Mike McDaniel – August 7, 2024
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Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(What are you comfortable sharing with regard to why we haven’t seen WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Braxton Berrios this week? Could their absence be a question of days or weeks?) – “The answer is obvious, provide you with a solid question. Minor stuff, we have a collection of minor things going on. Good news is they aren’t major things, but some stuff has been fluctuating the players out there on the field.”
(With WR Jaylen Waddle last year, he played through a lot. Is there anything you guys can do to minimize some of that impact he takes?) – “For sure. I think our mindset each and every year with every player is to take information that you are accumulating it to better serve the players and him in particular. I think that’s a part of the reason you haven’t seen him. We understand his body. We understand how to be a little more proactive with something. We understand how tough he is, and he’s probably one of the toughest wide receivers that I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach and that is a great thing. However, when you’re trying to make sure that you get the season started on the right foot and that you best facilitate the best-case scenario of health, then you take measures and you learn new things or red flags or whatever it may be with that particular player.”
(In your first two seasons you chose not to use QB Tua Tagovailoa in the preseason opener. If everything goes great in today’s joint practice as planned, is that the likely scenario?) – “I think the way that I really look at today and the value of it, I think you understand what our procedure always has been, that we collect all the data, fit the needs to the player and establish how we want to approach those preseason games – we’re doing that tomorrow as a staff. I can’t – tomorrow at my press conference, right? Do I have one? (Laughter) But I do not want to get ahead of myself with all the guys because I take that serious in terms of making sure that we are getting each and every player to fit their needs and where their games at. Do I expect from past scenarios that you’re going to be surprised with, as you’d put it, a deviation from the last two years? I don’t think you’re going to be surprised.”
(When we think about staying unpredictable in Year 3 of this offense, how do you keep the mystique going when you’re having joint practices and you have different opponents?) – “The mindset isn’t totally to be unpredictable. The mindset is to be able to, with conviction, make a defense or an offense, really as an offense, defend the whole field, and as a defense, compress the field. And within that, you’re trying to assert something and then force the opponent to stop that and the ways they stop that, you take advantage of that overplay. Literally on all phases it’s that abstract, but that’s what we’re doing. So from a joint practice perspective, you get different players utilizing different techniques within a different scheme so you can apply your techniques and fundamentals, and your scheme, however your scheme is evolving to how defenses or offenses are playing, it’s a great opportunity. There is a competitive advantage when you’re finding new tools schematically that you don’t want your opponent to totally be able to dive into and what those are and how big of a piece they are it’s up to the scripters and what you put on the paper. Working with Atlanta Falcons, and specifically Raheem Morris and my relationship with him, it’s helpful in that we can not worry about some of the nuances that you might worry with an unknown coaching staff or people that you don’t have this strong of a relationship with. So you can just really put your scheme and what individual players are working on and what you’re working on as a group, you can just really apply it without hesitation in situations like that and that’s kind of really the way we utilize this opportunity, both teams. In talking to Raheem (Morris), it’s a cool opportunity to solve problems that you can take out of your list of problems that you have to solve during the season. Whether that’s different rules, whether that’s success or failure, there’s really, really good stuff to get out of these things and yesterday was one of those days that we got some good stuff out of it.”
(What did you like offensively and defensively from your team yesterday?) – “Overall, I thought a big thing for us is our standard with which we approach practice, and that is a non-negotiable, deliberate, intentional, high-effort, fast, physical, with elite technique. And what I saw was, on defense, I saw a spirit that I was very confident in, but you don’t know until you actually face a different squad. And that spirit, energy and standard of play, it’s something that was really cool and definitely present throughout the practice, you look at the first play to the last and there was some real cool, fun football being played in that way. I think the connectivity from (Defensive Coordinator) Anthony Weaver down on the coaching staff to the players and that immersed, one common goal with complete connectivity, it was on display and I was pumped with that. Offensively as the play caller, understanding how unique an opportunity is, I’m looking very specifically for things within our game, and out on the field I’m really not concerned with the result. In that, on the field I was looking at things very positive and as I looked at the tape, I was pumped about the things that I was really looking for that were tangible things that we’ve been working on since April. But beyond that, you also have expectations on things that if you’re going to emphasize one thing, you know other things are going to be right where they should be which is in a process of development. So in that your expectations are like, ‘Huh, I’m expecting to be good at something, I don’t know what we’re not going to be good at,’ and I think that was why I felt supreme conviction in why yesterday was fully utilized. The things that – there are always things. What you don’t want to do is feel like you’re at full strength in your first joint practice. I think each year in this stage we’ve had some good production against opposing defenses relative to other years. I wasn’t really looking at that, I was really focused on how we, for instance, how we block people. And then you block people well, but you have some issues from an offensive drop back standpoint where you either don’t like your hot throw or you’re really anticipating blitz from one side and it comes from the other. Those things have to be ironed out, and I don’t expect any Week 1 practice to really be anything other than that. So it was what I expected, but I was really pumped at the stuff that I was looking for. But I’m expecting improvement from mistakes yesterday and the same conviction and the same line of scrimmage that I saw at yesterday’s will be important as well.”
(Do you see the competition between QB Mike White and QB Skylar Thompson developing and what are the pros and cons of having one of them go the entire way in one preseason game and the other guy go the whole way versus maybe giving each a half in both games or something like that?) – “That competition is I think, something I’m very proud of in that those two competitors really gave it their best shot last year, and I thought it was a pretty close race with Mike winning it They’ve continued to develop their games, so they continue to do really good things, and each individual, I think is better than where they were last year. That’s hugely important for quarterbacks, particularly ones that don’t start or play during the season. You don’t want to regress; you want to improve. So I see that as – it’s neck and neck, and far from me even thinking about who’s going to win that job, and I think that’s a compliment just because they’re both developing very well. And I think that one of the tricky things are solving the problems of preseason games in terms of you want to get guys opportunities, but they’re also playing with different players and against different defenses that your corresponding play calls are different. So how do you make the opportunities as equal as possible? Well, for me, I try to create a scenario where they get to work with the same players that are blocking and the same players that are receiving routes or getting handoffs. That’s a little tricky because you can’t just play, there’s a lot of position battles that that need to be settled outside the quarterback position. So to do that, for me, the best compromise is trying to get guys some rhythm, some ownership of the game to see how they respond to ebbs and flows, but then also trying to get them in similar opportunities with their teammates. So the best of both worlds, a lot of times, for me, is getting guys opportunities in several games, but then making sure that in those opportunities, that a rhythm is established, that they have enough time to play and that’s kind of really the way I look at it. It’s abstract, like most things, but you’re trying to problem solve so you can give guys an opportunity to win the job, because it’s not for me to settle, it’s for them.”
