William Wachtel & Martin Luther King III – June 15, 2017
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Thursday, June 15, 2017
William Wachtel & Martin Luther King III
William Wachtel:
(Opening Statement) – “Hi, there. Martin King and I are the co-chairmen of the Drum Major Institute that was founded in 1961 by our dads. We are truly proud to stand with the Dolphins as they help RISE (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality) and (Owner) Steve Ross kick off a unique voter registration drive. The Dolphins are well on their way to being the first professional ball team in American history to have a roster of fully registered voters, and this is just the beginning.”
Martin Luther King III:
(Opening Statement) – “Good afternoon. We’re certainly really honored to be here with this organization, as it takes a very unique step. As you perhaps have heard or are aware, my father and his team, along with John Lewis and others led the campaign to garner the right to vote in 1965. So for the Miami Dolphins to embrace this concept of being the first team to have all of its players registered … Of course the hope is that translates to encouraging more people across our nation to get engaged and to vote because a vote-less people, as dad said, is a powerless people. One of the most important steps that we can take is that short step to the ballot box.”
William Wachtel:
(How did you guys get hooked up with the Dolphins?) – “(Owner) Steve Ross has been a dear friend for 30 years. He’s clearly an owner who is more invested in the well-being of the players, not just on the field but off the field. And as part of the civic engagement, he asked us if we would work with the Dolphins in this initiative. As you know, he runs an organization called RISE. He’s got every major league sport involved and hopefully what happened here today will be an inspiration for the entire RISE organization and, if in fact, the teams and their players all register by national registration day, which is September 26th of this year, then we will rise up and all be very proud of the fact that the ballplayers, who really are at the end of the day role models, will do something special. This is, after all, the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson stepping out onto the field of America’s dream. To pay homage to the dream of Dr. (Martin Luther) King, what could be better for all players to stand up and say ‘We vote; we count.’”
(What percentage of the roster was registered before you began your campaign?) – “What we know today is that today we’re probably close to about 90 percent. That’s just because we haven’t been able to catch a few people. But every single person, the ones who were already registered and the ones who were registering today for the first time, were truly pleased to participate in something which, as part of civic engagement, really is, as (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) said earlier, a great lesson for the kids watching from the sideline.”
(So it’s 90 percent now registered?) – “My guess is we are very close to 90 percent but that’s simply because we literally were standing in the hall with guys signing things as we came in and talked to you guys.”
(The deadline to be 100 percent is September, is that correct?) – “Well, interestingly enough, it’s a well-kept secret; but there is something known as National Voter Registration Day. It’s something sponsored by the secretaries of state throughout the country, and they have that date set. Our goal is starting with the Dolphins and then rolling through the NFL and every major team and for that matter, every sport, because they are all part of the RISE movement, to hopefully have them all registered. That will send a powerful signal to young people that if you care, you have to vote. The first thing you need to do to vote is to register.”
(And if they weren’t registered, you guys gave them a form? Or you gave them a link to go online? How did that work?) – “They literally stood there. We had the forms and they signed it. Whether the team has pictures that they want to share, but it was special. It was neat.”
(How many players would you say weren’t registered that are registered now?) – “It’s hard to say because you’ve got to remember that as people move into the state, registration changes; but what we’re happy to say is that today we think we’re close to having 90 percent that have all registered. And look, we included the rookies and the people that were trying out for the team. So the good news is …”
(How many were not registered before that are registered now?) – “I can’t say that for sure. We did not … we asked if they were registered and they said … Some of them said yes, a lot of them said no; but a lot of them, because they’re moving into the state, said ‘Well look, I’m going to be here so I ought to register here.’”
(Is there an effort through the organization to reach out to the rest of the league or is it just strictly focused on the Dolphins?) – “Well you know (Owner) Steve (Ross) started RISE, which has as its members, every major league sport – from NHL to MLB to NASCAR – and this is a RISE initiative. We’re here as members of the Drum Major Institute, but we’re really here to salute RISE and to salute the Dolphins for kicking this off. Do we hope it becomes viral? Absolutely. Should it become viral? Let’s face it. What team owner, what league wouldn’t say ‘Geez, our players are role models to young people, what could be better than for them to say we vote, we count?’ So fingers crossed. You never know. I mean my guess is … It’s not my place to ask you questions but I suspect very few people have ever heard of a National Voter Registration Day, something which President Obama declared by proclamation to be a day that would be remembered in every year to come.”
(So will the players possibly be involved in say PSAs or anything of that nature?) – “Some of these players were like ‘How can I help? What can I do?’ And it’s not for us to decide, but certainly I know that (Owner) Steve (Ross) really believes, as the coach (Head Coach Adam Gase) was speaking earlier, about the idea of the work that (Director of Player Engagement) Kaleb Thornhill is doing to bring players, not just onto the field, but into the community. So it’s up to them, but fingers crossed, absolutely. And when they go back to their high schools and the kids say ‘What can we do to be better in sports?’ They say ‘The first thing you can do is register because you can’t be a good member of a team if you’re not a part of the American team.’”
(What’s the divide on the team between Democrats and Republicans?) – “(laughter) All I know is that they’re all believers in one thing and that is winning the Super Bowl. (laughter) Both for the team, for (Owner) Steve Ross and democracy.”
Martin Luther King III:
“And for themselves. (laughter)”
Adam Gase – June 15, 2017
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Thursday, June 15, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(These next seven weeks are usually a nervous time for coaches. What was your general message to the team between now and training camp?) – “Get your bodies right. Stick with really the training regimen that most of these guys did leading up to the spring. We were able to really get a good jump on the first phase and (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Dave (Puloka) was able to amp it up a little bit because guys came in in really good shape. We need to kind of be able to start fast in training camp and not waste time on getting guys in shape, so spend the time wisely. It is a time to kind of re-charge your bodies and your minds and get away from it for a little bit, but don’t go too far. Our guys, they understand how we’re going to do training camp, which is how we install and everything, so they can’t go too far away from their playbook. They just need to keep up with everything and when we get back, be ready to hit the ground running.”
(How do you ensure a faster start? That was an issue last year. How do you get to that point where you…?) – “You can’t predict it. You just have to … Things have to line up right and you just need to do a good of executing in camp and putting yourself in position to where, when you get to games, you play better than what we played last year. I feel like the first game we probably played about as well as we could have for our first time together. We just had a severe drop off there in probably games three, four and five. We just need to start off faster in this aspect of let’s not have the peaks and valleys. Let’s work on being consistent of improving.”
(What was your overall satisfaction level about the offseason program?) – “I thought guys did a great job. Attendance was outstanding. The effort was great. Guys were trying to build off of what they learned last year through what we do in our program and we gave them a little, the littlest things of let’s be better note-takers in the meeting rooms. Let’s make sure that we do a better job in individual and skill development. Skill development needs to be at a high level. Let’s make sure we know how we can get better. We really tried to explain why we were doing everything and let those guys really grasp that and take it from there, and they did a good job of that.”
