Christian Wilkins – January 16, 2023
Download PDF version
Monday, January 16, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(Do you think this is like an origin story for the team?) – “I don’t think about it that deep or look at it that deep or anything like that, but I just think we’re definitely doing some things the right way, moving in the right direction and there’s a lot to look forward to like I said, as an organization and as a team. So I’m just excited. If everyone handles their business this offseason, I’m excited to see what we can do next year and the years to come.”
(How different does this day feel from all the other ones that you’ve been in the NFL?) – “Different in ways, but it’s all the same because you didn’t get to the big game and you didn’t have an opportunity to play for that. But definitely a lot of positives to leave with from the season and I learned a lot this year both as an individual and about my teammates and things like that. So I definitely am leaving with a sense of optimism and just looking forward to what’s to come.”
(What do you know this year – after a few years in the NFL – to have the kind of year you did, that you didn’t know when you came into the league?) – “It’s just really – you develop each year. Stick to a routine, stick to a plan and you improve on that each year and you just try to be your best each and every year. There’s a lot of things I learned schematically about our defense, about how offenses try to attack us and different things like that that allow me to play at a higher level and be more productive and just overall confidence. When you put your all into something each and every day with few days off, you’ve got no choice but to get better at what you do.”
(How much were you able to grow as a leader this year?) – “Definitely. Growing as a leader was definitely a point of emphasis of mine this year because I try to do a lot of things the right way not just on the field, but off the field and carry myself in a way to where people can look at me and count on me so that’s only going to improve and just like anything, it’s a skill so you can always work on it, can always work at it, always find ways to improve and it’s something I’m going to improve on and get better at.”
(We move onto the business side of the proposition. What do you expect this offseason from the Dolphins?) – “I’m not paying attention to that. I’m not in control of that. That’s up to the powers that be – my agent, whoever else – but I just like I said, control what I can control, do what I can on the field. If I do what I can around the building and things like that, then that’ll all take care of itself.”
(If I can ask you just the motivational factors, just the way this defense played yesterday against a team that Head Coach Mike McDaniel called one of the best, if not the best in the NFL? What do you take from that?) – “Again, like I was just saying earlier, there’s a lot of positives you can take away. It wasn’t perfect, but we did some good things and we played hard and we fought hard to the very end. That’s one of the things I appreciate about this team and respect about this team and the guys on defense and everything. Even when things were at their worst, we never blinked. We never wavered. Maybe a lot of you and a lot of people on the outside didn’t believe in us. But we believed in each other, and we fought hard each and every day. So that’s one thing I can appreciate about my teammates and our defense and our team as a whole.”
(If I could follow up, what does it say about Head Coach Mike McDaniel keeping this team together through QB Tua Tagovailoa’s situation, injuries, a losing streak? What does it say about him?) – “It says a lot and it’s easy to follow a guy who leads the way he does, in the manner that he does. He never flinches. He never blinks. He embraces adversity so you as a man and you as a follower of a leader like that; it’s definitely something I take from him. Just embracing adversity and just looking at it all as an opportunity.”
(What do you think getting to the playoffs and that experience yesterday, what do you think that can do for you guys going forward?) – “I think it was definitely good because I’ve never played in a playoff game. That was my first time. This organization, we haven’t been in the playoffs in however many years and haven’t won a game in even longer, so it’s definitely just getting a rep of it knowing what we can be, what it feels like, what it looks like, all that. I’m already ready to fast forward to next year and already start training and doing things I need to do because I’m excited for what’s going to come for the years to come. Absolutely.”
(How different was a playoff game?) – “It’s all football. It’s all a game. But there’s an extra sense of urgency, an extra sense of heightened physicality, heightened sense of urgency, all that. So like I said, it was good to get that rep and hopefully we’ll get the opportunity to play in a lot more of those games down the line.”
(Obviously you’re in line for an extension this offseason, but what does it mean to you to have seen improvement over these past few years to put yourself in line to get an extension?) – “I always try to keep perspective and just appreciate the distance traveled individually definitely. It was rough for me my rookie year and I just work tirelessly every day because I love this football stuff. I love my teammates, I love Miami, I love this organization so I put my all into it, not for myself but for the people that it affects. And I’m going to continue to do that moving forward. I’m just grateful for the distance traveled for myself individually.”
