Danny Crossman – October 24, 2024
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Thursday, October 24, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The team released depth chart has WR Malik Washington now replacing WR Braxton Berrios as your punt and kickoff returner, is that the way you expect it to go for the most part – I know there are always exceptions for WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle – and what kind of skills does he bring to the job?) – “Well, I think as you guys saw, and you gals, he did a good job in the preseason, got a good history. We were happy with where he was coming out of training camp after the preseason and then was dealing with a little bit of an injury. So No. 1, happy to have him back to begin with. Sadly, with Braxton (Berrios) getting injured, we felt really off to a strong year in the return game and decision-making and some of the things that he was able to do. But with Malik (Washington) and some of the other guys that we’ve talked about over the years, we think we still have some quality players on the roster that’ll be dressed on Sunday that we can get through the game.”
(Just looking at the video, it looked like WR Braxton Berrios’ injury was non-contact? He was at the 20-yard line and made the cut.) – “Yeah, just making a cut. Put his foot in the ground to make the cut, and yeah, it’s a sad deal. But that’s the game we play sadly, and it’s part of it.”
(LS Blake Ferguson, is there anything you can tell us about him and the job that LS Matt Overton did in his replacement?) – “Yeah, Blake (Ferguson) is dealing with a personal issue and we’re going to support him. He’s still a member of our club and a guy we have great respect for, but we’re going to do everything we can while he’s dealing with what he’s dealing with, and in the meantime, like everything in the National Football League, the train doesn’t stop. So we’re fortunate we were able to get Matt (Overton) in, he did a good job on Sunday and look forward to working with him going forward.”
(What’s the challenge for a new long snapper? Cadence, weather…) – “All of it. It’s a different operation, the sequence, the protection, the terminology. It’s any player, but that player in specific, that’s what starts the play. So any time you’re changing center, quarterback, the cadence, the operation, the voice inflexions, all those things are a moving part. So those are things that we’re working through and so far, happy with where we’re at.”
(You mentioned LS Matt Overton did a fine job on Sunday. Right now he’s on the practice squad needing to be elevated each week. Could you see him as a long-term solution?) – “As you guys know, there’s so many moving parts when it comes to handling roster stuff. So there’s a lot of ways that we can handle it. Right now, because of how our roster is set up, that’s the best way for us to operate.”
(Your punt block or punt return team, correct me if I’m wrong, TE Julian Hill, DT Da’Shawn Hand and LB Quinton Bell all came close to punt blocks or perhaps and DT Calais Campbell tipped one earlier this year. How is that unit doing for that respect?) – “Yeah, they’re doing well. We got to finish those plays as you mentioned. We got the tip and we’re getting the ‘close to’s – it’s like anything, that’s a little bit where we are right now. You look at it in a couple other phases, i.e., field goal. We’ve hit the upright twice in a row; close, we’ve got to be able to get it done. We’ve got to be able to finish the play. They’re doing a great job putting themselves in position, now we just got to be able to clean up some of those minor details to be able to finish some of those plays.”
(TE Julian Hill had a false start – you don’t have to name anyone, was that Julian? I thought it was someone else.) – “There were multiple people.”
(I figured I might owe TE Julian Hill an apology, a social media apology. And then just a football question – so on the touchback before the half, the touchback to the 30, Indy only has to go 36 yards and anybody does. Two plays, 52-yard field goal, is that touchback too punitive? What does the league want you to do?) – “Again, those are all things – and don’t take this (the wrong way), we’re not worried about what the league thinks. We’re going to play the rules and we’re going to play the numbers, and we have our own thoughts and process. There’s a lot of things that go into that; time, timeouts, who you’re playing and who the quarterback is – there’s a myriad of things that go into that and it’s a week-to-week, game-to-game operation and decision that we’ll make based upon who we’re playing, how much time, how many timeouts, how the game is progressing, is it a shootout, so there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
(But just as a football question, the extra ten yards – you used to get it at the 20. Or am I reading that wrong?) – “I think – you can’t even think about that anymore. I mean the average drive start on a return is the 29, the average drive start on a touchback is the 30. So the 20-30, get that out of your mind. Right now, it’s a yard.”
(How was the snap and how was protection on the missed field goal near the end of the game?) – “There’s one thing that we can clean up from a protection standpoint, but the snap, the hold, the kick – no problem with it. Again, it’s just two weeks in a row we hit the left upright. Again, I don’t like it. It bothers me, I’m not happy. It’s a results, got to have points business, but at the same time, you see misses that are like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ You have misses where you’re hitting the stick, not that it’s easier to live with because it’s points that we leave on the field and we don’t put them on the board, but it’s not something that I stress over. There’s a lot of stuff I stress over.”
(RB DeeJay Dallas, he ran one back earlier in the season. What do you have to do to make sure that doesn’t happen?) – “Talented player. You got to tackle him, he is a hard-running, physical running back. You’re not going to bring him down with arm tackles. He does a good job – when he has a crease, he does a good job of putting his foot in the ground and finding it. Deceptive speed for a bigger player. They’ve got multiple guys in the return game that are good players, so when they have the ball in their hand, we have to do a good job of tackling. Whether it’s he (Dallas), whether it’s (Greg) Dortch, whether it’s Dortch in the kick game, the return game – he can make people miss, so it’s a good group.”