(Physically how do you guys get through the spring?) – “I thought pretty good. I thought guys did a good job of trying to take care of each other. I know every once in a while we just … everybody is yelling on the field ‘Stay up. Stay off the ground.’ Guys did a good job of avoiding any kind of collisions. They did a pretty good job. We just need to keep getting better at learning how to practice without pads because you only get so many (padded practices) during the season. So you have to become an expert at that. We’re still learning. When you’re young and guys are trying to play fast and trying to impress, but we have to be able to protect each other. We have to play under control. We have to understand how we can get great work in without pads.”
(Guys like G/T Laremy Tunsil who seem to still be banged up. Do you expect them all to be ready for the start of camp?) – “Yes, I don’t see … Right now I’m thinking we don’t have any major issues entering into camp. We’ve got a couple of guys that haven’t done anything. I’m not going to … I know the next question you’re going to ask me; but we should be, we should be in good shape.”
(We did see the work that C Mike Pouncey was doing on the side. How’s he doing right now?) – “He’s really improving. We feel like we’re on a really, really good track right now and we’ll wait to the next doctor’s visit when we get kind of that report back and see what our next step would be. Or did anything change? Better? Worse? We’re just trying to really focus on the steps that the doctors have us right now. He’s done a good job of not trying to push ahead and say ‘Hey, I’m a fast healer and I’m tough.’ We all know that. The biggest thing for us is we need him healed because that’s really what it is, it’s time. He wants to be out there but it’s no good if we only get him for a couple of games. We need him for the duration.”
(What of the league restrictions on practice time in training camp do you think will have the most impact?) – “That’s hard for me to say. I don’t think of anything as restrictions anymore. I just think of it as this is the time allotted. This is when you’re allowed to be in pads or when you can’t and when you have to give players off. You’ve got this set of rules. You adjust to those. You try to maximize the time as much as possible and you may have to adjust during training camp because the health of your team really is … that’s where it’s going to be … that kind of can determine it. If you start losing a bunch of guys early, you might have to make some changes and you’ve just got to be ready to be flexible.”
(What changes are you making, if any, in your routine to make up for the loss of any time on the field?) – “Well, down here it’s different. We probably have shorter practices than most teams in the league because we have to think its July to December, right? We’re out there. We’ve got to maximize the time we’re on the field and then when we get in the meeting rooms, we have to understand you can’t waste time in there. We have to use the fact that we are going to have more meeting times than most people because we’re not on the field as much and we’ve got to make those count. It can’t just be going through the motions.”
(You’re talking about the weather factor?) – “Yes. I mean it does. When I first got down here, I probably said the same thing that most people do and you’re like ‘It’s not that bad,’ and then you start getting out there and you’re like ‘Okay, this is real.’ And it’s a good thing because you’re training in conditions that are tough. You really have to … it’s a mental test every day. That’s why we like to do it the way we do it – play fast, get out there, whatever amount of time we’re out there, make it count.”
(So do you feel that it’s a good thing? You say conditioning in that, but do you feel that less practice time is any kind of handicap?) – “I guess we’re just use to doing it the way we do it. Our guys take advantage of it, whether it be in meeting time or our walk-throughs. That’s what’s nice about having the bubble. Getting those walkthroughs in, just getting them out of the sun and locking in and just trying to make sure we’re doing a good job when we are doing the walkthroughs so when we get in practice, (there are) less errors, we’re not repeating things and we’re hitting it on the first time we’re doing it live. The more times we can do that, the better it is.”
(What was the comparison of busts, you guys needing to coach mistakes in these three days as opposed to the three days last year in camp?) – “It feels like we’re not talking about the same things over and over again. I don’t have any numbers to really support what I’m saying, but that’s just my feel. I feel like when we correct something, guys listen to what … Like last year, when we said if somebody makes a mistake, take that as your own mistake and don’t make that mistake, because if you are waiting for every guy to make a mistake one time on the same play, it’s just a never ending cycle of death. Guys were … somebody would make a mistake and you didn’t hear about it again. Those guys did a good job of if Jarvis (Landry) had a mistake there, Kenny (Stills) went ‘Okay, I can’t make that mistake.’ Or DeVante (Parker). And it was good because those guys kept talking about ‘This is how if you get put in this position, this is what you have to do.’ And it was good because there was a lot of communication going on this spring. You could tell the guys were a lot more comfortable.”
(How difficult is it for you to mentally get away for some time over the next month or so? Is it hard to do for you?) – “I’ll have my moments where it’s just some days I just don’t do anything, but I don’t go too far from it. This is fantasyland. You get to do something you love and it’s not really a job. I enjoy it and I’m around it a lot. This is kind of our whole family, that’s just what we do. That’s what we enjoy and if I’m not hearing from everybody in the building, my kids are talking about it or my family is talking about it. It’s what it is.”
(WR Francis Owusu didn’t get to practice the entire spring. Is that unfair to the player?) – “That’s not my call. Rules are what they are and that’s what it is.”
(How far behind is he because of that rule?) – “Where’d he go to school?”
(A pretty good one [Stanford].) – “Alright. He’ll be alright.”
(What has WR Drew Morgan done to improve his chances of making the team and what are you looking for in August from him?) – “Some improvement and just keep getting better. I think he has a really good sense of how to play the position we’re asking him to play and it gives him a great opportunity because when we hit the preseason games, now it’s going to be about making plays when we get in real games. When you start getting looks that you haven’t seen before because you start playing different schemes, different players, different style players, what’s his production going to be like? What’s his execution going to be like? What’s he actually going to show when we get to games in the preseason. I think he’s put himself in a good position to compete and that’s all really you can ask for. When you have an undrafted rookie who came in here with … Nobody even probably knew who he really was coming in here, and he’s put himself on the map and competed.”
(A lot of players this offseason have said how impressed they are with their coach/player relationship. How would you explain your ability to relate with various players?) – “Our entire coaching staff does a good job of communicating with our guys, and consistently … When we’re in the building, it’s not always football. Our coaches do a good job investing in what our players enjoy doing outside of the building – their families and kids. I think that’s something to be said for our coaching staff because our players know that we’re actually are invested in them, not only as a player but as a person. (Director of Player Engagement) Kaleb (Thornhill) does a great job of helping those guys as well. It’s tough. You’ve got him and (Player Engagement Coordinator) Yves (Batoba). You’ve got two guys taking care of 89 (players). They’re trying to make sure that they’re all over it with every little step of the way from the time they’re a rookie or if they’re a 15-year vet. I think it’s a pretty cool thing to see how our guys like being around and want to be in the building and enjoy coming to work.”