(How is WR Malik Washington doing?) – “One of the more difficult things in the National Football League is that of a rookie NFL wide receiver. The game is very different in terms of timing, particularly with us, and the details with which you do your jobs and huddling and all the motioning. What Malik (Washington) has done really well is find how to be a professional very quickly, so he is operating as a vet would in terms of how he’s studying, his ownership of the playbook and how reliable he is with assignments for his teammates. There’s learning tools each and every practice. What I’m really happy about with Malik is that he is getting better with those mistakes and I’m expecting mistakes, but he improves mistakes, which is the key for rookies.”
(With OL Liam Eichenberg, we’ve seen him consistently at right guard – that’s where you guys listed him on the depth chart, the first depth chart. Why is that the position that’s best for him in your mind? And also, what would someone need to do to dislodge him? Does he have a big gap between him and the next candidate, or is it pretty close?) – “Liam Eichenberg has developed so much in the past couple seasons with us and has done so by being a master of multiplicity. He’s really found ways to not only contribute, produce but then also improve whatever position he’s playing. That versatility we’ve had to utilize for a multitude of different reason and he’s found a way to be good at that. The next step for him to find where his ceiling is as a player is in an offense that he knows forward and backwards with all of the tools that he’s learned when you’re starting at center for this offense in terms of the calls and the different problem-solving you have to do. For our team, it best serves us to really allow him that unique opportunity of stability and reps in one spot to see how his technique can go. That is – for the Dolphins, we think that we would be hard pressed to know exactly what that would be like because he hasn’t had that advantage necessarily, based upon the last two years of the whole group. The only think I knew what to expect from Liam this year was that he was going to make improvements on a lot of little things that were going to be ultimately a big thing. He is doing that and I’m finding out each day what those things are, and it’s exciting because he’s playing with more conviction and his personality is coming out in his play. The whole group is like that – you talk about guys that have been here and new players. Guys like Rob Jones, I’m seeing a new Rob Jones. There’s a lot of quality play that’s going on – Lester Cotton is doing a phenomenal job. We got a new player, Jack Driscoll, that’s getting some reps in there and they’re all developing. Guys develop at different speeds, but over the course of a month, you start to get an idea of what’s our best group. Liam being right guard is best served for him and the group, right now, but guys are pushing, and that competition is what’s making our practice as high intensity as it has been. It’s because guys are competing for everything and everything on this team with the quality of roster has to be earned.”
Calais Campbell – August 6, 2024
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Tuesday, August 6, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(What was that moment at the beginning of this joint practice? I know you were with the Falcons last year, you kind of brought the two teams together, right?) – “It’s a lot of friends on that side over there and a lot of good memories. Just connected with everybody but once we sat down with coaches and kind of what they expect, what the expectations are for practice about not fighting and really making it about the work and getting better, the opportunity in front of us – which is nice because when you do joint practices it kind of breaks up the monotony of going against the same guy, getting the same look over and over again and you get a different style. So it just kind of helps kind of getting better and figuring out what kind of football team we’re going to be. And so we just kind of had one of those moments where it’s like, ‘Yo, let’s just make sure it’s about the work, getting better. Let’s go out here and have some fun.’
(You guys had some real success in the run game, the run defense feeding on RB Tyler Allgeier and kept him to wraps. What was the key to that today?) – “That’s been what we’ve been working on every day. This defense that we’re in is built on stopping the run and then creating pressure through different blitzes and different things. I think ‘Weav’ (Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver) being a d-line at heart, playing d-line for all of his career, he lets us rush four a little bit so we can get a little more opportunity to hit the quarterback. But this defense, I think, is special. We’ve got Zach Sieler leading the way up front, he just sets the tone and we all kind of follow suit, and we go out there and we ball.”
(It feels like in joint practices everybody always feels like they win the day, or at least that’s what they say. In any point in your career have you left a joint practice and said, ‘We might not have gotten that one?’) – “I think honesty is real. If you want to get better, you’ve got to be honest with yourself. I think there’s always good plays and bad plays and plays you can learn from. Nobody just dominates completely all the way, it’s a lot more good than bad. But yeah, I’ve always been honest and keeping it real like, ‘Hey, we didn’t look good,’ – I’m not going to say it to the media but I’m definitely going to say it to my teammates. (laughter) But today I feel like we did a really good job. Of course, they made some plays because they got playmakers on their squad, but overall I feel like we just made it hard on them, we made it really hard on them. We always say if they beat us – if they make plays, they’ll have to make plays doing it at their best. We can’t just give them easy plays, they’ve got to earn every yard they get, but of course in the NFL they’re going to earn some yards.”
(There’s always going to be some mystery around a team’s run defense when you have new personnel in the front seven as this team does. What makes you feel hopeful that this team will be able to stop the run? Is it the combination of you and DT Zach Sieler, DT Benito Jones, LB David Long Jr.? What specifically would you point to?) – “I think we’ve got really good linebackers, really good edge setters. Signing (Emmanuel) Ogbah was huge, he’s just a force in the run game and pass game. I think up front we just got a bunch of big strong guys who take pride in stopping the run. I think we make a pledge all the time, they will not run the ball. That is a pledge you have to make. But it’s also a combination – I think the scheme, the way we put ourselves in position to do better against the run on early downs, and I think that’s a combination of a little bit of everything. I think we’re building something here. Obviously, I think this defense has had a lot of really good success stopping the run because of they way we play things and make it hard on teams, but at the same time it’s players that have to go out there and make the plays. I think we have a combination of both.”
(How do they look different? The personnel is the same, but new quarterbacks over there?) – “They do look a lot different. (laughter) Even some of the scheme, like just competing against the offense last year in training camp and then this year, they do a lot of different things. But Kirk Cousins is a legend in this game, he’s had a lot of success, and he made some beautiful throws today and then the Penix kid (Michael Penix Jr.) looks pretty good, too. He made a couple really, really nice throws and good reads so definitely a lot of respect for the team over there. I think they’ll be really good this year.”
(Were you on the field for the scrap, the little fight? Was that your rep, or no?) – “No, no I wasn’t on the play, but of course I try to play peacemaker and make sure that it doesn’t get out of hand. Of course, we’re emotional people and physicality is a part of the game. Sometimes it’s going to be intense like that, but the biggest thing is don’t let us stop practicing, because I have seen where you go out there and do joint practices and they’ve got to separate teams and you just practice on opposite fields and that doesn’t help anybody, you made a trip for no reason. So the biggest thing was just getting back on par with what we need to do.”
(Does CB Ethan Bonner have scrappiness that we may not know about?) – “I think we’ve got a whole bunch of guys that are scrappy. There’s a narrative that I think we’re trying to change. We want to be tough guys and that’s just part of it, just going out there and showing that we’re not going to take nothing, but overall though, it’s about the work.”
