Chop Robinson – December 9, 2024
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Monday, December 9, 2024
LB Chop Robinson
(I ask this in a joking fashion. Yesterday you did “the chop” after… but that was DT Zach Sieler’s sack, right?) – “No, that was mine and his. (laughter) Defensive sack right there.”
(What do you think about the way that the defense played yesterday? All three phases seem to make clutch plays. I know the numbers might not have been what you wanted, but you guys all made clutch plays. What do you think about the way the defense responded there?) – “I feel like just coming out, I feel like we didn’t have the swagger we normally had. It took us a while to get started and everything, and I felt like some of the self-inflicted wounds definitely made a big impact. Like there was a play one time where I was supposed to drop and in my situation, I was too focused on something else and that caused a big play for Davante Adams, so I learned from that, moved on; but self-inflicted wounds were a big part as well.”
(How did your matchup with Jets OL Olu Fashanu end up going for you?) – “It went good, I went against him on a play action that they should’ve called holding on that. (laughter) And then I had one rush against him. It was a quick pass, but I was talking trash to him when I lined up on the other side and he was getting mad about that.”
(You ended up getting the jersey swap?) – “Yeah, I got his jersey. I gave him my jersey, too, so it’s good. We were just so excited after the game to talk to each other, see each other and just dream come true.”
(Did you end up telling Jets QB Aaron Rodgers that your brother was a big fan when you were growing up?) – “No, I didn’t see him after the game. I was talking to Olu (Fashanu), but we were talking between the plays and he was telling me that I’m going to be a special player and everything and we’ve got the same agent so he was talking to my agent after the game about me and everything. It just felt good coming from a guy that I’ve been watching since I was basically born honestly.”
(I was going to say it wasn’t the best moment when you got hurt and you were sitting there. Did you even notice that he was one of the guys that came over to tell you something? Was that surreal? Like you’re sitting there hurt and here’s Aaron Rodgers?) – “Yeah, I mean my injury came first. That’s what my main focus was on, but when I’d seen him come back and he asked if I was all right, what’s wrong; it meant a lot coming from a guy like that. It felt good.”
(I’m doing something on T Terron Armstead and I noticed at one point during the game, you guys were – it looked like he was giving you some tips or some pointers. Tell me about that moment and just kind of what Terron has meant to you so far this season?) – “He meant a lot to me. He’s a big brother or should I say uncle for how old he is. (laughter) Mentor. He just gave me the game. I learned a lot from him. He just came, talked to me after Friday practices or we just sit and chill and just talk about my pass rushing and stuff like that and what he sees and what could help me out. And just getting information from a guy who’s been here for a long time is just a blessing honestly as a teammate and then on the field he was just giving me keys on what the tackle was giving me and what I could use and stuff like that.”
Malik Washington – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins WR Malik Washington
(To get the dub in OT, what does this do for your guys’ confidence and staying alive?) – “Yeah, I think it’s huge. I don’t think the mindset changes, though. We expect to win each and every week. We’re going to keep continuing on trying to go 1-0 each week and finish the job.”
(How are you able to stay level-headed in a game like this where we’re down throughout the game but again, you came out with the win the way you did?) – “I think it’s the way we practice. It’s kind of the mindset that we’ve adopted over the offseason. We’ve fought tough battles, we’ve had a tough go at it early in the year and so continuing on what we believe in and doing what we believe in is always going to help us in the end.”
(How do you keep the confidence up against Houston next week?) – “Keep going. Keep doing the same thing. Attack this next week of practice and be at our best.”
(What was going through your mind when you saw that line drive kick?) – “I don’t know if I could say in on camera. (laughter) But it’s one of those moments where you make a split-decision and you just take it and see what happens next. You be a football player.”
(Were you kind of hoping for that, though?) – “I was hoping they put it in play, yeah. I wanted to call my shot on that one and try to take it to see what we could get.”
(What’s it feel like to make a play like that after last week?) – “Yeah, I mean, that’s something you’ve got to flush. I mean, if you’re expecting everyone to play a perfect game, you’re going to always be disappointed. And I think you’ve got to learn from that, you’ve got to move on, you’ve have to be better the next week.”
-DOLPHINS-
De’Von Achane – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024
Postgame – New York Jets
New York Jets RB De’Von Achane
(Where is this team’s confidence right now? Last week was disappointing, but you’ve won four out of five now.) – “Our confidence, we’ve always got the same confidence. We come out here with great confidence because we know the what type of team we can be. It’s always who the better team on Sunday is and we’ve got to come out and be ready to play.”
