Alec Ingold – August 31, 2023
Thursday, August 31, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(How are you feeling?) – “I’m good, I’m excited. Today is one of those days where you don’t really know how it happens, why it happens, but it kind of all happens at once at the same time. I’m extremely humbled, a lot of people to thank. You have just an absolute attitude of gratitude for this whole organization to trust you. I feel like that’s the biggest thing is whenever you can get your trust from teammates, players and organization, the people you go to work with every day, that’s the biggest seal on anything, stamp of approval. So yeah, man, I’m excited to be here. You guys are stuck with me four more years, stuck with some fullbacks. It’ll be good.”
(What comes to mind when you reflect back to your injury in Las Vegas to today and kind of the work that went into all of that to get yourself in this position?) – “There were some dark moments on the rehab table, trying to straighten out those legs and be able to walk again. Then you’re on the street trying to find a new opportunity, new job. To come into a place that supports you and the way that you can believe in yourself and really just amplifies and empowers you to be the best version of yourself, I think that’s what I fell into and got extremely lucky to be here. You just show up to work every single day with the guys in the room, doing it for something bigger than yourself, and all of a sudden, the time flies by. The growth happens, the plays happen on the field, and then you’re able to kind of grow into that potential which has been extremely rewarding and fun journey up to this point.”
(When did you hear of the news, because it seemed like it broke during practice? Was it like as you were coming off the field? What was your immediate reaction?) – “Yeah, it was right in between meetings and practice. It was one of those things, I had to call wifey, had to call my parents real quick, let them know something was happening and then go to work. That’s the compartmentalization of football – you can’t sacrifice or let your head be anywhere but where your feet are at. So it was a fun day at practice today, getting on the field running around with the guys. I get a long weekend to soak this one in and then get ready for Week 1. So it’s pretty cool timing.”
(I know you said that you’re still trying to wrap your head around how this all came together. But what can you tell us? How did this all come together? Is it as quick as it sounds?) – “Yeah, it really was. It’s in the back of your head whenever you’re heading into a contract year that whatever motivating factors can get a player ready to play a season, you want to use it to the best of your ability. So whether that’s playing time, whether you have individual goals, team goals, financial goals, all of it kind of plays into an offseason that you want to put together. In a contract year, it’s almost like your back is on the wall a little bit. When you have that pressure, when you have different circumstances popping up where it’s not as stable, or it’s not as certain, I think that’s where that uncomfortable nature kind of forces people to be the best versions of themselves. I keep talking about that all the time, but I truly believe that that’s a thing. So having an agent, putting a team together personally, so that I can just worry about doing what I love to do, which is hitting people, catching the ball, running for my guys. That’s really how it all came together. Yeah, it was just as quick as nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing all the way, and then all of a sudden, you snap your fingers, it’s time to go and sign a contract.”
(How do you handle that label that I’ve already seen on Twitter, highest-paid fullback in the NFL. How do you handle something like that?) – “Labels, dollar amounts, values that other people can put on you, I don’t think in the slightest that impacts the way I show up to work and the way I do my job. I’m a process-oriented guy, so no matter what the salary is, no matter what the signing bonus is, you’re going to get the best out of me, because that’s the human being that I am. Now do I get that financial stability in the place that I get to put my all into and a community that I get to be a part of for four more years? Heck, yeah. So I’m going to go all in, even that much more, because there’s not one foot out the door. There’s no other thoughts besides being a Dolphin. I think whatever title or tag or circumstance that you can throw on a highest-paid this or highest-paid that, it can’t impact the process and the way you show up to work.”
(When did you realize that Head Coach Mike McDaniel really likes fullbacks in his offense?) – “When I first got here and all we were watching was 49ers clips all the time, and I was already all over that ‘Juice’ (Kyle Juszczyk) tape, watching it forwards, backwards, up and down. Being able to go through a full year of this offense and this system, to put your fingerprint on it, to be able to watch yourself go through all of those things for this offseason was amazing. And then the opportunity to be able to like ‘Okay, this is what we did in the game that worked. This is what didn’t work,’ and really improve off of that. So it did not take long, it took me about a day. But it’s cool to be a part of this offense, to be a part of a system where a coach appreciates the different skillset that you can bring.”
(Can you take me through your teammates’ reactions when you told them you were getting an extension?) – “The running back room was the first to know which was really cool. To be able to go to work with those guys every day, and to be able to share that moment with those guys was special. And then it’s the guys you’re sitting at the lockers with after that. The big smiles meant the world. Just to know that they care about you, and the way that you show up to work impacts the way they show up to work. Being accountable for those guys, I get to stay being accountable for them, and be here for them. I think that’s the coolest part, is the relationships that we’re going to be able to build.”
(Talking about the running back room. I’ve asked them a couple of times what Head Coach Mike McDaniel told the backs, and I’m assuming you that he wanted to run the ball more last year. Are you looking forward to maybe running the ball a little bit more this year?) – “Heck yeah. Always, we can run the ball as much as we want, and whenever those opportunities come you never ask for them. But when the ball is in your hands you get to do something with it. I think that’s the mantra of this running back room. It’s going to be a committee deal, and we got a lot of good ones that all have their own wrinkles, their own skillset which is amazing. To be able to block for a bunch of guys that care about ball, that are smart, they know what to do, how to do it, they’re going to do it with relentless effort. We’ve got a room with a big diverse skillset that’s going to be fun to play with.”
(How would you categorize the talent level for all of those guys? The strengths for RB Raheem Mostert, the strengths for RB Jeff Wilson Jr., the strengths of RB De’Von Achane?) – “It’s really a spectrum of talent with experience, with speed, you have physicality, you have downhill, and one of my favorite things that Raheem (Mostert) talks about is he was able to turn his speed into power. You talk about him mentoring a guy like De’Von with all of his experience. Now you have got a guy who is running 4.2 that is crazy fast, he’s teaching him how to turn his speed into power. It’s all of that experience in the way that this room works. It’s super cool to see the selflessness in the committee really working together. I haven’t been around a group where we’ve been as tight as this one is right here, on the field and off the field, and it’s really cool to see those guys springboard each other, and give each other tips on how to play ball.”
(Different subject, but this team was in some exploratory talks of assuming a certain college teammate of yours. What was reaction to watching that unfold?) – “It was crazy. I was following along just like everybody else. I haven’t played with ‘JT’ (Jonathan Taylor) for a handful of years now, but just know that he is a heck of a human being. He’s one of the most humble guys that I’ve ever gotten to play with in college. Really happy for that dude and obviously it’s a tough situation, but like I said you get to fall back on the guys you get to work with every single day. Our running back room is pretty solid. It’s fun to see those guys get to go out and showcase their talents and their abilities. Whenever ‘JT’ gets healthy I’m sure he’ll do the same.”
(I know you said the means won’t affect how you work outside, but are you going to celebrate, are you going to go out, do you have a plan?) – “We’ll see. Wifey has work tomorrow morning, 5:30 a.m. she’s getting up, she’s working hard and we’ve got some dogs to take care of, and we’ve got a long weekend. I need to get healthy, and recover, and all that stuff. Maybe after we win some playoff games and play well and win some games, then maybe we can celebrate after that.”
