Alec Ingold – December 5, 2023
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Tuesday, December 5, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(What is the significance to you of being the Dolphins nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award??) – “The significance to me for the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award is something that everything you do on and off the field is not for the recognition, but then you get recognized for it. It’s kind of a catch-22, but at the same time, I think it’s never about the recognition or the award, it’s really what you do with it or how you’re able to use that for some good in the world. I think the NFL does an amazing job highlighting the work and the purpose and the whys behind everything that we do on and off the field. To be nominated by your organization, the people you go to work with every single day, it means the world. Similar to that captain sort of recognition, it’s the people in the room that see you every day going to work, how you go about it, why you do it. And then at the end of the day, I think it’s a great opportunity to share the spotlight with so many causes, so many foundations, so many people, so many community members that are able to make something like this come to life. I think it’s very indicative of the hard work that’s been going on for the past year and a half that I’ve been here, two years, and it’s really just the start. So I’m really excited for that recognition, that hat tip, and I’m more excited about using it for some good to continue the work down here in South Florida.
(Who instilled that mindset in you?) – “That’s a great question. I think the community that I grew up in up in Green Bay, Wisconsin was big. I think I saw a lot of NFL athletes taking that extra step in the community where I grew up in Wisconsin, and it takes a village – how many people, teachers, coaches, mentors, are giving you all of these life lessons from a number of different places, and then someday down the line, it clicks. So I think just that repetitive nature, the amount of role models in the community that you see on a daily basis, I think everyone really had a hand in that.”
(When we talk about things that different players bring to the table, I hear about the intensity from LB David Long Jr. and S DeShon Elliott. I’m wondering if you can tell me something about them as a teammate, or maybe even as an opponent of theirs?) – “Those guys are tone setters, and they’re two guys that joined the team this year and you immediately felt their presence. Throughout training camp, if I saw 51 (David Long Jr.) and it was an inside zone and I had to go block that dude, I wasn’t exactly too fired up about it. He’s going to be coming downhill with everything he’s got. And DeShon Elliott is the same way – the range that he plays with, the intensity that he plays with, it sets the tone for a lot of guys. When you have role players like that, and I don’t say that in a bad term – like the role that you master, you bring, that you are building like a reputation around the league for like, that’s a role player now. Those guys are starting to build the reputation around the league. They have been, they brought it to the Dolphins, and now the way that they’re playing right now, it’s fun to watch. On offense, you can hear it before you see it, and anytime you’re on the sideline and you can hear a play, it’s probably 51 or 21. So it’s fun to hear that.”
(In a weird way, do you get closer with guys like that who you have to compete against literally head-to-head in practice?) – “One hundred percent, and I think that’s something where you’re battletested. So it’s that approval and that’s that competition in training camp that nobody can shy away from. When you have two units that are coming together and coming into their own during training camp, during the month of August, when you’re going at it, you know what everyone’s about. You know that test happens one time, and you have to be ready to do it again tomorrow and the next day and the next week. So those really highly competitive periods throughout training camp and now going into the season, still carrying a lot of those competition periods, I think it pays off in the long run.”
(You guys are No. 1 in the AFC at this point in time. What’s your reaction to that?) – “It’s a good start. I think everyone knew walking into December, we needed to make a run at this thing and be playing our best football heading into the tournament. So regardless of the seed or what everyone else does, I think it really just is encouraging to stay focused and locked in on your process and what you can do today, because the wins and the losses from this past weekend, or next week, or the week after that doesn’t change the approach that you carried into December saying ‘It’s time to improve. It’s time to get better. It’s time to start clicking on all cylinders.’ I think that’s the next opportunity that we have on Monday. If you carry that mindset, maybe you can look back and say how cool the seeding all played out or how the playoffs went, but it really is a challenge to stay in that microscope every single day and not pay too much mind to that.”
(I wanted to ask you about the I-formation. You guys don’t use it very often, even though I think it’s been quite successful for you. What do you think you have to do to convince Head Coach Mike McDaniel that, “Hey, look at our four-minute offense. We can do this. We can get this done in I-formation?”) – “I think it really is inspiring the play-caller and inspiring the teammates, right? You see a lot of guys throughout these past few weeks, the four-minute offense, the eight-minute offense, whatever we’ve turned it into, the approach and the mindset of finishing with the ball in our hands, either in victory (formation) or it’s scoring a touchdown towards the end of the game. Like that’s how December football is won. So for us to be getting those reps now, to be inspiring each other as we’re doing it, you’re able to put it on tape. You’re able to watch it. You’re able to see where we need to get better, and it’s like, ‘OK, we can do this. This can be our brand of football that people can expect and try and stop it.’ That’s something we’re growing towards and we need to keep taking those steps. It starts with practice and it starts with getting healthy so that if we’re in the I-formation, we can go to empty. If we start in empty, we can go to the I. We can move all around, and then we can get to a short yardage or a normal down-and-distance and it really doesn’t matter. So I think all of those personnel groups when it’s heavy bodies, when it’s four-minute offense, like those are all things that we’re working on to improve on. It’s cool to see the boys, especially this last week – the last drive, Mike White was in there, Tanner Conner is out there in the backfield playing fullback, seeing him dropping the pads. It was really fun to see those guys run 13 straight run plays and score at the end. It was really fun to watch as a fullback.”
