Jerome Baker – November 7, 2023
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Tuesday, November 7, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel talked about the season and how it’s going so far for you guys. What is your assessment on how things are going for the Dolphins?) – “We’re moving in the right direction. Every week we’re getting better, and that’s all you can really ask for. We’ve got our bye week coming up now, so we just have to get healthy and get ready for the rest of the year.”
(What will you do in the bye week? What’s your plan heading into it?) – “Relax, get your mind away from football a little bit. Just relax, get your body back right. It’s only a little time, so you’ve got to get back right and be at it full force.”
(What are some of the things that you’ve learned now from this first half of the season knowing that the second half is going to be much tougher?) – “I think the main thing we learned is we’ve got the potential, but we just have to keep putting the work in. We’ve got to keep believing in what we’re doing, believing what the coaches are saying and we’ll be alright. I think throughout the year we just kept getting better and better. I think this is the right time to take a little break and come back full force and go on a little run.”
(How much confidence is this defense playing with right now?) – “I think we’re confident. I think we also know that we can be a lot better. There are some things we need to work on. We need to work on getting some more turnovers and things like that, tackling better. At the end of the day, we know we’re a talented defense, but we still have to put the work in and believe in what we can do.”
(You gave up 14 points to the Chiefs, it doesn’t get much better than that. What did you take from that game?) – “Yeah, we had some mistakes. I think we started pretty slow. Things like that we can still knock out and get better. Like I said, we know we can be a good defense. We just have to get better any way we can. I think the main thing is just communication, the better communication we have, the better off we’ll be.”
(Is the bye week coming at a good time? Or after a game that’s so close like that, do you wish you had another crack at someone the next week?) – “I think it’s perfect. Pretty much halfway through, I think this is the perfect time for us.”
(How have you treated bye weeks in the past? What changes now that you’ve been in the league for a little bit?) – “In the past, I didn’t get away. I kind of stayed in Miami, kind of still stayed around and kind of was still in it. You don’t really realize it later on, you’re like, ‘I wish I had a few days just to relax,’ and now you don’t have it. Now I kind of take that approach of bye week, step away a little bit. It’s good for you, good for your mentals.”
Bradley Chubb – November 7, 2023
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Tuesday, November 7, 2023
LB Bradley Chubb
(Why has the defense clicked? Why has it started looking like it’s supposed to?) – “Just guys buying in. I feel everybody is understanding their role and perfecting their role, not trying to do too much and not trying to make up for somebody else’s mistake. Everybody has bought in and understands exactly what they need to do so guys don’t have to stretch and reach out trying to help somebody else out. They can just focus on their job. I feel like ever since we’ve kind of locked into that, we’ve been moving as a unit … But yeah, just guys buying in, and that’s been working out well.”
(You probably had your best season in Denver under Vic Fangio, and now he’s here and you’re having the kind of season you are. What is it about you and Vic that kind of go together so well?) – “I just understand what he expects from me. I feel like early in the season, I wasn’t at the point that I wanted to be. I kind of just started understanding and getting back to who I was and what I knew he expected of me and what I knew this defense expected of me. Like I said, just buying into perfecting my role – whether that be dropping, playing the run, rushing the passer. Just trying to perfect that each and every day. I think we just have that connection so hopefully we keep it going.”
(How important is it to disconnect during the bye week?) – “It’s huge because you got so much time of getting into a routine and staying on a team each and every week. It’s a new goal, new opportunities and stuff like that. For us to kind of decompress and relax and let the weight of the world off our shoulders for a little bit and come back in the second half of the season, it allows us to come back a lot stronger.”
(A little bit early, Head Coach Mike McDaniel was talking about the realities of the NFL, one of them being the salary cap, and how it is a finite amount of money that goes around. In your case, he mentions that he thought that you, in his words, exorcise pressure demons that go with your salary and how it relates to the salary cap. What’s your response to that?) – “I mean, yeah, no doubt. Like I said, earlier in the season I just didn’t feel like I was making that big of an impact on the field and I was kind of letting it get to me. I’m supposed to be this guy and all that. But that’s when I had to look at the man in the mirror and understand, hey man, you do this. It’s not about what people who put expectations on you, it’s not about that. It’s about what you know you can do and how you prepare to do that. I just started tapping into that a lot more and I did that, I started bringing guys along with me, and I feel like that’s kind of shifted the energy for all of us as a defense. It’s allowed us to grow better because everybody had that same mindset of looking in the mirror and understanding what they need to do better. It allows all of us to grow, I feel like.”
(How has it changed your outlook right now? Mentally, it must be a load off your shoulders?) – “Yeah, it’s a load off. But I know the work is not done. We still have eight more games and hopefully if we do the right thing, we have three more after that. My main thing is just try to continue to be the best me each and every day. And this bye week is it’s going to be an epitome of that. It’s a lot of free time and I have to do everything I can to be ready for the Raiders.”
(Question from LB Jaelan Phillips – Mr. Chubb, what do you think the biggest challenge of the second half of the season is?) – “Getting Jaelan Phillips to buy in. (laughter) Nah, I’m just playing.”