(When guys sign big money contracts on a team, how can that impact the rest of the locker room in either a negative or positive way?) – “I think guys are always going to be happy to see guys get paid. It’s always going to be positive as long as guys still work. You can’t let the money stop you from preparing and putting the work in like you would if you didn’t have the money yet. Because a lot of times when you’re waiting to get paid, you’re going to give your best effort. (laughter) But most of the times guys get paid they love ball, they’re going to continue to give their best effort. Now there has been a couple times over the history of the game where guys got paid and shut it down, so that’s the worst of it. But that’s not this guy – none of the guys on this team, these guys are special. Tua (Tagovailoa) got his money and nothing changed. He’s the same guy, coming to work every day, not that I’ve been around very long but from what I’ve see, he didn’t change from the little, short time, seeing how it goes. Tyreek (Hill) has been paid multiple times, so you know who he is, but I’m happy to see guys get paid always.”
(We’ve heard a lot about this culture of accountability and it’s being built here. Like you said, I know you haven’t been here very long, but is that something that you notice in your time in Miami, that guys are adept at holding each other accountable?) – “Oh yeah, without a doubt. I think that’s a big part of one of the reasons why I’m here. Just creating that expectation that we’re going to do things at a certain standard, a certain way and everybody has to be on that level of accountability. I take great pride in making sure that we got to play ball at a certain level. At the end of the day, win, lose or draw, you can’t control all of that. Sometimes the ball just isn’t going to bounce your way, but the way you play football is going to be a standard.”
(You guys have three potential and probable Hall of Famers in yourself, WR Tyreek Hill and CB Jalen Ramsey. How can that benefit this team on the field and off the field?) – “I think the best players got to be leaders, and I was really impressed with Jalen Ramsey, his development. Knowing him as a young buck and then seeing his development, he’s really kind of taken a lot more of a leadership role, going around and even today, bringing that energy, making sure the guys were locked in and playing physical and having fun. It’s good. Now he still definitely is a passionate guy, and sometimes he gets to a certain level where it’s like, ‘Alright, I better bring my A-game and bring everything I’ve got,’ so it’s good to see. And then I think everybody wants to win and I think there’s a certain level of let’s sacrifice and pay the price and do everything we can to give ourselves the best shot. Obviously, it’s going to be hard, but let’s give ourselves the best shot, and that’s by just doing the small things, over and over again, as hard as we can trying to inspire everybody else around us.”
(How do you change the culture of a team? You’ve been on so many different teams, how do you go about changing culture of a team? Is it through the leaders?) – “I think the first thing you have to do is you have to lead by example. You’ve got to come in and be a pro and do things the right way, and you get enough guys doing that and it starts building. Then you see guys who don’t want to buy in, they usually get out of here, new guys come in that want to be a part of cultures overall. I feel like that’s just a broad spectrum. Down here, from what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen it’s completely different. I feel like they were already brewing and already working to change the culture and I think Coach (Anthony Weaver) is a big part of that. I can’t speak for how it was before, but Anthony Weaver set a standard here on this defense that I think is contagious, that everybody has to buy into and believe. And when you do that, you start seeing the way he holds us to a standard, the way he holds us accountable and makes sure we’re running to the ball, playing physical, not letting running backs run through the gap, all that stuff, it builds. We’re saying, ‘This right there is not good enough.’ I think that it comes from multiple places, but the culture right now is a great culture. That’s all I can speak on; I don’t know how it was before, but I like where we’re at right now.”
(LB Quinton Bell, you saw him last year when he was in Atlanta. What growth have you seen from him this year?) – “He was there two years ago so I didn’t really know him. At least he was gone by the time I got there, but he’s been playing really good ball for us. I didn’t know much about him, but the guy I’m seeing out there right now, he’s flying around, running to the ball, playing physical. He’s been pass rushing great. He’s really showing he can play in this league. So we’ll see how it goes on Sundays, because obviously practice is only so much, you got to go out there on Sunday and ball and deliver, but he’s put himself in position to go out there and ball.”
Tyreek Hill – August 6, 2024
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Tuesday, August 6, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(So what about that leap into the crowd there after…?) – “Just working on my touchdown celebrations, you feel me? And what a day, especially after a beautiful throw down the field by Tua (Tagovailoa), I got excited. I was feeling the energy, so I decided to work on my touchdown celebration. I would rate that one out of 10 a three because I didn’t still stick the landing when I jumped over. So it’s pretty bad.”
(I thought the rep itself was great. What did you see from your perspective on the play?) – “It was beautiful, man. We’ve been trying to hit that all camp against our defense, and unfortunately our defense has been doing a great job of not giving us the correct look. We came out here today, we got the look that we wanted and obviously we executed the play, and Tua threw a – I don’t know what y’all call that. People can no longer say that he can’t throw the ball deep, man, because that right there alone shows his improvement from when I first got here to now. That’s crazy, that’s light years, man. That’s dope, man.”
(First of two joint practices, how’d it feel going out and playing against somebody different?) – “It was good. It was fun to go against somebody else besides hearing Jalen Ramsey chirp all practice, so it’s fun. Going against A.J. Terrell (Jr.), he’s a real good young player in this league, Jessie Bate (III) obviously a really smart guy. They’ve got a real good corps of guys over there, man, so it was a lot of fun today. I had a blast. Offensively, I feel like we took a step forward today, whether it’s catching the ball, whether it’s throwing the ball, whether it’s blocking, we all took a step forward today and we held ourselves accountable in moments whenever we felt the offense going dry. So that’s one thing we really want to hone in on this year – even if we have stale moments, we have to find a way to dig ourselves out of that, and today, we’ve done a great job of that.”
(It was a very eventful 18 hours – Friday night being named the top player in the league, 18 hours later you have the contract restructure. Can you take us through those 18 hours your reaction emotionally to each of those two events?) – “You know what’s crazy man? I didn’t celebrate at all, because here’s why – my family, and I say this to my family, I said, ‘Y’all are so used to me winning and like getting stuff, y’all don’t even celebrate with me no more.’ It’s just like we wake up, ‘Oh, you’re No. 1, congrats,’ and we just move on. ‘Oh, you got an extension,’ and we move on. But my grandparents flew in with me and my wife, obviously we went and celebrated with dinner, celebrated the No. 1 the day we got the contract extension. That’s why I play, man, to reach moments like this. For me to say that – for me to call my shot in 2017 and say that I was going to be the No. 1 player says who I am as a player. I’m always hungry. I’m always trying to find ways to get better – that’s the only way to be in this league. That’s how guys like myself last in the league, trying to get better, trying to help the team win. So I just thank God, I’m grateful to be in this position. I told Coach McDaniel, ‘Man, without you, I’d still be getting ranked No. 15 in Kansas City.’ So it’s awesome to be a part of this, man, with (General Manager) Chris Grier, (Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner) Mr. Ross, even Tua (Tagovailoa) helping me become a better player. I’m excited, I’m grateful. I won’t never take any of this for granted.”
