Alec Ingold – October 28, 2024
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Monday, October 28, 2024
FB Alec Ingold
(First time this Dolphins era being under .500 in several games under .500. What’s the mood been like?) – “I think it’s been obviously a tough start to the year. Like you said, 2-5, nobody had that scheduled for this team, this crew. So being able to stop hesitating and ask ourselves what’s going on and just continuing to try and fix problems I think is the biggest thing on these Mondays, is refocusing, recalibrating from what just happened, what does it mean and how do we use it to move forward. I think that’s really the state of the union on this Monday and I think that really helps put lot of things in perspective on a Tuesday and then showing up Wednesday with everything focused on how to win the very next week.”
(How do the team captains and the leadership council come into play in situations like this? Not just today but over the first seven weeks of the season?) – “I think we have quite a few leaders. In the regular meetings and the regular job description of captain and leaders, the leadership council, it’s always different and I think guys finding their voices in the margins of this locker room and this space and the complex; I think that’s really where a lot of those one-on conversations are happening. That’s where the communication is being and that’s where trust has to be built. It’s one-on-one. It’s the relationships, it’s the guys talking to each other, staying the course, being able to fix the little things before they become the big things. So captains and leadership council definitely – we have our meetings and whatever you want to describe it on the itinerary, but you never really stop leading and I think that’s the power in the amount of guys that we have in those leadership roles.”
(You’re a pretty upbeat guy. Why are you optimistic that things are going to turn around?) – “You can feel it on the field. It’s the weirdest feeling and you sound kind of insane when you feel that way because of the results, but when we’re moving, we’re operating; there’s times in games where we had 10 points, when we had 27 and you can just feel the – something is in the air. And I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s improvement. It’s development. You watch our tape from Week 2 to last week – there are guys that have made mistakes, have fixed it, have corrected it and have improved on it and you can feel that. You get a sense of this organization, this team coming together through a 2-5 start that nobody thought was going to happen and you sound crazy talking about it when you’re 2-5, but the only way is through. The only way is to continue on this process. The only way through is to continue to trust and build on what we believe have been lessons, not scars and that’s a Mike McDaniel-ism, but it’s something that is really true and it hits the nail on the head for a lot of reasons.”
(How frustrating is it that these little mistakes keep popping up? Before it was it with the holds and the offensive line. I think there was only one hold on Sunday, but then now there’s a little bit of snap issues. So frustrating is that and what are you guys going to try to do maybe with the leadership council to try to correct some of these little things?) – “I think it’s death by a thousand paper cuts right now and it’s like, man, we were able to overcome so many of those situations in past years and that’s not been the case this season. So to have that consistent voice, to continue to not get tired or feel sorry for yourself or waste any emotion on things that don’t value or add value to winning a football game; there’s no room for that. There’s no room for close. There’s no room for ‘Oh, that might have been good enough.’ They’re non-negotiables at this point and that sense of urgency, that sense of attention to detail, I think that’s all the way throughout this organization. Everybody has to – it doesn’t matter who wins or loses the game, it’s that continual improvement and that’s what we need to find and we need to win along the way while we’re doing it.”
(What were you noticing in the offense in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s first game back just in terms of the orchestration of everything?) – “It felt good, man. It felt good to have ‘One’ (Tua Tagovailoa) back. It felt good to be able to roll the way we did, but again, I think we had the ball with eight minutes left. We can’t end that drive in a punt and I think there’s a lot of guys, a lot of spots in that place where we all could have stepped up a little bit better. So it felt good to get in the end zone, it felt good to have those explosive plays, but good wasn’t good enough.”
(That sense of urgency that you were talking about, how does that translate to improvement maybe in the operation especially in a tough road environment like you guys have coming up?) – “I think when you talk about sense of urgency in the environment and the circumstances, all this external stuff, that sense of urgency is internal. It’s within the huddle. That’s within yourself. So being able to practice and replicate and develop that day by day with your actions, with your habits, your routines; it carries over. It leaks into the football field so you’re focused. You know the job at hand. You know what to do, how to do it and you do it with all of the energy and emotion that you possibly have in that moment to succeed. So I think that’s a really important thing building on this week to be able to lock in, laser-focused for four quarters, whatever it takes to find a way to win and finish a game.”
