Bobby McCain – May 29, 2018
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018
CB Bobby McCain
(How are you going to get all of these defensive backs on the field at the same time?) – “I’m sure coach is going to have a plan. We have a lot of good players on the back end and the front end as well. We’re going to bring it all together and keep working and find a way.”
(Is it a hope of yours … We’ve seen how good you are playing in the slot; but we’ve seen you on the boundary too and you’ve had success there. Would it be a hope of yours to be able to start potentially on the boundary and then move inside on third downs because we saw you last week playing there?) – “I’m a corner. I want to be in the game as everyone does. Whatever we feel is best for the team to win ball games, that’s what I’m going to do – whether it’s outside, inside. Whatever’s best for me and whatever is best for the team, honestly, is to win ball games.”
(Have you seen any changes in QB Ryan Tannehill’s mobility coming back from the surgery? Or is it the same mobile Ryan? I know there’s only been four on-field practices; but is it the same mobile Ryan that you saw before?) – “He’s still mobile. He can still move his feet. He still can run well. He’s always been a good athlete. He’s always been able to move in the pocket and outside of the pocket with boots (bootlegs) and even running the football. He looks stronger than ever.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase talked about your leadership. Do you take pride in being a leader on the team?) – “Yes, it’s a prideful move and it’s a great compliment coming from coach – the head coach. At the end of the day, we’re just here to do a job and that’s to win football games. If your role is to lead the young guys, then that’s what you have to do. If your role is to sit back and wait, which mine in the first year and second year has been, you just have to wait. Now that we have young guys coming up behind you, they know the right way to do things. That’s what we try to depend on here, just the right way of doing things.”
(Has some of the young guys come up to you recently once they got here?) – “Yes. A lot of them, and that’s a good sight to see. Me being in my fourth year, I was that guy three years ago, asking questions and wanting to know things. We’ve got guys like ‘Fitzy’ (Minkah Fitzpatrick), Cornell (Armstrong), ‘J.D.’ (Jalen Davis) and those young guys are all coming up and they want to know. They want to learn. That’s good to know and that’s good to have.”
(What’s it like to be the veteran now?) – “It’s different because you are the vet in the room, one of the vets in the room. We have a lot of great vets in the room such as Reshad (Jones), T.J. (McDonald) ‘Lip’ (Tony Lippett) even. ‘X’ (Xavien Howard is coming along. Guys that have just been there and have been with the team for years now. It’s different but it’s a role. It’s a role you have to take and you have to embrace yourself, to know that now you have guys looking at you to do the right thing. You have to make sure that you’re doing it.”
(You mentioned your role the first three years was to be a slot corner. Do you think this is the year for you to do more and be that starting guy – not even in nickel but in base you can go out and win a starting job?) – “Like I said. I want to be in the game as much as I can. If that’s what we have to do, that’s what we’ve got to do. If I’ve got to play outside, I play outside. Inside or outside, wherever it is, I want to be in the game.”
(The Dolphins lost a few guys that are kind of like spark-plug guys, energy guys in practice. Help me out here, give me a few teammates that you have already seen that are going to bring that energy and that spunk to the practice field?) – “It’s a collective unit. As a unit, we’re trying to bring that spark, that energy, because we’re having fun. At the end of the day, we’re playing the game we love. With Xavien (Howard) and ‘Branchy’ (Andre Branch), and guys like even Raekwon (McMillan) in the middle, just being a general, there’s guys like that, that I have respect for because I know how hard the game is. I know what it’s like to wake up and have to bring that energy and be that guy. Like I said, it’s a collective unit – like Kenny (Stills). Guys are just doing the right thing. It’s a good sight to see.”
(There’s an evolution as a player, particularly a guy who went in the third day like you did. First, your priority is to make the team and help however you can and stuff so you can get on the field. Now in Year 4, do you think contract? It’s kind of an important year for you.) – “Yes, it’s a contract year. There’s no secret; but me personally, I think just go out and play ball. If you go out and play ball, it will all end up well for you. If you win ball games, everybody gets paid, period. If you go out and take your team to the playoffs, go deep in the playoffs and go to the Super Bowl, everybody wins.”
(Have they talked to you at all about the contract yet?) – “I’m just going out trying to play my best ball.”
(Does it feel weird now when you look around and you’re the old guy amongst the cornerbacks?) – “Yes, it’s crazy. It’s a good feeling though. Just knowing that it’s your fourth year in the league and it’s a big season for you, and the team as well. We’ve got a lot of new faces; but at the end of the day, you have to put the hat on and go to work each and every day. Like I said, if you get the wins, the dollars will pile up.”
