Jerome Baker – June 11, 2021
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Friday, June 11, 2021
LB Jerome Baker
(I want you to blink twice if you want a new contract, if you’re uncomfortable with playing on your rookie deal.) – “I don’t even know how to answer that. (laughter) But I’m out here. I’m just doing my thing. All that stuff is going to figure itself out.”
(Can you speak a little bit about whether the Dolphins have spoke to you about a long-term future with the team or if that’s something you guys have talked about?) – “I guess. (laughter) I mean, we haven’t really talked about anything. I’m just going into this year and…“
(Can you see yourself playing in Miami for a long time?) – “Oh, yeah. I want to play here for the rest of my career. I love it here. I love the fans. I love the organization. I love everybody here. Yeah, I definitely see myself playing here for a long time. Do you see the hat? Do you see the hat?”
(I was actually going to ask you where I could cop a bucket hat.) – “So look, you’ve got to hit up (Equipment Manager) Joe (Cimino). Joe doesn’t give them out, but he plugged me today. I was like, ‘Can I get a buckie?’ It’s a little small, but I made it work. But I got you. We can talk. I got you.”
(What was that lighthearted moment right here before you went in the locker room with QB Tua Tagovailoa? I know we always ask you about Tua – I’m not really asking about Tua but I’m just saying what was that moment like and what’s it like having him here for a second year?) – “John did one of his – it’s a little skit he did. He basically just made fun of everybody. And me and Tua, we’ve been talking and hanging out this offseason, so it was pretty funny because it was pretty accurate. It was just a funny moment, but you can tell this team is excited to be with each other and ultimately next week, we know what’s ahead of us so we’re just getting our laughs in before we get all serious and back to work. It’s all good.”
(This is Year 4 for you, Year 3 since Head Coach Brian Flores has been here. What do you – we’ve used the word “rebuild” with this team. Where do you think this team is at now next and what’s next for the Dolphins?) – “It’s still early, but we can be as great as we want to be. Every day, we’ve got to go in there and ultimately just get better; and just ultimately just do what we’ve been doing – playing together, having fun with each other, playing great offense, great defense, just playing as a team. The sky’s the limit, honestly, for this team. We’re young, we’re hungry and we definitely have some things we need to work on; but ultimately if we just play together and play as a team, it’ll definitely be a good year for us.”
(Why was it important for you to be here for these voluntary practices even though your contract situation is a little unsettled?) – “Why was it important? I love this team. I love being out there. I just love being on the team; and just being out here, getting back to football, it ultimately helps me in the long run. The contract stuff is the contract stuff. I really don’t care for it right now. I honestly just missed being out there with all the guys, especially all the personalities we have, the new guys. And ultimately just learning and getting better. I love to play football. That’s honestly why I’m out here. That’s what I love to do and I just want our team to get better.”
(This morning, Head Coach Brian Flores talked about different ways that guys can lead, and you’re one of the more tenured members now of this team. I’m wondering if you can describe your approach to leadership?) – “For me, ever since I was young, it’s always been the same. I lead by example and I kind of just do what the team needs me to do. If you need me to be the guy that yells today, I’ll be that guy. If you just need me to be that guy to just lead by example, I’ll be that guy. But ultimately, I think I’m just a lead-by-example guy. I just try to do the right things. I try to do what’s best for the team and that’s always been my approach. I don’t see it changing any time soon and I think that’s what’s gotten me here thus far.”
(To kind of follow up, Head Coach Brian Flores talks a lot about guys that want to be here – team-first players. In your experience as a football player, do you find it easier to lead those kind of guys when you have that kind of team-wide mindset like that?) – “Oh yeah, it’s definitely easier. It makes the game more fun. It’s more enjoyable and guys that love football that want to be here, it’s just something about it that it’s easier to talk to them, it’s easier to communicate to them, it’s easier to be out there, to trust them. It just makes everything easier, that definitely you have that love for the game and you love being out there. So it is definitely a good thing.”