(Are you going to miss Jaelan Phillips over the bye week?) – “Yeah, for sure. We’re going to be kicking it. That’s my dawg. We’re going to be kicking it regardless. Whatever we do, I know we’re going to have fun doing it. It’s going to be good.”
(Kicking it where?) – “Beach, boat, house, playing video games. No matter where we’re at, 2 and 15 are going to bring that energy.”
(It looked like you got pretty emotional with it being the one-year anniversary of you coming to Miami. Where did you get that emotion?) – “Just understanding overall it’s just life. Life just puts you in positions, God puts you in positions that you never would’ve seen yourself in. I would never thought I’d be in Germany playing against the Chiefs in such a big moment and stuff like that. It’s dope to take a look back at where you were and where you’re at now and see everybody grow, see myself grow. All the emotions came out because I remember where I was mentally a year ago. Like, yeah I got money and got this, but am I happy? Am I where I’m supposed to be? And all those questions finally coming in life and getting them answered and understanding I’m right here where I need to be.”
(Is that adulting?) – “That’s adulting, 100 percent. That’s adulting. It’s life. Everybody goes through it and I had a great support system around me. I have a great Lord and Savior to help guide me through life. It’s been amazing.”
Mike McDaniel – November 7, 2023
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Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I know you’re going to give us a OL Robert Jones update, but I was curious, have you and Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry pretty much come to an idea or conclusion about who you want out their left guard – once OL Robert Hunt is healthy and the right guard? You obviously have three options with OL Liam Eichenberg, OL Rob Jones, if he’s healthy, and OL Lester Cotton. Do you and Butch pretty much know what you want to do or do you want to open the competition next week? And does OL Isaiah Wynn have a realistic chance of making it back before the end of the year?) – “That’s a lot to unpack. I’ll go with the already-understood Rob Jones update which is that there is no surgery involved. It will take a little bit of time, but it’s more of a week-to-week deal with him so it’s not a surgery situation. Like I said before, nothing’s changed with Isaiah (Wynn) in terms of I’m not going to tell someone that he can or can’t, but it’s a long journey and we’re just taking it step by step with that. And then it kind of goes back to I think you’re starting to see why camp was full of competition, and it was so hard for you to really say, this is what our lineup is going to be, because we have a lot of NFL players at the offensive line position, really, and to sit here and say that – I think that we really have gotten into the groove of worrying about our day-to-day process, and there’s only one day that truly exists. So allowing those guys to compete and not putting kind of like an absolute on that position I think benefits us because we have several capable players. So you allow their day-in, day-out work to speak for itself and will allow the players to shape the direction we go at that position when we have everyone at full health.”
(Would you consider at all position change for T Kendall Lamm if there was ever a necessity?) – “He has the capability of it. He has played that and sure, there’s always – that’s the one thing is we have a ton of versatility. There’s more often than not, on the offensive line, guys that are playing interior have the capability to play exterior and vice versa. So that’s not off the table, but it’s not something that we’re really entering in now in terms of immediate thought process, but we’ll definitely have to cover our bases because you always have to problem solve. Typically you have eight up on game day and when guys are battling through stuff, you have to be able to be versatile because you have to be able to adjust on the fly like we’ve fortunately and unfortunately had to this season already.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle obviously finished the game the other day, but given it was a long flight and so forth, is there any soreness on his part? Is he totally fine?) – “He definitely was sore, which we’re going to be measured with our approach with him. He did a great job really battling for his teammates. There was adrenaline and competitiveness that really drove him. It was definitely not ideal to get injured on the second play of the game, but he was – I think we gave him an end-around, it might have been fourth or fifth play of the game, and that was something that he was making it very clear to me on the sidelines to still call, that he wanted the ball. He’s in a good spot, however, we’re going to make sure that we don’t do any harm to him moving forward. He’s had to battle injuries unfortunately this season and we’ll utilize this bye week to make sure that he’s fully healthy and we don’t have any setbacks.”
(Is WR River Cracraft ready to return from IR? I know that you guys only have one practice this week with the bye before you guys get off, but is he ready to return?) – “He’s had a couple of good weeks of practice. He hasn’t had any setbacks whatsoever and so he’s chomping at the bit now. That will probably show its face here sooner than later.”
(I wanted to ask a follow-up on WR Chase Claypool. I know he’s been playing a significant amount of snaps lately. Where he is in the offense in terms of learning how to speak Spanish or is it just a situation where he’s gaining comfort in the roles that that you guys have kind of…?) – “He’s really growing immensely. We had a couple guys battling through stuff during the game, so it’s to his credit how he’s really jumped in with this group and gone full-tilt to learn as many positions as possible. When he’s been up, he’s had an important role and done well with that. In this past game, he had to kind of expand on that, so it’s to his credit. He’s been 100 percent all-in to this team and his teammates have embraced him and he’s going to continue to get better the more and more comfortable he is.”
