Alec Ingold – October 9, 2023
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Monday, October 9, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(People have asked if you’re okay physically because you didn’t see a ton of action in the second half. No issues?) – “No, it’s just little nick-nacks, week-to-week. You kind of just deal with it. I’m excited to practice this week with the boys and get back up for the Panthers.”
(The first possession was high theater at its best in terms of it capitalized everything brilliant about Head Coach Mike McDaniel and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith and how their minds worked. Was that first drive in particular something you were looking forward to knowing how much razzle dazzle there would be?) – “A hundred percent. And there were so many times the first time you get to take the field, especially when you win the coin toss, your defense gets to set the tone, you don’t know if you’re getting the ball at the 25, the 10, the 5, the 50. No matter what happens, where you’re starting the game, you know you’re able to set the tone as the offense and really take advantage. So the amount of explosive plays that we got there right off the bat was exciting and it’s validating to know your week of work and you’re able to do so many new things, so many new wrinkles, and then to go be able to execute when everyone’s fresh, everyone’s brand new, you don’t know what you’re going to get, what defense they’re going to be in. You just trust your eyes, you play fast as a unit, 1/11th of everything, everyone stays attached. The offensive line was rolling off the ball all game. So it was really cool to be part of that.”
(On the fullback position, it’s like the last of its dying breed. How much pride do you have playing that position?) – “I love playing fullback here for sure, especially just watching across the league. Obviously there were a couple of really good fullbacks last night on Sunday Night Football, so just to be a fan of fullbacks everywhere, and all the different offenses that you’re able to run. You know, here, it’s funny. My parents are like, ‘Man, we watch on Fox or CBS or whatever and we can’t tell where you are on the field.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s kind of the point.’ It is not a standard I-formation anymore. So it is cool to be able to move around and be able to show defenses so many different looks from all of our different personnel packages. So the ability to blend everything that we’re doing right now has been fun and challenging as a fullback. So it’s a mental load, but it’s something that you take a lot of pride in.”
(This year especially and going back through QB Tua Tagovailoa’s career, it seems like every time he turns it over, he kind of has his best football after that. I’m curious to kind of get your guys’ perspective after you turn the ball over those conversations going into the next drive play out?) – “I would just say as a team the ability to respond and play complementary football, all three phases. So whether it’s offense, defense or special teams; whenever there’s a play made, how does the team respond? And normally guys have been able to this year, be able to stop the bleeding one phase or another, be able to answer that bell and then personally you see so many guys when it’s a little mishap, a little hiccup here, guys with their chins up. And the next time they’re touching a play, the next opportunity they have, they’re able to execute. So I think it gives a lot of confidence with everybody in the room to know ‘okay, you can see Tua do that, you can see the defense do it, you can see special teams do that; I can do that, too.’ And I think that’s just how the brand of football is being played right now, which is fun to be a part of.”
(Did you get a chance to watch that that game last night, the Sunday night game at all?) – “Yeah, I did.”
(Was it kind of like looking in the mirror a little bit when you watch what they do on offense?) – “Yeah, it’s like an alternate universe for sure. You definitely know a lot of the formations and you can see the way that they’re manipulating defenses over there. So it’s fun to see and learn and grow, right, because whenever you’re at a different organization or things get installed different ways, you can always pick up little nuances to the game when you kind of really kind of go through a game with a fine-tooth comb. You can see what other people are doing, how they’re able to set up blocks, how they’re able to execute, bring the ball to the box in different ways. So it’s always fun to watch good offenses play.”
(The walking boot is not anything to be concerned about?) – “No, no. You’ll see me out there this week working all week so we’ll be good.”
(I was going to ask you sort of following up what we were talking yesterday. How did your meeting go after the game?) – “Yes, we did a Lululemon Mindset panel. It was called the ‘ABCs of Mindset’ and this is our second panel that we’ve done now and man, it was really empowering. It was a really cool space to create with a lot of people. There were about 70 people there from across the country, really. We had people from Wisconsin, California, northern Florida, wherever coming down to be able to support with just the Mental Health Initiative, Mental Health Awareness Week that was going on last week and just being vulnerable, being real. I think the goal of Mindset is to really take the helmet off, to take the shoulder pads off and to relate and to open up a space where people feel comfortable to talk about what’s going on mentally. We work so hard every single day to train your bodies to get in the best physical possible shape you can be in. Mentally it’s the same thing, so being able to connect with people to build a community, that was something that was really special and to have so many teammates come out and support and show their support with their significant others. It was a really cool event and it was exciting to be able to do that after football game, especially after a win when you’re able to kind of share like, ‘Man, this is a results-based business.’ This could have gone a great way or a bad way or whatever, right? But at the same time, you’re able to be willing to share that raw emotion after a game with some people and to see how alike we really all are.”
(When we talk about just your experience this past summer, you had the chance to be a commencement speaker. How was that experience for you?) – “That was really cool. Miami-Dade College really did it outstanding at LoanDepot Park. To be able to go out there and to have 15-20 minutes with a group, the future leaders of the area, and to be able to give your heart, your testimony, your story and hopefully inspire other people to go out and write their own stories and empower them to be able to go through whatever they need to go through to see on the other side. It was a really cool space. It was different than anything – I’m a lot more used to that intimate speaking engagement, whether it’s a business, a school that I’m talking to. When you’re up on a big stage, I didn’t have that earpiece, you know what I’m saying. It was a lot different human connection. But to be able to go through that to be able to get the feedback after that was a great experience and something I’m really grateful for.”
