Jordan Poyer – March 18, 2024
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Monday, March 18, 2024
S Jordan Poyer
(How much did it mean to you to be able to sign with the Dolphins and play football where you live outside the season?) – “Yeah, it meant a lot. I’ve had a lot of respect for this program for the past few years, Coach (Mike) McDaniel, a lot of the players. I live 30 minutes from the facility, 25 minutes from the stadium. I’m just super thankful. It’s a lot of gratitude in this situation of being able to come in with an open mind and an open heart to help teach, to learn, to play and continue to play at a high level, in which I know I can. Again, I’m extremely thankful to be in this position and I’m ready to get to work.”
(What was the Bills-Dolphins rivalry like for you on the side that you were on before? How strange is it going to be going forward now that you’re going to meet them twice a year?) – “I mean a rivalry is a rivalry. You can call a couple teams up there when I was playing in Buffalo, a couple teams were rivalries, with Miami being one of the bigger ones. It’s another game. That’s exactly what it will be this year playing them up there and then playing them down here. That’s not something that I’m going to look and put a star on the game. I just love playing the game of football. I love being out here in the warm weather seeing the palm trees. It’s just alive. The energy is alive, which makes me feel happy about. Again, I’m extremely thankful to be in this position and to have this opportunity. And I’m going to take it and run with it and be the best version of myself I can be, which I know I can still play at a high level and still can impact a lot of games. Again, I’m just extremely excited to be here.”
(Were you prepared for the decision the Bills made? How did you think they handled the end of your time there?) – “I was prepared. I’m always prepared. I’ve been in this league long enough to understand moves have to be made. You see guys come and go, guys get cut unexpectedly. So I was prepared. I’m in a good place in my life where I have the understanding that it is what it is, it ain’t what it ain’t. You just keep moving on and putting the next foot forward. I’m here right now with another great opportunity.”
(This defense most likely will have a lot of new faces as starters on opening day. What are the complications or challenges of a lot of new faces in the starting lineup, a new system and a new defensive coordinator?) – “I mean every year presents its own challenges in its own ways. Obviously having some new faces, a new (defensive) coordinator, it’s just coming in with the right mindset of being willing and open enough to learn with open minds, open hearts and learn the system to the best of our ability. Then us being able to connect on and off the field with each other. Just being able to build that trust. I think that’s a huge component in this game is building trust with the guys that you are playing with, with the system, with the calls. So when you’re able to build that, everything else really takes care of itself. There’s a lot of great football players on this defense. So you put it all together with that communication, with that trust that’s essentially built in the offseason, in training camp and all throughout the season, through the ups and downs; it’s all part of it. But having that strong foundation and strong trust, you can make anything shake. I’m excited to get to work with the guys. I’m excited to learn about the guys as a player and as a person and go to work.”
(It’s been my thought that Buffalo ‘out-physicaled’ the Dolphins on many occasions in the past. I want to know if you agree with that. And beyond that, how does physicality and aggressiveness help in football and how do you use it to win games?) – “That’s a deep question right there. (laughter) I mean, obviously you want to be the most physical team every time you step out on the football field, right? Whether that’s the way you get after the quarterback or that’s the way you finish plays both offensively and defensively. You go into the game with a mindset of being the more physical team. In doing so, you tire the other team out then maybe they don’t want to catch the ball over the middle. Maybe they think twice about throwing a certain ball. It’s really almost the game within the game, right? Which team is going to be more physical? And sometimes ultimately it doesn’t matter if a team is more talented then the other team. If one team is getting really manhandled across the line and the line is getting either pushed back or pushed forward, it’s hard to beat. You like to obviously come in with the mindset that we’re going to be the most physical team on the field. I’m going to be the most physical player out there on the field. And the rest usually takes care of itself.”
(You were a seventh-round draft pick. Would you say you played with a chip on your shoulder to help elevate your game as an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler?) – “Absolutely. Seventh round, 218th (overall pick) coming out of Oregon State as a consensus All-American, getting cut by Philadelphia, going to Cleveland and playing there for three and a half years, having a pretty bad injury then them not wanting to bring me back, then playing in Buffalo for seven years, getting cut with a year left on my contract. This is just another one of those opportunities, like I said, another one of those great opportunities to go out there and prove to myself really, and to everyone else around me, that I can still play and play at a high level. I can still help win games. I have a lot of experience in this game, a lot of experience within this division, of a lot of people that I’ve seen over the years and played over the years. I’m going to bring all that knowledge here to ultimately help the Dolphins win football games. Like I said, I’m here with an open mind, open heart, open arms, to learn, to grow, to evolve as a person and as a player, and just bring the best version of myself that I can to help this team win football games.”
(How would you feel about taking batting practice at the Miami Marlins ballpark?) – “I would love that. Couldn’t do that in Buffalo. I would love to do that. (laughter) I’d love to.”
(When was the last time you hit a baseball?) – “A baseball? It’s been a while. Yeah, it’s been a while since I tried to hit a baseball. Probably about two or three years. But the golf swing is pretty nice right now. I’m not going to lie, the golf swing is pretty nice.”