(This is a hard-hitting bye week question. Obviously in a serious business, why are you so comfortable with comedy and showing personality when not a lot of people in your world are so comfortable doing that?) – “I just think it’s important to be yourself and for me, I think that comes from preparation, and really what I see my obligation to be towards the team. I think for me, as long as I cut no corners on the front end of things, I can really stay true to what this game is about. It’s of the utmost importance to everyone, you work your whole life to be in the situations that you’re in, whether it’s a player or a coach or all of those things. And there is a balance to it, I think, and an art, so to speak, because it’s a game that you’re trying to get guys to play passionately. So I think people respond best to authenticity, to know that nothing that you say or do is fabricated. So I just try to stay true to my personality and I feel like that’s owed to people. You have to give yourself, if you’re in a leadership role where you’re serving other people, you have to give people yourself and so I just try to pride myself on that and hold nothing back because I feel like that’s what people deserve. And hopefully, you guys hold me accountable and make sure I stay true to that path my entire career because it’s a pillar of importance to me.”
(When you’re sprinting from a camera man or something like that, how long does it take you to realize you’re kind of a walking viral moment?) – “To be honest, I don’t really look at it that way. It’s easy not to get caught up in virality if you spend little no time on the interwebs. For me, I have so many people that I would feel very guilty if I wasn’t completely and utterly present for them. And it snowballs into my personal life. The second I leave the office, I’m already behind the eight-ball with my daughter and my wife in my eyes, so there’s no real room for that. I’m not trying to do anything. I still haven’t mastered the art of acting like a camera isn’t there. So when I see a camera, I feel super awkward to pretend that I don’t know it’s there already. If it’s running away from it or it’s just something I’m doing in the moment, hopefully that isn’t what I’m known for ultimately, when my tenure is done whenever that time is. I’d hope that it would be my concrete dedication to every person that’s involved and every person that I’m responsible for. I’m hopefully in the process of however things unfold, that I leave people better off with having me then not having me. That’s kind of how I look at it and all the other stuff, it’s easy to not get caught up in viral moments when you have to be told that you went viral and you don’t really experience it yourself.”
(I want to ask about LB Bradley Chubb and how you’ve seen him become more comfortable with this team?) – “I can’t say enough about – I think Bradley Chubb represents something that I think is very, very important in professional sports. You have salary caps, so you want to pay everyone but there’s certain players that garner a large chunk of your salary cap by percentage. Those people, you’re entrusting a lot to. I think Bradley Chubb represents everything that I believe in in terms of this is a guy since the second he’s been here, he’s felt the responsibility to the organization to make right of our investment into him. I think as he’s found his niche and his role within the defense, he’s been able to exorcise some of the pressure demons that he self-imposes because it’s really important to him that he does right by the organization. I think you can feel that when he talks. I think he talked in Germany about he’s the one coming up to me reminding me that it’s a year anniversary since he was traded. All that stuff means something to him. And I think you have a chance as an organization when the people that you select to pay a good portion of your salary cap to, that they take that for what it is and it’s a responsibility heavy is the crown. And he’s in a really cool spot now, because he’s allowing the game to come to him and understanding that all this team needs from him is his 100 percent commitment each and every day, which he exercises on the daily.”
(You’re in first place in the division even with the loss. Going into the bye week, what are some things that you’ve learned that you’re going to take into now a tough second half of the season? And also how is your mind going to work now with this bye week? What are the things you’re going to think of in order to continue accomplishing your goals?) – “Yeah, I’ve learned a lot about this team. You learn the most when people really put themselves out there by committing themselves to the process and seeing what happens as a result. I’ve learned that this team has grown from last year. I’ve learned that this team, one of the huge things that you have to do in any major league sports season, is you have to be able to invest, deal with things that maybe you come up short from and not blink and press forward, putting more in and human nature is the tap. That’s not this team. I’ve learned that through experience and I’ve learned that if we bring it collectively as a coaching staff to each and every day, that our team will respond. I think we’ve really gotten better in the midst of wins and losses. That’s a huge important piece because besides maybe this organization’s 1972 year, there’s always bumps in the road on the journey for every single team, even the ones that finish the season with a win. I can’t say it enough. It’s the daily input. You’re going to have highs and lows. You’re going to have successes and failures. It’s learning how to take those and move forward for the eventual, inevitable elimination games. Those will always occur, whether you’re playing yourself into the playoffs or in the playoffs. Ultimately, if you’re in the fabric of the equation of the end of the season, you’re going to face elimination games, and that’s when you’re going to have to be your best. So, you better take every opportunity to learn. And I think our team is doing that. For me, I don’t score touchdowns. I don’t defend them. I am a coach. For this bye week, for me, reflecting on schemes is always inherent. It’s hard not to, especially in the middle of the season. But I think really getting myself to the pillar of health for the rest of the season, just to know what’s coming, to know how much people are going to count on me and spending time with my family, which is a huge extension of who I am as a person. Those are things that I’ll be focused on so I can give the organization and the team my very best throughout the home stretch, because it’ll be an important one.”
Mike McDaniel – November 6, 2023
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Monday, November 6, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We’ve got the rare treat of seeing you two consecutive weekdays, today and tomorrow, which never happens. So I figured I’d get the one injury question out of the way. The one health question out of the way to start and it’s a two-part. One, with OL Robert Jones – do you know MRI results to know if it’s a multi-week type injury? And with RB De’Von Achane even though you don’t have to make a decision on designated to return until next week or beyond, was his progress such that you think he has a real chance to play November 19?) – “Rob Jones, because of the kind of crazy travel and us trying to get a lot of stuff done while also giving the players a couple days off, I’ll probably have more information on that tomorrow. The good news is apparently I’m seeing you tomorrow. (laughter) So I’ll have more information on that. Still getting some more tests, so I’ll be able to detail that. And then we had no setbacks with De’Von (Achane) so we’ll see. So far, so good. There hasn’t been any reason to think it’ll take longer, but you know how those things are. You have to take it one day at a time, so we’ll approach that when we need to make a more firm decision.”
