Jeff Wilson Jr. – November 14, 2022
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Wednesday, November 14, 2022
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
(Your attitude coach said is infectious on the team. Because when you do that and want to run over a defender, it seems like everybody else wants to do the same thing as well.) – “Yeah. I mean, it’s just contagious. I’m glad I can be that point. Obviously, it’s not like these guys are not physical or haven’t been playing hard or running hard since before I got here. It’s just the fact that even if it was me on the other side, to see somebody else doing it, it would turn me up to be like I want to get some of that because I like the affect it brings.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel actually has a name for it. He called it Wilson-itis.) – “Yeah, I guess you can say that. That’s just me. That’s how I play the game, and that’s how I’ve always played the game.”
(What’s the kind of reaction you get on the sideline when you come back from a run? You put a Euro step on somebody yesterday. What’s the kind of reaction you get from your teammates when you go back?) – “It be pats (on the back) and a good job, but it’s the facial expressions that say more than words or any other thing. Just to come back and to see the guys giving me that look like, ‘I feel you brother. Keep giving it to me. I feel you. You’re turning me up.’ That’s what gives me the thrill out of it, to see them come back and be hyped and ready to play some NFL football.”
(You’ve been with Head Coach Mike McDaniel for probably the longest now. Do you ever wonder what’s going on in the mind of that dude? Because he’s not the typical coach. He never gives a typical coach speech. You just never know what’s going to come out of his mouth. Just talking about that mind of Mike.) – “He’s a mastermind. He’s a guy that does a lot, that has a lot on his plate now. I can only imagine how much more it’s turning than what it was before because he’s always thinking, he’s always working, he’s always prepared and he’s always trying to be the best. So when you do that, it causes a lot of hours. I’m just thankful to his wife and family for being a great support to him. That way he can be at his best and give us all that he can. He’s doing a tremendous job. But trying to figure out what’s exactly on his mind? I think that’s impossible. (laughter)”
Mike McDaniel – November 14, 2022
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Monday, November 14, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(There were a lot of fans asking last night about LB Trey Flowers. I know a month ago you’d said you weren’t sure if he’d be able to come back like the DE Emmanuel Ogbah injury. Is it possible he might return or would you expect him to be out for the year?) – “Yeah, there’s no change. I think I can quote MacGruber on this, okay, and that’s ‘Never ever say never ever.’ (laughter) But yeah, no change.”
(So out at least for the foreseeable future?) – “Yeah.”
(And then obviously K Jason Sanders has a very good body of work over five NFL years. He’s struggled this year. Have you and General Manager Chris Grier and Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman decided if you will bring in kickers just to take a look or is Jason Sanders your kicker unquestionably moving forward?) – “He’s given me no reason to believe that he won’t get the things corrected. So we’re always doing that regardless, with regard to every position to make sure that you are up to speed on your contingency plans because you’re only one soft tissue (injury) away, especially at those positions. But I have no reason to think – first and foremost, Jason (Sanders) holds himself to a high degree of scrutiny and has high demands of himself so he expects more. But it’d be one thing if he’d given me any reason to think that he can’t get it corrected. So until he proves otherwise, we’re feeling good about where we’re at with him.”
(We’ve reported the news on DE Emmanuel Ogbah, but to hear it from you and just whatever you can elaborate on his injury?) – “It was very unfortunate for him. For the individual, it sucks because he is one of the type of veteran players that didn’t take his investment by the organization lightly and it just seems he’s just had hiccup after hiccup. Just unfortunate luck this season, so with regard to health and his injury occurred on a play that really fired me up. He really set the edge on the right tackle and stayed in for a play because he just felt weird. So it’s very unfortunate. I feel terrible for him. That’s the hard part of being invested and being along on the journey with some of these guys, but we’re just going to have to have what’s occurred all season at every position, which is to have guys step up and account for his production and his missing voice in the locker room.”