(Is there an update you can give on TE Julius Thomas and how he’s fit in since he came here after these OTAs?) – “It’s not hard for him to fit in. He’s going to fit in because he’s going to talk to everybody. He’s going to know everything about everybody. I think he’s just enjoying being back in this system. I’ve enjoyed it because it’s fun for me. I was with him when he was a rookie. Watching him go through some really low moments in his career and then I saw him at the highest of the high. To get him back and he’s a veteran, it’s been really fun to be around him again.”
(How do you ensure that TE Julius Thomas gets back to that level?) – “You just keep working. You keep putting him in position in plays and when we get those chances, he’s going to have to make a play. That’s what this game is about, it’s about players making plays. I guess I just have a history where things have worked out. I’ve seen him be at his lowest moments and he’s a fighter. He’ll give you everything he has and he’ll keep swinging.”
(RB Damien Williams was saying that he stayed in touch with you from the end of the season all the way until him showing up. I’m wondering what was your reaction when he said that he was visiting the Patriots and then the day he showed up?) – “Damien is a guy that always goes out to the West Coast. I just check on him, just to make sure everything is all good with him. I always like guys just being in this area because you kind of hear what’s going on a lot easier than across the country. That’s the business; it is what it is. You never want to lose your guys and he’s a guy that I really love being around. When he’s in the building and when he’s on the practice field, he gives you everything he has – heart and soul – and on game days, if he can possibly take it to another level, he does. To lose a guy like that would be tough for me because he energizes so many people on offense, defense and special teams, that he impacts. He might not be playing at that moment. I just think when he was inactive against New England, he could’ve been in the tank, sitting on the bench, pouting. He wasn’t. He was … I kept seeing him and I’m like ‘Get back.’ He’s in the white (paint on the sideline) and getting yelled at by the officials, but he was in it. He knew ‘If there is one thing I can do, I can help bring energy.’ He consistently is trying to improve every day. It’s been fun to watch him develop.”
(We’ve seen the high school kids out here a lot. My understanding is that it was largely your idea. What was the thinking behind that?) – “It was just kind of … (Senior Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs) Jason (Jenkins) and myself, we were talking about what we can do with some different things, and we were trying to pinpoint some ways we could help with anything as far as football in the community. We couldn’t put our finger on what it actually was going to be. We started texting I think when (Uncle) Luke’s documentary (came out). We saw that and we started texting about that, about Liberty City. We started kicking some ideas around of what can we do? What can we do to help? What can we do to encourage kids that this is a great sport and there is something about when you’re a part of a team. It’s not all about the individual. There is something about when you have that family feel. We felt like this was something we could do to really help, especially really young kids, but high school kids as well. You realize NFL players do exactly what we have to do every day. I think that’s cool for kids to see.”
(Was there one cool moment you had with any of the kids?) – “The funniest thing I saw was when some of the really young kids came in and they were almost on the field. The d-line was doing their drills and they were yelling at the d-line. I was like ‘What are they yelling at them about?’ I loved it. It was so fast how engaged and how our players reacted. I wasn’t sure how smooth it would go. Would kids be paying attention? Would it be a distraction? We took a shot on it and what we realized was it really energized our practice. You guys weren’t out there, but it was pretty close a lot of the times where that was just one team. Whether it was little kids or high school kids, our players don’t want to disappoint. They want to put on a good show. The competition was outstanding through the whole spring and a lot of it was because they want to look good for the kids that look up to them.”
Damien Williams – June 15, 2017
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Thursday, June 15, 2017
RB Damien Williams
(What’s your opinion on the NFL relaxing the celebration rules? I’m thinking you have some new ideas coming maybe?) – “Maybe. But I’m just glad to know that they’re leaning on it and we can kind of have fun a little bit.”
(How did your 13 offseason practices go?) – “It went great. Being out here with the guys, it was a long offseason. It was just great to get back with these guys.”
(How do you feel about being part of the Dolphins again? Obviously you were a restricted free agent and now you’re back.) – “It was great. I came here undrafted. This is somewhere I want to be. This is somewhere I devoted all of my time to. I love every guy that I play with, the coaching staff and everyone who works in the facility.”
(What was it like to visit with the Patriots? I’ve never been in that football building.) – “It was different. It was weird, but it was different.”
(Did you bring back any secrets?) – “No. Not at all.”
(Did you get to meet with the hoodie guy [Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick]?) – “(laughter) He’s ‘A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.’ (laughter) No, I met him. He’s a cool dude … He’s a cool person. He’s quiet. He’s very observant.”
(What did the Patriots say they liked about your game?) – “You’d have to ask them.”
(Were you flattered by the Patriots visit or was that just part of the business?) – “It’s just business. At the end of the day, everybody wants to see what’s out there. They wanted to see what was out there.”
(What was your reaction when they went with the other cat, RB Mike Gillislee from Florida?) – “Nothing. That’s my dude. I was up here with him as a rookie. I was happy for him.”
(You didn’t sign your tender immediately. What was the deal there?) – “Just seeing what was out there.”
(You weren’t unhappy with the Dolphins in any way or your role here?) – “No, not at all. Just spending time with my family and trying to test out the options.”
(How do you see your role in the room on the field for the team?) – “How it’s always been from my rookie year until now – being very vocal and then being that guy on the field that you can count on.”
(I know that nobody ever wants to think about injuries, so there’s that. But have you thought about if you’re the next guy up if something happens? Has that ever crossed your mind?) – “We always have that ‘next man up’ mentality. That’s just something you always have to keep in your head because you don’t want to just get on the field and just be out there.”
(Having started your career as an undrafted guy, how do you view kind of the flow of your career? In other words, do you think maybe this is the year that you’re able to earn that the big long-term contract?) – “I’m sure I’m going to have a better season than I did last year so we’ll see where it goes from there.”
(Why are you sure? What makes you sure that you are going to have a better season?) – “I’m sure that (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase is sure of that too.”
(What did Head Coach Adam Gase say about being happy to have you back and all of that? What did he say when he saw you returned to the building?) – “Me and Coach Gase never stopped talking from the moment we ended our last game until now. We always kept in contact. We always talked. He loves what we’re building here and I love what we’re building here so there was no point in leaving.”
(What do you see as your role? Are you a third-down back?) – “Whatever (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase has planned for me is what I’ve got.”
Cameron Wake – June 15, 2017
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Thursday, June 15, 2017
DE Cameron Wake
(I don’t know if Head Coach Adam Gase has said this publicly to us but yesterday he said that he and the staff messed up by limiting your snaps the first five games. He’s probably said that to you privately, but when a coach admits he’s wrong and he made a mistake, does that earn some credibility, more credibility, with players?) – “Well, we’re all human, right? We all make mistakes. Players make them on the field. Coaches make them off the field. As a man in this game, you’ve got to be able to admit when that happens. I think there are probably other coaches who don’t do that and obviously with him being a different kind of guy, I think that’s part of the reason why guys respect him, why guys relate to him and why guys love him.”
