Brian Flores – October 11, 2019
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Friday, October 11, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Do you expect to have CB Xavien Howard available to play Sunday?) – “We’ll see how that goes. He’s been limited all week. I think he wants to play and hopefully we have him out there.”
(I wanted to ask you about S Bobby McCain. How would you assess his development at safety?) – “I think he’s – from a communication standpoint – he’s probably one of our top communicators. He can get himself along with some other guys lined up, which is definitely helpful when things change and the offense – whether they go to empty or shift or motion, he can kind of handle all that – those adjustments within the defense. We missed him last week so we’re happy to have him back, and I think he’s played well at that position.”
(The number of players on the injury report this week; do you expect them to be game-time decisions?) – “Yeah, I mean we’ve got a lot of guys who are dinged up. That’s kind of how it is for every team in the league. That’s the game. Guys are dinged up. They’re playing through it. They’re fighting through it. They’re doing everything they can to get back. It’s really par for the course in the National Football League. It’s a hard, aggressive, physical game and guys get dinged up. It’s normal to have a lot of guys on the injury report.”
(What are you looking at as far as punt returners? Obviously WR Jakeem Grant has had the hamstring. We know RB Kenyan Drake can do kickoffs.) – “We’ve got a number of guys back there for punts. Kenyan’s (Drake) been back there for punts. Preston (Williams) returned punts in the preseason. Jakeem (Grant) is obviously our primary guy. Hopefully we can get him out there. He’s been out there in practice catching punts. He’s making some progress, so hopefully Jakeem gets out there.”
(We spend so much time talking about things that need improvement, but two numbers that jump out at you are how well you’ve done in punting with P Matt Haack and the kick return. Not too many people have returned kicks against you guys. What have you seen out of those two units and those guys in particular?) – “The coverage units have been kind of a bright spot. I think Matt (Haack) has kicked the ball well. He could kick them better. Some of those mis-hits, he’s gotten a good bounce on a couple of those. We’ll take it, obviously; but we’ve gotten good play out of gunners and the unit overall. It’s the same in kickoff coverage. Those are field position plays. I’m big on ‘every yard is important.’ The better coverage, the better field position, that makes it better for us defensively. Obviously you force the opponent to drive it on a long field. Again, I’ve said this before. The kicking game is near and dear to my heart. I think we spend a lot of time on the punt game. The kickoff – really all six phases: punt return, kickoff return, field goal, field goal black. You put a lot of time into it. It’s nice to see some results in those two phases. Really, we want them in all six phases and hopefully we get that on Sunday.”
(Across town in the college program down here, Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Manny Diaz announced Monday he was going to become more involved in the defense even though he hired a coordinator this offseason. He didn’t rule out calling plays. Is that something you have at all considered in terms of calling plays or becoming even more immersed on that side of the ball?) – “I have a lot of respect for Manny. He’s a really good coach. I spent some time with him a couple of offseasons ago. He’s bright, energetic. I think he’s a very, very good coach. As far as from our standpoint, every situation is different. How he handles their situation is how he handles them. For me, I have a lot of confidence in (Defensive Coordinator) Pat Graham and our defensive coaching staff. Pat’s going to call the game. I’ll always have input offensively, defensively and in the kicking; but at the end of the day, you really need one voice there. Pat will call it.”
(Can you talk about having WR Allen Hurns back from the concussion?) – “Yeah, it’s nice to have him back. He was good in practice. Obviously, he’s one of our most dependable players. He catches the ball cleanly, runs good routes, tough, blocks. I’m really happy to have him back. I he brings a lot to this team from a toughness standpoint, from a dependability standpoint, from a leadership standpoint. Again, he’s a man of few words. He’s not overly vocal, but his play speaks volumes, I think. He’s as tough of a guy as we have. I think he’s a reliable player and we’re happy to have him back.”
(What have your conversations with General Manager Chris Grier and Owner Stephen Ross been this week regarding this game and how to approach it?) – “My conversations with guys within the office are internal, but my conversations with Chris – which are daily – we talk about the team, how we can improve, how we can be better. They’re just daily conversations, but those are internal conversations and my conversations with the owner are the same, so I’m not going to speak about the specifics of those. I just think that’s courtesy, to be honest.”