(What’s the next step for you in terms of the things that you want to add to your arsenal?) – “For me, it’s really locking in the run game. I definitely know all the chatter of all of that, but I definitely look at myself in the mirror. I know what I need to do to get better and for me, it’s locking in on the run game and being one of those linebackers that secures the inside, not just in the passing game, but in the run game. That’s just my own personal goal, but ultimately what I want for this defense is to be one of the best in the league, and we definitely have the coaches, we definitely have the organization behind us and ultimately we’ve got to go out there as a defense and prove it every year, every game.”
(I’m sure you are aware of WR Will Fuller V’s reputation around the NFL for getting deep on defenses and his speed. Have you been able to see that yet in one of these OTA practices, what that’s like?) – “A little glimpse. You don’t really see the top-end speed just yet. You don’t expect guys to really open it up fully yet, but I’m definitely excited. I’m definitely (excited) just to see all the new guys and see what they bring to the team. I’m excited. I’m definitely excited and that’s why I love this game so much. It’s very fluid, so new guys come in, guys just want to get better and just want to help the team win and for me, it’s another guy to compete against, so I’m definitely excited.”
Will Fuller V – June 11, 2021
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Friday, June 11, 2021
WR Will Fuller V
(Do you want us to address you as Will Fuller, William Fuller, William Fuller V? How does that go? What do we do?) – “(laughter) Man, you can call me whatever you want. You can call me Will. Don’t call me William. You can call me Will, you can call me V, whatever; just don’t call me William.”
(I guess what I need to know is by the end of this football season, will South Florida definitely know your name?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. I’m here to help the team win and I believe I can do that. I’m excited for the team and what we can do this year, and … South Florida.”
(It’s been awhile since you’ve been back on a football field with teammates. I just wanted to get your feel for how that went for you today. How does it feel to be back on the field with teammates?) – “It feels great. It definitely feels great. Like you said, it’s been awhile; so just getting back on the field with the guys, hearing play calls, moving around, competing a little bit and just thinking football stuff on the field, it feels good to be back out here.”
(What’s the process for you like in terms of getting to know the new guys? Is there some sort of pop culture quiz that you guys do with each other? Is it kind of related around the game? How do you create that camaraderie this time of the season?) – “For sure. I’ve only been here for a few days now – about a week – so I’ve just been in the building as much as possible, talking to as many people as possible, and just putting names with faces, just showing my face and letting people know who I am.”
(I noticed that you were excited to become the director of player outreach for The Players Company. What will that company do and why did it appeal to you?) – “That’s actually my best friend’s company. He’s been asking me to help him for two years now and I’ve just been so focused on football that I didn’t have time, really. But this offseason, I had more time and I just took the time to help him and reach out to as many people as I could to try to help him out. He’s doing a great job of helping players on and off the field to set them up for success after football, because football is not for long. One injury and you could be done. A lot of people, all they know is football; so they don’t know how to transition outside of football. We’re helping people with that and trying to set up players with a good team around them so they know the right things to do with their money. The beginning was just trying to help people with financial literacy. We’re real passionate about that because we do see a lot of people making not-so-smart decisions, so the more people we can help, I think the better we’ll be as athletes.”
(What types of mistakes have you seen teammates and friends make in the financial area that even if you were just giving them advice in the locker room, you might say to them?) – “Like I said, football is not for long; and we do get a large amount of money quick. I don’t think a lot of players understand that has to last us our lifetime. Other people in other professions, they don’t get paid a big lump sum at one time, so they learn how to manage their money. We’re coming out of college and a lot of us – me, I’m from Philadelphia and I didn’t really have too much money. My parents really couldn’t teach me how to manage my money, so when I got to the NFL and I got that big lump sum of money, some people think it’s going to last forever; but that’s not the case because like I said, you have to know you’re not going to play for that long so income is not going to continue to come in like that. You just have to be smart with your money.”