(They’ve got K Chad Ryland kicking, does that affect your strategy for Head Coach Mike McDaniel, for Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver or any of them? I mean, he’s obviously not K Matt Prater.) – “But again, if you look at the season that he’s having – and there’s a lot of those guys around the league that maybe have a speed bump with their first organization and then they come back with the next organization or the second organization and they’re very, very productive and good players. I see a couple guys and gals shaking their head – in your mind you’re thinking ‘Oh, there’s this guy.’ Everybody can think of two or three guys on their own, probably not even the same people. So he’s a good player, he’s a talented kicker getting a second chance which you love to see and doing a good job. So won’t change our thought process at all.”
(I’m curious if the league put out any memo about the pushing the head down thing that we see – the pushing the head down and jumping because I saw it was flagged on a player in a national game last week. Was there a reminder sent out or something?) – “In the weekly – here are some things that are going on. Here are some things – here are the rules and here’s what you can and cannot do. So something that the officials are just more aware of. Any time it happens, especially in a national game, it’s going to be going forward – “
(So prior to last week’s games, there was a reminder about the pushing the helmet down while touching, can’t use him for leverage? That’s the key word, right? Leverage?) – “Yes, something that was talked about – correct, you can’t touch your player or the opposing player as you work through the line of scrimmage.”
(One more thing on LS Blake Ferguson without getting into why he’s absent. Obviously, the list he’s on puts him out for four games. We didn’t have a chance to ask Head Coach Mike McDaniel this yesterday with all the QB Tua Tagovailoa news, but is the expectation that Blake will play for you this season again?) – “Again, no timetable, don’t know. We’re dealing with things and whatever course those things take, when it comes to fruition and he’s available, we’ll cover that bridge when we get to it.”
Jaylen Waddle – October 23, 2024
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Wednesday, October 23, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(What was it like having QB Tua Tagovailoa back on the practice field?) – “It was good. He brought a lot of energy to the team, just brought his swag back to the team.”
(On a personal level, you’ve played with him a long time. As a friend, how happy were you for him? He seems like he’s in a really good mood here in the locker room.) – “Yeah, extremely happy. Everything he had to overcome to get back on the field, it’s a blessing to have him out there and see him out there throwing the ball, catching balls from him again. Yeah, it was nice.”
(WR Tyreek Hill was downright ecstatic talking to us about his return. Do you feel like the offense is going to get back in the grove here?) – “Yeah, we’re confident, man. We’re going out there working every day, working every rep, getting our timing down and making it happen.”
(WR Tyreek Hill and RB Raheem Mostert said their message to QB Tua Tagovailoa, their advice: “Slide.” Are you saying the same thing?) – “Slide as far as run fast or slide, like slide, slide?”
(He means sliding, like literally sliding) – “Oh, slide. You can slide in both ways, running away from somebody and actually sliding. So yeah man, for sure.”
(WR Tyreek Hill told us to ask everyone about this connection QB Tua Tagovailoa and him had, what was your perspective of it in practice today?) – “Oh yeah, they were on today. I think he almost completed every ball he through to ‘Reek,’ so any time they’re vibing like that, it normally leads to big plays.”
Tyreek Hill – October 23, 2024
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Wednesday, October 23, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(So how did QB Tua Tagovailoa look to you in his first practice back?) – “He looked great. Felt like old times, me and him connected on a few deep shots today and that kind of got me feeling good today. I missed that and I missed him. I told I’ve got to take him and his wife to dinner because I missed him so much. (Expletive) was so beautiful, that (expletive) almost made me cry today like just having him in the lineup, having him call the plays, having him direct the offense, like just hearing his voice. I know that sounds crazy, but he’s a big part of this team. You see why these quarterbacks get paid so much money, man, and just the respect I have for him, the respect this whole team has for him. We’re going to have his back no matter what, so glad to have him back.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said he sat close to you on the plane and talked on Sunday. What were your emotions like after such an unusual game where you and WR Jaylen Waddle got so few touches?) – “I don’t know, bro, like (expletive) I’ve been chilling. I was asleep after the game. My mindset is going to be the same mindset every week, is to win – I don’t know care how many touches I got. If we would’ve won the game 17-16 and I had two targets or three catches, I would have been fine with that. I just want to win. I’m at a point in my life and a point in my career where the most important thing is to win ball games and I feel like that makes up who I am – the person, the player, all of that. I could care less – if the stats come, they come.”
(How hard has this month been for you?) – “This month has been great for me. My wife is about to have a baby. We’re about to have a beautiful baby girl so this month is great. Football is football; I feel like I’ve been playing football my whole entire life. You’re going to have ups, you’re going to have downs. I’m going on Year 9 now, so I understand how it goes. I’m not finna dwell on it, I’m not finna lose my head over football. I’m going to control what I can control which is running the right route, being in the right spot, being a good teammate for my teammates.”
(How much of a difference does it make having QB Tua Tagovailoa back?) – “It makes a lot of difference. Tua (Tagovailoa) – him and Mike (McDaniel), they’ve got this real special connection. He allows Tua to be Tua. Tua has a connection with all the guys, all of us spend a lot of time with Tua so the connection is there. Then when you bring that all on the field, it magnifies everything that we do – throws are on time, play calling, the operation is faster. He just does a great job of commanding this offense.”
(What’s it going to take the get the 2023 version of this offense back, do you think?) – “Just having Tua (Tagovailoa) back will get us back. Like having Tua back, he’s a big part of this team. He’s the franchise, and anybody that doesn’t see that or doesn’t believe it, go to another team. I could care less right now, but like I said, I missed the dude. This whole team misses him.”