(Update on DB Keion Crossen?) – “Haven’t talked to (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) about him specifically today. I do not have an update on it. But I guess I can further update you guys on Wednesday. (laughter) Just be patient. Just be patient. (laughter)”
(When you see receivers blocking downfield like we’ve seen this season and specifically yesterday, what does that tell you about their desire and their responsibility, how seriously they take it?) – “It tells me that they’re trying to win football games and they get it. It tells me that they are being coached right. It tells me that they’re that they’re approaching the game the right way. If you’re shortsighted, you can think, ‘Okay, I’m a receiver. I get paid to catch footballs.’ And that’s a very shortsighted investment because you’re also, as a receiver, depending on a lot of people to do the right things for you to get receptions. Yeah, you’ve got to sauce people up and do cool receiver stuff, but you also have to have a line executing appropriately. And you have to have a quarterback executing appropriately. And that’s all easier on both those parties when you’re able to run the ball. And in this league, if you want to run the ball with success, it’s not negotiable. You’ve got to have receivers play that way. I saw some guys make some impact plays and get involved, and if you’re trying to play good offense at a high level and you have the aspirations to be a really good group in the league, you better run block. It changes the energy and the mentality of a football team when that’s the case. I’m glad you mentioned that because it’s not happenstance. Not only did we get our first explosive touchdowns … But it’s not a coincidence. You’re breaking these long touchdowns because guys are committing to the process and having the desire and determination not to have the person that they’re in phase with be a part of the tackle. It’s cool football.”
(Yesterday in the locker room, when you were talking to the team, you kind of challenged the players, so to speak. You used a phrase – “make 2022 one of those years you remember forever.” What constitutes a year that you would remember forever?) – “When you go through things, when you’re fully invested. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t really control ultimate outcomes. You can’t – I’m not worried about that. I’ve learned a life lesson in my experience, that you get out exactly what you put in. You’ll make 2022 memorable if you and a collection of other individuals decide to invest as much as they’ve ever invested in their craft because in that experience, there’s highs, lows, there’s relationships. But ultimately, I know this for a fact, you get the most out of whatever you got. And you’ll remember that. So I make it less tangible, or a proclamation about ‘we will do X.’ If it’s more about – if you reflect on some of the things that you’ve done in team sports, some of the guys speak on it candidly, guys that have won stuff and guys that have gone to the playoffs, gone and done stuff in the playoffs; the common denominator is that players decided to put team first and individual stuff second and you invest and you go through hardship and you go through triumph, and you become closer as a team and it kind of defines you as a human being as well. So that’s all. It’s the 100 percent investment, which so far I’ve been very happy with. But it’s long-distance running. It’s not a sprint. So we still have a lot of the race to go.”
(OL Austin Jackson was active but didn’t play. Do you see that as a plan going forward or was it more so just he was available if someone got hurt and maybe he could start on the other side of the bye?) – ”We were hoping not to play him because we felt that good about him being able to really – we felt like if we could get through this game, we just loved his progress and he could not have a setback, we would be out of the woods as best we can control with that stuff. So he was there for an emergency and we were hoping not to have to play him and we were fortunate not to.”
(This is the bye week for you all. I know you get some time off. Do you have plans to visit a high school game? Have you had a chance to try a Publix sub? I’m just curious some of the things that you planned for the bye.) – “Yeah, I have – I’m still working on the phrase or how to coin a phrase, but it’s half regen, half dad. I don’t know, I’m not creative enough right now. I emptied the tank this this first half the season, so all my wit’s gone. But I think it’s important. Just philosophically, how I see going about business, you’re competing against people all the time within your own personal – within your building structure, within the people in your position group and around the league. To separate yourself in how you go about stuff, it’s the intentionality and being deliberate, but the thing is to do that the right way, it’s an exhausting process. It is to – deliberate practice is a brain drain. And in order to do it the appropriate way, you have to have deliberate rest as well. So I’m a leader by example. I’m going to show these guys how to rest my butt off, and then when I’m not asleep, I’ll be daddying and husbanding. I’ll have some honey-dos. I’ll do my chores, because I won’t want to be in the doghouse. I might kind of, at the end of the week, just kind of skirt some of those honey-dos, just knowing that there won’t be ramifications because I’ll be back at work. (laughter) But until then, I’m alright.”
