Bobby McCain – August 1, 2020
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(I know CB Xavien Howard is out and LB Jerome Baker is on the COVID-19 list. I know you’re not doing football activities just yet, but without those two guys to start, how do you guys lift off here at the start of training camp with welcoming so many new guys and a bunch of you guys really only having one or two years of experience in the league?) – “With a lot of the guys coming in, even though the veterans still haven’t reported and all of the things – they had their physicals today – everybody is just trying to learn the playbook one day at a time. Whether you’re an old guy, young guy, veteran, rookie, it really doesn’t matter. It’s a new season, a new start, so you’ve got to kind of learn the playbook as you go and keep getting better each and every day. I only wish the best for my teammates and we can’t wait to have those guys back. They’ll be fine. They can pick up right where they left off.”
(You were allowed in the building before other vets because you’re rehabbing right?) – “Yes.”
(What has that experience been like? You were one of the first allowed back in. Things were kind of unknown with the COVID-19 protocols and now there is a pretty robust program in place. Were you nervous at first going in there? Do you feel more confident now? How has it been?) – “I wasn’t too nervous going in because I know they worked really hard to make it safe for us. As I got into the building, I saw all the extra precautions and all of the things that they’ve put in place to make sure that we’re safe and to make sure that we know we’re six feet (apart) and no one is too close and just the way they keep the facility clean. They do a great job. I want to thank our staff – the Dolphins staff – just for the job that they do, because we all feel pretty safe.”
(You were one of the guys that actually got an opportunity to work with the new helmet that the NFL is proposing for COVID-19. I was told that you tried to practice and couldn’t make it through warmups with it on. What was that experience like and have you tried more to use it?) – “It wasn’t too bad with the face shield and the covering. I don’t believe it’s mandatory, but it wasn’t too bad. I can’t say – I would suggest that everyone tries it for themselves, because me speaking about it, somebody else may feel differently about it and the next person may feel another way. I would just say that everyone should try it for themselves the first time and see if they like it. It wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t exactly that you couldn’t breathe or that you couldn’t make it through warmups, or that it was a lot harder. It wasn’t too much harder, but it is different. It’s very different. It’s the new normal. I would just advise that everyone try it for themselves.”
(I just wanted to ask you about your new defensive backs coach, Gerald Alexander. If you could just talk about the type of energy, leadership and coaching he offers, and how he’s teaching so far in the DBs room?) – “We’re all learning pretty well. He’s a really good coach. GA’s (Gerald Alexander) a real good coach. He’s coming from the University of Cal, but he’s still a really, really good coach, and we’re all learning the defense as we go. Whether you’re an old guy, young guy, new coach, old coach, everybody can be better each and every day, and that’s what we’re striving for.”
(What’s your chemistry with S Eric Rowe at this point and you guys coming around a second year as a safety duo?) – “Just trying to make sure that we – because everybody wants to win at the end of the day. Everybody wants to win. With chemistry, it’s hard with everybody not being able to be in the building the way we normally would be. Just coming along, training this offseason with E-Rowe (Eric Rowe) and just seeing the way he works, and us working together and understanding that it’s going to take everybody in the back end, that’s going to be real big for us. The way we can click in any kind of way because the defensive backfield, that’s a family. You’ve got to make sure you take care of your family and we take care of one another.”
(The first-round pick, CB Noah Igbinoghene, what were your thoughts when he was drafted? It looks like he’s going to get a shot to play some nickel. And how much do you know him and what can you tell us about him as a person?) – “I know Noah works his tail off. He trained with me in the offseason a little bit as well. He works his butt off. He’s a smart kid. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a good player. Like I said, everybody is learning each and every day. Everybody is going to get an opportunity to compete, everybody is going to get an opportunity to play football and that’s all you can ask for. Him playing corner, him playing nickel, that’s not for me to speak on. I know he’s going to be a good player in this league and each and every day, he’s getting better and learning, and that’s all you can ask for.”
(I’ve wanted to ask you, you’ve been through so many secondaries, you’ve had a lot of great cornerbacks in your unit. What’s it going to be like to be playing in a unit where you’ve got CB Xavien Howard on one side, and CB Byron Jones on the other?) – “Those two guys, they’re two great corners – two really, really good corners in this league, two of the best in this league. Having those guys and like I said, getting those guys in the building as soon as we can and getting them on the field and us joining together and us coming together as a unit, that’s going to be real big for us. They’re going to be two good players. I’m not going to sit there and speak on expectations that we have for us, but we know where we want to be and who we want to be and we want to be the best versions of ourselves, and that’s being able to help this team win.”