Davon Godchaux – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
DT Davon Godchaux
(You guys made such strides against the Chargers holding them to under 100 rushing yards. What was the difference in that game?) – “The Chargers? I feel like in the second half we came out flat. We’ve got to play (well) for all four quarters. I don’t think we’ve done that this season, so we’re going to try to take this approach against the Washington Redskins – a team that just fired their head coach, is coming in looking for a win. We’re looking for a win, too. Both of us haven’t won a game, so we’re looking for a win. We know nobody is going to give it to us. We’ve got to come out fast.”
(What did you guys do better that game in terms of stopping the run?) – “I think everybody just played their gap, made plays, read their keys. It’s really nothing different. I look at like – (against) the Cowboys, we had it pretty good before halftime. Ezekiel Elliott ran free on our pass-rush group. I think (against) the Chargers, we really locked in; but we’ve got to come out fast in the second half.”
(How much pain is it to have the worst rush defense in the league?) – “It’s very painful when you look at that. I don’t try to look at it; but hey, it is what it is. The stats are there; but at the end of the day, we just try to get better each and every week. Coming in this week with the Washington Redskins, they’re looking for a win and we’re looking for a win. The best team is going to win.”
(But you’ve got to take that personal?) – “Oh, 100 percent you’ve got to take it personal. At the end of the day, I look at it like to have a great defense – look at the old school Pittsburgh Steelers defense – you’ve got to be able to stop the run. If you can’t stop the run on defense, then you have no great defense. So I think it all starts with stopping the run. You see guys like Taco (Charlton) – you want to get the sacks. Everybody wants to get the sack. Everybody wants to do this, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to stop the run. If you don’t stop the run, you don’t have no fun. (laughter) I learned that from ‘Coach O’ at LSU (Head Coach Ed Orgeron).”
Kenyan Drake – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
RB Kenyan Drake
(Coming in this week – obviously you had the bye week – what have you learned about preparing and what went wrong in the first four or five weeks of the season?) – “We just really have to buckle together, have a game where we play four competitive quarters. I mean it is just what it is. Every day making sure that – I sound like a broken record, but that we continue to get better with the things we are good at and obviously hone in on the – I guess make sure that we shake back on the stuff that we haven’t really been good at. It’s as simple as that.”
(Is the offense starting to come together with all the new pieces?) – “Yeah, I mean we go out there – we field a team every week so it is just about making sure that we have the plays that we need to make when we need to make them, have timely drives, not have self-inflicted wounds in terms of turnovers and penalties that put us behind the eight ball in terms of down-and-distance. We just want to play clean football. That is what we plan on doing this week.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said yesterday that QB Josh Rosen will be the starter for the remainder of the season. Does that really make a difference with this offense in terms of you guys knew you had him already but does that make a difference at all him saying that?) – “Him having I guess the full confidence of the guys he has on the field, everybody has to go out there and do their job at that point. That is just what we are focusing on. Let them kind of handle the day-to-day operations and everything else that comes with putting people where they need to be; but when you get on the field, level on offense and level on defense and just going out there and handle your business. We look forward to doing that for the rest of the year.”
(QB Josh Rosen says he knows this is basically a tryout for him. When you hear him say things like that, does that motivate you guys to go out there block better, catch better, pass better or play better? There is a lot of outside talk about what they’re drafting next year.) – “I feel like the most important focus is on right now. I am glad he has the wherewithal and is proactive in terms of knowing I guess the bigger picture, but right now it is you know we are playing against a hungry Washington team that is hungry for a win like we are looking for a win. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose, so in order to be on the right side of those, that’s what we are focused on.”
