Adam Gase Introductory Press Conference (Adam Gase, Mike Tannenbaum & Stephen Ross) – January 9, 2016
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Saturday, January 9, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase Introductory Press Conference
Opening Statements
(Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum Opening Statement) – “I want to thank everybody for coming out today. Obviously this is a really exciting day for the Miami Dolphins franchise. Personally, I just want to thank Dan Campbell one more time publicly for all of his hard work and dedication he gave us over this past season. Today marks the culmination of an incredible amount of work by a lot of people that, we believe, has reached a great conclusion for the Miami Dolphins. We made over 237 phone calls as an organization researching candidates. We had over 42 hours of interviews and spoke to countless coaches, players, personnel and staff members. I want to thank (Vice Chair) Matt Higgins, (President & CEO) Tom Garfinkel, (General Manager) Chris Grier and obviously (Owner) Steve (Ross) for the countless hours we just spent together. In our search, we didn’t have any preconceived notions about offense, defense, special teams, first-time coaches, (or) multiple coaches. We wanted to be as open-minded as possible. But what we kept resonating to is we wanted to get the right leader. Someone that could relate to young and talented players that we believe we have, and somebody that was high energy and competitive. Somebody that could build a great coaching staff, develop them and hold them accountable. Somebody that was open-minded, who had great football acumen and intelligence. And when we looked at Adam, we felt like he had all of those attributes. Somebody that’s been an inspiring life-long learner, somebody that looks at the strengths that they can get out of a player. And we couldn’t be more excited that we found Adam as what we think is going to be a great head coach and a great partner to help move this program forward. Moving forward, we looked at a lot of things philosophically on how can we do things better – how could we get the most out of our program? So moving forward, in terms of player procurement, it’s still going to be led by Chris Grier, in terms of trying to get players to add to our roster. But as it relates to the final 53, ultimately – while we will work collaboratively – ultimately those decisions will rest with Adam. This way our players know that they are ultimately held accountable to him and that’s who they will be answering to. Philosophically, we will control the indoor and Adam will control the outdoor, obviously as we all (will be) working in a partnership. There are a lot of reasons that Adam told me that he chose to become a Miami Dolphin, but the number one reason was our owner, a man that gives us some incredible resources so we can go out and do what we have to do to put the best product on the field. And I would like to introduce him, Mr. Steve Ross.”
(Managing General Partner & Chair of the Board Stephen Ross Opening Statement) – “Thanks, Michael. It is really a great day and an exciting day for this organization, and for me, and you know we’re here to announce Adam Gase as our new head coach. I would like to thank Mike Tannenbaum for leading the search. We’ve spent hundreds of hours really talking about it, really looking under every stone and trying to figure who would be the best type of coach to lead the Miami Dolphins in the future. As I have told you before, I bought the Miami Dolphins and I own the Miami Dolphins because I want to win Super Bowls, not just make the playoffs. And I think Adam Gase puts us in the best position to win Super Bowls and becoming the winning organization that people expect and want from the Miami Dolphins. We really talked to a tremendous amount of candidates and we narrowed it down to probably six or seven that we had extensive interviews with. As I said before, when I was looking for someone, and what I was looking for was really the most intelligent person I could find, who had the greatest amount of passion, great energy and who would become a great leader. These are the type of things that I look for in running the organizations that I’ve built and have put together, that today are really best-in-class organizations in the fields that we’re in. And that’s what I always said I wanted in the Miami Dolphins. We really have turned this franchise around in every way. I think Tom Garfinkel and the work he’s done with the organization has really put us in a great position. But we haven’t performed on the field in the way that I or the fans want to see us in the future. And I think in Adam Gase we have found that person that will lead us to many, many Super Bowls in the future. I am not predicting this year. It will take time and so there is no big prediction here because I know what you guys want to say; but I’ve got to tell you, I’m excited to have him. For a Michigan guy to hire a Michigan State guy to lead the organization, that tells you that we have really found the right guy. I would like to introduce Adam Gase.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase Opening Statement) – “I’m going to start off thanking a few people, I won’t take forever here. Mr. Ross, Mike Tannenbaum, Tom Garfinkel, Matt Higgins, Chris Grier and the hard work they put forward as far as this search went about. I know that was a long process for them, very thorough, one of the longer processes that I went through with a group. It seems like I’ve gone through quite a few the last few years and this one was very thorough. I would like to thank my wife, who left because my son was crying, and that’s my fault; but I know she’s happy this process is over. It’s been an interesting two years in my life to get to this point. I would like to thank the Chicago Bear family, the McCaskey family, John Fox, Ryan Pace, all of the players from that organization, (and) how much those guys mean to me. They battled. And to move on to a new organization, it’s a great step in my family’s career and to be a part of the Miami Dolphins organization. The focus for us is going to be about the process. You never want to come up here and make predictions. We’re going to focus on one day at a time and those are the type of players that we want. That’s the type of organization that we’re starting to build here and, moving forward, that’s going to be our complete focus. It’s going to start with the right people. It starts with the players, but it also starts up top and we think we’ve got the people in place that have the passion, the work ethic and the unselfishness we need to compete to be a winning organization, and that’s what we’re working on, starting today. We’re looking for guys that want to invest in winning. It’s going to be critical that guys come in here day-in and day-out and understand that’s what we want. We’re looking for competitors every day we step into the building when we start in the spring. And we feel like that’s what we’re building right now, starting today.”