(And then OL Robert Hunt, how is his progress going?) – “Good. A ‘did you know’ is that was the first game of his NFL career that he missed. So what was good for him was talking to him before the game and he stayed in it, but there can be pros to having that experience and you capture some of that. You never know what you have until it’s gone. You capture some of that frustration or you just truly appreciate how much you love participating in those games, so then you capture some of those moments and then you apply it to what you can control and that’s practice. Maybe it’s that much easier to take the full-speed last three minutes of individual to game-like tempo. It’s that much easier to strain in the fourth period of practice. All these things, I think he did use it for his overall benefit because it was the first rep for him in that situation.”
(I’d like to ask a question and a follow-up if I may. I’m sure when you watched the film there were some frustrating moments, opportunities missed on the tape, you saw it in real time, too, I’m sure. It seems to be a bit of a recurring theme sometimes with the losses with this team, just the mental focus sometimes might not be there, the penalties we’ve talked about before, the drops, stuff like that. Have you been able to identify why in certain moments just the concentration might not be where it needs to be?) – “Here’s the thing that I find interesting that I think we can all agree upon; that for one, the narratives of how we lose games or the types of teams we lose to, there’s one way that will change. I don’t think that’s unfair and I’m very comfortable with that and I think all the players understand that. Two, I think nobody – I think it’s interesting that inside the locker room and indirectly the question that you just posed, you guys are sharing the same sentiment, which is not that we’re not good enough. So that I think is what the feeling of the locker room is, is that when we lose, we beat ourselves. And it so happens I think in this season, that when we have beaten ourselves, there’s been three teams that have really taken advantage of that and they all have winning records. Correlation, causation? The bottom line is we’re finding different things out that have nothing to do with our opponents, in my opinion, as much as they deserve credit. The Kansas City Chiefs have hardware from last season and are used to winning and they played hard. But we look at ourselves, how we can get better and I think it’s an example of, you have to be your best when your best is required. And when we take a little bit of time to get into a rhythm when those things happen, you’re losing the game that you have capabilities to win every week and that’s what we’re focused on. Because the loss is a loss. It was hard to watch the tape. That hurt is healthy, though. Just like I was very proud of the of the way we invested ourselves into the workweek of practice last week, I was proud of how we didn’t run from that tape, which can be painful. If you’re going to lose the game, you might as well make it purposeful. I think we’ve lost two games since the Buffalo game, but we made the Buffalo loss purposeful. And we’ve approached practice collectively at a heightened level across the board and we have no other plans but to use this experience purposefully as well moving forward.”
(What can you do differently? Self-scouting on the bye week. Is there a different message you could emphasize again? What can you do different to make sure those lapses don’t happen?) – “I think you’re always trying to assess how you can do stuff better. I think that starts from the top. I think it’s important for me to be proactive in finding things that can be done better. I also think that it’s as important that the pillars of importance stay consistent. I don’t see anything but the daily application of your intent, your focus, your deliberate nature, the presence that’s involved with that. I think that’s the nuts and bolts of everything and everything can extrapolate from that. However, I’ve always said this. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, it’s the same for me always. I think I always am looking critically in how I’m approaching everything because I don’t see it as copy-paste anything in my job. The particulars are very individualized to who I’m speaking to, how people respond to certain messaging. You’re always tinkering with that. But I think overall, it’s that much more important for me to double down on the pillars and values of being present, deliberate practice, and game-like workweeks that will ultimately render more successes than failures and being able to win big games against tough opponents.”
(I was going to ask you about the thinking going empty on that last drive on first down after the two RB Raheem Mostert big runs. When you have an incomplete pass obviously on first and second, it puts you in a spot where you probably can’t run, but was it something that went through your mind on the flight back at all? That particular sequencing of plays and why you went empty initially on first down?) – “Just so we’re clear, every single play that I ever call, I critically assess after the fact. And you’re looking at, okay, I think it’s my job to look at did I put the players in position for success? And it’s not as black and white as the result. One thing that I’m absolutely positive of with two minutes and 30 seconds to go, if the run didn’t work, we would be having a different conversation about, ‘hey, why’d you run the ball then?’ That’s literally the stakes for every decision and that’s fair. Because guess what? The people that are really questioning it after two successful runs – not necessarily you, but maybe some of your readership, we’ll give you the out – but if they are questioning that, it’s because they want it to work. Every play I take with that regard. The players definitely know that I don’t pass the buck of responsibility at all and they have high expectations and they’ve earned my confidence to do that. But I’m hyper-aware of the fact that every single situation, literally every time you go for it, every time you don’t, when people care about the result, they’re going to be like, ‘Well, you should’ve done the other thing. I mean you just ran for 40 yards in two plays, you should run it again.’ It was definitely on my mind. But when things don’t work, if you collectively – if I look at critically, was that the right decision? And then the players are able in a healthy manner say, ‘I don’t care what you call coach, we need to execute our fundamentals and technique.’ That’s the vision of what I think ultimately will have success over time in the way that we want it. I think that’s what’s going on. I don’t think there was a player that was questioning going empty and passing the ball. I know that every single play, especially when they don’t work, I’m like, ‘Well yeah, you probably should’ve done the other thing. Let’s do the stuff that works.’