(Your relationship with Head Coach Adam Gase, how does that compare to maybe coaches in the past?) – “I spoke about it when he first got here. To start off with, just being younger. He knows how it feels to kind of be the young guy in the situation with responsibilities and also still having a little bit of that fire to go and do some things that may not help as far as your career – coaching or otherwise – and setting up the situation at this facility to let guys thrive. (He) treats us like men; but at the same time, when it’s time to have fun, we have fun but when it’s time to work, we work. Our relationship I think has been tremendous and I’m looking forward to it getting stronger and stronger.”
(Now that Head Coach Adam Gase has said it and it’s out there in the open and everything, I know that you at the time went with it but did you disagree with that approach at the beginning?) – “Hindsight is always 20/20.”
(But you knew how you felt physically at the time.) – “Yes, and I told him and I told you guys the same thing. At the time, I felt great; but at the same time, there is no way to say … Let’s say I would have played all of those first five games, would I still have played the same way I played at the end of the season? Nobody knows. Of course him being a great guy and saying that he made a mistake, the real reality is no one knows because I could have played the first five games and burned out the last five. I mean, who knows? The way it happened, it worked out for everybody and I’m pleased with the way the season went.”
(You’ve talked a lot about finally getting over that hump and getting into the playoffs. Now that you got there, what’s next?) – “Hopefully that wasn’t the goal. That was just a stepping stone to obviously greater things. Most of the guys who are still here know what that journey was like. We know what it took, how hard it was, every week, scratching and clawing, winning close games, the sacrifices it took day in and day out to say we only got so far. If anything, now you know what it took to get that far, now what do we have to do to go even a step further to reach our ultimate goal? I like to think that a lot of guys, we don’t have complacent guys. We have guys who are hungry and thirsty to do more and they already know what it takes. It starts now.”
(How do you build off last season?) – “Do more. It’s simple mathematics. If you did X, Y and Z and we got to where we got to, now you have to go X, Y, Z and start over A, B, C and do more. To me, everybody looks at everybody in this locker room and upstairs, look in the mirror and you know there is maybe an area that you can improve on. If it’s on the field, off the field, sleeping better, eating better, whatever it is to make yourself even better than we were last year. Each man has to do that and if we do that individually and collectively, I think that’s how we make it happen.”
(What do you think of DE Charles Harris?) – “Lots of fun. I’ve had a lot of time to sit down and spend with him. Obviously he’s going out there and getting after it. I know you guys probably saw some of the plays we’ve run together. I’m excited. I’m excited for him. I think he has the right mentality and the right mindset to come into this game and be able to be successful. If you add that mindset and that mentality with physical talent and physical gifts and hopefully a little bit of urging from some of the veterans around here and the coaches, I think he’s set up in the right place to make plays.”
(Does DE Charles Harris’ first step remind you of anyone?) – “Physically, he’s very gifted. He’s obviously explosive, aggressive, and obviously to play this position, there’s no other way that you can be successful unless you have those tools. He’s definitely got his foot in the right direction and obviously, again, we’re looking for more.”
(DT Jordan Phillips said to us that he’s basically re-dedicated himself to being more consistent, which is something that has kind of plagued him. Do you see any difference in his performance thus far or his mentality, his drive?) – “Actually, yes. And this is not even for now, this is back in March or the end of February, when a lot of guys were starting to work out. I spoke with him personally about him wanting to make a difference. Not just to be a guy, but be the guy. Obviously being next to a guy who is the guy, being able to train with him, take tips from him, learn from him and be a sponge, I don’t think you have a better mentor to play in the inside of the trenches than Ndamukong Suh. So to be able to sit by that guy and do whatever it takes to put yourself in that position, he’s shown that he’s got it and he’s on task. Again, it’ll all show when the pads come on and the games start playing.”
(I don’t know how much attention you guys pay to this but the outside world isn’t giving this team a lot of respect nationally. I think 7.5 wins is what’s predicted for you guys. What do you think about that?) – “I couldn’t care less. To me, the outside world – it doesn’t matter if they’re praising you or condemning you – it means nothing because the only people that go out there and have to make it happen are the guys who are putting on the Dolphins colors week in and week out. A year ago, it was the opposite and we did what we had to do to this year, they could praise us and we have to work and do what we have to do. It doesn’t make a difference either way.”
(You honestly think they’re wrong though?) – “It doesn’t matter what they think. It’s not even a subject that I think of. Like I said, the opposite has been true and we did whatever we had to do. The reality is the guys in the locker room want to believe and we’ll go out and get the job done.”
(You have a former teammate who is going into the Hall of Fame this summer. How would you describe what it was like to play with DE Jason Taylor those first couple of years you were here?) – “Nothing but … We could stay here for another 30-40 minutes just talking about all of the great things that I got to take from him and his game, not just on the field but off the field as well – being professional. Literally, I feel like he’s probably the guy who influenced me the most when I got down here. I still keep in touch with him and we’re still close. It’s a tremendous, tremendous honor to be selected (to the Hall of Fame). Those are the kind of things that people dream of. I’m sure he did when he was a young guy coming up in the game. A guy like that, when you start off your career and kind of pave the way and put you on the path, I couldn’t thank him enough. I’m just happy to even be mentioned in the same sentence with that guy. I’m obviously proud of him to achieve what he has.”
(How much do you think that you have to do to get into that Hall of Fame conversation left?) – “That’s a conversation for a whole another day. I’m just working one day at a time and I’ll let you guys talk about that when I’m done playing.”
(Does it push you at all that they used a first-round pick on a player at your position?) – “No, it doesn’t push me or not push me. I’m not a guy that uses outside forces to push me. The fire is inside of me. They could have drafted 10 first-rounders at defensive end and I’m still going to work the same. There have been years where they haven’t drafted anybody and I’ve come out and worked the same. Last year we didn’t add many d-linemen but I’ll work my butt off like I do every year.”
(What gives you confidence that the rushing defense will finally improve this season?) – “Consistency in that area is something that I know, as a whole – not just us but the entire defense – we have focused on. We like pass rushing. Everyone looks at that. That’s glamorous, that’s on the front page; but in order to get to that point where it’s third-and-long, you’ve got to get the job done and stop the run. That’s always going to be first on the list. I know probably the first day of training camp, that’s something we’ll be getting the pads strapped up on and working on to make better.”
(What do your next five weeks look like for you? Any kind of vacations, different kind of training you’re doing?) – “I try to get away for a little bit every year and go see the world for a little bit. I kind of hit the reset button and unplug. Then I usually take a good solid month of getting back and getting down here in this beautiful South Florida weather and get acclimated and getting out here in the hottest part of the day bleeding, sweating and crying, doing all of those things so that when the time comes and the bullets are live, you’ll be ready. So I have a routine that I follow and this year it’ll be no different.