(You talked about how you were working out with CB Noah Igbinoghene in the offseason. Where was that, how often was that and could you also give us a glimpse into what it was like working out with him, the interactions and just kind of the vibe you got from him?) – “He’s a real good player. He’s fast. He’s skilled. He’s smart. He understands the game. He understands football. Like I said, that’s just going to come with us being together each and every day and us learning together as a unit with everyone. I’m not going to tell you where we were, but I will tell you that we were working and we were getting it in.”
(There is certainly a pretty good chance that you guys might be playing games with no fans. I’m just curious what you think that might be like. You’re an emotional dude that kind of feeds off the fans.) – “I understand that. I want to first off start by saying that we don’t have any better fans than the Dolphins fans here in Miami. There are no better fans. But at the end of the day, we’ve also got a job to do and regardless if there are 60,000 fans, 20,000 fans or zero fans, it doesn’t matter. You’ve still got to get the job done and you’ve still got to win football games. It will definitely be different. It will definitely be really different without fans, but you’ve also got a job to do.”
(Can you take us through what’s different with reporting this year with the COVID-19 precautions versus last year? What does the building looks like?) – “Like I just said, everyone comes into the building and no matter who you are, you’re going to have a mask on, you’re going to get your temperature taken, you’re going to get COVID-19 tested. You get COVID-19 tested first thing in the morning. You’re going to put your mask on, you’re going to get your temperature taken, you’re going to have your tracer on so you can’t be too close to people, especially people that are Tier 3. You’ve got to make sure – it’s also just a case of disciplining yourself (and) being disciplined as a team. People tend to forget that you can’t just catch COVID in the facility. You can catch COVID outside of the facility as well. It’s everywhere. You’ve got to be disciplined as a team. You’ve got to understand that you’ve got to hold your brothers accountable with each other. As far as stepping out and going to dinner with a lot of people, going to nightclubs, going to bars, being with different women – whatever you bring home, you’re bringing it to the family. It’s definitely going to take a lot of discipline. The most disciplined team will end up playing the most games and being the healthiest at the end of the day.”
Jesse Davis – August 1, 2020
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
G/T Jesse Davis
(I know you’re going to give me the diplomatic answer because you’re always that guy and you’ve played everywhere except for center on this offensive line, but – you want to do the best thing for the team – but where does Jesse Davis feel like he’s going to have the best success?) – “I’ve played every position besides center like you mentioned; but moving forward, it’s always what we can put (me in) the best position to move this ball club forward and get wins and have success. However, I have been playing center this week. That’s a little nugget for you. (laughter)”
(You can’t just let that one slide by. How did this come about and is that something that’s just kind of being tweaked with or something you’re taking seriously?) – “I’ve been taking it seriously. I don’t want to put – when I’m out there, because it’s the injured group and the rookies and the quarterbacks – it’s just a little extra practice for everybody to get the early group going; but right now, it’s just been – we don’t have enough centers out there right now, so they’re like, ‘hey, why don’t you (go out there)? Let’s see what happens.’ So right now, I don’t want to go out there and put my guys in a bad spot so I have to learn this stuff. I have to make the right calls and put everybody in a position to be successful and see the reps and get the reps right. I think it’s just something to mess with, especially with this COVID stuff. You never know who’s going to be up, who’s going to be down; so I’m excited for it.”
(I wanted to ask you, especially given the COVID worries and whatnot, how is it for an offensive lineman? It seems like more than any other position group, you guys have to be close, you guys have to be tight. How difficult is it to sort of social distance in that particular position?) – “I think any position really, but especially o-line because we play so close to each other, we all rely on communication and knowing each other. Early on when we had all the rookies in, I made sure to get a couple Zoom meetings in, just us as players. Shoot the breeze. Get to know each other, where you’re from – stuff you do when you first meet – so we did a couple of those meetings early on. Then during the summer, following the CDC guidelines, a couple of us got together and made sure we practiced or did our drills together following the guidelines as well. I think we did – for the circumstances – a pretty good job of getting to know everybody, who’s in town, making sure everybody’s doing okay, everybody’s safe and if anybody needs anything. So we already had that communication base, and I think we did pretty good with it.”