(How were you feeling about things when the team was down 23 -15 in the fourth quarter?) – “It was a one-possession game. We know we can have a big play on defense or offense at any time. Like you said, it’s always one play and special teams, it’s a group thing, like you said. Special teams count as well, and Malik (Washington) had a longer run and makes us go to overtime. So it’s just the little things. Anything can happen. It’s always just one play.”
(For TE Jonnu Smith not to have a reception heading into overtime and then to do what he did – three big plays – what does that say about him?) – “It says a lot. Like you said, we’ve got a lot of work on this team. Whoever can get the ball can go make plays and you say he didn’t have no receptions, so when we needed him, he came through. He was always ready and he made plays.”
(How do you keep the confidence up against Houston next week?) – “Our confidence is always high no matter who we play, but I know they’re a great team, so we’ve got the 24-hour rule. After Monday, focus on Houston.”
-DOLPHINS-
Calais Campbell – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins DT Calais Campbell
(Talking about perseverance, how did you guys just stay believing throughout this game?)– “I think it has kind of been the testament of our season – ups and downs, a tough start, but just stay believing, keep fighting, and don’t get bored with the proper techniques and the details that allow you win ball games. And I felt like once we settled down, I felt like the coaches made some good adjustments and we made plays, enough of them. It was close. They have a lot of great talent. I know they are not having the season that they could be having, but that team is one of the most talented teams in football and they made it really hard on us. But we found a way just by doing our job, making plays that came to us and not trying to press and just everybody feeding off of each other. It was a good team victory.”
(How do you take this momentum to Houston?) – “You celebrate for 24 hours, then you get back to work. Houston doesn’t care nothing about this win. But for us, getting back in the win column is huge, staying alive in this hunt is huge and we have something to play for. When your back’s against the wall and all you can do is fight, we’ll go out there and give everything we have. They are super talented, too. So many weapons all over the place, great defense. It’s going to be a battle, but we’re alive and we’re going to fight with everything we have.”
(Where does DT Zach Sieler rate as it relates to the emotional heartbeat of the defense?) – “Zach, man, he played a game. He had a day today. So many close plays early. So many close plays early, but just bringing that energy, bringing that leadership, bringing that passion and then the dam broke in that fourth quarter. He went off and made big plays that essentially called game for us or at least gave us a shot for the offense to call game. Hats off to him. I love playing next to him. Zach’s my guy. He’s a beast, and if he keeps playing like that, we’re going to be in this thing when it matters.”
-DOLPHINS-
Jaylen Waddle – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
(What does it say about your team, it takes overtime to still get the win and still have a chance in this playoff hunt?) – “It means a lot. Winning that type of game against that type of team, we needed all three phases and everybody came through when we needed them. It was exciting. It was exciting, it was a great game – one of the best games I have been it.”
(How do you feel about offense right now? It seems like everybody is contributing – you, WR Tyreek Hill, RB De’Von Achane, TE Jonnu Smith. Do you feel this is the best this offense has been this season?) – “It’s balanced, it makes the defense defend everybody and ultimately get our playmakers in space. Mike (McDaniel) is doing a good job of calling plays and using everybody’s skill set. We’re doing good, man. We’ve got a lot more in the tank though, I know we do. We have a whole ‘nother level.”
(What was QB Tua Tagovailoa like in the huddle during overtime?) – “Commanding. He really made sure we didn’t kill ourselves with penalties; he wanted everybody to lock in and just hone in on the details. That’s was big. He came through, made big plays, was calm in the pocket, o-line had great protection, he delivered the ball.
(You set a record for most yards in the first four years for the team. I just want to get your thoughts on setting that franchise record?) – “That’s big, man. There’s a lot of great receivers that have played here. Just being anywhere in the name of those guys is always a blessing.”
-DOLPHINS-
Jonnu Smith – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith
How do you explain that game?
JONNU SMITH: The you start off – Jesus Christ. King of kings, Lord of lords. It’s my faith, it just propels me forward as a man, has me prepared for any moment – I lost my voice out there going crazy. (laughter) Just propels me to be prepared for any moment. Didn’t blink first, second, third quarter. Individually probably wasn’t the game I’ve been having these past couple of weeks. Didn’t blink at all. Just was excited, continuing to have excitement about our offensive success going forward, and when my time comes, just got to be there to make the play when it counts. Just extremely – I love this team, man, the resolve we got, no blink, no flinching. I’m just beyond, beyond proud of this team and for us getting that victory that we did today.
All three of your catches came on that final drive. Talk about how that came about. Did you ask for the ball there?
