Akeem Spence – June 12, 2018
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Tuesday, June 12, 2018
DT Akeem Spence
(I don’t think we’ve chatted with you since you’ve been a Miami Dolphin. How did all of that go down?) – “I just got a call from my agent. He told me that I was kind of going to Miami. I was excited to get back with (Defensive line) Coach Kris (Kocurek) and be back in this scheme, this attack scheme, which I’m accustomed to playing. I’ve been playing it since I’ve been in the NFL. I’ve been in a Tampa 2. It’s the same type of scheme. It just kind of worked out.”
(Did you get any warning signs that your days there we numbered?) – “No warning signs. I just went to work every day, did everything I was supposed to do. Just was being a pro and it just so happens Miami pulled the trigger to get me down there. The rest was history.”
(When they did the contract restructure, did your agent know at the time it was for trading you here?) – “Might’ve had a inkling or something like that.”
(Yes, because it all happened in like a one or two day period.) – “It was kind of weird to everybody, but we kind of had an inkling.”
(Any hard feelings?) – “No, no, no. No hard feelings. It’s a business at the end of the day. I love those guys in Detroit, my fellow d-lineman and everything like that. It’s just different strokes for different folks. They were going to a different scheme and it just so happens I didn’t fit well in there. It’s different strokes for different folks, that’s all.”
(How would you describe your strengths for somebody who’s never watched you?) – “In this type of scheme, it fits me. I’m a quick-twitch guy. I get off the ball and make plays in the backfield. I play my gap very well, just being fundamentally sound. Being here to help these guys know what (Defensive Line) Coach Kris (Kocurek) wants, because I’ve played for him. (I’m) just (trying to) help the d-line core, group, come along a lot better and learn how to be attack defensive tackles. That’s pretty much what we’ve been working on every day, just trying to get better and just keep progressing every day.”
(You mentioned Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek. Up there do they expect to rotate as much as they expect to rotate here?) – “Yes, but last year we had a few injuries in Detroit. Haloti (Ngata) went down. Jordan Hill went down, so the load got kind of put on me and A’Shawn (Robinson). I felt like we did a good job playing 60-70 snaps a game. The idea for the way we play is you have about eight or nine starters and just continue to roll guys in. That’s what Kris believes in and that’s how we play – guys going all out for four or five plays and then get a fresh set in. (It’s a) hockey lineup type of deal.”
(How do you feel about wearing No. 93?) – “I feel funny about it because I’ve been #97 my whole career and then when I came into the league, Gerald McCoy was No. 93. I really didn’t want to be No. 93 but hey, it was the only number available, so I just took it.”
(How does your style compare to the last No. 93 – DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “We’re two different guys. I’m not a big flashy guy. I’m a do my job type of guy, control my gap and make plays when I can. (I’m) just trying to help the guys around me become better. I have my edge rushers. I have two great edge rushers now between Cam Wake, and Robert Quinn, so that’s going to help a lot. Just doing my job, being where I’m supposed to be and just making the play I’m supposed to make.”
(You just recently got here, but you’re not only the one who has familiarity with Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek but you’re also the oldest guy amongst the defensive tackles. With those two factors combined, do you see part of your role being a leader among the defensive tackle positon?) – “Yes. Like I tell the guys, if there is anything you want to know about me or Kris, just ask. I’m here to help. I’m here to help the guys progress. They’ve never played for Coach Kris. Sometimes Kris gets to hollering and they don’t know what he’s talking about, so I can pull them to the side (and say), ‘Hey, this is what he means.’ (I’m) just trying to get the group better. Yes, I am the veteran in the d-line room. So these guys, they do look to me like (Davon) Godchaux, J. (Jordan) Phillips, Gabe (Wright) and those guys. It’s just about getting better every day. Obviously we know we’re going to have to work hard to make up for some guys that we lost. That’s a challenge that we’re willing to take. Upfront, just continue to get better everyday.”
(Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek is a pretty intense guy. Give me his vocabulary today, how often do you hear from these guys about is he for real about what he’s saying?) – “Yes and I’ll tell them Coach Kris is all about ball. He loves ball. Next to his wife, and then it’s football. I tell them everything he says he means, and he means well. If he’s not yelling at you, cursing at you, then he doesn’t care. I tell them he’s just trying to get guys better when he’s dong all of that yelling, doing all of that hollering. He cares so much and he’s so passionate about the game that he wants guys to play well and get a whole bunch of sacks. I’m sure he talked about that with you guys.”
(We saw you guys have a little in-practice game, d-ends verses d-line? What happened there?) – “That’s just competition period. I think the ends, I think they came back and tied us at the end, so nobody had to do pushups today. That’s just a way to make individual fun. You have your d-tackles competing against your ends getting off the ball, seeing who can get off the rock fast. We’re just making individual fun because obviously it’s hot out there. You’ve got to make working fun and make this game fun. That’s what we’re trying to do every day.”
(Why was it important to you to participate in the social injustice protest last year?) – “It was important to me and it still is important to me. I’m not going to make a big thing about it. I’m just going to continue to do what I do off the field and just leave it at that; don’t try to make it magnify onto the team. Just keep it the way it is.”
(Then you made the decision that you will not be participating this year?) – “No. I’ll just be doing whatever I’m doing off the field, not to bring attention to the team or anything like that. Just keep it as is.”
(You made some national headlines last fall about your father. Have there been anymore ramifications since then?) – “No more ramifications. His business is doing well. He’s still building homes out there in Panama City and Destin and everything like that. That actually helped business pick up more so than anything, which I was glad to see. People stepping up to the plate. That was pretty cool. It is what it is.”
(So you speaking out about what happened to him helped?) – “Yes, it actually helped him get more jobs and stuff like that. People reached out. A bad thing turned into a great thing.”
(Why was fighting for social equality important?) – “It’s the world that we live in. Just like my kids, I want them to be treated equally as your kids and vice versa. This world we live in is crazy. We all say we’re equal so we all should be treated equal at the end of the day and just leave it at that.”
(The few questions we’ve asked you about Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek, every time you get a big smile on your face. How would you describe what it’s like to play for him?) – “It’s fun. You hear him in the meeting room, some of the jokes he says and then he goes out on the field and gives it his all. Just like this offseason, we’re out there running hills and he actually ran 20 hills with the d-line. He’s not just talking like most coaches. He’s going out there and living it, as well. I love to play for that guy. He’s intense. He wants you to do well. He cares about his players genuinely. Who wouldn’t want to play for a coach like that?”
(Why do you guys call him Coach Kris? You don’t just call him Kris or Coach Kocurek. It’s coach Kris all the time.) – “I mean that’s what he wants to be called. (laughter) He introduces himself as Coach Kocurek, but that’s a mouthful. Especially being down here in Miami, it’s so hot. Coach Kris is cool. That’s cool.”
(How much has having him here helped you with your transition personally?) – “It’s easy.
I came in whenever the trade happened. This defense is pretty much similar to what we ran in Detroit, minus the terminology here and there. I hit the ground running and picked up where I left off last season, just fine-tuning every day, getting ready for the season and getting ready for training camp.”
(You mentioned the two defensive ends you’re going to line up next to – DE Cameron Wake and DE Robert Quinn. How excited are you to play next to them?) – “Very excited. Cam, I forget how many career sacks he has, and then you have Rob on the other side. I think he leads the NFL in active strip sacks or whatever. When you get to play with those guys, it kind of makes it easier on Sundays because come third down, you’re going to see Rob and Cam flying off the rock. You’re going to get some production somewhere. They’re going to make the quarterback step up to me somewhere. I’m just excited to be there collect and clean up and do what I do.”
