Nik Needham – May 17, 2022
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Tuesday, May 17, 2022
CB Nik Needham
(This is our first time talking to you since obviously the tender and everything. How did it feel to get that tender?) – “It was a blessing. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else other than Miami. It was my first team that gave me a shot and kept it honest with me. (They) brought me up from a fat, young dude out of shape, get right, practice squad to starting to playing with these guys. I can’t be more grateful for that opportunity and I’m just ready to keep proving that I can play and compete in this league at a high level and just keep going up from there.”
(How does WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle’s speed compare from tape to the practice field?) – “You’re like, ‘Ah damn, he’s fast on film,’ but then when you really get right in front of him it’s like oh man, those two definitely have a different speed. It’s going to be great this year to just work versus that every day because it’s like, nobody is going to be faster than these two. If we win versus them, we should win a lot.”
(I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel is obviously an offensive-minded guy but what have you seen from him when talking to the defense especially with all the other guys?) – “I think he’s doing a great job of just bringing us all together. A lot of what coach said is, like the schedule dropping like, ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s all about us.’ He does a lot of like, in team meetings he’ll say some jokes or just funny stuff, show stuff on film. Like activities for conditioning, we did a putting contest to run one time. I think all that stuff is building the camaraderie on the team. We all feel the energy in here and it just feels like a different vibe this year for sure. You never know what happens but we just want to keep it going. I love what he’s doing here for sure. He’s a great coach.”
(Now that you’ve got the RFA tender, next up would be getting a long-term contract extension. How much is that on your mind?) – “Like I say every year, just the year that’s in front of me is the most important thing. I’m not really worried about next year, contract or whatever happens. I still have to go out there and perform so I can even get a contract. That’s the only thing on my mind, just win everyday and we’ll see from there.”
(With everybody back on defense. I mean everybody. What are the realistic expectations for this unit?) – “Man, just to go out there and compete and do what we do every week. You don’t ever want to put any predictions because you never know how the game will turn out. Football is a crazy game. I think we all, like I said, camaraderie and we’ve all been together for a long time. I think we have real good chemistry so the sky is the limit for us, that’s what I would say.”
(We spoke to Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer a couple of months ago when we found out he was going to be retained as defensive coordinator. He said the core of what you guys did was going to stay the same but there might be some tweaks because he’s a defensive backs coach at heart. I know you can’t tell us what’s been going on in the meeting rooms but have you noticed anything, any wrinkles?) – “Not as of now. I think he’s trying to keep it real basic because the rookies and stuff are here. I think he’s saving that for training camp so we can get to it and really show it out there. I think as of now, he’s just running his defense and whatever you just said, I haven’t seen that yet. (laughter)”
(I feel like the common misconception is that when you get to the pros, your play sort of stops there. Is there still a part of your game that you still want to improve on?) – “There’s a bunch of parts of my game. There’s no perfect person to me. There’s a bunch of stuff that I can work on and I still work on that stuff. Footwork – you can never be fast enough. You can never jump high enough. All that stuff. I’m trying to work on different parts of my game whether it’s mental or physical.”
(Can you explain the orange practice jersey we saw LB Jaelan Phillips in today?) – “Yeah, so yesterday he won practice player of the day. So they get an orange jersey and they get to choose the music for the whole day.”
(You feeling it?) – “It was cool, yeah it was cool. At the beginning of practice, he kept playing three songs over and over. (laughter) No bueno but then he changed it so it was good.”
(Does it change the competition or get you guys fired up a little more?) – “Nah, I wouldn’t say that. Maybe me because no one plays California music out here so I definitely want to win and play only Cali music. (laughter)”
(Do you have to have a playlist ready?) – “Nah, I think they just tell you after practice and then you get it right the next day.”
(The coaches determine the winner?) – “Yeah, all the coaches.”
(Has there been a guy in the secondary that you’ve seen that has really improved upon last year compared to last?) – “This is only our second practice really so there’s not really a lot to tell. Jevon (Holland) and Brandon (Jones), you can just tell that back there they work together well now. They’ll get on each other, hold each other more accountable because I think they’re comfortable with each other. That’s the big step I see.”
(Did you guys do much this offseason? The defensive side of the ball. Did you guys get together somewhere? Take a trip somewhere?) – “No trips but that’s what Coach (Mike) McDaniel has been preaching too. Just through this OTA phase and offseason we’ve been doing that on the weekends, hanging out and stuff. I think that’s what also helps build good teams, great teams.”
(Obviously we didn’t see CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones out here so you and CB Noah Igbinoghene seemed like you got some good run outside. What have you seen from Noah?) – “Noah has a high motor, super competitive. Every day he’s bringing it, no matter what. If it’s a little drill, like I have to do a little receiver drill, he’s going to go full speed. You have nothing but to respect that. I respect his game and he’s getting more comfortable out there.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene was getting into it with one of the tight ends.) – “Yeah, he does that all the time so that’s him. I know that’s him because he’s super competitive. That’s what we need on the team.”
(Maybe he’s got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder?) – “Yeah, everybody should have a chip on their shoulder being in the NFL … If you don’t, then you’ll probably get lackadaisical.”
(When people talk about the secondary, people talk about CB Xavien Howard and CB Byron Jones. What do you feel like you bring best to the team? I know some people bring the leadership aspect of the team. What do you feel like is your best trait you bring to the Dolphins?) – “I think for me, I’m just a leader by example. Do everything the right way. Hard worker. Good communicator. Accountable. I’m never going to make a mistake and if I mess up – I’m going to own up to it and try to figure out how to get better and ask my teammates, coaches. That’s the best thing for me that I think I bring is just a lead by example, do the right thing type of guy.”