(What has impressed you about RB Jaylen Wright? He hasn’t had a ton of chances, but when he does he’s pretty impactful?) – “I think you hit the nail on the head. Like to be a running back and not be in completely like the flow of the game and still have explosive runs when his number is called as a young guy, that’s really cool. He doesn’t have to get his motor running, four or five carries, get tackled a few times to then be able to hit it. He shows up, he’s explosive and definitely for a young guy it’s cool to see him step into that role and whenever he touches the ball, he does something with it. So very happy with him.”
Austin Jackson – October 28, 2024
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Monday, October 28, 2024
OL Austin Jackson
(Tell me about the mood of the locker room last night and today. Are you guys still pretty optimistic about things?) – “Yeah, definitely still optimistic. There are 10 games left in the season, but I think that 24-hour rule where we’re not happy with the outcome of the game, for sure, but that’s definitely fuel for us going forward. We still have 10 games left to put everything in our hands in terms of how we play football, control what we can control.”
(Obviously when the goal isn’t met, there’s got to be a level of frustration. What’s that level like for you and the rest of the team as well?) – “The level is high right now. We’re already kind of in a time where we want to win more games than we have so we’re definitely frustrated and turning that frustration into something more productive, turning that frustration to more production. So just understanding that our margin of error is really slim for winning. That will feed into how we practice, how we play, how we look at the game going forward. And like I said earlier, we still have 10 games left, so – I mean that’s exciting to have 10 games left still and get an opportunity to get back some mistakes in previous games that we made.”
(Why do you think the margin for winning is slim? Is it because of injuries on the team? What makes it slim in particular at this point?) – “I feel like around the league in general, if the game’s not a blowout – like there’s usually just a couple more plays or situations that you would want to get back. Blowout win, there’s probably a lot to clean up but being in the NFL, most games are closer and whatever team has the least amount of mistakes usually comes out with the win.”
(Why are you optimistic for the last 10 weeks of the season?) – “Because I believe in this team, I believe in the work ethic and the talent that we have here. Talent means nothing without hard work and through this situation where we haven’t won the games that we wanted to, I’ve seen guys pick up their work ethic, I’ve seen guys not complain, not point the finger, stuff like that. It just kind of tells me we got a bunch of people ready to win and do the right things to win.”
(Offensively, the last three weeks, I mean it’s certainly it hasn’t been perfect, but you seem to be finding a little bit more of a rhythm than you had earlier in the season, would you agree?) – “Definitely. I had a coach once that said, ‘if you’re not getting better in this league, you’re getting worse,’ and that’s kind of a daily thing in terms of you have to get better every single day. So I definitely want to get better every time I step on that field and whatever I do, so probably.”
(To kind of piggyback off of that, obviously you guys threw the ball more than you ran the ball, but it felt more balanced offensively. Did it feel that way over the last three or four weeks and how did it feel to have a more balanced attack?) – “It was good, it was good. Just wish we could have executed more towards our last drive, but we did have a good balanced attack.”
(How have you guys felt run blocking the last three weeks? I mean this is a passing team and the offensive linemen are kind of known for their pass blocking skills. Do you guys like that physicality? Tell me about that.” – “Yeah, we’re definitely an offense that – you said we’re a passing team. We are a passing team, but we’re also a running team, too. We have our own system of blocking that we take very seriously, and we train that very hard with a lot of intent and I think we want to be as balanced as possible, run and pass the ball effectively because that’s what a productive offense does.”
(On RB De’Von Achane’s 47-yard run you were basically escorting him down the field, you got down there pretty fast. How did the group react when you were watching that film?) – “Yeah, it was good. I could have been a little faster, but it was good.”
(There was probably some shellshock – some guys feeling down after the game yesterday. Any player stand up and give any sort of speech that lifted the spirits or did anything yesterday after the game?) – “No. We spoke, said what was needed to be said but not a lot needs to be said to be honest. I think as a team we’re ready to speak more with our actions on the football field and with our work ethic. Yeah, not a lot to be said, it just hurt. Everyone in that locker room was hurting after that loss.”
Jordan Poyer – October 28, 2024
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Monday, October 28, 2024
S Jordan Poyer
(Are you looking forward to your first trip back to Buffalo?) – “Yeah, excited about the opportunity to go back to Buffalo and play these guys. Another opportunity for us to go out there and play football, so for sure excited about it.”