(As teammates, as friends, have you guys ever told QB Tua Tagovailoa over the past two years, like “Bro, you’ve got to get down. You’ve got to slide”?) – “Damn right, tell his ass all the time. (Expletive), when we were playing against the Colts, you see the fans start clapping for Anthony Richardson when he slid. I said our fans need to clap for Tua, make him slide. We need you, bro, next play. (laughter) Come on, (expletive). That (expletive) is real, it’s real. We love him. From brother to brother, we love him. Like he’s a huge part of this team.”
(From what we saw, he looked pretty sharp from the beginning. Were you expecting that or?) – “That’s just Tua (Tagovailoa), bro. He’s sharp. Everything he does, he’s sharp especially in football. He’s going to be accurate; ball is going to be catchable real good, soft in your hands, on time, all of that. It’s going to sharp, so it’s expected.”
(So you weren’t surprised?) – “I’m not surprised. Like we’re in the NFL – it’s the top of the top. Guys are going to stay on top of their job regardless.”
(The timing was back to where it was?) – “It was beautiful. It was so beautiful. I bet if you go ask every guy in this locker room, just say ‘Hey, did Tua connect with Tyreek today?’ And if they say ‘Yeah’ the next question should be ‘What was his reaction right after that?’ I just had a big cheese on my face because it just felt so good. Like y’all don’t know what it does to me.”
(It was a long one?) – “Like one of them over the middle, you know what I’m saying? It was so beautiful. It was nice.”
(At one point you returned a lot of punts obviously in your career, done it very well. Have you brought up to Head Coach Mike McDaniel or Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman about possibly doing that now with WR Braxton Berrios out?) – “No, I’m washed up in that department, bro. For real, I’m done. (laughter) No, if the team needs me to go back there and return punts, obviously I’ll go back there. In critical situations I’m always trying to get the ball in my hands. I always want to be that playmaker. That’s just my mindset so for the past few weeks I’ve been practicing catching punts anyways, so if my number is called, I’m going to go back there.”
(What would you tell people who have you in fantasy who might be a little frustrated from the first six games?) – “We’re back, baby. Strike up the (expletive) band, we’re back, baby. Start me this week, baby, let’s go. (laughter)”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked about QB Tua Tagovailoa not being the savior though…) – “Say what he wants to say. Say what he wants to say, but Tua is that guy. He is that deal. He’s a big part of this team, I’m going to keep saying that. Every guy in this locker room knows that. Obviously when we go play a game, it’s next man up; that’s the mentality all day. That’s the mentality all day, but when Tua is a part of this offense, can’t nobody stop us, bro. We should score every day, that’s the way I look at it. That’s the way I look at it. we’ve got too much talent.”
Raheem Mostert – October 23, 2024
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Wednesday, October 23, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(WR Tyreek Hill said he was cheesin’ a lot. What does that look like when Tyreek is smiling like that?) – “That means ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill) is back. I don’t know, it’s something. They were running routes today, and he caught a ball that Tua (Tagovailoa) threw it to him, and it just looked like they didn’t skip a beat.”
(The offense is going to look different obviously with QB Tua Tagovailoa back, but do you still think this is a team that needs to be a power running team that can get downhill on teams?) – “Yeah, absolutely. We have to play complementary football, that’s something that’s been harped on since I’ve gotten here and that’s what we’re going to continue to do. Just having Tua back just gives us an extra boost of morale and confidence within the offense because he has a great understanding of it and he’s also connected with the receivers as well. So all of that stuff goes hand in hand.”
(There’s nobody in this locker room that wears their heart on their sleeve as much as you. You’ve got to have been killing yourself after what happened on Sunday.) – “Yeah. Yeah, it’s one of those things where mistakes happen – that’s part of the game. You have to own up to it, but then you have to come back. It’s a short turnaround and get ready for the next week. That’s the sole purpose of how you play football, especially this week against the Cardinals.”
(What does a practice like today feel like after you lost the games that you’ve lost, but to get QB Tua Tagovailoa back, what does it actually feel like to get back on the field?) – “It feels good, but in the grand scheme of things, with or without Tua, you still have to have that accountability piece. For me, that’s something I don’t take lightly. If I make a mistake, I want to continue to improve and get better as a player and get better as a teammate. When Tua comes back, that’s just all the more reason to get that extra oomph and feel good about yourself.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa mentioned that he needs to be smart going forward with the way he protects himself on the field, and we just talked with WR Tyreek Hill, and he said, “Slide Tua.” Have you felt the need to kind of talk to him about that?) – “Oh yeah, we’ve been talking to him ever since his injury. I’ve been telling him, ‘Hey, you need to work on sliding.’ And we all joke around and laugh, but on a serious note, he knows that he has to protect himself a little bit better and moving forward, only he can control those things. We can say those things to him until we’re blue in the face, but one thing that I would say that’s always my saying is, ‘Hey, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, right?’ We’re going to bring Tua to that water, but we can’t make him drink. (laughter) He has an understanding of that, and moving forward, he’s going to do his best.”
(He said he was amping up for every single game he was out as if he was going to be playing. How much more respect has he gained as a leader through this whole thing?) – “Oh, a lot more respect. You just see the type of guy that he is, he never shies away from humility. He’s always at his best when those things come about. He takes ownership in his craft and in his leadership, he takes pride in that. So to get him back and to get a guy that we trust who’s a key part of this offense is very critical in this organization.”
Mike McDaniel – October 23, 2024
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Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So besides QB Tua Tagovailoa, will anyone else be designated to return this week? And if not, are any of the eligible guys – WR River Cracraft, OL Isaiah Wynn, LB Cameron Goode, LB Bradley Chubb, S Patrick McMorris – are any of them close to where we might see them in a game in early to mid-November? That is a lot, but I had to pack in five names. There are five names eligible –) – “Yeah, there are. It’s not out of the complete question, but I don’t foresee – this week wasn’t really where my timeline was. I’m looking at each day and I can’t at least forecast it this week, but beyond that, I don’t anticipate anything this week. And as far as November, I think if I’m worried about November right now, everyone would be pissed.”
