Tua Tagovailoa – November 20, 2024
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Wednesday, November 20, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(We’ve talked a lot about what TE Jonnu Smith has added to this offense. What has WR Malik Washington given you? What’s the skill that’s helped you there and WR Odell Bekcham Jr.’s presence now that he’s gotten more comfortable? What has he given you as an extra dimension?) – “I would say that room has done a tremendous job not just with Malik (Washington), we obviously know what ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle can do, but what Odell brings, what River (Cracraft) being back brings as well to the team; just the amount of studying they do and the attention to details within the playbook, I think have given them opportunities to get the ball in their hands and you can see what they do with the ball in their hands and it’s very, very special. And it’s fun being able to go out there and play with guys like that.”
(What’s your impression of Patriots QB Drake Maye?) – “I respect his game. I respect his game a lot. He’s a rookie so there’s going to be bumps within his journey, but you see a lot of flashes of things that he can do, not just inside the pocket, outside of the pocket as well. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and looking forward to competing against him.”
(We in the media love storylines, narratives, but you and him could be going at it for a long time.) – “Yeah, that’s just how this league is. It’s how it goes. I wish him the best in his career that he’s just starting. Tough league, but with the right mindset, with the right people around him surrounding him; I think he’ll be doing good.”
(You enter with a 6-1 record against the Patriots. New coach over there, but do you think Jerod Mayo is going to bring some similar defensive looks as Bill Belichick did?) – “I’m not too sure. We’re preparing for uncertainty, if there is, defensively. But it’s very similar to the structure they’ve had over the past few years when Coach Belichick was the coach there. So we’re looking to go out there and play the plays with what they’ve presented us over the years and if we need to adjust in any way, we’ll adjust.”
(There’s been a stat flying around out there about RB De’Von Achane not having a drop as a professional. When did you realize his hands were really good for a running back?) – “I would say last year. Last year, I got a glimpse of being able to throw to him and it was really supreme with how he’d catch the ball, but that’s sort of taken away because he runs very well, too. I would say from last year.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel was talking earlier about accountability. Some people have lost their starting jobs, some people have lost their jobs in general. It’s kind worked, right, you guys – what personally did you do to enact accountability among your teammates when things weren’t going great here?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s a me thing this; this is a team thing and it’s tough when Mike (McDaniel) has to have sit down conversations with guys in starting roles and having to maneuver through that because of the person that he is. And then it does sort of take a toll sometimes on the team, but if you understand reasoning and you understand sometimes that it could be for the betterment of the team or whatnot; those guys are the ones having those conversations. You’re just there to support your teammate in the best way you can. I think you get a good, better big picture gauge of reasons as to why things like that have been happening or have happened.”
(He was talking about player-only meetings, stuff like that. Have you guys had all that and how has gone this year?) – “Yeah, it’s been good. I like to keep all those conversations private, but I think those have definitely helped push the envelope of what we want to see as a team and what we want to do going forward.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel was mentioning the other day that it was WR Tyreek Hill who was kind of stressing the need for these long sustained 10-, 12-play drives going back to even exit interviews last season. I’m curious what were those conversations like as you guys were sort of implementing this new style of the offense?) – “I wouldn’t say that as we had our exit meetings and whatnot, that this sort of was the notion of what we wanted to evolve into as an offense. It sort of took precedent given what defenses have been playing against us. That would be the reasoning as to why you see a lot more check downs, a lot more trying to get the ball to open guys within the progression, whether it’s the third, fourth or the fifth progression. So I would say that’s just been sort of like a weekly thing. Would we like to take shots? We would, we would, but that’s if they present themselves, is sort of what I’m trying to say.”
(Kind of a two-part question for you with regards to pass protection. One, how has the continuity of the offensive line being mostly guys from last year helped you kind of have that rapport with them and then also OL Aaron Brewer who’s new, how has your communication been with him with getting protections all called out and everything on balance this year?) – “Yeah, it seems as if we’ve all played together for a while. That’s what the feeling is. With Aaron (Brewer) being in there, I mean, ‘Brew’ is probably – I would love to have ‘Brew’ here for a long time. I mean, I love how he goes about his business. I love how we have a good relationship, how we communicate with things that we see and whatnot. But to me, it just feels like offensively, with the o-line, it just feels like we’ve all been playing together for such a long time. Doesn’t feel like there’s been a drop off anywhere.”
(Does that help you kind of understand where vulnerabilities against certain looks can come from and how to kind of navigate openings in the pocket? Does that help you in that regard?) – “I would say yeah, but it’s also every game is different and our game plan with what we want to do protection-wise is also different. So that also helps with maneuvering through the pocket as well.”
(Just kind of piggybacking on the o-line, T Terron Armstead is having a great year. What are you seeing from him at age 33, still playing at his caliber of play?) – “He’s a dawg. He’s a dawg. There’s been a lot of things that he’s been dealing with injury-wise and I’ve got a lot of respect – tremendous amount of respect – for him being able to fight through those and still go out there and compete and play to protect me, to protect our backs and to protect our ball carriers. I wish I could do something to help with some of the injuries that he goes through, but just overall dawg.”