Adam Gase:
(On if he will call his own plays) – “Yes, I’ll call the offensive plays. I feel like I’ve been doing it for the last three years. I really enjoy it. I really enjoy that aspect of putting the game plan together with the offensive staff. So going into this season, that’s how we are going to start, with me calling them. And then as soon as we can shake through putting a staff together, talking to guys here, if I end up finding the right offensive coordinator that eventually I feel like I could turn the play calling over, then that’s the direction we’ll head. But as far as right now, I will be the play caller.”
(On his offensive and defensive philosophy and if he will run a 4-3 defense) – “We are going to look at the roster we have right now and build our schemes around our players. So as a starting point, you look at what my background is on offense, we’ve run multiple things. We are a very fluid offense. But we are really going to base this thing around the guys that we have on the roster and what we add on there. So we are at the very beginning stages obviously with that. And then on defense, we’ll wait until we decide what we’re going to do as far as a staff there, and then we’ll talk about scheme once we get to that point.”
(On what makes him confident he is ready to be a head coach despite being the youngest coach in the NFL) – “I look at it as: I’ve been in this profession since I was 18 years old so that’s really more than half of my life right now. The last three years, being a coordinator both for the Denver Broncos and with the Chicago Bears, it’s an accelerated growth. In this business, age is only a number but you get older really quick, because every week’s a growing experience. You learn and I feel like the last three years have really prepared me for this moment.”
(On who will have the greatest influence on QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I think it’s going to start with me. I think he needs a guy that’s going to have his back; that he feels comfortable with right out the gate. And I’m going to be working directly with him. And then I am going to hire guys on the offensive staff to also help him develop. I feel like when we do put a staff together we are all going to be able to help him get a little bit better.”
(On if he can go to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl with QB Ryan Tannehill) – “Well this is where we’re at right now with Ryan (Tannehill), I’ve seen him play very minimal games. I’ve seen him play live once, not counting a preseason game where we played him at Denver. I know he had a pretty good game against us that game. We’re going to go back. We’re going to evaluate everything from the quarterback on down as far as offensive personnel. So really, at this point, we’re not ready to make any kind of predictions. I think we’re just going to have to see where his strengths are and really emphasize that.”
(On the primary difference in a head coach and an offensive coordinator) – “You’ve got to have the overall vision. You’ve got to make sure that you have the entire, as far as coaching staff goes, (that) everybody is on the same page. Really, the complimentary football part of what you want to do as a team is probably the primary thing. When you’re the offensive coordinator, you really are giving more direction and then you’re doing your part of that. As far as last year, being under Coach (John) Fox, you get those so called orders that you need to do for that week, between working with the offense, defense and special teams, and then you do your part in that. Now it’s going to be my job to make sure I formulate that as far as putting all three phases together.”
(On how far he is on putting together a staff and when he expects that to be completed) – “Well I’ve been here for about two hours so I would say we haven’t made much progress. We’ll be working on that today. Obviously there are a lot of teams still playing in the playoffs. We’ll see how things shake out here in the next few days.”
(On if he was confident he would get a head coaching job this season and what makes him ready to lead a room full of 53 men) – “Well as far as going with the team, when you do run an offense, it was something that (Denver QB) Peyton Manning used to say this to me all the time. He said, ‘You’re the head coach of the offense.’ And that was probably when I really realized there’s going to be that next step: in treating the way that we handled the offense, day-in and day-out, as though you were the head coach and that you were the head coach of the offense. I feel like that development over the last three years put me in a good position to where now that it is time to step up in that role, I feel like I’ve been prepared. I’ve been trained by some of the best coaches that you can be trained by between John Fox, Nick Saban and Mike Martz. I feel like I’ve been around some of the best. I’ve seen some of the best do it and I’ve been put in the position to where now I’m going to get an opportunity to show that training in front of the 53 guys that we are going to have on this roster.”