(Are you seeing the defense – you guys obviously can get guys off the line of scrimmage clean every time if you want to with motion, but are you seeing defensive backs try to disrupt timing with contact at different parts of the receivers’ routes as opposed to before you started using some of the motions?) – “I think there’s a lot of wrinkles going into the ways that defenses are trying to defend our run, our pass, our play pass. So I think those problems or those situations that come up in a game, it’s really about staying focused, locking in on your training. I think we have a great coaching staff that is preparing us to be ready for all of that. But in the heat of battle, if you’re seeing something new, if there’s a defender coming in high to low, or low to high, or setting an edge from a different place, I think it’s really putting that ego aside and realizing like what’s happening on the field, we’ll slow it down, we’ll see it on the (Microsoft) Surface on the sideline, and then we’re going to make those adjustments in the game so we can execute when we need to. I think it’s a test on everybody. Anytime there’s new schemes, anytime there’s new ways to problem solve, for guys to stay locked in, emotionally in check, and to be able to be problem solvers, not problem creators, or pointing out the problem and then not wanting to be a part of the solution.”
(What are your thoughts on the growth we’ve seen from OL Liam Eichenberg at guard. What have you seen as a teammate?) – “I mean, I sit behind that dude in all of our offensive meetings, all of our team meetings, so I see his approach on a daily basis. The way he’s locked in – the notebook that he has is unbelievable. There’s notes everywhere. It’s kind of sporadic, but it’s everywhere and it’s all the time and it’s every day. So whether he’s playing well or playing bad, or people are pointing out this or that, his consistent approach is exactly what everyone talks about on the process. You see a dude 10 yards down the field running a three technique, that didn’t happen just because he just decided to one day. It’s been that approach throughout the entire year, the entire time I’ve been here. It just really exemplifies the process that everyone’s bought in, everyone’s dialed in and intentional every single day. It can turn something as small as the intentional notes that you take in a meeting, to then walking it through, to then practicing it, then putting it out on Sunday and not being afraid that he’s got to switch every single position on the offensive line. I think he’s started all five now. Being willing to take that on and be bold with that, and not be afraid to fail and figure it out and then find his stride, I mean, that’s everything in football. I think that’s a beautiful part of the team game that we’re playing.”
(What does it say about OL Liam Eichenberg’s character that he obviously has had some adversity in his career and now he’s blossoming?) – “The one thing about your character that you can speak on is how you respond to that adversity. Adversity and change is the constant in life and how you deal with that adversity or change is who you are as a man. I think everything that he’s taken in stride for as long as I’ve been here is top class. It’s his character. He’s stayed strong. He’s fighting the good fight. It’s just that flywheel of just keep pushing, keep pounding that rock until eventually it breaks and hopefully this is just the beginning. Hopefully there’s a lot more to come for the entire unit.”
(With the holiday season fast approaching, I’ve got to ask you what’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve gotten? What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve gotten? And the fact that the position you’re in being an NFL player, do you have to play Santa Claus for your family members?) – “Okay, worst Christmas gift I ever got, my parents got me a fake thing of coal. But it was like gum. It was like chewing gum, but it was like black licorice-tasting gum. I was all upset because I thought I got coal. Then they’re like, ‘oh no, it’s really gum.’ Then I put it in my mouth to try and chew the gum and it tasted like black licorice, which is terrible. It’s the worst flavor of gum. So I was emotionally upset. (laughter) The actual taste of it was terrible. So that was definitely the worst one. Best one, I got an Xbox 360. That was prime like sixth, seventh, eighth grade. I was playing Modern Warfare II on that all the time with my guys. As soon as I got that, I was excited. John Madden was on the cover for that first time. I forget what year that was. Got the legendary edition. Man, that was the best Christmas gift forever. I’m really excited that we get to play at home Christmas Eve. So Santa Claus is bringing the family in, having the family over. But we do a pretty good job with the gift exchange and everything like that. I’m really excited to play in front of family, play at home at Hard Rock (Stadium) on Christmas Eve. It’s going to be a fun one.”