(How do players respond to Head Coach Mike McDaniel during either on the sideline during the game, in the locker room? How do you see the interaction between him and players going? I know the Dolphins released a little mic’d up video and it’s cool to see him kind of joking and things like that on the sideline so I’m curious from a player’s perspective what is that interaction like?) – “I would say maybe to each person, maybe it looks a little different, but for me when we’re working, regardless of where we are in practice or if we’re in a game, I know Mike (McDaniel) is going to be himself. And so for me, it sort of helps me continue to stay in the frame of mind that, like, hey, we’re still at work, but knowing you know who he is, like, it’s okay to have fun, but also, like, stay locked in, at least for me, it is. And I just know that that’s how he’s going to be in practice, in game days, and that’s probably never going to change.”
Jordan Poyer – November 18, 2024
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Monday, November 18, 2024
S Jordan Poyer
(What were your impressions of Brock Bowers, obviously a rookie with a lot of potential in this league?) – “Yeah, really good player, got a lot of potential like you said. He’s going to be a good player for a long time.”
(You can see him on film, but did sort of the way he moved surprise some of you guys a little bit once you saw him in person?) – “No, I mean he’s a good player. They had an emphasis to get him the ball. So like I said, he’s a good player. He’s going to be a good player in this league for a long time.”
(With this team, this season, obviously putting together the two wins, it kind of seems headed in the right directions. How do you continue to maintain that focus of each week at a time?) – “Just one game at a time and focus on what you have in winning the day, winning the meeting, winning practice, winning the walkthroughs. Just attention to detail, being present in those moments and focusing on what’s important now. Yeah, we got two wins in a row, but we’d like to keep that going, but it starts in the week.”
(Judging from reaction in the locker room, I guess the guys on defense weren’t happy with product. I know you get the ‘W,’ but you guys weren’t satisfied with that performance, were you?) – “Obviously, we won the game – there’s things we could do better and things that we want to do better, but 19 points, give up 19 points and you’re going to have a chance. But there’s definitely things that we want to continue to work on. It’s in the middle of the season, I think there’s not one team that would come out of a win or loss say there’s things that they don’t need to work on, so yeah. We’re still right in the thick of it and we want to continue to work.”
(What’s it like having your boy LB Tyrel Dodson back? He told us that you were hosting him for a little bit.) – “Yeah, he came over to the house for a couple days. It’s really cool for him to be here, someone that I played with for four years in Buffalo. Someone I’ve kind of seen grow into his own throughout the league, so it’s really cool to have him here. He’s going to be a good addition for our football team.”
(All the things that you guys talked about implementing and becoming in training camp earlier this year, do you see that stuff starting to come into fruition now?) – “I mean, yeah. Obviously, there was a lot of high expectations going into the year and we weren’t really living up to those expectations early on and just trying to find our stride, trying to find our rhythm offensively, defensively, special teams, and then even collectively. We’re hitting those strides, and we want to continue to get better. This is a pivotal point of the season. We kind of dug ourselves in a hole a little bit, so like I said, being able to focus on each moment, each day, each meeting and continue to just work and focus on what’s important right now.”
(Third down defense, obviously very strong against the Rams, and then the Raiders were able to convert some of those. What were you noticing were some of the challenges this time around?) – “Yeah, they had a good plan. There’s some things we can do better, but they had a good plan.”
(What does CB Storm Duck bring when he’s in the lineup? He played for his first time in a while there.) – “Yeah, I enjoy playing with Storm (Duck). He’s a great player, a great young player. He’s going to play in the league for a long time; smart, instinctive, can run, he can play off, he can press. He’s someone that I trust out there on the football field to know what he’s got to do.”
Mike McDaniel – November 18, 2024
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Monday, November 18, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(With RB Raheem Mostert, Raheem had the hip injury and then kind of maybe limited participation in the game. Is he OK and is it something that we have to be concerned about?) – “He came out positive. It kind of adjusted our plan of action through the game as well as I think De’Von’s (Achane) play merited some extra snaps that we were kind of anticipating being a little more level. But he came out of the game good, he’s a warrior and fought through it to make a play on third down for us and stay involved. So I’m expecting him to have a positive week this week.”
(How’s RB De’Von Achane handling this workload? Obviously, it started off where he was getting a lot of touches and now again.) – “I think we have the creative challenge of having a fully tooled backfield. So you go into a game with kind of like an outline of how you think things, the ball will be spread out amongst them, but then also leave room for adjustment as we communicate directly – myself and Eric Studesville – and adjust for in-game play. I think De’Von was really at the top of his game yesterday, was doing some things on the field that – there’s a lot of plays that he made maybe weren’t the 40-yarders that he’s broken in his career, but were seven-yard gains that could have been minus-three. There was a nine-yard gain that could have been a two-yard gain. He was really playing well, so in those situations we kind of lean on the hot hand, so to speak, and I think he’s really made it difficult in in-game situations, the last two in particular, to take him off the field, but we try to leave that room for guys to decide for us during the game on how much play-time they’ll get and respond appropriately.”