(Why was Trey McBride able to – it looked like he was able to find a lot of soft spots in the zone yesterday. Good scouting or coverage mistake on you guys’ part, what is it?) – “Good player, we made some mistakes, but he’s a good player. It’s a good offense, and when it comes down to it, we’ve got to make some more plays – one more play than they did. But yeah, he’s a good player and we definitely left some plays out there, for sure.”
(How shocked have you been by the turn of the events of how the season has gone for you? Obviously thought you were going to a winning team that has won the last couple of years, sort of fallen apart through seven games, how dispiriting is that for you?) – “It’s football, right? It’s frustrating, for sure. I think everybody here is frustrated, but at the same time, we do have opportunities ahead of us. It’s in times like these where you really got to just put your nose down and work, man. Nobody is coming to save us; nobody is going to feel sorry for us. So just trying to do one percent extra throughout the week and try to motivate the guys around you to do one percent extra and continue to stay the course and have that belief that things will turn, because what a cool opportunity this week to go to Buffalo, extremely well-coached football team and we’re excited, like I said, about the opportunity so why not?”
(What’s sort of the ripple effect for you guys of losing a guy like DT Zach Sieler up front?) – “Zach Sieler, he’s a great player. He’s been somebody who I’ve seen from across the field for a few years. You don’t ever want to have anybody go down and you always have the idea that it is next man up, but losing a guy like Zach does hurt. We’re hoping to get him back when he’s able to come back.”
(What gives you optimism about the last 10 weeks of the season?) – “Opportunity – that’s life, right? You get hit in the mouth, that’s life. What are you going to do next? It’s one of two options – you’re going to fold or you’re going to just keep going and keep moving. Things may not fall the way that you see them, but you keep moving and you keep grinding. That’s a lesson in football and in life. I know I lot of y’all have probably gotten hit in the mouth before in life, what do you do? Do you just fold and just kind of tuck away, or do you keep moving? People say X, Y, Z about X, Y, Z, what are you going to do about it? So that’s my mindset and I know that’s the team’s mindset, let’s just continue to work, continue to grind. Yeah, we’re not in the place where we want to be, but we’ve got opportunities in front of us, and so why not?”
(Regarding CB Kader Kohou, I talked to CB Cam Smith in the locker room last night and he took the blame for something, I think it was the first touchdown, I’m not sure what it was. But I’m not taking anything from Cam, but Kader, did that have an effect, that absence? Did that have an effect? He’s a quality player.) – “Kader (Kohou) is a great player, no doubt it. Regardless of if he was in the game or not, the play that we called, he wouldn’t have been involved in the touchdown. So that was strictly in the backend, I put that on myself, the communication. I’ve got to make sure that the guys around me have an understanding of who we’re covering since we were running a Cover Zero, and I put that on me to get the guys around me right. That had nothing to do with him being on the field or not.”
(What was it like getting reps next to S Marcus Maye when S Jevón Holland comes out?) – “I love playing with (Marcus) Maye, an experienced player who I had a lot of respect for playing against him. Just somebody who sees – we see the game similar, and he’s fun to be on the field with.”
(Your run defense, this was the first opponent you held to fewer than 100 yards rushing. You get Buffalo, they had 108 last time but the James Cook run, the 48-yard run, was pretty much it. How do you view the run defense this season? What’s going to be the key on Sunday against Buffalo and James Cook?) – “It starts with stopping the run, but obviously yesterday we did that but he was still able to throw for 300 yards. Stopping the run is the first priority, any time you come into a game to force a team to have to throw the ball in predictable situation. I believe that’s a huge emphasis going in there each week, stopping the run, and then being able to get takeaways which we haven’t been doing. But like I said, being able to stop the run, force teams to throw the ball and try to make them play left-handed.”
(When you look at it, do you look at it as the defense collapsed late or Arizona just made plays late?) – “I think you can say a little bit of both. There’s definitely some plays that we all want back from yesterdays game, especially late in the game. They did make some plays, I mean they ran a ‘Oh, crap’ play first play of the second half, which is basically a tight end wheel route coming around. I mean a great schemed up play; they made some plays, but we needed to make one more and that’s what it comes down to.”
