Calais Campbell – September 22, 2024 (Postgame)
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Miami Dolphins DT Calais Campbell
(On facing an early deficit)
CALAIS CAMPBELL: “That’s football. You can’t control the circumstances. All you can do is control your response. I feel like we didn’t do a good enough job early on building that early lead. We gave up a couple of big plays and let them get that early lead and they were able to play from a comfortable position. You put pressure on your quarterback when you spot a team 14 points, 17 points, whatever. We’ve got to do better. Just kind of being real stout in the front at the beginning. Then we can get three, get six, maybe get seven, and start playing with the lead and get a little more confidence and you can take a little more chances. You can’t control anything else. We can control what we can control. But our defense is better than we played today. I don’t want to talk bad about anybody at all, ever, but I just feel we’re a better team than (how) we played today on defense, and I expect us to be better.”
(On how the defense improves against the run)
CALAIS CAMPBELL: “That’s something we’re talking through. I mean, you can go down the list of things that can make us get better. But one thing for sure, we’ve got to get better. We’ve been talking amongst ourselves and the coaches about things that can help us. But at the end of the day it really comes down to how we handle our business — doing our job at a high level and shutting down the run. I felt we did it well for all but like five or six runs, maybe six or seven, but those lapses can’t be there. Too much talent, too many guys that have done it at a high level and love ball for us to have those lapses. Usually it comes down to somebody trying to do too much. And it’s like, for what? We’ve got too many guys. You don’t have to do too much. Just make the plays you’re supposed to make. They’ll come to you. That’s just something we’ve got to be better at.”
Zach Sieler – September 22, 2024 (Postgame)
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Miami Dolphins DT Zach Sieler
(On what he tells teammates after a tough loss)
“Yeah, we’ve got to find what we did good out there, and try to emulate that next week. What’s great about the NFL is there’s a game next week. 24-hour rule, make the corrections, learn from what we did wrong, and go about it and handle business next week.”
(On his interception in the game)
“Shoot, I mean, I think Calais (Campbell) is the one that tipped it. I haven’t watched it yet, but it was just kind of floating up there. I thought I was about to get smoked from the side or something because that thing was just hanging there. Once I got it, I’m like ‘alright, let’s get some momentum, let’s get going.’ Offense went out there and drove the field a little bit, which is great to see. Things weren’t falling our way.”
(On what Miami’s defense did well to keep the team in the game)
“I think what we did best, and what we need to keep doing, was just doing our responsibility, doing our job, not trying to do too much. When that happens, guys will kind of do things, I’ve done it multiple times, I did it today; you try to be the game changer, try to make a big play, but things happen. So, we have to trust in the coaches, trust in the DC (defensive coordinator), trust in the calls, and play within the snaps to do the right thing.”
Kendall Lamm – September 22, 2024 (Postgame)
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Miami Dolphins T Kendall Lamm
(On the attitude right now for the team)
KENDALL LAMM: “The only thing you can do is lock in, look at the film, break it down, be very real with yourself and keep it moving forward. You’ve been around this game for a long time, you know every opponent [doesn’t care] about what happened the week before that. They don’t care what your team looks like, they’re going to come out and give you their best shot, regardless. From my offensive line perspective, we just try to handle what we can. Like I said, be very real with what we see when we break down the film. Of course, we’ll all be on the plane watching so we’ll be talking amongst ourselves and then we’ll move forward as we can.”
(On their penalties)
KENDALL LAMM: “You know as well as I do, first game on the road, certain things happen. Especially in this type of environment. Seattle has one of the best home field advantages in our league. It’s been documented over time. But at the same time, it just boils back down to preparation, really locking in. Just because this was the first doesn’t mean that this has to be the standard for every other game. You learn from it, see what you can do better and keep it moving.”
(On having the right attitude going forward)
KENDALL LAMM: “It’s on everybody. At the end of the day, because you’re a professional athlete, you know what comes with this. You know that every single week, whether it’s Thursday, Sunday, Monday, what comes with what we do. As a grown man, if you want to be in this league a long time and be successful with it, you have to turn the page quick and keep it moving.”
