Emmanuel Ogbah – April 6, 2022
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Wednesday, April 6, 2022
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(Are you happy, surprised, stunned that it all came together at the last minute the way it did??) – “Yeah. I’m very happy. Like I’ve told you guys during the season for the past two years, I’ve always looked at myself being here long term and I’m glad we made it happen.”
(Had you thought for a time after Drew Rosenhaus and the team talked for months and months on and off – was there a time at any point where you thought it would be doubtful that you would be back?) – “I wouldn’t say I thought it was doubtful. I felt like we had a chance to make something work. For them to come like that, it showed that they believed in me and they wanted me here too as well.”
(What’s it like from a player’s perspective watching how this offseason has unfolded? … It seems like the NFL is almost becoming the new NBA.) – “I’ll say for us, I was glad we took care of our own. But yeah, it’s a lot of money. It’s starting to feel like there’s not really a cap space. (laughter) That’s how it feels. I’m glad we were able to take care of players and everyone was taken care of.”
(Why did you want to stay in Miami? Can you cite specific reasons? And did much of the defensive staff staying intact with Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark – did that reinforce the decision more for you to want to be here?) – “For sure. I love the city of Miami and I always view Miami as my second home. I also wanted to be here for my brothers. We started something special two years ago and I want to keep building on that. It definitely helped with the coaching staff still retaining the defensive side of the ball too.”
(What’s it mean to you that not only the coaching staff, but the defense has all the players back? They kept everything intact.) – “Yeah, like I said, they’re taking care of their own. They believe in us. We did something special and we want to keep on building off of that. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
(How much better should the defense be considering everybody is back and the coaches are back?) – “We should be as good as we want to be. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back, a lot of guys in key spots. We’ve just got to take that one step and get better.”
(What do you want to work on in your game this offseason?) – “Just overall, after a season, I go back and watch film of myself and see what I struggle with. Doing better either on double teams, taking on double teams, rushing the passer better, even though I’m good at that, but I’ve got to improve on that. You can always get better year to year.”
(Can you take us through that Monday morning? The first day of free agency shortly before free agency started, your deal became known. Do you remember what that Monday morning was like? Was Drew Rosenhaus calling you and saying, ‘Hey, they raised the offer by this amount?’) – “So that morning of, I was supposed to go work out but Drew advised me, ‘Alright, chill. Hold on because I’m going to need you on the phone.’ I kind of just stayed in my living room. Talked to my folks. Talked to my parents. Just patiently waiting and then Drew called me and gave me the details of it. He was like, ‘We might have an offer here and there. What do you think? What do you think?’ After they gave me the offer, I hung up on Drew, I called my mom, called my dad and said, ‘Hey, what do you guys think?’ They said, ‘Well it’s you! You’re the one that got the deal, what do you think?’ I said, ‘I’m excited and I want to be here. You know I’ve always wanted to be here. You guys know I view Miami as my second home.’ It meant a lot to me and my family that I was able to sign back with the Dolphins.”
(CB Xavien Howard talked about how the energy in the building feels a little different with everyone being back and a new head coach. How would you describe the vibe and the energy?) – “It’s just different. You can tell. You guys don’t really walk in the locker room but it’s just different. A lot of guys are happy to be back. Everybody is just happy to see each other again. It’s only been like two months but it felt like forever. We’re just glad to be back working again.”
(How much of that is attributed to what you see they’ve been doing on the offensive side of the ball? I know you’re happy about your defensive guys.) – “I’m excited. I played with Tyreek (Hill) in Kansas City so I’m excited to have him here. He’s definitely a speedster. Like ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) said, he’s got to work on his hamstrings and I’ve got to work on my pass rush getting back there fast enough so they can’t have time.”
(Have you ever gone against T Terron Armstead?) – “No, I never went against him but I’m looking forward to going against him.”