(This week you all play Carolina, a team that’s looking for their first win. How do you all keep the mentality, focus to avoid the trap game in a sense?) – “I think it really comes down to staying locked in on your process and your standards. I talk about that every time I’m up here, I swear, and it’s the truth. I think to be able to focus in on how you can improve week to week and never let off on the gas, to find all of the mistakes that we went through this week, not taking anything in victory that you wouldn’t in defeat, right, and to be able to kind of keep flipping over every single stone that you can. The goal every single week is to improve and get better so we have another opportunity at Hard Rock Stadium in front of our fans, like the opportunity of a lifetime every single Sunday to go out and represent this organization. You can never take that lightly. So I think that responsibility to a man needs to be a part of our standard, our process. And that’s how we’re going to go to work this week and continue to improve.”
(Another 100-yard day for RB De’Von Achane. At this point is there anything he does that surprises you?) – “Yeah, I blocked for another No. 28 when he was a rookie that was pretty good (Josh Jacobs). So De’Von (Achane) is blowing this thing out of the water right now. It’s fun to see him grow week after week, different plays, different packages, different formations that he’s in. To take it mentally and physically, to be able to produce over and over again. So I know a lot of guys like blocking for that dude because once you get him in space and find him some grass, he’ll get going.”
(How about another rookie? Did you like what you saw from RB Chris Brooks when he was in there?) – “Loved it. I loved it. Watching Chris get out there with his package and to be able to go out and execute, it’s fun to see the work that he’s put in as an undrafted guy and go step by step throughout the entire year to make the roster – it’s not like he was expecting his first touches from the Denver game to go out for big explosive runs, but when he gets out on the field, he does something with it and it’s cool to see that as a room, to see guys own their different roles, to expand upon that, to be able to coach one another, to be able to impact everything we can so you get another guy in the fold that’s making plays, that’s on the field, that’s impacting the game. It’s blocking right now, it was running, for him it was special teams the past few weeks. So I think it’s really cool to see him step up and grow into a new role, another thing that we can put on tape.”
(It’s kind of comical to me watching the game back seeing how many offensive linemen are squaring up blocks outside the numbers, like 10 yards down the field. Obviously being athletic is a good thing, but I want to hear in your description of how the athleticism of that group benefits you guys?) – “I think the athleticism is one thing, right? They can run, but they’re also being decisive. They’re trusting their eyes, they’re trusting what they’re seeing and they’re just going, they’re cutting it loose. And when you can get a lot of guys, 11 guys in phase together playing that way – decisive, convicted – I think that’s when you get the Rob Hunt blow up shots, 15 yards down the field that everyone wants to roll back and kind of watch in slow motion 15 times over again.”
(Did you happen to see after RB De’Von Achane’s long run, him and OL Robert Hunt like celebrating at the middle of the field together? What was that?) – “I don’t know. So I turned around, I was giving Tua (Tagovailoa) some love. I gave him some high fives and stuff and that was exciting and then you turn around and you see these two grown men like hugging each other out in the middle of the field, kind of fell down. So as one coach always said, ‘execution breeds excitement.’ So when guys execute, they get emotional about it and it’s fun to see guys celebrate the success of all the teammates and I think they did it their own way. I’m not probably going to join that one, (laughter) but we had a lot of good celebrations yesterday.”
(You’ve been on good teams, you’ve been on bad teams. The camaraderie of this team to me seems different than we’ve experienced here. What does that come from? What’s the genesis of that?) – “I think it’s different than every other team that anyone’s been a part of and that’s not to say you’re reinventing the wheel in any aspect. You’re just being yourselves. The group and collection of guys in this locker room is different than last year. It’s going to be different than next year. Everyone came together under this organization with this logo and you’re able to be yourselves vulnerably, authentically, yourself in that locker room. And this is the only opportunity that we have for the 2023 season. So I think guys recognizing that, not shying away from it and being willing to be themselves around each other and celebrate like little kids after a big play. That’s what it’s all about and I think that’s the joy and happiness and all of the confidence that comes from the work that we do together. And one feeds off of the other and I think that’s kind of where we’re going to continue to grow and evolve and it’s going to be different every single week and the more we get to know each other, the closer that we get, the only better that camaraderie is going to get.”
(Did someone get on the camera crew for making sure they get all the celebrations because watching that tape back, they show every celebration that you guys have?) – “Yeah, I think there needs to be specific like, ‘hey, camera four, camera six, camera eight – make sure you’re watching some of these big guys on the big runs.’ Man, everyone gets excited and it’s cool to be a part of an offense like that, a defense like that, where there are so many celebrations and there are so many ways that you get to express yourself and have fun doing it. It’s a game. We’re playing a game and when you execute and you do well, you’re so locked in and you’re so focused on all these details; when you see the fruits of that labor, to be able to have fun with it is something special.”