(I wanted to ask you about coming back from the offseason and your impressions of the Dolphins before signing. What were they and what are some of the things that you’ve maybe learned about the team now that you’ve been here a couple of days?) – “This is my first free agency, so I just took it as I wanted to go to a team that wanted me. The Dolphins showed the most interest. That’s why I chose the Dolphins and of course, I know we have a great team here and we can do great things. Ever since I’ve been here, it’s been great. I love the culture here. It’s just been easy to be here; and like I said, I’ve been in the building as much as I can. I enjoy being here so I’m happy the Dolphins decided to take a chance on me.”
(What are some things you think that you guys can accomplish this year, especially with you in the fold now?) – “I’m going to take it one day at a time, but I know we have a very good team. There’s going to be a lot of competition in camp. We’re going to get better each and every game and see where that takes us.”
(We already know that you have an ability to get behind secondaries. Obviously we know WR Jaylen Waddle has an ability to get behind secondaries. How excited are you to see what you and Waddle can do when you blow the top off some defenses with your speed?) – “You can’t teach speed and we do have that on this team. It’s not just me and Waddle. There are other players with speed too. It’s going to be fun. We’ll see – we’re going to do what the coaches ask of us and we’re just going to be playing fast and make some stuff happen.”
Brian Flores – June 11, 2021
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Friday, June 11, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to get your thoughts on generally the attendance of these voluntary – and I stress it as voluntary practices – and is it your understanding that everyone will be present and participate in the mandatory minicamp next week?) – “Yeah, I expect to see everyone at the mandatory minicamp. Like you mentioned, it’s voluntary; so we’ve gotten a good number of guys here, I would say over these last few weeks. We’ve been happy with it and we’re happy to work with the guys that we have here and get them coached up and help them improve and get better at their fundamentals, their techniques, their communication and things of that nature.”
(We’re going to talk to WR William Fuller V here in a little bit after practice and I’m wondering if you could share why him as a free agent signing and what you see in him that attracted the team to him?) – “I think he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s competitive, he’s talented. We had multiple conversations during that process and (he is a) team-first guy and just felt like he would bring competition and talent into the room. As many talented players as we can bring in and guys who are willing to compete and improve our team, that was the goal.”
(And if I could ask, obviously speed is a big deal in part of his game. How attractive was that, even though I guess you guys already knew you guys were going to add a speed receiver in the draft?) – “Just overall talent. He has obviously very good speed, but good hands, good after the catch, good as a route runner, smart, can play multiple positions. That’s one area that obviously we feel good about, but he does a lot of good things and I think he’ll bring a lot of competition to the room.”
(I wanted to ask you about leadership. A lot of the leaders from the past years have either left via free agency or been released. How do you fill that void? I know you’ve got a young team. You do have some veterans here. How do you get guys to step up and become leaders?) – “We have good leadership on the team. I think that’s something that you’re constantly trying to develop each year, especially with younger players, and I think we’ve got some veteran players who will provide us leadership as well. And you need it. Every team needs it offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think as a staff, we try to pinpoint guys who have some of those qualities and try to empower them and try to help them grow in those areas. I think that’s part of the job as well from my standpoint and us as a coaching staff, and really us as an organization. I think we have some guys who fall in that category and will try to help them grow and develop. And we have some guys who are older and have been in those roles as well and we’ll continue to try to help them grow as well.”
(How do you help those younger guys grow and develop into that role? What’s the process? Putting them in the leadership council or making them lead team meetings? What does the process look like?) – “I think it’s different. It’s different for each individual. I think I’m going to lead differently than you would or (someone) else would. Everyone is a little bit different. Some people are more outgoing and louder. Some people are by example. Some people say nothing and then when they speak, people listen. I think there’s different types of leaders and they come in all – it’s not a one-size-fits-all. I think there’s a little bit of – you can develop it. I think it’s something that, yeah, you put them in situations where they have an opportunity to speak up and I think it’s something that people have to get more comfortable with. There are times where there’s guys who that’s not what they want to do and if you don’t identify as a leader, then there’s no point in kind of putting them in those situations. Again, it’s case-by-case. It’s a much longer discussion than this and the discussions that we’ve had here – obviously this year and last year and the year before – it’s something that I think it’s important and we’ll continue to try to develop with guys on our team.”
