Cameron Wake – September 7, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
DE Cameron Wake
(Different thought for you going into this regular season game than maybe the preseason for you?) – “Not really. For me, if there’s an opponent across from me, he’s wearing a different color and they’re keeping score, it’s all gas, no brakes. It doesn’t matter whatever it is. I don’t care if it’s ping-pong, badminton, preseason, Super Bowl, I’m trying to kill you.”
(How has DE Robert Quinn helped you on the other side?) – “He’s a tremendous asset to the team. Obviously, he’s a great football player (and a) tremendous pass-rushing force. Anytime you have to make decisions when it comes to the offensive side of the ball … of course, that would probably be a great question to ask one of those guys on the other side, but how are you going to dispense your attention? There’s only so many guys you’ve got to use and hopefully the more that we can occupy, the better it is for the team in its entirety – whether it’s DBs, linebackers or the guys up front. I think everybody is going to benefit from other guys making plays, not only him. We’ve got other guys also doing the same thing, but I look forward to all of us causing problems and having good output as far as production is concerned.”
(You’re a guy who picks his spots when he has a message for his teammates, is there anything this week that’s come to mind you felt the need to share?) – “Sure; but what I’ll share is probably, I mean, it’s just a long offseason. I think April 25th-ish, we came back and pretty much everything we’ve done from that day until now is focusing on Sunday. All the drills, the conditioning, weights, studying, preseason, 9-on-7s, 1-on-1s, all of that stuff has kind of come to this moment. I think everybody kind of is ready. It’s time. All the talk, whatever I’m going to say now, doesn’t mean anything. Whatever I say tomorrow is not going to mean anything. What’s going to mean something is going to be when you put those pads on and you do your job on Sunday.”
(There’s been a lot of talk about changing the culture after what happened last season and some of the ups and downs there. What have you seen this year relating to that, and do you buy into changing the culture in the offseason?) – “Words have never solved a problem. It’s always come down to actions. It has to happen. It’s not something that we can just go out and say. It’s not something that you can speak into existence. Speaking something into existence is not a thing. You have to act it into existence. We can go out there and rah-rah-rah all we want, whether it’s culture, stop the run, get to the quarterback, score points, all of that. It sounds good. It makes good T-shirts; but you have to bleed. You have to do it and that becomes who you are. Whether you want to say I’m a rah-rah guy or I’m a tough guy, if you don’t go out there and be tough, what difference does it make? So Sunday will show what this the situation is, who you are individually, unit, team, so on and so forth.”
(You’re now in Year 10. What drives you? What’s your motivation?) – “Cameron Wake. Every day I look in the mirror. Being better than him. I’ve always been a guy I’ve never cared about stats particularly, somebody else, what he did, what he does, what the other guy on the other side of the league is doing. I have a very, very competition in myself and outdoing me, being better, being smarter. All of those things, keep stepping that bar up. That’s kind of the way I make my way across improving and I think if I continue to do that, then hopefully I can help this team. If I can help this team, then we can get more wins, and so on and so on. It’s just going to trickle down and trickle across and be contagious. If that’s not how you approach it and you’re worried about somebody else, what he’s doing, what he’s doing, I think you’re behind the 8-ball already. I just focus on being the best me I can be and I can look in the mirror every day and live with that. I think I’ll be all right.”
(Can you quantify what outdoing the 2017 DE Cam Wake would look like?) – “It’s hard. It’s hard. I think especially you guys, looking at this paper here, there’s all kind of numbers and probably statistics and what not; but that’s not always the picture that you’re going to be able to get from football. There’s so much more to it that goes into being a good football player or a good teammate or a good pass rusher, so on and so on and so on. A lot of it … Some of it is on the paper and some of it isn’t. To be a better me, I would be here for 30 minutes talking about that; but some of it is statistical, quantifiable, tangible stuff and some of it isn’t. I think if you are honest with yourself and only you know that, I think you’ll be able to look in the mirror again and say ‘Yes, I did,’ or ‘No, I didn’t.’”
(I think you guys have seen the Titans the last two years. One was when QB Marcus Mariota was healthy and one when he was not. That 2016 game with him, he had some success. What did you guys learn from that game?) – “That’s ancient history at this point. I think it doesn’t really matter. I think now the guys we have to deal with now is the team we’re going to play. Of course they’ve got a lot of new pieces, a new scheme, new this, new that. So it’s probably less about what they are going to be doing and it’s more about what we’re going to do. If I punch you in the mouth, I really don’t care about what you’ve been doing or not doing. It’s just the nature of the business. I don’t really care, I’m going to go out – I’m going to say we – we don’t really care. We’re going to go out and do what we do, play our technique and if we do that we’re going to go out and be successful regardless of what happened in 2013, ‘14, ‘20, ’22, whatever.”
(Speaking of your individual matchup on the edge. What do you see in T Taylor Lewan and T Jack Conklin and if they’ve got to play T Dennis Kelly and how you can fare in those matchups?) – “I’m pretty consistent on how I look at guys. I study like anybody else. I see weaknesses and strengths and things like that. You try to line those up with what you’ve got. You line their weakness up with your strengths. At the end of the day, it’s a guy I look at as an opponent. He probably thinks he’s better than me, I think I’m better than him, and on Sunday it’s going to be pass or fail. I look across our line and I feel we have the guys to get the job done; but, again as I’ve told you before, T-shirts, rah-rah and speeches is good for TV maybe, but it doesn’t win games. It doesn’t change the outcome of how your season is going to go. You have to put on the pads and put in the work. On Sunday, that will be very evident one way or another.”
(You spend 349 days getting ready for 16 games, what’s that like? All that work and if you’re not on that day, it feels like a failure probably.) – “Yes. Again, you guys have asked … The people and of course those last however many days – I don’t know how many days from the last game until Sunday – but people don’t see that. There’s no SportsCenter highlights. There’s no TV shows about it. The majority of what goes on, no one sees. Everybody sees Sunday at one o’clock until 3:30 or four o’clock – whatever – and that’s all they know; but there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. I think, again, that’s why this is the greatest team sport in the world because there is so much at stake. You don’t get 100 games to figure it out. You have, like you said, 16 chances. You work the rest of the year for those 16 chances. And it’s probably going to come down in the NFL as we saw last night to one play. Just one. You don’t know which one. It could have been the third one, the 15th one. Everybody think’s it’s the last play of the game, but it got decided good or bad somewhere along the line of the game. A game of inches. All of those sayings and all of those thing, it’s the reality. It’s heavier than you can probably express to somebody who hasn’t been on this side doing it. It’s some of the greatest highs and some of the lowest lows. That’s why we go through what we go through in order to achieve that six hours of joy and pleasure of winning a game and to avoid those 16 or so hours of sorrow. Again, it’s heavier than I can explain to you until you put some pads on.”
Jakeem Grant – September 7, 2018
Friday, September 7, 2018
Wide Receiver Jakeem Grant
(Where have you improved the most in the last year moving outside?) – “I would say just all areas – route running, understanding coverages, hands, just everything. Just understanding the concept and just knowing the playbook inside and out and knowing what each guy has, so I can go out there and not think about what I’m doing and just be fast, run fast and play fast.”
(What was your reaction last year when they approached you about moving outside?) – “Me? I was just like ‘let’s do it coach. Whatever, let’s do it.’ It was something new for me. It was the first time that I was going to be a predominantly outside receiver. In our offense, one guy can easily be in the slot, but whenever he (Head Coach Adam Gase) said ‘Jakeem, I’m going to try you out at the X,’ I was like ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ It was something new and I just learned it and the rest was history. I actually love it. It’s actually night and day, and I can see the bigger picture from the outside now. I loved the move, I just love it. So, I appreciate him for moving me outside.”