(Obviously going against them in games with Kansas City and New England and being around them at practice, what do you think WR Albert Wilson does really well and what do you think WR Danny Amendola does really well?) – “They’re both good players and of course, Danny’s proven, as everyone knows. He’s a proven player. I’m happy to have him on my team after our differences we’ve had with the Patriots the past couple of years. (laughter) He’s a really good player and Albert is a good player too. He’s a really good player and he’s really fast. He can run. They’re both going to help us win ball games and I’m happy to have them.”
(Did you know WR Danny Amendola was as tightly wound as he seems?) – “No, he’s a work horse. Danny’s a work horse. He seems like a perfectionist at the end of the day, because he wants to do everything the right way. When you’ve got ‘28’ (myself) on the other side, it’s a little tough. You’re supposed to laugh at that. (laughter) But he works his tail off. He comes in everyday and you can tell he’s a real vet. He comes in to work and play ball. Like I said, we hope to bring a championship to this city and with him being in New England, he’s got a couple piled up. At the end of the day, he is here and we’re ready to go get it.”
(Do you understand anything a little bit more about WR Danny Amendola now that you’re teammates?) – “He’s not as bad as I thought he was. (laughter) He’s a good guy. He’s a leader and he’s going to be real good for this locker room, for this team and for the organization.”
(You think WR Danny Amendola would say the same thing about you?) – “I hope so.”
(Coming into this season before WR Danny Amendola became your teammate, he was your number one enemy, correct?) – “No, no, no, no. Tom Brady. (laughter)”
(So WR Danny Amendola was number two?) – “Yes, he might have been number two. He might have been on that list somewhere. (laughter)”
(Which of you guys have had picks through the first four days of 11-on-11 work?) – “I dropped mine. Danny (Amendola) broke that up. ‘Fitzy’ (Minkah Fitzpatrick) caught some picks. He’s got some tipped passes. The ball seems to find him. He’s going to be good for us. I know someone … Reshad (Jones) got a pick. He got him a nice pick. We’ve put our hands on some balls. We can get more.”
(What are some of your early impressions of CB Cornell Armstrong?) – “He kind of reminds me of myself when I came in because he wants to learn. He’ll pull me over to the side and ask, ‘Why did you do that?’ Or ‘on this call, why are they playing like this?’ That’s what you need because coming in as a rookie, you don’t know the defense. It took me a year, a couple of years, to learn the defense the way you know it backwards and forwards. He wants to learn. He has ball skills. He has all the … He looks the part. I think he’s going to be a good player for us.”
(Now that you’ve had a lot of months to think about last year and it’s not a week-to-week thing, what was missing in the defense last season?) – “Personally, I feel like we lost a bit of fire. We lost that spark to get us going. I take heed of that. As a collective unit, we’ll take it, from the front end and the back end. We lost that … ‘Your back is against the wall, go get it.’ The year before, if the offense makes a turnover, okay boom. The ball is on our own territory on the 20-yard line, let’s stop them to a field goal. We kind of lost that go out and get it, go out and make a stop (attitude). This year, we’ve got guys in there. We’ve got guys that will make a difference and say ‘No, we’re not having it. We’re going to get the ball back. No field goals, no nothing. We’re going to turn the ball over.’”
(Why do you think that was?) – “To be honest with you, I’m not sure. I couldn’t tell you. It could be anything at the end of the day; but it’s on us. It’s not on … People say it’s on the coaches. No, it’s on us. We’re the ones out there playing and we’re the ones that have to get it done.”
(Is it something that you could sense as the year was going on? Or was it something you came to realize after the season was over?) – “After the season. I sat back after the season and I watched all 16 games. I watched them a couple of times, to be honest with you. When you see as a defense … We call it put a hand on a helmet, which is like celebrating and having a good time. You’ll see a couple of guys putting a hand on a helmet. No, we need all 11. If a guy makes a great play, we need all 11 there. Everybody needs to be there. Next year, we’re going to have it. We’re going to have that energy this year.”
(How would you describe the personality and approach of the two new coaches you have there – Defensive Backs Coach Tony Oden and Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Renaldo Hill?) – “They’re both from Detroit. They’re both really good coaches. ‘Coach O’ (Tony Oden) is a good coach and Coach Hill is a good coach. They’re both proven. I know Coach Oden has a Super Bowl ring. Speaking of personality, don’t take this the wrong way, but we’re all not here to be friends. We’re a family and we’re here to do a job; but as a family. Does that make sense? He’s going to tell you, ‘You’re doing this wrong,’ but you know it’s out of love. And if you’re doing it right, he’s going to tell you you’re doing it right and it’s out of love. When you say personality, that’s how I feel about it. There’s people that can shoot you this and it not be correct or it not be truthful. No. He wants to tell you the truth and we’re going to get it done. If we do something out there that’s wrong, we’ll correct it when we get in the room. Boom. Done. That way the guy behind you doesn’t do the same thing.”
(Are you going to be one of those guys keeping that fire lit this year?) – “Yes, for sure. One-hundred percent.”