(We’ve seen LB Chop Robinson have an uptick in his counting stats the last month or so, what would you say has contributed to his jump in his production?) – “I think it’s a guy that’s a football guy that has a skillset for pass rush disruption that’s very unique and natural. And so understanding the winning edge in the National Football League has to do with the small details of snap count anticipation of pass rush adjustment based upon a tackle’s set. All those things, he’s found a way to disrupt the passer for us which is exactly what the doctor ordered and the right time. Now, for talented players in the National Football League, it’s always a step-by-step process where you find ways to make plays and then once you are making plays or you’re creating disruption, then you have to find a way to impact the game once people devote the appropriate attention, which always comes when you’re making an impact on the game. So it’s important for him to continue to take advantage of every opportunity given to him, or that he has available to him, in situations that he is just pass rushing the tackle. And any player that’s a good player, and especially one like Chop (Robinson) where he has ambitions to be great, you have to anticipate the next step where you have to find production when they start devoting more attention to you which is the natural progression in things. And when someone devotes extra attention to Chop, he needs to be productive in those situations and then his teammates have to take advantage of the extra space when you’re devoting – whether that is a half-back getting out late because he’s trying to chip his way out or the turn, the guard getting out to the tackle to provide help which in turn gives some lightness in protection internally. All those things play off each other, so we’ll have to take his positive plays, make more positive plays and have counters to the natural attention that he’ll start receiving when you put back-to-back, or three-game stretches or four-game stretches together with production.”
(Fans got used to seeing those big, home run plays your first two years, and now more recently we’re seeing these long-sustained drives like we saw yesterday. Is that more of a philosophical change in terms of game control? Or is that just a byproduct of something else?) – “I think offensively, you’re trying to score points and it’s important to take advantage of what the defense presents. When you have some offensive production, or sustained offensive production, specifically with last year, I think we were No. 1 in yards from Week 1 to the last week of the season, you’re going to get offseason attention and people are going to have a different plan for you because opponents get paid, too. I think I’m very proud and very proud of our offensive unit when they’re able to sustain those drives. I think we had as many 14-plus play scoring drives last game as we did the entire year previous and that’s something that we’ve been talking about since the start of the offseason in conjunction with forecasting how do we win elimination games? How do you win down the stretch of the season? You have to adjust to what is being presented to you and people have different plans of actions and once people put two-high conservative and/or two-man coverages against your offense, until you’re able to take advantage of that through the quarterback extending plays or throwing shorter to space and staying efficient and maximizing those gains with YAC. Until you prove that you’re able to execute and have games like that where you don’t punt the ball, you’re going to get that type of defense. In the National Football League, in all three phases, once a formula has been put out there, coaching is generally – coaching and playing is good enough where people will identify that you’re struggling against that and force you to beat that. So it’s an important part of a winning formula for all three phases to be able to win in whatever type of fashion necessary. So I think that is something that has been on the forefront of our guys’ minds in terms of we’re finding different ways to execute and move the ball down the field and score points, and I think that’s an important part of the process when you’re talking about a winning formula for big games and elimination games in particular, which is what we’re trying to grow to.”
(How did OL Isaiah Wynn look last week? Any chance he plays on Sunday?) – “There were no setbacks, it looked good. I’m having to be pragmatic with – when he comes back, I want him to stay back so we’ll be working through that as the week progresses based upon our feedback from him, from his field work. Hoping to have a week like we did last week because it was a good week.”
(I was going to ask if you anticipated any movement in terms of windows opening, activations off the illness list?) – “There’s a lot of possibilities right now, and you’re approaching a two game in 10-day stretch or whatever the math is, I can’t remember, so there will be a lot of fluctuation. We do have some guys that are approaching the readiness, but we also have some stuff to iron out with the roster. There’s a lot of to be determined, and when I say a lot there’s like at least a handful of guys that of variance that we have to work through in the coming days.”
(QB Tyler Huntley is one of the guys, he’s now eligible. You guys have only two quarterbacks on the roster. Is it important for his elevation just so that arms don’t get tired during that stretch?) – “I think the taxation on the arms in this portion of the season through the practice week isn’t necessarily the biggest mover of the needle. We’re trying to be pragmatic with his arm to make sure that he’s a fully tooled quarterback when he’s back. We’re feeling better about that. I think ultimately, it’s important to have three guys over a long stretch of time, but in the short term, we’ll adjust by the needs of the team for sure.”