(The way you came back last season after the Achilles injury and the shape that you’re in, do you think you have much left to prove of what type of a player you are, and coming out of Canada and everything combined? – “Not really. Again, as I said, I’m not really looking outside. I’m more inside out. The goals that I have are set inside myself and I do everything I can to fight for those things, proving people who disbelieve. Again, I couldn’t care less. I have the people that I have to report to in the locker room, upstairs, my family, myself, the guy looking at the end of the mirror. Those are guys that I’m accountable to and I ‘prove to.’ The other ways outside I’m not concerned about.”
(How much better do you feel at this point than you did at this point last year?) – “I’m not technically coming off an Achilles (injury) so it’s much better. I was still kind of going through rehab at this point last year and trying to get back to a point where I feel like I could play a game. Obviously that’s not the case this year. I’m just improving upon where I was at the end of last season to tweaking and fine-tune some things and go out and have a tremendous season and help the team win. That’s my goal.”
Walt Aikens – June 14, 2017
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017
S Walt Aikens
(How do you enjoy working at corner again and have you done that nearly all of the offseason or have you still been getting some work at safety?) – “Coach just asked me to come back to corner, get some work and make sure I can stay touched up on my skills. It’s something I’ve been doing since last year since practice days and just going into this OTA, coach let me know ahead of time. It’s been good. I like it.”
(Has it been all corner this camp?) – “As far as right now, yes; but I still have to know everything having to do with safety, as well.”
(Is your feeling that going into next season or this season, you’re just going to be able to be in a role where you can do both or do you think they’ll have you ultimately focused on one or the other?) – “I’ve got to be in a role where I can do both. The more you can do, the more you bring to the team. So wherever coach wants me to play, I can go in and contribute right away.”
(What’s this like for you after you’re one of the top special teams players but you’re kind of guy that doesn’t really have a position right now?) – “As far as special teams goes, that’s a place where you can go out there and just balls to the wall ball out. I’m trying to incorporate that into the defense and just listening to what coach tells me to do and any way I can contribute, I’ll go out there and do what I need to do.”
(What’s the overall feeling of the defense as a whole coming into this season? A lot to improve on obviously on last year’s performance?) – “Right now we’re just picking up where we left off and trying to improve on the things we failed at last year. I mean (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Burke gets us fired up. We go out there every day trying to get better and with the guys we got here now – the drafted rookies and free agents that we picked up this offseason. I mean it’s been great going into this season.”
(You had a couple of plays last year … the type of plays that put guys on the map when it comes to Pro Bowl voting and all that on special teams. How big of a goal would that be for you?) – “It’ll be great. That’s a great honor that anybody around the league would say they would love to have. So that’s definitely a goal that I’m looking forward to meeting.”
(How important is it for you at some point in your career in this year or beyond to be a defensive presence beyond just on special teams?) – “That’s what I always want to do. That’s my main position. Special teams is just something special I can add to the team. Going back to my college position, I’ve been more comfortable with each passing day. We’re having fun out there.”
(What did either former Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph last year or this year Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke or Defensive Backs Coach Lou Anarumo tell you has to change for you to be in the equation to play defensively?) – “Just be ready for the opportunity. Just be ready, prepare mentally and physically to go out there and do what I need to do.”
(You guys made some plays on special teams last year. Are you a play-making game-changing special teams unit or are you approaching that? How would you describe that special teams unit?) – “Based off the play and the guys we have, I feel like we have the ability to do that every game. We want to go in and make plays. A lot of people, a lot of teams take special teams off as a free play where it’s just a kick or something like … No, we take it serious and we take pride in it.”
(Where do you feel you rank among special teams players?) – “Personally, I would say in the top; but that’s up for the film to decide.”
(How do you guys decide that?) – “Us, personally?”
(Yes.) – “We don’t. We just ball. We just go out and play. You’ve got to have a short memory when it comes to special teams. Every play is a new game. It’s a one-play game. So you’ve got to go out with the mindset ‘Alright, we’ve got to make something happen.’ And if it’s not you, it’s your teammates. So you just go out and try to be in the right place. We say 1/11 and 1/11 means every guy is doing their part of that play – 1/11.”
(What skill do you think you have that’s the most important to you being able to make plays on special teams?) – “I would have to say that you have to have a certain mindset when you go out. A lot of people have the physical attributes and it’s more of a mindset when you go out there and want to make a play, and want to make a tackle. Especially on special teams where there’s a lot of space, you have to have that dog mentality. “
(Where do you feel more comfortable at this point? What position do you think you’re better at – safety or corner?) – “I like them both; but the fact that I get to play corner, you get to press up a little bit. I’ve been loosening up my hips, so that’s been great.”
(We saw you have at least one pick. How many have you had?) – “One pick and got my hands on a couple of balls. I’m just trying to be in the right place at the right time. Go out and … (Defensive Backs Coach) Lou (Anarumo) puts us in position to make plays – Coach Lou and (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Burke. We’ve just got to go out there and execute.”
(What’s the feedback you’ve gotten from coaches about how you’ve done at corner?) – “It’s been pretty good. I’m just trying get better every day. Coach just tells me to keep my head in it.”
(You guys have a five-week break between when mini-camp ends and when training camp begins. What’s your program? What do you do to get ready for training camp?) – “This isn’t really a break for us. This is a time where we have to actually step it up a notch because we’re going to be home and away from the facility for so long. We have to go in and approach it like we’re still at camp – we’re already in camp. We have to stay working out and continue to eat well. If you’re heavy, you get light and if you’re light, you gain some good weight. It’s more of a workout type break.”
(In what ways has your experience in college playing corner now prepared you for what you’re doing now? As you mentioned, you get your hands on guys and be closer up on guys?) – “First, it brings back memories. Second, when you see certain plays, certain formations, you kind of get a feel for it after a while. Offense is always changing; but at the same time, if you’re in the right spots, you can easily make a play on the ball or break on the ball. It’s preparing me well.”
(Is it fun to just be able to read the quarterback’s eyes and being able to break on the ball?) – “Yes, it’s cool. It’s cool.”
(Did you notice the swarm of bees at practice today?) – “Yes, I saw the bees. This is my first time really seeing a swarm like that. I always see it on TV. I watch Animal Planet a lot; but actually seeing one, that was crazy.”
(A bunch of young receivers are trying to win jobs – undrafted rookies – WR Isaiah Ford the draft pick and obviously WR Leonte Carroo. Who’s shown you the most? If you could name a couple whose specific skills have impressed you?) – “I like Isaiah Ford, a real cool dude. He has a smooth game on the field and he’ll surprise you.”
Ndamukong Suh – June 14, 2017
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017
DT Ndamukong Suh
(Do you see improvement in the run defense out here and if so, how do you determine it when you don’t have pads on?) – “I think it’s tough to determine that when you don’t have pads on. I think the most important thing is guys are definitely in the right place where they need to be, but I think it’ll be very key for us to get a gauge of that when we get pads on and obviously when we get into preseason games.”
