Xavien Howard – July 25, 2023
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Tuesday, July 25, 2023
CB Xavien Howard
(So Twitter rebranded itself as “X”) – “Why did they do that?”
(No more Twitter. It’s now called “X”) – “I’m not even on Twitter. It’s too negative on there.”
(What do you think about the name choice though? Do you think it’s good?) – “It’s cool. Yeah, it’s cool.”
(Do you get royalties?) – “No, not yet. I’ve got to look into that.”
(How was the softball classic, having those guys out and just the support from the community?) – “It was a great event, man. Some guys came out and supported me. The fans love us down there. Hopefully we’ll do it again next year. I’m looking forward to it being next year though.”
(You saw CB Jalen Ramsey today. What was the first thing you said to him?) – “We dapped each other up. Everybody came in, we dapped each other up. Just happy to be here and work with this guy.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey was just talking about always feeling like he’s a top corner in the game. I know you have confidence too. What is this situation now with you where you’ve got that guy who’s a true number one like you believe you are and y’all grow together?) – “I believe? I am a true number one. What are you talking about? (laughter) But we’re cornerbacks. We have that. That’s part of our game.”
(Do you guys go back-and-forth with that?) – “No, no we don’t. We respect each other’s game. I feel like every cornerback, they come in believing they’re the number one cornerback in the league. I feel like you’ve got to have that confidence playing on this level, going against these top receivers in this league.”
(You’ve had I think groin and hamstring issues last year. I’m wondering.) – “It’s 2023 now, brother. We’re not going back. (laughter)”
(I’m not asking you to. I’m wondering if they did load management on you, if they rested you in training camp and joint practices and preseason games, do you think that would have a benefit in the regular season? Or are those issues totally separate?) – “It probably would have helped. But we didn’t have many cornerbacks so I had to do what I had to do and be on the field.”
(Would it help this year if they started doing that do you think? Would it help you be healthy in December and January?) – “No, I feel like you’re in the NFL man. You’re going to have nicks and bruises like that. A lot of guys aren’t 100 percent playing on the field on Sundays. But some guys push through.”
(We heard QB Tua Tagovailoa did something different doing the jiu-jitsu this offseason. Did you do anything different this offseason to prep your body? Yoga or anything like that?) – “No. Same old stuff. Massages, a little bit of Pilates I’d say and that’s really it. Working out, running, doing a lot of running on the field.”
(There’s a lot of expectations and hype for what this defense can be. In your experience, especially given some of the good defenses you’ve been on here, what separates the great defenses from the so-so defenses?) – “I feel like the little things. I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys on the defense this year and a lot of playmakers on this side. So I feel like with our defensive coordinator (Vic Fangio), he’s going to put us in a great position to make plays, get a lot of turnovers and continue to thrive on defense. I feel like we’ve got a lot of great guys on defense and the sky’s the limit for the defense.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey and WR Tyreek Hill have been somewhere you guys are trying to go this year. How have you seen Tyreek’s experience in that area help you guys last year and how do you think CB Jalen Ramsey’s experience getting to a Super Bowl can help you guys this year defensively?) – “The first thing when Jalen got here, one thing he said when we worked out and he saw the guys around him, he was just like ‘man, this team has way more players and better players on this team than where I was at.’ So, I feel like it’s from there, from believing in each other. It’s just approaching every day and winning every day as a group.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey talked a bit about his Madden rating. I don’t know if that’s something that’s even on your radar. Some players are into it, some aren’t. Are you aware of your rating?) – “No. I’ve never really been a guy looking at the Madden ratings. I don’t even play Madden to tell you the truth. I probably hoop, basketball, or something like that. But other than that, I’m not worrying about no Madden ratings.”
(Do you know what your rating is?) – “No, what is it?”
(It’s an 84. You’re not even a top 10 cornerback to them.) – “Damn. I’ve got to talk to them. I need their number. (laughter) But it’s cool though, man. You know I’ve never been a guy to rah rah, talk, do this and that. I just show up and play. I let my play on the field do the talking and we go from there.”
(Does that kind of signal people might be sleeping on you in 2023?) – “(Expletive).”