(Going back a question before about the changing the approach to offense. How has that impacted you as a playcaller, but maybe even – this phrasing might be off – but force you to grow a little bit as a playcaller?) – “Definitely, I think I’m right in step with players. In the National Football League, if you’re not getting better, tick, tick, tick. There’s too much competition; you have to continue to evolve and that includes myself. There’s a lot to learn. I don’t know the recourse – I can extrapolate or forecast, but I don’t know the recourse of having explosive plays and the offense we did last year until you’re actually in it and seeing how people defend. I have to, I think every year, adjust to players, and defensive presentations have been a unique necessity for evolution, as well as our roster has different assets and we have different guys to get the ball to. All of those things, you’re trying to find the flow within your particular unit. I think what the players have done a great job with and our offensive coaching staff in general is identifying the things in the game that they can control, that they can get better at. Overall, I think we’ve done a little bit better job of putting them in position for success, and as a result guys have risen to the occasion and found their success through technique and fundamentals that have been emphasized. I think that is kind of across the board, as plainly as I could put it, that is the game that we all are trying to play. That’s identifying weaknesses in our game and making them strengths and continuing an evolution in how we play football so we continue to position ourselves to win whatever type of game possible in whatever fashion. You just don’t have the liberty of saying, ‘Hey, it’s OK that we lost,’ because no one cares about that. You have to find ways to win. The more ways we find to have success, the better suited we are to adhere to the needs of the team which is maybe to not turn the ball over and score 17 points one week and then we might need 30 the next week. That’s complementary football that’s always evolving.”
(Is it something that you immediately talked about at the end of last season, something that developed through training camp and the way the season began kind of cemented that thinking?) – “We were all very aware, and I think we were talking about it as we were hitting the exit interviews last year. I think there’s probably some quotes you can grab from Tyreek Hill; he was talking about the necessity for 10-play drives and to be able to own the ball versus teams that it would behoove us to do that. And then once we started playing games this year, the adversity was the opportunity of losing Tua (Tagovailoa) for a little bit and then having to play a different style of football to play to the defense and that gives you benefits that plays into the stuff that we were already emphasizing. I thought that this season has played out and forced our hand of something that we all knew we needed to prove upon. Then it becomes on the coaches to have the right points of emphasis and the players to take those points, focus on them, practice them and then execute them in games. It’s been on our minds since the season ended, and it’s good to see a lot of work come to fruition and be able to execute for the very reason of games might be that way where you might be in the second half and the opposing team makes a couple of plays and they stay on the field and you need to own the ball, not turn it over, and score points. We were able to do that, not because we were hoping yesterday, but a lot of work went into that to be able to prepare ourselves to be able to come through for the team in that way.”
(I wanted to ask you about the run game. You guys had a stretch where you were one yard shy of rushing for 150 for three straight games and now it’s kind of 60-yard performances the past couple of weeks. Is that a byproduct of the injuries you’re sustaining to offensive line, defensive game planning, defensive game plans? What’s happening with the run game?) – “I think it’s kind of twofold; there has been some guys getting healthy at positions offensively and we’ve had some injuries, that for sure plays a part, but I think more so when defenses are presenting themselves in a certain way and they are also giving you easy completions maybe in the shorter higher percentage area of the field, in that first five yards, if you’re able to execute appropriately with protection, quarterback reads, and receiver eligibles, you can exchange some run plays for some quick game, or quick dropback pass plays. If you’re efficient enough with that, you can kind of deliver on what the run game gives you in pass versions. You get the ball in space. Julian Hill had a couple great examples where he catches a checkdown at five yards and gets 11. I kind of look at offense just in general that way that you can have a run tonality to your pass game and the only thing you supplement are the opportunities to have some more big gains like the 30-yarder that popped in the third quarter I believe, which affects your average and gets your yards up. When you don’t get as many opportunities at running the ball because of play calls, you limit those opportunities but you open up other opportunities if you’re doing low-cost, low risk pass plays based upon your players execution, because they’re not turning the ball over. It’s not a bunch of incompletions, you’re not forcing your hand. You’re kind of attacking the defense in the ways that they’re telling you to attack them, and that’s kind of the biggest reason of disparity in numbers is I really haven’t called as many run plays and it’s not because we can’t. It’s because what I’m watching and how defenses are trying to stop us.”
Anthony Walker Jr. – November 18, 2024
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Monday, November 18, 2024
LB Anthony Walker Jr.
(Obviously the defense – I find it interesting that earlier this season you guys were struggling against the run; now you’re ranked ninth. Struggling in the red zone; now you’re ranked eighth. What do you think is the attributed to the turnaround in those areas that you guys have had?) – “Just a collective unit playing together, understanding what we’re trying to get accomplished from ‘Weave’ (Anthony Weaver) calling it to the assistant coaches implementing it, executing it with individual drills and all that and meeting rooms. And then we’re all taking it to the field and just getting better at it. Better at understanding what he’s trying to call, why he’s calling it and then executing our plan when it comes to that.”