(You had a couple of nice runs in the last game with a few more lanes. Do you think you are close to popping off that big one?) – “Yeah, I mean I think the older I have gotten and playing this position especially at this level, it is about taking what the defense gives you and putting yourself and the offense in the best position to be successful on a down-to-down basis. When the big runs come, they will come. I am not necessarily pressing for them or looking for them. I mean I kind of put me in the position that I am currently with I guess having two fumbles on a short resume through this season. That is not something that I want to kind of harp on; but at the end of the day, those things happen and they happen because I was trying to do too much in a situation that just required me to get the yards that were there. So trying to focus on that would be counterproductive to what this team needs right now and that is somebody to be reliable to go out there and get the yards that are there and if you need to break plays, plays will be there to break when it happens.”
(How have you managed I guess that balance – obviously the team needs a spurt and you have the ability to do it, but like you said you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot with turnovers.) – “It is just really about being where you need to be at a given time. When there is a play to be made, if you have the ability to do it, that is what you will do. It will be second nature because you have the instincts and that it what we are all here for: to make plays and help this team win games. Now whether that is – we have to have 11 guys on the field doing their job at any given time for anything to be successful. So with that being said, that includes me, myself or whoever else has the ball in their hands to go out there and know that with having the ball in your hands comes the added responsibility of carrying the organization on your back at that one given time and understanding that the keys to the game is to make sure that you don’t have turnovers and do things that put the team in a bad situation where the defense might have a short field to have to defend, if you go out there and I guess try to make a play that is not there. So it is really just about understanding the situation, going out there, playing ball, making the plays that are there and doing the things you need to do to help this team win games.”
Taco Charlton – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
DE Taco Charlton
(In terms of this defense – well, you’ve been here two games – but you guys have been struggling against the run. What is going to be the turning point that helps you sort of contain the run?) – “Just keep working together. That’s it. We just (need to) keep building. We’re a young team with a lot of new faces, so you just have to keep working and keep building that chemistry. When that chemistry comes and once we know how each other plays, we’ll get along in the pass and the run.”
(So you think it is just guys being unfamiliar with each other?) – “Yeah. Like I said, we’re just young. We’re just young. Once you get these reps in and see how we work in practice and everything like that, and we know each other, that’s how you benefit and that’s how you make things work.”
(I know Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham told some of the TV announcers that he told you that he always wanted to coach you after he had seen you at the Combine. How pleasing was that to hear?) – “It was good. To have a coach that wants to coach you and wants to be around you and wants you to succeed is always a blessing. So I was blessed to be here and be put in this position where I’ve got not just him but a couple of coaches that want to coach me and want to believe in my ability and want to see me do great things.”
Brian Flores – October 10, 2019
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Thursday, October 10, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know the goal is always winning and if you can develop guys, I’m sure that is a goal as well. Sometimes there are examples where you might have to pick one or the other. I will give you an example and want your thoughts in general on this. T Isaiah Prince, he’s obviously a developmental guy (and) you are eager to see what you have in him, but a veteran like T J’Marcus Webb might give you a better chance to win right away. So in a case like that and in general, do you say winning is the clear-cut priority or do you say player development is on par with it, close to it, in terms of what your personal priorities are?) – “That’s about six questions there. (laughter) So, I will start by saying that to me the most important thing is everyone going through an individual process throughout the week. That is meetings, that’s walkthroughs, that is the preparation, that is practice and their fundamentals, so everyone’s individual development and the process – to me, that is at the top of the list for me. As far as one player versus another – you mentioned Prince versus Webb – I think everything is case by case. Yes, you always want to develop young players but you want to develop all of the players on your team. Every week we are going to try to give ourselves the best chance to win the game or what we feel is the best chance to win the game. So, all those things you take into account. I don’t think there is a specific set way for anyone. For me personally and for our coaching staff, it’s not set. It’s not specifically, ‘we definitely want to do this,’ or ‘we definitely want to do this.’ I think every week we are trying to put this team in the best position to win, but I think the process of actually going through that is of the utmost importance for this group. Development is very important. I think we are trying to do that at all positions; but look, these guys work extremely hard and trying to put the best players out there that we feel can help us win. I don’t know, did I miss anything? (Laughter)”
(No, no that was good.) – “(Laughter).”