(On how a guy who didn’t play in college or in the NFL gets respect from the players) – “I learned a long time ago it’s about what you can teach players, the knowledge you have (and) the work ethic you have. (Former QB) Jon Kitna told me in 2007, he said ‘Players don’t care what you’ve done in the past. They want to know how you can help them on the field, how can you make them a better player and how can you get them paid.’ If you can do those types of things, guys will respect that.”
(On what his approach will be with this team) –“I’m not sure. No one’s ever really described me. Nobody has really said, ‘Hey, you’re a player’s coach; or a disciplinarian.’ I’m not really sure. I just know (that) walking in the office, putting a staff together, all of us working together, that’s going to be the key to as far as us having success with our roster.”
(On if he has met with DT Ndamukong Suh and QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I met Ryan (Tannehill) when he came in the building the other day. I was in here for an interview. He came through the building. I talked with him for a little bit. And (Ndamukong) Suh was also in the building. I was able to speak with him and just kind of really introduce myself to both of those guys. It was more of just a personal introduction than anything else.”
(On how far he thought coaching could take him when he first started as a graduate assistant) – “I think I was more on a month-to-month tour at that point. You’re never really sure how far you can go. I know the process at that time is slower. You’re never really sure, when you become a graduate assistant, you see a lot of guys fall out. You see a lot of guys give up on that dream. I know there was a point where I went back to Mount Pleasant and I’m looking to sell insurance. Thankfully I had three great friends that talked me out of it. I went back to LSU and got another opportunity in Detroit and the ball kind of got rolling for me. So you just never know how your journey is going to turn out. You just keep battling.”
(On his thinking Thursday after finishing his interview) – “I think everything was happening very quickly, as far as bouncing around from one team to the other. I was heading to New York. I felt good after I left here. Like I said, it was a long day and a half. I came in the night before. I had dinner with everybody. Coming in the next day, grinding the entire day, and then having to leave later that night and going to New York. It was hard to really process how close anything really was until probably later last night.”
(On why he chose Miami as opposed to another team) – “When I came in here, the one thing that I had heard a lot about from someone that was very close with me, who had experience with Mr. Ross, he said so many positive things about him. I was very excited to get in this position as far as getting in front of these guys. And then my relationship, as far as knowing some people that had been in this organization before, knowing Mike (Tannenbaum) from way back, earlier in my time in the NFL, it was very attractive to me. Getting back in the AFC was something that I was really interested in, as well. I’ve been in this conference six of the last seven years, so there is just some familiarity in this conference that I really liked.”
(On who has been the biggest influence on him and why) – “I don’t know if I can say one guy has been my biggest influence. I would say I was lucky enough to start off under Nick Saban as a student assistant, graduate assistant. I think that being raised under him, that’s probably the best way to say it, it’s a unique situation to be in. To be able to go with him from Michigan State to LSU, I’m pretty sure I was the only one. It was a task that wasn’t easy, but it was worth it at the end of the day. And then being able to get around Mike Martz. I was lucky enough to be around him for those three years and following him to San Francisco, him really letting me grow as a coach and as a person. He didn’t need to take the time that he did to try to teach me, as far as how to game plan, how to attack a defense, how to watch film. He really started me from the ground up as far as an offensive coach. And then obviously the last five years being with John Fox, his record speaks for itself. To work for a guy that has had over 100 wins in his career, who’s been to multiple Super Bowls, who’s made a living on walking into an organization and absolutely turning it around in the attitude. To be under him, that’s a career changing move as far as learning how to do it the right way.”
Stephen Ross:
(On what drew him to Adam Gase and what gives him confidence that this is the right pick) – “Well I talked to a lot people, in the football (world), in the National Football League. People had familiarity with him. We looked at a lot of people and of course there was a reoccurring theme of who was really one of the brightest young guys out there. And Adam’s name always surfaced to the top of that. And also his passion and his drive for football, and just talking to the people who he’s worked with and hearing other players who played under him, (how they) felt about him, and (I) really felt that this guy would be a great head coach and that he was ready. I mean that was the most important thing, was he ready? Certainly when you hire someone that’s 37 in the National Football League, people kind of question you. But I felt that, knowing my organization and how I’ve grown my organization with great people and, really, I’m a builder of organizations. Seeing that and having young people with the passion that they have, the energy, and have really put in the time, I really thought Adam, in the long term, is really the best thing for the Miami Dolphins.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(On why not having previous head coaching experience matters) – “We really studied it quite a bit. Unfortunately there was a decision made earlier in the year about moving on from our head coach. That was the bad news. The good news, it gave us an opportunity to spend an incredible amount of time and resources just looking at it, and candidly (we) looked at more than one sport. And we have some incredibly great minds here with (Analytics Director) Dennis Lock in analytics and pro personnel people, and we just kept looking at it. And there’s really no correlation between first-time coaches and second-time coaches. We got our list probably down to about 25 and we wound up interviewing seven. But we looked at 25 people pretty seriously – college, pro, former Super Bowl winners, new – and we just said if we were going to be committed to a process, we’ll get a great result. And not to speak for Tom (Garfinkel), Matt (Higgins) and Chris (Grier), but I think we all felt like telling Steve (Ross) what our thoughts were. We all felt, unanimously, to recommend to Steve (Ross) what we felt was the right decision. So that’s kind of how you want it as an organization: when the hardest decisions and the biggest decisions turn out to be the easiest ones. And as long as we stayed committed to the process, we felt great about the result.”