(There were two things related to QB Tua Tagovailoa that I’m trying to straighten out, maybe you can help me. Obviously, he went on injured reserve, so he missed four games and there was a bye week, so there was five weeks to recover from the concussion. And yet the other day, he said that the very next day after the hit he was symptom-free, so how do those two things go together?) – “I think the most important thing is to understand the nature of which the decision is made and however people define symptoms – did he elaborate on that based upon – it’s pretty simple. We maximize the amount of experts that their expertise is in the brain and the head, and then we do everything we can to make sure that all of those things are available. Our training staff works with players 100 percent of the time to do right by them, and so as you’re acquiring the information and as you’re working through it, it’s pretty simple when the medical experts are advising you to do one thing. The whole issue was that it needed time to rest for that injury. And so then that makes it pretty cut and dry when I’m not going to enter into anything outside of – especially with people’s careers and with the organization, we’re trying to do right. Then you’re trying to establish a timeframe, you don’t know how things are going to look whenever so you make that decision based upon the medical experts. So I would attribute that to maybe what symptom-free, what does that – so does that mean… I don’t know, I’m not a medical expert in terms of what does that even mean, and relative to the science, why is it important to have rest; these are things that I think it would be incredibly irresponsible if I made a decision based upon, however many weeks removed, a casual statement of symptom-free. I can’t explain any more concrete, with no BS, very simple – experts tell me. We handle business with these human beings that are not just whatever, they are human beings that we have relationships with. You do right by people and the organization by not anything other than seeking the expert medical advice and moving forward with that.”
(I asked you on Monday and you said you needed more information – do you know now QB Tyler Huntley’s availability? You brought in QB C.J. Beathard, so who’s your backup this week?) – “That’ll be dependent upon – I just want to see how guys play this week. ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley), I don’t think is going to be available this week, so based upon how I see Skylar (Thompson) operate and how I see Tim (Boyle), how I see C.J. (Beathard), we’ll make a decision based upon that. So in our current situation, there’s not any predetermined ‘I have the right answer.’ I’ll watch and adjust, but right now, we’re assessing, and we’ll do that on the practice field today.”
(Obviously, QB Tua Tagovailoa has had five weeks of rust not being able to practice or throw with his teammates. Do you go back into your expansive playbook and say, “OK, everything is the status quo, let’s do motions and shifts and things of that nature as we were doing five weeks ago?”) – “Yes – no, just kidding. (laughter) No, I think you’re looking more for the yes or no. I think you have to – it’s like anything else; every decision of every play, which to break it down where everyone’s aligned relative to the field position, who’s in, what direction, what type of play, all those things, every single thing that has to do with any portion of a play is an intentional decision. So as you can imagine, I don’t even try to – I’m not forecasting to be right all the time, that’s not the objective. You’re trying to look through, ‘OK, well how can I get Tua to be best part of the team in the way he needs to be,’ which is he needs to be the captain, he needs to be the leader of this team, and he needs to feel complete ownership of his game. So knowing all of that, staying in literally daily conversations for the last five weeks and staying into gameplans, being able to share with him why we’re doing one thing here and adjust this a little from the way we do it from when you’re quarterback and doing various things – a lot of schematic football conversations that you don’t always have time to have based upon him being an available resource and me being available to him and talking through those things. You’re trying to build on what the team is doing right now and then utilize his strengths because the objective is that everyone is playing their most comfortable for the first time since Week 1. So it changes your progression, that’s much of what the NFL season is, is you are, for us, half of the stuff that we’ve built towards or evolved in our offense is coming from, ‘All right, this idea comes from this issue that this defense presented,’ or, ‘Yeah, when we try to execute this ball handling or this type of play fake, it was really hard for you to see.’ OK, well I’d prefer you’re able to see, let’s change this, that or the other. So I wouldn’t say it’s a way different set of circumstances, and I think you don’t just go absolute with any individual; you try to meet everyone in the middle because it’s not about what he’s comfortable with, it’s about winning a football game and how any and every decision is based upon that. It would probably be – maybe my younger years but I’m a seasoned vet, so I don’t assume that he is – I mean, you don’t go and ride the Tour de France on the first time you’ve picked the bike back up, you know? So that’s kind of the way we’re approaching it and excited to see him start the process.”