(Four straight games you hold an opponent to under 100 yards rushing. What’s been the key for that specifically?) – “Yeah, same thing. Just guys just executing, doing their job. That’s all run game, is just being in your position so whether you make the play or another guy makes the play, it doesn’t hit in your gap or… yeah, basically. (laughter) Don’t want to say too much.”
(After digging you guys’ self in this hole you guys have currently, how do you guys approach each game like not much room for error? You guys are well aware of that.) – “I think the guys put it on themselves. We’ve kind of basically entered the playoffs a little early in our mindset; we’ve just got to keep stacking wins and just taking it one week at a time. Each game has pretty much come down to must-win, so that’s our mindset.”
(What do you feel you have brought to this defense since your insertion into the lineup?) – “Just try to do my job. As a Mike linebacker, you’ve got to control the tempo, control the calms and keep everybody calm in each situation and then the communication, make sure my communication is up to par so that the guys can execute and we all execute and do our job on the same page. So just trying to do my job. Not too much, don’t try to do nobody else’s job, just mine.”
(A lot of those things that you mentioned, communication, keeping everyone else in check; do you feel you’ve kind of honed in on those skills from your coaching experience with your dad?) – “I guess so. I think I’ve played Mike linebacker now for – going back to college because I didn’t play at… yeah, since college. So what is that, 10 years now, 12 years now? Wow, I’m old. (laughter) Yeah, 12 years now, so getting that comfortability and then obviously my dad being a coach, you kind of take a lot of leadership and skills and stuff from him. So just adding that to my game, like I’ve been able to do that for a very long time now and I’m comfortable with it. So I take on that challenge. As a Mike (linebacker), you’re the quarterback of the defense. You’ve got to earn that and that’s your job each day.”
(Now so what was the key to pulling off the Ransom Everglades win?) – “(laughter) Man, the guys just played well. They played hard. They have a great quarterback over there at Ransom Everglades. He played really well. I think he threw for 300, but they only had 10 points, though. We tried to limit them in some ways, making it hard for them in the red zone, but he’s a great player and offensively just making some plays and able to put up 40 points and got the win.”
(And got it clamped down in the red zone?) – “Yeah, it gets tight down there. You can’t miss – there’s not a lot of field down there so played different coverages down there, gave him a different look. Like I said, he’s a great quarterback, though, so he made a lot of plays that as a freshman, you shouldn’t be able to make. But he played well though, so I’ll give him…”
(What’s the coaching dynamic with you and your dad? Is it good cop/bad cop? How does that work?) – “No, bad cop/bad cop mostly. (laughter) I mean, whatever the team needs at that point. My dad is pretty tough on them. I try to be kind of the good cop, I guess, coming in after and making sure everything is all right. But trying to win and I know that’s all he wants and he wants the best for each kid. So I know he means well and I’m with him.”
(So who’s next?) – “LaSalle this weekend, this Friday. Yeah, second round.”
(What did you think of Raiders TE Brock Bowers?) – “I thought he was a great player, played well. We knew that coming in that he was going to be a focal point of their offense and they were going to try to get him the ball, so he was definitely in our game plan. Yeah, just executed. They made some plays, he made some plays at the end of the day, but again, we’ll take the win.”
Kader Kohou – November 18, 2024
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Monday, November 18, 2024
CB Kader Kohou
(You got a chance to play more on the boundary this week. What was that experience like going back to something you did probably – last year you did that?) – “It was fun, whatever that really just helps the team. They needed me to play boundary so that’s what I did.”
(What was it like having CB Storm Duck back in there? He hadn’t played in a few games and just meshing with him?) – “Storm (Duck), he’s a great athlete, great corner. Even Cam (Smith) got in there sometimes, too, so just having those young guys going in there and just doing what they’re asked to do and it’s hard going from not playing a lot to just going into the game and having to play all those snaps; so salute to him just going out there and handling his business.”
(Third down defense was really strong against the Rams. I know the Raiders were able to execute some. What were some of the things that happened on third down?) – “I think just a lot of missed tackles because if you go back and watch the film, I feel like maybe not on those third-and-real short, but third-and-medium and stuff like that; they were catching the ball way before the sticks and just missed tackles or not really finishing the tackle and letting them kind of fall forward is what really was like our downfall this game.”
(You had a lot of drives in that game for both teams that were 14-, 15-, 16-play drives. What was it like being on the field that long over and over?) – “It’s good when our offense is having them because you get a lot of rest time, but obviously being out there, you’ve got to get them off the field on third down when it gets to that. Like guys get tired, techniques maybe start not being as good as it was the first plays and stuff like that. So when you’re on defense and start getting those long drives, extended drives, it’s not really a good look on us because it just gives them opportunities to get points.”