(FB Alec Ingold played easily his highest number of snaps yesterday, on the day when the running game had it’s best outing of the season.) – “Correlation or causation? (laughter)”
(What say you?) – “I don’t think it’s a coincidence. We knew going into the game that we were going to have him on the field a lot. He provides a very physical presence and is adjusting to playing. He’s played fullback before, but what that means and how we’re utilizing his skillset is a little different than he’s been used before in his career – a little more versatile. He’s got a lot more running. He’s not as much close quarters stuff. I thought he did a tremendous job, and he’s starting to come into his own in that regard. So, he stepped up to the plate when we needed him to, and he’s a tone setter for our football team that we count on, week-in and week-out, to help establish a physical style of play. I was happy to see him be put in some advantageous situations, and he took advantage of them yesterday.”
(The physicality of RB Jeff Wilson Jr.’s run style, was that something that you think this offense was missing for the first eight weeks of the season?) – “I think that it’s something that benefits the offense. I’m not sure if I would say necessarily missing, but it definitely adds another dimension. I guess we weren’t necessarily lacking it, but with a guy like him that brings energy every time he touches the ball, I think that is infectious. I think it does help the team. Whether or not I don’t think necessarily we were missing it, but I think it does change a little – there’s residual effects to other eligibles, not just the running back room and not just the offense. There’s residuals to the whole team as well. I think he electrifies the defense, too, because when you’re on the sidelines and you see someone punishing defenders and straining and doing everything they can for each and every yard, it makes every eligible better. I think him and Raheem (Mostert) play off of each other extremely well. They always have. And I thought you saw some pretty cool stuff from Raheem, too, playing off of Jeff’s energy.”
(So it’s one of those things that it’s not necessarily quantifiable? Like there’s no stat that’s going to say, “This is what we’re getting with Jeff Wilson as much as…”) – “You’re exactly right. I was trying – it’s made me so happy, because I couldn’t articulate it. I really couldn’t, but when we were talking about it, I was like, ‘Just wait, guys. Just wait.’ I was very excited, because I knew we could benefit from something that wasn’t necessarily that we were missing but he could add something that could do more than whatever his stats are. Whatever the Jeff – we’ve got a case of the Wilson-itis, I think, maybe. The whole team benefits from it, and ironically – or is it ironic? Is it correlation or causation? But Cedrick Wilson Jr. also had his most physical game. So maybe the Wilsons are just long-lost brothers that rubbed off on each other, I don’t know. (laughter) But I think that it is something that our game can continue to grow in all aspects. I think it was the most physical that we’ve played on both sides of the ball. I think Jeff Wilson contributed to that, but I think we’re all just kind of growing in how we play our style of football. There’s a lot of people putting some more physical stuff on tape that it’s only going to help the Dolphins.”
(Going back to your daddy duty this week, I saw your shoes yesterday had a picture of your daughter on them. I was curious kind of the behind the scenes of how that came to be and just how special it was to have that picture with your daughter?) – “So she can’t really talk, but she’s a savant of painting and she designed – no. (laughter) That was gifted to me. That was a surprise on Saturday. I have people on top of people – yes, I was surprised on Saturday. I’m getting my haircut on Friday by Steve, you guys might know him, and then he’s like, ‘I’ve got a present for you on Saturday.’ I said, ‘Cool.’ I didn’t expect that. Salute to Service, which is very meaningful to me and I very much appreciate it, but then to have a picture of myself and my daughter, it was just like, what world am I in? This is unbelievable. So then I went down the hall and checked with my regulatory advisors to make sure that I would not be violating any NFL rules, and I think I passed all tests so then I put them on. It was a really cool thing to be able to support an unbelievable cause for people that sacrifice really everything they have, in a selfless manner, for our way of life. And then to have that on top of a painted picture of my daughter, who when I saw her on the sidelines before the game, they were talking about them. So I pointed and she goes, ‘Ayla,’ which is her name, so she recognized herself on a shoe and I almost just broke down crying before the game. So that was pretty cool. I felt very fortunate to be a part of it. Those shoes are – I took them from the game home and I’ll probably be wearing them doing dad duty all week while I take out the trash.”
Jeff Wilson Jr. – November 13, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 13, 2022
Postgame – Cleveland
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
(How good does it feel to just have this type of impact so early on especially going into the bye week 7-3, part of a team that feels like it is doing something special?) – “It is kudos to all those other guys. I’m just a running back. There are a million running backs in this league and like I said, we have three good ones that were up today and was active. So it could have been any one of those guys because the way our o-line attacked, and the way our receivers attacked down field helping us get to the open field.”