Jevón Holland – September 22, 2024 (Postgame)
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Miami Dolphins S Jevón Holland
(On the performance of the defense)
JEVÓN HOLLAND: “You just have to go back to the film, look at it and move on. That’s basically all it is. You just have to capitalize on the plays that you got beat at and then use that as motivation to build from there.”
(On the positives on the defense)
JEVÓN HOLLAND: “I think it’s all solid, it’s just a matter of us putting it together. I think it’s just a matter of us being locked in when the time is needed and taking advantage of us being in that motion and in that mode. Playing together and that’s all we really need to do, just trust each other.”
(On the long touchdown pass to DK Metcalf)
JEVÓN HOLLAND: “It was a good route combination by them to challenge our rules. It just so happened that they were able to take advantage of us. That’s how it works.”
(On how they were able to lock in after a tough first couple of drives)
JEVÓN HOLLAND: “I think it just comes down to us trusting ourselves. As defensive players, our job is to get the ball back to the offense. Regardless of what the circumstance is, or our situation, just continue to try and do our job. That’s all it comes down to.”
Tim Boyle – September 22, 2024 (Postgame)
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Miami Dolphins QB Tim Boyle
(On his mentality.)
TIM BOYLE: It’s an attitude game. Go out there, we’re down a couple scores. But you got to go out and prove what you’ve got. It builds a lot of character as a person, as a competitor. I’m glad we put a couple drives together. Obviously, we got stopped there on fourth down at the goal line. When you’re struggling like that, you’re trying to find completions, you’re trying to find positive yards and put a drive together.
(When a team is struggling, what’s the most important, is it individual mindset? Is it team leaders? Is it coaches? How do you keep going?)
TIM BOYLE: That’s the beautiful part about football. It’s the ultimate team game. You can’t be a well-oiled machine and have one guy doing the wrong thing. I think it always starts with the quarterback. And going out there for the first time and kind of getting the first couple of reps under my belt, I could clean some stuff up in hindsight which I will. But on offense it’s tough to move the ball. Felt like we had some momentum going into it, a couple drives, and all of a sudden it was a penalty or a key incompletion or it was something that kind of held us back. And it’s tough to sustain drives and put points on the board when you do that. We’ve got to be critical with ourselves on the tape and come back and get better.
(When did you find out you would be signed to the active roster?)
TIM BOYLE: I found out yesterday morning I was going to be signed.
(How did you feel?)
TIM BOYLE: Felt good. Obviously it’s good to be on the roster and get ready to go. That’s one of the cool parts being a backup quarterback; you got to be ready and prepared like a starter. It’s one of those weird things. Skylar (Thompson) was battling. He was a tough son of a gun all day. I saw him laying on the ground and all of a sudden you spring into action. You’ve got to fill in the gaps and try to execute the offense. And I feel like certain points we did that. But, again, like I said, we shot ourselves in the foot too many times.
(You also might get a chance to start a ball game on a Monday Night Football next week. We’ll see, check on everybody’s health. If that were to occur, what approach would you take?)
TIM BOYLE: Business as usual. Nothing’s going to change. I have a pretty good routine, year seven at this point. Watch my film, look at my corrections and move on to the next team after the 24-hour rule, kind of feel this one, bond with the team a little bit, but it’s on to the Titans on Monday Night Football.
(How comfortable do you feel with this offense being in it for — has it been a month yet?)
TIM BOYLE: I don’t think it’s been a month yet but every day it gets more comfortable. It really does. It’s a pretty tricky offense as you guys saw. But Mike (McDaniel) does a really good job of detailing up the quarterbacks’ responsibilities and our actions. And I think all of our motions get guys open, which is nice for the quarterback. It definitely requires some studying. And as a quarterback, that’s what I’m expected to do. And I love the offense, and I love how Mike calls the game. Just got to execute.
(How much carry-over is it from what you known in the past few years?)
TIM BOYLE: Some of the verbiage from a couple teams I’ve been on, so that helps cut some of the studying hours down. But the concepts most of the teams run the same concepts. It’s just how you get to it, how you dress it up. The motions, shifts, run actions, play pass. Thankfully some similarities to my former offenses, so I’m not just stepping into a completely new offense.
(Year seven in your career. How would you picture your career in your own words?)