(What is it about being outside? Do you kind of lick your chops a little bit knowing you can burn those guys?) – “Definitely. You can easily come across a one-on-one matchup at any time. Like I said previously, just seeing the bigger picture. In the inside, you have to look through linebackers and all kind of things like that; but outside, you can see where the safety is at clearer and you can understand what coverage it is. With that, there’s a lot of film studying that took place and also going out there, (Wide Receivers Coach Ben) Johnson harped on it, (Assistant Head Coach/Offense Shawn) Jefferson harped on it – find out where those safeties are and they will tell you what coverage it is. So, the first thing I do when I get outside and get lined up, I find out where those safeties are and they tell me what coverage it is and what coverage it isn’t.”
(How much outside did you play at Texas Tech?) – “Slim. Very minimal. Like I said, this is my first time playing outside and it’s night and day. I love it.”
(The first time they came to you with this idea, what was your reaction?) – “My reaction was ‘let’s do it coach.’ I was like ‘it’s something new. I’ve never played outside before,’ and I was like ‘I could easily get a one-on-one matchup at any time.’ I was like ‘with my speed, that’s a home-run ball.’ I like scoring touchdowns, so I was like ‘you know what? It’s whatever. I’m down for it.’ I was up for it, and I appreciate him (Head Coach Adam Gase) for moving me because I’ve been doing a good job at it and I’ll continue to do a good job.”
(You could use your speed for end-around’s as well, right?) – “Definitely. I definitely use the speed. I always harp on ‘don’t let them get their hands on you.’ The thing is, with my size, guys want to get their hands on me quick because they know they can’t run with me, so all I have to do is just continue to practice on my Mr. Miyagi technique – wax on, wax off. (laughter) That’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
(You deserve a ton of credit, obviously, for your improvement; but guys you would also credit for also helping you reach this point over the last year, who comes to mind?) – “I would say just the whole coaching staff, just for them to even have faith in me. Just saying ‘Hey Jakeem, we’re going to try you at the X position and see how you fit in there.’ Obviously, they knew that that was going to be a good role for me, and as time passes, they would expand my role and I continued to make plays and plays. So, just with them harping on ‘Hey Jakeem, you’re already fast. You don’t need to be 100 miles in a brake area. Your 75 is people’s 100, so just get it down and just understand the playbook and all of this and that.’ With them doing that, just having that trust in me and just wanting me to be better, it makes me want to grind harder and not let those guys down. So, that’s what I continue to do is just go out there each and every day and show them that I don’t want to let them down and I want them to be able to trust me.”
(The last couple weeks, how have you dealt with being in the concussion protocol and did you have any doubts that you probably wouldn’t play?) – “No, I had no doubts. I knew I was ready to go. Being in the protocol, it definitely stinks. I just hated it and I couldn’t be out there with my brothers and teammates out there having fun and making plays, blocking, going out there joking around. That’s like being at a family event. Once I got back, I just picked up where I left off and having fun when I got out there, because I was out there with my brothers, my family. We’re here every day with each other, so it’s a brotherhood and one big family. So I was glad to be back in there and they welcomed me back with open arms, just like I was here before.”
Adam Gase – September 7, 2018
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Friday, September 7, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Do you have a status update on DeVante Parker?) – “He’s limited. He’s doubtful for the game.”
(We’ve talked about how difficult it is to contain mobile quarterbacks, but what is that challenge that it presents to somebody who has to spy them? And how do you determine who spies them?) – “I think it’s hard to replicate the speed and kind of the ability to change directions. He’s a better athlete really than almost every guy that you have on defense. That’s why we talk about being able to kind of box him in, being able to (use) multiple guys – if (Marcus Mariota) does take off – which is hard because he usually runs by guys when he gets loose. It’s a problem you have to be aware of the entire game. You can’t relax on any given play.”
(When you have to have a player spy a quarterback, what kind of stress does it put on the rest of the defense?) – “It just singles everybody else up. That makes it difficult and makes it tough when you want to pressure. You have to be smart when you do that. There’s a lot of little things that you have to make sure that you do correctly. If you one guy make the slightest of error, it can cause you a big play.”
(Except for WR DeVante Parker, do you expect everyone for Sunday?) – “YeahYes unless something happens between now and then.”
(Have you selected a backup quarterback for Sunday’s game, and if you can’t tell us, can you tell us what will go into the decision?) – “It’ll probably just be a gut feel. We’ll see when we get there. I haven’t really spoken to those guys yet.”
(Have you guys picked captains?) – “Not yet.”
(Last night’s game was delayed, I don’t know, 30 minutes because of weather, whatever. Do you go through contingencies because of warmups?) – “I want to say that might have happened to us in 2013 when we played in that Thursday night game opener against Baltimore. We waited for a while. You just try to keep guys loose and you try to organize. When you get a start time, then you start working backwards and just really get your warmup set.”
(Is that a real distraction?) – “I mean, you’re just ready to go. You’re just delaying something that you’ve been waiting for since last season.”
(Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains complimented T Laremy Tunsil as making improvement from the start of the spring to now. Can you give us a little insight on some of the things you feel he’s better at?) – “Well, he’s been challenged every day. When you’re going against Robert Quinn every snap, especially when you throw the ball, there’s no relaxing, which has been great for him because it’s hard. When he has his times that he wins, he’s doing a really good job. He really understands the game and our system to the point where he can try new things. He works well with Josh (Sitton). It’s been impressive to watch those two kind of work together and that chemistry on that side.”
(How is T Laremy Tunsil in terms of footwork and pre-snap…?) – “I mean, the guy is an unusual athlete for a guy that size. He could probably play a skill position if we wanted him to. He really does have unbelievable ability.”
(A few days ago, you mentioned how WR Jakeem Grant has become a legit fifth wide receiver and outside guy. What’s been the biggest step or steps that he’s taken in that evolution?) – “I think it was just once he moved him to outside. He just really took to that. He’s really hard to press. The majority of the time he’ll see off-coverage. We got some press in that New England game and he made the most of it. It’s really been growth ever since then. He’s had some really good practices where we got an opportunity to get him the ball and he’s gotten open. The longer he’s been in the system, the more knowledge that he has and the quicker he is to adjust to things. That’s the whole point of the drill is to keep learning and figure out how far you can push yourself.”
(Why did you think WR Jakeem Grant could make that move?) – “That was something the coaching staff – offensive staff – last year … (Director of Football and Player Development) Clyde (Christensen) brought it up with, I think it was Pierre Garçon might have been inside when they first got him and then they moved him outside and he really flourished. I think that’s maybe where the conversation started. We felt like we had nothing to lose and he wanted to play and he didn’t care where. We gave him that opportunity and he made the most of it.”
(What are your impressions of their number 99 – DT Jurrell Casey?) – “He’s a very, very good player and he has caused us a lot of problems over the last two years. He’s been consistent, both in the run and the pass game. You have to account for him. You have to make sure … when you single him up, it’s tough.”
(There’s a new Dolphins shirt that has a slogan “Who You With?” I’m assuming all slogans kind of run through you?) – “I had nothing to do with that. I don’t know.”
(The locker room, that’s the players’ domain. How do you decide when to go in there and how much time you spend in there?) – “I don’t go in there a lot. That’s their area. If I go in there, I’m usually cutting across to the cafeteria or if I’m looking for somebody, I just need to tell somebody something real quick. But I don’t hang out in there.”