(When you sign a deal like this and QB Tua Tagovailoa signs a deal like the one he signed, what kind of additional responsibility is heaped onto your shoulders once that deal is signed?) – “It’s a lot man. But at the end of the day, to all of us, the money doesn’t matter. We already had responsibility on our shoulders. We’ve been feeling like this. We’ve got too competitive of a team and too great of guys on this team to not win games and we all know that man. At the end of the day, we all know the money is going to come. The money is going to come whenever. What we are focused on right now is winning game because we got a great group of guys, tremendous leaders on both sides of the ball and you see it each and every day, man. It’s fun to be a part of. The energy out at practice is great, man. You hear guys chirping back and forth – it’s fun. That’s what makes football fun, when brothers are able to chirp in between the lines and then go into the locker room and have a genuine conversation like men. I love it man, I’m absolutely loving it.”
(Bouncing off of what you just said about the chippiness obviously seeing that today, kind of a brawl a little bit. Are you happy to see that, to see the guys get emotional, seeing them love this sport, and obviously trying to get the opportunity to go against another team?) – “Well kind of not. When I say fight, I don’t mean fight fight. Kind of over there on the defense, I really don’t know what happened. So I can’t really speak on it, but it’s good to see guys never back down from anyone, man. That shows a lot – when guys kind of like shy away from confrontation, you feel me? That shows a lot in your character. For the guys that we got on this team, I don’t see many guys doing that. You can see that on the other field, those guys were going at it. It’s a beautiful thing to see man.”
(I got a theory that you guys are the most likable team in the NFL. You score a lot of points, you make the playoffs, you have great touchdown cellys. What do you think about that theory?) – “I think we do, I’m right there with you man. We’ve got some fast guys, some flashy guys, physical guys, whatever you want man. We make everything look good, because people want to see explosive, they want to see dynamic, they want to see big plays down the field. And now that we’ve added ‘OBJ,’ (Odell Beckham Jr.) our celebrations are going to get better. It’s a win-win for us.”
(You’ve mentioned you calling your shot back in 2017. What’s next for you? What’s the next big Everest to climb?) – “What’s the next big step for me? I don’t know. I really haven’t thought about that man. But as the team goes and what I want for this whole team is just to win a playoff game. That’s step one for all of us man. I think that is something we all can build on moving forward, going deeper into the playoffs. That’s something we can live with forever because it hasn’t been done in 23-24 years. For us to be able to do something special like that with this team, we can look back on it 50 years from now when we look back on it and say, ‘Man, we had a great team back in 2024. I remember those practices.’ That’s what I want for this team, that’s what I want for myself – to have moments like that with my brothers because a lot of these guys I came into the league with. We got a lot of veterans on this team. The prior years I’ve been here, it was a real young team, but the year is now. We’ve got guys that I’ve came into the league with, guys that I’ve played with or against and it’s a beautiful thing man. I got a real good relationship with a lot of guys, so I would want that.”
(What do you think of the new kickoff?) – “I think it’s going to be fun. It gives guys like myself when I came in my rookie year a whole another opportunity to create a name for themselves. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of plays made, because I watched it in the, was it in the XFL, correct? I believe it was in the XFL. It’s going to be fun, man. A lot of fast guys are going to get paid off of that. I’d advise people to try to go get like Noah Lyles or something, it would be fun. It’s going to be fun.”
Ring of Honor DT Tim Bowens – August 5, 2024
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Monday, August 5, 2024
Ring of Honor DT Tim Bowens
(Opening statement) – “Like I told the guys, it was a shock, but I knew something was going on when they called me down here to some kind of meeting – I’m like, ‘You guys never call me for a meeting,’ but I’m really thankful and appreciative that the guys really appreciate me like that. I really didn’t think much of it, but I’m really thankful and grateful and honored. I can’t wait to call mom and tell my mom, tell my family, tell my kids. I don’t know what to say right now, I’m just humbled and thankful and grateful.”
(How would you describe the approach that you took to the field?) – “I told myself just go out and do what I need to do and knew what I had to do. So I was pretty much to myself in my own little zone or whatever you call it, but that’s the way I took it.”
(When you look back at your career, what are you most proud? You were up front for two Hall of Famers, Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor and they give you a lot of credit for your work. What do you consider about your career and the things you did?) – “Just being healthy and being on the field and trying to coach up the younger guys behind me and around me. A lot of people might think I didn’t do all that, but I really did my homework. I did it my way and just because I’m not as vocal as a lot of guys, it’s still in me. It’s still in me.”
(Can you describe today how it all developed? How you found out?) – “They were calling me about a meeting or something and I’m like, ‘Uh, something is going on.’ I played it out with them. I just said, ‘OK, I’ll come down. I’ll come down,’ but it was a shock. It’s still a surprise, I’m just thankful and grateful that I’m here to accept.”
(How did they tell you?) – “Just had a little meeting right now and Zach (Thomas) gave me a little warm speech that he rehearsed. (laughter) I know he rehearsed it, but I appreciate it. I appreciate it, I appreciate it.”
(As Zach Thomas was going into the Hall of Fame last year, he brought up your name quite a bit in crediting you. But now that you have the podium, I’m going to give you a little time, what’s the best Zach Thomas story?) – “There’s so many. Which one am I going to give you? I can’t remember the game, but Zach (Thomas) hit somebody and he got knocked out. He was coming back to the huddle and we were trying to get him out, because he was looking over at to the sideline, he couldn’t get the plays. So I don’t know what defense we played. (laughter) But Zach is just the ultimate teammate, a leader. We worked hand in hand – me and him, we worked hand in hand. We didn’t have to say too much. We didn’t have to communicate with each other too much, we just knew what to do on the field together.”
(This group of Dolphins has spent a lot of time in the preseason talking about setting a tone, being physical, being bullies even, being aggressive. If you had the whole Dolphins defensive unit in here, what might you say about that?) – “Well, me – I wouldn’t be the talker, I’d be more the shower. Just go out and do what you got to do. The d-line sets the tone for the whole team, so there’s no words to be said about that, you just go out and do what you got to do.”
(What are some of your best memories as a player?) – “Well No. 1, getting drafted and still not really absorbing it, even right now. I still can’t believe that I got drafted in the first round for the Miami Dolphins. But my biggest thing is just meeting my teammates that are here right now and just being around them and having the greatest coach to ever coach draft you and have confidence in you. It means a lot and having one of the greatest defensive linemen, in ‘Mean Joe Greene,’ it means a lot.”
(How much has this fanbase meant to you the last few years? Have you heard from them the years, maybe see them at the stadium?) – “Well, I try to go incognito, but as big as I am… (laughter) A lot of people don’t even know. I can walk by people and they won’t know who I am, but some people do. It’s just great to know that people appreciate what you did.”
