Matt Moore – June 6, 2017
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Tuesday, June 6, 2017
QB Matt Moore
(How’s your offseason?) – “It is good. Same as always.”
(Any more kids on the way?) – “No. (laughter) No more. We’re busy enough.”
(How would you rate last season for yourself personally? Was it a success by the way you played?) – “I think there were a lot of good things, sure. There’s always something to work on. (There’s) always something, I guess on the negative side, that you’re going to look back on and wish you did different; but at the same time, there’s a lot of positive things to feel good about, to build on, to move forward with. So was it a success? I mean we would have loved to continue to play and move forward; but personally, I felt good. I learned a lot. There’s a lot of things to learn from, like I said. So that’s the best way I can answer that question.”
(You probably notice better than anybody, how is QB Ryan Tannehill looking post knee injury? Are you surprised he didn’t need surgery with the shot that he took?) – “He looks fantastic. That’s all I can say. I mean he looks like nothing happened. Again, I’m not a doctor. I have no idea the entire issue, but he looks great. So he’s moving forward like normal.”
(Getting back to last year, I guess how you played was indicative of how the team played the entire season. When things were going well, it went really well but in the Steelers game and obviously New England as well, things happened. What’s it going to take for you to get over that hump?) – “Well, I mean the first thing, kind of the glaring thing is turnovers. It’s hard enough to win in this league when you control the ball and obviously when you give it away, your chances go way down. So I think that’s a big thing to look at. It’s the second year in the system for everybody – coaches, players. That experience is there. The relationships are there. The expectations are there. So time – having last year is going to help us. Obviously, time moving forward will help us. I don’t know if I can pinpoint anything that’s going to get us over the hump. We’ve just got to grind and study the tape from last year. If I had to say something, if we can control the ball in more key situations and not turn it over, that would probably be a good first step.”
(Talking to people around the building, they felt like there was a lot left on the field against the Steelers in the playoffs. Would you say that’s fair?) – “Yes, absolutely. After watching the tape, it’s tough to swallow. You get to the ‘dance,’ as they say, and you have an opportunity, and to have some plays go the way they did in that game, it’s hard. If you’re a man in this league, you’ll look at and learn from it and get better. That’s not saying it’s okay; but yes, there were definitely things out there – I think both run and pass game, some protection. But all things that we’ve, I guess circled the wagons around, and are trying to better those things and get them right moving forward.”
(Now that you’re out there taking your reps, just guys who come to mind who you think have improved or really shown you something on either side of the ball? Who are the first to come to mind?) – “I mean Xavien (Howard) I think looks pretty good. He’s flying around. Really, gosh the defense is really hauling around out there. I’ve got good things to say about everybody. I think offensively, I think our young receivers have really done a nice job. Everyone’s learning and everything’s so much more fluid this year. Like I said, having that year with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase last year, guys come in knowing what to do and everything’s going kind of smooth, which is what you want. Everyone I think is taking the right step forward and it’s been good so far.”
(As far as the young receivers go, can you talk about WR Drew Morgan, who seems to get open a lot, and WR Damore’ea Stringfellow? What have you seen from the Ole Miss kid?) – “Drew, he’s your typical inside guy. I think he’s got a lot to learn; but I think he understands leverage, which I think if you have that in this league you can do a lot, and he does that. He uses his body well. He seemed to pick up the offense pretty well. Stringfellow, (he’s a) big kid. Again, I think he’s got a lot to learn; but those guys are out there grinding every day. They’ve been good.”
(What did you think of some of the other quarterback movement around the league this offseason with QB Jay Cutler leaving, with QB Tony Romo leaving, QB Colin Kaepernick’s out there unsigned?) – “He is? (laughter) To be honest with you, what are my thoughts? I have no thoughts. I’ve kind of focused on myself, a little selfishly, just trying to get myself where I need to be. Obviously you hear those storylines. The Romo deal is crazy. I don’t know what to say about that or the Cutler thing, or the Kaepernick thing really. I don’t get paid…”
(Any one or none? Whatever you want.) – (Yes, I mean it’s … I don’t know. I have no thoughts. I mean I worry about myself and what’s going on here with my job and that’s all I can do.”
