Alexander Mattison – March 25, 2025
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Tuesday, March 25, 2025
RB Alexander Mattison
(Just wanted to get it off the top here real quick to make sure because we met already, but is it Alexander or Alex? Which one do you prefer to go by?) – “When it’s written and in that form, I like to be Alexander, but conversationally Alex is fine.”
(I’m doing something on availability/durability. I’ve noticed you’ve been very available throughout your career, throughout college, throughout the NFL. You’re at over 100 carries a year per average, do you attribute that to good preparation, good fortune? What do you attribute being available to?) – “Honestly, I think that it’s definitely a mix of both. I definitely pride myself on being available; that’s something I learned when I was in high school actually. My coach, he gave me the phrase that ‘the best ability is availability,’ and as a young kid who’s trying to accomplish his dreams of getting a full-ride scholarship and going to play in the NFL and everything, that definitely stuck with me. So definitely the mindset of what can I do to prevent injuries, what can I do to heal if there is anything to come up. Taking care of my body from the jump was something that I was really into, something that I knew was important to me, and then kudos to my mom and dad for some good genes as well. (laughter)”
(Tell me about the mentality of somebody who specializes in short yardage. Do you get out of bed aggressive every day? Tell me about that mentality and that kind of attitude that you need.) – “I definitely am not an aggressive – not a person that rolls out of the bed with that mindset. (laughter) But it’s definitely something that when you take pride in something, when you understand how important it is and how important it can be and pivotal it can be for your team and for the trajectory of the game, that’s where you emphasize on different things and watched a lot of tape of different backs. I think I was also blessed with a certain type of running style and technique that allows me to break tackles and do some things. So yeah, just working on the craft and seeing everything from different angles. There’s probably 10 different ways that you can get tackled on every single play and you kind of have to have an escape route for at least 8 of them to have some type of success.”
(You agreed to terms on the Thursday, the week of free agency meaning that you could have spoken, if you had wanted to, to General Manager Chris Grier, Head Coach Mike McDaniel or Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville. Did you talk to any of them before agreeing to terms here and what did they convey to you as far as why they liked your game and why they thought you would be a good fit here?) – “Yeah, I was able to and that’s also a part of why I was excited about coming over. It’s one of those things you look at, it’s an exciting offense, it’s an exciting team to be a part of. So it definitely is one of those things where I look at it and I see a lot of benefits from me being a part of this offense. And of course, (Mike McDaniel) told me to bring my big boy pads down to South Beach, so I understand. I’m going to bring a different level of physicality and that’s what’s expected of me and what I need to bring to the table so yeah, I’m excited about that part as well.”
(The role of short yardage that Chris Perkins just asked you about, it’s been an issue here the last couple of years. The conversion rate has been among the worst in the league, you obviously have a good track record of that. Did Head Coach Mike McDaniel specifically mention that to you as a role he thought you could help?) – “I can’t tell you that he did; I don’t necessarily remember if that was a specific part, but I do know that the physicality and me being a bigger bruiser type of back is something that was mentioned when we talked. So yeah, definitely expect to be in a role of using my pads and using my physicality and bringing that little spark to the offense.”
(Have you ever watched any Boise State or Miami Dolphins Jay Ajayi film?) – “Yeah, I have. Of course, being a Boise State alum, you bleed blue. So definitely was watching a lot of Jay (Ajayi) and just seeing his time in the league and his time at Boise and the way that he runs and his running style.”
(Are there any similarities? He went for over 200 yards in consecutive games as a Dolphin and what I remember is just his sort of relentless approach. Have you ever seen any similarities in your approach or running style?) – “Yeah, I would say so. I kind of lead with that mindset. The key phrases that I have always stuck to coming from college when I was at Boise State, my running backs coach Lee Marks, he told me ‘downhill, fast, physical,’ and those are kind of the three terms that have stuck with me and how I want to play and how I want my running style to be recognized as. Growing up, I watched a lot of Jamaal Charles, Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson, so I would say that I took little bits and pieces from their game and shaped it into my own. Those are definitely some relentless type of guys there.”
(How would you describe your running style?) – “I would say downhill, fast and physical. Those are the three words that I would definitely just pin to the way that I run and how I want to run every single time.”
(I read where you are fluent in Spanish and have been for quite a while. Does playing now for a team whose locale features a lot of Spanish-speaking people add any appeal to you?) – “I think it’s definitely a plus. I’ll be able to practice my Spanish and keep it up. I’m excited just to be a part of the culture down there and get an understanding, get a feel for everything that comes with being a Dolphin.”
(I know earlier in your career you spent some time with Dalvin Cook in Minnesota. I just wanted to know, what was the biggest thing that you took away from him within the running back room and that you keep with you to this day?) – “I would say, honestly, one of the biggest things is to have fun. He was a guy that just made it fun. He’s a guy that just every single day came in with a smile on his face and was ready to work and was ready to go out there and have fun. I think coming into the league as a rookie, I was ready to work, work, work, work, work, but he got me to slow down and say, ‘Hey man, have fun with this.’ My time with him was legendary and was a lot of fun so I would say be that six-year-old kid that fell in love with the game back in the day is something that I keep in the back of my mind.”