(I feel like I talked to you about wrestling once, you were a big wrestling fan. Did you ever consider how things might have gone if you tried professional wrestling?) – “I don’t know, it all would have depended on – I don’t know if some of you guys that were here remember Norman Hand. Me and Norm went to ICC (Itawamba Community College) together, Ole Miss together and he got drafted here. So me and Norm were big, big wrestling fans. So we considered wrestling if the football thing didn’t work out, but I’m glad it did. (laughter)”
(If my math is right, I think you only missed two games in your first nine years. How were you able to maintain that level of durability in such a high contact position?) – “A lot of beer. (laughter) I really can’t say, just good genes, I guess. The almighty just blessed me to stay healthy. It hurt me when I missed my last year, I really felt like I just let the team down. But those two games that I missed, it’s just really me being me, I can’t say what it was.”
(What are you doing nowadays? I think last time I talked to you, you were just kind of chilling.) – “Yeah, that’s it, that’s it. When you get your body beat up like that, I think you want to chill, right? (laughter) But I don’t just sit in the house all day on the TV or whatever, I get up and move around and do what I got to do. There’s always something to do, trust me.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – August 5, 2024
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Monday, August 5, 2024
LB Emmanuel Ogbah
(It’s impressive how you were been able to just join an NFL camp at the start of camp and be so impactful early on. How difficult is it to motivate yourself to stay in the shape that you did when you’re not on a roster in May, June and parts of July?) – “I knew going in I had to stay ready for any call I was going to get. So I just stayed down here and stayed training, just stayed in shape, just ready. I’ve been in the league long enough to know how to be prepared.”
(Were there opportunities that Drew Rosenhaus presented to you throughout the offseason where you thought “Well, I’m not sure that’s quiet right? Let me just be a little more patient and see?”) – “Yeah, I definitely had options. I just wanted the right fit, the right environment. That’s kind of why I took so long too to sign with a team.”
(During the exit interviews, you were concerned about your playing time and it was something you wanted more of. Is that something you were able to talk to them about now? Obviously, it’s a different staff, too. Is that something that you were able to discuss with them?) – “Definitely the conversations came up. We have the same mindset. We talked to each other, me and Coach ‘Weav’ (Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver). He explained to me in detail what he expects of me and what I expect of him. I’m just ready to see how we put things out this season.”
(How much more suited to your skillset do you think this defense is?) – “I feel more comfortable in this defense. I’m not asked to do way too much, but I’m still learning the defense because I’m still kind of new. I’m just taking it one day at a time learning this defense.”
(How far along do you feel you are and how much more do you think you have to…?) – “I’m almost there, I’ll say that. I’m almost there. Just little things here and there I’ve just got to fix and correct, but I’m almost there.”
(How much was asked of you last year on defense?) – “It was just stuff like I’m not comfortable with that I was asked to do, but it’s all good. It’s a new year now, enough with the old.”
(What do you think of the camp of the guy that was just up here, LB Quinton Bell?) – “I knew ‘Q’ (Quinton Bell) last year. He’s a worker, he’s a grinder. I always knew he was going to take advantage of his opportunity. I’m just glad he’s getting noticed now like he is now.”
(There are obviously differences between the Josh Boyer defense and the Anthony Weaver defense. Is there enough alike where you think your comfort level ultimately with Anthony Weaver’s defense will be like you felt in Boyer’s defense?) – “Most definitely, it’s a little similar too so I feel more comfortable in this defense.”
(Are you looking forward to joint practices and just the excitement of playing against another team?) – “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Going against the same guys every day, you get tired of it. Now I’m looking for some new competition.”
(This pass rush had been off to a very good start in training camp without LB Bradley Chubb, without LB Jaelan Phillips. Why have you guys been so effective without the top two?) – “It’s just the mindset, the work we’ve put in. You know our guys are banged up right now, we’ve got to put in the effort, we got to work while we wait on them to get healthy. It’s a good group. Good close guys, we work well with each other and with the d-line as well. We’re just trying to be the best we can be right now.”
(Is there a guy on the Baltimore Ravens defense that you’ve been watching and saying maybe this is the type of guy I can play in as far as a role in Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver’s system?) – “I don’t know – when (Matthew) Judon was there, kind of a similar role what he played is what I’m going to be playing. There are definitely guys – Kyle Van Noy, he was here too. I spoke on the phone with him a few times. There’s definitely different pieces that I can play, like I play all over the line as well.”
(Not dropping into coverage as much, I’m guessing?) – “Hopefully. (laughter)”
(I think you came in for your workout Monday, July 22, two days after LB Shaq Barrett retired. Was there something General Manager Chris Grier said to you about reminding you that he was the guy who obviously had, among others, had a lot of faith and trust in you, gave you the big contract? Was there a moment you guys had that day where he reminded you, “I’ve always been a big fan?”) – “Like I’ve said before, I just felt like it’s unfinished business. I still have to come back; I still have a lot to prove here. I just felt like the job wasn’t done, and I’m just ready to go out there and give it my all again.”
(When we saw you at your best here, there were nine sack seasons, 12 pass breakups, batting down the balls at the line of scrimmage. How much do you feel like that player today?) – “It’s just – I’ve got a lot to prove. Last year wasn’t the best year for me mentally and physically, but I’m just excited to get back out there and do my job. Just doing the best I can to help this team win.”
(It was such a wild moment last year for the Chiefs game. Do you still keep in touch with Bruce Irvin and Justin Houston and all those guys that they brought in?) – “Oh, not really, but we follow each other on Instagram so I comment here and there on their pictures.”
Quinton Bell – August 5, 2024
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Monday, August 5, 2024
LB Quinton Bell
(I wanted to get some background on your story if that’s OK. What positions did you play in high school?) – “In high school, I played a little bit of everything; receiver, I played corner, a little bit of safety, a little bit of outside linebacker.”
(And were you recruited by any of the larger schools? Obviously, you went to smaller school.) – “I had a few injuries my senior year coming out of high school early in the season, so I had a couple interests from a couple schools but didn’t wind up getting any scholarship offers out of high school.”
(Did anybody back away that was D1-A or D1-AA?) – “I had a couple schools come visit my high school – the Sacramento States, the San Diegos, those types of schools came and talked to me for a little bit, but ultimately no offers out of high school.”
(So I’ve been to University of Texas, University of Oregon, University of Florida, if I were to go to Prairie View A&M University, what might I see that’s a little different?) – “Just a smaller school. Smaller school, smaller facilities, little bit smaller stadium. While I was there, we did get a brand-new stadium, we did get brand-new locker room, brand-new weight room and things like that, so it definitely upgraded from my freshman year till now. But it’s a smaller school, HBCU, so D1-AA, but hey, PV man, PV you know. It was a blessing to be able to go there and like I said, it was a grind, but ultimately, I made it out and I’m happy about that.”
