Dwayne Allen – March 11, 2019
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Monday, March 11, 2019
TE Dwayne Allen
(Can you tell us the deciding factors in you choosing to sign with the Dolphins?) – “There were a lot of factors that played into my decision to come down here. I would say the top being familiarity with the coaching staff. (Head Coach) Brian Flores – having spent some time with him– (Offensive Coordinator) Chad O’Shea, (Assistant Quarterbacks) Jerry (Schuplinski). But then also just the way that he has built the coaching staff up down here in South Florida. I think he has added a lot of valued pieces of good men but also really good coaches that hopefully contribute to being a really good team.”
(How would you describe your strengths on the field and off the field at this stage of your career?) – “That’s a great question and honestly one I haven’t really thought of. I would like to say that I’m a positive presence in the locker room. I definitely know how culture is developed and enforced by the players in the locker room. The vision of it is of course set by the head coach and then is reinforced by the guys in the locker room, and hopefully I can be an agent of change in that respect. As far as on the field, I’m a physical player. I love the game of football. I’ve been very fortunate to have played it professionally for seven years and would love to continue to play it at a high level with that same physical presence.”
(When you look at the roster of this team, did it look to you like this team was a few years away or were you excited about the opportunity of competing right away?) – “I didn’t look at the roster at all. I didn’t have time or really didn’t care to. I took a visit because of the coaches that I knew that were down here. I had the opportunity to speak to them about their vision and where they saw me fitting in-depth into their vision and decided to sign on. It’s a unique opportunity – having now looked at the roster – to be able to play the tight end position with some very talented young guys. They’re very talented now that they’ve been in the league for a little bit. My biggest thing is just making sure that the tight end corps is a reliable tight end corps that goes out there and does our job day in and day out.”
(One thing that Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea mentioned is that in a perfect world he likes his tight ends – his future tight end – to be an every-down player. How does that fit into what you might be able to bring to the Dolphins and what have they told you in that regard?) – “I’ve been promised nothing but the opportunity to get out there and work and to go out there and prove that I can be an every-down player. I think my time around the league has displayed my ability to do certain things very well. Most recently, I really didn’t have the opportunity to do other things that goes into being an every-down tight end. It all comes down to hard work. You have to put the work in. Nothing is expected on my end. (I) would love the opportunity to get to work and prove or show what I can do, (which is) consistency day in and day out.”
(I wanted to ask you about your productivity level in New England. You established yourself as a pretty productive tight end with the Colts and I know the Patriots have TE Rob Gronkowski, but how do you explain 13 receptions the last two years?) – “I don’t do the play-calling, so I don’t have to explain that at all. Once you sign on to be part of a team, you’re a part of that team. (You’re) not just a part of that team if the ball comes my way or if I play as much as I want to. You sign on to be part of a team and with that, the play-caller does the play-calling and the players are expected to go out there and execute. Opportunities (were) available to me. I, of course, didn’t catch 100 percent of the opportunities, so that would have taken my numbers up a bit. I’ve tried to make the most out of the opportunities that did come my way.”
(How would you describe the feeling of winning the Super Bowl last season?) – “It was a really, really big accomplishment. I think the result of the game was due to the hard work that we put in the two weeks prior. Seeing the confetti fall down and all of that stuff was expected to a certain degree, because we had put in that hard work. Seeing the faces of all those of the support staff, the coaches, our practice squad guys, the trainers, the managers, our fans, that’s when it truly hit me that our accomplishment was really something special, because we had an impact on so many people. That was really cemented in my mind that it was a heck of an accomplishment.”
(What stood out to you about Head Coach Brian Flores from your time together in New England?) – “First and foremost, his professionalism. He was a guy who came to work every day no matter the circumstances and always put his guys in his room in the best position to be successful. The second thing is the quality of person that he is. I have the utmost respect for him. He’s not only a coach but the man that he is – the father, the husband – that’s why when I got the call to come down here and visit, there was no hesitation on my end.”
(The Dolphins have two players who were tight end rookies last season – TE Mike Gesicki and TE Durham Smythe. What do you think is the best way for a veteran to help a young player at his position?) – “I think the best way to help is by showing them. When rookies come into this league, due to their limited experience, I would guess – I haven’t had time to talk to them or really watch film of them – that they are unsure how to be a professional in this league. Hopefully through my consistency day in and day out, I can show them how to be a professional in this league and maybe also how to play the tight end position a little differently.”
(I’m going to put you on the spot here. What’s your best Brian Flores story?) – “Best Brian Flores story? That is on the spot. (laughter) If you give me some time, I promise you the next time I see you that I’ll have a story for you.”
(I know you don’t have a best Brian Flores story right now but what do you know about Brian Flores that maybe we don’t know. What do you think we’ll learn pretty quickly about him in Miami?) – “I thought today was all softballs. (laughter) I guess it would be his hard work and determination. I don’t think New England is an easy place to play. It’s not for everyone. And I feel like it’s not an easy place to coach. But he was able to go about it with grace and patience and also with just his tenacity to want to be great. He made sure that he willed down to his players by the way he came to practice every day, by the way he went into the meeting rooms and of course the way he talked trash to the offense during O/D periods. (laughter)”
(Does Brian Flores match the players’ trash talk? Is he on that level?) – “I’m not quite sure if he’s on the players’ level but he has to be up there for coaches. He definitely has to be up there for coaches.”