(How strong is that feeling that that’s their area?) – “I hope they feel that way. Not many coaches go in there. We try to stay out of there because that’s their area.”
(Sometimes you mention gut feeling. At this very moment, what’s your gut feeling about what you have to work with, what this team will do?) – “I’ve said it since the spring, I like this group. I like the way they work, the way they prepare. That’s what you have to do to get ready for Sunday and then when we get there, just lean on what you’ve basically gotten yourself ready to do. Don’t think and just react to the game and play fast.”
(How excited are you that the regular season is finally here?) – “Anytime you get to this point … you’ve been working since the spring to get here, going through training camp and you cut down the roster. It’s been a good week. It’s been fun watching these guys embrace kind of some of the changes that we’ve made and our schedule and kind of how we did things this week. Wednesday was a great test for us because it was hot. It rained and then it stopped and really kicked in the sauna, so that was good. That was good for us to go through.”
(Is that a pad or a glove that WR DeVante Parker) is wearing right now?) – “I think it’s a pad. I don’t know, I didn’t check it out really.”
(Have you guys had WR DeVante Parker try to catch yet?) – “Not yet.”
Matt Burke – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(The most encouraging things to you this preseason? What were you emerged from preseason feeling better about your ability to do this, whether it’s S Minkah Fitzpatrick, whether it’s defensive tackles, whether it’s DE Robert Quinn. What, to you, were the couple most encouraging signs?) – “I was encouraged, honestly, by the way we progressed through preseason. I wasn’t necessarily happy with how we started, but I thought we got better as we went through week to week to week, really at all levels. I thought every week it was sort of something that we were either emphasizing or looking to work on (and it) showed up or a player that we needed to sort of start making some plays or showing that progress on an individual level, that happened. Obviously, some of the younger players that were playing a little bit more started getting some action between Minkak and even Raekwon (McMillan) and ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) and those guys. Obviously, from a new addition standpoint, Robert and obviously some of the production he had. I was pleased with, again, sort of the progression that I felt we got better with every week throughout the preseason and that was a goal and obviously hope we keep on that trend.”
(You don’t see a ton of mobile quarterbacks, but obviously you have one this week.) – “We see one every week in practice.”
(That’s true. In a game, I meant. What lessons have the last two years from mobile quarterbacks you faced do you think you can take going forward?) – “We’ve had, I’d say, mixed success with some of those guys. I think for us, the biggest thing is going to be obviously having a committed rush plan on how we’re attacking him on third downs and those sort of situations. (It’s) a little bit about getting the right athletes on the field and the type of players that we’re using to work him in. At the end of the day, if you only have four people rushing the quarterback and they have five offensive linemen, there’s some space in there and there’s ways (to get out). So, we have to try to utilize ways of dictating how we’re leaving some lanes open or how we’re closing some windows and those sort of things. I think one thing that sometimes you get … One thing I’ll say I’m cautious of is I think one of the mentalities is, ‘I’ll keep him in the pocket and mush rush and squeeze it down sometimes.’ A lot of times, those guys get sticky on blocks and then when he starts moving, they can’t get off to help chase or close things down. I think I’m a little cautious of telling those guys, ‘Just stand there and try to two-gap and fight it a little bit.’ We’re going to try to do some things. We’re still attacking and that’s our mentality, but we have to be able to dictate what windows are open and how we’re closing them and who … We’re always going to have a set of eyes on the quarterback from the back end as well, whether it’s in zone coverage or spying and those sort of things. We’ll have some different pitches hopefully and have some success.”
(Is there any concern on run defense – I know there’s concern for everything – but on run defense, your defensive line is fast, quick, but smaller and now behind them you’ve got young linebackers that might not always be in the right place.) – “They better be in the right place. (laughter) No, I don’t think so. Our scheme is designed on attacking and with those guys up front, in terms of size-wise, we like to build our power with speed and knock guys back with explosion as opposed to just raw size. Obviously, the bigger you can get and the more explosive you are, that’s even better for us. We’re trying to set edges in the run game and knock things back. The complement of the front line and the linebackers is that if those guys are climbing on our linebackers to the second level, then our front line, if they’re getting off the way they’re supposed to, should be able to make plays. Now if they’re concerned about stopping our d-line the way we’re getting off the ball, then our linebackers better trigger and make plays. Obviously, that’s something we’ve been working on in terms of those guys working together having younger linebackers that haven’t played in that system before. I feel pretty confident in our ability to play the run this week.”
(How do you think the relationship between LB Jerome Baker and LB Raekwon McMillan in college maybe helps them?) – “Very much. Very much so. You can tell there’s a relationship there. They’re different personalities for sure. I’m sure you guys have spent some time with both of them. Raekwon is a little more serious than ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) is. Raekwon is kind of like his big brother. I think it helps Raekwon having someone to talk to and that he’s comfortable with out there and those sort of things. They have a good back and forth. ‘Bake’ is always trying to sort of loosen Raekwon up and Raekwon is always trying to yank him back down to reality and focus and stuff. I think it’s a good relationship. Those guys work well together, and they’ve been fun additions to the room.”
(You mentioned their personalities being ying and yang. Have you seen that whether it’s in the locker room, on the field?) – “Yes, all the time. Yes. I can’t talk about ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) too much. I’m going to lose it here. (laughter) ‘Bake’ is a kid at heart. He likes to have fun, which … I encourage all the guys … I truly believe this, just probably in life: you have to be yourself. You can’t be successful in what you do if you’re not who you are. We don’t try to dictate personalities. Everybody has to be serious about their job and do what they’re supposed to do. ‘Bake’ is a little different than Raekwon, but sometimes Raekwon is tugging on him like, ‘Hey, man, settle down and let’s pay attention.’ You see times when Raekwon is serious and ‘Bake’ is trying to clown around on him a little bit to loosen him up. It is, it’s a good back and forth those two have.”
(How do you feel about those two guys – LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Jerome Baker – on the field Sunday?) – “We’ll see. I feel good. I feel like they’re going to be out there. We’ll find out.”
(You’re re-designing the secondary. You moved CB Bobby McCain, you moved S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Did it click instantly for those guys or was there a little bit of a transition process?) – “It’s both. Bobby has played outside for us before. He started a few games at the end of last year there. We always have been cross-training those guys. We don’t like to have just an inside guy or just an outside guy or whatever. He’s got some of that work there. As a unit, obviously that’s kind of a different collection. Really, a little bit with ‘Mink,’ (Minkah Fitzpatrick) how he interacts with inside guys too, a lot of times that nickel spot … Bobby was really good communicating in to Kiko (Alonso) and to Raekwon and whoever to work those games. A lot of times they’re dealing with each other in terms of passing stuff off. That was a new level of communication on the inside part of things. Bobby, for him to see, to really get the depth of work that he’s getting outside now, to see some of those things from that perspective, there’s always growing pains and stuff like that; but the one thing about both those players – about Bobby and Minkah – they’re both dedicated students of the game. They love ball. They’re always in the building. They’re always working at it. The approach, we had zero reservations about their approach to taking over those spots and doing what they’re going to do to put their best foot forward on Sunday.”