(Now that you’ve won two in a row how if at all has the mindset changed – confidence, things like that?) – “I feel like we had the same confidence the whole season. Sometimes the ball just didn’t roll our way. We didn’t have Tua (Tagovailoa) a lot of those games, but we always had our confidence so winning those games is not really like a surprise for us because I feel like these past couple games we’ve really been at strength, like our whole team together, like our starting quarterback, a lot of guys on defense came back. So we’re not surprised winning those games, so I wouldn’t say confidence has changed, but we know we dug ourselves a little hole we’ve got to come up out of so even after we win it’s not like we’re just super happy about it; it’s like we’re supposed to win those games and we just haven’t so that’s where we’re sitting at right now.”
(Was that always the mentality even when you were losing those games without QB Tua Tagovailoa? Like we know once we get everyone together, we’re going back to what we were?) – “No, even without Tua, we lost some games that we were supposed to win so obviously having him out there is a big plus for us, but a lot of those games when he wasn’t here we felt like we should have won. So I feel like our mentality never really changed for real even though he wasn’t here. We were supposed them and we just didn’t.”
(How does this team take it to that next level, continue to build on the success that you’re having now?) – “Just throughout the week, we kind of found like a little formula going into – talking about practice-wise – so we’ve just got to keep honing in on that, just working on technique and not getting relaxed. Like I said, even though we’ve won two in a row, we’re supposed to win those games and stuff like that. It’s just not getting complacent.”
(Have you had interactions with CB Kendall Fuller? How’s he been?) – “Kendall is good. Hopefully we can get him back this week because he’s a big help for us so hopefully we can get him back, but he’s doing good from what I’ve seen.”
Zach Sieler – November 17, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 17, 2024
Postgame – Las Vegas Raiders
Dolphins DT Zach Sieler
(You guys are working as hard now as you have been all season, but what does it mean to see and feel the fruits of your labor, like two straight wins for the first time in almost a year?) – “Yeah, it’s great but at the same time, we’re still in the hole. I mean, we’ve got a long ways to go and I think we got the team to do it. We just got to keep coming together as a unit, both sides of the ball and the special teams and keep putting this together week by week and build on this.”
(What about the two-point conversion? What did you see on that play?) – “That’s just kind the tape of the game and knowing what can possibly come. It’s take a chance sometimes, and it felt like a good opportunity for me to do that on that play with our call and what I saw. To be able to do that was awesome.”
(I mentioned you had a sack and DT Calais Campbell had a sack. Do you guys feed off each other?) – “Absolutely, yeah. He makes me feel young, and I hope I can make him feel young and give him some energy of mine – he doesn’t need it. He’s just an amazing example. He’s been so great for me and my career, learning from him and hearing from him and him just taking time to sit with me and other guys on the team and see how he sees things. And just off the field too, leadership, responsibility, how to be vocal, how to work through things, it’s really been a blessing playing with him this year.”
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Calais Campbell – November 17, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 17, 2024
Postgame – Las Vegas Raiders
Dolphins DT Calais Campbell (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q. I think in one of the hype videos the team put out, you can hear you say “all it takes is a spark to light a fire.” Does it feel like that fire is lit after today?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Definitely trending that way. Obviously the fire is still real small. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve just got to keep fanning it, just keep doing the little things that matter. Today was a big step in the right direction. Obviously a lot of plays we left out there, you want a perfect ball game, but it’s a win. It feels good, but like I told the guys in the locker room after the game, we’ve still got a big hole to climb out of. So we get to celebrate it for 24 hours but we’re right back to work.
Q. You’re always a guy, pregame, in the middle of that big huddle, around the whole team. What is that moment like, especially you’re such a veteran but this is your first year with this team and being that guy that leads that charge?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Yeah, you know, the best feeling in the world is when the guys look to you. They say ‘talk to me.’ They want to be inspired and so I always try to think of something good. But for the most part it’s just bringing good energy. Bring good energy and looking them in the eyes and let them know that I’m going to bring everything I’ve got, and if we play together we can win, we can beat anybody.
Q. Did the blocked punt go through your hand?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I can’t wait to watch it on tape. I don’t know how they blocked that. You can’t be more free. The funny thing is we were watching tape. I could tell by the way the guy short set that if we got in a situation I had a chance to block one. I never told anybody. I just in my head was like, I might have a chance to block one this week. Sure enough, I got my little swim move and I was right there. And I kind of got a little too big-eyed and kind of hesitated and I don’t know how I missed it. It had to go through my hands. Had to. But this is football. I will take that probably every day of the week. I’m glad my guys had my back and held them to three. But I’m going to go out and die on my sword by giving my best effort to make plays that win ball games.
Q. Sounds like one of those aggressive penalties you referenced a couple of weeks ago. Did he kick you in the helmet?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Yes, he did. Yes, he did. (laughter) Right on top of my head. But that’s how close I was. But if I had blocked the punt it would have been much better.
Q. That’s impressive form, to get his leg up to 6’8″.
CALAIS CAMPBELL: He got it above my head and came back down. That was quite impressive.
