Zach Sieler – January 1, 2025
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Wednesday, January 1, 2025
DT Zach Sieler
(It’s hard to believe the turnaround that you guys have had to now and still a chance. Last week of the regular season. What’s the energy right now? What are you guys feeling knowing that you control what you can control, but the chance is still there?) – “Absolutely. I think last week was a great game. I think all three units played really well together and to be able to run off of that into this game and hopefully take it up to MetLife and hopefully everything falls into play and we play next week. It’s super exciting to come from 2-6 to here. It’s a testament to the team, the resilience of these guys and just the attitude we have around here. So I’m excited for this weekend.”
(The MVP award, what does that mean to you?) – “It means a lot. It was really exciting to hear that today from (Mike) McDaniel and the team. Obviously coming from where I came from – I know we’ve talked about that plenty of times before – it’s a blessing. It’s truly God’s gift to me to have such an incredible career down here and such a journey with the Dolphins coming from the waivers and them empowering me over the last five years now to be the player I am today with coaches and the staff and everybody. It’s been really incredible, so it’s a blessing.”
(What was the scene like when you learned that you won the award?) – “We were in the team meeting, so (Mike) McDaniel was going through a few of the awards that they’ve got and then to pull that up, it was really cool. A lot of guys were cheering and a lot of guys that I’ve played with for a lot of years. (Emmanuel) Ogbah has been here for a long time, Benito (Jones) was here back when I was first here, we were still at Davie. Obviously, Calais (Campbell) and a lot of those guys, it was exciting.”
(How much confidence did you guys get last week from watching QB Tyler Huntley play?) – “Awesome, it was great. I think ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) killed it. He did a great job up there. I know that meant a little more to him up there, and it was awesome to be able to do that and just see him play with that confidence. And I think again, it goes back to the three phases where seeing the offense click missing a couple pieces which is tough, but it’s next-man-up mentality. It’s what we preach all year and to have the season we’ve had and to be able to get through that and go from 2-6 to 8-8 and hopefully 9-8 this weekend and then hopefully even farther.”
(Go back to being waived. Did you ever envision this?) – “I mean, obviously it’s one of those things – shoot, I didn’t envision NFL when I was D-II. I walked on at Ferris and obviously it’s something I always pictured, but it doesn’t seem real until you start getting closer and closer. It just shows you pray about it, you work hard every day, you put your head down and it’s what I’m going to teach my son and it’s been what I’ve been taught over the years, to just keep working. You don’t look at the outside noise, you don’t look at ‘Hey, he’s not good enough,’ ‘Hey, he did this wrong or this wrong’ or ‘it’s been three years and I still haven’t touched the field at Ferris’ and you five years, so to be able to do that is just incredible. Then to come here down from Baltimore and just, ‘hey, you know what, let’s go play.’ It’s been incredible and just slowly climbing to get to where I’m at and with the guys that I’m with, it’s just incredible to go on this journey with them.”
(You also had a really good year last year. Maybe it flew a bit under the radar because you were teammates with Christian Wilkins who is a big personality, takes up a lot of oxygen. How satisfying is it to get the recognition especially now he’s no longer with you that anybody who might have said “well, it helps playing next to Christian”?) – “No. (laughter) Yeah, obviously I miss Christian (Wilkins). He’s an amazing player. Loved playing next to him, but I think it’s awesome to be able to do this this year, and to be able to play at this level and continue to play at this speed with whoever is next to me. It’s been an incredible journey, but it’s also a testament to the guys that came in and played with me. Look what Calais (Campbell) has done this year, Benito (Jones), (Da’Shawn) Hand, a lot of guys that have stepped up and just some guys haven’t had a lot of opps. I know Calais has had more opps than anyone, but a lot of guys hadn’t had a lot of opps to be able to play the games they’re playing and their level they’re playing at is incredible. So I think it’s an awesome testament not just to the d-line, but just the defense as a unit and all of us together.”
(We also voted DT Calais Campbell as our “Good Guy Award” winner. What do you think of that choice? Do you approve of it?) – “No one better. There’s no one more deserving to come and have the impact that he has on the locker room and the team on not just new guys or younger guys, but older vets. To see him – what I’ve learned from him this year has been instrumental – and I’m a seventh-year guy. There’s guys that are 10 years, 12 years that are learning stuff from him, and just to be able to do that so quickly on the team in camp and have such an immediate impact is just a testament to the player and the man that he is today.”
(I heard you’re a really big Kansas City Chiefs fan this week.) – “My wife is from Missouri, actually, so I think I have to be a little bit, right? (laughter)”
(Have you had any conversations yet with DT Calais Campbell yet trying to convince him to stick around another year and to make it with the Dolphins again?) – “I love Calais. I’d love to play another year with him. I know that’s a decision for him and his family, but I might poke the bear a couple times. (laughter)”
(Was there anyone that said something in the meeting today that made you laugh or anything that stuck out after you got word that you were MVP?) – “Honestly no, a lot of guys just cheered. It was a grateful moment. A lot of the guys were very excited. Obviously you get chirped here and there after that and all that stuff and obviously it’s the Dan Marino (Most Valuable Player Award), right? So that was pretty cool with Uncle Dan, to follow that one. But yeah, it’s been awesome.”
(And Dan Marino said what to you, have you seen him?) – “I haven’t seen him yet.”