(On offense sometimes you hear the cliché, “We’ll go with the hot hand” if there’s two backs or some teams that run two quarterbacks in college. Do you have that idea with your defensive line or is it, “No, we’re going to split these snaps. It doesn’t matter who’s playing well this game. Our plan is to rotate?”) – “Yes, I think that’s the best answer. We’re going to wave our guys. Really, our philosophy is we want those guys fresh. The way we ask them to play in terms of chasing the ball and getting off and exploding and running and doing those things and playing with the relentless approach that you can’t ask a guy to do that for 75 snaps a game, no matter how hot he is or how good he is or all that stuff. Credit to (General Manager) Chris Grier and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) and those guys for building some depth there a little bit that we feel comfortable with putting all those guys out on the field. We’re going to try to – like I said – try to wave those guys as best we can. We feel better about all those guys getting however many pitches they have. If it’s 25, 35, 45, whatever it is; but having them at full speed than having to play 75 snaps and many not getting what we want for half of them.”
(I assume you would want your – A-team isn’t’ the right way to put it – but DE Cam Wake and DE Robert Quinn are your… ) – “They’re pretty good players.”
(They’re good players. You want to make sure they’re on the field for the most important part of the game?) – “Yes. I think (Defensive Line Coach) Kris (Kocurek) does a good job managing the group and it’s hard. It’s a hard thing to anticipate that stuff. I think – I’ve got to get my brain straight here – the Baltimore game I guess it was, we had that long drive. We had a 16-play drive, the one they got points on after they kicked the field goal at the end that we held them on. Actually Adam (Gase) had made a comment … We got a stop at the end because it was a 16-play drive, but all those guys were going about two, three snaps, getting out, getting the next group in. Two or three more (snaps), get the next group in. By the time we got in to the red zone, Adam made a comment like, ‘Hey, man, A lot of times we do that on offense and they’re so gassed by the time they get down there. They played a lot of snaps in a row. You can kind of knock them in and stuff.’ And we obviously ended up making a stand there and holding them to a field goal. That’s the philosophy that if we do – hopefully that’s not the case a lot – but if we do get into longer drives, that there’s fresher bodies when in a critical situation comes in, those guys haven’t been playing for 20 snaps in a row and stuff like that. It’s hard. It’s not easy to manage a game like that from his perspective in terms of rotating that group in. I kind of leave that on him and make sure that, ‘Hey, I’m not calling certain groups out there.’ He’s got to get a feel for the game situation and how he handles his group and he does a really good job with that. That’ll be our plan to keep all those guys fresh as best we can. Hopefully it’s hot out this weekend.”
(CB Bobby McCain is going to end up being the guy on the outside. Do you anticipate CB Cordrea Tankersley or CB Torry McTyer being the first guy to spell one of them if they need to?) – “I don’t know that we have any direct plans to do any of that right now. Again, it partly depends on who’s active from a team-wide approach and what Adam (Gase) decides to do there. I’m not sure that we really have any plans to rotate guys in right now at this point.”
(You expect what from CB Xavien Howard?) – “I expect him to do his job to the best of his ability.”
(Come on.) – “That’s what I expect out of him. Listen, all of our guys … I have high expectations for all our players. We have high standards in our room what we expect from them. ‘X’ has obviously been a developing player and an on-the-rise player for us, so I’m excited to see him play. It’s like any of them, we don’t … You start putting expectations on those guys in terms of how many picks you’re going to get or how many this you’re going to do or you’re going to shut this guy down and then they start trying to press the issue to me. I don’t want, ‘Hey, ‘X’, I want you to do this this year and make the Pro Bowl and have 20 picks and shut this guy out and your guy never catches the ball.’ Then he starts pressing and getting outside the framework of what we’re asking him to do. I know it sounds sarcastic, but I want ‘X’ to take every call that we send out there and execute that. I think the best of his ability will be a pretty good result. I don’t want him to think, ‘I have to get a pick this play,’ or, ‘I have to knock a ball down this play,’ or ‘I have to shut this guy down this play.’ I want him to play the defense. If he’s as good as we think he is, those plays will come to him.”
(After that New England game – last year with the 15 interceptions – did CB Xavien Howard feel like he had to replicate that week after week after week?) – “I don’t think so. Again, interceptions, they can not throw at him for a whole game. Some of that is out of his world, out of his realm, out of his control. Again, I don’t think so. But again, we don’t want to get into that game to where we’re pressing to make plays. We’re trying to execute our defense. Again, if those guys that we feel are good players are in the right spots and doing the right thing, then the plays will come. That’ll happen. I’m cautious of telling guys, ‘We want this,’ or ‘We need to do this.’ We need to run our calls and execute our defense. Sometimes there’s calls that aren’t designed for him to make a play. It’s somebody else’s job to make that play. If he tries to make the play, then we’re exposing something else. He’s got to just go play defense for us and he’ll be fine. His plays will come to him. If we’re right about the type of player that he is, he’ll make plenty of plays this season for us.”
(Was there a time in meetings Friday and Saturday where you said, “We need more than five linebackers. It’s not enough?”) – “No.”
(So five would seem a low number, obviously.) – “Again, listen, the roster construction is … We have meetings on that and the way I look at it is this: I voice my opinion to Adam (Gase) and to Chris (Grier) and to (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) and all of those guys and I let them know what I feel like who’s earned a spot on this defense and who’s going to help us as we move forward and where we need depth and where we need whatever else. Again, those are team-wide decisions. I tell the coaches that. I tell everybody that like, ‘Look, when those decisions are made, that’s our team.’ That Hoosiers quote when he’s got four guys and he says, ‘My team is on the floor.’ That’s our team and if it’s five linebackers that we’re going to play with, we’re going to play with five linebackers and we’re going to go win some ball games with those five linebackers.”
(We’ve seem DE Cam Wake have two pretty good seasons after the Achilles injury. What would it take for you to not be sure about him at this point? Would he have to be like 50 years old?) – “I feel like I answer this question every year. I stopped looking at his age. It’s irrelevant in that case for him. I just look (at) what I see on the field. If no one in this room knew Cam Wake’s story and were watching him, you wouldn’t say he’s … How old is he? Whatever he is. You know what I mean? At this point, my first year or so, you’re marveling at it and you’re going, ‘This guy, coming off the Achilles.’ When we first got here he was rehabbing back into it that offseason when we first got hired. In maybe that first year … At this point, it’s just Cam. That’s who he is. Until his play dictates that he’s not capable of performing at an elite level, then I stop wondering about it. I just accept that’s who he is. Age is nothing but a number, whatever they say. He’s had a good camp for us. He’s been performing well. Again, we feel pretty good about our guys up front and the way they’ve been rushing and I’m looking forward to seeing Cam Wake play season No. 10 – his 10th season.”
(With DE Cam Wake, how much does DE Robert Quinn help him?) – “All of that. Again, it’s not just those two guys. We feel we got a lot of depth at the end position. Obviously, if you don’t, and you say you only have a Cam Wake as a threat, you see a lot of different protections over there – people are chipping, they’re putting tight ends over there, they’re doing a lot of things to try to slow him down. Obviously, the more threats you have to rush the passer, the less you can isolate one player. Again, now, you start getting to the point if Robert continues having some success, then now you’re worried about, ‘Okay, how are we going to block him?’ And then you forget about Cam Wake maybe for a day and that’s the game you have to play. Again, that’s part of keeping those guys fresh and rolling that group and having all of those guys throwing fastballs play in and play out and not being able to isolate a guy like that. Any time you have paired up rushers that obviously helps. It balances out what an offense can do to protect, because you’ve got threats from both sides.”
Dowell Loggains – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(Your expectations for the 2018 Dolphins offense is what?) – “Have a good practice tomorrow. (laughter) No, it really is that simple. It’s a long season. I’m excited about the roster we have. Those guys in the front office and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) have done a great job of building it and we really need to have a good practice tomorrow and get ready to go play a ball game.”