JONNU SMITH: You know, I’m kind of in my gear throughout the game, nudging, but he’s got a job to do and he does a damn good job. So I just continue to trust in him. Whenever my opps come, just capitalize off of them. We each individually got to have that mindset. It may not be your day. Every week it’s the NFL, guys are good, and we’ve got so many talented guys on this team, so opps are precious. When it comes your time to make an opp, make it count. Make it count.
Is this your first overtime touchdown?
JONNU SMITH: Yeah, my first overtime touchdown, yep.
Just that moment. You looked like you were going nuts. How crazy was that feeling for you?
JONNU SMITH: I’ve been extremely blessed. I’m a blessed man. Things don’t happen overnight. Obviously you guys see the result. You don’t see the work that’s put in, the progress. That’s what I hang my hat on. I know what I’ve been blessed with. I’m not going to let this ability go to waste. I’ve got so much more to improve on and so much better I can be as a player in this business, and I’m just trying to reach for that each and every day. You can never obtain perfection. So for me, that’s what keeps me driving, to know that the sky’s the limit. I’ve just got so much more out there for me. But I saw this moment. I envisioned this moment. It’s a process of putting in the work, seeing it, believing in it, having faith. You can never know when a time can be your time that the team really needs you. So just again, just beyond excited to be a part of this team.
Were you trying to play it cool at first after the touchdown was scored before everyone started jumping around mobbing you?
JONNU SMITH: I honestly don’t even remember what happened. I’m being honest. I remember catching the ball, just securing it, know I kind of had to extend out, kind of had my hands underneath it, and I was not letting nothing take this ball out of my hands. When I knew I secured the catch coming down, everything went blank after that, so y’all got to tell me what happened after that. But I just remember going crazy, taking my helmet off, my cap – my wave cap came off – just went crazy, just celebrating with my teammates and hugging my guys, embracing them. That’s what makes this so special. I love the fans, man. I love the city of Miami. I do. Unfortunately they’re not in this building with us every day, so they can’t really relate to how those moments really feel. Those moments right there are precious because we know the work that was put in and we know the adversity that we faced during the season and we know when our backs was against the wall and we fought, we came out fighting and it didn’t go the way that it went today. So to feel that, to feel that and embrace my teammates, embrace my brothers, that we’ve been grinding for so long with for so many months now; it’s a feeling I can’t even describe.
Was it a momentum thing? After the first catch, it just kind of had the feel you were going to march down the field. Did you feel that momentum really on your side?
JONNU SMITH: When my number is called, I know it’s called for a spark. I know it’s called for a spark, to get us going. Everybody has got different roles in this league. I’m just embracing mine. I knew I had to make a play. It was overtime. We’ve all got to make plays, don’t get me wrong, but my number was called. Especially on those screen plays, there’s only one guy getting that ball. It’s not like two guys – he has a progression to go through, waiting for guys to get open. It’s you and go to work. Just getting those type of plays going, getting the momentum going when your number is called, got to answer.
-DOLPHINS-
Mike McDaniel – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
What was the speech about resiliency? What was the speech you gave your team about resiliency earlier this week, and how did you see it play out today?
MIKE McDANIEL: There’s been a lot of very motivated passionate meetings, whether it’s led by myself or Frank (Smith) and ‘Weave’ (Anthony Weaver) or by players. There’s a lot that I kind of shared with them in my life story, how it’s not always a bad thing when people think you can’t do stuff. I was an only child in Greeley, Colorado, which you guys don’t know what that is. It’s like 70,000 people, and I was 4’10” tall in seventh grade, so there were a lot of people that said that I couldn’t, and I see that in our team. There’s just so many people that can attest to being able to press forward regardless of who says what and wherever. But the main thing, whatever I said, the players chose to believe. The players chose to have an absolutely motivated practice week. The players chose to not give up in this game. When you do that and you survive some adversity, the thing on the other side is the – that’s the best stuff, regardless. One thing I know in life, easy is way overrated and not that fulfilling. I don’t know how you know about a team meeting. I don’t know who the snitch is. But the team meeting isn’t the headline. The headline is guys coming together. I thought the vision of the team – I couldn’t be prouder of the fourth quarter, the complementary football, when plays needed to be had, some of the biggest plays in the game were on special teams. Guys like Malik Washington, for instance, last week did not define him. An absolutely critical return. The plays that ‘33’ (Siran Neal) made. A missed extra point, does that define you? It’s the same thing as 2-6 or 5-7; only if you let it. The locker room, I think it’s important to really acknowledge the absolute non-negotiable effort and strain that we see from this Dolphins team. I think the crowd played a big part, and it was important to our guys. We’ve had a rough season. We have a lot of people paying a lot of money to come see us play, and Hard Rock Stadium is special to us. All of those things were really cool, and I was just really happy with what the team did and how they approached the week allowed them to have an opportunity to have a really cool football moment together today.