(What’s it like – you’re the most veteran guy on the Dolphins team, which is weird, by the way – but what is it like to have to be a leader of this unit and have you embraced that challenge?) – “Yeah, it’s funny. You wake up one day and then after free agency and whatever and you’re like, ‘wow, I am the oldest guy’ or the most experienced, I guess, in the room. You kind of have to put yourself in that mindset of ‘I’m going to be the leader. I want to be the leader. I want to have my guys. I want to have somebody they can lean on when things are hard or advice with anything.’ I embrace it. I wasn’t appointed or anything like, ‘hey Jesse, you’ve got to do this.’ It’s more so that this is what I want to do. I started reading a lot of leadership books, too, to try to figure it out and more importantly – kind of like a Navy SEAL book – they’re all about teamwork and how they can build each other up and they can rely on each other. Those things I kind of did this offseason with all of the time I had on my hands and it kind of just gave me a different perspective on how to lead.”
(Obviously the NFL has not gone to a bubble scenario yet. Seeing the struggles that Major League Baseball has had without a bubble, what would your thoughts be if they asked you to stay at the hotel basically between now and New Years?) – “Yeah, that’s a tough question to ask anybody, especially with who has families and stuff. I don’t have any kids. For me, if that’s what we have to do, then that’s what we’d have to do. I’d definitely do it just to play the game and obviously help this organization play football; but yeah, that’s a tough one to ask. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that depending on the circumstances of an individual, but we’ll see how this kind of plays out for them as well and see what the right way to do it and the wrong way to do it. I think what our organization has done so far has been great. They put us in a safe organization and it’s cool to see and it’s cool how much they care about an individual and their staff and their players and everybody in between.”
(I just wanted to ask you about your new offensive line coach, Steve Marshall. He’s got over 40 years of experience coaching football. How does that experience benefit such a young offensive line room and just talk about what he offers as a coach, a teacher and a leader?) – “I was with (Offensive Line) Coach (Steve) Marshall with the Jets when I did a little short time there – training camp and then I think a week of practice squad – but he offers tons of knowledge. He’s seen probably every technique you can get from different players to different styles of play and any question you have, he answers it on-the-fly and it’s been great, especially with our assistant coach ‘Lem’ (Assistant Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre). He’s played the game. I played with him in Seattle actually, so I knew him from a short stint (there) as well; but he offers a great way to look at the game, too, on how a player looks at it instead of a coach, and I think them two together is a good marriage for our room.”
(I wanted to ask you about being a football player kind of your entire life. You’re conditioned to play through bumps and bruises. Is there any conversation about like, ‘hey, you can’t take a runny nose slightly anymore’ or ‘hey, a sore throat needs to be take really seriously,’ when normally that wouldn’t be something that would keep you from showing up to work?) – “Right. Yeah, that’s the weird topic of the conversation we had, is usually you play through your sicknesses. You play through – like if you had a runny nose or a cough or something – but now it’s such a serious matter. We took an approach that’s like, you don’t know what the guy’s going home to. Is he going home to like a 70-year-old grandmother that’s living with him or a pregnant wife or that kind of thing; so you’ve got to be selfish in that regard of ‘hey, you’ve got to take it seriously. If you have any symptoms, make sure you let everybody know.’ It’s not just about the guy next to you. It’s obviously your well-being, as well, and then obviously the public that you go out to or the grocery store or something. So yeah, it’s definitely a different approach. I don’t think anybody really likes it, but that’s the way it’s going to be and I think with all of the guidelines and settings we have, I think it’s a good way to go.”
(You’ve played tackle, guard, center and let’s not forget you’ve played defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins. When you guys actually start whatever it is – the 12th or the 17th. I know the 17th is like actual real football. What have you been told? Are you going to start off then at guard or tackle?) – “Nothing yet. We’ve just been rotating around, especially with all of our rookies trying to get them the reps instead of worrying about the vets right now, whoever’s with us in the injury group; but I’m just trying to bring those guys along as well because they didn’t have any OTAs, they didn’t have the meetings. So I’m just trying to drop them knowledge like, ‘hey, the linebacker might do this on this play’ or ‘the running back’s going to do this, so watch for this.’ But nothing on position-wise. I’m just kind of rolling with the punches and like I said, if they want to put me at left tackle again, so be it. It all pays the same for me.”
(I know when I saw you at the stadium in February at the business event, you had said ideally you’d love to know by the end of April whether you’d be at tackle or guard? Has Head Coach Brian Flores or anyone given you any idea? I know you just said obviously you don’t know for sure, but have they given you any idea which is more likely?) – “No, they just – primarily they just said right guard or right tackle. They said to probably work some left, that way you still have it; but right now, everything’s kind of up in the air. You never know who’s going to be up, who’s going to be down. Primarily, I’ve played more on the right side, so I guess I’d probably say something on the right side; but at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. I can adjust to it.”