(How does losing TE MarQueis Gray affect your tight end rotation and what you want to do there?) – “We drafted two tight ends (Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki) and have high expectations for those guys. They’ve had a good camp and a good round of OTAs with Durham and those other guys. The nice thing is we have a guy that had been in our system for a long time (Gavin Escobar) that we were able to bring back. We expect those guys to play well. They’re smart kids. They understand the offense. They’ve had an opportunity to be in it for a little while now. They’ll keep getting better with every rep and every play they get.”
(Is it safe to say that neither TE Durham Smythe and TE Mike Gesicki will be eased in anymore given you guys need them to produce now?) – “I think all of them were going to play to begin with. It may expedite the process a little bit because ‘Q’ (MarQueis Gray) would have been part of the offense. But they’ll be ready to play.”
(Can you give us some insight on how far WR Albert Wilson has come since you got your hands on him?) – “Yes, Albert was a guy we really liked in free agency. He’s a guy that can do a lot. I don’t know how far he’s come but he’s really done a good job of studying and learning the offense. There’s a lot. He’s a guy you can move around and do a lot of cool things with. We’re excited to actually be able to use him and do some different things with him in a variety of different ways.”
(You were one of the leaders in the league when you called plays for Chicago in terms of running the football. Maybe that had a lot to do with the fact that you had a rookie quarterback but how do you translate that commitment to the rushing attack here?) – “To me, it really depends on what you have. If you’re a team that is built around your offensive line and you have an inexperienced quarterback and you’ve got good running backs, then you’re going to run the football more. If you’re a team that has good skill guys and good tight ends and good backs and a veteran quarterback, then you can do different stuff and you can be more versatile in your system. A lot of these guys are in Year 3. Our quarterback is in Year 3 of an offense even though he’s only played in it … This will be his second year actually playing (in it); but just being around and understanding it. I do think it’s important to run the football. I think you need to be able to run the football when you want to and when you need to. Sometimes that means you run the ball more late than early because you’re trying to close out a lead. Or sometimes you get it going early in a game and then you stay with it. It really depends on how the game unfolds.”
(What sign more than any other gives you confidence that QB Ryan Tannehill is going to have a productive season?) – “His preparation. He has been an impressive guy that way. He works at it. It’s very important to him. It’s very important to him. He’s a good practice player. He studies a lot. I’m really excited to see how it is this first Sunday that I get to be part of it.”
(Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi told us that from his unit, the most improved player from the end of April until now is CB Cornell Armstrong on special teams. The most improved player offensively from the point of the draft until now would be who or what couple of guys?) – “That’s hard. That’s a hard one. Ryan (Tannehill) number one. Just seeing how he’s developed over the last couple of weeks and during training camp. The more we’ve been able to give him (the better). Kenyan Drake has been a guy that’s been impressive, just his versatility and the things that he can do as a runner and in pass pro. The two young tight ends (Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki) have done a really good job of really getting up to speed quickly. I don’t know if I can say one guy. Obviously Josh Sitton has been impressive. Laremy Tunsil I think has done a really good job and the more I think about it, Laremy may be that guy as far as just a guy that we have high expectations for because of the talent he is and where he was drafted. He’s met that to this point and he needs to go out and play well for us.”
(Titans S Kevin Byard, what makes him so dangerous?) – “His eight interceptions last year. He’s a guy that has good range in the middle of the field. He’s smart. You can tell he understands their system. He’ll be in a new system but I think he’s a smart football player that gets around the ball.”
(Some offensive lines are great at pass pro. Some are great at run blocking. This offensive line is great at what?) – “We’re about to find out. (laughter) I think it’s a group that right now, their strength is in pass pro. It helps going against our defense because they play the Wide 9 and they’re going to rush the passer and they run all of these stunts and games and (Defensive Line Coach Kris) Kocurek has them going crazy and playing hard. Right now, I think that’s the strength of it. We need to become balanced and be a good run football team as well and be able to run and rely on those guys because that should be a strength for us.”
(Is there anything RB Kenyan Drake can do to prove to you and Head Coach Adam Gase that he should be the focal point of this offense?) – “Perform. Consistently show up and do his job. He’s got a unique skill set that a lot of backs don’t have – the ability to catch the football and run the football. So when you have those traits … As he proves the more he can do and the more he can handle, we’ll continue to give him more that way.”
(Preparing for a game and having three veteran quarterbacks, what possible opportunity does QB Luke Falk even have to show you all what he can do? Are there throws after practice, just learning? What exactly?) – “That’s a great question. Luke was a guy that we brought in here in the draft visits and is a guy that we were all intrigued with. He had a unique personality. He has a swagger to him and a confidence that you feel right away and he’s a smart kid. He’s a natural thrower; but just the opportunity. What’s great is we have young guys like that, that we’re able to work with him after practice. There’s been some times where the coaches have gone up and I’ve stayed on the field and they went up and watched the tape. I’ve had an opportunity to get on the field and work with him and the extra meeting time that (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree) has had with him. He’s a guy that loves football. It’s important to him. Any time you get young, hungry players in the building, as coaches that’s what we like to do. I’d rather go on the field and coach quarterbacks for an hour and fundamentals and technique then stay until two in the morning drawing up ball plays.”
Darren Rizzi – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(What do you think RB Brandon Bolden and WR Tanner McEvoy bring to special teams?) – “Well first off, I’m real excited to get those guys. I know a lot about both of them, obviously Bolden from coaching against him all of these years, and I have a lot of respect for him as a player. I joked around with him the other day that I was sick of coaching against him so we might as well get him here playing with us. He’s a guy that has done a lot in New England where he was. He played a lot of different positions. I know he was a little bit of a leader. I got a chance to evaluate him even more specifically a couple of times in free agency and I dove into exactly what he does. Obviously, playing those guys two times a year and knowing exactly where the positions he played, we thought that after the cuts and where he was, it would be a really good fit. We’ve been really excited. He’s a guy that’s obviously ready to go. He’s mature and obviously very well-coached up there and I have a lot of respect for him so far. He’s a guy that can do a lot for us. He should be a four-core player and I’m excited to have him here. Tanner on the other hand, is kind of a unique story, I met Tanner McEvoy when he was in grade school. I recruited his brother to walk on at Rutgers University. His brother is Colin McEvoy, he played at Pascack Valley High School in New Jersey and grew up in the area that I grew up in. I recruited his brother and I know his family, so I think the first time that I met Tanner, he was in grade school. His brother was coming into Rutgets, ended up walking on and being a player there. So, I followed his career a little bit and kind of – he’s a guy that made the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent a couple of years ago. (He’s) a guy that’s played multiple positions, was drafted out of high school as a quarterback, played safety, played receiver, could kind of wear a lot of hats. A very, very bright player with good football IQ. He played ‘P.P.’ (personal protector) for them, has blocked punts, has caught passes, has done a little bit of everything. So, again, a little bit of a jack-of-all-trades. Again, the fact that I had a little bit of familiarity with both guys, both playing against them and knowing who they were, that certainly helped. As you know, I kind of follow the special teams core players around the league and we had the opportunity to get both guys, and we thought that they could both come in and help us out.”