(What have you seen out of the rookie DE Charles Harris so far?) – “Charles, in my opinion, is a very focused kid. He’s very excited about his approach to the game. He’s very detail oriented. (He) obviously takes coaching very, very well (and) implements it very quickly as you coach him up in-game and (he) listens. Obviously he has been running with the ones and getting a lot of play time in our package we like to run in regards to pass rush. He has had a lot of good things from my opinion, but everybody has got a lot of work to do, so we’ve got a long way ahead of ourselves.”
(The last time you were here, you mentioned playing many more years. We asked Head Coach Adam Gase a little bit about longevity. Can you elaborate on that a little bit and have you really put much thought into how much longer you’re going to play?) – “I think at all times you look at it, and when you get to this age. I remember guys – Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams – being (in) their seventh and eighth year when I was a rookie going to Detroit. Seeing those guys and how they approached it, they really took it day by day and focused on what they needed to take care of in that particular moment and then worried about everything on (the) later back end. For me, personally, that’s kind of how my approach has been. Obviously, I want to continue to play at a very high level, so I’m in-tune with what I need to get done right now, and then let the years to come worry about themselves.”
(How much of an example does DE Cameron Wake set at 35?) – “It’s exciting to see a guy like that, 1) have the year he had last year, but see how he’s coming out and being just as good, if not better, in a lot of ways. I think this will be a very fun and exciting year for him. Obviously, he’s not having to worry about injury or anything of that sort, having a good offseason from the looks of it. Obviously, being with him the last four weeks, he’s in great shape.”
(What’s one thing you’ve taken or learned from DE Cameron Wake since you’ve been together?) – “Just pass rush. I think one of the things of being able to work with a guy like that, the way he rushes … I love the way he rushes. It’s actually funny, (we) were talking about that today with (Defensive Line) Coach ‘T’ (Terrell Williams). A lot of people think he’s a speed rusher, but a lot of times he uses his speed, but it turns into power. (He’s) really a straight line guy. I can learn certain techniques – hands and different stuff like that – from him. And he’s obviously seen a lot. I play outside a little bit. So, there are things for me to learn from him, without question.”
(When you think about this phase of your career that you’re in now and possibly how much longer you want to play, how much do you think about or factor in the physical beating that you take at your positon?) – “I think I’m built for it, first and foremost; but I think at the end of the day, it’s about coaches and how they take care of us. ‘T’ (Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams) does a great job – (Head Coach Adam) Gase does a great job – allowing us to get good, quality reps where we’re 1) getting the work that we need to get in, but we’re not beating ourselves up, especially in these particular instances. Obviously, in camp is a great gauge of that as well. For me, I’m not really worried about it. I’ve always prided myself on playing as many plays as I can possible. I just love being on the football field.”
(What do you want your legacy to be when they write the book on Ndamukong Suh?) – “I’m not sure. In what regards are you speaking of?”
(Where you stand among the greats of all-time, things like that.) – “I think I’ve always prided myself on wanting to be a guy that has been very similar to, obviously, the greats – Reggie White, Warren Sapp – guys of that caliber (that) change the game from their particular position. I’m only eight years into the league. They played many, many more years than me. I still have a lot of work ahead of myself. I think in this particular instance, probably one of the best things I would want people to recognize for me is you have to know where I am at on the football field at all times. If you don’t, then I should be causing havoc. And even if you do, I still want to cause havoc.”
(Do you ever think about the Hall of Fame?) – “I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t. Of course. Everybody thinks about the Hall of Fame. One of the first trips I took, I remember going to the Hall of Fame in Canton. I’ve been there a couple times. Obviously (you) see teammates there for breaking particular records – Calvin (Johnson), Matt Stafford – other guys like that. I’d love to be a part of it. Charlie (Sanders) – one of the best receivers in Detroit Lions history – to be there with him and see his bust, and obviously he unfortunately passed recently, it was special to me. I was really close to him. But of course you think about the Hall of Fame; but like I said, I’m very young. I think at this stage, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”
(When it comes to players and taking care of their bodies in the offseason – we know you’re meticulous about that – has the level of knowledge and participation increased since you’ve been in the league or is it about the same as far as workout regimen and knowing what to put in your body?) – “Without question it has increased. There are many people that I’ve come across in the last five or six years that I’ve been fortunate to listen to, learn from, understand my body. Something is always changing, so it’s an evolution to find different ways to adapt the body. That’s the great thing about the body – it adapts as you challenge it. You have to find new ways to stay healthy and new modalities to keep you sharp.”
(When did you start paying attention to that? In the pros? In college?) – “I think it first started in college, especially after my freshman year; but it was very, very low level. I think it got to a heightened sense, especially after I had surgery my rookie season on my shoulder (and) finding new ways to 1) lift weights and be very, very strong. Everybody has a concept of tearing your body down and building it back up. You don’t have to necessarily do that in my opinion to stay strong and be very, very strong throughout the season. I think there are a lot of things that I’ve learned from after that surgery and the people that I work with now to where I look to be in the future and being able to play for a long time.”
(What does your offseason entail now that you leave here after minicamp? What do you do to get prepared for training camp?) – “Five strenuous weeks. I go back to Portland with my trainer, usually check in with my docs on certain things. If I have any bumps or bruises or whatever from minicamp – or mishaps – I deal with those particular issues. There are some other things that go in there but I’m not going to disclose those.”
(I think you were in the room when Head Coach Adam Gase said in so many words, ‘I made a mistake. I screwed up,’ relative to not playing DE Cameron Wake more. I was wondering hearing that from a coach, what goes through your mind?) – “I vaguely heard it. But if those were his words … I think at the end of the day, what they wanted to do was ease Cam back into his progression and playing at a high level. At the end of the day, I think they did a great job with handling that. I think it’s proven in the pudding of what Cam produced. Obviously, they could’ve done it earlier and it could’ve been probably better, but that’s in the past. I think the future is where we’re at right now.”
(I guess I meant from a bigger picture perspective. It seems like Head Coach Adam Gase is one of those guys that has accountability for himself and his colleagues.) – “No question. I think Coach (Gase) is very accountability oriented 1) For his players (and) 2) For himself, and everybody in this particular organization. And that’s something that’s great, because he doesn’t put himself on a pedestal to say, ‘Everything I say is perfect.’ We’ve had some great conversations, especially this offseason even when I wasn’t here, about things of that nature and how we can get better as a particular team. He’s a great head coach and I think he’s only going to continue to get better because he has that mentality.”
(You were joking a couple weeks about turning 30. Do you feel kind of old when you’re around these rookies that are 22 in your corner in the locker room?) – “Without question. Some of the music that they listen to is not necessarily (to) my liking, but I like being around the young guys. At the end of the day, they’re coming in here to help and play at a high level. I’ve spent some time while I’ve been here with them outside of the building. It’s good to be around young guys that have a different perspective. It allows me to think about things a little bit differently. I think even in practice, it allows me to get back to my basics. I don’t know if you guys have noticed, (but) we go off the field as defensive linemen and offensive linemen a little bit earlier, but we have that time to 1) Interact with the younger guys as they get work in and we can do extra work. So, those times are good for us to 1) Get back to the basics that we may not be thinking about when we’re in the heat of the battle and doing situational football and things of that nature.”