(We recently heard from Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander talking about what awaits CB Noah Igbinoghene this season as he’s introduced to some reps inside versus last year’s focus which “G.A.” said was on things like technique and transitions. I was hoping with your personal coaching experience and background, if you could share some insight as to the unique challenges that DBs face when asked to play inside as compared to on the perimeter, and any traits you feel are needed to excel in one role versus the other?) – “I think ‘G.A.’ was right in that Noah played predominantly on the perimeter last year. I think that in itself, in this league, it’s not easy, so it was stick him in one position, let him learn the techniques, the fundamentals, feel the speed, feel the quickness of the receivers, go through the different combinations that happen in different coverages and once you feel more comfortable in that specific role; then this year obviously we feel like he’s ready to move and at least take some reps inside. Versatility is important to our team, so we’re going to move guys around – not just Noah, but really everyone in that corner room, in the secondary, really across the board. As far as what it takes to play inside, I think it’s obviously speed and quickness and ability to tackle. I think those guys who have played the nickel position end up in run fits a little bit more than guys on the perimeter, so just an understanding of fronts and what’s happening in front of you – more opportunity to blitz. And then just from a coverage standpoint, you don’t have the sideline, so they can go inside, they can go outside. You don’t have that as an extra defender or a place you can kind of push either a receiver or two. It’s tough playing in there. It’s not easy and from a mental standpoint, there’s a lot going on as well. So as many guys as we can get to play inside and play different roles – I think Nik Needham has grown in that role. Justin Coleman has played that position in the past and Jamal Perry as well. We’re just going to continue to train guys and help them improve, grow and I think a lot of times if you can play inside and you’ve played outside and you understand what’s happening as an outside corner to the inside corner, if you have that kind of understanding when you’re making calls and those guys are working together, there’s a little bit more of a, ‘Hey, I know what you’re going through. I’ve been in that spot.’ And oftentimes it works better together.”
(I wanted to ask you about G Durval Queiroz Neto. It’s been a while since you’ve talked about him and I know early on when he was with the team, there was talk about fundamentals. I want to know where he is at the moment and what are you expectations for him in 2021?) – “He’s one of our hardest-working players. It’s very important to him that he improves and gets better at whatever technique, fundamental that he’s working on. I think that he’s talented, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast. I think he’s still learning the game; but I also think he’s made a lot of improvements over the last couple of years. I’m excited to see him in training camp, obviously today, and then the veteran minicamp, and training camp and preseason games. He’ll have an opportunity to compete and I think he’ll do well.”
(I wanted to ask you something along your lines of your comment to Peter King a couple of weeks ago where you said the guys we got in 2019, the guys we got in 2020, the guys we got in 2021 in the draft, that’s the team. They will be the reason we make noise or don’t make noise. Where do you see the team right now? I know we’ve used the word rebuild. Is it kind of after that stage of the team right now? What would you call the stage that the team is kind of at right now and where do you see it?) – “I think we’re trying to improve and get better on a daily basis. I think that’s in meetings, walkthroughs and practice. I think that’s the goal. It’s one day at a time, it’s building camaraderie, building chemistry and I think you build that through reps and practice. That’s where we’re at. So we’ll take it one day at a time. We’re trying to get better offensively, defensively and the kicking game. As coaches, I think we understand that this doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to put time in and work in, and when you’re dealing with 53 players – counting the practice squad, 69 players. I’m talking more regular season here, but right now (we have) 90 players. You have to work to create the execution you’re looking for during the regular season. You do that one day at a time, so that’s where our focus is.”