(Yesterday C Daniel Kilgore and I am paraphrasing here – he told everyone that the perception of this team and whatever terminology is being used – tanking, rebuilding – is not there. We, he said we as players, we go out there and work our backsides off every day. Do you like the fire in someone like that when one of your captains goes out there and says that?) – “I think that is the approach that we need to have. I think that is the approach that we have as a total team. Yeah, I like that. I mean what coach wouldn’t want that? I think that is – to me, that is standard operating procedure for any player in this league. Kilgore works every day. The game is important to him. It is important to everybody in the locker room so it doesn’t surprise me at all. I think that is how this team is wired. We’ll go out and try to win every game; but that really starts Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, in practice, in meetings. That is where it starts and I think that is what he meant by working every day to try to improve, get better and really execute on a consistent basis.”
(But when the approach isn’t there to back up the results, how do you continue to reinforce that ‘hey, we are doing the right thing?’ Because you guys have not been competitive in a game yet.) – “I think at the end of the day, that process – and maybe that process needs to be changed – but I think from a work standpoint, from a trying to improve and get better standpoint, that is the only way I know. I think continually getting better in practice, continually working to improve their execution, continuing to work and improve the communication – from my experience over time, that works and we will continue to do that. I have seen that from this team and I think that’s what Kilgore was kind of mentioning. I think you see some of those things on a daily basis and if we just keep continuing to do that and the process is right, the results normally take care of themselves.”
(Regarding veteran leadership on this team, I am wondering what you are seeing whether it is more pronounced because it is such a young team or whether it is a little more laid back because these guys haven’t been together for very long or is it about what you have seen earlier?) – “I have said this before: leadership to me is guys that work hard and put the team first. You show leadership. We have some older players – whether it is Bobby (McCain) or (Daniel) Kilgore – or some young players from Christian Wilkins to (Jerome) Baker to Walt Aikens. We have guys who love to play, it is important to them and they do all the things necessary to lead a group – to lead a group of individuals. I think all of those guys I mentioned, along with a lot of players on this team, are doing all of the right things. I mean it is a team of teams. You need leaders really across the board – so your nickel group, your dime group, your 11-personnel group offensively, your kickoff coverage unit. You need leaders really across the board. I mean it is something that we try to develop on a daily basis. It is something we talk about and I think we are getting better in that department and hopefully it improves over the course of the season.”
(A lot of leadership is developed by making plays on the field. How is that going with this team?) – “I would say leadership – I mean a lot of people say that it is developed by making plays on the field. Playmaking is developed by making plays on the field. Leadership, to me, happens behind the scenes and it is the preparation on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Normally when that process is right, then you end up making plays on Sunday and kind of the whole thing comes together. I think if a guy goes out there, gets a tip ball and catches a couple of interceptions, that doesn’t necessarily make him a leader, in my opinion, at least. So I think it is something you develop and leadership is something you do every day. It is not a one-off. So that has kind of been my opinion and my approach and my message to the guys who have that type of potential on this team.”
(In what ways has coaching this younger Dolphins team been different for you than more veteran New England Patriots teams in the past?) – “I mean I have coached a lot of young players, guys who were young, guys who weren’t familiar with a standard or a process or a way to be a professional. I think that is a part of coaching – is helping young players do that. I think that places – I was in New England last – I think it is something that you try to develop. It is not something that happens overnight. It’s something you develop over time and I think it is something that we are building towards here. This is a young team. There are a lot of guys that are eager and willing and want to do it the right way, and I think that is what you are looking for more than anything. I think if they continue to work on that, working with the eagerness to do it right, I think over time the leadership will develop.”
(Yesterday S Bobby McCain said something that kind of caught my eye. He said “as a team we have got to bring more energy when guys make plays. That is understandable when you are 0-4 and everything, but still you have a job to do so we have got to bring more energy.” What is your reaction to that?) – “I think energy, enthusiasm, urgency – all of those things are important to a football team and Bobby knows that. We talk about leadership – that is something that we have talked about as a team. I think we need a lot of things. We need more energy, more enthusiasm, more urgency, more execution. I see where he is coming from. I think more energy comes from better execution. When you have better execution, you can make more plays and when you make more plays, there is more energy. So there is a little bit of a – there is a process to that. We just have got to get better with the process and I think – There was a lot of energy in practice yesterday. I expect there will be some more today and hopefully that builds into over the course of the week and that we are an energetic, enthusiastic, tough and physical team on Sunday.”