(You’ve talked a lot about the growth of the season, the journey of going from one place in September to the ultimate destination in January. The defense has really kind of come on here the last couple of weeks. The whole year they’ve had their big plays, but really stifling offenses the last few weeks. How excited are you about where they are, not just from a performance standpoint, but the fact that you seem to be really healthy on that side of the ball?) – “I’m excited as much as one can – it’s a very conflicting Monday, ok? I’m not going to lie, we were all in as a group and that was a heartbreaker of a loss. I also know – I feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – I also know that we’re a better team than when we left for Germany. I know that. How are we? Because of how much we put into going after our assignments during the work week. It was probably where we had 100 ways to just go ahead and have excuses about tired or travel or stuff, but we embraced it. We became tighter. Then the proof was in the pudding, because guys invested more, really individually – it might be the most that they’ve ever invested in the game of football. And you sat there at 21-0 at halftime, and you’re like, ‘This is terrible.’ Well, it’s also a great moment of evaluation for who you’re working with. You really find out about your teammates when it’s like, ‘What is this?’ No one blinked, everyone went after it. I think the defense is exactly – is a microcosm of what’s going on with the team where whatever we’re talking about this team is right now, our team isn’t interested about right now. Our team is interested in what we’re going to become and controlling everything we can control, which is what we’re doing that day. But our job is to not live in the narrative of whatever it is right now. Our job is to have a bigger vision and work towards being the best that we can be as a team. I think that’s what the defense has done. While people were talking about what they were, they’ve been more focused on what we are. And I think that’s a microcosm with what the team is, regardless of the highs and lows, which are inevitable in an NFL season.”
(You’ve talked about the narrative a couple of times. Obviously, you have those three losses against quality teams. What would a win against a team of that echelon do for the psyche of your team, the confidence, whatever it might give you that you don’t have right now?) – “I don’t think that – this is me personally with my ear to the locker room, I don’t think our team is in need of any prove it in that way. I think that it’s important to understand that the narrative will continue until we until we change it. But I honestly also don’t think that that’s something that’s in the back of our team’s mind. I think correlation and causation are two different things, and I don’t think that we’re losing games because we don’t believe. I think we’re losing – good teams have made us pay when we’ve allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, in terms of shortchanging our execution, fundamentals or technique, and that, as we’re learning, NFL teams are good and it’s to be expected. So I don’t think that this team, as much as – I think we’re all aware of that their narrative. It’s a pretty no (expletive). I’m very comfortable with it, because I wouldn’t want to be like, ‘No, this is you don’t have to prove it. You’re entitled to our belief.’ No, this is what we do. Our team doesn’t want to be given anything. We’ll continue to work. We’ll let people talk about the things that move the needle for the business of football, but if we’re doing our jobs and worried about the right stuff, we’ll change the narrative. But it’s important not to be – none of that happens if we’re worried about the narrative. We need to be worried about our jobs and what we’re doing each and every day to get better, and that will come.”
Jevon Holland – November 6, 2023
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Monday, November 6, 2023
S Jevon Holland
(You guys have a lot of guys coming back here in the second half of the season. T Terron Armstead is back, CB Jalen Ramsey is back, CB Nik Needham is back, OL Rob Hunt will be back, RB De’Von Achane will be back. How do you view that in the grand scheme of things? Do you look at this as a big infusion of talent and here you go? Does it make a big difference who is coming back? How do you view that?) – “Yeah, I mean we need those guys to win. Those guys are important to our team, as is everyone who is playing. When we have our guys back, obviously it’s going to help us because they are great players, and we’re looking forward to that. Yeah, that’s the way I see it. The more the merrier for lack of better terms. I’m definitely excited to have those guys back.”
(What was your travel like back? What time did you get home? Did you get any sleep last night?) – “We had to drive to a different airport I think. I’m pretty sure. And then we got back at like three in the morning or something like that. It was similar to a night game we had away – like the Eagles game. We got back early in the morning against the Eagles because we played at nighttime. Kind of similar to that. I slept on the plane the last four or five hours. I was watching Man on Fire at first, and then I slept this morning. I’m not too tired or anything like that. As the day goes on and as the week goes on, I’ll probably re-align with this time zone.”
(Are you pleased you have a bye this week?) – “I think it’s definitely smart. To go into another week after a long week like last week would be pretty difficult, but you take the crookeds with the straights, and I’m glad we have a bye week, for sure. I’m definitely going to catch up on my sleep.”