(Just the fact that you guys had 10 wins last year, a lot of success; but still on the cusp of the playoffs. Just having that in your background, how do you think that drives everybody’s focus and wanting to improve even more from last season?) – “I think we’re more focused on this year, and last year was last year. It was a different team, different players – we were in a pandemic. It was a different season. It was very different. The focus right now is this year and really today. That’s kind of where we’re at; trying to improve today, trying to get better today and if we string enough good days together, hopefully we’ll put ourselves in a position to be successful.”
(How close is the team to any vaccination goal that you’d like to see hit? And how important is it to reach any goal that may allow greater flexibility in meetings, scheduling and movement?) – “I think we’ve talked about this the last couple of weeks. We educate players and the staff. We’ll give them all the information as far as the pros and cons of vaccinations and the different types of vaccinations – Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna. But at the end of the day, each player, each coach, each person within the organization makes their own decision and we’re comfortable with that. We’re not going to get into anyone’s medical situation or who’s doing this or who’s that. I’m happy to talk about my own, but as far as getting into how many people we have vaccinated, not vaccinated, I think I’ve been pretty consistent about not talking about anyone else’s medical situation.”
(One thing you do is plan for every scenario. Have you thought out the fact that some teams could have a competitive advantage over others based on their vaccination rates?) – “As of today, there are no – we don’t have information that would kind of support that. If that were the case – we’re really talking about hypotheticals, and if that was the case, if there was a competitive advantage – it’s hypothetical. I don’t really like to get into hypotheticals.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Jerome Baker. He’s led the team in tackles over the last two years. Where is he from a developmental standpoint and what do you want to see next from him as a player?) – “Jerome has made a lot of improvements and has gotten better in really all areas. I think he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s competitive, he loves to play, he’s team-first. He’s really gotten better in every area – pass coverage, run defense, really across the board. He’s a very good player. We’re excited about working with him and he’s a team guy. I think that’s the thing I liked most about him is he’s a team player. He wants to win and we’re excited to have him.”
(What particular skill or trait do you feel might make Robert Hunt better suited to play guard than tackle?) – “I think Robert’s a good young player. I think you saw him improve over the course of the last year playing tackle. I think he has a chance to be a solid offensive lineman. Whether that’s guard or that’s tackle or that’s the right side or that’s the left side, I think it’s hard to say. I think we’re going to play our top five guys and I think he’s got the opportunity to be one of those five. Where he lands – whether it’s guard or tackle – it’s going to be up to him. Like we talk to all of the players, your role is what you make it. Those guys, Rob in particular since we’re talking about him, he’s got an opportunity to play. Whether that’s guard or tackle, we’ll figure that out as we get to training camp. Right now, with no pads on, it’s hard to really see if he’s a better guard or a better tackle. We don’t have pads on. We’ll make that decision come training camp.”
Robert Hunt – June 8, 2021
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
G/T Robert Hunt
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the move from tackle to guard. When did the coaches let you know? Have you been preparing your body as if you’ll be a guard this year? What have you done differently and how do you think that transition is going?) – “It wasn’t a set thing. I think all of us train to play all five positions, and I’ve been training that way since college, and I’ve been training that way since last year. Just like the next man up, or wherever the coaches need me to play specifically, that’s where I’ll go. I’ve been working at a couple of positions, and it doesn’t feel bad. It’s not bad.”
(You just mentioned playing many positions since college. I was wondering what type of influence did Rob Sale play in your development early on in your career?) – “He played a lot. Coach Sale taught me a lot. I love Coach Sale. Me and him still have a really good relationship to this day. He influenced me and always told me that I would be able to play all five positions, and that’s what I’ve been able to do. I’m just trying to perfect my craft any way I can.”
(I have a question with regards to what Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre calls as I guess the principles of the offensive line with detailed, disciplined, and nasty. I’m wondering how do those traits kind of fit what you bring to the game?) – “I think that is football honestly. I love football. I love playing football. I think at the position that we play we have got to be tough, smart, and nasty, and disciplined. I think that’s just a part of the game and especially for o-linemen. I think that I bring all of those aspects to my game.”