(We hear the word attacking with Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek. Can you explain to us a little bit more about his philosophy and what he wants his defensive tackles to do?) – “When you turn on the film, it speaks for itself. The defensive tackles next to the ends should be the first two guys off the ball, attacking the guards shoulders, knocking them back and creating penetration so that way your linebackers can play downhill. Everybody can be downhill. You’ve got your ends setting hard edges attacking the tackles at the tip of their pads, setting edges. That way our defense is one-gap sound, playing downhill. The defensive tackles are playing in the backfield and that should show on the film, guys getting knocked back. If not, then we’re playing read 3-4 and Kris is probably somewhere throwing his hat off screaming all types of obscenities. (laughter)”
(I’m dying to hear one of the jokes that Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek shares with you guys in the meeting room.) – “I probably couldn’t say it because there are so many F bombs in them. (laughter) I forgot what we did last year in Detroit. I think one of my teammates counted how many F bombs he said in a 45-minute meeting. I think it was over 130 or something like that. That should give you an idea that. That’s his favorite word.”
(When you broke into the league, a lot of people were comparing you to the famous DT Warren Sapp. Now that you’ve been in the league, have you had a chance to go back and look? Maybe some similarities?) – “Yes, but Sapp is Sapp. Sapp is great. Like I told people when I came in the league, no I’m not Sapp. No, I’m not whoever. I’m just me. I’m just every year trying to get better. I still haven’t hit my milestones in sacks. I thought I was going to get it last year. It’s about getting better every year and being a good football player in this league, just mentoring guys that are coming along and help them every day, day in and day out, working together and just … Right now, I have an opportunity to play with a great group of guys. I’m happy and just trying to get better.”
(What’s your milestone?) – “I want like eight (sacks) or something like that; but when I get to 5, then I’ll go from there. That’s always been a dream of mine, but I’m going to keep dreaming.”
(Eight sacks is a dream?) – “Yes, for an inside guy. I saw Gerald (McCoy) do it for like three-plus years.”
(If you’re only getting 35 snaps a game, that’s a lot of sacks.) – “Hey man, you’ve got to attack.”
(Is there a vision you have? Obviously defensive snaps vary in a game. Do you have an understanding of how much you think you’re going to be playing? Is it 25 snaps a game, 30 a game?) – “I just know from my experience in Detroit, it’s pretty much 50/50. I know when me and Haloti (Ngata), when we were splitting snaps, it was dead even. If we had 60 for the game, it was like 30 and 30. That’s ideal, but you know how it gets during the game. Some guys might get nicked up so you never really know, and then everything gets thrown off.”
(Have you and DT Davon Godchaux basically rotated with the first group?) – “All of the defensive tackles are rotating. Me and Jordan will go out there first and then Godchaux comes in with the second group or sometimes me and Godchaux go out there first and it’s just a matter of what we’re doing and the periods because we’re always rotating. You never know who’s going to be on the field.”
(DT Ndamukong Suh had 84 percent of the snaps. What do you think when you hear that number? Suh played 84 percent of snaps.) – “That’s ridiculous. Some teams, that’s what they expect from a guy of his caliber. But to play 84 percent of NFL snaps and be productive at every one, that’s pretty hard to do. I kind of like it down in the 50 percent range, that way you can be more effective and you can be more productive like that. That’s how I feel. That’s a lot of snaps. And then trying to run to the ball and try to make plays as well? That’s tough in the interior. Trying to whip a guy, then run down the field, then run to the sideline. That’s a lot to do.”
(Which defensive player, non-defensive line, have you noticed or has made an impression on you?) – “Our secondary. You look at it, you’ve got Xavien Howard, you’ve got Reshad (Jones) in the back. It’s a really talented group. And then our linebacking core with young Raekwon (McMillan) and Kiko (Alonso) and those guys, they’re impressive. How fast they play, their anticipating, picking balls off. It’s a really great group to play with so far. They made an impression on me so far.”