(On what he’s looking for in guys getting their first chance to be head coaches) – “You guys asked me that the other day and I don’t think my answer has really changed. I think it comes back to leadership and knowing how can you inspire young players to achieve their potential? How can you attract great coaches? How can you develop them and hold them accountable and manage your staff? Those players come in all shapes and sizes with disparate backgrounds. Adam is a person that’s inspiring to be around – not only his story, but all the passion he has to make himself better. He works with a Hall of Fame Coach, a Hall of Fame Quarterback, it’s not good enough. They want to get better. They go around the country just to pick up one or two little things to get better and that’s inspiring. That’s what leadership’s about. So the fact that he hasn’t been a head coach before, obviously we talked about it and Steve (Ross) was comfortable with that. But it was really the attributes that we felt that Adam possessed, that we felt great about that choice.”
Stephen Ross:
(On if there are any plans to keep Dan Campbell in the organization) – “I mean, that’s really up to Adam. I mean I love Dan Campbell. He’s done a great job. I’d love to see him in the organization but Adam has really the free hand to hire his assistants. And the question is, he’ll probably meet with Dan, and he can tell you that, but I don’t think any conclusion (has been made). But I think, the way we feel about Dan, as an organization, is fantastic.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(On why he did not wait until after the first round of the playoffs to speak to more candidates) – “We looked at that. We felt, after seven interviews and all the calls and all the screening, we felt really comfortable about Adam. And, as we said the other day, we were committed to our process, and I’m really proud of the fact that we were disciplined to that, and we were going to go as long as necessary. As I told you, personally, I’ve been involved with searches that hire people well after the Senior Bowl, so that was certainly something we felt like we could do, if necessary. But we also wanted to move quickly if we felt like we could find the right guy and we were thrilled that we were able to come to an agreement with Adam. Now that allows us, obviously, I believe we are the first team done, that we can move as quickly as possible to fill the staff, which is obviously an advantage. So we, again, no preconceived notions. It was about the candidate, not the timeline.”
Adam Gase:
(On if he had offers from other teams to become a head coach) – “Right now, Jimmy Sexton is sitting at home, probably on the phone. That’s why agents are involved in this. My job was to go through the interview process and I got a phone call late last night and he said, ‘I think we’re pretty close with Miami.’ That’s as far as I really got into it with him. That’s why those guys get paid what they do. That’s their job and my job was to say, if he gave me choices, then I would have had to make a choice. And he said ‘Miami is your spot,’ and I was ready to go this morning.”
Adam Gase:
(On how his family feels about living in Miami after spending time in cold weather cities throughout his career) – “I don’t know how many times Mike said, ‘It’s 75 (degrees) and no state income tax.’ About a hundred?”
Mike Tannenbaum: “I wasn’t sure if you were listening.”
Adam Gase: “It is a change of pace for us, but I think it’s a good one.”
Adam Gase:
(On what qualities he believes he possesses that sets him apart from other candidates) – “I think my passion, my attitude, the way that I go about interacting with players and the relationship that I develop with players. It’s something that’s hard to explain when you can get in front of a group of guys, develop something as a staff and then actually get to a point where everybody cares about each other, they’re doing it for each other and not for themselves. Probably one of the proudest things that I’ve been a part of was last season in Chicago, seeing that group, injuries, nobody gave us a chance in any game. But the way those guys battled every game, came down to the wire and that’s something that is unique. I feel like when coaches and players can develop those kind of bonds and you are really doing it for each other and you’re not just doing it for yourself.”
(On the emotions he felt when he finally realized he was going to be an NFL head coach) – “I think it will hit me maybe in a couple of weeks, but right now I just keep thinking about what our next step is. We have to work on the coaching staff. We have to figure out what our next move is, as far Mike’s calendar. He keeps talking to me about ‘We’ve got to stay on schedule here.’ I’ll have time. Whenever we have downtime, that’s probably when it’ll hit me.”