(An Xs and Os question: You mentioned Washington Redskins Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan’s running background. How do you prepare for that knowing you prefer running nickel and dime sets in your back and in your secondary?) – “Well, he is – He has got every run that has ever been installed so we’re really preparing for really everything. I know you mentioned nickel and dime sets, so they have got some 11-personnel runs, they have got some 10-runs, they have got some 12-runs, they have got some heavy-grouping runs. So we have to really prepare for it all. I don’t necessarily think we would put out a dime grouping with a big personnel grouping, so – but if it happened, and that happens occasionally, we have to be able to kind of make the adjustments and play that play. But preparing for Coach Callahan and the myriad of things they could do in the running game and pulling guards, tackles, centers, misdirection – they do a lot. We have got to do a good job of reading our keys, believing what we see, setting the edge, tackling. It really boils down to basic fundamentals and techniques, so it is going to be tough. He is a good coach and they do a good job in the running game. We need to be ready.”
(Do you look at individual matchups maybe like that one – the Washington run offense versus your run defense – and say that can be the deciding match up for this game?) – “Everything could be the deciding match up. That is kind of how I look at it. Every play counts and I am not exactly sure which one it is going to be – it could be the run game, it could be the pass game, it could be a one-on-one match up with a tackle and an end, it could be a one-on-one with a punt return – I am not necessarily sure. We try to hit them all and we try to be precise and execute every one of them because I am not necessarily sure and I have coached in a lot of games where there is a play in the kicking game, a play offensively, a play defensively, it’s in the first quarter, the third quarter, an onside kick. It could be anything. So we try to prepare and put our guys in the best position to execute and to play at a high level on really every snap, because I am not necessarily sure which one it is going to be. That is the difference between winning and losing. That has always been my approach and I think it will always be that way. “
Brian Flores – October 9, 2019 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Washington Media
(When you have a new coach put in charge, like up here in Washington, how do you guys go about preparing for that?) – “We prepare like we always do. (Interim Head) Coach (Bill) Callahan has been a head coach in this league before, has been a coach in college. They have got a really good group of players there offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. So, we just prepare like we normally do and really we focus on our fundamentals, our techniques, what we want to do and what we feel like we can do to try to execute offensively, defensively, in the kicking game, and just go through our normal preparation.”
(When it comes down to preparing for the quarterbacks, what do you see between the different quarterbacks between Colt McCoy, Case Keenum, and Dwayne Haskins?) – “I think all three are good quarterbacks. (They are) accurate. They all do a good job of getting guys in and out of the huddle, making good decisions – they can get the ball downfield. There is some – just within the offense there is some intricacies within the offense that may pull your eyes in a different direction, so they have done a good job that way. All three quarterbacks are very capable and can do a good job pushing the ball down the field, checking it down then they need to. Again, we have watched all three. All three have strengths and it will be a tough match up whoever is in there.”
(So on your end, how do you go about balancing the reps between your quarterbacks?) – “Our quarterbacks? You talking about Josh Rosen and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick)?”
(Yes.) – “I would say Josh (Rosen) sees the majority of the snaps you know as the starter. Just like when ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) was the starter, he saw the majority of the snap. I am not going to sit here and give you percentages, but I would say Josh gets most of the reps and ‘Fitz’ gets in there and I think he – him being a veteran and a guy who pretty much has seen everything, done everything – he gets in there a little but less, but we feel like both guys have a good handle on what we are trying to do offensively and we try to get them as many as they need to be able to execute within the game.”