(I guess what are your conversations with guys this offseason over the phone or in the facility? What do you feel like is the level of fear general coming back and playing? Do you see guys are just saying, “hey, this is my job. I’m going to do it regardless” or is there a higher level of fear that you may see between guys?) – “I think the fear comes out when we start talking about it more. I think once we’re in the building and around each other and back to normal – obviously we all wear masks in the building, and then if you want it on the field, you can as well – but there hasn’t been somebody going like, ‘hey, make sure you stay away from me.’ It’s more so you have your own respect for the guy next to you. Like you make sure you’re already six feet away or a farther distance than that. We also wear these contact tracers, too, so it kind of tells you. It starts beeping or flashing on your wrist if you’re too close to somebody, so that’s a good reminder as well. The fear is there, but it’s not – I guess it’s not very shown on somebody’s face or somebody’s body language. I think right now, I think they’ve done such a good job and that’s the primary mindset for a guy. They feel safe in that building and that’s the way it should be and it’s nice.”
(I wanted to ask you about QB Tua Tagovailoa. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick came on and sort of was praising the fact that he has this presence about him. How much have you interacted with him, not just this offseason but since you’ve been in the building, and what have you noticed?) – “Yeah, especially interacting with him in the building, it’s just been – he’s a humble guy and it’s nice to see that because I kind of pride myself on humbleness, too, and how he works and how he presents himself in the building and how he shows ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) that he’s willing to learn and not like, ‘hey, this is my spot’ or something like that. It’s very nice to see a young star like that come in and be ready to work and he’s always on the field telling us, he’s like ‘all right, let’s go. Next play.’ (He’s a) very up-tempo kind of guy, so it’s nice to see that as well.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – August 1, 2020
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(I wanted to ask you – you said something last time we talked to you about pretty much not throwing in the offseason. That just wasn’t part of your routine. When did that start and what was the thought process behind it and what do you think you get out of it?) – “It started probably eight or nine years ago. A lot of it – it’s physically, mentally and emotionally just kind of getting away for a little bit, and I think you pour so much into every season that I do like to just take a step back. But the throwing part of it for me (is) just preservation and longevity. I probably have ramped it up here for the last two and a half or three weeks and trying to get ready. I think I wish we would’ve had OTAs and been able to do all the offseason stuff, but the silver lining for me is not having to make all those throws and coming in with a real fresh arm for the season.”
(I wanted to ask you, we haven’t talked to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey before. I know you’re familiar with him. Can you kind of give us an idea of what he’s like maybe as a man and as a coach?) – “Yeah, (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) and I have worked together for five years in two different places in Buffalo and New York. First off, as a man, amazing guy. Very humble. Loves football, loves family and so there’s a lot of characteristics in that regard that we share. Guys love playing for him because one of the biggest things with him is he wants you to be yourself. I’ll never forget, Stevie Johnson in Buffalo was a guy that didn’t really play a whole lot and as soon as he got with Chan and Chan gave him the freedom to be creative on some of his routes and do some things that were a little unorthodox, it really catapulted his career; so players love playing for him because he gives them freedom – a certain amount of freedom, not a whole lot – and he’s a guy that does care about the details but he really cares about the end result, not necessarily how you got there. So everywhere that I’ve been with him with all of the different receivers and personnel, they’ve really enjoyed his offense and the freedom that comes with it.”
(I know you talked about this to some degree last year because it applied but this year more so; could you share your mindset of competing for the job and being the guy while at the same time helping younger players, helping as they basically are trying to take your job and compete with you? How do you balance that?) – “It’s not all that difficult for me. I mean I’m going to go out there and compete every single day as I know the younger guys are; but in the meeting rooms, I’m not going to keep anything to myself either. I’m going to make someone tell me to shut up because I’m going to talk as much I can and share as much as I can with the intimate knowledge I have of this offense being in it for five years and really just experience since I’ve been in the league. I know that – I don’t know how much time it’ll be before Tua (Tagovailoa) is in the lineup. I know that I am the placeholder and we’ve already had that conversation. I told him I’m going to do the best I can to lead this team and to win football games when I’m out there and whenever it is that Tua gets his chance, whether it’s early or late or whenever it is, I’m going to be his biggest cheerleader and that’s what I said earlier; but I think I have a unique perspective just from the career that I’ve had and I was excited that they drafted him and since meeting him in person finally the other day, I’m really excited. I think we’ve really hit it off and even though I’m an old geezer to him, we’ve meshed personality-wise and I’m excited to work with him.”