(Moving to edge rusher was obviously the right decision, who’s the person you want to give credit to most for that?) – “Todd Middleton. He was the one who basically called me. I was taking a nap in my dorm room one day and he called me and said, ‘Hey man, come in and talk to me.’ He said, ‘I want you to come edge rush,’ and really at the time it was a crazy request. I was a receiver, I was about 215 (pounds), lanky. But he started talking to me about opportunity, he started talking about the NFL and ultimately, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made to this day, for sure.”
(Last time we talked we were talking about the scout team camo jersey and then today you come up with the orange jersey. I’m just curious, can you reflect upon the last 9-10 months and how far you’ve come and what comes to mind?) – “It’s all my hard work. It’s always a wonderful feeling when feel like you’re coming out here and grinding every day, trying to get better and just leaving it all out there and that work is being noticed and appreciated. It only makes you want to go harder, so I come out here every day. That orange jersey is only the beginning. I want to continue to stack these days, continue to get better, continue to gain trust with these coaches, that’s my main goal.”
(To us you’ve been one of the surprise players of training camp. I’m wondering what others are telling you and what you feel you’ve done best in this camp?) – “I’m definitely getting a lot of great reviews, great reviews from my peers and people gaining respect and gaining that trust. I just feel like I’ve been flying around. I feel like I have a high motor, and I feel like the faster you play, plays come to you and you’re going to make plays just off playing fast. I definitely feel like my speed and my get off and those things are my strengths. So my main goal is just playing fast, letting the plays come to me, knowing my assignments and yeah, I’m flying around. That’s the main thing I’m doing, just flying around. I feel like I’m going to find the ball just off my speed and my ‘want to,’ my will and my motor, I’m going to make plays.”
(You were talking about Prairie View A&M University earlier. When you have T Terron Armstead, T Kion Smith and other HBCU guys, do you guys talk about that experience?) – “Oh of course. Of course, it’s always good. There’s only very few of us, but it’s always good when you have a couple guys that come from HBCUs on a team and they talk about the experience. A lot of people don’t know what it’s like to go to an HBCU and what it’s all about and what happens there, so it’s always good to have a couple guys on your team that have similar experiences like that coming out of college.”
(We saw Outside Linebackers Coach Ryan Crow throw on the pads today and do some jump sets with you guys. What does a hands-on coach like that do for you?) – “Ryan Crow is amazing. He’s definitely probably the best coach I’ve ever had. He’s just a very good teacher, and one thing that I really, really pride myself on is being coachable. I feel like to make a switch from receiver to defensive end, you have to be able to be coached. It’s such a drastic change, and so from Day 1 in college, I prided myself on being coachable. ‘I need to learn these drills, these techniques, take it to the field. Yeah, I’m fast, but that’s only going to get me so far. I got to get better at being a defensive end, not just an athlete.’ And I feel like Ryan Crow does a great job of just being a teacher, doing drills that translate to what we’re going to do in a game and real football, and I feel like I’m absorbing it very well. I feel like just from OTAs I’ve gotten so much better just off of the drills that he’s having us do.”
(From mid-January until the start of training camp, how often would you think about the fact that you knew this opportunity would come? Obviously with LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Bradley Chubb coming off injuries, that there would be a chance to not just make the team but earn playing time. Was that something that you thought about most days this offseason?) – “Oh yeah, absolutely. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t think about it, but ultimately, I definitely knew that the opportunity was there. Either way it goes, no matter what opportunity was, no matter what the draft was, I was going to come in ready to play and ready to look like this and ready to fly around. It’s a blessing to be at the right place at the right time and really doing what I feel like I want to do in this training camp coming off of OTAs. Either way it goes, I was going to be ready. I’m just blessed to be in this position and have this opportunity.”
(Have you been looking forward to the joint practices and start making plays against opponents instead of just your teammates?) – “I’m very excited. It’s fun going against the Dolphins and this crazy offense that we have, but when you get to go against a different color and you get to really play real football against another team that’s so exciting. I can’t wait, I’m excited. My blood’s boiling for tomorrow.”
(How was your wide receiver career going?) – “It was alright. It was alright. You see I’m on defense now, so it wasn’t too much. (laughter) But I played for three years, I probably had one or two touchdowns in three years. I wasn’t going to get an opportunity in the NFL as a wide receiver and I knew that which is why I made the switch because I had nothing to lose. I didn’t want to look back and say, ‘You know what? I should have tried that, I could have maybe did something.’ No, I said, ‘I’m going to do it and if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,’ and here I am, so thank God.”
(I guess you were a physical receiver then for them to even consider you making that switch?) – “Yeah, I was a big receiver, like I said. I was probably like 215-220 (pounds) on a good day. I definitely had to put on some weight when I made the switch, but I think defense is where I was supposed to be.”
(I’m looking at your transaction history and there’s a lot of guys who have a list like this: drafted, waived, released, tryout, tryout, tryout, signed, activated, waived, signed, signed, waived – you get it, it goes on and on and on. A list this long, it’s one thing for me to talk about a list, what’s it like for you to live that?) – “I feel like my whole career, starting in college, has just been a grind. ‘Get it out the mud,’ as we say, and going through that has just made me stronger. It’s made me stronger; it’s made me work even harder. I love when people tell me ‘I can’t.’ I love when people tell me ‘No,’ because I’ve always known what I’m about and I’ve always known my skill set and what I can be. And I proved it in college, man. I had a great season playing one year of a position, and I know if I can do that, I can do anything. So I love the grind. I love the mud and I feel like ultimately, all the things I’ve been through in the NFL have just made me better and made me want it more.”
(Who here has given you confidence?) – “Everybody. Everybody, my peers, my coaches, just a feeling of knowing I have my coaches behind me, that I’m gaining the respect of my peers and my teammates on both sides of the ball, special teams as well, gaining that trust and that confidence. Everybody. Everybody is making me feel like I’m being noticed and that my work is being appreciated and noticed and they see me, and I’m going to keep going. I’m not going to stop now.”
Jonnu Smith – August 5, 2024
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Monday, August 5, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(What do you think of the prospect of adding to the tight end pass game production? This is one of the teams that didn’t score a touchdown from a tight end last year.) – “Just being able to come in early and be able to do what I do, make key plays, be an addition to the team and utilize my skillset and help us go a step further. So I’m excited to be here, excited for the opportunity. Just continuing to stack these days and collectively we’re all coming together building our identity as a team, and that starts with bringing your individual skillset to the team and contributing. That’s where we’re at now and so far, we’re making great strides with that.”
(What have you learned from Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree? He puts such an emphasis on blocking.) – “He’s the best that I’ve had. (Jon) Embree is a heck of a coach man and a better person. A ton of coaching experience, a ton of wisdom and knowledge that I can soak up and learn from him, a great guy to be around. That man’s name speaks volumes around here, so I’m excited to be a part of his room. I’m excited to learn and grow with him not only as a player, but as a person as well.”