(Now unfortunately, for our end, both teams are winless right now. So when you are coming into this game, what is the mentality of the locker room when you are coming against a team that is winless?) – “Every day to me is – we just try to win the day and win the meeting, win the walkthrough, win the practice. I think to me, and I have expressed this to the team – we just have to go through our process from a meeting standpoint, from a walkthrough standpoint, from a practice standpoint, from a preparation standpoint to when they leave the building and go home and watch film on their own. I think there is a – we just have to be – we have to take a professional approach because I think if we do those things consistently, we get better, we improve, and the results take care of themselves. That is kind of what I have preached to our team really since I got here. There is no ‘Hey, I’m not thinking about the end of the game or two games from now or eight games from now.’ We just focus on today.”
Albert Wilson – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
WR Albert Wilson
(How helpful was the extra week not playing against the Chargers and having a bye week? Do you feel fully back now from everything you’ve had to deal with physically?) – “Yeah, for sure. Once you start feeling good in this profession and you’re able to stay healthy and continue to go in week after week of being healthy, it’s a good thing. Going into this bye week really healthy and coming off of it pretty healthy I think is a good thing.”
(There’s a difference I’d imagine form feeling back and feeling you have all of your unique skills back. Do you feel like you have all of your skills back from all of the injuries?) – “Yeah, for sure.”
(Your quarterback said that he feels like he’s on a 12-week tryout. I’m sure in the NFL you always feel that way don’t you?) – “For sure. They bring in guys every day. Every day is a tryout, every day is an interview. You have to come in and put your best foot forward. That’s pretty much how it is. They pretty much watch everything guys do so you want to do your best every chance you get. It pretty much is an on-going interview.”
(When you have a roster with a lot of guys like that, could that be maybe if you’re not so sure about yourself, is that a good thing?) – “Yeah, I think that’s what makes a good football team. Just keeping the competition inside your locker room and just going so hard during the week so when you get out there on a Sunday, things are a little easier. If you have a lot of competition inside your locker room and you’re going against good guys every day, it makes you just better.”
(Have you got to practice punt returns? It’s something that you are good at but with WR Jakeem Grant with the hamstring, have you worked on that this week?) – “No. I haven’t gotten the chance to get in on punt return.”
(Have you noticed a different mood among the players coming back from a bye, having the chance to recharge and reset?) – “Yes, definitely. It’s kind of like having the summer off and getting back to that first day of class. You just want to get in there finally and just do football stuff. It definitely was a good chance to hit the reset button and get back in here, and just want to be here.”
(How much would a win do for you guys?) – “It would be big. It would be really big. It’s something that we’ve been fighting for, for a long time. For us to come out here and attack the bye week the way we did and get out here and get a W, I think it’s going to put us in the right direction.”
(You’ve experienced the season from a different perspective, dealing with frustrating injuries for yourself, I’m sure. How much does the extra layer of this season getting off to a tough start for the team, how overall frustrating has it been for you? Especially it’s your hometown team. I know you have an extra layer of pride for the Dolphins as well.) – “Yeah, for sure. It really sucks, just not even me being here, just me being anywhere but just starting off winless is something you don’t want to do in this profession. Me being a competitor, I just want to win. I come in here and put my best foot forward every day and I’m just trying to get back on the field to help my teammates win.”
(Is there another layer of confidence in your body that you have to acquire considering that it’s been such a tough time for you guys lately?) – “I’m really high in confidence. I don’t think it was a situation that needed to come by to give me more confidence. I feel like I’ve been fighting since I got into this league. I’ve got all the confidence I need. I’m just doing everything I can to get back on the field and give the team a chance to win.”
(Just generally the health of your body, the physical state of your body, are you convinced, are you totally confident that it’s going to hold up for you?) – “For sure.”
(QB Josh Rosen will start, With this stability where you have a quarterback that’s settled in as the starting quarterback as Head Coach Brian Flores put it, does that help the offense settle in as well?) – “We just go out here every day and try to do our jobs I feel like. He did a good job of doing what the coaches needed him to do to prepare him for a starting job. He earned it and I’m ready to go out there and fight with him.”