When you think of a franchise quarterback, you think of the kind of things we saw today from QB Tua Tagovailoa. We’ve seen parts of that, but putting it all together like he did today with the season on the line, what can you say about that?
MIKE McDANIEL: Well, I think there are two games. For me, the game he had at Buffalo exorcised some demons for him and I, just in general, and I don’t think he could have had that game two years ago. I don’t think two years ago this game occurs. He continues to get better. But he’s really – I think he had 47 pass attempts this week. He had 40 last week. I think it’s been since the Monday night game that he’s turned the ball over. It’s a lot of work, and all of his work is paying off because he’s a naturally gifted quarterback, not only the skill sets but people gravitate towards him. He makes people better. That’s an incredibly important part of that position. I thought it was a big game for him in Green Bay, as well, because not everything played out the way he wanted it to. But what he’s doing is he’s mastering the art. The hardest thing to do, you could argue the hardest position to play, is quarterback out of all the positions in sports, and the biggest differentiator with quarterbacks is it’s a big moment. There’s a lot of stuff on you. And to be able to play clear minded and let the game come to you – case in point, 47 pass attempts and 0 interceptions again – it’s really cool to see. Not an ounce of it hasn’t been earned from him working on his craft, and that connectivity with the guys he’s throwing to, ‘10’ Tyreek Hill) and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle), there’s been a lot of talk about their production and stuff. They’re executing this offense the best they’ve ever executed. Their routes are the best. They’re on the field the longest they’ve been on the field. So there’s a lot of cool things coming together. That’s why you fight, because the point is it has nothing to do with how difficult the journey is, but moments like this are on the other side. So we’ll enjoy this as individuals and as a group today and then one thing I am very comfortable being confident in is that we’ll watch the tape tomorrow and then guys will start getting ready for the next week and copy, paste the way we approach it because that’s what the league is about. When everyone is all in, really cool things can happen, people can make plays in certain situations, and you can all of a sudden come up with a defensive stop that’s absolutely critical at the end of the game, and then you can do stuff at the end of the half and the end of the game offensively to get some points, which I thought was a huge area of growth. Yeah, I didn’t realize until it was live speed that I had never been in an overtime game, either, as a head coach, so that was cool. I’m glad the rules are as they are.
Did TE Jonnu Smith ever say anything to you during the game about not getting targeted? Whether he did or not, what changed in overtime?
MIKE McDANIEL: We have so many talented players that can do things with the ball. He came and he has this deal where he reminds me of a play, so it’s constructive, but I know what that means. (laughter) He did it in Indianapolis when he scored I think it might have been his first touchdown. He reminded me of a play. I did something similar, or it took me probably another series, but then I called the play, and whether it was a tip or it was a tight window, it was that screen that was incomplete. So actually he said something, we called a play, it was live speed and he would call it a drop. I’m not sure, I’d have to see on tape, but he would call it a drop. But my working relationship with that competitor, you also know that yeah, in the short term it sucks that the play wasn’t made, but I also know that, all right, in my back pocket, that bothers him more than anybody, so he will make a play. He said something, but I knew where his competitive spirit was at and how he had touched the ball, and it wasn’t a completion. I knew when push came to shove in crunch time, he would come through just because that’s what he’s shown me. He’s a very resilient individual that’s a competitor and makes all his teammates better by the way he competes.
Regarding T Terron Armstead, he’s a veteran who’s injured and has to leave the game. He was clearly frustrated. At one point he’s giving tips to T Patrick Paul. At another point he’s giving tips to LB Chop Robinson. What does that say about Terron and what does that say about this team?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think you hit the nail on the head. That’s why he has a C on his chest. That’s why he’s a special player, because it was undoubtedly very frustrating for him. But we talked this week about – I saw the same thing from Raheem Mostert. He desperately wanted to will his way to play. He didn’t. But I saw value added, and there’s a reason why the highly respected and regarded players are as such, because in this game there’s a lot of things that go on. You’re 1/11th in regards to who you are and what you’re doing, so you can only control what you can control. But there is gigantic power in adding value from energy or investment, and Terron, that’s what he does. He’s a huge piece of our locker room. I feel just fortunate to have him on this (team), to be able to sign him in 2022, because we wouldn’t be where we’re at without him. You know you’ve got something good with your team in terms of the ability to play down the stretch and play and handle whatever occurs when you have guys that are major contributors when they’re unable to, whether it’s injury or whatever the scheme is, when they’re still adding value by recognizing that they still have value, even when they’re not playing.