TIM BOYLE: I’m chugging along. It’s being interesting, obviously spent three years in Green Bay, since then bounced around some teams. But I’m proud of how I’ve been resilient. No matter what team, I’ve been ready, I’ve been the same from a preparation standpoint, from being a teammate standpoint, trying to instill my leadership in the team as I can, whether it’s on P squad (practice squad) or the backup or the starter. But there’s definitely more out there for me. I’m going to try to go get.
(What’s the message Coach McDaniel or Coach Bev has given you since your arrival or recent weeks that sort of resonated with you or you found helpful?)
TIM BOYLE: I think being similar systems, I think they saw the timing aspect. I think this offense revolves around timing, quarterback footwork, route depth. I’ve been around that. I think just being on time and staying ahead of the chains is something that I think they appreciated. But again, none of that matters if you’re not executing and you’re shooting yourselves in the foot on drives, and you can’t put three points on the board and expect to win. We got to be better.
(What kind of communication were you able to have with Tua Tagovailoa on the sideline?)
TIM BOYLE: Yeah, very encouraging. Tua (Tagovailoa) has been great ever since he’s gotten hurt, he’s a ray of sunshine. His smile. Always upbeat. Hell of a teammate. Great leader and I’m glad he’s been around obviously in the quarterback room, but just words of advice. He’s been in the system obviously now for three years and just small things here and there that help me, eye placement, techniques, stuff, but I’m glad Tua is in our corner in the quarterback room.
Mike McDaniel – September 22, 2024 (Postgame)
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Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On positives from the game.)
MIKE MCDANIEL: I thought the positives were we took care of the ball. I did think Skylar (Thompson) did a good job operating the offense. I think there needed to be a lot better job in preparation on my part. 11 penalties is not good enough but we took care of the ball. I think (Tim) Boyle came in and I thought did a great job of leading the guys, was very good in the huddle and was very good in communicating the things that needed to be communicated from the sidelines. And I think the bottom line is I see the quarterback is an extension of the offense, and the offense is an extension of me. And three points, I’ve never won a game scoring three points. So I think collectively, starting with me, it just needs to be better, and we have to get it figured out fast.
(On the injury to Skylar Thompson.)
MIKE MCDANIEL: I haven’t talked to Skylar (Thompson) as of the end of the game. It was a rib injury that was pretty painful. And half the pain or half of the frustration for him, I think, was he was trying to find a way to not come out of the game. And ultimately it was pretty painful. He fought through it but we’ll get a chance to look at him tomorrow.
(With these past two weeks, having Tua Tagovailoa go down, having Skylar Thompson go down, what is kind of the next planning step, I guess, for you guys the coming weeks? What’s that plan?)
MIKE MCDANIEL: I think you have to look at everything. And you have to find a way to give your team a best chance to win. In 2022, this was something that happened to us as well. And ultimately the rest of the league does not care nor should they. We have to find a way to get better collectively. And it’s going to take a better effort by everyone, including myself, or starting with myself.
(What was the reasoning behind the play call right before the end of the half?)
MIKE MCDANIEL: The approach was the same that we did Week 1 of last year against the Chargers where you’re trying to take a shot and see and make a defense defend. In that situation last year, we got a defensive pass interference that led to a field goal that was ultimately a two-point game. We were trying the same thing and it did not work out the same. But that was the thought process.
(What about the breakdown on the DK Metcalf touchdown?)
MIKE MCDANIEL: Yeah, there’s a couple things from the beginning of the game that I know the good news is we found our rhythm as a defense, I thought, as the game progressed. And the good news is that we have the right people on this team, I think, and the right people on the defense in particular for them to not worry about the overall score but more worry about how we can keep self-inflicted wounds from hurting us. And as frustrating as that was, being a point of emphasis going into the game, I think collectively I was happy with the resolve to put forth better defense after that and respond.
(With the self-inflicted wounds, a lot of penalties, pre-snap on offense, also on special teams. Just really the rhyme or reason of —)
MIKE MCDANIEL: No, I think we have to handle the road better, and that starts with me. But then that continues throughout everyone. I think that the crowd was rocking and we looked as though it was the first time in a hostile environment. And so that’s a fast lesson that you have to learn from and get better or you are not going to expect any differing results moving forward. But, yeah, I think it was 11 penalties for 85 yards. And especially when you’re having issues in the red zone and coming up with no touchdowns and being down there several times, you can’t afford that to win the football game.