Chris Grier Introductory Press Conference (Chris Grier & Mike Tannenbaum) – January 4, 2016
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Monday, January 4, 2016
Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Chris Grier
Opening Statements:
(Mike Tannenbaum Opening Statement) – “I appreciate everyone coming. I’m sorry if we are a few minutes late. As Steve (Ross) said yesterday, we are obviously all very disappointed on how the season went and I can assure you that no stone will be unturned. We owe it to our fans; we owe it to Steve (Ross) to get a much better result. I also want to take a moment to publicly thank Dennis Hickey. Dennis did a great job while he was here and gave us everything he had and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. What’s really important now moving forward is that we take a long, honest, sober view of what needs to be fixed and that’s obviously going to start with our head-coaching search. Dan Campbell is a candidate. We told that to Dan when he got the job; both Steve (Ross) and I told him that. I want to publicly thank Dan for everything that he did. And yesterday’s result was nothing short of remarkable in terms of his leadership and his ability to manage his staff and the players to give such a great effort all the way through the end of the season. That’s just a great reflection of him as a person and as a coach. The search will begin in earnest today. I will lead the search. Chris Grier, Matt Higgins, Tom Garfinkel and obviously, Mr. (Steve) Ross, will be involved. We will make our recommendation to Steve (Ross). Steve will make the final decision of who our next head coach will be. As it relates to the 53-man roster and final control, we just don’t feel like that’s a decision we’re prepared to make. We want to have flexibility heading into the search and we’ll be better able to answer that at a later date. When you look around, we feel like we have every resource here to be successful. We have a young team with a lot of key cornerstones and I’m really excited about what we can accomplish in the future. Speaking of our future, our future starts with our new General Manager, Chris Grier. (I’m) really excited to partner with Chris. Chris is a highly respected personnel guy throughout the league. He’s been shaped by countless football people including his dad, Bobby Grier, who is a long-time NFL executive. I’ve gotten to know Chris over the years as a peer, as a competitor, and over this past year I’ve gotten to know him as a person and as a worker with great football acumen. So without any further ado, I want to introduce the next General Manager of the Miami Dolphins, Chris Grier.”
(Chris Grier Opening Statement) – “Good afternoon. First I’d like to start by thanking Steve (Ross) and Mike (Tannenbaum) for this tremendous opportunity. I am truly humbled but also excited to start the process of helping create a winning culture here in Miami. Each year we are reminded just how special this organization is by the ’72 Dolphins. They’ve set an incredible standard that we should all strive to achieve. Steve (Ross) is a great owner who wants nothing more than to bring a championship back to Miami. He has shown that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win both on and off the field. Anyone who has spent time around him can feel his passion for the Miami Dolphins. The passion bleeds into the people that work in this building and this organization. I love this organization and I feel that I am the right man for this job. South Florida is very important to me and my family. My beautiful wife, Paige, and our two sons love it here. They are in the community. We love interacting with fans. To me, this is home. I want to be a part of winning a championship with the Miami Dolphins. I’m fortunate to have grown up in a football family. As most of you know, my father has been in the NFL for the last 35 years as a coach, a scout, and a vice president of player personnel. He was the best role model a young person could have growing up. He turned me into a man and showed me how to be a professional. I was fortunate to have spent time learning football from Francis “Bucko” Kilroy. For you football historians, you probably know who he is. He is the father of the modern day scouting combine. He’s Bill Parcells mentor and countless coaches in this league. To me, the time I spent with him learning this profession is invaluable. My football beliefs and philosophy has been influenced by many coaches that I have worked with over the years. I could never thank them all but the lessons that I learned, both good and bad, have helped to create my core beliefs. I would specifically like to thank Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Nick Saban and my dad for laying the foundation of my football philosophy. Finally to the fans; the past decade has been unacceptable for this organization. Steve (Ross), Mike (Tannenbaum) and I will find the right coach to help this organization. The talk of dysfunction in this organization is over. We will be thorough in our search and create an environment where everyone is on the same page, with the same beliefs, talking the same language and creating a model of consistent winning for the Miami Dolphins. We will earn your trust back both on and off the field. Thank you.”
Mike Tannenbaum Q&A:
(On if it’s time for the organization to hire a coach with NFL head coaching experience) – “We’ve done a lot of research on what makes a successful NFL head coach and kind of reversed engineered the last 20 years of literally ever hire from their degree to really, sort of, almost every variable and I can tell you that there are a lot of different permutations, a lot of different answers and we want to get the best coach and we’re not going to narrow it to any sort of background because he was a first time coach or not. I know there is one theory out there that some of the recent Super Bowl winners, Pete Carroll, (Bill) Belichick and Tom Coughlin all did it on their second hire, but we just want to get the best coach regardless of their background.”