(This team has talked about being more physical, more aggressive, I know that’s part of your game. What should that look like Tuesday and Wednesday against the Falcons?) – “We got to come and set the tone. It’s just that simple, come and set the tone. They’re coming in our house. We’ve been knocking each other’s heads off for the past couple of weeks, man. It’s time to just take it out on somebody else, and it just so happens to be them. We’ll handle that tomorrow.”
(Speaking of taking it to somebody else, you get to see some of your boys. Is there a player that you want to catch a pass over or run over?) – “(laughter) Listen man, I’ve been battling with those guys. They’ve got some good players on that side, but whoever lines up in front of me tomorrow, I’m treating it like I treat game day. It just is what it is. I’m excited about the opportunity, excited to go out, excited to let loose on these guys, excited to do it with this group of guys as well. One more sleep, one more sleep.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel made a great point about how your offense is only as versatile as your tight end, like your tight ends have such a big part of how many things a team could be versatility wise. What does that mean to you personally?) – “The tight end in any offense is really the guy that really creates the defense to move. That’s the adjuster. He’s usually the strength for the formation and he’s usually the guy going across the formation motioning across and shifting, just moving all over the place. That causes the defense to move, that causes the defense to adjust. If you got a guy that’s already giving the defense headaches and when you go out and he has a certain skillset that’s hard to defense you got a lot of problems on Sunday. That’s why I love playing the position. Just being able to use my advantage against teams and it’s part of the reason why I’m going into my eighth year in the NFL. Glad to be doing it with (Head Coach) Mike McDaniel calling the plays, man. He’s a hell of a coach, hell of a play caller. So just excited with everything we got in front of us.”
(We’ve seen you take reverses, line up all over the place. How many different positions do you think you’ve played this past month?) – “Everything, whatever I’m called to do. He’s going to utilize me to my skillset. That’s why I’m so excited about being here. I’ve been in offenses where my talent has been utilized and underutilized, so it’s good to be back on this side of it.”
(When does this offense become second nature to you as a first-year player in it?) – “I’ve been in this system – it’s kind of a West Coast style system – for a while now. Going back with Arthur Smith and Matt LaFleur, I’ve been in this offense for a while now, so it’s a lot of familiar terms, a lot of the same schemes, just different ways of dressing it up, different ways they’re dressing it up. So learning – already having an idea of what we’re trying to do makes it a lot easier, so just continuing honing on this playbook and establishing my role in it, just attacking it every day, every night. Whether it be in these meetings or these walk-throughs, already a couple of weeks in everything is coming in a lot slower. It can only get better from here on out.”
(What would constitute a good season for you personally?) – “Just make sure my skillset is known and that these guys know that I came here and brought what they expected. I’ve been a guy that’s been dynamic with the ball in my hands for my entire career. If I come out and continue to do what I do and do it with the ability that I’ve been blessed that I’ve worked on my entire career, good things are going to happen for this team.”
(What do you think are some of the creative ways to get you the ball?) – “Can’t spill all the beans right now man. Can’t spill all the beans. But no, like you said man, you alluded to it earlier, (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) is phenomenal at drawing things up for guys of a certain skillset. Again, I’m excited about everything that he’s got coming for us.”
Mike McDaniel – August 5, 2024
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Monday, August 5, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We haven’t seen LB Jordyn Brooks or LB Anthony Walker Jr. in a few days. Are they injured and do you expect them to miss some time?) – “Both dealing with something different but they’re on their way back. When that is, I’m not going to hurt their timetable by boldly stating, but it’s not something I’m worried about. That’s a very competitive group, so as they’ve been working their way back, there’s some invaluable reps for the rest of the crew. So it’s been good and they’ll be back sooner than later.”
(What about S Jordan Poyer? Same question for him?) – “Yeah, dealing with something as well but he’s been very active and the safeties have stepped up in his absence. We will see him again.”
(Two leaders of this team, QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill, got financial paydays over the past couple of weeks. How do you think that resonates down to the rest of the team in the locker room to see their high-end guys, their top guys get paid like that?) – “Well, I was thrown off by your question originally, because I heard two liters as in like quantity of liquid. But now that I have the rest of the context – leaders – I think that it’s a cool part of the process. I think the team appreciates the some of the best players we have on our team and really want them here. So when contracts are agreed upon, you have a little more stability and a little more known, so that’s exciting. But I think the team has really responded to how the aforementioned players have responded to those types of things, in terms of understanding that as much as that it’s an accomplishment in itself, the bigger goals and where they want their careers to be, what they want their careers to be known for, is through the team. I’ve seen it even more investment into the team, by all the players that have had new contracts. And I think that goes a long way.”
(Just to kind of branch off of what you said, you’ve been around a few guys who have received big paydays. What is the commonality and like the next step forward that creates success for both them and the team?) – “I think what’s been exciting from the team standpoint, I think that’s what the team is excited about, is you do have one or two directions. It’s generally not same as you have the negative way, which we’re not experiencing, or you have players respond to that investment with really what comes along with that in terms of the devotion to the team. Quite frankly, if you’re a big piece of the salary cap and you’re trying to be a good team, that piece should be spent wisely. There’s different leadership things that you’re capable of doing that I’ve really seen guys seize the moment and step up their investment, so that they can be the reason why – you want to be a reason why you win, not win in spite of someone. So I think that it’s been really exciting to watch our team develop as there’s been a lot of individual talk. There’s probably been more individual talk than years past, and the reaction has been more team investment and more self-sacrifice, really, across the board by this team, so it’s been exciting.”
(Last year, we heard a lot about CB Jalen Ramsey’s involvement with the team as an injured player, I’m curious if you can describe the impact he’s had as a player on the field during training.) – “I said a lot of very nice things about it, because it was very – I’ve never seen or I hadn’t seen up to that point a player involve himself as much as (Jalen) Ramsey did while he was hurt. That being said, he’s more impactful when he’s not hurt, and I think he’s comfortable with me saying that. I’ve challenged a lot of guys and there’s been kind of a theme where the first step is expressing what you want or talking, but the most important step that really makes honest words of your proclamations are your actions. So Jalen both put it upon himself to verbally set the tonality and then follow through with – I mean, every day he makes probably – he’s on a heater right now, probably the last five practices he’s done something that I hadn’t seen a player at his position do. So that is probably the most important thing is your actions and the way you’re trying to contribute to the team. Jalen knows that he can have as big of impact as anyone on the team with the type of player he is. He’s taken that extremely serious and has been a very intense participator in training camp practices for contract questions.”