(On injuries.)
MIKE MCDANIEL: With Terron (Armstead), he got poked in the eye. And then the UNC cleared him during the game and postgame looked at him again. And him and (Kendall) Fuller are in the protocol now and we’ll evaluate them tomorrow.
(How do we get Tyreek Hill more involved in the offense? In the first half he only one target and second half seemed to pick up. But going forward with all these injuries, where do you see him fitting more in the offense?)
MIKE MCDANIEL: Absolutely. As a captain, leader, Tyreek (Hill) did a great job all week trying to make sure that he was doing his part, not only the pass game but the run game. And in that process give the Seahawks credit, they did some things to try to nullify him. I think ultimately some of the stuff that we expected to be cleaner in the run game leads to longer drives, more opportunities for him. But this team needs him. He was prepared. He was ready. He had the appropriate energy. So, got to do a better job getting him the ball. And we have to do a better job staying on the field so we can get our playmakers the ball. I think we only had three three-and-outs, but I think there were a lot of four-, five-play drives where we were able to get a first down and then couldn’t get out of our own way. So it has to get better for everyone to get better.
(Touching on the offense too being with kind of the roller coaster at quarterback you guys are having right now, how does the offense stay clicking like they have been with so many changes under center there? What do they have to do to ready?)
MIKE MCDANIEL: I think consistency has to be found from the nucleus in the group. The guys that truly know the offense have to really be on it. And we have to just keep chopping wood and get better fast. Again, those things happen. And every single season there’s teams that find a way to win football games when their starter or even their backup’s out. So that’s what we’re signed up for this year in the present situation. And I think it’s also important to — like I told the team — we’ve had two consecutive seasons where we were winning football games. And I think were 3-0 in both scenarios. And it’s a long season. It’s Week 3 and we have to — the idea is that you’re continuing to get better so you’re at your best at the end of the season. That was our main focus coming into this year. It hasn’t changed. It’s just magnified. But that’s the National Football League. You have to do what you have to do. And we need everyone to focus on the right things to get better.
(When you look at today’s offensive inconsistencies, how much can you attribute to uncertainty at quarterback coming in with an unfamiliar face, relatively speaking? And then how much of it is Seattle’s defense or penalties or like that?)
MIKE MCDANIEL: I think as competitors, we look at ourselves first. However, it would be silly not to acknowledge the very good plan, effort, and strain and detail by the Seattle Seahawks. I don’t think it was as much of the quarterback as it can easily be made out to be. I think it was the overall orchestration and execution of plays down in and down out. And I have to look at that hard in terms of myself to what we’re doing, what we’re good at, and how to play clean football. And then as well as I think there’s going to be a lot of guys looking at their finer details and whether or not it lives up to the standard of the way they execute their job. Bottom line is it has to be better. So that’s our jobs, and we need to do it immediately and have no time to waste.
(Question about fourth and one and going for it.)
MIKE MCDANIEL: It was a combination of the work week where Jason Sanders was at pregame. And I thought the match-up with the defense, I thought points were at a premium. Although there were 17 first-half points and they came early, I was kind of playing to where I thought our defense was at. And those are things that you’re always debating — had it been three yards further back or four yards further back, maybe I make a different decision. But basically on the first down, I’m kind of considering where the field position is, and I thought it was close enough that he would have a good strike and effort.
Mike McDaniel – September 20, 2024
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Friday, September 20, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Is WR Grant DuBose out on Friday and is WR Erik Ezukanma healthy enough to play, should you choose to elevate him this weekend?) – “Grant (DuBose), I think it’s safe to say that he won’t be out there this weekend. It’s kind of one of those that we don’t think to be season ending, but there’s got to be a decision and we’re just gaining information to kind of assess that. And there are some potentials for some flexes, for sure.”
(Is there health interest in this equation?) – “He is healthy enough and we are accounting for him in the equation.”