(Were the Hard Knocks cameras rolling in the meeting today, and what’s that going to be like to adjust to?) – “No, they weren’t, and I have no idea. I’ve never done it.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio has been very complimentary of you. What have you learned from being around him? What have your eyes opened to from being around a coach with that level of expertise and experience?) – “I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Just more understanding of the game as a whole. He’s been in the league for along time – longer than I’ve been alive. Football is second nature to him, and the more I listen to him speak about his reasoning why, and why we play a certain type of coverage or defense in a certain position on the field, it just makes more sense. So my decision making becomes faster. I’m enjoying being a pupil in his dojo. The more time I spend with him, the more I learn.”
(That was your first game playing with CB Jalen Ramsey. How would you describe the impact that he has on the defense?) – “It was big time. You look out to the right and you see ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), you look out to the left now you see Jalen, and it’s kind of like, ‘who do you want to throw to?’ Him being out there, you can just tell there are certain things that we do – you feel his presence in the run game. If we’re in man-to-man, you don’t have to really worry about him, you don’t have to worry about ‘X’. As a safety, it feels good to have two All-Pro, Pro Bowl, gold jacket guys on each side. Knowing that if they throw it out there, it’s liable to be a turnover.”
(Now that you have pretty much the defense intact, it’s taken a long time to get everybody out there; but now that you have at least four quarters of seeing what it looks like, how would you assess where the defense is entering the second half of the season?) – “Definitely on the rise. I thought last game was a battle, and I thought we fought valiantly. But we’re definitely on the way up. Yeah, everybody is still getting their feet wet. We’re going into the second half of the season, which is going to be exciting, and I’m excited for it myself. As you saw putting the pieces together, everybody is starting to feel a lot more comfortable, and kind of right where I thought we would be. Yeah, it’s exciting to see everybody thriving within the defense. It’s just nice.”
(The second half of the season, the stakes become clearer. Certainly yesterday wasn’t the result that you wanted, but there is still so much of the season left to play. Over the last month, you might know home-field advantage and all of these things are up for grab. How does your mindset have to change as a team knowing that those will be crucial games down the stretch to get to where you want to get to?) – “I think that thinking about those games is going to add more stress than need be. You’re only going to play one team at a time, so focus on that one team and you’ll be able to handle whatever comes next. Those are obviously things that you want to look for, but if you win, those just kind of settle themselves. How do you win? You focus on the team that you’re going to play. How do you do that? You’ve got a day-by-day process. Just take it a day at a time and let the chips fall where they may.”
(At what point do you start to look at the standings and start to figure out that we could get a first-round bye and all of that kind of stuff? Do you personally do that?) – “Nope. Why? Like I just said, why even do that? That would just stress me out. I just focus on what’s right in front of me. Right in front of me is a bye week. I got to rest my bones. I’m not really tripping about it.”
(Is that the real goal of the bye week is to rest up? Do you just rest up, or do you self-scout individually? Do you come in as a team with some self-scouting?) – “Yeah. You can get a jump on the next team of course. But, also self-scout. What do you want to work on? It’s time for individual stuff, how could you improve yourself going into this next half of the season.”
Terron Armstead – November 6, 2023
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Monday, November 6, 2023
T Terron Armstead
(Good to see you back yesterday. You played well. Did you feel totally back to normal with the knee?) – “Just not playing for a month, just getting back in the groove, back to play shape, play speed, technique, fundamentals, chemistry, all those good things. It’s always a learning curve no matter how long you’ve been playing the game.”
(How do you feel today, the day after the game?) – “Good. Postgame soreness, all that good stuff that comes with it. The bumps and bruises of a physical game – it was a tough one yesterday. A tough, physical fight. But I’m good.”
(What happened? What was the injury that kept you out?) – “You talking from Buffalo?”
(Yeah, what happened a month ago?) – “I had a blow to the knee. Got rolled up on in pass pro. Just had to deal with some instability that I had to wait and let it heal up to get back on the field.”
(You knew right away that surgery wasn’t going to be needed?) – “Not really. I knew I wouldn’t be able to play right then in that game.”
(And the rest of you is okay?) – “Just ready to get back to take some time, see some family, get back to workouts and treatment, all those good things, and then get back here and continue to press and go for our goals.”
(How happy are you for the way OL Austin Jackson has played this year and where have you seen the most growth in him?) – “He’s been great. He’s been great. His technique, his attention to detail, his fundamentals, his approach every day, his willingness to work and the desire to be great every day, it’s hard to do. That’s the hard part about this league, especially up front, is the consistency of it. But he approaches it the right way. He’s ascending. It’s been great to watch and be a part of.”
(A long-winded question here about your guys’ health and getting everybody back. You’re back. OL Connor Williams is back. CB Xavien Howard and CB Jalen Ramsey played together. CB Nik Needham is back. Possibly RB De’Von Achane comes back. Maybe OL Robert Hunt comes back. Do you look at the last eight games in terms of look at everybody that we’re getting back and we can go on a big run here? Or do you just look at it like it’s still week by week?) – “Most definitely week by week. Yeah, week by week. There’s a lot of unpredictability that goes on in this game from week to week. We’ve got people that get banged up, can’t play one week, be back the next. That’s part of the game, part of the depth and filling out the roster. So we’re definitely just looking at the next game.”