(You found a lot of success the last couple of weeks power running – 40plus carries each of the last two weeks. I wouldn’t imagine we’d see that when you have QB1 back, but is the identity of the team maybe changed and wide-open stuff that we saw last year and you tried earlier in the year maybe get away from that a bit?) – “You try to have a football team that is able to do whatever it takes to win the game. Now we have some very good players involved in the pass game, some of the best players in the league. So you get them involved, but does that change your ratio of things? Not if – the one thing I’m not going to do is do something that isn’t motivated by winning the football game. The important thing is that what we have in the midst of something that nobody is fired up about, which is losing three out of four and being at 2-4. Nobody wants that, that sucks. However, seasons aren’t defined by whatever week we’re in but the seventh game. Trivia question – what is the percentage of teams that are 2-4 and end up having the same ratio of wins and losses at the end of the season? I’m going to quickly say I have no idea because no one does. It’s a billion-dollar business that people care about stuff, and I’ve learned one thing in life – when you have no control and you care, you’re either going to be really pumped or you’re going to be really pissed. The bottom line is we have found the ability to run the ball with the way we kind of forecasted our evolution into Year 3. That’s hugely important when you’re talking about down the stretch, matchups and when you have a game that it’s win or go home, which invariably everyone does. You don’t get to pick, ‘Well we like passing the ball.’ Is your advantage running it? Well you better be able to run the ball that game because their pass rushers are unbelievable and if you put yourself in known passing situations, you’re going to have four turnovers. To me, you need your team to be able to do whatever it takes to win and the silver lining is finding the pieces of growth in the midst of us not getting the desired results and losing. In that, two things can be true; you can lose and you can develop. At some point, that development has to turn into wins or it can’t be real development. That piece, there is several positivities within the team that what were unknowns could appear to be strengths, and I think that only helps us and we’ll do whatever to win a game. I think the good news is the thirst for winning is never stronger and players and coaches alike are never more all for doing what it takes to win than when you lose.”
(Can you talk about the boost to the moral of this team it’ll provide to just have QB Tua Tagovailoa out there on the practice field for the first time?) – “I think it will be a big deal considering he’s the captain and leader of this franchise. The franchise QB that without question when the players are voting for the captains, he has the most votes. That to me is the best way to establish an indicator of who they feel is their leader. He had tremendous growth each year, particularly this year, in terms of that and being a leader and what that means and growing into that. I think during this stretch where he hasn’t been on the field, he’s at even a more powerful place with the team just based upon his feet on the ground and not just saying but showing his love for the team and his teammates is stronger than his individual circumstance. He signed up to play, not coach on the sidelines in the white. I think that overall the team will be very excited to have their quarterback back.”
(What did you guys like about QB C.J. Beathard?) – “C.J. (Beathard) was a third-round draft pick in the first year I was in San Francisco as an assistant coach. I was the run game coordinator and then offensive coordinator there. I worked pretty hands on with him, so I know a lot about C.J. What I like about him is his competitive drive, his arm talent and his toughness. I think he’s a competitor through and through, and somebody we’re excited to have the opportunity. I reached out to him right after he had his injury settlement with Jacksonville. He let us know when he was fully healthy, and excited that we had the opportunity to add him.”
(What was the process of letting QB Tua Tagovailoa know that he would be returning to practice this week? Is this something that over the weekend you just said, “Hey, you’re coming back,” or how long has he known?) – “I can’t remember the exact day, but I had to wait to make sure there was nothing – you don’t undermine these information sessions and these meetings he has with medical experts. Once we got through maybe the end of last week, I talked to him about it. I can’t remember the exact time, but there was a lot of things that had to be done before I could just stamp that. One thing I don’t want to do is tell him something and then be like, ‘Oh yeah. Well I just talked to the medical experts and I’m going to have to pull back,’ so waited through that. I’m old school, so I kept it real and communicated it with my words to his face and we talked about it. I think he’s known the whole time there is nobody that wants him out there more than I do, but none of us were going to shortchange the incredible responsibility we have to everyone, him included, and just go rouge and start setting up timelines of what we’re going to do before that time came. I feel very good about how he attacked this whole process and how he came out of it to this day. You hope for a couple of days of good work so then you have no blips and you’re cleared to play. You control what you can control, and you have the injury, you get an absolute flooding of the best information possible and Tua is allowed to have conversations and decide what he wants to do with his career always. That’s every player. Just excited that he’s getting to do what he loves to do today on the grass.”
Tua Tagovailoa – October 21, 2024
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Monday, October 21, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(What did the medical experts clear you for? Did they clear you for not having an advanced risk of concussion this season? When you talked to them, what did they clear you for?) – “They cleared me from my concussion that I had.”
(OK and there was no future risk?) – “None of that, no.”
(We skipped the most obvious question, how excited are you to be back to practicing this week?) – “How excited are you?”
(Very.) – “I’m very excited, too.”
(So they cleared you from the concussion, about how long have you been symptom-free for and how long have you been cleared from that concussion for?) – “I would say for myself, I’d been symptom free from the next day after the game.”
(So all of the – I guess what was it like for you? I don’t know how much attention you’d pay to it when so many people in the outside world are saying, “He should retire, don’t play,” this and that, while you’re symptom-free the next day?) – “I wasn’t paying attention to any of it. None of it.”
(You said last time you had that discussion with your family in the offseason. Did that discussion come up in the last month?) – “Nope. Nope, none of that.”
(Will you wear a guardian cap?) – “Nope.”
(Why?) – “Personal choice.”
(Will this change your style of play? Your decision to scramble or run or things like that?) – “Just got to be smart, that’s it. Just got to be smart. My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is or was sort of my edge when I would run from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. But it’s a professional setting; this is the professional level, the best of the best, you just cant be doing that. So definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”
(What caused the concussion? Was it hitting Damar Hamlin or when your head hit the ground?) – “I don’t know. Is that a good answer to that question? I don’t know.”
(What did your family say about you coming back and how deep was that discussion?) – “Nobody – no one’s sort of advice had affected anything that I thought in terms of returning, so no one had an effect on it. Had some conversations with my wife, but that was it.”
(How frustrated are you to have to go through this again and to have to answer all of these questions again? It’s going to be something that we’ll probably ask you about…) – “Hey, I’m frustrated but this is what it is. Do I want to be known for this? No, I don’t but that’s the cards I’ve been dealt with given the history of it. So it is what it is.”