(When you look around though and see who some of these teams might have to start at quarterback, does it make you go ‘Hmmm, I’m definitely better than that guy?’) – “I think it’s natural to have thoughts that you’re capable to play in this league; but I’m happy where I’m at. I’m in a great spot. I love my teammates and my coaches and I’m here trying to win ball games.”
(You’ll be 33 years old in a couple of months?) – “In August, yes.”
(How are you physically?) – “Fantastic.”
(Just like QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “Yes. Yes, we’re both fantastic. (laughter) I feel good. I feel good.”
(From watching TE Julius Thomas run around for a couple of weeks, what dimension do you think he’s going to add?) – “His experience with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase in the past obviously helps him. It gives him a little head start; but physically, I mean, (he’s a) big body. When he gets going, he really can move – crossing routes and down the seam and stuff like that. Obviously, it’s no secret he’s going to play a big role in what we do, I would imagine. (He’s a) big target. He’s a proven guy. He’s great in the locker room, so (he’s a) good role model for the young guys. He’s a great addition to this team.”
(You faced LB Lawrence Timmons last year. What do you remember about him from the playoff game?) – “He’s a good player. He got me there a couple times at the end of the game. (He) threw me around a little bit; but (he’s) just a veteran linebacker – all over the place. I remember him communicating well, always talking. Again, (he’s) a guy that just brings experience (and) plays hard. We watch tape every day and you watch him and he is flying around, running to the ball, practicing hard the way you should. Another – talk about key additions – I think that’s a great addition. The guy is just a football player and you love it. He doesn’t say much but plays ball.”
(We haven’t had a chance to talk to you since that whole concussion/not a concussion thing came up. In your mind, what happened that day?) – “I got hit really hard – really hard. I knew in my head I was fine. I needed to take a second, like I said after the game. I cleared all of the tests like it was nothing. I went back in and executed the offense pretty well. So that was it. I mean if something was …”
(Where you surprised the league reprimanded the team?) – “Yes, I mean I think both sides, the PA (players’ association) and the league and everyone was kind of doing their jobs and doing what they have to do. I understand that. I did my best to say it was a non-issue. The team I think handled it the way they were supposed to handle it. The independent doctor was down there and he did what he had to do. I had no complaints and I understood the situation. A hit like that, everyone expects something had to happen. Something had to happen.”
(Did you just bite your tongue? Was that all that happened?) – “I bit my tongue; but yes, I mean that’s just … It looked bad. It was bad but it looked worse than it was.”
(Have you seen it since?) – “Yes, 100 times. Everybody shows it to me.”
(Is your teeth, your jaw and everything okay?) – “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sore; I was sore. But it’s a contact sport. It was a little bit blown out of proportion.”
(The team expects C Mike Pouncey back by September. As a quarterback, how important is it to having your center back?) – Yes, especially a guy like Mike. He runs the show. He runs the o-line for sure. He’s pretty good at what he does. He understands what we’re trying to do offensively. He’s like the quarterback up there and then you add his physical gifts, his quickness and his speed up to the second level and things like that. He’s a unique player and so we’re hoping he’s back because he’s one of the best.”
(On WR DeVante Parker.) – “Again, moving in the right direction. You can see he feels more comfortable, I think; and he’s kind of growing, I think, as everybody wanted him to. So time – obviously everybody loves to have time. Of course in this league, you want everything right now; but I think DeVante’s kind of hitting his stride right now and everybody’s seeing it. You throw the ball to him, he makes it really easy. He makes the quarterback look good a lot of the times. So he’s a guy who’s really hitting his stride I think, and he’s continuing to learn. He’ll be a big part for us this year.”