Q. How do you feel about playing special teams?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: You know, I like to be able to impact the game. And especially when it comes to like blocking field goals and stuff, that’s something I love to do. Even on field goal protection, I really try to – those are big points. Those are plays that’s going to win us ball games. So I know when I’m on the field my side is going to be protected. I haven’t given up a block my whole career and I don’t plan to. Those guys are getting good; they get those good jumps and stuff. But I just try to be out there to help the guys. I don’t mind playing special teams. This punt stuff is a little unique. I haven’t played a lot of punt rush over the years. But the Tennessee game I got my hand on one and still went forward, so I don’t know if they call it a blocked punt. And then today I should have had a block. It’s not bad. I’ve been having an opportunity to affect the game.
Q. What’s it like being part of the game where both teams held the ball for so long? Such long drives, fewer possessions but longer drives?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Yeah, for us, we’ve been really good on third down and get off the field. Today they had a really good game plan and they made some plays to keep those drives alive and made it tough on us. But we just kept fighting, kept believing and found a way to win a ball game. But you’ve got to take your hat off to them. They had a really good game plan. That (Brock) Bowers kid, that boy is good.
Q. What is it that’s making you and Sieler mesh so well as a duo?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I think some of it is just natural chemistry. He’s a great player that is very cerebral and he understands how to take advantage of what they’re doing. I’m the same kind of way. It allows for us to kind of communicate on the line and adjust based off what they’re doing and allows for us to make a lot more plays. And there’s times where we kind of do too much and it’s like, ‘oh, man, we messed up.’ And there’s times where it hits perfectly and it’s right there. And that’s football. But that’s my guy. Sieler, when he’s out there, when I’m out there with him, I feel like we can dominate anybody.
Q. You mentioned you still have a hole to dig out of at 2-6. Things looked bleak here, but now you guys are 4-6 and we’ll see what Denver does, but you could be right there in the mix. You personally, how rewarding is it to be part of this turnaround?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: We’ve still got a long way to go. It doesn’t get to be rewarding until we get to where we want to go. So just it’s a good opportunity. We gave ourselves an opportunity, but we still are in the hole. We’ve still got a long way to go. And the guys know it, but the good thing is there’s life. We’ve got a lot of life, a lot of fight left. This next one is going to be a big one. Division game at home against a team that’s playing hungry. I know Drake Maye had a pretty good game today. They lost, but he played well. We’re going to have our hands full. We have to go earn it again, but this next one is going to be huge.
Q. The Raiders under 60 yards rushing. What was working well for you guys today?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: Great game plan. We had a really good game plan. I think earlier in the year we really struggled stopping the run and we put a lot of emphasis on really our techniques and what we could do to stop the run. I think it’s been three games in a row, three or four, where we’re keeping teams at 100. But we still have – that’s the key, right, if we keep teams under 100 yards rushing we have a chance to win the ball game. Obviously we didn’t win all those games we did that, but we gave ourselves an opportunity. So I think it is four straight games and we’re trying to keep that going. That’s a big part of our success.
Q. You mentioned what Drake Maye has been doing. Did you already check what they did today before you got out here?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: It’s one of the first things I do, look at the scores, what did guys do. I mean, I’m just a football fan, too, so I like to see what the scores are around the league but also the team we’re getting ready to play, trying to see how they played.
Q. What are your thoughts on Gardner Minshew? He’s had ups and downs this seasons as far as passing-wise. How were you guys able to adjust to what he was doing well as the game went on?
CALAIS CAMPBELL: I think he played really good football today. I think the offensive coordinator did a good job as well, giving him some good reads and putting him in position to be successful. But he executed and he made some big-time plays. I think late we got him in a situation where we had a big advantage, any time you get a lead like that – our offense played great, gave us a big lead and we were able to make plays. Jalen Ramsey does what Jalen Ramsey does. But it still was impressive. Gardner, he’s come a long ways. We were teammates back when he was a rookie and to see his development has been really cool.
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Jonnu Smith – November 17, 2024 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 17, 2024
Postgame – Las Vegas Raiders
Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q. Jonnu, when do you ever remember having a game like this?
JONNU SMITH: Christ is king, baby. Man, that was – it’s a lot more than just a game for me. I’m extremely blessed, man, and just proud of where God has placed me with this team. Everything was rocky in the beginning – forget about the stat line, what we just experienced in the locker room is something that we worked all year for. I’m not trying to ignore your question, but I just felt like I needed to hit on that. It wasn’t about the stat line for me today, it was the joy that we had knowing that the work that we just put in, the work that was put in all the way from OTAs and just the expectations and the fight that’s in this team. Just proud of this group of guys. It’s a special group, truly, and I’m just excited to be a part of this as a team no matter which way it’s going. Today was another step towards the direction that we want to go, but it’s one step at a time mentality.
Q. What was the locker room like?
JONNU SMITH: It was what we expected it to be every week, to say the least. But the resolve of the group of guys that we got, the leaders on this team, it was some key additions that was added to this. It was a championship caliber team before this year but just the leaders that were added to this team, it’s definitely taken us to another level. I know the record right now doesn’t show it, but we know who we are. We know who we want to be, and just that energy in the locker room, just guys being selfless rallying around one another, just more happy for other people’s successes. Just proud to be part of this group.