Josh Rosen – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
QB Josh Rosen
(So Head Coach Brian Flores has said that you being the starter for the rest of the year is a settled issue. What do you think about that?) – “I think it’s awesome, but you can never treat it like that. I have heard – I have heard guys like Tom (Brady) mention like he feels like he is competing against someone every day and that is the sort of attitude that you have to have in order to continue to improve. So, it might be a settled competition but in my head I am always trying to act as if someone is behind me every single day.”
(Is there any – not solace – but does it make you feel better that you are not having to necessarily look over your shoulder game to game?) – “Yeah, maybe a little bit; but I have never really played like that. I am a pretty sort of – not like a free spirit – but I just kind of go out there, have fun and do my thing. Football is football. I try to stay as removed from the politics as much as I possibly can.”
(It has been a month into the season, about five months in since you have joined the team. Do you feel like this has been the most ideal or the best situation for you in your career and where you want to go?) – “I mean, like, up from since I have been drafted or since just coming here? Because I mean it is has been less than ideal overall. (We) haven’t won many football games. But I think there is definitely room to improve personally and over the course of my career. I mean, a little to the previous question – I try to stay a little bit out of the politics ever since I said there were nine mistakes ahead of me. (laughter) I’m just trying to basically play football and let everything take care of itself because I am a very confident person. I have just got to let my play show it.”
(Has football still fun for you over the last year and a half? Your NFL days, I guess?) – “Yeah. Like I am going to be honest, it has never not been fun. I definitely did have to ask myself a couple of those questions this offseason because I mean it definitely did suck, but that is part of it. This business is fun but the last couple games since I have been on the field – I mean even in the preseason getting on the field – you realize that this is still a game that I love to play and ever since Daniel Allen and his dad Jeff Allen convinced my mom to play football in third grade for the Torrance Panthers, so, it is just – regardless of whatever goes on January through July or whatever, once you get on the field, it is very refreshing to just have everything go away. I think that is why guys like Tom (Brady) and Drew (Brees) are continuing to play for so long, because they are so famous and the real world is kind of different for them; but once they get on the field, everything kind of goes away and they are one of the guys again.”
(Do you have that feeling that really once you are on the field, your world is right? You seem to be a guy that has a lot of interests off the field also, but do you get in that place?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I get into it with different external reasons, not because I am like (Brady and Brees), but it definitely — there is nothing like and there is really nothing better than sort of getting into that flow, getting into that flow state and kind of like when Steph (Curry) starts chucking up threes and it just seems like every single one goes in, there is really no better feeling of football than when you are ripping it in a game and it sort of feels like you just can’t throw an incompletion. So, I think a lot of it is competing up front, but a lot of it is chasing that sort of feeling of success and just fluidity and all of that.”
(Was it the uncertainly? In January or February you said you had some – dark days aren’t the right way to put it, but you had some stuff going on. Was it the uncertainty or was it just the way you played or what was it?) – “Maybe it was for the first time it is like – the opinions – I felt like there was sort of a differing of opinions with the locker room that I was in and the outside and as much as you try to tune out the outside, it finds a way to get in whether it be your parents calling you asking you what is this article or whatever. But yeah, (there were a) lot of ups, lot of downs; but I think for the most part, it is sort of you just have to keep the ball rolling and keep pushing forward.”
(The offense and the defense have both struggled quite a bit so far. How much of an overall relief do you think it will be if one of the units can kind of dig in a little bit and get a couple quick touchdowns early on in the game – the overall lift that it would give?) – “Yeah, we preach all the time that like we have to pick each other up, we have to play as a team. So ideally you are firing on all three cylinders – kicking game, offense, and defense – but even when you are not, it is about sort of picking another guy up. I think on offense, we can do a lot better because they always play into each other. When the offense is in rhythm and the defense is getting three-and-outs, you can kind of keep that rhythm and not be sitting down and vice versa. If you are on the field for a little too long, the (opposing) defense can get gassed so the longer you can string drives together, the more refreshed they feel. So it all plays into each other and I think on offense, we can definitely step it up; but I mean yeah, it all works together.”