(Are you motivated at all by that on the practice field? The challenge of trying to match someone that’s eight years younger than you. I know that you can, but…) – “A match as in intensity or what exactly?”
(Enthusiasm, the effort. Someone that’s eight years younger than you…) – “I think I’ve always been an even-keeled guy, so I don’t necessarily look at it like that. But from the standpoint of energy and things of that nature, I think it’s good to have them around. At the same time, I think it goes back to the younger ways of getting back to the basics and then obviously being able to have the advanced knowledge of looking for certain keys and stuff like that, and just re-learning stuff yourself that you may not have been thinking about and that you know already, but it gets your brain thinking about it again, because the younger guy may not.”
(You mentioned what you’ll do after minicamp for five strenuous weeks. Do you allow yourself anytime to get away from football a little bit?) – “There’s time. I think you can have some time during the weekends. I think probably the most time would be once we finish up on Thursday, tomorrow. We’ve got Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Monday is a big day. (I’ll) start those five weeks and kind of go from there.”
(Frightened or fascinated by that swarm of bees out there?) – “I’m not a fan of bees. I’ve been around yellow jackets in Jamaica and all that stuff. I’m not too scared of them, but I’d rather not be stung if I didn’t have to be.”
Anthony Steen – June 14, 2017
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017
C/G Anthony Steen
(On the bee situation at practice) – “I’ve only seen bees like that once and it’s always been around a hive. For them to just come out and over like that, it’s kind of weird.”
(Take us through driving down offensively towards that end zone where the bees were.) – “To the bees? I didn’t care.”
(Because you’re not a receiver.) – “Yes, that’s right. DeVante (Parker) might have (cared), especially when he was in the end zone with them. They were probably trying to celebrate with him.”
(What’s been the breakdown for you as far as the work at center as compared to guard over the last several weeks?) – “I’m just trying to switch everything in my head, especially when you go from right guard and then three plays later he wants you to go to left guard. Some people might not think much of it, but when you’re pass blocking, your hands have to go totally opposite when you’re switching positions. It’s been a little bit of a challenge, but I’m getting the hang of it.”
(Have you spent more time at guard than center over the last month?) – “Right now it’s probably 50-50. The past two days, I guess today and yesterday, I’ve done more center than guard. I’ve done center for three or four team periods then I do right guard for one or two.”
(Is it your hope to be considered for a starting guard spot? With G/T Jermon Bushrod and G Isaac Asiata as a rookie, do you feel like you are in that mix?) – “Yes, I think right now everybody is, honestly. It’s hard for anybody to say yes to that question until camp gets here. That’s when everything is going to come in effect; but whatever coach wants me to do – if he wants me to play guard or if he wants me to play center, whatever is going to be best for the team.”
(What’s the biggest takeaway you took from last season?) – “Experience. I hadn’t played in a game since college so three years. At the beginning of the season, I was definitely nervous, I’m not going to lie. It was nerve-wracking, plus playing center last year for the first time. I was scared to death, honestly; but it is part of football. It’s excitement. When you get in a game, score a touchdown or even a simple field goal, it gets your adrenaline going. You might hurt during the game, but as long as you get that win, you feel fine after. I think the experience part I’m comfortable with now.”
(What did you take from the demotion?) – “I think it was more of me playing hurt last year. I know when we played Cleveland, ‘Bush’ Jermon Bushrod fell up on me and rolled my ankle, it kind of went downhill from there. I wasn’t supposed to come back for three or four weeks and I came back after Cincinnati just because ‘LT’ (Laremy Tunsil) fell and he got hurt. I really had no choice. I had to do it or don’t, but we didn’t have anyone else to do it because everybody else was hurt. I kind of rushed back to getting in there for the team and it kind of went downhill because then I hurt my shoulder the next game – just a sprain and rotator cuff; but the physical part, it kind of slowed me down there. I lost my strength for two or three games there. Like I said, whatever it takes to win, I’m going to do it. I’m not going to be one of those guys to make an excuse and say ‘I’m 50 percent, I don’t need to go.’ If I can go, I can go. It’s as simple as that.”
(You told us at the golf tournament when we talked to you that you had surgery, correct?) – “No. I said I had a cyst in my wrist. I could’ve had surgery but I didn’t want to miss a whole month and a half of training, so I just put up with it.”
(Was there any part of your body that felt good last year?) – “Not really. Not really, but that’s part of football. After a while, you get used to it.”
(With the offseason, well this isn’t the offseason for you guys because you’ve been here for a couple of months. What do you do in that five-week period from when mini-camp ends to when training camp begins? Can you paint the picture for us?) – “For me? As soon as practice ends tomorrow I’m going to meet my parents on a vacation. We haven’t had a family vacation in probably six years. I know my mom is probably looking forward to me getting there.”
(Where are you going?) – “Orange Beach. I think they’re going tomorrow morning. I’ll probably get there Friday mid-day. It is 10 hours (on the road) I think. I’ll probably take a couple of days off and spend time with them. I think my sister and two nieces are going to be there. After that, I’ll probably head back and start training.”
(The training entails what?) – “More of just running and trying to stay in shape, slim up and get lean. I’ll probably workout three times for weights and then cardio four times a week. It’s hard to stay in football shape running 60 plays getting ready for a game. You can’t just go run four or five times a week and then expect to play a full game. It’s totally different.”
(What’s been C Mike Pouncey’s involvement in terms of meetings with your group? Obviously we haven’t seen him on the field yet. Is he as talkative as he would be if he were playing?) – “Oh yes. Yes, he’s still a comedian still. He still comes to meetings and jokes around with everybody. He’s always here, trying to pay attention and watch film. Even though he’s not playing or practicing, he’s still in there watching film with us trying to stay on top of things.”
(Has C Mike Pouncey made any comments that he’s going to be able to play?) – “No, I don’t know if he has. I think right now his mindset is yes, he’s going to play. I think for a player, you’ve got to think that way. If you think you’re not going to make it, then it’s not going to happen. You’ve got to be able to say to yourself ‘I’m going to be the starting center or guard’ or whatever. You have to tell yourself you’re going to be ready. You can’t just want to be in the training room just to be in there. You’ve got to want to be out of the training room to be able to play.”
(Does the way C Mike Pouncey walks seem normal to you in terms of the Pouncey you saw pre-injury?? Obviously last year he was injured a lot during your first year here.) – “Yes, I think he’s walking fine. When he was on crutches, you could definitely tell he was struggling a little bit. I think he was 75-80 percent for a while on the crutches. The past two weeks, he’s seemed fine to me – three weeks.”