How would you assess and evaluate the way T Patrick Paul played?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, it felt — I can tell you that I was not calling plays around him. In games, one thing that is a big deal when you do have a lineup change on the offensive line is you know a guy is playing well if you don’t have to adjust your play calling. So I was not having to, okay, do this but run right, do this but slide left. It was not too big for him. He has a lot of room to grow in this game, and he knows that. That being said, it felt like it was a big moment for him simply because he was competing play in, play out, and was not necessitating extra help. He was not necessitating to be on the back side of things. I was able to call the game as I would normally call it, which that in and of itself is a compliment.
Two games out with four weeks remaining. Can you paint a picture of where this team stands?
MIKE McDANIEL: I know we’ve got a game against the Houston Texans, and I absolutely, positively will not have anyone on this team think about anything else, absolutely. The Houston Texans are a great team, and once my eyelids open for post-sleep tomorrow morning, our energy will be focused on our game in terms of cleaning up stuff as it applies to Houston, and the rest of the stuff takes care of itself. What you don’t want is to spend your time – I could really care less. I don’t care who plays. I don’t know who has a bye. I don’t really care. We have Houston, and we need to build upon what we did this week. They’ll certainly be deserving of every ounce of our time and effort.
-DOLPHINS-
Tyreek Hill – December 8, 2024 (Postgame)
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MIAMI DOLPHINS QUOTES
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
We were just talking to Jonnu about his celebration. I think you kind of kicked it off, right? (Inaudible) That moment, what was that like for you guys?
TYREEK HILL: We’ve been through so much as a team and to put it all together when it mattered the most, when the team needed us to ourselves, what we’ve been in the recent past and just to do that on that drive. It was a special moment for all of us. So it was great. Hopefully we can continue to build off that, that momentum and continue with that success going towards the end of the season.
What did you think of Tua first getting the team into field goal range for the tying field and then when you get in overtime with that drive?
TYREEK HILL: Tua, man. He’s been playing lights out. I think he doesn’t get enough credit for the things that he does outside of making plays whether that’s getting us lined up correctly. Me and him had a moment whenever I ran a route the wrong way. He came up to me and told me exactly how I needed to run it. He’s been playing lights out. He’s been a great leader for this team, not only on offense but also for defense, getting those guys going. We’ve just got to follow him, man, like follow his standard because the standard is the standard, and he’s been playing at a high level and guys around him just got to match it. I feel like we’ve been doing that, but it’s got to be every play, though. That mindset’s got to be every play. It just can’t be whenever you’re getting the ball or whenever it’s time for you to be like the star or whatever, but it’s got to be every play.
Was there like a turning point for you guys today, any sort of come-to-Jesus moment on the sideline where you guys said, the season is on the line, we’ve got to wake up?
TYREEK HILL: Yeah, there was. Actually when we were down 23-15, when we were trotting back on the field, everybody knew what was at stake at that moment. We know if we lose, it’s over. Our season is over. Unfortunately we’ve got a lot of great guys on this team who don’t want to end our season in January and watch other teams play because we have the capability to play with a lot of teams in this league. We just played ball, man, when it mattered the most. We executed. Guys lined up in the right spot, guys played fast, got guys playing for each other, and that’s what it’s all about. When it’s on the line, give us your best stuff. That’s what everybody did. No questions were asked, no fingers were pointed. That’s the beautiful thing about it. It allows guys to play fast, and it allows Tua to process things faster because he doesn’t have to worry about getting guys lined up. He doesn’t have to worry about guys being in a certain spot for him so it was great.
It looked bleak, I think it was first-and-10 on the 27 with a minute and change left and they had the ball. Are you surprised that they let you back in the game? Because they run the ball three times, you might not get the ball back.
TYREEK HILL: Exactly, I was kind of surprised by that, but those coaches, those guys – I have no idea. My thing is just to focus on what we got over here. I’m just glad that they did what they did: Passed the ball. I feel like Kendall (Fuller) won’t get credit for what he did on the Davante Adams catch. People will just see the catch, but Kendall did a great job of pulling Davante Adams out of bounds on that play, so that was a great job by him. But besides that, they gave us another shot, another opp, and Tua did his thing.
Malik with that return, your thoughts on that?
TYREEK HILL: Oh, man, I told him, great job, bro. It’s because of him, bro. He got the team going, he got the crowd into it, and once – the way he bounced back, I knew he was going to do that during the whole entire week because he’s been so locked in. Malik is that kind of player. For him to do that, I’m happy for him, and it was great, man. I’m happy for him, man.
-DOLPHINS-