(On why fans should believe the team should be competing for Super Bowls in the years to come) – “I think on our best day this year, when you look at this past season, Houston, Washington, yesterday, we beat teams that were in the playoffs. We’ve played good football and we are a good team. We obviously weren’t even close to that throughout the year, we were too inconsistent, but there are a lot of good pieces here that we can build from. Being 1-5 in the division is completely unacceptable, we have to be better. We have to figure out a way to win in the AFC East being 1-5 is not ever going to get us to where we want. But with that said, there are a lot of good young players here, we’re a young team, we have as many players under 24 as any other team in this league, and that’s why I really believe that our future is bright.”
(On if he has an idea of how many coaches they want to interview) – “Sure, being involved in a few other searches in my career, you just go through it, you want to remain flexible and our search is starting in earnest today and obviously we’d like to get that decision done certainly sooner than later. With that said, I was involved in a situation back in 2009 when we hired Rex Ryan. Rex was the defensive coordinator at the time of the Baltimore Ravens, they lost in the championship game that year to the (Pittsburgh) Steelers and you do feel a little anxious from the standpoint of putting your staff together. At the end of the day, our charge is to recommend to Steve (Ross) the best football coach and try to work through the rules, the geography, and try to make the best decision you can.”
(On if they enter the search with a wish-list of the top three candidates and go from there) – “I think we just want to get the best coach. Certainly we’ve done a lot of research and have a sense of where we want to go, but I think we want to be married to the process and be disciplined to that and be open-minded and be great listeners and then ultimately what’s the best fit for us. I don’t want to say ‘Hey, it’s these two guys,’ and draw a line. I think we want to be open-minded.”
(On if they are looking for an offensive-minded head coach, defensive-minded head coach or just the most qualified) – “I think it’s the most qualified and the staff, in terms of we are looking for leadership, we are looking for somebody that can attract great talent, to manage a staff, to hold them accountable, grow with them, can they develop players, and sometimes it really comes down candidate X with these two coordinators and candidate B with these two coordinators, and what does that look like? I’m not really sure that’s written enough about. You’re hiring a CEO, you’re hiring a president. So it’s the president and his cabinet, and what does that look like. You’re not going to have every T crossed and every I dotted, but within reason, you want to have a very good idea that when that coach walk through the door, what is his staff going to look like? And does that marry up to what we need at certain positions?”
(On if the coaching candidates’ opinion on QB Ryan Tannehill will have an impact on the decision) – “Absolutely. We want their assessments on everything. We’re going to come out of this and I have in the past, better for it. We’re going to learn a ton. We’re going to hear things that we don’t want to hear, but that’s really frankly the only way that we’re going to get better and that includes their assessment of our quarterback. Some of the questions are: ‘How do we win our division? What do you see as our perceived strengths and our weaknesses?’ That certainly will be a factor.”
(On what has caused the dysfunction in the front office) – “I’m really talking much more about the future and I’m excited that Chris (Grier) is here. I think what’s really important is for us to hire a coach and say ‘Hey, how are we going to build a roster that will give us sustainable success?’ The best teams that I’ve been on, the best situations I’ve been in, it’s always been about (how) we all understand what we need at each position, how are we going to build a team and how are we going to be sustainable. And frankly, I believe in servitude leadership. We are here to serve the head coach. My football mentor is Bill Parcells, he gave me a one-line job description, ‘Go get the effing coach players,’ and that was it. You can boil it down, you get to deal with your good friends in the media all the time, probably a little bit more than we would like, but at the end of the day, our job is about getting the head coach players. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about dysfunction or who likes what. It’s about serving the head coach and getting the players that we can put the best product on the field. That’s really at the end of the day what our job is.”
(On if the new coach will have input on the roster going forward) – “Yes, 100 percent. I don’t understand how else you can do it. Again, we have to have a sense collectively of what our team needs to look like, again, to win the division. And once those decisions are made, it’s up to us and a lot good people that are behind your left shoulder, guys like Joe Schoen, to work our tails off and go get those players for our coach and our coaching staff.”
(On how much personal pressure he feels with getting the coaching decision right this time around) – “I feel it every day. I gave up everything to come down here. I’ve been to three championship games. It’s really not about me, but I came here to win a championship. I’ve accomplished everything in my career except getting a ring. I’ve got [my wife], two kids and the Miami Dolphins and that’s all I’ve got. I’m a real simple person and we’re either going to win or I’m going to die trying.”
(On how much the 2015 failures fall on him) – “We didn’t get it done. (I’m) part of it, without question. I had as high hopes as Coach (Joe) Philbin or Dennis Hickey or anybody else. I’m as disappointed as anybody. And candidly up until the Giants game on Monday night, we were doing everything we could do to stay alive. And I think what Coach Campbell did will never be understood, what he accomplished and changing coordinators where he did. Here’s a man that coached four players and the next day he’s the head coach of an NFL team. That’s really remarkable. We feel short. I was part of falling short.”