(What have you learned about this process?) – “That it’s not good to get concussions.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned earlier that you’re not expected to come in and kind of be the savior for this team, but you have watched, I imagine, from the sideline as the offense has struggled. How do you balance coming in and trying to spark a turnaround while also not trying to overcompensate and be a hero?) – “I don’t think for myself I put any pressure on myself coming back and having to save the team. I think what we have to do is we’ve got to look at this past game, all 11 guys on the field, were we given an opportunity with the plays that were called to score on every drive? And if we can say yes, then we can look at ourselves and see what we can do to get better moving forward.”
(If you were symptom-free since after that game, how frustrating has it been to have to watch from the sidelines?) – “It’s been frustrating. Frustrating for sure, but I’ve tried to stay in it with meetings with the guys, trying to continue to be the leader for guys in multiple position rooms in terms of what we’re looking at, how you can make the quarterback’s job a little easier by doing this, by doing that and then also some nuances within the offense as well, trying to help everyone.”
(It sounds like your peace of mind comes from the way you reacted to this concussion, like you probably felt you were fine that day or the day after. Is that where you’re coming from?) – “I mean yeah, it’s just frustrating that I couldn’t have helped in any way outside of trying to coach and just talking to guys. It’s been a different type of way of leading with our guys.”
(Do you think you should have been put on injured reserve?) – “What I do know is that I think the team did what was best in the interest of me knowing that I’m a competitor, and given what the doctors have told me that having a substantial amount of time to rest and recover would have been good for me, I think they did what was best in terms of protecting myself from myself.”
(While you were sidelined, did you notice any different way to get the ball to WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle? Everybody is playing the two-high safety, did you come up with anything? Anything different from earlier this season?) – “Listen, I think it’s really tough to ask any of our quarterbacks to come in to do the footwork that we’ve been doing for the past two years, to see fast guys running and seeing the space that’s there and asking them to kind of process all of that. We looked at film, we were able to see what we missed and what we could’ve got better with, but it’s a team sport. It shouldn’t take one position for this whole thing to crumble, everybody needs to be on their Ps and Qs as well.”
(There were a lot of people out there that legitimately worried about your health and making sure that you’re OK. What you would you say to those that are worried that you might get hurt again and it’s just something that’s going to continue?) – “I appreciate your concern, I really do. I love this game and I love it to the death of me, that’s it.”
(What are those conversations like on the sideline? I see you talking to a lot of guys on the sideline, not just the quarterbacks. What have those conversations been like and even with Head Coach Mike McDaniel during the game?) – “Just trying to get the pulse of the team and the guys and to be able to relay some of that information to Mike, ‘Hey, we need to get this guy more involved. Hey, this guy needs to get this or that.’ Or ‘Did you see on the last third down what they were doing,’ communicating that throughout the coaches and with what I’m hearing with the players as well.”
(It’s documented with each concussion the chance of getting one is exponentially more. Has that ever been discussed with you by doctors? Not this time and the last few times, because this is the third time you’ve had one since you’ve been with the Dolphins. Has that been discussed, and did you ask questions about that?) – “Yeah, it’s been discussed with me and the doctors. And I’ve asked questions about it, all of that.”
(And they’ve said it still – that would not be an issue?) – “I think the brain is – there’s just a gray area when it comes to that. If you do know that you’re going to get long-term disease from it, or if you’re not, I just think there’s a lot of gray with it. For me, this is what I love to do. This is what makes me happy and I’m going to do it, that’s it.”
(The gravity of the situation at 2-4, just thinking you guys might need to go 8-3 the rest of the way, perhaps 7-4, what does that mean to you? Do you think about that? Have you looked at the standings and thought about playoff hopes?) – “It doesn’t. I don’t think in any of the records, what if this, what if that – focus on this week. Focus on getting a win and hoping to build off of that.”
(Is there a scenario ever where you would envision yourself blowing back in terms of how much doctor say you should miss? Because you obviously want to continue playing, it’s your life, it’s your decision. Would there ever be a time where they’d say, “Because you’ve had so many, you need to sit out five weeks or six weeks,” and you would say, “No, I’m not sitting out that length of time again,” or do you think you should always defer to what the doctors advise with timetables?) – “Man, I just think it’s based off whatever that individual feels. If you feel like you can go, you can go. This is only – I just think this is only becoming a thing just because of what ended up happening two years ago for myself within the sport. I hate that it’s happened, but we don’t look at boxers the same way. We don’t look at hockey players the same way, but I just think because of what happened in the magnitude that that had that it’s becoming more of an issue here in the league.”
(This latest incident, would it affect your honesty with a trainer if they asked you about your health?) – “No. No, it wouldn’t affect any of that.”
(What have conversations been like between you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Has he kind of just deferred to medical experts and you and your family? Or has he been vocal about how he wants you to protect yourself and what that looks like for you?) – “Yeah, he’s been – the conversations have been more with Mike (McDaniel) and the medical experts. The same information that I’ve been given is the same information that he’s been given around the concussion history and then the long-term health with the brain. So outside of that, he’s been focused on the other quarterbacks and getting them right for the game plan and that game week.”
(I imagine the immediate aftermath was probably murky, but what do you remember about that period of time as you left the field? And then, I think Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that you joined your family in the locker room.) – “I remember everything. It was just as I was getting up to leave off the field some things were spotty, but outside of that I remember the play, I remember seeing my family, I remember everything.”
(With your return, do you expect the deep ball and everything to be like it was? Or will it take a little bit of time for this offense to kind of find its footing do you think?) – “I’ve been working my butt off as if I was getting ready to play every game for every week; looking over the gameplan, going out and working with the athletic staff to go stand in a spot and I throw it to them and continue to work the timing of my footwork and all that to stay in shape and just to get ready. I expect us to come out – whether we throw it deep or we don’t, expect us to come out and execute all of the plays that are given to us.”