(You talked about there being an energy in the locker room. Does that come from the guys who have been added? The coaching staff? What makes it so electric?) – “I would say it’s both. The guys who are coming back from a two-year season so – retaining the same guys, that’s what makes us real good and also the coaching staff. Coach (Mike) McDaniel brings a different type of energy into the program so we’re excited about that too.”
(It’s rare to see almost an entire defense come back – everyone but LB Vince Biegel and CB Justin Coleman at the moment. How much does that chemistry, continuity help a defense? Obviously, Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer is going to add some new things but how much does that continuity help?) – “It helps because we all know each other’s games and it’s not like a new guy. You know what the guy can do next to you, the guy besides you. It definitely helps the defense and we’ve just got to take that one step getting better because we already know what each other can do and what can we do better now.”
(You said a different type of energy. Can you elaborate a little bit on that? How is it different?) – “I would say it’s more fun. Honestly, everybody is just excited to be back. We haven’t really gotten out there like that except just workouts and stuff. Everybody is really excited, the whole locker room really. to build off of last season because we finished strong. We’re trying to start strong on a fast note, too.”
(What did you know about Head Coach Mike McDaniel before you met him and what were your initial impressions upon meeting him?) – “I didn’t know a lot about him but he’s definitely unique. A good players coach. He knows, he understands the game. He’s very smart, I will say that. He knows what he wants to do with the offense.”
(Everybody in this division has to get by Buffalo. They added LB Von Miller, obviously signed WR Stefon Diggs to a big extension today. Do you feel like on paper, you guys have closed the gap with them and how important is it for the best players, leaders of this team, to finally get past them after seven losses in a row?) – “We have to step up as leaders of the team. We’ve got to step up, we’ve got to do our best to help this team win games. That’s why we’re paid to come back and do it. We’ve got to get the offense better, they’ve got to get us better and to go against an opponent like the Bills, it’s going to be a challenge but we should be able to get that done.”
(What sense do you get about how similar or different the scheme will be with the change with Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Brian Flores leaving?) – “I mean, I’m not really sure how different it will be but like I said, we all know the system. Definitely Josh is going to have some new wrinkles to the system but we’ll see when he puts it out.”
(You talked about continuity on defense, how important is that from the aspect of complementing each other? Like your pass rush means picks in the secondary with CB Xavien Howard and such or their coverage leading to you being able to get to the quarterback.) – “It goes hand and hand. I know if I get there fast enough, I know ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is going to be back there waiting for the ball to come out. The faster I get back there, the faster I put stress on the quarterback so it gives ‘X’ a chance to get that pick. It works hand and hand.”
(Outside of WR Tyreek Hill, of the dozen or so acquisitions this offseason, was there one that made you go, ‘Hm that’s exciting?’ What’s the next one?) – “I like (Terron) Armstead. I like the tackle Armstead. That force on offense, that dawg, we needed that and I’m glad he’s part of the team now.”
(What can you do to help LB Jaelan Phillips take that step to becoming the player that he wants to be?) – “We’ve just got to keep working together. Jaelan is a smart kid. He knows what he wants to do. I know the first year, it felt like a lot of things were moving too fast. The second year, he’s going to settle down and I’m looking forward to seeing him succeed in his second year.”
(Did you buy anything for yourself? Your family? For us, the media?) – “(laughter) No, I didn’t buy nothing crazy yet. I bought a crib, I will say that. I bought a house. But nah, nothing crazy. Nothing I’ve thought about yet.”
(Does the house have a swimming pool?) – “Oh, of course. It’s got to have the pool.”
(Are there any unique elements like a zoo indoors? Or just some random, quirky thing?) – “(laughter) Nah, it’s not. I’m not a big flashy guy. I just need something nice, real spacious that’s kind of just what I wanted.”
(Has DT Christian Wilkins hit you up yet? Because you know he’s cheap. Has he hit you up for anything?) – “(laughter) Yeah, he just told me I’m hosting the first d-line dinner. That’s kind of what he said but I’m glad to do it.”