(The last time we talked to Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski, he talked about the link between footwork and accuracy. Can you kind of take me a little inside your game and some of the points of emphasis that you are constantly trying to remind yourself pregame and during the game – things that you want to make sure to remember to do from a mechanical element?) – “I sort of try to not think too much about that stuff come game day. It usually is sort of ingraining it through the week and certain plays have a little bit of a different kind of timing, so you might want to hit, even if it’s maybe a five-step drop, something maybe times out a little bit different off of some kind of play-action or straight drop-back or a route depth, or if the guy is pressed to cut it a little short so you have to be ready with your feet. A lot of that is seeing our game plan, mapping it out, and saying anything I need to do special this week, drill it out in practice and once I come to the game, I try not to think about those things and just hope that it sort of just – your body will understand it.”
(Have you at all kept an eye – I’m sure as a football fan you have – on those other quarterbacks from last year? It hasn’t been smooth sailing from mononucleosis for Sam Darnold to Baker Mayfield’s ups and downs and all of that. Have you kind of kept tabs on them?) – “Yeah, I am always watching around the league to see how certain guys are playing; but football is really hard, especially in the NFL. There aren’t really any other leagues, so the best of the best is playing in this one. It is really hard, so I mean we are all working and we are all trying to improve and I think in today’s day and age, we are very short-term focused and sort of drastic and abrupt and (have) quick opinions on things when really it is sort of about a body of work. I think we are in the process of building that body of work and in that body of work I think a lot is sort of someone’s mental fortitude to be able to stay steady even though all of you guys are reacting very aggressively to short-term ups and downs.”
(Well let me continue about that then. I’m not trying to be a jerk here, seriously. But you know with your guys’ record this season, you could end up with a high draft pick next season. Do you think about that? Do you think that you are a part of the future of this organization and is that something that has been brought up to you by other people or are you aware of what could happen in the draft?) – “I mean, I don’t think about it too much; but I am aware of it. The way I am sort of approaching this year is I feel like I am really just trying out for the team. I feel like I am auditioning and I am trying to put my best foot forward and prove to everyone upstairs and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and (General Manager) Mr. (Chris) Grier that I am the man moving forward. It is not like what you would – I don’t know, it’s a different circumstance than a lot of other quarterbacks have been put in; but it is the one that I have been given and I am taking it in full stride and I am excited to hopefully prove over these next 12 more weeks that I am their guy moving forward.”
(Is that what you think the window is – 12 more weeks? Or do you think it could extend beyond that?) – “I don’t know.”
(For the try out I mean.) – “Maybe. If I play well enough over these 12 (weeks), then hopefully they will make the decision; but if – technically, it is never over essentially, but I don’t know. It depends. I could be here seven (years and) after six good years and they could be like, ‘yeah, we are done with you.’”
(Can you put into words what a win would mean to this team?) – “Just sort of joy – life. I think it is tough coming in after a Monday and sitting in that team meeting and just – everything is just easier with a win. It just brings some of the joy back into the game. It makes you a little bit more – one percent, two percent – more excited to go to work every day, maybe a little more. It is kind of that extra little juice that keeps you coming back. It is the – yeah, I guess just sort of a spurt of life or I don’t know the right term for it, but yeah.”
(You played four playoff teams the first four weeks of the season – playoff teams from last year– and winning organizations even this year. This week, you are playing a winless team that just fired its coach. Do you – the Miami Dolphins – feel like this is a bigger opportunity, a better opportunity to come out with a win than the previous games?) – “Yeah, absolutely; but that doesn’t really change our approach. It is not like we weren’t really trying for those first four games and are going to put extra in now. I didn’t mean that in any sort of sarcastic way, but it’s just that every week, you are going to give it your all because even our roster is turning over a little bit less the last four weeks. So everyone really is sort of busting their butt and putting everything they have into every week. It is not like our approach is going to change based off of the probability of winning. So, we are going to – banged up, bruised – we are not feeling sorry for ourselves. Yes, no, we are going to put everything we have into the next 12 weeks we have got.”