Q. What is that feeling of when you’re standing there all alone in the middle of the field on that touchdown?
JONNU SMITH: The Red Seas parted. It’s Sunday, I’m coming with my biblical terms today. It seems like if it was a busted coverage, and Tua, me and him, we just connected, locked eyes and just made the rest happen.
Q. Talk a bit about the reaction on the sideline when Jalen Ramsey got the interception, pretty much iced the game.
JONNU SMITH: Just momentum and energy, just an amazing feeling. It’s such a sigh of relief when you see everything that we put into it, you know what I mean? The guys, we’re working — I know the stats, the record doesn’t show, but we’re working. We’re sacrificing, you know what I mean? And for everybody, this town, this city, has had big expectations on us and we understand that we’re playing for the city of Miami — really probably the state of Florida, you know what I mean? We’re playing for a lot bigger than just the city of Miami, we’ve got fans all over the country. And I understand that there’s an expectation that came into this. And to just have that mentality of, listen, let’s look at this thing in the mirror and let’s go attack it. No matter who is with us, who is against us, we know what we’ve got in here and we’re going to keep rolling.
Q. What’s it like to have scoring drives of 14, 16, 14 and 10 plays?
JONNU SMITH: I was messing around earlier in the locker room just now saying, Jake probably went home already. (laughter) That’s our brand of football. That’s who the Miami Dolphins are offensively, that’s who we are. Still not our best offensive game, still. A lot of things we can clean up, and that’s why we believe in — but that’s who we are. That’s the Dolphin standard of football, and still a lot of things that we need to clean up and we know that. We’ll get back to the drawing board and continue to fix those mistakes and just continue to try to be better, never get too complacent.
Q. When you caught that and you saw nobody around you but you knew they were gaining on you, were you looking back? Were you just like focused at the end zone?
JONNU SMITH: I was told a long time ago slow people look back. So when I caught it and I saw nobody in front of me, I wasn’t leaving without a tud, wasn’t leaving without a tud. The Red Seas parted, Uce found me and God did the rest.
Q. What about the first touchdown moving in motion, fourth down play, could you just detail that one?
JONNU SMITH: Yeah, again, just getting my eyes around quick and just Tua having a feel for where I’m at. It’s funny, the ball actually got tipped. The guy tried to make a play on the ball, the ball got tipped and we still found a way to come down with it. Another big, big play just by the offensive group being it was fourth and one right there and definitely needed points. Another big play for us, and good way to start the game off.
Q. You guys were I think 8-of-12 on third down, 2-of-2 on fourth down. Since Tua has back from injury, you guys have been a really good third-down team. What’s the key been?
JONNU SMITH: Best in the world. You’ve got the best quarterback in the world. Makes things a lot easier for everybody else. And those guys that came in during that time when he was down, they did a great job and helped us as much as they could and showed a lot of grit and a lot of selflessness. We are happy to have those guys, but 1 is who he is for a reason. But we’re excited to have him back and excited to where we’re back where we need to be.
Q. You talked about how happy you are and what a blessing it is to be on this team. You’ve been on a few teams, what’s the difference?
JONNU SMITH: Again, like you could look at the roster and you could say, they’ve got this guy, they’ve got this guy. A lot may deem them as superstars. When we come into that locker room, we just try to put all that stuff away and come together and win. And I think that’s what is so special about this group, just eliminating the egos. Eliminating the “me” mentality and just focusing on the team, doing what you’re supposed to be doing, being there fighting for your brothers, being in this thing together. Everybody had the same feeling for the past nine or so weeks or whatever it was. We all had the same thing, we were all going through the same thing. Nobody was pointing fingers and nobody was wavering. We rallied, we experienced some adversity and pushing through it. That’s why it’s a special group.
Q. So because you’re a coach for little league football team, how does it translate with you being on the field to the coaching mindset with the kids? How do the kids look at you? Do they look at you as, oh, that’s just coach; like he’s supposed to do that? Or do they look at you when you have a game like this, it’s like, dude, that’s our coach?
JONNU SMITH: I’ll say this, so it’s funny that Tua said that. I had my pups come in. We just won two championships, my flag — my 7-year-old and 9-year-old team, we came in Saturday for Saturday’s walkthrough yesterday. I brought them in because we just won two championships, so I wanted to show them around, bring them around the guys. But obviously it’s like I’ve been coaching going on it’s probably started in January, so this is probably, I don’t know, what is it, 11 months or whatever it is. For me obviously all the kids knew who I was and all of that, so I had to separate — actually a good question, but they did a great job like separating like Jonnu Smith from Coach Nu. They did a great job. That’s why we won two championships. Shoutout to Cooper City Dolphins Optimist, come check us out next year.
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