Jesse Davis – November 12, 2020
Download PDF version
Thursday, November 12, 2020
G/T Jesse Davis
(How many positions are you playing this week?) – “I don’t know. That’s a good question. You should ask the head coach that. I honestly do not know.”
(The comfort level at guard last week – obviously you’ve been there before. Was it like putting on an old pair of slippers when you moved there in the second quarter?) – “Yeah, I’d say putting on an old pair of slippers might be a little easier than that; (laughter) but yeah, I definitely had some familiarity. I just try to do my best there. I haven’t had that many reps, especially game reps there since 2018. Luckily I did okay there, but we’ll see what happens.”
(Obviously you guys opened up things a lot more offensively last week. What do you think the biggest difference was in you guys being more successful?) – “As soon as we can get those first downs rolling, I feel like we gain our momentum and that kind of opens up the play calling a little bit, too, where we can get the run game established. Obviously we haven’t been that great in the run game and kind of been more reliable on the pass or the RPO kind of world. But if we can get that run game going, we can open up a lot more and then hopefully have Tua (Tagovailoa) more comfortable back there as well.”
(Obviously QB Tua Tagovailoa was able to help lead a fourth-quarter comeback, which is something that the best quarterbacks in this league do. They give their teammates the confidence that they can come from behind. You were in the huddle so I’m wondering what did you see, what did you hear, what did you sense as far as leadership huddle presence?) – “It was just regular routine, go in there, ‘hey, this is the situation, this is what we need to do, we need to score points here.’ Luckily our defense is one of the best in the league that allows us to be in those positions and gives us those shorter fields to work with and I think Tua’s done a really good job granted how old he is. But being a rookie quarterback, coming in here and getting a fourth-quarter win is kind of unheard of in the league; but he’s been there before. He’s a winner, so that’s what he does.”
(NFL home teams – the home team is under .500 this season in the league. What’s happening to the home-field advantage? Is it all because of COVID? What do you think?) – “Yeah, obviously there’s not really home-field advantage at all. You’re used to going into an away stadium thinking this is going to be loud, it’s going to affect the snap count, it’s going to cause more problems. And what it has been recently, that’s probably part of it. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just by chance teams are a little better on the road right now. I don’t know.”
(You’re facing the Chargers for the second consecutive year except when you faced them last year, you guys were at the pretty much beginning stages of a rebuild and weren’t necessarily a great team at the time. Now you’re a team that’s in playoff contention. Are you a little bit amazed at just how far along the team has come since you last faced the Chargers last September?) – “We kind of flipped it pretty quick. Granted, we’ve had some good leadership on this team and our defense is playing really well, and then our quarterback situation has been really good as well; and the o-line, we’ve kind of had our struggles, too, but I feel like we’re on the top end of things right now and trying to get that solidified, too. And then hopefully we’ll have more production on offense for sure.”
(Obviously you guys are going to be without RB Myles Gaskin for a little while now and RB Salvon Ahmed stepped in the other day. What did he show you? What are you seeing out of him that maybe gives you confidence that you guys can keep the running game going?) – “He’s willing to learn. He’s a really coachable back. He’s a quick, really fast guy especially out of the backfield. That’s what kind of helps our offense move, is those faster guys that can hit the hole and be gone. I’m excited to see him develop more. Obviously (Myles) Gaskin really developed and I feel like that’s a similar type of running back.”
(I was trying to look it up, so I don’t remember. The Chargers last year, did you start at guard or tackle?) – “No, I was out that game. I had a torn UCL out of that Dallas game and I sat that week, and then we went into a bye week.”
(Have you faced Chargers DE Joey Bosa or Melvin Ingram III before? I’m trying to remember if you…) – “In 2017, I played guard. I played left guard. We rotated … but, I’ve never…”
(I was going to ask you specifically about Chargers DE Joey Bosa and DE Melvin Ingram III, but I guess you’ve never necessarily prepared specifically for them.) – “Yeah, not really.”
(You said something earlier about leadership is really the difference because you’ve been part of past regimes. Are you talking about leadership on the team from the players or leadership from the coaching standpoint? And if so, why is that the difference?) – “I’d say a little bit of both. I think obviously last year was a rebuild year. We didn’t know what to expect. A lot of guys in and out. I feel like coaches – we have better – we have different coaches in the building. I feel like the roles have kind of been a little better. I don’t know necessarily upstairs, but the guys that were brought in here, coaching these guys and the guys that we brought in at free agency or in the draft, I feel like they kind of did a really good job getting that done and we have guys that stepped up and are more vocal, especially younger guys, too. It’s kind of a good little marriage we have going on. I feel like it’s only going to get better.”
(Trying to figure out how to kind of ask this question, but I know you have two years left on your deal and the Dolphins obviously drafted three rookies to play on the o-line here. I guess how do you see your role kind of going forward the rest of the season and the future? Do you see yourself trying to continue to stay with a viable starting job on the line? Do you see yourself being maybe the best option for a swing or something in the future? How do you kind of just fit in and kind of play things out here with your career this season and the rest of your contract?) – “Yeah, that’s a good question. Obviously I want to be here, I want to be starting; but that’s a question to ask the head coach because right now I’m trying to figure out my role as well. Hopefully it’s somewhere on the starting offensive line.”