De’Von Achane – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane
(How’s it feeling, got the offense going today with QB Tua Tagovailoa, but the disappointment in the loss?) – “It feels good to be out there with him. To see him back comfortable and him back in the offense, but like you said we always want to win games. Of course, our end goal is to always come out with a win. So, of course you got somebody that’s going to be down but you just have to get back to work.”
(What were some of the issues on that final drive that kept you guys from continuing to keep the clock going?) – “I think it was just little mistakes as far as like just little details that we don’t think about, but we really do. That’s really it, like you said. I feel like we didn’t have a lot of penalties that we’ve been having. I feel like we cleaned up in that area, but as far as little details we just have to make sure that we hone in on those things.”
(How nice was it to have Tua back today?) – “It was great. Like I said, his energy he brought to the team, his confidence, his swagger. That’s something that we were missing and he brought that to this team today.”
Calais Campbell – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
DT Calais Campbell
Q. What happened in the second half with the defense?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Missed opportunities, you know, Kyler Murray played a great game and it’s heart-breaking because I feel like we played great defense the last few weeks. First half, we were rolling and, it’s the NFL, though. It’s a momentum game and Kyler made some big-time plays in big moments and the ball kind of just bounced their way in moments, too. Like rarely do you get a sack fumble and the quarterback picks it up and throws it away and then goes and scores a touchdown that drive. It’s just like, wow. Like what happens in that moment is just — it’s tough. But you got to take your hat off. Kyler Murray played a heck of a game.
Q. What’s it like trying to corral a quarterback like Kyler Murray with his elusiveness back there?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: It’s tough. He’s up there in the best in the business making guys miss and we had a lot of opportunities on him. A lot of guys, unblocked, getting to him and he just makes a guy miss and throws the ball away. Those are hidden yardage, those are big plays, especially when it comes to momentum and the way the ball game goes. Those plays – you make them, it’s a whole different ball game. Too many times and I think just we got in a situation where they kind of run past and they run the ball well late in that last drive and it’s heartbreaking and then just that last play Kyler did to get that third and four or whatever, you know he’s going to keep the ball, just, like man, inches, game of inches. He just make a heck of a play. You’ve got to take your hat off to him, great ball game.
Q. As you watch Tua play – not just from a football perspective but also keep in mind the bigger picture, everything that’s gone on. What goes through your mind as you watch that today?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: He played a heck of a ball game. Tua played a heck of a ball game. He gave us a chance to win and it was fun to watch, you know? He was scrambling for that first down on 39 in the red zone, you’re like ‘slide, slide, slide, don’t try to get no courage there.’ But he’s smart. He knows don’t take unnecessary risks, but he’s a phenomenal quarterback. It’s different when he’s out there and it’s good to see him out there. He played a great ball game. It hurts that we didn’t win this ball game, especially for him, but for all of us just because of where we’re at as a team, but as long as there’s life left, we’re going to fight. I still believe this team has everything it takes to win and hopefully we’re building character. Obviously it doesn’t really matter until you do something with it, say all the right stuff but none of it really matters. It just comes down to believing and fighting and hopefully executing and getting back in this thing, you know?
Q. How do you think the impact of some key players due to injury – Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Zach Sieler, Jevón Holland, Kader Kohou, others, how do you think that impacts the result?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I mean, you remove players that’s tough, you know? You lose players, it’s tough. I don’t know exactly what happened to the guys – just kind of like you’re in the full speed thick of things and things just kind of happen and you realize guys are not out there anymore. It’s not like there’s a big announcement or anything like that. I noticed that ‘8’ (Jevón Holland) wasn’t out there and he’s a tone-setter. He’s a big-time player for us and that was a big loss. I don’t even know how many – you just gave me more information just now. I didn’t even realize. It’s kind of like do your job and farm your own land and make sure I’m on point but any time you lose guys, that makes it tough, just changes things, communication and flow and rhythm and rapport. All that stuff matters so Zach not being out there is huge and guys stepped up and played well in his absence, but it’s just a difference when you have the rapport and that connection. I think especially in the pass rush game and stuff like that, he’s such a force but (Da’Shawn) Hand played great. I feel like we had opportunities to win the ball game we just didn’t.
