Alec Ingold – November 26, 2024
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Tuesday, November 26, 2024
FB Alec Ingold
(What’s the earliest you can ever recall thinking to yourself, “I’d love to play on that field someday?”) – “That’s a funny story. Like I said, it’s a gathering space, right? So I was probably eight or nine years old, my cousin is getting married and they have wedding receptions there. So we’re up there and everyone is dancing, having a good time and they had one of the suites open where you could just get desserts or whatever. And I sat down there for like hours just staring out at the field like, ‘Man, I want to be out there. I want to be there one day. I want to play on this field one day.’ So that was probably the earliest memory of me dreaming about being able to play on that field. Played there in Pop Warner, played there in college – we played against LSU Week 1 my sophomore season – and then again as a rookie. So it’ll be fun to be able get back onto that field.”
(I’ve been to just about every NFL stadium but that one, what makes it so special?) – “I think it’s a community place; it’s faith, family and football there. That’s how people eat, live and breathe, it’s all about that organization and that sport. I think it brings people together, I think they’ve done a great job of continuing to renovate the place while keeping the history of it alive and well. So I just think they do a lot of things the right way. I think it’s going to be a really cool honor to be able to be on that field, especially for Thanksgiving. There’s been a lot of memories there for a lot of people growing up in that area.”
(Are you the most popular guy in the locker room these days, considering you’re going back to the crib with everybody in town?) – “I don’t know, I don’t know about that. I think Tua (Tagovailoa) might still be and I think we got Jonnu (Smith) over there who’s playing well, so we can pass that love around the locker room a little bit.”
(In the spirit of the holiday, what are some of the things that you’re thankful for and just being able to play on this evening?) – “First off, I think I’m thankful for being here, being where our feet are, all these opportunities. I’m thankful for family and thankful for being able to be adopted and brought into that family that I’m apart of and being able to have a platform that can advocate for those individuals and those families that might look a little bit different on Thanksgiving this Thursday, but it’s all the same and really special for all those folks.”
(I know you guys are preparing for the Thanksgiving night game, but some of your favorite dishes on the holiday – what can you indulge in? Even though during football season you guys got to –) – “Well I know mac and cheese is big up where I’m from, so you got to get as much cheese and all the cheese curds, all that stuff. Mac and cheese, you got good turkey is always pretty good, so I’m pretty simple with that stuff.”
(How many tickets are you responsible for?) – “My dad took good care of it. Our extended family is all taken care of, but I bet you there’s a hundred, couple hundred people that are going to be there all repping Dolphins stuff. I told them, ‘No Packers gear. You can’t bring it in.’ (laughter) So we’ve got a lot of extra Dolphins fans in the stands for this one.”
(Playing on that iconic field is one thing, but a Thanksgiving game and as big of a game as it is for the Dolphins – that’s the triple-threat right there, that just must be everything?) – “Yeah, it’s prime time and you think about growing up, families all sitting together watching football – I lived that. Playing in ‘Turkey Bowls’ out in the back yard, we played in ‘Turkey Bowls’ out in the Titletown district steps away from the stadium. That’s where I grew up, that’s where family kind of learned the love of the game. So for family and football to kind of be brought together on Thanksgiving night, it’s about as good as it gets.”
(I hear that all of the teams playing on Thanksgiving are going to have John Madden patches on their jerseys. When you think about John Madden, what comes to mind?) – “I think about the turducken. (laughter) I think about him being that voice of football for so long, every big-time game educating fans, educating families in how to play football. He was fun, he brought energy about him. Obviously a legend in the coaching world. He did a lot of great things for this game and I’m glad that we’ll be able to continue to remember his legacy.”
(I’m not sure if you heard, but Shaq Barrett came out of retirement. How cool is that that you guys own the rights and might be able to have him back here in this locker room?) – “Yeah, that would be good to obviously – any way that he is able to help this team, I think would be good for us. I think healthy competition always brings the best out of people, so hopefully it’s all good. Obviously enjoyed him as a teammate while he was here and wished him the best with his entire retirement and then coming out. You hope the best for all those guys that you walk across and meet along this league, you’re always a big fan of the players that you share this locker room with.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that QB Tua Tagovailoa has made significant improvement when it comes to emotional control in a football game. I was curious, coming into the huddle, do you know of any examples of that within the last couple years? Is he different this year at all?) – “He was singing all game on the sidelines, so I think he’s got his swagger back in his own way. He’s in his own skin. So I think it’s just a part of growing up and being in the third year of this offense, being able to play the game within the game. He’s been doing outstanding, I think we’ll continue that whole trend, so he’s doing a great job.”