(I wanted to ask – there’s a six-week or a four-week sprint essentially before the season starts. You guys are having minicamp. How much do you think you guys can mesh together and mend before the season to get things rolling Week 1?) – “It’ll be difficult. I think you may see some sloppy play early on. When they decided no preseason games – and understandably with health in consideration – not just the physical play and the hitting and getting to go against a different defense, but the little things like getting a play from the play-caller and changing personnel in and out; it’s stuff that you could simulate in practice a little bit, but until you get into that game environment and the bullets are flying and everybody’s got to figure things out – there’s a play clock that all of a sudden gets a lot quicker – that stuff is going to be a tough adjustment that we’re just going to have to figure out and do as best we can with practice. I think the other thing is just every day, we have to feel the sense of urgency. We’ve had a couple of walkthroughs with the rookie guys and just having them understand that making a mistake is okay, but there’s an urgency to studying to not make that same mistake the next day, and the fact that every single rep that we take now is magnified in its importance, that’s something that we’ll stress to all of the guys as we get together.”
(What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for these rookies in regards to they haven’t been at an NFL practice yet and now there’s no preseason – how much do you think this year’s COVID-19 season is going to set this rookie class back?) – “It’s tough. I mean it’s such a tough adjustment to make the jump from college to the NFL, as we’ve all seen every single year with these guys; but to not have the offseason work and the OTAs, physically being in the building, to have a shortened preseason really with no games, it really puts these guys behind. It’s a little – I don’t know if ‘unfair’ is the right word – but it’s the cards that we’ve been dealt and the things that they have to be able to deal with and overcome. There’s going to be a lot of learning on-the-fly. There’s going to be probably some more mistakes with guys that have to get in there and play; they are going to make them in the game rather than mistakes that would’ve happened at OTAs that they could learn from, but the thing is that everybody’s dealing with the same thing. Every rookie on every different team has the same set of challenges and obstacles and so in that regard, it’s a level playing field.”
(Now that you guys are actually in the building, can you give us a sense of how different things are, how they feel and how comfortable are you with the safety precautions that have been put in place?) – “I think the league and the PA (NFL Players Association) did a great job in coming together with the different protocols and things; but speaking specifically with the Dolphins organization, the amount of work that went in from everybody in this building for us to walk in and to be able to feel safe. Between right now testing every single day and the different protocols – the way the locker room is structured, limited groups when we’re working out – there’s a lot of different things that are in place that I can walk in here and feel safe in this environment and the responsibility that everybody’s taking to have a mask on at all times when you’re breathing hard and working out, it’s not always necessarily going to be like that, but there’s a lot of people that have put a lot of work into this and I think the players as they trickle in will really – they’ll see a difference – but they’ll really appreciate everything this organization has done to make us feel comfortable in this building.”
(I wanted to ask you about working new Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown. He’s got a really wide variety of job titles on his resume. I was kind of curious to get your take on how that diversity benefits the room and just how that relationship has been between he and each of the quarterbacks in that QB room.) – “I got a chance when I was in New York to work with (Quarterbacks Coach) Robby (Brown) a little bit, so we knew each other from there. I hadn’t really worked as closely as we will probably this year, but he brings a wealth of knowledge and it’s nice because he’s versed in (Offensive Coordinator) Chan’s (Gailey) offense and knows it really well, but he’s got some experience – especially on the college end – different things that he has seen, so Robby’s always a good guy, a good voice in the room to bounce things off and he can’t really coach me the same way that he’s going to coach Tua (Tagovailoa) or the same way that he’s going to coach Josh (Rosen). There’s a difference there and he’s got a good feel and understanding for that. It’s an interesting room with two young guys and one really old guy, but he’s done a great job so far of being able to reach us all in different ways.”