(Does RB Raheem Mostert look ready to go? And T Terron Armstead told us he was, so would you confirm that?) – “Confirm, Terron (Armstead) is playing, and I would say we’ll see with Raheem (Mostert). I’m an optimistic person, so I would say I’d be pessimistic that he’d play, which is telling, but I can’t rule it out.”
(I want to ask you about a weird situation that happened last week with the Giants. They lose their kicker early in the game and have to go to their punter and then try two-point conversions, it doesn’t work out. What kind of contingency plans do you guys have in scenarios like that?) – “One of the absolute strengths of Coach Crossman is making sure that there’s no stone unturned. So we’ve had reps at backup everything and contingency plans not only for who’s kicking the ball, who’s punting the ball, who’s snapping the ball, who’s holding. All of those intricacies you figure out early in OTAs, like who’s up for the challenge or who has some history or – and then you kind of narrow it down as you go so that you can, because you can’t practice it every week, at least with the team, but you can practice your individual skillsets and have that ready. But I think what’s also fortuitous for us is the leg talent of both our punter and kicker because they have the ability to do the either’s job, should the unforeseen happen. Football is funny that way. You don’t want to be overly concerned with the out of nowhere one-percentile, however, it is part of our responsibility to have stuff in place and we do that across the board, including in games where there’s two quarterbacks. What happens if those guys aren’t in? That one I’ll keep tight to the vest because there’s a pretty exciting football package behind the second quarterback generally. But you have to assess everything that way because it’s kind of our job.”
(Out of curiosity, if P Jake Bailey ended up kicking in a scenario like this, who ends up holding? Because I know that used to be a quarterback’s job, it’s a little different.) – “There’s a couple holders on our team that have experience. I’m pretty sure River Cracraft did in a game at one point, he’s been at one point. Our Swiss army knife Alec Ingold has pretty much done every job. So has Durham Smythe, so we have contingencies on the contingencies. We have a lot of depth at holder.”
(With QB Tua Tagovailoa out, I’m sure that there’s a temptation for some of them to do a little bit more, especially the guys who got contract extensions or restructured. Do you have to talk to them about, “just chill out and the game will come to you?” Or how do you handle that?) – “I think this team in particular really follows through with the hope you have as a coach where any time anyone goes down, especially a gigantic contributor and/or the starting quarterback, the mindset is not to do anything but uplift the team by doing whatever has to be done and doing that collectively. So I think I would be disappointed if I was on a team that wasn’t like that. Since I’ve been here, all of our teams have really taken it as a rallying cry for the whole team to come together and understand that it’s strength in numbers, that it’s no one person on this team that has to do everything. And the idea that you’re finding ways to evolve to try to do whatever it takes in scenarios as a team to win a game, I think this team we’re cool with statistical whatever. That’s not – and I think the whole team is in a spot where yes, you want to do right for your team and you want to do well for your team, but we’ve also been No. 1 in the league in categories and I think guys are over that. We want to win a game and that challenge and what it takes as a team to go ahead every week and next man up, whatever position, that’s something that on the heels of having a tremendous disappointment in a divisional game, we have all the incentive we need and then some to go and have a team win. So I think where the team is at and our goals and what we value and what’s important today, this team needs to feel victory together, they want it and that’s all they’re really going to be consumed about. And I’m not really worried about anything else.”
(How has WR Malik Washington looked in his first week back at practice and is he ready to go?) – “He’s done a good job. I feel pretty good about his progress. I’m not sure, that’s one that we have a high opinion – Malik has done such a good job being a pro and we know we can count on him, so we’re making sure that we’re not going to put him in harm’s way. He’s done some good things this week, so we’re just kind of measuring the risk reward because he’s trending the right way. And if he’s – he’s either playing under the expectation that we’re not going to risk anything or he just missed the opp by maybe a day or so, in which case that we’ll be pretty confident in next week. So however it plays out, happy the fact that he hasn’t regressed during the week, and he is – you want to talk about attacking. There’s a lot of guys that we talk about that really do everything to get back on the field, and you have a rookie that, however you proportion it, whether it’s just his internal motivation or watching his professional peers and his veterans, how they go about doing that type of stuff and how many players we have that will do anything and everything to be on the field on Sunday, whoever’s responsible for it, we have a professional Malik Washington operating like a savvy vet in terms of how he’s taking care of his body and how he’s pushing to get on the field because he wants to help us win football games.”