(Is this the most special group you have been a part of?) – “Oh man. Special. Like I said, I think it is early to tell. We’ve got a long journey, a long ride, but the way the guys brought me in, the love, the facility, everybody around that showed me. Man, I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.”
(Is there a healthy competition going on with you and RB Raheem Mostert?) – “There’s no competition. All that stuff’s up to the coaches – whoever’s in, we’re going to roll and that’s just how it is.”
Raheem Mostert – November 13, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 13, 2022
Postgame – Cleveland
RB Raheem Mostert
(What has the bond been like in the running back room over the last few since RB Jeff Wilson Jr. has gotten in there? Obviously, you said you guys aren’t worried about where the ball goes, but just the bond you guys have?) – “We’ve worked together for a number of years. For him to come in and play the role that he’s doing, I can’t be much prouder. I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week; he’s definitely a guy that we can count on in the run game. I’m just happy for him, because like I said, I saw him when he was just crawling in the league, and now he’s blossoming. He’s doing unbelievable things. We feast off each other. We’re a good 1-2 punch.”
(This is the first time since 2003 that the Dolphins haven’t punted in a game. What does that say about this offense?) – “It’s just high flying. We did take a chance on fourth down a couple times and I think we were 1-for-2 or 2-for-3 or something like that. But it’s all about how we can operate on this offense. We are doing a great job, especially like I mentioned earlier we have got (No.) 1 (Tua Tagovailoa) directing everything and putting the ball in a great position, and then you have (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) calling plays, doing what he has to do. It’s up to us players to get the job done, so we’ve been able to do that.”
(The Dolphins put up 39 points – how much better can this offense be?) – “We’ve got to check the tape. That tells a lot. We’ll see what it entails. We’ll watch film tomorrow before we head out for the Bye Week. But it’s real simple – we’ll watch the tape and go back to what we know and do what we do best.”
Bradley Chubb – November 13, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 13, 2022
Postgame – Cleveland
LB Bradley Chubb
(How did it feel to get the sack?) – “It felt good. It’s only a half, so I can’t feel too good about it, but I just have to keep working. The numbers are going to come and I’m just excited to be here.”
(Was it less thinking and more doing today than last week?) – “For sure. Last week was a whirlwind trying to figure out my living situation, kind of having the emotions of getting traded, all that type of stuff and now I’m comfortable, I’m good. My guys help me out every time I need them. I’m a lot more comfortable and feeling like myself.”
(It seems like everyone has been pretty welcoming here. Can you talk about how you have kind of just become a part of a team) – “Yeah, like you said, it wasn’t really an awkwardness or anything like that. Last week, I was figuring myself out, wasn’t really talking to anybody. Now guys are starting to see my personality a bit more and I’m starting to see theirs. I’m starting to hang out with guys on the days we don’t have stuff too late. It’s cool to so quickly be a part of this team and continue to build. Like I said it’s only kind of a sample of what this defense and what this team is capable of, so I’m excited to see what we do after the bye week.”
Christian Wilkins – November 13, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 13, 2022
Postgame – Cleveland
DT Christian Wilkins (Transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q: You guys are going into the bye week with a four-game winning streak. As a team, it seems like you are playing your best ball. As a team captain, can you speak to how confident this team is feeling right now?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Yeah, well, we’re just trying to do our job each and every week. The objective of the season is to do this all year. Whether you win, whether you lose, you always want to get better. You can win games in this league, but it doesn’t mean you’re getting better, you know what I mean? That’s kind of our goal. That’s what we wish to accomplish each and every week. We feel like we’re doing that. We probably played our most complete game today in all three phases. Yeah, there were things we can clean up on and things we can get better on, but this is probably our most complete, I would say. But yeah, an objective of ours is definitely just to sprint into the bye week. We didn’t think about it or want to sit on a loss or sit on a bad game. We all wanted to come out here and sprint into the bye week. That was kind of the mindset, and we did just that.
Q: Limiting Nick Chubb to under 100 yards this game and the front four with you, Bradley Chubb, Melvin Ingram, and Jaelan Phillips. What’s the thoughts of that four and the domination that you guys…?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: First of all, I got a lot of respect for (Nick) Chubb. I think he is probably the most pure, the best pure running back in the league. For us to do what we did against him, I mean, he obviously popped a few of them. You know, I got a lot of respect for him. We did a decent job up front. Still a lot we can clean up. We have a lot of guys that can go on that d-line. It makes it a lot better when you look to your left, look to your right and you are like, ‘alright I got a dawg over there, a dawg over there. All I have to do is do my job.’ It makes it a lot more fun. We’re all gelling together. We have good energy. We have a good camaraderie. We’re hoping that that allows us to play better and play for each other.