(I know you are pretty in touch with what’s going on around the world of just not the NFL but sports as well. I wanted to get your thoughts on the trouble Major League Baseball is having staying healthy – another outbreak in the Cardinals organization – why do you think things are going to be better for the NFL than it’s been for baseball so far?) – “I think that’s been eye-opening for everybody. I don’t know that that was unexpected. I think this is not going to be perfect and there are going to be things that pop up. On the million calls that we were on this offseason, ‘mitigating risk’ was always one of the big buzz words. It’s going to be difficult. It’s not – because somebody comes into the building or tests and then they are positive for COVID, that doesn’t mean that they were irresponsible or doesn’t mean that they were out in a bar. Maybe it means that you’ve got five kids in public school and you’re going home and they’re asymptomatic and you bring it in. I think the protocols and everything in place, we’re going to do our best to catch that and to not let it spread; but I think it’s a good example for everybody in the NFL that’s trying to get this going of just how easily it’s passed – especially in environments where you’re sweating and working out together. We have to do our best, but I don’t know if anybody’s going to be able to predict the future on that one.”
(Seeing where the run game was at last year and just knowing the additions the team made during the offseason, how can a potent or effective run game affect both how you perform your job and also just how the offense continues how to flow throughout the game?) – “A running game is definitely a quarterback’s best friend. It makes our job a lot easier. There aren’t a whole lot of things that we can be certain of this year, but I would put a lot of money on me not being the leading rusher. (laughter) I think that just with the personnel that was brought in with just being in Chan (Gailey)’s offense and how effective he has been in being able to run the ball; it’s something that he really prides himself on as a coordinator. I’m really excited to see – and I’ve met Jordan (Howard). I haven’t Matt (Breida) yet, but I think we brought in some dynamic talent and guys that are hungry and ready to come in. Obviously it looked like we wanted to bring in some beef up front and even just looking at some of these young guys – they’re very impressive. We’ll see physically where they are and mentally how they can grasp it, but there’s already a little bit of a different vibe in the building just in terms of that and I think it’ll bode well for the running game.”
(I wanted to ask you about your own experience with the virus. You’ve got a big crew there to be concerned about. Is everybody okay? How concerned are you about your own health and did you consider opting out?) – “We spent a majority of the offseason – especially from late March-on – in Arizona and I’ve got my place, my brother is next door and he has five kids, so my kids didn’t know any different. They were able to run around and play and we pretty much quarantined in those two houses; but it was 12 kids every day in the swimming pool and running around having fun. For them, we tried to keep it as normal as possible and other than going to Costco and the grocery store, there wasn’t a whole lot going on in terms of leaving the house. So we felt very comfortable with the way that we approached it and we were fortunate with the living situation that we had and the kids to be able to play with each other; but it’s something that we will continue to just be extremely careful with and again for the NFL and teams, there’s kind of a negative stigma I think that may be attached to getting coronavirus, but as we’ve seen it can kind of happen to anybody at any point in time. We all just have to try to do our best to take care of not only ourselves but each other.”
(Let me double-back for a second. You talked about meshing with QB Tua Tagovailoa and personalities meshing. What is it about his personality? What is it about your personality that has kind of helped you guys sync up, do you think?) – “I don’t know. I mean he’s a really interesting guy. He’s got a lot of energy to him and you can just tell that guys are going to gravitate to him. There’s something about him that is just very likable and I can already tell that he’s going to be one of those guys that gets along with everybody, that guys are going to want to follow. He just has that kind of aura about him and part of it is probably the way that he played in college and just kind of the name and the reputation that he’s built for himself; but there’s not a whole lot of ego involved and he’s very likable. So I don’t know, just the general conversations whether about football or life, it’s been really fun so far.”
Brian Flores – July 29, 2020
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Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I just want you to address what these challenges are that you are facing in the NFL with COVID-19, and what is the biggest hurdle, and what is the message you send to your players?) – “It’s good to see all of you guys, first and foremost. To answer your question, there is obviously a lot with COVID. I think we try to create an environment that is as safe as possible. That’s something we have talked to our players about. I think our medical staff – headed by Kyle Johnston, our head trainer – I think they’ve done a really good job of changing the locker room, changing the protocols in the locker room, the training room, the weight room and making this place as safe as possible. I think they’ve done a great job from that standpoint. My message to the players has been about really making good decisions, being responsible. I think they’re going to have to make some sacrifices outside of the building and inside of the building. I think if we can do that, we’ve done everything we can possibly do to try to limit the spread of this virus. There are some challenges, but I think we’re trying to meet them head on and do the best we can with them.”