(How long have you been throwing?) – “For five weeks.”
(You had a chance to throw with WR Odell Beckham Jr. I’ve heard?) – “A little bit.”
(How excited are you to get back into the flow with all the guys?) – “I’m excited. I’m excited.”
(You’ve said it’s obviously your decision and you have so much more information than we do, but how much risk do you think you’re taking to play again? Any more than the normal player?) – “Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work? Get into a car crash, I don’t know. Everything I think takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything and I’m willing to play the odds, that’s it.”
Mike McDaniel – October 21, 2024
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Monday, October 21, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(A – will QB Tua Tagovailoa practice on Wednesday? And B – will Tua play on Sunday if he clears protocol this week?) – “Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday and the clearing doesn’t come until after some of the activity, but we’re obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined.”
(Why is this the right week to bring him back?) – “Following – specifically with concussions, but just any injury in general, just following the directive and the opinion of medical experts. I think the reason why he’s coming back now is because the medical experts have deemed it safe for him to return. So I don’t mess with timelines or try to overcook or forecast. You lean on experts for matters of the career and that’s what we’re doing here.”
(The decision to place him on injured reserve, did that also come from medical experts’ recommendation or was that more of a team being precautionary or erring on the side of caution with him?) – “This will be a good one to tweet out – I feel like I’ve answered it like six times – but the medical experts deemed that he would be best served with time. And in terms of the roster and equating what that timeline looked like, it was a little unknown, and so when the brain’s health will be determined by the time, you make that decision. Each concussion is unique to its own, but that’s why you have to really rely upon people that study the brain for a living and that was the driving force.”
(Will QB Tua Tagovailoa wear a guardian cap when he returns?) – “That’s a great question for Tua (Tagovailoa). I think contrary to popular belief, as it’s collectively bargained, we aren’t allowed to mandate things that aren’t mandated in terms of their attire. I think in terms of his career, we just have a high priority to pass forth information and knowledge so that decisions can be made with the full breadth of information. I think that I always preach that it is the individual player’s determination if they want to do so, and so what you don’t do is skirt the information gathering process and you make sure they’re well-informed and they have access to all the available options which is supremely important to me. And then players, when they’re making choices that relate to they’re playing their careers as it’s negotiated in the collective bargaining agreement, I appreciate the individual determination for how they play. Good question for him.”
(Do you have a sense of who his backup will be this week?) – “Not as of yet. It’s to be determined. Some information still needs to be gathered, and I heard you guys didn’t want to wait till like, 6 or 7 tonight for this press conference.”
(Is it your sense that QB Tyler Huntley’s injury might be season ending?) – “My sense is I have no senses about it yet. It went from, ‘All right, we’ll keep you updated and abreast on whether or not he can come back into the game,’ to ‘He will not be coming back into the game.’ So there’s still some stuff going on with the evaluation process and I’ll make my determination on that alongside the coaching staff and Chris (Grier). That’ll probably come tomorrow where I’m kind of making those thoughts out.”
(If I remember this correctly the last time QB Tua Tagovailoa came back from a concussion in 2022, in that first game there was a moment where he lowered his shoulder and kind of initiated contact at the end of the run, comes back to the sideline, is like, “sorry Coach, I needed that one.” What’s the messaging from you to him this time around about protecting himself in situations like that?) – “I think he has a better understanding of his responsibility towards to the entire organization at this point. My answer would be, ‘You don’t need that one’ this time around. And I think it’s been eye-opening, too, for him where he was at a place where he really felt comfortable attacking the nuances of the game and he’s just in a different place as far as a leader of this team and feels tremendous responsibility to do everything in his power to be on the field, so part of that is protecting yourself. I’ve got to make sure that he’s properly protected, but at the same time I can’t control everything and he has to be able to protect himself for him to – regardless of the first down conversion that he’s trying to get – for him to be on the field with his team that he needs to be smart about how he engages in contact.”
(I just wanted to follow up – I know this offseason he talked about losing weight partially to have more mobility. Does that plan change at all, the mobile aspect of his game?) – “It’s more about extending plays and being able to move within the pocket for that extra hitch or two. It’s not really like a quarterback run game type of thought process, but for him – I think one of the reasons why this time around he was so diligent and deliberate on excessive running and staying in shape to keep that what he feels, and I think I would agree, is a competitive advantage for his game is being able to move his body around in the best way that allows him to make the plays that he’s capable of making. I wouldn’t say that from a schematic standpoint things would alter that much. I think that comes into making sure that the protection plans are right and the hot routes that are within the concept are right and that they’re going to be good for him to get the ball out, and then him being smart and utilizing his football IQ and his acumen as the quarterback of the team and be able to protect himself with his skills as the team needs him to.”
(Obviously the night he had a concussion was a very emotional night all around for this team. So what does it mean for you to have QB Tua Tagovailoa back?) – “I think it means any time you have teammates that you grow together with, I think it feels a little off when he’s not in the mix as much and you’re not calling plays for him. So I think it’s meaningful for the whole team considering he’s been a captain every year I’ve been here but has completely – I can’t remember the number – but he’s continued to grow how many votes he gets and he’s really the – across the board, I think everyone would say that he’s the leader of this team, so I think that’s a powerful thing that his team will appreciate. But I think it’s important to state – what I just finished talking to the team about is that he’s not the savior either. There’s a lot of things that have to be looked at from an individual’s game and all three phases to get better because it’s not ‘All right, Tua is here, he’s going to fix the issues.’ Everyone has to be on board to do their part to getting results that we want.”