(You mentioned last year’s offensive success. With that and then the offensive weapons that you have, there’s a popular adage among Dolphins fans that really anybody can step in and run this offense. As an offensive coach or coach who leans offensively, I guess, how does that make you feel?) – “I kind of get triggered, kind of understand. To say that anybody could, then we would have open tryouts and that would be very salary cap-friendly. (laughter) I think just because the people that end up being at the helm of the offense end up having productivity, I think you can’t – I think the way that Tua (Tagovailoa) plays the position is very unique and that’s always triggered me that people have said anybody can. And then I think Skylar (Thompson) isn’t anybody. He’s someone that’s diligently worked behind the scenes and right next to Tua for this going on his third year and his ability to execute anything within the system is to his credit. We try to do a good job matching what players’ talents are to our talents as a football team and in that, we do have some playmakers. A lot of people have playmakers, and how do you best utilize ours? Well, you have to play in a certain rhythm and timing that you can only do if you can see defense. And that’s a very, very important stipulation, is that you are throwing to offensive players and not everyone, even at the NFL level, is capable of seeing defense and throwing to the holes in it as opposed to just staring at the offensive eligible and throwing it to them. In a league that is very pass-defensive-oriented with a lot of quarterback vision and quarterback intentions by defenders in their zones reading and melting towards the vision of the quarterback, it’s becoming more and more of a necessary skillset that not everybody has and the only way that we’re able to get our guys the ball and not just have catch-tackles, is Tua’s ability and then Skylar shares an ability in a similar way of being able to anticipate and play with timing and throw guys open so they can catch and run. So I would say from my vantage point, being in the offense for 20 years, that the statement that anybody can run it is false, but what do I know?”
(Given the injury to QB Tua Tagovailoa, now where you are with QB Skylar Thompson and experienced backups behind him, do you tell your quarterbacks to be a little bit safer with scrambling, sliding, saving their body even if it means giving up the line to gain? And does that even apply to Tua when he comes back?) – “I appreciate competitive spirit and fighting for every yard, but I don’t coach quarterbacks to try to run over defenders; however, you try to play a competitive sport where people are trying to tackle you with vigor and sometimes competitiveness takes over. I don’t really judge that as much as I try to have lessons learned and be able to articulate, ‘OK well, what can you do in the future?’ I’m not adjusting – I have the same philosophy. It’s well, in this situation, maybe identifying the yard line and running to space or sliding. That’s how I kind of coach and I think Skylar (Thompson) – every quarterback, you’re trying to make them play within the guidelines of the play and you’re trying to dictate the terms with your play calls and then you just keep coaching and coaching and coaching through situations so that guys, when the moment strikes, that they can make effective decisions that are very decisive. So I think that is kind of the balance in football in general. It’s a very physical sport that there’s inherent risk of injury and everybody that plays it knows that, so you try to within those guidelines of football, try to empower them with the ability and the tools to best stay on the field. So I don’t really adjust. I think that would assume that I was kind of laissez-faire until something happened – that’s not the case. You’re more using every single situation as a learning experience, as a lesson. And I don’t think anything but explaining and talking and coaching through that stuff; you have to do that, otherwise it’s just simply and scar and there’s too many variables in football for you to try to live by the result of something else. You just have to understand, grow and get better.”
(How are you guys feeling about where RB Jaylen Wright is, his comfort level in this offense at this point in the season?) – “I’m proud of Jaylen (Wright) because it was a drastic change from a schematic standpoint in terms of what we ask our backs to do and how detailed we are or really – (Associate Head Coach/Running Backs) Eric Studesville does a great job of being very detailed in tracks and assignments, and if you don’t attack those and learn it the right way, you can’t grow in the offense. What I’ve seen Jaylen do is he’s every week, every day becoming more and more of a pro. It’s kind of in a fashion similar to a rookie, De’Von (Achane), last year where if you just diligently chop wood each and every week – every timeline is different – but one thing that is similar is that I think the first game of the season last year, De’Von was inactive. And Jaylen knows that, so you work and work and work to get yourself active and then you’re active and you’re on the field and get more touches and you just try to contribute any way, shape or form. I think the running back room that we have is as good as I’ve been around. So that competitiveness and that diligence from the whole group really, I think every single player in the running back room has gotten better since last year, since OTAs and since the beginning of training camp. And I think that’s a collective gain that they all know each one of their successes and the better each one of them are, the more they push each other and overall how much better they can each individually be as the group continues to grow.”