Jermon Bushrod – June 14, 2017
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
G/T Jermon Bushrod
(Is there any sort of last day of school feeling in these last three days? I know minicamp is still serious but the break is right there.) – “It’s close and I’m going to enjoy it until training camp comes. We’ve got a little bit over a month and it’s just some time for guys to refocus and get their bodies right physically and get their minds right mentally so we can come back and put ourselves through the grind of training camp.”
(A few minutes ago, DT Ndamukong Suh was saying that he feels that Head Coach Adam Gase is a guy who doesn’t put himself on a pedestal and holds himself accountable. Since you’ve been around him, can you think of kind of like a good example like illustration of that?) – “You said that he does hold himself accountable?”
(Head Coach Adam Gase holds himself accountable and doesn’t put himself on some pedestal.) – “Right, right, right. I can’t pinpoint one incident, but he’s always going to shoot you straight. He’s always going to tell you how he feels about every situation that we’ve been in – good or bad – or how he could have been better and how we could have been better. That just makes us evaluate ourselves that much tougher, that much harder. So when your head coach can take accountability like that, then it’s just a trickle-down effect. We’re professionals and that’s just how it needs to be so you can fight to win.”
(If you could put a number on how many times you think he acknowledged he made a mistake last year, what would that number be?) – “I don’t know. Last year we lived and learned through a lot of different things. We dug ourselves out of a hole. We took the first few games and we fought to learn from them. We fought to figure out what we were good at, how we could put ourselves in better situations. There’s no regrets about it, it’s just in life, you have to find a way to correct those mistakes, correct the instances that you could have been in a better position and then when that opportunity comes later on in the season, we ironed out some things and were able to have some success.”
(When you guys stopped going to the up-tempo offense, how did that impact the offense and in particular the offensive line?) – “Maybe it just slowed us down a little bit. With the more practice we’ll get, the better we’ll be with the up-tempo stuff. I like it. I think it’s a good change of pace. As we started to get rolling, we could mix it in here and there and we were able to be on the same page. To be honest, I just think it had to come with a lack of reps together – not just the offense, but our offensive line. So the fact that we can be on the same page more this year because we’ve taken the reps, we’re in the system for another year, our communication as an offensive line is at a higher level.”
(T Branden Albert spoke to the Jacksonville media yesterday and he was saying how the last three years really put a toll on his body mentally, physically, spiritually and I’m sure the knee injury was part of that. Did you see any of that from him last year, that the body was a little bit down?) – “Well, I think the older you get – like I think the last time we were up here – I think the older you get, your body isn’t always going to agree with you. Sometimes you have to do some extra things and you would see ‘BA’ (Branden Albert) in here – well not you, but I would see ‘BA’ in here early – working on his conditioning, stretching, working with our weight room staff, trying to work the kinks out. When you get older in this game, you can’t just show up and play. You have to do more. You have to wake up a little earlier, stay a little bit later, and then in the offseason, there’s just different things you’ve got to work on. You’re not as young as you used to (be). You’ve got to get your body back, balanced, feeling right and feeling ready to go every single day.”
(What’s the biggest difference, if any, you’ve seen out of QB Ryan Tannehill, either in the huddle or just out there on the field since coming back from the injury?) – “I know he was excited to get back. I mean you could see it in his face last year when he didn’t have the opportunity to be in there when we were rolling. That’s tough on a player. That’s tough on any competitor, but the way … He’s doing a great job of taking over the huddle, taking over the offense and being the leader that he knows he can be. We all have a better feeling of where we are in this offense and the better feeling he has with the receivers, the better feeling we have up front, all 11 of us kind of feed off each other.”
(Did you see the bees?) – “Yes, I did.”
(Where do the bees rank in terms of just weird things that have interrupted or affected practice in your career?) – “That’s up there in my top, but it was towards the end of practice and it got to the point where I was like, I’m not going to run. If they get me, they get me. That was pretty weird and it was funny because we moved all the way down to the other end and you could still kind of see the swarm of them down at the other end. I don’t know. It was just kind of weird where they came from.”
(Nothing in Louisiana that rivals that?) – “I’ve never seen bees like that. I’ve never seen …”
(Other wildlife?) – “No. I can’t recall right now.”
(You’re not allergic are you?) – “No.”
(Were you worried for WR DeVante Parker running down that sideline?) – “I mean we were literally just like … We were talking about it. I’m just glad he caught the ball and I don’t think he got stung. I hope he didn’t get stung, but I know it was pretty thick down there with the bees; but he scored. We scored a touchdown and that’s what it’s about.”
(Who are a couple of guys that have opened your eyes in a positive standpoint? Offense, defense, young or old, kind of throughout the whole camp.) – “I like the way these rookies are coming in here and competing. I like the way this team competes. I like the way the vets get out here and they work. We’re going out here in OTAs and minicamp and we’re fighting to get some good work in. We’re getting after it the way that we’re supposed to, but the rookies are coming here and they’re fighting. Come training camp, it’s going to be a battle. There are going to be a lot of tough decisions that our coaching staff is going to have to make because we’ve got some good veterans on this team. We’ve got some good young guys that look like they want to come in, make the team and make some plays. So come training camp, it’s going to be a battle.”
(Have either of the two rookie defensive tackle draft picks taken any reps against you? DT Davon Godchaux or DT Vincent Taylor?) – “I’ve had a few. I’ve had Vincent (Taylor) over me five to seven times within the last couple of days.”
(Any observations of DT Davon Godchaux or DT Vincent Taylor? Obviously with no pads it hard to judge but…) – “(Vincent Taylor has) low leverage. (He’s a) strong kid. He’s the only one I really went up against but both of them are getting reps. Some are getting reps with the ones – rotating with the ones here and there. Once we get the pads on, you’ll get a better feeling or understanding about where they are. Initially, you can tell that they’re taking the coaching well. They’re using the tools that the coaches on that side of the ball are teaching them, because you see it out there. Like I was saying, we’ve got a lot of rookies that are coming in and competing. Not just the inside (guys), even the outside ones, they’re playing tough.”
(Have you been competing against DT Lawrence Okoye?) – “I haven’t went up against him yet, but I’ve seen him in there. I’ve watched all of his reps but I haven’t lined up against him yet.”
(Any impressions of DT Lawrence Okoye so far?) – “Good hands. As tall as he is, he plays with good leverage. He can play with some good strength when he gets his hands on you. I’m pretty sure I’ll get my opportunity come July.”
(Have you ever thought about the challenge that a guy like DT Lawrence Okoye faces coming into football, being completely new to it?) – “I haven’t. I don’t know. I guess I can kind of relate to it. I mean he’s not really been a football player, so it’s something that you have to learn. It’s something you have to take a lot of reps to. I can kind of remember when I started in the college level playing left tackle and then kind of going back to last year, switching positions, it’s just about your repetition – doing it over, doing it over again, over and over and over until you get tired of doing it and you keep doing it again. So I can relate to it; but when you’re not used to it, you’re going to continue to keep working. I think he has a lot of good upside to him.”
