw the video, he wasn’t shocked by it; in fact, it saddened him. When you first saw the video, what were the emotions that came over you?) – “I’m unfazed. I’m unfazed. I’m one of those guys I’m unfazed by it because I’m not the only one that goes through that, and where I’m from, you typically see that a lot and you don’t hear about it because not everybody has the same resources as Tyreek Hill. Not everybody has the name Tyreek Hill or not able to call a Drew Brooks or Drew Rosenhaus or something like that. So I’m really unfazed to it, you feel me? That’s why I was able to go out and play the way I did because I’m numb to it. It’s kind of expected.”
(Just to follow up, you said that you would’ve handled yourself a little bit differently. For other people out there seeing that video, is there a message you may have for them about how to handle themselves in a similar situation?) – “I don’t have a message for them yet, but I’m sure I will. So ask me that question again next week sometime. I’m pretty sure I will, because right now I’m in the process of putting together a good plan so that way I can work with those guys. Because I think it’s good, man, I think we should lean on each other. Like we have influence on the community and I don’t think that we should use this as a moment to separate people or divide people or make it a battle or anything like that, because I still love cops. I want to be a cop. I’ve been standing on the table for the cops, but at the end of the day right now what I’m focused on is my job and that’s to play football. And that’s all that I can be – the best football player I can be.”
(How are you yourself handling the situation? Obviously it’s a lot of trauma so are you OK?) – “Yeah, I’m good. Like I said I’m really unfazed to it all. I’ve been praying a lot with my wife, having conversations with my mom a lot, talking to my kids a lot because at the end of the day, those are the most important people in my life. Those are the people that are in my circle and I could care less about whatever somebody else has to say about me or the situation or whatever goes on. I think the biggest thing for me is just making sure that I’m all right and my family has been doing a great job of that because they ask me literally every five seconds, ‘Are you all right? Are you all right? Are you all right?’ I’m like, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ Like I went to the grocery store last night. My wife called me literally like, 10 times. It’s crazy. I’m good.”
(Obviously you’re used to living your life in the spotlight, but having a vulnerable moment like that when you saw the body cam footage come out. You say you’re good, but what was that experience like to have again, that vulnerable of a moment broadcast to the world?) – “I was actually watching ‘Beetlejuice’ at the time. I was in the movie theater when it released. Drew Brooks called me. He was like, ‘you know they released the body cam?’ I’m like, ‘What? I’m watching ‘Beetlejuice’ – I’ve got to leave?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, go outside real quick.’ So I went outside, watched it and for me I feel like I handled myself well in that situation, but obviously like I said I could be better. But it’s shell-shocking. It’s really crazy to know that you have officers in this world that will literally do that with body cams on. It’s sad. It’s really sad. Which brings up another conversation and leads into what would they do if they didn’t have body cams? Which is even crazier so it’s a lot to unpack. It’s a lot to unpack. It’s a lot we can learn. Like I think in football, how we get better from things is we watch the tape and we get better from it, and this instance, we should do the same. Like a lot of people want to critique. A lot of people want to criticize, a lot of people want to do this. But I think this can be a learning tool for everybody. Everybody. Civilians, officers around the world, like how to do conduct whenever they pull people over. Like we all can learn. We’re in this thing together. We live in this thing – we’re on earth together – so the only way we get better is A – we hold ourselves accountable and we get better from it. That’s how I get better in football.”
(Has it been tough this week to kind of separate the incident and what you have ahead of you on Thursday night?) – “Not for real because like I said, I’m not going to mix the two. I’m not going to take a knee. I’m not going to ask to defund the police. I’m not going to protest. I’m not going to do any of that when it comes to being inside of this football, because this is my therapy. Football is my therapy – this is how I get away from a lot of stuff. This is how I separate myself from past traumas in my life. So no, I’m not going to mix the two.
(In the video you said that you had knee surgery – Head Coach Mike McDaniel said you had a minor operation. What did you have done and when did it happen?) – “So I did have a minor procedure done in Antigua – just some stem cells injected into my body, that’s it. A lot of people don’t know that because I just be on the low with it, but yeah.
(To me, in situations like this – and I know you said you want to see some change and some good come out of this, and I know that you just said you could have handled yourself differently. To me, you need to see some apologies and compromise from both sides. Do you think we will eventually see that, or do you think this is going to be a political, divisive thing for the next few weeks or months, what do you think?) – “When you say apology, who do you mean? From who?”
(Both sides – I mean I think both sides need to kind of say, ‘I could have handled myself better,’ I know you just said that.) – “They already tried, but we declined. It’s up to everybody else’s judgement to have their own opinion about how they feel about the video.”
(Are you optimistic that we will hear that from the other side? Do you think that kind of change – are we moving in this direction on this matter do you think?) – “I don’t know, man. It’s tough to say because it’s so hard. You never know. You never know in situations like this, but my whole goal and my whole thing around this whole thing is to not go backwards. I don’t want us to go backwards, I want us to be able to move forward in this moment. I had so many people like, ‘Oh, let’s rally,’ and I’m like, ‘No, let’s chill. Let’s relax. Let’s put our minds together and let’s think. Let’s think of better ways we can get better. Let’s not do that, bruh. We’re smarter than that.’”
(How would you describe some of the physical actions that occurred against you? Some of them might not be clear on camera, some might not have even been on camera – what are some things you can tell us happened?) – “I don’t know, it was crazy bruh. I thought I was in a movie, that’s why I really couldn’t get turned up for real. I’m like, ‘Damn, is this really happening?’ But man, I don’t know – choked, pinched, kicked, all that man. But you know what? Like I said, man – what I said Sunday, I’m just glad to be here so I can tell the story with y’all because this is truly shocking to me. It’s embarrassing because I got kids and when I facetimed my kids, they’re like, ‘Dad, are you all right? Are you all right?’ And I’m like, ‘Your dad’s all right, man.’ But it’s good though, my kids get to see me in a different light. I get to like come up with my own ideas and own plan to help change the narrative of who we are, or who I am anyways. So I think it’s good. My kids get to see me in a different light instead of playing football; they get to see me as like a hero in this aspect now. So it’s a win-win, man.”
(Your lawyer has come out and said that he’s looking for the dismissal of the officer, do you – what does that mean?) – “Gone.”
(So you want the officer –) – “Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. He got to go, man. Because in that instance right there, not only did he treat me bad, he also treated my teammates with disrespect. He had some crazy words toward them, and they ain’t even do nothing. Like what did they do to you? They’re just walking on the sidewalk. So I don’t know, he got to go. There’s not too many times that Cheetah say people got to go, but – you, out. What do they say on Wild ‘N Out? Gone.”