Tyreek Hill – September 19, 2024
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Thursday, September 19, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(Your reaction obviously to what happened to QB Tua Tagovailoa, and how is he doing right now?) – “Tua is doing great. I’m sure y’all done asked everybody in the locker room that, but he’s doing amazing. How the locker room is going – the biggest thing that we want is to make sure that Tua is all right. Once I called him the day after or whatever, I heard his voice, heard that he was in good spirits, I was cool, man. Because to me this (expletive) is bigger than football. Our life is bigger than football. We’re also individuals with have families, we’ve got stuff going on. Once I heard that, it was cool.”
(What’s the area you point to collectively as a group that you have to do better when teams try to take away you and WR Jaylen Waddle with two high safeties or whatever defense that they are playing?) – “It’s a collective unit out there at the end of the day. I can’t sit up here and point no finger at nobody. We all got to be better. We’ve got a great group of leaders on this team on both sides of the ball. We got a heck of a football coach, so no excuses from none of us. That’s the way I look at it.”
(What does QB Skylar Thompson do well that has you encouraged about these next few weeks with him?) – “He’s a little bit faster than Tua (Tagovailoa), so I’m a little bit excited about that. (laughter) Skylar (Thompson), he does a great job of extending plays. As you seen, man, when he came in (in 2022) when we played against Buffalo, he did a good job of stretching the ball down field and giving them a different look. He has some great qualities to himself. He’s fearless, he’s not afraid of anything and he’s a real competitor. I love that.”
(Everybody has to do their 1/11th, that’s what you guys always say. Without QB Tua Tagovailoa in there, does somebody have to do more than their 1/11th, or does that rule stay the same?) – “Stay the same. At the end of the day, you don’t want to do anything outside of your job, because at the end of the day you’re going to be held responsible for it, and you’re going to be held accountable for it. This is why we practice. Do what you’re coached, trust your fundamentals and techniques and you’ll be all right. When it’s time to make a play, it’s going to happen.”
(Mel Kiper said today they should ban two-high safeties in the NFL. Your thoughts on that?) – “(laughter) I will say this; it does take the fun out of the game, but at the same time people are trying to win games. It’s up to us to try to figure it out. That’s why people love football because of how it’s played and all kind of things can be stopped and stuff like this, that’s the beauty in it. It’s our job to come inside this building and figure out how do we get this not ran against us. Our coaches have been doing a great job all week, putting the ball in Skylar’s hands and trusting him this whole week. I’m really interested to see how this game plays out.”
(How likely is it that if you guys pound the ball against that two-high safety look that eventually they’ll have to play that eight-man front. Is that likely do you think?) – “Yeah, I really do. I’m really hyped up to see how we pound the ball with a guy that weighs 160 pounds. (laughter) I’m really excited about that. (De’Von) Achane is different. For him to have the amount of carries that he had last week and then still be able to do some of the things, still hold up, he’s a tremendous young player in this game. I feel like if we continue to kind of lean on him, because right now he is the spark of the offense and we need that. We need that, like anything that we can get right now. Continue to lean on him and we’ll get though this hole. Every team goes through it; I was on great teams that went through it. It’s all about how we respond to it. We don’t point fingers, trust the process, get in the film room as much as we can and figure it out.”
(The QB Tua Tagovailoa situation overshadowed last week, but you had mentioned that you were planning on announcing something in terms of police outreach. Has there been anything that’s come of that yet, or no?) – “Yeah, there’s been some small steps moved forward. Right now, I want to do a good job of keeping that private. When everything’s happened, it’s going to happen. We’ll kind of lean on you guys to get the word out and spread the message, but right now it’s just small conversations. It’s almost like contract negotiations. (laughter)”