Q: Do you feel the pass rush now coming in greater waves? There were three instances where those guys split sacks.
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: No, definitely. I just think it’s just everybody is hungry. Everybody is trying to go eat, but we’re doing it for each other and doing it together.
Q: As someone who has seen Tua from year one to year three. The numbers he is putting up… as a teammate, how gratifying is that?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: It’s great to see. He is someone that we have always believed in inside the building and as teammates and regardless of what people think of him on the outside, naysayers, whoever. We’ve always had his back since day one, and we knew he could do things like this. A lot of respect for him for blocking out the noise, just locking in on his process and doing his job, and he has been able to be a great pro. He is doing some really good things this year. So hopefully he can just keep it going and keep leading us the way he is because he is doing a phenomenal job this year.
Q: I do have to ask. I am sure you probably heard some of those “MVP” chants. What were your thoughts on those?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Hey, man, that’s cool. I’m glad our fans are coming out and showing a lot of love and giving him the respect he deserves. Again, if they feel that way, man, chant for that man. I think he is doing a pretty good job this year.
Q: What can you say about your newest teammates Bradley Chubb and Jeffery Wilson Jr.?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: They’re alright… They’re okay. They’re decent additions to the team. (laughter) No, I really like those guys a lot. Starting with Bradley (Chubb), I think he is a heck of a player. Person? Eh, he went to NC State, so we’re still trying to settle our differences there. But, yeah, he is going to be able to help us a lot especially down the stretch and as he learns the defense and gets more comfortable. He has come right in and been someone that was a good fit right away to the scheme and just to the type of guy he is. And Jeff, it’s fun to watch him rush. I don’t know who pisses him off before every game, but damn. He is a lot of fun to watch, and I’m glad he is on our team. He is a great teammate as well.
Q: Angry Run contender this week maybe?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Yeah. Like I said, he is just fun to watch. It doesn’t matter if he is getting no yards or 20 yards, he is going to make you feel him. It’s fun to watch.
Tyreek Hill – November 13, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 13, 2022
Postgame – Cleveland
WR Tyreek Hill
(What does it feel like heading into the Bye Week 7-3? Obviously, you guys didn’t overlook the Browns today.) – “It feels good. I feel like we’re in a great position. Obviously with football, things don’t go as planned. So we’re in a good spot and we’re very confident with where we’re at.”
(You guys have been waiting for WR Trent Sherfield to get into the end zone. How happy were you to see that happen today?) – “I was very happy. He had one stolen from in Detroit, so for him to get in the end zone with everything he’s had to deal with throughout the course of his career, definitely happy for him.”
(The way you guys ran the ball today, when this offense is doing that, it’s going to be pretty hard to stop, no?) – “Yeah, for sure. For sure. The offensive line, they did a great job. Coach (Mike) McDaniel and the whole coaching staff did a great job of scheming. Even Mike Gesicki, he did a great job coming in, putting his helmet on someone today. It felt good. It felt good, guys just flying around, making plays for each other. And that’s what football is about. You have to have spirit.”
Xavien Howard – November 13, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 13, 2022
Postgame – Cleveland
CB Xavien Howard
(You guys defensively holding them into the teens [points], what clicked for you guys today?) – “I think our DC (Josh Boyer) did a good job. He put us in position to make plays and get back to the quarterback. After we got to the quarterback he started forcing throws. We were just in great position.”
(The Bills just lost, so now you guys are first place in the division going into the bye week. Are you guys surprised that you guys are at where you’re at?) – “We’re taking it one day at a time. Their loss doesn’t mean anything. We have to keep going. We’ve got to keep winning.”
(I know you play on the other side of the ball obviously, but when you hear the crowd yelling “MVP” for your quarterback, how does that make you feel?) “Tua is playing at a high level right now. Just keep it up and keep getting better, that’s all I wish for him. It’s crazy. It’s crazy. He’s just got to keep playing at a high level.”