(If I could follow up with you real quick you’ve got G/T Jesse Davis in the room, OL DJ Fluker, I mentioned Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre. They’ve all played multiple positions in their career, and you’re listed as guard/tackle. How have they kind of helped you in terms of learning multiple positions?) – “Like I said, everybody is training different positions, so everybody is always helping each other with everything. Like I said, since college I’ve always been playing every position. I kind of already got the idea of how to switch because I played in college left guard, right guard, right tackle, left tackle. So like I said, whatever I’m needed to do, I’m willing to do that just to help the team.”
(A few minutes ago, Josh mentioned Rob Sale and when I spoke to Rob, this is what he said. He said “Rob can play tackle for a long time in the NFL or he could be a Pro Bowl guard.” So Sale is very high on your projection as a guard. What is the guard mindset, and what about your size and power do you think can translate when you’re at the guard position?) – “This would be my first year playing guard since my sophomore year in college if I do play it. Like I said, we’re all moving around, but it’s football at the end of the day and … (inaudible) whatever I’m needed to do, I hope my body will hopefully allow me to do that. I’m super blessed to be playing this game and to be in this position. Whatever I’m needed to do, I will definitely do that. I know that my body should work with me to help me do that.”
(After you were drafted all of us were informed about your upbringing and the fire at the house and all of that. What has last year kind of meant to you and your family maybe more than financially, but having that stability of an NFL paycheck in your life now?) – “I’m extremely blessed. I wouldn’t take this for granted. I would tell – me passing along to the people in my city or whatever, it’s just a blessing. It’s an honor to be here. Whatever I can do to maintain and keep playing just to do this – I love the game of course – I’m doing this for the game, but it’s definitely a blessing to know where I’ve come from to be here, and to actually be doing what I have to do to and compete for a spot or compete for a job. Just to be in this facility and everything and the NFL is a huge blessing.”
(Just the fact that you’re grateful for it, I mean it probably shows a different mindset than the tackle/guard, where I’ll play and all of that stuff. For you to be here, are you kind of pinching yourself kind of every moment that you have that you kind of reflect that I’m here, and I’m making it, I’m doing something for myself?) – “A little bit. Like I keep saying I’m extremely blessed, but the end of the day, I think it’s going to happen regardless. You never know what’s going to happen in our life. It happens for a reason. God always puts it in our life for a reason, so it was meant to happen regardless since birth. I didn’t know about it, none of us knew about it, but it was going to happen regardless and I’m extremely blessed, like I said. I take it day by day.”
(I wanted to ask you, your fingernails, is that for fashion? Is that for football? What do you have going on?) – “I wouldn’t say for football. It’s definitely for me. This pair’s kind of old, but this is what I like. I think it’s groovy. I think it’s different of course, and I like different.”
(What’s the – I can’t get a great view of it. What do you have going on there?) – “Just a different style. I got a little lightening bolt, I got some stars, I got a heart, I got the moon. Just different things. It just came to my head, and I wanted to put it on my nails. I think it’s fun.”
(Obviously last year you made the transition being a rookie. This year the rookie is T Liam Eichenberg. First of all maybe you can make him carry your pads in training camp – I don’t know if anybody actually made you do that last year. What can you tell Liam? What have you told Liam about making the transition to the league and being a pro?) – “I think that, not just Liam (Eichenberg), but all of the rookies, I think we’ve got a good group first of all. All of them want to learn. All of them want to be really good, I think we’ve got good coaches in ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre, (Erick) Wren, ‘Flats’ (Shawn Flaherty), and we’ve got the older guys. We’re still – second year guys, of course we’re not rookies anymore – but we’re still learning. We’re still very young. We’re just trying to teach them, and we’re still watching the older guys as well. He’s watching and he’s learning just like everybody else. He’s a great kid just like the rest of them. Rob Jones and Larnel (Coleman), all of those guys – really good kid.”