(I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I would imagine yesterday was kind of a sense of a missed opportunity. You were in position, you guys as a team, just kind of some self-inflicted wounds. What is it about some of these bigger games that you guys, maybe the focus just is a little bit off? Because penalties are down from last year, but the games that you’ve lost, you’ve been penalized and had drops and things like that. Where does that mental sharpness go in some of these moments?) – “That’s a good question. That’s a good question. I feel like we have the right intent. We play hard, we fly around the field. That’s what you want to see every game. That’s what you want to see. In order to win those big games against those better teams, the penalties, the costly penalties, the big plays that need to be made at certain times has to happen. We feel extremely confident that we can and will, even though the narrative is that we haven’t, which we haven’t. The facts are the facts and we can’t argue that. The outside world has every right to make those, create those narratives and guidelines. But for us internally in this building, we have all the confidence in the world. We’re going to keep pressing and we can win the next game. We can only play the team in front of us and our goal is to win every game. We fell short three times. We’re going to continue to go and battle, work to get better, work on that mental sharpness and toughness in more of those close games, late game situations. The execution has to be at an all-time high, especially when you get into the postseason. All of this is in preparation for the postseason. We’re halfway through the season. There’s no rings being given out in November, no champions in November. So we’re working. It’s a work in progress and I can promise you that our arrow is pointing up.”
(I’m sure every Monday there’s a message from Head Coach Mike McDaniel. I don’t know if he shows you cutups, things like that. Did he show you four or five plays today from yesterday that if one of those had gone the other way, it could have been a completely different game?) – “Every game. Every game we have a few that we missed, that could change the game. Fortunately, we’ve won a lot of games despite having those mishaps and miscues. Yesterday, we didn’t. We didn’t win the game and we had opportunities to execute and really would have just changed the whole feel of the game and the perspective of what we see right now. But it’s our job to continue to work and practice and minimize that, minimize the self-inflicted, minimize the missed opportunities and take advantage of them because they will be extremely important.”
(The theme after games like that has been that we’ll take this and we’ll learn from this, we’ll be better off from it in the end. You’ve been around this league a long time. You’ve played in a lot of big games. What specifically can you learn from those games where you do come up short? What do you take from those games positively, even if you lose the game?) – “Everything that happens in life, football, whatever – anytime something happens to you, you either learn from it, or you let it just weigh on you. With us and our approach – and that’s why I feel so confident about what we have going on and where we are – is that no one is wavering. No one is second guessing can we actually or do we have enough. None of that is in this building. We get ready for the next one and we’re going to approach that game with complete confidence that we can go out there and win and we let the outcome be the outcome. Then the one after that, it’ll be the same approach. We let the outcome be the outcome. As we continue to get better and work on those missed opportunities and miscues and miscommunication, we’re going to be harder and harder to beat, tougher and tougher to beat. That’s the goal. We want to be peaking at the right time going into the postseason and we’re working our way towards that.”
(You mentioned that no one in the building is wavering in their confidence that you can win these big games that are coming up. When you think back to your time in New Orleans, obviously there were a lot of times that you had statement games, really big games where you got over that hump. You talked a minute ago about learning from losses, what did you learn from those big wins?) – “It’s kind of all the same, really. You just would rather learn and make corrections after a win. Because even after every win we’ve got, all six of them, we’ve had mistakes, we’ve had miscommunication and miscues. But it always feels better after a win. So after a loss, everything is magnified. You pay more attention to it. There’s more detail. In New Orleans, we had big, big wins. I specifically remember, I think the Rams were 10-0. We were 9-1 in New Orleans. Like Sunday Night Football, we came away with a huge win and we learned what we did wrong. But it was in November. It was a November game. Fast forward to the NFC Championship and we lost to the Rams, the same way. So it doesn’t necessarily directly guarantee you anything in the postseason but you want those because it feels good. When you make corrections after a win, it’s great. But it doesn’t guarantee you anything. I would love to have reversed that, maybe took the L in Week 11 and went on to the Super Bowl, but life’s going to do what it do.”
(Was that the pass interference game?) – That was the pass interference game. (laughter)”
Zach Sieler – November 6, 2023
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Monday, November 6, 2023
DT Zach Sieler
(I noticed you guys had a lot of success running tackle/end stunts yesterday. I’m curious what impact or how much easier it makes your job when someone like LB Jaelan Phillips or LB Bradley Chubb can make such an impact rushing inwards to give you lanes to run through?) – “I think it helps a lot. I kind of hit on this earlier this year. We talked about this I think at the end of camp, start of camp, was just building that conformity between the four of us. Me, Christian (Wilkins), (Jaelan) Phillips, Chubb, Raekwon (Davis), (Emmanuel) Ogbah, ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) – any of us that rotate around in there – and building that unity with each other and knowing how each other rush and how to play off each other. It helps tremendously.”
(I think DT Christian Wilkins has a career-high in sacks or is enroute to a career-high in sacks. LB Bradley Chubb has been really hot recently. How does the defensive line feel? I think Chubb has, if I’m not mistaken, like four sacks in the last four games and two caused fumbles or whatever it is. Does it feel like the defensive line is getting hot right now?) – ”I think it just feels like we are doing what we are supposed to do and that’s what it is. We’ve got to take advantage of the plays we can. The calls that are called from Coach (Vic) Fangio, we’ve got to play them to the best of our abilities and we’ve got to make those plays when they arise and that’s what we’re trying to do, and Chubb is doing a great job right now of making every opportunity count that he’s able to do. He’s a great pass rusher and he’s getting there.”