(Another contract question if I could. S Jevón Holland seems like the only one of that big group you had a year or two ago that were coming towards an extension. Has there been progress with him? Is S Jevón Holland someone that’s part of your long-term plans?) – “I love Jevón (Holland). Jevón has been working on his game like he always does, but he’s having a really good camp and really taken to the scheme. That’s where my expertise lies, which is why fortunately for me, I chose coaching as a career path. I did not jump alongside (General Manager) Chris Grier in the front office portion of football for a reason; I’ll let him go through that process. He’s an invaluable member to Dolphins and I’m excited to see him progress today. Then beyond that, in terms of timetables, and conversations, man, that dude is working all the time. I know it’s on his plate, where that is, I try to focus my attention on the stuff that he’s depending on me to focus.”
(What might we notice, because we won’t talk to you before tomorrow’s joint practice, what might we notice about how you and Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris have decided to structure things and what you might like to accomplish in the two joint practices?) – “I think you’re going to see a couple teams that are really excited to play against someone else. We are at that time of training camp where it is tough sledding in terms of you’ve used all of your moves and your counters. So it’ll be a breath of fresh air, I think in regards to Raheem Morris, one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever worked with, very impactful one for me because of his defensive prowess. I was able to work with him on the offensive side of the ball as well – was in both Washington and Atlanta with him, so we go way back. In joint practices where you have extensive working history with the other head coach, I think it’s a little bit easier in terms of the flow of practice, there’s more similarities to the flow practice to your normal practice, because of just our paths and what we believe in. I think you’re going to see two hungry teams trying to establish who they are and practicing while being able to protect each other, it should be pretty intense. It’ll be fun one. So I’m excited to see Raheem and all the new bells and whistles that he has schematically. It should be a challenge.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa talked about his relationship and gave a lot of credit to Quarterbacks/Pass Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell. Can you talk a little bit about what you see behind the scenes with the relationship that they’ve had now a couple years together and all the credit that goes into building that relationship?) – “Well there’s not many relationships more important to the Miami Dolphins and the fan base than that of Tua (Tagovailoa) and Coach (Darrell) Bevell really, because it’s the ultimate trust that you have to build on a daily basis and that you have to maintain on a daily basis. At that position, I think the work that they’ve done together, I would attribute to the continued progression of Tua’s game directly correlates to their work and how – case in point, you feel like you almost see a newer, more glistening version of Tua every single time we step out to a to a new phase. Whether that be a Phase 2 or a training camp – every year, that’s been the case. So I think that is a connective relationship that’s very important. There’s only one way to really establish a relationship like that and that’s pure investment on both sides. And very proud of how they continue to attack with pride Tua’s his game and Coach Bevell’s ownership in his game. I’m happy that they get to hang out every day, and I think Coach Bevell’s sense of humors really helped develop Tua’s sense of humor. That’s a behind the scenes thing – he’s got a lot of jokes. Oh, he does. Maybe next time you guys talk to him ask Coach Bevell to tell you some jokes – low key hilarious.”
(Is there something – a question out in left field a little – that you appreciate in your third year as an NFL head coach about the job that you didn’t know or that stands out that you didn’t know coming into it?) – “You know, I’ve talked about understanding the servitude, and I really got a sense in Year 3, you have a more supreme humility to the job, from my perspective, in terms of you get the job and everything – you’re always working around how everything’s orchestrated. You’re adjusting to the different needs of the job to the different people that you affect, but then you still have that, I don’t know, ambition or you’re a little naive enough to think that you can do more on your own than I think you really capable of. I think I have a strong sense of truly how dependent I am on all of the people in the building for the building to move in one direction. I think the relationship aspect and how people bond I have a firmer appreciation for, and overall, it is very, very humbling just because at this point in my life, I almost can do nothing by myself. Almost nothing. I still can work a microwave, and I can fill my car tank up with gas, but outside of that, I need a lot of help for everything I do.”
(You spoke a little bit about it with the joint practices, but kind of talk to us a little bit more about how important these are for the team’s development getting closer to the first preseason game?) – “I think it’s an opportunity to start defining who you are in concrete as a team, some of the things like how you handle adversity, the standard with which you play football and practice football, they really come into focus when you get that first opportunity to practice against someone. This practice week, every year we’ve had the opportunity to cross train against another opponent. I think the preseason games and practice have their own areas of extreme importance for younger guys. The game and the things that come with going into an NFL stadium and your assignments and hearing calls and being able to execute your techniques and fundamentals like you do in practice, there’s a stronger importance on those games. For veteran guys, practice can be as the best dress rehearsal – intersquad practices can be the best dress rehearsal for games because you have the most true scheme that you’re really executing that you may not unfold to the rest of the league when you when you do preseason games. You have a little more – there’s just more football from a schematic standpoint that are closer along the lines to the regular season, and I think that not being able to tackle allows for people to play at a speed where they can let it go and it’s more closely associated to NFL game speed. Those types of things you can’t replicate in the preseason necessarily, and some guys aren’t even playing in those because of that the tackle portion of it. So we get a lot of value out of it. I’m looking forward to this particular joint practice because this particular team seems thirsty to define themselves and it gives them an opportunity to within the locker room. So it should be real fun and we’ll probably wish it was hotter.”
(A housekeeping thing to close the loop on QB Tua Tagovailoa and his contract. You had told us you weren’t going to get involved in it, the Tua tells the story, you went to somebody, management, and said, “We’ve got to get this done.” What was it about that moment? Is that accurate? And what was it about that moment?) – “I think there’s a consistency and uniformity from our organization when you’re talking about entering into and progressing through contracts of that magnitude. I think people know that I stated very clearly from the onset that my belief in the player, and I think that belief was held supremely through the organization. I think it was probably a little glorified, so to speak, in terms of like, me kicking the door down or anything. I think anytime I was asked, through the whole process from the beginning, middle and end, everybody from (General Manager) Chris (Grier) to (Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner) Steve (Ross) to (Senior Vice President Of Football & Business Administration) Brandon Shore to (Vice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer) Tom Garfinkel knew where I stood. I had the consistency of stance and I held it through the whole time, but I think that it was an organizational process more than anything, because we wouldn’t have been on the final doorsteps if everyone wasn’t in likeminded fashion, really excited to get that contract finalized so we can move forward and focus on the team, which will be the only thing no contract, no one’s going to care about those things in December. I think our players who are receiving contracts understand that, which is why we’re focused on what we will look like in December.”
(Did you put in a good word to kind of get the deal across the goal line?) – “I mean, I’m an exuberant guy that really stands behind his beliefs. I don’t think they needed to hear me say the same thing over and over, but I probably said the same thing over and over. Like I said, there’s a lot of people that were working on that deal that that should get high fives. You can just give me a nod, because I’m not the – let’s just say I was very excited for it to be done and I was very excited to start fielding questions like these because I’m only thinking about the team. Oh, wait, I’m still answering them. No, it’s all good guys. (laughter).”
