Terron Armstead – July 30, 2024
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Tuesday, July 30, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(Can you detail your program and how your approach things? Is there a lot of communication between you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel? Is it a lot of you receiving instruction?) – “It’s just great communication throughout the entire organization really – the trainers, strength coaches, position coaches. Just coming up with a program, load and then ramp up kind of progression.”
(Are you used to the ramp up and progression or does it still maybe eat at you because you see them out there?) – “It’s always tough, especially when you get the chatter on the field, you get the competition. I want to jump in, let me go get a few reps. But I’m trying to just stay course of the program.”
(I think I saw you working with T Bayron Matos. What can you tell us about his progress?) – “It’s been great, it’s been great. Yesterday was his first time ever in pads, and you really wouldn’t see that from his ability and what he’s been able to do so far with such limited experience. It’s been impressive, he works his butt off. He’s looking to improve and he can play. He can actually play. It’s not a game. He’s a big, strong physical man. So finetuning some technique things, he can play.”
(What was your perspective of that little dust up today that T Patrick Paul got involved with a little bit?) – “Yeah, that’s part of the game. Football fights to me is really pushing and shoving, it’s not much going on. You got helmets on and pads and all of that. It’s just tempers flare, you feel like you got to get a couple of them off. That’s it, nothing much.”
(I saw you during the offseason you went to Columbia. You went to Atlético Nacional facility, can you talk a little bit about that experience?) – “An incredible experience, for sure. I went to visit those guys and did a jersey swap. A lot of those guys are fans of American football and the Dolphins specifically. So it was great to have that interaction, got a tour of their facility and learn more about their history. That was an incredible experience.”
(Have you given any thought to wearing the guardian caps during games?) – “No. I’m not.”
(Your rational behind that?) – “I’ve just been playing football a certain way for a long time. I’m not really getting into changing that up.”
(What’s your early impression of T Patrick Paul and can you help him, have you helped him?) – “Yeah, he’s impressive. He’s impressive. He’s done a lot of things well in this very early part of his career that gets your attention. You see the talent; you see the flashes. Things that he needs to learn and work on, which of course, but I like where he’s at mentally. He’s tough, he’s physical, strong, he’s huge. His ability to move and mirror, stay in front of guys to finish a play has been impressive. I like him a lot, I like him a lot. He’s going to be a really good player for a long time. We just got to keep working and finetuning some things techniques wise, mindset, a lot of pre-snap adjustments that he can kind of learn from. But that will come with time and experience.”
(You’re not a center, but what do you think is going into some of these snapping mishaps?) – “The start is Tua (Tagovailoa) and ‘AB’ (Aaron Brewer) getting more time on task, get more reps. It’s different. I was actually talking to Tua about it yesterday. He was kind of explaining the difference between ‘AB’s’ snap point compared to Connor (Williams) or Liam (Eichenberg), it’s all different. So maybe he has to squat or reach, but that only comes with time. The more they get those reps, which they are and those will get cleaned up and disappear. But early in camp you’ll see some mishaps like that and some operational issues.”
(In terms of QB Tua Tagovailoa, from your vantage point, what has changed or grown from his game over the offseason?) – “The account has changed. (laughter) But since I’ve got here I’ve seen progression, development, growth in leadership, in the person, as a professional, as a human, a father of two now. He’s growing. He’s growing, and it’s been great to see that progression. It’s like he’s growing up right in front of our eyes. He’s more vocal, got a swagger about him. He’s hard on himself still, which we appreciate. He’s not afraid to call himself out, he’s not afraid to call others out which he wouldn’t necessarily do my first year here. All of that is going to bode really well for us moving forward, I love the direction that he’s going. The mishaps, some interceptions, the fumbles snaps and all of that, got to get those cleaned up. Can’t just say it, we’ve got to go do it. But knowing Tua, he’s the guy to put that work in to eliminate that.”
(How much training camp do you need, or how much do you need to be ready for the season?) – “I’ve come to find throughout the years, it gets to a point in camp where you’re like, ‘All right, I’m ready.’ Until you feel that, you got to get in team, you got to hit, you got to win a few blocks, lose a few blocks, know the adjustments. It’s kind of is just a feel for me. I know where I’m at in pass pro, my hand timing is right, my eyes are right, I know in the run game I’m getting my fits right. I’m ready.”
(When you go into the live periods at the end, the red zone and short yardage. What’s your conversation with those guys or maybe point of emphasis with the offense in those periods?) – “A lot of those are, especially like the short yardage competition today, is much less about the technique honestly. It’s just about competing. ‘I want to whip his (explicit), let’s get this first down. Let’s talk after.’ That’s really it. We worry about the steps and all of that later. The defense jumping offsides, we’re jumping this snap, you know what I mean, it’s just competition. That’s what you want to see, who is able to rise up to that competition, to win that period, that’s what you want to see. It’s not a technique drill, it’s not make sure you get this step down. No, it’s, ‘Let’s go whip his (explicit).’”
(You told the fine folks at NFL Network today was the day you will be back and then we didn’t see you out there much?) – “Well, I was back. I was in pads – I was out there, but it’s just a part of the plan. I got some indy work in, I got some combination work in but no team. No team yet. I’m sure that will be coming in the next few days, but I’m staying course with the program.”
(What was your evolution of your career – when you came in as a rookie the first couple of years eager as can be to be in there for every rep, and then as years went by, there became that balancing act between keeping you healthy, rest and all of that. What’s that thought process been like to adapt as the years go by for you?) – “My career specifically, I’ve dealt with challenges more so physically that had to keep me out in a certain amount of time, or I’m playing a game with limited preparations so I got to prepare differently, weight room, simulation on the field, walking through stuff, finding cardio. Different things outside of running. So it’s probably been the most challenging part of my career, but I’ve been able to have a career in spite of dealing with physical issues. Me now, like I said, I know what I need. As I get in and start doing team, my hands are right, feeling good first day, second day, I’m ready.”
(Your ability to perform despite not always being there practice, that makes the coach’s argument pretty hard when they say, “Oh, practice is really important.”) – “No, it is though. It is, there’s no other way around it. I’ve gotten a million reps, so when I’m not practicing, I’m getting thousands of reps off to the side in a controlled setting and controlled environment. I don’t just go out and freelance. You would have seen times in New Orleans where I did not touch the field. Sunday for the coin toss was the first time I go out there on the field and then go out and perform. It’s just dealing with something I got to stay off of. But it’s not a go out there and wish for the best, there’s a mentality to it, it’s a mindset, it’s repetition. I’m the biggest preacher of that, which might sound crazy because you won’t see me taking many practice reps, but I’m talking to all of these young guys, ‘You’ve got to do reps, reps, reps until it’s unconscious.’ So I still do that.”