(A question about what you saw unfold this past weekend with the Miami Marlins. Obviously you share a market with them. It’s unclear exactly how that spread happened, but it seems like everyone is taking that as a precautionary tale. What was your reaction when you saw what happened with the Marlins, and what have you learned from what’s going on there?) – “I think it’s unfortunate and our thoughts are with those who are affected with coronavirus. I think it speaks to how quickly the virus can spread, and if you’re not wearing a mask and distancing and taking the precautions, it could spread quickly. I think that was evident with the Marlins and I think that’s just an opportunity for us all to learn and see it actually happen. We have to learn from that situation and take the mask-wearing seriously and distancing seriously, and if you have symptoms, you need to report them. I think it’s an example of how quick it could spread and how important taking the precautions are.”
(When people talk about the need for more diverse hiring practices you and General Manager Chris Grier are often the face of that. I wanted to ask you how important you think that is for maybe other organizations to follow given the current state of America in regards to social justice?) – “I’ve said this time and time again, I think there are very capable minority coaches throughout the league and on our staff. And if given the opportunity, I think they’ll perform and do well. That’s kind of my thought on that. Hopefully we take the steps where minorities get those opportunities, and I think they’ll be able to take advantage.”
(Regarding the quarterback situation, is training camp an open competition or is QB Ryan Fitzpatrick first team unless or until he is beaten out?) – “I think you always want competition. We’re in training camp, so every position is an open competition. Obviously some players are further ahead than others. I think we all kind of know and understand that. But yes, we want competition and there are no jobs that will just be handed out.”
(I’ve got a question in regards to the Marlins situation. We’ve seen one case turn into four, then 12, then 17, I believe, in a matter of days. How many negative tests would it take for you guys to decide, ‘hey, we might be at a competitive disadvantage but we’re sending everybody for X-amount of days, going virtual,’ in hopes of stopping a potential spread at a low number versus staying in the building, continuing operations with the potential that a case here or there could turn into more?) – “Our message has been more along the lines of let’s try to do everything possible so that that situation doesn’t happen. Let’s wear the mask. Let’s distance. Let’s test – we’re testing on a daily basis. That’s kind of where our thought process has been. Yes, have we had those conversations about what it would take or what if a catastrophe happened? Yes, we’ve had those and there’s an action plan for that. I’m not going to get into that; but most of our energy has been towards doing the things necessary to prevent that situation. And that’s the message I’ve tried to give to the team and really everyone in the organization – players, coaches, equipment, training staff – and I think the leadership within the organization – myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston, (Head Strength and Conditioning) Dave Puloka, the rest of the coaching staff – they’re all sending that exact same message.”
(What are the biggest changes in the facility as far as what you’re doing where because of the virus situation?) – “There’s been a lot of changes at the facility. We’ve created a new locker room. We’ve got plexiglass between every locker. Obviously (wearing) masks and distancing and hand sanitizers everywhere. It’s a lot of what you’ve heard. Obviously there’s guidelines and protocols and the emergency response plan we had to put in place; but I would say to me, it’s the locker room that’s the biggest adjustment – having to move guys into a different space – but we’re going to do what we have to do. We made changes to the weight room as well and had to basically create a new weight room. There are adjustments we’ve had to make. We’ve made them. So far we haven’t had any issues. Hopefully we get to continue on the road we’re going.”
(I did want to clarify – QB Tua Tagovailoa did not begin the year on the PUP, so is he fully ready to go and able to practice without limitations?) – “Yeah, he is not on PUP. Obviously as you guys know, there’s an acclimation period here for the next, let’s just call it two weeks. There’s strength and conditioning and some walkthroughs, so there won’t be much strenuous activity. I shouldn’t say ‘there won’t be strenuous activity.’ There will be from a strength and conditioning standpoint, but from a football practice, drills – that standpoint – there won’t be much; but yeah, he’s through the physical and when we do get to practice, you’ll see him out there.”
(I’m wondering, what is your biggest challenge? Is it keeping your team healthy amid the virus? Keeping them sort of ‘bubbled’ even though you don’t have a bubble? Or is it making your team good in 2020?) – “I think it’s a combination of both. I think you always want your team to be healthy whether it’s – right now COVID is what everyone’s talking about; but when we get into practice, it’ll be soft tissue injuries or shoulders or knees or things of that nature. There’s nothing more important than the health of the team. That’s going to be at the forefront this year especially; but at the same time, yeah, we’re working towards trying to improve on the field as well. So that’s fundamentals, that’s technique, that’s conditioning. There’s a lot to try to improve upon. So yeah, we need to keep them healthy so that we can go out on the field and improve. They kind of go hand-in-hand in a lot of ways. These are very, very – let’s call it unprecedented circumstances; but I think we need to make the best of the situation and that’s been the message to the team. There’s no real point in dwelling on the lack of games or practice. We just have to make the most of every opportunity we get to go out there. The healthy guys will practice and the guys who aren’t, won’t. And those practice reps are going to be very important this season.”