(I promise I’m not trying to get into your financials or anything like that, but was there anything you did like maybe for your family back home like get a new house or buy something or provide for somebody along the way that showed maybe how much you’ve been able to help?) – “No. I definitely haven’t bought a house for anybody. I haven’t bought a house for myself. No, I definitely haven’t done that. I’m still young in my career. I still – like I said, this is a huge blessing for me. I want to take full advantage of it for myself, and of course my family and my future family. Just being smart with my financials. I’m taking it day by day, of course nicks and knacks there. If somebody needs help, of course that’s my family, but nothing serious, nothing too crazy. Nobody has gotten a house yet or anything like that, like myself.”
Christian Wilkins – June 8, 2021
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Tuesday, June 8, 2021
DT Christian Wilkins
(There’s a lot of talk, especially among the coaching staff, about second-year leaps that players can make in the NFL. You’ve already had your second year. What do you believe you improved on from your first year to your second year?) – “Yeah, definitely that’s a big thing that’s talked about. I feel like for me personally, I just try to hone my overall craft and game. The biggest thing was first trying to get into proper shape to be a pro. I feel like that helped me a lot and then I was able to work from there, just work on my technique, improve as a teammate and as a leader and just everything. I feel like I made a lot of strides in a lot of different areas.”
(If I could follow up on that, I didn’t think you were out of shape as a rookie or anything like that. What do you mean by being in better shape?) – “Well, I’m my biggest critic, so I’m just working on everything. But definitely, I want to be able to feel like I can play at any time, as many snaps as I’m needed, anything like that – run to the ball, get out of the stack, those kind of things. Those things I pride myself on, so that’s where it starts for me.”
(I wanted to congratulate you on being part of the first graduating class from the HBCU Florida Memorial University construction trade program. I wanted to ask you how much pride that brings you, the graduation for that; but also, a little bit about the experience, if you could tell us about it.) – “That was awesome. Obviously last year with everything going on in the world, a group of us just decided to form the social justice impact committee and we’ve been able to make some strides and help out our local area, our community and everything. So I’m proud of all the guys and all their work, and that was great to be a part of. It was better than I could have imagined, just being able to help out our community and get people graduated and things like that, so they can go off in the world and do great things. So that was awesome to see.”
(I saw some video on the Dolphins Twitter of LB Benardrick McKinney walking out there today. He looks like a relatively large man. And LB Jaelan Phillips looks like he’s put together pretty well together too. How do you think those two guys, as sort of newcomers, might be able to have an impact coming from behind you?) – “I feel like those guys, just being around them for the short time that I have been, they’re just guys who soak things up, listen and work hard, from what I’ve seen. I haven’t gotten to play with them or anything like that; but just from what I’ve seen, it’s all looking positive, so I’m excited to see what they can do.”
(What did you think of Marion Hobby’s departure and what approach is Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark taking?) – “I definitely think Coach Clark is a great coach and he’s going to have our d-line ready to go, so I’m excited to see what he can do this year for us and just continue to – it’s the second year with him so I think he’s going to do great and help us out a lot.”
(How did you and DT Raekwon Davis kind of work together last year and where your relationship and comfort level is with him on the d-line next to you is now?) – “Raekwon is my guy. That’s my little baby big brother. (laughter) Nah, me and him are real tight and I’m excited to see him, definitely, in Year 2 because he’s a good player, he works hard as well and is fun to be around. He’s a fun teammate to have.”
(When we were talking to Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark a couple of weeks ago, he said your two-week bout with the COVID-19 protocols may have hurt you. He felt like you were coming on right at that time. Did you finish last season how you wanted to? Do you feel like you kind of left anything out on the field that you wanted to accomplish?) – “Like I said earlier, like I kind of talked about, I’m my biggest critic so I’m always going to be hard on myself. Even if I finished with every stat, every category and every award, it still wouldn’t have been enough. I just look forward to this year and improving this year, and try to be the best player I can be.”