(On how much would you recommend the next head coach to retain Interim Head Coach Dan Campbell) – “Well again, I think I can give you a better answer to that next week. We’re going to go through the process. Dan is going to have his day in court. He’s been told that. We wanted to give him some days so he can put his plan together in earnest. I believe that’s what he’s working on now. If you hear Metallica or there’s a lot of dipping chewed upstairs, he’s probably taking a study break right now; but I’m sure we’ll get his best efforts in the interview.”
(On if he has talked to Mike Shanahan) – “I’ve talked to a number of people, but no interviews have taken place. Those start in earnest now. Jason (Jenkins) will try to keep you guys up to speed. I know there’s a lot of interest in the names and the candidates and we’re they’re going to take place. We’re going to try to be as open and transparent as we can, within reason. We’re going to get it off and running as soon as possible.”
(On if the report that Mike Shanahan came to the facility and met with him on Dec. 22 is accurate) – “No. I have talked to Mike Shanahan. It was not in this building. I’ve met with a lot of people in a lot of different places, but I have not met with anybody in this bundling. I have a lot of friends in this league that I want to pick their brains. I met with Coach Parcells recently. I can assure that was not a head coaching interview.”
(On if Bill Parcells would take the job) – “Why don’t you ask him that question? Bill is not a candidate. We don’t need that on the ticker.”
(On how far away is this roster considering the team finished 6-10) – “Yeah, no question. One thing I do know is we are going to start next season 0-0 and I think in our league, you’re probably never as close — I don’t think we’re as far away as 6-10. If we were sitting here at 10-6 and not in the playoffs, you probably have to make more changes than you realize and candidly, I think some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made early in my career is sitting there, one game away from the Super Bowl, saying, ‘Man, we’re close.’ But you know what? The next season you start 0-0. That’s what’s great about our league and every year there’s the teams that go from worst-to-first and I think our window is right here. We’re going to have to make some changes, but I also think to be successful is well within reason for us.”
(On if his talk with Mike Shanahan was not an interview) – “Correct.”
(On if he is interviewing Shanahan tomorrow) – “And Bill Parcells was not an interview as well. And I’ve talked to many other people. As some of you know, I have a lot of friends in the industry, that’s part of my doing my job, and we will be interviewing Mike Shanahan tomorrow. That is true.”
(On what part of team was most underwhelming) – “I would say the whole. It was just extremely inconsistent. That was probably the most frustrating thing. When we played our ‘A’ game, we looked really good. We looked really good against Houston. We looked good yesterday. We looked really competitive. We looked fast and tough and there were other games we didn’t have it, for whatever reason. It’s up to me. It starts with me. Why is that? Is it how we train? Is it the heat? We’re going to look at everything. Our first-quarter scoring differential, (it’s) hard to explain. It’s hard to play balanced football when you’re being outscored by 40-plus points in the first quarter. It’s hard. It puts pressure on your offensive tackles. It puts pressure on your defensive secondary. There are a lot of things when you get off to these bad starts that hurt and we’ve got to look at all those things.”
(On if the new coach will have full autonomy on his staff) – “Absolutely. With that said, when you look at the great organizations like the San Antonio Spurs, the words you always hear are collaboration and partnership and organizational behavior and I believe in those things. I think when you’re really revving on all cylinders, your head coach is talking to your West Coast scout and your director of player personnel is talking to your tight ends coach. I think that’s so important. We’ve got to get to that point where we’re all in it together, we’re having candid discourse and we’re making the best decisions for us.”
(On how much is personality and ability to motivate factoring into the coaching search) – “Yeah, I think that comes in all shapes and sizes. People motivate in different ways. Curtis Martin was a great leader and never gave a team speech. I think there’s ways to impact people and it comes down to having attributes you can’t see. Greg Jennings really helped this football team, probably a lot more in the locker room than anyone will ever know, because he has attributes you can’t see. And I think that goes for coaching as well. I think you can impact, influence people in a lot of different ways.
(On what the added value experience brings and what are possible drawbacks for someone with experience) – “That’s a totally fair point. I’d like to think over time I’ve gotten better at my job, just based on experience. Clearly, when you cut your teeth, you’re going to have bumps in the road. Having experience certainly serves to help with that. With that said, there are great coaches, there are some great untold stories of great coaches that get the job and they go on 10-year runs. You look at Green Bay, Coach McCarthy wasn’t a head coach before. He’s still there. He was hired in ’06, I believe. For us, it’s about getting it right. You look at what Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner did a decade and a half ago. They hired Andy Reid. (He) wasn’t a coordinator. How’d that decision turn out? I think it’s just getting it right. And having experience, sure, that’s helpful, but I can tell you for us, it’s not going to be outcome-determinative.