Q. What were your thoughts on Marvin Harrison seeing him for the first time?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: He made some big-time catches. Two really big ones on the sideline, one for the touchdown that they reviewed. Those were huge plays. Tough balls, Kyler gave him an opportunity and he made the catches. Great players in this league all around and he’s another one. Good, young player that’s probably going to be really good in this league for a long time to come as long as he stays healthy. As a football fan, I admire talent and greatness and I like to see guys develop, but it sure hurts when they do it to you. It sure when they make big plays against us, so it is what it is.
Q. What were some of the issues of covering the tight end, Trey McBride?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I mean, I think he just – we had good coverage on him, he just made plays. They do a good job of finding ways to get him the ball in space and stuff. A lot of times it’s deep to short and take the check down to him and he makes guys miss because he’s a great athlete but another great player. Talented as can be. It’s just football. You go back and forth, but they made enough plays to win and we didn’t. I feel like we’ve got great players and we could win this ball game the majority of the time, especially the way the game went. It was our game probably nine out of ten times, but rolling, got momentum and then I think, you know, safety, touchdown, ball game changes, you know?
Q. You’re obviously a leader on this team and I feel like you touched on it earlier, but what do you tell the guys on this team as you guys are now 2-5?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I mean, to fight, you know? To stay the course, stay together. At the end of the day, nobody’s going to come and get us out of this hole. It’s just us. Ain’t nobody coming to save the day. It’s us going out there and fighting, playing for 60 minutes, preparing the best we can and leaving it all out there on the football field. I think the belief and knowing that if we put the work in is going to pay off. If we sacrifice, it’s going to pay off. That’s the ball game. That’s the season. That’s what everything is about. We have so many players that are capable of making plays to help us win ball games, but we’ve got to believe, we got to stay focused and keep putting the work in and eventually the tide has to turn.
Jaylen Waddle – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
(What was it like having Tua back?) – “It was great. He came back ready to play, guns blazing. So, it was good. We needed him.”
(You guys obviously wanted to put it away on that last drive, what were the little details that added up that didn’t go your way to get it done?) – “It’s always the little details in close games like that. We definitely want to end the game with the ball. We’re going to be better. Got to be better.”
(Is it just a different feel out there when the offense is playing with Tua out there?) – “Definitely. He’s our guy. That’s our leader, that’s our captain. He does a great job of commanding the team and the offense (inaudible).”
Terron Armstead – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins OT Terron Armstead
(How did it feel offensively working with Tua and moving the ball down the field the way the way you guys were able to do it?) – “It felt better, it felt more rhythmic. We were able to get some first downs, some good drives going, good momentum. We had a couple drives that we would love to have back and finish with some touchdowns instead of field goals. You know what I mean, in hindsight, they always tend to bite you. So we can work toward that, you know? Execute better in the red zone and walk away with touchdowns instead of field goals.”
(What was it like having Tua back in the huddle, did it seem like he hadn’t missed a beat?) – “Yeah, it seemed like he was right back. It felt familiar, it was great, it was great, and it’s going to be great moving forward.”
(What was that moment like before Achane’s touchdown where Tua had the open field, ran, slid, and everybody kind of cheered, what was that moment like?) – “It was great. Great energy from the fans, that embrace. This team, we’ve been through some adversity for sure. So, it was a good moment. For Tua to be fearless, go run, get that first down, slide, the reaction from the fans; it was a great moment.”
Tyreek Hill – October 27, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Postgame – Arizona Cardinals
Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
(How are things going knowing how much is at stake [inaudible]?) – “It sucks. Every time you lose in this league, it sucks. They are a good football team, but the end of the day, I feel like we obviously are a better football team; we’ve just have to prove it on tape as a team. Not just one player. We’ve got to play – every man on the field, everybody’s has to play better. And at the end of the day it’s got to mean something to you. It’s got to.”
(It seemed like there was a play called there to make a difference and it just didn’t happen on that little screen pass?) – “Yeah, there was. I went back and watched it on tape. Obviously there was a play to be made, but they get paid, too, on the other side of the ball. Those guys have a great defense, they did a good job at shutting us down and knowing what to do when the team needed it. Props to them.”
(Is Buffalo a must-win next week?) – “Each and every week is a must-win. Our mindset was a must-win this week, but next week, 24-hour rule, we’re going to move on and Buffalo is a must-win.”