(How is the roster cut down day for you? Obviously your guys play such a big role in who are the last or last few guys on the team.) – “It’s bittersweet. It’s a situation where as special teams coaches, we work with everybody on the team. Right when we start off in OTAs and we’re back in the spring, we’re getting everybody ready to play. So we’ve spent a lot of time with these guys and there’s some really tough decisions. It’s never easy. You come down to and there’s always going to be those really, really tough decisions on those players – I don’t know, I want to call it 48 to 53 – the last five or six guys where you’re trying to fit the pieces into the puzzle and see what’s best for the team. Sometimes you have to put personalities aside and relationships aside and do what’s best for the group. It’s hard because there are a lot of good players that we let go. Right from every single position, there’s some good guys that are going to continue to play. So, it’s difficult for me. Once we get down to the 53 … I can promise you this much, one of the nice things, the bittersweet part, is my depth chart goes from 90 players down to 53. All of a sudden, you’re shrinking down and the sideline starts looking like a ghost town a little bit. There’s not as many people you’re dealing with. One of the challenges for special teams coaches in the preseason is the substitutions. How many times do you watch a preseason game and there’s a guy running out there late – not just in our game but in any game – there’s a guy running out and you have 10 or you have 12 (guys on the field). You see it all the time because the depth chart is a little bit of a nightmare for a special teams coach in the preseason. It’s a huge challenge. So that part of it is the good part. We’ve narrowed it down to 53 of the guys that we feel are the right 53. Obviously a couple guys weren’t here. It’s a little bit hectic for me. It’s a lot of work on the excel spreadsheet on the old depth charts. (laughter) We’re sad to see those guys go because a lot of those guys put a lot hard work in and so that part is the tough part.”
(With LB Mike Hull down, TE MarQueis Gray down, do you feel like you have enough bodies for that core unit on special teams?) – “I think that’s a good question. I think the additions of (Brandon) Bolden and (Tanner) McEvoy certainly help. Listen, Mike Hull and MarQueis Gray have played a lot of quality snaps – not only a lot of snaps, but a lot of quality snaps in the last couple years. So, is it a challenge? No doubt. Do guys have to step up? No doubt. There’s no question that I feel confident in the guys that we’re going out there with. We’ve lost some players to free agency, we’ve lost some players to injury. That’s just the way it goes. As a special teams coach, every year, that’s something that you’re dealing with. You’re dealing with getting young players ready, you’re dealing with players that you no longer have and you’re kind of managing the roster the best you can. Right now, I feel like we still have some good returning players – Walt Aikens, Senorise Perry, to name couple of guys – that have really played well for us in the past. Chase Allen really played well last year and his arrow the entire year was going up. Now with the addition of Bolden and McEvoy, I think we have a pretty good group.”
(Were you guys at all tempted by K Dan Bailey or any veteran kicker that became available Saturday, or did you all go into Saturday night thinking K Jason Sanders is our kicker regardless of any name that becomes available on Saturday?) – “I think the first thing is one of my jobs as special teams coach is you kind of get a pulse on the rest of the league and where teams are at with kickers – really all of the specialists – across the league. We’re always monitoring that situation, there’s no doubt about that. That’s year-round. You always know the cut-down day, there’s always a couple of names you maybe weren’t certain would come available that come available. So, yes, we definitely had kind of a pulse on that. I was definitely looking at that. However, I really felt as camp went on, Jason and Greg (Joseph) both got a lot better and really improved. There was a point in camp where I felt like we have our kicker here in Miami. I feel like our guys here on the roster … That thing went down to the wire. Both of those guys were good and really improved throughout. At the end of the day, the decision to go with Jason was really more of a consistency thing. Obviously, we chart everything and the analytics and all of that stuff right from when they get here. It just felt like Jason was a little bit more consistent and they both obviously have great ability. Greg’s already gotten tryouts I think with other teams since he’s left here. I think Cleveland worked him out the other day and maybe some other teams. It’s not a surprise because he’s a talented guy and that wasn’t an easy decision, but we’re really happy to have Jason as our kicker. I’m really excited moving forward and I think I’m really looking forward to getting him out there next Sunday. ”
(I know that WR Jakeem Grant is cleared to play. I’m sure you’re relieved about that. But what was the ‘what if’ strategy if he wasn’t cleared to play? Who would be your kickoff returner? I’m assuming WR Danny Amendola would be your punt returner.) – “That’s something we’ve talked about throughout camp. I talk about that stable. I always like to have that stable of guys, and in my opinion, you can never have enough. You can never have enough returners. I think we talked about this earlier in the preseason about getting as many guys ready to play as possible. The punt returner group right now is Jakeem, it’s Danny Amendola, it’s Albert Wilson, it’s Kenyan Drake. We have a couple of younger guys ready. Our kick return pool – obviously Grant, (Kalen) Ballage is a guy that can do it, Torry McTyer is a guy that’s done it, Albert Wilson, again Drake, if needed. We have more options than we’ve had in the past. You guys that have covered this team for a long time know that we haven’t had as many options in the past. Maybe if a guy went down, we have to get somebody that’s not here. I don’t feel like that’s the case anymore. I feel like we have more of a group of guys that are able to go out and do it, so I feel a lot better about that. Senorise Perry is a guy that returned kicks last year for us at times as well, when there was some injury stuff with Jakeem and stuff like that. There are guys on our roster that can do it, so I feel a lot better about that. We’re practicing that way, and we’re going in maybe two or three deep where in the past it wasn’t like that.”
(Obviously you might not know until it actually happens, but with K Jason Sanders being a rookie, how comfortable do you feel in a pressure situation, 48-yard field goal to win the game, that he’s ready for that moment?) – “The bottom line is until that situation happens, we’ll see what the result is. The bottom line is two things – one, I’m very confident in him. I’m very confident in the way he went through training camp. You saw what he did at the end of the Falcons game the other day. He kicked a long field goal with a lot of leg left on it. I’m very confident in his consistency and all of that. My confidence level in him, he wouldn’t be here if we weren’t confident in him. I can tell you that much. I’m not really talking out of school, everybody knows that. If we didn’t feel like he was the guy, we probably would have went with somebody else, a veteran or somebody else that we felt more comfortable with. The second thing is there’s going to be bumps in the road with rookie kickers, rookie specialists – snapper, punter, kicker, returner. We went through it with Jakeem (Grant) when he was a returner. Really, you can group those guys in the same pile. Are there going to be peaks and valleys with a rookie? Am I going to stand up here and say that he’s going to go perfect for the season? That would be a little bit unrealistic based on history. Do I think he’s going to be consistent enough for us to win on a consistent basis? I do, and so I am confident in him. I really like where he’s at from a mentality standpoint, too. It’s something I’ve talked about with him before. He’s never too high, never too low. He has a great temperament for a kicker, and there’s a lot to be said for that. That’s not a small thing that’s to be glanced by and overlooked. He has a really good mentality. If he misses one, makes one, he’s kind of got the same mentality. He’s kind of mature beyond his years and that part, I think, is going to help him here moving forward.”