(On what he sees in new General Manager Chris Grier that made him believe he was ready for the role) – “Just being around Chris every day. Again, he’s been around a long time, I’ve been around a long time, and he’s just extremely thorough. (He) has great instincts for players and coaches. I called around other people just to say ‘This is what I’m thinking, what are you thinking?’ and there are a lot people in the NFL that feel the same way I do, and if he wasn’t going to be the general manager of the Dolphins, I can assure you he would’ve been a general manager very soon, if not within the next 10 days. I’m really proud to be his partner and I think we’re going to accomplish a lot great things together. Chris is an understated guy but works his tail off and probably doesn’t get the credit that he deserves.”
Chris Grier Q&A:
(On his role in the head coaching search) – “I will be there with Mike (Tannenbaum), Steve (Ross) and Matt (Higgins). I will be interviewing all of the coaches. I will be there to talk football, philosophy. Again, it is all of our input. It is a collaborative effort. And I think it is important that you try to see that connection face-to-face when you talk to a guy with all of us, especially Mike and myself, with the relationship that I will have to have with that head coach.”
(On interviewing with the Jets last year and if he expected to be a general manager in the next 10 days) – “Yes. I interviewed somewhere else too. I had two interviews last year. And I was a finalist for the other one. I interviewed multiple times and I received some information from league sources that I was requested to interview this week.”
(On which other team interviewed him last year) – “I really don’t want to say just out of respect to that team… I don’t think that is fair to them.”
(On why he is confident there will not be any dysfunction in the front office) – “Really for me it boils down to, I’ve been around a lot of great team-building. The coaches I’ve mentioned from Coach Parcells to Nick Saban to Coach Belichick, Coach Carroll, being around them and seeing how they built the teams, how they interacted with their general managers and stuff, it’s been 20-plus years I grew up in a household with my dad doing that. Going forward, it’s all about communication, everyone being on the same page, believing in the same beliefs. Going forward today, I think it is a great day for the Miami Dolphins. I’m very excited to work with Mike in this process and getting us winning again here.”
(On his mention of dysfunction being over when he and Tannenbaum were both here last year) – “No. I’m not avoiding the question but today is about the Miami Dolphins going forward and our process of how we are going to work to build our organization, in terms of everyone being on the same page and communicating well. Today is about us and it sounds like I’m avoiding it but I really don’t want to talk ill of people on this day.”
(On his philosophy about identifying football players) – “Not to get into philosophy, I think once we start building this team, I think you will get a sense of the types of players that we are looking for. I think if you take a look at the people who have shaped my football philosophy, those types of players will be evident in what we are looking for. For me, you want to find guys that have passion, love the game and love being a Miami Dolphin. To me, that is going to be very important going forward that these players want to be here, want to be in this community, want to be in this locker room and want to win games for this organization.”
(On what he will have final say on) – “Right now it’s an organizational thing, in terms of the coaching stuff. For me, I’m a communicator. I like working with people. At the end of the day, I don’t really care who gets credit for what. I think it is more important that we get the right coach in here to help lead us and that we all come together and work together in the process to build the team the right way.”
(On QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I like Ryan. He’s our guy. I think yesterday is a great indication of some of the things that we can do. We can win with Ryan. I’m a firm believer that when you build a roster, you build competition. For me, I want competition, not just for Ryan, but for (Ndamukong) Suh and everybody on our roster. We can win with Ryan. We can do a lot of things to help him get better. I think Ryan would tell you that he’s not happy with a lot of stuff that has gone on. But us and an organization, we are moving forward with him and we are going to build a competitive roster at all positions.”
(On what part of the roster needs the most work) – “When you are 6-10, as Bill (Parcells) says, ‘You are what you are.’ At the end of the day, I think we leave no stone unturned and keep working. Like I said, to me, competition at every spot is key. I think that makes everyone better and grows them as a player.”
(On if he can fix the defense in one offseason) – “Yes.”
(On Bill Parcells and how much his fingerprints are still on this organization) – “Like I said, for me it’s about all of the people. I’ve kind of been shaped by so many people. Pete Carroll and Bill Parcells are complete opposites (in) how they do stuff. Nick Saban is a Belichick (disciple) and then Coach Belichick and Bill (Parcells), but they’ve all adapted. I think in this league, you can have your philosophy and how you think you should build your team but at the end of the day, you have to be flexible in your thinking and work with what wins in the league. I hope that answers your question.”
(On what his dad would say about where his son is standing right now) – “I talked to him last night when I was thinking about it and he was very excited. For him, it was always difficult for me in New England, going through that with him, because he and Bill (Parcells) did a great job with that roster. That first Super Bowl run was basically all of their players. So he is very proud, he is very happy. My brother is a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks and he got a ring last year when they won, so I was pissed. He beat me to one so I am hoping to get one down here soon.”