(WR Tyreek Hill seemed a little upset after the game. Have you talked to him? Or has anyone talked to him? How is his mindset?) – “I sit probably 20 yards away from him on the plane. I think Tyreek (Hill) led the charge last week on selfless football and really honing in on fundamentals and technique that I thought he had his best game so far with how he was attacking defenders from the line of scrimmage and running some routes that didn’t show up on the box score because he didn’t get the ball. I think Tyreek is a model competitor for this football team that has no problems with what’s going on in the game as long as it’s done in the name of victory. I think it’s very frustrating as a receiver to lose and to not feel like you had the moment where you could help dictate the outcome, however he is learning how much he’s a part of each and every play. I think he was frustrated and was really a good example of – was saying what a lot of guys weren’t saying but were feeling. You’re never anything but happy when you have the right competitors on your team that don’t like to lose because that helps the preparation for the whole team. His competitive edge, how he goes about his business helps dictate the terms of how everyone gets better. Frustrated as we all are for losing football games.”
(How would you evaluate in the four games QB Tua Tagovailoa missed the play at the quarterback position?) – “I would say that in some challenging situations, there were some things that I was happy with in terms of giving other players a chance to do their jobs and have good football, but overall I would say there was a solid amount of time where the overall play wasn’t good enough. I think that’s a collection of things; I think some teammates could have executed some things a little better. This past game, I thought we missed some ops that were there that teammates did do enough to put themselves in position to give the team a chance to make a play and the play didn’t get made. I don’t think anything is totally good enough in 1-3 football.”
(What have you learned about QB Tua Tagovailoa throughout this entire process?) – “This process, I’ve learned where he’s at in distinction to the two previous years. I think he used this time to find ways to improve things while I’m going through all of the endeavors and finding out all of the information being super diligent. He’s really shown his maturity that continues to evolve and I think he’s found a way to be even more of a leader just by investing in his teammates when he can’t play. I’ve learned that he takes the responsibility of being the franchise quarterback in a way that you desperately need your franchise quarterback to approach it, and I think he’s taught a lot of his teammates about himself and how much he’s along the ride with them. Because in circumstances like this, it would be very easy and you could totally justify someone thinking about their own issues and problems the entire time. To be able to take the whole situation in, to be able to have conviction by way of seeking out information and then all the while making sure that his teammates know that he is right there with them and he’s keeping track of all the things that are going on within the offense, talking to every position group about certain things that he sees that aren’t up to the standard – whether that’s a Monday film review or that’s a Wednesday practice – he hasn’t taken a day off from them, and I think that’s a big deal.”
(To drill down on what QB Tua Tagovailoa heard from concussion experts and what questions were asked, was he cleared from a higher concussion risk this season? Or was he cleared from long-term damage? And we’re all the opinions unanimous?) – “Yeah, I think he – it is probably a better quote coming from none other than Tua himself, but I think that the resounding thing was that we need some time and he needed the appropriate circumstance and the environment and needed it not skirting any detail. Like I said before, each concussion is unique to its own and I think he’s very well-versed and bottom line is the medical experts, he really got some strong feedback to allow him to effortlessly make this decision which I’m sure he’s eager to talk to you about.”
(I know the offense was largely built around QB Tua Tagovailoa and he’s a lefty. A lot of your backups have been righties. I’m curious how much of a factor that is for the offense having to shift or not shift this last month?) – “The bottom line is anytime you try to max out your output with your given skill sets of your roster and the players you have on it and try to feature their skill sets, it is an adjustment. I think righty to lefty, I think beyond the quarterbacks having to inverse things when they’re watching cut ups and we’re talking technique from that of Tua’s tape, I think it’s less, ‘Everybody catch it,’ – most guys work out every offseason with almost primarily righties. There’s always things when you are trying to really fit your scheme to your players, and I would say the list is multiple and they probably are all about the same vastness of all right, it’s a little different because Tua throws a different ball and Tua’s timing is unique to him and he’s really exceptional at it. The timing, cadence, the types of plays that we’re doing, that was all an adjustment, for sure, that you prepare within your scheme but it’s always something of a hurdle that teams have to – there’s plenty of teams that win football games with various quarterbacks. So the reason why we didn’t win wasn’t exclusive to the quarterback position, and in times when you have one of your best people out, other people have to step up including coaching.”
Jonnu Smith – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS TIGHT END JONNU SMITH
What are you guys feeling right now?
“This is one of the toughest places we’ve been and it felt like this is one we let get away from us. We have to have a short term memory and get ready for next week.”
What makes you confident that this team can turn it around?
“I’m extremely confident. It’s just a few mistakes here and there. The Colts didn’t beat us. The Dolphins beat us today. Don’t get me wrong, all respect to them that came out here and did enough to win. But from us, for our perspective, I feel like the Dolphins beat us today.”
Can you tell exactly where the game got away?
“It wasn’t one specific play. It was us collectively, all 11 in all three phases. We didn’t do enough and didn’t play to the standard that we all play at, including myself. Nobody is excluded from this.”
Do you feel more comfortable in Week 7?
“I feel the more time you get with your guys, the more time you have to build your chemistry. We’re even trying to get together during the bye week, and it was big for us. We haven’t had plenty of reps together since he came in, so we were trying to take advantage of all the opportunities we can. We are trying to build a tighter chemistry so that when we get out here on Sundays, we’re on the same page.”