(You’ve been here in Miami through a lot of stuff. From when you got drafted to 2020 to now. It seems like a lot of expectations now. You’ve got a lot of star power. How have you maybe seen the growth of how Miami and the Dolphins are viewed?) – “I feel like every year man, the Dolphins, the fans, everybody has expectations for the Dolphins. It all depends on us, how far we can take this team. Each year everybody has the goal of winning a Super Bowl during this time. So, I feel like we’ve just got to put the work in and continue, like I said, continue getting better each day.”
(In regards to Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, one thing he mentioned to us when he first got here is he had been working on a new defense when he was on sabbatical. Have you guys got a taste at all of what that looks like?) – “Not yet. We’ve seen a little bit, but not that much. We don’t know what Vic is cooking up but I know he’s definitely going to get us right on that defense.”
(You’ve always been the guy that shadowed the best wide receiver. Obviously when CB Jalen Ramsey is here, that gives you guys a lot of flexibility. What do you think that that’s going to do for your game?) – “It’s going to open up some doors for me man. I feel like my game’s been my game. Intercepting the ball, that’s what I want to do. I want to get touchdowns and stuff like that. I feel like without playing as much man like we did last year and me also traveling, playing, following a guy here and there, it’ll also help a lot. I won’t have to travel, be tired during the play. Some teams, I feel like in my career, when they found out I was following their best guy, they put me in motion a lot, get me tired before the rep, then do what they do. Just staying left and right man, I feel like it’s going to be easy, easy for me.”
(In regard to the defense as a whole, how big is the job that DT’s Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler do up front for you guys?) – “They do a great job up front, man. Also ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips), a couple of guys, (Bradley) Chubb. They do a lot of great things and I feel like it’s going to help the back end even more.”
(You’re the longest tenured Dolphin, which is weird to say. What do you tell guys as they begin training camp? What do you say to them in terms of expectations for the season? Because it seems like this is a different level of your team.) – “Yeah, I feel like you feel an energy though when you come into this locker room. I feel like guys are walking around here like they’ve got to get stuff done. I don’t feel like anybody’s comfortable being here or being in a position they’re in right now and I feel like you’ve got to have that. Especially being here, you know. There’s a lot of great guys on this team and I feel like from pressure there I feel like it’s a lot of pressure from there.”
(Is this the least amount of turnaround in this roster? It seems like this roster has gotten the opportunity to grow. How much is that going to help?) – “This is a big jump from the roster, just being on the previous team, especially with the talent they brought over here. It has been a big jump real quick, though.”
(We talked a lot with the offensive guys about them being in year two with Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s system. Do you guys feel you might need to catch up or need to learn a little bit faster because you’re in year one of a new system?) – “Yeah, I feel like it’s definitely that. I feel like a couple guys bought into the defense. We ran a little bit of it, but a lot of guys ain’t got it down to the end, because we’re just getting a new defense. I feel like I’ve been in several defenses, that’s one thing about football is you can learn quick. I feel like the coaches won’t put too much on the guys neither though.”
(You’ve seen it up close. Is there a guy or two you’ve seen so far this offseason that we should look out for this year?) – “Kader (Kohou). My boy, Kader. Dude is a straight dawg. His mentality he has, just being an undrafted guy, I continue to see him grow and get better on the field.”
(How much did CB Kader Kohou surprise you last year as a rookie?) – “To tell you the truth, I saw it during training camp. When I saw him playing, I was like, ‘Who’s 38? I like him,’ when he was lining up against Tyreek (Hill) and everything. I’m like, ‘OK, I like him.’”
(And he overcame No. 38, too.) – “(laughter) Yeah, he’s got my college number (now). I was really upset. (laughter)”
(Sticking with CB Kader Kohou, how have you seen him respond to all the additions that y’all made at corner this offseason?) – “I feel like he responded good. There’s a lot of competition at the nickel spot also with what we brought to the team, but I feel like the best guy is going to be out there. If you’re the best guy, you’re going to be out there,”
(S Brandon Jones and CB Nik Needham both got a chance to come back. What have those two guys done in their short times here and how do they help you guys defensively?) – “Man, Nik (Needham) played a big role being here with me and everything, and I’ve seen him grow. Just a little hiccup he had in the road, everybody deals with that. I overcame a lot of injuries being here. Nik brings a lot to the table, and also Brandon (Jones) too. We call him ‘Blitz Boy,’ but he brings a lot to the table, man. He does his thing. When he’s out there, he’s going 120 miles per hour every day.”