(S Jevon Holland, how do you feel your skillset can compliment his skillset, in terms of what you know about his strengths?) – “I mean, he’s an extremely athletic player. An extremely gifted player that I’ve been following and watch kind of grow over the last few years. That’s an Oregon Duck and you have another Oregon State guy here, so that’ll be pretty cool to connect with him and learn about him. Again, I want to help as much as I can. (I’m) 32, I guess you can call me old or whatever, but at the same time, I have a lot of knowledge about this game that I feel like I can bring and help players see the game in maybe a different light, a different perspective. (I can) help them essentially get one step closer to the ball, one step closer to making that play or even them helping me in those situations. That connection is important to where we have to work with each other. It’s not just me out there. It’s not just Jalen (Ramsey), (Kendall) Fuller or Holland. We’re out there as a group. If we play good team football, the sky’s the limit for us. That’s something that OTAs are for, essentially training camp, is building those relationships, building those connections, learning about each other and continuing to just grow. Ultimately, that’s what we are here to do.”
(First, I’m curious about that golf game. Are you feeling pretty good about it?) – “I’m feeling pretty good about it. I’m feeling pretty good about it. I’m going to Mexico this week to play at the NFLPA golf event on Thursday to Saturday, so I’m really excited to go out there and swing the clubs with some boys.”
(On the football side of things, you were just asked about S Jevon Holland. Obviously you spent time a lot of time with S Micah Hyde in Buffalo. You guys are best friends. What did you maybe learn from playing with him and the communication there that you can maybe take here to Miami?) – “Just how important it is, right? How important it is to understand the whole defense, really the scheme within the scheme, and understand each players’ skillset and understand there are things he’s going to be able to do better than me and there are things I’m going to be able to do better than him, and being able to intertwine those and grow and evolve and continue to learn and continue to communicate. Communication is – Micah and I, we were great pals in the locker room. But we were even better pals off the field. That connection that you have, it goes a long way when it’s the fourth quarter and you need a call from a guy and you just look over and you see him in a position and he’s giving you a hand signal and ‘bam, we’re good.’ That trust is built throughout. It’s a process. It’s not going to happen overnight. Like I said, it’s why I’m here. I’m here to just help this team grow and do what I can to get over that hump of whatever that is. The past is the past. We’re here right now with a great football team. Another great opportunity this season to play football games and win football games.”
(You mentioned the energy in Miami. You mentioned Head Coach Mike McDaniel. I’m curious, what was that first interaction with him like when you’re not on the opposite sideline? When you’re going to be on the same team as him.) – “It was just that, right? I texted him the day I found out I was signing with Miami. I think it was a Friday morning or a Thursday morning and it was six o’clock in the morning. I was in Costa Rica and had just got up, so it was 4:30 in the morning, so 6:30 out here. As soon as I hit send – I don’t even think he had a chance to read my text. I sent him a long text and I don’t think he had a chance to read it. My phone started buzzing and it was him. I picked up the phone and we talked for a good 30 minutes. His energy is unmatched. So much respect for him, not just as a coach but as a player for overcoming a lot of his stuff that he’s had to deal with that I can really relate to, right? I’m just here to shed my light and to be a light and that’s exactly what he is too. You see it on the Hard Knocks. You see it on the field when you cross (paths). It’s just him man. He’s a great dude and a great coach. I have a lot of respect for him.”
(You were actually drafted by the Florida Marlins going back to 2009 I believe it was. Was there a decision that you had to make? How good of a baseball player were you?) – “Yeah, I was really good. My signability wasn’t high coming out of high school, so I ended up signing with Oregon State with the intention of also playing baseball there too. So I did play baseball there for a year at Oregon State. It was extremely hard. I wasn’t a very studious student-athlete. I was more just the athlete part than the student part. So it was extremely hard after my first year playing baseball, especially seeing the guys during offseason workouts grinding hard and I’m swinging a baseball bat. It just didn’t sit right with me, didn’t feel right with me. So I made the decision in college that football was going to be my path and essentially I put all my eggs in that basket. And shoot, 12 years later, I’m still playing at a high level. I do wonder if I kept the baseball bat in my hand, where it would’ve taken me. But like I said, everything happens for a reason. There’s no mistakes behind it. But that was the reason I didn’t sign with the Florida Marlins was cause my signability – I wanted to go to school. I wanted to play in college. I wanted to experience college. It was a big decision, but you’re a young, 18, 19-year-old athlete turning down an ‘x’ amount of dollars to basically play in a farm system. But like I said, I really wanted to go to school. I figured if I was good enough to still play baseball, then I could’ve got re-signed or re-drafted another two years down the road. But it didn’t end up happening like that.”
(You mentioned in the past you have a strong relationship with WR Tyreek Hill and QB Tua Tagovailoa. I was just curious with those relationships and the insight that those guys have been able to give you with the Dolphins. How much did that make the decision easier knowing you have some guys here who you already have really strong relationships off the field with?) – “I mean, it made the decision a lot easier for sure. Tua, he was at my golf event a couple years ago. I went to his birthday party, not this last year but the year before. Tyreek, I’ve hopped on a couple podcasts with him. I’ve been around him for quite a bit. We have the same agent. Even (Raheem) Mostert, training with him and Braxton (Berrios) down at Pete’s (Bommarito). A lot of guys you see training then you obviously see on the football field. It’s a really good group of guys. Even some of the guys that I haven’t met, some of the guys I’ve met in the building today, you can tell the energy is high. You can tell the vibes are high. I just want to continue to bring the vibes man. Be a light and just excited to get to work and meet everybody and to get going, get this thing going.”