(Earlier in the season obviously you guys were still figuring it out a bit. What’s been the difference aside from getting back a bunch of really good players?) – “I think a lot of it is just figuring it out and kind of seeing how we’re playing in (Vic) Fangio’s scheme compared to the older scheme that was here previously, and then how our blocks are different for us or how we’ve got to play something and adjust to something else, and sometimes that just takes time.”
(I imagine that was frustrating because you guys knew what your ability was and it was just a matter of kind of playing until you got to where you needed to be?) – “Yeah, you don’t get here without being frustrated at some point and having to work through something, so that’s something that we’ve all been built and coached and viewed as our strength for so long, is finding a way to make something work when you know you have all the abilities.”
(You and DT Christian Wilkins last year – you might know this – two of the four highest snap totals among all defensive linemen and now you guys are back to playing nearly all the snaps. Both of you only got a couple off yesterday. Besides being in great physical condition, what is required as a defensive lineman to play that many snaps? Is it mental toughness? What other qualities might you point to besides being …) – “Honestly you hit the nail on the head with the first one. It’s physical conditioning. Absolutely. And it’s also just the mentals of it and knowing – he and I both pride each other on ‘hey look, if we need to do it, we can do it.’ If we rotate, we rotate. If we don’t, we don’t. It’s just whatever the team calls for, he and I are ready to do.”
(Have you felt tired at all? Late in the game it’s natural to an extent, but has that been an issue for you these last couple years playing as many snaps as you have?) – “Early on, I think when I was trying to just getting into starting playing here – I didn’t play obviously when I was younger in the NFL and adapting to just everything. But now I think – and Christian (Wilkins) has done a great job helping teach me because he did play early on in his career a lot of snaps, and just kind of how weekly what we need to do to get your body right to recover and to get ready for next Sunday’s game, to be able to take those amounts of snaps if needed.”
(When you look at this defense, I’m wondering if you consider this a big-play defense. Your big plays – the sacks – and we just mentioned LB Bradley Chubb and CB Jalen Ramsey and CB Xavien Howard and S Jevon Holland. You guys, sacks, fumbles, interceptions. Do you look at you guys at a big-play defense?) – “I guess I never thought of that. I guess really what I look at is how we play as a defense and we go through a set of goals each week, what we want to accomplish and if we hit those goals or not.”
(Those goals, are they…?) – “It changes. It changes every week.”
(Did you have visions of six on that fumble recovery? I saw you trying to get back up.) – “(laughter) No, I just wanted to make sure I had full security of that ball and then just do what we can.”
(You mentioned learning from DT Christian Wilkins. Have you become a creature of habit to his extent or …?) – “I wouldn’t put me to his extent. I’ve always been a creature of habit. I’ve always been one that routine helps someone succeed, but no, not to Christian’s extent. That’s one of his greatest assets.”
Cedrick Wilson Jr. – November 6, 2023
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Monday, November 6, 2023
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
(We heard from HC Mike McDaniel and QB Tua Tagovailoa about the play at the end of the game yesterday. Just want to hear from your perspective on that third-down play.) – “I feel like it was just a miscommunication. I’m pretty sure that’s what they said. Just a missed opportunity that I wish we could get back.”
(Did your eyes get big for a minute there when you were breaking open?) – “No, I wouldn’t say my eyes got big. My heart kind of got broken when I saw that there was a miscommunication as soon as I saw the ball. That’s moreso where my mind was at.”
(You had a touchdown though earlier in the game. Can you take us through that?) – “Oh, yeah. That was a great throw. Kind of got the coverage that we wanted. Actually, me and Tyreek (Hill) both came open so it would’ve been a touchdown either way I feel. I’m definitely happy that I was able to get the spark for the team and get us back in the game.”
(Do you feel like you’re starting to get your rhythm in this offense?) – “I mean, whenever the opportunity is presented, I’m going to do my job. That’s what I prepare for every day. My only job is to block and when the ball is in the air, go get it.”
(With WR Jaylen Waddle trying to gut it through the game after that early injury, does that kind of change some of the roles you guys have to fulfill as his role kind of becomes a little more diminished?) – “Yeah, I mean when anybody goes down or has an injury in the game, it’s next man up. That’s why we all practice and get the reps during the week. When he went down and got banged up, it was a no-brainer – whether it’s me, Braxton (Berrios) or Chase (Claypool) – someone has to go in there and keep the offense rolling.”
(Do you feel like that training camp rotation of receivers playing with different units kind of helps you guys this time of year to execute when that happens?) – “I think it helps just because everyone needs to be put in those uncomfortable situations because that’s what comes up in the game. The more we prepare for those when they come up, we’ll be able to handle them.”
(Obviously you were such a good sport last year about not playing a ton. How satisfying is it to finally get steady snaps and targets?) – “I mean, I’m not really a satisfied type of person. Moreso just do my job and at the end of the day, the goal is to win. There’s no satisfaction over a touchdown with a loss.”