(Two things I’d like to ask you real quick here. One is an update on CB Xavien Howard. Obviously he’s just gone on the PUP list. I’m wondering what your level of optimism might be that we’ll see him on the field either in training camp or for the regular season opener. The second thing I wanted to ask you is if any of your players have opted out.) – “Well, ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is on PUP. He’s been rehabbing really the entire summer. He’s making a lot of progress. He’ll be back as soon as he can. I can’t put a timetable on it. I don’t know – I know he’s working. I know he’s making some progress; but I’m not going to put a timetable on when he’ll be back. We’ll try to get him out there as soon as we can. As of 10 minutes ago when I walked into this meeting, nobody has opted out. I know we’ve had guys opt out throughout the league. Those are tough decisions to make. Fortunately we haven’t had anyone opt out thus far. There’s still obviously some time for that.”
(Does that apply to coaches as well, as far as opting out? Is the whole staff going to…) – “We haven’t had any coaches opt out.”
(Without having a normal spring and summer – you have a big rookie class, you’ve got a lot of free agents – how can you accelerate the learning in training camp, if at all, where it can make up for that?) – “I think every rep is going to be important. Every walkthrough rep, every practice rep. We won’t have preseason games. That’s all we’ve got. I don’t think there’s any point in – like I said earlier, there’s no point in dwelling on or being upset about the circumstances. We’ve just got to make the most of the opportunities that we’re going to be given here. Yeah, every rep is going to be important. Every rep in individual is – those evaluations, those are the evaluations. The improvements those guys make – the players make – in practice, in walkthroughs, they’re going to be – it either keeps them on the team or doesn’t keep them on the team.”
(I know you mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa is going to be out there once you guys start kicking things up. How much can you realistically ask from him given this unusual offseason, from Day 1, Week 1 or even Game 1?) – “We’re going to ask him to do the same as we’re going to ask every other player: to come in every day, having gone through the install from the night before, mentally prepared to go out there and practice, physically prepared to go out there and practice and try to improve every day. That’s all I can ask from the players. Try to take it one day at a time and take the meetings to the walkthrough, the walkthrough into the individual periods, the individual periods into the group periods, the group periods into the team periods and just take things one step at a time. I know there’s a lot of people that want to talk about Tua and I understand it; but at the same time, he’s a young player, this is his first NFL training camp. I think he’s got to take it one day at a time and not think about what’s realistic for the season. I think we just need to take a one day at a time approach. That’s been my message to him and it’s not just him, it’s really every player on this team. This is a different year. This is a different type of training camp. No one has gone through a training camp like this where a lot of meetings are virtual and there was no spring, there are no preseason games. No one has done this. Instead of looking into the future, I’d rather just take the one day at a time approach and that’s the message that I’m going to give to the team, as well.”
(Have there been any considerations to – I know a bubble isn’t happening in the NFL – but perhaps seeing if players could stay in one central location throughout the season like the team hotel? It seems like the NBA and MLS has had some success by sequestering their players. Has that been a consideration?) – “Look, there are some things put in place where players – I’m not going to get into this or that. I think for each player individually, they’re going to have a responsibility to themselves and to this team to make some sacrifices in the building and outside of the building. If we don’t make the right decisions, if we’re in bars and we’re in crowded restaurants and we’re at concerts, the likelihood of us bringing the virus into the building is very high. If we don’t do those things and we distance and we quarantine in our homes and the hotel and wherever, then the likelihood goes down significantly. I think that’s pretty simple and that’s been the message that we’ve given to the players. I understand the bubble; but at the end of the day, it’s the same. It’s making the right choices, being responsible, making smart decisions. And it’s not just the players. It’s player, it’s coaches, it’s support staff, it’s all of us. One person can bring in the virus and it can spread like wildfire. I think we all understand that. So each one of us has a responsibility. If you enter the facility, you have a responsibility to the 150, 180 or 200 other people in the facility. We need to be smart and make good decisions. I think our guys understand that. Look, you can be smart and make all good decisions and it still might not work out, because that’s just kind of how this is. But I think we’d all have peace of mind knowing that we’ve done everything possible that we can do individually. If we do that, then what else can we ask for from the people in this organization?”
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