Jakeem Grant – December 2, 2020
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Wednesday, December 2, 2020
WR Jakeem Grant
(How did QB Tua Tagovailoa throw the ball today? How did he look with the little injury he’s dealing with?) – “He looked great. He’s going to continue to get better day by day. He looked exactly the same. He picked up where he left off.”
(I’ve been looking at some special teams figures a lot this week, and it blows my mind how close to the top the Dolphins are at almost every category – punt return, kick return, kickoff, punt coverage. You guys are getting it done at all phases of special teams. I’m wondering if there is any specific thing this year that you guys are doing that you haven’t seen in the past in your career – whether it’s college or pros – that is producing at such a high level of all units of special teams?) – “I don’t think there are certain things we are doing different. I think it’s just we just enjoy playing together and going out there and having fun. We know that special teams is a big part of the game and special teams can win or lose us the game, and we want to be great on every phase. We go out there – whether it’s punt return, kick return, kickoff, punt – and we go out there and we want to pin those guys in or we want to flip the field. We harp on that and we go out there each Sunday and get that done.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores sometimes gives us these quotes that really make me think, that are pretty deep. Like yesterday, he said ‘you can’t get to where you want to get without handling what’s in front of you.’ Today he said ‘Once you think you’re over the hump, it’s when you go back under the hump.’ I’m guessing he uses these kind of phrases and messages with the team, right? Can you tell me what you think about that and how often he delivers these type of second-level messages?) – “Me personally, when I think about it – quotes like that, he’s saying don’t be complacent and continue to grind because once you think you got it, you don’t. That’s where it comes to get you. So I think overall, that message and those quote that he is saying, is saying never be complacent, always keep your head down, stay tunnel vison and continue to grind.”
(I wanted to ask you about the hamstring injury we saw you pop of on the injury report with last week. I noticed that some of the offensive snaps were limited but you were still pretty effective in special teams. Just how are you doing health-wise?) – “I’m doing good. Getting better day by day and continuing to run fast, like always. I’m feeling good. Just getting better day by day.”
(With the fast dudes, you often get those soft-tissue injuries. You’ve kind of battled through some, but you’ve played every game this year. How important is it for you to play 16 and stay healthy the whole year?) – “It’s great. It kind of takes me back to the college days, just grinding it out through bumps and bruises and things of that nature. It takes me back two years ago. For the last two years, I’ve missed a total of probably 12 games and all I was thinking to myself – and I talked to (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston – is that I’m not allowed to be hurt this year. I’m going to take care of my body and do everything I can to make it through this whole season. That’s the thing about being in the NFL is longevity. I did a great job of taking care of my body this offseason and that’s why I’m able to continue to play through this season.”
(You mentioned that longevity. It’s something that as an NFL player, it’s a skill I guess you can build. When you came in as a rookie, all players that come in as rookies, you’re not prepared for the level of work and length of the season. You have a ton of rookies on this team that are playing huge snaps. What do you tell them about keeping their body right so if they do start to feel some of that fatigue hopping on their back, they push through it?) –“I would just say get with some guys or some vets and get those resources to get your body worked on and be able to iron out those bumps and bruises and get things adjusted so you can be able to finish out the season. As a rookie, I’m just a guy coming from college not used to getting massages all the time and getting worked on. I would say find you a vet or get with (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Dave (Puloka) or get with our training staff and ask them what you can do to push through all 16 games.”
(We are going to talk to K Jason Sanders in a little bit and I think a lot of people are pushing you and Jason for the Pro Bowl. What do you think? How good of a chance do you and Jason have?) – “I think we’ve got a good chance. We go out there each week and put great things on film. Jason is going out there and making kick after kick, and my job is to try to flip the field as best as I can, and try to get better and do whatever I can to help the team get a W. I feel like that’s the first thing and that’s our first goal is to do whatever we can do to help the team be successful. So we harp on that, and if we can definitely continue to do that, we’ll have a good shot at it.”
(A minute ago, you were talking about how you are doing a great job taking care of your body. It got me wondering if you are doing anything differently dating back to last offseason. Did you change anything in order to stay healthy this year?) – “I get with (Assistant Athletic Trainer) Jon Boone and do some dry needling, get my back worked on, massage the hamstrings and stay stretched out. There’s a lot of things that I do differently just to stay healthy, just to iron out those bumps and bruises, so that I can push through 16 games without missing a game here and there or having little things that come up that are nagging at me; so I’m able to go out there and be the fast elusive guy that I am.”