(The football nerd in me has me going back and looking at some of the analytics about your pressures and how they come from multiple different positions along the defensive line. I know a lot of your game is creating chances for other guys as well; but I’m curious from your perspective, what does playing all of those positions do to kind of open up your game and give you more chances? Like how does it benefit you to play so many spots along the d-line?) – “Definitely something that I pride myself on is versatility. Our defense is based off a multiple scheme with multiple fronts and guys who can do a lot of different things; so that’s what a lot of us pride ourselves on. Really, the biggest thing for me is I just like to – wherever I am, I like to try to make an impact and help the team as best as possible. That’s my job. That’s what I’ve got to do and that’s what I try to do down in and down out.”
(You said something earlier about obviously stats not really defining what you are; but I’m curious because on the outside, a lot of fans see sack numbers and that’s how they decide whether people have a good year or not. I’m curious if you have an individual stat or multiple that you look at that maybe defines the best way of how you see, am I playing well or not?) – “The biggest thing for me is I just try to just be a good teammate. I pride myself on that first and foremost. So whatever I’m asked to do, whether it’s hold guys up, whether it’s to make a play, whether it’s to knock guys (down); whatever I’m asked to do, I just like to play within the scheme and be the best I can within my role and be a good teammate first. That’s the No. 1 important thing to me.”
(A lot of the veteran players on the defense – there’s been some turnover with some of the guys who had been there a while, so now as you head into Year 3, you could take on more of a leadership role. I’m curious, what to you being a defensive leader means?) – “Definitely for me it starts with just the work. You’ve got to put in the work in the film room, in the weight room, on the field and then hopefully guys will follow that. It doesn’t always have to be a vocal rah-rah guy or anything like that, but really just serving my teammates is a big thing for me. Whatever anyone needs – rookies, older guys, younger guys – they need someone they can talk (to), anything. That’s what I pride myself on, so definitely just the work, leading by example and then always being myself, bringing that energy, bringing that juice to every day because I really do love this game. As much as it is work, it’s a game and it’s a lot of fun, so bringing that energy and bringing that juice and just being myself.”
(And how do you get other guys – you talk about that energy, that juice. We see you celebrating other guys’ touchdowns. We see just energy that you bring to the sideline. How do you spread that to your teammates so they can sort of match your intensity?) – “Like I said, just being me and doing what I do from that standpoint; it really matters on those days where it’s the 12th practice of camp and everybody’s dead and tired and you’ve got a little bit more of a spark and you’re like, ‘all right, I’ll be the spark today, like I’ll get those guys going. I’ll try to make a play,’ or ‘I’ll try to bring a little energy or just pick it up out here.’ I feel like it’s hard but when the mood can be down or anything like that, you’ve got to always just be yourself day-in and day-out.”
(We just spoke to your teammate G/T Robert Hunt. He had some pretty stylish nails. I was just wondering if that’s a new trend that we don’t know about or is it just a Robert Hunt thing?) – “(laughter) I think that’s just a Hunt thing. I noticed the stylish nails; but yeah, that’s just him.”
(Is that something you can see other guys maybe picking up on and being just as stylish as your man Rob Hunt?) – “Maybe. (laughter) To each his own, I guess. I don’t know.”
(I wanted to ask you, how has it kind of been lining up against the offensive line this season? Obviously you have T Liam Eichenberg and G/T Robert Hunt making the transition. How has the offensive line kind of looked to you at an early glance?) – “I really like our offensive line group just because they’re good teammates and they’re guys who work hard and they’re very helpful. Just in between plays, ‘What were y’all trying to do here?’ Or ‘how can I service you guys?’ Or whatever it is. Like when we’re getting looks, just that kind of stuff and I know we’ve just got a hard-working group of offensive linemen and they’re fun to be around. Like I said, they’re good teammates so I really do like them.”
(We asked you about what you’ve done the first couple years. What do you want to accomplish this upcoming season?) – “Really just the day-in and day-out improvement. Just get one percent better and the rest will take care of itself. Just get better at the small things and the big things will come. So every day, just locking in on the little details, just trying to find ways to finetune my body, try to find ways to finetune my spirit, my game, all that. Like I said, the little things so those will lead to the big things.”
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