(Any of the rookies, so you’re thinking S Minkah Fitzpatrick, LB Jerome Baker, TE Durham Smythe and CB Cornell Armstrong – have any of those guys jumped where you’re like ‘wow, they can really be a part of one of the four cover teams, can cover a kickoff, or made great progress since they arrived?) – “Maybe more than in the past, we brought in some rookies that had a little bit more special teams experience in college than maybe some groups in the past. A guy like Minkah played a lot at Alabama. He played a lot of special teams at Alabama. Baker played a lot of special teams at Ohio State. (Kalen) Ballage played a lot of special teams at Arizona State. That’s usually not the case, especially with the higher draft picks. So these guys had a little better foundation coming in than most. I know it makes them a little bit more advanced. They’ve all flashed at times in the preseason. Minkah didn’t play a ton of special teams in the preseason, but he had maybe the most experience of anybody and so I’m very comfortable in using him. Baker, obviously I know his linebacker coach and defensive coordinator at Ohio State – Greg Schiano. He’s a guy I worked for for six years, and so I certainly had some history there and kind of knew his makeup coming in. He hasn’t proved anybody wrong. He’s flashed and made some plays on both defense and coverage. Ballage is another guy, although he missed a couple of games. They’ve all flashed at times. Ballage played in this last preseason game and played a little bit of everything. We had him holding up punts; we had him playing gunner, kind of a jack-of-all-trades. We got him moving around and got him a lot of work. So, all of those guys … Cornell Armstrong probably made the biggest improvement of any player on the team in special teams area from day one until now. He’s made a really big jump and so I’m really happy with his progress. He really was a guy who was on the most-improved list, if you will, as we go through. So, all of those guys have flashed at some point. All of the rookies are going to play for us. Durham Smythe is a guy that came in right away and probably picked up things quicker than anybody in the rookie class, in terms of mentally. (He has) really good football IQ. We kind of knew that coming in. (He has) really good make up. He picked up things very quickly. Nothing was too big for him. All of those guys that I just mentioned have all, at one point or another, have proven that they can kind of hold their own so far.”
(With all of the changes on the special teams, how much more important does CB/S Walt Aikens become?) – “Well, Walt, I don’t know if he becomes any more important. He’s always important to me. I think you guys know how I feel about Walt. He’s been kind of a foundation guy for us, if you will. (He’s) a guy that we’re kind of building around here in the offseason. Obviously, he was a free agent and we decided to sign him back and we’re kind of building the core group around a guy like that. I think Walt has come a long way in terms of leadership and a leader by example and things like that. He’s really grown in that way, and so we’re looking for a lot more leadership out of him. When you start to lose guys, you can start naming the guys we’ve lost in free agency, injury, or whatever. You lose some leadership there. We were looking for some cohesiveness at least, and a guy like Walt brings that. He brings some energy, he brings leadership, he brings experience, and so you’re looking for guys to be looking to a guy when you’re on Sundays and things start flying around and he’s the guy kind of holding it together right now. So, I’ve been really happy with his progress, both as a player and a person and a leader. His maturity has really grown, his maturity has kind of taken off. I can’t really speak enough about him. He’s been great, and he’s been a guy that younger guys are going to lean on. I watched him go and mentor some guys in practice. I watched him grab guys in meetings, ‘Hey, sit here next to me.’ That’s great. That’s no small thing either. So, he’s been really good. He’s been a model for us and kind of a guy you’re looking for, a model of consistency this offseason. Hopefully that shows up on Sunday.”
Adam Gase – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What happened to TE MarQueis Gray?) – “Non-contact injury. We were doing one-on-ones, he took a step and the Achilles went out on him.”
(How does this affect your team?) – “We’ll move some things around as far as what we’re going to do offensively. We felt like we had some pretty good depth. We’re lucky we got a couple of guys out there that have been in the system more recently than not. We’ll come up with a plan and be ready to go on Sunday.”
(What did TE Gavin Escobar show you in the preseason?) – “Consistency. I thought he did a really good job. That was one of those ones where we had four guys and he was five. There was probably argument that it was more like 4a, 4b.”
(Was it yesterday with TE MarQueis Gray?) – “Yes.”
(Was it a full tear?) – “Whatever he…”
(He’s out for the year though?) – “Yes.”
(Do you expect TE Mike Gesicki to work into that starting role with TE MarQueis Gray out?) – “We’ll see what personnel grouping we’re in. It could be any of those guys, whoever we have up.”
(What does this mean for TE A.J. Derby now that he’s in the mix for that in-line job?) – “We kind of had … We were going to play all those guys. We really weren’t going into the season thinking we were going to have one guy playing 70 plays. Every guy is involved in special teams in some capacity, so we know … We knew ‘Q’ (MarQueis Gray) was going to play a lot of plays on special teams. We were really trying to figure out how are we going to balance this out and really it could change from game to game, because it depends how many special teams reps those guys are getting. We’re going to play off each other between (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi and myself as far as who’s in the game, how many plays and things like that.”
(How might this impact TE Durham Smythe’s role?) – “He’s obviously just got to be ready to go.”
(How comfortable are you with TE Durham Smythe’s blocking in particular?) – “I’m good with that. That’s one of the reasons why we drafted him. We thought he was a really good blocker. We felt like he brought a little but more to the pass game than what people realized, so we were excited that we got him and thought he got better as camp went on. He’s just got to be ready to go.”
(TE MarQueis Gray is a guy who is … It seems to be very beloved in your locker room. He seems to be one of your key people. How did that go over with your team?) – “There was a lot of us that went to see him when he got back, when we just made sure to confirm it. I think it was just tough to see him like that. It wasn’t a … It showed everybody how much he cared about being on this team and how much he wanted to be a part of it this season. It’s one of those things that he’s going to work hard to get back and it’ll be good when we do get him back.”
(What can you tell us today about WR DeVante Parker?) – “Same as yesterday. You can put ‘same as.’ (laughter)”
(How has DE William Hayes looked to you this week?) – “Good. He’s just ready to go. He’s not saying much right now. He was bugging me for the last month saying he’s ready. He’s just ready to get to the game.”
(Can RB Brandon Bolden sign – whenever he signed – and compete on the very following Sunday?) – “Mhm.”
(How much does DE William Hayes’ insertion into that defensive line sort of fortify you guys probably against the run?) – “He’s a difference maker. I don’t know if there’s many guys that set the edge as violent as he does. I think what makes him a little different than some of the guys that I’ve seen in the league over the last five years is he can transition to the pass game as well. Being able to move inside, outside, he just has a very large skillset for a defensive end. He has a different attitude.”
(Once you get to in-game preparation, how difficult is it to divvy what remaining snaps there are beyond QB Ryan Tannehill with three quarterbacks?) – “We have a certain way we do it. It’s nothing that’s keeping us up at night.”
(Is there one aspect of the game or one player that you’re looking most forward to seeing on Sunday, whether it’s QB Ryan Tannehill or no-huddle or covering tight ends or anything?) – “No. I’m just getting ready for the game and we’ll be ready to go.”
(How do you believe this defensive group is better equipped or prepared to cover opposing tight ends this season with some new guys? You’ve got S Minkah Fitzpatrick, LB Jerome Baker, LB Raekwon McMillan – three new players. How do you think that might help?) – “Our safeties are probably going to cover tight ends more than anybody. Half the time people thought the linebackers had it. They didn’t. We’ll be alright.”
(Do you feel like this unit is more equipped to … You guys led the league in tight end production last year. Do you feel like this unit is more equipped to do it better?) – “Yes. We’ve got enough safeties to handle it. We’ll be alright.”
(What do you think about S T.J. McDonald’s offseason?) – “(It went) really well. It’s good to go through a training camp and know that he’s going to be there for that first game. We lost him for eight weeks, which he was playing really well in training camp and preseason games. Then we lost him and he comes back and just tried to jump right back in there. We knew we were kind of in a spot where we lost a couple of games and he was trying to help flip it for us. That’s the kind of player he is. He’s unselfish and did everything he could to try to help us. I’m sure that wasn’t the easiest thing to do just coming from being at home. Him getting a full offseason, training camp and going into this first game, I think he feels like he’s in a good place.”
(There was always a lot of speculation on the outside about him, especially with you guys drafting S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Did you ever talk to T.J. and reassure him that he is part of your plans?) – “Yes. We signed him to a new contract last year. We like what he does for us, we like how he is in the locker room, meetings, practice field, games. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
(How do you feel in general about how Wednesday and Thursday practices went leading into the first game?) – “I thought it was good. Yesterday was one of those days where we had good weather. A little rain steamed it up. It’s a challenge. I thought guys did a good job, put their head down and worked hard. Today I thought was fast. Guys were ready to go. They did a good job of recovery yesterday and we had good meetings this morning. We came out and practiced hard.”
(How did WR Tanner McEvoy do today?) – “Good.”
(WR Tanner McEvoy, physically he was fine?) – “Yes.”
(Generally, I think I understand how it works with two quarterbacks in a practice in the regular season. How does it work with four?) – “You just rotate them in. We have plenty of plays. They do some work after practice as well. We do a lot of throwing with a lot of practice squad guys. (Offensive Coordinator) Dowell (Loggains) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Bo (Hardegree) do a good job of mixing it up and getting reps with guys, whether it be in practice or after. That’s really what we’re doing. There’s a lot of mental things that we do as far as it might be on air. It might be, one guy has this period and the other guy is working on the game plan. Those guys do a good job of making sure it’s organized and it’s nice and smooth. Those guys are engaged and they know what their plan is before they go out there.”
(How important was it to get WR Jakeem Grant cleared going into the season opener?) – “Once you get into the concussion protocol, the coaches are out of it. You just wait for somebody to tell you one way or the other. Once you do, you adjust accordingly. When they said that he’s out of the protocol, we can either continue on our plan or make adjustments to the game plan and move some things around. It’s not that difficult.”
(There are not a lot of real mobile quarterbacks in the NFL, but you’ve seen QB Tyrod Taylor twice a year for the first couple of years you were here. What did you learn from those experiences going against QB Colin Kaepernick and guys like that?) – “You have to do a good job of not creating running lanes and really hurting yourself; and you have to have a really good rush plan and make sure that you don’t accidentally open up a lane, to where they’re dropping back – especially on third down – they are dropping back to pass and something gets opened up because somebody is either undisciplined or you’re being a little bit too aggressive and they take that and not only does it become a first down, but it becomes an explosive play. QB Marcus (Mariota) can cover a lot of ground really fast. If you don’t do a good job of keeping him in that pocket, he’ll hurt you.”
(What are the challenges with two backs that are as different as the backs they have in RB Derrick Henry and RB Dion Lewis?) – “You need to be aware because those guys have certain things that they are really good at and you have to have an idea of who is in the game. It’s hard to simulate anything with really either one of those guys. We don’t have a guy as big as Derrick. Maybe we put a wide out back there on pass routes to try to make the linebackers and safeties realize what kind of speed they’re dealing with and what kind of shiftiness at the top of some of his routes that you’re dealing with. It makes it difficult because you have to make sure you understand who is in the game. You can’t get lost in the game and not pay attention to that.”
Kenny Stills – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(With you, WR Jakeem Grant, and WR Albert Wilson, what challenges can your speed present to opposing defenses?) – “I’m not into predicting any type of damage that we can do. We’ll have to wait until Sunday, but we’re excited about the guys that we have. We know that we can go out there and make plays. We can’t wait to get out there on Sunday.”
(You had a pretty good season with QB Jay Cutler last year, how good could it be with a healthy QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “We’ve seen what we’re capable of doing when Ryan is back there at quarterback. Just like what I just said, we can’t wait to get out there on Sunday and play and have four quarters to have an opportunity to go out there and win a game.”
(Do you like the balance at running back with RB Kenyan Drake, RB Frank Gore and rookie RB Kalen Ballage?) – “Yes. I read something about Frank being close to being in the top three (all-time leading rushers), right?”
(Four, 75 yards.) – “It’s fun for us being the receiving corps and priding ourselves in our blocking, to get out there and be a part of that – to be a part of history. We know that whoever is in the game behind Ryan (Tannehill), he has an opportunity to make big plays and change the game for us. It will be a fun season for us.”
(You’ve been one of the individuals who’ve knelt since the whole QB Colin Kaepernick situation began in 2016. What does it mean to you to have a major corporation stand up and support him?) – “Yes. I’m like the last one standing from that group that started. It’s incredible to see what they are doing. I’m really taken back by that commercial and I’m excited to see … I heard that they’re going to be putting out some apparel. It means a bunch to see where all of this is and how it’s changed. I can remember the type of things people were saying to me and sending me initially when the protest started. Then you see this, Nike, a global corporation, a global organization, a global company putting this type of messaging out and really starting to understand what the protest was about. I don’t have any type of contract or anything with them. I don’t work with them, but growing up as a kid, I remember the ‘Just Do It’ slogan, campaign. A part of that made me a fan of Nike. This campaign coming back with what they are doing with Serena (Williams) and ‘Kap’ (Colin Kaepernick) has made me a fan of them again.”
(What do you think is the reason that most people who don’t support the protest, what is the misconception they have?) “A lot of … From my understanding, from what I’m reading and seeing, is now just personally attacking ‘Kap’ (Colin Kaepernick). Whether they didn’t like a shirt that he wore or socks that he wore or something about him as an individual, I think that’s a lot of what I’m seeing now. I think a lot of people are coming around and starting to understand the protest. If they don’t, there’s a ton of information out there to go out and read. I think these conversations are happening and people are a little bit more receptive to having these conversations, but it seems like now they’re looking to personally attack somebody and not understanding that people aren’t perfect. If you look into the mirror, you understand that you’ve made mistakes in some of the things you’ve done in your time in your life. Yes, I think they’re just kind of personally attacking Kaepernick now.”
(Do you understand why the issue has been so divisive in this country?) – “I understand how it can be divisive if you’re not willing to have a conversation and listen. A lot of times when you’re having a conversation, you’re listening to respond instead of to hear what they are saying, comprehend it and then have a response. To continue to say people are being disrespectful when we’re telling you that it’s a sign of respect, then what? At that point, it’s just an opinion and we’re just going back and forth. What you’re saying is it’s disrespectful and I’m saying I’m being respectful. At some point in time, we have to be able to come to a common ground and understand that at the end of the day, I feel like the protest is about making this country a better place, making the world a better place and you can either be for or against that.”
(Do you feel that Nike’s indorsement will help the player activism?) – “I don’t know. I don’t know. It seems the other side of celebrities, I guess – actors, actresses, musicians – they’ve all supported Colin (Kaepernick) and I’ve seen a lot more support from that side. I don’t really know how it will affect athletes and guys in the NFL. I’m really encouraged by it. It brought a smile to my face. It was probably just the fact that in the beginning when they even just put the first messaging out and then getting to the commercial, those are things that really brightens people day in a time when there aren’t many things to be happy about.”
(It seems like it’s been two years since this begin, since Colin Kaepernick began this. Where do you think we’ve come and where do you think we still have to go?) – “I think we’ve come a long ways; but I definitely feel like we have a way to go. I see this, like I’ve said before, about how I feel like the NFL could’ve done a better job of controlling the narrative from the beginning. You think if the NFL would have done something like Nike did – some type of campaign, explaining this whole situation, having his back, supporting us, supporting our first amendment right – then this thing would be going in a whole different direction. I think we’ve made progress but obviously we have a ways to go.”
(What would you like to see from the NFL now?) – “Did they release a statement recently? I haven’t read that. I haven’t kept up. What did the statement say?)
(It said these are issues that we care about and we’ll continue to make an effort to improve on it.) – “With work and getting prepared for the game, I haven’t really had an opportunity to really think about and process that. I can answer that for you another time.”
